The Anvil Moon of Daemunn Zsoldos Orbit Zsoldos System
Hector Von Ricmore stood in front of a collection of individuals. It was a motley crew, formed of the variety of sentients who called Clan Vizsla their home.
“If I could have everyone’s attention.” He announced. “I have called you here today to resolve an issue plaguing Clan Vizsla; our feud with Clan Fero. Our enemies have suffered a schism in their ranks and now is the opportunity to put the conflict to rest while advancing our own interests.
One of the groups is led by a Dashade who goes by Kanx. He has agreed to a ceasefire with Vizsla under a single condition. We are to bring the leader of the other faction, a Miraluka named Su Well, to him; dead or alive. Su and her forces have established themselves on the mud planet of Mimban. They have a cache of Titanium they likely plan to trade to acquire more allies.
We will be attacking Mimban as a group. Take the next two days to prepare and plan for the mission. You will be fighting and killing alongside each other so it may do you good to get to know each other better. I’ll be happy to answer any questions and work alongside you.”
Shimrah groaned internally when the Quaestor mentioned Mimban. He had never been there personally, but knew enough about the planet to know that it was one of the least desirable places in the galaxy to spend any amount of time at, let alone planning a large scale military assault like Vizsla was now.
“What does our intelligence look like? How well are they holed up? Orbital defenses? Planetary? Have the analysts and advisors said anything about what kind of gear would be most beneficial for the strike force?”
The room’s silent attention that had shifted from Von Ricmore, to Shimrah’s onslaught of questioning had shifted back to Von Ricmore for the moment as the gathered awaited more information for how to prepare.
Near the back of the assembly area, Alexsandyr “Celevon” Blackwölfe listened intently to the announcement, briefly glancing up at the litany of questions. Regardless, the Sith Dagger within his telekinetic grasp continued to spin in place, slowly shaving a depression into the metal of the table.
His adoptive Father, J'akked Eilifsson, uncrossed his arms and slapped the Echani-Umbaran upside the head. The blade clanged loudly in the silence as Celevon glared at him, a hint of sulfuric in the quicksilver of his lone organic eye.
Without needing words to communicate, the son of the Clone in his own father’s armor made a silent gesture that meant: “Eyes front” or “Pay attention.”
The Seeker made a rude gesture in return, slipping the alchemical blade back into its sheath, returning his attention to the Quaestor, cybernetic fingers tapping a beat on the top of the Beskar helm in his lap.
Standing off to the side of the room Shooter and Korvis watched the proceedings. The team of members was well picked out. As the questions were raised Korvis saw Shooter about to take a step forward. As the leader of the intelligence for Vizsla, Shooter had all the answers. Korvis however motioned with his hand to notify Shooter to hold back before whispering, “Let Ricmore handle this, call it a test of leadership abilities.”
The master spy retook his place at Korvis side. If more answers were needed then they could help fill in the gaps. Until then this was the leader of House Deathwatch’s mission to run.
Having been one of the last to arrive before the briefing began, Occultan Iacul had taken a spot next to Korvis and Shooter. The Mandalorian listened carefully to the briefing and the questions raised. This wasn’t his first briefing, the former spec ops soldier turned bounty hunter had sat through many before.
“Richmore, I have some questions as well. What is our time table and scope for the operation? How many personnel will be mobilized for this? What will be our base of operations when we arrive? What gear, rations, and vehicles will be issued for this? Preferably can we get two rebreathers each?”
The Human paused for a moment before asking one last question. “The client stated dead or alive. If alive, any specifics on the condition of the prisoners? Also what does the clan prefer, dead or alive? If we have only a small number of assigned personnel for this dead would make it easier to ensure delivery.”
“I’m pleased to hear all of your questions. It is always a good sign to see my battle brothers interested in the construction of a plan. Its what separates you from droids, makes you truly sentient. The intelligence we have gathered is somewhat limited; we can not afford to alert Su Well that we know of her current location. Vizsla’s two best scouts were able to do a bit of recon, but the interior of the enemy base is largely unknown to us. The Mando Remnants are protected by 2 powerful anti air emplacements, located a kilometer from the base, and each is capable of shredding our transports and even obliterating our capital ships given enough time. Each emplacement is protected by a shield generator preventing them from being destroyed from orbit.
I had hoped to develop our method of approach and the goals of the mission alongside you all. We are Mandalorians. I value your input and do not believe you to be lesser than I. The current plan is to land the Deviant IV, our Acclamator class capital ship, on Mimban. Through Force Alchemy and technological engineering we can temporarily cloak the vessel from scanners and the naked eye. Our forces will disembark and secure the landing zone. From there we can proceed as an armored convoy, or send a smaller stealthier group to seize the anti air weapons.”
“Each member of the assault force can be issued two rebreathers as you request Occultan. The Acclamator will serve as our HQ and base of logistics. We can use some of the convoy vehicles to create a supply line for the attack. I must reccomend that you all watch your step and keep your eyes peeled. There are historical accounts of warriors capable of hiding in the mud and others of soldiers who fell into the muck until to sink and never return.”
“As for the status of Su Well. I am content with capturing her either dead or alive. The mission is difficult enough without imposing such a condition.”
“Our enemies are largely clad in a mix of durasteel and plastoid armor. Due to its expense few among them have been spotted wearing Beskar. Su Well is a known Force user and manipulator. It is difficult to predict how she will act once the attack begins.”
As if nearly on cue, support staff to the mission entered the with crates and began handing out breathing masks and aquata breathers to the strike team that wished to take them. When it was his turn, Shimrah took one of each and placed them in his bandolier.
“Sounds like a good enough plan to me with the information we have. One more thing I just thought of. I know the mud, water, humidity will be in issue, and I’ll be up the kriffing river if my saber shorts out…”
Hector nodded at his Aedile. “It’ll be waiting for you before departure.”
Alexsandyr “Celevon” Silvertongue Blackwölfe, the former SpecOps soldier and Mandalorian looked up, placing his Beskar helm down before standing up. “I’m a Master Alchemist and Sorcerer… I volunteer my services to whomever is in need.”
In admitting his professions aloud, his lone organic eye shifted from an eerie green to glowing purple before returning to the natural quicksilver shade.
The Warden drew his Sith dagger, sliced his palm and let the blood well up before he made a fist. “Whether it’s my blade, or my power, I am at your disposal, werd'a vode. (Siblings in Shadow).”
“Your expertise is appreciated Celevon.” Hector replied. “Those of you who have any last minute crafting requests I ask to come forward now. If not, please grab a breathing mask and make your way to the Acclamator sitting in the hangar outside.”
The collective group traveled to the Acclamator and boarded the ship. Deviant IV was loaded with the last of supplies and vehicles. The ship then ascended into orbit.
In one of the passenger areas of the vessel Hector Von Ricmore stood before the assembled Vizsla forces.
“The pilots have informed me that the launch was a success and there are no issues to be found. Our temporary cloak is activated and working optimally. We’ve only got enough juice to make a landing so once we make planetfall no one is leaving until the anti air weapons are down. Shimrah was wise enough to remind me of the wear and tear that the mud of Mimban can have on weapons. Therefore I advise all of you to ensure that either myself or one of the other craftsman in this hangar ensures your weapons are prepared for the environment.
I hope that we can catch our enemy by surprise. The longer it takes them to bring their entire army to bear the better our chances of success. For those using blaster and slugthrowers, there is a crate by the entrance containing whispershot suppressors. It will almost entirely erase any sounds your projectiles make. Blasters will still emit their distinctive laser, so don’t go firing it around like a firework at the Naboo festivals.
For those of you wielding lightsabers, I am proud to present a solution as well. I lack the status to requisition ghostfire lightsaber crystals from the Regents office. But with the knowledge gained from the crystals possessed by the Children, and various experimentation with lightsaber crystals, we have created temporary synthetic ghostfire crystals. I must stress that these crystals are temporary, they will completely degrade and become unusable after 24 hours. But during that time your sabers will be nearly silent and far less bright.
Please equip yourself now as we will arrive at Mimban shortly.”
KIntocass walked fast as he realized he missed the briefing on the target. Upon entering the room he bowed briefly and said, “Apologies for my absence I had to prepare my gear and then I remembered that Colonel Korvis asked me to load some supplies for the mission. I assure my lateness won’t happen again.” He went silent for but a moment, “Oh almost forgot Acolyte Kintocass at your service.” He then went over and grabbed a breather and returned to the group.
Shimrah retrieved his double bladed lightsaber from the locker that Von Ricmore said it would be waiting in. He looked over the hilt and noticed the small intricacies that his Quaestor took to fill in any gaps that water and humidity would be able to attack the electronics.
He stepped away from the locker and back to the hangar bay that his transport was waiting for him in.
“Let’s go kick some Mando hide.”
As the preparations were nearly complete Korvis walked to the landing bay. He had a surprise for the remnants of Clan Fero. Something that hadn’t been seen on a battlefield in a millennium. Tucked away in the back underneath a large covering piece of cloth Korvis patted the cloth with a bit of approval. Grabbing it he pulled the cover off his newly acquired Basilisk War Droid. The droid powered up as Korvis climbed into the seat linked by his armor instantly rose to his feet and began it’s system check. Now all that was left was for <@476595775187451913> to give the command to start the battle.
Onyx was towards the back of the room working on notes “hehe luckily my years of acrobatics and form 7 training paid off” he says happily “these arses won’t know what hit them..especially when the enemy is coming from the trees..though I feel sorry for any clone troopers” he chuckles to himself as he keeps note taking on his little tablet
Celevon warily eyed the new recruit that was cackling to himself, playing with a datapad, then shrugged. Everyone had their quirks.
The Seeker walked over to the area <@476595775187451913> had designated earlier, placing his helmet down before grabbing several pieces of sanctified chalk to begin drawing the runes for the ritual and spellwork. As the native Corellian knelt down and focused on the power of the dark side, his lone organic eye began to take on a sulfuric glow.
Whilst drawing the runes, connecting the different matrices, an ethereal amethyst flame began to lift from each structure. The sense of power fluctuated for a moment, alerting each member that was Force Sensitive that powerful Magicks were being enacted.
The euphoric sensation drew a laugh from deep within the former Odanite Councilor of War, startling those who had not already began to back away from the Sorcerer. One particularly superstitious crew member wiped both hands on her sleeves, then performed a counter-clockwise turn, shaking her head as she backed farther away.
Onyx sensed the power and did not flinch but quite the opposite..he was intrigued at the new source and wanted to find it even if it meant it would be something he couldn’t handle but that was a risk he was willing to take as he got up and started to walk around hunting for the power “I must find the master of this power..maybe I can team up with them and become a better force user” he says with a small devilish grin to his face
The time for conflict had come. Clan Vizsla forces had fully gathered and assembled. Over 1000 men strong the army was divided between Speeder trucks, APC’s and LAAT gunships. Hector Von Ricmore could make out some members atop the newly delivered War Droid mounts. But there was one more thing he could do to aid the attacking party. A particular ritual, With elements of Sith Illusion and Nightsister Magik.
Hector made his way over to Celevon, eyeing the ritual circles and preparations. “You’ve constructed an excellent ritual setup Celevon. Would you aid me in a ritual?” With the Umbaran’s agreement the duo stepped into the circles. Hector removed his Ancient Sith Amulet which began to glow and levitate in the air. The duo spoke in tongues, a language known but unknown, guided by the Force. A thick green fog appeared and began to settle, providing some concealment for the Vizsla forces. The fog worked both ways and would inhibit their vision. Hopefully it would allow the mechanized infantry to move closer to the first AA tower without being destroyed.
With the ritual completed the time had come.
“ATTACK!” Hector Von Ricmore bellowed over the comms
Vehicles rumbled to life and began to hover forward.
Fero sentries in Mandalorian armor sounded an alarm as they took up arms and moved to defensive positions to defend against the Vizsla attack.
At last a worthy battle, thought Korvis as he was stationed at the entrance of the bay doors. His War Droid underneath him seemed to sense the conflict ahead as well as the semi sentient droid tried to lunge forward instinctively. The engines fired up and as the shielding was shut down the Consul was the first to head into the battle.
Juda stood to his feet and a thick liquid dripped from the tentacles that seemingly slithered back up into the helmet he was adjusting onto his head, he looked down. Sprawled out before him was a Zeltron beauty that was more than willing to provide the Anzati Proconsul with whatever he desired. Yet, he couldn’t fight the tugging in his mind. The call of war. For nearly two centuries he had felt the pull, the allure of combat.
Celevon, a close brother, along with Ricmore, had conjured the very darkness that blanketed the devourer who watched from his concealed position. Formerly a member of the primal Nightsister Spiderclan, he recognized the ritual. The tainted crystal in his shoto, the green ichor was proof of that.
Through the visor of his helmet he shifted his gaze between the two and walked past them. The long white hair beneath his helmet fluttered in the wake of his stride and the engines of war.
He reached out with his mind and the two alchemists looked at one another as the silent voice of their leader resonated within their minds.
“So it begins.”
Boarding one of the LAAT gunships, Juda waited for others to board as he lamented over his jet-pack, currently out of commission. The last bounty he collected had rendered it useless with their lightsaber. It would certainly come in handy on Mimban. But he would make due with what was provided by Deathwatch.
“I’m going to take a small team and break off. If we can remove the threat of those anti-air batteries, our assault should progress smoothly.” He spoke into his commlink with a flurry of heavily accented basic.
I somehow manage to get through the treetops and have visual contact on the wall and any guards as I try to tap into judas comm frequency “procounsul Juda this is apprentice onyx do you read me over?”
“Loud and clear, Acolyte. To avoid battery, this gunship is going to have to set down soon. If anything, we can make for a good distraction. Are you able to make it to -” Juda proceeded to send coordinates to Onyx.
“Sir I have managed to avoid detection and have made it to the guarding walls of the AA tower..well one of them and requesting permission to go stealth and disable tower..but yes I can make it to those cordinates”
All of a sudden coms were cut between onyx and Juda “AMBU-!” Onyx was caught off guard as vollies of blaster bolts spray his area
I try to dodge the bolts but gets hit once or twice in non fatal areas
His War Droid at full speed Korvis flies past the AA emplacement trying to draw their fire. The small profile of his mount makes it difficult for the targeting computer to keep up. The troops of Clan Fero below are able to track him better. They let loose volleys of blaster fire at him but thankfully missed.
“Juda I am trying to keep the heat off the transports but they are setting up what appears to be E-webs. You had better hurry. I won’t be able to stay in the air much longer if they get those turrets up.”
Onyx growls and let’s his anger and determination rage through his veins as he gets up running on adrenaline and starts to scale the wall and bashes his comms a little trying to get back on line “any one out their that can read me?”
As the air was filled with blaster fire a solitary figure jogged towards the tower. With his Force Cloak in place Hector Von Ricmore was naught but a blur of the light to most of the combatants. As he looked around for a potential entry point he saw Onyx scaling the tower wall. He moved towards the Force Disciple before dropping the Cloak and using his Jetpack to boost to the top of the wall. He reached out his right hand towards Onyx and telekinetically lifted him to the top of the wall. The duo were swiftly bombarded by blaster fire from the variety of tower guards. Igniting his saber Hector stepped in front of Onyx and began to deflect blaster bolts with his lightsaber. “Draw your lightsaber and help me fight them off. I’ll administer medical attention once the area is safe.” The Sephi stated.
Onyx let’s out a devious chuckle wanting blood drawn “don’t have to tell me twice!~” he says as he draws his saber and then separates in two as he makes like a blender and starts to shred troopers after making a leap backwards then down to the attackers
Occultan had followed Korvis, utilizing his jetpack. As the AA emplacements began to fire he swooped down dropping a thermal imploder into one of them and landing at another. The Mandalorian aimed with his Westar blaster rifle as squeezed off a few bolts as he moved into cover. He could see where the Clan Fero troops were setting up a few of the E-Web emplacements and sent a few of his mm9 rockets at them. It wasn’t the best of ideas but distraction plans rarely were.
Deep within the ebb and flow of the Force herself, empowered by the ritual that used a combination of threes and sevens, the former Arconan Sorcerer and Shadicar Assassin could reach deeper into the minds of those upon the surface. Using Telepathy and minor acts of Telekinesis, depending on the specific locations and their amount of Life and Death energy available, the pair of Alchemists were a force to be reckoned with as the battlefield itself became their playground.
The power of the dark side was strong with the planet, especially so considering the wars that had taken place on the surface, not limited to the Imperial conquest and occupation.
A smirk curled across Alexsandyr’s lips as he imposed his will upon the mind of his adoptive Father, taking control the moment J'akked recognized the signs and ceased his mental struggle, flowing in through the cracks as metaphorical smoke creeping in from all sides, slowly seeping into a ball of churning water.
Turning the head of his adoptive Father, well aware that the glow from within had overtaken the first-generation clone/humanoid offspring and was visible through the visor of the Clone Commando armor, the Sorcerer called out an “Oya!” and joined Juda. “J'akked will be joining you, werd'a vod. ("Hey!” and “Sibling in Shadow”, respectively.)
The moment the words left, Celevon released his Dominance of the elder Mandalorian’s body and departed, seeking out the minds of enemies. And causing chaos where some, such as the young man he had noticed before alongside Von Ricmore by Force Choking one of the enemies that had begun to sneak up on the Shiny recruit.
“I hate when he does that,” the Combat Medic hissed, shaking his head as though clearing his ears of water before glancing at <@671903061827911683> as he drew his Ryyk Blade in one hand, the Inquisitorius Sith Pugio in the other. “Lead on, Commander.”
After landing Kintocass, jumped right into th fray. Slashing left and right all the while dodging what he couldn’t block. Once the first group of five was killed, he whistled for his Kath Hound. Which ignored him at first in favor of just looking around. But soon joined in the fighting of the second group of five.
Slowly they both picked off the smaller groups. Before joining in the major assult. “Acolyte Kintocass, reporting in. Small resistance in my area of attack. Almost taken them all-” he never finished as a blasterbolt landed next to his head. After taking out the single attacker, he resumed after spotting a larger group heading his way. “Large group heading my way. Need backup.” He then retreated to wait for reinforcements.
After a ruthless battle onyx was running on fumes and his clothes starting to become blood soaked from blaster bolts that grazed him during the onslaught “i-i think that’s all of them” he says looking at his new acquaintance “thanks for helping me scale the wall earlier though…” his voice started to slurr “I think I got hit a few times during the fight”
<@476595775187451913>
Hearing Kintocass call for backup. Korvis turning his War Droid around and made a straight shot for the Acolyte. The Vizsla troops were already nearing the Anti Aircraft cannons and likely would make short work of them. Strafing the troops closing on the Cathar the war droid fired several shots into the amassed troops before landing.
Obviously taken a back at the site of the droid and its rider they paused in their attack. Korvis leapt from the droids back as it continued to seek out targets and fire upon them. Drawing his Beskar spear Korvis himself waded into the fray. “Backup has arrived, Kintocass. Nice work, now lets finish this group so we can join our brothers again.”
Hector’s demeanor turned grim at hearing the Novitiate’s situation. He moved to the Mirialan’s side and began to check over his injuries. He reached into his medical kit and grabbed a burn cream, bandages and several Bacta patches. The Sephi applied the burn cream to the blaster burns before placing a patch on each one. The patches were secured to the skin by adhesive bandages which were wrapped around onyx limbs. Hector then reached into his stamina pouch, injecting onyx with one of his 3 stamina shots. “You should be good to go for now. Try to avoid running off and fight alongside the rest of the clan. I’m certain if you do so you’ll make it through this alive.” Hector stated.
Onyx nods and then hugs Hector “I owe you a drink after this my friend..if we make it through this that is” he says with a humorous tone on the last part of his sentence as he gathered his wits “you probably have more Intel then I do so what’s the plan?”
He asks trying to ignore the pains from the patches and the injection though he was recovering quite well “keep going just you and I or do we regroup with more comrades?”
“Five…” Juda counted the enemies of Fero as they frantically placed an E-Web on the east side of the AA tower nearest his group. “Five…” mandalorian’s blindly following the toxic vision of a Miralukan seer.
Juda flicked the index and middle fingers of his left hand and those who were with him immediately knew what they had to do as they spread out and took cover.
“More blood for you, cyar'ika.” the Anzati freed his Amban sniper rifle from his back and slipped it up over the fallen tree he had knelt behind. The optical camouflage of his beskar'gam glistened, reflecting his surroundings as he seemingly disappeared behind the scope. The defense alert system in his fashionably macabre helmet chirped in his ears as blaster fire lanced out into the LAAT behind him.
He took a deep breath as two manned the E-web and three others took up defensive positions. J'akked followed suit and readied his Oathbreaker.
“On my signal” Juda’s inherent telepathy reached out to the minds of his brothers eagerly anticipating the next move.
The head of the gunman ducked down behind the heavy artillery as he lined up his shot but the E-Web would never launch its assault as Juda exhaled. A purple round burst from the forked tip of the Amban’s barrel. Two members of Fero fell straight backward as a loud crack echoed to his left from J'akked’s ominous slugthrower. A synchronized snipe, a delicate dance of precision began to unfold as another popped up from cover, clearly startled by the elimination of their plan A. Juda kept calm as he tracked his target, loosing a bolt that would blow apart the runner’s knee. He dropped in the open like a sack of barabel fruit but his comrade couldn’t leave him behind. As the fourth fraudulent Mando reached out to grab him by the arm, the back of his helmet blew out in a resplendent red concoction of flesh and bone as another crack resonated from the grizzled loyalist.
That left one more, cowering behind an munitions crate.
Shimrah had been late to the initial assault, being tasked with overseeing the insertion of a commando squad via LAAT gunship to strike the AA emplacements from another front. With the Mandalorian commando’s on the board without any incident, it allowed the Sith to join the rest of his clan in their frontal assault.
“Where to, sir?” The pilot asked over the comm system.
The Battlelord leaned through the side hatch, looking at the explosions in the distance and the AA guns streaking their laser fire into the air as the gunship took off, skirting the treetops. “I need you to get me as close to those emplacements as possible.”
“Yes, sir!” The pilot and co-pilot replied, nearly in unison.
As they raced toward the gun emplacements, anti air fire began to increase by the second. The pilot juked and jinxed to avoid what he could, small rumbles could be felt as flak exploded near them, debris ricocheting off the gunships sliding door panels that protected the Aedile.
“Hard to port! NOW!” Shimrah yelled over the intercom, his precognitive abilities allowing him to glimpse his own doom. Less than a what felt like a split second later, he was thrown to the bulkhead as the gunship banked hard. A bright red laser tore the bubble turret and its gunner from the gunship in an explosion of debris that otherwise would’ve been a direct hit on the gunship had the pilot not made the necessary alterations to their flight path.
Moments later the anti air fire picked up again even more intensely than before. Had Shimrah been in the cockpit he would’ve been able to see just how much of a target they had become as they flew into what seemed to be a wall of laser fire. Multiple lasers scored a hit on the gunship, rocking it and setting both engines ablaze.
“We’re going down, Sir. I’ll bring it in low to increase your chances of survival.”
“Do your worst.” He replied through the intercom before sticking his head out of the gunship, choosing his timing, and leapt.
If the Clan Fero troops were shocked at seeing a Basilisk War Droid they seemed to recover quickly. It didn’t do much good though as Korvis was surprisingly quick for someone of his size. His spear in hand he charged into the last dozen troopers that remained. Catching the first one with his spear in his throat. The blood sprayed from the wound as the trooper collapsed.
Motion caught his eye and he could see that Kintocass had joined him. His saber was a blur as he too made short work of those standing in his path. There was no withstanding the onslaught that the two Vizslans brought about and soon nothing but corpses lay around them.
“You fight well Kintocass, now shall we join our brothers for more glory?”
<@827234581701853184>
Looking around to be sure there was no more enemies, Kintocass after many attempts managed to get his Kath Hound to follow him back to Korvis. He nodded his head and said,
“Let us continue on. I’ll follow your lead.”
Looking to the sky Korvis saw the blaster fire and anti-air cannons were intensifying their efforts. A lone LAAT was being pummeled and looked to be going down hard. Smoke bellowed from its engines. Pointing it out to Kintocass the leader of Vizsla stated, “We should stay low but we need to make it to that LAAT and check for survivors. Let’s move out.”
The pair headed in the direction of the crashing transport hoping they would find survivors. The War Droid followed closely behind.
<@315192554410999808>
Shimrah didn’t so much as tumble but slide across the muddy hill, using the Force to help slow his skid by jamming his limbs into the mixture of soil and mud below. He looks up to track the descending LAAT gunship when he comes to a halt and in that moment, time seems to stop around him. The LAAT sores back into the air and starts a downward arc, slamming into the base of the first AA emplacement in a gas fueled fireball. In the aftermath of the smoke, the emplacement laid breached only a few hundred meters away from him. He groaned as he pushed himself to his knees.
“Alright then.” He says to himself, musing the last thing he said to the Mandalorian pilot.
Occultan took a moment to appraise the battlefield around him as he crouched in cover outside one of the Orbital defense cannons. The Vizsla forces had been making steady progress from their landing point and would arrive at his location soon. It hadn’t been an easy fight for them but the strange Force mist seemed to spur them forward with more unison than normal. After what had happened to his daughter, Lilly, Iacul disliked being manipulated in any way by the Force.
With a slight beep his coms system opened “This is Eminent Iacul, Richmore and Korvis. I am preparing to breach the easterly Orbital canon super structure. I will be borrowing a platoon of the troops as they reach my pos.”
As the troops arrived the Mandalorian flagged down one of the officers.
“Yes sir?”
“Gather your men, we are hard breaching in five. I noted enemy forces retreating into the structure as I arrived. As you can see for some reason they have not closed the blast doors. Expect heavy resistance.”
As the men gathered Occultan prepared two thermal detonators for short count. Tossing the detonators he shouldered his blaster rifle and left cover as they exploded. The Mandalorian breached first followed closely by the Vizsla Troopers.
“So much soup going to waste” Graves spoke aloud as he steadied his rifle and aligned the barrel with the munitions crate.
An unsettling feeling washed over the battlefield. It had to of been why the last Mandalorian on the overpass had refused to show themselves. But for a Mandalorian to be afraid was not something Juda was familiar with. What he could tell was that the Force often worked in mysterious ways. In the Brotherhood?
Dark ways… He could sense it.
Juda squinted his eyes as through the scope a darkness began to manifest around the crate. An impenetrable black that he had experienced on his last trip to Umbara. Sweeping his scope to the right, seemingly falling from the heavens, but most likely landing from a Force induced leap, Juda could see the hulking mass of man that recently swore an oath to Clan Vizsla. He was known as Legion, for he was the harbinger of many. It was the way.
As the man landed on the platform, two swords were drawn from his back, the sheen from light hitting the metal made Juda smirk within his helmet as the human juked forward with great speed and plunged his blades into the darkness he had conjured. The blades stopped as if they sunk into the dense absence of light and tendrils of electricity began to ripple from pommel to tip. In that instant, light broke through and Juda could see the Mandalorian writhing in agony before Legion swept his blades away from one another and the upper half of his foe slumped over the crate and the lower half fell to the ground below.
“Move up!” Juda shouted. “Occultan, we’ll cover your six. We’ll be right behind you. See if you can get to the power relays for this tower.”
Legion returned his vibroswords to their sheaths on his back after mutilating his last target. Seeing the others of clan Vizsla push up, Legion stays put for a moment while observing his surroundings. New to this Clan, he isn’t sure why they are trying to take an AA tower, but he doesn’t really care either. A fight is a fight to him, and he will gladly partake in any event that involves bloodshed.
“Doesn’t seem like such a big problem, this tower. Only thing worse is seeing fellow Mandalorians being so weak….actually sickening that-”
At that moment, Legion felt a disturbance right behind him. A Fero sniper trying to take out Juda from the rear. Time felt slowed in Legion’s mind as he thought of several ways to deal with the coward.
Lightning? Nah, too showy. Make him see creatures eat him alive? Eh, boring.
Legion’s minds rushing towards ideas, but he gave up halfway, shrugged his shoulders and took his favorite Vibroknife and flung it right at the sniper’s head, using a bit of telekinesis and rushed the blade right back. The main Vizsla force doesn’t need distractions from the rear, and Legion felt the urge to go hunting for more cowards who dare try to harm his new clan. With a deep breath and exhale, Legion begins to disappear from sight, cloaking himself and begins his hunt.
As Kintocass and Korvis got closer to where they saw the LAAT go down. Kintocass let the force flow through him guiding his movements. Soon enough he spotted Shimrah. He also spotted a group of three clan Fero members trying to sneak up on him. He used what little bit of telekinesis he knew to throw one of his sabers at the closest to him. Retrieving it and activating his other. Not noticing the one behind him as he was so focused he took a light cut to the back. He let out a grunt of pain.
As he killed the one in front of him and turned to face the one behind he discovered that Korvis had taken care the one that had wounded him. And the war Droid had finished the other. Soon enough they had cleared the small group. Now all that was left to do was work their way to the other members of clan Vizsla and to find their target.
Occultan squeezed off a few blaster bolts as he ducked into cover. The Vizsla forces were experiencing heavy resistance in the orbital cannon. As the Mandalorian was about to pop back out to press the assault his com link buzzed to life with Juda on the other end.
“The orbital cannon is rather well defended Graves, I’ll head to this tower but you should divert a few additional platoons so we can secure the orbital defenses. Iacul out.” He responded to the Proconsul. Popping back out of cover he let loose a few more shots as he backpedaled toward the entrance.
“Reinforcements on the way, hold out the best you can.” Occultan shouted to the Vizsla platoon’s officer as he passed the man.
Once he left the orbital cannon’s structure Occultan took to the sky again with his jetpack. Quick low altitude flying, a personal favorite of his. A stray blaster bolt of two pinged off his Beskar as he focused on speed instead of evasion. Quickly the tower grew close.
A window a few floors up seemed like a good breaching point. Occultan hovered just long enough for his mm9 rockets to open the way. Landing lightly blaster rifle up and scanning the area, he found him in a hallway, an empty hallway.
“Better find a data terminal or something.” he muttered to himself.
Within the base of the tower, almost unseen from beneath the visors of the enemy forces hard at work, a dark grey mist swirled at their feet, seemingly having a mind of its own.
A sense of general unease grew within the area as the ethereal miasma latched onto a target, swirling up the leg of a guard before sinking beneath the visor. The fog seeped into the eyes, nostrils and mouth as the Guard slumped back against the wall, fighting with all he had to keep the possession at bay.
Aboard the starting vessel, within the ritual circle, the normally mercurial eye of Celevon Werd'a snapped open to reveal a black void. Whilst floating in mid-air solely with the energy of the Force, the shadows around him seemed to warp as the Seeker’s hand arose, the darkness even growing visible behind the cybernetic as he enforced his will on the enemy soldier.
Within the Guard’s mind, he was rapidly losing the battle with the invading force [A.N. No pun intended. :P] that seemed to be coming from all sides. His screams went unheard as the Guard’s sense of self was crushed inward, then pushed deep within his own mind.
The scream renewed when he felt his body moving of its own accord, drawing a deep breath as though taking his first breath of oxygen.
A deep, growling voice with an oddly lilting accent seemed to echo around his sense of self. ‘Your Fear and Terror are useful… It empowers me in this state. This is certain to not be pleasant for you… feeling the deaths of your comrades… Let’s enhance that, shall we?’
Within the barely formed mindscape of the Mandalorian, shadows seemed to erupt and form into figures he vaguely recognized as enemies that haunted his dreams… and friends he had never been able to save.
Still, it did not stop him from noticing his own hand raising, energy visibly crackling up and down his arm… and the absolute agony that came with it before it leapt from his palm, striking a fellow guard in the back.
With the majority of the Vizsla forces beginning to breach the tower Hector Von Ricmore was confident of their chances of success. The Vizsla military was a mixed group. Bounty hunters and pirates, Force Users and Iron legion members. Sometimes it was best not to constrict the group more tightly and take a more hands off approach. Either way, it gave Hector the time to prepare for the coming hunt.
Activating his commlink he dialed the frequency of his newest apprentice, Kasmar. “Apprentice, please fly my ship and all of its contents to my current location. All the anti air weapons are still operational but with this tower distracted and the coat of Beskar applied to my ship you should survive the trip.”
“Ooh you’re telling me I get to fly the shiny new ship? Can I take it for a test flight first?” Kasmar excitedly chirped back.
Von chuckled. To think it wasn’t too long ago that he held a similar energy. To be truthful it was still so exciting to see and experience the material world produced by the denizens of the galaxy.
“No you can not take it for a joy ride. Bring the ship over and I’ll ensure you have another opportunity to fly the ship later.”
“Fine fine.” Kasmar muttered. “I’ll be there momentarily.”
It wasn’t long before Hector could make out the silhouette of his ship over the horizon. The Fero anti air towers barraged the ship with plasma, rapidly taking down the shields of the vessel. The Beskar plated armor helped the ship to survive the onslaught, the starfighter landing near the tower heavily damaged but intact.
Kasmar exuberantly made their exit from the ship. “Did you see that? The towers were all like, Pew Pew and I was like woosh woosh in the ship?”
“I think we all saw it, Kasmar. I am glad you have survived the trip. I’m going to need a few minutes to conduct a ritual. Feel free to wait around and aid me in repairing the ship or join the others in assaulting the tower.”
Having said his piece Hector moved on. There was work to do. Entering his ship he laid eyes on a modified bacta tank. Within sat a purple skinned humanoid, with cybernetics mirroring Hector’s own.
“The time has come to shift flesh once again. One day the Force will punish me as a price for the infernal knowledge I have gained. But today is not that day.”
The Force User pressed a button on the side of the tank, activating its repulsorlift technology. He pushed the hovering tank outside the ship and onto the muddy ground of Mimban.
Returning to the interior of the ship he grabbed a box of supplies. Within sat the materials needed for the ritual and the gear he would utilize after his transformation had been completed.
From within the box he withdrew a brush and specially prepared ink. He spent several minutes painting a pattern of arcane symbols over the tank. He then returned the ink and brush to the box and grabbed a ritualistic dagger.
“Now my apprentice. Do not be alarmed by my next action. But drastic measures are required in order to ensure the transference of the soul occurs properly.”
Hector removed his helmet and then slid the dagger across his throat. He fell to the ground, convulsing and spasmining, as hues of green and purple filled the air.
Within the tank the purple figure opened a pair of blazing yellow eyes. The tank opened and the figure fell to the ground coughing and gasping for air.
“That never seems to get any easier.” Hector mused to himself.
“Ew ew ew! Can you put some clothes on already, Master?” Kasmar shrieked.
“I apologize for the awkwardness. I hadn’t realized you were still here.” The Zeltron stated.
From within the box he grabbed his body glove and black armor before changing into them. He placed his accessories and equipment into his pockets before holstering his weapons and putting his jetpack onto his back.
“I thank you for waiting, my apprentice. The ritual was necessary. Not only to transfer my body but to enact protection for the Vizsla forces. We face a foe capable of mighty feats through the Force.” Hector began to explain. “I have fractured most of my connection to the Force. Some of it will protect Vizsla from mental manipulation, illusions and other Force based traps. The rest I have bequeathed to you. Grow strong and powerful in the Force Kasmar. It is through the power you pursue that you will gain the strength to pursue your destiny and desires.”
The Miraluka was stunned. “But if you cut yourself off from the Force, how will you teach me?”
“My knowledge still remains. And I have not completed severed ties. I bear enough of a connection for alchemy and rituals. But conventional Force usage is now beyond me. Let us not dwell on what has past; we’ve taken enough time away from the fight. I now give you an option. You can help me repair the starfighter for when the attack on the second tower begins. Or you can assist the rest of Vizsla with capturing this first tower.”