Casual Claiming Ailon Nova

[Reiis Invadator]

The Claiming of Ailon Nova
A House Cruor RPG

**Alright everyone. We’re going to backtrack a bit. I’m going to start us back at the point where everyone is in the room, and the High Marshall has left us alone to gather our thoughts. We’re going to stay on a Wednesday posting schedule, so please respond by next Wednesday (the 18th). If you don’t get a chance to post, you can always come back in for a later update.**​

The High Marshall accepted The General’s request to leave the room with a courteous nod of his head, waving his hand so that his guards would follow. They did so without question, following in a single file. Invadator waited until all had left the room, not speaking until the massive doors shut with a thudding finality. She leaned slightly on the control panel, careful not to tab any of the buttons on the screen as she gestured for everyone to crowd around closer. Her voice, when she spoke, was slow and even soft. “I find it unlikely that the High Marshall’s son could have been captured without someone on the inside facilitating the kidnapping” she said as quietly as possible. “We can’t hide our plans entirely from the High Marshall or his staff, so we must be prepared to be expected. And while I don't suspect the High Marshall to be rebelling against our existence, there has been a great deal of evidence from the start that even his personal advisers are against Sith involvement. I cannot stress how delicate this is, politically. Even in their dreams, their army could not overtake ours, but we don't want losses on either side. We're here for a very delicate diplomatic mission, carefully displaying our strength and very carefully letting the planet know of our presence and authority."

The General looked at each of them in turn, her gaze serious, but not what one would call cold. “We’ll have to split up. I think it’s best to split up in four. I want eyes in the skies, someone to quietly gather intel in the town near the base, and two groups to rescue his son: one to distract and one to infiltrate.” She paused. “I’m open to suggestions as well, but if anyone has a preference for their position, say so now.”


TAGS:
@Darth Blade
@Darth Cruor
@DeathKnightD
@Evis Dharkar’ta
@Grievance Vexx
@Karros Zaruiel
@Kielor
@Rathan Jakarta
@Rayge
@Shadow
@Sharkish’Ki
@Volacius

​

 

[...]

Darth Cruor
In Room, Ailon Nova

Far away, on the capital of Thyrsus, the Dark Lord monitored the ongoing situation on Ailon Nova. Of course he had no concern or doubt in the ability of General Invadator, no, his interest here was recreational. Rarely did he have the opportunity to engage in combat with his fellow Death Knights, today however he was able to be present in the field and would be able to work alongside and evaluate those of his House.

As the General and the team of Death Knights on Ailon Nova gathered in the house the Dark Lord determined the time was right to join them, and he did so suddenly and without warning. One moment the corner of the room stood empty, the next a hulking form of living shadow filled it, the hallmark cold that accompanied the arrival of the Dark Lord spread through the room. The Taral had arrived, he stepped out from the corner toward Invadator, "General." He greeted his old companion.

"Forgive my sudden interruption." He apologized. "How can I assist in your operation?"

Tag: Everyone

 

[Rathan Jakarta]

Rathan listened to the situation and pondered what he wanted to do. Soon enough he came up with something

He then walks forward to the General

“General, I would be honored to be a part of the distraction team. Myself and few others can destroy a significant portion of their forces and resources to make it easier for our compatriots to grab the boy. They may know that we are coming but they have no idea of the power we wield. They won’t stand a chance”

Rathan explained to the General. As a warrior, he revels in carnage and bloodshed. He has no problem getting his hands dirty. For a mission like this, being a distraction is an advantage to him.

He may not be the strongest of his house but he is capable. And he will do what needs to be done

 

[Sharkish’Ki]

Sharkish'Ki
In Room, Ailon Nova

Sharkish'Ki watched the High Marshal and regarded his retinue closely, noting their weapons, armour and swiftness of obedience, and as the door closed behind them his attention quickly reverted to the General. He was new to House Cruor, and for all intents and purposes, he was along for the ride. He knew little about the local culture and relevance of the target, or indeed why the planet was of importance. And yet, he understood it had value to the General, and that was enough for him. He would do what he could to make the mission a success.

His thoughts of honour and pride were cut short as his peripheral vision alerted him to the shifting shadows; a slight drop in temperature, and the subtle twisting of the background, before the formidable Gen'Dai stepped forward and made his greeting. Sharkish'Ki bowed his head to the newly appointed council member. "Hail, Lord Cruor. I would kneel, my Lord, but it's a little crowded in here..." he gestured briefly to the small amount of empty space between them and the control panel the General was leaning cautiously on.
"General, I don't claim to be adept at stealth, and I'm certainly not dressed like the locals. That being said, I managed to stow away without a Morgukai noticing me, unless..." Sharkish'Ki paused, pondering the likelihood. "I digress. I'll do what I can, where I'm needed, General."
He bowed once more and relaxed his shoulders, awaiting his orders.

 

[Grievance Vexx]

IC- Lord Grievance Vexx
In Room, Ailon Nova

The cybernetic Sith Lord had followed the rest of his comrades into this private meeting with their General. Time to come up with a solid battle plan. For the moment, he is content to listen and observe, willing to be positioned wherever he will be needed most and he is about to tell her as much. However, shortly after entering the room, he becomes distracted by his own tinnitus affliction and he glares around at those gathered, trying to pinpoint who’s being funny with the Force.

As the presence draws nearer, he realizes that it is not the General and it is far too powerful to be anyone else presently gathered here. Imagine his surprise when Lord Cruor himself materializes in the otherwise empty corner Vexx had chosen to to lurk quite close to. A startled gasp is slaughtered by a convulsive hacking fit and he is quick to make way for the Dark Lord Taral to join the General.

“Hail Lord Cruor!” he finally manages to get past the cough. Despite his initial surprise, he is pleased to see their House’s namesake joining them. “This is a pleasant surprise. Hell hath no fury like Sith Warriors united.” He then addresses General Invadator. “I will serve wherever I am needed most, General. You are well familiar with my skills and specialties and I trust your judgement.”

Tag: @Reiis Invadator @Darth Cruor

 

[Kielor]

IC - Apprentice Kielor
Location: In Room, Ailon

Kielor’s eye followed Atticus as he and his entourage of guardsmen left the Death Knights to discuss their approach. At her gesture, those in attendance huddled closer together, and Kielor was overcome by the sheer raw power of the force that welled within the unit. They were individually all quite powerful in their own right, but together… together they held the potency of a force nexus like no other. He breathed in the energy, the power of the force, the darkness. It filled his lungs and invigorated his entire self. He exhaled deeply, and the room began to cool noticeably. A chill breeze? Air scrubbers just kicked in? Something sinister?

Indeed, the latter.

From behind the Apprentice a beacon of darkside energy, potent and fierce, suddenly materialises. The Taral has come.

“Hail Lord Cruor!” Kielor says with equal parts excitement and reverence.

Allowing the others to speak, Kielor considers where he may be best positioned. When it is his turn to speak he inclines his head slightly toward his Master, “I am yours to place as you see fit, Master. I am more than comfortable to infiltrate the encampment or the local population. I am also quite comfortable with creating a distraction,” he says, rolling his shoulders.

“I am yours to command.”

 

[Reiis Invadator]

IC: General Invadator
Ailon Nova

A darkness grew in the room, swelling like a black thundercloud looming in the skies. To it, The General instinctively tensed, standing upright in a flash with her hand floating towards the Darksaber attached to her belt...

Cruor! It was Lord Cruor. As he entered, the familiar coldness of his presence bathed the room in a darkness only a Sith could appreciate. His signature in the Force quickly filled the room like he had been there the entire time.

Had she been capable of sighing with relief, she would have now as the smiled gratefully and inclined her head towards the Dark Lord of the Sith. "Lord Cruor...it's an honor to have you with us, though I must say...quite unexpected." There's a hint of a chuckle in her voice as he alludes to the fact that he scared the bejeezus out of her for a few moments there. The willies were still in her limbs, and she straightened to steel herself again, her hand falling away from the hilt of her saber. "That makes six of us," she continues, "which is perfect. We can travel in pairs." All of them seemed relatively comfortable with being assigned to whatever role was necessary, which was fortunate for planning. Her eyes scanned the room. Immediately, it was apparent that Lord Vexx, Lord Cruor, and herself were not suitable for blending in with the Ailon Novans even in the busy town that was located so close to the base. Rathan would be less out of place, but her gaze turns to settle on Sharkish'Ki and Kielor, and she had made up her mind.

"Kielor, Sharkish'Ki..." she began, scooting closer to the group and lowering her voice, lest they be overhead through the doors. She wanted to minimize any chances of eavesdropping as she could. "I'll have you two go into the town. The High Marshall should be able to supply equipment so blending in won't be so difficult. You won't be looking for anything in particular, exactly. I want you to find wherever most of the locals go, and I want you to get a feel for their feelings towards Sith occupation. This could come in hand later, and we really haven't had the chance to find our own information outside of what the High Marshall's been telling us. He was always purportedly more open to our involvement than I think anyone really feels. I can feel that even he doesn't care for it so much, but he does seem to be backing his decision fully. We just need to be mindful that the only ones we can trust here are ourselves."

She turned to Lord Cruor and Lord Vexx. "I'd like you two to be the distraction group... Just start beating people up at the entrance. The idea is for them to not have enough time to think about the possibility of a more covert attack. They might expect it, but it needs to not matter. I'd like to take some prisoners for the High Marshall...but we'll see what he says on that in a minute. Rathan, you'll come with me to retrieve his son. We'll attack at nightfall which...shouldn't be long."

Invadator stood up more, about to turn to ask the High Marshall to return, when she stopped and looked towards the group. "Does anyone have any questions before I call the High Marshall back in? Because from here on out, I expect that we won't get many chances to talk privately, if this conversation was even private to begin with."


OOC: Kielor, Sharkish'Ki...I know your mission sounds pretty vague, but I promise there will be plenty of guides along the way, so don't worry.

TAG: @Darth Cruor @Rathan Jakarta @Sharkish’Ki @Grievance Vexx @Kielor

If anyone can't respond by the Wednesday deadlines, you can just catch up in the next one. Anyone else from the House is welcome to step in and join, even if they haven't yet done so.

 

[Rayge]

Still figuratively frozen by Lord Cruor's entrance Rayge was restful, quiet, fixated on the Sith Lord and the power that emanated from him. He could feel himself swell in strength as if he was feeding off of the dark energy now blanketing the room.

The General's words seemed to snap him out of his fixation on the amount of force seemingly erupting from Lord Cruor. He directed his focus to the General in time to hear the designated groups and for her to ensure that all questions had been answered before inviting the High Marshall back in.

Rayge stepped to the front of the group and removed his helmet bowing to Lord Cruor before addressing the General's question

"Hail Lord Cruor!

General if I may, I want to volunteer to go with Lord's Cruor and Vexx. I feel my skills best fit with that of distraction and destruction.

Unless you or one of them feel that I would be more beneficial elsewhere"

He stood at attention waiting on her reply or for either of the Sith Lords to interject.

(OOC: Sorry for the absence DRL has been rather hectic lately)

TAG: @Darth Cruor @Reiis Invadator @Grievance Vexx

 

[Grievance Vexx]

IC - Lord Grievance Vexx
Ailon Nova - Meeting Room

Vexx has zero qualms about being assigned to deal some damage. He always has inner frustrations that can use an outlet, so this will suit him just fine. Working alongside Lord Cruor is an added bonus of honor to go along with the fun of smashing skulls.

“No questions, m’lady,” he replies, inclining his head to the General, “And of course you know that if anything changes, I am fully capable of changing gears to accommodate any shifts in the mission.”

He chuckles slightly as Rayge requests to be repositioned with himself and Lord Cruor. He can’t blame him really as causing chaos and destruction certainly has its appeal among Sith and he has no objections to this either, so long as the General and the Dark Lord see it as a help to the mission objective.

Tag: @Reiis Invadator @Darth Cruor

 

[Reiis Invadator]

IC: General Invadator
Ailon Nova

The General is quick to respond to Rayge. "Yes, you may," she says. "The more the better on that front -- they need too be too preoccupied to do much of anything else other than die." She then nods to Vexx in gratitude for his offer to be placed wherever he might be needed. She walked to the doors, opening them and greeting the guards just outside. "Please inform the High Marshall that we have finished discussions, and we have a plan we would like to share."

It wouldn't take him long to return -- so short was his absence, in fact, that The General wildly guessed he had only been in the next room. More than likely listening in. She knew an outright lie wouldn't be prudent or polite, not that she cared about polite, so she kept her explanation short. "High Marshall, thank you for your patience. We have a group that's going to create a distraction in the front...three of us barging in. We have a secondary group travelling covertly to rescue your son, and if it's alright with you...I'd like a tertiary group to enter the nearest town in case they have supporters there waiting as backup." Not a complete lie. Not completely the truth. Yet, he seems to not care very much and shakes his head. "I can provide modest disguises, credits, and speeders for the purpose," he offers, and to The General, this only confirm that they've been eavesdropping. "Excellent," she deadpans, not really pleased but not yet to the point of being outwardly rude. Yet. "One more question. Would you like them all killed, or would you like some hostages."

"Just kill them. They will have a more merciful fate killed in combat." The General nods, and by the time she turns back to face her Death Knights, the equipment for Kielor and Sharkish'Ki is already ready and speeders for all of them just outside.

"We haven't had any reports of spies scattered through the cliffs, but do be mindful. There isn't an individual on Ailon Nova that hasn't received basic combat and stealth training. And depending on who is supporting them, they may have training even better than that. It's almost impossible to use our scanners in the cliffs." The General suspects that they'll be teleporting in, but she nods anyways. "Thank you, High Marshall," she replies.

The Death Warriors are guided outside by Atticus, and they seem to be atop a high plateau overlooking the canyons and desert of Ailon Nova. "The map to the town is programmed into the speeders. The base is only a few miles away." He turned to stare at the Warriors of Cruor before him. "Whatever you do...I want my son brought back to me alive." A tendril of distrust was clear in his eyes, but The General assured him that this was their sole goal, and there was nothing more to be said.

"Alright, everyone, keep in touch," she orders as she ensures that Sharkish'Ki is grouped with Kielor, Vexx is standing closer to Cruor and Rayge, and Rathan is beside her. "I'll teleport you two part of the way," she explains to the two going undercover into the settlement. "Keep in touch. It doesn't make sense that everyone would be clustered in the one base...especially if there's support throughout the planet for the insurgents. So you need to keep an eye on any backup troops that might be there, too." She paused. "May the Force be with you." And with that, and a brief wave of her hand, a rip in space spliced the air around them, and they were soon swallowed up and deposited in some unknown place...a little ways away from the settlement.

Just as quickly, the rest of them would suddenly find themselves standing on dunes...the sand slowly seeping into their boots as they worked to secure their footing. "From here, we're going to travel by speeder. For one, we want them to know the distraction group is coming up on them. And...we also want to make it look like two of us were picked off. Rayge, that's you and me. I'll teleport us the rest of the way, but we have to put up a fight and supposedly lose. That way they think our numbers are reduced. I'll let you know when." She turned, straddling the speeder nearest to her and starting the engine, waiting for the others to do accordingly. "Watch your backs. I don't know how many there will be," she called over the roar of the engines.

But that was all she said, and wish a push to the speeder's accelerator, she was off.

TAG: @Darth Cruor @Rathan Jakarta @Sharkish’Ki @Grievance Vexx @Kielor @Rayge

OOC: It's time to go!

 

[Sharkish’Ki]

Sharkish’Ki listened, paying attention to the subtleties of the High Marshall. It seemed that The General had picked up his eavesdropping, and this made Sharkish’Ki wary of what information the High Marshall may be be withholding. He’d always been a wingman, a follower, and never a leader. And yet he had questions that he often kept to himself: Why was he here; why were they doing that... and who brought the Jawa to a gun fight, we’re just some of them. But he rarely asked. He just followed orders, and this was no different. It wasn’t his place to question, yet.

And then The General motioned her hand at them. The hair on his arms and legs instantly stood on end, as a midnight chill washed over him. The darkness enveloped him, minute crackles pricked at his body and belongings, and not a blink later he found himself amongst rocks and sand in the bright sunlight.

Sharkish’Ki raised his hand to his eyes, pressing his eyes closed for a moment as the sunshine assaulted his pupils. He stumbled a step to his left, as he regained his footing. It was like taking a barrel-roll in a swoop bike; he loved it, but it always made him queasy. Looking around him Kielor had joined him, and by luck of the draw had arrived on solid ground.

“Well, I should’ve expected that,” Sharkish’Ki looked out toward the settlement in the distance, estimating only a few minutes ride. “We should move quickly, and find a quiet way amongst them. Perhaps aim for a large trade point, and get lost amongst the crowds for a moment... get the feel for the place.” He thought back to the few infiltration missions he’d had as a swoop thug. “I think the last thing we need is to be noticed by small gatherings.”

Sharkish’Ki knelt down into the easily displacing sand, and swished his cloak to one side. He pushed the adaptable lightsaber attachment a little to the left of the small of his back, attempting to further conceal his identity and purpose, and then began to unpack the saddle bag that had been deployed with their speeders. “I’m glad I dressed light!” Rummaging had yielded a dark brown robe, and upon adorning, he confidently straddled the speeder and awaited his companion’s thoughts and input.
@Kielor

 

[Grievance Vexx]

IC- Lord Grievance Vexx
Ailon Nova - En Route to Bust Heads

Teleportation is something extremely foreign to Grievance Vexx and it should come as no surprise to the General that he would not be content to simply let it happen without balking or putting up some reflexive resistance. She will sense this in the Force for a brief moment before he manages to let go of his guarded ways enough for the teleportation to happen without dismembering him or altering his mental capacities in some way. He staggers slightly as he finds himself standing on sand of all things. Good thing EV-A4-D isn’t tagging along for this. As if on cue, his comlink blips.

“Master, I caught an intruder in your lair,” the medical droid speaks above the muffled protest of some unfortunate captive in the background, “Can I feed it to the roggwart? Wait. Where are you? Is that sand behind you? You know that is bad for your cybernetics—“

“Yes, yes. Let Grog eat the intruder,” Vexx replies hastily, severing the transmission and turning to the General with an awkward cough, “Sorry about that. You were saying?”

Vexx typically prefers to come and go unnoticed in most circumstances, but battles, brawls, and pretty much anything pertaining to fighting is an entirely different matter. He likes to make his presence known, blades drawn, all guns blazing, cutting down anything or anyone crazy enough to stand in his way. Such is the way of the battle-forged Kaleesh warrior, which is where his assassin-like stealth capabilities mean nothing to him.

Blazing in on speeders like a gang of rogue bikers certainly doesn’t go against his grain at all. In fact, the more he learns of the General’s plans, the more eager he is to become fully engaged. He listens attentively as General Invadator details her plan, though his eyes survey one of the speeders as though he is looking for something on it. Indeed, he is.

Taking care so as not to interrupt anything the General is saying, he reaches down and removes the muffler on the speeder’s exhaust. Might as well be loud and proud going in, right? Satisfied that at least his ride will be noisy enough to turn heads, he mounts the mechanical transport and revs it a bit before hitting the accelerator enough to cause it to rear up before bolting after their shadow-clad leader.

Tag: @Reiis Invadator @Darth Cruor @Rayge

 

[Rayge]

In a sudden burst of chilling cold, Rayge found himself roasting on the dunes along with Lord Cruor, Lord Vexx, and the General herself. The 4 of them were to be the distraction and had been provided speeders for an obvious nonsubtle approach.

The General addressed Rayge as they approached the speeders...

"We also want to make it look like two of us were picked off. Rayge, that's you and me. I'll teleport us the rest of the way, but we have to put up a fight and supposedly lose. That way they think our numbers are reduced. I'll let you know when."

Rayge nodded in acknowledgment...

"Roger that, General"

She mounted the speeder and looked back to address the team as a whole before making a sharp departure leaving behind a cloud of sand where the speeder once sat. Lord Vexx was the next to depart hitting the accelerator so hard that his speeder nearly went vertical. He streaked behind the General, gaining an incredible amount of ground almost catching her completely.

Rayge had no plans of being last in line plus he had to keep up with General Invadator so he could receive the signal when they were supposed to take a dive. He pounced on the speeder and immediately slammed the accelerator to its limit causing the speeder to fishtail a little before taking off in a blur. Although the General and Lord Vexx were now out of visual sight Rayge knew exactly where they were, thanks to Vexx removing his muffler causing his speeder to sound like a frantic herd of nerfs barreling through the dunes. He quickly closed in on them falling in line behind General Invadator mentally reaching out to her to inform her of his position.

@Darth Cruor @Grievance Vexx @Reiis Invadator

 

[Reiis Invadator]

IC: General Invadator
Ailon Nova: Dunes

The General took note the Death Knights' position as they tore through sandy dunes and took in a severe quantity of sand. If Lord Vexx's droid medic was already angry, he certainly wasn't going to be pleased after they returned in this state, and Invadator couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the thought. It wasn't long, though, before the group could see the canyons a few hundred meters away and before long they would be within the depths of the rocky cliffsides, prey go anyone who tried to pick them off. Good. The General sent a mental message to all of them.

*Aim to kill whoever you can. But don't make it took quick. We want the insurgents to have plenty of warning at the base. Don't be alarmed when I fall off the speeder. All part of the plan. Just keep going and get to the base and attack. Make sure they see you coming. We want them to have all of their forces concentrated there so we can rescue the son.*

Even though they couldn't see her face through a mental message -- not that...it was ever visible -- a smile was clear in her demeanor and in her signature through the Force. This was going to be fun.

The canyons were upon them, and so was the danger.

Blaster bolts and ion canon charges rang out around them from all directions, their aim a testament to the rigorous training of the Nova Guard.

--

Meanwhile, a short expanse of desert greeted Sharkish'Ki, and the town was not yet visible at this distance. If he was wondering exactly where to go, he would soon receive answers. The Ailon Novans weren't known to be Force Sensitive, and even if some were, the percentage was minimal, so all were forced to use a more...obvious means of navigating. The small, spherical dome directly between the speeder's handlebars, which seemed to be some sort of control panel, soon lit up, and a map with directions was displayed with a mechanical chirp. Due East, mostly, but a few detours to avoid cliffs and keep Sharkish'Ki in the barren, and relatively safe, open dunes. The speeder's orb called with an inquisitive chirp, as if beckoning the Sith towards it. Was it...mildly sentient? Possible, perhaps, if you considered droids to be sentient. But either way, the dome had answers.

But the sun was only getting lower in the sky, and the mysteries of the town -- referred to as Saal'een on the map -- were waiting for him. He best be off.


OOC: Apologies for the late update. I totally have excuses but...I'll spare y'all. Please try to get in responses by Tuesday night (or early early Wednesday) so I can update on Wednesday.

Sharkish'Ki...you'll have help in the town, but it may not be the help you expect.

Cruor, Rayge, Vexx....have fun with this! Kill people and do cool things. You have free reign here. The main thing that needs to happen is that they need to think I (and Rayge, if/when he replies) are dead so they don't expect us to go hunting for the son.

TAGs: @Darth Cruor @Rathan Jakarta @Sharkish’Ki @Grievance Vexx @Rayge

 

[Grievance Vexx]

IC- Lord Grievance Vexx
Ailon Nova Dunes, Approaching Cliffs

Vexx chuckles in eager anticipation as General Invadator speaks to all of them through the Force, giving them permission to act as they see fit and reassuring them that a plan is in the works. Indeed, this will be great fun.

He rams on his speeder’s accelerator again, causing it to rear up like a guarlara stallion, then picks up speed, weaving over the dunes and causing waves of sand to fly up as he banks on one and crosses over to bank on another, continuing the pattern while riding full throttle; the sound of the approaching motor with no muffler and the sight of flying sand certainly enough to turn heads.

As the Nova Guard opens fire, Vexx takes extra care to avoid blasts from the ion cannons. That would be most embarrassing if he were to take a hit from one of those; weapons designed to disable droids and cybernetics. He’s not about to be reduced to a pile of motionless scrap metal. Not today and certainly not by these people.

Without ceremony, he drives full throttle into a battalion of the Nova Guard, swinging is speeder at the last minute to slide over the sand and hit the soldiers with the broad side, effectively sending those foolish enough to stand there flying in all directions. Some of them are killed on impact; others are screaming curses at the metal monstrosity as they writhe in agony from their injuries.

The Krigsbefallaf dismounts his speeder and ignites two of his lightsabers as he stalks toward another wall of soldiers, ever alert to their fire still raining down on him and his comrades. He steps on a couple of soldiers still alive in the sand, crushing them into silence and passing by without so much as a pause in his pace. As the blasterfire thickens, he divides his two arms into four and takes up an additional pair of lightsabers. He begins rotating them in rapid succession, shielding himself from the barrage and sending bolts back at the ones whom had fired them. Growling ominously, the killing machine continues his advance, much to the displeasure and dread of the Nova Guard.

Tag: @Reiis Invadator @Darth Cruor @Rayge

 

[Reiis Invadator]

IC: General Invadator
Ailon Nova: Dunes

Well, somebody was enjoying himself. The General grinned watching her friend take the lead and ride ahead of the group, taking full advance of the extra time to slay a substantial quantity of their attackers. *Don't be too good at it, my friend,* she sent through the Force. *We do need them to get the word out.* Oh, she was sure they already had in some form, but she wanted as many details to through as possible, including her own 'death' that she was about to fake right about....

Now.

They had already begun shooting her way, of course, and most of the blasts she was able to deflect by maneuvering or with her Darksaber, parrying bolts back from where they had come. But the cliffs were full of boulders and crevices...and it only made sense that a stray bolt could accidentally hit her speeder and it could send her flying into a towering stone monolith or the ground. Yes...she thought that would be quite likely. A blaster shot, clearly not from a handheld weapon, tore through the desert air, hitting Invadator's speeder across its nose. Faltering, the craft spun wildly before tipping into the ground. Purposefully, Invadator let go taking a dive into the ground just as the speeder exploded besides her.

Grass. She was...lying in the grass. Her original intention had been to take herself further away from the cliffs, landing herself somewhere in the dunes where she couldn't be found. But....clearly, another thought had rivaled that one, and so she found herself not on Ailon Nova. Where she was, she didn't exactly know, but she could hear a beach nearby, and had her mask not prevented it, she might have been able to smell saltwater. Something looked terribly familiar, though she couldn't quite place it. She grumbled to herself under her breath as she suddenly recognized the seaside cliffs and the profile of a stone temple not far away....

And with a second through, she was back in the dunes of Ailon Nova.

With a thought, she let everyone know she was fine, though she was sure they would sense it anyways. *Rayge,* she sent out. *Prepare to fake your death. Vexx, Cruor, Rathan...get to the base and attack!*


OOC: As usual, my next update will come on Wednesday!

TAGs: @Darth Cruor @Rathan Jakarta @Sharkish’Ki @Grievance Vexx @Rayge

 

[Sharkish’Ki]

IC: Sharkish'Ki
Ailon Nova: Desert

Sharkish"ki had been sat aboard his speeder for a moment now, waiting for Kielor, when the speeder chirped. He snapped his gaze toward the dome that sat atop the centre console of the buoyant craft, and pondered. Now to say that speeders came in all shapes and sizes was an understatement, and how exactly the General had procured such a craft for him was intriguing. He may be Sith now, but he was still in awe of machines such as this, and he wasn't about to take it for granted, especially if the thing was about to start a conversation.

The bike itself was a complex shade of charcoal and crimson, and a good three meters long with a tapered and finned nose-cone that drew back up to the usual twin handlebars that curved upward, originating from the lower fuselage, to sit above the console. The seat was comfortable for one, but could accommodate two if the need be, and the stitched synthetic hide of the seat enveloped the usual mechanics and a repulsor technology that that despite it’s regularity, he knew little about. Twin turbine engines flanked the main chassis just distal of his knees, whirring with a quiet hum that betrayed its aggressive, molten-hot internals. And yet a heat-haze emanating from them assured him of their power. The handlebars were warm in the hot sun, and yet the main bodywork hadn't felt that hot at all, considering the bodywork's colouration. He took a grip on the left handlebar and leaned back, till he was comfortable, noting that the accelerator pedals had contracted with his posture, slotting under his feet with a satisfying click.

"So, bike, lets get this show on the road!" he said, as the noise pipped and beeped once more. A hologram had displayed his waypoints in oranges and reds, highlighting the upcoming topography and a dotted line that ran the most direct route across the dunes, from his current position to Saal'een. With his thoughts flitting between his objective and the strange 'Orb', and eyes on the dune-scattered horizon, he took a firm grip of the handles and pushed his toes forward, jetting into the sandy sea ahead of him and leaving a relatively small plume of dust in the bike's wake. "Perhaps Kielor with catch us up." he mused, as the distance between them drastically increased with every passing thought.

The bike didn't quite roar as the turbines suggested, as much as it purred with an electronic whirr, and the energy shield the bike generated through acceleration drastically reduced the wind-sheer and inertia. Sharkish'Ki expected to feel the ups and down of the sands and dunes, and to be peppered by the tiny, time-worn stones, but the sunlight seemed to be his only adversary on this journey, and his robe's hood only did so much to shield him from the glare.

Fortunately, this bike would make swift work of the journey ahead, and Sharkish'Ki was enjoying the comfort... whilst it lasted.

 

[Rayge]

Rayge darted back and forth dodging what blaster bolts he could and used the force to deflect the others, sending them veering off into random directions causing random dust plumes as they struck the dunes. He was following closely behind the General when her speeder was struck by what seemed to be an off-chance shot. Rayge slammed on the breaks causing his speeder to nearly stand on its nose as he did everything he could to avoid what was left of the General's speeder. He jerked the controls hard to the right and smashed the throttle, standing up to help keep his balance he leaned hard to his right to level the speeder back out. He was slightly worried about the General when he could no longer feel her presence around him but the feeling was brief as he felt her signature in the force return. Even if he hadn't sensed her he would've heard her directions telepathically, which reassured him even more.

He knew what he had to do but didn't want to make it noticeable the guard needed to truly believe that they hit him and that he would no longer be a threat. He devised a hasty scheme and went to work. Drawing his random blaster from his boot he fired wildly back at the base. The guard would probably believe his shots were off-target due to the anger of losing a comrade when truly he wasn't using the force to guide his hand and he actually lacked expertise with firearms.

He continued blind firing until the time was right to execute his plan. As bolts landed on either side of him creating a plume of sand he used the dune in front of him as a ramp and launched himself into the air kicking the speeder aside as if he lost control of it sensing in tumbling as it crumbled upon impact. Leaving himself open for a direct shot while in the air he used a touch of the force to keep himself suspended long enough for the guard to get a shot at him. He could sense the bolt getting closer and closer until it was about to clash with him, at the last instant he threw up a force barrier to absorb the brunt of the impact and went plummeting to the sand below ricocheting off of the soft but firm sand a handful of time before coming to halt laying face down in the sand. He mentally reached out to the General to ensure that she saw his 'death'

Coughing up sand and trying to catch his breath

"Milady... I'm down. Where and how do you want to meet up? I want to promptly catch up to Lord Cruor and Lord Vexx before we miss out on all the fun"

He continued to lay still until he heard back from her. If Rayge knew one thing about General Invadator it was that she was always several steps ahead of the plan and was presumably already thinking of what to say to the High Marshall when we returned his son to him.

@Reiis Invadator @Darth Cruor @Grievance Vexx

 

[Grievance Vexx]

IC- Lord Grievance Vexx
Ailon Nova, Pushing into the Cliffs

As the General stages her own false demise, Vexx pauses to watch—perhaps not such a good idea for one to do when one is watching what looks to be the gruesome death of a long-time friend. But perhaps it looks more convincing when, after he watches it, his advance becomes more aggressive, as though he intends to avenge the loss. Sensing her presence still very much alive and hearing her silent command through the Force, he is reassured that she is perfectly fine.

Truly, Vexx is finding all of this combat to be massively entertaining, especially when certain members of the Nova Guard get the crazy idea that they can take him better one on one. Seriously? The Guard sure picks some of the bravest. Not that he disrespects this. It actually leaves him somewhat impressed. They have the guts, just not necessarily the smarts.

“I will distract him! You guys gun him down!” one guard member tells his comrades as he leaps down from the cliffs and charges headlong at the metal death machine blazing a path of carnage through their forces like a hot knife through butter. Vexx finds this to be both amusing and tragic all at once, but he humors the man’s courage nonetheless.

The two face off in the shadows of the towering cliffs, one trying to make himself as small as possible behind his blaster and the other merely circling, four arms slightly raised and each occupied by a glowing plasma blade. The one behind the blaster gives the command for his comrades to open fire, which they do, causing Vexx to crouch low and snarl in both annoyance and mild pain as the hailstorm of blaster bolts ricochet off his armor.

“The ion cannon!” the soldier before him shouts in desperation, “Hit him now!”

Vexx's sensitive hearing picks up the high-pitched whine of the cannon generating a charge. The Force tells him the Guard as a unit is excited. This is their ace in the hole against the colossal droid tearing through their ranks. He leans further on the Force to tell him exactly where that kill shot is about to come from. Somewhere directly above. That individual and the weapon he controls will be his next target, but one step at a time. Evasion is his only defense right now.

His senses heightened in the Force for the precision required for what he’s about to do, Vexx waits, still circling at a deliberately slow pace, making it look like this will be an easy kill; lulling the enemy into a false sense of security and confidence in victory. The pitch of the ion cannon charge rises before going silent. The calm before the storm, but it is not the ion cannon that is the storm.

At the last possible second, as the colored wave of droid-disabling charge leaves the cannon, Vexx launches himself at his self-appointed distraction, leaping high and pouncing on the man with his talons. His courage was admirable, but he never stood a chance as the three hundred pound beast crashes on top of him and flips himself to fling the soldier like a rag doll far back up the cliffside.

“Anyone else?” the cyborg challenges in a deep growl. No one dares answer him with words, although many try to regroup and bury him under their firepower. Still others have seen enough and they begin to drop their weapons and flee. But this is certainly not the end of the fight. Vexx can hear that blasted ion cannon readying another charge...

Tag: @Reiis Invadator @Darth Cruor @Rayge

 

[Reiis Invadator]

IC: General Invadator
Ailon Nova: Dunes

With carnage erupting left and right where the remaining Sith were fighting all who were left of traitorous Nova Guard, it took The General a minute to focus on Rayge and his exact location. Rather than respond to his question with words, she wordless answered it with a concentrated wave of her hand. For his part, Rayge would find that he suddenly wasn't where he had been in the sand, and was suddenly deposited besides The General, somewhere in the dunes of Ailon Nova. "It'll take them too long to realize that we're not there, of course I don't think right now they'll be looking." Her senses extend out to the group still slaughtering the Nova Guard, sensing that Vexx in particular was doing quite well. She smiled under the mask, then turned to Rayge as she cut a vertical line into the space before them which expanded until it was large enough to comfortably walk through. On the other side: more dunes. "This is going to put us closer to the compound," she explains as she walks towards it. When the others pass by on their speeders, we'll make our move. Invadator glances back at Rayge from the other side of the split in spacetime, jerking her head in a gesture for him to follow. "Soon, we'll strike."

Meanwhile, it's death, destruction, and mayhem not far away as Vexx makes the Ailon Nova Guard look pretty inept. True to his hearing, the ion canons are gearing up to shoot another pulse in his direction....but they never reach the culmination of their efforts. Rather, they can distinctly be heard powering down. And Vexx and the others may notice soon after that the blaster fire has ceased. The sudden roar of speeder engines tells them that they're doing on thing and one thing only: retreating. And their direction suggests they're trying to beat the Sith to the base.

OOC: @Rayge -- We'll be making our move soon.
@Darth Cruor @Rathan Jakarta @Grievance Vexx -- Y'all can chase them, but don't yet attack the base. I imagined a slower approach to the base than travelling by speeder...give them plenty of time to prepare so they're distracted. I don't mind if y'all travel until y'all see the base.

--

The orb's navigation system would take Sharkish'Ki towards the outskirts of the town -- not the most obvious entrance, but an entrance of sorts nonetheless. A number of people, civilians, it seemed, milled about, but were quick to avert their gaze and keep to their own at the sight of a stranger. It was eerily quiet, and the Force was filled with quiet caution. This part of the town was quite run down, but it was fortunate that Sharkish'Ki was directed here. It was quiet, and the locals here weren't inclined to talk to anyone but their own kind. And their own kind, it seemed, had little interest in these parts. Distant music and noise promised more activity in a more distant part. Sharkish'Ki would have to be careful where he asked his questions, and what exactly those questions would be. Above all...something seemed off.

The orb that had once seemed integral to the speeder detached itself upon arrival, hovering close to Sharkish'Ki. An inquisitive chirp, friendly though clearly electronic, emanated from the device, as if asking for a new task.

OOC: @Sharkish’Ki


Everyone, please respond by next Tuesday night (or early early Wednesday). I'm sorry this was late.