Onslaught of the Empire

[lady_skuld]

A soldier in full armor did stand out somewhat in the rec room to people that knew what they were looking for. DAGGER squad wasn't as concerned as most people as Rasczek returned from his holoconference and returned to the table. Members were eager more to figure out what he was needed for than to care about the strange rookie.

"High command says we're gonna pick up a sith with us. Didn't describe her, just gave a name. Supposedly she's to follow orders, and we're allowed to punish her otherwise, though we all know just how far that's going to extend," he said, not sliding back into his seat. "Speaking of, we need a new nickname for the rookie, so start thinking of one during the deployment. Drop is in less than an hour, so let's get prepped."

Sythica looked at the rest of the room as others were too jovial to be deployed. "I assume that we're not all dropping at once, either." she said.

"Is that going to be a problem?" a woman beside her asked.

"Course not. Means more for us." Sythica replied with a grin as the squad exited the room and headed for the quartermasters.  

[Miss-Pandemica]

As she sat in the rec room watching those around her she inwardly considered that dressing in full armor was not exactly a good idea as a way of “blending in”. Part of her wished that she had drilled herself in military protocals better, but it was rather too late to learn them now. Nova had overheard the conversation between Rasczek and the others watched them out of the corner of her eyes as they left. Putting her helmet back on she proceeded to follow the rest of the squad out.  

[ElladanKenet]

After a short break, Aurriana Morrison was alerted by Jenson, or Soundbox, as he was commonly called, came over with news from the camp. "The Lieutenant wants us recalled to the camp. They're satisfied that the area is secure, and want us on recon."

The woman nodded, putting her canteen back on her belt and standing off the tree she had been relaxing on. Pulling her helm on and checking that her blaster still had a full clip and was ready if needed, the Sergeant sighed. "Well, you heard the Corporal. We're heading back"

A couple of her troopers grunted as they reading themselves and began to follow her, fanning out in loose formation back torward the direction of the camp where Falcon Company was set up. Corporal Smith, better known as Eyes, hung at the rear with his rifle, keeping an eye out for any possible ambushes. The squad was soon out of the forest and crossing the grassy field. Off in the distance, about 2 miles, was the camp where Falcon Company was established.  

[Nelowulf]

Jian made his way across the acrid planet. The speeder in itself was a loaner; a mere hovercraft meant to be quickly stowed away and prepped for single use. A backpack had been loaned to the young man, with the normal supplies needed for such a journey. Power cells, food... but really it's use was to carry anything of necessity back. Anything which could tell what the Sith might do, what they may have intended. Some hint of who the enemy was or where they would strike. Things which Jian wished they had sent someone better out for. Someone more qualified, someone more experienced. He would be better off in the Core, not out here in the distant rim; yet he knew that asking such a thing was selfish. He was qualified to go digging around in the dark ruins. Sith hadn't been too much of a problem, and the sentinels were almost akin to a detective for the Jedi order. Even if they weren't masters of ancient sith knowledge as a consular may be, they knew the signs of what to look for. They knew what was out of place or important, a clue or piece of evidence. That's what the order wanted, that's why they had sent him.

Lost in thought for a while didn't speed the time up. The trails of dust and sand kicked up across the grasslands was the only true telling of where the speeder had gone. Jian could only let out an exasperated breath as he continued along to the coordinates provided.

"I sure hope that for once, this won't be a wild chase."  

[lady_skuld]

The squad headed down the hall to the quartermaster of the ship. Sythica stepped up on line and talked to Rasczek in a hushed tone.

"I sense we're being followed," she said. Her CO looked at her.

"I know," he said. "She's not entirely hiding it. Don't mind the young sith. She's the other new recruit to the squad." He didn't try to hide his voice as they ended up at the Quartermaster. Rasczek looked back down the hall where the other girl was trying to follow them before looking at the officer in charge of gear. Other members of the squad had already entered the room and stocked up on the powerpacks and items they needed. Sythica pulled her dog tags out and handed them to the officer in charge.

"Need a new set of armor and a rifle," She said. She gave the officer her measurements to get a new set of everything. What she got was a tight suit of armor that barely fit her and a promise that they'd do better next time. Rasczek assured her this would be corrected. But most women weren't 1.92 meters tall either.

"We'll also need something for a sith," he added. "if she's keen on wearing our colors that is."  

[ElladanKenet]

After a few minutes to collect her thoughts, Ilia Nightwind returned to the bridge. There, she found the three men in charge of the Twilight. The first man was the CO, Captain Phaelan, a man of middling age with graying hair, and dark eyes. He bore a cut over his left eyebrow and had a thin but fit body.

The second gentleman was Lieutenant Silva, a considerably younger and heavier human with green eyes. He served as the Executive Officer aboard the ship and was generally in charge of relaying orders the Captain gave out, and ensuring that everything ran smoothly.

The final was a Colonel Theron, from Ruuria. Ilia had served with him planet side, when he had been garrison commander. Now he had been reassigned to serve as the operations commander for Lord Nightwind's contigent. He had been working with Nightwind since the Twilight had been given to her to command.

Approaching the trio, Nightwind raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"We were just discussing the operations, My Lady," the Captain answered, standing to attention. the others did as well, upon which Ilia lazily acknowledged their presence. "The fleet's moving out today."

"Excellant news. And our orders?" the woman asked expectantly.

"The Twilight will be spearheading the assault. Our first target is Travnin, just beyond our vector. They have a fairly small Republic presence there, protecting a small trading outpost and city."

The woman nodded. "Travnin shall be a quick conquest." She turned to face the Colonel. "What are the enemy's logistics?"

"Rather minimal at best, my lady," the other man replied. he offered her the datapad he had been carrying, showing a list of figures. "They have a local police force and a militia. The planet has a squadron of decrepit Aurek-tactical fighters. We estimate the military presence to account for at most 300 armed personnel, not counting any of the citizens who might take up arms against us. The planetary government has no forces that can stand up to a frigate, much less a destroyer."

She nodded, reading the figures carefully. "Is that all?"

He shook his head. "We received word that the Republic dispatched a reconnaisance force to the planet... Republic Reactionary Force. They're called Falcon Company. Special mission, specializing in recon and establishing a beach head on potentially compromised planets."

Ilia's brow furrowed. "So the Republic's here... and all they sent was a company?"

Theron nodded. "They're not commandos, but Falcon Company is nothing to sneer at either. They're a cut above typical Republic infantry. They came aboard one of their warships, a Thranta-class. Corvette called the Falcon's Nest."

"How appropriate," she sneered with derrison. "I want them all destroyed. Every one of them. Destroy any who resist. I'll leave it to you to arrange for their defeat. I will stay on the ship and orchestrate the battle from orbit." It was a bit far, but she'd be able to extend her presence to at least the starfighters who would raid the planet.

The men nodded, saluting to her, before immediately setting about orders. As Nightwind strolled out to the viewport, Colonel Theron was already contacting his subordinates. "Prepare for invasion. I want the Rancor Battaion down on that planet when possible, ready to crack some skulls."

"Yes sir, Colonel."

---  

[Miss-Pandemica]

She really disliked wearing this helmet. If she was skilled in hiding her emotions Nova would probably have been having a panic attack by now after wearing it after a few minutes. She would eventually get used to it but it didn’t mean she had to like wearing it. Besides why did they have to make them so hard to see out of?

Also wearing such armor was rather…uncomfortable. Things rubbing in places that she rather not have them rubbed.

Nova had heard the sergeants every word considering it was rather obvious that she was following them. She had no plans for any of this other than to be a good “soldier” and obey orders. It was as Ilia instructed she do so she would obey. She would try her best to get to know everyone in the squad, though she had a feeling that was going to be rather difficult task.  

[Darkened Angel]

Danika made her way to a cantina. It wasn't as big as some of the others she's seen before, but considering that the local population wasn't that much, it wasn't built with very many in mind. " How did a pretty little thing like you end up in a place like this? " a man asked as she entered. " Hard times. " Danika said back. " Just lost your home or something? Some of us can likely relate. This isn't some tourist attraction, afterall. "

Looking around, Danika didn't see much of anything. There were only a few people, and the bar seemed barely stocked with anything. " At least it's better than having to stay outside all day. " she thought.  

[lady_skuld]

The Quartermaster nodded and went into the back to grab a different set of armor. A scout's uniform for the sith apprentice. He dumped the pile onto the bench ahead.

"Well come on, apprentice. We soldiers do not have the luxury of time," Rasczek barked. Sythica gave a low growl.

"Take that stupid helmet off too, you're swimming in it." She added. Sythica donned the new uniform. It was tight in too many places, but she'd make do for now. Checking her rifle she slung it over her back before attaching a war sword to her lower back and a pistol to her hip.

"No time to brief you two up too much on our mission. Locking the spaceports down allows two things for us. First, we can have a safe landing site. And second, we can shut down the air defensive screens along the way. We're landing outside the city and hopefully we can move in without trouble. The major contingent will take the brunt while we invade form the side. Infiltrate, jam their communications, blow the tower, and secure the spaceport. A lot of urban combat on our way. The shield defenses may stop our bombardments, but they'll not prevent the ground troops from pushing inward."  

[ElladanKenet]

The plan to take Travnin was rather straight forward. Reviewing the objectives and goals one last time, Theron explained step by step what would happen. For starters, the Twilight would come out of hyperspace about two thousand kilometers from the planet. She would launch her fighters, which would swarm down to the planet, catching any patrolling fighters along the way. The fighters would then head down to the capital and strafe it, causing as much chaos as quickly as possible, before the energy shield could be activated to protect the city.

While this was going on, Rancor Battalion would be deployed to the surface. Rancor Battalion specialized in assault, so it consisted of one line company, two heavy weapons companies, and a repulsorlift company composed of speederbikes and some assault speeders. Defenses for the city were minimal, designed more to keep out wild animals than armies, and consisted usually of a single turret by each entrance, some guards, and a speeder. Resistance was suspected to go down fairly quickly, if the governor didn't outright surrender. If anything unforseen were to happen, Mynock Battalion would be waiting on standby to provide support, and of course, once the shields and communcations were down, the Twilight herself could reign terror on the city.

Falcon Company or not, the capital wasn't expected to last more than a few hours at the very most. Any other outposts that didn't surrender would likely be leveled.

While Travnin was indeed, the closest planet coreward of the Minos Cluster, taking out the capital was a key objective of taking the whole sector. With the capital gone, and any defenses quickly shut down, the rest of the sector would fall in short order, especially once the local fleet's station was taken.

Satisfied with the battle strategy, Darth Nightwind gave her final approval to the battle strategy as outlined by Colonel Theron. "It's sound enough. I'll stay on the ship to coordinate with Battle Meditation. When will we be attacking?"

"DAGGER squad will hit the ground first at their target, the Regallia system, with the main battlegroup. When they're ready, we'll make for Travnin and begin the invasion immediately. As soon as we take the planet, other ships in the fleet will converge on their target planets. The Empire will be significantly larger before the day is over."

Ilia nodded again. "Carry out then. As soon as DAGGER squad is ready, inform me. I am eager for conquest today." Anxious, but hiding her emotions carefully, the woman returned to her pacing. Once they went to hyperspace, it'd only be an hour or so to the planet.  

[Miss-Pandemica]

Nova said nothing as she donned the scout uniform. She liked this one much better and would’ve liked to test it out a bit to judge its range of motion but that would have to wait till they were on the planet. Her weapons were tucked away at her back and waist as she directed her attention to Rasczek’s brief comment about the mission. A lot of things could go wrong and it wasn’t like she could just head off without any orders from the sergeant first.

She knew it would be hard to trust anyone around her but she had to make an effort. The only other woman in the squad was the tall one that growled at her; and while Nova preferred working alone she figured she should keep up with someone within the squad.
 

[Cale Darksun]

The Cobra, Droma Cinn's personal Fury class Starship, dropped out of hyperspace over Thule, Sith glyphs etched into its dark hull illuminated by the red lights marking its outline. On her bridge, the Pilot and Co-Pilot recieved weather reports and atmospheric conditions from the planet as well as gathered sensor readings on the world. Overlooking them was Cinn, bare headed and with a stern gaze in his yellow eyes as he stared at the world.

As surprising as it may have sounded, Droma Cinn was here for pleasure. Droma Cinn's Battlegroup had been at the forefront of the war in the aftermath of the decimation over Ruuria, and it needed repairs and resupplying at Vaiken spacedock before it could plunge into the Minos Cluster and secure the resource rich worlds for the Empire. To pass the time, Droma Cinn had decided to engage in a bit of hunting. Like the Noblemen of Ancient times, Droma Cinn relished pitting himself against the cunning and savagery of some untamed beast. But not any beast would suit his needs. He now sought a forgotten Sithspawn, a creature that the old Sith had left behind on Thule. The Warlord planned to kill this beast, claim a trophy, and be back in time to launch with his battlegroup.

But then, as the Cobra drew closer, the Sith Knight's frown deepened, his brow furrowed.
Something....something was amiss. The flow of the Force around Thule, the Darkness that enveloped it like an overcast night was not as dark as it should have been. It was if somewhere below there was a light someone was trying to mask.

Droma Cinn had felt this Sensation before. Not more than two weeks ago this same feeling settled over him over Ruuria, where his rival had reported Jedi to be on the planet. Cinn had not personally witnessed the Jedi in question, but the fact he felt this barely perceptible ripple over Thule could not be coincidence. There were Force Users on Thule, not Sith and not many in number, but they were there. He could not possibly pinpoint the exact location of these force users, not from Orbit and not with them hiding themselves as they were. But perhaps there was a way to flush them out of hiding...

Closing his eyes, Cinn focused upon the Force, the web of life connecting every living thing on Thule. He envisioned it in his mind, and with his fearsome dark side power he plucked the strands of that web, broadcasting to the planet below that something wicked was on its way, something dangerous, relentless, and powerful. Those not of the Sith who could perceive the Force would feel a sense of dread they perhaps never felt before, of impending doom. descending from space.

Cinn hoped this would flush them out, cause them to slip up and reveal themselves like animals driven before the drums of a hunting party. Then he would be able to add their heads to that of the beast he intended to slay.

He opened his eyes and watched the ship draw closer towards the planet before he spoke to his pilots in his deep, imposing voice.
"We are set to land in Hurom, correct?"
"Aye my lord. It will be half an hour before we touch down." Said the pilot with professional confidence. "We're having trouble plotting a clear course through these tricky lightning storms."
"Going to be dropping the Acolytes off at the Old Sith Temple there, my Lord?" Asked the Co-pilot.

By the request of one of his superiors, Droma Cinn had been tasked with bringing a number of Acolytes with him on his hunt. Their conduct on this little trip would be a determining factor in their graduation into the ranks of Sith Warriors, and so far these trainees have wisely tried not to get in Droma Cinn's way during the voyage to Thule.

"No." He said to his Copilot, the Sith Knight stroking his goatee in contemplation. "The Sith Temple is but our first stop. From there we will seek out the old academy where my quarry supposedly dwells. What is the ETA on my hunting party?"

"The Gage Class Transport Grey Claw is four hours behind us, My Lord. They have the equipment and personnel you asked for as well as a compliment of soldiers they would be willing to lend you."

"Good. I feel I might just have need of them...."

 

[Darkened Angel]

Danika was dancing in the cantina, entertaining the few people that were there. The tips weren't much, but would be enough to get by. As she was listening to what some of them were talking about, she felt a dark presence in the Force, as if it was deliberately sent out. It felt familiar, and Danika could only assume the worst. " Has one of the Sith from Ruuria tracked me here? I've stayed hidden all this time. I hope it's just a coincidence. " she thought.

She couldn't risk communications or else she'd likely give herself away, and as far as she knew, she was alone on the planet. All she could do for the time being was stay hidden and hope the Sith remained unaware of her presence.  

[ElladanKenet]

It wasn't long before her squad returned to the base camp where Falcon Company was set up. They had some more walls and turrets up, as well as some prefab shelters, though considering how bad the wind could get at times, that wasn't saying much. Passing through the perimeter defense, Aurriana led her group to the command center. Dismissing her men for the moment to go relax and get off their feet, the sergeant entered the plasteel structure that served as the base of operations. A rather simple building, it was about 20 meters wide in each direction, filled with computers and a holocom that could reach the Mid Rim on a good day. Passing a few guards, and several aides, the woman stopped before a uniformed officer and stood at attention. "Lieutenant."

Pausing in checking the holomaps he had been at, the man stood up and turned to Aurriana. Lieutenant Drayson was an imposing fellow, about 6'3", with a handlebar mustache and full beard of black hair. His eyes were a steely blue, and his face had significant scarring on it's left side, from a frag grenade. He wore the typical officer's uniform: beige shirt and pants, a pauldron and strap, with insignia, and a leather belt and boots. At his side was holstered a standard blaster pistol. "Ah, Sargeant, at ease. Anything to report?"

The woman shook her head, stepping out of attention as she removed her helm. "Negative. Nothing for miles, except grass, bugs, and the wind."

"Not that we expected any," Drayson admitted dryly. "Still, it's our job. Hunting rumors and fighting ghosts."

The woman smirked slightly. "What about here? Has anything changed?"

"The locals haven't reported anything suspicious, beyond the local smugglers and bounty hunters, and those aren't many. The ambassador is staying with the governor, and assuring that if anything actually is out there, the Senate will provide all the support it can. Load of bull if you ask me. We've been monitoring comm traffic in the sector, and all we have are rumors of some big ships, which could be anything from a frigate to a big bulk cruiser."

"So we're just spinning our wheels?" Aurriana asked.

"Our job is to report disturbances, and counter any threats we find," the lieutenant reminded her. "If we don't find anything, that just means we have nothing to report."

The sergeant was less than happy, but couldn't really do anything about that. "We should be at Ruuria. That's where those ships were spotted. The Senate even sent a Jedi back there. I don't see why we're being sent to the other side of the galaxy." The mission trip to Ruuria hadn't exactly been a secret, and the warning of the Sith fleet, full of rumors as it was, was practically being shouted, after the loss of three relatively major outer rim planets.

"A response group is already being organized to handle that operation. the Senate Defense Committee is still busy arguing about what's actually out there, and which core planets to defend most heavily, than sending us out to actually confirm anything. They consider the loss to be pretty much assured, so we're packed off to defend their other valuable assets. Nothing I can do about it except follow orders. you know that."

He was right of course. The sergeant sighed, rolling her shoulders. "Well, you called us back. Orders?"

"Now that we have a clear defensive perimeter, and another patrol out, I wanted to send your Squad out on the bikes for some long range recon. Just a routine sweep."

"Don't we have a platoon specifically for that job?"

"We do," he admitted. "But it's not like most of us aren't trained how to use them. We're not going into combat. I expect you out in half an hour. Go out about 30 kilometers, and make a circle of the base and the city, then come back."

Nodding, the woman saluted. "Yessir," before turning on her heel and heading to the barracks to freshen up and prepare for her mission.  

[stellarmagic]

For Zaala Xor the last two weeks had been a hellish series of debriefings and Kolto treatments. It seemed the republic intelligence operatives had been actively trying to squeeze every single bit of information they could from Zaala's brain... they asked about everything from the organization of the Empire, it's internal politics, and even her own family background.

She couldn't tell them most of what they really wanted to know being a mere assistant squad leader, but it seemed that the Republic had almost zero real understanding of the Empire so the questions kept coming.

Alyn had been just a tad bit luckier when it came to debriefings but much less fortunate when it came to the Kolto baths. It seemed that every time Zaala was wheeled in for a treatment that he was there too, and while they couldn't say anything when they were dumped in a tank, they did get a few moments to exchange words before and after.

It was sad that the only familiar face was that of a person the other had shot at.

Finally the last treatment was done and Zaala sat in a plain white dressing gown in the ship's medical bay. In a crate at her feat was a new set of clothes, a simple grey and republic burnt orange jumpsuit along with the armor they'd pried off her body when they started the debriefings. Apparently someone had taken the time to remove each example of the sith insignia with a chisel.

The door hissed open and Alyn stepped inside, a towel wrapped round his midsection and kolto still dripping from his form. He smirked slightly at the sight of her and hobbled over to another bed. "You done then?"

"Finished, and I think the lot of them have squeezed my brain dry... maybe they'll let us go now." Zaala shrugged and glanced back at the fresh clothes. "I hate republic styling... it's so... burnt orange and rusty red and white..."

"You'll just have to get something else with your next paycheck then... whenever that'll come..." Alyn sighed and sat down. A moment later a republic doctor stepped in through the door and held a data-pad. He was picking at it idly as he walked up between the beds.

"Mister Roc, one last medical scan and we should be able to certify you for discharge." The doctor sighed. "Bout time."

Zaala rolled her eyes as the scanner started. "What happens now?"

"Well, normally we drop you... non-combatants off at the next port of call, unless command or the Jedi have got some other use for you." The Doctor said.

"Jedi..." Zaala rolled her eyes and glanced at Alyn. "Like they'd want anything to do with us."