Dominion Run to the Hills | Dominion of Sharb | NIO

[Chelenne Akaris]

H E R
IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU
N I G H T H A W K
ELIMINATE HOSTILE TARGET | WARLIP

"I had hoped the waves of refugees had winded down more..." Varian commented, partially to himself, partially to the Zeltron agent, "... I need to make sure the risk of collateral is minimized, that all possible scenarios are accounted for--" the spectre's helmet turned to scrutinize the violet menace next to him, "--this is not going to be another Nirauan, you understand?"

Where his calloused nature drove his actions and behavior, she was his foil, seemingly as lackadaisical as could be in her poise on the rooftop. The tips of sharp nails tapped the steel of her binoculars and she couldn't help but sigh with some wistful thought, pulling her eyes from their lenses to look up at him once again. She was shameless in the obvious appraisal and admiration she did of the man, striking at him with a smoldering light to her blue hues. "The streams won't stop anytime soon darling, their entire planet was destroyed." Chelenne hummed, placing her binoculars down on her thigh before unwinding the cord bound to her wrist and sweeping her tresses back and up, tucking them into a messy ponytail. "I've no interest in terrorizing the terrorized, regardless. Not much to gain from that, you know; too gauche for my personal tastes." The toes of her boots caught footing, propelling her up to her feet. "I'm assuming the special someone you've come here to abduct isn't me after all then, mm? Color me disappointed."

The zeltron packed the binoculars into her hip satchel and turned from the ledge, strutting across the rooftop with feline grace, hair swishing with the rock and sway of her stride. "Even still... you'll be delighted at what I've found for you, then. Come along." Crossing the roof, the skylights, and vents dotted across its face, she would lead him to the opposite side where her means of access lay- a grappling hook. Lithe digits plucked up the end of the line and wound it once about her forearm. "He's here. Beneath us. Has been for a few minutes now. You can thank me in a little while after all of this is sorted out." A wink flashed over her shoulder before she descended, rappeling herself back to the duracrete below with a twist of her hips and the plant of her boots against the wall.

Once at the bottom she addressed the brooding spectre yet again: "I do hope you've got a dazzling plan, seeing as how I've done so much of the heavy lifting already." That smile of hers was as goading as it was tempting and she aimed it right for his heart.​

Cromwell​

 

[Nukth Kelga'an]

SHARB

OBJECTIVE I | ASHES TO ASHES
OPPOSING | BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAX, KILLIK UPRISING
Jerec Yularen | Marlon Sularen​

BLUE-SKINNED GUYS.
"Even a good enemy can't hide himself definitively."

That was the words of Nukth's master. The word 'confident' could fit to this men...and to the Captain. He was confident, as always. Confident in everything. Of course, Nukth knew the fear of the battle and the apprehension before a spec ops, but he never lost his confiance in his men and in his skills. The work of a Banshee was simply as possible: be a good soldier, and an excellent commando.

As he thought before coming here, the streets were not desert. There was a lot of enemies in the city, and he and his men had to fight them and to overcome their power. Banshees' Company was fragmented, as always, and Nukth just led a small team of soldiers.

"Two squads on the 23rd North, hammering back Killiks."
"One squad need support! 17th East!"
"I've a group of bad guys on the 45th South! One squad on supply, please."

The comlink could not stop these communications. Nukth's men were concentrated on their task, and they knew how to face Killiks or other things like them. An explosion resounded in his back, and the Captain turned around to see the fire projected in the air. He placed his hand to not be dazzled by the light and got a look to his HUD, uploading itself. He received Jerec's transmission.

"Copy that Jerec! I see it on my HUD. Explosive masers on my way. Gathering my troops and following your ship in some seconds. We're just washing the streets, don't take care about us."

Nukth switched to Banshees' comlink.

"Gathering on my position after washing end. There are a lot of gunships for us, we've just received new orders, Lieutenants, copy that."

The officers answered affirmatively and Nukth led his squad to the first gunship. In ten or so minutes, all of his troops were in the ships, ready to go to the next area of operations.

"Pilot! follow Captain Yularen's ship!"
"Copy that, sir."

The ship described a big curve in the air and went to the location given by the soldiers' HUD. When they arrived on site, Nukth could see Jerec jumping in the air, and he was prepared to do the same thing. But he saw someones. Some imperial shuttles on the structure. Anyway, he didn't care about that. He was a commando, and, as commando, he executed orders, even if he had to kill thousands of imperial troopers.

"Insertion!" he said before jumping -- and the ground became bigger and bigger.​

 

[Cromwell]

OBJECTIVE II | RUN TO THE HILLS | BYOO
// TARGET >> WARLIP //
>> DEAD or ALIVE <<
​

"I'm assuming the special someone you've come here to abduct isn't me after all then, mm? Color me disappointed."

Varian's lips straightened into a thin line and his mind wandered off from the scan to her quip. Many moons ago he had donned this mantle and hit the straight highway in unwavering pursuit of order; that was the least, he believed, he could do to protect the legacy left by his deceased parents. Over the years, numerous exit signs had flashed across his way, and par for the brief stops to sate natural human needs, he had carried on without diverting the course. The ride was all there is. Until now. There was no chance in all hells that Varian would admit it but the electric, and rather deliberately ignored or forgotten, spark Nighthawk ignited within him was one he doubted he could suppress for too long. Her directness wasn't helping his case, too. At all.

Avenger said nothing, but his silence was loud, loud enough for an empathic Zeltron to hear over the wall of stone he had arduously erected. The scanner ceased its operations and he traced her feline stride over the rooftop with his eyes, before heeding her call and following after. She led him to an already set up grappling hook leading down to the processing facility below, his tall, armored figure looming over her like a shadow.

"He's here. Beneath us. Has been for a few minutes now. You can thank me in a little while after all of this is sorted out." A wink flashed over her shoulder before she descended, rappeling herself back to the duracrete below with a twist of her hips and the plant of her boots against the wall.

Of course.

For his extremely wide arrays of skills, especially those concerning tracking and hunting targets, the pink menace always seemed to be one step ahead of him. Somehow.

"I do hope you've got a dazzling plan, seeing as how I've done so much of the heavy lifting already." That smile of hers was as goading as it was tempting and she aimed it right for his heart.

She, as always, couldn't help herself but rub it in his face every chance she got.

"Any dazzling plan I have doesn't include you in it." Varian smirked faintly, throwing a jab at her in response, then, "A half-assed one, on the other hand..." with a few taps on his forearm, the oculi of his helmet lit to faint blue activating the echolocation of his sensors. Rapidly, the real-time blueprints of the facility were drawn, along with the shimmering blue silhouettes of sentients within the building. About twenty Chiss inside, some sitting, some meandering about nervously and one specifically leaning on a post in the middle inconspicuously - Warlip, according to the DNA match. Hesitance, driven by his meticulous approach to operating, considered the option of whether this might be a decoy with a sensor distorter. Feeding the enemy misinformation was a technique used often when it came to unconventional operations. A technique Avenger aimed to employ now.

Projecting the readings of his echolocation sensor in the form of a holo from his wrist for Nighthawk to see, he spoke, "...he's either smart or extremely lucky, look - none of these roof windows have a clear shot on him--" the spectre abruptly went silent with a sharp, shocked inhale of breath, "--microexplosives..." he whispered, almost inaudibly. Feth.

"..his whole neck is injected with microscopic explosives. Probably enough in there to incinerate the whole facility." a scowl formed on his face, concealed beneath the helmet, "He's gonna be expecting anything and any out of the ordinary move we try to pull off might make him trigger the explosives." he clenched his fists in frustration. Coward.

Inaudibly sighing, Varian glanced up to meet the agent's eyes, "I can sneak up through one of the windows unnoticed by the refugees," he tapped the stealth field generator belt, "but I don't know what else he might be equipped with - the Maw are oddly expert in cybernetics, so you'll need to distract him. Keep his line of vision away from me till I can get into position." Avenger said and drew out an ion paddler beamer designed for human hands. It should shut down the electronics of the explosive and incapacitate him. The little hint of the outcome's uncertainty carried a dreadful shiver across his spine and despite his neutral expressions, a Zeltron could probably discern the concern rising within him. If she got close to Warlip and he went off...

Chelenne Akaris​

 

[Albrecht F. Herlock]

Objective II : Run to the Hills | BYOO: Take the refugees to safety
Location: Yinchorr system, Dalness Manufacturings & Shipbuilding shipyards
Equipment: uniform, custom-made blaster pistol, ceremonial sword, telescope
Tag: open

Anaxes Navy Task Force 58 composition:​

Name​	Class​	Status​	Commanding Officer​
X101 Pride of Anaxes (flagship)​	X100-class escort frigate​	Fully crewed, operationnal​	Captain Albrecht Herlock​
X102 Audacious​	X100-class escort frigate​	Fully crewed, operationnal​	Lieutenant Commander Julius E. Mannerheim​
X103 Courageous​	X100-class escort frigate​	Fully crewed, operationnal​	Lieutenant Commander James Halsey​
CV-2 Tonnant​	Tonnant-class fleet carrier​	Fully crewed, operationnal​	Commander Erika Richthofen​
Silencieux​	Stealth Corvette Silencieux​	Fully crewed, operationnal​	Lieutenant Lucas Traumen​

Legend: comm in, comm out, ship's intercom and broadcast system, crew

Yinchorr system, Dalness Shipyard

"Systems check ?"

"Navigation system, all green !"

"Artillery systems, all green !"

"Comms systems, all green !"

"Detection and information systems, all green !"

"Engine systems, all green !"

"Start the main engine."

"Aye Sir!"

As the Pride of Anaxes' main engine started to ignite, Herlock reviewed in his head the information he had about this mission. After the destruction of Csilla, the Brotherhood of the Maw started slaughtering the population of Sharb. He wondered when these barbarians would be annihilated from the galaxy. He was tired to fight them.

"Main engine is up."

"Sir, all the ships are ready for take off."

"Alright. Task Force 58, take off !"

The five ships took off from the shipyard and went to the edge of the system. Once there they jumped into hyperspace in direction of Sharb. Their goal was to take in as many refugees as they could and bring them back to another system where they would be safe.

On Sharb's orbit

"Sir, we're on Sherb's orbit !"

"Take a battle line formation and bring us into the atmosphere. Contact the refugee's encampment and tell them that we are going to evacuate the refugees."

"Aye Sir!"

"Refugee encampment, this is the Pride of Anaxes. We are a New Imperial Order ship. Our intent is to take the refugees on board and bring them to safety. We will start dropships rotation in a few moments. Pride of Anaxes, out."

"Contact the Tonnant and tell them to prepare their dropships."

"Aye Sir !"

"Tonnant, this is the Pride. Prepare all your dropships to evacuate the refugees. Pride of Anaxes, over."

As the ships formed a battle line, the newly built fleet carrier Tonnant prepared her dropships, gathering them on the lower flight deck.

 

[Marlon Sularen]

SHARB , CHISS SPACE
At the Abandoned and Incomplete N&Z Beta Site-ERF1...

"I must say uncovering Nargath's Secrets here will be more harder then we expected" Colonel Rackham began. "Apparently most of the Facilities and Datacenters we wish to seek out is located in the Underground Levels of this Facility but access to them is impossible without reactivating all systems of this Facility. The only additional issue with that is that this Facility is controlled by an AI nicknamed the "Scarlet King"". Sularen thought for a second to process this information before replying. "So what you're saying is that the only way we can access the Underground Levels that hold the secrets i desire to uncover is by activating a Potentially Hostile AI?". The Colonel nodded. "Well i guess we have no other option , we have to reactivate this so-called 'Scarlet King'. Take me to the Operations Center of this Facility"

"Yeah about that , the issue is that the Operations Center is located within one of the Underground Levels hence why i told you uncovering Nargath's Secrets would take a while , without this AI we would be forced to try to open these blast doors which we have been trying to do but to no avail so far." Rackham said once more. Sularen smiled at this revelation , off-course it would be hard to acquire Nargath's Assets after all we were talking about the same man who had literally usurped Sularen's Directorate to form his little Zweihander Union. But regardless , there was no indication that the New Imperials were aware of his presence and he had alot of time to secure his desired assets.

"Well as long as the New Imperials do not interfere with my plans i guess we still--" Sularen's words were suddenly interrupted by an explosion which rocked the Facility "Kark" Sularen said visibly angered and annoyed. Sularen was already at a disadvantage with his troops spread out thin across the Facility with some Troops attempting to cut through the Blast Doors while others had positioned themselves within the Resting Station above the Hangar. In the Hangar , there were only Sularen's Crimson Guard , the Raptor Squad and Phantom present providing protection to both Sularen and Rackham. "The New Imperials are here and we're sitting ducks out here."

However there was another issue at hand. The Moment Jerec Yularen's explosives went off the Systems of the Facility suddenly turned on with the blast doors of the Underground Level also opening up , the "Scarlet King" had woken from it's slumber in response to the New Imperial Attack and from the depths of the Facility was beginning to become aware of both Sularen's and the New Imperial presence. Now Sularen was trapped having to deal with both New Imperials and the Remnants of the Zweihander Union. This was where the fun began...

Tag | Jerec Yularen | Nukth Kelga'an | Kazimir Tragovic
​

 

[Maiven]

OBJECTIVE II
Mithrad | Julius Haskler

​

Seeing how expertly Mithrad defused the situation, Maiven took a weary step back. Being thrust into Chiss politics again was never in her life plan, nor was dealing with the aftermath of Csilla. But she had to remain calm, and her CEDF officer training brought her back to an equilibrium.

"Lord Haskler, I apologize for assuming your intentions. Naporar is in a state of unrest we've never seen before. I don't doubt the defensive capabilities of the Redoubt since I've seen them in action, but moving successfully from Naporar would be... improbable at best. Our people's military is simply too ingrained there." She knew, and likely they did as well, that anything short of full absorption into the New Imperial Military would leave the CEDF at a disadvantage. Naporar was almost a planet-wide military base, and in its current state the CEDF could not afford to give it up. "I agree we should make efforts to get refugees along the Path of Houses into New Imperial Space, but I think I speak for my family in saying our military should remain on our homeworld. Naporar has survived Galactic Civil Wars, Kiliks, and the Yuuzhan Vong. We shouldn't give an inch to those cultists."

She knew they would try and change her mind. Remaining was risky, and they all knew it. But giving up so easy... it didn't feel like the Chiss way. Maiven hoped that, with whatever agreement they would come to, the New Imperials would uphold their end of the bargain. The Chiss depended greatly on as much.

 

[Kolson Vrask]

G R U N G E
TASK UNIT ALPHA | VANDAL SQUAD
ASHES TO ASHES
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
Storm Recon UCP | BKM-62x Battle Rifle | DSP-61x Hybrid Pistol | Grenades
Sephi Karneh

​

<"It's pretty bad down there."> One of the Commandos adjacent to Grunge in the troop bay of the TIE/Rx Reaper muttered to the rest of the squad. They weren't neccessarily deployed with a wealth of current intel, the situation was changing on a minute by minute basis on the surface of Sharb. But that was what they were supposed to be prepared for. Quick reaction, little intel, little support.

<"If it wasn't we wouldn't be here."> Grunge remarked before he saw the troop bay door finally move to slowly close up, pressurize and secure the Commandos within. To his right, he looked in the direction of Sephi. Ever grateful that she was here at all, among the living. He changed his commo channel to transmit directly between them before speaking up.

<"You feelin' alright?"> He asked, checking the ammo count of his battle rifle once more to ensure he had a full power pack primed and ready to go before glancing the way of the motion tracker. Only a minute or so out at most from their landing zone. That minute was always peculiar, either the most seamless or the longest minute of his life.

Regardless, he was ready to take command, ready to kill.

 

[Sephi Karneh]

N O V A
TASK UNIT ALPHA | VANDAL SQUAD
PRIMARY MAGCANNON GRENADES MELEE
Kolson Vrask

The wounds suffered before had healed, leaving nothing but scars in their places, and phantom pains that rattled her breath when she twisted at the waist. Inconsequential. It was good to be back to work, to have been given the all-clear and handed off to command properly again; what good was a tool only kept in the shed? And even better still, here she rode alongside of familiar faces and numbers and armor- each as distinctly different as the next, yet all unified in their purpose and imagery.

Much more comfortable now, Sephi was, in her heavy armor, so much so she could have slept during the short ride to their landing locale. For a moment it looked as though she had dozed off, as she rested on the bench seat with her head back against the wall, eyes closed, and war-painted helmet tucked between her legs. Yet, she animated eventually, chewing the gum tucked into her cheek and bobbing her head vaguely to the rhythm of the music tucked into her ear. That was how she always prepared in the final minutes; the same song, the same gum. It was a simple, easy to maintain ritual, one that kept her on course and steady for the rough roads ahead.

It wasn't until Grunge spoke directly to her, heard through the piece tucked into her ear, that she opened her eyes and angled her head over, looking to him. Nova flashed a pearly smile and nodded once, nudging him with her elbow as she did. <"Feel brand new, ready to squash some bugs. You?"> Her fingers drummed across the dome of her helmet, keeping pace to the tune she listened to. ​

 

[Chelenne Akaris]

H E R
IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU
N I G H T H A W K
ELIMINATE HOSTILE TARGET | WARLIP

Chelenne was already scheming by the time Varian attempted to do what he usually did and take the reins of the situation. It made her snicker impishly to herself, and she caught the end of her silken ponytail, twirling it about the tip of a slender finger. "Sure, sure hon, I'll be the distraction." By the time her sentence was through, she had loosened her collar and smoothed it out, showing more of her magenta skin to the world without much shame at all. Distractions were an art of precision if they were to be executed properly, though a little brute force, she had discovered, never hurt anything either. The zeltron shed her utility belt, tucking it out of sight beneath the transport carrier parked beside them, and unclipped her badge in the same pass, tossing it beneath the carrier as well.

Hands unbound her wavy hair, fluffing it up and brushing only a section of it forward, allowing it to frame the graceful curve of her jaw. "Nice and steady. Low and slow, mm?" The woman opened the warehouse door and strolled within, grabbing one of the ration boxes from the other side and hugged it to her chest, strategically drawing attention to it. A little tune warbled from her throat as she smiled to the wary refugees she bypassed, scooping out a ration pack to offer to them if they lacked one already. She would take her time with her approach, ensuring their target saw her performing her little act long before she approached him, easing his suspicion- though already, amidst all the misery, Chel could feel eyes shining on her with keen interest.

She doubted they belonged to her wayward partner in crime.

The Zeltron opened herself up, drinking in the sea of misery she cast herself out upon, though she didn't give each soulful wail she felt rock her senses much thought, rather it passed over her as easily as a rain shower, leaving her to examine the next. "Are you kids hungry?" She chirped, crouching down to address a pair of very young Chiss, both of who looked at her with wide eyes- likely having never seen one of her species before.

In a room of muddied blues and greys, she was the pink elephant.

The agent offered each of them a little bag from the box she toted, nodding in response to their parents' zealous words of gratitude. Anything to shut the kids up, Chel understood. She passed them by, taking to stride once more, and just so happened to run straight into their target. He was a dirty, scarred man, whose partially obscured face sported a split, cleft lip. No mystery how he earned his name, then.

"Hi there, are you finding things alright?" Chel asked of him, tilting her head and putting on her best face, that almost pouty intrigue. The natural gift of her people swelled, permeating the air insidiously from her, making her far more captivating than she seemed upon the surface. The man was taken aback by her clearly, and didn't respond right away.

"Awh, you must be so tired. Have they assigned your cot yet?" She pressed, holding out a ration pack to the man.​

Cromwell​

 

[Kolson Vrask]

G R U N G E
TASK UNIT ALPHA | VANDAL SQUAD
ASHES TO ASHES
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
Storm Recon UCP | TL-60x Heavy Repeater | DSP-61x Hybrid Pistol | Grenades
Sephi Karneh

IN A HEARTBEAT
​

He nodded along with her claim, it was good to see her in high spirits following Ziost. He'd known far too many who were eager to belittle and beat themselves down over failure. When truly- all they needed to do was re-evaluate and press onward. That was what Sephi did. That was why he took a liking to her. The recon helmet hid the faint smile he bared for but a moment before he spoke up.

<"Feelin' damn good, let's make it happen, then."> He said, placing a hand on her should for a second with a reassuring squeeze before he glanced across to the onboard squad armory. It was then he decided, this battle rifle simply wasn't going to cut it. Not more than thirty seconds from their landing zone, he stood up, reached into the crate and wrenched out a heavy repeater. It was time to lay the scunion. Bring the heat. He wasn't going to be caught dead in these streets outgunned immediately afterward he looked back toward the entrance to the troop bay, the timer indicating ten seconds.

With that he stepped forward, ensuring the rappel rope mechanism was secure and ready to go before turning back toward the rest of the squad, motioning them up with a wave of his arm.

He then looked toward the troop bay door, slowly prying its way open with a metallic hiss before the rappel mechanism launched the line down into the city street beneath. Grunge was first down, letting the repeater drop down by his sling before sliding down, pulling the heavy weapon into his arms once more as the rest followed.

Immediately peering down the nearest street corridor, he saw a group of Chiss standing idly. Slumped, inactive.

<"Hey!"> He said, slowly approaching them with his weapon angled toward the ground before soon enough their gazes all immediately snapped in Grunge's direction.

And then, they charged.

Immediately, Grunge took aim down the sights and opened fire. Automatic, indiscriminate fire.

 

[Sephi Karneh]

B O S S
N O V A
TASK UNIT ALPHA | VANDAL SQUAD
ARMOR PRIMARY MAGCANNON GRENADES MELEE
Kolson Vrask

His words made her smile glow brighter, as did the gesture against her shoulder. <"As if we could do anything but,"> she remarked, head swaying to the final crescendo of the song in her ear before she plucked the piece from her ear and tucked it into her satchel, swapping it out for the interlinked coms of her helmet. A final adjustment was made, both hands reaching behind her head to tighten her twin braids, blowing one last bubble with the pink candy amusing her tongue. She rose as Grunge beckoned, planting and securing her helmet on her head, checking the seals of her rebreather swiftly by compressing her palms over the filters and inhaling. Nova fell in line, snapping the clasp of her cable onto the line, and waited her turn patiently, feeling those familiar jitters of excitement and anxiety rustling across her form. Unable to contain them much, she shuffled her weight between her feet, earning a snicker from the trooper behind her.

<"Bouncy again, Nova?">

<"Eyup, one of those days."> She snorted her reply, stepping forward to twist herself over the edge of the ship and rappel down, feeding the cable through its proper nooks in her armor. Boots on the ground, her demeanor shifted immediately, morphing into her discipline and focus. It was dark, already, something that would hinder their forward progress and give their inhuman opposition a distinctive advantage. Hefting her ion disruptor to low ready, the mirialan took up her familiar position on the right-wing of their formation, central in her position to cover that specific sightline.​

<"Hey!"> He said, slowly approaching them with his weapon angled toward the ground before soon enough their gazes all immediately snapped in Grunge's direction.

A sinking feeling struck her at once, something unnerving she couldn't quite place whispered in her ear, threatening to unsettle her stomach. It was a nauseating wave of dread that swept through her, the Force Sensitive, on the squad, forcing her to quiver briefly in her boots. Her gaze snapped to the chiss Grunge addressed and she leveled her rifle in that direction, unapologetic about it. This horrific feeling had to come from somewhere, and given these civilians were the only ones in their vicinity, there was no other suspicion.

<"Somethin's off about them...">

And then, a tide of blurred red eyes were charging toward them.

Kolson wasted no time in gunning them down, punching their bodies full of so many holes they should have dropped dead. But they didn't. They just kept coming. All of them. In the flashes of muzzle flare that erupted from Vandal Squad's position, strobing glimpses of a crowd of slumped, unmoving humanoids filled her vision. She switched her sight to infrared, gasping audibly at once. They had walked right into a crowd. Dozens upon dozens of the strange chiss milled about the area, though, it seemed the light and sound both drew their attention. They were being pinched, surrounded from all sides. <"We're surrounded,"> She announced, snapping to cover her sightline, stepping backward to tighten the formation as her weapon punched holes larger than her fist through the chiss swarming them with melee weapons. Trigger pulls, that's all it was. They were threats. It wasn't until she saw an all-too-familiar shape cutting through the horde that she connected two dots together.

The crimson saber of The Sith Empire rode upon the chestguard of the black-armored trooper who shoved through the rank of sprinting chiss, and Nova wasted no time in unloading specifically on that target, calling it out to her comrades: <"Sith Empire soldiers are amongst them- it's Sith work all the way through!"> In the darkness, she didn't notice the gaping holes already cut through the trooper's body, nor the fact his spurting blood was a twisted black color.​

 

[Lord Letifer]

LETIFER | NEW SITH ORDER
On Board NIV Dissident Aggressor
Rurik Fel

​

The Ommin-Class shuttle sat motionless, static in the hangar bay as the Sith’s enemies gathered. Troopers immediately surrounding the vessel with blasters at the ready. The State-Of-The-Art ship had been of unknown origin and would not come up on any known databases, it’s lone occupant had yet to make his leave and exit the shuttle. The veteran stormtroopers of the Iron Sun stood their ground waiting to capture or exterminate anything that came out.

From the belly of the beast a guttural roar reverberated from the durasteel walls, a sonic roar kickstarting with the steady noise of repulsorlifts screeching from the inside. The nearest troopers gripped their weapons tightly, repositioning themselves in better stances in response for whatever was to come. As they peered into the void, the closest troopers began to close in and nearly were hit by the sudden emergence of DK-1 probe droids in rapid entry into the hangar bay.

Blasterfire echoed as troopers fired, attempting to destroy the infiltration droids. Immediately another unseen force moved, faster than the first and even far more deadly. Riding on a FC-20 speeder bike, nearly plowing through the troopers nearby, Lord Letifer ignited his crimson lightsaber and charged into the heat of battle like a dread unit of cavalry. The sonic scream from the bike soared through the air, the New Sith gazed out as his blade separated head from shoulders of the nearest stormtrooper and moved on for the nearest corridor.

The New Sith hissed under his mask, riding the waves in avoidance of the dancing blaster fire raining down around him as he set the bike down with a skid into a nearby corridor into a dismounting barrel roll of his own. Immediately recovering to his feet, the Sith took off into an uninterrupted sprint as alarms sounded off around him.

He could sense something near, something powerful. It would not stop him, nothing would.

 

[Jerec Yularen]

X E N O C I D E

S H A R B

OBJECTIVE I | ASHES TO ASHES
OPPOSING | BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW, KILLIK UPRISING
TAGS | Nukth Kelga'an | Marlon Sularen | Kazimir Tragovic

Squad by squad, the TodHusars entered the Resting House. Jerec hadn't had much time to study the facility, but it appeared the emerged targets were sparse. The hangar bays were Kelga'an's to control, but the top of the building was for his men. From what the Berserker had understood, that place had served the Zweihander Union beforehand. Now, Neo Imperials were trying to loot it while the Maw was distracting the New Imperial Order and their Chiss allies.

This was bad. The life signatures emitted by the intruders were not outnumbering the TodHusars, but they could have prepositioned defensive units. Worse of all, the facility itself was certainly defended. Even with the TodHusars' specialisation in confined space combat, it could play against them. There was something they could indeed do, but it was risky. It involved some things Yularen was unsure of the result. It could very well...

Zart!

He had let the distraction take the better of himself in these tense seconds of insertion. His instinct had pulled him under the cover of a table, and he was now assessing the situation. A corner of his HUD was dedicated to coordinating his company's movement with Kelga'an's, and the rest was fully used by the current battle. Tactical schemes, enemy ablative resistance reports, suggested moves... All of this intel was pouring into his brain while the mapping of the area was live updated by all the TodHusars in the facility.

The first troops encountered were surprised troopers blasted by the explosion. Most of them were still alive and crawling to combat position, but none of them were spared as Jerec's company poured into the cafeteria. The advantage of surprise and close combat was enough to tip the first moments of battle in favour of the Anaxsi, but it was merely the first shock. They would have to be at peak performance.

Already reports indicated the enemy troops lacked any close-combat equipment but estimated their shooting accuracy to be high. Jerec's own experience indicated they were facing good soldiers. Maybe not fierce warriors, but dangerous soldiers indeed. This would be bloody, as expected. They had not left the Killiks for a vacation, and anyway, Jerec would not have allowed this new battlefield to be a vacation. He wanted fierce resistance and daring enemies. He felt like he was going to have both.

As the TodHusars progressed in the Resting House, Jerec received confirmation that a group of COMPNOR agents were coming for backup. This was a surprise, as the Captain thought this objective to be minor, but he welcomed the brutal men and skilled fighters that were coming for his enemies.

On the right side of the HUD, the Berserker saw his screen become red. Enemies spotted. Strangely, there were no life forms. Droids. There was a third party involved here, surely the defenders. The inorganic nature of these defenders hinted at something crucial, something he could not ignore. The centre seemed abandoned at first, and there was no sign of life in this facility. It meant the building was protected by droids, coordinated by a powerful droid brain. And he could tip the battle accordingly.

The Anaxsi continued to push back the Neo Imperials and droids alike, slaughtering everyone in their wake. This was not without losses, of course, but the ratio was good. The Company progressed at good speed through the Resting House, and soon enough began its descent into the underground part of the base. This was it. They had the Banshees on their back, managing whatever was in the hangars, and they could continue in the other directions.

And while the TodHusars consolidated their beachhead at the foot of the stairs leading them to the hangar levels, Jerec grabbed his slicer and dragged him to the nearest console.

"Soldier, slice this and find us a map. I want a download of everything you can find, the Captain ordered while laying covering fire for his mate.
"But, sir, I'm not equipped to do so! All I can do is slice doors and nav computers. I'm no astromech, the slicer protested after studying the console for a moment.
"I don't care! Brute force that thing, do whatever you want to attract the central droid's attention!
"Very well sir... the TodHusar replied, and he began to work.

It required a minute and a half for the slicer to bring his equipment together and open a control panel on the side of the console. During that time, Jerec began to fence with the droids and Shadow Company troopers that passed, trading blows with the mostly unarmed opponents he faced. The area was mostly cleaned out, but as the TodHusars began progressing, opponents came back. The Captain had to protect his soldier.

"Captain, I've got something! It seems... Oh Zart, we have the A. I. administrator of the facility on us!
"Your futile effort of breaking in the system have proven pointless, mortals. I am fully aware of your presence and I am about to crush you all! The voice of a long-dead scientist suddenly rose from the console. They had it. The administrator was there. Now was the time for the last gamble.
"Hey, Lord Whatever your name is. I'm Captain Jerec Yularen. But I'm not the menace you're looking for. There are barbarians, Dark Side cultists dressed a bit like us scattered across the facility. They're trying to loot it and we're here to stop them. So, y'know, a bit of help would be appreciated. Trigger a lockdown, release droids, do something!

The gamble. The way they could tip the battle once and for all.

Spoiler: TodHusars Equipment

Captain Jerec Yularen:

• HK-01 "Steelfist" Jumpsuit
• ZXR-1 "Precision" Energy Sword
• BH-Specter Slicer Vibroknife
• DM&S-AC01 Assault Cannon (Pistol configuration)
• Verpine shatter gun
• Thermal detonator (5/5)
• IL-62G Smart Grenade (5/5)

TodHusars Company (138/150)

• HK-01 "Steelfist" Jumpsuit
• BH-Specter Slicer Vibroknife
• DM&S-AC01 Assault Cannon (Rifle and Assault Cannon configurations)
• DM&S SR-MAS Sonic Rifle
• DM&S-125 Flamethrower
• Thermal detonators
• IL-62g Null Grenades
• IL-62G Smart Grenade
• Thermal detonator
• Rhypalm (Grenade delivery method)

 

[Orika]

CHISS SCREENING AND REFUGEE ENCAMPMENT (OUTSKIRTS)
SHARB
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
OBJECTIVE II | RUN TO THE HILLS
NO CHURCH IN THE WILD

​

Frantic steps raced through the tree-line, crumpling foliage in it’s path. The frantic panting of a uniformed chiss woman cut through the air. Not even a quarter of a mile out from the refugee encampment. She could make it. She would make it.

“Six, Five, Four…” Separately, a young woman stalked her prey with a few quiet strides forward, bringing her sniper rifle back up to zero in on her fleeing target. Click, Click, Set. She turned the dial, judging the distance between her and her target with an almost bored grin.

Vorain could see the people congregating just ahead, a small black package held tightly in her weathered grasp. Her greying hair had come undone in chaotic wisps around her face, the look of sheer terror in her blood-red eyes. She could hear voice, laughter, tears...she was almost there.

“Three, Two, One.” With a loud crack, the sniper rifle shot true to it’s target, sending Vorain’s body flying forward. A gruesome red stain began to pool beneath her body. Just a few more steps, and she would have made it, maybe not to safety, but at least something more safe than her. With easy strides, Orika approached her target, grabbing her by the hair and lifting her head to stare in agony as the last bit of hope she clung to slowly faded.

“Watch closely, for this will be the last thing you see. Despite you and your fellow council member’s best efforts, the name Brirne lives on.” Just as Vorain began to part her lips to scream for help, metal made contact with her pale blue skin, and she was gone. A small giggle bubbled up from Orika, which then erupted into a giddy chuckle, and finally an outright laugh. She shook her head, grabbing the now limp woman’s shoulders and dragging her off.

“One down, nine more to go.” She tuned her comm-link back to a private channel, whoever was on the other end of the line gave a curt response, and she was more than slightly satisfied. “I told you I would be an asset.”

With that, she disappeared into darkness.

One Hour Earlier​

Orika followed Vorain carefully, keeping a trained eye on her every movement. It was time for her to depart. Just as she had earlier that day, the retired council woman began heading towards the tree line. They were a few miles out, so it would take some time to get to the meeting point, but not too much. She let out a long, exasperated sigh, slinging her rifle back over her shoulder and withdrawing her pistol instead. Whatever was ahead, there was always the potential for oppositional forces, and she was in no mood to take them on.

After a solid forty-five minute trek into the deepest parts of the woods, they came upon the plains. Coordinate point 02325, the drop zone. This was a location that dwelled outside the main city, and thus the NIO had no reason to mark it as a checkpoint. Up ahead, a group of varying species dressed in tattered rags stood atop a Killik mound, glancing down as Vorain approached.

“I presume you have the package in hand?” The woman asked, her tone as arrogant as always.

“Yes, we were able to secure it. Now, do as we say. Bring this back to the camp and place each tracking device on ISB agents across the field. Once we know their locations, we can infiltrate properly and score quite the winning blow.” Orika rolled her eyes at that. How stupid did they think the agents were? They would barely get one bugged, much less the main group of them. This did not matter, her target wasn’t the beacons, but the woman who so carefully grasped them.

Vorain gave a nod to them both, uttering some muffled words just out of Orika’s ear shot before they parted ways, the woman then heading back to the tree-line...right to where Orika stood patiently waiting. In one sweeping movement, she grabbed the woman once more, turning her back to the tree and setting a hand over her mouth.

“Well done, I’m almost impressed, if I wasn’t already all too familiar with how well you Ascendancy pigs can keep a poker face.” She released her grip after she was sure the others were out of earshot, pressing her pistol to Vorain’s back. “Move, we’ve got quite the walk.”

And so, they marched on. The walk back seemed somehow longer than the initial walk they’d made, anticipation pumping adrenaline at break-neck speeds through Orika’s body. Here she was, right in front of her. The audacity the council woman had, to not even recall her face. That wouldn’t be her first mistake, but it would certainly be her last. Just as they came to the line, Orika released Vorain’s arm, sighing and taking a step back.

“So that’s it then? You’ll let me return to the camp, like you promised?” Vorain questioned, her red eyes now terror stricken. A simple nod was all she received in return as Orika turned the sniper rifle back to her front and popped a cracker in her mouth.

“Sure, if you can survive. Which were the original conditions. You give me all the information I need, and I’ll let you return to the camp if you can survive. Never said I wouldn’t kill you myself.” A panic stricken expression quickly fell over the council woman’s face as realization began to emerge in her mind. “Here, I’ll even give you a headstart.”

“But you’re NIO, you’re meant to be helping us not hunting us. A-And you’re Chiss! Just like me! You would do such a thing to your own sibling?” As Vorain frantically attempted to talk her way out of her rather dire position, Orika simply shrugged, looking to her watch and beginning to count down.

“Ten, Nine...” At that, Vorain pivoted on her heel, beginning a dead sprint back to the camp. Orika took out a small, mundane knife from her pouch, slicing open the armor on her arm and creating a deep cut within it. If any intended to question her reasoning behind killing Vorain, she would have a more than believable story to tell, thanks to the package the council woman held so closely in her hands.

"Eight, Seven...Oh, and don't call me your f**ing sibling." She yelled out, lifting the rifle up to her eye level and looking down the scope with a sadistic grin on her face.

This was going to be fun.

​

 

[Mithrad]

SOVEREIGN-CLASS STAR DREADNOUGHT, 'NIV DISSIDENT AGGRESSOR'
CHISS SPACE
ORBIT OF PLANET SHARB
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER

Julius Haskler | Maiven
OBJECTIVE II | RUN TO THE HILLS
​

Mithrad followed the interaction between the lordly diplomat, visibly a veteran of his craft, as well as the pleasantly uncharacteristically vigorous representative of House Nuruodo. Amidst the old Csillan bureaucracy, such energy and outspoken character weren't common or seen highly- yet the exile himself seemed appreciative. This was, after all, a time of hardships, convinctions, strong wills and initiative. Perhaps her type was what the Chiss people desperately needed in their hour of direst need.

As she concluded her own thoughts on the matter, he offered an acknowledging nod.
"I would not presume to bear command upon the military of the Ascendancy or the authority to order my entrenched brothers and sisters to abandon their ancestral homes. Should House Nuruodo determine that the best course of action is to hold the line, fighting upon every battlefield and amidst the space over every world, then I will second and support that decision."

His gaze turned back to the holomap he had projected, pursing his lips. "Like Lord Haskler, the Imperator and yourself have pointed out, however, the time is most dire, and we face a foe with the capacities and desire to sunder Worlds. I must cater to those who cannot as easily fight such dark evil, and take the path of most likely success. Once an hypothetical New Csilla has been found, rest assured that we will devote our every free resource to the reconquest of old Chiss space, as penultimate objective."

"What I would ask is not for the undivided abandonment of Chiss Space from our ancestral defenders, but their support of our own venture in the North. Surely, the proud Houses will recognize the invaluable help brought to the Chiss race by the Imperial Order. Lives were saved by the millions thanks to the sacrifices the Imperator's faithful made in this bloody war. Such cooperation must be honored and repaid, in time."

Rodam'ithra'dovor concluded, pressing a button to turn off the holographic projection, as he turned to nod to an administrative aide, pointing to a few transport ships in the distance.

 

[Kolson Vrask]

G R U N G E
TASK UNIT ALPHA | VANDAL SQUAD
ASHES TO ASHES
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
Storm Recon UCP | TL-60x Heavy Repeater | DSP-61x Hybrid Pistol | Grenades
Sephi Karneh

STREETS ON FIRE​

Grunge didn't know and didn't care where these risen horrors emerged from. All he knew was that they hostile and in no position of negotiation with any of them. It left him one option left. To open fire. Vandal quickly tightened its grouping in the city streets, immediately finding itself back to back, hunkering down in their choke point as they proceeded to dump round after round into the approaching shamblers.

He found himself should to shoulder with Nova- again.

His eyes barely left the sights of his heavy repeater, his shoulder constantly buffing against the recoil of the punishing weapon as it shrieked and ripped violently in its constant wave of crimson fury. As small as Vandal was as a unit, the Storm Commandos were force multipliers all themselves. They never left that Reaper without the armament to battle with platoon or larger scale elements and soon enough, there was some breathing room found under the punishing firepower.

<"Yeah I don't think we're long for the living at this rate."> He said, glancing to his ammo counter.

Not much left, he decided a tactical reload was the best option, pulling the power cell out with a pry of the barrel and a billow of smoke emerging from the weapon. His gloves were meant to compensate for the heat and he plucked the power cell out, placed it back in a pouch on his webbing before producing another and inserting it into the weapon with an ever endearing push and click of the mechanism.

He nudged his elbow into the side of Nova's arm.

<"Get a grappling line up this building, we need eyes on what's going on. I'll cover you and then I'll be right behind you, got it?"> He said, kneeling down before taking aim down the sights of his repeater again before firing a punishing burst down range. He glanced back to the other squad members, motioning two fingers into the air before pointing his thumb up.

It was time to get the high ground.

 

[Sephi Karneh]

I N F E C T E D
N O V A
TASK UNIT ALPHA | VANDAL SQUAD
ARMOR PRIMARY MAGCANNON GRENADES MELEE
Kolson Vrask

She was on fire, a hotstreak of blazing ionic punishment in the dark swarm of ultraviolence. The backs of her brothers in arms jolted and bucked against hers, the formation cinching inward on itself to eliminate the possibility that any one of them would get blindsided. Their strength was in their synergy, their ability to move and think as one body. How many of them were there? The doubtful thoughts surfaced in her mind as her ammunition dwindled once more, ushering in the need to reload far quicker than she could recall in the past. The mirialan, despite the war tucked securely beneath her belt, had never operated in such a target-rich environment. It almost made her sick, threatening the hardline coding ingrained in her by drill sergeants pounding her nose into the ground, what did it mean if these were just civilians?

They were still threats, regardless, who had charged at Kolson first.

And they just. Kept. Coming.

Her weapon pounded into her shoulder, spewing its violent breath in full-auto now, rattling the arms she gripped it with. Recoil didn't matter when there were so many targets to shoot she could all but spray. And despite the hellish wounds she inflicted, those she hit righted themselves from the force of the impact and rejoined the charge. Were they sick? Possessed? Corrupted? It was hard for her to tell, and she certainly had shut out the nagging energies scratching at her thoughts, giving them nothing in hopes to keep the nauseating knot in her gut from winning this fight.

A knock against her arm beckoned her to lean where she could hear properly, though there came no pause in her fire:​

<"Get a grappling line up this building, we need eyes on what's going on. I'll cover you and then I'll be right behind you, got it?">

<"Copy, I'm moving!"> She answered, swinging herself about as the formation adjusted to spit her out, accommodating the orders issued out. Steeling her nerves, Nova held her rifle high and rushed, bursting down the sickly enemies who converged on her now that she was singled out. It would have been an utterly dire situation had her squad not been as capable as they were in covering her. The target location was not far from her original position, and she reached it swiftly, blasting her way through the swarm as she went. And just when she launched herself upward, latching onto the edge of an overturned transport to hoist herself to higher ground, the screeching wail of kinetic charge cut through the crowd.

Nova blinked beneath her helmet, twisting her head to inspect the sizzling, red hot steel just beside her left hand. <"I'm taking fire!"> She shouted, scrambling up the dilapidated craft to throw herself over its boxy edge and flatten down. <"What the hell is wrong with these people? They sick?"> She couldn't help but wonder aloud with her overturn, keeping low and out of sight while she readied the line to anchor up high. Beneath her, far too close for comfort, she heard the eerie, unnatural gurgles and moans of the horde. The metal housing her shuddered, groaning under the weight of strain imposed on it. They were after her, still. <"Possessed? Brainwashed?"> Her speculation continued, as did her mission, and she crawled to the edge of the craft, lining up a shot with the launcher.

<"Anchoring line on my position, then it's a climb upward."> The engineer passed the word, squeezing the trigger to fire off the line and impale the upper lip of the building before them with its anchor. Her motions were confirmation of her work, and thus, she went up the line after impaling the side of the craft with the hook, locking it taut. Glancing down as she climbed, the sea of red eyes stared up at her, merely watching as she moved.

And she didn't stop until she reached the top and threw herself over, swinging back around immediately after with her rifle in hand, covering those to come. <"It's good, let's go!">​

 

[Rurik Fel]

M A N _ O F _ I R O N
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
LORD EXECUTOR
KNIGHTS OF THE EMPIRE
NIV DISSIDENT AGGRESSOR
Iron Skin | Lightsaber
Lord Letifer

WITCHFINDER
​

As soon as the violence erupted, the sounds of alarm blared through the dreadnought. His senses did not fail him. Something insidious had come aboard. Beyond whatever intrusion the alarms incidated. Something far worse. Sith. Even one alone, in the shadows could bring about the end of this Dreadnought. He had to die.

But- in a form wicked respite, the Sith neared him, veering himself rapidly from the hangar bay of his emergence and into the interior of the ship. In that- Rurik sought him out, but not to convene directly, but to chart his path and gauge his destination...so that he would be there to meet him.

He pressed his input unto a nearby console, enclosing blast doors around each entrance to this intersection save for the avenue of the Sith's approach. He would trap him here, with him. Only one would emerge.

He was coming dead on and soon enough, he was beginning to hear the rapid footfalls of this Sith through the door ahead of him, only mere feet away now. And at the end of Letifer's corridor, the door willed itself open automatically to make way for the next hallway. What might have been another clean break instead- led to Rurik.

Rurik's migraine white blade snapped into ignition with the sound akin to a fine blade running through its scabbard. Holding it in his cybernetic hand, the other rose to will the Force to his aid and wrench the Sith toward him as he reared the blade up to impale him.

 

[Lord Letifer]

LETIFER | NEW SITH ORDER
On Board NIV Dissident Aggressor
Rurik Fel

​

The Sith assassin made way through the halls of the dreadnought with haste, any who stood in his way would be cut down in the blaze of self-righteous glory. His path was sparsely obstructed, populated by the occasional stormtrooper nearby. He'd yet to meet any real resistance, he imagined all too soon there would be entire squads if not a battalion knocking down every door, combing the area for him. The Sith Apprentice had to remain ahead of the curve.

He felt it again, the all encroaching pressure dawning on his senses as it waxed and waned with his every step. A strength in the Force not from a collective force but a singular being, a powerful being. Letifer would not have to ponder this long, each intersection began to close off on his approach as blast doors closed in, narrowing his trajectory. Closed in like a rat.

The doorway ahead of the Sith opened with a scream, willing itself open eveen before reaching it's threshold. His piercing eyes fell over the daunting Rurik Fel as the opening revealed his enemy, he did not relent in his steady approach. No, the assassin would continue his course without hesitation as he proceeded dead sprint toward the Lord Executor himself with his crimson blade crackling at the ready. There was no fear, only anticipation and adrenaline. This was what he had trained for, he would do what the others could not.

The Imp must die.

Of course, not before his attention snapped off into self-preservation mode as his body was spirited from his feet toward the broad figure of Fel. His blade snapped into play as the white hot plasma ignited and readied to rear into him. He could see it play out almost before his eyes as his preternatural senses played out the event before his very eyes.

Just before his fate would have been sealed, the Sith wretched control over his physical husk with a strained effort and focused will, slamming himself free by yanking at his own flesh and sending himself into a nearby wall. He felt the pain course through him as he met against the hard steel paneling. The Sith grit his teeth and took a step back immediately laying eyes on the Imperial Knight with a hand outstretched, instinctively calling upon the empyrean to bring a nearby panel crashing toward the Lord Executor while he caught his bearing.

Attempting to waste very little time, he leapt into combat with a saber swing of his own in follow up.

 

[Nukth Kelga'an]

SHARB

OBJECTIVE I | ASHES TO ASHES
OPPOSING | BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAX, KILLIK UPRISING
Jerec Yularen | Marlon Sularen​

A STRANGE HANGAR.
Nukth arrived to the ground. He touched the reflective surface of the hangar's floor and looked at his back, before activating his comlink.

"Banshee-Leader on the way, with to squads. Waiting for the rest of the company." he ordered.

The Captain jumped just with about twenty of his men and he let the other Banshees in the gunship, to secure area before the landing of the crafts. He gave some orders trough his radio and some of his men prepared them to fight with someone. As his soldiers were moving into the structure, the map in his HUD was updated itself. A trooper located some shuttles, belonging to his enemy: Marlon Sularen. In facts, he didn't know if they were his ships, but he had to destroy them, whatever they were not Sularen's. He ordered a gathering to his position waited for the arrival of his pilots. His comlink tinkled.

"Zephyr-Leader on your six, Captain. Landing engaged."
"Ha, glad to see you, Zephyr. Please destroy those shuttles."
"Copy that, boss."

The gunships reorganized them and shot some explosive plasma in Sularen's shuttles. Kelga'an gave a thumbs up to the pilot and ordered immediately his men, as some elite guards were coming to the hangar.

"Three-men squads, explosive masers, understood?"
"Understood, sir." some soldiers replied quickly before reorganized them.

The company separate itself in teams. A new gunship arrived in the hangar: some COMPNOR troopers, here to help them with the elite guards. The leader of this unit presented himself to Nukth.

"Here's Sergeant Orega, sir. My mission is to kill some guards." he said before showing them.

The Captain nodded and let him doing whatever he wanted with his soldiers. The Sergeant knew how to work with his men, so he was the most qualified officer to lead them. Nukth raised his gun and shot in the direction of the guards, covering himself behind a small munition box. The Banshees' workforce was on a corner of his HUD was seeing the losses in real time. He had a company; but Sularen's guys were better troops than his.

Anyway, he didn't care much about them. Todhusars were the best soldiers in the all galaxy, and he knew that they would win this fight, whatever the cost.​