Mission The High War: Ariha || Ascendancy

[Ascendant Muse]

Chapter I: The Sun Rises
Chapter II: Day of Landing
Chapter III: The High War: Zion​

N O R T H P O I N T
Ariha, Philistia System

Silence was never a good thing.

In the wake of the Ascendancy's recent mission to Zion, invaluable truths had been gained. The system which housed the fresh conquest yet lingered under the control of the Philistia Family*. Yet their hold upon each world was shaken by Zion's Fall. One of the scions of said lineage had been captured during the offensive - and it was their interrogation that provided the Ascendancy with new details about their enemy. According to the captive, the world called Ariha was the Second Jewel in the Philistia Family's crown.

Where Zion was a valuable hub for living "merchandise" and weapons, Ariha was a depot for a raw materials. The means to create starships, vehicles, and infrastructure were harvested and contained on this world. But what did this mean for the Ascendants? Their adversary, the Khanate*, received quite a few shipments from Ariha. And just as they cut off a valuable line of supply on Zion, they could endeavor to do the same here. But there was more. In addition to raw materials, Ariha was where the Philistia Family uncovered a relic.

It was eons old and clearly corrupted by the Force, for those who drew near went mad within days. The examinations which did occur spoke of one truth: this relic, a so-called Tablet of Ruin, had secrets of the Unmaker* scribed upon its surface. If it were allowed to fall into the Khanate's hands, there was no telling how much it could accelerate their vision. Thus, the course of the empire was set. Ariha, like Zion, had to be taken. A valuable pipeline of supply and a relic of their otherworldly adversary had to be seized.

And one week prior to this day, a unit of Vulpes* was sent to the planet to scout resistance. What was concerning about this routine operation was not the report that came back to the Capital...but rather the silence. After a mere twenty-four hours, the scout party went dark. Therefore, the expeditionary force was effectively flying blind. What was once a two-fold operation became three - seize the depots, secure the relic, and rescue any survivors. Thus, as the sun dipped below the horizon, ushering in the first hours of nightfall, the Ascendancy's forces began arrive. They thundered into Ariha's orbit. Smaller craft began pouring down to the planet's surface.

They would not be denied.​

Spoiler: Glossary of Terms*

T E R M S

• PHILISTIA FAMILY: A criminal family which holds power over the aptly-named Philistia System of the Shiraya Expanse. While "technically" a neutral party, they eagerly supply the enemies of the Ascendancy with slaves, weapons, and raw materials.
• KHANATE: One of the reigning powers within the Shiraya Expanse. They are a raiding culture that opposes the Ascendancy and serves the Unmaker.
• THE UNMAKER: A primordial being, thought to be a Celestial, who orchestrated the Fall of the Confederacy. Though diminished, its forces now poses a constant threat to the Ascendancy.
• VULPES: The military intelligence forces of the Ascendancy. Members of the nation's Regnum Star Legion.

Spoiler: Objectives

According to the intel gleaned from the Philitia captive, Northpoint is one of the most vital depots on Ariha's surface. With literal railways and pipelines connecting it to all other major hubs, capturing this center would provide invaluable access to the rest of enemy's stockpiles. It was here that the advance party was sent to investigate, and upon landing one will find an odd...silence. No alarms. No armed opposition. Only dead calm within a locale that should be fortified beyond all words. And as one advances through the facility, it would not be strange to feel as though someone or something is watching. Regardless, the mission remains the same. Seize control of Northpoint and locate any survivors.​

Unlike Northpoint's silence, a quarantine zone is due south that is alive with comm chatter. According to intel, this is the hastily-erected facility that houses the Unmaker's Tablet. If reports are correct, there is a high possibility that any personnel keeping watch over the relic have gone mad by proximity. Beyond this, there is no telling what the effects of the Tablet are upon the human body. Thus, the mission to secure the Tablet involves containment. Capture the facility, see to the extraction of the tablet, and safeguard your very mind.​

Ariha and its facilities are as vast as they are dangerous. How will you shape the operation?​

Spoiler: Tag

Korvis Laerann
Yeshua
Teyla Sal-Soren
Finnea Virlee
Kyyrk
Alessandra Creed
Tre'von Vile
John Locke
Vyse de Valorous
Matthew Locke
Abel Denko
Nephthys Nardithi-Verd
Illyria Le Fey
Luna Evanstance
Darth Metus
Lace Verd
Darth Elyria
Kervo Namadi
Srina Talon
Binary
Kuben Woods
Rann Thress
Dreidi Xeraic
Talohn Atar
Artemis Verd
Titus Dorn
Tegan Farron
Var Talon
Sylvia Alvaro
Izovel Uzán
Ciri Jade
Tess Valnora
Iella Sunscream
Aliza Vale
Kirwin Hass
Laertia Io
Josiah
Diana Sophistica
Taiia Locke
Darth Ivum
Vanir Eris
Saer Lorian
Gerwald Lechner
Kusana
Valeria de la Vallée
Allyson Locke
Oleander Webb
Kurenai Yumi
'Juno' Hart
Lowri Rhi
Kirk Tektus
Dena Careen
Ren Bishto
Mae Tecono
Zlova Rue
Amelia von Sorenn
Valery Noble

 

[Aiden Wolf]

What is that I cannot see?
​

The halls of the compound were quiet. The silence roaring from the walls of the place was almost deafening.

In a dark room towards the center of the facility, a single figure sat, bound in chains with his hands in cuffs. A red glow seeped eerily from the single eye that was still working. On its knees, it swayed gently as it rocked back and forth, consistently testing the strength of its bonds. In the distance chains could be heard just barely clinking against each other. One thing that could be ascertained however, was the smell. Sweet putrid rot permeated the air, consoles across various hallways would flicker in and out of working states. Dust had settled on everything as this place had looked almost abandoned for months.

Almost. If it wasn't the blood spatters and bits of gore everywhere.

The only thing that could be heard across the entirety of the facility was small cleaning droids attempting to mop the floors. Unfortunately their scrubbers had been so thoroughly saturated that all they ended up doing was spreading the blood across the floors. The only thing that was suspiciously clean was the landing pad, but even there the place was covered with dust from lack of use. The only signs that the Vulpes had landed there being that where the ship had set down, their was now an imprint of it's own landing systems, with footsteps heading inside being the only trace they had left behind.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

And as these new visitors would land, the figure in chains would slowly stop. It would look up almost expectantly as lines of code flashed across the pupil of the thing, and a wicked smile would cross its hideous face. It started to laugh. A small chuckle at first, dry as this being hadn't had water what had seemed to have been some time. But the chuckle would grow to laughter, an insane, mad, cackle as its twisted face would look where the sky should have been in the darkness of its cell. Two words would be the only thing uttered as the various sensors of the facility would feed it a plethora of information on the incoming craft.

"Fresh Meat,"​

 

[Darth Metus]

Wearing: Armor of Darth Metus​

N O R T H P O I N T
Ariha, Philistia System

Madness.

The Sith was no stranger to calamity befalling the mind. A lifetime ago, when he was but a learner of the Force, contorting the psyche was one of his first lessons. Now, so many years later, the threat imposed by the Unmaker's Relic all but demanded his unique forte. According to the reports thoroughly encouraged from the Philistia captive, the so-called "Tablet of Ruin" could ravage the mind. And while the Dominus had full faith in the abilities of his legions and his knights, he would not subject them to an inferno he could abate. After all, what was a tablet to one whose throne was a Phobis Device?

So it was that Darth Metus descended to Ariha.

The shuttle that the ferried him was filled to the brim with occupants. A collection legionnaires and knights were strapped in while he stood. All were garbed in their respective uniforms and went about their pre-combat rituals. Some checked their weapons. Others were clearly meditating. Yet none was as silent as the alabaster one. She was a stark contradiction to the occupants of the shuttle. Where there was motion, she was stillness. In fact, even her attire differed. Darkness was the color worn by all within the shuttle - yet the Echani chose color.

The vision of his daughter sticking out like a thumb amongst their forces took Darth Metus back. He was reminded of their first missions during the height of the Confederacy. Reminded of the countless times they stood back-to-back, surrounded by adversaries. Reminded of how proud he was of her. Though his features were obscured by the hood he wore, a smile graced him. "It has been quite awhile..." he mused.

But she would already know how he felt. She would see the memories dancing before her mind's eye like an old holo-film. Such was the nature of their bond. It mattered not how many systems' away they could be, their thoughts and might flowed as a river. The Echani, for so many years now, had been the Sith's most trusted advisor, general, confidant, friend, and so much more. To the point where, if they did not have a perpetual force bond running betwixt them, he imagined she would still know exactly what he was thinking at any given moment. That was simply how they were. One.

Yet, the time for rumination was rapidly drawing to a close. The shuttle shuddered as it touched down on the planet's rocky surface. A hiss filled the Dominus' ears as the doors slid open. As those surrounding him readied to depart, Darth Metus gave his orders. "Remember, this area is infected by the Force. If you do not have the means to shield your mind, stay close to me." So it was that he took his first steps onto Ariha. And as his boots crunched down upon the earth, his will expanded. The Force cocooned about him and reached - forming a sizeable dome about them. With this, their midst could operate without going mad.

He only wondered what a lack of such protection could do to a man.​

Srina Talon + Open​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk had volunteered to establish the beachhead for the arrival of the Dominus. He was one well capable of shielding his own mind against the horrors that awaited, and thus perfectly suited to designate a landing zone. They were going in blind, to be sure, but at least the Ascendancy could know their landing pad was safe. Kyyrk had arrived well in advance of the strikeforce, giving him time to also plot a tentative route to the structure they would soon be invading. But such a task was quicker than anticipated. The terrain was quite forgiving.

Kyyrk watched from the shelter of a rock outcropping. Just because the relic was driving people insane didn't mean he would drop his guard. If they were able to shield their minds, the enemy could as well. After all, they were able to move the relic here, or construct a temple of sorts around it. Either task could not be completed by the damned. But as the shuttles touched down, Kyyrk stepped forth from his hiding spot, walking directly to where the Dominus exited.

"Dominus. Right on time." He fell in step beside the man, flanking to his left side. This gesture, as well as a respectful nod towards Srina Talon , showed a deference to the winter'd woman's seniority in this case. They may be of equal rank and best of friends, but Kyyrk always deferred to her as his senior. A sign of gratitude for her help in rehabilitating him. His attention turned back towards the Dominus.

"Outer defenses seem sparse, but I do not yet know if it is a ruse or a fact. If I had to guess, what few forces remain alert and coherent have other things to worry about. If they're smart, they'd hold their forces in reserve till we deal with the problem, then trap us within." Kyyrk gestured in the direction he'd emerged from. "While I've seen no sign of the Vulpes themselves, their last camp is hidden about one hundred eighty meters that way. I can only assume they made it inside. By their will or something else's."

Kyyrk glanced behind them at the gathered shuttles and preparing troops. "There's nothing I can tell you about the relic you don't already know. Not exactly a Phobis device, but a precursor. We already know the dangers of an unleashed Phobis device, but only the creators of the relic know what other oddities to expect. I see no reason to fear the device outright, but also no reason to assume we know it's every pitfall." ​

Darth Metus || Open to Interaction

 

[Titus Dorn]

Wearing: Regnum Star Heavy Armor​

N O R T H P O I N T
Tag: Tegan Farron , Aiden Wolf + Open

This was...unnerving.

Though the iron visage affixed to the soldier's face hid his true feelings, beads of sweat began to populate on his brow. For one, he much preferred orbital drops to shuttling into a LZ. With a drop, entry was much faster and there was a smaller window for being blown apart. For another, drop pods were a much smaller target. But even this reality paled in comparison to the elephant in the room - the quiet. Titus had been a soldier for a long long time. From before the fall of the Confederacy in fact.

And never had he flown into a sortie that was silent.

As the shuttle sliced through the air, the pilot set about cycling through the channels. Any that the Vulpes had broken through were dead air. Not a single voice. Not a single utterance. It was enough to make Titus' skin crawl. Nonetheless, the mission was at hand. The facility was a vein running into the heart of the enemy - and they would take it as they had all others. He would take it. The soldier drew a steadying breath through his nostrils before releasing a metallic huff.

"Farron, you with me?" he asked, turning ever so slightly.

Though they were not pilots, the legionnaire beside him was the textbook definition of a wingman. Wherever he flew, she was right beside. There wasn't a single sortie that one embarked on without the other being present. It made sense - for they were among the last survivors of the Dauntless Commandos. That was a camaraderie that would stand the test of several lifetimes.

And now, it would ferry Titus through whatever bullchit awaited at Northpoint. Soon, the shuttle landed and the doors opened. He took long, armored strides forward and readied his blaster rifle. Initial scans from his visor came up clean, so he motioned for the shuttle's occupants to advance.
​

 

[Azmodan]

​

Northpoint
Ariha, Philistia System

​

From hyperspace, The Grand Phalanx had entered the orbit of Ahira. A lone drop pod was ejected from the ship. It's massive cylindrical form was pushed into the atmosphere of the planet by it's thrusters until gravity could do rest of the work. The impact of the pod as it made it's landing caused dust to fly out in all directions. A door hissed open on the pod, revealing, the Xarixi warlord Azmodan, former general of the Confederacy. His absence was felt by the upper brass of the Confederacy during the cataclysm. At the most dire of times in confederacy history, Azmodan was nowhere to be found. No where to be seen. He simply vanished. In truth, he saw the unavoidable demise of the Confederacy and, instead of wasting his army against the forces of the Unmaker, Azmodan retreated to his homeworld. There, he bided his time until a moment such as this arrived when he would return triumphantly and remind the galaxy and the, now, Ascendancy, that he still drew breath.

Azmodan walked a few steps from his drop pod, his rifle in hand, and surveyed the immediate area. No immediate threats. Though, as the reports revealed, if there were any they would be in the facility. The minds of the weak-willed were being puppeteered to an unseen will much more powerful than their own. Such was the natural order of things. Though, these thralls were in the way of the Ascendancy, therefore they were in the way of the Xarixi general.

Not far from his position, other Ascendancy forces were forming up, including Darth Metus and Kyyrk . Azmodan slowly approached them and gave them a nod. He waited for the other man to finish speaking before he used his voice. "Dominus. It is good to see you are in good health since the fall of Naboo. I will not beg for your forgiveness for my absence in battle. But, I shall make amends today and in the future." The vocabulator seemed to be in prime condition. Azmodan did not have to use it in some time since he had retreated to his home world.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ariha (Enroute to the meeting point)
Outfit: Padawan Garb
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tags: Darth Metus | Kyyrk | Azmodan | Srina Talon

From the debriefing about the mission to Ariha, it seemed like this section of the planet was going to be dangerous and there could only be the strongest of minds to go. Dreidi had hesitated when she heard that, her skills were far from being the strongest in the Ascendancy, there were times that she thought she was the weakest member in the faction. It didn't help that she was one of the youngest Force Users around and that her training was not as focused as many others. Dreidi was dipping her toes into a lot of different pools. However, in the end, she had to trust that being the daughter of Jairdain, a master of the mental abilities in the Force, and having personal lessons from her long time ago meant that Dreidi could and would cope with the difficulties of this mission. If she never pushed herself, then how would she ever be able to be a Jedi Knight and eventually Jedi Master, or a Nightsister of any reputation.

Donning the final touches of her outfit, Dreidi let out a relieved sigh, this was definitely a Jedi style that she could get behind. A little tighter than the training clothes she had been wearing for the longest time but it was definitely more stylish and didn't make it look like Dreidi was coming fresh from the gym whenever she turned up for an event. Tying her hair into a tight ponytail, Dreidi looked at herself in the mirror, so much had changed in her look over the past few years and she was curious to see what the future had install for her. Breathing in deeply, she clipped her Lightsaber to her belt and headed out to where the dropships would be. Dreidi was curious to see who else would be going on a dangerous mission like this and if there would be any recognisable faces.

When she entered the dropship, she spotted a number of soldiers and warriors around her. Seeing people in armour and ready for war was quickly becoming a normal occurrence for Dreidi, something she wasn't entirely comfortable with. Jedi were keepers of the peace, and right now, she didn't feel like she was keeping any peace but instead causing war and chaos. Bringing the darkness, not the light that she had been taught to be. She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about all this, about the fact her life wasn't exactly what her training told her it should be.

When they landed, she heard the familiar call of Metus, the Dominus, she had to remember that, she couldn't go around calling him Metus since she had only seen him around once or twice. There was also Kyyrk and an Echani that she did not recognise really but seemingly Kyyrk held in high respect and that made sure that Dreidi noted that she must do the same. Walking over, she noticed another being that she was unfamiliar and allowed them to introduce themselves before looking up at all them. Feeling small in more ways than one when she looked around her.

"Hi. I... Urm.... I.... Hi..." Dreidi stuttered and then hanged her head, embarrassed that she struggled to get even a sentence out. It was hard, she was fairly in awe of three of the people around, Metus was her leader, Kyyrk was highly respected in the Medjai Order and Srina, while she was not really known to Dreidi, she could just sense the power and air of authority off the woman and that was enough for Dreidi to admire her.

 

[John Locke]

​

Wearing: No points for guessing...a suit​

_________________________________________________

Tagging: Aiden Wolf | Titus Dorn | Tegan Farron
_________________________________________________

There was a truth to the galaxy that no-one ever spoke, no-one truly acknowledge but that remained an unspoken law.

Conflict was eternal.

You might find a moment of peace, a brief respite from the conflict but in the end it would come for you again to draw you into that dance of civilization and the savage.

So John had found himself drawn back into the cold embrace of war, those icy claws of darkness that he'd never truly escaped from had reached out to grasp at his soul. Few existed who touched the conflagration of war and walked away unmarked. A wry smile touched the man's lips, he was almost as much machine as man these days, implants and cybernetics spread across his body, however, it had not been war, not been a conflict that had resulted in those injuries. No, those were the result of his normal civilian life. The wounds he'd suffered from war were more insidious, the memories and chains that scarred his soul. Choices he'd made and choices others made, memories that haunted him in the middle of the night, left him waking in a cold sweat. And yet, he couldn't say no, couldn't turn away from stepping up when the situation demanded.

Dark eyes flicked open, running over the faces of the legionnaires that surrounded him, the grim-faced soldiers clad in their heavy armour had become one of the faces of the Ascendancy, a sign of impending freedom and the retreat of the enemies of civilization. Today would be no different, the troops descending on a central depot from where they could extend their reach over the rest of the planet, only, today the armoured troops would be joined by the most unlikely of individuals. Between the metal and ceramic armour, the faces of all the troops was a man devoid of any armour and weapons.

There was a second truth to the galaxy, a measure by which you could set your standard. John Locke could always be found in a suit. Even here in the middle of a warzone, the Primarch could be found in that three-piece suit, seemingly completely at ease as the shuttle started to slide towards the final approach to its destination.

He may have lacked the force like many of his fellows, lacked that connection to the energy field that suffused the galaxy, that gave them access to power that most could only dream of, but the cyborg had a variety of other tricks up his sleeve. Connections reached out as he linked into the depot's systems, sending a barrage of programs and viruses into the system as he started to review the data available.

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this."

An outpost of this size should have some form of life, of some communication but there was nothing. No data, no commands running through the network. It was as if the outpost was empty, as if it were dead. Devoid of the enemies they'd come to face, of even scavangers who might have come to pick over the remains if someone else had decided to wipe out their opposition.

"I know it's cliche but...this feels like a trap."

​

​

 

[Tydrin]

Company: Father and lots of other people| Thoughts: I must learn| Mood: Observant, Alert​

---

₪ It was odd now, going from trying to kill this man to joining him in conquering a planet. I was adjusting my new attire as we exited the ship, loosening up the collar so I could breathe a bit better. My hands fell to my sides, my fingers curling around the handles of two longswords he had made for me. It was a strange feeling, to have all these eyes on me, as I was up under my father for so long.

I had never been off-world like this before, let alone fighting a campaign alongside warriors who clearly outclassed me. Looking at my father, I reached out to cling to his arm as he mentioned staying close, but I didn't want to be an embarrassment. For now, I would stick close to him and listen carefully as I was certain one day I would need to step into a role similar to this.

From what I gathered they needed to take this planet, as it was a major supply hub and held a powerful artifact that was rather important but dangerous all at the same time. Seeing as the relic caused those exposed to it to go mad, it didn't sit well with me that there was no one here, no welcoming party, no enemy fire, nothing completely silent.

As I looked around there were many important faces assembled on the planet, all paying their respects to my father, as they briefed him on the situation, and what the best course of action was. I watched patiently to see how things would go. ₪

 

[Kaia Verd]

Tags: John Locke Titus Dorn Aiden Wolf Tegan Farron

Wearing standard Mandalorian armor

Under her helm the young woman’s mind was racing, it wasn’t very often that she went on a mission with others for she was quite the lone ranger. However this time it was a personal matter as she was pretty sure that her father would also be involved so she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help him however she could.

While all of these thoughts raced through her head her outside visage stayed flat not showing any emotion her helmet with its T shaped visor was like that of her ancestors. As the shuttle neared the disembarkment point Kaia tightened the straps on her armor once more and gripped her blaster. The young Mandalorian scanned the area around her the legionnaires around seemed a little skittish, which Kaia understood however there was a mission at hand and there was no time to waste nor any use in being skittish. Kaia had not feared death since she was a young girl and was nearly killed in the same accident that took her hearing.

As the green light was given to disembark the shuttle Kaia held her blaster just a little tighter. She listened all around her however she heard nothing, the air seemed too still for an outpost of this size. Kaia took a gulp of air as she heard John say that he had a bad feeling about this. She knew that his gut was typically right. “I feel it too John” she murmured gently her voice changed a bit by her helmet.

Kaia followed the heavily armored soldier gripping her blaster, her breathing was extremely slow and steady as she was trying to keep herself calm.

 

[Srina Talon]

N O R T H P O I N T
| Ariha, Philistia System |
| Objective: Relic |

Nearby Tag: Darth Metus | Kyyrk | Azmodan | Dreidi Xeraic | Tydrin
Hi We're in a Thread Together Tag: Aiden Wolf | Kaia Verd | John Locke | Titus Dorn
_________________________________________________________​

One of the very first lessons that Darth Metus had ever imparted was the horrific purity that could be found in fear. It was a unique element and an easily attainable resource in a galaxy where even the mightiest King scuttled away his dread and anxiety into places that would never see the light of day. She had learned through exposure the truth of a Phobis Device. It rang in her head like the seductive song of a siren. Calling, luring, while every burst of blackness seemed to feed the aching void.

Srina was unmoved by this "Tablet of Ruin" and the glacier calm she held seemed to be slowly slipping into the legionnaires and knights without thought. The way they checked their weapons was methodical. Focused. They were a work of art, ever in motion, whereas she remained frozen in place. Were it not for the fact that these men had seen her move, speak, breathe and bleed—It would have been easy to assume she was a robot. A droid, perhaps, some sort of statue.

The white-haired woman unapologetically wore the colors of House Talon. Blue, silver, and white. She had a myriad of armor sets to choose from. This one, more than others, held a rich history. Beneath the ultrachrome segmented plates sat a story that ran from the deepest friendship to the darkest betrayal. Nevertheless—It was still a fine piece of equipment that deserved to be used rather than collecting dust in a closet somewhere.

Her expression was empty. Silver orbs watched something in the distance that was neither here nor there until the voice of her beloved Dark Father pulled her lightly back to the present. She could feel his smile rather than see it. The sudden stream of memory and consciousness drew a ghostly smile across an otherwise icy countenance. "Feeling sentimental, my Master?", her words were delivered flatly and without any inflection though, he would feel what she did not exude. A quiet fondness, affection, mixed with sincere and willing devotion. It was an adopted daughter's love.

A constant.

The Dread Queen moved from the shuttle with the ease of someone gifted in wind-walking. There was no wasted effort, no added exertion, and if there was any haste to be found—None would see it within her. A familiar face greeted them. "Kyyrk…", the singular word, merely his name, held more meaning than any poet could have ever strung together. It was….Hello. It was "Are you well?", "I'm sorry I've been away.", "What's the sitrep.", all rolled into one.

Both of the men she stood near would be more than used to her monosyllabic nature. Srina didn't often speak more than necessary in a public forum. She preferred to watch, listen, and absorb from her surroundings. She could feel her Masters might rolling around them like an effervescent wave and it prompted her not to worry about her mental faculties for the moment. As long as she was within his sphere—She could focus her considerable talents elsewhere.

After Kyyrk brought them up to speed there were several others that approached.

Srina had never formally met Azmodan but her memory was remarkable. Coupled with the fact that she had instant access to data, directly, from Darth Metus it was easy enough to place the cybernetic. She was not addressed directly and thusly let Kyyrk and her Master handle the brief, informative, introduction. A pledge to help end this madness was more than enough for her. The fall of the Confederacy, years later, was something that still caused her jaw to set tight.

It never should have happened. But, it had. All that was left was to move through it. Move on.

The final destruction of the Unmaker would allow the former droid nation to do that as a whole. To allow them a moment of respite so that they may spend a breath not looking over their shoulders and jumping at shadows. It was bloody work; but it had to be done.

A pale woman-child arrived next. Her name was elusive; however, her alignment was not. Srina could smell the Light shifting around her. Floating around between bits of Dark. The Exarch hoped that the mere slip of a thing wouldn't bend, break, beneath the sheer darkness and corruption that existed on Ariha. "So young…", Srina breathed, silver eyes flickering, though she left it at that. She had been fighting since the moment she was strong enough to hold a sword. From cradle to the grave…But that was the Echani way. This girl ( Dreidi Xeraic ) was most definitely, not, a daughter of the moon.

"Stay close to the Dominus."

The words uttered to the flaxen-haired near-human were an order. Srina deduced, swiftly, that Dreidi did not have the necessary skills to keep the relic from peeling her mind like an onion. There would be no mistaking the way her head was held high, nor, the way hawkish eyes demanded obedience. Srina was not a woman accustomed to being refused, nor, did she accept being questioned. It would seem that in her time away from the Ascendancy not much about her had changed. Still the same—Still the Dread Queen.

It also seemed that her Master had also remained much the same. She could sense his progeny, adopted, and otherwise. Thin little strings that danced away from the progenitor like the web of a spider. Tydrin and perhaps even Kaia Verd . So many faces, new, and old.

Cruel orbs lifted from the young woman and turned back to the much taller men on either side of her. This wasn't the first time they'd stood like this. Planning, waiting, exchanging information.

Preparing to go to war.

If there was nothing else…

"Shall we begin?"

Spoiler

Terentatek Body Gloves Mothers Wrath Mudarra, The Lover's Rings Holding Aces The Ring of Aspiration Heart of Cold HG-54 "The Vora" Class Hand Cannon

 

[Aiden Wolf]

Icy cold hands which drape over me

Spoiler: Tag List

John Locke , Titus Dorn , Kaia Verd

As the ship approached the station, one thing would be readily apparent to the pilot which he would radio to the ground team that he was carrying. One thing which at first caused him to quizzically do a series of searches but would find nothing. Because there was nothing left to find apparently.

"Sir, I got got no signs or traces of the Vulpes ship. Wherever it is, it ain't here no more. You sure this is the LZ?" ( Titus Dorn )

As John Locke reached out with his own augmentations, he would be confronted by something... wrong. Systems were either outright destroyed or in a haywire status making them mostly unresponsive, but something else would be striking. The code he would encounter would be unlike any other he'd seen before, it was constantly changing and evolving, but the data he would receive from queries would respond with something that could only be described as alive. Across the station whatever systems were working were now inhabited by something that appeared sentient.

And it did not take kindly to trespassers.

The code almost seemed to devour his attempts to probe into the system, their own programming language just taking the data for itself as it tried to trace the source. It was launching a counter offensive against John. There could be no mistake now, the code was somehow sentient and had spread like a virus across the station. The short bits of data he would get from it before his programs and own viruses were seemingly absorbed into the data, images of people screaming as droids massacred them. He would see brief flashes of men pinned to the ground by loader droids while being disemboweled. People fleeing from flying cleaner units that would harass and otherwise attempt to ram into people. Flashes of something else that he couldn't quite make out in the dark, but was vaguely human. A figure wrapped in chains that at a passing glance seemed familiar. But the code in the network was responding against him faster and faster. It was adapting to his programs and viruses more effectively, just tearing the code apart before reforming the data as a part of itself, and it wouldn't take long before it traced the connection back to him and would start to try and infect his own systems.

For the others as they disembarked they would see what looked like a dead landing pad. There were no lights, no activity, nothing of any kind of movement to signal where the threat might be. Titus was right, while this was quiet, what was wrong was that they had no idea as to where an attack could come from, which made it that much more dangerous. As the members of the Legion advanced in their tattered armor or titanic power armor, they would find a data pad left right outside of the door leading into the facility. It was a field data pad, one of the standard operating procedures was that when the Vulpes were on mission to a place such as this, they left behind a bread crumb trail to any that might follow. This was both to warn follow on forces, and to serve as a trail to find their way out should long range sensors fail. One of the soldiers would spot it and dust it off, the cover with the Vulpes emblem still secured to the front of it. He would call out to Titus, and shut the attached beacon off as he hit the play button as it held a single recording.

Spoiler: Data Pad Recording

This is Vulpes Decurion Julius, reporting from first landing site.

Our initial scans of the base showed zero signs of life, both the base itself and the surrounding area seemed to be devoid of any kind of life. We decided that since we weren't going to be compromised by some kind of local forces in this AO (Ehhh-Ohhh), we would land and make first contact ourselves to establish some kind of baseline for the place. So far, so good, this place seems to be a milk run for us this time around. That being said, Jenkins reported some kind of sensor disturbance in the area. Some kind of interference is messing with the scanners. We didn't get a good reading of it in orbit but as soon as we got here it was like the entire place was being jammed. Some kind of radar jamming equipment maybe? But we didn't see any life forms in orbit, and now that we're here, we can see that this pad alone hasn't been used for quite some time. And there hasn't been a peep from inside. Just to be safe we'll be going comms dark until we return from our recce, but I don't see anything living here. No place looks like this if people live and work here, hell even droids cause more activity than this. Will start the recording trail from here, set to report to command in three hours.

Decurion Julius, out.

As the legionnaires approached the door to enter the facility, they would find something odd. The door was off, as in when they pressed any of the buttons, nothing worked. It seemed dead, and while they could force it open, they had no idea what was on the other side. As they approached the door, suddenly Titus would get the second chatter from the voice in his ear, the pilot of the drop ship they had rode in on.

"Sir, now I'm getting some kind of interference on the ship's sensors and comms," He could hear the pilot curse a little as he fiddled with and then loudly smacked the screens a few times to make sure it wasn't the displays "Dammit, something is pushing a lot of power from the inside, we didn't see this from orbit or on approach. This has to be either a short range unit, or something turned it on from inside. Might get a little static-y in there. I'll get to work on the dropship, see if I can't find a workaround," The pilot would then cease transmitting as he grabbed a hydrospanner and multi-tool and set to work.

Meanwhile the Legionnaires stood on standby, awaiting Titus's orders for entry and how.

 

[Tegan Farron]

Objective: Seize

TAG: Titus Dorn | John Locke | Kaia Verd | Aiden Wolf


Time after time, again and again, one mission after another...Everything was starting to bleed in on itself. Go here, face this, deal with that. There were times when Tegan honestly could not filter one mission from another in her memories. Actions melded together, formed their own pattern of stories sometimes, made things just not make sense here and there. But, there were always a set of factors that remained constant: Always coming out on the other end of the fray, and always being no more than a step behind Titus Dorn .

There was nothing the pair of them did not face together, and today was no different. Even with the blonde arguing that this mission sounded like a ridiculously bad idea - not insubordinately, but in genuine concern - she was still here now, riding out to yet another place that could get the two of them, and everyone else in their charge killed on contact.

"When am I ever anywhere else?" she had countered Titus' question with a smirk that could not be seen, but could be heard in her tone for certain. Yet that was the end of her commentary. Landing had given way to others stepping forward, to not quite leading the way out but enough so that it made Tegan huff softly beneath her helmet. Admittedly she didn't understand why anyone but the legionnaires were her, but it was also not her place to ask nor point it out. And so she followed, as she always did.

"Its entirely too damn quiet..." she muttered, her tone just barely above a whisper as she looked around now. The call out and the message on the pad didn't keep her attention, even though it should have. No, Tee's focus was on the door ahead of them, and a deep frown seated on her expression as the group approached. Again nothing more was said, though Tegan's armored body shifted half way back around so that she could pin Titus with quite the exasperated look. He may not be able to see it beneath the armor, but after all this time together, Tee knew he'd feel the look all the same.

This only made her stand by her previous statement before departure; This was a very bad idea.

 

[Diana Sophistica]

-=Diana Sophistica=-​

---

Tags: Kyyrk + Darth Metus + Srina Talon + Azmodan + open
Ship: "The Red Hare"
Equipment: Prosthetics, Diana original lightsaber +attachment rods, Diana's master ligthsaber + Diana's Breshig War FOrge Consolidated Ori'kute-CA Armored bodyglove
Droids: Orange Kitten, Blue Squid
Objective: Relic
Inspirational music

---

It was still bright out. The heavy thud of the ship as it rumbled to a standstill on the landing pad awoke the woman from a nap. It had been a while since she had joined a real mission, and while she never stopped fighting for a second... she felt it in her bones. The metal above her head, pipes running through the ship to connect its fuel to the parts needing it, like blood through a monster. She reached out and pulled herself up from one of these. Like a monster... odd realization to have now. It won't be long before the heavy metallic hatch would open and the planet would stretch before her. It had been 7 long years, in exile she had trained, mastered what she had always fought and she was ready to put in her effort to make this universe better. She worked tirelessly and now the time was finally there. A hungry rumble in the stomach of the metal beast signalled the end of tranquillity as she slowly took a step forward. The force flowed through her as the metallic foot took a step, followed by a normal one. She took another step and found herself almost entirely engrossed by the thought this would happen now. Joining the rest of her fellow Medjai. She took a breath, her hair flaring bright red with now thick streaks of grey running through it. Wrinkles on her face seemed to shine as the one working eye shone bright green.

"Ready... lets go, Blue Squid the helm is yours. Keep the Hare on standby. COMM connection set up for drop for your aid should worse events happen. Orange Kitten, you get second command. Wish me luck."

With a soft rumbling beep a droid sprung to life. A tentacled monster that was larger then expected, a singular red eye. And while he looked intimidating, Diana knew this droid as Blue Squid, one of the most loyal and useful utility droids she had ever had. The hatch opened fully as the fresh air hit her. Finally time to step out and move to the objective. in the distance she saw a few familiar faces. Srina Talon was hard to miss in any situation. The woman once having saved her life on a mission. A good friend Kyyrk not far removed. He was a troubled soul, but she appreciated him for who he was, and while she was unaware of his past, she knew he was in all a person worth giving a chance. Some other less familiar faces seemed to come together in a small collection under a rock outcrop. The whole state of the landing zone a good enough reason for her to want to get to action. But a plan... they needed a plan first. The monsters that roamed here would not be easy to deal with nor would they wish death on themselves. She took slow steps, moving towards the group as she approached. Her stature was as always pretty imposing, now over 2 meters tall and in a physique mainly build on lifting heavy weapons and armours, she tried her best to appear as friendly as a hermit of 7 years could be.

"Well fancy meeting you guys here... you don't happen to have need for an extra pair of hands?"

She smiled, aiming the comment squarely at the group but also mainly at Kyyrk. He seemed to have a plan, and until now they had only ever met under casual circumstances. It would be nice to get to meet him on the field of battle sometime to fight side by side. She whipped her hand a bit, a new quirk she had acquired from her training with the new prosthetics, as she looked at the other man of note next to him. She had difficulty placing people with whom she had never spoken... but she knew this man. She had a blush flush her face as she realized she forgot to introduce herself to one of the people who she probably should have introduced herself to.

"Ah... ahem... eh, good afternoon Dominus... I don't think we have met so far? Diana Sophistica, combat specialist."

She realized she was perhaps a bit rusty on the whole... social thing. She clearly tried but as she spoke she realized she should have thought first. As she took a breath she regained her composure and looked at the soldier she didn't know. Nodding at him with a kind smile as she repeated the introduction, this time with a slightly more confident sounding tone.

"So Kyyrk, where do you need a hand?"

---

-=The Emerald Flame=-​

---

 

[Ascendant Muse]

N O R T H P O I N T
Ariha, Philistia System

Tablet was the mortal word affixed to the relic.

A mundane understanding of that which laid before their very eyes. It was said that if a being from a higher dimension were to descend, the minds of the present reality would not be able to fathom its existence. Thus, the mind protects - blinding the eyes from the monstrosities just beyond the veil. The Tablet was cruel in its way, for it peeled away the meager defense of mortal minds. It reveals the true nature of existence...specifically, how they were not alone. The workers who were tasked with keeping watch soon found their mind's eye opened.

And when faced with the truth, madness was a welcome escape.

When the Ascendant vessels touched down before the Tablet's resting place, there was motion for the first time in hours. The talented souls who had gone before would have seen nothing out of the ordinary, save silence. This was the first contradiction to this trend. The facility's forward-most entrance flew open at once and out sprinted a single soul. He, garbed in the coveralls of the adversary, waved his hands frantically and ran as if his life depended on it.

"Help! Help me!" he cried, before stumbling over his own feet. His own journey to the Ascendants was cut off by his own ill-placed steps. It provided ample opportunity for the predators to come vaulting after him. At a mere glance, they were garbed the very same as the fleeing soul. They were the same, but a closer inspection would show the difference. Every eye was tainted by the darkness, as if each had pledged their souls to the darkest Sith. From their lips was foam and froth. And flesh, fresh flesh, hung from their lips.

The worker was pounced upon - and his cries rang out. Before any could react, molars were upon his neck. Former friends were devouring him. Instinctively, one of the legionnaires within the party took aim and let fly a blaster bolt. It sank square into the forehead of one of the ravenous workers. And by all accounts, it should have slumped over with finality. Yet...though a hole was now burrowed through its cranium, the being yet ate. It was undaunted by the assault. Unphased by what should have put it down.

Then...the cries stopped.

Now, the horde fell upon them. They began as few, but the entrance unleashed more and more with each heartbeat. Ravenous. Mindless. Seemingly Deathless. The maddened souls ran towards the Ascendant force, intent on filling their bellies.

For madness was a welcome escape.

Kyyrk | Azmodan | Dreidi Xeraic | Tydrin | Srina Talon | Diana Sophistica​

​

 

[Darth Metus]

Wearing: Armor of Darth Metus​

N O R T H P O I N T
Ariha, Philistia System

Feeling sentimental, my Master?

The alabaster woman, ever-confident and ever-faithful, said in response to his quiet words. At face value, each syllable reached his ears flatly. Devoid of inflection - devoid of emotion. Yet, silently, he could feel the river yet flowing betwixt them. He could feel the ocean of affection that his chosen daughter held. And it only caused his smile to widen. To this, he answered: "I'm old now, sentimental is part of the job." His words, contrary to her own, were expressive. Such was their relationship in a nutshell. One to lack emotion, the other to spam them. Of course, they did not have long to tarry in the moment, for their vessel touched down in short order.

The Dominus stepped forward, erecting his defense against the ravages of the Tablet. And as he focused, his gaze was greeted by yet another faithful ally.

Voph, his one true friend.

There had been very few that the Dominus trusted. Even fewer that he considered actual comrades. Yet, the Wrath of Vylmira had proven himself worthy of both. True to his worth, the Exarch had been dispatched ahead of the Ascendancy's main force to establish a valuable beachhead. His own talents were such that Darth Metus did not worry about his mental wellbeing. After all, Kyyrk had peered inside the Sith's head and wasn't driven mad by all the puns. He'd be just fine fending off whatever murderous vibes emanated from the Tablet of Ruin.

The report was a welcome one. At face value, what the Exarch beheld was consistent with the Vulpes' previous report. The target site seemed empty and the Tablet seemed similar to a Phobis Device. Alone, both of these circumstances were not much concern for warriors of their caliber. Yet, these existed under the shadow of the Unmaker, meaning caution had to be front and center. "Excellent work as always, Exarch." he began. "I will say, given its proximity to the Unmaker, we'll err on the side of caution. Anything related to that bastard typically tries to kill us in some form or fashion."

And speaking of battle, another dropship's engines roared. Soon, their party was joined by a face that the Sith had not seen in years. The voice, aided by vocabulator, was music to Darth Metus' ears - as were the warrior's words. When the Confederacy was at its height, such a return might have been met with scrutiny. But that was during an era of milk and honey. An era where battles for survival were not commonplace. Then was gone. This was now. Thus, the Sith gave him a nod in return. "Azmodan, yours is a face I did not expect to see - but it is a welcome one. I am glad to have you at my table."

Soon, the others joined them from within the vessel. Namely Tydrin - his son. The young man yet held numerous demons within and the Sith decided it was good for him to join in this mission. To face the scars left behind by his mother meant knowing a world where he was more than a tool. He had a family now. He had people now. And he would learn to rely on them with each mission undertaken. Thus, the Sith turned to him and briefly placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll do just fine, I know i-"

His words of confidence were punctuated by an unexpected arrival. A woman of crimson hair - and an even more crimson face - landed and drew close. She spoke casually, before introducing herself. All of which caused the Sith to grin. "Well met Diana." he mused, whilst his own apprentice spoke to a girl in their presence. He noticed her face out of the corner of his eye and recognized her from a mission spearheaded by Kyyrk. To her was rendered a brief nod, before Srina asked the question of the hour. Shall we begin?

It appeared as though the quiet occupants decided to answer first.

So quickly did they burst forth from the confines of the buildings. Chasing, Ripping, and Tearing. One of their own was quickly devoured before the growing horde set its sights on their party. The Sith grit his teeth momentarily and ignited his lightsaber. "Keep them at arm's length!" he barked. His own armored forces began to open fire behind him, attempting to slow the advance of the deathless. But as their limbs and torsos were being blasted through, nothing seemed to phase them.

But, deathless or not, the Ascendants would not be denied this day.

Kyyrk | Azmodan | Dreidi Xeraic | Tydrin | Srina Talon | Diana Sophistica​

​

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk's gaze lingered on Srina Talon for a moment. A silent message conveyed. He'd been the one to call her back to deal with this matter. But it was more than that. Just as she'd conveyed more than a single word in her greeting, so too did he convey more in a single nod. "I took my time, you took yours." He wasn't sorry that she'd left. He was sorry he had to call her back. Kyyrk paused as he was moving to turn away, spying something amidst the woman's figure.

A lightsaber. A spark of recognition filled his mind. His lightsaber. A gift for the young Exarch some years prior. A peace offering after the battle of Kuat. They'd hardly spoken in the months after that battle, and Kyyrk was afraid he'd not done enough. He'd saved her life, but the woman that emerged was...darker. He'd forgotten all about that blade. But seeing it brought a smile to his heart, if not his face. As he pulled his helmet down over his head, he turned to the greeting extended to him by the newcomer. "Diana." Kyyrk clapped the woman on the shoulder in greeting. It was simple, but heartfelt. The first friendly face he'd seen after being released from Srina's care all those years ago.

"Glad to see you're still kicking. Was planning on flying solo this one, but if you've nothing better to do, I--" His words were cut off as a scream rang forth from the entrance. Instinctively the man's lightsaber flared to life. "Shit." He glanced back to Diana. "Stay close, blades up eyes up." The time for social niceties was gone. His command was barked at her, crisp, clean, and loud. No garbled words, no mumbled tongue. They were on the clock. He turned back towards the creatures, striding with purpose towards the frontline. As he pushed forward to the front of the landing party, his left arm raised, and from the small focus on his bicep, lightning arced forth to consume the front runners.

Traditional killshots didn't work on deathless. That, Kyyrk knew to be universally true from most occurrences. As the strength of his attack dissipated, he broke into a run. His aim was to get inside before the rest of the team. Scout the building, and most importantly run interference. Anything big took exception to their presence, he could lure it away. Give the rest of the team time to find the relic. "All forces, shoot to dismember. If you can kill it, take off legs and arms. They can't hurt you if they can't catch you." ​

Diana Sophistica || Darth Metus || Srina Talon

 

[Titus Dorn]

Wearing: Regnum Star Heavy Armor​

N O R T H P O I N T

I know it's cliche but...this feels like a trap.

The words of the Exarch John Locke summarized the situation better thoroughly. Already, the initial scans of the area came up dry - and that in of itself was a concern. After all, the fight on Philistia had been a literal planetary invasion. Yet this place, the seemingly second jewel in the system's crown, was dead silent. This reality was echoed by the pilot's own words. There were no traces of the Vulpes' ship, leading to the question if this was their intended LZ. Titus took a moment to check his own wrist-mounted datapad - the coordinates lined up.

"These are the coordinates, this has to be the LZ." he said.

Though there was confidence in the Legionnaire's voice, his own stomach began to shudder with dread. He much preferred battles where the adversary was obvious and loud. At least this way, he could swing appropriately. But scenarios like this? There were so many unknown variables - so many ways for things to go ass up. Titus drew a steadying breath as the vessel touched down. When the doors slid open, he turned to his superior - the Exarch. By rank, this was absolutely his show. And by rank, Titus knew that the cyborg could more than handle himself.

That said, he did not anticipate one of the Dominus' three elites to be joining him on the dropship. No pressure.

"Sir," he began, "moving to secure the LZ now. We have direction from command, but this is your show." Titus felt the need to say as much, as he had never served beneath this particular Exarch before. His only experience had been various combat operations under the Exarch Srina Talon. She took a very hands off approach - their existing directives played out as they would, but she would direct their firepower as needed. In this case, Titus was curious how John's own leadership would play out during the mission - but he did not tarry long. After all, time waited for no man.

So began their first steps on the planet. And the Legionnaire instinctively moved in step with Tegan Farron . Even with how wrong the situation before them felt, standing nearby gave the Legionnaire a sense of stability. As if, being nearby would make everything alright. The mindset was certainly childish and wasn't one that Titus would say out loud. But, he felt how he felt. And right now, anything to dispel the dread in his stomach was welcome. Especially since the team soon recovered a datapad from the Vulpes. One of the dropship's occupants picked up the device and played its recording.

At the very least, it confirmed they were in the right place.

The pilot then buzzed within Titus' helm. Something was fething with their sensors and communications - meaning they'd be more or less flying blind once they stepped inside. The Legionnaire huffed through his nostrils. "Roger that, do your best." he said to the pilot before motioning forward to two of his subordinates. They didn't know what the hell they were walking into, but even so they would do it by the book. Their helms did multiple scans of the immediate vicinity behind the door before one's boot, empowered by his armor, kicked the door clean in. They breached immediately, back-to-back, relying on their helm-lights and sensors. A few precious moments later, they uttered the precious word: "Clear!"

"Alright, let's move." he said, authority coloring each syllable. "Farron, you're with me. Verd, bring up the rear. You two, with the Exarch - you're his eyes and ears, got it? Everyone else, two by two, let's go!" No one moved alone. No one was entering the building without having someone to watch their back. It was all Titus could do to ensure they weren't caught with their pants down. With his orders given, he stepped inside the building, blaster armed and at the ready.​

Tegan Farron | John Locke | Kaia Verd | Aiden Wolf​

Tegan Farron | John Locke | Kaia Verd | Aiden Wolf​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ariha (Enroute to the meeting point)
Outfit: Padawan Garb
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tags: Darth Metus | Srina Talon | Kyyrk | Azmodan | Diana Sophistica | Tydrin

Dreidi learned Srina comment on how young she appeared and her cheeks flushed red. The older Echani woman was clearly not impressed with Dreidi, which was a let down, she had hoped that her age and lack of experience in dealing with things like this would be offset with the determination and growing skills that she had been gathering. However, from the look and words of Srina, it was clear she was far, far away from achieving such things. And while she had formed some childhood, her father and mother did not slack in training her from a young age, Dreidi had been dedicated to her fighting skills since she was old enough to swing a wooden stick around. It was how her skills in Lightsaber combat had always come pretty easy to the young woman. However, she was nowhere near as skilled as any of the people currently around her. She was definitely outclassed and hearing Srina tell her to stick close to the Dominus only reinforced the idea that Dreidi was not strong enough.

"But I can.... Yes, ma'am." Dreidi wanted to protest, to state that she was skilled enough, that her powers could handle whatever they were facing. However, this wasn't someone who was blinded by biases or whose judgement Dreidi thought was skewed like Jax. Srina's tone was cold and calculating, something that she could respect since Dreidi knew that in dangerous situations, you needed that. As Dreidi moved to stand closer to the Dominus as ordered by Srina, another couple of people joined them, one seemed to be sticking close to the Dominus as well. Dreidi was curious if this was another Padawan or just someone close to the leader of their people. It was always hard to tell which it might be. The red hair woman who joined them was a name she had heard but never had the opportunity to meet for now. It was Kristyl's master. Currently she seemed busy joining Kyyrk on the mission, so Dreidi would likely forgo introductions till another opportunity offered itself.

Before things got much further in conversations, a lone figure stumbled from the facility to be devoured by twisted creatures. Was this to be their fate if they were unable to stop the device's madness? Dreidi shivered, this was truly horrific scene to see but imagining it happening to herself was more terrifying. Inhaling deeply, she quickly recovered from the shiver and steeled herself once more. She couldn't let this unfaze her otherwise then she was more helpless than anyone had already assumed of her. Igniting her blood orange Lightsaber, Dreidi narrowed her eyes as the crazed beings came towards them.

Normally she would aim to disarm, talk and figure out alternatives to killing, but these beings. Madness had consumed them and ending their lives was a mercy, she could not save them bar ending their suffering so she had no qualms in killing them. Her Lightsaber sliced at those who came too close to her. "Does a beheading kill these things? Just chopping limbs is really not helping here!" Dreidi called out, unsure how to fight beings that seemed immune to pain, immune to damage. She wasn't sure how far she should be going with her strikes. Slicing limbs off, using her Magick to burn a body or two to bones. She was depending on her Djem So training to be fast, aggressive and attacking, these creatures were coming at them fast and likely to overwhelm at least her, if she didn't figure out a fast way to kill them permanently.

 

[Kaia Verd]

John Locke Titus Dorn Aiden Wolf Tegan Farron

Kaia took in the sights around her as she listened closely to Titus speak, she was still trying to wrap her mind around the plan so she was very glad that the people around her seemed to know what they were doing. This was her first time on a mission such as this however from the moment she set foot on the transport from just the energy around her she could tell that Titus was in charge so she would take her orders from him. As the scans of the area showed nothing Kaia felt her stomach tighten in anxiety something was very wrong here.

As the shuttle began to sink toward the planets surface the young woman tightened her grip on her blaster, through her Heads up display Kaia looked around at everyone around her, they all seemed just as nervous as she was but she tried to push the thought from her mind. All that mattered right now was the mission.

As the ship finally touched down the small woman’s knuckles were turning white on the handle of her blaster rifle. Once the doors slid open Kaia took no time to follow Titus out of the shuttle her stride steady as she stepped foot on the planet she checked her rifle once more before she was given her orders “On it sir” She said before taking her place at the back of the group.