Battle of Alsakan: The Temple of Shalharra

[GABA]

The Battle for Alsakan

The securing of Anaxes was easy for the Mandalorians and Empire. The Galactic Alliance pulled out their forces, all those who still resided in the system were the beginnings of resistance movements or those who welcomed the Mandalorians and the Imperials on their soil. The armada spread its way through the system and in no time was ready to make their jump to Alsakan, where the Galactic Alliance stood ready.

The Alliance compiled their forces together to make their final stand of the core, fleets pulled from Anaxes and Coruscant, as well as forces from the Chiss-Allinace border piled into a large blockade. It was a welcoming sight to those who craved battle, then tension boiled as the opposing forces faced off, one waiting for the other until the Mandalorians made their move besting the Alliance with their tactical brilliance. The military might of the Mandalorians and the Imperium soon broke holes in the Alliance defenses allowing for transports to reach the ground in planetary assault.

Task teams of comprised of SpecForce soldiers and Jedi hold up their defense in several locations around the planet as the Imperials and Mandalorians worked together to secure the system. Alsakan had not seen nor felt such a disturbance on its soil since the holocaust of Xenvear, such a time long ago, only considered being legend amongst the naïve.

The Temple of Shalharra

Artwork credited artist Ani

With the ground invasion proceeding according to plan, combined Imperial and Mandalorian forces swept down amongst some of the most sacred locations on Alsakan in a bid to hold key cultural and historical monuments. With their ancient and sacred monuments threatened, the Alsakans would be forced to surrender the planet to the aggressors or face losing the relics of the past. As Galactic Alliance forces continuously were forced to give more ground to the aggressors, they too began to retreat towards these monuments, knowing that their enemy would prize the symbols of hope that had inspired the Alsakan people for thousands of years. One of these was the ancient and revered Temple of Shalharra.

Millenia ago, before even the founding of the Republic, the Temple of Shalharra was the very heart of the Alsakan people. It was on this site that a young girl recieved a prophetic vision that united the Alsakans in peace and prosperity, and gave birth to the Jintu priesthood and the Alsakan reverence for nature - and so the Temple of Shalharra was erected. It was a short lived prosperity, however. The girl, Lharra - first Vicar of the Alsakans - fell ill and passed away before the Temple was completed. A clay mold was made of the Vicar's face, and so began the tradition of Vicars being elected by facial features that domianted their culture for thousands of years.

The Temple itself saw few seasons of use before the prophetic visions of the second Vicar gave birth to a new destiny in the stars. For thousands of years following that edict, the Alsakans dwelt, lived and prospered in their orbital city of Xenvaer, until its eventual downfall during the Alsakan Crisis. Only the Vicar herself was permitted to feel Alsakan soil beneath her feet.

The great plaza that lay before the ruins temple were originally to be a crucial medical zone for injured Alliance forces, but with the overwhelming numbers facing them, Alliance command quickly resorted to a contingency plan: the plaza would serve as a fallback position and potential location for evacuation from Alsakan itself. However, as the last forces of the Galactic Alliance in the area converged on the landing zone, the forces of the Imperium and Mandalorian Clans would begin a final push into the area.

Imperium/Mandalorian: Eliminate Alliance dropships before wounded Alliance forces are able to retreat, then eliminate remaining forces.
Alliance: Defend the plaza until Alliance wounded have been extracted.

Participants

Jedi/Galactic Alliance:
Jedi Knight Rosh Q'nath
Lucifer Vapaelraizo

Mandalorian/Imperium:
Sith Crusader Grima Volitu
Sith Acolyte Xanthus

Please remember, this isn't a competition. It's collaborative story-telling, so collaborate! Work together to make it an epic tale about how the GA struggled valiantly to defend the station against all odds and held their ground for longer than anyone could have imagined. The outcome may be predetermined, but you can make it a hard won victory for the Galactic Alliance and a heroic defeat for the Imperium and Mandalorians. It doesn't have to be short. Be detailed, but most importantly, have fun!​

 

[Negative Blessing]

Sith Crusader Grima Volitu sat on the floor of her makeshift quarters with her legs crossed deep in a meditation state. Through the Force she could sense all the desperation around this area as the final push to drive the GA and it's Jedi puppets from this planet was soon to commence. Before retiring to her quarters to ready herself, she had heard the reports that the GA were sending in numerous drop ships to assist in the evacuation of its forces here and the standing order was to make sure those transports were destroyed before that happened. Also, she knew that any stragglers left behind were to be eliminated or captured if all possible.

She felt the soldier at the door before he even pressed the button on the communciation panel asking permission to enter so with the Force she opened the door to allow him in and snapped open her eyes staring at the Imperial soldier. The nervousness she felt from the Imperial soldier was both entertaining and disgusting. He was a trained soldier in the Empress' war machine and yet he was showing signs of fear in her presence. "What is it," she asked with a slight irritation in her voice. If he was going to disturb her meditation state the least he could do is act like a trained warrior. "Mistress Volitu, I have been sent to escort you to the HQ." So the time had finally arrived to drive these good doers and champions of the galaxy from this planet.

Rising to her feet she adjusted her outfit and purple cloak. The two lightsaber hilts dangled at her waist when she pulled the hood over her head leaving only her lower half of her face exposed. "Then let's not make our enemy wait any longer for their defeat," Grima hissed as she followed the soldier out of her little shanty. All around the area thousands of tools of war could be seen as the Empress was leaving nothing to chance in securing this world for her Empire. Grima scoffed at the waste of so many resources to take this single planet but for some reason, one she did not agree with, held some sort of special meaning or purpose to the GA and the Jedi Order. Crush the spirit of the enemy by crushing what they hold dear to their heart.

Grima entered the battle tent where she saw the commanders of the ground forces gathered around the computer that was displaying the holovid of the surrounding areas, mainly where the enemy was believed to be positioned and trying desperatly to evacuate. Grima spotted the Sith Acolyte that had been assigned to this mission and only nodded in his direction. Grima was a woman of action and found mincing words was both time consuming and boring. Still, she was obligated to speak to the commanders but decided the conversations would be short and to the pointe.

"Commanders, update me on the current situation," she said with an undertone alerting all in the HQ to make it short and to the pointe.

 

[Unreliable Genius]

Rosh Q'nath had no time to catch his breath. Five minutes ago, Imperial advances had been marked; they were inching ever closer to the Alliance's last foothold in this hemisphere of the planet. The remaining Jedi and troopers began a mad scramble to prepare for their final stand. The dropships were beginning to come in and begin loading on wounded, but it would take a lot to protect them. A series of makeshift barricades had been erected around the plaza's perimeter, crafted from turned-over hovercraft, fallen pillars from the temple, empty ammunition crates, anything that the defenders could get their hands on. Snipers and heavy gunners were stationed in the eaves of the temple behind the plaza, providing them ample protection to do their job: shoot anything Imperial. Walkers patrolled the perimeter to provide suppressing fire at the front lines. The few hovertanks that were left either took on the same duty or were positioned to bodyblock the dropships and their payload.

But he needed to catch his breath. Hours ago, he was at the front lines, helping buy time for the wounded to be moved back to the evac point. One of his best friends had been shot through the head while fighting next to him, died in his arms -- he did his best to whitewash the image from his mind, but it was not so easily done. Every wink of sleep he had during the campaign for Alsakan was filled with nightmares of past battles from the war, triggered again by the guns and the grenades and the endless killing.
Still, Rosh composed himself. He knew he needed to be of sound mind when the first wave of Imperials hit. Lives depended on him, his Jedi companion, and their comrades.

He walked out of one of the medtents after getting some cuts and bruises patched up, and returned to his position at the barricades, waiting patiently for something to shoot at.

 

[Xan]

'Mission Objective: Eliminate Alliance dropships before wounded Alliance forces are able to retreat, then eliminate remaining forces. Allies: Crusader Grima Volitu, theoretically a powerful Crusader within the ranks of the Sith Order, as well as a force of combined Imperial and Mandalorian troops. Personal Armament: Full inventory of personal equipment, including extraneous ammunition for myriad weapons. Condition of armor: Fully operational with optimum charge. Stealth not necessary for completion of objective, though minor amount for fulfillment of minor tactics advisable...' The list continued onward for quite some time as Xanthus mentally prepared himself for the battle ahead. As was his wont before entering into any situation that might have been considered reasonably 'difficult,' Xanthus has taken the time to seek out his 'quarters' and prepare himself in every way that he knew. For most people, even professional soldiers, this might have only included a swift collecting of arms and armor. To a trained Force-sensitive assassin however, 'preparation' went deeper; it extended into the deepest reaches of the mind, and for Xanthus specifically, to be prepared for battle was to empty the mind of all distractions, find a calm in the center of the storm of pre-battle emotions and focus upon it, then ensure that all physical matters were as they should be. With a deep breath, Xanthus finished the the last of the matters and rose from his cross-legged position on the ground.

The armor that he wore over his entire body was matte-black, though with a simple command Xanthus knew that he could activate the light-sensitive microscopic crystals that were attached to give himself a high degree of camouflage. However he also knew that there was no point to activating such an ability before battle, and so the darkness of the armor and attached cloak served to make him seem a walking shadow as he made his way from his assigned space to the command tent. Indeed he appeared for all intents and purposes to be a faceless shadow, considering the fact that he wore his ever present mask. It appeared to be an ornate extension of the rest of his armor that apparently covered his entire face, connecting with the armored hood to provide protection for the entirety of his head. Even his crimson eyes were invisible to anyone looking at him directly. The armor did not blind him however, for despite the appearance of the mask, Xanthus could see rather nicely the outside world through the armor's interface, which in fact strengthened his physical senses considerably.

Not failing the matte-black motif, Xanthus's armament was given the same treatment as his armor had been given, even his long-handled lightsaber which was attached to his back just underneath the BBX-620 that Xanthus intended to use when the upcoming battle gave him the time and the targets to do so. Xanthus arrived at the command tent ahead of the even then approaching Sith Crusader, whose presence the assassin could feel coming towards the tent. Thus being the case, he decided to spare the commanders from having to give two reports on the current battle situation and instead elected to remain silent as he waited for his comrade. She entered soon, and he greeted her with a nod even as she had nodded to him. He then awaited the report that the commanders would give with his customary silence, and prepared to make mental calculations and tactics that would likely alter after every few words.

 

[Butler]

Shaking. Breaths desperately cling to life. Oranges and yellows flicker and flash over the cockpit. This metal cage rattles around him, painted with black smolders and flashing its emergency lights on reentry. His hands nervously try to change the blasted controls out of autopilot that he might alter his course. No more. No more fighting. He didn't want this. I want to live, his thoughts cried. These were the thoughts that once consumed him, thoughts that once burdened his transition into the Jedi Order. What was the purpose of being cured of life threatening disease if only to be later killed in a battle not his own. But connected thoughts were not a luxury permitted in this cockpit as flashing red and yellow lights, accompanied by whining alarms, flooded his head. What could he do but be hurried away to the coded rendezvous below?

The one-man fighter smoked like a comet in the sky amongst the background of the space battle above and falling escape pods. Distinguished by its solitude, nothing else falling or evacuating in its line of trajectory, the fighter curved from a downward free fall into a fast streamline for the ruin Temple with a distant scream of jet-lined air resistance and a chorus of misshapen parts. The fighter finally began to slow, the engine audibly working overtime. He could see what await him below, an evacuation point. Thank the Force. This ship would not last much longer. He would escape with the rest of the injured, even if he hadn't yet earned his place amongst them.

The landing gear extended as the ship twisted belly-down towards the plaza, its transponder code recognizable to the Alliance as well as its color and make. With a plop, the ship settled and discharged a puff of black smoke; the face of a Jedi within the cockpit. Lucifer looked around, seeing the faces looking back at him. The cockpit lifted open and he stood with revelations.

"It's another Jedi", one onlooker relayed to another as he saw Lucifer's lightsaber dangling at his hip. He was doomed even in this instant of landing. He could not escape the horrors of war so easily as he had hoped.

Lucifer turned around and kicked his feet over the side, climbing down and dropping to his feet. He turned back around to face those who awaited battle with dashing looks of wandering abandon and dread. Little did he know that he had just escaped the clutches of the War Master of the Mandalorians herself, fighting bravely to survive; yet fighting foolishly and loosing many lives that looked to his kind for protection and guidance. He held a gloved palm over a small break in his Alliance issued armor, enduring a minor blaster wound as well as some cuts and bruises. But he yet lived. And yet it was not death that wounded him with fear, for he had done terrible things without the interference of conscience in his time before the Jedi. But he did not personally feel compelled to be a part of this war. Though, he kept these thoughts to himself; steeling his mind with the techniques taught to him by Master Daw. For now, he evaluated the scene, focusing his mind of the thought of escape.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Grima Volitu was standing on top of one of the Imperial machines of war deflecting blaster bolts and keeping an eye on the battleground before her. The 34th Battlion she chose to accompying was moving at a snail's pace and taking heavy casualities but they were advancing. Three dropships had been shot down and several GA and Jedi fighters as well. This was her first taste of war and with every death and tinge of fear, she found herself basking in it. Seeing several GA soldiers trying to take cover inside a cave or escape the dogs of war, she lept down from the mechanical monster and gave chase. Cowards who run from battle deserve a coward's death.

She caught up to the four GA soldiers and confronted them in the cave. The first of the cowards raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and Grima, never showing mercy, cut him down quickly. The other three now realized as they watched thier comrade crash to the cavern floor that surrender was no longer an option. They began to fire thier blasters at the Sith Crusader and with well timed parries, she sent the shots back destroying the blasters sending sparks and pieces flying through the air. Another GA soldier howled with rage and charged the Sith unarmed only to find himself gripped in the Force feeling his breath slowly squeezed from him until his eyes rolled back in his head. With a snap of her wrist, she broke the neck of the soldier and after releasing her grip, his lifeless joined his comrade on the cold hard ground.

With her eyes flickering with hate, she slowly walked toward the other two soldiers as they quickly produced vibroswords in a foolish attempt to face a Sith in melee combat. Like a vicious and hungry predator, she fell on the two GA soldiers. She parried one strike, twirled her body and parried another attack then sidestepped a poorly timed thrust from the soldier on her left and he found his body tremble as Grima's left lightsaber's black-purple blade drove deep through his chest region. He was dead before she even retracted the blade from his chest. Faced with one soldier left, she ended the duel quickly with two sweeping motions of her twin lightsabers only to catch him off balance severing his head from his shoulders.

She looked around at the dead bodies that now littered the cave and felt thier deaths seep through her via the Force. She exited the cave when her comlink roared to life with a message to all in the battalion,"This Commander Ryo....all forces fall back to the staging area immediatly!" Hearing the words of retreat, she crushed the comlink in her hand and caught a ride back with one of the troop transports. Upon arriving to the Imperial base, she headed for the HQ tent.

"Why have you ordered a retreat at a time when thier left line was breaking," The Sith hissed at the Commander of the 34th Battalion. The Commander looked at the others in the tent and attempted to choose his words wisely when he spoke. "We were taking to many casualities, losing to many men, and the attack was going to slow...." Grima cut him off as she reached through the Force and gripped his throat. "The line was weakening and now by retreating Commander, you have showed the GA and the Jedi there own weakness and as we speak, I'm sure they are formulating a plan to reinforce that line of defense. I do not care about casualities Commander or your concerns for your men. You have showed weakness at a time when we needed to show strength. I, along with the Empress, care about results not the loss of life. You have failed Commander."

Turning to the officer standing next to Commander Ryo, Grima says with absolution,"You are now in charge of the 34th Battalion.....do not fail the Empress like your predecessor." Grima lifts the body of Commander Ryo into the air as he struggles to rip the invisible hands holding him by the throat. She again flicks her wrist and like the foolish GA soldier, she snaps his neck and lets his body fall to the ground. Grima eyes the Assassin Xanthus and motions for him to follow her.

When they exit the HQ tent, she turns to him,"I believe your skills are going to waste in this rank and file army. I think it is time we put those skills to proper use Assassin. When nightfalls engulfs this planet, make your way to the GA base and attempt to sabatoge everything! We shall turn thier weapons against them. In the morning, we will not only surprise the Jedi and the GA....but we will have victory!"

 

[Unreliable Genius]

The short timeframe 'till nightfall passed till incident, allowing Rosh to get the best sleep he'd gotten in, frankly, several days. And even then, it wasn't very good - with all the respectable sleeping arrangements taken up by the wounded, the Jedi Knight was forced to sleep on the hard stone ground of the plaza in an army issue sleeping bag. It was far from the worst place he'd slept in, but..

Crawling half-awake out of the sleeping bag, he moved over to one of the small fires scattered around the plaza that over the past few hours had become meadhalls of sorts for the soldiers to eat and warm up at. Taking out a can of jawa juice from his backpack, he cracked it open and sat down at an empty seat at one of the fires where some of the Jedi had gathered: next to the one called Lucifer. Rosh didn't remember him from the previous skirmishes, but he wasn't going to complain about having an extra Jedi around.

"I wish the Imps'd get it over with," he said to no-one in particular, sighing as he took a swig of the canned beverage. "They know they're running out of time. Our odds of getting out of here are increasing with every minute they aren't shooting at us.. they must have something up their sleeve."

 

[Xan]

While the Crusader perched atop the machines of war, Xanthus found himself alternating between being high above the battle similarly to Volitu and being low on the field of battle with the troops. While he was on the ground, he wielded his lightsaber to greatest effect considering the limitations placed upon him by marching with an established unit. Being atop one of the war machines however, gave Xanthus a rare opportunity that he did not pass when he had a chance to indulge himself. The BBX-620, set to Sniper Mode, proved to be a valuable tool indeed for long range combat. Even as he fired shot after shot and bullet after bullet, Xanthus otherwise busied himself by speaking to himself about a summary of the weapon, as though he were lecturing about it to a class of troopers. "The BBX-620 is one of the most deadly and effective weapon in the Brotherhood's arsenal, since it meats the Brotherhoods number one criteria: adaptability." A bullet left a perfectly circular-appearing hole in the head of an enemy soldier. "The BBX-620 has three different modes: Sniper mode, which is the scope attached, set to semi and stock extended; Assault Rifle mode which is sniper mode on burst or automatic; and finally Sub-machine Gun mode, where the stock is retracted, the scope is unattached, and it is on full auto. Due to its adaptability and hardiness its effective almost any environment or situation making it best for the assassins."

Several shots fired in quick succession gave a small unit of his allies an advantage in a light skirmish. "It can also be modded with anything from silencers to grenade launchers, making it even more effective. It uses a 5.45×39mm cartridge, that can pierce medium to light armor. Each magazine of the BBX-620 holds around fifty-five rounds and it can fire up to 1,200 meters effectively if using the scope, five hundred without it. The BBX also has a rate of fire of about 750 rounds per minute if set on auto." Incidentally Xanthus had the silencer attachment equipped to the powerful piece of armament, and combined with his active crystal camouflage, the effect made for a difficult to see Assassin under the best of circumstances. Considering that the might of the Imperium was upon them and fairly attempting to decimate them, the enemy stood virtually no chance of detecting him. The time of glory for the usage of the weapon was unfortunately cut rather short with the calling of a retreat. However the call soon turned to opportunity when the Crusader tasked Xanthus with the infiltration of the enemy camp. With a nod but without a word, Xanthus left the crusader's sight, disappearing into the allied camp to prepare his armor and ammunition for the night.

The battlefield was strangely silent after the massive loss of life that had just occurred only a few hours prior. Then again, it was fairly strange to go across the now empty lands that had housed the massive forces during their duels. Xanthus's Force-beacon was deadened, such that only a few would simply sense him directly using their sensory powers. As well, even with a moonless night blanketing the surface of the planet, Xanthus had activated once more the crystals that were an integral part of his armory. Being able to adjust for anything in terms of light, Xanthus was more difficult to see even than usual, and he made a straight line to the enemy base, making it there in a short amount of time in comparison to every other time event. Once there, Xanthus began to merely walk around, getting the details of the location for a moment before his plans came togheter.

OOC: If something's wrong, send me a message. I was mostly asleep when this was getting created, so that's why I wanted to make sure that everything is correct on the page.

 

[Negative Blessing]

With the Assassin making his preperations to infiltrate the enemy camp, Grima decided it was time she prepared herself for the forth coming battle. Through out the night she practiced her various forms with her dual lightsabers smoothing out any flaws, which she knew none existed for she was a great swordsmen and the countless enemies that fell before her was testament to her skill, then moved on to meditating before the battle. Unlike most Sith, the Torgurta found meditating helped her focus clearing her mind of any and all distractions. Once another Sith commented on her meditation sessions comparing her to a Jedi. Unlike the actions of a Jedi, Grima killed the Sith for his ignorance. A rare time she broke her own code of ethics. As she sat cross-legged in the centre of her battle tent the first signs of dawn was creeping through the darkness, challenging it; and winning.

Rising to her feet, she removed her robes and cloak exchanging them for her custom built battle armour. Grima never liked wearing armour cause to her, it was both cumbersome and restricting. However, she met a male Ithorian who promised her that he could make her a custom fitting armour that would not restrict her movments or add undue weight to her small frame. Upon seeing the battle armour, she was pleased with the Ithorian's work so much that she went out and slain a group of space pirates responsible for the capture of the Ithorian's wife and son. Now she stood before a holo-mirror in full battle dress. Today, the Alliance and thier Jedi lap dogs will be driven from this planet and all that oppose the Sith...the Empress....will lay in tatters and ruins.

Stepping out of her battle tent she immediatly went to the HQ to refresh her mind with the battle plans. Again she would be leading the 34th Battalion into battle but this time they will be accompanied by a hand few of elite troopers. When the the time was right, the troopers and herself would break off from the main group and begin running tactics to disrupt enemy's communication sites. A blind and deaf enemy is an enemy that fights with fear....and fear is her ally.

Two hours into the battle, the Sith war machine is holding its own as the enemy's losses begin to sky rocket as more and more transports are shot out of the sky like a hungry mynock attempting to feast on power sources. Grima signals the elite troops and they slowly break away from the main force followed by the Sith Crusader. Meeting at a cluster of rock formations as they desginated the night before as thier rendezvous pointe. Quickly Grima takes a head count and notices one of her hand chosen troops was uncounted for. That still left her with nine (9) heavily trained soldiers to conduct thier mission.

With the final preperations made, the group headed out to thier first target. A small communication set-up to the east; one that is believed to be the one responsible for directing the outgoing transports off planet.

 

[Butler]

Lucifer stared into the fire, utterly lost in his desires to flee yet unable to escape this prison without consequence. He fed a finger between his lips as he sat there in his bandages after having settled in for some time, remembering Onderon and wishing he could be there now. The embers were as the candles that lit the beauty of its palaces, and its flicker was like the dance of her lips as they enjoyed each other inside those walls. Arisa occupied his thoughts as his finger slid back and forth across his lips.

The dream was short lived, however, as someone sat down beside him, pulling Lucifer from his imaginings and cocking his roguish expression to the man with a single lifted brow. He was right. Sitting here was agonizing. And the Sith had to have a reason for pulling back as they had. Preparations had been set in place and evacuations would recommence before the Sith even got close, or so it seemed. Nearly all the remaining innocent had been gathered and shuttles would be resuming transport soon. Well at least I might not have to fight, Lucifer thought to himself. It was odd hearing himself say that in the back of his mind, remembering how much he yearned for the chance to fight a Sith merely months ago. But after fighting those Mandalorians above, he had bared witness to the churn of a tactfully designed instrument of war.

"...So long as it's not more Mandalorian armor," Lucifer grumbled in response to Rosh as he returned his longing to the fire before him. The coming day would not easily be forgotten. But all Lucifer could hope for, even in his wounded pride, was some means of escape.

As the night would eventually pass, Lucifer would find himself once again cradled by Alliance-grade armor; with his pistol at his side and his lightsaber at his belt. At least most grazed shots would not wound him so long as he wore it. He'd splash his pale face with water, run it through his long white hair to push it back over his head before his sweat would likely mat it down. The transports would be leaving and the Jedi would be called to their respective troops, all taking up their synchronized positions as they seek to defend the defenseless.