Public Tracks in the Stone | Siege of Mek-Sha

[Xeykard]

Darth Malum of House Marr Marcis Sorr Rakaan Horne Minerva Fhirdiad Theus Eldoris Cale Gunderson Jasper Kai'el ​

Xeykard paced across the room. His men were scrubbing the rest of the warehouse now, but he knew it wasn't there. The air was too still; their target had moved out of the building within the past hour. Not long enough to make it to the port -- not on foot, and they'd tracked no speeders close to the warehouse.

This admiral they were looking for was no true commander. Admiral Pylt participated in no battles, had never made a fire order, had probably never even seen a blaster bolt while on duty. He was a logistician. He masterminded a dozen campaigns, managed a thousand ships, and massacred millions from thousands of lightyears away. He knew more than most Sith did about the operations of the Empire's military.

He knew where their ships came from. His protege, now an officer under Xeykard's command, had tipped him off about Pylt's one bad habit -- gambling. The only moderately safe place to do it in the Scar Worlds was Mek-Sha, and given the many forces surrounding the region that would have happily taken Pylt's head, it was the only place he could be.

He knew where their ships came from.

The vast Sith-Imperial war machine, fueled by a thousand worlds, had built ships enough to subjugate a great swathe of the galaxy's north. Some of their success had come from secret shipyards scattered across their space; the location of the greatest of them was locked inside Pylt's mind. Designation: Yvarro would be the key to taking the Scar Worlds, and Xeykard would make it his.

A pair of legionnaires walked up to him, hesitating briefly before starting. "Sir, we-"

"Tear this place apart. Find him. This one does not care how long it takes. Lock down the ports and find him. Tell the Crimson Fear to hold position. No ships but ours should get in or out."

The legionnaires snapped a salute before moving out. Xeykard paused a moment, flexing his fingers.

This would be a challenge. But, Xeykard was nothing if not a hunter. The Inquisitor stalked out of the warehouse and began his search. Across the station, a legion of Sith soldiers did the same.

Spoiler

It begins. Important links speedrun:

• Mek-Sha
• LFG where I spammed a bunch of info

If you feel like you want to write Pylt appearing or whatever, feel free to describe him. I don't have anything particular in mind, other than him very much not wanting to go with Xeykard, and very much wanting to live.

Sith legionnaires are descending across Mek-Sha, and are searching everywhere for the admiral. They have info about him, but aren't liable to share it with just anyone (at least, not without persuasion). Xeykard is out searching with his men; he's quite the tracker, but he's also pissed -- this was supposed to be easy, and now it most certainly is not. He's willing to crush anyone who gets in his way, and his menacing presence can be felt across the station.

Surrounding the station is a small fleet, lead by a single Marr-class Star Destroyer.

The legionnaires are a mix of Imperial Legion veterans and Gormak Irregulars.

Best of luck. Go wild. Hit me up if you have any questions.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Mek-Sha
Tags: Xeykard , Darth Malum of House Marr , Marcis Sorr , Rakaan Horne , Minerva Fhirdiad , Cale Gunderson

​

Ship: X-Wing

Reports of a fleet pulling up to a space station in the Scar Worlds wasn't something that was lost on Jasper. There were many things he was out of touch with, politics generally, but when things happened in the galaxy he liked to know. It certainly wasn't every day that a shadowport found itself surrounded by a fleet. So, curious as he was, Jasper set off to confirm these reports. Sure enough, there it was. A small fleet, seemingly organized around a Marr-class Star Destroyer.

"Oh," the knight reacted aloud, speaking to himself. "What are you doing here?"

Jasper wasn't worried about being detected. He had made an effort to jump in a few hours back sub-light and had his sensor jammers engaged. The knight had tailored his vessel to stealth, after all. So long as he was discrete, he should be able to slip onto the station undetected.

The station itself was the big question here. Who would blockade a shadow port? The vessel was obviously Sith, but that was besides the point. Jasper couldn't rationalize trying to lock down such a shady instillation. Trying to control a shadowport was like trying to keep a three year old seated for five minutes. Without constant bribes and the removal of other stimulus, or in this case other parties vying for power, they'd erupt into chaos, and there was no way to keep things from happening behind your back reliably.

This was a sweep. It had to be. They were locking down the port and searching for something or someone. Jasper wagered it was probably an item of some kind, some Sith relic that found it's way onto the black market. Force artifacts were always of high value, after all, and there was always some goon trying to sell something off that they didn't really comprehend the full power of. That just meant that Jasper would have to find this... whatever it was and secure it before it wound up getting innocent people killed, lest it end up being some weird soul-eating contraption that could eat planets.

In other words, a regular weekday.

Before long, Jasper had set down on the far end of the port and quietly made his entrance.

 

[Lucia Naberrie]

Location: Three Points District - Mek-Sha
Objective: Secure or Neutralize Admiral Pylt
Tags: Xeykard Jasper Kai'el

KHRD Type 2, Unit 410: Report. New Directive: Secure or Neutralize Admiral Pylt. Ensure that His Secrets Do Not Fall Into Apostate Control at All Costs. Priority: Very High.

KHRD Type 2, Unit 410: Active - All Systems Nominal. New Directives: Confirmed. Present Status: Positioned at Target Area - Designation: Three Points.

Admiral Pylt held far more secrets than just the location of a classified construction yard. Such secrets could be weighed higher than the value of his life, especially in the chaotic context of Mek-Sha, where security was never guaranteed and violence was a near certain occurrence.

In practice, the HRD knew that her only real options were to kill Admiral Pylt, then extract herself from Mek-Sha before the shadowport descended into chaos.

Naturally, Unit 410 had started her search at Three Points District, due its reputation as a hub of illegal commerce and a gambling haven. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one who had the same idea. The presence of the Rogue Warlord Xeykard had complicated matters in the extreme, not only because she now had competition, but also due to the fact that she might need to uncover whether or not the Warlord had the same objective and if so, how close he was to achieving it.

In that regard, the Warlord was far more dangerous than just a mere complication—he was an active threat to the HRD’s mission.

Hidden from sensor and sight by her cloaking device, the HRD monitored the warehouse from an elevated position a little more than 100 meters away from the building’s entrance. All the while, her sensor probe scanned the area from much higher up—close to the upper radius of the deflector shield that protected Mek-Sha from the harsh vacuum. By herself, Unit 410 could only watch the main entrances to the warehouse. Fortunately, her probe was able to monitor the other doors, keeping the HRD informed of anything that entered or exited the structure.

If anything, she was mildly disappointed to realize that whatever or whoever the Warlord was looking for was not inside.

With the Legionnaires beginning to fan out, Unit 410 quickly descended from her elevated position, coming down behind a pair of Legionnaires walking into an alleyway. Still concealed by her cloaking device, two of the HRD’s katanas floated into her grasp, primed to strike as soon as the soldiers moved deeper into the narrow backstreet…

 

[Marcis Sorr]

Location: Slugfall Harbor
Objective: Acquire Pylt's Access Codes
Tags: OPEN

An admiral with a gambling problem in possession of access codes that would grant access to something important, or so he had been told. A Sith warlord with an army at his beck and call. A whole lot of antsy ne'er-do-wells.

He did not need the Force to realise that this would get complicated.

The irritated assassin gazed out at the harbour. Legionnaires. Locals. A sprinkling of violence, most of it decidedly in the former's favour. No sign of anyone matching the target's description, but he could hardly see it all.

Pulling back out of view, he perched on the ground, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

He would have to trust in the Force to guide him towards where he needed to be.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

JABIIM - Xeykard

​

It rained for six rotations, and it seemed as if it would rain for six more. The sound of fallen droplets across the mud, the stone, the plastoid armour and even himself all blurred into a soundless nothingness with time; the feeling of wetness, the result of such continued torrential rain, became somewhat second nature, no matter how miserable in any given moment. It was all but wrapped up on the planetary system of Jabiim, with discontent rebels put in their place after rising in the absence of the Silver Jedi. A task Rakaan had seen to on more than one occasion in former Silver space.

A chirping beeping cut through the monotonous sounds of an ever-bustling encampment, with a red-domed astromech struggling to roll across the wet and wooden planted walkways. Streaks of water rolled off the curved top while it met the ramshackle overhead cover provided. The dull glow of a blue holographic display illuminated the grim face of Rakaan and the armour of the GADF commanders.

"Let me see," said Rakaan while lowering into a crouch, with the droid then displaying an audio message of a distress call from Mek-Sha. Mentions of the Sith, an invasion. Likely over-exaggerated, the Jedi thought while some part of himself leapt at the chance to find something other than Jabiim. "We should investigate." He concluded without much thought, though Arfour seemed to agree.

The visors of the commanders peered towards one another with one speaking for them all, "Master Jedi, you should take a detachment of men with you. The situation here is all but handled."

Lifting his hood over his head, Rakaan said, "The men might be needed her, commander. Keep them. I can see to this myself, likely a wild bantha chase anyways." With a breath, he rushed out into the rain towards the nearby starfighter. The astromech rose and entered the slot with practiced grace while the same could be said of the Jedi. Taking to the nearby Mek-Sha as quickly as the stars would carry him.

​

 

[Cale Gunderson]

He had never meant to be here. The ship was gone, and he'd hauled off in some nondescript fighter to clear his head for the time being. Aleks was going out in search of Hector Vale, Ronan was going with him, and for the first time in a long time, Cale was alone. He had the Order to be sure, but it was hard not to feel the pit that seemed to grow in his stomach every time he looked over his shoulder expecting to see his boy getting himself into some situation, or his hot-blooded friend about to start some kind of fight. But when he looked, they were never there. Cale had decided he needed space, needed time, and in its infinite wisdom, the force had brought him here.

Cale sometimes wished he could speak to it, to tell the all surrounding energy how he felt about it hauling him to some new calamity instead of giving him a respite, but he didn't think it would pay him complaining much mind anyway. He'd been at a bar when it happened when they arrived and he felt Xeykard 's dark presence fall over the station. Then he'd been in the streets when he'd first seen the Legionnaires, the elite troops enacting a brutal search of the area and scarcely taking no for an answer. And finally, he'd been in a shoddy starship part's store, guiding civilians to safety when he'd killed the first of them.

The man had demanded to know where they thought they were going and singled out Cale as easy prey while his fireteam pushed into the building to wrangle the others the Jedi had been shepherding. There had been mocking words, something about cripples being unsafe in places like this, and then the Legionairre had meant to start his questions. Cale had fractured his helmet with a blow from an invisible hand before he got to them though.

The first two reacted in unison, clearly well-trained as they drew on Cale and fired before their comrade's body had even hit the floor, but as fast as they were, Cale was faster. He wrenched the blaster away from the first and threw it into the second, his saber sprung to life through the soldier's abdomen then died as he shut it off, closed on the stunned second, and in flash cut through his chest.

It was the people who took the last of them, rushing the soldier and somewhere in the chaos shooting the man with his own blaster, though it cost them dearly. Cale let out a groan at the reality he found himself in, sparked up a stimstick, and made his way into the streets. He'd do what he always had, whatever he could.

 

[Xeykard]

Jasper Kai'el Lucia Naberrie Marcis Sorr Rakaan Horne Cale Gunderson ​

Reports filed in at breakneck pace. No matter how organized his forces were, chaos was bound to erupt in a place like this; no matter how disciplined his forces were, he would not restrict them from being cruel. Mek-Sha was a haven for low-lives, a place without laws. Like the rest of the Scar Worlds, they needed to be taught of the importance of order.

Pain was an excellent teacher.

"No luck yet, sir. But- we're receiving reports of resistance-"

"Of course."

"-from Jedi."

Xeykard's jaw tightened. Could they know what he was after? Pylt was by no means a well-known figure among the Sith-Imperial military, but Alliance and Imperial intelligence capabilities had increased rapidly in recent years. Still, a Jedi's first instinct was...

He pulled up a holomap of the shadowport. "Have our troops abandon a medium-sized transport in the spaceport -- leave it unguarded. Pull our fighters back until the transport launches, then shoot it down, get it to crash into Brzo's Wells. Get a squadron to set charges at the base of one of the Stacks; have it topple into Three Points. Focus efforts on the harbour."

"Yes sir."

His eyes scanned the map once more. If he were Pylt, where would he go? Would he try to escape, or wait things out? There were hundreds of legionnaires methodically clearing the Junker's Junction and Three Points, and Slugfall Harbor offered no chance for escape, but...

"Last Chance Pier." He pointed to the edge of the Red Zone, where the old mining operation had thinned the asteroid's crust to nearly nothing. The area was now filled with refugees of all kinds, and the most desperate landed at the pier. It followed that the most desperate might try to escape from there.

Of course, Pylt could be anywhere, but Xeykard's forces had the least control of the Red Zone compared to anywhere else, save perhaps the Huttbreaker's Compound. His instincts pushed him towards the most wretched of places in the shadowport.

"Form up the company. Let's move."

Just as a flurry of reports had come in, a flurry of orders went out; half a company was deployed to contain the reported Jedi and keep them towards where the damage would be most severe to the station. Reports of dangerous opponents or mysterious deaths were responded to with fervor by the Gormak Irregulars, deploying rapidly to hunt down the few worthy fighters on the station.

Spoiler

Feel free to write in Xeykard's orders into your post -- either an explosion in the Stacks that sends an apartment toppling down, or a transport attempting to escape, only to be shot down and fall back to the station. Additionally, if you want to find Pylt, please do so, otherwise I'll write a part from his perspective in my next post, and he'll be at the pier. Maybe he has a bodyguard or cloaking device to help him hide and keep him safe.

 

[Minerva Fhirdiad]

Location: Junker's Junction, The Drifter's Quarter, Mek-Sha​

Tag: Lucia Naberrie Jasper Kai'el Marcis Sorr Cale Gunderson Rakaan Horne Darth Malum of House Marr Theus Eldoris


Stacking herself against the wall of an apartment, Minerva could hear the mayhem outside from the adjacent window. Screams erupted followed by constant blaster-fire. Drawing her dual pistols out of the holsters she prepared for the worst.

I picked an interesting time to catch up with Herk. He tells me to meet him at this apartment complex and the Sith show up at the station and now decide to wreck it. To top it all off the old lizard is not even here!

Gritting her teeth in annoyance Minerva decided if she gets out of this and Herk is still alive she'll have more than a few words for him. Then a grenade blast ignited outside with various blaster shots and even bullets being fired. It sounded there was resistance against this incursion but she honestly doubted their chances. Both as a Mandalorian warrior and an Alliance soldier Minerva wasn't afraid of a fight but even she realized that she'll have to consider her options.

If I can't find Herk I could lay low but would these scum allow it? It sounds like they're tearing everything apart. Makes me wonder what stirred them up.

Part of her was actually thrilled at the opportunity to kill Sith loyalists but these were professionals not some mindless cultists and in greater numbers as well. Subsequently she heard multiple footsteps thudding through the hall. They were already here!

"So be it then." The Mandalorian whispered resolutely.

She will fight her way out but if this is to be her then take as many of them with her. Minerva quietly headed to the door, positioning herself to the right side of it. For the next few minutes that felt like hours she heard them go room to room. Occasionally she heard angry shouting and panicked shrieks however muffed before blasters thundered away to cold silence. Each passing moment the invaders were getting closer.

Without a warning a door collapsed and a scattergun rang out with a booming voice roaring.

"Die ya little womp rats die!"

Surprised Minerva nonetheless swifty took advantage of the distraction. Punching the controls her door slid open and just in time to see a Dowutin get ruthlessly gunned down by four legionnaires with a fifth one bloodied and laying sideways. Lifting the and aiming the right vambrace in their direction she unleashed a blast of her sonic repulsor. The legionnaires still standing were thrown back meters away with one losing his rifle. Without a hint of remorse she then fired several times into the closest one in the back, taking out his shields then cutting through the armor, killing him.

A blaster bolt caught her in the left shoulder and she staggered back as a second hostile retaliated with a furious volley. She rolled away before firing once more, killing the shooter after dozens of bolts with each pistol. A grenade was tossed up and Minerva dove for the dead Dowutin's room; her vision was consumed by a bright light.

Grunting in pain she crashed sideways before struggling to get up with head ringing. Fortunately her helmet lessened the flashbang's effects somewhat and she was soon able to see a silhouette charging in. Activating the deflector shield in one of her vambraces she blocked the incoming blaster bolts and shot back with her free hand. The mess ridden room lit up crimson from their hostile exchange. Uilitizing her jet boots she flew in and slammed her knee into the foe's midsection and he fell back to the hallway.

Landing on both feet she fired the reminder of her shots into his body, slaying him finally. Hearing the clicking of a thermal detonator Minerva had just enough time to see it tossed toward her by the last Legionnaire. Thinking fast the Mandalorian used the repuslor again, sending the bomb back to its owner and exploded just behind his head. The force of the blast caused Minerva to crash backwards in the room once more.

Wincing the warrior forced herself up reloading both pistols and taking cover she peek out to the doorway and saw the Sith worshiper was dead helemt first to the floor. Well what was left of him at least.

Sighing heavily Minerva nodded in begrudging respect. They were not jokes when it came to combat. Deciding it was time to move she ran down the opposite end of the hall and the corridor. She had a feeling more challenges were yet to come.

 

[Marcis Sorr]

Location: Slugfall Harbor
Objective: Acquire Pylt's Access Codes
Tags: OPEN

As he waited, things escalated. An attempted escape. Explosions elsewhere. People dying.

None of it felt quite right.

Then something. A whiff of possibility. Not enough for a precise location, but he had a direction. Sort of. The Force was not necessarily precise, despite its infinite nature - at least in the hands of the relatively inexperienced.

Marcis began to carefully make his way to the piers - though along the way, he felt other sensations. Presences, notably. There were Force Users present. Plural. How many? For what purpose? Hard to say.

Still, he had a feeling they would be a problem.

 

[Lucia Naberrie]

Location: Three Points District - Mek-Sha
Objective: Secure or Neutralize Admiral Pylt
Tags: Xeykard Marcis Sorr Minerva Fhirdiad Rakaan Horne Cale Gunderson Jasper Kai'el

The gynoid’s katanas lashed out in the blink of an eye.

One immediately decapitated the closest Legionnaire, sending the helmet-clad head flying until it landed with a dense thud in a small pool of murky water. However, the second soldier was luckier, having recoiled back on instinct upon seeing the blood spurting out from the stump which had supported his comrade’s skull, causing the HRD to miss her second swing by mere millimeters. He immediately brought his rifle to bear, but before he could squeeze the trigger 410 severed it in twain, compelling the Legionnaire to dive backwards as he drew his electrostaff. The soldier only just managed to bring the weapon up as 410 delivered a quick pair of slashes aimed for his legs, her blades bouncing off the electrostaff’s phrik exterior in a shower of sparks. Nevertheless, the HRD didn’t relent in her assault, in the hopes of ending the fight quickly, before reinforcement could arrive.

It was an outcome she would have to pay for.

Suddenly, the Legionnaire's electrostaff surged, unleashing a lancing stream of electricity towards 410’s upper chest, inflicting moderate burns on much of the synthskin in that area. The gynoid briefly staggered as the electricity crackled over her form, but much to the Legionnaire’s horror, she lashed out towards him with blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, one of her katanas slashed him open at the torso to cut through hard gammaplast plating and flesh in a single precise strike, disemboweling the soldier in an instant as his stinking intestines spilled out from his stomach. Her next strike came less than a heartbeat later—a decapitating strike which cut the Legionnaire’s head free from his body.

Over the next few moments, 410 shook the second soldier’s head out of its helmet, before extracting the integrated comlink inside.

By the time reinforcement arrived, the gynoid had set off towards the pier.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Daeva Combat Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/W-11 Hybrid Gauntlet Scatterblaster - Heavy (2) - L/R
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Utility
    
    • Synthspray
    • Morðingja-class Personal Cloaking Device
    • Kirino Visual Interface
  • Droid
    
    • IBIS Drone
• FAE/M-03 “Pellax” Aerial Katana (2)
  
  • Poison Reservoirs - Mgehye ot Lloig | Ruiner of Mind
• FAE/M-03 “Pellax” Aerial Katana (2)
  
  • Poison Reservoirs - Senflax