Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Dominion Raiders of the Lost Vault | EE Dominion of Verkuyl

eMKHaPg.png



acIF3fa.png


He did not wait for a response, instead striding up to the lead Warthog and holding the armored door of the heavy vehicle open for his fiancé. The military vehicle was rugged and had a spacious interior, designed to allow soldiers in full gear to exit quickly, though it was not built for comfort. The seating provided was simple and functional, following the Imperial design philosophy of function over form.

Vyra dipped into the vehicle, placing her weapons on the racks provided and taking her seat quickly, though the dark interior offered little refuge from the merciless jungle heat. The ride was nowhere near comfortable, but she’d never complain. In fact, the politician was growing used to the rigid utilitarian style used in almost all facets of the Eternal Empire. She’d slept in the dirt and sat on rocks for years, though not by choice, before she’d resumed her career and retaken her plush lifestyle.

Comfort wasn’t everything.

She DID spend a significant portion of the journey trying not to end up in her fiancé’s lap, jostling around on the seat next to him as they crushed the jungle floor beneath their wheels. Every brush of his arm threatened to knock loose the cork holding back her thoughts, her white-knuckled grip on the side of her chair tightening further to keep herself from sliding into Kainan.

Flushed and thoroughly ready to stretch her legs, Vyra was the first one out as the Warthog came to a stop. Grabbing her weapons she charged towards their target location, knowing the Emperor wouldn’t be far behind her, half wishing he’d just stay in the transport so she didn’t have to fight herself every time he spoke.


Life she found readily in the rainforest around her and with it, the Force. She drew on its power, reaching down into the earth where she felt duracrete walls. Slowly, a chunk of black jungle soil separated from the rest of the ground and rose steadily above the surface. All manners of insects dropped from the mass as Adelle moved it with the Force and set it down not too far from the hole. Cracked and sagging walls now laid exposed to the light and air, blackened by the earth and groundwater. Adelle picked up a small satchel and slid into the newly formed hole.

“…I’m no tracker, but this is far too convenient,” she remarked as the broken-in base of the sagging walls came into full view. Carefully, Vyra stepped towards the disturbed earth, kicking a few large insects out of her path and bending to inspect the hole, noting the moved dirt to the side of the makeshift entrance. “I believe someone’s been here already,” she said over her shoulder, the sudden desire to wiggle down through the soil and see what was on the other side pulling at her heart. “We should make haste,” she said quickly, taking a step backwards to secure her carbine across her back.

 


The ride down the dirt road of the forest was bumpy and uncomfortable, though Tacitus paid no heed to it. He was used to rough conditions, having spent nearly a lifetime on the battlefield, enduring far worse conditions than this. No, he was far more concerned about his fiancé's tension, knowing all too well what burdens and emotions she was struggling with, even though he was far more accustomed with carrying the sacrifices that the Empire required. The unspoken feelings they shared for eachother certainly didn't make things better, though this was neither the time, or the place to dwell on them.

Instead, he reached out to her, rough, taloned fingers gently closing around her soft hand, the hand which was gripping the side of the chair with such ferocity. It was a small gesture of comfort, of reassurance, meant to tell her that he knew, that he understood. It was all he could do, given the situation. In a better galaxy, perhaps things would have been different. But this was not a better galaxy, it was the real world. And the cards it dealt them did not allow for more than this.

Sensing her restlessness, he remained silent as the vehicle came to a stop, following behind her after retrieving his weapons, a million thoughts racing through his head, a million shadows banished as soon as his eyes fell upon the chasm ahead of them. Vyra was right, the broken wall was certainly not natural, it was far too fresh and it did not look like it had collapsed under its own weight.

Gesturing quickly, he snapped a series of silent orders to his troops, which formed a perimeter around the entrance while a squad of Ultranauts took up positions around the Sith Lord and his companion. "<Keep your eyes peeled,>" he said in High Nelvaanian. "<There could be traps inside, or enemies lying in ambush. Safeties off, weapons free,>" he ordered, drawing his sword. Looking directly at Vyra, he paused for a second, struggling to find words amidst the confusing mess of feelings. "Stay close and watch your step," he said to her. He wanted to say more, so much more than that, but he simply couldn't find the words.

Bathed in the cold, white light of the military flashlights of his soldiers, he stepped past her and into the structure, leading the way forward, always first to go in, first to put his life on the line. And somewhere within, awakened by coughing, barely functioning sensors hidden in the walls, an ancient intelligence awakened.

dRUm20K.png
 
Saabossi narrowed her gaze upon the crowd below, through her sniper scope. Soon people were gathered. The young of the village. If this were not a mission...but she prided herself in her operations, always.

She had to look away from the sight just before blasterfire sounded out, watching down around the borders of the village. Someone was bound to come and attack them. Bound to rush the guards...she wished the villagers would just answer the questions to get this all done with.

Wulf Orlock Wulf Orlock
 
What does a sniper and artist have in common, deta
eMKHaPg.png

Post: 1
Companions: Kainan Wolfe Kainan Wolfe Vyra Silara Vyra Silara

The squad of soldiers moved forward in silence, each knowing what to do when clearing a room, Fomrorta communicating with hand signals. An act much easier to do with her extra sets of arms, in her case the old saying 'many hands make light work' was quite literal. Multiple flash lights shone into the dark ruins, lighting up moss covered walls and broken stone, not something that caught the mercenaries interest. No, her focused was on the sounds echoing from within the shadows, Formorta taking out her high powered anti armor rifle, holding it at the ready.

She had heard stories about old tombs and their so called protectors, often huge hulking constructs. Something most small arms couldn't deal with but she wasn't carrying any small arm. Still, it would be reckless to advance as of now, now while Tacitus was dealing with that women, who ever she was, Formorta's lack of interest taking fold once more. Her job was just to shoot things that were a threat and report Intel, not deal with interpersonal relationships.

With another wave of hand gestures each solider took defensive positions around the fallen walls and rocks, leveling their weapons down the open halls and rooms. If anything was going to make a move she'd want to have first blood.
 
eMKHaPg.png

Tags: Wulf Orlock Wulf Orlock
The sight Taozi and her clan saw as they entered the village was obscene. Children being murdered was a whole new level of cruel and idiotic.

"Chakaars..."

"<He has no brain cells.>"

"Alor..."


Taozi led her clan into the village center, and was honestly tempted to smack the Fieldmarshall upside the back of the head.

"What a waste of ammunition. These children would be more useful put into military academies, or even given to me, Orlock. As it is, you're just making more work for yourself later like at Bakura. Is creating rebellion in people a hobby of yours? <Collect the bodies. I'll handle the Demagolka.>"

Nervously, Clan Tal approached at their Alor's beckoning, and gently gathered up the frail, shattered bodies as their parents sobbed on the sidelines.

"Let me handle this, yes? I'll play the good cop to your bad cop, and get the information we need without having to waste more ammunition than you already have."

Taking off her buy'ce, Taozi clipped it to her belt before stepping forward to address the gathered villagers.

"People of Verkuyl, I am Doctor Taozi Fuyuan, Alor of the Mandalorian Clan Tal. I doubt you've heard of me, due to your past rulers, but rest assured that with your cooperation no more lives will need to be lost. My clan, those collecting the bodies of your children, are going to prepare them for you to bury so that you do not have to suffer through such a traumatizing experience. We will even prepare graves for you if you wish.

We of Clan Tal are trained doctors and medics, who wish to advance the medical field even more than we have. To do this, I ask your cooperation. I know you have suffered, you have been betrayed, brutalized... But through cooperation with me I offer Mercy to you and your families."


Taozi released waves of calmness through the Force as she spoke, making eye contact with each and every villager gathered around. If the villagers would not cooperate with the Empire, perhaps they would cooperate with her instead.

Who wouldn't trust a doctor?

"Now, what do you all want in exchange for the information I need? Food? Medical supplies? The only thing I cannot give you is the lives of your children my... Well. Information for supplies is an even trade, don't you think?"
 
BYOO: Flipping the Coin (Heads: Rebels, Tails: Empire)

Attn: Open
Equipment: x1 Sk-UL Mk3.3 Shadow Armor, x1 KC-M74S Designated Marksman Rifle, x1 Lucius-pattern Bayonet, x1 S4C Light Repeating Blaster, x2 KC-95 Blaster Pistols
Attachment: None

Baron Viktor Goetz looked around his surroundings as he approached the headquarters of the once prestigious medical company. As he traversed through the ruined skyscrapers and high rise buildings, he clicked his tongue as he watched the desolation around him. In a few moments, he finally reached his destination: the main research facility. The main research facility was located underground according to Viktor's intel, although the surface facade of the building looks like a small office complex. Despite the humble exterior appearance, as he gazed upon the building in closer detail, he noticed the numerous subtle and recessed security and defense features.

One such feature was thick plasteel windows, which were paired with what looked like hidden blast covers; the original ferroconcrete that obscured the blast covers seemed to have eroded over time, as did much of the building's exterior, as even various vines and plants adorned the surface. As he came closer, he noticed that there were several concealed turrets that were now clearly outlined in the ground and various walls. Glancing at his data display, the energy readings that the Eternal Armada provided indicated that there were no energy signatures in the area. Hoping that the security systems would be disengaged, he circled around the building to potentially spot a hidden power generator.

His search was fruitless and he deduced that the power generator was probably located underground, if the facility had one. Regardless, it had been dozens of years since its operation, and the backup power generator would have run out of energy by now...Or at least he hoped.

Taking a deep breath, he engaged his Shadow Armor's stealth systems, taking up the identity of a long deceased, high profile scientist of Verkuyl Co. His Blackwatch detachment had put in some efforts to secure the scientist's corpse, which provided ample genetic and biological samples to create a fool-proof biometric duplicate. Viktor himself had even located an old security keycard which he had his slicers work on to match the scientist's clearance level. His preparations were ample, but time and decay had changed all; the true nature of the company's research had always been obscured so the best he could do is guess.

Looking back at the building, VIktor sighed and entered, with his preparations on hand.
 
eMKHaPg.png
Location: Imperial expedition base camp, Verkuyl
Equipment: Bio link
Tag(s): Open
She never really liked the treasure hunts, this war far from her really job, but she understand this is very important to the Imperial courtyard, and the Emperor as well. Above these, she hated the jungle and hot planets. She grew up on a frosty planet, and now lived a frosty planet too. But she was the right hand of the Emperor, and his apprentice, so she followed her master and emperor here.

Ingrid had always been good at security, so she left behind in the Imperial expedition base camp, to build the security measures, and from the camp she will oversee the teams. Yet, she felt a little guilty to not follow her master. She knows the Emperor can take care of himself, but she always felt, she needs to guard the emperor, like a bodyguard. Just she came from the shadows. But now she was not there.

”< - Everything is done my Lord! >” one of the solder said in High Nelvaanian

”< - Understand! Keep going! >” she replied.

She stepped over to the computer, and glanced at the scanners to track the teams, and everything else. But now it seemed everything was fine, and she didn’t saw any enemy movement. If she saw right, no one else here, just their man, and the local. So she didn't feel the need to message anyone yet.

She just waited; waited until somebody needed it to her as a backup.

dRUm20K.png
 
9lv2K7W.png

eMKHaPg.png

Post #8 (Tacitus alt)
Attn:
Saabossi Saabossi || Taozi Fuyuan Taozi Fuyuan || Open​


The Fieldmarshall took one glance at the Mandalorian leader and very evidently rolled his eyes. "Really, this is a military matter, doctor," he said, emphasizing that last word. "These people defied the Empire, demonstrating what I already suspected. That these people are not only lazy, as evidenced by the fact that they have been unable to build anything resembling civilization even on this garden world, but rebellious as well. These are traits that the Empire does not need or tolerate and honestly, I am debating whether or not to recommend the total rendition of the planet and subsequent colonization by good, hard-working, loyal Imperial citizens," the Fieldmarshall continued, bringing up the possibility of genocide as nonchalantly as one might speak of removing a nest of vermin that had burrowed under the house. Total rendition was the cold, casual name given by the Imperials to an act of horror, the complete extermination of a planet's population.

Wulf Orlock, the poster child of the Eternal Army, the 'model Imperial officer', as he was hailed, thus demonstrated another trait of the Eternal Empire. Its complete lack of compassion to any deemed not their own. Like the Empire, the Fieldmarshall did not even give his enemies the courtesy of making it personal, to him the natives of Verkuyl were just numbers to be crossed off a list, too inferior to even be considered people.

However, he could see the mercenary's point. Blasting these people would be a complete waste of ammunition. And so, he snapped orders to his troops using a series of hand gestures. With fluid, practiced motions, his soldiers drew their bayonets and fixed them to their rifles. The Fieldmarshall stared at the horrified elders with uncaring, half-bored eyes. "If you refuse to give up the information we seek, I will have every single living being in this village executed before your eyes and I will have you tortured until you cooperate, is that clear?" he demanded, beginning to lose his patients.

Between the medic promising them mercy and the Fieldmarshall's threats, the elders finally caved. "We don't know where the entrance is," said one of them meekly. "But... the vault is guarded by a security AI. And there are sensors all throughout the region, hidden everywhere. You Imperials probably triggered them already," the elder explained.

The Fieldmarshall stared at the old man in disgust, displeasure evident on his face, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. "Then, what use are you to the Eternal Empire?" he asked. "You can't, or won't work, you don't know anything, you don't even have the ability to pay taxes and no one in this village looks like they even know how to hold a rifle," the Fieldmarshall spoke.

"But... very well, I shall be merciful. You will be a problem for whoever ends up named Baron of this planet to deal with, not for me," he ordered, tapping buttons on his datapad to send his report up the chain of command, up to his Emperor. "<All units, stand down and withdraw,>" he commanded, switching back to High Nelvaanian. "<We got what we came for.>"

9lv2K7W.png
 
Always Watching, Sometimes Canon
They had gotten what they had come for, all right.

Amid the chaos and the slaughter, a youth had wriggled away--a boy, really, no older than twelve or thirteen. He dashed his way through the jungle filthy with mud and half-blind with tears, holding his arm against the flow of blood from a blaster wound. The girl that had shielded him--his sister, the only family he had left besides Grandfather Elder--was dead. The Imperials that had slaughtered her and nearly killed him were on their way to the bacta vault they had finally thought themselves free from.
Their world, which had finally seemed safe and forgotten by the wars of the galaxy, would never seem safe again.

He tripped on a root and stumbled, crashing head-first into the dirt with a barely-bit-down yelp. The dirt stung as it got into his wound and into his eyes, and as he ground his face into it the taste of coppery mud tasted like rage and grief. He wanted to curse them all, from the pig-eyed masks that pulled the trigger to the officer that gave the order all the way up and up and up to whoever ruled them.

They called themselves an Empire, so they must have an Emperor. A Palpatine in all but name, a tyrant sick in soul, already cursed and a curse. Him and his people would burn this whole planet eventually, just as they had the children of his village. He sobbed helplessly into the dirt at the thought of them, still so far behind from where he had run. There were so many soldiers in his village, and Grandfather Elder was not strong, he was old and frail, and he himself was barely more than a boy! What could he do against a Palpatine, what could he do against an army who could shoot his sweet sister and not even blink, what could he do what could he do what could he do--

The sound of buzzing cut through his rising hysteria. His blood cold in his veins, he rose his face out of the dirt to see he had tripped and fallen not thirty feet away from a Revith Wasp nest. He held still, not even daring to breathe for fear that he'd swallow one of the cloud of blue-black wasps now hovering over his head. If even one of them stung him, he wouldn't get up for a very long time--if ever.

He stared at the wasps.

The wasps seemed to stare back at him.

Which was...odd. They weren't attacking him, or evading him as if he were some kind of threat. If anything, they seemed to be...waiting. The boy hiccuped, jumped with terror at the sudden swarming, but they settled right back down again. One of them, a massive specimen the length of his forearm, alighted near the hand he had stretched out in the mud. He stared into its opalescent eyes with fascination.

Grandfather Elder had told him about something like this. Once in a hundred blue moons, he said, someone would be born on Verakuyl with...abilities. The ability to lift stones or logs with only a fingers, or to read the minds of one's enemies to stave off attacks, or to see the future or the past. The last one, Grandfather Elder had said, was the one that had founded their village. It was said that he could reach out his hand and tame the world's predators with a thought. He'd used the larger ones as beasts of burden, the small to rout out pests. Even the insects himself, he'd command to make the trees around their home bloom with fruit and flowers.

He and his sister had played with the fantasy of having such powers, but neither had really ever expected to be so blessed. Grandfather Elder had said only one in a hundred blue moons, after all, and in almost all their stories the gifted would vanish, spirited away into the night. But maybe...maybe...

It was with trembling fingers that he drew the symbol in his mind into the mud. The symbol that had been on the Fieldmarshall's arm, the arms of the soldier, the arm of probably every Imperial here on his homeworld. Not just the ones in his village. He jabbed at the symbol with one finger, then back at the wasp. He did it again, and mouthing what he wanted from them.

Go. Anyone with this is bad. Help. Save Grandfather Elder. Go. Anyone with this is bad. Anyone with this is bad. Anyone with this is bad. Go.

The wasp facing him cocked its wings and shivered, buzzing loudly. Then, miraculously, it leapt into the air and flew overhead. The entire cloud of Revith wasps vanished between the trees, back towards where the boy had came.

The Empire would get what they came for, alright.

 
Last edited:
In truth, Saabossi was rather put off by Wulfs methods. Even if it got the job done...but she spoke none of this. She had doubts within, wondering about it all. Yet not a word was uttered in rebellion to the actions. She was paid to keep her mouth shut, and do her work. And her work was dirty.

When the call to stand down was goven, she remained upon her perch. Making sure that all the troops would pull out under her watchful gaze, safely back to the forward base camp. In her line of work, she knew. It was never safe till everyone was out.

Wulf Orlock Wulf Orlock
 


A single specimen was loud enough, even from far away. But an entire cloud? Deafening.

Like a storm they set upon the area with purpose, bright wings flashing, driven by the boy’s silent cry for justice. The villagers cowered at first, clamping hands over their ears, some scattering to get away before they realized the insects were ignoring them entirely. Entire ‘squadrons’ peeled away from the drove, roaring towards anything and anyone with the Eternal Empire’s symbol on display, stingers at the ready.

Justice had come for the Empire, as swiftly and precisely as they had cut down the innocents on the ground before them, and it wasn’t carried out by a lightside hero with a lightsaber or a plucky rebel fighting the good fight.

It was just bugs. Big bugs, nasty bugs, but bugs all the same.

And there was something satisfyingly poetic about it.



dRUm20K.png


They would appear on the scanners first, a shifting mass of colored blips moving fast towards the camp. They’d bear down on the group quickly, the swarm breaking apart somewhat to seek out targets with a vengeance, anything with the Eternal Empire’s symbol would be attacked quickly and without mercy. There would be no escape for many, little refuge inside the tents, and no pause in their assault.

More joined from the surrounding jungle, aiding their hives, searching the rest of the area, heading straight for the group that’d just entered the Vault through the hole in the wall.

The Revith wasps would make these monsters feel the wrath of the innocents of Verkuyl.



acIF3fa.png


Enabling her own light, Vyra entered behind the Emperor as the soldiers fanned out, bright beams panning steadily across vine covered walls and illuminating the dust that thickened the air. She waved it away, coughing a little, every intention of following Kainan’s instructions of ‘staying close and being careful’ suddenly slipping her mind. Their mission pulled at her, even as she wandered the hallway they’d entered, always careful where she stepped and remaining within the perimeter. Vyra kept her sidearm out, flashlight in the other hand. But the symbols and grid structures stamped into the walls drew her attention.

She stepped closer to inspect them, trying to ignore the low buzzing growing in her ears. Perhaps the pressure in this area was different? Or there was some kind of machinery still at work behind the walls that would explain the noise?

Dirt and dust caked parts of the display. Vyra brushed at it with her fingers, attempting to follow the raised grid pattern to some kind of explanation farther down the wall. Maybe it was just decoration.

But now the buzzing was…louder. Distant, but closing in. She frowned, moving back towards the makeshift entrance they’d ducked through, puzzled to find the noise humming through her skull even more. “Do you hear that?” she asked Kainan quietly, pacing back to his side. “Or is it just me? Because it’s getting louder..”


 
Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's right hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard
eMKHaPg.png
Location: Imperial expedition base camp, Verkuyl
Equipment: Bio link
Tag(s): Open
dRUm20K.png

The uneventful time was quickly over, one of the soldiers warning Ingrid, approaching mass appeared on the monitors. She didn’t hesitate; she hurried to the monitors, to check this anomaly. By the time she arrived, she already saw the mass with her own eyes. Bugs! Tons of bugs. Ingrid really wants to be on an icy planet right now, where there are no bugs.

She saw it immediately and they attacked everything with the Eternal Empire’s symbol. It reminds her they could be hive mind? Or they are not real bugs, just miniature droids? She tried to dismiss, or poor shot them. But there are too many. Fortunately she had an idea.

< ”Kill them with fire! Bring it out the napalms, and burn them! If the jungle will burn, let it!”> she gave the order in High Nelvaanian.

While the soldiers rushed to fulfill the command, Ingrid tried to get to the communication tent. When she arrived, she sent a voice message via the comm channel to the other Eternal Empire’s groups. Because she didn’t know to everyone speak or not the High Nelvaanian, that’s why she sent it in common language:

”Here is Ingrid L’lerim, the camp was attacked by bugs. We saw on the monitors, the bugs are attacked, or they will attack every single Eternal Empire’s group in the area. Everyone should be prepared for their attack! L’lerim out!” she said.

After sending the message, she checked the soldiers; they tried to burn the bugs with the napalm. Ingrid started to concentrate, and she reached out to the Force, and used her telekinetic skills, to kill the bugs by pushing them with the telekinetic attacks.

dRUm20K.png
Tags: Wulf Orlock Wulf Orlock | Saabossi Saabossi | Taozi Fuyuan Taozi Fuyuan | Galdaart Galdaart | Maur Maur | Carter Tymon Carter Tymon | Kainan Wolfe Kainan Wolfe | Vyra Silara Vyra Silara | Adelle Bastiel Adelle Bastiel | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | The Girl In Green The Girl In Green

Voice message via the comm channel:

”Here is Ingrid L’lerim, the camp was attacked by bugs. We saw on the monitors, the bugs are attacked, or they will attack every single Eternal Empire’s group in the area. Everyone should be prepared for their attack! L’lerim out!”

CfdBdOz.png

nBtOGGm.gif
 
dRUm20K.png



"Do you hear that?" Vyra had asked, drawing his attention back towards the entrance of the vault. Straining his unnatural, superhuman senses, outwards, he could hear it too. Some kind of loud... buzzing. Every instinct he had, honed by years upon years spent slogging through some of the galaxy's most dangerous planets and battlefields, warned him that something was terribly wrong. And sure enough, it was.

The report from his apprentice, Ingrid L'lerim, Baroness of Vengard and director of Blackwatch, the Eternal Empire's dreaded secret police, was disturbing, but the warning came in time. There was no time to waste. Stepping forward and positioning himself in front of the improvised entrance, the powerful Sith Lord cast his indomitable will into the cold, deathly currents of the Darkside and drew upon them, hard.

Whispering harsh, chilling words in an unknown, ancient language that sounded like the rending of flesh, like something from a nightmare, he pulled back the sleeve on his left arm and drew a taloned finger across his wrist, splitting it open and letting the blood flow down to the floor, where it sizzled and hissed angrily as the Sith Lord recited the harsh words of the dark spell.

As the wasps descended towards the vault entrance in an angry swarm, Darth Tacitus, Eternal Emperor of Kalidan and one of the most powerful Sith Necromancers in the galaxy, called out into the great beyond of the Netherworld. And death obeyed.

Throughout its history, Verkuyl had seen and suffered much bloodshed. Many had toiled and died, here, many had fought and bled for this planet and every death fueled the Sith Lord's terrible power and he drew it all in, like a dark, terrible breath. Thrusting his arms forward as if pushing against a great weight, Tacitus unleashed that terrible power with a grunt.

Immediately, all the vegetation within a hundred meter radius around him, desiccated and died. Cracks split the earth, spewing out tendrils of black smoke that took the rough shape of writhing snakes, fanged mouths open and wailing terrible, unending shrieks. Wraiths, the tormented souls of those who died at the vault, chained to the Sith Lord's will and compelled to do his bidding, rushed forward, gliding through the air like thousands upon thousands of arrows, writhing and slithering like a school of angry, ravenous fish.

The undead abominations fell upon the wasps like a terrible scythe, pushing them back, cutting them down by the thousands, feasting upon the insects' life force and leaving only dead husks in their wake. To protect its secrets, Verkuyl had called upon its beasts. Now, it would suffer the terrible wrath of Darth Tacitus and would feel the true power of the Darkside.

Even as the wasps outside the vault's entrance were consumed, more Wraiths emerged, spreading out like a dark cloud in a growing, dark circle, desiccating and killing the jungle as it glided towards the Imperial encampment with unnatural speed, wiping out all vegetation and wildlife within its path.

Back at the Imperial encampment, as soldiers fought and screamed and died with discipline, the dark cloud obscured the sun and fell upon the swarms of wasps assaulting the Empire's troops. Even now, the Wraiths did not stop, rushing forward and consuming the forest in their path, until they reached the villages. The natives, along with the Imperials, would be untouched by the unnatural, deathly beings. But everything that they owned, their farms, their livestock, even their beloved pets, would not be so lucky. As the unnatural cloud finally began to dissipate, it left nothing but the husks of trees and the desiccated corpses of animals in its wake, a terrible, cursed wasteland where there was once lush jungle, a circle of death several kilometers wide, where nothing would grow again for generations.

Releasing his hold upon the terrible power he had summoned, the Sith Lord leaned against the wall with a trembling, bloodied hand, breathing hard, as if he had run a marathon. He was exhausted and drained, but there was a mission to finish. So, he pushed himself off and forced himself to head back into the vault, sending orders through his comlink as he did so "<Summon reinforcements from the nearest Imperial fleet. We are establishing a permanent presence on this planet,>" he commanded.

Reaching Vyra, he rested a weary, tired hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "We press on," he said to her, then stepped forward into the darkness. As long as there was still breath in his body, nothing would stop the Eternal Empire's advance. The galaxy could scream, recoil and throw everything it had at the Imperials, but it would have to come face to face with the Sith Lord's indomitable willpower. And he was determined to bend the galaxy to his will, to bring it back from the edge of the abyss towards which it had stumbled, even if he had to drag it back by the neck in chains, kicking and screaming.

And nothing, no living thing or unnatural Force would be allowed to stand in his way.

dRUm20K.png
 
dRUm20K.png

Even as both groups of explorers advanced into the dark catacombs of the ancient vault, Imperial Star Destroyers emerged from hyperspace above the planet, troops descending upon the planet below. Even after throwing its most terrible beasts at the Eternal Empire, Verkuyl had been unable to halt the Imperial encroachment upon its soil. Faced with the Empire's terrible, dark power, Verkuyl was measured and had been found wanting.

Down on the planet, the Light and the Darkside of the Force had clashed, leaving behind a patch of scarred, cursed land that would take generations to heal, as the ravenous, ruinous powers of darkness had consumed several kilometers of vegetation and wildlife, creating a wasteland of dead trees and the desiccated corpses of the planet's creatures.

Under the assault of the wasps, the Imperial soldiers had suffered signifficant casualties, perhaps a quarter of their forces, caught as they were, by surprise. Ultimately, this would not stop them from sinking their claws into the world and establishing a permanent stranglehold. The Imperial expedition into the vault now had a clear way to its objectives and though other traps and obstacles would be encountered, these too would be swept aside.

While there was still hope for the Unknown Regions in the face of the growing threat of the Empire's seemingly unstoppable advance, it would not triumph on this day. With the arrival of the Imperial reinforcements and the Empire's continued push into the vault, Verkuyl would soon fall firmly into the Eternal Empire's grasp.

(The dominion has now concluded, but the story continues. Feel free to continue posting past this point and expand the story of Verkuyl further)

dRUm20K.png
 
eMKHaPg.png

Tags: Wulf Orlock Wulf Orlock Saabossi Saabossi
Objective: Don't panic
Taozi inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as the villagers complied with the Fieldmarshall. Too many innocents were dead already, she could not bear to see more die by the Empire's cruel hands.

"I'm glad this could be resolved without more bloodshed. Now, lets get your- Wait, what's that noise?"

"Alor! Revith wasps!"

"Here?! How?! No, never mind that, run!"


The Mandalorians knew just what these wasps could, and would, do to those they grabbed after stinging. Even as Clan Tal began to flee from the wasps, they slowed when they realized only the Eternal Empire soldiers were being targeted. Someone was in control of the wasps, that much Taozi knew, but she couldn't focus on that for now.

"Call the fleet, tell them to bring as much of the Revith wasp antidote as they can find! Contact Clan Solus if we need to! The soldiers that aren't fatally stung need that antidote as soon as possible!"

As one of the communications experts of her group contacted the Clan Tal fleet, the others watched in fascination and horror as black masses began to devour the wasps, animals, and drained the life from the forest world. Taozi's clanmates eyed her worriedly, as they could tell this was the doing of a powerful Darksider.

"I'll be fine. I'm fine... I'm not... Just... Continue to help the villagers with the bodies, I'll talk to Orlock."

Clan Tal hesitated, before they began to break away and talk to the villagers. Taozi took a deep breath in. Out. In. Out. After calming herself, she took a look at the fallen Empire soldiers, and began calculating how many could survive. That one was struck in an artery- oh, one of the Empire medics is using a tourniquet already, good. Turning to Wulf, Taozi's tone was somber.

"Had I known this planet had Reith wasps, I would have come prepared. It is... odd they are so far from former Mandalorian space. I doubt the Empire has encountered them before, so I'm having my fleet bring the antidote for their poison as soon as possible. For now, we need to gather those who were not stung fatally, make sure they are comfortable, and have the best pain killers that can be provided to them.

Their organs beginning to melt together will be a very painful process. I'm sure a few will also feel varying degrees of panic from becoming paralyzed by the poison as well. Revith wasps are nasty things, I'm not sure how Clan Solus lives with them on Vanquo."
 
Objective: 2

Lori scanned the skies as they moved through the trees, while Arla kept her eyes on the world around them. More ships were passing overhead and the feeling of urgency began to mount.

Just as Lori was about to speak, her commlink pinged. Lori raised a brow and fished it out of her pocket. "Ohhhh.....wicked. Arla! This way!" She had recognized the signal. It came from a trusted source. Lori hurried her pace, now moving at a jog. They were close.

At first she had expected a building, but instead there was a hole in the ground. Lori peered into it briefly. Arla took the initiatuve and jumped in first, drawing her blaster in mid air. Lori followed suit after a second or two. Both needed to adjust their eyes to the darkness. "Keep an eye out, Arla...Same as usual."

Adelle Bastiel Adelle Bastiel Viktor Goetz Viktor Goetz

The going had been slow, careful as she was to leave no trace of her passage beyond the occasional, obscure sign most wouldn't find. Adelle knelt near the base of a wall, careful not to disturb more dust than necessary. Her gloved finger traced a stylized tree into the grime near the floor: something that could symbolize life and the Living Force. As much as she wanted to wait for her allies to catch up, urgency squeezed at her heart and lungs, feeding her veins with adrenaline and the need to keep moving.

eMKHaPg.png



acIF3fa.png




Vyra dipped into the vehicle, placing her weapons on the racks provided and taking her seat quickly, though the dark interior offered little refuge from the merciless jungle heat. The ride was nowhere near comfortable, but she’d never complain. In fact, the politician was growing used to the rigid utilitarian style used in almost all facets of the Eternal Empire. She’d slept in the dirt and sat on rocks for years, though not by choice, before she’d resumed her career and retaken her plush lifestyle.

Comfort wasn’t everything.

She DID spend a significant portion of the journey trying not to end up in her fiancé’s lap, jostling around on the seat next to him as they crushed the jungle floor beneath their wheels. Every brush of his arm threatened to knock loose the cork holding back her thoughts, her white-knuckled grip on the side of her chair tightening further to keep herself from sliding into Kainan.

Flushed and thoroughly ready to stretch her legs, Vyra was the first one out as the Warthog came to a stop. Grabbing her weapons she charged towards their target location, knowing the Emperor wouldn’t be far behind her, half wishing he’d just stay in the transport so she didn’t have to fight herself every time he spoke.



“…I’m no tracker, but this is far too convenient,” she remarked as the broken-in base of the sagging walls came into full view. Carefully, Vyra stepped towards the disturbed earth, kicking a few large insects out of her path and bending to inspect the hole, noting the moved dirt to the side of the makeshift entrance. “I believe someone’s been here already,” she said over her shoulder, the sudden desire to wiggle down through the soil and see what was on the other side pulling at her heart. “We should make haste,” she said quickly, taking a step backwards to secure her carbine across her back.




The ride down the dirt road of the forest was bumpy and uncomfortable, though Tacitus paid no heed to it. He was used to rough conditions, having spent nearly a lifetime on the battlefield, enduring far worse conditions than this. No, he was far more concerned about his fiancé's tension, knowing all too well what burdens and emotions she was struggling with, even though he was far more accustomed with carrying the sacrifices that the Empire required. The unspoken feelings they shared for each other certainly didn't make things better, though this was neither the time, or the place to dwell on them.

Instead, he reached out to her, rough, taloned fingers gently closing around her soft hand, the hand which was gripping the side of the chair with such ferocity. It was a small gesture of comfort, of reassurance, meant to tell her that he knew, that he understood. It was all he could do, given the situation. In a better galaxy, perhaps things would have been different. But this was not a better galaxy, it was the real world. And the cards it dealt them did not allow for more than this.

Sensing her restlessness, he remained silent as the vehicle came to a stop, following behind her after retrieving his weapons, a million thoughts racing through his head, a million shadows banished as soon as his eyes fell upon the chasm ahead of them. Vyra was right, the broken wall was certainly not natural, it was far too fresh and it did not look like it had collapsed under its own weight.

Gesturing quickly, he snapped a series of silent orders to his troops, which formed a perimeter around the entrance while a squad of Ultranauts took up positions around the Sith Lord and his companion. "<Keep your eyes peeled,>" he said in High Nelvaanian. "<There could be traps inside, or enemies lying in ambush. Safeties off, weapons free,>" he ordered, drawing his sword. Looking directly at Vyra, he paused for a second, struggling to find words amidst the confusing mess of feelings. "Stay close and watch your step," he said to her. He wanted to say more, so much more than that, but he simply couldn't find the words.

Bathed in the cold, white light of the military flashlights of his soldiers, he stepped past her and into the structure, leading the way forward, always first to go in, first to put his life on the line. And somewhere within, awakened by coughing, barely functioning sensors hidden in the walls, an ancient intelligence awakened.

dRUm20K.png
eMKHaPg.png

Post: 1
Companions: Kainan Wolfe Kainan Wolfe Vyra Silara Vyra Silara

The squad of soldiers moved forward in silence, each knowing what to do when clearing a room, Fomrorta communicating with hand signals. An act much easier to do with her extra sets of arms, in her case the old saying 'many hands make light work' was quite literal. Multiple flash lights shone into the dark ruins, lighting up moss covered walls and broken stone, not something that caught the mercenaries interest. No, her focused was on the sounds echoing from within the shadows, Formorta taking out her high powered anti armor rifle, holding it at the ready.

She had heard stories about old tombs and their so called protectors, often huge hulking constructs. Something most small arms couldn't deal with but she wasn't carrying any small arm. Still, it would be reckless to advance as of now, now while Tacitus was dealing with that women, who ever she was, Formorta's lack of interest taking fold once more. Her job was just to shoot things that were a threat and report Intel, not deal with interpersonal relationships.

With another wave of hand gestures each solider took defensive positions around the fallen walls and rocks, leveling their weapons down the open halls and rooms. If anything was going to make a move she'd want to have first blood.

And there it was. That cold, heavy oil-slick she'd come to know as the singular presence of the Emperor. Adelle withdrew her presence into herself, even from the small radius she had allowed herself. She would give him nothing. She would be a phantom pain in his side as long as she could. She felt a younger presence, like sunlit field, nearby. The Bakuran girl. The one that had set the Empire on fire on Abbaji. Adelle pressed a warning to the other's mind before she cut herself off completely.

<<Empire's here.>>

In the absolute stillness of the Vault, the sudden whirring of machinery nearly deafened her. Adelle froze, crouched at the corner of a corridor, and peered cautiously into her plotted path. A panel on the ceiling creaked open, shaking dust out as an active turret descended to watch the hallway. She hissed a soft curse, sighed heavily, and activated the program Leigh had recently uploaded to her helmet. Her finger hovered over the button on her vambraces that she wanted. The Bakuran was still behind her and Adelle doubted she had quiet countermeasures for the Vault's security. She'd wait, then, for the girl to catch up.



A single specimen was loud enough, even from far away. But an entire cloud? Deafening.

Like a storm they set upon the area with purpose, bright wings flashing, driven by the boy’s silent cry for justice. The villagers cowered at first, clamping hands over their ears, some scattering to get away before they realized the insects were ignoring them entirely. Entire ‘squadrons’ peeled away from the drove, roaring towards anything and anyone with the Eternal Empire’s symbol on display, stingers at the ready.

Justice had come for the Empire, as swiftly and precisely as they had cut down the innocents on the ground before them, and it wasn’t carried out by a lightsided hero with a lightsaber or a plucky rebel fighting the good fight.

It was just bugs. Big bugs, nasty bugs, but bugs all the same.

And there was something satisfyingly poetic about it.



dRUm20K.png


They would appear on the scanners first, a shifting mass of colored blips moving fast towards the camp. They’d bear down on the group quickly, the swarm breaking apart somewhat to seek out targets with a vengeance, anything with the Eternal Empire’s symbol would be attacked quickly and without mercy. There would be no escape for many, little refuge inside the tents, and no pause in their assault.

More joined from the surrounding jungle, aiding their hives, searching the rest of the area, heading straight for the group that’d just entered the Vault through the hole in the wall.

The Revith wasps would make these monsters feel the wrath of the innocents of Verkuyl.



acIF3fa.png


Enabling her own light, Vyra entered behind the Emperor as the soldiers fanned out, bright beams panning steadily across vine covered walls and illuminating the dust that thickened the air. She waved it away, coughing a little, every intention of following Kainan’s instructions of ‘staying close and being careful’ suddenly slipping her mind. Their mission pulled at her, even as she wandered the hallway they’d entered, always careful where she stepped and remaining within the perimeter. Vyra kept her sidearm out, flashlight in the other hand. But the symbols and grid structures stamped into the walls drew her attention.

She stepped closer to inspect them, trying to ignore the low buzzing growing in her ears. Perhaps the pressure in this area was different? Or there was some kind of machinery still at work behind the walls that would explain the noise?

Dirt and dust caked parts of the display. Vyra brushed at it with her fingers, attempting to follow the raised grid pattern to some kind of explanation farther down the wall. Maybe it was just decoration.

But now the buzzing was…louder. Distant, but closing in. She frowned, moving back towards the makeshift entrance they’d ducked through, puzzled to find the noise humming through her skull even more. “Do you hear that?” she asked Kainan quietly, pacing back to his side. “Or is it just me? Because it’s getting louder..”


dRUm20K.png



"Do you hear that?" Vyra had asked, drawing his attention back towards the entrance of the vault. Straining his unnatural, superhuman senses, outwards, he could hear it too. Some kind of loud... buzzing. Every instinct he had, honed by years upon years spent slogging through some of the galaxy's most dangerous planets and battlefields, warned him that something was terribly wrong. And sure enough, it was.

The report from his apprentice, Ingrid L'lerim, Baroness of Vengard and director of Blackwatch, the Eternal Empire's dreaded secret police, was disturbing, but the warning came in time. There was no time to waste. Stepping forward and positioning himself in front of the improvised entrance, the powerful Sith Lord cast his indomitable will into the cold, deathly currents of the Darkside and drew upon them, hard.

Whispering harsh, chilling words in an unknown, ancient language that sounded like the rending of flesh, like something from a nightmare, he pulled back the sleeve on his left arm and drew a taloned finger across his wrist, splitting it open and letting the blood flow down to the floor, where it sizzled and hissed angrily as the Sith Lord recited the harsh words of the dark spell.

As the wasps descended towards the vault entrance in an angry swarm, Darth Tacitus, Eternal Emperor of Kalidan and one of the most powerful Sith Necromancers in the galaxy, called out into the great beyond of the Netherworld. And death obeyed.

Throughout its history, Verkuyl had seen and suffered much bloodshed. Many had toiled and died, here, many had fought and bled for this planet and every death fueled the Sith Lord's terrible power and he drew it all in, like a dark, terrible breath. Thrusting his arms forward as if pushing against a great weight, Tacitus unleashed that terrible power with a grunt.

Immediately, all the vegetation within a hundred meter radius around him, desiccated and died. Cracks split the earth, spewing out tendrils of black smoke that took the rough shape of writhing snakes, fanged mouths open and wailing terrible, unending shrieks. Wraiths, the tormented souls of those who died at the vault, chained to the Sith Lord's will and compelled to do his bidding, rushed forward, gliding through the air like thousands upon thousands of arrows, writhing and slithering like a school of angry, ravenous fish.

The undead abominations fell upon the wasps like a terrible scythe, pushing them back, cutting them down by the thousands, feasting upon the insects' life force and leaving only dead husks in their wake. To protect its secrets, Verkuyl had called upon its beasts. Now, it would suffer the terrible wrath of Darth Tacitus and would feel the true power of the Darkside.

Even as the wasps outside the vault's entrance were consumed, more Wraiths emerged, spreading out like a dark cloud in a growing, dark circle, desiccating and killing the jungle as it glided towards the Imperial encampment with unnatural speed, wiping out all vegetation and wildlife within its path.

Back at the Imperial encampment, as soldiers fought and screamed and died with discipline, the dark cloud obscured the sun and fell upon the swarms of wasps assaulting the Empire's troops. Even now, the Wraiths did not stop, rushing forward and consuming the forest in their path, until they reached the villages. The natives, along with the Imperials, would be untouched by the unnatural, deathly beings. But everything that they owned, their farms, their livestock, even their beloved pets, would not be so lucky. As the unnatural cloud finally began to dissipate, it left nothing but the husks of trees and the desiccated corpses of animals in its wake, a terrible, cursed wasteland where there was once lush jungle, a circle of death several kilometers wide, where nothing would grow again for generations.

Releasing his hold upon the terrible power he had summoned, the Sith Lord leaned against the wall with a trembling, bloodied hand, breathing hard, as if he had run a marathon. He was exhausted and drained, but there was a mission to finish. So, he pushed himself off and forced himself to head back into the vault, sending orders through his comlink as he did so "<Summon reinforcements from the nearest Imperial fleet. We are establishing a permanent presence on this planet,>" he commanded.

Reaching Vyra, he rested a weary, tired hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "We press on," he said to her, then stepped forward into the darkness. As long as there was still breath in his body, nothing would stop the Eternal Empire's advance. The galaxy could scream, recoil and throw everything it had at the Imperials, but it would have to come face to face with the Sith Lord's indomitable willpower. And he was determined to bend the galaxy to his will, to bring it back from the edge of the abyss towards which it had stumbled, even if he had to drag it back by the neck in chains, kicking and screaming.

And nothing, no living thing or unnatural Force would be allowed to stand in his way.

dRUm20K.png

Adelle faltered and slumped to the floor from her crouch. It had felt like someone sucking all the oxygen out of her lungs, her blood. She tried to reconcile the fact she could physically breathe with what she had felt through the Force. There had been an angry vibration, a sound felt in her bones more than heard, of life angered, of life fighting an unnatural invasion into its territory. Then the oil-slick and its terrible, icy cruelty had blotted everything out. In its wake, the horrible lack of life, of life fading, withering into husks and shells. Widespread death of the land.



Loreena Arenais-Valhoun Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vyra Silara Vyra Silara | Kainan Wolfe Kainan Wolfe
 
Objective: 2

Lori and Arla kept their senses peeled. Whereas the young Captain's senses were physical, Arla's were mechanical. The two worked in unison as they made their way through the passage.

The voice of Adelle Bastiel Adelle Bastiel entered her mind, sending a cold chill down her spine. "They are coming. We have to be quick."

The place was a maze, yet the subtle details that Adelle had left for her to follow were much like what she used to do in the caves on Commenor with her twin brother Caedyn Arenais . Only instead of carefully arranged pebbles, it was traces in the dust; a faint design that was quite unnatural.

Both Lori and Arla continued to move, careful of their footing. However once the machines turned on and filled the caves with sudden noise, Lori was certain that something was triggered. It only increased her level of urgency. She kept her blaster drawn, spotting a turret up ahead that had slid down from a compartment in the ceiling. And then she spotted Adelle. Arla kept her eyes behind them as they moved towards their ally. "We made it! Let's hope that they don't!"
 
The Bakuran and her friend were on her before Adelle's brain registered their footsteps approaching. Adelle pushed herself to her feet, still feeling weak-kneed and breathless. Something buzzed quietly on the periphery of her awareness but faded so quickly she questioned if she had really felt it.

"We made it! Let's hope that they don't!"

"Yes, an Empire with unlimited resources and a Sith Lord at the helm is sure to be stopped where three sentients were not," Adelle hissed, rubbing her forehead. She still felt nauseated and a strong desire to shower. Cautiously, she peered around the corner. The recently activated turret still scanned its environment with a faint hum. "Seems the facility's AI's been triggered and I don't want to use all my toys getting in when we still have to get out. Any ideas?"


Loreena Arenais-Valhoun Loreena Arenais-Valhoun
 
Objective: 2

Lori snickered at Adelle Bastiel Adelle Bastiel 's sarcasm. She liked it as she was known by many for her snarky wit. It kept her spirits up, especially during dark times. And they were certainly entering one.

Still, there was seriousness to their situation that she had to consider. Adelle didn't look that great. Lori had an oppressive feeling hitting her gut, yet she tried to ignore it.

"The turret is activated by movement, right? I can create a ball of light and cause it to explode, blinding the sensors enough to let us get past. I'm not sure of how many there are...but we'd get through without a trace and can save your toys." And Arla would insist on going in first. She was Lori's bodyguard afterall.
 
"Do it," Adelle said. "We move quick. We move silent."

The implication, she left unspoken. They didn't need the Empire to start following them, or have any idea of where they were. With the schematics Leigh had given her, a straight shot there and a roundabout way back had been her plan but now she was no longer solo. Decisions for a later time, she supposed.

Adelle got to her feet, looking towards the Bakuran in the dim lighting. "When you're ready."



Loreena Arenais-Valhoun Loreena Arenais-Valhoun
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom