Invasion The Bacta War | Sith Order Invasion of High Republic Thyferra Chapter 1

[Helix]

Tag: Balun Dashiell
Equipment: Shotcannon​

Once again, the droid commander was overwhelmed by sheer non-surprise.

Not one of those militant Jedi, then. Helix wasn't entirely up on recent events, but what sources he had within the Republic had revealed some internal tensions the Jedi were struggling with.

Some would have kicked in the door, tried to slice off his head, and made excuses after the fact. Thus, this was either a traditionalist, or simply craftier and more patient than the average. Helix was inclined towards the latter.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to relinquish this facility and come quietly"

"Afraid I'll have to disappoint." Came the crackly response over the aged PA speakers, apparently unable to quite keep an undercurrent of dark mirth from his voice.

If Helix were capable of being reasoned away from a mission, he'd probably be stuck scrubbing starship decks for a living. Instead, he bent his self-proclaimed genius toward the one thing that actually mattered in the universe.

Himself.

He couldn't ask for a better scene. The warehouse's loading area was now quite dark, with only the occasional dim sputters of light from the ongoing battle outside to illuminate its interior.

Now and again, a bombardment strike from above would land nearby, illuminating the huge chamber through its few windows and casting fantastic and terrifying shadows across the walls and floors. The accompanying quakes added beautifully to the overall effect, causing the building to shake and the bacta canisters to tremble in their housings. Assuming that Darth Prazutis and Gerwald Lechner didn't blow up the warehouse with him in it, he had half a mind to thank them for enhancing the atmosphere.

Helix had every intention of playing with his new friend for as long as possible.

He considered his options. He was a practical being, on a practical mission. The practical choice would be to simply shoot this fool unannounced from a position of ambush.

Or would it? Ambushing a Jedi was often easier said than done. It was also less fun, and if Helix was going to try to keep attention away from the wider effort within the complex, he was going to do it his way.

"The enemy is here." He announced quietly over the squad's comms. "Spread out, avoid contact, and keep to the task at hand. I will deal with him myself."

Helix's liquescent form melted partially and reformed, causing a quartet of long, insectile legs to sprout from his back.

Deftly, he scurried up shelves and over barricades until he reached a support column. Scaling this with disturbing alacrity, he raced along the shadowed beams of the warehouse's far-up ceiling, searching for the Jedi. He didn't have to search long; his enemy had announced himself openly, as was only befitting of a knight.

There was something to be said for one who didn't skulk and hide, but Helix couldn't relate.

"Why don't you come out and introduce yourself? Let us talk before things escalate any further..."

"So polite." His voiced creaked again over the PA. "You've shown yourself, so it's only fair I do the same."

Helix lazily released his grip on the ceiling, and dropped in free-fall to the floor below. He landed some ten meters to the Jedi's left, cracking the duracrete floor under the impact and rearing up to his full height.

The shotgun dangled from one arm, while the additional ones he'd formed to aid his climb shrank back into his body.

"My dear boy. Any road away from escalation was missed when our ships entered orbit. All those diplomats, so little diplomacy to ward away the horrors of war."

The creature's voice was, if anything, far worse in person. The cold, somewhat staticky broadcast system had softened the choral snarl that Helix typically vocalized in. It was though a hundred voices spoke in near-perfect concert, each concentrating their full malice upon one person.

"It almost makes you wonder what the point is, doesn't it?"

The weapon lifted, its owner flicking its programmable ammunition mode to simple but effective buckshot.

"Fortunately for you, that won't be your problem much longer. The age of knights and heroes is long over. I'll see to it."

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

​

Thyferra
Tags: Darth Strosius & Lina Ovmar
Equipment: Here sans armor, satchel of scientific tools
Opponents: William Thule & Andromeda Demir

Already, A'Mia's senses tingled with the hum of war. Smoke drifted through the air, Sith had establish ground presence in various places across the planet, and machinations were afoot. The Weave thrummed with energy and disturbances in the Force made ordinarily stable threads ripple. A great many powerful dark Lords and Ladies had turned their attention on Thyferra, their collective gaze would not turn away so easily.

One would have never guessed the horrors already unfolding, nor the chaos that would soon truly break, by looking at A'Mia and Lina walking arm in arm as if on their way to a picnic. The neti even shared a private smile with the woman beside her as she watched Alisteri appreciatively while he stalked ahead of them.

"I don't think today will be a day for 'citizen' anything, malul. Are you sure you don't wish to remain with the shuttles? Its barely been any time at all since Abregado Rae."

“We so rarely get the opportunity to be together, why should we let the Jedi take that from us?”

Another shift in the winds obscured their view as thick smoke washed across the path, carrying with it the scent of the battlefield beyond, and in the brief darkness, the Kinisirsa she had tied to the Wonosan Legionnaires shifted, lifting their noses and drawing in the scent of blood.

"I do so enjoy the way you fret over me, ahweaul, but our rumakata dradzia is right. This could be fun."

As if on cue, those Jedi in question arrived. Blaster fire cut through their little pocket of dark serenity and Lina acted quickly to provide cover. Into the billowing darkness, A'Mia unleashed half a dozen mid-sized shambling vines and puppeteered them to remain low, to spread out under cover of shadow and creep into the nearby fields in preparation of ambush. Even despite her speed and caution, two blast bolts caught one of her Sithspawn center mass and the thing screamed — lurching off to the side, hiding itself in hopes of recovering enough to rejoin the fight.

William charged across the alazhi paddy, boots sloshing, fungus puffing where he moved with Force-Enhanced swiftness. His dark robes fluttered around him. The air smelled of smoke. And the Force reeked of the Dark Side this close to these beings.

Blaster bolts whisked past him, many of them wild fired by untrained Vratix farmers who simply wanted to defend their homes. Others were far more accurate, aimed with the cool precision of Republic troopers to take out the Sith science team.

Andromeda's eyes met William's briefly. No more than a touch, a recognition of the plan, and they lowered their hands. The beams joined and the effect was no mere doubling of the energy and effectiveness of the light. It split the darkness like lightning split the night sky, racing at the Sith creatures and their source, seeking to liberate the Jedi, the Vratix, and the Marines of the crushing swirl of despair and dread and doom.

A'Mia moved with eerie grace, utilizing cover while it lasted to slip into favored terrain. She needn't move as humanoids did because she wasn't actually humanoid, and soon slunk beneath the shallow water. Force signature already carefully diminished, A'Mia buried her presence entirely as she slipped beneath the surface. She needn't see in order to align herself strategically and soon the neti was moving into place with her Sithspawn, ready to pounce when their prey drew near enough.

 

[Aiden Porte]

OBJ:1
Location: Fields-Hold The Swarm
Seren Gwyn
Indirect: Tobias Dib Connel Vanagor ​

"Your words are wasted. You'll find no help from me. You come here, looking for war, looking for a fight. That's what you will get." Aiden glanced to the side as a voice spoke through his comlink.

"Aiden, we've got it locked to what they are trying to accomplish. Several locations have erupted across the fields, to the west and east of us."

"Go. Identify the carriers and isolate them. Ensure they are not being utilized. Leave me to deal with this rabble, I'll meet up with you afterwards.Go, now!"

"Yes sir!"

Aiden moved forward with quickening speed, closing the distance between himself and Seren as he launched a series of attacks against her. Attacking with fierce precision, while in between strikes, he directed his focus briefly toward those around them, pushing them back with the Force. The Light Side within the Jedi Knight was truly shining now, not for show, but for hope and for truth.

Clearly, she had business elsewhere. If he could stand in her way and disrupt it, that was exactly what he would do. She would find no sort of ally here, nothing of the sort. No partnership, no truce, nothing. There had been no truce of any sort the day they first met, and there would be none today either.

"Please don't make me fight someone I could have once called an ally."

Aiden couldn't help but show the smallest of smiles on his face. Her words in that sentence alone were already folly. She came here looking to take from the Republic and simply 'hoped' he would step aside. Whatever false sense of camaraderie she felt they had, it had never existed. She seemed to be as blind as the rest of them. Ignorance at its finest, and that in itself was truly a disappointment.

 

["Ariel"]

Get off Thyferra
ON THE GROUND
THYFERRA

Omega Squad Every Day Gear Locations

• Michael, Gabriel, Raguel, Raphael, Jeremiel, Connel , Sariel, VIGILANT REAPER
  [Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]
• 
  Rides
  
  • "Enterprise" Station Ship
  • Vigilant Reaper
  • Null Vector
  • Speederbike
  • Iron Psalm
  Gear/Armor
  
  
  • Gear(“Bodycam” Datapad, UAD Drone, link to Seraphim AI included)
  • Lightblaster
  • Shortsabers (“Night” and “Day”)
  • 5 Throwing Lightknives
  • 3 Force Blinding Flashbangs
  • RI-17 Rifle-w-MS-0412 Grenade Launcher
  SURGICAL - CRYBERNETIC IMPLANTS
  
  • Repli Implants that would be for the limbs
  • Bonemer enhancements to strengthen structure of the body
  • Muscle enhancements.
  • Hemo enhancements for blood flow
  • Hawkeye implants for eyes
  • Advanced Medical Implant
  • Scentzy
  • Injected Nanotech upgrades
  
  
  
• Shadow Sanctuary - Enterprise

The explosions came three seconds apart. Connel felt the first through his boots. The second through his teeth. By the third, he was already moving. [DOWN!] Omega scattered as another Overwatch position erupted somewhere beyond the industrial structures. Fire punched upward through the rain, briefly illuminating the underside of the clouds before smoke swallowed it.

Then came the gas.

Connel's mask reacted before he could.

AIRBORNE CONTAMINANT DETECTED.

COMPOSITION UNKNOWN.

FILTERS SEALED.

Clouds rolled outward from the destroyed positions, carried by wind and rain. Connel watched them through his HUD. Nemesis had done it himself. Destroyed his own positions. Killed his own people. Whatever had been waiting there mattered more to him than the soldiers guarding it. Or maybe it didn't matter at all. That was the problem. Every time Omega thought they understood what Nemesis was doing, he changed the question.

[Reaper.] Bren Alazar's voice was calm.

[Tracking.]

[Model those clouds. Nobody walks into that until we know what it is.]

[Already running.]

Connel looked toward the city. The transmission concerning the shuttle still echoed in his thoughts. Civilians. Again. Always civilians. Use them as leverage. Use them as shields. Kill them and blame the people trying to stop you. Korvan had done the same thing on Coruscant. Different words. Same lie. Connel had been willing to play along long enough. [Michael.] Bren glanced toward him. [We're chasing ghosts.]

Bren looked back at the tactical display. Sith movements. Freighters. Overwatch positions. Barrel locations. The REEK. Republic contacts. Civilian concentrations. Every time they touched one piece, Nemesis moved another. [Yeah.]

[We're letting him choose the battlefield.]

[Yeah.]

Connel looked at him. [So stop.]

Bren's eyes remained on the display. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then his expression changed. Not surprise. Recognition. [Reaper.]

[Go.]

[Full battlespace picture.] The world appeared. Every piece of information the Vigilant Reaper had accumulated since entering Thyferran airspace spilled across Omega's tactical network. Sith troop concentrations. Confirmed and suspected command posts. Armored vehicles. Shuttle routes. Freighters leaving atmosphere. Civilian movements. Industrial access corridors. Gas dispersal. Destroyed Overwatch positions. Republic forces. Clone formations. Local security.

Everything.

Bren studied it. Then nodded. [All right.]

Connel knew that nod. [Here we go.]

Bren switched to the squad frequency. [Omega, new ROE.] Helmets turned. [We're done reacting to enemy objectives.]

Raphael's voice came back. [Then what's the objective?]

Bren looked at Connel. Connel looked at the entire battlefield. Michael, [Make him react to ours.][/COLOR]

Silence.

Then: [Copy.] [Copy.] [Copy.] [Copy] [Copy] [Copy] [Acknowledged.”]

Bren started moving markers. [Reaper, you're our eyes. I want every Sith movement correlated against everything we do. We push here, tell me what moves there. We threaten something, tell me what suddenly gets protected.]

Understood.]

SERAPHIM.]

[Ready.]

[You're off the REEK.]

A pause. [Clarify.]

Another voice entered the channel. Jeremiel. [Give me the truck.]

[The Rapid Expeditionary Explosive Kombatant is not a truck.]

[Give me the angry truck.]

Connel snorted.

Bren closed his eyes for half a second. [SERAPHIM, transfer local REEK control to Jeremiel.]

[Transferring.]

[Jeremiel?] A green indicator appeared.

REEK MANUAL REMOTE LINK ESTABLISHED.

[Got it.]

[Five-kilometer leash.]

[I know.]

[Don't break it.]

[Can't promise that.]

[That's not reassuring.]

[It wasn't supposed to be.]

Connel looked toward the REEK icon. [Take care of her.]

Jeremiel paused. [Her?]

[Long story.]

[It's a truck.]

SERAPHIM interrupted. [Again, the REEK is not a truck.]

Bren pointed at nobody in particular. [Can we invade the Sith now?] That ended the discussion.

[Talyn.]

[Here.]

[Find SERAPHIM a door.]

[Physical network access?]

[Best you can get.]

[On it.]

Bren looked at the battlefield again. [We don't know what Nemesis is protecting.]

Connel nodded. [No.]

[So…]

Connel understood. [Make him protect it.]

Bren smiled. [Exactly.]

The first Republic transmission arrived ninety seconds later. Broken. Static-filled. Desperate.

"...Republic Actual, this is Aurek Three, eastern evacuation corridor. We're taking heavy fire. Civilians still moving through our position. Requesting armor support."

No answer.

Again.

"Republic Actual, Aurek Three. We cannot maintain this position." Connel looked toward Bren. Bren was already tracing the signal. [Reaper?]

[Located.] A marker appeared. Three kilometers east. A Republic infantry element. Understrength. Sith forces advancing. Behind them...

Hundreds of civilians.

[They can't retreat,] Connel said.

[No.] Another transmission.

"Aurek Three to any Republic unit. We have civilians behind us. We are holding."

Connel closed his eyes. Of course they were. Then another signal entered the network. Strong. Encrypted. Republic.

Omega Actual, this is Crownbreaker.]

Connel's head snapped up.

Bren grinned. [No way.]

The voice continued. Your tactical network is unusually difficult to locate.]

Connel nodded. [Regal.]

[Master Vanagor.] The voice of RG-11 "Regal" was exactly as Connel remembered it. Calm. Dry. Entirely unimpressed by the apocalypse occurring around him.

[You're late.]

Traffic sucked.]

Bren opened the Republic tactical channel. [Commander Regal, this is Commander Alazar.]

Commander.]

[What's your status?]

[Three Republic companies. Clone and regular infantry elements. Armor support. Several local formations have attached themselves to us. We’re bringing the party!]

[And Crownbreaker(The name he slapped on his walker)?]

A pause. [I am standing inside the pretty lady.]

Connel looked at Bren. Bren looked at Connel. There it was. The piece they hadn't possessed ten minutes ago.

Mass.

Bren transmitted Omega's tactical picture. [Commander, sending you everything we've got.]

Several seconds passed. Regal said nothing.

Then: Interesting.]

Connel raised an eyebrow. [That's it?]

Would you prefer applause?]

[I was hoping for admiration.]

[No.]

Bren suppressed a laugh. [Commander, we've fragmented several of their approaches. Communications are compromised in places. We're about to start manipulating the industrial infrastructure.]

And you want me to exploit the openings.

[Can you?]

Another pause. Then Regal: [Commander.]

[Yeah?]

[I brought a walker named Crownbreaker.]

Bren smiled. [Fair point.]

__________________________________________________________________________

Aurek Three was dying. The Republic lieutenant commanding the position knew it. Thirty-seven combat effective. Eleven wounded. Two repeating blasters. One anti-armor launcher with three rounds remaining. And several hundred civilians still trying to get through the intersection behind them. The Sith advanced through the rain.

"Hold!"

Blaster fire ripped across the street. A clone trooper dropped behind cover to reload.

"LEFT!"

Another volley. The Republic line bent. The lieutenant checked behind him. Still civilians. Damn it. "Fall back by sections!" Nobody moved. "That's an order!"

The clone beside him fired another burst. "Where?" The lieutenant had no answer. There was nowhere to go. Then the ground shook.

THOOM.

Nobody noticed at first.

THOOM.

A trooper looked back. "What the hell was that?"

THOOM.

Something enormous emerged through the smoke. Rain ran from armored plating. Heavy feet crushed debris beneath them. Weapons rotated. Republic markings appeared through the haze. For a moment nobody spoke. Then the tactical frequency came alive. [All Republic forces in the eastern industrial district, this is Commander RG-11.]

Crownbreaker stepped into the intersection.

The Sith opened fire. Bolts splashed against its defenses. The walker kept coming. I understand some of you have been having a difficult morning.] Someone actually laughed.

Regal continued. [Omega Squad has been kind enough to make holes.] Crownbreaker's weapons acquired targets. [We're going through them.] The intersection erupted. Not indiscriminately. Not wildly. Fire struck Sith armored positions. Heavy weapons. Barricades.

The things preventing Republic infantry from moving. [Third Platoon, reinforce Aurek Three.] Republic troops emerged behind the walker. [Clone elements, left flank.] White-armored soldiers moved. [Armor, stay behind me.]

Vehicles advanced. [Local security, maintain civilian corridor.] The Republic lieutenant stared. Regal's voice remained almost conversational. [Aurek Three.]

The lieutenant remembered how to speak. "Here."

[How many civilians remain?]

"Unknown. Hundreds."

[Then you're not finished.]

The lieutenant looked at his troops. Exhausted. Bloodied.Standing. "No, sir."

Good.] Crownbreaker took another step. [Nobody gets left behind.]

The Republic line moved forward.

____________________________________________________

Across the industrial district, the REEK woke up. Jeremiel cracked his knuckles. [All right.]

Connel heard him. [Don't say it.]

[Say what?]

[You know exactly what.]

Jeremiel smiled somewhere Connel couldn't see. [Let's ride.]

The REEK erupted from hiding. Its engine roared. Heavy wheels tore through accumulated water as the vehicle accelerated onto a service road. Jeremiel didn't drive it like SERAPHIM. SERAPHIM had been precise. Efficient. Calculated. Jeremiel made it look alive. The REEK stopped behind an industrial structure.

Waited.

Peeked out.

Backed away when fire came toward it. Changed direction. Then emerged somewhere else. Anyone watching would see behavior. Decisions. A crew. The Screamer jammer activated. Sith communications dissolved into static. Rotary cannon spun.

BRRRRRRRT.

A sensor emplacement vanished. The REEK turned. A Sith transport appeared. Jeremiel fired the Hammerstrike. The roadway exploded in front of it. The transport swerved and stopped. The REEK was already gone.

"Armored contact western sector!"

"Direction?"

"North!"

"Negative, moving east!"

"Possible second contact!"

"Confirm second vehicle!"

"No confirmation!"

Jeremiel smiled. [Michael?]

[Go.]

[They think there's two of me.]

Bren looked at Connel. Connel shrugged. [Make them think there's three.]

[Copy.]

Bren stared. [I wasn't serious.]

Too late.

The REEK's jammer screamed louder.

______________________________________________________

Gabriel found SERAPHIM a door. Literally. An industrial maintenance terminal sat behind a locked service panel. Talyn removed the panel. [SERAPHIM.]

[Ready.]

[Say please.]

[No.]

[Worth trying.] He connected the access spike. For three seconds nothing happened.

Then:

NETWORK ACCESS ESTABLISHED.

SERAPHIM disappeared into the system. Not literally. But that was how it felt. The industrial network began unfolding before her. Security. Environmental systems. Manufacturing controls. Cargo tracking. Door management, to which every one was locked and safety locked. Emergency containment to which every one was activated. Not perfectly reinforcing the blast doors but it will do for now. Cameras. Research storage. Databases.

Some accessible.

Some encrypted.

Some already compromised by Sith slicers. [Interesting.]

Talyn looked at the terminal. Michael, [What?]

[Multiple unauthorized users are present.]

[Sith?]

[Probability high.]

[Can you remove them?]

[I can attempt to.]

[Attempt?] Silence. Then somewhere inside the industrial complex: CLANG.

A blast door closed. Then another. CLANG.

Another. CLANG.

Talyn smiled. [Problem?]

[I have encountered resistance.]

Serious?]

Another series of blast doors slammed shut. [No. Placing locational trackers and spikes in compromised systems.]

____________________________________________________

The first Sith squad would discover the change when the unit ahead of them disappeared. One moment they could see their comrades down the corridor. Then: CLANG.

A blast door separated them. The squad leader reached the control. Access denied.

He entered an override. ACCESS DENIED. Again. ACCESS DENIED. Behind him another door closed. The squad turned. Their retreat was gone. Then the lights changed.

Emergency illumination.

Red.

Their communications filled with static. Somewhere far away, the REEK's jammer screamed. The squad leader shouted for a slicer. The door finally opened. Twenty meters beyond it stood another blast door.

Closed.

______________________________________________

[SERAPHIM.] Bren moved with Connel through a maintenance corridor. [Status?]

[I have partial access to industrial security and data networks.]

[Partial?]

Enemy slicers remain active.][/B]

[Can you protect the data?]

[Define protect.]

Connel answered. [Anything medical. Bacta research. Production information. Civilian records. Anything they can weaponize or steal.]

[I can begin redundant transfer.]

[Where?]

Reaper secure storage initially. Additional distributed repositories as bandwidth permits…. Hold… connection established to Celestial City Supercarrier] A carrier that has been in service for the defunct Silver Jedi Concord, the Galactic Alliance and now serves in “The Hidden Path”.

Bren nodded. [That's a great idea. Do it.]

[Some local files may require removal after verification.]

[Don't destroy anything we haven't secured.]

Understood.] Connel watched icons begin appearing. Data moving. Systems changing.

Then SERAPHIM spoke again. [There are anomalies.]

Connel stopped. [What kind?]

[Unusual access patterns.]

Bren looked toward him. [Nemesis?]

[Unknown.][/B]

[Don't guess.]

[I was not.]

Connel smiled beneath the mask. [She's getting touchy.]

[I heard that.]

[Good.]

SERAPHIM continued. Several systems unrelated to conventional military control have experienced unusual access or transfer activity.]

[Show us.]

Data appeared. Some meaningless. Some potentially interesting. Nothing definitive. Exactly what Connel expected. No magical answer. No giant marker reading SECRET SITH PLAN HERE. Just inconsistencies.

[Reaper,] Bren said.

[Listening.]

[Correlate those accesses with Sith movements.]

[Working.]

Connel stared at the map. [Don't tell us what they're doing.] Bren looked at him. Connel continued. [Tell us what changes when we touch something.]

Bren smiled under his mask. [Exactly.]

He keyed SERAPHIM. [Same for you. We're done looking for the secret.]

There was a pause. [Clarify.]

Connel looked toward Bren. Bren answered. [We're going to make them show us what matters. Can you put trackers on everything?]

[They will not be hidden, but yes, I will bury them as deeply as possible without altering the function of the system or device.]

____________________________________________________

Then the board moved.

All of it. Regal attacked from the east. Not recklessly. Republic infantry advanced behind armor while clone formations secured the flank. A collapsing defense became a line. A line became an advance. Crownbreaker became the unmistakable center of it.

The Sith responded. Reaper watched. [Enemy units shifting east.]

Bren marked them. [Let them.]

The REEK appeared west. Jeremiel sent it charging across an exposed roadway, jammer screaming. The Sith responded. [Two formations redirecting west.]

Bren marked those too. SERAPHIM closed industrial corridors. The Sith responded. [Multiple units attempting to regain access to sectors eight and nine.] Mark. Reaper spoofed a sensor contact south. The Sith responded. Nothing.

Bren deleted it. [Not important.]

Connel understood. They weren't attacking locations. They were asking questions. Every action was a question. Every Sith movement was an answer. Pressure east. What moves? Pressure west. What moves? Threaten a data center. What moves? Close a loading corridor. What moves? Track a freighter. Who calls it?

One by one, meaningless pieces began acquiring meaning.

Not enough. Not yet. But more than they had ten minutes ago. And Nemesis would no longer be able to decide which questions they asked.

___________________________________________________

Republic troops noticed the change too. Rumor moved faster than official communications ever could. Omega was inside. A Jedi was with them. The Sith network had been compromised. Armor was advancing. Crownbreaker was here. The enemy was falling back in places. Nobody knew which stories were true.

It didn't matter.

For the first time since the invasion began, the Republic wasn't merely surviving. It was doing something. A clone trooper crouched behind a shattered wall as Crownbreaker passed. The young Republic soldier beside him stared at the walker.

["Commander?"]

Regal answered over the local net. Yes?]

["How many invasions have you done?"]

There was a brief silence. ["All my life."]

The soldier blinked. ["What?"]

Regal's walker fired. A Sith heavy position disappeared. I'm a clone.] Another step. [COLOR=ROYALBLUE[Now stop making me feel old and advance.][/COLOR]

The clone beside the young soldier laughed. Then stood. "Come on."

The Republic advanced.

_____________________________________________________

Inside the industrial park, confusion began feeding itself. The Sith would see Republic armor advancing. Armored contact at the western perimeter, how they have lost access to security sectors seven through nine. There was Communications interference, possible network intrusion, their Overwatches remained offline, Enemy dropship contact was lost, they would have to deal with additional Republic infantry entering eastern district.

Infiltrators?" No answer.

That was the important one.

Omega had disappeared. The squad that had been attacking Overwatch positions was no longer attacking anything obvious. The Jedi was gone. Michael was gone. The people responsible for systematically changing the battlefield had vanished from it.

Or seemed to. They were underneath it. Connel moved first. Bren followed. Raphael behind him. Talyn joined them farther down the maintenance route after leaving SERAPHIM another physical access node. Jeremiel remained within remote range of the REEK, Sariel was his cover. The others moved according to Bren's assignments. Nobody rushed.

That was important.

Outside, Thyferra sounded like the end of the world. Inside, Omega moved quietly. Connel stopped at an intersection. Raised one fist.

Everyone froze.

The Force whispered. Still there. Still alive. Still his. Danger ahead. He leaned slightly around the corner. Two Sith soldiers. He pulled back. Held up two fingers. He could still feel the boost from Briana Sal-Soren , they all could.

Raphael nodded.

Bren pointed.

They moved. Seconds later the corridor was clear. Quietly. Connel continued. [Reaper.]

[Go.]

[Anything?]

[Several reactions remain inconsistent with known tactical priorities.]

[That's a beautiful sentence.]

[I thought you might appreciate it.] Markers appeared. One location. Then another. Then a third. None guaranteed anything. Connel preferred that. Certainty made people careless.

Bren studied them. [Which one?]

Connel shook his head. [None.]

Bren looked at him. [Yet.] Then understood. [We push again.]

[Yep.]

Bren keyed the tactical network. [Regal.]

[Crownbreaker.]

[Can you increase pressure east without overextending?]

[Yes.]

[Do it.]

Reason?]

[We're asking a question.]

Regal paused. [I assume you'll tell me when someone answers.]

[That's the plan.]

[Very well.] The transmission ended.

Bren switched channels. [Jeremiel.]

[Yeah?]

[How's our truck?]

[The REEK is performing beautifully.]

Connel looked at Bren. Bren noticed. [Don't.] Connel said nothing. [Jeremiel, shift north. Make it convincing.]

[Copy.]

[SERAPHIM.]

Ready.]

[Open sector nine.]

Talyn looked over. [We just closed nine.]

Exactly. SERAPHIM understood first. Opening.

The blast doors rose. A route that had been unavailable suddenly became accessible. A route the Sith might desperately want. Or might ignore. Either answer mattered.

Bren looked at Connel. [Ready?]

Connel checked his rifle. Then Night. Then Day. His mask displayed the battlefield. Regal pushing east. REEK moving north. Reaper somewhere above. SERAPHIM everywhere she could reach. Republic troops advancing.

Civilians moving behind them.

Omega disappearing into the gaps. Connel remembered Alara. Erin. Sollemai. Mikal. He remembered Coruscant. Korvan. His father. He remembered the lesson cruelty always tried to teach.

This is your fault.

No. Not this time. Nemesis had changed the rules. Fine. Omega had changed the game.

[Ready.]

____________________________________________

Far above the industrial district, the Vigilant Reaper watched. Regal's renewed advance struck the eastern line. Sith would have to shift. Expected. The REEK appeared north. More units would have to respond. Expected. Sector Nine opened.

For several seconds… nothing. Would something change?

A transmission. Encrypted. Short.

A movement order.?

Reaper followed it. One Sith element changed direction. Then another. Not toward Regal. Not toward the REEK. Not toward the obvious Republic advance. Somewhere else. The pilot leaned toward the display.

There.

Michael.]

Bren stopped. [Go.]

[We got movement.] His tactical display changed. Connel stepped beside him.

[Where?]

[Sending.] A marker appeared. Not an answer. Not yet. But a reaction. Bren stared at it. Connel stared too.

Then slowly a nod. [There you are.]

[Could be nothing.]

[Could be.] Bren looked toward him.

[Let's go ask.]

___________________________________________________

Outside, Crownbreaker strode through fire. Republic troops advanced behind it. They were feeling grand, excited, unstoppable and they could not understand why. None of them could understand the power of @Briana Sal-Soren’s Battle Meditation, but they could feel it.

Jeremiel threw the REEK around another corner, nearly rolled it, recovered, and immediately opened fire on a Sith sensor station as though the entire maneuver had been intentional. SERAPHIM stole another block of medical research from beneath Sith slicers and slammed three blast doors between two enemy formations.

The Reaper disappeared back into the storm. And Omega Squad changed direction. They still didn't know what Nemesis wanted. They didn't know what he was hiding. They didn't know what happened when his clock reached zero. They didn't know whether the movement they had just discovered would lead them to an objective, another trap, or absolutely nothing.

But for the first time since the Sith descended upon Thyferra… Nemesis wasn't the only one moving pieces. The Republic had stopped retreating. The clones had stopped yielding ground. Regal had given the Sith a front. The REEK had given them a phantom army. SERAPHIM had turned their own infrastructure against them.

Reaper had given Omega eyes. And Omega?

Omega had taken away the one thing Nemesis had possessed from the beginning. Initiative. Bren checked the countdown.

4 hours and change

Then looked toward Connel. [Four hours.]

Connel started forward. [Plenty of time.]

Bren followed. Behind them, the battle for Thyferra roared. Ahead, somewhere in the dark, something had finally moved.


And Omega Squad went hunting.



CONNEL VANAGOR AND OMEGA SQUAD ARE RELAYING SITH MOVEMENTS TO OTHER LEADERS ON THE GROUND AS WELL AS BARREL MOVEMENT

Tobias Dib • Seren Gwyn • Aiden Porte • Mantys Thranx

Personal Effects - Omega Squad Loadouts​

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Darth Prazutis //:
//: Attire //:
//: Equipment //:
//: Bow & Arrows //: Cybernetic Eye //: Jacket //: Arrows of Absence x 25 //: Bag of Absencite x 5ea //:

Secrets ran deep with the Corellian. Entire lifetimes bled into these secrets, each one unique, each one another piece that she had ripped from her soul. Still, she found a place in this chaotic life to have a moment to feel human. Even if it had taken her years and even sacrifice. She watched as the sudden arrival of the Sith Fleet entered space. A part of her was disappointed not to see the Mors Mon in the sky; she wondered if the Emperor would descend upon Thyferra as well with his armies.

But from what she had heard, the man had enjoyed his time gardening.

Her cybernetic eye scanned the skies, looking for something, someone in particular. She could feel him through the Force, the way his energy weighed in each pulse. There were a few that Allyson recognized above others.

The ships hung horrifyingly, as if time stood still. They waited, watching as the world's terrible new overlords. Allyson was locked in on the one ship where she could feel the presence of the Reaper.

Her mind mulled over the quick calculations: how to board, if he was going to set foot onto the planet, and if she was going to be able to get there before she was stopped. Hands opened and closed, as her thumb rubbed against the warm metal of her wedding band. Remembering it, she slowly removed the ring and placed it on the chain where it had hung, never leaving its place for thirty years.

Before she could step forward, a blast cracked the sky. Pure dark energy blasted towards the surface of the planet and Allyson's eyes widened. The heat kissed her flesh as she inhaled deeply, burning the back of her throat. Whatever just happened was unexpected. This wasn't in the mission briefing; this wasn't in the warnings she had received.

Time slowed, and the Corellian felt her feet lifting from the ledge she stood on. Her body was then thrown like a ragdoll into the sky.

​

"Allyson?"

Blinking quickly, the Corellian turned and looked at the woman beside her. She was no longer on Thyferra; she was on Naboo, on one of its private beaches that extended from the home they were renting. They had come to Naboo, looking to find another home — one that echoed the nostalgia of their earlier romance. Her hand felt the sand as she heard her wife again.

"Sorry, a lot on my mind." It wasn't a lie; Taiia would see it. Moments before returning to Naboo, the Corellian had received an encrypted message. The Sith were looking to take Thyferra. The rest of the details meant nothing to her. She had her own motivation to be there.

Especially after confirming His arrival.

"Thinking about Naboo again?" She forced a small smile as her hand found Taiia's again, trying to ground herself in the moment. The last thing she wanted to think about was work and what she was planning on doing. Hiding something like this weighed against her conscience, but Allyson needed to take care of it.

Taiia was never supposed to know how many lives Allyson sent to slaughter for her protection. She was never to know or to feel the guilt that thousands had died to ensure that Allyson's lover… wife… lifeline lived the entirety of her life in 'Peace'.

But Peace was a lie.

It always was.

Leaning forward, Allyson distracted the woman the best she could with a gentle kiss. It felt almost like foreshadowing.

The small chime of her device came. A sound that only meant one thing when they were together. Both knew it, but Allyson sighed softly. She opened the communication and read the line again. There was movement; it was time.

"Go to Corellia, then head back to Odessen." Allyson's words were quiet, yet held an urgency that Taiia would recognize quickly. They stood, and Allyson paused, not wanting to go through the horrible ritual of her leaving. It was painful, more than anything.

Her hands cradled Taiia's face as if she could hold her there — hold the moment still and keep it from slipping away. Allyson kissed her with a desperation that carried the weight of everything she had never found the words to say. There was a finality in it, a quiet terror that this could be their last.

She hated that possibility, but some part of her remained grateful for what little time they had been given. If her life was about to end, if she was discovered, then at least she had this — one final moment with the woman she had loved for most of her life.

One chance to say goodbye without ever speaking the word.

"Please, follow the plan." Allyson rested her forehead against her wife's, just before kissing her brow.

"I'll come home, I promise."

Wake up, Allyson…

The voice echoed in the back of her mind, muffled beneath the roar of the wind. It tore at her clothes, hot and heavy with the smell of death lingering upon it. The voice called again, and finally, Allyson's eyes opened.

For half a heartbeat, the world was nothing but smoke, fire, and spinning earth. She was free-falling, her body twisting helplessly through the air after being caught near the epicenter of the blast. Looking down, she watched the ground rush closer with every blink. She didn't have much time to react.

Unfortunately, the Corellian was inept at slowing herself down.

Still, falling from the sky would not be the first time, nor would it be the last.

Allyson cursed beneath her breath in Old Corellian. She twisted, forcing control back into her limbs as the Force sharpened every movement. Her shoulder dipped, her hips turned, and her body flipped head over heels until her boots faced the rapidly approaching ground. With her fall steadied, the battlefield opened beneath her — burning fields, pillars of smoke, and a planet torn apart by the blast.

She felt Him growing closer with every second she fell. Her cybernetic eye whirred, the sound nearly lost beneath the screaming wind as it locked onto the man's position. He hadn't noticed her yet, which was good. For once, gravity had given the Corellian an advantage.

Her bow came up as a barbed arrow formed from the archer's glove. Allyson drew the string back, the weapon curving beneath the strength of its wielder as she continued to plummet toward Him. Closer and closer she fell until He entered the perfect range.

The armor-piercing arrow shot forward, slicing through the heated air as it raced toward the man's shoulder. Allyson didn't want the first shot to kill Him; she wanted the pain to announce her. She wanted Him to know it was her and understand that He was entering a fight He was never meant to leave.

Only then did Allyson turn her attention toward surviving the fall. She summoned the Force inward, hardening muscle and bone as the planet's surface surged upward to meet her.

Her boots struck the ground hard enough for the dirt to collapse beneath them, the impact surging through her entire body. Even with the Force swallowing the worst of the collision, Allyson felt it burn through every joint. Still, this was par for the course for the Corellian. She recovered quickly, rising as the dust rolled away from her and disappeared into the smoke of the burning fields.

"You were told to leave her alone." Allyson inhaled deeply, only for the smoke and destruction surrounding her to make her chest burn.

"She was supposed to never find out!"

Another arrow formed against the bowstring as Allyson's anger finally surfaced. Prazitus had interfered in a way that violated their agreement. He hadn't physically harmed Taiia, but He had done something worse — He had forced the woman He was to protect to see the darkness and the horrific lengths Allyson was willing to go to protect her one weakness.

Her Heart... Taiia Locke

 

[Mercy]

MERCY

EMPRESS | WARLORD | STAR-ARM

Location: On the move | Objective: Bring the thunder

Allies: Srina Talon

Enemies: Acier Moonbound | Lorn Reingard | Judah Lesan

​

​

.

It was refreshing to be part of a campaign that she had no control over again.

Mercy had almost forgotten the sheer pleasure of Brosi. You came in. You wrecked shit until the other side broke. Then you left again, satisfied with a job well done. She squeezed Srina's hand in return as they traveled. Thyferra was more personal to her, because any conflict with the Light was personal to her sestra.

She understood.

The Light was... something they couldn't get around. It would always be there. Leading civilization astray as it inserted weakness into civilization, until the Dark rose up to correct them. And so it would go on... over... and over again. This understanding had been festering inside of Mercy and finally crystalized on Abregado.

Meeting Carduul Akahl , the Prophet of his people, had been illuminating to Mercy. Up until that time Mercy had only really bothered with two portions of the equation. The Jedi, the Sith and nothing else mattered. Humbarine showed her she had misjudged it. Abregado had shown her she had been wrong.

They were all bad copies of copies... of an original shape that had long since left this plane.

But they were still playing to the same strings, the same tunes.

It excited Mercy, because it allowed her to play a role that might... one day... allow for her to break out of the shape. If she caused enough chaos, enough damage, if they destroyed enough of the status quo... maybe the wheel would finally break under that pressure. Mercy wasn't sure if it was possible.

But the joy was in trying. As wise people always said: if you find joy in your job, you don't work even a single day in your life.

And now Mercy had a new perspective on things.

Their children were…Everywhere.

Their children.

Part of her mind still recoiled at it. The fact that she cared for them. Not like Srina, not protective and nurturing, wishing for them to be safe. No, Mercy desired their success. While the Moon Empress wanted their future secured, the Sun Empress wanted them to forge the path towards it.

Together then, perhaps they could fulfill this grand design. One side of the coin protecting, the other challenging.

Until the Sith rose up and broke that which had never been broken before.

Mercy allowed most of what Srina was doing pass through her. The reports, the imprint of explosions on the planet surface, the Second Legion doing what it did best, she did not pry too much in the telepathic pass between Gerwald Lechner and Srina Talon either, instead she relished what would come next.

"…Acier…"

...not that.

Her head tilted as she followed the tread of Srina's mind towards that origin and Mercy frowned. The first betrayer. She had found out later that Acier was a familial link to Srina and to Aether Verd . Too late. Could she have done something to arrest the weakness in his spirit, if she had cared more?

If instead of trying to tempt him into challenging her, Mercy tried to cultivate him? Maybe she had a slice of the blame, but-

The expression on her sestra's face didn't need an Echani mind to read.

"He was weak when he came to us." Mercy said firmly, but then relented. "But I could have done more to try and excise it."

It seemed to disarm Srina enough she leaned back into her and Mercy kissed the top of her head lightly.

"I should have known he would be here."

"Maybe, but it is an unwelcome surprise to me." It was a complication. Mercy was, ironically, not very merciful to her opponents. But how would the Mand'alor of the Mandalorian Empire react, if she killed his brother? How would Srina react, if she killed her nephew? It was understood that Mercy would handle him however, since it was under her charge, that he had fled to the Jedi.

He had betrayed the Sith Covenant. That would have consequences.

Her jaw set behind the mask as the shuttle came to a stop.

Mercy stepped on out and was immediately hit by a thousand sensations fed through a thousand receptors straight into her spine at once.

The chemicals and ash in the air, the roar of explosions in the distance, the quiet step of her sestra in front of her. It was all-consuming, it was brilliant. Warform connected her to the world in a way she had never experienced before and every time... it allowed her to push just a little harder.

As Mercy was distracted by these sensations Srina had found their prey.

She began to play with her food almost immediately, which amused Mercy to no end. She didn't quite know what Judah Lesan had done to earn Srina's ire. It must have been something fierce however. More often than not Srina didn't allow things to get personal. She just ended her enemies, quick, with no fuss.

"Careful," She murmurs as she witnessed the exchange. "-you might see family and friends of family. I only see a traitor, a prisoner, and their guardian."

Only Acier was familiar to her, that was enough.

"…We must claim this location. Sestra…Break it down. "

Her fist moved as Srina finished her thought. But then something within her b, before that chime spread through her and entered the bulk door. It was the first time it happened and it made her gasp, because rather than punch through it as she intended... the door simply... shattered. Breaking apart into its most fundamental parts and collapsing.

Then Mercy stepped on through, holding out her hand for Srina to take, as if she had meant to do that entirely. Even as her mind reeled. It was only Warform screaming at her that made her realize what was in front of them.

The corridors, the high walkways, the centerfold location. This was a killing field... and oh, that made Mercy smile with pleasure.

"Look, Srina... all of this for us."

"Oh, Acier, you were a disappointment to me in the Core... but to see you with the Jedi, acting like you belong, that is somehow worse. Arris misses you, you know." Mercy called out, the grotesque helmet peeling itself away, so her face was visible. The amber fire in her eyes, the sharp teeth.

There was only one change... Acier would feel her presence in a way that he had never done before. The Force had always been balled up tight inside of Mercy unless she touched you.

Now it radiated out of her, the Dark Side, pulsing with every breath she took. Oppressive as it pushed towards their Light.

"She tells me that slaughtering civilians just doesn't have the same ring to it anymore, now that you aren't there, swinging the butcher's knife along with her."

.

ERASE THE PAST

 

[Tobias Dib]

Allies: Sith Order
Enemies: Everyone else
Tags: Connel Vanagor , "Ariel" , Seren Gwyn , Aiden Porte , Helix


Nemesis paused before the landing ramp of the shuttle. Rain still fell from the heavens, coating his beskar'gam in streams as his eyes scanned the horizon. On one side, the fields burned like hellfire as armies clashed together. Not even the untouched fields survived as Darth Prazutis' arrival decimated everything. Not just the vegetation, incinerated at his landing, but the earth itself imploded as he cratered deep, scarring the surface of Thyferra with a permanence that would remain a dead blight for generations. Nearby soldiers were flash-fried and incinerated by the heat of his impact. Those who survived the impact and the battle would remain locked away as their madness at what they saw scarred the mind and the soul. Wraiths of long-dead whispered to them from shadowy forms that crawled from the crater. Five decades later, they would scream from spittle-stained, toothless gums as the very same wraiths remained burned onto their retinas.

The initial volley from the Sith had heralded their imminent arrival. More missiles had flashed past as the ships delivered the troops. Mountains burned, forests went up in flame and drove the natives from their homes, and the battlefield burned before the first step had even been taken. All across the planet, the surface ignited, and enough smoke rose into the atmosphere to affect the planet for years, as ash eventually aided in climate change, cooling the planet. But that was years from now. Today, the planet could only hope for a cooling wind. And the Sith would answer with a resounding no. Though the armies collided in the midst of the hellish landscape shaped by the destructive missiles, the continual barrage never stopped. The Dread Wolf had begun the attack, and the Dark Councilor had yet to rescind his orders. So misery continued to consume the planet, fueled by the continuing assault from orbit.

On the edge of the industrial park, he could witness the awesome and terrible power of the Sith. Anyone who looked on a vista such as this could never deny the strength of the Sith Order. His helm lowered as he turned his body to look back the way he had come. Still within its depths, Seren engaged in a confrontation with a Jedi. Before, he had sensed no clashing of blades or focused attacks. That changed as echoes found him in the Force. It would have been a simple thing to leave her within and continue his plans. But something ate at the back of his mind. Not a conscience, certainly not that. A thing unnamed. Which said if he abandoned her, he would be making a mistake. It was a gut instinct. With a glance at the timer, his long strides carried him back into the heart of the industrial park.

4.32.51
4.32.50
4.32.49

Back at the central hub, he climbed the ladders until he reached the office space. Standing at the center of the rows of desks where his Ronin worked furiously behind terminals, he allowed a smile to flick onto his lips. Since his first step on Thyferra, he had been planning from the start. The hackers and slicers worked on infiltrating systems and programs, looking for ways to control important systems. And while the Thyferreans, High Republic, and Jedi sought to reinforce their military applications and all bacta-controlled systems, he had delved elsewhere.

First they had sought to shut down civilian communications. Then they worked to reroute emergency calls and deactivate emergency broadcasts. While not completely successful, it cloaked the very first action taken by the cluster bombs over an hour earlier. The small bombs that turned into thousands of laced flechettes that rained into the city's populace were only the initial plan. Even now, the effects of those contaminated metal razors that pierced flesh indiscriminately had turned into a biological pandemic never seen on a single planet in the history of the galaxy. A cocktail of viruses that would inspire such terror; not even Nemesis was immune.

The thousands of wounded in the initial flechette-filled attack would be infected immediately, instantly mutating the wounded in a matter of seconds. The Shursia Virus did just that. And more. Through the open wounds caused by the razors' descent, the virus coursed through the bloodstream, mutating cells as it bonded and infected every organic part as it circulated through the major organs. As the virus fused with the host, one of the primal drives that took over the sentient's mind was the need to spread it to others. Usually violently. A secondary skin would form over the host, allowing alchemized regeneration while also permitting the infected to absorb biomass from other sources, distorting their figures into new monstrous forms.

Reports, though mostly negated by his tech team, were still beginning to leak out. Monstrous sithspawn attacking their own families, infecting them and even absorbing some of the dead to grow into gargantuan sizes that required far more than small arms to bring the creatures down. Because so many flechettes found victims, the initial numbers were in the thousands. And climbing with every minute. After more than an hour of exposure, many of those transformed by the Shursia Virus escaped the cities and delved deep into the forests to perpetuate another cycle of transmission among the vratix and other humans seeking escape from the hellscape of their homes. Across the fields, many of the terrors ran for the Jedi lines, seemingly ignoring the dark siders due to their creation recognizing, not necessarily allies but kindred forms of life.

If that were all the viruses held, it would have been enough to be considered terrorizing. But Nemesis liked having backup plans and contingencies. And so the Shursia strain was only one of many.

The Gitaxias Nanospore compounded the already horror-inspired episode with a slower rate of transformation. Instead of immediately affecting those infected, it had a thirty-minute gestation period. And then all hell broke loose. The virus did not lie dormant during the half-hour spread within the host. Instead, it procreated, and the skin would weep a metallic resin-like fluid from pores, another source of transmission and a protective layer for the host. Rather than mutating simple organic material, this virus turned the host from a sentient being into a type of technobeast. Claws, fangs, and random spikes piercing the epidermis were the first of the physical transformations. But not the last. While the Shursia strain grew from absorbing biomass, the Gitaxias Nanospore absorbed metals into the host and restructured the new elements into melee weaponry. Their psychological state deteriorated until all that remained was the drive to kill and infect.

Nemesis glanced at the timer at the bottom of his HUD. More than an hour had passed since the flechettes had spread this virus through the city's populace, and some communications revealed the monstrosities morphing along the evacuation routes as the Gitaxias strain claimed its hosts. More vectors of infection would echo from the refugee camps and ships that had collected survivors to relocate them. The viruses spread across the surface of the planet, largely through the humanitarian efforts of the Republic and the Jedi.

The Elesh Nanospore was a variant of the Gitaxias progenitor. Similar gestation period. Similar mutations. With a glaring distinction. Artusian crystals were alchemized into the virus, giving the infected the ability to drain or channel Force energies as a bastardized version of a sithspawn. The Elesh Nanospore's abilities could also store Force energy, resulting in a dark side explosion that could infect anyone in the blast's vicinity.

And still, it wasn't enough. Before the attack, members of the Order had supplied multiple pathogens for this specific objective. To turn their enemy into spawns for the Order. The Tarnaci Blight was no exception. And the pathogen figured into Nemesis' plans of possible defeat. Through Helix's manipulations, this virus spread through infected hosts, allowing the other strains to do their work while the Blight worked quietly in the background. Should the spawns of the Sith manage to be killed by the defenders of Thyferra, that was when the Blight activated—a cheat code. The mutated dead would rise with new life as cyber-zombies, an undead technobeast no longer capable of mercy, reason, or restraint. The Blight morphed the already mutated forms into raving monstrosities that would ravage the living with even more technological advancements, including integrated energy weapons.

4.23.01
4.23.00
4.22.59

"Sir. Another entity is in the system. They're tracking what the hackers are doing. I don't believe they can stop us, but they can counter our work and see what we're doing." Nemesis merely nodded. It was an eventual expectation. One anticipated. While an entire troop of his Ronin was working devilishly at secondary objectives, the giant turned to the Ronin working from the unfettered computers within the facility's own networks. Networks secured by the very firewalls that affected the hackers and slicers.

"Overpressurize the pipes." While the facility administration had worked so carefully at monitoring the precious bacta deposits, pinging suspicious additives, and cordoning off potentially sabotaged bacta batches, they forgot to do the same for the natural resources. Earlier, when Seren left behind Torin and a contingent of the Ronin, the barrels had not been introduced into the bacta pipelines. Rather, they had been pumped into the aquifers of the planet's water supply and into the natural gas pipelines running from the tapped reservoir and into the neighboring cities. Any drink of water would carry the viruses. Every act of cleansing, from a simple wash of hands or a wound, or even showers, baths, and saunas, would carry the pathogens to the unsuspecting. And as natural gas pipelines ran through businesses, apartments, homes, and everything that used the resource, every breath taken would deliver the viruses into their lungs. Why? Because the over-pressurized pipelines carrying the gas couldn't withstand the stress of being pumped through the pipes. Cracks opened, regulators broke, and compensators could no longer contain the pressure.

Another additive was added to the water supply. The Kryptos Virus. An old Imperial pathogen that incubated for over a week before appearing as a common cold. Every drop of moisture from the host was a possible pathway to infecting others: a breath, a drop of sweat, a kiss. And then lesions and boils would erupt, and every nerve would scream as the body began to liquify. The organs first. And then their bodies. When death finally claimed them, if they carried the Blight, they would rise as contagious cyber-zombies.

And still, it wasn't enough. Every Overwatch location that exploded dispersed more of the virus cocktail as an aerosol. Those who didn't die in the explosions were infected, the Shursia Virus morphing them into monsters who would fall upon all in the vicinity. The ones fortunate enough to die, or unfortunate, were immediately raised as the cyber-zombies who fell upon the living with ferocity. The plagues of sithspawn, technobeasts, and undead tech-savvy zombies scoured the fields, forests, and cities in all directions.

4.11.32.
4.11.31
4.11.30

Even now, Nemesis watched the HUD as Torin and the three ships filled with civilians traveled over the enemy formations, where they battled with the Sith in the burning fields. Holds and landing ramps opened on the ships as hundreds of the transformed and mutated people fell from the skies into the Jedi and Republic armies. Those who survived the fall rose in their now horrifying states to attack. Those that died on impact did not remain thus. The Blight reanimated their corpses with technological weaponry fused to their bodies as they lashed out into the enemy ranks. There would be no reprieve and no reasoning with the creatures as they ravaged where they fell. The three ships would careen through the air in gentle arcs that almost looked beautiful. If the Jedi and Republic forces chose to do nothing, the ships would merely smash into their formations to explode, creating even more havoc.

The creatures would not be a ripple across the planet but a tidal wave of death, mayhem, and destruction that would leave no corner of Thyferra untouched.

The sounds of closing bulheads echoed throughout the facility as Nemesis returned to the current issues at hand. Enemies had begun attacking the perimeter; each was a feint, a test of how he responded. What was he willing to sacrifice? What would he protect with every ounce of his resources? "Sir, we've been infiltrated. I believe there are enemies inside." The giant gave no visible response. His mind was flickering through the information he had gained from his enemy's actions until a small smile glimmered on his lips. The enemy had been searching for what was important. What was his objective, and what were his hidden, secretive plans? Finally, the enemy changed tactics. Instead of searching, they began testing and pushing here, retreating there, watching how he responded.

They thought Nemesis had changed the rules. And thus, they changed the game, which would negate his rules. What they had yet to discover was Nemesis wasn't playing a game. He created no rules and followed none. His objectives were subjective. What they thought he valued most was only a ruse. When they figured out his orders, they would find only a distorted mirror, reflecting nothing that brought clarification. Every byte of information was a lie. Each movement was a carefully crafted misnomer. Nemesis had changed their perspective of himself so many times, they couldn't anticipate his true motives.

With one word, "Typhoon," he sent the shuttles with hundreds of civilians to other cities across the planet. Each shuttle carried the virus cocktail. And with another whispered word, "Credit," he was handed three drives with secured info where the Ronin who worked on systems other than the bacta plant or pipelines had carefully performed a cyber attack, draining every credit from many of the banks across Thyferra and transferring them off-world in untraceable accounts before beginning new transfers reallocating the funds across shell corporations throughout the galaxy.

Was he a thief? Was he a terrorist? Was he a soldier? A Sith? A monster? A martyr? Until they could figure out his motivation or identity, they would never be able to make an informed guess about what he would do next. The so-called game being played was merely an amusing distraction. The enemy foolishly thought they had forcibly wrenched the initiative from Nemesis. They had yet to see the grander picture. But they would. And soon.

His true desire could only be answered at the end of the countdown.

4.02.17
4.02.16
4.02.15

• Nemesis acknowledges the burning planet, the impact by Darth Praz, and the ongoing missiles raining upon the surface.
• Nemesis returns to the control room.
• It is revealed that the laced flechettes from post #1 have multiple viruses, linked, that have created various Sithspawn, technobeasts, and undead technobeasts
• In almost an hour and a half, these creatures have spread throughout the city, the forest, and the battlefield; the infected have been evacuated and shipped elsewhere on the planet while the hosts remain asymptomatic.
• The creatures have also engaged the Jedi/Republic armies.
• The planet's aquifers have been recipients of the viruses, and the gas lines have an aerosol version. The gas lines have been overpressurized and have leaked into any building that uses the natural gas.
• Each destroyed Overwatch location (10 of them) has released an aerosol version of the viruses (mentioned in an earlier post) as a gas.
• 3 shuttles, each carrying hundreds of civilians, and infected Ronin have been dumped over the Jedi/Republic formations (the ships moved into position in a previous post, and the Ronin were said to have been compromised). The Sithspawn have attacked the army. The 3 shuttles are angling to crash into the Jedi/Republic.
• The shuttles standing by have been sent to other cities across the planet. Each is filled with civilians and barrels of the virus.
• Banks have had their funds drained after the hackers and slicers (mentioned in a previous post) completed a cyberattack.
• Countdown has reached 4 hours and 2 minutes.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Equipment: Lightsaber - Sword - Dagger - Robes
Tags: Lina Ovmar / [

Equipment: Lightsaber - Sword - Dagger - Robes
Tags: Lina Ovmar / Madrona A’Mia / William Thule / Andromeda Demir / Open!
--------------------------------------------

Darth Strosius kept a keen watch ahead as they began to move beyond the shuttles, partially for enemies and partially in wariness of the bombardment that was still raining down around them. Even as the landings and first wave of Sith forces were properly disembarking and moving forwards there seemed to be no end to the fire from orbit, stirring up great flames and plumes of smoke across the watery fields of Alazhi.

He could already sense a disturbance in the Force as well, though He chose to keep His senses sharp on His surroundings rather than deciphering what was happening elsewhere across the battlefield. Though the more casual nature that both of His beloveds seemed intent on spreading to Him as well was somewhat distracting from that focus. A huff escaped the masked man but before He could utter some undoubtedly resigned response, a far more close disturbance pricked at the edge of His senses.

"Jedi." He hissed the word like a curse right before the first blaster bolts came soaring through the smoke, soon followed by a pair of the aforementioned nuisances. Whilst Lina spread a shroud of darkness across them to break the line of sight and A'Mia loosed some of her own verdant creations, Darth Strosius directed His forces. The droids moved up first, fearless even as they caught glancing blows from the bolts firing their way, and marched behind the encroaching darkness in a firing line that sought to delay the Jedi and cut down whoever was accompanying them.

The legionnaires were quick to scramble for what little cover there was to be found amidst the fields, throwing themselves into the marshy plots and returning fire or simply ducking down and continuing their Alazhi collection work with a far more frantic demeanor. When lights began shining through the waves of darkness however all they needed was their Prophet's gesture to shift their attention to laying down fire towards the pair of approaching Jedi.

“I had something I wanted to run by you, ki manatsa” she continued conversationally.

"Kash dabar tave amzi, ki nulis?!" As much as He adored Lina's ideas He found their current circumstances rather more pressing and in need of attention at the moment. Two Jedi were of little issue of course but Darth Strosius was willing to bet that even if there wasn't a sizeable garrison already planetside then undoubtedly the High Republic would be rushing more forces to Thyferra post haste. Were it not for their fleet being just as interested in bombarding the planet as they were in winning the orbital battle then perhaps that concern would be lessened somewhat.

 

[Akhenaton]

​

THYFERRA
Objective 1: Hunt The Sith
Equipment: [Lightsaber] | [Plasteel Armor] [Vibroblade]
Opposition: The Sith Order

Akhenaton raced toward the closest Sith forces he could find, which appeared to be occupying some kind of bacta refinery. Using the smoke from the burning fields as cover and driving close to the burning foliage, the Dark Jedi closed the distance much faster than he had anticipated. With his purple cloak fluttering in the wind behind him, he approached a refinery where Sith forces had arrived. Akhenaton's gaze flicked toward some of the conduits and entrances. Small plumes of white steam rose from the conduits and a control panel. The damage was inconsistent with the fires sweeping across the fields or an orbital bombardment. The Sith were inside and likely did not expect Republic forces to be in the area.

Akhenaton slowed his speeder to a halt and disembarked. The Dark Jedi could see several transports farther down the road, guarded by armed men. Overturned harvesting equipment and dead security personnel were scattered everywhere. He looked down and saw the blackened chest of a Republic soldier who had been shot center mass in a firefight. Akhenaton quickly made his way to the open factory gateway and stepped inside.

A Sith soldier spotted him the moment he entered.

"Identify yourself!" The soldier raised his blaster rifle at the Dark Jedi.

"Put the weapon down," Akhenaton replied, his gaze flicking from the soldier to several containment cases.

The guard fired.

Akhenaton's violet-colored lightsaber came to life with a snap-hiss. The blade intercepted the bolt and deflected it into the ceiling. This drew the attention of more soldiers, who promptly began firing upon the chrome-armored warrior. Yet the Dark Jedi Master remained undeterred. He took a compact stance and gripped the long-hilted lightsaber with both hands. His movements were quick, and he shifted his body left and right at the waist instead of wasting motion on wide flourishes. He stepped forward, and a soldier fell when his blaster bolt was deflected back into his chest. Another soldier folded after a deflected shot struck him in the gut. As more soldiers fell, the Dark Jedi Master continued his advance.

Soldiers rushed around him and moved toward his flanks, but Akhenaton would not allow them to exploit their positions. He rushed forward and, with a heavy strike, cut cleanly through a soldier and his weapon. Still carrying the momentum of the strike, he smashed the hilt of his lightsaber into another man's face, shattering bone and sending him flying over several crates. Turning with his hips, Akhenaton thrust his saber straight through the helmet of another soldier, killing him instantly.

He turned but found only a sergeant wielding an activated crimson electrostaff. The man charged, sweeping the weapon toward Akhenaton's head. Akhenaton caught the strike against his lightsaber and held it there. Electricity crawled across both weapons, filling the chamber with a sharp crackling sound. The sergeant leaned into the bind, expecting his armor and mechanical strength to overpower the solitary warrior. Akhenaton pushed back, raised his knee, and slammed it into the sergeant's gut. The sergeant folded forward. Akhenaton grabbed him by the throat and, before the man could squirm free, broke his neck and dropped him onto the floor. He lay still and dead.

Silence returned to the refinery.

Akhenaton examined one of the containers he had noticed earlier. The Sith were collecting samples and destroying what they could not take. One by one, he drove his violet saber down into each of the Alazhi samples. He now had a plan. If he destroyed the samples and transports, the Sith would be drawn to him. He gathered several thermal detonators from the fallen soldiers and quickly armed them.

Back at one of the transports, the Sith soldiers were growing anxious as they waited for the samples to arrive.

"Hey, what's taking so long? The sergeant should have made contact and been back by now!" one soldier complained.

"No idea. Let's call command and see."

The pilot was suddenly and quite literally cut short by the swing of a violet lightsaber that removed his head.

The other soldier turned in shock but was cut down by a downward-sweeping strike that sliced him vertically in two.

Akhenaton activated a thermal detonator and tossed it inside the transport. A moment later, the ship exploded. That should attract the Sith's attention. If not, he would destroy more transports.