Song of Storms : [Levantine Sanctum Dominion of Arda]

[Seydon of Arda]

[SIZE=26pt]A Song of Storms[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=12pt]( A Song of Storms )[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE=12pt][ Lying in the Tingel Arm due east of the Mon Calamari systems, Arda is a virtually nondescript realm. The world is simply notable for its endemic oceanic climes, settled by a few if hardy people descendant from once technologically proficient settlers. In the past millennia, it’s a place that’s been content to let time and trouble sail on, with a local philosophy dictating that grief can only be tackled in the now. However, suffering from a mass disappearance of thousands of indigenous islanders, Arda is bleeding out, with opportunistic predators taking especial notice. ][/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt][ Optional Tasks ][/SIZE]

• [SIZE=12pt]1)[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] The Walls of Karybdis: Karybdis is reckoned as the Ardans eldest settlement, standing as a virtual island city housing a thousand strong inhabitants in an extensive pier and wharf construction. With the turbulence of the Netherworld events, the delicacy inherent to local weather and tide have been thrown into flux. Increasingly violent surf is smashing Karybdis to flotsam. There’s only spare hours before Su-enae, the kilometer high tidal waves conjured up in myth by a long dead sea-witch, obliterate Karybdis. The Ardans must be evacuated, or a method found to calm the surrounding waters.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]2)[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] Eye of the Sepulcher: Ardan belief dictates that that all the grievous ill fate and death natural to life-cycles must eventually find a source to vent their pain. Once every few equinox’s, between the transitional weeks petering out from the deluge months to the summer season, natural typhoons result in the confluence of air-currents. Sometimes, they grow to continental proportions, resulting in Calabed, Father of Hurricanes. As all natural cycles continue to warp under the affliction of strange, galactic properties, an unseasonal Calabed has grown up virtually overnight. Scores of atoll villages and lagoon sanctuaries are now trapped in the maw of a killing hurricane, stranding their fishers. Rescue extraction is immediately required. To stay is to face certain death otherwise.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=12pt]3)[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] The Hour of Teeth: Given the hardy stock of its population, their peaceable outlook, and their homes’ remote isolation, Arda has been viewed as an unsullied flesh-mine waiting for Levant patrollers to turn their back. With the Sanctum under assault from interior woes, resources stretched thin, slave-raiders have taken advantage of the lapse in vigilance. Pirate crews have descended planet side, in a hurried bid to extract as many prisoners for the Outer Rim slave markets as possible. It’s up to you to help intervene on the Ardan’s behalf. If even one carrier makes the jump to lightspeed out of system, it’s likely those stole aboard will never see home again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Optional Theme[/SIZE]​

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[member="Judah Dashiell"] [member="Jaxton Ravos"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Ilias Nytrau"] [member="Jericho"] [member="Caerys Argente"] [member="Katya Shorn"] @Et All with an even character profile number and some time to spare. No rushes.​

 

[Jorus Merrill]

Optional Objective 3: The Hour of Teeth​

The old YV-929 Gypsymoth roared out of hyperspace, and that wasn't hyperbole. He seriously needed to tune the aft wave decoupler; one too many asymmetric jumps had shaken it loose.

Arda had no centralized government that he knew of. Patrollers kept a watch, and sent out the distress calls that summoned other patrollers. Where other worlds paid them in credit stipends, fuel and materiel, Ardans generally paid in fresh food and hospitality. It was as close to Q-27, his home with Alna, as anywhere in Levantine space. The planet had an innocence to it that said a great deal about the state of nature, and got Jorus' blood running cold when it was threatened.

Long-range sensors detected slaver ships, some on the surface, others clawing their way out of the gravity well. He aimed for the frontrunner of the latter group, setting engines to full burn.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

Optional Objective Three: The Hours of Teeth


Idyllic, beautiful planet that seemed to have an innocence so at odds with the harsh reality of the Galaxy? Check. Natural disasters in form of massive tidal waves and killing hurricanes that would sweep away anything that got in their path, causing untold devastation? Check. Hordes of corsairs and slavers who would exploit the cataclysm to swoop down and grab those who could not defend themselves as human cargo? Check. Solution to the first two problems? Outside of the scope of a death machine. Solution to the third was more obvious: Exterminate corsairs. Preferrably without slaughtering slaves as well because while Caerys was utterly indifferent to their fate, the Company took that sort of thing seriously. Welcome to Firemane, time to provide explosive solutions. Communications with Kaeshana were still sporadic at best, though it had been sufficient for it to become known that most of the central command was in the underworld and Sergeant Solveig was in charge.


A corsair ship aggressively descended through the atmosphere, much like a kid pouncing upon a large cake, all greed and entitlement. Filled with pirates, the stock freighter was fast and well-armed, perfectly equipped for a quick smash, loot and grab. Its crew a mixed contingent of Trandoshans, Rodians and deserters from various armies, for all sorts of disruption had been caused by the rapture. Swiftly it came down upon the ground of the verdant, beautiful world close to the outskirts of one of the settlements.


Then suddenly, as the landing ramp lowered and corsairs stormed out, armed to the teeth and eager for the spoils, there was the sound of a loud whoosh as a missile shot through the air right towards them. Caught off guard pirates quickly dispersed and sought cover, many firing wildly as they went, but as the deadly, explosive warhead impacted the explosion blossomed into a beautiful, orange fireball. The freighter shook strongly and though its shields kept much of the damage out its hull was damaged, pained cries of the wounded were heard as the detonation demandes its tribute, limbs and body parts being strewn everywhere, corsairs being tossed through the air, though those left swiftly rallied.


Putting the missile launcher down, Caerys, who until firing had been hidden in the bushes, brought forth dual boltguns. Blaster bolts and slug shots came shooting her way, bouncing off her armour as she advanced, stoicly...impassively. She cared not for the innocents of Arda; indeed, the concept of innocence was lost on her, as was something as esoteric as the value of sentient life. Be it through war or sickness, all organics died eventually. But she was a killing machine and here she was fulfilling her essential function. The fact that Firemane approved of slaughtering slavers was just a bonus. Dual bolters roared as they spat out explosive bolts to pump them out corsairs, the process of elimination began.

 

[Seydon of Arda]

+ Optional Task 1: The Walls of Karybdis +​

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A host of some six MC15 Niathal-class shuttles, courtesy of a compact between the talents at the Eshan Drive Yards and Silk Holding's engineer conceptual thought-tanks, broke from lightspeed. They made translation in the wake of a singular Reliquary vessel, black-winged and matte-armoured, punching out as much impulse propulsion as the aft-quarter fan-nozzled engines could sustain. Heat wafted out across its backwash. The Niathal's struggled maintaining reigns on the Relentless's lead. Comm. chatter spat across formation, as they made a fast peel for Arda's looming gravity well.

Soon, re-entry friction began lighting their ventral bellies. They fell in trails of weak smoke-wash, sparks of molten colour breaking Arda's monochrome overcast, jockeying against buffeting wind-bows threatening to upset their approach. Slowly, they began descent, adjusting periodically to increasing air pressure, soon making a direct peel for the wharf-city of Karybdis over wave-crests that licked at their wing-nacelles. Seydon cycled controls over to 'automated', stepping back through his Relentless to collect and dress his gear.

[member="Thessa Kai"]

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Seydon of Arda"]

It was more than a little off-setting not to be piloting. She felt restless. She couldn't believe she was just reunited with Judah and Makai a week ago after they were both lost in the rift.

A meaningful reunion would have to wait when the rest of the galaxy was headed toward chaos.

The transport shuddered slightly as it touched down within the city's walls. She got a look at the waters on the way in. It wasn't pretty. Checking her weapons, she decided to officially introduce herself to one of the Levantine Sanctum's top people. He would probably deny such a claim but that was neither here nor there.

"Master Arda? Captain Thessa Kai, reporting for duty. I'd like to take a team of people to scout the perimeter of the city. On the way in, I noticed the tide was out more than normal for any region. I'd reckon a tsunami is headed this way and we don't have much time."

 

[Kaida Taldir]

Optional Objective Three: The Hour of Teeth


It was one of the many bizarre ironies that even whilst Arda was about to face natural disasters of unspeakable proportions, there were still those who would come to raid, rape and pillage, thus despoiling this idyllic world even more with their greed and the violence they brought. Death was rank in the air, as was fear, hatred and the smell of burnt, roasted flesh. In space and upon the surface battles raged. Levantine Patrollers along with some Firemane mercenaries flown in from Tabaqui, along with the native militia, were facing the corsairs who had come here to take the people of this world as their slaves. Blood was spilt, blade clashed upon blade and the cries of the wounded resonated across the area.


Caerys Argente was, needless to say, in her element. She was well-aware of the fact that very soon massive hurricanes would sweep across the land, an irresistible force that would inevitably crush anything that stood in its path. For though the power of technological terrors and of what organics call the 'Force' is immense, even it is dwarfed by the power of nature. A humbling experience, perhaps. However, she was...unconcerned. She would be away once the great storms hit, or so the plan was, and in any case a machine was not programmed to feel fear.


For now it was just her and the horde of pirates she had engaged after so impolitely crushing the party by shooting a missile at their freighter, thus rendering it useless for takeoff. A fierce firefight had developed, the confused and angry pirates seeking to swarm and overwhelmn her with their firepower. Unfortunately for them, the droid did not give them the chance. As she advanced, implacably, ruthlessly, her dual bolters fired. It would perhaps be inaccurate to label them as mere weapons, for that would not do the connection justice, rather it seemed as if they were extensions of herself. One barked explosive bolts to blow pirates into oblivion, the other was loaded with APE rounds. Very few of the corsairs had heavy armour and thus the miniaturised HEAT shells simply tore through their protection and tore their flesh apart. Bushes and rocks provided nice cover for her for when she needed it, slug shots and blaster bolts rained down upon her but still she advanced, scything her way through slavers.


One of her bolters clicked, the magazine having been emptied, and she let it fall out of her grasp to the ground, rather than reload. Producing a shatter pistol she spied a thermal detonator being tossed her way. As the deadly ball of explosive death sailed through the air she tracked its path and trajectory thanks to her photoreceptors, motion trackers and sensors, combined with the processor that allowed her to calculate at a high-speed rate, so that all the information was laid out in her HUD. Her shatter gun was raised and she fired, one tiny pellet leapt out at super high-velocity and speed, hitting the detonator and making it explode prematurely.


BAAAAM. The explosion caused a massive shockwave and a shower of hot shards of shrapnel. Corsairs were caught in the magnificient blast, though Caerys did not fully escape either due to the large radius, and she was tossed against a tree, at a considerable speed that would have killed a normal person. However, she was far from normal! As she was thrust towards the tree Caerys managed to brace her legs and push off the tree rather than hitting it, landing upon the sand-covered ground with a roll.


Several corsairs lay dead, but they seemed to be the determined sort. Or perhaps they believed she had been more weakened by the attack and wanted this skirmish to be over quickly, and so two speeder bikes fanned out, both sweeping towards her. Caerys weaved and rolled through a hail of blasterfire as they unleashed their repeaters. A jagged piece of metal had embedded itself in her shoulder and so she pulled it out.


As one of the bikes surged towards her, she suddenly leapt into the air...repeaters were levelled upward and fired but by then she had landed and violently kicked one of the pirates off his bike, taken over the controls and rotated the repeater to blast his comrade with a hailstorm of searing, crimson bolts that lanced through the air. One hand steered the bike at a speed almost too fast for the naked eye to track, another gripped a grenade that was loaded with DUST. The small ball was tosssed through the air right into the middle of the corsairs as another slaver transport came in for landing. Within moments a pinkish, brown cloud was billowing up into the sky...the ideal marker for an air attack.


[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Objective II : Eye of the Sepulcher​

Location : Arda atmosphere​

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Siren's Song dropped out of hyperspace, deposited into the quiet atmosphere of Arda. He was semi-familiar with the planet. Judah had traded for a plot of land and built a little beach cottage from local materials. Completely off grid. Being a man of his position it was nice to get away and be ignored for days on end. Most of the time, he brought Makai. It was useful for the boy to learn some camping-like, non-technological skills. Father-son bonding and the like.


In fact, he had just dropped his son off at their 'vacation' home on the Tabaqui beaches. While no part of the galaxy was immune to the chaos, Tabaqui was less populated. The people there were used to having little in the way of governmental services and assistance. Heck, most of the planet was a loose collection of villages and towns to begin with. No one would mess with Makai there. Certainly not with the bodyguard-nannydroid on watch.Naturally, there was no getting Thessa to stay with their son. Then again, they really hadn't talked or seen each other. Etti IV ended up being a 'nice to see you're alive, got to run' type of reunion.


Quiet from above, Arda was currently anything but. Judah was directing the Siren towards that glorified camping site of his. A typhoon was barreling down on the people who lived in that section of islands. Since moving to Ceto, he was no stranger to typhoons himself. However, on Ceto he had a nice,sturdy house with automatic metal shutters. Not so much on Arda. Although the natives knew what to do to survive. Perhaps once they had survived this he could help the locals build stone houses. Or maybe one large stone lodge, for storm protection.


The Siren's Song banked and started to descend towards the massive hurricane.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

Objective Three: Hour of Teeth

He'd replaced his assault concussion missiles and, indeed, his lighter warheads with mag pulse charges. Cracking the slaver ship like an egg was not in the cards. Warheads leaped away, closing the gap between them, their velocity a composite of their own thrust and the Gypsymoth's. He angled up -- not that up meant anything -- then dipped back down, changing his angle of attack just enough so that his cannons wouldn't strike his warheads. Light turbolasers and full-strength ion cannons hammered the target's shields. The first few mag pulses assisted; then the shields went down, and the remaining warheads knocked out every bit of electronics from stem to stern.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

- Optional Task 1: The Walls of Karybdis -​

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For the second time this month, the blind girl was on a mission. And that was rather strange when you think about a person not being able to see at all doing something incredibly dangerous. But that was life and she just couldn't turn away from the galaxy to make herself more comfortable. Sacrifices had to be made.

And that's why Ellya was aboard the ship with some other people to aid the city of Karybdis on the planet of Arda. She didn't know many of the people, but she heard the names of [member="Seydon of Arda"] and [member="Thessa Kai"] and she believed they were some kind of heads of the faction. Not like it's leaders, but just... high-ranked.

She didn't know even know where the man and the woman were, but she did believe she would have to ask for what she could do. Perhaps it was her time to come out of the comfort zone twice.

"A tsunami? Shall we evacuate the people of the city, then?"

The girl could feel the drama in the air.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

That left him perilously close to empty so far as warheads were concerned, but now he had the measure of these transports. He could take down the next ship's shields with cannons alone, and maybe even disable the bulk of it with cannons too. The engines, at least, and he was fairly sure where the hyperdrive was located too.

That, at least, was the plan. As the second transport took the hit, however, the third and fourth accelerated on a divergent course. Feth.

And with the Force gone entirely wrong, he couldn't trust his gut. No assurances, no instincts apart from those he'd honed as a pilot. He slammed a few ion cannon bolts into what he sincerely hoped was the second slave transport's hyperdrive, then looped away toward the third. His remaining missiles lanced out -- a waste of their disabling potential, but they ought to take down the shields quicker than his cannons. (He fired those too.)

 

[Seydon of Arda]

[member="Thessa Kai"] [member="Ellya"]

Seydon drew up his eyes, scanning over the thread-bare personnel issuing out of their on-loan shuttles. They were each a tempered, patrol-licensed Levant, girded up in the familiar white-on-grey digital camoflage that was a hallmark of their favoured, hooded extreme-clime armour. Each was busily fitting in their micro-beads, scattering vocal mic check-ins. Ordinarily, Arda was almost too blessedly warm. Now, the air was curling round their chests with clinging damp. Wind was frigid, and brought an ache to their ears. Behind them, mounted across extensive wharfs, catwalks and palm-thatched grilles, the settlement-city Karybdis was trying to swallow back its own panic. Seydon turned to the assembled operators, nodding to both women. That chill wetting their faces was growing more icy.

"We'll have to relay the shuttles back and forth. There's hundreds of bodies to move, and we've only - " He counted the stilled vessels idling on the beach. " - At best six. ...Ms. Kai, take a pair of men and do a fast run up around the outer piers. Check for any stragglers, and send or escort them back here. Ms. Ellya, rally the rest of the operators. We'll turn this beach head into an evacuation center point. If we're lucky, we'll displace the population before that great wave descends and drowns everything out."

 

[Digo Odel]

[member="Seydon of Arda"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] @Ellya @Judah Dashiell [member="Caerys Argente"] [member="Thessa Kai"]

The Jaunty Umbaran burst from hyperspace engines roaring like a krayt dragon after its prey as it barreled toward the world below. The heavy engines propelled it on as the large creature behind the steering yoke hunched over the pilot's console. His large yellow eyes scanning the planet in the distance for telltale signs of life or at the very least a habital zone to aim for. A thick skinned hand rose over his head and activated the IFF that declared him a merchant vessel from Umbara.

The ship rumbled but didn't slow as it entered the gravity well like a great fish plunging into the sea after cresting the surface. There were few things Digo did and fewer still he talked about but helping people when it was in his power to do so topped his list of willing employments. Finally he got a full report from someone who knew what was happening and he began making his way through the clouds to extract citizens from the death trap that was the monster hurricane. He twitched a small ear as he saw what was no doubt the most spectacularly life threatening storm he had ever seen. He swallowed hard took a deep breath and made his way to the nearest village for extraction. "Please don't kill me" was all he offered to the hurricane as it made it's way toward the islands.

 

[Nephesh Raivah]

Objective: Eye of the Sepulcher

Coming in for a landing with only a few drop ships. Just how many there at this spot didn't even know. Being briefed if only one could say it was a detailed one. Not knowing all details but enough get the show on the road to speak of.

It seem all eyes upon her. Who was she to give orders, it was true she knew how to be one to give out orders. That was a different time of her life here she starting over. Being trained as she had by her master knowing what need to be done. Getting it done with the force help.

Giving a nob, in her now plain looking clothing.

Lets make it happen "Move it Move it." pointing to three giving some instructions.

Getting on her commlink. [member="Seydon of Arda"] "Reporting in, starting to evacuate.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

Objective Three: Hour of Teeth


Like birds of prey, Gunships swooped down to deliver fiery, explosive death as they unleashed a payload of missiles and cluster bombs upon the landing corsairs, having been guided to the area by the cloud of DUST. Magnificient desolation ensued as orange blossoms rose up into the sky. Screams were heard, pirates died, though a Gunship was downed by RPG fire and crashed.


Caerys looked, you might have guessed it, impassive as she saw the desolation, having abandoned her speeder after ramming it into a couple of pirates. Picking up a discarded rotary blaster cannon, she closed in upon the surviving pirates, backed up by Levantine Rangers and Firemane mercenaries. The cannon, in practice the blaster equivalent of a minigun, spat out salvoes of crimson death. Corsairs who got close enough to her where scythed or simply bashed to death as she used her cannon like an improvised club.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Where : Arda​

Objective : Hurricane!​

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All too quickly Judah found himself quickly sweating in the cockpit. Hands gripped the controls tightly as the wind twisted around the Siren at a rapid pace. He wasn't an ace pilot like Thessa, decent, but not spectacular in any way. Hopefully it wouldn't matter too much. Land, help the locals, ride out typhoon.....right?After all, the natives he had come to know had done this season after season. He was just here to help out.



The Siren was soon set upon the tropical isle. Judah quickly locked the landing gear in place before shrugging on his rain coat. A pack with basic supplies hoisted onto his back as he exited the comforts of the ship. Reaching the natives was always a hike. There was really only one clear spot on the entire island. Even though the outer bands were just reaching the island, Judah could tell it was going to be rough. The wind was already picking up and the seas were rough, white-capped. His rain coat was useless, already soaked to the bone. Exposed skin felt like it was being pricked by needles due to the sands kicking up and blowing everywhere.


Pulling the hood back onto his head, Judah trudged on the familiar path. Hopefully the natives would be there when he arrived.