Faction Spice and Wolves [WSR]

[Flame of Rebellion]

Kessel
SPICE AND WOLVES

Objective One: Emancipation​

The Spice Mines of Kessel has long been the home of the largest slave operation in the outer rim. While the Hutt's control over the planet has ebbed and flowed over the centuries, the slave-led mines have long been a reliable source of income to any who hold it.

But now?

The mines are in-between owners. They still are still run by regional warlords, but the Hutts, the Imperials, and the Black Sun all have their eyes elsewhere. While the local warlords get paid a plenty, their forces are weak. Thus, the Wild Space Rebellion strikes.

The Liberation arrives in orbit, and the Wild Space Rebellion has one mission: Take down the local warlords. Hit the enemy where it hurts, and free as many as we can.

Objective Two: Moon Base Alpha​

The Moons of Kessel have long been an unused part of the system. The Wild Space Rebellion seeks to set up a series of bases, listening posts and secret hideaways in the moons as a depot for Rebel fleets and spies.

While the moons are supposedly uninhabited, that doesn't seem to be true upon arrival. What lies within the rocky craters? The deep caverns? The abandoned bases of old?

Care to find out, soldier?

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Open​

Kessel was one of those planets Jonyna had always intended to visit during her old life. The Rebellion of old had never been in a position to free the planet for it's tyranny, even as she watched it blow up Death Stars.

She planned to fix that today.

The Tenacity landed with a thud. The local warlord, a hutt who seemed intent to keep himself locked up in his bunker, had set up a rather large defensive position around the mine. Several turbolaser emplacements, and a whole battalion of mercenaries who seem intent on killing anyone who gets close.

As Jonyna stepped off the ramp, about a mile out from the attack vector, she watched as Rocs came down alongside her. The Rebellion wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Now she just needed to see who was coming with her.

 

[Rath Nihro]

F R E E D O M

Armor: Sasori Ranger’s Armor
Weapons: Dawn | Shroudsaber | Ace of Spades
Tag: Jonyna Si | OPEN

Kessel had long since been the gem that every warlord and warmonger cherished. Those who took control over the planet would net millions, if not more, of credits and labor. It certainly wasn’t that of the justified mind, but those who were willing to do anything for greed. Even if it meant selling their own kin for some extra creds.

Rath personally never set foot in such a planet, but he had dealt with people who originated from Kessel. He found it hard to believe that people could survive in such a desolate planet, and yet some people made civilization possible within planets such as Tatooine and Hoth. The Hawk broke through the orbit alongside many other ships that hailed the Rebellion’s call. Rath’s presence could easily be felt by those sensitive in the Force, like there was a weighted blanket draped over their shoulders.

”Ten years, and this is the first time I’ve set foot in this place.” Rath muttered to himself as he geared up. There was no one else in the ship with him, so he tended to converse with himself from time to time. Steam hissed from the vents as the ramp lowered to the rocky terrain, exposing the internal ship to the environment. The dark-haired man’s boots were light on the metal ramp over the howling wind.

Rath wordlessly scanned the horizons through the Kirino Visual Interface within his helmet. Even from so far away, he detected multiple heat signatures, both living and machine, at work. His feet carried him to stand beside Master Si as he glanced around for any openings they could use, but it was a fortified base of operations.

”Seems like they’re rolling out the red carpet for us.”

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Rath Nihro​

Jonyna herself was watching through a pair of thermal binocs. "Looks like it. How you wanna deal with this? Wait for reinforcements to land, or just deal with it ourselves? I don't expect those turbolaser emplacements to let us get siege walkers in."

Jonyna was already formulating a plan herself, but she was curious to hear the younger jedi's take. She knew they could take those, but it was just a matter of how.

Fighter bombers? Tactical Bombers? Jedi? A Strike team? The thoughts raced through her head. She didn't feel any force users in there. God forbid they had a mando.

 

[Rath Nihro]

F R E E D O M

Armor: Sasori Ranger’s Armor
Weapons: Dawn | Shroudsaber | Ace of Spades
Tag: Jonyna Si

It didn’t take a stroke of genius to figure out that a frontal assault would be perilous, and yet time was against them as well. The longer the slaves are kept in captivity, the longer they should face such situations. Rath couldn’t locate any other vantage point either aside from the entrance, and it was likely they had turret placements built within the mountain itself. The easiest form of assault would involve delving underground and burrowing their way into the fortress-like mine from below, but that would also risk the cave’s integrity. Never mind how much time it would cost to bring the equipment necessary for such a plan.

”We’ll have to create a diversion to pull their attention away from the gates.” Rath suggested, but as for how to create said diversion was a scenario that he was wrestling with in his mind.

’It would be so easy if you weren’t playing house with these people. Show no mercy, don’t hold back.’ A spectral voice that echoed within Rath’s thoughts brought a familiar chill. Despite his letting go of legions of souls from being confined within his body, there were still more than a few who were content with lingering within him. The voice that had just spoken was one of the Sith Lords from ancient times, and he was a being seething with tempered rage. A rage that Rath had once pulled his strength from in the past.

”Do you trust me to test something?” He inquired as he peered his attention from the fort towards Master Si. It wasn’t that Rath was going to do what the Sith Spirit suggested, but there was already a plan formulating within his mind. The only problem was that Rath never truly allowed himself to muster such power within the Force, not since his reforming.

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Rath Nihro​

Jonyna had come a long way since her days as a rebel padawan, learning not from masters and temples, but from scraps and ruins. But she'd also come a long way since the NJO. Since Valery named her Master. If Wild Space had taught her one thing, it was that she couldn't rely on being nice.

Rebellions weren't won through sticking to the playbook.

"Go for it. If it helps, it helps. If not, we have other ways."

Above them, it started to rain. Jonyna had her own plan. One familiar to the veterans of the Battle of Coruscant.

 

[Rath Nihro]

F R E E D O M

Armor: Sasori Ranger’s Armor
Weapons: Dawn | Shroudsaber | Ace of Spades
Tag: Jonyna Si

Rath nodded his head as Master Si gave him the green light. In the past, he had crushed living things and torn apart whole starships with a wave of his hand. As if the very fabric of reality yielded to his command whenever he deemed it so. In the past, Rath pulled the Force into submission under his grasp, and even worse, he used it to steal the life force and souls from the living. To many, that act alone would cause anyone too intoxicated in the Dark Side to turn away from it.

Fate, as it turned out, had a twisted sense of humour when Rath was placed on the opposing side that he had fought against for so long, but his battle with the Sith remained unchanged.

Rath reached out with one hand as he cast his sight out and plunged his senses into the rumbling storm overhead. Like crashing waves of a raging ocean that rose as tall as the mountains, but such was how the Force felt to him. It wasn’t that of Light or Dark, there was only the Force that breathed through the very nature. His gloved hand prickled with thousands of invisible needles as currents of electricity lanced through his arm.

The clouds overhead darkened and spiralled with the fortress at the centre. A wellspring of the Force surged from his body as he felt every particle of energy that danced wildly and untamed within the condensed moisture. Every flame of life that filled the fortress’s ranks, like a pulse of warmth that rippled upon the ocean’s frigid surface. However, the living weren’t the targets that he was after, and instead, he felt the energy that flowed throughout the mines. The source originated from deeper within the mines, but there were connection points where the power was diverted throughout the base.

With a resounding crack of thunder that sundered the earth, a flash of lightning slammed into what appeared to be a force shield before it overloaded said shield with a plume of smoke and fire that emerged from the depths. Rath’s hand moved as if he was gently guiding the energy to collect and direct with the flow before connecting to a singular point. That singular point swiftly became the next highest point of the base. Another crash of lightning danced from the storm to one of the turrets along the west side. The lights flickered wildly for a second before they went dark in that sector.

”It probably won’t be long before they get the west side of the wall covered with blasters, but if I may make a suggestion. Perhaps we can divert our force into two. Have one army dedicated to siege weaponry and anti-air troops focusing on the west, and the other half would be attacking them on the east side.” It was a basic strategy, but with the West Point being rendered useless due to their typical weaponry, technology, and doors being offline. It’ll force the defenders to focus their efforts on protecting where they’re vulnerable, but not if they’re being attacked from opposing sides. It’ll maximise their assault while also halving the fortress’s defensive forces as well.

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Rath Nihro OPEN​

Jonyna watched as Rath executed pretty much exactly the same plan Jonyna had been prepping for. It wasn't often she met others who specialized in her field, that of nature itself.

"Not a bad plan. You ever been a rebel before that I didn't know about?"

Jonyna smirked slightly. What she would've given to have someone like him during the Battle of Mon Cala. Still, her mind raced, as it always did. Without skipping a beat, she raised an arm to poke at a holo-comm.

<Stardust to all units. Siege of the western wall is to begin ASAP. Air Corp and the 34th, prep for immediate assault. All other troops, prep for an assault on the eastern defenses. We'll need to divert them.>

The first thing to come was The Tornados, who had been circling high above on standby, just outside of the range of the enemy anti-air. Waiting for a signal. First came the rip of twin chain-lasers, cleaning whatever men that might have been left on the wall. A rainstorm of laser fire that was meant to force the heads of the enemy down, before the next pass came. That being, a trial of composite beam lasers aimed at remaining anti-air defenses.

Then the final pass. Proton Bombs rained from the sky, the western wall becoming an eruption of high explosive power, enough to send a shockwave that hit both Jonyna and Rath like a punch to the chest.

Still, the wall stood. The structure was damaged, but still held. Jonyna knew they still had work to do, as the Rocs came down with walkers and troops in tow.

The Cathar turned to Rath, and raised an eyebrow. "Any other bright ideas?"

 

[Rath Nihro]

F R E E D O M

Armor: Sasori Ranger’s Armor
Weapons: Dawn | Shroudsaber | Ace of Spades
Tag: Jonyna Si | OPEN

A smirk played on Rath’s lips to Master Si’s comment. It was perhaps a little too close to home. As far as Rath could remember, after he had stopped playing the part of a soldier, Rath never truly stuck to a code such as the Sith’s or the Jedi’s. So in a way, he was always rebelling regardless of where he went.

”Something like that. Let’s see…” Rath trailed off as he pondered as to what would be the next move. After witnessing the heavy assault from their aircraft upon the vulnerable fortress, although the wall stood tall, it was clear that strong of an assault would cause unrest to some.

One thing Rath knew for sure, if the warlords were anything, they were incredibly cunning as they were resourceful. Which meant that the entrance to the mine’s depths contained a heavy blast door that could weather any assault on the ground, and aerial would be out of the question. It would certainly be the defender’s primary defence if their outer defence failed. Cracking such a hard shell was still within the realm of possibility, but it’d waste far more time, effort, and resources. All of which the slaves held little of.

”Eventually, at some point, they’ll retreat into the mines. We’ll need to either secure the entrance or find a way so that they can’t seal it off.” His green eyes shifted over to Master Si before his shoulders shrugged.

”Sounds like a job for two Jedi, don’t you think?” And with the defence spread thin, their front door was the silver lining out of the whole thing. Less guarded, and perfect for them to carve more chaos as the warlords’ men scramble to muster some form of control.

 

[Kessari Vorn]

Tags: Jonyna Si Rath Nihro
Objective: Objective 1, Emancipation

Slavery was one of those diseases that was endemic to the galaxy, Kessari, and by extension, The Sovereign Dawn, had been working to eradicate it. Their methods were the kind that would put the worst slavers' brutality to shame, but left them with little room to work openly against Kessel. They could only strike at transports bringing in slaves or hauling out spice to try and make the practice no longer profitable, though it never seemed to have any long-term effect. Now, thanks to the Wild Space Rebellion, Kessari had a chance to raid the mines directly and put the screws on the slavers.

A flotilla made up of eight of the new Ironback Corvettes and a slew of CR90s in a troop carrier configuration entered the system, each of the Ironbacks launching a squadron of Flyswatters to spread out and cause problems for the warlords who controlled the mines. The Ironbacks would stay in orbit while the CR90s would ground at a different assembly point that Jonyna and Rath had used, disgorging an entire brigade of what looked like a modern-day peasant mob, weapons and armour varied wildly, with everything from military equipment, civilian gear, and some highly illegal gear mixed in for good measure. Some small groups looked like they had some consistency, but the only thing the whole assembly had in common was a blaze orange armband with the fist and broken chain of the Sovereign Dawn printed on it.

As Kessari stepped down the ramp of the lead troop carrier, she pressed a button on a comlink earpiece. Broadcasting on an open frequency boasted by the corvette behind her, she said, "I heard ya'll were having a party, thought I'd bring a few friends."

In a messy but enthusiastic formation, the bands of Sovereign Dawn pushed forward in a stampede of flesh headed towards the north edge of the compound, intent on splitting the forces of the slavers even further. Somewhere up in the mass of insurgents, someone shouted.

​

"CHAINS BREAK WITH THE DAWN!"​

The call was taken up by others in the mob, and it soon turned into a chant audible from a shocking distance.

As the Dawn lacked a lot of heavy equipment, a bunch of Si Tech missile launchers had been handed out like candy. Anyone who was willing to take on the weight of the launcher and missiles was given one and a crash course in its use so they didn't kill anyone they weren't trying to with it and told to have fun.

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Rath Nihro Kessari Vorn ​

"It does sound like that, doesn't it?" Jonyna chuckled.

Rath was right. The mines posed a problem for them, in that their owners could potentially retreat endlessly through them.

They needed to figure out the head of the operation, and cause disarray. For the two jedi, that was a matter of pinning down who was in charge. Jonyna's mind went into a meditation as she thought that over, only broken as two things happened simultaniously.

First, Kessari's troops landed. A mob that could play as a driving force to take the western wall. She wouldn't trust them to act as a forward assault on the east, too easy to lose men there, but as a raiding force, with air support they could infiltrate the Western wall with minimal casualties.

The second was Gress D'ran 's 34th landing, ready to take on the western wall.

Jonyna turned to Kessari, nodding. "I appreciate the company. If you wouldn't mind, make sure your men focus on the west? We can shift them east once the turbolasers there are down. We need to make sure this goes smoothly, morale in the mines is still gonna be low, we don't want the locals to think we're just new management."

Without taking a breath, she spoke into her comm. <Gress, shift east. Now that we have boots on the ground, the Stompers are more useful punching at the Eastern Wall.>

Strategy was learned not through books, but through battles. And Jonyna had seen plenty of battles. For now though...

She turned back to Rath.

"I suspect we'll need to get inside first before we can find any signs of leadership. Our intel is lacking, but I don't think we had the time to find out. Care to try and sense anything? If we can pin down who's in charge, we can focus on them."