Invasion The Return : The Battle of Mandalore [TN Invasion of TSE Mandalore]

[Darth Ophidia]

Location: Fortress Imperious, Concordia
Tag: Darth Carnifex , Lirka Ka , Marrow , K Kaine Australis , Taeli Raaf , Alexandra Feanor , Stardust Solus Skirae , Imperius , Hailyn , Tahlah Cadera

Spoiler

Armour / Sabres / Belt / Edge of Atrophy / Wrist / Jin’Wodasir / Tsaisibola / Xiphos-class SSD / Satwasin

Despite her practical invisibility, Ophidia was bound in battle. She moved out the way of a mandalorian guard’s blind besk’ad swing. With a swift kick to her opponent’s front leg, she broke his stance then slipped behind him. Her arms wrapped around his head, and then the metal blade slipped under the helmet. With a quick jerk, the body convulsed, struggled, then fell quietly down among the others.

She wiped the blood off her palms and knelt down among the corpses before taking out her comm device. A few quick clicks and it connected to her helmet. She only had to whisper to deliver her command:

“Pale to Xiphos: Engage.”

It was time to cut off their escape.

​

The Xiphos dropped away from Concordia to realign itself and take aim. Its master had not designated a target, only an order: Engage.

Under its extensive stealth suites, the Xiphos went by their prime directive: Take out heavy hitters and command ships. They chose to target what appeared to be the lead ship in the Network’s assault: The Terror Australis. It was raining flack down on the Sith-Imperial defences, supporting the assault, and seemingly ignoring the Xiphos hidden near the south pole of Concordia..

Engines sparked to life as the Xiphos accelerated impossibly fast. Its armour plating clamped down in a tight seal as it presented its fine, armour piercing point to the underbelly of its target. Ramming speed.

​

Meanwhile, Darth Ophidia tucked away the comm unit with a swift movement as she the Emperor performed his teleportation from command to mid fray. She dug into her belt to retrieve the two, curved sabre hilts hidden inside. The tsaisibola curled itself up her arm to give way as she pulled out her two weapons. However, she did not activate them.

She darted at the battle of the two Kaines as the darkness rose from the birth of Moridinae’s monster. Even here, she could feel the hunger and the rage, threatening to overtake her, and echoing with the two sabres in her hands, whose presence, in combination with her own, she was barely able to contain.

Following Carnifex’ assault, and as the light of Akita Silasrune hit Australis, Darth Ophidia chose to strike. One of the two sabres ignited in furious red, causing her stealth generator to fail. The point of her sabre went straight for the back of Australis’ knee, where the armour was thinnest. The other she kept turned off, but ready to interject.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Objective: 1a
Allies: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun
Enemies: Mythos / Eversor
Equipment: Viper (Light Armour), Parthalan (Swordstaff), Saberstaff
Post: 9

Curtis gripped his throat as he fell to the floor, gasping for air. Slowly his strength began to return to him, the colour returning to his cheeks as he reached for his fallen saber. Allowing Lori to help him to his feet, he righted himself, and coughed.

"I'm alright... that thing is not natural..." He replied through deep breathes. If he'd been attacking something human, then his first attack would've ended the fight before anymore damage could be done. But as it stood, the thing was still breathing. Collecting his fallen swordstaff from the ground, he went to follow Lori through the breach, but stopped as he felt another presence appear behind them.

As Eversor approached, Curtis sighed a tired sigh and ignited his lightsaber once more, placing his swordstaff back on the ground.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up" He said just as she disappeared into the hole. He focused back on his new target, smiling slightly. "You seem oddly familiar, do I know you?" He spoke slowly as he readied himself.

((Edited because I messed up and forgot to react to Ever, sorry!))

 

[Vandra Zambrano]

Objective: Collect and defend
Allies: The Glorious Sith Empire Raya Najwa Zambrano Darth Carnifex Avernus
Enemies: Network R Reyn Australis Kovhorn
Equip: Lightsaber, Armour
Post: 5

Rayas words was the only thing that kept her from continuing her assault until Reyn was nothing but charred flesh she would have to settle with him being the plaything of her father now as they returned to the guards to save and defend their new prey she looked over to the body of the woman she fried earlier, She decided she needed someone to vent her stress and if she can't do it to Reyn then she will take it out on that woman as she let Avernus deal with the other Mandalorian she used the force to lift and quickly pull her body to her. Once she arrived to her she dropped her on the floor while keeping near Raya so she could heal him and defend her if stray fire comes their way, She didn't wish to kill her too quickly but she didn't want her to wake up and cause any issues so she chose an alternative method. She gently placed her foot on the middle part of her spine and put a small amount of pressure on it letting the weight of her armored boot apply enough strength to break her spine to paralyze her as she went down and collected any shiny toys that maybe on her person for trophy purposes.

''Once father comes I call dibs on this pretty one.''

Was all she said to Raya but Raya could tell that vandra was holding back alot of pent up anger for the very boy shes trying to heal and that the only thing keeping vandra from ripping him apart was her at the moment. She simply placed the woman up against whats left of a wall and stood between her and rayas position and put up a force barrier to act as a shield for defense while she waited for her father to come pick them all up and take them home.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

Location: Mordinae, Dark side nexus near ruins of Sundari.
Tags: Senna Valerian Vaulkhar Irveric Tavlar Adenn Kyramud Talon Richwood Amaris Tanenat

Spoiler

Kit: Armour / Crown / Sidearm / Sword / Spear and shield
Squad: Handmaiden/Pythia / Blackblades / Crownguard

The edge of her shield crashed against the throat of her victim, pressing the beskar bevor down into the flesh beneath. It crashed against . She raised the shield high for another blow against the broken visor.

DU-DUNK!

The heart of Sundary beat, releasing intense heat and a wave of darkness, so strong she could almost feel it washing over her. A shiver went down her spine as hunger and hatred became all she could think about. Hatred for this world. Hatred for Mandalorians who had murdered her brother, broken her world, harassed her troops, and now dared to challenge their sovereign right over Moridinae.

Joycelyn lowered her shield and looked to the horizon, Sundari at her back. She heard the droning of engines as reinforcements came for the ones she and her squad had just killed. That meant it was time for them to disappear again. She nodded to Pythia who began to weave an illusion around them, blending them with their surroundings.

As Joycelyn turned away, she could see, in the corner of her eye, a new light in the sky. It was like an infuriating reminder of the light’s unwelcome presence on this world. Moridinae belonged to the Sith and to the dark side of the Force.

She and her troops ran into the broken city of Sundari, using the buildings for cover.

This time, however, she did not settle on attacking the flanks. Instead, her newfound hunger lead her deeper toward the crux of battle, to where commanders clashed. She could see the dragon in the sky, if only for a moment, hounded by anti-air gunnery. Well that would not stand.

The Princess was taking chances by delving deeper into the battle, but by the Force she knew they could need it. Forces were hard pressed, but holding on against the onslaught.

She threw up her hand, the squadron stopped and hit the walls. Pythia knelt behind Joycelyn, focusing intensely on the illusion that shrouded them. Footsteps, the sound of moving armour. Joycelyn relaxed a bit as she recognised the sound of Imperial Legionnaires, but kept on watch. They were retreating into the city; it was a sound strategy; making use of the urban landscape to break up enemy formations.

It also made Joycelyn’s tactics all the more crucial: She needed to be more cruel to the enemy, and leave a more gruesome scene to deter their attacks.

“A retreat. The enemy will follow”

She gestured for the others to assume positions in the buildings around, taking up high ground and corner posts. Pythia climbed through a window and entered a seemingly abandoned house for shelter. One crownguard crossed to the other side of the street, one took the far corner, rear of the Princess to watch her back. In mere moments, they had made an ambush site.

The blackblades readied explosives.

Joycelyn feasted on the thick miasma of dark energies present in the nexus that spread through Sundari. She felt the Force grow searing hot between her hands, as if she held a sun in her palm.

 

[Lark]

Location: Concordia
Objective: Be evul
Taggy: Marrow Aaran Tafo Taru Cadera

Lark sat cross legged atop a counter, watching the Jedi's actions. His reaction to Sarruis' declaration was left unknown, for one of the many Mandalorian prisoners freed by the Jedi destroyed the cameras and speakers. And it wasn't the last of the communication devices shot down, one by one a row of them were left ravaged and useless. The movements of the Jedi and his Mandalorian pets were left invisible, at least to the naked eye. But the Force revealed more than normal vision ever could. An intoxicating aroma of wrath raged towards them like a tidal wave, the impish child that still resided in him smiled slyly at the approaching conflict.

But when the Jedi finally nonchalantly asked for entry, no others were seen on the monitor. Surely some lay waiting in ambush, but one could take no precautions against the Jedi and Mandalorians. If cameras continue to be destroyed deeper into the facility, we'll know where they're headed and can send a detachment after them. And if they wait outside, they'll only die quicker.

It's relieving, really. Only having to kill warriors instead of civilians.

Suddenly, Lark's eyes went wide with unfathomable fury. No. I killed you long ago. That boy within him should have died on Myrkr. The difference between warrior and civilian mattered not to Lark. Why was that voice still present within him? After all the things I've done, after all of the atrocities I've committed, WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE?

It would seem the willpower of the boy within him and his present self were the same. That was fine. No matter how long it took, no matter how many people must die at his hands, no matter how many primordial secrets he must uncover, Lark would make it his mission to take the hope he had as a child and burn it all to the ground. That was the only way to bring peace to his life.

"Oh rest assured friend, we'd love nothing more than to let you in." He hopped down from the counter, with a smile as sublime as a spring breeze and a voice as melancholy as a swan. He calmly strode towards the prisoner chambers within the room, there were almost a dozen in total. "But I'm afraid we're at full occupancy. I'm unsure whether you brought your friends, but since you at least seem so eager to greet us, I have no issue creating a few vacancies. One for every prisoner you freed..."

With a nod of his head, a Sith prison officer opened all of the cells, Mandalorian warriors still held inside. With a slight raise of his hand, and arc of lightning shot at one of the prisoners, chaining from one to the other until all were bent back in pain, screaming bloody murder. Their deaths were not quick, but perhaps after the electricity fried their nerves it became painless. Lark lowered his hand and all the prisoners slumped over, charred and lifeless.

He turned towards his companion, offering a brief nod. "Ir tave kraujas valia sveni," he said. The battle was here, and they must prepare for whatever the combined might of the Jedi and Mandalorians threw at them. Let the Mandalorian's wrath grow, let the Jedi's misguided sense of purpose take control. In the end, it all mattered none. In the end, they'd all fall.

I'll ruin everything you ever dreamt of, Lark thought, speaking to the child that lived within him, letting the Monster take control. Once I find our dear sister, I'll start with her. But for now, this Jedi will have to do.

 

[Akita Silasrune]

Wrong account...

 

[Marrow]

Location: Fortress-Moon of Concordia, Detainment Facility 7-C
Objective: Butcher the trespassers in the Emperor's name.
Equipment: Lightsaber (Red), Sith Lanvarok, and a curved ritual dagger.
Tags: Lark | Aaran Tafo & Taru Cadera
---

Raising a hairless face-tendril at his brother Sith's display, the Pureblood shrugged. "Anas zhol valia." A bit wasteful, expending power on their vermin prisoners, but the man was clearly somewhat unstable. Struggling to reconcile their actions with his inferior human taboos, perhaps - or maybe it was the chaos of the moment, a distant hunger competing with a brief beacon of the hated Light.

With a twist of his arm, he remotely opened the door, activating his lightsaber as the Jedi came into view. "Apologies for the mess..." Though phrased as an apology, his heavily accented voice held only amusement. "... but it seems my brother Sith was tired of waiting."

Advancing slowly, his orange eyes trailed the Jedi's movements, heart thumping faster in eager anticipation - they had fought before, but this time, this time was for real. This time there was nothing holding him back, holding either of them back.

It was time to kill his first Jedi.

 

[Aaran Tafo]

Location: Moon of Concordia. Fortress Imperious Detention Wing
Objective: Break important looking Sithy things. Free any captured prisoners.
Tags: Marrow Lark Taru Cadera

Even as Lark decided to ignore the offer that Sarrius had given to Aaran over the speakers. The Jedi did not flinch as he felt the prisoners die. His head instead tilting to the side. The distant sacrifice of Akita was felt. An echoing ripple through the Force. Even from here he could feel it, the incredible force of discipline needed to master such levels of power. Clan Australis had lost a great warrior this day. Their life freely given to aid their people.

A small smile was on his lips as Sarrius opened the door to behold his old opponent from the tournament. An away look in his eyes as he mused over the simple fact that the Jedi did not have a monopoly on sacrifice in the Galaxy. Such an act was humbling for the young man. Showing him just how far he still had to go. For all their talk of strength, you'd never see a Sith performing such an act under their own power.

Finally turning his gaze to Sarrius. He gave the room behind the Acolyte a cursory glance. In some odd way, Lark's execution of all the prisoners in the room was appropriately timed with Akita's sacrifice. Now that there was no longer anyone to save. Aaran had no reason to fight either of the two Sith. He clicked his tongue, pointing a single finger at Sarrius. Not at all overly surprised that Lark had murdered helpless prisoners. Leave it to a Sith to have the integrity of a wet paper bag and such a lack of discipline that waiting still for literally five minutes was an impossibility.

"Sorry big guy. But if your friend kills the audience. Then no one is around to see me be the big hero. Maybe next time." He said, fingers on his other hand snapping. The door controls beeping once again as it began to hiss shut. If Sarrius himself tried to access the panel with his own power, he'd find that his attempts to use the panel at a distance with the Force were blocked, the Padawan leveraging his own power against the Pureblood's in an attempt to open the door remotely.

"You can hold onto this though." He said, as the doors began to close, arm lashing out as a small spherical metal object was thrown into the room. Many of the Legionares and possibly the Sith themselves would recognise the object. A standard issue Imperial Military grenade. Designed to explode on contact with a surface, individual, or if grasped with a universal energy field.

But when one of the Imperial Military's greatest threat were the Jedi. That last one was more a design feature than a bug.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Lernaean Base, Ruins of Sundari Palace
​

Objective: Unleash the Beast! And deal with the uninvited guests
Allies: Darth Carnifex Joycelyn Zambrano Alexandra Feanor BobertEZ Irveric Tavlar Aerarii Tithe Avernus Vaulkhar Senna Valerian Karina Lowe
Enemies: K Kaine Australis (finally) Adenn Kyramud Stardust Solus Skirae Talon Richwood Scherezade deWinter Amaris Tanenat Mig Gred

Equipment: In signature

As the creature strained against its rapidly becoming temporary prison, Taeli felt a shift in the Force. Someone was using the White Current in some way, her eyes shifting over to Alex. Something, or someone, was bridging their presence and a few others with her friend. Eyes narrowed, her hand drifting to the lightsaber on her belt. The ritual continued, about to complete, but she had turned her attentions to her friend now and the light within the Force that was acting like a beacon through her.

"Well," she said, "this changes things."

A head broke through the cocoon beyond the window, the creature surging at the punctured opening. With a earth-shaking roar... followed by another and another and another and another, the heads of the creatures broke free and the rest of the creature followed it. The Akwasiarsosûta iw Muinsimi was born and it began to step out of the base towards the front lines, its head writhing and its hunger overpowering.

​

In the observation chamber, Taeli regarded the portal that opened and deposited the leader of this very attack, wounded, on her floor and a Twi'lek she was unfamiliar with. She rolled her eyes as he grunted out a word that sounded like Manda before he started forcing himself up. Her eyes scanned his form and smile as she could still feel the Force. No ysalamiri, no void stone. Lightsaber wound through shoulder.

"You never learn," she stated simply, her lightsaber igniting, its scarlet light bathing the chamber in its glow. The scientists and alchemists in the chamber had already scampered out when the portal opened. "This time, Kaine, you won't survive your mistake."

She had not forgotten his role in the attack on Ossus, and if there was one way to earn a grudge with Taeli, it was damage a library.

 

[Mig Gred]

Location: Ka’pruni.
Objective: Dual Cara Dorniarn . Decide what to do with Karina Lowe .Blow the mine.
Allies: The Network and allies. K Kaine Australis Adenn Kyramud Stardust Solus Skirae
Enemies: TSE and allies, Cara Dorniarn Karina Lowe
Gear: In bio

Mig was surprised when his opponent didn't just stop his blade, but caught it! What was that armor made of!? Dorniarn then quickly slide down the blade and grabbed the mando'ad'jetii's wrist, and quickly delivered a kick to his chest. Mig was sent back by the kick, and took a moment to send a message.

"If someone managed to get near something important now might be a good time to make some noise!" Mig looked at the Sith, feeling a... light. He didn't know what it was, but he knew what he had to do right now. As Cara ran up for her punch, the Mandalorian would quickly move to the side, and use a Force Push to attempt and send her flying. He stared through his helmet as electricity seemed to arc from his odd saber. He was ready for her, and he wouldn't let her win. Not after everything.

Meanwhile, Mynock looked at the plucky little soldier who'd just tried to escape. She had put herself into the fetal position, and simply pleaded "Please." The droid looked at her through his helmet, at first not seeming to respond. His processors, however, were at work. She was no longer a threat, and he remembered long ago that Mig, his Alor, didn't want them to fight like Sith. At least not from what they'd seen and heard. He looked down at Karina, crouching slightly after making sure he wouldn't be shot.

"Can you get yourself to medical assistance?" It was rough. It was cold. It was a question though. "If so.... leave now."

 

[Marrow]

Location: Fortress-Moon of Concordia, Detainment Facility 7-C
Objective: Butcher the trespassers in the Emperor's name.
Equipment: Lightsaber (Red), Sith Lanvarok, and a curved ritual dagger.
Tags: Lark | Aaran Tafo & Taru Cadera
---

He should have expected such silliness, from a Jedi - no one to save, no need to seek glory. As if the prisoners mattered, had ever mattered - they were the weaklings of their kind, the ones who lacked the strength to properly fight a war yet also the will to cast off the shackles of tradition and join the Sith.

Pathetic.

As the Jedi tried his trick, the Pureblood seized the door itself in a telekinetic grasp, snarling as he held back the durasteel machinery with but his will. A grenade? The fool really thought a grenade could take down a trueborn son of Korriban? Idiocy upon idiocy! "You don't actually think I ..."

Thrusting his other hand forward, a mighty burst of telekinetic forth erupted from his fingertips, even as a Sith-Imperial officer screamed a warning - too late. As Force collided with grenade, it did not surge back towards the Jedi, as he intended, for it was a Sith-Imperial grenade, and if there was one thing the Corps of Engineers knew how to do, it was killing Jedi.

With a resounding boom, he was flung backwards, shrapnel tearing into his unarmoured form.

 

[BobertEZ]

Location: Lorale Farmar: Aboard the Vodvtaki Siege Palace | Kascalion Giedfield and Xan Imcro (Sundari)
Objective: Repel the Network
Wearing: Lorale Farmar and Kascalion Giedfield: Armorweave Sith Robes | Xan Imcro: Duranium-Alusteel Battle Armor
Wielding: Lorale Farmar: Smoldering Ire & Frozen Passion | Kascalion Giedfield: Double Bladed Lightsaber | Xan Imcro: Gold Plated Lightsaber
Xenophage Primordial Playing: (X)
Allies: Irveric Tavlar | Vaulkhar | Open
Enemies: Adenn Kyramud | Open

The retreat into the city had been moderately successful, at least from Xan's point of view. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Imperial Legionnaires, her own included, had fallen whilst fanning back into the city streets which had already been infested by Mandalorian scum. The warrior people were well equipped and trained, ready to fight and ready to die. If the chant they were unloading upon Sundari was anything to go off of, the battle was only just beginning.

Women and children and men, husbands and wives and sons and daughters, all ran through the streets heaving in fear and cursing in anger. Some at the Sith, some at the Mandalorians whom they expected to be their saviors rather than their destroyers, their vestiges of loyalty to the warriors vanishing upon the barrages and invasion. Xan watched as her forces fought and died, all in the attempt to prevent this city from being taken by its previous rulers. Bursts of kinetic energy wracked her muscles; plasmic explosions threatened to singe her skin; blood and sweat from her own body and the corpses around the city streets threatened to drown her. The enclosing of the streets began to crush her, the lack of clean air stuck in her throat, her eyes watering from the smoke.

"You're not good enough to survive the front lines," Lorale said in her mind, chastising her. "You get too clenched up in fear. You choke."

"We cannot allow the fluidity of our formations to fall because you can't handle the pressure," Kascalion grunted, although she was unsure if it was in her mind or the man himself hidden in the shadows.

"Fall back! Get into the chokepoints!" she shouted against the voices in her head, slicing upwards at a charging foe and splitting his chest in two. "Don't let them take this city!"

The voice of Lorale laughed grimly, "Reiterating the orders of a man you couldn't even find. A copy cat. A mimic. No voice of her own."

The voice of Kascalion concurred with a chuckle, "A weak-minded dullard. An imbecile striving to prove herself to the empowered Gods above her."

"Keep fighting!" she shouted once more whilst deflecting round after round from the advancing Mandalorians, tears welling in her pitch-black eyes. "Don't...let them take this city!"

"Weak. Falling to the voices you made up. Why don't you just quit? Go home. Quit."

"You hold us down, Xan. Uther is more useful than you."

"Hold us down."

"Hold us down! Quit!"

The words proved effective against the woman who found herself unable to handle the increased pressure of the battle. Her soldiers dying, Kascalion missing, Lorale preoccupied with the Vodvtaki. She was alone. Utterly alone in the fight. And so she fled amidst the words, screaming in anger and fear and sorrow, disappearing into the dark alleys that had been cordoned off. Leaving her soldiers behind. Failing herself.

---

The shadows cast by the Siege Palace were beyond any cast before, shadows in a dark blanket set upon Sundari. It was as if a storm had rolled in sans lightning and rain. A storm of exclusive thunder and the roaring of engines and the blasting of music from Xenophage. If any soldier in the city were to look to the horizon over the gates and walls, they would only see a metallic shadow of impossible proportions adorned with thousands of weapon emplacements, all aimed now upon the city, threatening collateral damage beyond reckoning.

"My Lord Farmar, Sundari is within reach of the Vodvtaki's weapons," Admiral Lore announced to his master with a slight smirk of pride. "The Mandalorians have breached the city and are currently engaged with General Tavlar."

"And my siblings?" Lorale asked calmly as he began to fidget with the handles of his lightsabers.

"Kascalion has reportedly reentered the fray but is nowhere to be found. The same can be said of Xan Imcro. Sergeant Qana reported that she disappeared during the battle at the first lines of defense."

The Wolf of Noxis practically rushed to the main viewport to gaze upon the ruined battlefield outside of Sundari's impressive walls. Thousands of corpses, thousands more injured, and more beyond count entering the city still. The sight of such glorious combat nearly caused the battle-hungry Sith to foam at the mouth, his eyes wide and bursting with an emerald glow. The destruction promised by his war machine was massive and spawned many ideas inside his mind. Planetary destruction. Forced cultural assimilation. The reimplementation of proper Law and Order in a galaxy so besieged by chaos and mindlessness.

Yet, he knew that he could not have any of that this day. Instead, he would have to focus on the soldiers so foolishly outside the walls of Sundari, where they at least could have avoided utter obliteration.

Turning to his favored Admiral, Lorale's smile spreading from ear to ear as he pointed to the lessening crowd outside the gates, "Full power to the orbital strike cannons. I want those Mandalorian boksordk outside the gates to be destroyed."

The Admiral saluted and gave off the orders, nodding alongside his own second-in-command as the alarms began blaring across the halls. The hum of weapons charging up, Within minutes, the caudal emplacements unleashed in rapid unison, the surrounding area pitching into a blinding haze of red, hundreds of rounds seeking to bring about the annihilation of the Mandalorian's flank.

Turning back to his Admiral, Lorale gave his final order of the battle: "Send word to the Breed and have them meet me in the hangars. I am going down to join the defense in the city. You are in charge of the Vodvtaki until the battle's end. Do not fail me, Admiral."

Spoiler: OOC Actions

• Xan succumbs to her weakness and becomes separated from her soldiers
• Lorale arrives outside of Sundari with the Vodvtaki and unleashes a volley from the turbolasers on the enemy forces remaining Sundari
• Lorale departs for the battle, leaving Tyths Lore in charge of the Vodvtaki.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Location: Fortress Imperious, Concordia
Wearing: Armor | Lupine Blood Stone
Wielding: WindWhisper
Allies: The Network & Friends
Enemies: TSE
Specific Tags: Lirka Ka K Kaine Australis
Kaine Tagged You Guys Too: Darth Carnifex Darth Ophidia Hailyn Beltran Rarr Stardust Solus Skirae

There was no answer from the gargantuan elf woman. Alwine sighed. She could not deny that this did not surprise her in the east, but she had dared hope, even if only just a little, that this would not be the case. Alwine's heart carried a great number of regrets within it, regrets that she had locked up and sealed behind heavy chains that she would never let anyone undo. Her lost friendship with Lirka was one of them, but so was the fact that Alwine had never actually checked up on her friend after that dreadful day during which the she had tried to kill her.

Could that have been one of the reasons for her anger? For her fighting alongside the Sith Empire?

Or perhaps, was Lirka here as a representative of the Confederacy? For all their lies about allowing empires to live, they seemed to shack it up quite often with other empires, seeing it suited their actual goals much more. It would not be the first time a Confederate showed up to fight on the Sith side.

Or just maybe, something else was at play here. But without speaking with her, without knowing more, Alwine could not begin to even guess what there might be.

Alwine blinked.

::All friendly forces, load up and make for the exits. Your ride share service is here. Manda, repeat, Manda.::

No! It was too soon!

But she could already hear the explosions, knew that while she had no idea what Lirka's situation was, time was most definitely not a friend to her now. She had to escape with the others, but… But she could not. Not without finding Lirka first.

"Lirka!" Alwine shouted, though she was more than certain her voice drowned out in the noise of things going boom. But where was Lirka? She probably could not even hear her voice.

Wildly, Alwine looked around herself, trying to find cover.

 

[Lirka Ka]

Location: Fortress Imperious
Objective: Reunite
Allies: TSE
Enemies: Network, Alwine Daye

There was no time to waste, her walk slowly turning into a loping stride Lirka made for the nearest maintenance hatch. The combat stims that filled her blood pushing her unnatural flesh beyond mortal limits: a snarl forming across her lips: her armored boots thudded against the metal work of the fortress. Every Imperial in the Garrison knew damn well to stay out of the Governor's way when she was in one of her drug induced moods, unfortunately those warriors still assailing the walls of Fortress Imperious would not be so lucky...

Charging forward like some deranged beast, throwing aside boxes, and anyone unlucky enough to actually still be in the path of the charge: though thankfully she held some manner of sentience to not just hack the Imperial obstacles into ribbons, Mandalorians held no such privilege though. Two such warriors ended up in the path to the maintenance hall, they lasted as long as one would expected a surprised mortal too: pulling her Klaive from her back in one swift motion, Lirka let the blade burn to life: emerald fire burning across the blade as it swung through the Neck-Joint of one warrior, sending his head flying into the snow, the other was left with the infinitely more grizzly fate as one of the metal gauntlets of the Goliath wrapped around his helmet; like a rancor with it's prey, Lirka pulled him off the ground before whipping the Barbarian trash back to the earth, accompanied with the grizzly snaps, crackles, and pops of a neck being utterly obliterated as the warrior crashed back to the ground below. She wasted no time, it was a meaningless massacre: losing little momentum she continued for the Hatch, the KM ticking down across her HUD.

The door to the hatch lasted about as long as the Mandalorians, swinging her blade once and throwing her body weight against it Lirka breached into the "depths" of her Fortress, she did not slow her stride for but seconds. Time was short, and she would not allow mortal life to interfere. Bounding forward like an animal now, clawing at the ground, she scaled through these Halls faster than any creature had a right to: her body rebelling against being strained so hard as her hearts beat faster and faster, but such biological warnings were little more than falsehoods and deceptions for the weak. And Lirka was far from weak. Though as she neared, she ceased the stim flow letting herself succumb to something much closer to a fast walk...there were too many things to consider. She had rushed blindly to her friend of yore, the one Mortal she had allowed into her heart of hearts. A mortal who stood alongside the Mandalorian conquerors. And it soon dawned on Lirka that this meeting would likely be their last as friends...unless the stubborn child could listen to reason.

She breached into the tram tunnel with the closest thing she could call "stealth", she had extensive training in it of course, the Anzati made sure to teach their students such things: but it was much more usual before Lirka became the gene-meshed giant that she was now. She strode forward, now approaching behind the position of Alwine Daye , and heard her name...Lirka. It felt strange to hear her own name again, a distant memory of times before she embraced the Empire. She was Ma'am now (or Sir to those who found it infinitely more difficult to tell what she even was), Governor, Despoiler, Bastard, Conqueror, Monster. But not Lirka, no. Never Lirka.

A mechanical bellow filled the tram halls, amplified and distorted by the helm that covered her face.

"Jhorti Kas!"

It held some level of joy to it, her Klaive once again locked to her back. Lirka strode out from the darkness, letting her new form grace the light. Lirka was most certainly not the same Sephi was before, her armor had become ostentatious, gaudy, regal even. In it's own savage way. Gold trim twirled and danced around the dark metal, precious gems embedded within, ribbon of fine silk flow from it. The attire of one who deemed themselves both Governor and Executioner, a mixture of the Military and the Political. Other minor changes filled it too, of course, an extra set of horns adorned the helmet, a new degree of sharpness but of course the most important change was the hardest to see, the same Runes as before covered the suit head to toe: but one new one dominated them all, it showed itself ever so slightly in the faint light of the Tram Tunnel: the burning emblem of the Sith emblazoned in the center of her chest-plate.

"I assume you are not hear to drink and rehash the stories of old?"

But, Lirka was still there. In that same stupid sense of utterly ignoring the gravity of a situation for some semblance of sass and sarcasm.

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Location: City of Ronion, Mandalore.
Objective: Secure safety of civilians
Allies: Beltran Rarr and allies of the Network
Enemies: Sith, Aerarii Tithe | Telis Taharin-Zambrano
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Clear left!"

"Clear right!" Valkren heard a teammate behind him respond with this as he entered the building. The commander stepped over the body of the sith soldier while keeping his weapon trained on the left hallway that branched off. Another ranger from his squad fell in behind him, while the others went for the staircase on the left. The rounds being fired off in the streets outside echoed off, but within their building it seemed eerily silent. The sound of his own breathing behind his visor the only audible thing to Valkren aside from his and his teammates footsteps as they crept down the hallway.

The sound of way more audible slugs going off rang out from above them- followed by a short succession of bolts, more than likely a response from the other side of his squad in contact. The pair waited momentarily before they turned the corner to approach the next door; awaiting a response from the team above them to be sure that they didn't perish to their enemies.

"Hades 1-3, contact down upstairs."

A wave of relief passed over, prompting Valkren to lift his boot up and force it through the door. The half-busted door crumpled, letting Valkren move to the side so he could let his comrade move in first while he readjusted his rifle. After following in soon after, the two scanned the immediate area of the room. The spread out to opposite sides of the room, before his teammate suddenly trained his blaster on a figure underneath the far table.

"Don't move!" He shouted with a commanding tone, weapon barrel on the now two figures underneath this table. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if it was only a woman and her younger child hidden underneath a cover to conceal themselves from the fighting. The commander gave the signal for his ally to lower his weapon.

"Move outside, secure our exit with the others." Valkren said this and sent the ranger off whilst he walked around to the table. With a crouch, he'd offer his hand down to the pair.

"Let's get you two out of here."

Outside, Valk's squad stood ready. Their weapons trained on either end of the street on their side of the intersection. The other squads continued to clear their buildings with the support of Maul on the ground, setting up a general perimeter around the intersection Hades was searching through. With Icarus above, many of the men were confident with their overwatch.

Valkren soon emerged from the building with the two civilians in tow. It looked as if the second squad also exited their own building with a family, while third squad's building must have contained all sith troopers. Beltran Rarr reached out, his voice coming through the commander's helmet. Valkren would glance up towards the rooftops as he heard the information about an enemy element advancing on them.

"I hear you Icarus actual- we have civilians in the area that we need to get out of here now. I'll take first and second squad of Hades and regroup with Maul to cut them off. I'll leave third here underneath you to wait for the birds and evac the civvies. Your call if you wanna' join the party." Valkren looked back to the group to assure that the civilians were moving with third squad to the safety of a building, before motioning for the other two teams to fall in on him.

They'd move further up the street from the intersection before moving with their teams into the alleyways. Hopefully they'd be able to link up with Maul before any real firefights broke out.

 

[Avernus]

Post: 5
Location: Little Keldabe
Objective: Adjust Strategy
Equipment: Lightsaber, Armor that has been made superfluously flashy with gold paint and embossings, and a bright purple cloak for further ostentation.
Allies: Raya Najwa Zambrano , Vandra Zambrano , Sith Troopers
Enemies: R Reyn Australis and Kovhorn

The sudden repulse felt like getting punched on every inch of the front side of his body all at once. Avernus was sent towards the ground, flipping uncontrollably a few times before he managed to force himself upright and land properly. He landed hard, his knees buckled and were sent into the dirt below. The pain shot from his knees down to his heels in a lighting fast jolt of pain before he was cut off from it, just as he was with the smoldering wound in his side. He shot up to his feet and threw his free hand forward once again, using his command over the force to maintain a barrier to deflect the repeater's projectiles. He looked behind him to the area where Raya Najwa Zambrano and Vandra Zambrano had started their skirmish. Avernus' hadn't realized until now how far his duel with Kovhorn had diverged away from Reyn's original landing zone.

Another hot, daggerlike jolt of pain ripped through his body as one of the Kovhorn 's shots managed to bypass his defenses. Before he could react, the sudden sound of one of the plasma bolts whizzing past his head followed by the sudden smell of ozone made him suddenly realize that in his current state he couldn't concentrate well enough to be as effective as he needed to. He mustered all of the will he could at that moment and began to halt the projectiles in place. It was a brief effort, but due to the rate of fire possessed by the repeater, the number of projectiles was large. With a strong push, he released them and sent them back towards Kovhorn in a messy scatter. Some of the projectiles lost all cohesion and fizzled instantly, while others were sent straight into the ground or up in the air, while the rest headed towards Kovhorn. Avernus used the amount of dust kicked up by this display to retreat backwards, and with a large leap, he flipped through the air and returned to the original site of the skirmish.

He now stood among the Sith Troopers that accompanied Raya Najwa Zambrano and Vandra Zambrano , which he found to be a much more comfortable and favourable position. It was no surprise that the Zambranos had taken care of the two Mandalorians that originally landed here. His mind flooded with about a million different facetious comments he could make about this situation, but he subdued the impulse as the several burns were screaming at him from his subconscious that now wasn't the time. He turned to Raya with wry grin on his face, coupled with perhaps some hint of embarrassment.

"My lady, I don't- uh- really have a plan to deal with the beskar golem. If I had to guess, you're probably headed out of this dusty convergence of Mando ape-shacks, right?" He asked, hoping he could just get out this dust-ridden hellscape and perhaps apply some kind of bacta to the missing chunk of flesh in his right side. He didn't really feel any shame in retreating, especially given that he believed his talents were better used elsewhere. The stubborn thought was a better alternative than telling himself he was accepting a small defeat in order to give himself a more favorable position in the battle. Avernus hated losing, so much so that he blocked all perception of defeat in his mind. He wasn't accepting defeat, he was being practical.

 

[Hailyn]

EYE OF THE STORM

Location: Fortress Imperious, Concordia - > Lernean Base, Sundari Ruins
Objective: Divine Punishment
Allies: The Sith Empire | Darth Carnifex | Marrow | Lirka Ka | Darth Ophidia | Eversor | Taeli Raaf | Alexandra Feanor | BobertEZ | Joycelyn Zambrano | Vaulkhar | Karina Lowe | Irveric Tavlar | Avernus | Aerarii Tithe | Senna Valerian | Cara Dorniarn
Enemies: The Network | K Kaine Australis | Stardust Solus Skirae | Alwine Daye | Tahlah Cadera | Adenn Kyramud | Talon Richwood | Scherezade deWinter | Amaris Tanenat | Mig Gred
Equipment: Orbalisk Armor | Braith's Spear (Tossed aside)

It wasn't the sudden appearance of Ophidia as Braith finally drew near that angered her, nor the plunging of her saber into Kaine's back, it wasn't even the sight of her snake of a nephew that brought her blood to a boil - the Mandalorian, engulfed momentarily in a shimmering light, did something that nobody, not a soul in the entire Empire, had told her that he was capable of and seemed to instantaneously relocate himself and his ally through a fold in space out of the tunnels of Concordia. Teleportation? Intelligence reports had said he was skilled with rippers and the other Mandalorian toys, that he might have some experience dealing with force users, and that it was advised to use more inventive weapons than a traditional lightsaber. Nowhere was it mentioned that he was capable of feats that warranted more extreme strategies, nobody had even bothered to tell her that someone with a capability with the force on par with herself would be involved.

And yet here she was - watching him slip from their grasp like sand through gaps in their collective fingers.

Invisible spears struck somewhere that she didn't bother to give a care to, chaos broke as everyone in the small space came to realize what was happening, and two interlopers in the distance made their reunion a reality, but Braith? Braith fumed and threw her spear from her, sending it rattling to the wall of the cavernous space with a rage that was as visible as the flaking of the flesh from her face - voidstone still making it difficult to hold a corporeal form. Violet eyes, intense with hatred and surrounded by wrinkles of rage, fixated on the Emperor, and her lips curled into a frown that caused a shift in expression that could only be read as disappointment. "Some Dark Lord." She spat, her mind reaching far for the presence of their missing foe - finding him not too distant from the sudden well of darkness on Sundari, planet-side.

"I'll deal with your arrogance later."

No sooner had the words left her lips than the very fabric of space behind and around her contorted and twisted like an optical illusion, like hot air over asphalt. She stepped back, blood trickling from the corner of her lips and running down from the tear duct of her right eye. Then, as she turned, the fabric of space itself tore open and then folded shut around her, swallowing her whole as she stepped out into the Sundari Ruins on the planet that Concordia was in orbit above - Mandalore. It was rare for Braith to make use of the lessons she had learned with her years with the Aing-Tii, almost as rare as it was for her to find someone she felt justified in bringing it out for, but for someone that had seemingly escaped certain death and stepped hundreds of kilometers through space in such a manner she felt perfectly justified in letting go of the restrictions she kept on herself.

After all, she'd finally found a foe that could subjugate the force on a level she could, hadn't she?

"There is no escaping fate, allow me to deliver you to his welcoming embrace." She said as her body faded into view, the air around the space she now occupied warping in much the same way it had on Concordia before her departure. Unlike her appearance on Concordia, she looked somewhat worse for wear - bits and pieces of the facade she had constructed for Darth Prazutis to make her seem more like the dream he'd come to love were falling away, flesh flaking from the face that lay just below. Flames scorched the ground beneath her feet, the scent of burning ozone filling the air with her arrival, and dark mist played along her hands and wrists.

 

[Cara Dorniarn]

​

Location: Ka'pruni
Objective: Return that push from Mig Gred , not know about Karina Lowe .

____________________________________________________​

He dodged the fist with an agile step then caught her in the side as she followed through with the punch. The brunt of the push collided with her left side as it sent her careening into the base of a long-dead tree. Her grunt from the impact was drowned by sudden comm chatter, a baker's dozen of different sources reporting visual of a massive creature set loose from Lernaean Base.

Something else had also been released and permeated the atmosphere. It coalesced with the simmering of her anger, raising it past the boiling point. The Force was a tool, nothing more... Oh what a lie Cara clung to. She knew there was more to it than that. The dark side was something chaotic and raw, a pulsing web with threads that either lead you to greatness or ensnared you for ruin. She'd witnessed it. Only the strong survived, those smart and powerful enough to pull the corruptible threads in their favor.

Cara wasn't strong, not enough to delve into new webs alone. So when the miasma of energy occured it was a guiding hand clutching a sword. It was enlightening yet intoxicating; bloodthirsty yet focused. Cara set aside the science of it all. There were no terms to explain the sensation. If this was sorcery, alchemy, what have you, in this moment she accepted it without reservation. She had an animal to put down.

The glow of her eyes exceeded that of a forge. No more niceties, no more fair play. The tips of Cara's metal fingers warped, extended into curved talons. She reached behind to seize the tree trunk. Its roots were torn from the dusty soil as Cara slung it at Mig Gred.

She actually sensed the Legionnaires converging on their location before her HUD alerted her. Their presence fueled her resolve to finish Mig Gred. This wasn't their fight to steal, not their revenge to take.

She threw a Force blow at the ground below him to shatter stone and cloud his vision with dust, aiming to move in and take him by surprise.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Location: Fortress Imperious, Concordia
Wearing: Armor | Lupine Blood Stone
Wielding: WindWhisper
Allies: The Network & Friends
Enemies: TSE
Specific Tags: Lirka Ka

Against her better judgement, a wide and truly happy smile appeared on Alwine's face as she heard the words. Jhorti Kas. Since early on in their friendship, Alwine and Lirka had been calling each other names. The worst of names. What every woman in a galaxy far, far away loathed to hear – that she was fat. And so, Lirka called Alwine fat in her native language, and Alwine called Lirka fat in her own native language. They had bonded over it, in what seemed to be several lifetimes ago. Never had Alwine thought she would be so happy to be called fat by anyone as she was now, every fiber of her being pushing forward to move and embrace one of the very few things she had enjoyed in her life as a Confederate – her friendship with Lirka. The bombardment on top of their heads only decorated the happy moments, like flower pedestals falling on the beginning of a new chapter in a book.

And then her eyes befell her friend. Gold, perhaps even regal. This was not the Lirka of the Confederacy, who had been dressed in heavy protection yet made to look like a clumpy mass of mess, who held not an ounce of refinery to her despite a history to which she'd alluded, of kings and queens and higher society. More than that had changed though. The elf that Alwine faced now did not look like the monster she had fought shortly before leaving the Confederacy either; she was much more there now, her brain apparently more intact. If Alwine had been in her wolf form, she would have wagged her tail with joy at the sight of it.

"I would have preferred to not be here at all, jatha'la rewt uss," Alwine said with a little smile, stepping aside once to avoid a piece of ceiling debris from falling on her head, "But now that we meet, perhaps it is a good thing I have come after all."

Despite herself and her wishes, Alwine did not step forward. Did not open her arms for an embrace. Her mind, her one connection to reality, reminded her that she did not know what the state of Lirka was. What new monstrosities she had undergone. Whether they were even still friends or not, or whether or not a fight would soon ensue. The Lupine did not want to be the one to instigate it if so, but neither did she wish to play the fool and come trusting into the gargantuan elf's arms only to be murdered on impact.

And of course, the regret. Always the regret.

"I am so sorry, Lirka," she said, a hand coming to rest against her own heart, "For all the people that I left behind when I decided to leave the Confederacy, I am sorry that you had to be among them. That I did not come back or even check upon you after that event at the Obsidian Citadel. You were my one true friend outside of family entanglements and I did not treat you properly, did not treat you with the respect you deserved. I have behaved no better than the rest of the false Confederates though you prior to the Obsidian Citadel you gave me no reason, and it was clear even after that you were not entirely yourself that night."

Lowering her hand, Alwine sighed. How would she ever be able to make amends towards Lirka for what had occurred between the two? Should she even, considering that perhaps now they were fighting on opposite sides?

 

[Darth Carnifex]

​

Location: Fortress Imperious
Objective: Dash Them Against The Stones
Equipment:

• Kotsnwûl & Woljirtyûk​
• Jen'Shuk'Orok​
• S-5 "Juggernaut" Sith Battle Armour​

Tags: Darth Ophidia | Hailyn | K Kaine Australis

​

Australis disappeared through a rip in space and time right as Ophidia's lightsaber tore apart his shoulder, bits of his armor and skin left behind as the dimensional portal closed with an audible pop. The Emperor scowled as he turned to face both Ophidia and Braith, the latter disappearing just as abruptly to chase down Australis to wherever he had run away to. Around them, the battle against the Mandalorian infiltrators continued as the rising tide of Graug threatened to overwhelm and subsume those left behind by Australis.​

​

"A pity," remarked the Emperor, "Regardless, Braith will ensure that he is destroyed, my friend." He raised his arm up to look at his wrist-communicator, a three-dimensional hologram of the Fortress and surrounding moon blinking into existence. The known location of insurgents and other enemies of the Empire were displayed in red, while the Empire's forces were displayed in blue. "We still yet have enemies on the moon, they will have to be dealt with." A chime rang out from the device, indicating that a holo-transmission was coming through on the secure channel reserved for the Emperor's progeny. The Emperor activated the projector, and the image of his daughter Raya Najwa Zambrano materialized in a miniaturized form above his arm.​

​

“Daddy… we did it. Vandra and I, we caught Reyn Australis. We… we have Kaine Australis’ son… we… we need evac. S-sending our coordinates.” There was something to be said about small miracles, but the Emperor did not believe in such superstition. "Very good, my dear." Spoke the Emperor with words as smooth as honey, "Do not let him escape, I am sending the Blackblades to come and pick you up." He placed that order in after Raya had disconnected the communication, a combat shuttle being dispatched from the Fortress to retrieve the Emperor's daughter and her prize. The Emperor turned to Ophidia, "I am heading topside, old friend. I will leave these remaining miscreants to your discretion."​

​

The Empire's forces on the moon were bogged down on virtually every front, with retrograde operations being carried out along the outer bulwarks of Fortress Imperious and beyond. Several hundred thousand were stationed to defend the Fortress against the enemy, but the numbers of those that descended upon the moon far outweighed them in sheer quantity. Eventually, numbers began to win out as more and more outlying structures were ceded to the enemy as the Legionnaires manning them fell back in orderly retreats to the next ring of defenses. Concentrated artillery barrages saturated the zones where the Empire had pulled back from, turning the landscape around the fortress into a barren waste of uneven terrain.​

​

It wasn't until the Emperor himself joined them on the ramparts that Imperial morale began to hold firm, the sight of their liege invigorating the Legionnaires who had begun to despair at the mounting tide. But, the Emperor was angry, frustrated, he hadn't shown it directly to Ophidia but he had greatly desired to see Australis broken at his feet. Yet, once again, the slippery Mandalorian had again slipped through his fingers and escaped. Lightning danced across the Emperor's massive form as his anger built, manifesting visibly in the atmosphere as the clouds above began to broil and seethe. ​

​

His dark and baleful eyes looked out over the vast expanse beyond the fortress walls, the sight of the Mandalorian fleet in the atmosphere above and the clone army below only furthering to exacerbate the hate that threatened to burst free from his furnace heart. He need only channel that energy for a few moments longer...​

​