Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2015 19:16:47 GMT -8
Titus gave a nod to Master Calmcacil, with the link being cut off a few seconds later, before he turned towards the wall to his right as he felt a disturbance in the force that was unlike the usual changes caused by war. Whilst he would prefer to go investigate the matter himself, he could only trust that the issue was in the capable hands of his fellow Jedi, since he needed to focus his attention on the assault that was at hand. He took his seat again as the column continued moving towards Kepitenochan, the MAS-2xB self-propelled turbolasers briefly held their positions just out of range of the AA defences.
They were still a little ways away from the edge of the forest, when the AT-TE stopped and Titus and his men disembarked from the vehicle whilst the column began to split up and fan out around the edge of the city. Although the encirclement move had only begun, the central force was already moving on the city from the forest, to draw the attention of the defences, which were already under attack from the Felucian forces, with the AA guns being dealt with in short order by the X-wings and K-wings, allowing the self-propelled turbolasers to close in on the city and unleashing a barrage of turbolaser fire upon the mortars. The HAVw A6 Juggernaut and a pair of AT-TE's soon broke through the tree line and started to fire upon the sith forces that had amassed to meet them, with the accompanying Legionaries quickly rushing out from the tree's or deploying from the vehicles that had breached the city.
Titus and the Praetorians were already on the front lines alongside the Legionaries as they pushed into the city, occasionally taking cover behind various fortifications that had been abandoned by the Sith forces that were pulling back to strengthen their defence. Just as the Legate had predicted, the Sith were pulling back to reinforce the Government Tree now that the attack from the rear by the Felucian forces had cut off their escape route. Updates were soon coming in from across the city as the encircling forces slowly made their approaches in, opening new fronts for the Sith to have to fend off. It wasn't long before the Praetorians were splitting up to deal with several Acolytes that were trying to fight back, undoubtedly sent forth as cannon fodder by their Sith masters who prefered to remain in the shadows and away from the danger that was quickly coming to deliver justice upon them
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Darth Belial
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"The difference between gods and daemons largely depends upon where one is standing at the time."
Posts: 220 
Affiliation: The One Sith
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Post by Darth Belial on Oct 11, 2015 22:50:39 GMT -8
Kachirho City
~ Coastal Metroplis based upon the Wawaatt Archipelago, Several kilometres South of the Temple Fortress.
It wasn’t long after the darkening of the skies, that the heavens themselves began to weep. Of those that huddled within the relative safety of their homes within Kachirho City, many had become divided in what to believe brought about the coming of the storm. Some had thought it was the planet itself mourning the lives of those that were slain upon her enshrouded crust, whilst others had come to think of it as the waters of change personified. No matter the course their train of thought had taken then, in more ways than one, all paths would hold some manner of truth. For change had come to Kashyyyk, though in a manner that would sadly see the forests watered by blood and fire.
With a majority of the populace placed within the comfort of their own homes, those that had still sworn loyalty to the Sith had set about fortifying the city for any eventuality. Sharpened shovels and clawed hands had dug into the heart of the sand-encrusted beaches, laying the foundations for a vast and comprehensive network of defensible trenches. Anti-Aircraft emplacements were wheeled out from the tree bound metropolis’ massive armoury and installed at several critical junctures along the woven lattice. Lengths of razor wire were drawn along the gaps between the fabricated firebases and were supplemented by large metallic pillars buried into the sand to act as hastily improvised Dragon’s teeth. This would provide the boots on the ground with some measure of defense against those that would seek to invade the city from the seas, which if reports were correct, would be the most logical route for the enemy to take as the surrounding forests were too thick for any sizeable force to threaten the city.
Confident in their choices, the Sith that held the forested conurbation in an iron-fisted grasp, kicked back and waited for the enemy to arrive. They doubted that they would penetrate the erected defenses, but when the shield had fallen, fear began to gnaw at their previously emboldened hearts. They had believed themselves safe, and secure, yet here they were - exposed and ripe for the picking. Soldiers within the sandy trenches were drenched by the unceasing rain, threatening to break what was left of their fragile morale should this storm never abate. Once functional equipment began to short out and require extensive repairs, leaving the men one step closer towards accepting an unconditional surrender. What would be the point of fighting for the world that wasn’t theirs to begin with? And to the natives, the seeds of doubt had begun to take root within their minds and fester into something that their overlords would consider treasonous. Maybe the mysterious leader of the Rebellion, this Renwarook character, had been right to rise up against the Sith. Sure, they were supposedly freed by the Sith in the past, but that was a long time ago, and the planet had simply changed one dark master for another.
Slavery was still slavery, no matter which lie you cloaked it with.
That was when the clouds had parted, and for a fleeting moment the relentless downpour had ceased. All eyes turned expectantly towards the heavens, hoping to see the arrival of their salvation, only to have the sensation of hope curdle into despair. Born aloft upon cloud swept wings, a DP20 Frigate bearing the bladed fan crest of the Hapan Consortium descended to the surface of Kashyyyk with it’s proverbial fangs bared for the killing blow. Small coruscating arcs of azure lightning danced across the curvature of the vessel’s shields as it burst through the billowing mass of condensed water. The sight was one that was terrifying to behold for those that had a more superstitious demeanor, as they believed this warship had been the personification of their deities Ire for their wayward worship of the False Gods. Such overtly pious thoughts were given life as the turrets of the gunship had ratcheted into place with frightening alacrity. Cries of defiance roared up from the rainswept burrows as those impetuous enough to believe they could beat a single ship with what they had on hand, whilst others had slowly begun to back away and retreat from the front lines. Foolishly, those mortals that had remained behind were those that were not natives of this primal system; a blessing in disguise when all was said and done. Thus, as the targeting computers of the warship had confirmed that a majority of the Wookiee populace was holed up within the tree-bound city itself and that the army that had remained upon the beaches were mostly Human in nature, emerald bolts erupted from the guns with a deafening cacophony of destruction.
Bombarded from up high by the Steinheart, the hastily erected fortifications were obliterated in a storm of viciously energetic cannonade. Razorwire melded with seared flesh, and the sands themselves began to crystallize into bubbling shards of glass as the targeted strike pounded the defenses into oblivion. After several heartbeats had passed and the blitz had ceased, billowing contrails of smoke sizzled out of the impact craters, leaving behind nothing more than ruination across the breadth of the burrowed out beach. With their guns silenced upon the orders of the Captain, the DP20 Frigate had slowly begun to turn upon its gravitic axis, bringing the weapons to bear upon the city itself. Though they would not fire, for a fleeting moment, those enshrined within the spiraled city tree had believed they would face the wrath of these seemingly heartless benefactors. When the guns had done little more than remain stationary, those within the city that held tightly onto the fester seeds of doubt had risen up against their tyrannical masters. Riots broke out onto the ironbark walkways and spilled into the heart of the city itself. Chaos would reign for a time within the heart of Kachirho, but as hope loomed upon the horizon, such a rule would not last.
Within the gathering mists across the expansive sea, dozens of armed shuttles surged forth into the fray. Though the bombardment had softened up the beachhead, it had not completely annihilated the enemy forces and their fortifications. Such an attack was meant to open up an avenue for the spearhead to pierce the defenses, and as the gunships tore into the enemy lines, the Warship had done just that. Beams of emerald speared into the trenches, as the gunships touched down within the currently Sith controlled front lines. The blast doors had slammed back, and squad after squad of the Royal Hapan Space Marines dismounted their faithful steeds to take the fight to the enemy head on. Other shuttles had landed aside the ones ferrying the infantry to the surface, and like their more heavily armoured cousins had discharged their cargo onto the scarred landscape. S-1 Firehawke Hovertanks had skimmed into forward positions, pounding the various formations of enemy armour and shelling the remnants of the fortifications into dust. Though they were more compact than the average battle tank, they packed quite the punch; some would even compare their armament to the venerable All Terrain - Armoured Transport. Several walkers, bearing the All Terrain Defense Pod classifications had stormed the beaches after being detached from their shuttles, providing fire support when required and gunning down heavy concentrations of hostile forces when they had come across them.
As the mission counter had passed two hours, the beaches were taken and only a handful of Sith soldiers had survived the proverbial lightning strike. While the inflicted casualties were astronomical, those that had been sustained was slowly on the rise. No matter how well one prepares for war, mistakes are always made, and in combat one single error can mean your life. Thus, as the tally crawled towards the double digits, those that had remained behind the ever advancing assault force, began to police the corpses of their fallen sisters and remove them from the benighted dunes. While it was true that they would not live to fight another day, their equipment would serve a new generation of Space Marines; and secretly many had hoped that they would not meet with their tragic fate as the previous bearers had. Nevertheless, with the riots occurring within the coastal city and the encroaching forces of the Consortium, Kachirho City would not remain within the Sith’s grasp for long.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Oct 13, 2015 16:42:47 GMT -8
*The sky above them flashed, Aerandir sparing only the briefest glance upward. A storm? His suspicions were confirmed when the thunder rumbled behind them, as though heralding their march toward the city. Aerandir allowed himself a small smirk; and here he'd thought the dark clouds in the sky were merely a reflection of the dark cloud gripping the planet itself.* "Looks like we're gonna get a little wet," *he commented idly and a little obviously.*
"Lewd," *he heard a trooper mutter, eliciting quiet snickers from some of them.
Aerandir allowed himself the briefest of smirks before addressing the group at large,* "Alright now, let's get serious. Even if they are in disarray, we don't want any accidents."
*A joke came to Michelle's mind, and it showed in a grin. A grin her brother clearly caught, and he shook his head at her.* "Don't say it," *he warned, though it was clear he was suppressing a smile himself.
She hesitated, contemplating saying it anyway, then, still grinning, nodded to her brother, keeping her joke about the enemy wetting themselves to herself. Some of the troops made mock-disappointed noises, but Aerandir was right: Disorganized or not, these were still Sith-led troops, and they'd take any opportunity they could find to make a mess of things. While each and every man and woman gathered here knew they could very well be taking their last breaths here on this world, all of them desired to fight another day, and they'd be damned if they'd allow any preventable deaths.
The rain came at last, a downpour that wasn't impossible to see through, but still obscured their vision of the incoming city. Steam rose from the blades of the two Jedi, droplets that stood little chance against their superheated surface.
Aerandir strained his eyes; this could be a slight disadvantage. Speaking loudly into his comm over the downpour, he spoke to the scouts,* "What are we looking at?"
*After some brief static, the reply came, also speaking loudly, though more over the whine of their bikes than the rain.* "They're scrambling to put together a defense force. We've hopefully scraped the numbers down a bit, but we're headed back toward your position. The Saurian forces have about made their way in, and they've disabled some of the surface guns."
*His speech was interspersed with blaster fire and explosion sounds, coming in on a slight delay after Aerandir saw them himself in the distance as bright flashes, only the explosions barely-audible from this distance. If Titus' men were already almost within the city...* "We're lagging behind, let's step it up," *he commanded the ground forces, and indeed they all began to move faster, jogging at a near-run towards the city perimeter, the AT-PTs also picking up in speed dramatically.
Guns. Turbolaser fire aimed in their direction. It was not too accurate, Aerandir attributing this both to their distance and the obscuring rain, but he did not need to speak a word; already the LAAT gunships were moving in on their positions, drawing their fire away from the forces on the ground. The flashing exchange of fire between the guns and the ships preceded the brilliant flashes that indicated the emplacements had been taken out. The city was coming into view now, the enemy seeming to have mustered a defense force to meet them.
Aerandir put the Force at his back and sped ahead of his men, Michelle following his lead as they pushed ahead of their walkers, spreading out some. Steaming blades met incoming blaster fire, diverting them aside to minimize any casualties to the troopers. The walkers opened fire in the general direction of the gathered enemy troops, causing them to scatter and take cover. Blasterfire came in bursts from under cover, but all this did was mark them as targets for the walkers' rockets.*
"Save some for us!" *A trooper called out as Aerandir nearly breached the city perimeter.
He smirked.* "Gotta come get it!"
*He and Michelle entered the city limits at last, landing in the middle of a group of soldiers under cover. Their first reactions were of slight shock, then they opened fire on the two. Putting their backs to each other, the siblings deflected any and all bolts that came their way, many back towards their senders, disabling some, but outright killing others. Aerandir hoped to minimize casualties as much as possible, but knew that, in the heat of war, deaths would be unavoidable. Many, if not all, of these soldiers swore fealty to darkness anyway, and, while he liked to believe that some of these could be persuaded otherwise, the likely outcome was that they could never turn from their dark desires...*
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The Shepherd
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Post by The Shepherd on Oct 15, 2015 16:18:57 GMT -8
...The gunships were loaded up and began their long ascent, jerking on occasion; apparently the pilots were less than thrilled about almost being struck by lightning. And as soon as Rutil even thought he would have a signal, he spoke into his comlink.Attention all hands. Attention all hands. Be advised, the shield is down. I repeat: the shield is down. |
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Oct 16, 2015 22:34:45 GMT -8
*Lasers sang to the beat of the thunderous drum, blades dancing along. The walkers had reached the perimeter, making for the larger targets such as artillery. The foot soldiers entered the city and began their assault, picking out ample cover and targets as they opened fire on the loyalist forces. Aerandir and Michelle had made considerable progress, defeating several enemy troops. The defense force was not without Sith, of course; one attempted to challenge them, Aerandir leaving Michelle to handle nearby remaining troops while the Jedi engaged the warrior himself.
Though Aerandir successfully defeated this opponent, he was not the only such enemy. Fortunately, his men were both coordinated and had experience fighting Sith, but that did not stop Aerandir from lending a little distraction support, making them easy targets for laser or cannon fire.
Thanks to their combined efforts and disorganization on the enemy side, Aerandir and his men were able to avoid casualties, though of course the vehicles took a few dents and scorch marks, and a few troops sustained minor injuries. The soldiers were able to doctor these wounds in captured territory before pushing on with the rest of the unit, and it hadn't taken long until they had achieved their goal of securing their section of the city.
And that was when the call came in, which Aerandir almost missed but was able to catch the repeated message as he pressed the earpiece with his fingers. The shield was down. His eyes widened ever-so-slightly before he repeated to his men,* "The fortress' shield is down! Say again, the fortress is open to attack! And that's where I'm headed."
"Woah, say what?" *Michelle jogged up to her brother's side, looking both curious and excited.
Aerandir nodded to her, serious determination etched on his features.* "So we need to get moving." *He started to jog away from the city, once more talking to his men.* "Bring the bombers to the fortress, we'll no doubt have some guns to neutralize. I need the rest of my men here to keep the city secure. I'll be at the fortress as fast as possible."
*The whine of one of his speeders had built as he spoke, before one of his riders brought his bike around in front of him. He stopped, putting the bike in idle as he hopped off of it and gestured toward it.* "Take my ride, sir."
*Aerandir looked upon him for a brief moment before flashing him a smile and clapping him on the shoulder.* "Appreciate it." *He then ran to the speeder and climbed aboard, Michelle hopping on behind him and grasping onto him as he brought the speeder to life. And then the two of them were off to the fortress...*
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2015 21:40:03 GMT -8
Titus had just force pushed an acolyte into the side of a wall as the first flash of lightning had struck the ground far off in the distance, causing him to pause for a second as he wondered if he had perhaps tossed the man a little too hard, before he finally noticed the storm clouds that had rolled in during his fight. Titus briefly glanced at his comm link, before tasking a pair of Praetorians with cuffing the acolyte and getting him to the holding area, as he then made his way back behind the front lines to where the HAVw A6 Juggernaut was located. It was a small relief to be out of the steady downpour as he made his way into the Juggernaut, with Legate Africanus looking up from the holo display he had been toiling over to organize troop movements to give a brief nod
Whose bright idea was it to turn on the waterworks?
Not mine, but someone definitely called this storm in for a reason...
It hasn't exactly made our job any easier. Visibility is down, and the lightning is posing concerns for the Turbolasers, since they're basically giant floating nuclear bombs under these conditions...
Suddenly the comm's activated as the broken message came through from Rutil that the Fortress shield's were down, with Africanus pushing a button to expand the map as it indicated the various forces now moving towards the Fortress. Titus then understood the reason for the weather, albeit overkill considering they only needed to short out a generator, after all, it wasn't like the rain was providing them any tactical advantage otherwise. Regardless, he kind of had to smile at the irony of Rutil's rush to the fortress, especially when the place was still able to call in ground reinforcements, since the Zabrak had been so eager to try prevent a rush groundside from orbit
Care to explain why you're so happy?
Oh nothing, Legate. What's the situation like otherwise?
Well, all of the Cohort's are about done landing, so they're making a final push to secure the last of the villages on the far side of Kepitenochan so that we can cut off the Fortress. So far the reports have indicated that the Sith and their Acolytes are either holed up here or have retreated to the Fortress, which your Jedi friends are rushing towards now. Speaking of your friends, there is something you need to see...
Africanus then entered in a couple commands, before the map recentered itself on a patch of forest nearby and replayed the Spearhead's earlier movements, albeit in slightly sped up fashion. Titus watched with interest, not quite sure why the Legate was showing him this, when suddenly a number of objects were detected being dropped from the ship into the forest below, quickly causing him to take on a more sombre expression as the Legate continued
We wouldn't have paid this any mind, but one of the lookouts noticed this and saw a number of people falling from the ship...
And they call us cold-blooded monsters...
Some interesting allies you've got yourself there Master Jedi. It would appear that the Jedi Order does not seem to share your sentiments on redemption.
So it would seem... I want that backed up and a copy sent to my datapad. Once we capture Kepitenochan, I'll head for the Fortress with the Praetorians, since I'm sure you'll be able to watch over some prisoners...
Legate Africanus nodded and was about to dismiss Titus, when a comm line opened up from Titus' second in command of the Praetorians, an image of the man appearing on the holo display between the two of them
Sir, the city is ours, the Sith holed up in the Government Tree surrendered when they realized the Fortress shields were down.
Good work. Quintus, gather the men together, we still have another fight to finish.
By your command.
The holo display then returned to an overview of the city as Titus turned his attention to Africanus, quite relieved that their fight here was done and that he could head to the Fortress to join the fray there. Africanus could already feel the Jedi Master's question coming, before nodding his head towards the door
Go on, I'll take care of things here...
Titus gave a bow to the Legate before making his way out of the Juggernaut and to the meet up point where Quintus had gathered the Praetorians as a drop ship landed nearby. The group quickly loaded in, before the dropship lifted off again and made it's way towards the Fortress, with a handful of the MAS-2xB self-propelled turbolasers following suit and changing their course
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2015 0:36:11 GMT -8
The transport set itself down near the Government Tree, before Titus and the Praetorians disembarked from the ship, which took off again and headed up for orbit. It wasn't the only ship making for orbit either, all of the Chistori forces were already in full extraction mode, which didn't overly surprise him, since nearly everyone else had also taken their leave of the planet as soon as they could. Titus dismissed the Praetorians and sent them to check in on The Saurian Deliverance and prepare it for take off, whilst Titus himself headed to the command table where Legate Africanus was over seeing the evac. As the Legate looked up at him, Titus could already tell that something was not right
I didn't expect you and your men to hang around long Legate, so no hard feelings...
I wish that was all that was wrong... But suffice it to say, Master Jedi, I fear things are far worse than you believe. By the time I learned of what had happened and confronted Centurion Drowned Wesand, the HNN had gotten a hold of the files and aired the story...
Africanus then turned a holo projector on, before the HNN story was played, reporting on the murder of the prisoners and using a copy of the files that Titus had asked to be backed up. Footage was also shown of the bodies that were strewn throughout the tree tops that had been captured by the small recon team. He'd been a fool to think he could keep this matter under wraps until he had confronted Master Calmcacil regarding this matter, but the word was already out, and the HNN appeared to be having a field day. Africanus then paused the recording and turned the holoprojector off
Well, it was bound to come out eventually, especially with all the media attention following this crusade...
I'm afraid that isn't all. This aired just after you left for the Fortress, and public backlash on Chistoria was all the opposition to your Jedi Order needed... I'm sorry Titus, but it's over. The Council voted, and if you and your people attempt to return, you will be captured and imprisoned as accessories to a war crime in violation of the Galactic Conventions. If there is anything you need from the Temple, I'll organize it's extraction...
Titus slammed his fist down upon the table, putting a small dent in the surface and causing the few loose objects sitting atop it to go flying. It had taken him years to build that alliance, to ensure the safety of force users amongst the Chistori people, and all of that had been shattered in a matter of hours by the actions of one arrogant zealot Zabrak Jedi Knight. He then leant forward, using both of his fists to support himself against the table as he collected himself, knowing that it would do him no good to lose his temper at the Legate
I apologise Legate, that was uncalled for on my part... I do hope this matter has not reflected badly upon you and your men...
Alas, no. By throwing your order under the bus, the Council managed to keep the Legion out of this...
I'm glad. As to the Temple, there is nothing that cannot be reacquired elsewhere. But do me a favour, ensure it is destroyed, I don't want anything in it falling into the wrong hands...
Very well, I shall see it done. Take care Master Jedi.
You as well Legate... Also, I return to you the AT-TE you gifted us, since I have nothing to transport it off world.
Africanus gave a nod, before organizing the walker's transportation. Titus then headed through the city to The Saurian Deliverance, not stopping once as he headed for the cockpit, before setting a course for Felucia as the YZ-900 Freighter took off and headed for orbit, making the jump to hyperspace once free of the world's gravity well. The last of the Legio IV soon followed suite, with the C.S. Argento and C.S. Scarto retrieving their fight compliments, before making the jump out of system
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Post by Darek Antilles on Oct 30, 2016 21:47:35 GMT -8
It was a quiet day on his little corner of the beach today. A nice change.
The first three days had been utter hell. Noise, chaos, and rain...so much rain.
Finally, he had a day to enjoy the sunshine on the sand while his tech was hard at work. Only a few yards away sat his copper brown A-Wing stuntfighter. The cockpit sat open, his toolkit sitting on top of the right wing. Inside the cockpit, the fighter's radio flipped channels as it broadcast the same transmission on a recycled loop. It was a signal that hadn't been used in...how many years was it now?...
Five. Five long years.
His shoulders heaved in a sigh, his hands rested behind his head. He doubted anyone here would know the signal, but he had to try. He was desperate. The Corellian Run, the Rimma Trade Route, the open Expansion Region...they had all been washes. He was frustrated, tired...but more than that, the loneliness was starting to get to him. More than once, he'd reflected on his decision to do this on his own. That conversation with his closest squadmates, Lola and Byron, had been harder than he thought it would be...
That few months had become two years. Two years jumping from one planet to another, searching for any sign.
Now, here he was, praying to whatever deity called these trees home, that the Shadows' old distress call, inspired by a song learned from the Ewoks back on Endor, would be familiar to someone. An old friend, even just someone who had passed by before that day.
He needed any lead he could get.
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Zalor Anneri
Crew of the Wayward Son
There will be justice for Theed. Trust my anger.
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Post by Zalor Anneri on Oct 31, 2016 20:03:31 GMT -8
One hundred and fifty kilometers south of the small city of Orriorr, four Wookiee hunters could be seen trudging alongside the shorelines of the ocean near their home. They each had bowcasters, swords, and whatever hunting and camping gear they could carry with them.
After the monsoons had ceased, it was prime hunting season for the Wookiees, and one much older wook was leading a hunting party of three younger, less experienced wooks. Since it was easier to catch prey out in the open near the shores, where much of Kashyyyk's native creatures could go for a drink of water, the older wookiee maintained a patrol along the edge of the brush from the shorelines, hoping to ambush potential game from the forest's edge as they came out onto the shorelines.
They had been at this for several hours, bagging a few kinraths that strayed too far away from the woods' edge, but the younger wooks weren't satisfied until they got something more sustantial, something story-worthy to tell their honor family back home, such as a katarn or even a mighty anakkona.
The older wook was about to suggest to his three younger counterparts that they should head home, but something caught the eye of the youngest wook.
Brryvrook, who had the darkest fur of the group by far, was the furthest into the woods when he stepped on something metallic. It was the broken fuselage of what appeared to be an old starfighter. After glancing at it a few more minutes, he looked up to see the rest of the starfighter some ten meters away from him. He motioned for the other wooks to come join him.
(In Shyriwook) "Ralwaar! Freyyr! Telluff! Over here! Look at this! The young Wookiee took off towards the ruined ship.
"What? What is it? Is it a katarn?!" Telluff, the more energetic and impatient one of the party quickly ran leaps and bounds toward Brryvrook, hoping that they had finally found some decent game to hunt.
At this, the oldest member of the group, and the leader - Freyyr, turned to the two young wooks and grunted at them harshly, yet softly, so as not to spook whatever else was out there. "Hush, Telluff! Do you want to ambush your prey, or would you rather chase it and wear yourself out?"
"No, Hunt Master!" Brryvrook replied with a shout. "It is not prey - it is an old ship! It may have treasure in it!"
"Treasure!" At the thought of finding valuable off-worlder trinkets, Telluff ran faster towards Brryvrook's location.
The much older Freyyr, who was one of the 'Hunt Masters' for their village, quietly and calmly followed the two younger wooks to whatever it was Brryvrook had found. He wasn't so much exhausted by the antics of these much younger, inexperienced Wookiee hunters as he was frustrated. Ever since coming back to Kashyyyk from Endor, Freyyr had enjoyed helping his home village recuperate and rebuild after a very long Sith occupancy of the planet. He had requested his old friend, Zalor Anneri, the human he had sworn a life-debt to over ten years ago, that he part ways with him for a short time to help rebuild his home. So far, it had brought him joy - he could see his brothers and other honor family members break free from their dependency of the corrupt Sith and revert to the old traditions of the Wookiees of Kashyyyk. And yet, the more time he spent back on his homeworld, the more he missed adventuring with his human friends. He even missed the Ewoks of Endor, whom he had come to respect all the more for how well they hunted and fought, despite their much smaller size than the Wookiees.
He had been made Hunt Master for his village only two years ago, as a means to try and find some new way to teach younger Wooks how to survive out in the harsh forested wilderness. Unfortunately, many of the younger wooks he had been saddled with lately were not unlike the impatient and impulsive types like Telluff and Brryvrook. In fact, in the last few weeks, his only source of joy was the much quieter, more patient and more reclusive Ralwaar, who the youngest of the three, plenty young enough to profit from some good teaching. He had bagged the most game in the past three months of training under Freyyr, and Freyyr was delighted to see his progress.
As he trudged towards the ruined ship, he turned back to see if Ralwarr was following him. When he couldn't see the fourth wookiee anywhere, he stopped and roared out to him. "Ralwaar! Ralwaar? Where have you gone? Ralwaar?"
The fourth member of Freyyr's group, Ralwaar, was over half a kilometer away. He had spotted a katarn trudging its way along the shorelines and had decided to break from the group to silently follow it, so as to get the drop on it when it stopped for a drink. However the katarn kept going, never stopping even for a second. The observant young wook watched its movements, and before long he noticed that it was sniffing the air as it went. Like it smelled something. The beast continued to crawl towards whatever it was tracking, and Ralwaar diligently tailed behind it, keeping far enough away from it so as not to scare it off.
Little did Ralwarr suspect that what the beast was smelling was the scent of a human.
If Ralwaar were to look up, he would see that, five kilometers or more from where the group was, there was a strange, pointy starfighter near where some sentient figure that looked like a hairless Wookiee, sitting by themselves along the shoreline...
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Post by Darek Antilles on Nov 1, 2016 16:40:09 GMT -8
After touring so many planets in search of his long lost friends, Darek had grown into a routine. Find an open field, set up camp, start the broadcast, get cozy and wait. The wait was the hardest part. He needed to find ways to pass the time. The first few planets, he'd spent the time plotting his path ahead, sticking to planets and stations where he was most likely to find someone. The most complicated part of finding a solid flight path was avoiding anyone friendly to the First Order. Now, he'd plotted so far ahead, he needed other ways to pass the time. Today, he was watching the clouds overhead, looking for familiar shapes in them, as he hummed along to the tune his fighter, the Screaming Bullet, was broadcasting. He couldn't hear it now, but he had listened to it so many times setting up and testing the broadcasts that he practically knew it by heart. Still couldn't sing the Ewokese lyrics to save his life, even with an ale in his system.
His was just about to decide the shape of the cloud in his sights - was it a cauliflower or a mushroom? - when the Bullet's proximity alarm rang out. At this distance from his fighter, he might normally have heard it, but the day was quiet, and he kept an ear out for it in case of trouble. He lifted his head and looked around as he sat up, though he didn't expect to see anything yet. The fighter was set to alert him of movement within a few kilometers around and anything larger than a transport overhead.
Darek stretched as he took, letting out a groan as he felt his thigh pop. He made a mental note to go for more strolls, maybe start an exercise routine, and started that new routine with a walk back to the Bullet and checked the scanners. Two blips showed up, moving faster than a standard walking pace, but slower than a speeder. Best guess, it was moving on foot, and fast. On a second, closer look, Darek noticed the closer blip was much larger than the second. He swore under his breath when he saw it making almost a direct line to his location.
With a sigh, he opened the concealed compartment on the right interior cockpit wall, grabbed his DY-225 blaster pistol, and checked the charge. He doubted it would do much to stop a creature that size, especially on this planet, but it was better than nothing. He grabbed an extra power pack and stuffed it into his belt, grabbed his emergency macrobinoculars, and hopped back out onto the sand. He stepped out towards the water to get as clear a view as he could as he tucked his blaster into his belt and brought up the binoculars, watching for any movement.
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Zalor Anneri
Crew of the Wayward Son
There will be justice for Theed. Trust my anger.
Posts: 296
Affiliation: None (currently) - Jedi Shadows(formerly)
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Post by Zalor Anneri on Nov 4, 2016 20:10:30 GMT -8
Brryvrook and Telluff spent at least three minutes inspecting the cockpit of the decrepit, overgrown starfighter wreckage. They found the pilot's helmet, which the pilot had abandoned long ago. Telluff tried to put it on his head, but - since it was clearly a human's pilot helmet, he had no success. They had found dehydrated food found in the pilot's small toolkit, which they immediately tossed, since it was well past expired. Finally, they decided to push the buttons on the fighter's console, to see what worked.
After three minutes of not seeing Ralwaar, Freyyr began to get a bit worried. He turned back to the two younger wooks inspecting the ship and growled.
(In Shryiwook) "Telluff! Brryvrook! Stop acting like kits and let's go! We need to find Ralwaar."
"Hold up, Hunt Master! We haven't found anything worth bringing back home yet!" Telluff shouted back from the cockpit, determined to find a worthy trophy in place of a decent kill.
"We could just take the helmet, you know. That'd be interesting." Brryvrook took the pilot's helmet and shoved it into Telluff's arms. Telluff merely tossed it and continued to dig through the cockpit's contents.
"Brryvrook! Telluff! We're leaving!" Getting impatient, Freyyr, the old Wook, roared loudly at the other two wooks.
Freyyr was just about to storm over to the cockpit and drag the two wooks away by their head hair when suddenly, Brryvrook somehow managed to turn the ship's radio on. To his astonishment, the radio still worked, although it only squawked snow at first. However, after turning the dial next to the radio, suddenly a song began to play. It was in a language neither of the two younger Wookiees had ever heard before.
But Freyyr had heard it before. He knew the song well. It was a song of the Ewoks.
Freyyr hadn't heard an Ewok singing in years. After falling silent and listening to the song play, he began to realize that he heard that particular song before. It held some special significance to him, although he couldn't quite remember why.
He suddenly had an urge to get closer and listen. He quickly turned and ran towards the ruined fighter, shouting at the two wooks... "Wait, don't touch that radio dial!"
Brryvrook and Telluff turned back to look at Freyyr as he rushed towards them, eager to hear what was going on. They seemed rather confused by Freyyr's sudden change in behavior. "What is it, Hunt Master? Do you know what this song is?"
Freyyr didn't respond right away. He got right up to the ship's cockpit so he could listen. He listened for at least ten seconds before finally nodding. His shaggy hair seemed to tingle with excitement. "I know it.........I know it well."
Ralwaar tracked the katarn for half a mile before he finally made out what the creature had picked up. Before long, he saw the pointy starfighter sitting on the shoreline. There was a sentient being next to it. He was small, and mostly hairless except for the top of his head. Ralwaar had met humans before, but he didn't ever recall seeing one like that. He was still too far away to tell exactly what the human looked like. But he was sure the katarn had smelled him. When they were only 300 meters out, the katarn went from a fast jog to a full run as it began to charge at whoever was next to the pointy starfighter.
Ralwaar growled under his breath. He knew katarns could be mean when they were hungry, and he wasn't sure if this sentient could handle the beast by himself. Ralwarr himself began to break into a full run. As he did so, the young Wookiee took out his Bowcaster, loaded it and primed it...
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Post by Darek Antilles on Nov 4, 2016 20:45:12 GMT -8
After some careful effort to refine the binoculars' focus, Darek got a bead on his target, and felt a knot twist in his gut. Even a clear view of it didn't tell him what it was, he wasn't familiar with this creature, but it was big, and it was charging right for him. Judging by the teeth and claws, he had no doubt it was looking for a late lunch.
Darek watched it run along the shore for only another few seconds, trying to gauge its speed. He'd never outrun it, his blaster would be useless, and it being native to this world, climbing high would be pointless. His only option was to take to the air.
Darek turned and broke into a full sprint back to his A-Wing, kicking up tufts of sand as the toes of his boots dug into the sand with each step. He didn't bother to look back, he didn't need - or want - to know how fast the thing was gaining on him. He jumped onto and slid across the Bullet's left wing and dumped himself into the cockpit, daring a quick glance down the shoreline as he roared the engines to life.
He considered lifting off and taking the beast out with a well aimed shot, until he saw another figure behind it, and remembered the second signal on the scanner. It looked a lot smaller, and appeared to be following the creature. He couldn't take the risk of a shot until he knew for sure if the other would be a threat or his new best friend. Instead, he opted for a scare tactic and gave the engines a second roar, hoping to startle the creature and at least stop it in its tracks. If the other life form was stalking this thing, he might not get a better chance to take it down.
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Zalor Anneri
Crew of the Wayward Son
There will be justice for Theed. Trust my anger.
Posts: 296
Affiliation: None (currently) - Jedi Shadows(formerly)
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Post by Zalor Anneri on Nov 4, 2016 21:17:49 GMT -8
Katarns were big - and fast. This particular katarn was a young katarn, possibly only a year old, by Ralwaar's estimates. Ralwaar watched as the human scrambled to his vehicle. If he had slipped, even for a second, the beast would've been on top of him. No sooner had the pointy starfighter taken off that the katarn had just reached its fuselage. Yet, the noise from the pointy starfighter was so loud that the beast was surprised. It took a few steps back and glared at the starfighter, taking a defensive position. The beast seemed confused - it had never met a 'predator' like this before...it wasn't sure whether to fight or flee. It merely stood on its four legs, seemingly ready to pounce, but never actually pouncing.
Then the engines roared loudly a second time. This time, there was no question in the katarn's mind - it had more than met its match. The katarn turn around and ran...
...only to stop in its tracks once again, when it was met with the hulking figure of Ralwaar the Wookiee hunter, his Bowcaster aimed at the beast's head.
As soon as the beast turned and stopped, Ralwaar took his golden opportunity and fired a shot from his weapon. It missed the katarn's head, but hit the tip of one of its tusks. The beast yelped loudly, but then - with flight no longer an option - the cornered beast took to fighting. It charged at the Wookiee full-speed.
Ralwaar nervously fired two more shots at the katarn, but they missed wildly. Ralwaar roared loudly, cursing himself for missing. He knew that one more missed shot would mean an up-close and personal encounter with his prey. The Wookiees and the katarns had long seen each other as sacred beasts, who took turns hunting each other as a way of thanking one another for the gifts they would bring each other. Ralwaar secretly hoped that, this time, it wouldn't be the katarn's turn.
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Post by Darek Antilles on Nov 5, 2016 20:49:11 GMT -8
Darek let out a held of relief as the creature stopped in its tracks, just moments away from leaving a gaping mark in his hull, and backed away. The engine trick had worked, but know what? His index finger rested on the trigger of his control yoke, tempted to put a shot through the thing's chest while it crouched. If not for the figure rushing along the shoreline, right in his targeting arc, the creature would already be down for the count. He still didn't dare risk his shot missing and hitting the wrong target. The beast had backed off, that was enough.
He felt another wave of relief as the creature turned tail and ran, wisely deciding that Darek had become more trouble than he was worth. He could set up camp again and keep broadcasting. It had been hard enough to find one quiet spot big enough to land, he didn't want to waste time looking for another.
The relief turned to concern as he watched the creature’s path bring it face to face with its own stalker. Seeing them so close together, Darek could see the clear size difference between them. A flash of familiarity rang through his mind as he caught sight of two stray green bolts narrowly missing the beast. A quick grab of the binoculars with his free hand gave him a close up view, and revealed the other as a Wookiee, and the bowcaster in his hands. He counted his lucky stars he chose not to shoot.
He began to reconsider that choice as the beast started into a full run at the Wookiee. He looked on the younger side, judging by his size, and tough or not, that creature meant business. He didn’t have time to debate it, so he made a snap decision.
Darek brought the Bullet a few meters into the air, enough to bring his crosshairs down to bear on the beast alone, took careful aim at it, making sure the second bolt would go wide of the Wookiee, and fired a single shot.
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Zalor Anneri
Crew of the Wayward Son
There will be justice for Theed. Trust my anger.
Posts: 296
Affiliation: None (currently) - Jedi Shadows(formerly)
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Post by Zalor Anneri on Nov 6, 2016 22:11:50 GMT -8
In a split second, with only two meters between Ralwaar and the hungry katarn, the first shot from the mysterious starfighter scored a direct hit, hitting the beast in the side and sending it sprawling to the ground instantly. The second shot hit the sand on the beach, sending it flying.
Ralwaar ducked and covered his face from the flying sand. He staggered backwards instinctively, and he stayed that way for several seconds. As he slowly got up, he peered at the beast. Judging by the massive, gaping blaster wound in its right side, Ralwaar knew that the beast had died instantly.
"Ralwaar! Ralwaar!" An older Wookiee, accompanied by two younger wooks, was yelling loudly at Ralwaar and running towards him in a frenzy. Freyyr, Telluff and Brryvrook heard the starfighter's engine power up, and came to investigate. They watched as Ralwaar battled the beast bravely, and came to join him, to make sure he was alright.
The younger Wookiee eventually picked himself up and brushed himself off, leaving his Bowcaster lying on the ground at his feet. He peered behind him to see his comrades approach him. "I am fine, Hunt Master. I am unharmed." Ralwaar pointed to the pointy starfighter with his left paw, and gave a soft series of grunts... "...all thanks to that skillful human pilot. He saved my life."
Freyyr's old Wookiee eyes turned to the pointy starfighter. His Wookiee heart began to race - he knew this pointy starfighter. He had seen it many times before. Now he knew where the Ewokese song had come from. "By the Wroshyrs..."
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Post by Darek Antilles on Nov 6, 2016 23:04:49 GMT -8
Darek let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding until it left his lungs and felt his grip on the control go slack. His shot had hit its target, as dangerously close as it was to the young Wookiee. He kept watch on the creature for signs of movement, but a look at the blast wound told him how small the chances were of it surviving that shot. He then looked at the Wookiee as he got back up, hoping he'd recognize Darek's intentions for what they were.
He was distracted by movement from the trees and watched three more Wookiees run over to their comrade. He guessed they were drawn by the noise and came running in a panic. He couldn't hear them over the engine and through the canopy, but the more he watched them, the more his attention was drawn to the biggest Wookiee. He had to be the leader of the group, but something nagged at Darek. He looked...familiar. But where from? He needed to know.
Once he was sure the Wookiees would keep a safe distance away, Darek landed the Bullet back down on the sand and powered off the engines. He popped the canopy seal, and climbed out as it opened, his feet landing back on the sand. He watched the Wookiees as he approached, his attention still drawn to the leader.
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Zalor Anneri
Crew of the Wayward Son
There will be justice for Theed. Trust my anger.
Posts: 296
Affiliation: None (currently) - Jedi Shadows(formerly)
Traffic Light: Yellow
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Post by Zalor Anneri on Nov 7, 2016 19:35:05 GMT -8
The four Wookiees watched as the pilot emerged from the pointy starfighter. The three younger wooks hadn't too often encountered humans, much less fighter pilots, so they weren't entirely sure what to make of him.
Freyyr, on the other hand, soon realized that he was all too familiar with this particular pilot.
Suddenly, the old Wookiee gave a joyful shout and threw his hands up in the air... "DAREK!"
Without any further warning, Freyyr threw his Bowcaster to the ground, then began trudging through the sand towards the pilot as fast as his old Wookiee legs would carry him. When he got to Darek, the Wookiee picked the man up off the ground effortlessly, then gave Darek a big Wookiee hug. This behavior seemed to bewilder the three younger Wookiees, but - given that he had just saved the life of one of their own, none of them complained.
Even though Freyyr loved Zalor the most out of all of his friends back on Endor, he had grown particularly fond of Darek Antilles as well. Darek always seemed to enjoy Freyyr's tales that he would tell of when he was younger, his travels with Barask Anneri and Zaxis Sentii, and of Kashyyyk, his home. Whenever they had downtime at the Enclave, Darek had also taught the old Wook how to repair his A-Wing starfighter, and - against Freyyr's better judgement, offered to give the Wookiee a few flying lessons.
"Darek! You're alive!" Although Freyyr was careful not to crush Darek, he had the human pilot a meter or more off the ground and was hugging him tightly.
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Post by Darek Antilles on Nov 7, 2016 20:32:41 GMT -8
The closer Darek got to the Wookiees, the stronger that sense of familiarity grew. It was a feeling similar to having a word on the tip of your tongue, but not quite finding it. Every sense told him he knew this one. Then he noticed the patterns of black and brown fur adorning his body, and the bowcaster in his hands, and it hit him.
"FREY - Oof!"
By the time his brain caught up to him, he felt the wind knocked out of him and his feet dangling helplessly as he was pulled into a powerful Wookiee hug. Old memories came rushing back - stories shared of glory days in the Republic navy and with Freyyr's old Jedi friends over late night fires with drinks in hand, quiet afternoons showing off his prized starfighter and teaching the curious and enthusiastic Wookiee how he kept her flying. He had even offered to teach Freyyr how to fly such a nimble craft, which was met with hints of such lessons leading to heavier drinking than normal. In turn, he'd learned two skills from Freyyr he'd found invaluable since - survival and tracking in the wilderness, and how to fluently understand Shyriiwook. Trying to speak it, on the other hand, made Freyyr strongly encourage him to stick to Basic.
He got enough air back into his lungs to give his old friend a proper greeting. "Freyyr! Good to see you too, pal!"
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Zalor Anneri
Crew of the Wayward Son
There will be justice for Theed. Trust my anger.
Posts: 296
Affiliation: None (currently) - Jedi Shadows(formerly)
Traffic Light: Yellow
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Post by Zalor Anneri on Nov 7, 2016 20:58:47 GMT -8
Freyyr embraced Darek for a few seconds more before finally putting him firmly back on the sandy beach. As he did so, Darek got to see the old Wookiee smile, to truly smile, for the first time in years.
"Darek Antilles! By the Wroshyrs, it's so good to see you alive!"
Freyyr began grunting in Shryiwook faster than Darek had probably had heard him talk in a long time. The old Wookiee was genuinely happy to see him, and Freyyr didn't think he could ever be so excited to see anyone after five years back in his beloved homeworld, after being reunited with old friends and family.
"Where have you been? What have you been doing? I've missed you! Why didn't you come here sooner?! Where is Zalor? Where are the others? Are they alright? Did something happen to them? Tell me, tell me!"
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Post by Darek Antilles on Nov 17, 2016 19:51:31 GMT -8
Darek practically grinned with Freyyr’s infectious excitement. He didn't catch every word his old friend spoke in his excitement, but he caught enough to know what Freyyr was saying, and asking about.
His grin fell at the questions. He knew the answers, and they weren't going to be what Freyyr wanted. He recalled the older Wookiee’s battle experience, though, and he had no doubt Freyyr would still remember the evacuation very well, and how chaotic it had been. Freyyr would be disappointed, but understanding.
He let out a sigh as he founds his words, brushing a hand through his hair.
“I wish I could tell you where everyone else was. I’ve been crawling across the Mid Rim trying to find any sign of them since Endor. You're the first familiar face I’ve seen since I left the fleet behind.”
Darek took a quick glance at the younger Wookiees with him and focused back on Freyyr, used to craning his neck to meet Freyyr's eye.
"How’ve you been? Have they made you a Chieftain yet?”
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