The Silver Jedi Come (Dominion of Malachor V + Sith Order Rebellion)

[Matsu Ike]

Location: Malachor V, Shadow Temple

Objective: Defend the planet from Sith Order forces
Allies: Silver Jedi, [member="Celiana"] [member="Ar'ekk"] [member="Rasu Gan"] [member="Claire Ouron"] [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"]
Enemies: Sith Order, [member="Darth Lykos"]

Matsu was looking at them and had prepared herself for anything and started shifting her senses. Prepared as she heard Rasu and her padawans were here. "Claire there is always another thing." But she was ready for it while watching Rasu and helping her up. "We seem to have attracted attention moving into here. The caldera is ablaze with sith activity suddenly." She said it looking at the others around her while she was moving with a few ideas and purpose. "We though seem to have not attracted the most attention like Korriban or Ziost, for now we'll hold here and let the reinforcements work outside in case any forces try to come in here." She was looking at it while she was prepared to defend and had her eyes and senses searching for stealth users in the current and out of it.

 

[Niysha]

Location: Hot seat of the Sith vessel 'Mirial Accord,' in orbit above Ziost
Objective: Parry, parry, thrust, thrust...good!
Allies: [member="Darth Ignus"] | [member="Onley Xiangu"] | [member=Ansgar] | [member="Nyra Mazul"]
Enemies: [member="Gir Quee"] | [member="Rozalyne Kurganova"] | [member="Coci Heavenshield"]

The Miraluka didn't flinch. As it turned out, having no eyes gave you a pretty good poker face. Her smile - not even a smirk - continued unabated. While the camera switched to a new man for a counter rant, Niysha tapped her fingers at the console of her chair. Sending silent messages over a holo terminal was easier when you didn't have to turn your head to see the screen.

Report? <The enemy fleet has launched fighters.>

Response? <Continue scanning
and queue the sector news reports regarding the observational stations
constructed earlier this week
and the Silver fleet that arrived at Ziost earlier this morning.>

When her...conversational companion? When the man on the other end of the line finished his rebuttal, Niysha had had plenty of time to work on a lovely riposte. She once again clasped her hands, this time in her lap, and sat straight in her chair. "Yes, I'm sure the terrified people of Ziost are screaming 'gunboat diplomacy,' considering what they experienced earlier today." A quick telepathic cue, and the footage of the very armed and very large Silver Jedi fleet, arriving earlier that day, played in a small bubble beside Niysha's own holographic form. "Considering the known Sith sympathies of this world, this would be seen by any sane and very understandably worried natives as an attempt at intimidating them into submission."

Shaking her head, her body was a statue. Not a single bit of movement to her. All of that panic from earlier had evaporated, now that cunning and shrewd negotiation were the preferred weapon. "In fact, those same civilians might see the familiar profile of a star destroyer, the shape that had defended this world for decades if not centuries, as a symbol of hope in these dark and terrifying times. Goodness knows they could use all of the hope they could get, considering how readily their rights are already being taken away from them."

Another telepathic cue, and a second set of footage played. A second bubble on the other side of Niysha's holographic form. "The moment the Silver Jedi set up in this system, among their first acts was to set up an array of listening posts. While you and I might see this as a necessary evil, to protect one's new material acquisitions," implying the Silver Jedi cared very, very little for the actual people of these planets, only their wealth. "...To less military minds, it seems a powerful invasion of privacy to monitor all traffic on uncontested, civilian worlds. All communications. In fact, this would seem a nigh-totalitarian step. The death of all liberty for these poor, war-torn and neglected people."

Another moment. She drummed her fingers on one of her knees. "In fact, come to think of it, those 'raiding attacks' you mentioned earlier might very well be armed rebellion against this perceived threat. It would make no small amount of sense, considering the appearance of a dominating, oppressive force constructing spy satellites and threatening planets into submission." The Sithling had no eyes, but she would have given a pointed stare if she did. "A feeling I rather commiserate with, considering the position an armed, hostile fleet has presently put me in."

Niysha's smile had faded into a sympathetic frown at some point. It was honestly difficult to tell, considering how her expression was half-concealed by a blindfold. "Our mission here is to negotiate the release of these territories back into self-governance, not to fight. Given the aggressive and military history of this order of 'peacekeepers,' Darth Ignus determined this ship to be a necessity of personal protection. One that, I believe, contact with a hostile fleet entrapping us with mines and launching starfighters to our location would validate." She paused, and though she didn't move, it might well have felt as if she stood, looming over the holorecorder.

"Please deactivate and retrieve your mines. Once again, the Mirial Accord is a diplomatic vessel, and I can't allow it to threatened in such a way."

Summary

Spoiler

Dropped truth bombs
Kept scanning, because Miraluka habits
Played propaganda footage

 

[Ashin Varanin]

WALLS OF KORRIBAN CITY
NEARBY ALLIES: [member="Sirella Valkner"], [member="Matsu Xiangu"], [member="Enyo Typhos"], [member="Darth Gallus"], [member="Darth Vashti"], [member="Darth Eversor"], [member="Vulkan"], [member="Silas of Ossus"], [member="Darth Praetorias"]
NEARBY ENEMIES: None
INCOMING ENEMIES: [member="Jericho"], [member="Syn"], [member="Suravi Teigra"]

Ahead, far in the distance, armies of the undead bogged down, taxed, exhausted Jedi defenders. That was their purpose, the hordes: to bring weakness by attrition, to birth overconfidence and then nibble it away. Line after defensive line protected Korriban City and the Sith Lords.

Behind him lay the city in question. A few pockets of pro-Jedi sentiment remained, some of them actively fighting but entirely outmatched. Korriban City's militia was largely on the side of the city itself, and many were retired Sith Empire troopers with long personal histories in this territory. Korriban had been Empress Desmius' capital during and after the Omni crisis damaged Dromund Kaas. From this planet, often from this city, Desmius and her closest associates -- Sirella Valkner, Kaine Zambrano, Voracitos, Tirdarius -- had conquered and dominated a significant fraction of the known galaxy. Their domain had reached from Tund to Aeten to Ossus. The wealth of ten thousand worlds had flowed here, and for all that Korriban was a backwater, you didn't just forget something like that. Not when that glory, that sheer success and unchallenged security and unflinching purpose, remained within living memory for every adult in residence.

Some of the dead who spoke to him -- he'd been a shade of Korriban just like them -- had known that glory firsthand. They whispered to him, and their whispers had value. He sent them out through the city, unseen, unheard, but felt: a bracing chill that reminded the people of the time when they'd been strong. When their little dustball had ruled more territory than the Silver Jedi had ever controlled, and control was a loose word. For all the monitoring stations and gun platforms and military scouting teams the Silvers deployed, restrictions that didn't lend themselves well to a Korribani mind, the Silvers had no stomach for grand strategy. No institutional will for anything but easy victories. That much, to Seren, was clear.

He looked up through the eyeslits of his black helmet and watched the sky. The spirits kept whispering. Right now, if his sources were accurate, a Silver landing force was making a troop deployment run through contested space, past [member="Darth Raxis"] and her flotilla. Ideally, [member="Darth Prazutis"] would be arriving iinsystem soon, but perhaps not soon enough to stop the landing. Perhaps enough troops would land that the Silvers could turn the tide against the armies that Valkner and Xiangu had unleashed. It was possible, though from Seren's perspective, enemy reinforcements would likely prove too little, too late.

Just like most of the other Silver movements in the Stygian Caldera.

Right now, by all accounts, a diplomatic mission at Ziost was monopolizing the attention of the Silvers and the people they'd summoned to help them in their moment of weakness. If his guess was right, more than half of the combined forces were busy watching a single small star destroyer in Ziost orbit. Elsewhere, Carnifex was crushing Commonwealth starships at Thule. Mon Calamari vessels had passed through this system and were pursuing Velok's flotilla, always two steps behind. Meanwhile, the Whiphid ripped the heart out of the Silvers' monitoring network and defensive station deployments: by this point, he should have put paid to about half of the total Silver positions in the Caldera. And while Ignus and Velok drew all the attention of allied forces within the Caldera, those forces weren't supporting the ground battle here on Korriban. A battle which had proceeded for some time with real success.

Meanwhile, probes in the Malachor system indicated no real traffic. The recent, massive Jedi presence there appeared to be holed up, accomplishing nothing, waiting for an attack that might never come -- while the Sith made it impossible to hold the Caldera. And demagogues were leading unchallenged movements on Elom, and recon ships were loose in the Caldera, and all sorts of lesser successes were at play.

They had to know, the Silver leaders. They had to know that, win or lose, the Sith would contest any further incursion into their historic worlds. They could keep their distance for a while, until the Sith turned their attention elsewhere, or they could suffer humiliating defeats and win bloody, pyrrhic, dispiriting victories. Victory could taste as bitter as defeat, after all.

Ideally, the Jedi were tasting something bitter right now and mistaking it for victory. On a strategic level, they'd already lost.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Location: Mateus-class fleet carrier - In orbit over Korriban
Objective: Reinforce SJ and provide cover for SJ ground reinforcements

Allies: [member="Gir Quee"] [member="Reshmar"] [member="Suravi Teigra"] [member="Thoja Arlos"] [member="Jerek Zenduu"] [member="Aisha Marc"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Auron Song"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Jericho"] [member="Syn"]
Enemies: [member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Grimoire"] [member="Darth Raxis"] [member="Catalys Maijora"] [member="Darth Ignus"] [member="Darth Prazutis"] [member="Munin"]

Hangar:

• 60 T-70 X-Wings (deployed as defensive screen around the Mateus)
• 60 TIE/rv Reaver bombers (deployed on surface)

"Hypervelocity cannon loaded and ready to fire, captain"

"That's too quiet out there: no sign of enemy fleets, or we aren't detected by them"

"Attention fighter-bombers, please keep your runs clean and tight. Sith forces and their abominations are in tight among civilians. Excessive violence will be more harm than help" Julie received as a message over the frequency from Dune.

"Fighter-bombers, refrain from dropping bombs: our heavy bombs will ensure unacceptable collateral damage if we drop them. Aim for their anti-aircraft first"

"Enemy anti-aircraft will not know what hit them, Julie"

"Target only hostile units, no bombs"

Julie knew as much: the heavy Deathballs she had loaded on their bombers would be a nightmare to drop in terms of collateral damage. Their blast was able to destroy everything within a 50-meter radius, and their blast radius was 250 meters or so. That would be excessive force. But, given what she intercepted on the frequency Dune used, Charzon is given the impression that it is best to avoid orbital bombardment too. While the fighter-bombers were down to the surface, Charzon and the pilot sent in on the bridge in replacement of Julie, from whom Charzon could learn a bit about capital ship piloting - however, if she had her way, Julie would be training the SJ's capital ship pilots under harsh regimens not unlike those of fighter pilots. She would find the training of capital ship pilots to be, to put it bluntly, inadequate. Compared to even their own allies the Galactic Alliance, let alone the First Order. The Silver Jedi has never prided itself in their capital ship pilots - and now Charzon was guilty of letting Julie command the attack craft; if there actually was an engagement between them and another fleet in space, hopefully Julie's capital-ship piloting skills will make a difference.

"Stay frosty and vigilant: no hostiles on our tactical display do not mean that there isn't any - they may be cloaked and closing in on us"

"I do not like the looks of this" the chief engineer told Charzon.

"I really shouldn't have let Julie outside... she is the best Star Destroyer pilot we have; we can't let her get killed in the black vastness of space!"

"Captain, it's obvious that Julie is much better than I am. It would be for the best if she pilots the mothership than some attack craft" the relief pilot complains.

"Julie, return to ship immediately and return to the mothership's bridge!"

"Roger"

"There seems to be something wrong with the tactical display or the sensor array: inspect these systems on the double!"

"Roger, we came here to reinforce the Silver Jedi's position in this system"

 

[Munin]

[member="Dune Rhur"]

He once again, and rather unceremoniously ignored the Jedi below. It was rather amusing that the man thought him to be a Sith Agent, though the assumption was really the only one he could make. The idea of an independent operator being on Korriban at the same time as the Sith Invasion was rather coincidental, yet nevertheless it was happening. By the time the Bith shouted up at him Munin was already more than halfway up the tower, a quick glance casting down to look towards the man before carrying on.

There were several hatches along his climb, each one leading to a different tier of the communications tower, he was headed towards the top.

"What exactly would be forcing you into it?" He called down towards the Jedi as he continued to climb. "I'm not exactly a threat to you, am I?"

He didn't even have a blaster.

From what Spark had told him there was a range at which Jedi could effect things from the force. She had made it pretty clear that pulling something as large as a human from more than a few meters was incredibly difficult, more so if you weren't exactly sure what you were grabbing onto. That paid to his advantage given that he was already dozens of meters up in the air, and the tunnel that he was crawling in was quite small, he only hoped the Jedi was too lazy to chase him.

Eventually he reached the top most hatch of the tower, fiddling with it before popping open the door. Almost immediately a gust of wind struck him him, powerful gales that nearly threw him from the ladder.

 

[Dune Rhur]

Post VIII
SJO HQ, Korriban
Allies: Too damn many...all of the Jedi. All of them
Enemies: [member="Munin"] and all of the Sith

"The door was locked for a reason," the Bith said in a weary voice. The infiltrator was almost pulled down by a strong gust. "Come down before you fall to your death."

It felt like he was talking to a house cat in a tree. The image was ludicrous and he shook his head at life. "No amount of credits is worth your life. Suppose I do go away, do you know about the horde of zombies that's going to arrive here? Good luck escaping through that."

"Alternatively, I could cut away this ladder and leave you. So, the choice is clear, come with me and live or take your life into your own hands."

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Silver Jedi Outpost; Korriban.
[member="Connor Harrison"]

This Jedi truly was a fool if he didn't realize he had been running away.

After all, he did have to be pulled back to him as he fled. Oh well, what could you do?

"This is cowardice?" Athyssius didn't know how to react to that, an eyebrow raised into an arch, curious to the idiocy of this supposed Jedi Master, but Master of not much else. "This is why you Jidai fail to win at anything," the Dark Lord of the Sith said. The rifle was attempted to be used as a weapon against him. The blunt force against his cheek split skin, as his head was forced to the side roughly. He was numbed to the pain, it was there, the fresh wound and stretched skin a horrible pain, but he drew on that. Oh, he was always drawing on the Dark Side of the Force, on the nexus, on emotions, on memories, they were all to be used for his advantage.

The Jedi would fail, simple as.

"I know my life better than you ever will, Jidai." He spat the words out, and so came the blood.

A gauntleted wrist was met with the same reaction as before.

"You hear what you want to hear."

The left Crushgaunt caught the wrist, and this time squeezing tightly, intending to crush the wrist of the gauntlet entirely, snap the bone clean out of the wrist if he could, as he wrenched it downwards. His Crushgaunt was intent on shattering the wrist within the armoured body. By the time he was lifting his foot to kick him in the calf, he was unbalanced. As far as Athyssius could see, it was over after that. His stance shifted, he shoved the Jedi backwards that was standing on one leg, a formerly stable stance likely would've been unbalanced. The spiked boot scratched against the phrik plate that covered the calf, Athyssius hardly noticed it. His other foot went behind the single grounded foot of the Jedi, intending to trip him and throw him onto his back.

However, all the while that happened, the Force net expanded from the crushgaunt that had caught Connor's wrist from earlier. And now? He was intent on slamming him down and onto his back as the force net hungrily snaked out from Athyssius's left palm.

"You're worse than the Sith."

 

[Aithne Charr]

New Adasta, Ziost

Nearby Individuals - [member="Darth Vitium"]



Once [member="Coci Heavenshield"] had left with the others, Solan had moved to enter into the city and find out if there were any elements on the ground already.

For their credit, he felt almost no dark presences past that of the planet itself. Ziost had always been a dark place thanks to the very nature of its occupants for thousands of years on and off but even then the Sith left a rather distinct stench when it came to their presence. That was why he was certain that for once it seemed they were acting honorably in their wanting to avoid fighting.

Something did feel off though when he had entered into the city, something that was neither living nor the planet. It had his body moving before he could figure it out.

He worked on the emotions of others though while he walked through the city. In contrast to the woman he had yet to meet, he used the empathy granted to him to draw in the negative emotions of others and replace it with a calmness or even a happiness. He stole their negative emotions and pulled them onto his own mind to soothe the others around him. He hated when others were scared or worried, hated it even more when they were in fear of other people. He hated feeling that through others and would rather take it on himself than let them feel that way anymore.

Funnily enough, it was the concentration of emotions that was drawing him closer to Silara without him consciously knowing that there was some kind of creature at work. As far as he knew there was no Sith that he could find within the Force, at least none which had been exerting the darkside in a traditional way and he didn't even consider that there would be an Empath like himself out here so that had never crossed his mind.

It was like walking blind into a snow storm, you never know what might just come whizzing by until you are right on top of it.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Objective: Do things for LuLz (Velok called it being "loud")
Allies: A whole crapton
Enemies: A Metric Crapton
Location: Korriban, Ruins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH1RgDtMHX0​

​

The Sith slipped down into a cross-legged squat, his thick crocodilian tail coiling around his body as he dropped to ground. Sand from the desert was disturbed and the wind seemed to die down around him. Even though most of his raw power was lost to him in the Barabel's body, the Sith's memories and knowledge remained clear. If enough power and energy could be tapped into, he could still preform some feats of strength, though not on the scale he was used to.

Previously, Vulkan could have dominated the minds of gunnery crews and forced them to fire on friendly vessels, invaded the minds of weaklings and had shields drop, summon phantoms to attack his foes while he sat on a different world. Even attach those phantoms to younglings to force his point home. There was battle, and wherever battle could be found, fear was abundant. This was Korriban, Moraband, the Sith Homeworld. Dark power, though dormant in this place, could be found in the very roots of the world. Fear was everywhere, both shining beacons and dim flickers. Every being experienced fear in combat to a degree, and courage allowed most to fight on and bury it deep. Nevertheless, everyone had something to fear. Every, single, one.

Vulkan breathed deeply, pulling on the infinite web of the Force, drawing more and more lines of power into himself as he found the center of his mind. It was a slow trickle of energy from what he could have been capable of, and the Sith lizard seethed with anger at that thought. That he should be weak and his other half strong. That his right had been taken from him.

Others would have to be taken from to compensate.

The barabel began chanting, "Woyunoks." His chest ached and swelled with air as he sucked in sharply.

"Hadzuska." The scar over his 'heart' burned like it was freshly cut into him.

"Koshujontu." The Force swirled and Fear became more palpable around him. There was a long way to go to see his goal, but it was started.

 

[Munin]

[member="Dune Rhur"]

Zombies?

He was half sure that the man was kidding, but then again from what he'd heard it was half possible with Sith.

Unfortunately he hadn't had the chance to decrypt any of the information he'd pulled down yet, and that meant any information he could have was...well stuck in limbo. He frowned for a moment, looking down at the Jedi and considering his option. "Tell you what. You go deal with the Zombies, I'll stay here. We'll talk after."

Simple enough really.

With that, Munin pulled himself out of the tower and onto the top level of the Relay itself. There was a small catwalk up here that ringed around the outside of the Communications tower, usually accessed in order to do maintenance of the relays themselves. There wasn't much space to move around, less to do much of anything else, but enough that Munin could easily Skirt away from the entrance and slam the hatch shut behind him, leaving the Jedi out of earshot and out of site.

He quickly made his way around the side of the tower, eyes adjusting to the bright light of the sun. He peered out over the Silver Jedi base, seeing half a dozen ships flying around. Some he imagined were carrying troops, others refugees, and some were just fighters. His lips thinned as he watched them, eyes darting from vessel to vessel as he pulled out a small communicator from his pocket.

 

[Sirella Valkner]

Location: Sith HQ, Korriban City, Korriban.
Allies: [member="Haytham Kaze"] | [member="Grimoire"] | [member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Enyo Typhos"] | [member="Silas of Ossus"] | [member="Vulkan"] | [member="Seren Ordavo"] | [member="Darth Gallus"] | [member="Darth Praetorias"]

Enemies: [member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Auron Song"] | [member="Jericho"] | [member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Suravi Teigra"] | [member="Charzon Loulan"] Can you all who keep bombing or maybe not bombing my position please bother to tag people who are actually there?


Sirella heard Enyo’s response to her and listened to her briefing on the state of affairs and deployment of Archangel resources. Good, good. Things were being bottled up nicely. However the Jedi had reinforcements on the way. Already alarms were sounding for fighters, and no doubt behind them under the fighter cover there would be troops and even Jedi.

“Prepare yourself,” Sirella took direct control off the spirits as they approached the Jedi outpost. They could cause all the trouble they wanted without her to oversee them. No instead she had more pressing issues.

Looking up at the wall she saw Seran, her old associate, waiting eagerly for the battle that would come. “Pilots to their stations, prepare to defend against an air assault. Ground troops get into prepared position ack ack and artillery to support.”

 

[Ellie Mors]

† H E E P I L O G U E

Allies: Sith
Potential Enemies: [member="Solan Charr"]

New Adasta, Ziost

The door shut quietly behind Thalia, her heavy sigh dividing the unnerving silence that seemed to grip the storeroom. Various headless mannequins and stands dotted the floor between shelving and tables that wore various garments that were either made in-house or simple showpieces displaying what the woman and her store were capable of creating. It was a quaint store, something that would have been overlooked by most of the people that visited New Adasta for business or tourism, but her steady flow of customers still came from day to day, a hem here, a new button sewed there. Every day, really, was an endless routine of old men and women requesting the most simple of tasks that their arthritis made them incapable of performing. There was, too, the rare request from a young woman or man for a tailored gown or suit, sometimes even an occasional wedding dress, but it was certainly nothing that fit in with her routine of button fastening and pant-hemming.

Today, most certainly, was far removed from routine.

The shuffling of canvas shoes against a wooden floor brought Thalia to the front desk, where she deposited the broom wordlessly and retrieved a sign usually reserved for later in the day. Business had, to put it simply, been dead following the incident in the system and the worry over what was going on above the planet. If her regular customers were not so afraid of being caught in some non-existent crossfire - no fighting, really, had broken out on Ziost just yet - she might have opted to keep the store open longer, but both her boredom and knowledge that a slow day like this was perfectly reasonable to justify an early close earned her the afternoon off. A few moments later and the magnetic sign was placed up against the window that peered in through the top half of the door and the shutters in the windows that were adjacent to the front door were shut to keep the light out.

With the room sufficiently dimmed Thalia made her way towards the rear of the storeroom, where another door - to her personal residence - lie in wait. All the while, with every step away from the door she took, the room grew darker, colder, and more unwelcoming.

-

Silara had "attached" herself to the woman's shadow with relative ease, moving quickly from the shadow of the man that had been throwing his bags of trash into the dumpster outside in the alley. To her less-than-tangible eyes, the woman shimmered slightly as opposed to the dull landscape and the people that wandered about - a sign that she was, indeed, sufficiently sensitive enough to the force to "touch" it. Likely she wasn't aware of her latent sensitivity, or hadn't cared, but her abilities and knowledge were completely irrelevant to her suitability as a new route to life. As long as she was still living and breathing when Silara got to her, and was actually able to touch the force - as she was displaying subconsciously - then she was a suitable target, albeit not one she would have gone after if her desire had been to drain her life away or use her for purposes beyond revival.

Like many of the dreary folk that meandered through planets like Ziost without meaning or purpose beyond fulfilling some daily agenda, a checklist of life's passing, with a routine made ready, Thalia's body language, lack of speech, and even her manner of putting her broom away and hanging up a sign showed the resignation of someone who was more than aware and complacent with the fact that their life was not much more than another short page in a book. No ambition, no desires beyond simply persisting. Disgusting, really. Part of her even doubted that the woman would be too objecting if Silara decided to try to transfer her essence into her at that very moment - except for the chance of incessant internal nagging that she would be unable to "finish" her routine, that might spark a feeling of fear or uncertainty in her.

Once the lights were dimmed and the windows barred by their shutters, Silara, rather than restrict herself to the woman's shadow now that she had a larger area she could both be present and hidden in, allowed herself to spread throughout the darkness in the storeroom and spread back towards the woman's personal living area with every single step the woman took. And, just as any being or area tainted by the dark side might show, the interior of the room began to have the telltale signs of the corruption of the dark side. The very air itself was choked of its warmth, a chilling still replacing the cool air, and every area without direct sunlight became darker and darker with every passing moment. By no means was the corruption to any extent of what Silara had worked on Tython when she led the planetary construction of the nexus of the Dark Side for Darth Isolda, it was, instead, simply a byproduct of her being there and allowing her touch to spread like a pestilence. Devouring the woman's essence and replacing it with her own would be no gentle and delicate feat, nor did it require such an atmosphere, but there were certain traditions that Silara could not help but to perpetuate - the inclusion of a dark and dismal room being one of them.

Her choice in perverting the small area was not without consequence, however. It spread just as many hateful, fearful, emotions as she had drank in - along with the subtle, bitter, aftertaste of the dark side of the force.

 

[Connor Harrison]

LOCATION: Silver Jedi Outpost; Korriban
ALLIES: Silver Jedi on Korriban
ENEMIES: Sith on Korriban
ENGAGING: [member="Haytham Kaze"]

There was a time to know when to quit while you were ahead, or when to keep going until you were nothing but dead. This was one of those moments. And there was a difference between running away and getting ground between the foe - Connor was clever enough to know when to do that at least.

Nothing seemed to be working against Haytham - the armour was too weak, his range was too short and the Sith countered them all with ease. Even now, the crushed gauntlet on his right wrist dug into his arm, crumpled and twisted. And with no effect from the foot sweep, Connor was taken down again with a crunch, his right hand now free from the broken gauntlet. His armour had a slice missing from the front and the helmet was cracked. As he fell back, before the Force Net creeped out once more, it dawned on Connor what the outcome could be.

Korriban was a hovel, and it belonged to the Sith. As much as Coruscant was for the Republic and the Light, Korriban was forever Dark. The Sith wouldn't stop until they claimed it back, and they would keep on attacking until they did. The Order should deal as much damage as possible and let them have it - so why die here, on a Sith world, today? Connor at one point would have carried on until the end, but right now, looking up at the Sith coward, however much he wanted his blood, he had made a promise to return to her.

Better be dead than break her promise; he was not going to be like the rest. He wanted to see her. He wanted to hold her. Why die miserable when he could try and be alive and...happy? She was one of first to listen to him, to want to understand him. What if she would be there for him? What if she wasn't? Was it worth the risk? Was it worth living for, or dying for?

”I can't be any lower than a woman beater, Haytham! You may know your life better than I, but you'll never have the one thing I do - [member="Joza Perl"].”

Eye darting to see the Force Net, Connor summoned his rage and prepared for the stinging sensation rising from the burning ember inside him, planted by Darth Arcanix, and shot out with his right hand a violent crack of Force Lightning; none of the Judgement - it was time to counter darkness with darkness. The violet forks shot forth towards Haytham and he didn't hold back, he pushed out with all the hate he had, and let it flow through him.

”You butcher as much as you want - do what it is you need to do to feel your life is just! Enjoy your meaningless victory here, Haytham, for I know I have won the bigger battle here!”

Pushing up from his back, he focused his all into the Lightning onslaught - not giving an inch as he clicked on his com in the helmet.

”I could really use that firepower about now!”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Location: Sith HQ, Korriban City
Allies: [member="Sirella Valkner"], [member="Vulkan"], [member="Grimoire"], [member="Matsu Xiangu"], [member="Seren Ordavo"], [member="Darth Praetorias"], [member="Darth Gallus"]
Enemies: [member="Syn"], [member="Jericho"], [member="Suravi Teigra"]


By the time the counterattack began, the Sith and their allies had already possessed ample time to fortify Korriban City. Suffice to say they had exploited this thoroughly. Expendable undead had distracted the Jedi's attention, and many more lay in wait due to the combined efforts of two Sith Sorceresses. Did this make everyone who lived in Korriban City a devoted believer in Sithdom?


No, bu those pockets were minor. More to the point, what was taking place across the Stygian Caldera would leave an impression even on those of its denizens who loathed Sith and all they stood for. The legions of Darth Carnifex had descended upon Thule like ravenous lions and the Sith Lord had reclaimed his throne, with little resistance.


Sith demagogues were rousing the rabble on Elom and Ziost. The fact that the Sith would subjugate and bind the downtrodden in chains was obvious, but the Jedi had already showed themselves unable to protect the worlds they'd sought to include into their theocratic state, which severely undermined their legitimacy. Perhaps the attack would be able to dislodge the Sith from Korriban, but at great cost, but the Jedi's weakness would be plain. The strong do as they will, and the weak suffer what they must. In such a situation, the masses bent to whatever was the stronger force at the time and the passage of time might have romanticised their memories of the old Sith Empire, back when these worlds were the centres of a galactic power, not forgotten backwater planets.


For the time being, there was the defence of Korriban City to focus on. Alarms were sounding for fighters, and doubtless more troops would be deployed. It's amusing, how these grunts throw their lives away for a false religion and Jedi overlords - and sad, Enyo thought to herself.


A pity, so many of them will have to die. May they ride boldly and well. She preferred conversion to extermination. Perhaps Archangel could bring some of those who had been misled by the Jedi into the light, for it was a bright beacon of progress and purity. Sirella gave out orders, and Enyo did likewise. Battle droids moved into prepared cover. Anti-air defences came to life. Attacking enemy craft and pods would be greeted by a hailstorm of ground-to-air missiles.


Moreover, Archangel had fighter swarms to throw at them and deployed them for interception. They were not elite craft, but they had a hell of a lot of them. Wardroids stood ready to unleash hell upon attacking infantry. If the Jedi tried to attack the city, they would expect fierce urban combat and probably collateral damage. Despite the imminent danger, Enyo felt a surge of excitement. Finally, a battle! Pulling at the strands of power, she filled herself with the energies of the Dark Side that were so potent on Korriban, especially amongst a congregation of Sith Lords.

 

[Catalys Maijora]

Partisan-class - Next Stop - Bhargebba

With no Silver Jedi responders, Catalys could only assume their presence went undetected. Good.

"Jump," he gave the word.

Distant starlight stretched towards them, and the fleet jumped to hyperspace. Their destination is Bhargebba, and the nearest system. Here they would continue their hunt for Silver Jedi presences. Logstics, defense stations, sensory probes. Anything that proved a weapon of war would be disabled, dismantled, and otherwise destroyed; assuming the agent had his way.

At Bhargebba his fleet dropped out of Hyperspace, the Cathedral-class only moments away with its slightly slower drive. "Standard procedure--intercept and disrupt communications." Already the Partisan-class cruiser would do its work again, and hopefully this would remain a successful tactic.

"Sir, we're picking up a civilian vessel. Light freighter, likely a smuggler." The sensory officer noted.

Hidden way by his mask and helmet, Catalys' expressions were betrayed. He grinned, and no one saw it. "Intercept it, try to take them alive."

A single Sekairo-class stealth transport, escorted by two Hammer B-class assault craft made their approach on the unsuspecting freighter. At the same time the Partisan-class worked its magic using the tech warfare suite to hack into the starship's computers, attempting to disrupt engine controls.

[member="Velok the Younger"] | [member="Reshmar"] | [member="Gir Quee"] | [member="Darth Raxis"] | [member="Darth Ignus"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"] | [member="Aisha Marc"] | [member="Charzon Loulan"] | [member="Niysha"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

Post IX
SJO HQ, Korriban
Allies and enemies, blah blah.
[member="Munin"]

The Bith shrugged. If he wanted to be rude and stupid, that was his business. He hooked his weapon back on his belt and seized the ladder through the Force. Slowly and with a tortured sound of metal bending, it folded in on itself.

Now he was trapped as he wished. No way out except if he had some sort of ridiculous plan to jump on a ship. But then it wouldn't be any less realistic than walking through a military facility almost totally unhindered. This intruder seemed to think he was some kind of deity.

Dune turned and walked away. If all went well, then they could come back for him later. Again, if he didn't have some kind of hand-waving magical, ridiculous escape plan. Somehow the Jedi didn't entirely discount that idea as he walked away.

There were bigger problems than a trapped intruder. He shook his head as he went back inside. Apparently the man understood the upper limits of the Force and needed to put up a reminder. Except nothing the Jedi had done had been exceptional where the other man's actions bordered on the level of incredulity even for a space magician.

"The pot called the kettle black," he muttered as he quickly made his way along the corridor.

 

[Thoja Arlos]

Location: Korriban
Objective: Reinforce Jedi Outpost
Allies: [member="Jericho"] | [member="Syn"] | [member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Suravi Teigra"]
Equipment: Wraith Class Stealth Armour MK2, Eclipse Assault Rifle, Obsidian Combat Knife, Oblivion Semi Automatic Pistol

"Roger that Ma'am." Arlos responded with a salute, before heading to the hanger. There, his unit was assembling, fully geared and loading the droids onto the two transports. Upon his arrival, his men would gather round him, all saluting to him.

"Men, this is our first deployment after Kashyyyk, and our first with the Silver Jedi. Let's make a good impression, and remind them what happens when they fight the 228th!" His men roared with approval, before heading to the Atlas transports. Arlos waited for a minute, watching as Suravi left the ship first.

"See you soon Commander." He muttered, before getting into one of the transport and heading to the cockpit.

"Pilot, we follow Commander Teigra to the Jedi outpost."

"Roger sir. This is Atlas One, we're prepared for launch."

Within minutes both dropships were in the air, and following the Commander down to the surface below. Korriban would fall, or Arlos would.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bdLFK2T3Ro​

​

The Thurra System
Hurom, Thule

Terrified screams echoed throughout the temple's chambers, the shrieks reverberating off of the angled walls and high ceiling as the anointed priests of Hurom's great temple were being butchered where they stood. Since the Dark Lord's fateful decree that the occupants of the temple were to be executed a contingent of Blackblade Guardsmen had assailed the steps leading to the temple's gaping archway, and had begun to systematically clear room after room of priests and their orderlies. Those who had fled to the temple during the initial invasion were rounded up and escorted out, the Dark Lord did not condone the wanton slaughter of the faithful - only the purposeful destruction of the clergy who had led them astray by consorting with the enemies of the ancient Sith faith. In his eyes all who preached were guilty of the Vicar's sin, and had to be eradicated so that a new generation, a more loyal generation, of clergymen could be instituted after Thule was liberated from the shackles of the Jedi and its dissidents quelled.

It was also decreed that any heretical symbolism and idolatry were to be burned, and accompanying the traditional black-armored Guardsmen were heavily armored flametroopers who used their bulky flamers to quench piles of heretical material with searing flame. Fire also quickly turned into a method of execution as the Blackblades rounded up entire groups of priests and had them corralled into large empty rooms just so they could be bathed by the inferno as it belched from the flametrooper's weapons. The stench of blood and cooked flesh overwhelmed the incense that still burned from the large braziers that hadn't been tipped over in the frenzy, and all the while the Dark Lord watched from the highest balcony in the large central chamber that dominated the interior of the structure. Beside him were two cloaked individuals with faces concealed by reflective silver masks.

"This reminds me of Cularin, the fire and the smoke." The Sith Lord's voice was hushed as if he were whispering, but if the two individuals at his flanks heard him they didn't bother to answer or give any sort of comment. They just stood there, silent and impartial as the fires raging below shone in the shimmering surface of their masks. "This temple will be purified, all weakness will be stripped away and the people of Hurom will no longer heed the preaching of traitors." Occasionally he could make out the incandescent brilliance of a lightsaber cutting through the raging flame and blackened smog, bodies collapsing to the floor as their torsos were rent in twain or their limbs were hewn off at the joints. A tapestry slipped off of the broken rod that had been supporting it, the fabric gracefully gliding through the air before being consumed by the flames beneath it.

The Dark Lord grimaced slightly, he'd have to erect new tapestries to replace what was lost to the devastation. In fact he'd commission ones to commemorate the purge being inflicted here on this momentous day, and new monuments would be erected to venerate the Dark Side of the Force. His eyes narrowed, "This temple was once my palace, and it shall be again." He turned away from the conflagration and pushed aside the heavy twin doors that led to a chamber abandoned after the Old Empire's collapse, his intrusion displacing the thick layer of dust that had settled on the floor and tables. At the far end of the chamber sat an empty throne carved from stone and wood and behind it a broken window that had been purposefully covered up from the outside. The stench of darkness hung heavy in the air, and the Dark Lord breathed it in deeply before heaving a sigh of contentment past his lips.

"Oh, my magnificence shall radiate though these halls like never before."

 

[Darth Libertas]

Location: Korriban
Allies: The Sith Jihadist Army
Enemies: The Holy Jedi Empire, [member="Connor Harrison"]?


"Korriban shall be as it always was. A graveyard for the darkest of the Sith Lords, still whispering within their tombs. It shall always be a source of evil, spawning threats throughout the millennia. It, like Malachor, brushes the edges of the empire that waits in the dark. And like Malachor, the Sith have forgotten it… for a time. They will remember."

- Kreia


As deluded and annoying as the old bat was, she'd been right about Korriban, though that probably didn't require great insight. The last time Sumiko had set foot upon the ancestral Sith homeworld was during the Silver Coalition's occupation of this planet. Poking around some of the ancient ruins had been good times, but mostly uneventful. The former Inquisitor had been a different woman back then. Still adrift and in search of a clear purpose after the Atrisian Empire went down, doing mercenary work as a contractor and arcane magicks specialist. Things had changed since then. The Coalition was dissolved, and in its place was a semi-feudal Jedi theocracy. She had abandoned the vestiges of her old allegiances and assumed the mantle of a Sith. It was the path of power and self-exaltation, shattering your chains so that you might ascend above the masses.


Korriban had not changed a good deal. No matter how much the Jedi sought to extinquish the darkness and burn it away with the light, it would always be a cursed tomb world permeated by the dark energies. It was also still a hellish hothouse with far too much sand and dust. The orange glow of the sun cast a long shadow. Thanks to tapas, she did not feel the oppressive heat that permeated the entire planet.


It was a slow dryness that leeched you like a vampire, which was probably a good way to sum up Korriban in general. Here, old spirits, unable to move on or still clinging to vestiges of existence in the mortal plane, sought to tempt those who believed they could uncover arcane mysteries. Immese statues, ruins of a bygone era, rose up high into the sky behind her. These were the Sith Lords of old. Once they had been great, but now only ruins remained of their glory.


For a change, her Dark Side signature was not obscured. Today, she could be a Sith. A helmet shielded her face from the sand and grit, though her armour was only light. She wore her dark hair bound back. Souldrinker was in reach, and the sentient blade's aura was gleeful at the prospect of slaughter, eager to be drawn and spill blood. Sand crunched beneath her boots as she made her way across the wasteland.


Further ahead, she could see ravenous hordes of zombies and monstrosities death charging the Jedi outpost, throwing themselves at the defenders with reckless abandon and sheer viciousness. A couple badly mutilated corpses lined her path, she paid them little mind. Jedi and monsters did battle, death ensued. Sumiko had brought a few Nekghouls with her. They were useful distractions.


The flesh-eating creatures were more intelligent than their less developed brethren, which was obviously a bit of a double-edged. Crucially, they could not infect anyone, which was good because Sumiko found the idea of being potentially turned into an ugly undead quite repulsive. They'd probably be background noise if she actually duelled someone. With a bit of luck, she could get a bit of raiding somewhere down in the Valley done during the chaos. Unless she ran into opposition along the way.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Location: Mateus-class fleet carrier - In orbit over Korriban
Objective: Reinforce SJ and provide cover for SJ ground reinforcements

Allies: [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Thoja Arlos"] [member="Syn"] [member="Suravi Teigra"] [member="Jericho"]
Enemies: [member="Munin"] [member="Sumiko Tanaka"] [member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Sirella Valkner"]

Hangar:

• 60 T-70 X-Wings (deployed on surface)
• 60 TIE/rv Reaver bombers (deployed on surface)

"The tactical display has been repaired, captain. New friendly contacts are appearing on the screen"

"But also hostiles. [member="Darth Raxis"] commanding"

"All fighters accounted for"

"All units, provide air cover for our friends from the and for our bomber friends below"

"Roger"

Julie couldn't make it back to the hangar so she is forced to fight as a fighter pilot. Their target: the outer ring of defenses of Korriban City. But the bomber group, due to their relative slowness, was well outside laser-cannon range of their target. Also, they have realized that the enemy air forces are also well outside their own firing range. And the aerial clash shall come soon enough. Once the entire complement of the Mateus is down on the surface, the Mateus is on its own to defend against any enemy fleets: for some reason it has remained undetected from any enemy fleets. But it can't possibly be because they have jammed the enemy sensors; perhaps their own tactical display has broken down, much like the Mateus has. The best Charzon could hope for was for the Mateus and any pilots to stay alive. They were hammered in all directions on the ground, hopefully Charzon would be able to help soften their position from orbit. Yet orbital bombardment was rather inaccurate at those ranges.

"Do not drop bombs until we're in range from Korriban City! We're going to have company in about 2 minutes. Fighter squadrons, cover the bombers and protect them"

"Roger"

"Incoming droid starfighters!, ETA 1 minute and closing"

Meanwhile, the relief pilot tried its best at approximating what Julie would do at the Mateus' helm: the sort of maneuvers that would enable them to have one broadside trained at Korriban City, and the other trained at spaceside enemies. Of course, the relief pilot would have little idea of what doing these maneuvers actually involve - his idea of piloting a Star Destroyer amounts mostly to simply not hit into things and have point-defense fire on navigational hazards. The hypervelocity cannon being trained at Korriban City as well as all their port batteries, Charzon began an operation of barbary but she received reports that the Sith have fortified their position. And that, maybe, some of the anti-enemy aircraft missiles would instead be aimed at the Mateus if they have sufficient caliber. As the weapons were ready to fire and engage the enemy fortifications of Korriban City, at the risk of costing innocents, enemy forces are all over the city.

"I did what I could, captain. In times like these I hoped Julie would have been here rather than being a coffin jockey" the relief pilot told Charzon.

"It's a little weird that the enemy in space hasn't moved in to engage us. Commence orbital bombing of Korriban City! We shall make the Sith pay for their insolence!"

"Yes, captain"