The Crusade Has Come [Moross Dominion of Kinooine]

[Soliath Devin Talith]

“They have free will. I do not dominate or subjugate their mind.” Soliael said in simple answer as he touched another of the soldiers. It was difficult to explain what he was doing, Sith Magic was powerful in all regards, and the manipulation of a persons mind was extremely difficult to spell out and explain completely. It's true that what he was doing took away a certain...line of thinking, but in truth it did not really change then anymore than a simple Jedi Mind trick would.

The compulsion simply made it so the persons lack of belief was utterly destroyed, they became devoted, affectionate, worshiping. They didn't become docile however, they knew what had been done to them, they simply accepted it as their fate. In a way Zoey was right of course, but he would not admit that. “I grant them true knowledge. The knowledge of faith. Of belief. I Show them truth, that is all.”

In a way, Soliael was also telling the truth. The compulsion that Soliael wrapped around the minds of these men and women was not to obey or follow. It was not to do as whatever he said. It was to make them believe in the faith of Moross.

He doubted that any of these men would follow him, just as few of the Aing-Tii did. They would gravitate to the God that represented them, with pirates...he assumed Hali.

 

[Sam Aellin]

Sam stood in the corner of the hangar bay. He said nothing to approach the Aesir when he walked in the room, nor did he speak with the Governor of Manpha as she spoke to the god. In truth even if he had found the courage to even approach the two Titans Sam would not have wanted to. He respected both of them far too much for that and he was but a simple soldier, canon fodder in the grand scheme of things.

He shook slightly as the god touched one of the pirates, not really understanding what the Aesir was doing.

Sam simply watched for a time, observing with ice blue eyes. He wondered what the God was doing, how he was doing it, if it could be done to himself. Unconsciously the Soldier touched his forehead through his helmet, rubbing the spot where the Aesir had touched the pirate. Quickly however he pulled his hand back to his side, twitching slightly.

His eyes shifted over to the Bishop of Manpha, it was her turn to speak.

 

[Blackthorne]

As the dozen or so dropships broke through the atmosphere, Loxa eyed the approach of her own from behind the Captain. They were headed to the very same settlement she'd visited just weeks prior and she knew the people there would recognize her. The woman took up her energy bow and accompanying quiver before moving to the exit hatch as the ship touched down. When the door hissed open she was the first to disembark, issuing no orders to the others within the shuttle.

Leadership wasn't really her thing.

Luckily the Moross contingent was so well trained they didn't need orders. Medics, Healers, and Engineers filed out after her; the first two staying in her shadow while the latter group moved off to their project location - a nearby communications tower badly in need of repair and upgrading. She strode along the main road of the settlement, stopping near the center. Around the Priestess the faces of Ferrereo colonists appeared in windows and doorways.

Loxa waited patiently for a few moments before spying a man she recognized. He paused in the entrance of his home, seeming to waver between coming and going, before he took several jilted steps out, his hands in the air.

A pirate stepped out behind him, blaster at the man's back, "I've got the whole family in here, Priestess. I want a few words."

"Then speak," she answered, saffron eyes narrowing.

 

[Ereza]

The reports on the fleet battle had come in and it seemed the pirates had been defeated utterly. Their ragtag group stood little chance against the highly trained and militarized droves of Morossian Naval forces. The sting of fear and death hung heavily over the planet of Kinooine, causing the slightest of frowns to weigh down the Reviver's expression. These things were necessary, of course. There simply was no better way to deal with criminals who were already prepared to take lives, and likely already had.

"Aesir Inari," a crewmember spoke up from his console nearby, "all dropships have landed. Blockade established. We are clear to bring in the Kuat Drive Yards team."

Inari released a slow breath, blue eyes taking in the sight of Kinooine that filled the massive viewport before her. She nodded, "send word to Queen Darke we are ready to receive her people."

 

[Sam Aellin]

Instead of listening to the governor and the Aesir talk some more Sam instead got a call over the radio, one that he found somewhat unpleasant. It appeared that Inari another one of the gods was aboard this ship, it also seemed that she would need something of an honor guard soon though Sam hardly thought that necessary, Sam being the most experienced of Ithari's raiders had the pleasure of full fulling that duty, since apparently the Reviver had forgotten her own whitecloaks.

Sam frowned slightly but nodded as if that would help him communicate through the radio.

Quickly the Soldier ducked out of the hangar bay, walking through the halls of the swarm frigate with quick almost rushed steps. He may not have liked interacting with the guards, but he would do his duty. With another few steps Sam found himself on the bridge. He came up behind the god and remained a few paces away from her, Moross and Ithari Raider emblems glowing brightly under the bridges lights.
@[member="Amorella Mae"]

 

[Sephoria Lasranae]

@[member="Ivy Lasranae"] @[member="Stone Hermes"]


Aesir Neth and Zoey had their victory on the pirate vessel. Now it seemed that two of the three Aesir and several other high ranking members of the crusade were all deliberating about ethics and consequences. All of that was a world away from Sephoria though. She was on the ground where the true gods shied their eyes away from the fate of men and women. Here in the enemy's main base, she had been tasked to capture the base with her sister, Ivy.

That had been a taller order to accomplish than originally expected. Had the pirates known what would happen? Did they concentrate so many of their number here to hold out to make the last battle the bloodiest? It's what she would have done. Either way she still had the high ground. She still held her portion of the outer wall.

The garhoon ran with all of her might. Her bloodied Sith sabre was held in both hands facing forward as her great leaping strides ate the aging bricks beneath her. Two pirates started to come out of a nearby doorway only to be cut down without her missing so much as half a step. The vampire didn't stop to check to see if their vitals were completely snuffed out. In her ear she could hear the screams of Morossian soldiers over her comm link. The battle outside of the base must have finally pushed inward. The emplacement weapons that the pirates had deployed at the gate were eating friendlies alive left and right. Unfortunately the Lasranae sisters hadn't managed to silence those guns just yet. Where was Ivy?

"Ivy, how far are you from the gates? I'm moving to provide covering fire from the wall. I can see the gate now, i'm almost ..."

No! Sephoria's eyes widened from a throb in her heart from a sudden spike in adrenaline. Her force enhanced senses picked up impending danger behind her. The woman swung around in what seemed to her mind to be slow motion. Her peripherals picked up on the pirate before she turned enough to see him clearly. By then the rocket had already been fired from his launcher. There was no time to think, and certainly no time to react sensibly. Everything happened by the grace of trained muscles acting on base instincts. She raised her sword and free hand in front of her. Both would do little against such an explosive weapon. Yet Seph's mind managed to kick in just in time to put up a flimsy force shield.

The explosive detonated far enough in front of her to save her life. It wasn't enough to spare her from the weapon's blast radius. The black haired woman grunted from the impact that proceeded to throw her from the wall she occupied. It was a high drop, but her mind wasn't battered enough to fail her just yet. The garhoon turned her body with cat like reflexes into the position needed to roll once she hit the ground.

FETH that hurt like hell, but she was alive. Alive and safe on the ground. Wait ... the ground? The vampire looked up as she pushed herself to her feet. Her crystal blue eyes trained onto the same emplacement weapons that had ripped several of her allies to bits. The same ones that they had been trying to flank by going through the sewers. Hilarious ...

Her sword might have blocked a round or two. A shield at her level of force training might even have allowed her to survive just a couple more shots. Running might have been prudent, but it was against her style to die with an inevitable hole in her back. To hell with it! She'd die with her boots on.

The turret weapons lit up her vision as the pirates tried to gun her down. She yelled defiantly and lifted her hands to counter attack as the stream of blaster bolts fired down range. Unfortunately they connected with her before she could to do anything. Instead she impulsively tried to absorb that energy instead. The pain was beyond anything Sephoria had experienced before. A wracking torture in every cell of her body that threatened to burst from the seams at every pore of her skin. Several of the lethal bolts connected with the garhoon who could only take it and cry out.

She was exceptionally gifted in her abilities to absorb energy. Maybe it was in her nature as a blood sucking creature that fed on the life energies of others[SIZE=small]. Maybe every force user simply had something they had a knack for. Yet it didn't matter how good you were. The body simply wasn't an empty battery with an infinite capacity. [/SIZE]So much energy and pain! Her mind was a second away from breaking if her body didn't break first. Maybe it was already broken ...

Release...

The woman fell to her knees as a massive wave of concussive energy swarmed out of her body. It collided with the flimsy makeshift palisades, blaster turrets, and the pirate crews that managed them like an almost invisible tsunami. Bodies, weapons, and debris flew and tumbled at it's wake of destruction. Sephoria might have heard the cheer of a few crusaders in the distance behind her if it wasn't for the overpowering ringing in her eyes. The woman's vision was starting to fog up. Her muscles were constricting inwards as her arms involuntarily shivered and hugged at her chest as she fell fully to the ground. Sephoria then rolled onto her back. Her throat was to dry and raspy to make much of a sound and her vision failed right before going unconscious.

Darkness ...

 

[Ereza]

Inari hardly registered the absence of her White Guard, but she did note the arrival of this new personnel. A short glance was given to the armored man and she recognized him immediately. He may have made an effort to steer clear of the high command, but Inari was of a mind that could never forget a name or a face. Especially not one like his that had been around since the beginning.

"Hello Samael," the Reviver greeted him with a gentle tone, "is my brother nearly finished in the hold?"

 

[Sam Aellin]

Sam seemed to stiffen slightly as the god spoke his name, is face growing to steal beneath his helmet and his eyes growing hard. Yet he dropped to one Knee and bowed his head as soon as she turned to regard him. This is how the Raiders responded to their god, Ithari had instilled fear...and respect into them and they responded to each of the gods as they would to him, even with his sudden disappearance.

“Yes, your grace.” His voice was soft, softer than one would expect from a hard man like him.

He raised his head slightly and looked at her, his ice blue eyes meeting her own for just a second, though she would not be able to see his through the visor of his helmet.

 

[Vascious Relens]

Vascious, the last of the three Aesir, looked out of a view port from the corridor he was on on the Morossian flagship. He was dressed in a thick silver robe, with an ornate mask to hide his face from his worshipers. It was very similar to something Inari or Neth would have worn except it was in Kalee's color of silver. This was unusual for Vascious as it was rare to see him out of his old mandalorian plate. Truthfully he knew he wouldn't have to set foot on that planet, and it felt good to let his body breath a little.

From that view port he gazed down at Kinooine, captured enemy ships, and the debris from destroyed enemy ships. It seemed that the battle for the sky had been concluded. There was some heavy blaster fire in the distance though it had mostly died down. Down below he knew that the fighting was still taking place. He could feel the deaths radiating up from the planet. Death was a sensation that was heavy on a jedi's heart. A Sith became desensitized to it though he could still sense it if he willed to do so.

The mandalorian looked back at the soldier that was nearby for a moment. The man took notice and immediately looked down at a datapad that was in his hands.

"Your grace, the fighters are mopping up the last of the enemy's ships. On the ground it looks like the fighting has made it to their main base of operations. The commander on the front lines has just reported in that they've breached the base's perimeter. It appears Captain Lasranae and her troops were already inside wrecking havoc on the bandits," added the man as he gave the latest status report.

Kalee nodded and returned to staring down at the planet. The pirates were a rag tag bunch of undisciplined criminals and miscreants. They'd fight with desperation. Obviously there would be casualties for the crusaders, but victory was inevitable. It wouldn't be much longer now.

He smiled behind his mask.

 

[Piraiba]

"STEPH," came the roar of the 800 pound beast that had invaded the base's courtyard with @[member="Steph Zenima"]. For the moment it appeared that the pirates had been routed. What few he had seen that were still alive seemed to have been retreating. Where those Resu, Ivy, and the other Moross soldiers went was anyone's guess. It seemed that they left Piraiba and Steph to kill everyone by themselves or to die.

Well they hadn't died yet, and the pirates were pushed back for the moment. It seemed like a good time to take a breather. The Togorian disengaged his light sabers and clipped them back to his sides before making his way over to a nearby outcropping of rock. He pushed a dead corpse off of the rock with what seemed like about the same effort as someone would have used to lazily knock a coat off of a chair.

The feline sat down and stretched with a yawn before looking down at his companion.

"You got any spice on you?"

 

[Ereza]

Amorella wanted to remark on the consistency of helmet visors obscuring her vision from the faces of those that had come to protect her and her family. Despite having grown up in the social realm of royalty, those who had stayed the closest had always been void of faces. It made for something of a lonely existence when the people you entrusted with your life couldn't truly relate.

Inari sighed, knowing all too well what his answer implied. She forced herself not to think on it.

The Aesir nodded and rose from Neth's command chair.

"Bright One, we have word from the Kuatian fleet. ETA ten minutes."

This was good news.

"You were a follower of Ithari," the woman tipped a brow towards Sam, though her own mask concealed much of the expression, "do you follow him still?"

 

[Sam Aellin]

On bent knee Sam looked up at the god not sure how to answer. He no longer did follow Ithari, he no longer believed in the blood he shed or the people he killed. He no longer wanted to sacrifice to the Blood god, he now followed Hali, if only to bury his past acts. He of course still faithfully believed in the existence of the gods and their power, to him it was undeniable, but the worship of Ithari...he could no longer do it.

“I do, your grace.” He lied. Sam was unsure if the god would be able to tell his lie, but he had to take the chance. If the other Raiders found out about his lack of belief...well he would be reassigned...and perhaps beaten. Ithari's Raiders were called so because they were the troopers of the God Ithari, anyone who worshiped another god did not belong.

It was simple, he had to lie to keep the one thing he had left, his brothers.

 

[Ereza]

Amorella was not her niece, Quietus - a woman who could not be lied to. Nor was she her mother - a woman who could read the emotions and thoughts of others as easily as she read a book. She was a woman of an accepting heart, though she had her intuitions about her.

He'd hesitated, which was enough to bring her pause as well. Yet there were so many reasons to hesitate and she could no sooner call him a liar than she could call herself a true God.

"I see," Inari replied, a bare smile on her lips, fleetingly, "then I have no doubt of my safety under your watch." After all, a portion of her White Guard were also warriors of Ithari, "Were you assigned this station or did you chose it over joining your brothers' fight on the planet?"

 

[Sam Aellin]

“I was assigned here your grace.” Sam seemed to be slightly uncomfortable at the question, and it most definitely showed. He had not wanted to be here, but he had of course not wanted to offend the god either. It was not that he would rather be among his brothers, murder and killing were no longer his favorite things in the galaxy, but instead it was the fact that the gods made him feel entirely too...small.

They were powerful, vast beyond all comprehension. Next to them he was nothing, and his troubles seemed small and insignificant. “But it is an honor to serve.”

He inclined his head again, reassuring the God that he indeed take this seriously.

She was of the Pantheon. She was divine, and that would mean Sam would gladly sacrifice his very being for her safety. Hell if she had asked Sammael probably would have taken his knife and plunged it into his own stomach, that was the extent of his devotion.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

In a back corner of the bridge, a large figure draped in an open cloak of dark blue and gray stood silently. Silver-green eyes protruded from the veil of darkness provided by his cloak's hood. Cameron Centurion was far from being any man, woman, or false-God's guard. Still, his dark, foreboding presence often accompanied the much brighter, more welcoming presence of Inari.

When the individual recently identified as Samael arrived, the Sith Lord's gaze refocused only long enough to determine the likelihood of threat. While members of the Godess' White Guard had seemingly adapted the ability to listen to her conversations without judgment, Cameron rarely did so. His mind was forever churning, attempting to discern greater truths from partial facts or less. For the time being, he was silent and motionless. The Priest of Aatrox was every bit the shadow most expected of the Deceiver's followers.

@[member="Amorella Mae"] | @[member="Sam Aellin"]

 

[Garza]

Looking to the god as he spoke back to me about only giving them knowledge, I shook my head. Sure we wanted to convert them, but forcing them to convert was not how I wanted it. It was something that I questioned. Now seeing that Neth still continued to do the same over again, I shook my head and walked away without another word. If the God wanted to do that, then let him. Apparently he was the one able to do so. and none of the other two gods decided to stop him.

If this was the way it was to be, then it was how I was to be forced to live. Knowing that some of our people, were recruited by sheer pushing of "the Truth" I decided to leave. My job here was done, and I needed to get back to Manpha and fix up things over there. Puting my Beskad away into the sheath on my back, I walked up through the door, and down the hall to where my room was.

Deciding to let everything else happen on their own. with still the thought in my mind.

Was this done to me?

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael finished turning the soldiers, a blank appearance crossing his face as he looked down on them. Each of the pirates now believed, believed more than they could have thought possible. In time each one would choose their own god, and each one would come to love that god. The Net of Compulsion would eventually wear off though by that time they would too indoctrinated to really understand.

He watched them for a time, and then simply turned and began to walk away.

 

[Sam Aellin]

Briefly Sam glanced over to the man standing in the corner, his blue eyes flickered over to him for only a few seconds. The dark Blue robes and the way the man seemed to...skulk was a clue to who he was, and Sam couldn't help but sneer beneath his helmet. A follower of the Deceiver.

Those kind were untrustworthy by nature, they were scum, less than scum in the eyes of most of Ithari's Raiders. Many people would rather deal with an outsider than a follower of Aatrox. Always they meddled, always they deceived, looking out for themselves instead of the good of all. His frown deepened into a scowl, but quickly he returned his eyes to the god before him.
@[member="Cameron Centurion"] @[member="Amorella Mae"]

 

[Crystal]

Crystal was elsewhere on the ship, in the mess. Doing what? Indulging of course. Not in food, or drink, but in watching the others drink and carry on in the name of Hali. It was fun for her to intensify the effects of the drugs and alcohol on the beings using them by subtly playing with their minds. It made for some amusement for her. She had to do something to entertain herself with all of the tension on the ship at the present moment.

"DRINKS ALL AROUND!" She called out. And, she smiled.

 

[Quietus]

Aiding Moross Crusade with the development of orbital shipyards.

A brilliant flash in the vast expanse of black surrounding the Moross fleet signaled the arrival of the Kuati contingent; a capital command ship and three massive supply freighters. This was only the beginning of course, for the Gods of the Crusade had grand plans for Kinooine. They meant to make it a new jewel of wild space by bestowing upon it a crown of metal and ingenuity. Who better to ask for help in establishing these plans than one who had perfected the construction, design, and engineering of it?

The KDY CEO stared out from the bridge of her command ship, green eyes narrowing upon this empty husk. Starports would need to be constructed, as well as communication hubs. They would encircle the planet with them while the tracks of the orbital yards were lain out.

"Your Highness, we are now uplinked to The Freya."

"Aesir's Inari, Neth, and Kalee, this is Queen Lorelei Darke of Kuat, CEO of the Kuat Drive Yards. My men are ready to commence stage one of the construction process. If you'll meet with me on my ship, we can finalize the plans and get started."