War waits for no man (Mandalorian Assault of Schesa)

[Anastasia Rade]

Along with everyone else in the squad Ana dropped at the mention of a snipper. They were getting nowhere fast at this rate which was just them crawling on the ground. As [member="Catherine Romanov"] shot Ana had rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a smoke grenade. It would give them just enough time to run to some better coverage.

"I'm going to throw this and than we run. I can hold a Force Barrier for a little bit so I want you both to go first. I'll be right behind you." Ana wasn't going to take no as an answer or listen to any quarrels so soon afterwards she tossed the ball.

As smoke filled the area she would wait for them to run and she would follow behind protecting them and herself as much as she could. Ana felt as the leader it was her job to take the rear. If anyone was getting shot at it would be her.

The smoke wouldn't last forever and soon the enemy would be able to see again. Luckily their aim in smoke wasn't that great.

[member="Aaden Renolds"]

 

[Ordo]

Field Marshal Baobab the mighty and wonderfully well dressed. Looked to his executive officer. Their eyes locked nostrils flaired as time seemed to stand still.

"Open Fire!" he said.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Preliat landed, but he didn't fire. He watched, as the Mandalorians ran amok, and someone, above, barked orders to engage the planet. He reached up to his helmet, disengaging the locks from it. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud.


"We're monsters."


He stood up, and dropped his weapon. He glanced around, watching as the troops swarmed in the city. So many innocent people. So many civilians. And such carelessness on his people's part.


Preliat became angry.


He picked up his helmet, turning on the communicator for it. He switched to all channels.


"This is Field Marshal Preliat Mantis. Cease fire. I repeat- cease fire." He felt himself choking up, looking around the area. It was chaotic, it was hell. It was something that he didn't want to be a part of. And that he needed to stop."I REPEAT, cease fire."His knuckles turned white as he gripped his helmet."Or I will personally find you, and kill you. We're doing damage where we don't need to be doing it."



[member="Garrus Garon"] [member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"] @Krest @Minna @Catherine Romanov [member="Ordo"] [member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Garrus Garon]

Location: Bridge of Kandossi-type Dreadnaught
Allies: [member="Ordo"] [member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Strider Garon"] @Mandalorians
Enemies: Hostiles
Objective: Bombard the surface of Schesa

​

...the order to open fire came over the Kandosii-type Dreadnaught causing Garrus to turn to his munitions officer and state..."Are we prepared for orbital bombardment?"...to which the affirmative was given before he turned his attention back towards the viewport that gave him a view of the planet as well as the capital ships engaged in battle. Exhaling a breath Garrus would weigh the odds in his mind knowing not every one of those missiles fired from his dreadnaught would destroy military targets however his path was clear so he would raise his flask, press it to his mouth and take a slow drink from the container until his throat filled with the burn of alcohol again...

...as Garrus lowered his flask he'd have heard the voice of Preliat Mantis, another Field Marshall, come over the comms however he was here to support Field Marshal Baobab not Field Marshall Mantis. Put all three of them together in a room and none of them outranked the other. At his heart Garrus believed in the chain of command so when he weighed Field Marshal Baobab's order to fire against Field Marshal Mantis's order to cease the decision for him was quite clear...

..."Fire."...was all that Garrus said in a detached voice before he moved a few steps closer to the enormous viewport that took up the bridge while he waited and watched. Idly he wondered if this was what it was like for the Vong when he launched atomics at their cities during his rescue of his Brother, Strider Garon, so many innocents must have been killed in that instant and that is what haunted Garrus the most. Duty was duty though...

----------------------

....the Kandossi-type Dreadnaught was still in the abyss of space, only the point defense lasers keeping starfighters at bay, then it belched forth hell that would travel towards the surface of the planet known as Schesa. The Super Heavy Missile Launchers had been refitted for orbital bombardment instead of the standard, short range, concussion missiles and their payload would be utter destruction. On the bridge of the Capital Ship Garrus Garon would watch as the missiles were fired...

...on the surface of Schesa those same missiles would pierce the atmosphere and impact their targets on the surface of the planet. Many of the targets were military installations, the defenses of Schesa were bombarded, however some of them were not so fortunate as nothing was definite. A flash of light accompanied the impact of the missiles, the blast of detonation would be felt for miles and a cloud of smoke would rise into the air. Untold people were now gone...​

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Preliat saw the rounds before he felt the impact. He saw them, go down. The military installations. He shook with anger. He swept through the crowds of Mandalorians, and thrust his hands outwards, telling them all to stand down and pull back.


He jetpacked upwards to a building, seeing the destruction that [member="Garrus Garon"] caused. So many lives lost. So many things. So many families, ruined. So many soldiers, who were just following orders. Who just wanted to defend their planet.


He looked upwards and spoke into the communicator.


"You son of a queen. You drunk, arrogant, foolish son of a queen."


He stood up, looking down at the confused Mandalorian infantry. Preliat jetpacked down to a street, pointing into a building.


"WE ARE WHAT WE FOUGHT TO DESTROY! WE HAVE BECOME THE AGGRESSORS! WE ARE NO BETTER THAN THE SITH!"


Preliat looked upwards, narrowing his eyes. He began to walk, walk towards the impact site of the lasers. It was quiet. No noise. Nothing. He stopped in the middle of the ash-covered street, debris spread all around him. He looked outwards, before his brown eyes flickered to the left, much to his dismay. They fixated on a speeder, covered in ash. It was overturned and there was a large gash in the side of the vehicle. He calmly stepped over, each step heavier than the first. He was afraid to look inside.


Two dead bodies. An older woman, and a young child. Trying to escape the fighting, caught up in the orbital bombardment. He fell down in horror, scooting on his back away from the site. Lifting his helmet up, he vomited. He pulled his helmet back down, speaking into the all comm channel. He was more distant, more quiet.


"Do you know what you just did? Do you know how many people you just killed? Do you know how many people you just killed- for nothing?"Preliat steeled himself, and stood up."I can't think of how many people just died- for nothing. Because you wanted them to."He began to walk back through the lines, unarmed, and uncaring of what remained of the fighting."You're a monster. You're an evil, vile creature. And I'm going to shoot you in the head next time I see you, you son of a queen."

 

[Garrus Garon]

Location: Kandosii-type Dreadnaught
Allies: [member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Ordo"] [member="Strider Garon"] @Mandolorians
Enemies: Hostiles
Objective: N/A

​

...the impact would have been tracked by the various sensors that extended outwards from the Dreadnaught. An Officer would have reported the successful strikes to Garrus who responded..."There's no glory in war son. Not really."...his eyes never drawing away from the viewport. Anyone who thought that Garrus didn't know exactly how many people he had sent to their deaths was mistaken the difference was he'd learned long ago that this was the ultimate casualty of war. Gazing out of the viewport he took a breath and added countless untold lives to those who would haunt him in the few hours he managed to sleep before waking again in a cold sweat...

...only the sound of Field Marshal Mantis calling to him, threatening him, through the comms snapped him back into the moment though Garrus didn't respond. At least not at first. There was silence while Preliat ranted on the other end of the comms until Garrus finally decided to answer by saying..."Make no mistake I've come to terms long ago with what I am Mantis but war needs monsters as much as it needs heroes."...a sullen truth that a savage, like Preliat, should known among anything else. After all he had sent his share of people to their graves as well and Garrus was willing to bet not all of them had been entirely deserving of it...

...just then Garrus heard the call of the munitions officer as he called out that they were ready to commence the second round of orbital bombardment to which he would reply..."Hold."...before his rhetoric tuned back to Preliat..."It's not words that cow the enemy, Preliat."...funny that he called him by his name now..."If you thought one man could convince a world to lay down their arms then the hubris was yours."...then his hand raised, the flask pressed to his mouth again and he drank without a moments hesitation. Alcohol warmed his veins within moments...

----------------

...the Kandosii-type Dreadnaught didn't fire its second salvo towards the surface of Schesa. Not yet anyways. It merely hung in the dead of space and used its point defense to continue ensuring that none of the fighters that reached it broke through. Truth be told the Capital Ship was not in much danger at this moment nor was it likely to be considering the fleet that it was a part of however defenses would never lull. Now that the Dreadnaught hung prepared to deliver its second orbital strike no native of Schesa would doubt that war had come to their doorstep...​

 

[Preliat Mantis]

"We're the monsters. You killed- so many people. You killed them, and you knew they were going to die. You killed my wife's friends. Innocent women and children."Preliat began to shake with rage. The force sensitives in the area would feel it- what was a candle, was now an inferno of hatred.


"You drunk, alcoholic washed up has-been of a leader. I'm going to show you what you did."He turned, and began to walk back to the speeder. He reached upwards to his helmet, activating the broadcast that allowed Ori'ramikad to see what others were seeing with cameras in their helmets. He kicked open the speeder, activating the broadcast for any of those tuned to his frequency. Which, given the nature of the argument, may have been plenty.


"LOOK AT THEM! LOOK AT ME AND TELL ME YOU CAN JUST DRINK IT AWAY! TELL ME WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS RIGHT! TELL ME WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS THE RIGHT THING! I WANT YOU TO TELL ME RIGHT THE HELL NOW GARRUS!"He pointed directly at the two dead bodies, curled up together, innocent. Innocent and a victim of his people's aggression.


"THIS ISN'T A WAR, GARRUS! THIS IS MURDER!"


[member="Garrus Garon"]

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Ahani Najwa"]

"It's ok young man." Ziggy said as his mariachi jawas played a new song, "Just dance! Put on your red shoes and dance the blues!"

The man in skin tight clothes and ridiculous hair danced arpund the dead snapping his fingers and gyrating like an air humping fool.

"If you dance with the pants your making the pants dance prance. "

 

[Ginnie Dib]

"STOP BLOWING UP MY PEOPLE AND MY SHIPS!" Aditya screamed, shoving Field Marshal Baobab out of his command chair. She hit the All Mandalorian Comm button and screamed into it. "SCHESA is one of my planets, you feth-cakes! Stop killing my people and listen to my husband!!"

[member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Garrus Garon"] [member="Ordo"] [member="Anastasia Rade"] [member="Anija Ordo"] [member="Ziggy Starflower"] [member="Ahani Najwa"] @Errybud-bud

She put her comm signal directly to [member="Garrus Garon"], "Field Marshal Garon, I have been on the command ship of this bleeding flotilla telling you for half an hour that my company and its assets are on that soil! That all you had to do was give me a fething comm signal and I would talk the terrified people down from defending themselves against a bunch of weapon happy invaders! Stop shooting my citizens!!" The pregnant Atrisian screamed into the comm, shorting out the signal for a temporary second and caught the security chief coming toward her out of the corner of her eye.

Aditya yanked her pistol out of its holster and pointed. "So help me, if you step one step closer I will blast a hole in your precious hull plating and hope to good gracious that everyone is wearing sealed Beskar'gam!"

She watched the signals pop and crackle, heat signals billowing up then fading to nothing. Aditya prayed her employees got to the factory in time, hoped that it kept them safe. She flicked her comm to Preliat, her strained voice coming into her husband's Beskar'kandar Buy'ce, "Preliat, what's happening? Are you okay? Baby, what's going on down there, talk to me. Breathe, honey. We're gonna take care of my people, I promise, okay?"

 

[Ordo]

[member="Garrus Garon"]

The Mandos eyebrows crawled higher on his forehead. Eyes like burnished steel flashed. Somewhere there was lens flare and dramatic music or it could have been all an illusion.

"Cease Fire." he comanded, "open a channel. Get me Ordo on the bridge and someone bring me my wine. This gon be gud."

 

[Darth Ferus]

[member="Minna"]

There was a sudden explosion of chatter on the coms. It seemed there were tensions within the Mandalorians on what exactly to do, but it certainly surprised the Zabrak to head Prelait, of all people, shouting for peace. For a moment the Zabrak thought the man an imposter, up until he threatened to kill the next person to attack.

But, the preaching of peace fell on deaf ears with Krest. Not only was he locked in a building with hostile forces, but he wasn't too keen to listen to the man who wanted to slaughter Sith worlds. Seems its one thing to do it to strangers, and another entirely to have it done on friends. Such was the way of war though.

The earpeice would be removed as the Iridonian was too busy to listen to it. Especially as he came under fire again. Deflecting the bolts with one hand wasn't impossible for him, but he did need to focus.

"We press on aye? And keep those cannon operators alive Alex!"

 

[Ahani Najwa-Zambrano]

Apparently the Mandalorians were more war-happy than the Sith.

Ahani realized she'd been staring at the mutant jawa far too long (enough time for near carpet bombing it appeared) and screamed. "The planet! Save us Captain Planet!"

And tromped back in to give the Surrender Message on behalf of the planet Schesa.

Apparently many of the Chiss warriors hadn't heard however, and there were plenty of armed targets shooting at the Mando'ade to give those on the surface targets to shoot and kill in invasionary blood lust. The rest of the planet, however, was preparing to honour the surrender.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Krest"] [member="Minna"]

Hel frowned as she controlled alex's body, keep those operators alive, who the hell did the horned moron think he was talking too... She did start laughing again though as she thought about something. "Did you hear who was asking for the peace, that is rich that such a man would turn around and not be able to stomach the facts in war, to think Alex was worried about someone like the whelp that spoke over the comm..." Her words were not over any comm and more to herself though they were loud enough for Krest or Minna to hear if they wanted.

 

[Arla Ordo]

Arla was still standing with Ginnie and Anija, their discussion was bringing up things that made no sense. "My drop ship should be ready. I need to go." She looked back at [member="Ordo"] she was so confused.

"We should meet after this" Arla shook her head looked at Ginnie, "you ok now?"

Arla would be going to the surface with the team and without Naimes. She wasn't nervous but she would miss her partner. She raised her hand, "I have to go" she hoped they would be ok, but she had a team to lead once they had control of the planet then the personal business, of getting Buir out of the brig.

Arla moved quickly through the corridors she had a lot to think about. Why was it every time life calmed something reared up and complicated it.

 

[Minna]

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"] [member="Krest"]

Minna wasted no time, as she began making her way through the building. Most of the resistance had met them at the front doors, now as Minna turned the corner towards the operation room, only several guards remained. Taking into account the radio comms, Minna sent a powerful blast of the force, sending the guards crashing into the walls and knocking them out cold. She didn't kill them. The Yodaling then reached the door to the operation room, which was locked shut. Without saying a word, she thrust her lightsaber into the metal and began carving a hole into it. The process would take some time, and she could already hear the screams of fear from the cannon operators in the other room.

 

[Rena Kryze]

Beep beep boop beep beep boop. Rena's communicator went off, suddenly.

"Kryze."

"Word on the bridge from the commanding officer - [member="Ordo"] is wanted on the bridge, ma'am," said Rena's assistant. Turns out eyes and ears all over the ship was a great part of being a quartermaster.

"Affirmative." The line closed. Rena looked to her boss now that they were alone, grinning.

"Well, they want you out of this box and on the bridge. I don't know why. I'll take you there, of course, in style. Coming?"

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Ahani Najwa"]

Aran stared at the man that was most likely the oddest thing he had ever seen.

"Maybe next time we say everything we should tell the owner we don't mean spice." He said before the crazy carpet bombing began and he had to look up and see if it was the right fleet. "Lead the way love. Someone up there is screwing up."

 

[Arumi Zy]

Preliat Mantis Garrus Garon Ordo Anastasia Rade Anija Ordo Ziggy Starflower Ahani Najwa @Errybud-bud

Heading towards the bridge


" This is fething madness" he said under his breath as he moved towards the bridge, he could hear the radio static and he could hear the mando'ade turning on one another. He feared that they would soon start to fight with one another, something he could not abide. He burst into the bridge room and saw a scene that enraged him [member="Aditya Mantis"] threatening the mando'ade with weapon drawn. Arumi scowled as he produced his twin lightsabers and ignited them.

" I would suggest putting your weapon down, perhaps your willing and ready to die. I will ensure you meet your ancestors before anyone dies from the void"

 

[Garrus Garon]

Location: Bridge of Kandosii-type Dreadnaught
Objective: Standing down

​

...despite the passionate argument Preliat made Garrus remained largely unmoved on the bridge of the Dreadnaught where he and his crew had full access to the footage that was being broadcast. No one on the bridge of the capital ship would question the Field Marshal, these were his men after all and they were well acquainted with the horrible acts they were sometimes commanded to perform, they all continued to man their posts and await for Garrus to either give the order to proceed with another wave of orbital bombardment or to stand down from the mission. As for Garrus himself he would reply to Preliat simply..."Right never had anything to do with it."...he knew what the dead looked like which is why his eyes never swayed from the viewport; he thought the conversation was done but then...

...the all to feminine voice of Aditya Mantis, the wife of Preliat, came over the comms next causing Garrus to express a bit of frustration by the deepening of his brow. If what he'd done was so evil why was he given the order to attack he wondered. Nonetheless it seemed to have caused quite a stir on the Command Ship where Aditya could be heard screaming, even shorting out the comms briefly, coaxing Garrus to answer her..."If you've been telling me that for a half hour then why was I given the order to fire?"...the order did come from the command ship that she was on after all. One would think that if she was present on the bridge she would have known that. An order given was an order followed in the Field Marshals mind and he was here to support Field Marshal Baobab....

...it wasn't long until the command to stand down was given ensuring that the second salvo of orbital bombardment would not occur..."Understood. Standing down."...replied Garrus over the comms which went dead shortly after that. Gazing out the viewport from the bridge Garrus remained silent a few moments longer then he would turn, move towards the captains chair and take a seat while everything proceeded as usual on the dreadnaught. Looking over towards his Executive Officer he would comment..."Keep weapons primed. Our job may not be over yet."...to which the affirmative was given as the Warrior sat easy for the moment; he was troubled by the loss of life but as he'd indicated before he came to terms with what he was long ago...

------------------------------

...the Kandosii-type Dreadnaught went still in the dead of space again. A second salvo of orbital bombardment had been stood down. It remained ready to fire if the command was given but for the moment it did nothing more...​

​

[member="Ordo"] [member="Aditya Mantis"] [member="Preliat Mantis"] [member="Strider Garon"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Coldness settled into Alec's stomach as the Role Model hopped off the Blood Trail over Schesa. If her comms intercepts were reading true, someone had stepped in it and hostilities were just now starting to grind down. The last thing the Mandos needed was war with the Chiss.

That said, she had only a fragmentary picture of what had just happened, and the current situation was far from clear. Late to the engagement, she opted to keep her distance until she figured out what was happening.