Invasion Return the Blade | COV Invasion of TSC-held Humbarine

[Siv Dragr]

G U N S L I N G E R

[] No Time To Die []​

Allies: Sahan Dragr | Mandalorians
Enemies: Srina Talon | Mercy | Sith

Siv blinked, unfazed, as the massive woman whose back had eaten his blaster bolts merely turned around, seemingly unaffected by the carbon-scored wounds in her back. The other, slimmer woman who'd been thrown by his sonic blast had been grabbed at unnatural speed by the larger and been kept from being blown out of the tower together. Unfortunate. Siv flexed his forearms, lowering his blaster, tensing his muscles. They were Force Users, clearly, and instinct had him prepare quickly for what would happen next. As the two spoke, creating a momentary interlude, he imperceptibly reached into his utility belt and ignited an irya'kadir smoke disc, clipping it to his belt as white smoke began to effuse from it.

Unsurprisingly, the larger of the two exploded in a rapid burst of movement. Anticipating the strike, Siv threw himself forward and down, igniting his jetpack in a single blast, which propelled him forward quickly. He hit the ground at his shoulder and rolled, coming up behind the woman several meters away, now facing both with his back to the tower's opening to the air. As quick as his movement was, it only barely escaped the crushing blow from the wretch's oversized hand.

His blaster had already snapped to position once more, pointing towards the monster. He raised his left arm to point it as well, his whistling bird launcher chirping hostily to life on his vambrace. Siv could've struck, but he paused. "You're not Imperials?" he growled. It was obvious they were not. It was a feigned truce, hopefully to give the two women pause long enough as smoke continued to effuse from the disc clipped to his belt. Already dispersed greatly by his dodge, it had begun to mix with the dust, and in the small space, the anti-Force smoke was enveloping them rapidly.

Their sorcery and overall weirdness aside, Siv didn't know who these two were. Or better, what they were. Any answer could give him something to work with. And by the time he knew who they were, he'd be able to kill them.

 

[Signy Bralor]

SIGNY BRALOR
HUMBARINE | OBJECTIVE 1
TAG: Meya Liefi
GEAR: Huginn and Muninn, Beskar'gam, jetpack, spear, energy buckler
VISIBLY PRESENTING: Fully armoured

The sensors in her armour alerted her quickly to the change in air temperature as the sith drew heat from the garden. She saw leaves harden and crystallise in front of her and a burned rose bush sprinkled her with frost as she landed and went through its periphery. She looked at the darkness that swirled around the woman and this time she activated a volley of whistling birds, following up with another volley from her pistol. Her pistol was prone to over heating so the chill in the air was not entirely unhelpful. She was closer now but still outside of close quarter engagement range. She didn't want to deal with the big boy in the shadows, the last hulk she dealt with had injured her.

"Don't suppose you fancy just letting me pass and fucking off back to my vod right? No?" she laughed as she ducked into cover and quickly assessed the telemetry on her HUD and planned her route back towards her fighter. Four big jumps and she would be outside the outbuilding she had left it in. She kinda didn't want to get there too quickly though. If the Sith managed to find the fighter somehow and disable it, that would be really problematic.

Her comm crackled as another group of Vod went overhead, lower this time, these were Saxon's. There was a lot of chatter going on from elsewhere in the city. <<This is Signy Bralor, at coordinates 44'102'55'32... a little support would be handy>> she sent to them, hoping a couple of vod might be spare. Even if they could drop her a fresh jetpack.
​

 

[Tamsin Starfall]

Theme: Heathens
Equipment: Twin Omens | Combat Knife | Talisman | Multi-Tool | Mind Crown | Jacket (Black) | Armor | War Paint
TAGS: Arris Windrun | Acier Moonbound | Lily Rhodes | Varin Mortifer | Vess Sadragen

She stared forward at the tensor rifle crate, as one leg and the next began to move forward. Yet as the first steps came to her, explosions went off around her. A crate directly behind her exploded destroying several crates around her and pushing her forward. Her small body flung forward, and her head slammed into the crate she was moving towards. Thankfully her Face was protected by the mask she was wearing. Still, she woozily laid there on the ground face down for a second.

She heard the loud fighting going on around her, she felt it too. She felt every extinguished breath fade in its last as Ace and Varin snuffed out dark trooper life. Tamsin herself hated the feeling, that cold emptiness of life leaving the body. Yet the Demon was having the damn time of its life. Well not exactly it wanted more it always wanted more.

"Frak my life…" Tamsin groaned to herself not aware that her comms was live in that moment.

She rolled her little body over, so she was now staring up at the ceiling of the facility. The armor felt heavy as hell, her body didn't want to move. It wanted to just stay there and let the destruction pass. It didn't want to move until it was over, maybe it was more Tamsin than her actual body but to her she wanted this to be over already.

Then she felt it flooding into her, into her web, and permeating all around her. The darkness of the eclipse, the dark energy from the fear induction device. Her body was designed to be a conduit for such energy. It wasn't something anyone could easily describe, like a vampire her body fed on complete madness and chaos. Yet it didn't supercharge Tamsin, it super charged the demon with in her.

"This isn't going to be good!" She said again more to herself not aware her comms were open as she said it.

It started off simple Tamsin faded to the back of her own mind, becoming a passenger in her own body. The eyes closed for a split second, then reopened with a fire of exploding stares in a orange fury of destruction. The area they were in went unfathomably bright for a few seconds. Shadows danced on the walls of crates and other objects. Then what was Tamsin sat up from her down position. The Demon brought up her hands as a cold ancient darkness began to spread from her body. Fueled by the paranoia engine, the chaos and destruction. As the demon took over the web Tamsin had created exponentially grew and started to grow at an even more accelerated rate.

She now could feel the life force, the breathing, the heartbeat, and even the corruption in the souls that fell onto the web. It could now feed off the dead or dying as if the Demon already didn't have enough dark energy juice running through it.

The Demon with the burning suns where its eyes should be looked around as it sat there, tilting its head to the side. It felt someone trying to creep into its mind. Something trying to discern its thoughts. It had never liked that, its thoughts were like a black hole it sucked things in, it spaghettified them and splintered them into atoms.

What Lily Rhodes would see, feel, smell, and hear at first is a black spot of nothing. A void of complete darkness, a feeling of cold, a smell of decay, and hear only a slight tinge of cackling laughter. All the other voices would be drowned out slowly fading to the maniac's laughter.

Then the darkness would explode into the death of over a dozen of worlds. She would feel the death of trillions. She would see Csilla get ripped apart, she sees the core of Panatha explode, she would see the surface of Koriban getting ripped up, she would feel hundreds of millions of lives being snuffed out in a second on byss. She would feel death; she would feel her own soul being ripped from her body and shattered into pieces. She would experience for only a split second in the mind, ten thousand of her own deaths, each one more horrific than the next. She would experience the rip of flesh from the bone over and over again. As her mind took a trip in the Demon lived experience.

It ended with Lily staring at a little girl that looked like Tamsin though this version younger. One strange glowing eye staring back at her. The other eye ripped from its socket and laying on the floor at the girls' feet. Blood dripping from the girl's right hand that she had used to claw out her own eye. In the room with them were two dead bodies, a father and son. The Son was just a little kid, but his throat had been slit.

The one-eyed younger version of Tamsin let a wicked little grin cross her bloodied face. Then spoke in an oddly soft meek voice.

"I see you!" That laughter returned to that cackling maniacal laughter. Then it all faded back into the darkness then the real world. The voices of others would return to Lily's mind, and the effect only lasted a moment, but it would feel like many lifetimes of complete annihilation of life. Every annihilated world, the Demon had been there had been witness and played a hand in in a world's end. It was now awake, empowered by the destruction, carnage, and madness that had spread.

The demon sitting on the floor of the facility now stood up to her feet. Her sights now turning to the tensor rifles. Her hand lifted towards the crate as the force began to break the crate apart. The weapons inside came to life and their energy cells began to overcharge. The outstretched hand began to clinch into a fist as it did the Tensor rifles began to make a loud deafening whizzing sound. Mechu Duro the weapons to overcharge, she was effectively making a gravity bomb with the tensor rifles.

​

 

[Eurydice]

Meliant Carduul Akahl

Eurydice didn't feel safe enough to adjust her unpleasantly tousled hair until she crammed herself back into the speeder. And while she must've looked ridiculous, she'd rather be ridiculous and alive than anything else and dead.

Shaking hands grazed over the crown of her head, smoothing back tangled, staticky locks. It did little to help the frizz snarling at the edge of her split-ends, but that was presently the least of her concerns. Liquid shadow oozed from one of the gaps in Meliant's mask, which he then retrieved and handed to her. Eurydice pinched the worm-like mass between her thumb and forefinger, and held it as far away from her person as humanly possible. Her expression pinched and wrinkled in silent revulsion.

---​

"I am what?"

Eurydice felt as though she'd been struck by lightning. Then, hit by several busses in succession. "That isn't a good idea!" she blurted, half protest and half wail. The girl normally didn't give much lip, but either things were going worse for the Sith than they were letting on, or Meliant had spectacularly poor judgment.

Maybe two things could be true.

Carefully, almost reverently, she slid the worm into the billow of her sleeve with a grimace. "I really think that you're making a mistake."

--​

War was loud. No matter how many times Eurydice had been sent stumbling adjacent from or directly onto a live battlefield, she could never get use to how incredibly deafening it all was to the senses. She supposed that there were many who'd either learned to tuned it out, or rather enjoyed the cacophony of terrible sights and smells and sounds.

Which was Meliant, she wondered? Eurydice had retreated into the folds of her cloak, drawing the hood up and over her head as she crouched behind a jagged barricade of half-crumbled security wall. Gaspar was several feet behind her, feasting on a corpse with unsettling vigor.

Eurydice watched as the Dathomiri raven-hybrid threw his head to the sky and worked his neck back and forth, swallowing down a whole arm, bone-in. Docile as a lamb, he waddled his way to Eurydice. The girl laid a hand across his back, and the sharp lines of Gaspar's black feathers unfocused, fuzzing until the bird dissolved into shadows.

Gaspar slipped over the barricade and across the battlefield, little more than a dispersion of smoke. From behind her cover, Eurydice watched the world through her sithspawn's eyes – as he slid along rubble and around encampments, his maker could see the most unobstructed path towards the complex.

The tide of battle could change in a moment, so Eurydice moved fast. Head down, hands drawn together beneath the wide mouths of black sleeves and heart hammering in her ears, she moved for the command center.

 

[Feydrik Munin]

His mind was steel, his soul iron. He had no other focus. Not a shred of sorcery or deceit, magicks or trickery even touched his mind. In the far reaches of Feydrik of Clan Munin’s mind, there was only war. There was only the fight.

The retort came fast- fast and loud. The Sith’s blade could not and did not pierce his beskar, his holy helmet remaining untouched. However- the visor that protected him, cracked and warped. His sensor array was out of focus, broken and unreadable. He could only see out of half of his helmet. So- Feydrik stepped back, and removed his helmet.

His eyes were alight with glee. Joy. Anger. Rage. But true, unrepentantly, they were happy.

Feydrik had found a worthy foe. He lowered his helmet to the floor, and stared at him hatefully. Then, he slid his Beskad back onto its sheath on his back. And Feydrik put his hands up, crushgaunts whirring to life.

His hands tightened, and he moved forward, one half step, then another, and threw a feint, and was met with a quick slash of the blade. To prove a point- and prove his mettle, and the worthiness of the crushgaunts, Feydrik’s left hand was not cleaved, burned in half. His hand instead caught the blade, and held it.

He stared at the Sith when he held the blade, smiled, and went to drive his fist into the Sith’s chest in a savage, quick and violent jab. He wanted more out of the fight. He needed more. And the Sith had more to give.

Kasir Dorran

 

[Kaelyr]

⚜ The streets of Humbarine were so quiet that one could hear a pin drop from a distance. I was on a mission, as I was given the green light to slaughter the fleeing rats on this world. It was one of the few times I could cut loose and really flex my skills. Given my pyrokinetic talents, I was tasked with mowing down all intruders. I could feel a disturbance in the force as several madalorians tried to ambush me, though they would find their attempts futile as violent waves of red-violet flames devoured them.

I could sense that more were in the immediate area, realizing I had walked into a nest of rats that were held up in this part of the city. A smirk danced across my facial features as my lightsabers came to life. Even if you are skilled, you can't kill us all at once! A voice rang out as I counted how many souls would become fuel to my flames. The amount of hostility I could feel from these amused me. "I do hope you all are worth it, otherwise this will be far more disappointing than I thought." He whispered as he gave them the signal to attack.

They didnt waste any time, as blaster bolts flew my way, and I forced myself into the air and covered myself in a field of force energy. I watched as they all unloaded their blasters at me, only for me to smile and create a massive orb of cosmic flames above my head. It was clear they were hoping to overwhelm me, but fate was not on their side. Once their hail of blaster fire ended, it was my turn. Burn! I hissed, unleashing cosmic flames in the form of meteors upon them all. The torrent of cosmic fire rained down, decimating the entire block as I didnt wish to leave any trace of them behind. Once the orb fizzled out, I descended and admired my handiwork, the sound of Mandalorian corpses sizzling from being burned alive.

Yggdrakses was pleased, as was I, now on the move again, looking for more vermin to extinguish. ⚜

 

[Brent Warnel]

DUST AND ECHOES
TAG: Eira Dyn Iris Beroya
​

Brent hammered into the doorway of a nearby house, bending the cheap door and buckling the hinges. He listened for his enemy, hoping to hear her struggling in the net, but he didn't hear grunts of someone caught, just someone calling back out to him.

The dozen explosive darts shot out and honed in on Brent. "The bounty on your kind was for alive, but harvesting your beskar shall be more than profitable enough for me."

Brent made to reply when he heard the telltale noise of something he knew all too well. "Kriffing hell," he said as he turned his back to the noise, hunkering down into a tight ball in the corner of the doorway, personal shield snapping into existence as he tucked his head into his chest and lifted the shield to cover his upper head and back.

The whistling birds hammered into the building around him, burst upon his shield and detonated on his jetpack, flinging him into the door and breaking it, depositing him on the inside of the residence.

Warning flashes on his HUD told him his jetpack had been damaged. How much, though, he wasn't sure; he'd figure that out later. The building vibrated from distant combat, something huge in the distance causing dust to fall from the ceilings here. As Brent regained his composure he heard a familiar voice on the radio:

"Bigbird 6-4 to Clan Warnel, we are on location. Load up wounded first."

"We're away, Alor, fight well, and if need be, die well," Devon's voice said to him as the screams of their gunship filled the nearby air.

Brent's attention was pulled back to the enemy outside as he heard their voice calling out to him, taunting him. Brent saw the sky darken and erupt with lightning through his vantage point as something unnatural began to coalesce in the skies above them.

With a renewed determination, he threw a sticky grenade onto the interior wall and immediately pivoted back toward the doorway he'd entered through. Seeing the enemy through his HUDs wide spectrum views, he could see they were advancing on the opposite side of the wall, closing the distance with every step.

Taking up a firing position at the doorway, he rolled out and began to open fire on this foe. The enemy was now caught between two threats, one in front of him and one hidden within the wall itself.

A heartbeat later, and with a flick of his tongue on his HUD's controls, the sticky grenade detonated.

 

[Koda Fett]

He was terribly small in the shadow of those two great beasts.

One, he recognised, but not the other. Those twisted creations of the Sith were unmistakable, coming from Darth Carnifex. A complicated relationship, to say the least, with it uncertain as to whether the two would come to blows paths were crossed. Even then, Fett was not quite so interested to find out. Humbarine was being laid to waste. A run-in with a Dark Lord of the Sith was less than advisable, given the circumstances.

The sounds of nearing, escalating battle stole him away from those musings. An Imperial tank careened through a wall with a mighty crash and a thick, flowing dust-cloud rising up in its wake. Fett tread closer, cautious, and the battle lines became clearer. In quick-succession, he blasted a half-dozen stormtroopers. Things might have become clearer, though the haze remained.

What was going on here? And more importantly, how could he get out of it?

He dove deeper into the fighting, closing on the command centre.

Carduul Akahl The Arkanian Meliant Isobel Serraris Eurydice (sorry if mistakenly tagged, tried to catch up and see what was going on)

 

[Sahan Dragr]

Spoiler: Equipment

Besk'gather Mk III
Tusurki'aa Ta'hye Beskad
O'dteyase Saranuhlr
M.I. Model 6 hybrid pistol
M.I. Model 12 shatter rifle
Burbr'tracyn Whistling Birds
Manda'hlirata Force Scanner

OBJECTIVE 1: BELLY OF THE BEAST
LOCATION: Humbarine City | Belltower
ALLIES: Siv Dragr | Iron Covenant
ENEMIES: Srina Talon | Mercy | Sith Covenant

The belltower grew rapidly in Sahan's visor as he cut through the smoke-choked air above Humbarine City. His armor's flight systems carried him between the ruined towers at a speed that would have been reckless if the Golden Dragon had not been built for considerably worse. Siv's transponder burned steadily ahead. As Sahan closed the final distance, the Manda'hlirata Force Scanner painted the upper chamber in warning glyphs, detecting active Force users within its limited range.

The open side of the tower came into view through drifting smoke. Sahan saw Siv first, blaster raised and whistling birds armed, white anti-Force smoke spreading around him through dust and broken stone. Beyond him stood the two women who had apparently decided that one Dragr was not enough trouble for the evening: one slender and pale, the other built like she might have considered the tower itself a convenient improvised weapon. Sahan angled sharply through the opening and killed most of his forward momentum at the last possible second. His boots struck the stone floor in a controlled slide, scattering fractured debris before the stabilizers in his armor locked him into place beside Siv. Gold and orange-red beskar caught the dim light in the tower as he straightened, one hand settling naturally near the Model 6 at his hip. He gave his father a quick glance, taking in the signs of injury without commenting on them. "Got your message. Thanks for waiting for me."

His orange-red visor turned toward the two women, moving from one to the other before settling somewhere between them. "What is this, a double date or something?"

The joke did not soften the way he positioned himself. Sahan shifted half a step to Siv's flank, giving neither opponent an easy line through both of them. His armor tracked every movement in the room while the scanner continued feeding warnings across his HUD. He had no intention of underestimating either woman. Still, the odds felt considerably better than they had a moment ago.

Siv Dragr Srina Talon Mercy​

 

[Meya Liefi]

Tag: Signy Bralor
GEAR: EMP Grenade x 4, Ion blaster Pistol, Dual-Phase lightsaber x 2

Spoiler: Mortyra's Armour

Primarily black, built around armourweave that preserves mobility while providing additional protection under the main armour. The design is her own, though brought to life and refined through the work of various armourers over the years as it was repeatedly altered and upgraded to suit her changing needs. Each alteration maintains the same purpose: avoiding excessive weight and favouring freedom of movement over the restrictions of heavier battlefield armour.

It includes a sealed beskar helmet with a pure-black finish, originally taken from the first Mandalorian she overcame and later redesigned to suit her own purposes. Among its modifications is an integrated HUD capable of cycling through low-light and thermal vision modes. The helmet contains filtration systems to protect against smoke, airborne contaminants, and various toxins, alongside a voice changer/modulator that distorts her speech.

Chest plates made from beskar protect her most vital areas, while lightweight duraplast plating covers the remaining sections of her torso.

The most carefully protected sections are her hands, wrists, and forearms, where segmented beskar plates are attached over her gloves. The plating is designed as articulated reinforcement rather than heavy gauntlets, overlapping like protective scales to preserve flexibility and fine control.

A black cloak is commonly worn over the armour.

Mortyra's hands never stopped moving. Further away from the Sith, an invisible barrier–a form of Force Bubble–condensed into existence a heartbeat before the incoming munitions struck it.

Whistling Birds detonated in rapid succession against the barrier alongside the following blaster fire. The shockwaves rattled nearby ruins and sent fresh debris tumbling from damaged structures. Frost erupted upward before showering down. Loose stone skittered across frozen ground.

Her Force shield lowered when the woman ducked behind cover. Mortyra rarely spoke to potential subjects, but on this occasion she answered anyway.

"You might be suited to join my youngest." The words emerged through the modulator's metallic distortion with the same cold, detached calm she used when discussing procedures.

Meanwhile, the darkness surrounding the abomination deepened further until the creature's immense frame disappeared entirely inside a mass of it. Soon tendrils of impossible darkness spread from the creature's position, swallowing detail and depth alike.

Something whispered from within the dark mass. Or maybe many things. The voices arrived distorted and uneven, layered over one another in a chorus that sounded almost—but not quite—human. Most of it was unintelligible.

To those sensitive to such things, the sensation accompanying the presence might feel profoundly wrong. A feeling that tightened the chest, stood fine hairs on end, made breathing grow shallow, and accelerated heartbeats.

Mortyra's attention remained on her target. There was no reason for her to wait for the mandalorians overhead to enter range if they planned to attack, or for the distant sound of communications from the other woman's position to cease.

She took advantage of the cold she had cultivated, since the woman hadn't left the zone. What had begun as frost throughout air abruptly thickened into ice. Not in a random pattern. A small dome of supernaturally thick ice formed around the Mandalorian and her cover's position, and continued to thicken even after.

The dome's size and thickness were intentional. Mortyra had no interest in providing much room inside the potential ice-prison to maneuver, and explosions detonated within would be far more likely to keep their force, heat, and fragmentation contained.

 

[Vess Sadragen]

The world twisted around her.

One moment Vess was pressed into the narrow alcove while blaster fire hammered the corridor. The next, her stomach lurched violently as reality folded in on itself and snapped back into place. She stumbled as solid flooring returned beneath her boots, catching herself against the wall before she could fall. Teleportation. Never again. Watching Lily do it looked cool, but this felt less like a skill and more like a refusal to acknowledge the rules the rest of the galaxy was forced to obey.

Before she could fully recover, Lily was already moving. The purge trooper barely had time to react as the woman slipped behind him, one baton knocking Arris's weapon back into reach while the other struck the narrow gap between armor plates. The soldier locked up instantly before collapsing to the floor. Ahead of them lay the mainframe. They had made it farther than Vess had expected. Close enough that victory almost felt possible.

"Keep moving, I'm right behind you."

Vess opened her mouth to argue, though the words never came; something swept across the city. The sensation struck with such force that it nearly drove the breath from her lungs. A crushing weight settled over her thoughts, cold and suffocating, carrying emotions that felt impossibly vast. Rage. Grief. Hatred. Despair. None of them belonged to her, yet they poured through her mind all the same. The corridor suddenly felt smaller. The flashing red lights were harsher. Every distant alarm and blaster shot seemed amplified until they blended into an unbearable roar. Fear exploded through her chest. It felt as though a predator large enough to swallow worlds had suddenly opened its eyes and turned its attention toward Humbarine.

Then Lily screamed. The sound cut through everything.

Vess spun around as the batons clattered against the floor. Lily had collapsed, one hand clutching her head as the scream tore from her throat. The mission vanished from Vess's mind instantly. The mainframe no longer mattered. Nothing else mattered. She ran to her and dropped to her knees beside her friend, grabbing hold of her shoulders as her own hands shook uncontrollably.

"Lily." Her voice came out strained. "Lily, look at me."

The pressure continued to crush against her thoughts. Fear bled into everything. Her pulse hammered in her ears. She could barely think through it. Somewhere beyond the walls thunder cracked across the city, loud enough to make her flinch. Whatever had descended upon Humbarine remained there, vast and terrible and impossibly wrong. For a terrifying moment she felt herself beginning to drown in it. Then training surfaced, just a memory, a lesson repeated countless times in quiet rooms far removed from battlefields and Sith.

Vess closed her eyes for only a moment and reached inward. She gathered scattered thoughts and pulled them together, building the familiar mental walls she had been taught years ago. The shield came together unevenly, rushed into existence through desperation rather than practice, but it held. Immediately, the pressure lost some of its grip. The fear remained, but it no longer felt as though she was being swept away by it.

She drew a shaky breath, then looked back down at Lily; the realization hit immediately. Lily was taking the full force of whatever this was. Vess swallowed hard and shifted closer. One hand remained on Lily's shoulder while the other moved carefully to the side of her head.

She had never done this before, certainly not under pressure and not with somebody else's mind. Closing her eyes once more, Vess reached for Lily's mind and began building a shield around it. Instead of wrapping it around her own thoughts, she extended it around Lily's. The effort felt awkward and unnatural. More instinct than technique. She wasn't trying to probe Lily's mind or alter it. She was simply trying to give her shelter. A barrier. A place to breathe.

It felt like trying to hold back a flood with her bare hands. The darkness remained enormous beyond comprehension, pressing against the fragile walls she was struggling to maintain. Sweat beaded across her brow as she concentrated. Every instinct told her she was outmatched. Whatever force had descended upon Humbarine could likely crush her shield without even noticing it existed.

"Come on," Vess whispered, her voice trembling despite her efforts to keep it steady.

Fear still sat like ice in her stomach. The city still felt as though it stood beneath the shadow of some monstrous thing. Yet Vess remained exactly where she was, holding the shield together with everything she had while refusing to let go of her friend. Whatever was happening beyond these walls could wait. Lily couldn't.

TAG: Lily Rhodes Arris Windrun Acier Moonbound Varin Mortifer Tamsin Starfall
​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Lily Rhodes Vess Sadragen Acier Moonbound Tamsin Starfall Varin Mortifer
Down & Out
​

Lily joined the fray - hooking Windrun's pistol and redirecting it back to her. She grasped the barrel as it flew midair and twirled it until the grip rested in her hand, then she pulled the trigger, killing the downed trooper; this wasn't the time to tempt second chances.

Quinn Varanin : There was a static in the air...

... And it was familiar.

Battle, death, pain, fear. At once, every emotion rose in her like starved creatures escaping their burrows post-storm to scavenge the dead, but what they arrived at was a feast. From Quinn Varain exploded depths of Darkness unlike anything she had felt since Ruusan. No - this was stronger... stronger than, as the Princess gorged herself from the vergence.

As Lily fell and Vess rushed to her side, Arris Windrun was pulled back to Coruscant, at the moment she wielded incredible hatred and impersonated the Emperor, turning imperial against imperial, in a purge order that bathed the Core in apocalyptic terror and blood. The dawning horror; the guilt and the shame.

Darkness erupted from the wellspring of fear and violence buried inside her skull.

But this time, the cyborg could handle it. She took a deep breath and reached into her pocket, lighting and dragging a cigarette. The psychedelic vice she had come to rely on in moments of overwhelming tension. Her pistol slid back into the holster, and she walked over to Vess and Lily, crouching beside them. When she looked down at Lily, there was only one face in her mind, staring right back.

'Rox.'

She plucked the cigarette from her lips and held it to Vess. "Easy there," she said, her voice a softness against the scratching corruption. "You can't push it. All you can do is turn your back to the storm and let it carry you."

The technopath extended her reach across the whole building. "This is power. Our power." Doors unlocked, turrets at every zone turned against the imperials, fighting with a level of intelligence that went far beyond their programming. "Wield it."

Arris unbent her legs and stood tall. "Get up, girl. You've got credits to earn." She tilted her gaze to Vess after. "And your 'friend' ain't half bad, either."

Regardless of what happened with those two next, the cyborg walked into the control room.

 

[Srina Talon]

OBJECTIVE: 1 [Belly of the Beast]
LOCATION: Humbarine City [Belltower]
SITH ALLIES: Mercy
SITH ENEMIES: Imperial Scum/Faithless - Iron Covenant? [ Siv Dragr | Sahan Dragr

Red light.

Out of the corner of her vision, she caught the flickering of crimson lightning carving wicked fingers through the distant sky, staining the horizon beneath the eclipse. It added to the growing sense of dread settling over Humbarine, but the two phenomena were not the same. The eclipse possessed no malice of its own. It was merely a celestial body crossing another, made dangerous only by what the pale Empress had chosen to make of it.

The storm was different.

Recognition arrived immediately, accompanied by a complicated ache that settled somewhere beneath her ribs. Her daughter was awake. Whatever had stirred the little Princess enough to rouse a Force Storm was unfortunate enough already, but it was nothing the Faithless didn't deserve after their absolute foolishness. Srina couldn't care less about the fate of Atrisia but the Galatic Empire had spinelessly come for her people at a distance. Hammering, the Blackwall.

Hurting her children.

<<Pitya min...>>

The thought drifted outward like falling rain, wrapping gently around Quinn Varanin despite the violence gathering in the clouds. It was only two words…But it was all they needed.

It was everything.

Srina was suspended on the side of the building for less than the span of a heartbeat. Whether it was solely due to Mercy's grip or a stubborn refusal to let gravity have its way…She still found herself staring up at the Titan rather than the manling who interrupted them. There was blood on her teeth, staining a feral smile, and despite being shot…Her battle-sister looked quite pleased with herself at being her shield and the wintry woman internally sighed. There was something deeply irritating about being cared for by someone so committed to proving it through bodily harm.

It didn't matter that Mercy could take it. It didn't matter that she occasionally enjoyed it—It only mattered that it happened. That now, in this moment, the Core Empress was bleeding for her sake.

The thought lingered only briefly while momentum caught up with her and Mercy swung her back into the belltower with such ease that it might as well have been choregraphed. At the first sight of white smoke, without hesitation, she activated the nanite armor that was concealed in a silver bangle around her wrist. Coruscant had taught her many lessons, most of them expensive, and the reality of force-suppression dust or smoke existing was probably the worst.

It was a cheap trick that had killed her.

Before conscious thought could fully catch-up dark metal spilled across pale skin, devouring silk and armor weave, while thin shining plates formed seamlessly over her throat and the lower half of her face. A modified rebreather locked in while the entirety of her appearance shifted in the blink of an eye. She neither questioned the smoke nor cared what it was intended to do. It existed, it was new, it was unfamiliar—And therefore dangerous. That was sufficient.

The temperature dropped almost immediately thereafter, though, whether it was a consequence of her irritation, or the ring on her finger, it was difficult to say. Frost crept across broken stone in crystalline patterns while a chilling wind swept through and caused the smoke to dissipate. Sronias had been quiet for most of the evening, content to sit upon her hand as it always did, but now, the alchemized construct seemed restless. The ring twitched once against her skin. Then again—Wary of this random enemy who attacked in cowardice from behind. This man, who became two. Both clad in Beskar.

She could feel her curse shift…It was no longer contained in this tower. It wasn't even in her hands. Fear fed violence, violence fed fear, and now the dread pouring from the approaching storm flowed to fill the void. Humbarine would slowly become the engine of its own misery. Against that backdrop, that truth, the two armored men seemed absurdly small. Mercy went on the offensive…

Because one had attacked them. Well, likely, because she was itching for a fight. But the other had arrived as reinforcement. Neither wore Imperial colors or moved like Imperial soldiers. Yet…They had chosen their targets with remarkable confidence. Why would Mandalorian warriors attack her openly? Had she not used a contract to protect them, arm them, and ensure their sovereignty? She was acutely aware of the Sith destroying Mandalore, just, as she was aware of the Mandalorians orbitally bombarding her homeworld—But that was…Pitifully, old.

"You're not Imperials?"

Srina found herself regarding him not with anger but a puzzled curiosity. It was the same expression one might reserve for an animal behaving unexpectedly. Eyes of yellow-gold slipped over the elder Mandalorian in ways that would make it seem like she was looking through him. Not at him.

The answer emerged quietly. She didn't shout, didn't snarl or sneer…It was simple.

"No."

Yet it rolled through the tower with such force that the building swayed and stones ground together. The frost that emanated from her continued to spread outward from beneath her feet…Not threatening, yet. Merely maintaining control of the environment. "We are not."

The words hung there for a moment before her head tilted slightly, lengths of silvery hair stirring in the cold. Her confusion with this scenario was genuine.

Srina had come to Humbarine to deal with the Faithless that had embedded themselves into the ecosystem. Imperial-Scum. The dead filling the stairwell had been Imperial. The curse that would eventually consume Humbarine City was crafted for Imperials. Yet the men standing before her wore beskar rather than uniforms. Her expression darkened while the second Mandalorian made a quip (and if it was a double date, one of them was being extremely rude) and something in her seemingly infinite patience ended. "I never expected—"

She breathed, the stale, metallic air of the rebreather.

"—To see Mandalorian warriors choose to die for the sake of Imperial dogma."

Srina surged forward far quicker than her diminutive frame might suggest, though, she went to Mercy not the men in question. They didn't have the luxury of giving grace to a pair of bucket-heads that shot them in the back. Aether Verd would need to find it in himself to forgive her, though, she didn't expect the Mandalorian Empire to put down their pitchforks anytime soon.

"Sestra…"

That singular word again before her hand met the woman's back and forced strength into the Titan as she had a hundred times before. It caused the ragged holes left from the gunfire to close if they hadn't already and the inherent malevolence of all the Echani brought to bear twisted, an offering, to the giantess. "We have a job to do. You promised me…No more Imperials."

"I don't care who stands in our way."

Spoiler: Equpiment

Armour Saber Ring Ring Terentatek Body Gloves HG-54 "The Vora" Class Hand Cannon Holding Aces Popper NPC Units (On Standby) Drake "Vaelcryx" (On Standby)

 

[Isobel Serraris]

BELLY OF THE BEAST​

LOCATION — Humbarine, Landing Zone
TAGS — Nearby Allies: Meliant // Nearby Opposition: Carduul Akahl , Koda Fett . Currently engaging The Arkanian -- Apologies if mistakenly tagged, but all our characters are within the same environment.
PARAPHERNALIA — Armour of the Lost and Vesper et Aurora.

A surge of pain wrecked her systems upon the collision between the metal of the wreckage and the beskar of the Mandalorian, it was faulty to consort such horrid tactics. . . To be another echo of the Sith, whereas she had pledged herself only faithful to the visions of past and future. A vow weakened by the rampage that swirled around them akin to a maddening inferno, consuming all within its proximity until only the scorched soil remained. Wrong it was, and yet its flames too burned within her core, leading her to be yet another conduit of its ravage.

The loud screeching of tanks manoeuvring the perilous terrain of the warzone filled her senses with a deafening clamour, the giant wheels flattening the burning debris scattered over the landing zone, as their targets were aimed above and beyond. One blast was fixed upon a nearing ship, forcing the spacecraft to crash upon the soil near them. . . Its flames reaching both the Mandalorian and the Exile, her attention too fractured to forge a shield to ward off the rush of flames that ran over them in one (mercifully) swift wave. Before seeking to redirect it with the Force, away before it could harm her skin beyond a mere graze--

Her skin tingled lightly, and she nigh on raised a hand toward her cheek to assess the damage before allowing the Force to suppress the sensation and fixing her gaze upon her foe once more. . . No longer a mere obstacle upon the ground, the Mandalorian stood once more; tall, frightening and impossible to sense through the Force. And yet, there was no need for it to prod his intentions, for his silence spoke a million words. The Stranger was studying her. Determining whether she was an easy target, or a true Sith standing before him (hardly capable of remaining on her own two feet).

"It was a warning. Had I desired bloodshed, I would not have stopped there." Isobel proclaimed frantically, declarations painted with the pigment of black roses. Hopelessness plagued her, until her eyes were drawn to another warrior Koda Fett nearing the Landing Zone. Its path was not woven toward her duel, but instead toward the Command Centre--the heart where she could sense a number of her 'allies'.

The first round of concussive fire was redirected by a flimsy Force barrier, pushing her back a meter whilst she branched out throughout the Force, akin to vines seeking to entangle its prey. <Beware. . . another soul gives chase. . .> She sought to tell Meliant . The warning whispered among the currents of the Force akin to a lost petal upon the wind, weakened by spilled blood, misery, and the ceaseless acheing within her skull.

The bond snapped before another word could fill the connection.

BANG !

The sound had hardly been acknowledged by her senses as the bolt pierced her leg, the tightly-knitted chainmail and undersleeve beneath insufficient against the sheer power of the concussion rifle. Her vision blurred. The noise of the warzone but a distant memory. And then followed the ground, landing head first onto the metal. Her right leg burned so fiercely, she might have thought it to be severed. A piercing agony that not even the Force may soothe.

A pained grunt slipped past her battered lips as she gazed upward at the towering Mandalorian and his alien companion. "Mercy. . ." Crimson followed the word, landing like rain droplets upon the dull material. "For I have showed you some." Another cough poisoned her body as the repeated shockwaves made it burdensome to breathe.

Her mind yearned to call out to her allies, to plead them for help she knew a true Sith would never beg for. Yet she was no Sith. Not truly, not ever. Only a foreign bloom cast into hostile soil, failing to survive the season it had never been meant to endure.

---

Action summary. . . One of the three tanks targeted an incoming ship flying near/over the landing zone, forcing it to crash down into the area. (...) Isobel was distracted by the presence of another bounty-hunter heading toward the Command Centre, and failed to intercept the concussion rounds from The Arkanian --getting hit in her right leg.

​

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Humbraine - The Governorate Armory

Equipment:
Knight Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

The first sensation felt wrong. He could feel fear spreading through the city like a disease. Hatred, panic, distrust... things already present, dragged violently to the surface and fed until they became something larger than themselves. Ace felt it brush against his own thoughts, trying to find purchase beneath his skin and feed on the frustration already burning beneath his ribs.

Then came the second. Power, violent, predatory, and yet so familiar. Ace recognized it instantly, because he'd felt it before on Coruscant. During the siege. Crimson lightning splitting the sky caused by Quinn Varanin . The Force itself seemed heavier beneath its weight.

His fingers tightened around his hilt. The dark side surged through the building, through the city, through him. It found the anger already burning beneath his ribs and fed it. The pain from the blaster graze sharpened, his breathing steadied, and his golden eyes narrowed beneath the storm of blasterfire.

If Lily's telepathy reached Ace's mind amidst the chaos, she would find little coherence beyond predatory intent and focused violence. The impression of golden eyes watching from darkness, fallen bodies, and a mind singularly fixed on eliminating obstacles. Yet buried impossibly deep beneath it all, almost lost among the shadows and bloodshed, existed a solitary point of warmth. Dark curls. A mischievous smile. Sunlight. The image would vanish before it could be understood, swallowed once more beneath the darkness surrounding it.

Varin moved beside him like a siege engine given shape. Bolts hammered against his armor while smoke and fire unfurled from his back, tendrils crushing weapons, choking men, breaking the enemy's line before it could reform.

Ace surged forward off Varin's pressure, using the space the larger Sith carved open. His blue blade snapped through a Death Trooper's rifle, then through the wrist behind it. A twist of his prosthetic hand sent the trooper slamming into two more, armor folding under invisible force.

Another raised a detonator. Ace's gaze flicked to it, ready to intercept, only to see Varin catch it and absorb the explosion. The behemoth was full of surprises.

Ace took advantage of the opening immediately. His prosthetic hand clenched and the corridor screamed. Durasteel plating tore free from walls and ceiling alike. Support struts buckled inward. Loose crates, shattered armor, discarded weapons, and chunks of metal flooring ripped themselves from where they rested and surged forward in a violent tide.

The Death Troopers barely had time to react when the wave hit them like a landslide. Bodies vanished beneath twisting metal. Armor crumpled. Several were hurled bodily into the far wall hard enough to leave dents in the durasteel before collapsing motionless to the floor.

Ace lowered his hand and he felt Tamsin's presence twist wrong through the Force, swelling into something darker, older, hungry. The sensation crawled along the edges of his awareness. He turned and the moment he saw the tensor rifles floating free of their crate, their power cells whining louder by the second, his expression hardened.

Fucking witches.

Tamsin Starfall | Varin Mortifer | Arris Windrun | Lily Rhodes | Vess Sadragen​

 

[Anet Raine]

Madrona A’Mia | Mellia Raine
Equipment: Mask | Robes | Lightsaber
​

Anet could still feel her master's touch. She reached up and caressed the exposed flesh beneath her mask, while looking down at the unopened antidote in her other hand, with a smile.

The Neti's asterpuff canisters hissed lightly, spraying their nigh undetectable diaspores throughout the building. The half-pantoran was in a utilities room, manually setting the building's ventilation to full power. She looked down at the stacks of air filters, which had been rigorously removed a day earlier, under false pretenses that they were being replaced.

When she left the room, the acolyte felt a surreal calm wash over her and noticed encroaching darkness in the corner of her eye. An eclipse, and dark storm clouds... which she gathered weren't natural.

Dark crimson clouds rolled in the skies above - from them erupted lightning that snapped with deafening thunder; each bolt struck erratically, some near, others far, but always with power that exceeded anything nature governed. The pitiful dramatist within Anet likened that chaos to the battle in her own heart.

She unclasped the lightsaber on her belt, holding the hilt in appraisal. The day she saved Kirie from herself. The weapon hissed, igniting a rippling blade of crimson. That was also the day she bled her blade; an act of her devotion. The weapon recoiled just as quickly as it emerged, and the hilt returned to her hip. The power in the air was difficult to taste, but Anet was no longer the fresh-faced disciple of the Dark Side that she was.

The asterpuff would just have to fight with her senses, and the tsunami of Dark Side power would just have to wash through her. No matter the challenge, she would rise to meet it.

Anet marched down the hall, passing by Sith operatives. Some were carrying records in whole boxes of chitsets, while others smashed equipment. A few civilians screamed as they were dragged throughout the building to imprisonment or execution. Her destination was the central archive, a secure room where all the Governorate's secret codes were generated and kept, military included.

She plucked his code cylinders from her robes, inserted them, and stepped inside.

"Time to get to work."

 

[Seva Beroya]

VORNSKR
ORBIT | HUMBARINE
ALLIES: Kjartan Hammer-Hand | Romul Saxon | Yolaghun | Iris Beroya | COV
ENEMIES: Emissary of Strife | Allyson Locke | CT-312 | TSC
ENGAGING: Emissary of Strife | Garza
GEAR: In bio​

Spoiler: Fleet

Flagship: Oya'kar
FLEET
Ha'rangir-Class Star Destroyer
Naastar (100% | 100%) Copad (100% | 100%)
Gratiir-Class Heavy Assault Cruiser
Gaanynir (100% | 100%) Kyramud (100% | 100%) Aarikir (100% | 100%) Narser (100% | 100%)
Ka'yatr-Class Suppressive Cruiser
Burun (100% | 100%)
Dalab-Class Strike Carrier
Jurir (100% | 100%)
Aranar-Class Escort Frigate
Cabur (100% | 100%) Nynir (100% | 100%) Aal'briik (100% | 100%) Aranov (100% | 100%) Ba'yair (100% | 100%)
Ramor-Class Attack Corvette
Beviin (100% | 100%) Bralov (100% | 100%) Cuyan (100% | 100%) Edee (100% | 100%)
Ramikad-Class Ramming Corvette
Puutec (100% | 100%) Bevan (100% | 100%) Brok'ur (100% | 100%) Carud (100% | 100%)

MARCH​

They'd come in guns blazing.

One of the Imperial Star Destroyers had already been crippled upon their arrival. Seva and her fleet had taken Gallius Saxon's ( Romul Saxon ) comment of drawing the defence fleet out of position to heart.

An element of the Arumorut Task Force had jumped into the system with true Mandalorian vehemence.

No one cages their vode and got away with it. These people will now face Kad Ha'rangir himself.

"Unleash the Burun." Seva's voice was cold from where she stood at the viewport. "I don't want these skanahs speaking with each other anymore. Let her lend her power to the Akiar. They'll be subject to us from now on. And I want that cruiser protected above all else. If they have to engage the Calyiud, then they have permission to. Have one of our frigates protecting her too. Also have the Jurir unleash a squadron of basilisks as well as two fighters to keep away any TIEs from her."
"Yes, Alor." said Varon Awaud. "Any additional command for the rams?" he asked before he would be enforcing her commands across their fleet.
"Keep them back for now. I'm not ready to sacrifice them yet. They're a last resort only." she said, turning to face him.
He nodded and sent through the orders.

"Is Jet and the squadrons ready for deployment?"
"Yes, Alor. He awaits orders." said Gel Beroya,
"Keep him ready but grounded for now."
He nodded and relayed to the hangar.

The entire fleet jointly engaged the blockade to try and open a corridor for extraction. The joint firepower from the Hammer-hand, Saxon and Beroya forces would be enough to hurt any blockade at some point. The sheer power of their Destroyers and Cruisers alone would be enough to make anyone quake.

When you cage a Mandalorian, be prepared to face the rest of its pride, for they will bring Haran down on you.

"Alor, incoming Mandalorian comms - Krayt by the reading." came Alora Awaud's report before she opened the speakers.

"The Spirit Breaker is still falling toward the city. Do you want me to try to turn it, or keep the way clear until the boarding teams are finished?"

Seva's mind raced. That would be devastating to their vode on the ground if they didn't act. Damn gravitational forces.
<Steer clear outside, Krayt. Aid our vode that have been deployed to it - provide what support you can there. We'll deal with slowing that lady down.> she told Yolaghun . <Beroya out.> She then turned back to Alora. Patch me through to Romul Saxon and Kjartan Hammer-Hand 's fleets.
"Yes, Alor." Her hands flew over the controls before nodding toward Seva.
<Saxon, Forgemaster, the wrecked Star Destroyer is caught in gravitational pull. Any large enough vessel you can spare to aid one of my Destroyers in slowing her fall or even diverting her course would be greatly appreciated until we can get our forces back to eventual safety. Let's win their time, vode.> she told them. <I will be pulling out the Copad from direct fire to to put some breaks on that falling destroyer. Beroya out.>

They had barely ended communications when AWACS Watcher's comms cut through the bridge.

«Watcher to Mythos Fleet, there is a Force Storm over the city. There are Sith on Humbarine. I repeat, there are Sith on Humbarine.»

Seva's lip curled into a predatory snarl. "Haar'chak." she grumbled. "Acknowledge him. Then get Jet down there with two squadrons to aid wherever they can. If we're up against a Storm as well as an eclipse, who knows what else is going on. Our vode need all the help they can get."
"Yes, Alor."

In the meantime, the Copad was pulling away to head towards the falling Spirit Breaker while the rest of the fleet continued to unleash fire on the blockade with vehemence, a frigate moving to take her comrade's place in the Beroya formation. Before long, two squadrons of Basilisks deployed from the Oya'kar's hangar and streaked through the void with utter purpose.

Then Watcher's comms cut into the bridge again, calling for turbolasers to targeted coordinates to one of the titans on the ground.

«Acknowledged. Relaying.»

"Alor?"
Seva grinned. "No quarter. Take that thing out. Concentrate four cannons on those coordinates. Make them rue the day they existed. Bring Haran down on them in spades. But avoid any other bombardment on the planet for now."
Varon's smile was wide as he ordered the targeted strike on Garza . If he didn't hate them so much, he'd actually feel sorry for the Sith's creature. If there was one thing he didn't want to get hit with, was an MTB-40. It was truly worthy of being called Haran.

Now that they knew about the Sith presence on the planet, there'd be renewed hate-driven action from the Mandalorian side.

Now it was even worse to have had their vode caged on the planet.

They'd pay.

"Are all our energy weapons charged across our task force?" Seva asked.
"Yes, Alor. They are all ready to be used on your order."
"Good. Hold them for now, but if we can't get a proper corridor open for extraction, then we blow that blockade apart with the big boys."

They'd all rue the day they crossed the Mando'ade.

Jet Beroya led the two squadrons of basilisks and their riders toward the planet.

It was absolute chaos in orbit with green streaks and mass drivers flying to and fro while they also had to avoid the point defence and flak cannons that would no doubt be spraying and praying.
<Jeeze, the fire power is a gauntlet.> Freya Beroya echoed Jet's thoughts.
<Understatement.> David Awaud piped up as well.
<Stay focused. Let's get down there in one piece.> Jet ordered.
<Uh, Alor'ad, I'm picking up Tangos coning toward us from atmo.> came Josh Awaud's comms.
Jet looked at his dash. "You getting it?" he asked his basilisk.
://: Affirmative. Squadron of TIE/d's.://: she replied.
"Greeeeat." he sighed. <Look alive Hawks and Vipers - we have Defenders incoming. Let your turrets rip and evasive action. Make them dizzy. If your beasts can get claws on them, do it.> he told them all.
Everyone's acknowledgements sounded.

Then more chaos broke loose as golden streaks coupled with the typical heavy laser streaks shot forth to hit the incoming Defenders while all of them banked in different directions to engage from different directions.
​

Spoiler: Summary

Emissary of Strife

• Unleashed another suppressive cruiser, the Burun - enemy comms and sensors most probably blocked between it and Romul Saxon Akiar. Especially in orbit.
• Deployed 2 squadrons of Howler Basilisks (Hawk Squadron and Viper Squadron in a joint venture) led by Jet Beroya to engage the original Glaive Squadron deployed here - they are actively engaging with the basilisk full laser power from all directions
• Deployed a squadron of Howlers and 2 squadrons of Jai'galaar Starfighters to help guard the Burun along with the Cabur Frigate from any starfighters that might venture too close.
• Pulled the Copad Star Destroyer from the formation and requested Kjartan Hammer-Hand amd Romul Saxon to also each send a big vessel to slow the Spirit Breaker's descent on Yolaghun 's notification and asked him to give support he can.
• The Naastar and Oya'kar remain in formation coupled with the Jurir as well as all the assault cruisers, frigates and Ramikad Corvettes. The Ramor Corvettes are moving, attacking from multiple directions (above, below and from the sides) to strike at the enemy fleet before diving away again to not get hit too much (hit and run tactic). All ships are unleashing all conventional firepower (not the solar ion cannons, seismic cannons or the pulse cannons) at the blockade. Everyone have active systems engaged to prevent conventional jamming tactics.
• All energy weapons are charged and ready to be used upon order

Garza

• Duck bro - 4 turbolaser cannon fire incoming for you on Iris Beroya 's request

 

[Kjartan Hammer-Hand]

---

---

​

OBJECTIVE 2: CRACK THE SHELL
TAG:
OPPS: Seris Velmora | Emissary of Strife
ALLIES: Seva Beroya | Romul Saxon​

​

KJARTAN HAMMER-HAND​

THEME​

​

Kjartan’s hammer met plastoid helmet with a sickening ‘THUD’ - causing the faceplate to cave in as the trooper crumpled to the deck. The warmaster held his sawed-off scattergun with his other hand, leveling the weapon and pulling the trigger in one motion - using the strap across his torso to help stabilize it. Super-heated slugs ripped through the cuirass of another trooper, who keeled over and slammed into the bulkhead before landing in a heap as well.

He swung his hammer back around violently, bringing the spiked-end down hard into the neck of a third trooper who tried to attack him from behind. Blood spattered all along the Hammer-hand’s armor as the fighting began to die down, and his host of raiders began to assemble into formation. Their unified comm frequency came to life with an announcement. <“Buurenaar’gam to Hammer-hand STATIC - to Hammer-hand, over.”>

“Hammer-hand to Buurenaar’gam, I read you.” Kjartan responded quickly.

<“Our sensors STATIC...elevated reactor levels. They are reaching critical mass STATIC - REPEAT, you’re on borrowed time. We will monitor the situation, but you have STATIC minutes... copy?”>

‘Damn...’ he mentally cursed. “Say again! There’s interference on this channel.”

There was a slight pause, then another attempt to follow. The signal was weak, but less cluttered with static. <“Hammer-hand, you have borrowed time. We are unsure how much at this time, but it can’t be long.”>

Grim resolve steeled the warlord’s nerves while the remainder of his team got itself ready. One of the warriors ripped a largely intact helmet off of a dead Stormtrooper and jacked it into his own HUD, ripping the map of the ship from within and transmitting it to the breaching team.

Kjartan appraised the map on his HUD - they were not far from an Engineering substation, which likely held a cluster of terminals still active. The Mandalorians need to move, and aggressively. They rallied their way to the compartment door, which slid open - revealing the sight of a woman wielding a red lightsaber. Dozens of blaster shots rang out around Kjartan as his vode set about ending the thread quickly, yet the Warlord knew that a Sith was not so easily felled. He barked an order.

“Caris, break off into a second team and get to the engineering section. We need that information.” The Hammer-hand released his grip on his shotgun and drew his beskad from over his shoulder. He stared at the Sith with a grizzled, primed glower from behind his visor - the weight of the moment focusing his mind. Then, he let out a mighty roar - charging at the Sith alongside a pair of warriors who also drew their swords.

The first of his sword-brothers reached the Sith, lashing out with his blade to her left while the second came in low and from the right. Kjartan on the other hand, did something that may not have been expected.

He surged forth and at the last possible moment, dipped his shoulder and tried to body check her - to try and throw her hard to the ground.

---

---

The Mandalorian warfleet plied its strength against the measure of the Imperial garrison, with the Buurenaar’gam rumbling from both the weight of its own volleys, as well as the return fire that crashed against its defenses. The basilisk war droids, for their part, engaged the TIE squadrons in a heated battle within the void - the semi-autonomous droids whirring violently amidst the chaos.

Meanwhile, the main Mandalorian battle line renewed its assault against the Imperial front. As the Fast Frigates began closing, the Brok’ur Cruisers closed ranks and unleashed their full broadsides into them as they advanced. It was then that the transmission from Seva Beroya came through.

<Saxon, Forgemaster, the wrecked Star Destroyer is caught in gravitational pull. Any large enough vessel you can spare to aid one of my Destroyers in slowing her fall or even diverting her course would be greatly appreciated until we can get our forces back to eventual safety. Let's win their time, vode.> she told them. <I will be pulling out the Copad from direct fire to to put some breaks on that falling destroyer. Beroya out.>

The Forgemaster’s brow furrowed at the order, his mind racing on the best way to assist. Finally, he turned to the tactical officer. “Order the fleet to push toward the derelict.
Give us a line of sight of the vessel. Power up the statis field webifiers.” It took a moment for realization to flash across the tactical officer’s features, signified by a quick smile as she relayed the orders.

The Hammer-hand’s fleet pushed along the flank to keep the pressure upon the Imperial line, and force a corridor to remain open between the Mandalorian host and the derelict vessel. The Buurenaar’gam cared nought for the smaller vessels attempting to close with her, but merely unleashed with her vastly heavier ordnance as they pushed forth. The Brok’ur cruisers too kept close, keeping the formation anchored even as the beleaguered Imperial vessels desperately tried to press their attack.

Meanwhile, the Buurenaar’gam’s status webifiers, designed to reduce the inertia of any vessel within range, powered up. Once the target lock was acquired, the Forgemaster gave the order. “Engage!” The massive, tractor-beam like devices fired and rippled against the hull of the craft - fighting against the ship’s immense bulk and the forces of gravity trying to pull her down into the planet.

It would not fully prevent the crippled vessel’s descent, yet it would buy the boarding team the time they needed to push further and accomplish their objective.

Spoiler: Ship Status

• Buurenaar’gam - Ha’rangir-class Star Destroyer
  • Shields - [Lightly Damaged]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Jai’Galaar-class starfighters x3
• Kalden’kad - Brok’ur-class Heavy Assault Cruiser
  • Shields - [Lightly Damaged]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Jai’Galaar-class starfighters x1
    • “Howler” Basilisk War Droids x2
• A’den Beskar - Brok’ur-class Heavy Assault Cruiser
  • Shields - [Lightly Damaged]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Jai’Galaar-class starfighters x1
    • “Howler” Basilisk War Droids x2
• Akaan'ar - Cabur-class Escort Frigate
  • Shields - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Nynir Ekurak starfighters x1
    • “Howler” Basilisk War Droids x1
• Sapan’vod - Cabur-class Escort Frigate
  • Shields - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Nynir Ekurak starfighters x1
    • “Howler” Basilisk War Droids x1
• Akaan’uliik - Cabur-class Escort Frigate
  • Shields - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Nynir Ekurak starfighters x1
    • “Howler” Basilisk War Droids x1
• Gaht’yc Woor - Cabur-class Escort Frigate
  • Shields - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Nynir Ekurak starfighters x1
    • “Howler” Basilisk War Droids x1
• Yai’me’suum’ - Dalab-class Strike Carrier
  • Shields - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Armor - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Superstructure - [UNDAMAGED]
  • Squadrons:
    • Nynir Ekurak starfighters x4
    • Jai’Galaar starfighters x4
    • “Howler” Basilisk War Droids x4

Spoiler: Summary of Actions

• Kjartan Hammer-hand’s boarding party procures a layout of the vessel, and engages Seris Velmora while another team tries to go around.
• The Hammer-hand fleet continues battering against the Imperial battle line with their heavy ordnance, closing ranks to prevent getting punched through by the fast frigates
• The fleet shifts toward the derelict vessel, with the Buurenaar’gam activating her stasis webifiers to try and slow the derelict’s descend toward the planet.
• Kjartan continues aura farming.

​

 

[Varin Mortifer]

VARIN MORTIFER

Equipment: Durum Mantle | Black Blade of Chandrila | Eye of The Dragon | Heavy Sith Mace | Cross Guard Broadsaber

Ace moved, sending a surge of power that twisted the very shape and structure around them. Bodies flung as the wreckage wreaked havoc among the troopers that desperately and futilely tried to hold them back.

It was a nail in the coffin. A silence had fallen. Not around them, but to Varin, sound ceased as pressure pulsed through him. His body locking up as his head pulsed.

He gritted his teeth as pain burned through his skull, through his bones and eventually his muscles. His grip on the saber tightened, causing the alloys to creak and groan. Finally he let it all out as the pain met its crescendo.

The ground seemed to shake around him, smoke now spewed from every crevice in his armor. A scream ripped through his being, not like his usual battle roar, but a scream of pain and sorrow.

The darkside funneled through and into him, flames erupted from those same crevices in his armor as he fell to his knees, breathing panting groaning in a voice that seemed to grow deeper, lower more animalistic.

Another scream ripped through him as the flames burst like a fire around him, the phrik armor crumbling and breaking away from the intense heat. Troopers that had survived the last ordeal shielded their eyes as the flames grew brighter and brighter. Almost like a star within the midst of a battlefield.

The armor fell away into flakes as the body glove burned away, the runes upon his body spreading and carving further into his flesh, solidifying the skin. Flames licked through the opened gashes as if hell itself were trying to rip from his body.

He dropped to his hands as a pained strain caused him to convulse, his head refusing to move properly, but slowly his now animalistic gaze fell on the troopers, his one good eye taking on the look of an eclipsed star. Slowly two horns began to dig themselves out of his forehead before a roar erupted from his chest, the sound waves great enough to burst with a surge of force that knocked troopers back to the walls, pinning them, holding them, crushing them slowly.

Lily would see the smoke that trailed off his body grow larger, sprouting wings as a bestial form of of smoke and fire shaped itself into a massive figure. Scales carved of fire, flesh formed from smoke. Its maw opened wide towards the sky as if it were devouring the dark energy greedily like a starving beast.

Varin slowly stood, flames erupting all around him as if he were set ablaze, yet he did not panic.

Some of the troopers began a retreat, and Varin's gaze fell on both Tamsin and Acier. Bloodlust in his eyes. His Black Blade slowly raised pointing towards them.

“Feed me more…”

Without warning, he lunged for Acier first.

Tamsin Starfall | Acier Moonbound | Arris Windrun | Lily Rhodes | Vess Sadragen​

 

[The Arkanian]

THE ARKANIAN
LANDING ZONE NEAR COMMAND CENTER | HUMBARINE
TAG: Isobel Serraris | Koda Fett | Meliant | Carduul Akahl | Eurydice
GEAR: See Bio

A pained grunt slipped past her battered lips as she gazed upward at the towering Mandalorian and his alien companion. "Mercy. . ." Crimson followed the word, landing like rain droplets upon the dull material. "For I have showed you some." Another cough poisoned her body as the repeated shockwaves made it burdensome to breathe.

The supercommando's boots thudded to a halt just in front of the fallen Force User and his expressionless T-visor stared down at her - the red and white paint of his helmet as stark and dour as blood and bones.

For a moment, he pointed the barrel of the concussion rifle at her face. At this range the concussive burst would probably pop her head like a melon. Then he glanced up as Terror hopped closer and at last slowly lowered his rifle.

Through the helmet's comm came his grizzled voice, "Fine... Always was a sucker for a pretty face," he lied.

He fished in a pouch of his utility belt, then tossed a pair of stun cuffs at her. "Put these on and hand me your saber hilts. Don't try anything cute."

With the oggmiri lizard waddling within range of her, he doubted she would be able to put up much of a fight with a bad leg, without the Force, and without her lightsabers.

He held out his left crushgaunt armored hand toward her, palm up to receive the hilts. In his mind's eye, he was already writing himself the check. Oh yes. Someone would probably pay a pretty credit to ransom her back.

Assuming he could make it off this rock with her.

"Ruus'alor Ark to nearby verd. Rally up on me, I have a Force User hostage... and I'm taking one of those juggernauts."

Overhead, the skies were thick and overcast and threaded with an ominous crimson lightning that seemed worse than the eclipse. Rain started to fall from the bulging, black clouds and it pattered on his armor.

Music​