Invasion System Shock: Devising a Virus | TSC Invasion of GE-held Coruscant Superhex Objective One

[Arris Windrun]

TSC: Riffraff Ranat Snees D'ner Gillem Naniti | OPEN
GE: Vireth Yuri Maji | OPEN

​

Something sinister was afoot on the great city planet; few were privy to the utter chaos before it unfolded. On a day like any other, with the endless hustle and bustle natural to an ecumenopolis, dozens of ragtag agents were strategically positioned across various levels of the expansive city.

A grand-scale slicing operation was underway, led by Riffraff Ranat, who was well aware of the power of going unnoticed. Some weeks in advance, a few palms had been greased to obtain access codes and to ensure the right people would look the other way at the right time. Slipping beneath notice, one Ranat and her compatriots had laid the groundwork for one of the largest cyberattacks the galaxy had ever seen… And in moments, they would spring it.

Summary: The Sith Covenant springs a massive cyberattack to cripple Coruscant's infrastructure and create a "digital front" on the battlefield to impede the planet's defenders and sow chaos. Imperial forces will have to track down, shut down, and otherwise stop these attackers or risk the Covenant turning Coruscant itself into a weapon.

​

 

[Riffraff Ranat]

Tags: Friends — Snees D'ner | Gillem | Abishai Jade | Naniti | OPEN
Foes — Vireth | Yuri Maji | OPEN

OBJECTIVE ONE
Prologue - 2 Weeks Prior
Coruscant​

It hadn't been easy to get a small crew planetside but even under authoritarian Imperial rule, there were always cracks in the system to slip through. On a planet with a population well into the trillions? It was merely a matter of appearing meek and choosing one's opportunities wisely. Nondescript maintenance uniforms were always helpful for slipping by unnoticed and once planetside, Riffraff was able to fabricate more thorough disguises.

A few of her operatives had been nabbed during that initial quiet insurgence, picked up on unrelated warrants or poorly maintained falsified documents. None of them were in possession of Riffraff's tech at the time thankfully, and most only sparse detail about the plan in motion. Close calls were part of the deal and with any luck, her compatriots would be retrieved post operation. If luck was absent? Well, Riffraff could only hope they didn't suffer overlong.

Those who arrived ahead of the job never met up in person of groupings larger than two, and they were generally expected to keep to their disparate ways whilst sharing only brief encrypted communications about set up. Things moved somewhat slowly for that reason, but it was safer that way. Gradually, key terminals across various levels of the city world had been identified, staked out, and accounted for in the imminent cyberattack.

Present
Undercity
Somewhere Between Levels 5 and 4
Amongst Wiring and Air Ducts
​

Tucked away deep within the bowels of the undercity, Riffraff was ready. Slicer spikes with pre-loaded malware had been divvied out to various agents and provocateurs. All of her agents and associates were dispersed throughout the higher levels and those amongst them that she trusted the most were equipped with closed system comms that relied on small power cells to generate signal rather than the grid or any kind of towers to be operational. Signal was likely to be a bit spotty at times, but they'd make it work.

Riffraff didn't mind that she'd be buried deep within the bowels of the planet for most of the operation that was happening above. In fact, there was a quiet sense of safety operating from her ranat's nest of a slicer den. Her role was not without risk however, and digital safeguards must be closely monitored throughout the operation. She always had an escape hatch planned, physically and encryption wise, but the slicer was hoping things would go smoothly enough that it wouldn't come to that.

Cracking clawed knuckles, the purple ranat keyed up comms and started the necessary work of aligning code for the inevitable cascade of controlled dysfunction. She'd been careful in her planning to leave life systems as untouched as possible, given that the entire planet needed infrastructure to maintain a functioning atmosphere with breathable air, but mistakes or slip ups were bound to happen.

[[ Look sharp, gang. We go live in 30 seconds. ]]

Higher Levels
​

Lights across numerous city blocks flickered, then went out. Comms supported by various transmitters and receivers throughout the city crackled and cut out. Ships and speeders at various altitudes were suddenly flying blind, several were soon colliding midair and showered screaming civilians below in sparks and detritus.

Water piped through city systems stopped flowing properly, it backed up and pooled disastrously in others. Crucial heating and cooling elements were suddenly on the fritz and the pandemonium soon spread from electrical sources to infect sentient souls with confusion and terror.


Summary:
Mission critical — maintain control of specific terminals, continue to sow chaos by keeping key infrastructure and systems unusable or unreliable.

What we seek to gain — further hindering defense of the planet by creating chaos, assisting our invasion forces, eventually working toward more lasting control of key infrastructure/ systems.

 

[Abishai Jade]

The first strike was to Abishai's gut, doubling him over and robbing him of breath. The second was across his face, spinning him away towards the alley wall to his right. He tried, desperately, to grab at something that would keep him from falling. It was unsuccessful. He fell to the ground, forehead smacking harshly against a pipe.

When he rolled over, his vision had blurred. Abishai blinked a few times, but his attacker remained doubled. He tried, but failed, to stand. How had he lost this fight when he was winning it so easily to begin with? The shock of the turn around was only surpassed by the shock to his head after he fell.

"Wait...wait...just hear me out..."

"We done talking, gutter-boy," came the approaching attacker.

The approaching thug was on the left...no...the right. His vision was not clearing.

"It was fifty credits..."

"My fifty credits. No one steals from Ballak Shau and gets away with it," snarled the man as he reached out and grabbed Abishai by the shirt, yanking him to his feet.

"He is still talking about himself in the third person though," Abishai blinked to push blood away from his eyes, but failed miserably.

And then the lights went out.

"Wha..."

The pause before the killing punch was all Abishai needed. It wasn't pretty, but brawls rarely were. The young man bit the wrist of his assaulter, drawing blood, which he spat out as he was dropped to the ground.

For the first time in weeks, he opened himself to the Force, letting the pain fuel him. The impression of the attacker's location crystallised in his mind's eye, and his foot kicked out quickly. There was only one place you aimed when you wanted to down a man quickly. And Ballak Shau dropped immediately, clutching his groin and letting out a breathless groan.

No time was wasted in asserting his dominance, as Abishai jumped to his feet, shoulder ramming into his attacker's chest. Within a moment, he had his knee on the man's chest, and he gave him not even a moment to plead.

He punched. Once. Twice. It felt good. A third time. Straight across Shau's face. A smile slowly formed, unseen in the dark, as Abishai wailed on the man, until his legs stopped twitching.

Panting for breath, Abishai slumped to the side. His senses were alight with the thrill of the moment, a high that would take some time to come down from. It was dangerous being untethered like this. But when he got this way, reason was already gone.

With bloodied face and fists, Abishai stood, and stumbled towards the exit of the alley. Sentients all about scrambled past the alley. He could feel that this darkness was more than just an accident at the local transformers. He could feel more to it. Perhaps a way off this metal rock, and away from all the debt he had incurred by killing a crime lord's right-hand man.

Fyi, Riffraff Ranat @Open
​

 

[Naniti]

The Covenant were Sith. They had plenty of bodies to push around and command, but of those trusted with autonomy and duty fewer were intellectually inclined. Not stupid, by any means, but not driven to less physical or authoritarian pursuits. Which presented a problem even for the immense talent of Riffraff Ranat . Not that they expected to amass an army of the galaxy's greatest slicers it would seem, but it would help if their assistants were at least capable of independent action. Understanding the importance of things; how the various facets connected and where the enemy might try to intervene. It wasn't mandatory, but it was wise. So, Naniti had offered to join those enabling Riffraff's pursuits on Coruscant.

Not that the Togruta was known for being cloistered in her room trying to break her way through some planet's security. No, Naniti liked studying matters of a more... galactic scope. Perhaps even 'metaphysical' in nature. A personal interest spurred on by a vision of the distant future. Hopefully distant; she was hardly ready to face it just yet with the limited information available. It wouldn't stop her from being prepared, however, to be more than a speed bump for their enemies.

Naniti had spent some time brushing up on slicing, bypass spikes, and even some electrical knowledge for messing with the wiring. Skills that should prove useful in their mission. It'd be enough to keep sassy gremlins from thinking this minion was all thumbs, and couldn't slice their way out of a trash compactor.

In the time between arrival and launch, the violet woman had taken to maintaining her cover by not engaging in any questionable activities. If anything, she'd spent her time mapping the layout of the area. A city world was one giant maze, and eventually it'd come time for the mission to end. Be a damn shame if she couldn't avoid a drag net and became a permanent resident. Fortunately, such a future was not in the cards. Didn't mean she could kick back and let dominoes fall as they may.

Between strolls, Naniti planted Riffraff's packages in preparation for the show.

Shame there wasn't time or opportunity to buy or purloin plenty of souvenirs. Plenty of holodramas had been made on Coruscant or featured it. Be a problem hauling them around when the time came. It was important to remain light and nimble to avoid the Imperial counterstroke. Might still manage a few small items. Larger ones if customs didn't get in the way of shipping a completely innocuous package well before Riffraff made a mess of things.

No artifacts though. Arris would be disappointed, but those sorts of things wouldn't make it through customs and the underworld was not something Naniti could afford to be associated with in an Imperial databank. Maybe next time.

At last, Riffraff announced the commencement of the festivities. The Togruta didn't mind. There were benefits to having montrals. Not that Imperials ever even begrudgingly acknowledged it. A lack of lighting only benefited her in keeping photos and videos from capturing her presence. And for those with nightvision or a flashlight, she'd decided on adopting a mask to conceal her features. Nothing flashy. Just something appropriate for a maintenance worker.

It was an outfit Naniti would be glad to be rid of. Probably best Lysander didn't see her in it. He'd make a dry quip. Probably not even at her expense, but he'd bring it up again and again somehow. Maybe say something like she was good at fixing things. As if an aspiring Sith Lord should be known as a tinkerer! A woman had to set her goals a little higher than that. Worse part was how difficult it would be to remain mad at him about it too.

Riffraff Ranat | Abishai Jade | Open​

 

[Snees D'ner]

Friend: Riffraff Ranat Abishai Jade Naniti Gillem
Foe: Vireth Yuri Maji

Open!

​

Nar Shaddaa, in its own way, had grown too comfortable lately. Running a modest side business out of the Red Ronin gave him something close to stability. For someone of his tiny stature, it felt.. pretty damn good, having some pull in the underbelly. And it definitely beat the life he would’ve had scraping together back on Tatooine with his clan.. digging through sand and broken pieces of junk.

Snees had finally rolled into town with Riffraff packed aboard the Big Ages. It had been a bit of a gamble, even by his standards, whose idea of a good time often danced right on the edge of disaster. Luckily, they sailed through. The kind of getaway that reminded the Jawa why he put up with these sketchy operators and Sith.

He was in the same district when the signal buzzed through.

Soon, it would be time to hit that big red button, and not by accident.

Moving closer, there would be a slight detour. An old maintenance locker was bolted into the wall there, partially hidden by cables. Snees had been keeping an eye for most of the day. The Duskmold Rocket Launcher rested exactly where he paid someone leave it. Realistically, he'd be lucky to fire off even one shot. Something as a last resort. Still, clutching that beast made him feel bigger than he was.

Thirty seconds would go quick.

A wide brim hat was pulled down a little as he tightened the orange scarf around his neck and mouth. Snees scanned the area, yellow eyes glowing beneath. He had a sense of who he might be working with. The cowboy, Gillem, he already knew well enough, and he’d seen the acolyte noodlehead drifting out and about a couple times since their arrival.

Hopefully neither wandered too close if he was forced to squeeze a trigger.

Whether his role would be muscle or require a bit of slicing of his own.. only time would tell.

 

[Gillem]

GILLEM

Gillem had eyes on both of them as the togruta and Snees did their own things throughout the street. He had been keeping an eye on just about everyone for this operation. Not much got past him. He let out a soft sigh before he descended from the building quietly. Walking down the streets with his hands in his coat and his hat pulled down. The old Morellian Ranger armor hugged his body. Flexible with plenty of protection from blaster fire and slug throwers.

He walked up behind Snees.

“Well, look at that. You do know fashion.”

He tipped his hat at him. Then he opened up his coat to pull out his cigarette pack. His fingers dipped into the pocket to feel nothing.

“Hm. What the hell”

He patted his coat down as he searched for his sweet tabac goodness. Already he was starting to feel irked. There was two things you never took from a man. His caffeine and his nicotine. Unfortunately he wasn’t much of a coffee drinker.

“Say, you don’t happen to have a cigarette do ya?”

He looked back at Snees as he watched him pull out a launcher that was bigger than him. Riffraffs voice scratched into his comms with the thirty second warning and he quickly checked his belt for all of his equipment. Yep sure enough it was all there. Bullets, plasma cores and of course explosives.

His mechanical eye scanned the many faces around them, giving names and other personal information before he finally located Naniti.

“Looks like we are all here.”

Thirty seconds ticked by fast and then all hell broke loose. Speeders colliding into one anothers, pipes bursting, traffic lights flickering in different colors out of order. Instant pandemonium.

“She really don’t waste time.”

Snees D'ner | Naniti | Riffraff Ranat | Abishai Jade

Yuri Maji | Vireth​

 

[Reiner Ghadi]

Engaging: Riffraff Ranat , Abishai Jade , Naniti , Snees D'ner , Gillem

Battle in The Base

The fleas were itching to bite...

The ISB weren't fools. Though the aggression from the Covenant was largely a surprise, the vast network that the Empire retained access to had not entirely been caught with their pants down. Thus, measures were taken in an effort to remedy, or at least limit, any potential damage set upon them from their aggressors. Nevertheless, there was always room for error...

Reiner hadn't found himself in a position within the intelligence community in some time, but his connections through the OIS kept him in the proverbial loop. And now he had been called back to Coruscant... the planet he had sought to avoid since his defection from the Galactic Alliance. Yet, it was perhaps that long, storied history that had made him a prime candidate to handle matters within borders of the ecumenopolis. As much as it pained him... duty did not care where one may be forced to lay their head.

He stood within the control room of the OIS office on the upper levels of Coruscant, his cold, iron eyes scanning the myriad of screens in front of him. His mind was sharpened... focused... for he knew that a storm was on the horizon.

"Have we extracted all OIS resources from the planet?"

His Chief Scientist Teneb nodded in response.

"Yes, Director. All assets have are in transit to Arkania."

A rigid nod was all Reiner could give in response. His primary (and only) concern was the safeguarding of any and all scientific research retained within the archives of Coruscant...

That is... until the network went dark.

"What seems to be the problem?"

A nearby technical officer approached him, his head lowered as if he were about to get strangled by Reiner's non-existent Force powers.

"Several systems have gone dark, Director. Many others have begun to function erratically at best."

So, he would think to himself, the Covenant has already struck...

"Get in touch with our contacts within the ISB. Tell them that we have rats inside the wire."

"But Director, we don't have authority to-"

"Our authority is that of the Empire... of the Emperor himself. Make it happen."

Reiner may have no longer been a part of the intelligence community, but the close relationship between said community and the OIS remained strong. And Reiner planned to use that to the fullest extent.

"I will take control of all operatives within planetary limits. Contact Pious Tapp . I hear he has access to assets that may be useful. Should he provide any... resistance... remind him that we serve the Emperor... and should his throneworld fall, those that did not commit their greatest effort to the contrary will be severely punished."

His eyes shot to the others.

"And for the love of the Empire, will someone get me a system diagnostic?!"