Invasion [SJO vs TSE] Operation Silversaber: Silver Jedi Invasion of the Mirial Hex

[Lark]

Location: Mirial
Allies: TSE
Enemies: SJO, [member="Sky'ito Yumi"]
Objective: Don't Die

The young Jedi blocked his initial strike with ease, which was to be expected. It was little more than an opening act, in every play a first verse was needed to get the show going. Sky'ito deftly deflected his blade, as easy as one would swat away a fly. She then positioned herself to deliver a quick blow to the chest, and Lark wasn't in the ideal position to avoid it. Compared to some of the other beatings he had received, both as a child and while under the Sith, the overall power of the blow was nothing extraordinary. Lark no longer felt pain, not after all that he had been through. However, it was well-aimed. Her elbow was jabbed into the soft part of his stomach right underneath his ribcage, and his eyes lit up in delight as a small cough escaped his lips and he hunched over slightly. This was what he had needed. A little bit of adrenaline to get his mind working.

Lark's open arm hung by his side, and he quickly brought it up in an attempt to deliver his own elbow to the side of the Jedi's face with a sort of feral grace, like some kind of exotic dance. His smile was still warm, but a hint of energy sparked deep from within.

This is going to be fun.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Objective/Location: Reduce effect of the dark storm
Allies: Any SJO in the capital
Reacting to: [member="Darth Ananta"]
Eventual opposition: [member="Amit Nykoan"]
Gear: Blade of the Satvas, Blaster, Lightsaber, Mandalorian Power Shield, Armorweave

Like an unusual object on the horizon that glues your gaze until you actually figure out what it is, a strange, crawling feeling caused Setzi to stop and turn around and around again, scanning the buildings and the Mirial skyline for the dark disturbance in the Force. The zombies felt it too and raised their ragged heads up, slack-jawed, giving an indication of the whereabouts of its origin.

And at once all too familiar, she knew what it was, if only having been enshrouded within its tomb for so long.

"Never again," she murmured under her breath. The Jedi would die before she would be tight wrapped in the smothering cocoon of darkside influence.

But the wave from the storm collided with the petite but compact Jedi, assaulting every sense - her ears thrumming with the pounding noise, an odor of decay slipping into her nostrils, clinging to her mouth threatening to make her vomit up anything she’d last eaten.

If anyone on the planet had any doubt that the Sith were friend and not foe the upsurge of dangerous magic passing over those who could not combat it would eradicate those fears. It was not an unpredictable and misinterpretable darkness. Like most of the Sith’s tools for puissance, it served to cause terror and the uncompromisable feeling that annihilation was nigh.

Setzi dropped to her hands and knees and began to meditate, summoning a ball of light which began as a tiny kernel and spread from her core outward until her kneeling form was bathed in it. The Sith sorceress had essentially created a burgeoning nexus point for the darkside within the capital, and the Silver Jedi Knight sought to tamp down upon it with Force Light to draw it into her where the bright shine of optimism and hope would hopefully dull the effects, pulling it away from Jedi, rangers and citizens alike. The blinding flash of this healing white light immediately hit the nearby zombies and reduced them to sparkling particles which glowed once and then faded.

 

[Kenth Typho]

Location: Mirial
Allies: [member="Dante Sotari"] | Sith Empire
Enemies: The Silver Jedi | ( [member="Arisa Yune"] | [member="Stephanie Swail"] ?)

Eyes darted open and for a moment Morgan wasn't sure where he was.

Blinking red, pain, her face so close he could almost kiss her, alarms railing against his eardrums. His hand curled into a fist, but didn't find his gun... where had it gone? He tried to look, but it hurt and Morgan left it at that for now.

Dante was here.

He was safe.

"Hey Dan," Weak chuckle that caused his breath to hitch as the pain laced through again. He hadn't felt this sort of pain... ever, no that wasn't true, was it? Part of him could still feel the building collapsing on him as the bomb went off. Holding her hand, just as his fingers curled around hers, before they could do something with that bacta. "Liquid hate... oohrah. Don't though." Wasn't about the pain, the pain made him feel alive and he hadn't felt this alive since the bomb.

Since she had died in his arms while the rubble pressed against him.

"Shrapnel ripped through, got some inside, I think.."

He tried to rise and that only caused a white searing heat to rip through his body. "It- it hurts, Dante." It was as vulnerable as she would have ever seen him. But Morgan knew they needed to move or rather... that she needed to move. This was ground zero, these doors would be the first to blow once the Silvers got here and there were no defenses in this junction. Not with the pair of turrets crapped to feth and back. The rigged detonators would keep them off for a while, trying to figure out where it was safe and where it wasn't.

But that wouldn't hold for long.

"T-think you should go. Got my gun, can hold them off for-" Again a cough, again pain. "-for a while, yeah? Get your overwatch going." The chuckle didn't want to come this time.

 

[H3xle]

Mirial​

Objective: Maintain Order
Allies: The Sith Empire
Enemies: Silver Jedi Order, [member="jorg"]

Anora saw a shoulder rise up above the rubble, and she took her shot. At the last moment, the shoulder dropped, and her round went high, impacting and exploding on the wall behind the enemy soldier's position. At best she may have stunned him a bit and dropped some more rubble on him. Not what she'd wanted, but perfectly acceptable anyway. In a firefight, you took what you could get.

Suddenly, a bolt pierced the rubble wall she had seen the shoulder fall behind, speed across the street, and narrowly missed Two Four. Already on edge, the soldier bucked back, and into the path of the next pair of disruptor bolts. Holes appeared from the soldier's front, through his back, and into the wall behind him. In a matter of moments, her squad had been reduced by three, and she only had confirmation of one soldier.

"Sweepers, converge on street level. Weapons free." Her breathing could be heard in her ears like the rushing of a wind through a canyon. Her nostrils flared inside her helmet as she felt the two she'd left downstairs rush up behind her and pass her. They moved to the right, One Two firing on the position the other soldiers were firing on as she moved to kneel behind a burned out car beyond where Two Four lay dead. One One took a moment to detach and prime a thermal detonator and throw it over the rubble wall the others were firing at. Then he took his rifle back up again and moved to stand on One Two's far side and behind her, firing from a standing position.

Anora switched tactics, and emptier the last two bolts from her explosive cartridge, ejected it to the stair she stood on, and slapped her one remaining explosive cartridge in. These she aimed at the rubble wall the disruptor bolts came from, hoping to blow it over onto the enemy soldier.

Spoiler

Anora Demici - Alive, firing explosive bolts on Jorg's position from low position inside doorway to Kohli Nar's Bar.

One One - Alive, firing on Jorg's position after throwing a thermal detonator. Upright behind One Two, right side of doorway to Kohli Nar's Bar.
One Two - Alive, firing on Jorg's position, covering One One kneeling behind a burned out vehicle, right side of doorway to Kohli Nar's Bar.
One Three - Alive, firing on Jorg's position from the far side of a burned out vehicle from the bar doorway, left side of doorway.
One Four - Critically Injured, inside Kohli Nar's Bar.

Two One - Alive, firing on Jorg's position from inside doorway to Kohli Nar's Bar.
Two Two - Alive, firing on Jorg's position in kneeling position behind the front end of the burned out vehicle on the left side of the doorway to Kohli Nar's Bar.
Two Three - Dead, inside Kohli Nar's Bar.
Two Four - Dead, right side of the doorway to Kohli Nar's Bar.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

[member="Cassius Droma"], [member="Maya Zhou"]​

At the last moment, they nearly butted heads.

The X-Wing pulled into position behind Alkor and fired, but the TIE pulled up, the A-wing dipped it's nose and flew under, and the blast caught the missile just as it was about to detonate. The resulting blast peppered the air all around it with electromagnetic interference. Alkor glanced back down at his scanners and saw two bogies, still ready to go. He let out a sigh.

The Dark Jedi tapped his comm and spoke. "Blackblade Leader, what is our current situation?"

"Sir, we have managed to deny a large number of troops access to the ground, but the ones that have managed to land have started to deal considerable damage. Are you alright up there? My scans show that you're dogfighting two fighters-"

"I'm fine, Blackblade Leader," Alkor reassured him. "I'm pulling out of this to go help relieve troops on the ground. The Tactical Officer has mobilized several squadrons of TIE fighters from the Orbital Group to your relief, so make ready to resupply once you have the green light."

"Best news I've heard all day, Centaris. Blackblade Leader, out."

A shadow loomed over Mirial as the TIE fighters hurtled from orbit in formation, one group at a time. Twelve TIE fighters screamed past Alkor as he changed his trajectory and turned his ship toward the capital city below. "Sorry to leave you with my mess," he hailed the Leader of the new squadron. "The situation has changed."

"Not to worry, sir, we were sent to clean house. You feel free to take a break."

I would hardly call it that, Alkor thought.

The Fighters ran a screen pattern , making a jarring turn as they swept between Alkor and the X-Wing and A-Wing. As the Interceptor moved to engage the Silencer once more, it would meet with heavier laser fire from multiple angles.

Bursts of green energy created the wall behind which Alkor could retreat, and he punched the controls.

Literally.

"He's not dead," Alkor seethed. Darkness irradiated the cockpit of his TIE as the ship warned him to slow his approach. He had not even initiated the landing cycle. "I didn't get to kill him."

As the ship hit the dirt, it skidded and dug deep, and transparisteel cracked under pressure from the impact. Alkor was jarred by the force, but his eyes were focused. The canopy popped open slowly, and shards of broken metal fell away as the pilot stepped out of his ruined ship.

Alkor grabbed the hilt of his lightsaber and stepped out into the madness of Mirial for the first time since their occupation began.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Location: Mirial, Northern Reaches, Orbital Cannon
Allies: [member="Morgan Vance"], TSE
Enemies: The Silver Jedi ([member="Arisa Yune"] [member="Stephanie Swail"])

Her eyes went from his face to his hand gripping hers.

"You lost too much blood," she muttered. "You went full stupid there for a second."

That was all the response he was getting to telling her to leave him. Dante wasn't gonna argue with him. That was stupid and wasted time. Shrapnel. No bacta then, couldn't accelerate the healing until they got that fething chit OUT of him.

"Gonna seal you up, slow the bleeding. Yer makin' a mess of the hall, Morgan. Kinda rude, you know? Alright, gonna sting."

Pulling her hand out of his, despite the resistance of his fingers around hers, she didn't wait. Just injected the wide syringe of glorified glue, following the trace of her finger along the wound. One, two. She ignored anything from him on this part, her hands firm and accepting no argument. He wasn't in any position to argue. Oh, he could. But it wouldn't do jack.

"Can't walk, Dante, I ain't going anywhere." He sighed, exhaustion running rampant. "G-goodbye kiss for old time's sake?"

She didn't even stop, but her face set in a line, tone angry, aggressive.

"Oh kark you Morgan. Don't pull that chit. You're getting out of this. So no, I won't give you a fething goodbye kiss, cause this ain't goodbye. When you're up and running again, if you still want it? Buy me a beer. Otherwise, get bent."

Dante wasn't a medic. She knew just enough to inject bacta and patch up something on the surface. And when a tourniquet was needed.

She did not like the way the one in his leg continued to push blood hard enough to keep the seal from taking.

But the sound of the blaster turrets, dull and muffled from inside the building, coming to life meant that she was out of time.

"Alright," Dante grunted. Pushing herself up, she hooked her hands beneath his armpits. "This is gonna suck. Feel free to holler if you need to. I would."

That was all the warning he got before she started dragging him down the hallway.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Location: Capital of Mirial
Objectives: Welcome the Reinforcements
Allies: TSE | The Dark | War Fleet Black Iron
Enemies: SJO | The Light | [member="Arisa Yune"] | [member="Zark"]
Equipment:

• Sith Armor
  Talisman of Heart and Soul

[*]Shuk'orok
[*]Sith Lightsabers
[*]Scepter of Power

It had been quite a long time since the Dark Lord's alpha priority distress beacon had been activated and broadcast to the appropriate powers within the Empire, alerting them to both his own peril and that of Mirial's. There wasn't enough time to relocate the assets at Kol Huro to counter the attack on Mirial, they were simply too far away, but the War Fleets in the Stygian Caldera were not only closer, but were unanchored and battle-ready.

Still, the Empire could ill-afford to pull back its entire front line. So only one War Fleet was rerouted to Mirial.

The Imperator-class Battlecruiser Vengeance for Empress Teta emerged out of hyperspace at the edge of the system, followed shortly by nearly five dozen other ships of varying sizes and classifications including another Imperator and one of the new Plague-class Supercarriers that the Empire had recently produced. In total War Fleet Black Iron boasted three full battle squadrons and a reserve light squadron, and was one of the many fleets tasked with maintain superiority in any given system. Thus it was the perfect reinforcements that the Empire could provide the besieged forces at Mirial at the drop of a hat, with plenty more moving into position should the situation call for it.

At the helm of the Vengeance for Empress Teta stood Lord Admiral Omarest Croscal, grizzled veteran of the Great War between the One Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. He had been reviewing expansion operations at Ziost when Dark Lord's message was delivered to him, and he had wasted little time in organizing his already deployed fleet for rapid relocation and deployment. War Fleet Black Iron was currently arrayed in a triangular formation, with his two Imperator battle squadrons taking up forward positions while the Plague battle squadron remained safely behind them and in front of the reserve light squadron. Fighters were scrambled from all available carriers and order to simultaneously intercept enemy fighters and reinforce the already existing Sith-Imperial squadrons engaged with the enemy, specifically to achieve total air superiority on Mirial and cut off escape for the Silver Jedi and their soldiers on the ground.

The main bulk of the fleet would follow suit, slowly pushing forward into the system to drive the invaders out of sovereign Imperial territory.

​

​

​

The battle on the ground was proceeding the same as it had since the beginning of the hostilities, although now the Imperial forces were totally unhindered by the encroaching undead. The Dark Lord had joined them wherever battle had been joined, his presence bolstering morale as he moved like a wicked phantom with a sword of crimson sunfire. Those who had arrayed themselves against the Empire were annihilated, their bodies scythed in twain with a single swing of his terrible weapon.

He was violence personified, the epitome of a war god trudging across the battlefield without care, without restraint. His fury boiled his enemies alive in their armor as primordial lightning sprung forth from his fingertips, spoiling the air with the stench of burning flesh and acidic ozone.

There would be no quarter for these invaders, no respite for those who had dared to jeopardize everything he had strived to achieve. He seemed to relish in his anger, going to great lengths to purposefully mutilate his enemies before finally reaping their souls. Often the soldiers of the Jedi would find their limbs hewn one by one, their existence minimized to a writhing torso before dark flames wreathed their heads in purifying flame until all that remained was a skull bleached black by fire.

MAKE. THEM. BLEED.​

​

Spoiler

War Fleet Black Iron

• Battle Squadron
  3 Xo'Xaan II Star Destroyers
• 3 Reformation-class Dreadnoughts
• 2 Revocation-class Missile Frigates
• 6 Velox-class Fast Frigates
• 1 Plague-class Super Carrier

[*]Battle Squadron

• 3 Xo'Xaan II Star Destroyers
• 3 Reformation-class Dreadnoughts
• 2 Revocation-class Missile Frigates
• 6 Velox-class Fast Frigates
• 1 Imperator-class Battlecruiser

[*]Battle Squadron

• 3 Xo'Xaan II Star Destroyers
• 3 Reformation-class Dreadnoughts
• 2 Revocation-class Missile Frigates
• 6 Velox-class Fast Frigates
• 1 Imperator-class Battlecruiser

[*]Light Squadron

• 16 Regulation-class Corvettes
• 4 Velox-class Fast Frigates

 

[Liuna]

Location: Mirial – Capital
Allies – SJO, [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]
Opposition: [member="Jartris Entumaa"]
Reacting to: [member="Darth Ananta"]

“<Mere excuses,>” Liuna spat back at the man, his words were twisted. “<You would not sympathize with the government so much, if you were truly one of us.>”

Liuna said nothing as he received a communication, but she continued to watch him closely and cautiously. Her blaster still held at the ready, pointing at the Mirialan man… but she would not fire just yet, not until his intentions became clear. But her Jedi companion moved swiftly, making a move for the man. However, it did not appear that she was on the attack, not exactly.

But before she even had time to react, Liuna suddenly felt strange.

It was as though a dark power was attempting to invade her mind. There was fear bubbling to the surface now. The Mirialan squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, attempting to shake the feeling. This shadowy sickness was foreign; it did not belong on Mirial. There was no place for power like this. Gritting her teeth, she looked to her fellow Mirialans.

“<What… is… this?>” her voice grew desperate.

Liuna crumbled to her knees; the blaster fell from her grasp. And it seemed that Liuna was not the only one here falling prey to this strange attack. The air was filled with screams and cries. The civilians that had been taking refuge in a nearby building came stumbling out into the night air. Faces frightened, pained even. Hands were grasping at their heads; they could not fight against it. No matter how strong Liuna liked to think she was, the woman was unable to defend against such magic.

“<No, no…>” She pleaded, now losing the will.

For a moment, her eyes shifted to the Mirialan man. Would he be pleased seeing a fellow of his race in such dismay? If this was indeed the work of the Sith, would he still continue to praise their government? Her heart was beating fast, Liuna gasped… the fear inside kept her from drawing in a full breath. Her mind raced with panic. Was she about to die? She looked to Kaiza before falling completely to the ground; surely the Jedi would save her. Her hand reached out slightly, trembling.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Location: Mirial | The Capital.
Objective: Clean up this mess.
Allies: The Sith Empire & Mirial. - [member="Tabigarashu Madara"] | [member="Vereshin"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi. - [member="Roona Osmari"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"]
Soundtrack: Link here

Lord Fa was about to shake his head and refuse to take Hirou with.

But then his head reared up as something in the Force pinged with power. It was the only forewarning that the Thirriken received from [member="Darth Ananta"]'s exertion in the Force two seconds before the Wave of Darkness swept through the streets. Beak snapped tight as the pressure on his mind increased and fear rose.

The pressure tried to push him.

Run.

Flee.

Never look back and abandon hope, but Lord Saarai was not some mere acolyte or useless Jedi. He was Sith and rose up to its full height, as he denied the Waves its quarry. All around him his men and women were struggling with their own internal fears. Because that was what the Waves of Darkness were at the end of the day. Tangible darkness forced on you to see your own fears.

He saw them.... saw his little friend Volan, before the knife cut through throat to complete his ascension as Sith. The first of many trials forced upon him by his father and his teachers.

Saw the fire that had consumed his ancestral home and made them flee when he was but a child.

Saw every little failure and mistake that followed him from now until the end of days.

And he denied those fears.

As the Thirriken took a step, so did those that followed him - not all of them... no, some fled, through the holes of the barricade and abandoned their comrades. Another step and more rose to follow, until all that remained were the strongest of minds. Those committed utterly to the protection of Mirial and all that it brought with it.

Hirou was still on his shoulder.

Tai inclined his head. "Follow me then, Hirou." And they walked down the streets, shadows pushed away by force of will. From a glance to his side... the Thirriken suddenly noticed the Mirialan militia man, who had demanded answers, who had questioned him and the Empire. He walked with them, jaw set tight and still a shine of sweat brushing against his skin.

But he was there.

And once their eyes met the Mirialan nodded, before looking back towards the end of the street and the garrison that would soon come into view.

"Stay close," Saarai mumbled softly to Hirou. "I will need all the support I can get."

 

[Jartris Entumaa]

Location: Mirial - Capital
Allies: TSE
Opposition: SJO | [member="Liuna Ondizi"] | [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]

The unwavering confidence and entitlement with which the young Jedi pursued the path she was set on were certainly something. But they were not her own, as an individual - they were those of her role. They were not rooted in her own power or will, they were borrowed from the Jedi order and its perceived moral and legal legitimacy. It was a mere shell, and perhaps a hollow one at this point - it was difficult to see how much of the individuality of a person was even left within. The Silver Jedi might have succeeded in destroying her already, turning her into nothing but a soulless tool.

But this was not the time for philosophy. He still had to answer Adama and tell her to pick up whatever of his employees had managed to make it to the office. Kaiza's intent look seemed to challenge him to explain. "That would be -" He did not succeed in finishing his sentence before the Jedi unexpectedly came at him with unnatural speed and intentions that were clearly not peaceful. Lowering her active weapon meant nothing - Jartris' own preferred school of lightsabre combat taught many kata that began with the blade pointed at the ground.

It was time to put an end to this nuisance. Jartris felt his consciousness extend as the power of the Dark Side surged through him. Suddenly his control no longer ended at the boundaries of his own body. Why, indeed, should it be that his will's capacity to effect whatever it wanted ended at the tip of his fingers? Most creatures were so pitiably constrained, but the Force had set Jartris free from this confinement. He opened the palm of one hand towards Kaiza, and she was not even a metre away from him when his will took hold of her body through the Force and flicked her away with more force than his physical body would ever have been capable of exerting on any object directly. The impact with the wall behind her would have been enough to kill many ordinary sentients, but Jartris had no false hopes. Not only would her body, without even her knowledge or direction, manage to position itself in such a way as to minimise the damage - her armour, most of all, would surely absorb much of the shock. But at least there would now be a more comfortable distance between them.

Jartris turned his awareness to the other woman. He could clearly feel the presence of her consciousness in the vicinity. To say it was like a light bulb shining in the dark night might have been a fitting visual metaphor, though in truth there was no visual perception involved; nor any other perception of the ordinary sort. It was quite its own mode of perception, inaccessible to the consciousness of those who had not received training with the Force. He was about to take hold of the little light of her consciousness, intent on making it smaller and smaller, perhaps to eclipse it entirely, when he felt his focus waver. A wave of fear and pain erupted all around him, his ears were assaulted by screams, his eyes clouded in darkness.

It was not fear that took hold of Jartris' mind, but regret and pity, for himself and others. Many of his order were fascinated by the sensation of pain in various forms, loved seeing it in others, and had even found ways to enjoy it in themselves. Jartris hated it. But this pain was not meant to be his. It was for those who deserved to suffer, those who had made others suffer through their misguided attempts to further sabotage this society; who were no better than the barbarians who had once caused his own grief. Once this thought that Jartris had conjured had sunk in, he felt freedom and relief. A grim satisfaction came with the realisation that this was not a deplorable event - it was the power of the Dark Side setting things right.

As his eyes penetrated the darkness, he caught sight of Liuna writhing on the floor, no longer a threat, but unworthy of salvation. Civilians were pointlessly running outside into the street, senseless with panic, their consciousnesses dim and distorted. They were irrelevant and should not have been here. Reaching out through the Force, Jartris switched off one little light after the other, sending the tortured men and women the boon of unconsciousness - an act of mercy unlikely to be understood by those who witnessed it.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Objective/Location: Reduce effect of the Waves of Darkness
Allies: Any SJO in the capital
Reacting to: [member="Darth Ananta"]
Eventual opposition: [member="Amit Nykoan"]
Gear: Blade of the Satvas, Blaster, Lightsaber, Mandalorian Power Shield, Armorweave

Setzi sat upon her knees until she could not hold on any longer. The darkness pushed her down as though a giant hand pressed her torso into the ground of the space-lane. Her legs kicked behind her, and her helmet dislodged, rolling away just out of reach. She let the black energy caress her, a light barrier still clinging to her aura, keeping her from the worst of it, but as her energy waned, so did the protective shield.

Finally when it passed, she felt like some beached sea creature, not sure if she was waterlogged or drying out under the hot sun. Neither state felt good at all, and it took a minute or two to lift herself up. Retrieving her helmet, she spit out the dirt and gravel that had gotten in her mouth from lying in the road, and she sprinted back over to her bike, the zombies no more than a lingering smell to which she wrinkled her nose.

There was no telling how long the wall of darkness would last or its more acute effects on the planet and its citizens, so the Jedi Knight jumped back upon her swoop bike, riding back to the safe house again.

“Knight Lunelle, that didn't take you too long. We you not just he-"

“There’s no time. I need to reach [member="Arisa Yune"].”

The ranger on duty ushered her over to the comms unit, and she immediately radioed the Jedi Master’s ship.

“Master Yune, there’s been a powerful sorcery attack on the capital, a manifestation of the darkside of the Force that’s flowing over the building and streets engulfing everything in its path. If it affects the rebels and those we’re trying to evacuate, we may have problems getting them mobilized or even… upright. It knocked me right to the ground, and I was able to hold on with my own defensive maneuver. But I’m concerned and looking for guidance.”

Though her words were steady, inside she felt purposeless and insecure. Nothing I’m saying makes sense right now and Master Yune will think I’m a fool, if I could only just… just…

And Setzi caught herself. The waves of darkness were calling to her, allowing her to be coaxed into such a morose and distressed mood. She squinted her eyes until they watered and shook her head.

“Perhaps a more coordinated response from the Jedi can be achieved?"

The only upside to the blanket attack was that perhaps the Sith support personnel and their likely unwilling puppet government would lose their own morale, become despondent and hopefully see the SIth Empire for what it really was - a homicidal dictatorship that needed to be put to an end.

 

[Jairdain]

Location: Mirial, Capital City
Allies: SJO and allies
Enemies: TSE and their allies
Objective: Get up again and fight what [member="Darth Ananta"] is casting

Moments after Kaalia fled the scene of their fight, the Silver troops discovered Jairdain. They pulled her crumpled form out of the building's rubble and woke her up. That took only a few moments and the knight sat up clutching at her aching head. That pain became worse and a feeling of hopelessness started filling her. Attempting to stand up and run like there was a pack of wolves on her heals, she resisted the attack.

Her mental fortitude was great and this was what she had been trained to fight. The Waves of Darkness that Darth Ananta was casting would appear to move around Jairdain as she fought the spell. Surrounded by these allies of hers, she would be untouched by any force sent at her.

Though she was blind, she still meditated with her eyes closed. More out of habit than anything else. Falling into the calm of the Force, Jairdain immersed herself within its flow. All sound was shut out and nothing distracted the woman in her cause. Focusing on dispelling this dark side ability, she called upon her own Battle Meditation.

The Waves of Darkness were pushed away from the knight and the troops that surrounded her. Ever so slowly, that area grew and grew. Her total focus was required, but she was succeeding where no other person could. She had no idea how long she meditate, how many people she touched or even how well she did to combat Darth Ananta, but her meditation worked.

The minds of both parties became clear and were no longer under the influence of the Waves. This was both a blessing and curse because both sides were now free to continue their combats. However, the Silvers and her allies would feel the bolster of her meditation. The Sith and their allies would feel it as well. Unless they were immune to such mental skills, the Sith and their allies would feel their motivation and wills to fight diminish. Such was the strength of Battle Meditation, even the strongest couldn't help but feel it.

However long this took, Jairdain could maintain the meditation. Until the fight was over, she kept up, not resting or breaking. A beacon of calm in the mix of madness on Mirial.

 

[Kaiza Pawaro]

Location: Mirial, Capital city
Allies: [member="Liuna Ondizi"]
Enemies: [member="Jartris Entumaa"]
Equipment

Spoiler

• Battle Armour
• Defender of the Light

​

Her free hand barely had enough time to reach out when an invisible fist hit her gut with enough force to send her flying. Letting out a gasp of surprise and pain alike, the young Mirialan’s helpless body limply raced through the air in a short-lived flight that came to an abrupt and sudden stop when her back hit the wall. Dust and dirt went up in a cloud, slow to descend back to the ground and Kaiza’s battered shell. The shattering impact knocked the wind out of her, leaving the Jedi in a miserable state of gasping for air as she collapsed. Thankfully, her armour had spared her grisly injuries or worse – surprisingly enough, the Mirialan’s right hand continued to tightly clutch that fabled silver cylinder, still ignited. She mentally cursed herself for not being more cautious when dealing with the Sith and holding her weapon so tight it never turned off, presenting a great danger to her and Liuna alike. There was no time to wallow in pity and defeat though.

Finally having a confirmation of her suspicions, the young Padawan stood up. With difficulty, feeling her back protest against the idea of battle, but it was better than staying an immobile target. Readied and having a bit of an idea of what to expect, the Mirialan mentally constructed a barrier of peace and light to stand between herself and the opponent. Not much, certainly not as good as she would have made if allowed to meditate beforehand, albeit it promised to take the blunt of his attacks. Deep breaths, blade held in both hands, and she charged. Just as her booted feet took the first few strides towards the man, another malicious power struck. Far worse than before, crashing against her shield in waves. The barrier defiantly tried to resist, to no avail. Shattered, it left Kaiza open to the insane amount of darkness thundering around. Lacking effective means to resist, she slumped down, lightsaber extinguished and falling from her hands.

The insides of her armour became unbearably claustrophobic, as if she were confined into a tiny metal box. Letting the face plate of her helmet slide off was an instinctive reaction driven by panic, yet the act did not appear to have helped. On the contrary – the world bathed in darkness, drowning in despair and fear. Visible to the naked eye, physical manifestations of negative energy raged through the streets, driving people mad and throwing all into disarray as far as Kaiza’s green eyes could see. She gulped, closed her eyes, seeking any way to escape this nightmare. The Sith no longer concerned her as she desperately struggled to hold onto the last bits of peace, feeling her connection to the light side of the Force wane.

Abandoned by the light, Kaiza descended into despair, shaking violently on the ground. A terrible feeling of loneliness invaded her mind; the terror of being abandoned and left to die on a dead world. Her soul would join the lost who walked Mirial's soil and preyed upon the living. Tears rolled down her lightly tattooed cheeks and she crawled into the foetal position. It would have remained this way if not for hearing the fellow Mirialan’s voice.

She wasn’t alone.

“Liuna!” The Jedi cried out, trying to constrain her own fear as darkness itself clouded her vision. Crawling over the ground, she took Liuna’s petite hand into her gauntlet, holding it tight, unable to let go.

“Liuna…!” She spoke again, pushing herself close to the woman. Kaiza stood no chance at overcoming the evil spell alone – she needed another, a fellow soul to stand beside her as they battled against the darkness together. The poor Padawan had zero idea what she was saying – anything to comfort her fellow Mirialan and find comfort in return.

“Everything’s going to be alright, you’ll see! D-don’t give into despair! Think of Ciba, its future! Mirial’s freedom! Fate is on our side! You’ve got to believe it is!”

Between her rambling, the armoured Padawan retrieved her dagger; a powerful artefact imbued with the light side of the Force, light shining in darkness. Pulling Liuna into a tight embrace, she drew from the dagger’s reserves, using those to combat the cold chill in her mind and wrap the two of them in a blanket of clarity and calm.

 

[NT-6922]

Natassia's heart was beating rapidly, the loud thum-thum sound seeming to reach up to her ears. She had to apply her best efforts in order not to panic as she saw [member="Vaylin"] raising what appeared to be her lightsaber. No matter how you presented it, no matter how you embellished the notion and wrote great epics about it, death was a terrifying thing when you had to face your imminent execution. It was like staring down the barrel of a gun, only worse; because at least, that happened to her before.
It was not with relief, but with terror that she saw the Sith did not hold a lightsaber, but one of her own stunsticks. The familiar crackling sound was heard as the non-lethal weapon was activated... and jabbed right into a part of her armor that had been almost torn off by the kick given to her moments ago. Natassia's world became nothing more than pain and darkness as she closed her eyes and tried to scream, feeling the electricity coursing through her body, burning like salt on a wound where her shoulders stopped and her mechanical arms began. She welcomed oblivion as it finally took her, her final thought before falling unconscious being of how strange it was, to be guided to the ground rather than abruptly dropped.

--------

Waking up from a dreamless sleep, the soldier's eyes fluttered open gently. For a moment, she felt almost... peaceful. Staring up at Mirial's sky, she wondered for a moment if she was dead, and her soul was departing from her body to go to whatever awaited her after. Of course, this pleasant possibility was soon ruled out as sensation went back into her, and she felt pain in her body. Wincing and letting out a small cry of pain as she tried to stand up, only for the mechanical arm she had been leaning on to give way. Completely busted, it was as good as destroyed to her, the connections damaged during her fight, and then fried after the stunstick strike. But soon, all of this left Natassia's mind.

Below her, right in her field of view, chaos unfolded in Mirial's streets. Firefights erupting in the streets, blaster fire being exchanged, flickers of lightsabers here and there, sometimes clashing together, sometimes striking down a soldier. Before she knew it, she lost herself before the scene that unfolded below, thrown right back in time; her eyes widened, and the battlefield below was replaced by several others, appearing in flashes to her. Endor, Charros, Bothawui... the horror of losing comrades, to lose some friends, under the guerrilla tactics of the Rebels. The burning anger when some of the boys in white had enough and applied suppresive fire, cutting down entire homes. Violence was answered with violence, in a mad conflict that kept escalating more and more. War was a chaotic, destructive event that hurt the inhabitants of a world far more than it would either factions. Something that was true both in the past, and in the present...
Thrown back into the present, she realized she was breathing heavily, her mind filled with dread. Something happened, something unnatural; she faintly remembered being hit by a sudden wave of darkness as she reminisced while staring at the streets below. She wanted to run, to get to safety, to escape the wrath of the masters of this world; adrenaline started pumping in her body, one last go to get the frak away from whatever was happening! But soon enough, she resigned herself, her second attempt to get to her feet just as unsuccessful as the first one. Looking around, she spotted the Sith who had put her out of commission. Obviously, they were the ones who carried her here.

But why? Why not kill her? It would be so easy, so insignificant. She did not delude herself; whatever ideals they held, both sides killed people, and so did she. But why would one of the infamous wielders of the dark side, known as the most ruthless fighting group of force users, spare her, a simple soldier who hadn't a single speck of force sensitivity inside of her?
She was just about to call out to the youngest of the two, when she noticed she too seemed... preoccupied. Although it wasn't sheer terror like for Natassia, it definitively wasn't her design. At least, personally.
"Why didn't you kill me?" she finally managed to say, holding her head with her able hand, feeling a killer headache, still affected by the dread wave. "Can't even finish the job?"
Although she tried to sound mocking, she was scared. Uncertainty was a terrifying thing, and with a Sith in front of her, it was only made worse.

But behind all of this fear, all of this regret and pain at her actions past, something different started to grow, boiling in her core.
Anger.
Anger at herself for being defeated, anger at the Sith for making a smooth invasion into a disaster, anger at the jedi for being unable to control the situation, anger at everything and everyone.

 

[WelshGuy]

Objective: Stay awake, stay alive
Allies: [member="Arisa Yune"] | SJO
Enemies: [member="Enyo Typhos"] TSE

Yuroic watched as reinforcements arrived, he was thankful and they swiftly shoot at Enyo. Yuroic saw the sonic bolter and rolled out of shot, however the shot sent him flying back slamming into a rock. He coughed hard as he attempts to stay awake, concussion kicking in as his head slammed against the rock. Rangers dispersed with heavy fire and grenades being launched at them. He couldn't call out of to them as his body felt too weak and he could barely move forward to them.

He gritted his teeth and reached with his left hand forward to pull himself as he watched the battle ongoing. His mind rushed over what went wrong, how could he have lost so badly as he did. His arm was now useless and he couldn't walk, he hated that he was so weak, too weak. He was meant to be a Jedi Knight, now he was crawling to safety and lost his lightsabers. Perhaps he wasn't meant to be a Jedi, not meant to be fighting the Sith.

How was he meant to save the lives of others, if he couldn't save his own? Yuroic felt tears welling in his eyes as he clenched his remaining his fist hard. He would get stronger, he would have to get stronger. No matter what.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

MIRIAL – Pantera Class Stealth Frigate.
Sneaking about.

It did not take many minutes before the lieutenant dropped like a sack of potatoes. His elbows were bloody from repeatedly hitting the wall and Ophidia’s armour, and two drops of blood bubbled forth from the bite-mark on his inner thigh. The tsaisibola released him and slithered around Ophidia’s foot, looking expectantly up at her. She knelt down, it tossed itself to the side and watched tentatively as the Rattataki pulled a vibrodagger from her robes and cut off the man’s thumb. She stood up again and made a gesture to her pet, it lunged at the thumb and swallowed it hole.

The serpent had its reward.

Picking up where she had left off, she let the tsaisi curl around her leg once more, and then made sure her stealth-field generator was active. Ophidia looked out from around the corner, peering both ways before venturing out into the corridor again.

With practiced movements, she managed to minimalise the oscillating effect of her cloaking, making as little sound and giving as little visual confirmation of her presence away as possible. Even if one was looking for her, she would be tricky to spot. Such was the life of a Sith Assassin.

Finding her way around on the Pantera was not easy. It was unfamiliar terrain and she had dropped herself right in the middle of it. Yet, the Force whispered clues in her ear. She heard a ‘here’ spoken in her mind, and felt a near magnetic pull to certain pathways. It was when she was about to take the repulsorlift down to a lower level that she felt something else

A ripple, dark and terrible in nature. While she was far out of its’ range, Darth Ophidia could indeed feel its’ effect on the people. She had read about the Waves of Darkness, in the Eternal Libraries of the Temple of Pain on Fresia, so long ago. She had wished then, and since, to see them with her own eyes. But this? This was inopportune.

“Kinriai” – She muttered under her breath as she stepped on board the repulsorlift and let it take her down to the lower levels of the ship: Towards the engine rooms.

[member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Vaylin]

Location: Mirial - Residential Housing | Rooftops
Objective: Convince.
Allies: The Sith Empire - [member="Aria Vale"]
Enemies: The Silver Jedi - [member="Natassia Traxen"]
Equipment: [SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE]2x Sith Lightsabers | Armour | Oculus

It had taken some time before Natassia awoke next, and in that time the two Sith had lightly conversed and simply stood atop the roofs and absorbed the chaos spread throughout the city. The destruction was almost intoxicating to witness, part of Vaylin at least wished she was directly part of it. A simple raw carnage to the madness that had flooded the streets below. Now lacking the ravenous undead that had now been slowly lured out of the city.

Then all of a sudden a pulse of massive dark energy from [member="Darth Ananta"] echoed across the expanse of the city. It easily managed to pass through the rooftops and Vaylin almost reeled to the ground by the sudden impact. The source was dark, but the Zabrak was but an acolyte in terms of power and hadn't the progress in her training to simply shrug it of. She felt confused, and a sense of despair began to unnaturally heighten.

Vaylin looked over at Aria, noticing the woman was also being affected but on a much lesser degree. After all, she was a Sith Lord, much more powerful than the Zabrak. But nor did she do anything to help her apprentice. It wasn't surprising, Aria wasn't the type to hold one's hand in a time of struggle, and instead was leaving Vaylin to deal with this herself.

She was forced to rely on memories, five years spent alone of Dxun. The dark nights, the stalking predators that threatened her at every hour. It was her strength not her weakness - It was enough to keep her stable minded, enough to catch as Natassia let out a sharp cry of pain.

The Zabrak stalked closer to the soldier, watching as she attempted to stand but failed at every chance. Physical exhaustion was claiming its hold, presumable battling against the woman's desire to leave due to the Waves.

She let out a snort at Natassia's comment about finishing the job. Vaylin shook her head.

"Killing you would've been a waste, I want you to see." The Zabrak reached down, fingers hooking under the broken half of Natassia's helmet and tore it from her head. "This is what these Silver Jedi have caused - this would not have happened if they hadn't attacked." Anger was seething within Vaylin, all the Empire's efforts to help aid the Mirialans had been set back because of this. Vaylin quirked an eyebrow when she felt a similar burst of emotion flow from the soldier kneeling before her.

This was why she hadn't outright killed her.

A moment later another sensation fell over the roof's occupants; [member="Jairdain"]'s Battle Meditation. It helped cancel out the effects of the Dark Waves, but Vaylin felt a sudden lack of motivation to fight. But thankfully that wasn't the case right now, there was an entirely different battle happening on the roof. That, and if even if it came down to an outright fight - the Zabrak still had the Oculus to diminish the effects.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Objective: Hit things
Allies: TSE. Stoicism.
Enemies: SJO, [member="Yuroic Xeraic"] (duel concluded). Maybe [member="Arisa Yune"]. Open to being engaged.
Gear: Simulacrum Body + armour (in sig), bolter, sonic blaster, Forcebreakers, 2x glowsticks.


Amidst the explosions, gunfire and general mayhem, Enyo still saw the by now distant shape of the Jedi she'd duelled earlier slam into rock. Before she was once again occupied by the horde of Rangers. Their numbers were thinning, but they kept her busy.


Thus she set to work with bolter, sabre and the Force. New bright spots appeared in her HUD, but these were coloured friendly as opposed to hostile. These signals heralded the coming of the Eisenkrieger, cyborgs who served her alone. Not as efficient as HRDs...but close enough to serve her purposes. They set to work with mechanical efficiency.


It was then that the Waves of Darkness swept across the land. This battle zone was a good deal away from the epicentre of the eruption of dark power, but it was still felt. Thunder boomed, the sky turned dark and it was all quite dramatic.


The mental pressure sought to pierce her mind. It told tales of woe, fear, panic and so forth. Tangible darkness sought to force her to face her own fears and worst moments. And so she did - and denied it its power. Every moment of suffering she'd endured had made her stronger.


From dragging her crippled, burnt body out of the ruins of Korriban City after a Silver Jedi commander bombed the place with turbolaserfire, to the moment where Archangel had, to all intents and purposes, killed her and stuck her brain in a mechanical prison, then forced her to murder one of her siblings. She had burnt in the fires of the Age of Steel - and emerged stronger for it. She had repaid one mother by slaying her and taking her head. She would do the same with her remaining two.


The whispers told her she would fail and so on and so forth. She ignored them. She heard whimpering behind her, and found that one Sith trooper had curled up in a fetal ball. He must have been very green. "Get up," she said flatly. He continued whimpering and babbbled incoherently. She looked mildly annoyed. So she made a gesture and crushed his windpipe.


This Sith technique was quite indiscriminate, for it could affect their own minions and the civilians they were pretending to be protect. It made the cyborg wonder whether the Sith responsible for it might have simply wanted attention. Admittedly it had affected some of the Antarian Rangers as well, but the entire display seemed silly to her.


"Commander," she felt a jolt in her skull when she received the transmission from her faithful lieutenant Neda Chazzak, a Zabrak cyborg. "Got a lock on your position. Locked, loaded and ready to blow chit up. Why the feth is the sky dark?"


"Sith magic nonsense. Are the troops affected?"


"Some of the new blood. Core cadre is holding. Orders?"


"Come up from the rear. Slaughter the Silver goons. Take prisoners if the opportunity arises." She received affirmation and leapt into battle. Using speeders, the Eisenkrieger closed in and disembarked to unleash a hailstorm of fire upon the enemy. The snap-hiss of lightsabres was heard, for among them were former Jedi who had been cyborgised after being abducted from an enclave in a raid Enyo had performed with her buddy pal @Vaylin. Enyo marched into battle and began to slice and dice.

 

[Venthis Zambrano]

Various moans and grunts called out and echoed across the ship, which was now completely wrecked. Venthis sat there, shaking his head. Before plunging his fist through one of the monitors in anger. "Argh!" He called out, before eyeing one of the dead crewmen who died in the crash, quickly turning away and heading to the command room's entrance, plying the doors open with his hands.

Leaned against one of the walls was his bow, he picked it up and slung it onto his back. Holstering it. He then pulled the elevator door's open, since they were no longer functional and sliding down the shaft holding onto the wires.

Appearing on the otherside, he was greeted by chaos. Various men running around attempting to get out, clawing and climbing over one another. Raising his voice: "STOP! Everyone, listen to me. You will get back into line, organize yourselves and continue the mission." With that he turned away, tossing anyone who dared to stand in his way as he made his way to the entrance. One step out, and he took a deep breath. It was the smell of death.

Near by, was a settlement of sorts. He had instructed his men to surround the settlement, where he would infiltrate himself. He gave a soft exhale, before guiding one of the speeders in then near distance towards him with the use of telekinesis. The newly appointed Knight climbed onto the vehicle making his way to the outskirts of the settlement.

Silence, it seemed they were sleeping. Night had fallen upon the location, and Venthis was roaring for some bloodshed. Slithering through the settlement in between the buildings, before he would climb up the side of one of them. Entering through a window. He had entered the home of the Ulah family. Who happened to be the leaders of the town.

"Welcome to the end."

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

Location: Miria
Objective: Tripping on LSD
Allies: SJ, [member="Arisa Yune"]
Enemies: Sith [member="The Slave"]


Dusaro stumbled and nearly fell down to a knee from the images flashing across his 'vision' and mind, fiercely shaking his head at the invasion of his body and mind. Memories of walls and their twisted, unyielding and malicious nature that seemed to impose themselves more and more upon his reality with every moment. He fought back against it with sheer force of will, but it would not cease. It continued to taunt him, a wall would fall for something else completely different to appear. Dusaro knew he missed his attack against his invisible foe, gritting his teeth furiously as he shifted his body down. Lack of 'vision' did not throw off his bodies natural and ingrained sense of balance as he slid into a low defensive stance.

Then he saw his 'allies', becoming twisted, eldritch like beings as the medic was brutally butchered, his battle buddy firing wildly into the rough direction of the attack. His troops saw a squad mate get split down the middle, but Dusaro saw something worse. Their minds were twisted. The minds of the people who had gone the hell that had been Charros IV together with him, survived and come out the other end. It was by complete chance that they had met here again, but here they were. And now they were twisted, preparing to aim and slay him and the cause of every abomination that had stepped foot upon this planet. Gritting his teeth, he forced the shattergun back into it's holster just before he drew it to fire as the Medic's body finally hit the ground.

Instead his hand shifted and pulled out the pens on two smoke grenades at his side, the canisters quickly started to dispense the thick and cloudy white smoke into the area. "Escape.. Buildings" Dusaro had to focus hard to get even those words out over the comms to his troops, but he managed it. The now seven troops would though reluctantly peel away into the buildings in the area, covering each other as best they were capable against the invisible foe though more would doubtlessly fall if the invisible ghost continued it's assault. There was nothing useful they could do here, they were not trained for this. Being nearby would be only more dangerous for them and hinder Dusaro. He managed to keep a strong, firm hand on growing desire to gun them down as the 'twisted abominations' fled into the buildings. The only thing that kept it from happening was a strong personal will and a hatred for the Sith who was doing this that bordered on force rage. It was noticeable how ever that during the time they were fleeing, Dusaro was having to force himself to barely move. He knew that if he moved, he might fall into the trap that his eyes saw, attacking those fleeing squad mates.

This was compounded even more as a Sith elsewhere started doing something that across the entire battlefield, messed and manipulated the mind. A wall of blackness and the darkside that invaded the mind with deafening screaming and roars that were like the screeches of the dammed. He visibly shuddered at the combined force of the blows of the darkside. But he did not respond by breaking, he responded with force. Growling as he nearly took a knee down from the oppressive weight of the darkside, he forced his body up. He did not think of the hypocrisy of using such a dangerous ability on thousands upon thousands of children and elderly. How the Sith were bringing the same kind of destruction they had to this place as they had done before. No, he had in his mind only to kill the Sith even after another Jedi started to use battle meditation to counter the darkness, that was the prime thought in Dusaro's mind.

But he could not see this opponent, his sight was obstructed by illusions. He could not hear, for his ears tricked him. All his senses were tricked and even with the aid of a Jedi's battle meditation he could not break through the prison that was around his mind and inside his own body. The former Merc was left with nothing but instinct, unable to even properly use the force to see past the wall in his mind. Unclipping the two smoke grenades at his waist and letting them topple to the ground, he slowly started to walk. There was no rhyme nor reason to where and how he stepped, perhaps it was directed by the visions he saw or by the whim of his feet. Regardless of that, Dusaro walked as he awaited the Sith who had come to steal his life away. Yet even though he let his opponent make the next move, he would not go quietly into this night. But what would the Sith do? That was the question Dusaro waited on the awnser for as the squad that had been in the area would try to continue deeper into the buildings before making defensive positions.

Spoiler: Equipment

3 Flash Bang, 1 Smoke, 3 Thermal Dets, 4 2 Pound Explosive blocks

Pair of Shatterguns, Lightsaber, Blaster Carbine

Jet Pack, Light combat Armor, Thermal Imaging Visor

Spoiler: Troopers

SJ/Regulars(196)

Ranger Scouts(19)

Ranger Snipers(15)

Ranger Combat Medics(39)

Silver Jedi Heavy Weapons Infantry(25)

Mirilan Rebels [Armed with 10MM autorippers] (200)

Mirilan Rebels [Armed with a variety of low grade blaster weapons] (300)

Gnat Runners?(12)(6 per squadron)
?
YVH-2 Droids (14)

794 Total Troops