Dominion The Bryn'adûl | Battle for Clantaano III

[Primal Architect]

The Bryn'adûl | Battle for Clantaano III
The Crusade continued to march across the galaxy, stamping out the pestilence of weakness wherever it could be found. Dozens of worlds and moons had fallen, each one unable to halt their advance, and now the sights of the Bryn'adûl lay upon Clantaano III. The atmosphere of the planet was filled to the brim with granules of sand and soot, the dry and arid nature of the planet making it more difficult than some worlds to discern the exact contents of the ground, but the Draelvasier knew what they would find on the surface: Prey.

Reputations for violence and savagery had preceded the inhabitants of Clantaano, but they had remained separated and fractured among a number of marauder tribes who even now seemed to refuse the offer of alliance from their peers. They would fight the invaders with all of their strength, but the inhabitants of the world were used to persecuting the weak and frail in the capacity of outlaws and bandits, not facing a unified force of fanatical purifiers.
Population centers were a regular target of the Draelvasier, and the greatest of these on the surface of Clantaano was Cordo-Tad, it’s size and facilities making it the de-facto capital of the world.

When arms traders and spice smugglers needed to hire muscle for their operations, or when the marauding tribes took to the stars for their hunts they tended to gather at the spaceport at Cordo-Tad.

Disorganized slums and urban sprawl leaked out of the planned center of Cordo-Tad and it’s primary spaceport, structures of adobe and mud and durasteel standing tall wherever they could be constructed. At the center of the city lay a number of glass pillars interconnected by a number of thin bridges giving the impression of a spider’s web across the sky, and casting intricate shadows on the city’s residents below. Here, great batteries syphoned magnified sunbeams, converting them directly into the meagre electricity utilized by Cordo-Tad.

As the Bryn'adûl set about their landing courses, and the sky was filled with drop-pods and dropships and Carriers beginning to brace against atmosphere, Cordo-Tad prepared itself for battle. The handful of anti-air guns whirred to life as their bandit-turned-protector thugs took their controls, and a small fleet of ramshackle and hastily activated Starfighters and bombers took to the air, the cries of raiders filling their shells as they rose proudly to face their deaths.

Objective A - Take the City
From the slum depths to the shoddily constructed pillars and spires, Bryn'adûl Drones are deployed via Dispersal pods throughout the lower depths of the city to flush out the enemy and corner the civilian forces whilst the Brutes and Shamans attack on the various levels of the City Centre, striking directly into the heart of Cordo-Tad. Fighters engage in the sky as two violent races collide in a vicious slaughter. Kill them all.

Objective B - Defeat the Jedi
Several Jedi Knights lead by Jedi Master Tarad Morko have spread throughout the City of Cordo-Tad. They seek to weaken the Bryn'adûl chain of command, and are targeting our high ranking Warriors. Find them, and eliminate them.

- Osam | Lucien Kenston | Tarad Morko | Hrajlmak'Natok | Tathra Khaeus | Reosyvern | Adrian L'lerim-Vandiir | Gorrge | Galak | Primarch Drek'ma | Klasst Athlass |

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: One
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

The Jedi Master awaited the approach of the Bryn ships, he knew the monsters aboard those ships would kill everything on this planet. But he also knew that the one who led them would be here. He was always on the front lines of whatever battlefield he ventured to.

It seemed the ancient creature came and went as it pleased, rallying its subjects to its side anytime it was present. Tarad had watched from the shadows at Formos, Teth, Sakiya and Honoghr. He had studied, even with the guilt of it being at the expense of others. But the Jedi believed he could deal a lethal blow. He had been physically training for months following the end of his Barash Vow. He was ready to fight, ready to die for the good of the Galaxy.

The Jedi Master was meditating in a spire that hung over the city centre, above the city centre was a maze of thin walkways and power beams extending into the sky, they syphoned power from the sun to run the city. Cordo-Tad was the largest city on the planet, home to twelve million Clantoonians. This was the place where the most blood would be split, where the Clantoonians would be greatest in numbers and warriors. Tarad knew who he would be fighting and understood the psychology behind the twisted creature.

If he would be anywhere it was here. But the Jedi Besalisk didn’t even need to see nor hear the shadow, he felt it. The sun was blotted out and a great grim tremble consumed the entirety of Cordo-Tad. When the Jedi Master finally opened his eyes, everything was thrown under a dark glaze as screams and confusion made an encompassing feeling within the masses.

Sorrow consumed him as those on the ground below fled, their screams fuelled by terror. No doubt great serpents and all manners of creatures would be delivered to the surface in a few moments. The Jedi Master prepared, taking both of the staff sabers from his belt.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: One
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

The Clantoonians were a primitive and violent race, they would no doubt put up a fight but ultimately it made little difference. They would fall, and be wiped clean from the face of this planet for all time. Though in the pit of his stomach, Tathra felt something - more. An entity waited for him here, on this planet. A skag among cattle. For this battle, Tathra would be alone but not in solitude. He would draw out this foe into the open, and allow his children to watch as another who would dare to challenge him was torn down and defeated.

He shifted slightly, watching as the Artificers brought the Conquester out of hyperspace above Clantaano III. Walking a few steps forward, Tathra came to the edge of the observation area - looking down at the plant beneath them. Steam rose from his nostrils as he scoffed, turning on his heel and heading for the elevator.

“Deploy our forces. I will depart aboard a Gunship alongside our forces to Cordo-Tad.”

A rain of black objects came from the sky, all across the planet. Orkale Gunships, Heldrak Dropships, Zealot Shards, Phedrak Fighters numbering in the thousands and Dispersal Pods all came crashing down towards the surface. A majority of which were aimed for Cordo-Tad. Tathra stood among the warriors of the 10th Regiment, Brutes of renown who were ready to face the fiercest combat the Clantoonians had to offer. The ride down was a rocky one, this primitive race was apparently not so primitive. They had defences, meagre ones but they were putting up a fight all the same.

“Divide our forces into the upper and lower halves of the city centre! I want the 10th to destroy those defences!” Tathra barked his orders, no requests - commands. His tactical appraisal was final, always.

The hundreds of gunships divided into separate groups, spacing themselves apart to separate the fire being unloaded by the Clantoonian AA defences.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Two
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

Tarad could feel it in his old, chilly bones - the demon, the ‘titan’ was getting closer. Tarad knew his time had come, and he had to draw attention to himself. Below, some type of pod crashed into the open balconies below, a hundred or more of the ones he had come to know as Drones poured out in all directions.

The Jedi Master waited for them to begin to disperse, a group of maybe twenty starting to make their way across the highest bridge and the closest to him. Tarad ran forward, igniting both Staff sabers as he spun the Staffs ahead of him, breaking the glass moments before leaping through it.

The Besalisk Jedi was met by Gunships and all sorts of strange things darting through the sky before he landed with a thud behind the group of Drones. Before even a moment was wasted, the Jedi deactivated the two bottom blades of his Staffs, releasing both of his lower arms as they reached out with the force; grappling the two Drones closest to him and raising them up into the air.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: Two
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

The Orkale Gunship deployed onto one of the larger raised platforms that lead directly into the , and the Brutes of the 10th Regiment followed Tathra into the wake of slaughter. Ra’maks flew overhead as Phedrak Fighters in countless numbers fought with the hundreds of defensive fighters in the sky.

Tathra ran forward, absorbing dozens of blasts from various weaponry into his chest and skin as he dashed ahead of his own forces, hacking and slashing with his Long-Axe. Tathra struck the first closest to him, cutting the Clantoonian in half from head to crotch in a single one handed blow. Then left, cutting through a rifle and crushing the upper torso of the next. His right arm reaching out, grasping another and lifting him into the air, crushing his windpipe and neck in his grasp.

The satisfying crunch as he went limp was emphasised by a fierce growl as Tathra threw the body back into the crowd of warriors and civilians. Tathra spun the Axe forward in a low, sweeping motion. The full swing stretched from right to left releasing a powerful kinetic wave into the crowd that killed dozens in a blur of raw power.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Three
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

Tarad leapt into the air toward the two Drones suspended in the air, cutting them both in half as the rest turned to fire at him. Mid-air the Besalisk reignited his blades, landing among the crowd of Drones. His mass knocking one or two off as he forced his way among them. The Jedi Master was in such close quarters that even by moving he cut down a few.

The Jedi spun his blades in front of him - he’d seen these Drones leap for a throat once or twice not unlike their devolved Savage cousins. Tarad cut down two in a spinning swing, creating a whirling of blurring plasma as he took the heads off of three. A spiker round passing through his blur of blades and grazing his shoulder.

The Jedi could feel it, their leader had deployed to the field. It was only a matter of time before they met. The Jedi would draw him out, one way or another.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: Three
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

The Brutes of the 10th crushed their enemy, their lethality punctuated by the attack of Drones, Rhivaks and Savage Drones sprawling throughout the entire city all at once. Phedrak and Clantoonian Fighters alike crashing into the ground as fiery balls of kinetic mass, creating dotted craters across the battlefield.

Tathra and a handful of Brutes rushed into the opening he’d made with his Axe, filling the gap in their line and attacking from within. Tathra used not only the ruby beard of his Long-Axe, but pommel and shaft as well.

With every blow the molten vapour spread, the bodies left in his wake exploding into fire, filling the air with the smell of melting clantoonian flesh.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Four
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

Tarad cut down another, slashing the legs off of two at his adjacent flanks as his lower arms took both Staffs into hand, his upper arms pushing away a rifle as he grasped the Drone in with both hands and hefted him above his head, spinning with his lower arms cutting down three more.

As he came round once again, the Jedi threw the disorientated drone down to the streets below. When he did, he was momentarily distracted by a colourful blur of energy below. He recognised the powerful explosion of energy, it was him.

Tarad turned on his heel, taking both of his Staff sabers into all four of his arms as he continued to cut down the Drones ahead of him. All these bodies would no doubt draw attention upward, and he wasn’t trying to hide.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: Four
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

The tide was quickly turning in their favour. But that joy was only momentary as Drone bodies fell from above, splattering into mulch when they hit the ground. Tathra and a few others stopped, looking up as they could barely make up the motions of fluorescent greens and blues hundreds of feet above them.

“Above us! A Jedi!” One of the Brutes called, he and his compatriots raising their rifles to fire.

“No.” Tathra replied, using his free hand to lower the Brute in question’s Spiker. The Brute Officer looked to him, confused.

Tathra looked behind himself, below the platform they were on, noticing a Ra’mak flying below them and under their platform. “This is the one who awaits me, my children. You have this battle, I will return when this Jedi is dealt with!”

He ran forward, reaching the adjacent end of the raised platform; leaping from it down below. The Brutes behind him ran to the edge in confusion before they saw the slowly rising Ra’mak.

 

[Osam]

Objective: A
Post 1

Drones swarmed the streets of the lower city, immediately filling them with firepower and shrieks of victory and death. The dispersal pods had fallen exactly as planned, with only one or two having been taken down by the anti-air guns of the natives. They had fallen so quickly that the airforce of the enemy had been entirely unable to knock them out of their terminal trajectories, allowing the missiles to strike down and deliver their lethal cargo to the arid surface. Many of the natives had broken into fleeing only to find themselves surrounded on all sides by the pods, still spilling additional warriors out to confront the vicious residents.

Not all of the raiders would falter in the sight of the purging force, though, as could be seen by the horde which had encountered Osam and his Sraelvun companions upon their exit. Blaster bolts had met them mere seconds after exiting the hulls of the pods, fired by a local warlord who'd apparently seized command of a number of local thugs in the chaos and rushed them forward to face the invaders. The stench of scorched flesh -- it was familiar and easy to recognize -- filled him as another bolt landed squarely in the skull of a companion.

The return-fire sent by the Sraelvun had a habit of blowing off pieces and chunks of the defenders, but the distance between all of them was closing faster than had been expected. Soon, the bandit horde had managed to get close enough to tackle down some of the Sraelvun, but they quickly found themselves facing a vile and vicious race with hands tipped in rending claws and an insatiable appetite that extended to xenophage tendencies. Even as the Drone Major found himself knocked to the ground by one of the lead thugs, one of his companions knocked them in turn to the ground, clawing and snapping at them as they swung a pipe club about in wide arcs.

Savagery to savagery, the Sraelvun stood against the inhabitants of Clantaano.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Five
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

The Jedi Master continued to fight, clearing the bridge of all the Drones that had originally crossed it. He looked below again and their Chieftain was gone. Confusion and anger spread across the Jedi’s face, emotions he fought to quell, quieting his mind.

It was only then that he felt it once again, the ever-looming shadow. The great creatures born of the nether that sat in the sky were merely phantom apparitions, extensions of the true source of shadows. One he now felt creep over his skin.

Tarad turned around, coming face to face with the side of a flying creature slowly rising into the air, half a dozen metres and standing atop the grotesque creature was…

The Jedi Master assumed a new stance.

“Finally.”

 

[Galak]

Post: One
Tags: Tathra Khaeus | Primarch Drek'ma | Osam |
Objective: B

The Orkale landed, one among hundreds that had dispersed from the Carriers in the sky. They'd heard another Jedi Strike team had showed their faces. Galak was honestly surprised, after the embarrassment at Honoghr, he doubted they'd be stupid enough to try it again. Well, stupid or brave; two sides of the same coin.

But here they were, trying to target the commanders of the Bryn'adul. Pathetic. Hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike? Cowards, the lot of them. It was strange that someone could be brave yet cowardly. Though he'd supposed he had been witness to such things himself, even their own kind had emotions. But the whole point was not allowing those to control you, using them for the benefit of yourself and your kin. That was the whole point.

These Jedi were supposedly the epitome of moral standing for this Galaxy, yet their skulked in the dark like assassins rather than fighting as Warriors, leading by example. He never understood that. Nor did he think he truly wanted to.

"Let's move out!"

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: Five
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

The wind blew ferociously, causing the vapour to flow behind the beard of the Axe in the opposite direction, the cloth of his lower-torso’s undergarments danced in the wind as Tathra stood tall along the back of the Ra’mak war beast.

“Halt.” He spoke in their tongue, ordering the beast to stop. No doubt the language as unknown to the Jedi Master no doubt.

His opaque eyes burned with determination as he stared back at the Besalisk over his right shoulder. An impressive species, he’d only faced one before and it had been smaller, younger. This was an old warrior like himself.

Tatha had been holding the Long-Axe at a wide angle in his dominant hand, shifting slightly as he brought the Axe forward facing. The Titan leapt down, his boots slamming into the metal of the bridge as it strained under his weight slightly. The metal shook, vibrating all the way to the other side where the power syphoning exhaust shot a glowing gold energy through a glass pillar that stretched downward through the many layers of the city centre.

He leapt from the Ra’mak, landing several metres away from the Jedi Master.

"Go." Again, Tathra ordered the Ra'mak to leave; the creature cried out as it returned to the battle.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Six
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

The moment it took the crimson beast to leap from the safety of the flying creature seemed to stretch out over too long a period of time. This was the first time the Jedi Master was getting a good look at him, a massive sculpted Warrior.

The Jedi released a low breath as his heart sped up, but he held his position. He switched into a duelling stance, bringing his right foot forward as he held one of his two Staff-sabers in a forward facing grasp in his upper-right arm. His second Staff held vertical in a grasp in both of his lower arms.

The Jedi Master did not expect an easy fight of any kind. But even so there were no words shared, no acknowledgement. They both knew only one person was going to walk away from this fight.

And Tarad Morko knew in his gut that was going to be him. It had to be.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: Six
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

Tathra ran forward, his left hand in the hand guard close to the top of the haft whilst his right hand held the lower length in upward grasp. He had to control the momentum of the fight, two sabers were dangerous, nevermind two Staff-sabers.

With every hastened stride, Tathra crossed two metres of distance between them until he was within range. Even with staff-sabers, they did not equal the range Tathra had. He came to a stop as he brought his right leg forward and struck upward toward the shoulder of the Jedi with the pommel of his Axe.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Seven
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

It came as no surprise to either of them that the Titan was the first of them to attack. Tarad was surprised by the speed of his movements, his attack was almost too fast for Tarad to block. The Jedi pooled his strength into his speed as he brought the both arms upward, aiming downward and blocking the strike with a vertical strike of the front blade of his left Staff.

The sheer strength in the jab alone was enough to put pressure in the Jedi’s defence, Tarad immediately began to step backward as he jabbed inward with his right arm, thrusting for the Titan’s left side.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: Seven
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

What Tathra had in strength and lethality, his opponent had in defence, speed and versatility. When the offline of the Axe’s shaft connected with the lightsaber in a short clash, Tathra’s two-handed grip altered, shifting his left into an reversed overhand grip for more maneuverability. He half expected the Besalisk to attempt to flip the lower-blade under his guard. But instead of that he attempted to strike for Tathra’s abdomen.

Using his centre-mass like an anchor, Tathra pulled back with his pommel and shot the upper-length of the Axe forward in a jab that met the Jedi’s thrust. Tathra used his overhand grip to shift the hook of the ruby beard around the saber and would attempt to push it away.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Eight
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

The Jedi was again surprised by his adversaries speed, attempting to match it with his racial skills. As soon as the blades made contact, his opponent immediately tried to put him off balance and get through his guard by hooking the saber blade with his Axe’s beard.

Tarad flipped his right Staff upward, the forward facing blade downward in a spinning motion as the end of the Staff that was once behind him came crashing down towards the crimson titan’s wrist, hoping to disarm him. At the same time, he deactivated the back blade of his left staff, switching to a two-handed grasp holding the bottom of the saber as he swung low for Tathra’s waist.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Post: Eight
Objective: B
Tags: Tarad Morko

The Titan bounded forward, bringing his left foot forward as his arms swivelled, anchored on his centre again as he brought the ruby beard of the Axe into the way of the descending saber. The lower length of the Axe was luckily already retracted, allowing him to intercept the low swing from the Jedi’s left.

He knew there were simply too many options available to the Besalisk for him to account for. So, his tactic relied on purely non-commital strikes. He would have to force the Besalisk to change his approach, turn his unorthodox methods against him.

Tathra overpowered the Besalisk, pushing upward with his right arm to bring both sides of the Long-Axe level, subsequently pushing down with his right to get inside the Jedi Master’s guard.

 

[Tarad Morko]

Post: Nine
Objective: Kill Tathra
Tags: Tathra Khaeus

When his adversary forced him back, he knew he was trying to get between his defences through a blade-lock. It was no surprise to him, the Jedi Master responded to offence with ferocity. The red monster had proved to be an incredibly lethal warrior, Tarad felt his own nerves, cold feet maybe. But he had to take control.

Again, he spun his two right arms to bring the back-facing end of the staff forward as he swung from right to left for Tathra’s neck. Whether it missed or not, he would follow up that swing by immediately swinging with both sabers towards his enemies torso.