The Burning of Thyferra | TSE Invasion of GA Held Thyferra Hex

[Darth Carnifex]

​

His face curled into a mocking sneer, "The Sith have been nearly extinct several times over, each time they come back. The dark will prevail, Jedi." The Dark Lord turned her own words against her, the truth of the cyclical nature of the Force being brought to the forefront of their discussion, their debate. It was the way of the Force, the Light would prevail in one era of history while the Dark would prevail in the next, and on and on the wheel spun while it crushed the common folk beneath.

And now the wheel spun again, and the Light suffered.

But it had never done so as fast or as violently, and it was obvious that the Force was majorly imbalanced. Nothing in the chronicles that Carnifex had read indicated that any era before this had been as chaotic or destructive to the galaxy.

"And I'm not going to kill you, Jedi, not this time." He flexed the fingers of his left hand, and the Jedi's lightsaber flung towards him. With callous ease he swung his blade upward to cleave the hilt in two, letting the smoldering pieces clatter down around Sundara. "I have given you the truth, and in time you will come to see the Jedi for what they are. Charlatans that hide behind the paper shield of their artificial moral authority, controlling the weak minded into upholding the status quo, never challenging themselves to change or evolve. Under their control the galaxy would come grinding to a halt."

He deactivated his lightsaber, "And do not forget, Jedi. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that is basic physics. Reflect on that when you wonder why we came to this world in the first place, and take a closer look at the actions of the government you blindly fight for."

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]​

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Location: Ground Somewhere
Allies: [member="Roth Tillian"], GA
Enemies: [member="Scipio Alta"] and his thing for scalps, [member="Kogra"]
Objective: Survive

Cale stood amidst the smoke quietly as the Sith Trooper extended his offer at the point of a machete. A more foolish Jedi might've leapt forward and attempted to cut down Alta where he stood. But one didn't challenge a Jedi to a contest of blades unless they knew what they were doing, or they had a plan. Something told him Scipio met both criteria. "Not intending to die, but I appreciate the offer." He replied, taking a few steps back to create some distance. It all smelled like a trap, from the way the troops were set up, to Scipio's strange stance, to the unknown wounded lifeform now taking a knee. Cale didn't like it, not one bit.

The force was his only guidance now, his only ally since Wild Squadron was nowhere to be seen, and that meant he had to trust in it. The foliage would only continue to burn, brighter and more intensely now that a Star Destroyer smashing into the ground added fuel to the blaze with every exploding gun battery. But as the smoke grew thicker, the force showed Cale a potential solution to his predicament, though it would be risky.

"C'mon then, I don't have all day." He taunted the trooper, wrapping both hands around the saber and readying himself. I am one with the force and the force is with me, I am one with the force and the force is with me.

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

"Well, yes, that's how balance works." She had the strangest feeling she was being talked down to, something Sundara hardly took kindly. There wasn't much she could do to counter, though, not when he did indeed speak the truth. All she could offer was a glare and a small attempt at rebuttal. "That's great for the Dark Side, I'm sure, but the point still stands. The Jedi won't be going away, not entirely. The light will remain one way or another." They might go underground for a bit, but there was no way they'd be taken completely off the map, right? Such feats had been attempted before, each one ending in failure. Even if it took decades, the Jedi would return. Eventually. Hopefully.

A strangled gasp of a 'no' was the better half of her response at her weapon's untimely demise. That saber had been with her longer than any other gear she'd taken a liking to over the years. It was her first line of defense, offense, just about anything that couldn't be solved with words alone. When the remnants of such a weapon fell so too did whatever energy she'd saved up for any last-ditch move, released in a burst of telekinetic energy. It was over almost as quickly as it had begun, Sundara slumping back to her previous position, defeated. Should she have reacted like that? No, absolutely not. It was a mistake to get so attached to the weapon, just as it'd been a mistake to allow herself to get so caught up in the battle. Now she felt the shame of it all weigh down.

She didn't understand the Sith's intentions with any of this. What was the point in keeping her alive, continuing the theology debate? This was just about the opposite of every picture the monsters had been painted out to be. She expected discrepancies, sure, a couple odd ones out and no one quite fitting the cookie cutter description, but still. It didn't add up to the Jedi. While Sundara didn't doubt for a moment that there was something she was missing, some scheme the Sith Lord had in mind, pinpointing it just wasn't happening. "What do you have to gain by keeping me alive?"

Even without the lightsaber at her throat, she didn't ease up from her position. "Alright, say you are right about all this - then what?" What am I supposed to do? It was the real question she had but didn't dare ask. She didn't want to think about the idea of all she'd worked for being for nothing, or the idea that the people she worked for were just as bad as those they opposed. She didn't want to see the truth in it, at least no more than she already had. She wanted to believe the cause they fought for was a noble one. And yet, the seeds of doubt were already there, already finding root, starting to bud.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"The dead cannot learn, Jedi. They're dead. The living have a chance to grow, to evolve."

Another explosion rippled across the estate, a deep rumbling that heralded something far more destructive. While the Dark Lord busied himself fighting the Jedi Knight, his servants had taken to occupying the lowest levels of the estate; including the hidden subterranean vault that had once been his family's most sacred temple. There they placed several satchels of high-grade explosives around the supports, priming them to explode after a few scant minutes of their activation.

The growing battle threatened to hasten their detonation.

"So that is what I give to you, Jedi, a second chance to become better than your peers. Come to Bastion, I will complete the training your masters neglected to give you."

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]​

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

"And by evolve, you mean join your oh, so righteous cause?"

She could feel the tremors now, a prime sign that it was time to make an exit, lest she find herself a very uncomfortable grave among the rubble. It was far from an ideal ending to a battle, potentially leaving with far more questions than she'd come in with as well as enough doubt to last a lifetime or two. Still, it was worlds better from what she'd anticipated, one could hope. Better to live to fight another day, right? As to what she'd be fighting for, that was a different matter entirely. The Sith's offer of training was probably one of the last things she'd expect, one she had half the mind to laugh at. Surely, he didn't think she was so naive as to accept?

And yet, the ridiculousness of it all perhaps had her most intrigued. She probably should've denied it outright. No, there was no probably about it. And yet here she was, voice of reason apparently taking a vacation.

"And how am I to trust this isn't some sadistic orchestrated trap?"

[member="Darth Carnifex"]​

 

[Enyo Typhos]

The battle was over for Enyo. Who'd won? To be honest, she did not particularly care. Ultimately, the conflict between 'Light' and 'Dark' was utterly meaningless. In time, both of the empires that clashed on Thyferra would land in the dust bin of history.


Then their successors would carry on with the age-old struggle. They were slaves to path dependency. It was pointless and redundant, and she had no qualms about profiting from it. The bacta laboratory had been thoroughly wrecked. What the mercenaries could not loot, they destroyed, leaving plenty of dead bodies in their wake. Their evacuation was orderly.


So she boarded her heavily armoured corvette, now crammed with stolen bacta, and took off. Glancing out of the window, she saw that Thyferra was in flames. It did not concern her much. Eventually, the planet vanished as the ship reached space and then jumped to lightspeed.

 

[Zef Halo]

​

FACTION: THE SITH EMPIRE
ALLIES: [member="Kogra"]
ENEMIES: [member="Cale Gunderson"] |[member="Roth Tillian"]
EQUIPMENT: ARMOR - RIFLE - SIDEARM - GRENADES - WEIRD PAPER
UNIT: STILETTO COMPANY, 42nd AIRBORNE DIVISION

---

Scipio watched from underneath his helmet dispassionately the Jedi remain in his same place attempting to taunt him. The lieutenant gave him no answer, simply twirling the machete twice in his right hand.

:: Stun fire on my mark. :: He muttered through the internal communication channels of the platoon whose positions formed a wide half circle facing the Jedi.

Abruptly he flung the machete towards the Jedi. :: Fire!! :: Immediately as he uttered the order, over two dozen of soldiers' rifles rained stun bolts at the enemy. Simulatonously, Scipio's left hand that previously remained on the back of his waist pulled a flashbang from his belt and hurled it forward. Its explosion would have miniature effect on the anti-flash lens visors of the Sith-Imperial Legionnaires but the effect on the Jedi remained to be seen.

The office would then crouch picking up his own slugthrower from the ground and turning back to face his adversary and attempt to shoot his limbs off.

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Location: Ground Somewhere
Allies: [member="Roth Tillian"], GA
Enemies: [member="Scipio Alta"] and his thing for scalps, [member="Kogra"]
Objective: Survive

Well, he'd seen that coming.

The force warned him before Scipio had finished giving the order, and while the machete sailed through the air and cut a deep valley into the Jedi's shoulder, the man bolted with inhuman speed to the nearest tree.

Warm blood rolled down his shoulder and stained his flightsuit crimson, but the pain didn't register, not yet. Even as the flash blinded him, he did not stop, the force was his ally, and with it he would survive. Weaving between trunks the Jedi cut off his weapon as he narrowly avoided slugs and stunfire which attempted to impede his retreat.

He didn't stop to think why the ruthless soldier wanted him immobilized, or what macabre notions of execution floated through his mind, Cale simply moved. He couldn't see, he didn't have the time to stop and think, only to follow the will of the force. Reaching out he whipped the smoke and dust up into a screen, further concealing himself as he moved.

With all his concentration dedicated to avoiding dismemberment and concealment, Cale didn't bother to strike back at the group, perhaps giving them time to gather their wounded and dead, or to push forward. Either way, Cale was on the fast track back to alliance territory.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"That is for you to decide."

He answered he accusation of this being a trap with a short laugh. There was nothing he could say that would fully convince her that this wasn't some sort of sick ploy to lure her to her own death. The Force was strong in the woman, he could sense the untapped potential waiting to be set free; smothered by the rigid dogma and hypocrisy of the Jedi.

Smoke flooded the corridor in the aftermath of another explosion, clearing shortly after to reveal that the Dark Lord had disappeared entirely.

His cryptic truth and offer left hanging in the air.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]​

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

"That doesn't answer anything."

Her words fell on imaginary ears, the Dark Lord having already made his exit. For the first time since the encounter began, she could breathe without feeling as if each exhale would be her last. Releasing a deep sigh, if she could sink into the pavement she would've, already easing into a more comfortable seated position. That lasted maybe a good five seconds, though, as another explosion had her jumping back to her feet. There was a reason the encounter had been cut off.

What was coming next, outside of getting off-world, she couldn't say for sure. Some soul-searching, taking a closer look at the order itself, was definitely in the cards. A visit to Bastion? She didn't want to think of that likelihood, not yet.

Before any of that, it was high time to find a ship. And, considering the pieces of scrap still at her feet, a new lightsaber.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Bacta Lab #9
[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Wrap up.

Darth Ophidia knew she was at a disadvantage in this fight, she had been ever since she stepped out of the shadows. Her opponent had superior body armour, a large shield, and started from a defensive position. Yet, their fight had left the laboratory in ruins, bacta spilled from broken vats, equipment lay destroyed, and the structure was cracking and crumbling under its own weight.

As she attacked Kaida's hand and Kaida stepped in, counter-attacking, Ophidia made a subtle twist of her back foot that instantly supplanted through her body, resulting in her elbow quickly rolling out of the hanging position. It aborted her thrust and allowed her to move her arm out of the counter-attack's path. However, not enough to avoid it entirely. The plasma blade cut across her upper arm. crossing near perpendicular to the previous wound and effectively disabling her right arm. From there, it carved across the surface of her helmet, turning her head to the side and cracking the glassteel viewport.

Kaida's advance also left her unbalanced, her heel hit a crack in the floor, and she fell against the duracrete wall. Ophidia knew she was in a bad place, but she also knew the Tsaisibola had done its job: The serpent coiled around Kaida's leg and after claping down on the metal a few times, made its bite-attack between the plates. It tried to sink its needle-like teeth into fabric and flesh before one last time before letting go.

Darth Ophidia pushed back against the wall with her feet and closed her eyes. Reaching into the Force she drew on an ability with risk, especially when she had no idea what was behind her. As she threw herself back against the wall, she phased through it and fell through wall and floor. She fell flat on her back outside of the building, breath leaving her, but coming back shortly after. A smile spread on her lips as she saw the smoke and fire rising all around. She slowly rose to her feet amidst the cinders and ash that once was lush grass.

The tsaisibola, after making its last ditch attack, threw itself back and slithered down into one of the cracks left by the ship that crashed through. Its ability to to flatten its body let it squeeze through minute cracks as it made a run for it.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

Bacta Lab #9
[member="Darth Ophidia"]


Her burning yellow blade sliced across the Pale One's arm. It did not remove it from her shoulder and cause it to fall upon the debris-covered, blood-soaked ground of the mutilated lab. But sliced across and effectively disabled it, rendering useless. It went on to carve a line across the Dark One's helmet.


However, in her moment of success, Kaida had also made an error. For she had underestimated the savage creature that had nested upon her leg. Being largely unfamiliar with the foul science of the Yuuzhan Vong, she had been more than a little in the dark about its nature and capabilities. For her focus had been on her masked adversary.


The attack was swift. Ere she could bash the creature with the shield that had been so crucial in this engagement, it had not only sunk its sharp teeth into fabric and flesh, but leapt away, vanishing. Suddenly, Kaida was deep in the throes of anguish. She bit down on her tongue hard to keep herself silent.


But suddenly she was down on the ground. Excruciating, burning pain surged through her as the venomous poison entered her bloodstream. Her leg refused to obey her. As sweat dripped down her face and back, she saw the Sith seemingly merge with the wall, and then vanish. It gave her a measure of satisfaction that the Sith would be in poor shape as well. Breathing hurt and she felt dizzy.


Pain is just weakness leaving the body, she repeated these words inside her mind like a mantra. She forced herself to get up, even as burning pain shot through her with every motion Leaning against some debris, she breathed in, relying on one leg since the other had been disabled. Her Sciia flowed through her. It could not banish the foul venom, but it could keep her going and allow her to breathe. Till she found a doctor to get the venom out. Around here, there was naught but desolation.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

​

The tide had shifted in the Empire's favor.

The cities burned, the forests burned, and the corpses of the Alliance melted in the oppressive heat. The Legionnaries of the Empire brutalized the planet, laying waste to anything and everything in their sights. The Graug overran the forests, burning and pillaging wherever they went.

From orbit Thyferra writhed in agony.

Now it was time for the coup de grâce.

From the depths of space emerged three of the Empire's latest and greatest battlecruisers, bristling with armaments from bow to stern. Aptly named the Defoliation-class Siege Battlecruisers, they had come to deliver death to the Thyferra upon orders of the Sith Emperor himself. All Imperial forces were mandated to fall back, to pull out of the system while the remaining Imperial ships in orbit converged around the trio of mighty destroyers.

Pairs of orbital autocannons clutched each of the battlecruisers' underbellies, and those now extended from their docking clamps to target the smoldering planet below. In quick succession they opened fire, streaks of scorching plasma descended through the planet's atmosphere to bombard its surface. Entire acres of forest were consumed by the firestorms produced by these monumental eruptions of fire and stone as but a fraction of the Empire's undying hate was unleashed upon the Alliance.

They would target the cities, the forests, the mountains, everything on Thyferra would burn to send a message to the Galactic Alliance.

Thou hast sown the wind, and now you shalt reap the whirlwind.​