Show Us Your Ecumenopolis - Republic Dominion of Denon

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"], [member="Maelion Liates"]


Denon.


A massive ecumenopolis teeming with life, currently being torn apart by fracticidal civil war. Once upon a time, many years ago before the great cataclysm, the planet had almost been overrun by massive legions of intelligent zombies, the unintended spawn of the work of scientists who had laboured in laboratories to create a cure for the Rakghoul plague. Their work had been...far more successful than intended, for their creations had almost been perfect.



When the Galaxy emerged from the great darkness, a still young, vigorous and determined Omega Pyre, back when it got things done and went boldly from conquest to conquest, had come to this planet and violently purged the undead with fire and steel. Siobhan Kerrigan, then still on her to path to become the Butcher, had fought there, as had Tegaea Alcori. The planet had been freed from the menace and become a loyal, dedicated member world of the Protectorate as civilisation returned, people rebuilt and the economy flourished. However, even the most glorious, glittering reign must come to an end. Sooner or later, even the mightiest empire is torn down and all that is left are the ruins.


Thus the statues of the old heroes lay broken, faith in the Protectorate had taken a nosedive after word had spread of what awful fate had befallen Corellia. In space the Republic fought a battle against a remnant fleet of the One Sith, on the surface war raged.


In one section of the massive ecumenopolis, far away from where the first Jedi had landed, order was being restored. The Archangel way. The former Lord Protector dropping space stations on Corellia had cost many lives, casualties running into the hundreds of thousands, never mind all the property damage. Among other things, Archangel's offices had been destroyed, so a strategic relocation was opportune. This would not come across as being out of the ordinary because it had a history of being a respectable droidmaker, which had provided humanitarian aid free of charge after Druckenwell was devastated and had also supplied the Republic with battle droids and HRDs.


Now, battle droids, HRDs and even some droid tanks were moving into this part of town. It had been chosen because it was mostly undamaged, well-placed and conveniently held by one of the renegade factions that was most hostile to the Republic. The rebels were fanatical, determined and had equipped themselves well with stolen Protectorate gear. Indeed, many of them were deserters from the ODF who had given up on the cause after the mass disappearances caused panic. However...they were organics. Under the supervision of Moira Skaldi, alias Nalia Alderana, the death machines cut a bloody swathe across the city block, wiping out their enemies in fierce house-to-house fighting. Drones and Gunships swooped through the air, mapping every area and taking out hidden snipers. In lances of laser fire, a storm of hail and shell, renegades were put down, hostile battle droids suddenly found themselves being hacked and turned on their former masters, being converted to the cause of Archangel.

 

[Orick T'ane]

Orick stood and shook his head, the impact had been a rough one. He stumbled out of the chair and pulled off his coat, his right arm had a long scratch down his forearm. It wasn't deep and he ignored it. he grabbed his weapons belt, one pistol on his hip, the other the small of his back. He opened a small hatch on the chair and pulled out a small harness with a republic issue combat knife. He had just enough time to pull it on when he heard the platform cracking under the weight of the ship. He ran out and sprinted for cover. The platform was buckling under the weight of the ship and he hoped it was salvageable when this was over. He looked up at [member="Kayleigh Tyven"], " Well I got us planetside. If you would have planned this a bit more we wouldn't have been in this situation. You wanna pull one of these 'Crazy Kayleigh' stunts that's fine but not with me. "

He turns and sighs on his shoulder, she would be able to see a large stylized Republic marine tattoo with the words 'MOONRUNNERS' stenciled around it. " Now, which way to the target, admiral? I'm ready for some payback." He pulled out his pistols and checked them to make sure they were charged and ready. " Oh, by the way.. You owe me a new escape pod." He grinned, and moved to the eddge of the platform.

 

[Kyrana Gould]

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"] | [member="Callisto Scarlett"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"]

“I don’t suppose, Master Jedi, you have any abilities which might aid us?” the Admiral asked hopefully. He remembered well the Sith Battle Meditation at Prakith, and though it had misfired it was potent.

“Understood, Kayleigh. Focus your fire on their remaining main fleet ships. We will deal with the Immortal.”

The Destiny was giving as good as it got from the Immortal as it closed in. Without the Proton cannon it had less powerful weapons at close range than the MC-180. Combined with the firepower of three other destroyers, the Immortal was starting to take some hits. The heavy weapons of the Noblesse and Avenger class ships especially were making their mark.

The Sith escorts closed up, trying to prevent the Republic ships flanking their mothership, but the Republic vessels simply switched fire to the unfortunate frigates. Forced to lose their speed advantage by being reduced to a crawl, the frigates took fire from the Destiny, 3 destroyers and over a dozen escorts.
It was over very quickly. Soon one Sith frigate was torn to pieces and the other two scattered, flames boiling from their hull to be extinguished in the airless void.

The Immortal, now alone, was flanked. Moving to left and right the Republic destroyers could sit on its flank and fire at point blank range into the Immortal with no fear of retaliation. When the Sith launched fighters to try and hold them back the Republic ships did the same and brought up their frigates.

Meanwhile, the Destiny dived down steeply under the horizontal and moved beneath the Immortal. The Sith had learned somewhat, since their weapons could track further down, but even so the Immortal received a whole volley to its bottom. It’s shields were rapidly dwindling and damage was rapidly accumulating.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Moira Skaldi"] | [member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

Into battle they went. With the sanction of the Republic, with whom they had signed a military agreement, part of the city fell to Archangel.
The move from Corellia had been necessary, not just from the damage caused by the broken shipyards, but also because publically Archangel was heavily linked to the Protectorate and Republic. Of course, the truth was a good deal more complex, but all in all appearances mattered.

The irony of this of course was that ‘Anna Comnena’, the respectable business owner and cultured lady was currently wielding a heavy bolter and scything down anything hostile. Everything was a lie, and soon they had carved themselves their own little fiefdom on Denon….

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Undercover missions weren't things that Haytham always took part in, but in this case, it seemed like something that could be fun and rewarding at the same time. He'd gather information on how to be a secret agent and he'd be able to help the Republic at the same time. But, more importantly be sneaking into secure places.

How isn't that more interesting?

Training lightsabre concealed in the small of his back, the Jedi Padawan had been deployed with a group of Republic combat engineers. They were the ones that were going to help with the upgrading and re-instating the planetary generators since the battle in space had already begun when he had been getting into position.

He knew there were other operatives in action already such as [member="Kian Karr"], and he suspected that he was handling the crime bosses, but Haytham wasn't sure as to when it'd be the best time reactivate the planetary shields.

Now, Haytham waited for his team's leader to get them transportation. He was a native of the planet. Haytham expected it should be done with quickly enough.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian heard the sound of a blaster pistol being pulled from a hostler. Spinning around and slashing out on reflect alone, Kian cleaved the blaster and half of Viktor Harlow's hand in half. He let out a scream of pain and clutched at the devastated hand, stumbling backwards into his desk. Kian glanced around the room, and was satisfied when he saw no more droids coming. The commotion had not gone unnoticed though and Kian saw the tell-tale signs of someone cutting into the room through the door. They didn't have much time.

"I did ask nicely." Kian said walking over to Viktor and deactivating his lightsaber.

"You're going to die for this!" Viktor said, his teeth clenched together in pain and spittle flying from his mouth as he spoke.

"Hands behind your back." Kian said raising his lightsaber hilt threateningly. For a moment it looked like Viktor would put up more of a fight, but he begrudingly turned around and did as Kian said. Pulling a pair of cuffs off of his utility belt, Kian quickly locked Viktor's wrists together and pulled him toward the window of his office.

Kian pressed a button on his datapad and then ignited his blade one more, thrusting it into the wall. He watched Viktor as he cut through the window, but the pain seemed to be getting to the crime boss. Kian pulled the piece into the room and then thrust a thumb at the opening.

"Out on the ledge." Kian said smiling beneath the mask.

"Your out of your mind." Viktor said, but Kian brought his lightsaber up in front of him threateningly once more. Viktor hurled a curse and stepped out onto the ledge.

"Now whereaahahahaha." Viktor screamed as Kian stepped out behind him and then shoved him over the edge. Viktor fell a few feet and then landed in the speeder that had just pulled up beneath them.

"Bout time boss." Soli Baris said smiling as Kian leapt into the seat next to her. Kian said nothing but leaned back and attached Viktor's cuffs to the seat of the speeder as Soli sped off blending back into the traffic below.

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

[member="Maelion Liates"] | [member="Moira Skaldi"]

Madeline, under the Alias of Amaya Mizushimi was with the Archangel delegation. Her eyes scanning as the droid tanks cleared the way. Her natural inclination was to keep back, to stay away from the fighting. For you see, Madeline was not a flawless HRD. For she still carried much of her original personality and fighting, well fighting was just not in her nature. Fleeing and cowering beneath a desk was much more her style.

Stepping behind the heavier droids, and minions Amaya knelt down checking on the wounded and dying. Looking for those who needed medical attention most. The sort of medical attention that only Archangel could provide. With a truck full of renegades that were dying and near death Amaya followed along naturally. It felt safer to her, more natural. And after all her more human self had been a very fine doctor. The best of the best so to say. It was only natural after all.

Finally she came to an empty building, at least she'd been informed that the building was clear. For they were to take the wounded there and sort through them at that point. And it was here that Amaya watched over the men and women. Stepping forward she was quick to triage out the ones who were simply beyond saving, even for Archangel's standard.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The admiral rolled her eyes from behind the visor underneath the armor as she listened to the scolding by [member="Orick T'ane"]. "Captain, if you were a bit better of a pilot, or held a more respectful job instead of smuggling, your ship wouldn't be where it is now." Kayleigh swung the T-998C Blaster Rifle from over her shoulder and into her hands. It had been a while since the last time she was in ground combat. Regardless, there was a battle to be won here, and the Republic would be the victors.

"Just try and keep up, and check your targets." The blonde could see his tattoo, and she frowned for a moment that one of her own had left for a much dirtier gig smuggling who knows what across the galaxy. The visor was beneficial to her, given that he wouldn't be able to see her expression upon noticing the inked shoulder. Now wasn't the time for recanting stories or reliving days of old. There would be plenty of time afterwards for chatter. "Follow me, I've got the coordinates locked in to the suit. And that escape pod was your idea, no way you're pinning that one on me. Don't worry, I'm sure the Republic can find another gem like the Aimless Ranger to replace it."

Exiting the LZ the streets were all but deserted, making traversing the urban terrain for the most part fairly simple, and non-lethal. "Stay close. There may be nobody on the streets, but that is no reason to let our guard down." Kayleigh activated the infrared vision mode within the helm as the pair continued advancing on the streets. Upon reaching the PDS, her scans picked up multiple combatants, roughly 12 patrols along the perimeter and the catwalks on the exterior of the planetary cannon. Motioning to Orick, Kayleigh knelt down beside some rubble on the edge of the line, spinning the silencer on to the barrel of her T-998C. "We have a problem." She whispered, the visor rising into the top section of the helm, revealing her face to the Captain. "I count 12 enemies. Impossible to tell how many, or if there even are more inside the tower. I will position myself on the ridge just to our west here and take the shots I can. If my cover is blown, go loud. We can't afford to wait for the marines to get here."

Kayleigh snuck along the southern perimeter toward the western ridge, firing the jetpack to get herself into position roughly 25 feet above Orick. Laying down in the tall grass the Admiral raised the scope of her weapon, taking her time to adjust for windage, bullet drop, distance, and target leading. She marked her target, a man nearest the western entrance on the ground, out of sight of his comrades and squeezed the trigger as the last of her breath exhaled through her single lung. The man dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks. Perfect. Not a soul noticed the now deceased man. Next. Kayleigh managed to secure the next man as he approached the west from the highpoint of the catwalk, a target she didn't wish to be forced into eliminating due to the ease of being seen once he was down, but she was left with no choice. Squeezing the trigger once more the muffled barrel lit up, a small flash burst to life as the bolt was forced downrange and into the skull of the next unfortunate soul.

Two down. she thought. The girl checked back with Orick to make sure he was ready to move when the time came, then refocused on the targets. As Kayleigh squeezed the trigger a third time and dropped the target, a man simultaneously exited through the main entrance, and his eyes gifted him the pleasure of seeing the muzzle flash of her weapon, immediately signaling the rest of the squad to her position as they began to open fire. Kayleigh stood and leapt off the ridge towards the ground, breaking her fall with a quick firing of the thrusters on her back. "We've been made! Three down, 10 left. One exited as I dropped his buddy. I will distract them, pick your targets and ensure they go down quickly. This armor is made for these engagements, so focus on them and don't worry about me."

The girl jumped forward and activated the jetpack, lowering the visor to protect her face as she lifted off the ground and up above the treeline roughly 40 feet. Her finger slapped the 'full auto' switch on the rifle, and though her manual accuracy would be greatly hindered here, she would switch the vision mode again to infrared and activate the targeting system as well. Locking in on the first of 10 she squeezed the trigger, releasing a volley of three shots down toward the man as the group began to open fire on her. I hope you're a good shot Orick.

[member="Friedrich Stahlmann"] | [member="Callisto Scarlett"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Orick T'ane"] | [member="Flicka Shapochka"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Maelion Liates"], [member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


It was over almost as soon as it had begun. Battle droids and tanks were securing this section of town, droid starfighters had taken control over air space and the HRDs had secured one of the more imposing buildings as what amounted to their headquarters. Before the takeover the building had been in the possession of one of the warlords and it obviously reflected his desire to impress and overwhelmn anyone with his power, wealth and might.


Needless to say, all the gaudy and frivolous items would be tossed out and sold, for Archangel had no need for pointless decadence. Maelion Liates, alias Anna Comnena, would be handling the formalities of the takeover there. Contact would be made with the Republic forces and with the Denon authorities once a proper government had been instituted. As part of its deal with the Republic, Archangel would be doing its part to shore up the defences of the ecumenopolis by providing droids for garrison duties and, perhaps more importantly, defence turrets and turbolaser cannons to defend against invasion, with a bit of a discount thrown in because the coffers of the Republic were not limitless and to show good will.


With the takeover proceeding smoothly and sentries having been set up, Moira would head over to the building where captive renegades had been taken. Archangel would be most accommodating to its prisoners and treat them in accordance with the Convention of Caamas. Likewise it would be so kind to take them away from the battlefield to a safer area, for healthcare. Madeline/Amaya had been tasked with supervising this for now. Moira...had liked the old Madeline, as much as she was capable of that given what she truly was.

 

[Orick T'ane]

" I'll have you know, admiral that I'm a fully licensed transport carrier. Have a little faith in me." He said as he turned away from her, he knew she was right, but she didn't need to remind him at every turn. He was as ready as he was going to be, He didn't have a custom built set of super armor or an exotic high powered blaster at his side, but he was a Moonrunner and she was in for a surprise if she thought he was going to be a burden to her.

He moved quickly through the streets, allowing her to set the pace. He had a blaster in each hand and was mindful to check each corner before advancing across open streets. His boots made little to no sound as he side stepped most of the debris that was in the way. This part of the city was dirty, but the war had yet to do much damage to it. The streets were littered with old flimsipaper and trash from tap-cafs and street vendors.

He stopped when she mentioned a problem, his body sliding into a pool of shadows nearby as he listened to her assessment of the situation. He heard her moving up to higher ground, so he used the time to get closer to the target on the ground. Slinking between cover and shadows to place himself in a spot not far from the main door. He didn't hear much of a noise but he saw the first body fall and he crept up to the ready, his palms were sweaty as he gripped his blasters. His stomach tightening up as he saw the second body fall, so far so good. He was almost ready to round the corner as he saw the third body fall and the eyes of the guard in framed in the open door cry out in surprise.

He was in motion before the guards even saw him, one trigger squeeze later, and there was one less guard than the 10 that [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] had warned him about. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was moving because her fire was shifting above and behind him. He took down another guard easily, one shot one kill, as the remaining guards finally noticed that he was there. They were caught in a trap, and they couldn't figure out how to get out of it. Two of the guards retreated into the entrance as the rest fanned out, attempting to flank him. They were stopped short by a flurry of blaster bolts from above, allowing him to blaze forward and gun them down. " Four more down" He said as he moved forward.

He saw the last couple of guard outside the entrance huddling down behind cover. " Keep them pinned down, I'll handle them" Blaster fire from above was keeping the remaining guards where they were. He began to circle around, catching one in the back before he even knew what happened. Two more were dropped at range when they reacted to his presence. Damn that girl can shoot, he thought as he clipped the last remaining guard on the shoulder. " I'm going after the last two, whatever it is that you were going to do, lets get to it."

He crept forward and dropped one of his blasters, pulling out his combat knife as he crept into the entrance, looking more like a predator hunting prey than a man entering a building.

 

[Sabena Shai]

Sabena and the rest of the trio made quick work of the Sith’s guards. They moved through the building - mostly knocking the soldiers inside unconscious. Eventually, they made their way to some grand foyer. The Sith Lord stood on other side of a large expanse.

The Sith Lord faced the Jedi trio. He was a Chiss man and seemed to be well past middle age. He was in all-black leather and cloth attire - no exotic armor. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce through the Jedi's minds.

“Finally, you’ve arrived,” began the Sith Lord, who was known as Darth Andrade, “You can remove your hoods;

Sabena

Rwolva

Kalik.”

Such were the names of the three Jedi before him.

As he gazed at Sabena, Darth Andrade added, “Though you seem to be the most interesting one. A liar among Jedi.”

The grip on Sabena’s lightsaber tightened.

“I’d love to see you fall.”
____________________

The Republic was able to secure Denon. Sabena, Rwolva, and Kalik were able to return to the Republic fleet. Darth Andrade was killed. However, Kalik was severely injured and likely to die if not treated quickly. Rwolva had lost an arm.

Sabena was merely exhausted.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

From the air Kayleigh was able to see Orick gunning down a number of the guards with impressive accuracy, while managing to evade the blaster fire being returned towards her through the use of her highly maneuverable suit of armor. The side thrusters came in handy to rapidly propel the girl side to side for emergency maneuvers, and the tracking system allowed her to properly lead her shots as she continued firing both as a distraction and to quickly assist in ending the firefight. Afterall, her jetpack had only three minutes of use, and that would expend quickly if not used intelligently.

The admiral nodded and responded to Orick via the comm as he entered the complex. "Roger. I will take the control tower through the upper entrance via the catwalk. Secure the lower section and meet me in the control room." Cutting the fuel to the jetpack the girls boots tapped against the metallic mesh of the catwalk. Sprinting toward the entryway she fired her sidearm against the door handle, effectively blasting it off as she kicked in the doorway, scanning via her infrared vision to ensure there was nobody lying in wait. It was slightly difficult to see as the terminals and systems gave off heat signatures, but she was well versed in identifying a humanoid figure from the inanimate objects that radiated heat.

Progressing through to the lower levels it looked to be clear from her end. Orick would simply need to clear the lower level of any remaining stragglers before meeting her at the control room. "I've made it to the central chamber. Meet me when you have a chance." Sitting down at the terminal she entered the Republic command codes to activate the PDS. She began inputting the series of commands to align the guidance systems and prepare the weapon for firing. As the series of diagnostics and preparations ran, Kayleigh took the opportunity to contact Stahlmann to inform him of the success. "Admiral, we've secured the PDS and are beginning our preparations to fire on the Sith fleet. Standby for the fireworks."

[member="Orick T'ane"] | [member="Friedrich Stahlmann"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

Moving into the entrance of the building, he knelled down to pick up the blaster rifle from one of the fallen soldiers. It wasn't a the best designed or the most powerful, but it was far stronger than his pistol. He Crouched down and moved forward slowly. the blaster scanning the room for any signs of movement. There were at least two guards in the lower level, He just had to find them before they found him. Keeping near the right wall, he pointed his blaster into the room, keeping it up and ready should someone appear.

He heard sounds in the distance, it sounded like whoever was left was arguing. He couldn't make out the words but he could tell they were ready to run, too bad for them he was already there. He crept forward and stopped, he saw shadows on the wall and knew right where they were at. Bringing up the blaster and aiming, he took one slow step at a time until he finally got glimpse at the first one, a human, and moved a bit farther out, hoping to get a look at the other one. The human looked up in shock, finally seeing him and was rewarded wit ha blaster bolt center mass. The other, a Duros, was quicker and rushed forward, knocking the barrel of the blaster away, causing the shot to go wide.

The duros didn't stop there, he crashed into Orick and they both went to the ground hard. The blue aliens hand reached for his throat, his red eyes narrowing in hatred as his fingers began to squeeze tightly around Orick's throat. The duros' hands were like a vice grip on his throat, he was gasping for air and knew that he only had a few seconds before the fight was over. He stopped fighting for air and grabbed his knife, sliding it out of it's sheath on his chest and plunging it into the eye of the duros. Green blood splashed down onto him as the fingers around his throat loosened. Fresh air rushed into his lungs as he gasped for breath. The body of the duros dropped onto him and knocked the precious air he had just breathed in back out of him. He pushed the body off of him as he lay there for a second, just happy to be breathing still.


It only took him a moment to reach the control room, he was coated in the green blood from the duros and his neck was scratched and slightly swollen, but he grinned when he saw [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] at the terminal, her hands moving maddeningly fast. " Forget the escape pod, admiral, I want a raise." He says, bending over and putting his hands on his knees, " Building is clear."

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh paused for a moment as Orick entered the room dripping in alien blood. "What the feth happened to you? You getting busy with the aliens?" She let out a lighthearted laugh as she continued positioning the canon and relaying orders back to the Caledonia. "Cannon is prepped. Firing in 10. Wait for the fireworks, Stahlmann. The Sith fleet will be gone or retreating very shortly."

Turning back to Orick she waved her hand in a Yea, OK kind of fashion. "You'll get a raise Captain, as soon as I do. And let me tell you, when you do, it won't be impressive. If there's one thing I know about the Republic, it's that they squeeze every dime they can these days."

The control room shook as if an earthquake were happening immediately beneath them. The cannon fired upon its' target, a magnificent flash of light encompassed the area as the volley launched into orbit above Denon. The fleet in space would see the results of the work, and would continue to fire until the Sith fleet fell back and retreated through hyperspace, or the Republic would wipe them out. The final round was in the hands of Stahlmann and his fleet at this point.

"Let's find a way off this heap, I don't think you're ship is going to be going anywhere anytime soon."

[member="Orick T'ane"] | [member="Friedrich Stahlmann"]

 

[Kyrana Gould]

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"] | [member="Callisto Scarlett"]

The Immortal was trapped. With 4 capital ships surrounding it and firing volley after volley into it, even this brute could not survive long. Its shields stripped away, soon blossoms of fire fountained from wounds across its hull. The Righteous could sit just ten kilometres off its flank and fire into it without fear of reprisal.

The Immortal tried to compensate, tried to turn on its tormenters, but the Righeous was able to move quick enough to simply keep pace with the turn, continuing to fire as it did. It couldn’t target the same areas, but it was still doing damage.

As the Destiny moved under the Immortal again the dozens of batteries fired up into the belly of the giant ship, wreaking havoc on it. As it tried to retaliate by yawing down and reversing, the Destiny simply rose vertically, just as at Manaan, just fast enough to evade. In frustration the Immortal fired all weapons and the Proton Cannon at the only target too slow to move; a Republic frigate, and utterly destroyed the unfortunate ship.

It was the final act of this ‘immortal’s’ existence though. Admiral Stahlmann unleashed his bombers after his Destroyers had stripped away the rear facing defence guns, and six squadrons of bombers unleashed their payloads into the ship’s engines.
Now immobile, the vultures gathered, and the Immortal died. Blazing from bow to stern, it eventually gave up and shattered apart.
Peppered by defence fire, the surviving Sith ships saw their flagship die and jumped to hyperspace.

“Gather up the life pods and take them prisoner. Hail Admiral Tyven…victory is ours. Secure wounded and compile a list of the dead.”

He looked at the broken titan and nodded in satisfaction. It had been a victory, and the Republic’s drive could continue.