Operation Ochre Winter: The Brief

[Robogeber]

UNKNOWN REGIONS
Pa'Desh, Pa'Dan, The Old Fort Parade Ground

​

The visage of the proud Grand Admiral was transmitted across all those who would listen. His crisp, white uniform glowing in the tropical sun. A grin beamed across his features. This was a moment of triumph. "Patriots and Comrades," The Grand Admiral began, "Our forces have struck back against those who seek to beseech our people and our will." The Imperator declared with a vicious grin, "The supposedly, Eternal Empire is but a fleeting moment within our shared history," Rausgeber commanded to the assembled legions of stormtroopers. Behind him and projected upon the gargantuan First Order banner, Zakuul City.

"Even during their supposed moment of triumph," Carlyle proudly declared, "During the crowning of their derelict monarch," The cityscape of the metropolis erupted into a ball of fire. "The peoples of Zakuul rose up against their masters." The Grand Admiral thundered, "They saw through the lies, through the deceit of these pretenders and struck back against theses invaders." Rausgeber raised his fist and slammed it down upon the wooden pulpit. "And tore through their regime and propaganda to show the Galaxy and us, their dedication to the First Order and to our values."

Carlyle then stood tall, "To the peoples of Zakuul, those who may have been tempted to join these pretenders. To attach themselves to this sinking ship," The man shook his head, as a disappointed patriarch would. "I suggest that the chance for redemption comes near, renounce this regime. Join your fellow patriots and the struggle to defend your Empire, your legitimate governors from these scum." The Grand Admiral then paused, "And let this be a lesson to all those whose wills waver, whose hearts falter, that we can and we will be sure to punish any insolence."

Rausgeber offered a crisp salute. "Long live Sieger Ren! Long live the First Order!"

OLD FORT
The War Room

The war room sat within the deepest and darkest confines of Old Pa'Dan's Old Fort. It had been one of the new additions implemented by the First Order. Escorted by two towering Death Troopers, the assembled group of stormtroopers and recruits were funnelled into the deepest, darkest parts of the fortress. The parts not open to many outside of the elite officers and their retainers. The Death Troopers keyed in the access codes to a conference room. Upon its opening the group were met with the Grand Admiral. Still under the holographic facade. "Gentlemen," The officer commanded to the Death Troopers, "Seal the room." The Death Troopers complied.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He gestured to those assembled from across the mahogany table. "You have been assembled here for a singular task." The Grand Admiral informed them, "To assist in the reclamation of our territory. This will require us to dismantle the Eternal Empire. Permanently." The Grand Admiral continued. "Time is of the essence, and resources limited, so I anticipate that each and every one of you be prepared to take ultimate sacrifice should the need eventuate."

"This is a task which requires upmost fidelity and skill." He added, "If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask."

 

[Tyrcas Pallopides]

​

The Old Fort;
The War Room.​

​

Tyrcas followed the gathering of First Order personnel into the war room, his dark uniform crisp and up to standard. Despite the losses and setbacks the Order had suffered, there was absolutely no excuse to falter on standards or expectations. And the first thing people saw was the individual; so said individual needed to represent the First Order in its entirety, in both appearance and expression. It was promising to see the Grand Admiral adhering to the same belief, appearing extremely professional and authoritative.

Let's see what the first steps of the recovering Order hold...

As the large room was sealed by the Death Troopers, who did their task in dread silence, Tyrcas turned his attention to what the Grand Admiral said. The previous speech had been inspiring, certainly, but it had also been propaganda aimed at firing up the people more than anything else. Now the real task began, as the briefing would outline the plans, actions and routes the First Order would take to reestablish itself in the region of space around Pa'Desh.

It seems the Eternal Empire has earned the Grand Admiral's ire, Tyrcas thought as he listened, standing toward the middle of the gathering with his hands at the small of his back. It makes sense, though. Another force seeking to establish itself in a recently occupied and disrupted First Order region, we cannot allow such an act to occur without opposition.

The mention of ultimate sacrifice made Tyrcas raise an eyebrow, however.

No, I don't think so... you're welcome to do that personally, Grand Admiral. Lead by example, as they say.

And with that, the initial direction of the briefing was presented, and the floor opened to questions from those arrayed within the sealed room.

"If I may, Grand Admiral," Tyrcas said as he stepped forward. "Will the battles against the Eternal Empire be primarily focused on direct combat, or will there be other angles also taken to accomplish this goal? Destabilizing whatever hold the Eternal Empire's leaders may have on the people of Zakuul prior could provide opportunity to incite chaos on the planet itself leading up to our campaign..."

 

[FN-999]

FN-999 stood silently, his hands at his side.​

​

Recently, he had been given a fairly large promotion in recognition of serving for nearly a decade. Now, he had control over not just a squad, but a whole company. And it meant much more than in it was in the Order's prime.

His position had granted him access to this private meeting, a gathering of some of the most important remaining First Order military officials. Nearly all of them had served for as long as him, and many of them for much longer. FN-999 would have a lot to learn in the coming years.

Prior to the meeting, the Grand Admiral, Rausgeber, had made a propaganda speech. It seemed to be effective, but endless posturing would not be the winning factor of the wars. Now, more than ever, the army was needed. Stormtroopers were still in limited supply, with only half of his company having more than a year of experience. A full invasion of many systems would require one of two things. An influx in skillfully trained troopers could re-establish a massive First Order presence. Or, in the absence of large recruitment gains, the current veterans could subdivide into special-forces commando units for the purpose of striking important fortifications and worlds.

FN-999 decided that the time was ripe to express his thoughts.

"If direct combat becomes a focus, then how will the stormtroopers be distributed?" inquired FN-999. "We no longer have the resources to dump a legion with mechanized support onto a planet and watch as it is conquered. Would we be able to pull any of our quality units offworld to sabotage the planetary defenses?

[member="Robogeber"] | [member="Tyrcas Pallopides"]

 

[Pravina Venkatappa]

Cadet Pravina Venkatappa and Lieutenant Colonel Yang Pike
Post 1
Location: Old Pa’Dan - Old Fort (War Room), Pa’Desh
[member="Robogeber"] [member="FN-999"] Tyrcas Pallopides

An odd duo of a tiny Pa’Deshi human female and an eight-foot tall Epicanthix male listened quietly to the briefing regarding the burgeoning operation against the Eternal Empire. Yang Pike had chosen to bring his most promising young cadet along with him to the briefing, in an effort to familiarize her with the upper echelons of the First Order, since he knew that eventually the girl would be called up far beyond the station that she was familiar with and he didn’t want her to feel intimidated when that day arrived.

He had known Pravina since she had first entered the academy as a skinny and sickly recruit. At the time, she had just underwent an operation to replace her lungs with freshly cloned ones in order to cure the chronic asthma she had developed through years of living in the polluted slums of Bala’dahl. Yang had written her off as a hopeless case at first. After all, she had been recruited through a rally, and those recruits tended to not last long before either washing out or voluntarily transferring to an easier division. He had been surprised, but not convinced when she had made it through the first phase of training. It was only after she made it through the second phase that he became convinced of her potential. Yang had very quickly taken her under his wing, and he discovered that the girl barely knew Basic, only had rudimentary math skills, and had never even driven a speeder (much less a starship) before coming to the academy. In other words, she had made it through the first two phases through pure strength of will and nothing else. Even so, Yang knew that grit and determination alone wouldn’t be enough to get her through the next phases. If she washed out, it was likely that she would be reassigned as a menial in the Navy. However, Pravina had told him that if she washed out, she would ask to be sent to the Army to serve as an infantry woman instead.

He couldn’t let that happen.

Yang immediately began an intense regimen of study with Pravina after her daily classes, where he tutored her on Algebra, Galactic Basic, and the material being presented to her in class. He spent many long hours with her, to the point where he frequently missed sleep and had to push through the next day on stims. She did the same, and there had been times where they had both fallen asleep at their desk within the library. He had invested himself in her success almost as much as she had invested herself in her own. There had been multiple times where she would have washed out if not for the appeal meetings he sponsored for Pravina, where he would figuratively get on his knees and beg the council to grant the girl a reprieve.

The girl he had met only a year ago was much stronger and healthier now. She had gained weight and developed more stamina through hours of training in the gym. Her math skills, though still lagging far behind her peers, had improved in leaps and bounds. Fortunately, she had passed the hardest parts of her training and he couldn’t be more proud.

His choice of bringing Pravina with him to the briefing had been met with scowls and intense glares from his squad. After all, Pravina was typically among the lowest scoring cadets among the ones that passed, and she also spoke in semi-broken Basic. However, in his mind, she had distinguished herself from the others because of her persistent work ethic and indomitable will. Many of the others had grown up on Dosuun before the invasion of the Ssi-ruuk. Quite simply, they had been training to become First Imperial officers for almost their entire lives. Even so, the day would come that his pupil would surpass her peers, and by the time they realized that they had been outdone, it would be far too late for them to catch back up.

In essence, their arrogance would blind them.

Yang returned his attention back to the briefing, having realized that he had almost missed the two questions because of his reflections. He decided to speak up after the stormtrooper company commander.

“In what capacity will the TIE corps be deployed?” The imposing Epicanthix asked as he crossed his gigantic arms over his broad chest. “More specifically, what will our parameters be for the initial stages of the operation?”

 

[Robogeber]

The Grand Admiral addressed the captain firstly, with a small smirk, "I believe Captain, that the system itself is ripe for revolution." The droid mused, "The Eternal Empress has not done the groundwork, or laid the foundations for popular support." Rausgeber then keyed into his desk and activated a holographic display of the system. "Intelligence gathered from our Werewolf cells and operatives, has seen that Arenais' claim is solely backed by Mandalorian mercenary groups rather than a force of locals." He shook his head, "And as shown by our recent victory and the speech by a rival claimant, her government sits tenderly." He then allowed that wry, wolfish grin to spread across his lips, "We needn't strike with too much force, we merely need to show her ineptitude and weakness." The Grand Admiral chortled, "And then, once we strike back. Once we show them unable to hold their claim, we lead the converted to slaughter them."

The droid turned to the stormtrooper, and shook his head. "You are correct trooper, in your assessment that we cannot afford to engage our enemies in open battle." Carlyle conceded, "But, I have attached to this assembled unit, two AFTERLIFE Death Troopers." The Grand Admiral informed them. The AFTERLIFE troopers were infamous within the Old Fort. They were brutal, maddened creatures, who scared even the most hardened stormtroopers. "I do not intend to be dragged into any long term battles, but I do intend for us to strike quickly and forcefully against our enemies." Carlyle chided. "Irregular warfare, and our superior infantry doctrine shall guide the way." Rausgeber continued, "And will see to us, victory siezed, and with every shock troop unit, is of course their pilots," The droid gestured toward Pike.

"Captain Pike, your TIE fighter squadron is to me merged with the 604th," The droid commanded, "You are to work both as the escorts, and gunship pilots for our forces." He commanded, "For the first stages of our operation, you will be providing close air support and escort parameters for your comrades on the ground, as well as providing transport." He informed them, "Your squadron will be critical in ensuring that our forces are able to be extracted safely." Rausgeber paused.

"Any other queries?"

[member="Pravina Venkatappa"] | [member="FN-999"] | [member="Tyrcas Pallopides"]

 

[Samka Derith]

Oh sweet, Lady Kay. What matters have you involved yourself in now?

In the room's corner, the young woman sat cross-legged on the floor reading a briefing of the situation. Young, petite and generally as unassuming as ever, Samka Derith hadn't so much as spared a glance at the others since the room was sealed. What the military figures so intricately planned mattered little. There details rarely mattered when in contact with the enemy proper.

What mattered to her was the meaning of the affair and end result of it all. That and the purpose of her involvement.

"She's vulnerable but don't mistake that for weakness," Samka finally spoke up, still not looking away from the notes she was reading. Her tone was light yet carried an unnatural chill to it. "Her ability to gather loyal followers is something quite remarkable... You'll need a way out in case resistance is steeper than expected."

"Grand Admiral." Finally her head turned to gaze upon the droid with ruby eyes. "Your distrust of my kind was well known so I was surprised at the invitation. Do you envision me as a shock trooper here to serve you as readily as I once did Sieger? Your resources are scarce. What does warmongering for a single contested world get us besides soothing pride, Admiral?"

Her head cocked to the side curiously. She couldn't read the droid like she could with organic life. There was no way into his mind and no bodily ticks to show emotion. She'd known of him, Rausgeber's military record was well known even to the masses but she didn't know him. She didn't know how he would function now freed of oversight and until she did, her loyalty would not be forthcoming.

[member="Robogeber"] | [member="Pravina Venkatappa"] | [member="FN-999"] | [member="Tyrcas Pallopides"]​

 

[Tyrcas Pallopides]

​

The Old Fort;
The War Room.​

​

Tyrcas listened as the questions were asked, answers coming from the Grand Admiral quickly and confidently, and the Captain felt quietly confident. The inclusion of guerilla warfare made sense, even if it felt beneath the usual mandates and methods for the First Order, but given current situations they couldn't afford to be prideful. At least not too much. Still, part of Tyrcas wondered at the wisdom behind such blatant actions toward this new Eternal Empire - how many were there now? - and whether the First Order could afford to make such bold statements in such a condition. Yet, another part also agreed that only through defiance and strength could the true power of the First Order be reestablished and once loyal sectors reclaimed.

It was certainly a tipping point for them all, and their actions now would pave the way for the First Order's future. When one of the Knights of Ren spoke up, inquiring about warmongering and purpose, Tyrcas could barely hide his disdain. He looked toward the unassuming young humanoid, his blue eyes cool, as he listened. For him, being tactically minded, the plans being formulated made sense; but he could also see the other side of the discussion.

"I apologize for speaking out of turn, Grand Admiral," Tyrcas said, as he glanced between the pair. His gaze settled on the Ren. "I would mention that, in our state, we cannot be seen as weak. By taking an unrelenting and firm stance against incursion now, against another claimant alongside the Ssi-Ruuk, we may very well prevent additional groups or organizations from moving in on territory the First Order once held. It will certainly cause them to pause and reconsider, knowing we will not sit idly by."

Tyrcas turned to the Grand Admiral. He suspected the other would expand if needed, and wondered at the words to follow...

"Preliminary planning aside, might I suggest we begin ranging patrols and military parades on vital worlds that we intend to keep loyal, Grand Admiral? Shows of presence may sate some who are faltering like the Zakuul."

[member="Robogeber"] | [member="Pravina Venkatappa"] | [member="FN-999"] | [member="Samka Derith"]​

 

[Robogeber]

The Grand Admira's visage stiffened and her let a derisive glare settle upon the Ren. She was right. He never did quite trust the Ren, or their motives. But at the same juncture, he needed people of her stripe. "What it achieves Master Ren, is quite simple, as Captain Pallopides has explained." The officer drawled, "It keeps our enemies in check, and serves to remind the peoples of our dominions to whom their loyalty belongs." The Grand Admiral coolly chided, "Should this, Eternal Empire," He showed visible disgust using the term, "Be allowed to fester and grow in influence, it destabilises our government being seen as the legitimate successors to Supreme Leader and the Grand Moff." Rausgeber continued, "Zakuul, and Lady Kay must be made an example of. Followers or not, her zealotry is a threat."

The Grand Admiral's attentions turned to the officer, Pallopides. "You do raise a good point." The Imperator conceded, "I am already organising expeditions across our territories, Dosuun, Zarnathea and Panatha will be our destinations." He mused, "But we must be careful not to concern ourselves too much with propaganda efforts." he added, "Shows of force are important, but our assets are thin and there are many dangers which lurk where we once staked our claim." he paused, "I propose an effort to draw refugees from the fighting to Pa'Desh and to establish a series of camps, see if we can strong arm the Badishah into relinquishing more real estate."

[member="Tyrcas Pallopides"] | [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Pravina Venkatappa"] | @FN-999