Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor 
Posts: 469 
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Dec 6, 2023 19:39:44 GMT -8
Onboard the Tears of Kuat Terrh’s tactical planners had sorted out threats and vectors, the pair of Yuuzhan Vong ships had appeared above and behind the Thanatos, right in her blind and weak corner, as far as weapons were concerned. The rest of the Empress’s ships seemed to be engaged fairly heavily. That settled things somewhat. His ships had plenty of firepower and now was the time.
“Set course for this point. Box in box formation with independent maneuvering. Hit this ship,” he indicated the Eviserator, even though he didn’t know the name of it. Its back would be to him and would still give his ships a clear angle on the descending Yuuzhan Vong Mataloks. “The Tears and the Rain of Fire will concentrate on this one. The Primary’s Fury and Distant Thunder will work on the mataloks until destroyed or they break contact. Launch fighters immediately upon reversion and have them form wide of us. Far enough to pounce on anyone who gets caught by the Leviathans.”
The captains acknowledged their orders and the ship quickly oriented and made the short jump to their combat range. Three million kilometers from the battle, the ships dropped out of hyperspace. The four Harrower subtypes making a box towards the enemy, with the Shield Leviathans in the same formation just wider and outside of each of their charges. The Harrowers powered up their weapons and used telemetry from the blind band transmissions from the LightStealth-18s and the pair of Raider Eye scout ships. Their opponents would likely have no warning that they were under fire until bolts started landing. No transmissions were made towards the targets. The ships lined up their targets as TIE Avengers and Missile Boats poured from the ships and scrambled out away from their big ships. Mass driver cannons were loaded with proton torpedoes on board the Harrowers, ready for the intervention of large targets.
The Shield Leviathans charged up their shields and expanded them, covering the direct approaches to one each of the Harrowers, their gun crews ready to pound on any starfighters that might try to interfere. The Leviathans, Celestial Body, Well of Strength, Halting Progress, and Distortions Promise, loaded their mass drivers with flak rounds, ready with their laser cannon and light turbolaser batteries for smaller craft. The captains powered up their pair of gravity well projectors, but left them in standby, waiting for the word that someone might try to jump in on them.
The Harrowers finished their alignment of their weapons and cut loose. Long range heavy ion cannons from two ships lashed out at the Eviserator, golden dashes of plasma torpedoes chasing them. The weapons fired in a staggered pattern, keeping up a steady fire, a torrent of heavy plasma bolts. The trade off such weapons was that it took a full minute to recharge, the advantage, was that it would take only 10 seconds to cross the just under three million kilometers to their distant targets that still needed computer or telescope aid to see properly. Fifty heavy plasma torpedoes lashed out every six seconds. The ion cannons able to achieve a slightly higher rate.
The other pair of Harrowers engaged the Mataloks, their fire from a distance appeared to be a slow arc as they lead their targets downward charge.
Terrh wasn’t sure what the ion cannons would do to biological matter, but it probably would come as quite a shock. He would have chuckled at his own pun, but he had long lost his amusement when it came to battle. He carefully kept his breathing normal, the sound hissing in his helmet. All his crewers dressed in armored space combat gear on their own rebreathers. The damage that was done by modern weaponry was horrible to unprotected flesh, and the vacuum of space made this a hostile survival environment on its own. He stared at the incoming data from the scouts to see what the results of the fire was.
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Lucius Vasili
The First Order
"Would you like a lesson in the rules of war?"
Posts: 123
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lucius Vasili on Dec 8, 2023 8:07:06 GMT -8
--The scales seemed to return to a balance with the arrival of Torkan as all fire from the Mandator turned to the vessel he commanded. It was of a great relief that they did so as the new target would take a lot to bring down. The autocannon shot missed the bridge as it moved, as did the laser fire that came from the Kingsword. Despite this, a new opportunity had arisen.--
Turn us to continue firing on the bridge. Once it moves past us enough, stay with it and drop us down to engine level so we can focus on taking out their movement. Yukinko, wait for an opening and fire two shots at the engines, then turn focus towards the rest of the fighting. Target the strongest vessel and work your way down.
--Doing as ordered, the Cazador and Xyston began to turn around, Vasili's ship firing on the bridge in hopes to get in a bit more damage before the engines appeared. While a few shots hit, many more missed as the Thanatos kept moving out of range of each target. But that was fine. They'd soon get their opening they desired. Straightening out, the crew brought the ships down as the Mandator fully passed them and began their barrage upon the glowing clusters. The Xyston let loose a few shots before moving away, its targets now the Aniquiladors.
Sensors had picked the arrival of two more fleets. It was hard to tell how was with who at first as they held back for a moment, scanning the battle for openings. One was Yuuzhan Vong, the second, ships that couldn't be quite pinpointed but was not fully Imperial. It couldn't be said for certain, but the others suggested a possible Sith variation. He could only guess who allied with whom, but within a few moments, he could see they weren't allies themselves. Thankfully, they seemed to be engaged with themselves for the time being, though for how long was unknown. He had to try and bring this beast down long enough to get into the fight, a determine who it was he'd need to aid.-- |
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Atash S. Torkan
The Solenbaran Diarchy
Posts: 104
Affiliation: Solenbaran Diarchy
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Post by Atash S. Torkan on Dec 13, 2023 10:46:46 GMT -8
--Closer and closer did Lucius's advancing force come to the Mandator, bringing them closer to safety while at the same time, closer to oblivion. A threshold that was the peak of an engagement, the place where advantage and disadvantage could flip in an instant. Yet, his team rested on the latter. The most they could still do was pelt the massive vessel with normal fire in hopes to bring down the shields or render the autocannons inert. He did have his own siege weapons, sure, but the advantage was not yet his. He had lost an Onager, one that had attempted to use its flaming husk as a battering ram. However, despite being close, it wasn't close enough before a second shot was charged and fired, only allowing small debris to batter the monster's shields. The second Onager had since diverted its attention from the autocannons, looking to hit the bridge as it launched a pair of shots towards it. Unlike the Mandator, the ship had to face its target. And with trying to dodge each blast, at this range, it was an impossibility that would only spell its demise. At least while preparing a shot, it could move itself out of a blast before firing again. The Xyston was able to navigate its gun, thankfully, but its size was significantly smaller, meaning it took much more just to hammer away at a single gun.
So close now. Another minute or so, they would breach its primary weapon's area. Then, he could truly bring all to bare from his ship's capabilities. Until then, they just had to hold on.
But hope was slowly waning as another shot was launched, barely missing the Kingsword and taking out the second Onager. His shields took another solid hit by this dropping his defenses again as the crews worked to bring them back, focusing what power they could in the main direction of enemy fire. The shot struck true on the other vessel, obliterating any trace of the ship aside from the remnants that rained down upon its executioner. With that, he ordered the Xyston to focus fire on the bridge. He had little doubt that a secondary, maybe even tertiary bridge existed further in, but it would still bring about a small pause for them to inflict more damage, or so he could hope.
It wasn't long though, before he felt it. That faint desire to just give up and surrender. He grunted in frustration. He knew very little of the abilities of a Force-user. However, being now in his second order that utilized them, their were some abilities he was aware of. What he expected was Battle Meditation. If the rumors were true, they could effectively boost the moral and effectiveness of their allies and diminish the same of the enemy. The battle was certainly going to take a rough turn for them.
The Grand Admiral was a man that typically refused to surrender, but he was not foolish. There would always be times when the odds were stacked so high against you that victory seemed like a distant dream. He knew better in this moment, but he wouldn't lie that this wasn't what they were expecting. The Ren had never been a factor, nor the use of the Mandator V. They had stacked their forces with some of the best ships the Diarchy had created, many that outclassed the older Imperial and even some of the First Order's vessels. And it was clear that where those following Octavian were struck with surprise and had to respond in a hurry, Fiora and the Ren and been preparing and waiting to strike. And with gravity wells of the Prohibidors active, they were trapped in the cage with the lions. They had arrived underprepared to counter such a force and victory, while obtainable, seemed hard to reach, especially with the fading drive of his men. He wasn't ready to give up yet, though he knew they needed to create a way out.
Passing along order for the fleet to target the interdictors, he then requested a channel be opened to all ships that came with him.--
My friends, soldiers and loyal men of the crown. I know that things seem difficult. I know many of you are feeling how hopeless this fight is and that perhaps you should surrender now. I'll admit that coming here, we were met with something unexpected. Be that as it may, it does not mean that we are out of the fight. We can succeed. Believe in yourselves, believe in the cause you joined us to fight for. An Empire that once thrived, torn apart by those that simply disagreed with who was raised to the throne. No discussions, no concerns brought forth so that proper talks could be discussed. Only back room betrayal as they waited for the moment the Emperor was away. No courage or honor to face him directly. Nothing more than cowardly attacks to take advantage, to destroy homes and families. To disrupt the order and peace that had been established. So I ask each of you now to hold your heads high and be proud of where you stand. We will succeed. We will win the day. Show our enemies that we will not falter and we will not give in. For the FIrst Order! For the Emperor!
--He gave what attempt he could to keep moral up. If only such words were easy to bring to pass. If anything, he would at least be at the front, bearing be greatest struggle as a symbol to those that followed.
Suddenly, he was alerted to the arrival of new ships. Dirachy in nature. Vasili's fists clenched tightly, praying these weren't Ren reinforcements. Those prayers were granted were new fire rained down upon the Mandator and the supporting fleet. A new message received, one that brought a smile to his face. With a simple motion of his head, a channel had been opened to Torkan.--
Torkan, my friend, it has been quite some time. It is well to see that you made it out of the coup with the Dirachy. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to be there to aid you and help restore order. Tis a shame that your arrival comes under similar circumstances. But your help couldn't have come at a better time. Said Torkan by keying the console. The display showcased the casualties, the stadistics and the incoming data. An officer, alarmed, yelled from the pit. "Sire, enemy ship incoming, full thrust, we're getting rammed""Calculate possible outcomes and forward them, corporal"At that speed and considering the mass, thrust and hardness of plating... the destroyer could be torn in half.
"Engage right set of sublight engines, full speed. Cease fire and redirect power to them, we have to turn the ship"The officers laboured in the pit, in a fit of frenetic activity. The ship shaked as it started to turn abruptly, changing trajectory. "Simulation. Now"The holographic display was eloquent by itself. They could avoid greater damage, but likely the ship's flank would contact the enemy, causing some damage, but avoiding larger loses and without compromising the ship. "Redirect turbolaser fire to that ship, hammer it, disable its weaponry. Fighters on defensive manouver" |
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Fiora Ren
Knights of Ren
Posts: 352
Affiliation: The First Order - The Knights of Ren
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Post by Fiora Ren on Dec 18, 2023 1:27:05 GMT -8
Even as the Kingsword and the Xyston that accompanied it tried to harass the Thanatos, the massive Siege Breaker continued upon its path, the shields continuing to soak up the unending assault upon it. But Crix knew this could only last so long. The shields would falter soon and then it would be up to the armour plating to soak up the damage done. A task which had remain untested thus far. But he remained hopeful they could quickly deal a fatal blow against this fool whom had once sat as co-leader of a failed Imperial State. The man was little better than the warlords of old, but the vessel he brought was a symbol. A symbol the Thanatos would crush.
Even as the Super-class tried to angle itself away, The Mandator V's bearded prow was almost inescapable at this range and speed. The reinforced prow was put to full test in the clash between the two titans, with the Thanatos maintaining its course to allow the ventral auto-cannons to fire off at close range even as the Super-class fired up into the Siege Breaker's belly
Even as she remained connected with Neith, Fiora could pretty distinctly feel the movement of combat around the Thanatos as the bulk of the fighting passed behind it and the Mandator charged a new arrival. She still maintained her meditation, but with the shifting focus she could also more closely examine those under her influence. In that moment, she focused her thoughts toward Harnan, somewhere in the belly of the Mandator V and seemingly in combat based upon the aura of his that she felt. But what was weird was the lack of any opposing presence she would have expected to sense. But given the presence of Yuuzhan Vong vessels allied with her brother's ships, that would be a likely explanation for a potentially unseen saboteur
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Nem Yin
The First Order
The dark expanse of the intergalactic void is not as empty as they would have you believe...
Posts: 439
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Nem Yin on Dec 20, 2023 5:03:39 GMT -8
Right now, the threat of another Yuuzhan Vong resurgence and invasion was secondary to the threat Nem Yin posed being aboard the Thanatos. Once he was dealt with, then they could worry about adjusting their plans. Baltasar could be forced to relinquish his throne to Fiora and with much of the Empire backing her, Octavian would be forced to abdicate. But they were matters to worry about afterwards. Nem would die here or be forced off of the ship. Harnan was not going to meet his death here. Not yetYou should have crawled back to that ship of yours when you had the chance...As the twin strike came down at him, he swung his shield up, letting it take the brunt of the attack as the blades bit into the metal. But although his shield arm was occupied, he thrusted the spear out, cutting through smoke and flame with the red spear tip, hoping to find his opponent "I prefer to look my foe's in the eye." His hoarse whisper of a voice growled through his gnullith rebreather. "Though you're not the traitor I was expecting." Truth. He detected conviction when Harnan claimed his loyalty was to the throne, not to any one person sitting upon it. What inspired him to turn against Octavian? The love of a daughter? A genuine belief in her claim? From the Executor's point of view, Octavian had the stronger claim to the throne, but there were a myriad of factors to consider. What it meant was that, perhaps, the Knights of Ren were not necessarily an enemy to be exterminated, but a potential ally to salvaged. Of course, for that to happen, Fiora had to survive, and she stood a better chance of doing so if Harnan stood beside her.Harla's tits! Was he really considering what he thought he was? He leaned back and kept side stepping as the hateful spear sliced through the air, barely missing his shoulder as he maneuvered himself back in the direction he had initially appeared from. Forget the turbo-lift. Bending his knees, Nem's acrobatic frame jumped and attempted to drive both his feet into Harnan's shield in a front drop-kick designed to drive his opponent back while pushing his own body further up the hall the way he had come. |
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Harnan Ren
Knights of Ren
Posts: 602
Affiliation: Knights of Ren
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Post by Harnan Ren on Dec 20, 2023 23:38:36 GMT -8
Nem was certainly a slippery foe, with the Yuuzhan Vong managing to keep close to Harnan's shield. It kept them locked in something of a dance of death as Harnan tried to strike Nem and Nem kept barely dodging the strikes
A noble ideal...
As they ended up turning the almost 180 degrees around, Harnan felt the full force of the drop kick into his shield, staggering him back several feet given the closeness of the contact. The flames flared up then, creating something of a wall between the two combatants and preventing them from easily getting at one another. Harnan extinguished the blade of his spear and stared across the flames to the black shape he knew to be the Yuuzhan Vong. He struck his right hand out and activated the nearby fire suppression controls, causing water outlets to douse the flames with water, before Harnan could give chase
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Nem Yin
The First Order
The dark expanse of the intergalactic void is not as empty as they would have you believe...
Posts: 439
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Nem Yin on Dec 21, 2023 9:51:06 GMT -8
Nem peered across the flickering flames casting bright orange haloes across his vision, his opponent seemingly somewhat more sinister as the fire reflected off his metallic armour, yet... He didn't feel the same resentment as before, not after assessing the Master of Ren's morals. This war had never been personal for him or his people. The First Order had always been a means to an end. Whatever happened from this point forwards, he was confident he could steer the path of the Yuuzhan Vong in the galaxy towards prosperity, regardless of what that looked like or who sat on the infidel throne. As the fire suppression systems kicked in and the flames evaporated in a curtain of steam, the Executor twisted the tsaisi around in his right hand and brought two fingers to his brow ridge, offering Harnan a salute. Then he disappeared as the steam cloud enveloped the corridor, mingling with smoke and further obscured by flickering lumens and flaring red strobe lights from the fire alarm.Farewell, Harnan. Something told the Intendant that this wouldn't be the last time he crossed paths with the Knight of Ren. Perhaps next time they met, it wouldn't be as enemies. Only time would tell.A hall away, a great whoosh sounded as an airlock cycled, expelling a dark figure into the cold clutches of the void.
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Harnan Ren
Knights of Ren
Posts: 602
Affiliation: Knights of Ren
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Post by Harnan Ren on Dec 21, 2023 20:06:22 GMT -8
Extraction fans came on at full bore, clearing the air of the pollutants just as Nem Yin disappeared around a corner and made his escape. He gave chase, but at a more relaxed pace, arriving to the airlock just in time to confirm their guests departure. It has been a strange interaction, from which Harnan could only presume that the Yuuzhan Vong had been attempting to gather intel upon his foes. What ever the case, he gave the all clear to the bridge, allowing the sector to be unlocked and accessed once again. With his work done, he made his own way back to the Bridge to get a status update on how the battle was going
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Atash S. Torkan
The Solenbaran Diarchy
Posts: 104
Affiliation: Solenbaran Diarchy
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Post by Atash S. Torkan on Dec 22, 2023 2:46:03 GMT -8
"Use the droid fighters, net formation! Intercept that ship. The cannons! If they hit us, we might be done!"
Torkan ushered the command and across the field a number of the scores upon scores of automated droid fighters flew towards the ramming ship. They formed some sort of imaginary weave or net, flying as a compact wall of fighters. The AI-controlled ships managed to fly effortlessly despite the closeness to each other, being in a very tight formation. The automated starcrafts simply headed straight onto the ramming ship's large siege weapons, firing their lasers in unison, a rain of green-tinted projectiles that illuminated space with a sickly hue; a barrage so intense that very few shieldings could endure. And, then, they simply kept flying, throwing themselves agains the heavy weaponry, swarming it, unafraid of even flying straight up the barrel. Those flying in the periphery of the formation then diverted from it and targeted what their automated will perceived as key points in the enemy ship's ventral surface, impacting against turbolasers, circuitry, nodes, windshields and such; all that could disable the fearsome twin cannons, so powerful that they could even glass part of a planet's surface. While the fighters did such a masive manouver, the Super-class managed to divert its trajectory. The veteran officers on board, some with decades-long careers, knew how helm a ship effectively, or so it seemed. Torkan glanced the projections on his console and leaned towards it, intensely focused.
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Nem Yin
The First Order
The dark expanse of the intergalactic void is not as empty as they would have you believe...
Posts: 439
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Nem Yin on Dec 24, 2023 5:54:40 GMT -8
Tumbling through space after being ejected from a maintenance airlock on the Thanatos' ventral side near the stern, Nem received something of an unobstructed view of the battle enveloping the system, so long as he wasn't looking in the direction of the Mandator he was growing further and further away from. Despite the bright lasers and missiles streaking across the void, the only sound he could hear was his own breathing as the lungworm connected to his gnullith rebreather continued to pump air into his lungs. Equipped in a vacuum cloaker, he could be out in the vacuum of space for several hours before his air supply ran out, though he was hoping that wouldn't be necessary. He swore he could feel the frigid chill biting even through the protective layers of his second skin. After making his escape he had activated his villip beacon, which hopefully... A long flexible tendril coiled around him, latching onto the Executor before pulling him towards a dark shadow in the void, quickly exposed as the same stealthed Sekotan starship he had arrived in. The arrest tentacle that caught him pulled his body up into the bosom of the Star Biscuit's underside and he soon found himself deposited on the floor of the small internal storage bay. On his hands and knees, he reached up and stroked the side of his hood, causing the transparent membrane over his face to retract before he lowered his hood and stumbled to his feet.Thirty second later he strode into the cockpit, where his chazrach manservant Scab was already extracting itself from the cognition throne. "What are we looking at?" He hissed through his rebreather at the mute reptoid, whose only reply was a concerned stare from an otherwise simple set of eyes. "That bad, eh? Alright, let's think this through." Nem slid into the cognition throne, feeling his awareness shift as microscopic cilia slid into his pores to connect symbiotically to his nervous system. A tall-yor descended from the ceiling to enshroud his head in a fleshy hood that pierced the skin around his neck with tiny hooks of bone, drawing his awareness into the ship and allowing him to perceive the world around him through its organic sensors. He brought up the same tactical display that his comrade Prefect Ur Skell was staring at aboard the Miid Ro'ik warship 'Carcharodon'.Thanks to their earlier part, the Yuuzhan Vong forces the First Prefect had brought with him at the outset of the battle had suffered significant losses. He'd always known they'd take a hit, which was part of the reason he had recruited as many warrior caste as he could get into contact with after the coup that had led to the dissolution of the Praetorite Council. They yearned for an honourable death, and by all accounts he had given them that, though that justification didn't make it any easier to swallow. He'd committed his people to this fight, shedding Yuuzhan Vong blood for the infidel cause, and now he was beginning to wonder if it was a worthy one. As a spy, he didn't see the galaxy in white or black, he operated in the grey where things were not always as clean and clear. He found himself now in just one of those situations. Harnan hadn't thought himself a traitor, this wasn't a simple play for power at an opportune time. The Master of Ren had thought himself to be performing his duty, to a daughter who perhaps had as much right to claim the throne as Octavian. It made this whole sordid affair a less palatable pill to swallow. What was it all for? This didn't feel like justice."Scab, open villip communications to Alith." His brow ridges furrowed behind the cognition hood he wore, creased with consternation. "We're changing tactics." It took a full minute before the hanging villip in front of the Executor inverted to produce the likeness of the commander of the Carcharodon's face. Alith looked relieved to see the Yu'Shaa in one piece, though even that couldn't conceal the rapid puff of his eye-sacs or the slight strain in his jaw. The youngest member of their domain had done well so far, despite the odds, but was no doubt feeling the burden of leadership as keenly as a blade of guilt twisted in Nem's own guts.{{ Nem, you're alive. }} The Executor raised a brow. {{ Was there ever a doubt? }} {{ Ha! }} Alith barked humorously. {{ Never. As eager as I am to take over as the head of our domain, I know you are too stubborn to die. }} That much was true. {{ Thanks...I think? }} He shook his head. {{ Alith, I want you to pull back what's left of our fleet. Get as much clearance from that big one as possible. }} {{ Uh, you may have missed it, Nem, but a few more allies showed up while you were aboard that monster. The Supreme Commander is here, along with a few more infidel allies. }} He paused, then spoke again. {{ I think we're winning. The flagships shields will be down in moments. }}{{ Alith, what's an angry quednak do when cornered by a pack of bissop? }} {{ Pffft. }} The commander blew a raspberry. {{ What else? It charges. }} {{ Exactly, and right now that ship is the quednak and our fleet are the bissop. Let's not be there to get trampled. }} {{ Ah, I see your meaning. Alright, we'll pull back. }} {{ Good. Then contact the Supreme Commander and advise him to do the same. Somethings not right here. This battle wasn't at all what I was expecting. I think we've been manipulated, though I'm not sure by who or why yet. This whole thing feels like a setup to sap our strength. When we reach Coruscant, we need enough forces intact to hold the would-be Emperor to his promises, at least until I figure out who we can trust. }}{{ Harla's tits, Nem. These kriffing infidels... }} Yeah, that was a sentiment they shared. {{ What are you going to do? }} {{ Someone's been pulling these strings. I'm going to find out who, and ask them why. Alith, you've done a good job playing me so far, keep it up for a while longer. I'm going dark. }} In front of the Intendant, the villip puckered as the telepathic transmission was disconnected.
"Yammka's blood." Said an exasperated Alith on the bridge of the Carcharodon as the villip transmission ended. "Why can't it ever be simple? I hate this galaxy." Gritting his crooked teeth, he leaned over the coral bridge railing and began giving orders. "Ur Skell, order our remaining ships to regroup and get clear of the big ship's path. Let the infidels finish this. Nem doesn't want us taking anymore losses before the push for Coruscant.""Easier said than done!" Growled the Prefect from the tactical display on the other side of the bridge. "We're pretty entrenched in this fight, but we'll try." Now he had to go explain ask the Supreme Commander to pull out right after he had asked him to commit his forces. Yammka's thorny cock, Esthh was going to be pissed. "Open a villip transmission to the Supreme Commander's ship." He said, then waited as the warrior stationed at the villip choir connected to the allied Vong's forces. Alith did his best to appear as contrite as possible. {{ Supreme Commander, I just received word from Nem. He's figured something out while aboard that enemy ship and thinks the infidels are being played. We're going to try to fight our way clear and regroup on the other side of the debris field left behind by Baltazar's forces. I advise you do the same. I'll be happy to explain everything once we're beyond immediate threat, but suffice it to say, it's to our benefit that as many of our ships survive for the battle to come. With a strong enough representation of force, we can negotiate our own demands of the victor. }}Already the Carcharodon was turning hard to port, unleashing a broadside volley from its heavy yaret-kor in a streaming barrage of molten fire across the void as it began to break away from the battle. Scores of yorik-et kamikazed themselves into the hulls of the ships in their way, blowing a path clear as the advanced scout ships spearheaded the way while the yorik-vec cruisers still disrupting communications supported them on the flanks. Dovin basal arrays manipulated gravity to drag enemy starfighters and debris along with them, using them to screen incoming fire.
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Lucius Vasili
The First Order
"Would you like a lesson in the rules of war?"
Posts: 123
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lucius Vasili on Dec 26, 2023 13:17:51 GMT -8
--As the Kingsword worked to turn around, it continued to fire its shot at the rear of the Mandator. It was able to get a bit out of range for most of his weapons, but a few continued to make impact. As the vessel finally turned to face their enemy, Vasili ordered the engines to maximum power. They had to close the distance the best they could. It was highly unlikely they'd get close enough to fully focus upon the engine again and diminish its speed and impact force should it be successful in ramming the Super. All they could do was hope they could keep it from escaping. At least then, they could continue wailing on it until it was finally destroyed or they could take it over. Time would tell as orders to the starfighters continued in their attack runs against the bridge.
Razgriz squadron had gotten thrown into the mix of fighters, keeping them from being able to make another run. But upon finding an opening, they broke and made another run at the ventral autocannons. They only a had a pair of missiles each. They had to make their shots count if to truly add any extra damage. Moving at full speed, the Silencers pushed themselves underneath of the Mandator, coming up on the gun the targeted in their first run. Ten more missiles launched in harmony before they broke away and reentered the fray with other starfighters, mostly focusing on defending their bombers or taking out enemy bombers.
The Xyston had gotten closer to its targets. A lot of energy had been focused into the autocannon and with the glancing blows it had taken from the Mandator, its shield strength was running low. Had they turned to conventional weapons, their shields would have remained stronger, but they couldn't pass up taking down targets with a single shot when it was able to make impact. But coming up on the ships in the battle, they had to switch to regular turbolaser as any blast from the autocannon risked damage to itself. They couldn't risk that as it let loose a barrage of turbolaser and ion cannon fire.-- |
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Post by Esthh Krazhmir on Dec 29, 2023 17:02:27 GMT -8
Esthh watched with the enhanced vision of the ship and his yammosk, small flecks of grutchins were almost to their target, the Mandator V, but the swirling of ships front and back now was a likely garuntee that everyone would now collect at least a few of the nasty creatures.
His ships were almost to plasma weapons range when bolts of weapons flashed in from the outer reaches of the arena. The continuous fire was unexpected and smothering. Some of the bolts flashed by, the majority of the stream however were disturbingly accurate. The colors flashed in his eyes as the ship both screamed in pain and tried to convey that its sister was also taking a brutal mauling. Hot plasma punched through the ships spewing particles and clumps the temperature of the surface of a star as they found their own trajectories, former yorik coral armor, bone, and other materials that made up a ship.
The pilots reacted quickly, violently pitching the ships upwards towards the still unseen source of the fire to narrow their profile and present dovin basals to the threat. The ships momentum kept them drifting towards the fight, albeit much slower. The yammosk was likely the calmest one on the ship as it fed Esthh the information and status on his ships. The maneuver seemed to have bought them time. The incoming plasma rounds continued to pass along their former course. Had they continued he had no doubt the ships might have been destroyed outright. He did a fast assessment. Both mataloks were heavily damaged, functional for now, but not likely to continue in any battle worthy state. He wasnt even sure that the ships might live. There wasnt much of a reprieve, the plasma bolts returned and the two mataloks started shifting up and down, left and right trying to stay out of the concentration of fire as the dovin basals tried to suck up as much of the incoming damage as they could.
The villip choir started pulsing for attention and an adept slapped it active. The villip shifted rapidly to the likeness of Alith. Esthh listened to the news that he delivered. It was good that his visage was hidden by the hood, his eyes would have conveyed murder.
{{There will be much to answer for Prefect. Right now I have to extract my ships from this mess.}}
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Dec 29, 2023 17:08:10 GMT -8
Terrh watched the holographic of the battle, the Yuuzhan Vong mataloks had apparently taken hits and had pulled out of their dive upon the Mandator. That was one threat halted. The Xyston class star destroyer seemed to be settling in behind the star cruiser, which he couldn’t do much about, not at the moment. It appeared that the Miid Ro’ik was also attempting to disengage. Still a concern but if they wanted to withdraw he wasnt going to stop them.
The portion of the battle
“All ships shift fire to the Imperial III. Alert the Missile Boats, I want sandwich strike on that Xyston. See about cracking her in half.”The missile boat squadrons set a straightline course towards the battle, to come out above and below the Mandator V and engaged their hyperdrives.
The four Harrowers concentrated fire on the Eviscerator. Their long range ion cannons blinking across space out to cripple the vessel, the plasma torpedoes reaching out to immolate it. If the ship stayed on its course, it could expect to catch more than a star destroyers broadside six times.
The missile boats flashed back to normal space at full throttle a dozen kilometers above and below the Mandator, charging forwards and spreading out even further than their jump had adjusted them, covering almost 90 degrees above and below the plane of battle. The ungainly craft nosed over, or up, and commenced to relieve themselves of their explosive ordinance as their computers growled that they had acquired their directors target. Twelve squadrons, 144 missile boats, spewed a deadly rain as fast as their tubes could clear. In mere seconds the missile clouds were loose, and the Missile Boats turned away. Almost 6000 advanced concussion missiles and over 4000 advanced proton torpedoes arced down towards the Xyston. The smoke from the concussion missiles creating if one could think of it that way, a beautiful display. The pink from the proton torpedoes raining in like an alien planets rain. With every second the weapons picked up more and more speed, adding it to their already considerable closure rate.
The missile boats didn’t wait to see however, and once they were turned away from the nearest threats, most of those already being fully involved in the swirling furballs around the Mandator’s front, and engaged their SLAM systems and moved away rapidly towards the edge of the gravity well and safety.
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Fiora Ren
Knights of Ren
Posts: 352
Affiliation: The First Order - The Knights of Ren
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Post by Fiora Ren on Dec 31, 2023 22:58:36 GMT -8
When The Master of the Ren arrived back to the bridge, Grand Admiral Harend was quick to bring Harnan up to speed on their new situation. Their forces had been a good attack and invasion force, but it was not an ideal composition for defence of Ralltiir, not with the Golans still out of action. With the quick briefing down, Fiora's image appeared in holo form next to the command table
Fate has turned against us in this battle... I spread our forces too thin...
You made the decision you thought was right at the time...
We cannot achieve victory here. Order our forces to retreat. We need to regroup back at Empress Teta. Have Admiral Othin head for Kuat.
Yes ma'am!
Fiora's image disappeared as the comms officers started relaying the orders across what remained of the fleet at Ralltiir. Ships started pulling away from their current engagements and making the jump to lightspeed. Harnan, meanwhile, contacted Terrh
Admiral Othin, Pull your forces back and make for Kuat.
Harnan did not await a reply before closing the comm line. This was in part due to the fact that the Thanatos was already pushing up and away from the Super-class that had thus far managed to narrowly avoid being rammed and having a pair of auto cannons fire in such close proximity to it. Soon, however, the Hyper drive had been spun up and the Mandator V jumped to hyperspace just over the bow of the Super-class. It was not the ideal outcome of this battle Fiora had been hoping for, but it was the hand that had been dealt the Ren. She merely had to adapt to the moves she was forced to play and do what was best for the Ren over all. They could resent her choices and actions later on, when they were still alive as a result
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Lucius Vasili
The First Order
"Would you like a lesson in the rules of war?"
Posts: 123
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lucius Vasili on Jan 6, 2024 9:49:52 GMT -8
--The Kingsword continued to push forward as quick as they were able. Unable to bring it to a stop, Lucius was simply relieved that Torkan was able to navigate his vessel just out of the way of the attempted ram. Further relief fell upon him as the moment the Mandator had missed it tore off into hyperspace. Despite the continued battle around them, each of the ships supporting the Ren vanished as well.
Heavy breaths escaped the Grand Admiral's lips as the realization of the battle's end began to settle within his mind. What looked to be a lost cause had turned around in the last moments of the fight with their reinforcements. Though they had lost quite a few ships, some of high strategic value, they had put some hurt on the enemy as well. And despite how it felt in the moment, the Ren's retreat had signified their victory here. But this was just the start. They had peeled back the curtain of a suggested reality to see something new: this war was between three groups. And they had gotten a glimpse of what the Ren had to offer. The only advantage the Emperor's forces was they had pushed the offensive while the Ren hadn't expected a need to defend. With Torkan bringing in a vessel that could fight the beast, victory was far less assured. However, next time, the Ren would be ready. As such, so did they. Never would they know when the next attack would be. They had to be on guard at all times.
Moving away from the viewport, Lucius moved to the command table and the holoprojector. Motioning to the communication officer, a channel was opened to the Emperor.--
My Lord, Octavian Delvardus. We have taken control of the orbit around Ralltiir. Reinforcements had arrived for both sides, but with the arrival of Torkan, the Ren made their retreat. He have suffered quite a few loss, including the pair of Onagers and heavy damage to the Xyston. Reports are still coming in on the status of all in the fleet. |
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Nem Yin
The First Order
The dark expanse of the intergalactic void is not as empty as they would have you believe...
Posts: 439
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Nem Yin on Jan 7, 2024 6:49:57 GMT -8
As the Thanatos jumped to lightspeed, a nimble slice of what otherwise seemed like space rock manipulated the forces of gravity, locking on to the departing Mandator and following it into darkspace. Nem had a lead, and now a trail to follow. With any luck, the answers he was seeking would be found at its end. With the Star Biscuit's departure, that left the remainder of Praetorite Fleet the Executor had brought with him regrouping at the edge of the debris field.On the bridge of the miid ro'ik warship 'Carcharodon', Commander Alith Yin and Prefect Ur Skell stood around the blaze-bug tactical display, studying the numbers and trying to reassign aid where it was needed. Already the warships dovin basal arrays were pulling in space debris towards their arrest tentacles, to be broken down and digested for their raw materials by the damaged living vessels. Losses were heavy, all things considered. With relative peace out in the Unknown Regions for the moment, the destruction of the two A-vek Iiluunu was not insurmountable. Either could be easily enough replaced in a few months time at the shipwomb orbiting Zonama Sekot, the same for the staggering amount of yorik-et they had lost. Less replaceable were the warrior caste combat pilots, who were in much shorter supply and took far longer to produce. Alith didn't like thinking about his fellow Yuuzhan Vong as simple numbers, but this was war, sometimes that required cold calculations. Gritting his teeth, he slammed a closed fist into the display, pulping a swarm of light producing beetles in a wet squelch.What was it all for? The First Order, had it all been a fever dream for a hopeless people adrift in an unfamiliar galaxy? Emperor Nicademus Delvardus had offered them territory in return for their service. Shili, a fertile world meeting their requirements. Reward for their aid at Byss had gained them Anobis, another agri-world of plenty. By all accounts they had seemed to be prospering, returning from the cusp of extinction, on the verge of a Yuuzhan Vong renaissance. Then the betrayal from within by the heretical shaper Loraine Zun'qin, the self styled Supreme Empress, had left them such a gaping wound that they threw in all their remaining chips with the First Order. A fools gambit. This civil war had forced them to give up the territories they had earned, while spending Yuuzhan Vong lives and resources to secure systems and worlds dictated by the crown. What was Ralltiir to the Yuuzhan Vong? Why should they care if the Knights of Ren claimed it when the Yuuzhan Vong had been told to forfeit the spoils they had earned? Was this really what was best for the Empire, or was this just more of the boy-king's hubris?"What will we do?" Asked Ur, leening on his amphistaff like an old Yuuzhan's walking stick, practically reading Alith's thoughts, which was easy given how visibly the young Intendant's body shook with barely contained anger. "The infidels will surely want to push on after they've regrouped and run repairs. The next battle is already drawing near."Closing his eyes, Alith lifted his hand from the display, still dripping with bug goo. He used his fingers to kneed the tight flesh over his brow ridges, contemplating as much as easing his rage, mastering his emotions and emerging colder for it. When his mqaaq'it snapped open, they were the same emerald hue as Nem's, changing colour as he tried to put himself in the mind of his Domain leader. Then he lowered his hand and manipulated the display's reflex, tweaking it so that the holographic projection changed from the fleet layout to their next likely destination. An ecumenopolis at the heart of the Core, what his own people had once claimed as Yuuzhan'tar."Coruscant is the final prize. With the Ren forces run off, the loyalists will likely wish to push on further core-wards and take the galactic capital, defeating Baltasar and punishing the traitors." He reached up to the nape of his neck and pulled the fleshy folds of a hood up over his head, casting shadows across his ghoulish visage. "But I for one have lost my taste for punishing traitors, and the polluted techno-scape of Coruscant is a poor prize.""Admittedly, I see little we would gain from that conflict, other than suffering further losses. But to not go would risk alienating ourselves from the loyalist forces. We don't want to position ourselves as the next supposed traitors to be disposed of." The Prefect grimaced. "Blood of Anor, our options are precarious.""We go." The Commander nodded. "What other choice is there? But we don't spend another Yuuzhan Vong life on this conflict without good reason. Our losses suffered here were great, we can use that as an excuse to remain in reserve, while allowing the loyalist infidels to lead the brunt of the assault. We'll make a show of assistance, picking up stragglers, fleeing vessels, nothing to commit ourselves in any significant way. Then when the smoke clears and enough of these Imperials lie dead at each others hands, we make our demands from a hopefully war worn Octavian. If we don't like the deal, we make our move and strike out for the Rim, raiding the unprotected Imperial worlds along the way while the First Order is still counting their dead. We will receive our due, or we will take it by force.""Would Nem..." Ur began, then shook his head. "Never mind. Of course he would approve. Very well, you have our full support." Around the bridge, all the other Yuuzhan Vong in attendance were standing, facing towards Alith who seemed surprised as he turned to face them. All those hard faces looked resolute, as equally committed to this path as they were to the young Intendant who led them. Reaching down to his hip, he drew his coufee blade from its coral sheath and held it up over his head, gripping the bone dagger backwards so that the serrated edge curled back towards his forearm. All across the bridge, the warriors and intendants present did the same, taking up the salute of Domain Yin.
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Post by Octavian Delvardus on Jan 10, 2024 11:06:47 GMT -8
My Lord, Octavian Delvardus . We have taken control of the orbit around Ralltiir. Reinforcements had arrived for both sides, but with the arrival of Torkan, the Ren made their retreat. He have suffered quite a few loss, including the pair of Onagers and heavy damage to the Xyston. Reports are still coming in on the status of all in the fleet. |
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Lucius Vasili
The First Order
"Would you like a lesson in the rules of war?"
Posts: 123
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lucius Vasili on Jan 13, 2024 9:39:43 GMT -8
--With his new orders, Lucius had his comms officer pass on the Emperor's message of thanks Atash S. Torkan. Soon they would be heading to Coruscant. They would need a bit of time to make repairs, but for the meantime, his ground forces would ensure that all traitors would either surrender or die in quick succession.
Opening up a comms channel, he gave his orders to the head of their ground teams.--
Colonel Viades, deploy our troops to the space stations and ground below. Ensure the traitors that remain are dealt with quickly. There shouldn't be many. The battle with the Ren would have undoubtedly weakened all across the board.
--It wasn't long before troops were being deployed from all his vessels splitting up between the surface and the space stations.-- |
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Nem Yin
The First Order
The dark expanse of the intergalactic void is not as empty as they would have you believe...
Posts: 439
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Nem Yin on Jan 27, 2024 8:41:37 GMT -8
Miid Ro'ik Warship - Carcharodon Floating among the debris field, the Praetorite Fleet feasted on the carcases of warships to replenish their supplies, grasping shattered hulks and bits of charred durasteel to be broken down to their base mineral composition. Meteorites brought from Taris that hadn't been utilized in the battle made for even hardier meals as the yorik-vec cruisers and advanced scout ships used a combination of dovin basals and arrest tentacles to pry them apart. Shapers stationed with the fleet worked in the cold void, equipped with vacuum cloakers as they began to assemble replacement yorik-et for those lost in the battle. Anything salvageable from their own destroyed vessels was broken down for its bio-matter and repurposed. The loss of life, however, was less easily replaceable. They'd lost a lot of warrior caste pilots in the battle against the Ren, losses that would take years to recover from. The shapers worked silently in the frigid black embrace of space, breathing through starfish shaped gnulliths while their oxygen was provided by lungworms adhered to their backs. Even the Carcharodon showed battle scars, though they were quickly healing as yorik-coral regrew and glossy excretion armour spread across the dreadnought's rocky hull."Any word from Nem?" Asked Alith, studying the resupply and repair effort of the fleet on a qahsa device, leaning against his command pulpit on the bridge. A fat stubbed cigar stuffed full of medicinal Shili Shatter hung from the right side of his lip, burning an orange coal on the end as he sucked and chomped on the tip, occasionally exhaling clouds of smoke that obscured a skeletal face already barely visible through the shadows cast by his hood. His hand gripped the organic computer tablet tighter than it usual would have, a sign of the agitation he felt, and anger.From across the bridge, Prefect Ur Skell looked up from his own efforts. His scarred features were illuminated by the holographic display projected from the blaze bug tactical display towards the rear of the room. The Prefect was surrounded by subordinates, mixed members of all castes as he coordinated a dozen different things at once. His expression was blank, but Alith could see the strain around his fellow Yuuzhan Vongs mqaaq'it as the Prefect's dark purple eye sacks pulsed and constricted. "Nothing since he reached Empress Teta. He stopped contact once he reported the position of the Ren fleet remnants." He paused long enough to pick up a coral container of narcotic sparkbee honey, slugging it back in a single swallow, his mqaaq'it bleary as he slapped the cup back down on the table. "Perhaps we should follow. He could have run into trouble and a combined effort with the Imperials might be enough to finish the Ren fleet before they have a chance to recover from the battle.""No." Alith shook his head, crossing his lean muscular arms over his crab plated chest, his glowing implants downcast at the floor in thought. "He wouldn't appreciate it, nor will we be sharing this information with the Grand Admiral. We'd be heading straight from one fortified stronghold to another. Besides, I'm not convinced the Ren are the enemy we thought they were. I trust the Executor's judgement. Something about this doesn't smell right. We'll finish our repairs while the allied forces under the Grand Admiral complete the reoccupation of the planet. When they've completed securing Raltiir, I suspect they'll want to move on. We need to be ready when that happens."Ur's brow ridges raised expectantly. "To move on Coruscant?" "Not necessarily." Replied the commander, putting down his tablet to crack his knuckles, the cartilage of his joints popping audibly. "While the bissop are hunting burnish, the den is unprotected. It will take a considerable show of force to retake Coruscant, leaving Bastion largely undefended.""Attack...our allies?" The Prefect's eyes went wide. "Are you mad?" A plume of smoke blew from Alith's thin lips, curling into a predatory shape before the cloud dissipated. "That's exactly what I am. Furious, even. Raltiir wasn't the fight we were promised and it cost us dearly. This whole war has. Everything the former Emperor gave us we have been asked to abandon, for what? So that his whelp can sit on some throne that is meaningless to our people? Every stage of this insurrection has seen another piece of this Empire chipped away. What will be left when all is said and done? Perhaps it is time we acted in our own interests." He sucked back on the cigar, filling his lungs with acrid smoke, allowing the affects of the herb to ease and ebb his anger. "We won't make a move without the Executor's say so, but I want us ready, in case it proves prudent to do so. This Imperial infighting has left a sour taste in my mouth.""That could be the kush." Quipped Ur Skell, hoping a bit of humour might alleviate the commander's ire. He looked at the display, manipulating the control reflex to bring up a star map of the Unknown Regions. "If you are set on this path, might I make a suggestion? Rather than Bastion, which true enough might wound a First Order stronghold but fail to cripple its war capacity, we move on a different target? Ilum is the Empire's gateway to the Unknown Regions, where our people still have colonies even if current political tensions with the Praetorite run high. Were we to take it, we could build a bulwark against any future First Order reprisal.""I see your point." He stroked his chin ridges. "Draw up plans. We wait on word from Nem, but if he agrees, there will be no better time to make our move. Now, do me a favour and fire up the oggzil. I wish to speak to this Grand Admiral, assess his mood and see what his intentions are."Sliding a hand down to his hip, Alith removed the gnullith rebreather hanging there like a limp jellyfish and brought it to his face, allowing the proboscis to slide down his throat. When the lower half of his face was hidden away, he manipulated his occular implants, changing the mqaaq'its hue from cobalt blue to the same emerald green that Nem so often displayed. When his disguise was completed, the youngest member of Domain Yin stepped in front of the villip choir and waited as a holographic image of his form was broadcast to the commander ship of Grand Admiral Lucius Vasili. The commander affected the same cadence and tone as the Executor.This is First Prefect, Nem Yim, to Grand Admiral Lucius Vasili. That was a hard fought battle, Grand Admiral, against an enemy we weren't expecting. I wonder if the price of victory was worth the cost. The Ren won't be an easy ally to replace, nor are they an enemy we want at our backs. They may have fled the battlefield but they are far from defeated. What now? |
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Lucius Vasili
The First Order
"Would you like a lesson in the rules of war?"
Posts: 123
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lucius Vasili on Feb 3, 2024 7:27:36 GMT -8
--The time spent undergoing repairs and securing the planet had left Lucius plenty of time to think about what was happening. His thoughts shifted back to the start of it all and wondering just how and why things had fallen apart as it did. Nicademus had established a grand empire, but was that the whole problem? While Octavian was, no doubt, learning how to succeed his father, the former Emperor's death came as a surprise and left many shaken. There was so much that was thrust upon him, it would be foolish to think he could ever just step into the roll and things would be as they were. He firmly believed this and was why he continued to serve the young leader. Was he anything his father was? Not quite, not even Nicademus was just a capable leader from the start. Everything took time, yet it seemed many didn't realize this. Instead of standing by him, many apparently questioned the choice of making Octavian the Emperor and sought to replace him with one they thought better.
But the real question he couldn't flesh out was when all this began. Was it after Nicademus's death or were the wheels in motion beforehand. To have not one but two groups fight back was strange. Those under Balthasar was truly unexpected, however, the Ren's betrayal was less so. If anything, many probably wondered when it would happen. But to be led by his sister, something didn't feel right to the Grand Admiral. Proof was something that was going to be difficult, if not impossible to com by, but he felt a greater plan was lingering over all this. That meant the final question was where this was all going? Was it simply about just breaking up the First Order and weakening it? Was it to simply a chance to take over or pull away? Or was there a greater endgame after the battles? Would a fourth group rise up when all were weakened? So many unknowns with no certainty on the path forward. All he could do was trust in the Emperor and keeping following the path he set before them.
Deeper into the time of repairs, he received communications for the First Prefect. Moving forward, he addressed the Vong.--
Indeed, it was. A civil war with a single opponent is bad enough, but to have an unexpected third disrupts things further. Still, with his sister within their ranks, I had hoped for a stronger connection with the Ren. It seems my hopes on the matter were wasted. Whatever brought about turn of events is unknown, but it no longer matter for now. They had stood against us and we will face them. Its but a shame that the Emperor is having to bear this so soon into his reign. Left to sudden lead a vast empire only to be looked at from the start with jaded eyes and comparisons. It seems that all expected him to just be another Nicademus, or close to one and be capable of fulling leading out of the gate. He had yet the chance to prove himself a leader worth following and all this is pulling it away more and more. By the end, he will have shown his strength or it will break him before ever letting him find his footing. --He took a breath, shaking his head. This was not the time for personal vents. They had job to do and they needed to stay focused.-- We will be moving to Coruscant once repairs have been made. We will be joining the main force to remove Baltasar's grip before pressing into the deep core. Other forces are already being divided to handle other locations in the core to ensure neither the Ren or Baltasar can get support. Get ready, for we will be moving out soon. |
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