Battle of Saleucami - Lake of Fire

[Demiurge]

LAKE OF FIRE

Saleucami
Magma Caverns
Midnight
Planetary Battle Time - Zero Hour

Sith Imperium
Prime Sith General Darth Umbra
Sith General Walter Shaknaw

Galactic Alliance
Senior Jedi General Ebberla Daw
Jedi General Tristian-Ambrose Dario Baptiste

War has come to pass between the Galactic Alliance and the New Sith Impreium. Across the galaxy, the Border Worlds, planets, systems and sectors, have been intertwined in the strife, planted in the crossfire between the two galactic powers. And now, one of the most distant of the Border Worlds, has come under attack. Now, war has come to Saleucami.

Set in the Regions of the Outer Rim, Saleucami is a key world, sitting on the Talcene Transit Hyperlane; a trade route for goods and supplies which crossed interstellar paths with the super-hyperroute, known as the Perlemian Trade Route. Technological exports and research centers are among the planet's appeal. However, perhaps Saleucami's most hidden prize is the botanical resources located within the planet's calderas, which are largely unexploited and unmolested. The wealth and potential of the calderas are nearly infinite.

Valued still, are the magma caverns of Saleucami. Rich with precious ores, minerals, gas deposits and other raw resources, Saleucami's magma caverns prove to be one of the planet's most pivotal attractions. With the war still in it's relative infancy, the Sith Imperium has since targeted strategic worlds, with Saleucami being the latest of it's assaults. The invasion has commenced, and so begins the Battle for Saleucami.

Above the planet, teetering over the exosphere, the space battle rages overhead. Dozens of warships set luminous fires over the skies, as the stellar forces Sith Imperium commanded by the Prime Sith General, Darth Umbra and seconded by Superior Sith General Sogar Dermisa, and Galactic Alliance led by Jedi General Akacen Mothturus, and reinforced by Jedi Commander Andreus Makaryk. Across Saleucami, war rages on all fronts, from the industrial wonder of the capital Aladaeris, to the molten mines of the Magma Caverns, to the majestic oases of the Caldera Clusters, battle ravages Saleucami, awaiting for the victors to arise from the ashes of war.
​

 

[GABA]

Night.

Well, technically, morning of the next day.

Ebberla Daw stood a moment alone. The land was dark, sulfuric gas burned her nostrils, and though it was night, the active earth beneath her heated the air to an uncomfortable degree. Smoke rose from cracks in the ground, and the gravel earth beneath her feet moved constantly with every step, broken stone and rock. Out before the ground was flat, a few of the planet's natural rock formations from thousand of years of tectonic movement still stood unaffected by the active floor that surrounded them. There was a breeze, hot and ashy.

But that breeze, though heavy from heat also carried something sinister. A darker force behind it as though to tell her the time was nearing. She knelled down and picked up a handful of ash, dust and rock. It was warm in her palm. She stood back up brushing her hands together to rid of the dirt, the Jedi looked to the sky, through the rising dim smoke she could see flickers in the night sky, the space battle carried on.

She turned her attention back to her troops, the faint glow of magma pools and rivers was just enough to light the ground and maybe a few feet either side of one another. She took a deep breath, pushing away the stinging in her nostrils and lungs, and her body relaxed and felt the Force, allowing it to engulf her senses, feeling everything around her, including the darkness that lied before them.

The Jedi Master turned her attention back to the soldiers, her soldiers, they were silent, though they were not Jedi she was more than positive they felt the darkness too, well, she didn't have to be positive about the assumption, she could hear it even when not spoken. She took her steps back to the group, most of them still saluted even though she asked not too. Her soldiers were in formation, the magma caverns lying behind the Alliance. Ebberla approached Jedi General Tristian-Ambrose Dario Baptiste, a respected Knight and friend, and she was glad she had him fighting by her side.

"General Dario, We are ready, any sign of the Sith yet?" she asked him.

 

[DeathToll]

Tris presented the cute little bottle of hand moisturizer and sanitizer as an answer to her question, as he had just finished rubbing in the smooth gentle reminder of goodness that he was of a finer quality. Not finer than her, of course. Though he had witnessed her enjoying some gravel in hand and took pity on her. There was never a good time to rub some ashy, dusty gravel in your hands unless it was to sand away the calluses.

"Hm? No, Senior General Daw. Our scout should be able to alert us to their approaching with ample opportunity from his hidden position above that ridge there."

Tris had taken extra pleasure in speaking both title and name of his 'friend', though sometimes stepping over the line that devides friends and ...other kinds of friends in the past. Pointing with the tiny moisturizer bottle in hand, he slightly lifted it up and right in regards to their scout; currently unseen, though in the position to stand up and be seen by them as well as use the comms. His eyes had also looked to where he vaguely pointed, though soon gladly returning back to the woman before him. ...As if they needed reasurance that the Sith were coming.

Standing there, towards the front left side of their neatly positioned ranks, Tris had yet to put his game face on. Still, he knew what was to come. He could sense the impending danger and the darkness that billowed like a cloud of death, consuming all that it touches as it drift unhindered and unchecked. These soldiers were of a finer stock, yet specifically stationed. Tris himself was prone to battle and confrontation where most Jedi would frown upon such tendancies. It was not that he enjoyed death or the causes of it, or that he enjoyed the exhileration of facing one's enemy, or even that he enjoyed getting out of the routine lifestyle of a puckered monk. Though he did enjoy a different sort of lifestyle. But he was, and ever will be, gifted in battle.

Tris sparkled with a thin silver shine at several points along his shoulders, forearms, belt, toes, elbows, and knees; though still flowing with deep browns and various royal blues. His lightsaber was tightly fascened to his waist at the right side, above his hip where the lining of his utilities in various forms in various pouches and pockets neatly littered his belt. His form was, as always, dashing and fit. His dark brown hair swayed in the heavily moving density of wafting air that came off of the shifting lava. And though he didn't carry the look of someone who was stressed or even consciencious of what these conditions might require, he was indeed peacefully in connection with the Force. He'd traveled all over, pushing through the extremely weighted gravety of the Kushari homeworld to wading the sun bathed sand dunes of Tatooine. He made it look easy.

 

[Zach]

"Saleucami..." the name of the planet rang through Darth Umbra's mind with an audible echo. The Sith Lord remained hovering absolutely still in a meditation chamber on board one of the many capitol ships, preparing for the upcoming space battle. Ruthric was intended to lead the orbital siege against the Alliance military alongside his brother, Sogar Derisma. It was more than just what he'd been looking forward to, standing side by side with his best friend in the heat of battle, but the initial invasion against the Galactic Alliance and Jedi forces. This war sure to start off without a hitch.

After several hours of hyperspace travel, Ruthric sensed a presence approaching him with direct intention. He detected that it was a soldier with orders, meant for him, but knew not what they could hold. He was the commanding officer during this event, leading the charge the recently appointed Sith Lord, Darth Umbra. There was a knock on the door and an immediate snap from the heels of his military-issued boots. "Lord Umbra, sir! Orders from Emperor Exodus himself, sir!" he called, not daring to enter the chamber uninvited.

Ruthric stood from his levitating position, reaching his feet to the ground as his torso pivoted in the air. There was a deep frown on his face, discerned by the fact that there had been a few last minute changes. He strode to the door and waved it open with the Force, staring down at the marine. "Speak," he commanded.

The soldier remained frozen in place for a fracture of a second, eyes focused straight ahead to the Sith Lord's apparel. His armor shone from recent polish, having been chosen for this battle specifically. It was unlikely that he would have been able to use it in the space battle, but had planned to assist the Imperial forces on the ground when it was over. "Sir, the Emperor commands your presence in the magma caverns of the planet," he relayed professionally.

Ruthric immediately raised an eyebrow, about to ask what the meaning of this was. He caught himself, only allowing an expression of interest on his face instead. He dared not question the orders of the Dark Lord of the Sith. His will, was Ruthric's command, and would continue to be until the day he no longer breathed. "Very well, soldier. Ready my forces - we'll take our victory on the ground," he ordered, immediately beginning to go over the tactical plans in the back of his mind. While the battle was his first priority, the fact that he would not be able to fight alongside the Sith Master Sogar Derisma was more than disappointing. The Iktotchi warrior had been his brother in arms since the day they'd met as acolytes. Their training, battles on missions, and even rescue operations for fellow allies had taken the pair a long way. Each had grown and developed in power, competing against each other to stand as icons in the Sith Empire.

Thinking of his brother, Ruthric immediately turned to the soldier and questioned, "Who will be accompanying me in the magma caverns?" he asked, curious as to which soldier of the Sith Order would take this battlefield with him. There was little doubt that it would be a victory. While he'd meditated on board, Ruthric sensed out with the Force, clearing his mind with the Dark Side and fueling his power.

"Sith Crusader, Walter Shaknaw, sir!" he soldier replied instantly, still holding his hand against his forehead with a firm salute. Ruthric turned to the man, raising his eyebrow again. 'Walter Shaknaw...' he thought to himself. A small smile lifted upon his face upon hearing the name, recognizing the name from one of the many soldiers he'd trained at the academy. The Feeorin warrior had proven himself in battle before, keeping up with the hunt and holding his own in combat. There was little doubt that he would do the same on this day. "Gather the troops in the hangar. Prepare to board the dropships. Dismissed, soldier," he responded, making his way to the ship's hangar. Ruthric opened the comms on his wrist contacting Sogar Derisma in the heart of the fleet. "It seems, brother, that I've been redirected to the ground. I wish you luck in orbit, and happy hunting," he relayed briefly, sure that the Iktotchi was busy with planning, but appreciative of the comment.

Before departing, Ruthric checked to make sure that a Sith Pincerbug was secured in one of the compartments on his belt, keeping its purpose for later in mind. The Sith Lord moved with surprising ease, using the Force to aid his every movement. The basic techniques of Ataru and Art of Movement were based around a continued series of motions, keeping active and maintaining a solid amount of momentum. These techniques were often practiced casually, making it easy to perform on a whim. Even more so, was the ability to mask his own presence in the Force. Not only was his alignment in the Force concealed from those around him, but his presence entirely. Not even an inkling of his life presence could be detected, other than that of Sogar, who knew him so familiarly.

As Ruthric approached the hangar, he reached out with his mind, connecting to the core of the Imperial fleet. 'Hold firm, soldiers of the Sith,' he called out telepathically. "Today is a day of reckoning, a day of justice and domination. The Jedi have called war upon the might of the New Sith Imperium, and will be met as such. We did not start this, but we will finish it,'[/i] he continued, feeling out with the Force. The sensations of the soldiers around him was potent, full of life and energy. Many of his troops were experienced warriors, having fought in previous battles and missions regarding the faction.

Ruthric had only little experience with Battle meditation, but knew that it dealt heavily on the morale of his men. This was not difficult to manipulate, or troublesome in any way, as this was a required feat in any commander. If one could not spur the excitement and motivation in his own troops, how could he possibly hope to win against an entire army on the other side? "The Jedi have gathered against us, forming up with their pitiful Alliance and militia. The people of Saleucami will see the might of the Sith on this day, and the fall of the Jedi. The Sith will forever emerge victorious!'[/i] he finalized, emphasizing his concentration on boosting the morale of his soldiers. He could feel the fuel adding to the fire, driving their anticipation an excitement for the upcoming battle to a nearly irresistible level.

Ruthric arrived at the hangar, stepping forward as he noted the formation of Stormtroopers before him. There were fifty men in front of him, divided into separate squads with designated tasks. While Ruthric was not originally intended for this battle, he was still tasked with the project of setting up many of the battle plans. The battle over the magma caverns below the surface of the planet was but one of these many planned operations. His inclusion would designate an advantage in battle, but even he was only specialized as an infiltrator and assassin. Portions of the troops before him were specialized as such as well, fully capable with their assorted skills. Ruthric had little doubt that his presence would even be needed, but even appearances were necessary at times. His presence in the battle would reinforce the morale of his soldiers, if nothing else.

Fifty units stood before the Keeper of Veritas, standing as blocks of stone in perfect formation. The soldiers kept their gazes forward, professional and stern while they awaited the Sith Lord's orders. There were thirteen squads in all, each having memorized their tasks and orders for the battle plan. The entire battalion was outfitted with HOSTEN Trooper specialized forces, each unit sub-specializing in their own skills. The classic HOSTEN Trooper Squads were made up of an assortment of specializations, including Forward Marksmen, as Urban Troopers and acting Squad Leaders, Light Support Class soldiers, equipped with Assault Trooper armor and weaponry, Heavy Weapon Specialists, specialized as Strike Troopers and demolitions work, Sniper Support Class units as Scout Troopers, and a medic to each squad. While the HOSTEN branch of the military were primarily equipped with flamethrowers, it was their armor and training that was valued for this scenario. The extreme conditions on the battlefield would not prevent non-equipped soldiers from fighting, but this would allow his forces to overcome such minor hindrances as ash, heat, and discomforting environments. They were used to these conditions. The flamethrower-style hadn't been the most appreciated by Umbra, but even so, it was an armament that could come in handy. Each medic was equipped with one, along with every unit carrying a blaster rifle, trio of grenades, and proper ammunition for their armaments. There were two other squads designated for defending their position, equipped as Strike and Scout Troopers to properly protect the dropships from vehicles or individually advancing units.

In addition to the offensive infantry, the battalion had been permitted the use of vehicles, allowing the Sith Lord control over five military-grade speeders. Of these five, he'd ordered three of them to be equipped with a gunnery-mounted turret on the back, requiring manual operation. These speeders held enough room for three soldiers, driven by the Forward Marksman as a Heavy Weapons Specialist focused with grenades and rockets. A Light Support Class Assault Trooper would be mounted on the turrets, being provided slightly more armor from their bulky outfits, but permitted the strength to accurately angle the guns. Three of these squads made up nine units, accompanied by a single sniper with his own orders to make it an even ten.

The last of Darth Umbra's forces were made up of Stormtrooper Commandos, the best of the best of the Sith Imperial's core military. These soldiers acted as the Imperium's Special Forces unit, well-trained in stealth tactics and strategic infiltration techniques. The Commandos were separated into three squads, all sub-specializing as HOSTEN soldiers. They each had their individual skills and traits, but their specific training covered the environmental aspect, leaving them without the range of armaments permitted to other soldiers. Two of the three squads were identical, formed from a Forward Marksman as the Tactical Logistics Officer and Squad Leader, followed by a Supporting Infiltrator, acting as the primary gunman. The last two units of each of these squads were more specialized in their particular skills, rather than precision in combat. They reflexes and accuracy in combat was no lower than a good soldier, else they would be be Commandos, but paled in comparison to the leading members. A Demolitions Specialist was assigned to each, equipped with explosives and charges to detonate on command. Lastly, a Computer Specialist was included, ranging their skills from computer hacking to viral software that left the enemies defenseless. The last squad of these Commandos was made up of two Ace Snipers, meant to cover each other and keep track of their surroundings. These were the best of the best of the Sith's forces, aside from the Imperial Guard itself.

Walter Shaknaw had his own arrangement of forces, mirroring Ruthric's plans, to his knowledge, but still had the leeway to command them in his fashion. Ruthric had little doubt that the Feeorin would perform any less than spectacularly.

Ruthric took a stance before the battalion of soldiers, breathing deep and focusing in the Force. He concentrated in the mental techniques he'd learned over the years, tapping into the base awareness of his loyal soldiers. Their morale was more than sturdy, pulsing with anticipation as they eagerly awaited the battle to commence. "Stand firm, men," he called to them with a sinister grin. "This day will be ours," he reassured the, pausing for a moment. "For the Sith! For your families back home! For the Emperor! MOVE OUT!" he called out, amplifying his voice with the Force as he raised a clenched fist into the air. As his hail to the Emperor rang out to the ears of his soldiers, the brilliant ruby blade of Ruthric's lightsaber burst forth, the sizzling echoing through the hangar with amplified sound waves. The soldiers immediately roared in a massive cheer, shaking the objects around the ship with their stomping. Ruthric allowed a wide grin to creep up his face, eager to let these soldiers meet the enemy in battle.

When the Imperial Fleet exited hyperspace above Saleucami, Umbra's forces were already loaded into the dropships. The Sith Lord had taken his own personal stealth fighter, equipped with similar traits to the StealthX model used in the bombing of the Will of the Force. Of course, that was a classified operation, unknown to any others aside from those that took part and the leaders who put it into action. Government propaganda had allowed the Sith to play the victim, after the Jedi declared war in retaliation. Justice would be served on this day.

The drop ships immediately spurred to life, roaring the engines and blasting against the bulkhead of the ship. They burst forth from the hangar of the Imperial Star Destroyers, plunging downward to the planet as Ruthric led the charge in his fighter. He activated all the systems he had available, concealing not only his own ship, but the drop ships as well. His fighter would be near undetectable, in its matte-black plating and Photon Absorbers, so light could not reflect from its surfaces. The Thermal Dissipators and Heat Sinks on the engines would keep him from being detected by heat, and the Sensor Negator would keep them concealed by standard means of detection. Gravitic Modulators prevented the ship from being detected by its mass, and even the TibannaX Isotope helped conceal his presence. Ruthric focused most of his concentration with the Force to suppress his force's presence, hiding his own signature as well. There would be Jedi on the ground, surely expecting their arrival.

As the ships touched down to the atmosphere of Saleucami, they entered the darkened portion of the planet, reaching the corroded landscape of solidified magma that covered the underground catacombs. That was their objective, and was likely to only be accessible through the Galactic Alliance outpost. Before long, a small base could be seen in the distance, standing out only due to the clearing that would serve as a battlefield for them. The drop ships swung in from the left side, passing over the rocky mountains and terrain that surrounded the area. Dark smoke erupted from the mounds containing magma, billowing into the sky as pillars of black ash. The black night would likely cover their approach, but even so, Ruthric ordered the drop ships to swing around the base to the left, using the smoke as a screen for the ships. Ruthric himself flew directly over the base, releasing the compartment in the back of his fighter.

A series of EMP mines deployed from The Black Shadow, falling to the Alliance outpost silently. It would take a moment for them to detonate, but once activated, their sensors would be useless to keep track of their ground units. As Darth Umbra passed over, the drop ships circled around, releasing three squads of troops behind the mountain in secrecy. Each of the units plummeted to the ground, safely pulling the parachutes on their backs to come to a safe landing. The Commandos would take a moment form up, but not before Ruthric swung around to land his own fighter near them.

As this happened, the rest of the drop ships flew to the other side of the clearing, turning about to face the base as they landed. Five speeders were dropped from the ships, clanking down to the rocky surface as they stabilized. Three were equipped with mounted turrets, while two others remained vacant as transport vehicles. Soldiers poured from the drop ships in unison, gathering into formation and performing their last checks over the equipment. There was some terrain between here and the base, but not enough to be considered large. Little more than boulders and rocks could be seen across the clearing, but it would suffice as individual protection once they got that far.

Three of the speeders were immediately loaded up, while the last soldier of his own singular squad sprinted down the left side of the drop zone. Two more squads took positions around the drop ships, readying their snipers and rocket launchers in preparation to defend against any sudden attacks, or an advance from the enemy forces. Lastly, the core of the battalion formed up in front, dividing into squads as they'd each practiced well. The battle was set... All that awaited was the commanding leadership of Walter Shaknaw, when he finally emerged from whatever ship he'd touched down in.

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"You ready?" asked the gruff soldier next to Darrel. Darrel Noxx was one of the many Forward Marksmen and Squad Leaders of the Imperial military. He personally led Squad 2A1, following the primary assault with the rest of the infantry. The Sith Lord and Crusader, Darth Umbra and Walter Shaknaw, would be leading them in battle today. Even without sensitivity to the Force, the intensity of their power was more than notable - at least up until the ships closed in on the planet. Then, only silence. There was that eery feeling before an epic battle ensued, sensing with every moment and anticipation. He was by no means afraid, but war was never something to be taken for granted. There was always a chance to die in a battlefield such as this, and it would be his actions that led the rest of his squad to make it through this alive.

The gruff soldier next to him was simply known as Gorf, as his chosen call-sign. He slipped on the bulky helmet of his Assault Trooper outfit, securing it tightly with a click. Each of the other soldiers in his squad clipped together their armaments as the drop ships touched down, opening for them to pile out. The squad made their forward, separating slightly from the rest of the battalion, but remaining in formation. They eagerly awaited Master Shaknaw's orders, but would not move a moment sooner.

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Ruthric touched down with the fighter smoothly, landing silently between a pair of boulders. He popped out of the cockpit of his fighter, shortly followed by the elusive companion he'd come to know and love. The Hssiss beast brushed up against Ruthric, glad to be free from the cramped stealth fighter. Ruthric had befriended the creature long ago, bonding with him as an acolyte. He'd come to know him as Curator, meaning protector. He'd proven in the past to maintain his concentration in the Force, mimicking the abilities done by his master. He'd successfully hidden his presence in the Force from others during infiltration missions, and been a valuable asset in battle. This battle was no different, and the pair focused most of their efforts on concealing the group of soldiers in the Force, suppressing even their signatures of life. The EMP mines he dropped would surely short out their standard sensors by now, so the teams were near undetectable. With what concentration Ruthric had left, he sensed out with the Force, only searching for the presences of life in the surrounding mounds. If there were any stationed snipers or spotters, he would sense them, but was too preoccupied to pinpoint.

Curator tensed and turned to face the dropping Stormtrooper Commandos. They'd just begun to touch down to the solidified magma below their feet when Darth Umbra stood in front of them. Each of the soldiers dispatched the used parachutes from their backs and stood at attention, saluting in unison. "You know the plan. Let's move," he ordered, turning about and rushing into a steady jog. The commandos landed a little farther than expected and would take at least a few minutes to reach the edge of the clearing. The Galactic Alliance outpost lied just over the next few ridges, but the odd shape of the black rock waved in and out. The rest of the soldiers fell into line behind him with the exception of two.

Those that followed the Sith Lord fell in line with him and Curator, aligning into their different squads. The two that separated were of their own squad, charged with scaling the sides of the mounds. As oddly shaped as the magma had formed, there was sturdy support, and their environmental suits would protect them from the concealing smoke. It would take each of the teams a short while to reach their objectives, but the battlefield wasn't on top of itself. It would take the armies a moment to meet.

 

[TheAccidentof1994]

A soldier, not a tactician
A man of action, not a man of thought
Experience, not wisdom.

These phrases best describe Walter Shaknaw; upon selection as a General in the up-coming invasion of the planet Saleucami the Feeorin never considered battle plans, soldier formations or tactical manoeuvres. He imagined he would lead a small of group of infantry against the enemy armed only with the strong will to do battle and the orders to fight as brothers, rather than enemies as is so often promoted amongst the Sith. But when things started to settle down, he understood that he would soon need to adopt a strategy or be crushed beneath the Jedi.

Thankfully however, he need not develop his own plan. He was ever a short-sighted man, and incredibly unimaginative, creating a strategic battle would have been his downfall. Lord Umbra however was adept in this field, and the many plans he had been a part of were sent out to the members of the Sith for briefing; and while Walter was not creative, he could listen. And while he was no visionary with a natural genius about him, he was apt enough to learn what was in front of him. And so it was set that Walter would perform in battle just as well as he always had, but he and his men would follow the plan set out for them by Ruthric, or more appropriately Darth Umbra.

Despite this, his original plan would be the truest in the minds of his soldiers. Do battle with the will to win, and fight as brothers. Mayhap Walter Shaknaw was not a good man, but he was an honourable one; and these same traits were the principles from which he would lead.

Saleucami - Magma Caverns - Midnight

He could have sworn the air coated his lungs with ash each time he drew breathe, the harsh scrape in his throat became no less harmful as time passed. A minor distraction, and one easily forgotten come the rush of battle. His men were set out in the form provided to them, Walter checked them and from memory he confirmed with himself they had taken correct formation. He trusted his memory, he had studied the plans for hours, innovative he was not but determined he was. There was however one minor difference, although Walter was not so sure how minor he should have been.

Drawn from one of his two Stormtrooper Commando Squads, or rather he sacrificed one of the members so that he may acquire him was his elected right hand man for the Battle of the Magma Caverns - Roland West. Physically superior than the rest of Walter's soldiers, in both speed and strength and gifted with a fearless ferocity and a sensible awareness both in and out of the battle field. His weapon of choice was a DLT-19 Heavy Blaster Rifle, a less common and power blaster suited to Roland's style of in-your-face combat. He, just like Walter, was an honourable man and as such he was honour bound to obey the orders of his superiors. Things were always easier when you were found of your commanding officer, the battle went more smoothly Roland had learned, luckily he and Walter were quite friendly towards each other, the past month had seen their friendship grow, as much as it could have.

Walter addressed his second-in-command in a stern tone, one that told the soldier his mind was set on the battle. He would accept no folly.

"Tell me true, Roland. How go the preparations?"

Roland was quick to reply, and with the same tone.

"Preparations fare well, General. The men are eager to do battle, but you needn't worry, they're still the most disciplined fighters I've ever seen. I was concerned once they touched down on the battle field their attitudes may have changed since recruitment; but you chose well, they've bonded as you had hoped and they revere you as their fearless leader. You certainly command their respect, and even if you didn't they would still give it"

"Good. Things are going to plan." Without the faintest hint of surprise on his harsh face, Walter pointed off into the distance at the dropships that now approached their position. "Looks like Umbra is approaching, prepare the men, Captain. We're about to charge."

Roland moved out, gun drawn and at the ready so that the troops would follow his example. Their form was perfect, not a single soldier out of the line, the speeders were initiated and ready to move, the mounted turrets charged.

"Prepare yourselves, fight together and none shall prevail against you. Seldom do I have much to say, and now is no different. You know how I feel. You honour me with this battle-"

"Just as you honour us, General!" A soldier interrupted.

Walter allowed this out burst with a simple nod and continued.

"Umbra's men approach now. Let's give them something to aspire to... When his forces join with ours, you have my permission to move out."

Walter ignited his lightsabre, the red bolt of light slung from his hilt with a hiss. The glimmering blade of energy gave his soldiers an extra confidence, the distance was not far Walter and Roland would walk. For a moment, he and his 2IC were at the head of the pack. Those on foot would soon charge past he imagined, most likely sprinting into the battle ahead, and the speeders would be even faster, they had been instructed to remain amongst the infantry however to make sure they were not an easy target; protected in the bulk by their brothers.

Walter, Roland and a small Stormtrooper Commando force of nine members were now left waiting for Umbra's signal at the front of the attack team.

"We've got a mighty battle ahead of us, General. I hope you're not leading us straight into the arse end of the bantha."

The troops laughed; Walter only turned his head slightly, a signal to Roland that he was directing his reply to him.

"You shouldn't worry, Roland, perhaps then no one will be able to tell just how much you reek of shit."

Mayhap the universe stopped then, for the slightest fraction of a second. Walter Shaknaw had made a joke...

 

[GABA]

Hm? No, Senior General Daw. Our scout should be able to alert us to their approaching with ample opportunity from his hidden position above that ridge there.

Ebberla nodded, she knew there were a few scouts out on the field too, they would make their return as soon as they spotted the Sith forces. She looked back to the base in the distance, it wasn't anything impressive, it was mobile, meant to be put up and brought down at moments notice. Behind it lied the notorious Magma Caverns, a valuable excess of tunnels that went beneath the planet's surface.

A commander approached Ebberla and handed her a requested blaster rifle. She happily took it, weighing it in her hands, checking the power pack, then the ammo. The Jedi swung it around her shoulder and thanked the commander. Commander Fosra nodded, then saluted, he was in charge of north movable forces, while General Dario was in charge of the southern movable forces. Ebberla was right in the middle with her troops.

"General Daw, my men are ready and in position. We will be waiting for your signal." he replied.

"Good."

"May the Force be with you." he saluted once more, Ebberla saluted back allowing the Commander to get back to his troops. She turned to her soldiers, they were the best the Alliance had she had full faith in the abilities.

"The Force is with us!" She cried out to her troops facing them, raditating with the Force. There were cheers. "We are the light that will burn away the darkness! Do not let it consume you or your wills, you are stronger than it!" the men cheered, Ebberla felt their wills strengthen, courage grow, the simple power of words. She trusted them and they trusted her. She gave a wave to her men whose positions were located on higher ground around the base, they saluted and they were off.

She turned to say something but Ebberla's senses went off, the Sith were here. She didn't need radar to tell her that.

"Grenade!"

"Incoming!"

Several men yelled out, everyone was moving, Ebberla automatically reacted, "Get them out!" she cried, there was only so many seconds before the detonation.

"EMPs!" another soldier cried out. They were quickly picked up and threw out of their camp range. The detonation would not take out all their electrical systems. There was a silent thump, the EMPs detonating, but the increase range allowed for a decrease in electrical damage, all systems should be back up in a few minutes.

"Get those computers reset!" the General yelled to her technical team, they were on it before she even thought of the words to call out. The troops checked their own equipment and fell back in line. Her scouts out in the field were coming back. The sith must have landed.

"Ma'am, it looks to be equal match, and though I don't know how the Force works, but they have someone or many aboard who know how to use it." the Scout replied, "But they are coming."

"Ok, go take your positions." the men nodded and saluted falling back base. She approached Tris, "Alright, lets take our men forward, electrical equipment should be back on in moments to employ temp shields around the base. But I want to be a safe distance from the base to avoid long range weapon damage. Commander Fosra will be waiting for my signal to move around, when I give the signal you will move around too. But let the Sith come, we don't want to move too soon." she explained to Tris, "May the Force be with us." she finished with a confident smile, turned on her heel and marched back to her position.

Ebberla took the safty off her blaster rifle, "Men! The time has come! We move!" she cried over her army. When Tris was in position she signaled for the Alliance army to move forward. She wanted to keep a safe distance of the actual battle zone from the base to avoid long ranged weapon damage.

Their march wasn't long and then they stood strong, waiting for the Sith to come.

 

[DeathToll]

"Hm!"

Tris nodded confidently, finally finding his avenue into a serious focus. He turned away, looking out to the battlefield now. The EMPs were a surprise, to be sure. He was not worried. Yet when several scouts returned from the field upon their speeders, Tris called a couple to him - raising up two fingers into the air.

"You two! ..."

Tris called the two scouts in close, stopping them from dismounting as he place his hands on their shoulders. He leaned in and quickly gave precise instruction. They nodded, confirmed their orders with a "yes sir", and pulled their speeders over to the left flank of the soldiers to begin working immediately. Tris then reached out an arm to wave one particular soldier over to those two scouts. Further still, Tris signalled the front line to set their durasteel plate shields; four-foot tall shields of thin and angular plates strapped upon one arm that leave a 'v' marking in the ground when planted. These shields could take some blaster fire and would protect the bulk of their forces from innitial ranged exchange. These shields were not incredibly heavy, slate gray resembling the charcoal of their surroundings, though were temporarily placed onto the ground at a slight angle. Once the base's tech was back up, the various evergy shields would be positioned as well for them to later use as necessary.

With the men positioned strategically around their base as well as the hidden scout earlier referenced, the soldiers could thank the Empire for dropping those
EMP mines so that they would not only be looking to their enemy ahead but also behind; and there would now be a devastatingly low chance of sneaking up on the Order's forces. Men were prepared with weapons designated to their position on the battlefield and around the base.

Tris reached around to his right side. One hand flattened against his hip as the other lifted his lightsaber hilt free. That right hand clenched around the weapon with a familiar feeling, though did not yet ignite it, and both arms lowered to his sides. They were ready.

 

[Zach]

(NOTE: Each section takes place simultaneously. The end of each section is as follows: Section one, eliminates southern guards. Section two, squads open up with firing and end with rocket launchers making contact with the barricades. Leaving it up to you to specify the damages. Section three was the focus of the snipers taking out the spotter, and preparing to act on the exposed areas after rocket detonations.)

Darth Umbra trumped forward through the trenches, traversing the landscape of the charcoal-like environment with ease from the Art of Movement. His Stormtrooper Commandos followed with ease, used to these types of environments from their HOSTEN specialized experience. The two teams quickly reached the edge of the battlefield just shouts could be heard from below, resonating through the mountain-like terrain as the Jedi's voice echoed. 'Pointless...' the assassin thought to himself, noting that the Jedi was trying to boost the morale of her forces. They were doomed to fail. It was only a matter of time.

The third squad of his dropped off forces had climbed to a significant height of the mound, pulling themselves across the solidified magma with ease as they took positions around the curved land formation. One sniper had a clear view of Ruthric and his forces while able to peer down to the base. The other sniper was in clear view of his partner, but saw the bulk of the battlefield, witnessing the oncoming onslaught of blaster fire from the Sith troops. The barricades in front of the Alliance base wouldn't last long, but the sniper already had a clear vantage point from above. The snipers relayed the information with a series of hand signals, trained and coordinated with radio silence and simple gestures.

The Sith Lord returned the gesture, circling a finger around his head to those around him. They gathered up on the ridge, mounting their weapons and aiming down to the southern forces. There was a handful of engineers working on the generators outside the base, working on bringing up the primary systems as fast as possible. Darth Umbra activated the stealth-field generator around his belt, amplifying the power of the sound-dampening component so remain hidden. Their presences in the Force were all still concealed, having most of Ruthric's concentration on that. The soldiers took their places, peeking their precision rifles out from the crevices in hidden silence, waiting for his signal.

Umbra stepped off from the ridge with one foot, lunging forward and activating the hover boots beneath his feat. While it wasn't the most convenient means of transportation, he was still hidden by sight, hearing, and senses. He drifted down in a casual glide, approaching the simple base as no more than a shadow. Curator, his beloved Hssiss companion, concealed himself in a blank of the Force, bending the light around his figure while he presence was still concealed. There was little else the creature could do other than approach the same destination on foot, and while the ground was like gravel, it would not reveal his position. The Hssiss originated on Korriban, where a similar, desert-like terrain is world-wide. This was very similar, and the stealth-oriented pet of a Sith Lord Assassin was more than capable of hiding its own tracks in familiar ground.

Ruthric approached the engineers in silence, raising an arm to each of them as he stepped behind them. The soldiers worked rapidly, almost finished with bringing the power back on, but suddenly interrupted. Ruthric's right arm shifted in silence, thrusting the concealed short sword from his forearm forward. The blade slipped into the man's neck with instantaneous murder, sending his body limp. With his left arm, he activated the kinetic-manipulator component in the gauntlet he wore, compressing energy into a single strike of pressure. The blade plunged into the engineer's neck at the same time, decapitating and killing him instantly.

At the same time, Curator crept up to the other generator, approaching another pair of engineers. The Hssiss beast wasted little time in his approach, immediately lunging onto the back of a soldier and ripping out the back of his neck and vocal chords. The thick, scaled tail of the over-sized reptile swung to the side, knocking the other occupied and distracted soldier across the face in a disorienting strike. No sooner than the blood sprayed from the soldier's jugular vein, the stealthy creature lunged to the other man, diving into his neck. The beast engulfed the man's face, attempting to muffle any cry of pain that emerged, so it would be a silent kill.

While Ruthric and his companion eliminated the engineers, the rest of his eight soldiers mounted on the ridge opened fire with their precision weapons. Beneath them, two Gunnery Speeders stood guard of the southern forces, while the two primary marksmen of each squad focused on the driver and gunners of the vehicles. Each of them released a shot at the same time, their silenced weapons emitting little more than an indistinguishable chirp when their targets fell limp. Two of the remaining four soldiers took their aim at the soldiers in the side seats, likely to hit the startled target without much room to maneuver. The last two of his Stormtrooper Commandos focused on the lone unit accompanying the Gunnery Speeders, just in case he'd made a run for it. Each of them focusing on him would ensure the take down. Even so, the sniper still facing their direction was gauging the area, prepared to take out the first unit he saw before risk having their position revealed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------​

Everything was fitting into place. As Darth Umbra's forces emptied from the dropships into their positions, General Shaknaw organized his troops, preparing to merge forward. Each of them had a sniper placed at the north-west corner of the battlefield, acting as spotters for each other and covering a large area of the battlefield at once. Before long, the spotter to north of the battlefield's midsection would be noticed and eliminated, narrowing down their range of awareness and communication. Their base's defenses were already down, the EMP mines having shorted out their sensors and primary systems. The shields hadn't been deployed, so the two battalions safely assumed their approach had gone off without a hitch.

General Shaknaw gave the order for the Sith army to advance, plunging through the dark gravel of the magma caverns' surface. Obscured formations in the solidified rock warped around the battlefield, providing cover for a squad's worth at a time while they progressed. The curves and hills of the battlefield would make the Sith forces difficult to make out until they got closer, getting in range of normal weaponry.

The snipers in the north-western corner spotted the phalanx of barricades stationed in front of the Galactic Alliance's forces, setting up a defense for long-range weapons. While the Sith hadn't prepared mortars or long-range explosives, it wasn't too much of a burden, but their position held firm in front of the base. These orders were relayed to the rest of the units, familiarizing them with the setup of the Jedi's placement of their troops. "Tactical teams 2A1, 2A2, clear to advance," called Sergeant Noxx, mapping out the relayed information through his HUD display of the map before them.

Upon those orders, Walter's forces were ordered to do the same, mirroring their movements in the discussed arrangements. Noxx turned to the rest of his squad, holding up an open hand and slashing it forward. The team pushed off from the rocky formation instantly, rushing forward in a low sprint to cross the rocky surface. Off to their left, Squad 2A2 could be seen in fast pursuit, along with each of the squads under General Shaknaw's control rushing forward as well. "Gunnery teams 3A1, 3A2, advance," he called through the intertwined comms system.

Four Gunnery Speeders sped forward from the remaining four squads, with the Sith Crusader's Stormtrooper Commandos remaining behind. They'd taken their positions for long-range support, but remained by their commander for on-the-spot orders. The tactical vantage points of a battlefield are ever-changing, and on-hand tactical teams could be used in many different ways. Even the second in command of the Feeorin Dark Jedi's forces was on top of relaying his mirrored orders.

The snipers gauged the barricaded front lines of the Galactic Alliance formation, noting the angled plates of Durasteel placed in the ground before them. The plates themselves may be resilient, but their placement in the ground was flimsy, and not likely to with stand the pressure of several explosives at once. Sergeant Noxx raised his off hand to the side of his helmet, diving forward and sliding through the charcoal-like gravel beneath his feet. The rest of his team quickly slipped next to him, coming to a stop as they slid against a blackened boulder fused into the ground. "Form up!" he called, waving an arm around his head so all those that had advanced could see. "Take your positions!"

A speeder drove up on either side, while the other forces lined up to form two solid lines of troops. In front, all the advanced forces took their positions, lining their weapons over the ridges of their cover. The Gunnery Speeders began to heat up, preparing to open fire upon command. There was a silent moment of anticipation echoing through the ranks of the Sith soldiers. It seemed almost an eternity until the Sergeant raised a close-fisted hand into the air, waiting for the last indication from the other squads that they were ready. A light blinked on the HUD display from inside his helmet, giving the all-clear signal from each of the teams, and he thrusted his arm forward. His palm stretched forward, leading the barrage of energy blasts from all around him. The Gunnery Speeders unleashed a rapid rate of fire into the barricaded shields off in the distance, approximately two hundred meters away. They focused the brunt of their fire in the center of their barricaded forces, while the ground soldiers fired away at the southern troops behind shields. Not many of the general troops' shots would be perfectly accurate, but the sudden burst of so much fire at once would surely push them back.

Each of the squads were outfitted with designated specifications and armaments, suited for their specialized tasks. One class of soldier in particular was that of the Strike Troopers, hauling their rocket launchers over the ridges. The Heavy Weapons Specialist of each squad zoomed in to select their targets, firing off two missiles right after each other to the front of the southern lines. The explosives might not kill all the soldiers, but it would definitely be an explosion big enough to blow out a hole in the phalanx. There would be chaos, just trying to realign their forces. The Heavy Weapons Specialists in the passenger seats of the Gunnery Speeders loaded their rockets across the metallic frame, taking their aim as well. The rockets propelled through the air, blasting into the surface of the Durasteel barricades and blowing their v-shaped placement backward on top of the soldiers from the force. With their southern forces in shambles, and their midsection under stress, it would be a weakened area.

-------------------------------------------------------------------​

The snipers at the north-western corner of the battlefield continued to scan the area, taking in their surroundings. A moment later, the soldier from Darth Umbra's battalion heard the click of an incoming message, raising two fingers to the side of his helmet. "There's a single spotter somewhere in the cliffs," he relayed shortly. He couldn't pinpoint the soldier's location, but the awareness of such a presence was more than enough to tip off their snipers. While the troops advanced, their search through the cliffs took up most of their attention, looking for only a glimpse of the spotter. The sniper from General Shaknaw's was the first to point out a vantage point in the cliffs to the north-west of the base, only just past where the Jedi's forces lined in front. He tapped the shoulder of his partner, ready to take him out simultaneously with a backup shot, but the man suddenly went down. There was little more than a twitch as the suppressed sniper rifle reached across the battlefield from his partner, leaning up and stradling the rifle across his shoulder. "More time firing, less time letting me know, bro," he told his partner with a laugh.

When the troops began unloading into the Galactic Alliance's line of defense, the snipers averted their attention back to the Jedi. The immediate contact of blaster fire against their shields were not devastating, but worthy of giving them something to push against. The stress of pressure against their defenses lined some exposed areas for the snipers to shoot through, but not many shots would be too accurate. Only the precision of the Commando Ace Snipers would be that accurate, but once their defenses were breached, it would be easier to pick their targets.

 

[TheAccidentof1994]

The battle had begun, Umbra had made the first move, and Walter would make the second.

"Roland, issue the commands" He ordered to his second in command.

"Right away, General"

Walter's trusted Stormtrooper moved out, giving the appropriate commands to the designated unit and squads. They would move against the southern defences.

Walter allowed two of his gunnery speeders and two infantry squads to mirror the actions of Umbra's, duplicating the offensive effort against the Alliance outpost. In doing so he gestured to Roland to come closer, the loyalist abandoned his giving of orders to hear the command of his Master; Walter leaned over and spoke into the soldiers ear. He confirmed the order and turned to move back to the forces, issuing the last command of General Walter.

Roland West, managed to give his orders with the advancing forces through contact equipment.

"Squads 2B1, 2B2, 3B1 and 3B2. You have orders from General Shaknaw - Rocket Launchers are to fire at the main bulk of the opposing force in the centre, your orders are to break up and disorganize their defence as best you can..." Captain West waited for a moment and allowed the responding unit time to confirm the order until he continued "... Snipers are to focus on the southern forces of the Alliance, fire between the cracks of the impact against the southern defence and kill as many as you can; shouldn't be too hard, kill the ones who look the most clueless, make a bloody competition out of it if you want some motivation"

As expected, the soldiers obeyed without question executing their orders without folly. Soon enough the rockets had been fired against the centre of the defences, the rockets were fired from a distance and decreased in accuracy but while they wouldn't all deal killing blows the gunfire and explosions would throw the Alliance soldiers off balance and place them under heavy fire nonetheless disrupting their discipline.

The sniper team was no different, they directed their fire to the southern forces. Aiming carefully and firing those who had been cut off or separated from their squad, or those mobilized in their defence against the southern assault.

Roland moved back to the remaining forces and confirmed their advance. When his task was complete he resumed his position at Walter's side.

"General Shakn-"

"Enough words, Roland. Umbra moves silently behind the enemies force, let him do so. Our time is soon."

"I understand, sir. I just.. When I lead my, I literally lead. I don't sit back."

"Soon, Roland." He said in a finalized, commanding tone. The Captain said no more, retracting, perhaps wounded by Walter's forwardness; but he would soon savour victory, and quench the thirst for blood that had began to take a hold of him.

Walter had commanded that they would soon move into battle, and he meant to make good on his promise.

 

[GABA]

As soon as the Sith were in range, Ebberla hailed an "Open Fire!" taking her own rifle to aim. Her senses dove into the Force, she no longer heard the yells, nor the fire bursts leaving the surrounding rifles; her eyes no longer saw the echoes of color that she normally saw from noise, no, what this Master saw and heard was the calmness and the silence of the Force and the natural tides of conflict that played in it. Her world was slow, she could feel all of her soldiers, and all of her soldiers knew of her presence.

Meanwhile...

The engineer worked quickly as he could on the generator that produced the shields, three others were around the base also working. Inside were three other men working on the sensors. His pocket beeped, signally they were only waiting on him and his team. His fingers worked like a surgeon as he finished the last twist. There was a gurgle from his partner. He turned to look, fear struck the engineer. But he knew, hitting the generator and the shields snapped to life as the Sith beast took his life.

Patrolling the area, one soldier was keeping a gaze on the base. His eyes kept constantly adjusting as he took took his gaze from the engineers working outside of base to out in the battlefield. Smoke blew through, however, when it cleared, there was something wrong, the engineers lied on the ground. It was all that was need to alert the squads that were out around the base to sound the alarm. The squads took cover, though they didn't see anything or anyone, they knew someone was out there.

Back on the battlefield...

Ebberla didn't need to know what had happened. She heard the muffled cries in the Force. They would have to move sooner than initially planned. She swung her rifle over her shoulder and her lightsaber flew into her palm, snapping to life. Her orange blade glowed through the smoke. Everyone knew what to do, she felt it in the Force.

Heavy broke out, General Daw's and Commander Fosra's gunnery speeders came out of formation to provide cover as the Jedi's army moved. The General's comm had been beeping for several moments, she tapped it twice, signaling she knew what may be happening back at base. Her gaze turned to the sky, just in time to see rockets heading towards Tris' former position. "Move!" she cried out, troops took evasive measures to avoid the blast radius of exploding rockets.

They continued to move. The troops would pivot around Ebberla. Commander Fosra brought his troops back behind Ebberla's troops and took cover. General Dario also pivoted on Ebberla's troops, bring his in front of General Daw's troops. Daw's own soldiers split north and south, and took cover from incoming fire. The gunnery speeders positioning themselves around the groups and Ebberla moved amongst her men.

Ebberla hit her comm link.
"General Daw? General? We've got guests." replied a soldier from the southern squad at base. "There's snipers too, the bolts are ricocheting on the ground."

"Hang in there." she replied and waved over a squad of soldiers. Five soldiers from the Commander's came to her, "We're going back to base, we have some guests." the soldiers didn't argue.

Tris, I'm going back to base, someone's trying to infiltrate.
She explained through the Force.

Ebberla took her squad and they quickly and cautiously made their way back to base. The Jedi had a feeling she'd know who she would find.

 

[DeathToll]

[Main Battlefield, The Valley]​

"Lookoooout!"

The black valley errupted flakes of scortched earth as Tris' troops angled their shields back and shuffled into position via Ebberla's command. Though some shields took fire as they made for the new formation, there had been enough distance to see the rockets coming; and the availability of their linear formation from north-south changing so easily into east-west was their strength. Now they looked a thin line formation facing their enemies with little target surface. And more shields were pulled out at the front of the lines, same as before, just as the others were set down at their sides.

"Fifteen degrees!!"

Looking out through their scopes of measured accuracy, the front called out the exact line of tragectory for their own rockets to take aim. And with Ebberla about to leave, it was up to Tris to keep up the heat. If the Sith wanted to just blast each other to bits in a ranged battle, then so be it. None would be left standing.

Tris nodded, at the center of their forces; both in response to Ebberla's message and to his forces' informing call.

"Heavy fire!!!"

He signalled with his lightsaber as the back section, lined by the front heavy artillery just behind him, let loose a storm of rockets towards their forward enemies to see if they could take what they dished out. Still, supressing fire had not stopped since Ebberla ordered it to begin; targeting any threat that may arise.

"Sir!"

One of the two engineers accompanied by another soldier, still close by since only being instructed to begin working on their speeders a few feet off to the side, confirmed they were ready. Tris nodded back with a point of his lightsaber.

"Do it!!"

They still had one speeder, partially worked on but with no time to loose. The engeneer slammed a palm into the inside of the speeder and it took off. Under cover of both supressing fire and now the hailing rockets from above, this lone speeder charged like a beast seeing red without a rider. Explosives were nestled in its seats, enough to make a crater nearly a third of the size of the Sith's forward forces. The trajectory of the speeder angled it more along the side, though out before Tris' forces, before curving in and straight for the center of the Sith forces. It was timed to blow just after plowing through the front lines and reaching the body of their forces, where it would do greater damage; calebrated using the predetermined speed of the speeder and the distance between their forces.

Tris then turned his gaze back as Ebberla leave, and called for their rear to pull up their shields as well. Only the outside lines were carrying these shields, prepared per command as formation was key and had been planned since the beginning. And as they further shifted when called for, they knew their place and formation within it.

"Rear guard, UP!"

[Northside, Mountains]​

Elsewhere, a lone spotter clutched onto his weapon with difficulty; his back low against cover. He had managed to take cover from his position on high and survive the Sith's attack. Though he may be assumed dead, he had not yet peaked back up. He was scared, almost forgoing his assignment; but still alive and uninjured. He began rocking back and forth, trying to calm himself back down in his head. No one was up where he was, having been shot at from down below where the main battle was now taking place. He could not be seen from base camp nor from the main field, and most especially not from the enemies' station. He couldn't do it yet. He just couldn't.

[Main Battlefield, The Valley]​

"Ready!!!"

Tris called out with the virtuous blue beam in the air, tight in between all his soldiers; preparing them for the next formation change should it be required. At this distance, the Jedis' forces were superior in their defence and absolutely prepared to be ready for a multitude of formations and avoid most heavy artillery damage. Tris settled right in, naturally taking up the mantle of leadership in Ebberla's absence. The security of their base would fall to her.

 

[Zach]

Ruthric shifted aside, withdrawing the blade into his prosthetic arm and moving to the entrance of the base. There was a single soldier patrolling the area, sure to soon come across the bodies he'd left behind, but the sniper posted on the mountain would soon take care of him. Ruthric remained steady for only a moment, reaching down to unclip two thermal detonators from the right side of his hip. He clicked the setting for remote detonation and dropped them behind the bodies, stepping away from the scene. The sniper in the top cliff had taken his shot, and the assassin was still cloaked by the stealth field generator and sound dampener equipped on his belt, hiding him from the patrolling soldier as he slipped around. He portioned a small amount of his concentration in the Force to sense around him, detecting only the life presences of those around him. The majority of the Jedi's forces lay at the front of the base, but there were a few traces close by. As he slipped closer, Ruthric saw a squads' worth of soldiers beginning to run down the back line of the Alliance forces. He only had a moment to register the view before swiftly heading through the entrance to the base.

As the Sith Lord stepped inside, the shield generators suddenly spurted to life, projecting a dome of protective energy around the forces. They were assumed to be classic ray shields, in dispersing only the oncoming blaster fire from his troops, but ineffective against the hail of rockets. Umbra didn't see the hail of rockets as they struck into the Jedi's barricades, but he had a pretty good idea of how it was going down. While time was of the essence, he slipped through the hall until he came to an opening. As the room came into view, Ruthric realized there were only three engineers inside, having just finished working on the generator.

The Sith had little time to spare, and instantly stepped forward, raising both arms to the soldiers flanking their center comrade. The Sith Lord opened his palms and released the weapon-sliding devices attached to the bottom of each wrist, aiming directly for the engineers' heads. Two lightsaber hilts jettisoned forward, piercing through the air as their ruby-red blades sparked to life. Ruthric continued his pace forward, sliding to his left beside the remaining engineer with swiftness as he began combat. He ducked slightly at the knee, bringing up his right thigh into the back of the soldier's knee, crippling his balance as he snaked his arm around his neck. The Sith Lord held the grip around the soldier, taking him to the floor and pounding his metallic fist into his stomach and kidneys. Whatever actions he took in response, it would be a silent take-down.

Assuming the soldier went limp, Ruthric reached out to both sides as he stood, gripping each of the lightsabers he'd shot out. He retrieved the hilts out of mid-air with a quick grip, sliding them back into their positions with his fingers as he reached for one of the bodies. Darth Umbra slipped his arm around the soldier's communicator wrist-band, clicking the green light to indicate the shields had gone up fine. Ruthric didn't have time to do it with the other group of soldiers, but at least it wouldn't give off his current position.

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Curator snarled at the corpse of the dead engineer and glanced to the shield generator. He'd still manged to activate the ray shields, and even he had to admit the soldier's dedication was impressive. Each of them were bleeding on the ground, either dead or dying from such severe injuries, but the Hssiss beast slipped underneath the shadows once more. The projection of bend light around his figure concealed him as he snuck around the base to the east, having caught the scent of other soldiers nearby.

The Hssiss beast moved to the far side of the soldiers from which he'd come, attacking the one closest to the base's eastern entrance. He'd done it in a similar fashion to the first, aiming for the jugular veins and vocal chords of the first attack as he swung his tail at the next. The third target was too far away to be struck at, but the sniper posted in the mountains quickly took care of him, before shifting his attention to the scout on the west side. Curator quickly released from his new victim, lunging at the smacked engineer with vicious teeth. The attack pattern was identical to the first, but it was an effective one. Whatever initial reaction they took, there would be little time to do so.

-------------------------------------------------------------------​

Atop the mound that overlooked the Alliance base, the two Stormtrooper Commando snipers watched over the battlefield. The first focused his attention on the infiltration of Darth Umbra, noting the engineers on the side of the base as he scanned the area. There was a single soldier patrolling the area, bound to come up on the Sith Lord soon, but held his fire for the moment.

The sniper turned back to Curator's last location, looking for the engineers posted around the west corner of the base. Curator, the assassin's loyal pet, had already sprung into action, popping out of nowhere and tearing into the one closest to the base's entrance, swinging its tail at the closest one's head. Needless to say, the beast was at least capable of working with the Commando's position, as it would be easier to eliminate the other two soldiers without time to run inside. He trained his scope on the soldier farthest from the Hssiss and pulled the trigger, leaving the disoriented one to fall under the creature's sharpened teeth.

The Stormtrooper Commando focused back where Umbra had been, seeing the patrolling soldier as he came around. The assassin and his beast had vanished, but the bodies remained. Just as the scout realized what had happened, the sniper released his rifle, firing a thin bolt of plasma as the cross-hair laid over his forehead.

The second sniper looked down to the battlefield, giving it a quick skim as the Jedi began to move their forces around. They'd taken less blaster-fire than he'd anticipated, but apparently not all soldiers could fire accurately at that range. 'Just goes to show the difference between a Stormtrooper and a Commando,' he thought to himself with an inward chuckle. Across the other side of the Sith forces, he could make out the peak where the other two snipers were posted. The higher ground made it easier to spot them, and viewed them through his scope. They were posted in a prone position, each angling their rifles to the north. The Commando swiveled his rifle to direct at their attention, looking to see if there had been a group of scouts.

Upon first glance, there was a single downed soldier, laying in the dirt from being shot down. 'I guess not all normal troopers are useless,' he thought, noting that they'd actually done something useful. As he passed over the body, there was a slight twitch, and he focused his gaze. 'Then again... he thought, bracing the rifle against his shoulder. The scout laying rocking back and forth, easing the pain of his injury. The shot hit him solidly, but he seemed to be conscious. The distance between the two was far shorter than the snipers back near the dropships, and his angle would only keep him hidden. The rifle recoiled back only slightly, emitting a small snip as the bolt plummeted toward the soldier. 'Sorry, pal. I hate to kill someone so lucky, but this is war,' he concluded, turning back to the battle at hand.

-------------------------------------------------------------------​

Sergeant Noxx narrowed his eyes as the rockets lunged forward, four waves of shells propelling through the air one after another. There were eight rocket launchers in each line of forces, and each of them had let off two after an immediate reload. The snipers were posted in their squads, keeping their shots trained on the enemy forces for their retaliation.

As the rockets streaked forward, the Jedi ordered their own heavy-equipped infantry to fire away, supported by Gunnery Speeders for cover-fire. The snipers in each of the four squads up front immediately let off their shots, having already aimed their scopes for gaps in the barricades. Not all of them would be accurate, and even less fatal, but the accuracy of those being fired upon could go astray. Sergeant Noxx waved an arm around his head and called into his comms systems, "Speeders, falnking evasive maneuvers!" The speeders immediately shifted to each of the sides of the front line of Sith forces, angling away from the trajectory of the incoming rockets, and focusing their fire to support the squads getting behind cover. Noxx and his squad tucked low behind the scooped magma formation before them, waiting for the impact of the assault.

From the southern end of the Alliance forces, the barricaded troops began to move forward, gathering their barricades and advancing against the blaster fire. While the snipers from each of the Sith forces' lines were firing, all of their focused fire was on the south, bashing against them. As they moved, an armored transport speeder launched forward, careening directly into the mass of rockets aimed that way. Not all of them were accurate, a couple drifting to the left, while on landed in the dirt before reaching it all the way. The two rockets coursed by the moving soldiers, detonating in the ground nearby them in an explosion.

The speeder was met with a massive explosion, still launching forward from the momentum and power, but definitely slowed from the first wave. It seemed to be barely intact, and angled further into the center of the battlefield, but only slightly before meeting the second wave of rockets. The speeder exploded into a magnificent burst of flame, bits of shrapnel flying in each direction. The pieces of armor had withheld explosives, triggering into an even more brighter inferno. The entirety of the speeder was engulfed in flame, spraying metal across the field as it shattered from the force. The husk itself was still intact, but was quickly met by the third wave, which blasted it back toward the Alliance soldiers, rolling and flaming at it went. Even rockets of the third wave strayed towards the reformed troops, but would likely only detonate against the barriers.

The fourth line of rockets finally hit the speeder, tumbling it back to the side of the reformed Alliance forces, since it had drifted somewhat towards the center. The speeder was fractured in many places from the impact of the rockets, weakening and warping to the detonation of external and internal explosives. While it had been a valiant attempt of bombing the Sith's forces, their already-launched explosives were gathered in a single area, meeting the vehicle straight on. It was surely due to the armored plating that kept it in tact until the second barrage.

While the Sith's rockets detonated and met to the southern end of the Alliance's forces, a squad of soldiers accompanied their Jedi commando just by that area, breaking from their former position and heading in the direction they'd aimed for. The barrage probably wouldn't kill all of them, but even sever injuries were likely, since the barricades had been moved to the front. The shield generator sprang to life over top, sending down the blueish hue of ray shields in a dome, covering the area between the armies.

The barrage from the Alliance's heavy rockets and supporting blaster fire from their speeders crashed into the blackened rocks, exploding upon contact in a spherical shape. The fires burned as they blanketed the angles of the magma formations. One of the Gunnery Speeders had left his position late, ensuring that the last squad was out of the way, and a single rocket detonated on the ground next to it. The Heavy Assault Stormtrooper on the back of its turret was flung from the vehicle, rolling as he hit the ground. The armor was reinforced and concussion resilient, so it was not difficult to gather his wits, but had a slight limp in his leg. The speeder came up to him and he yanked himself up, adjusting his weight to his good side as he aimed back at the alliance forces.

 

[Raif]

Things had progressed rather rapidly over the last several minutes for Sith Sorcerer Royston Spektor. He had been dispatched to the Battle for Saleucami purely as an observer, to gain valuable intelligence on Alliance military capabilities and report back to his "superior," Lord Azrael. Of course, being sent into an active battle zone meant that there was always the possibility that Royston could see direct combat, but the probability of something like that actually happening was very small...

...or at least it had been, until the Sith General leading the attack on the Magma caverns had gone MIA. It was presumed that he had been killed in the Alliance's most recent rocket attack, although it was just as likely that the Feeorin Sith Crusader had simply had his comm system knocked out. Regardless of which was true, the fact was that the ground forces had lost a leader, and as such another had to be found to replace him. And that was how Royston Spektor, perhaps the least likely Sith ever to be named "General," was being strapped into nondescript armor and was rocketing toward the battlefield.

Luckily the space battle overhead was over and had been decided in the Sith's favor, so the skies were theirs. Otherwise Royston would have to worry about being shot down before he ever reached the field. But the Sith held the air superiority, and Royston barely had time to register that the helmet they had shoved on his head was likely to seriously damage his perfectly coiffed hair before he was "feet wet" and on the battlefield.

Specifically, his transport seemed to have dropped him off in the midst of four squads of troopers and two transport speeders acting as the Sith force's rear guard. Adapting quickly to the circumstances, Royston gestured towards a nearby trooper whose armor markings seemed to point out that he was a leader of some kind.

"You there, Soldier, give me a status update."

There, that sounded pretty soldier-y.

"It's Sergeant, sir, Sergeant Tyrell--"

"Oh, my apologies, Sergeant, I didn't mean to demote you or anything. Look, I'm not going to pretend that this is my cup of caf and try to run the show. You're the military man, and I'm assuming that you know what you're doing, so why don't you take over and I'll do what I can to help out and make sure we make it out of here alive. Sound good?"

Royston was a proud man, but he was also practical, and he wasn't going to let his pride get him killed. This Sergeant Tyrell seemed to have earned his stripes, so Royston was going to let him take the lead and fill in wherever he could.

"Roger that, General. Just stick with me."

Sergeant Tyrell turned to address the rest of the troopers who up until this point had been sitting back and missing out on the action.

"Alright men, enough of this sitting and waiting! It's time to get a piece of the action for ourselves. Now load up!"

As Sergeant Tyrell began rapidly barking out order to his troopers and the drivers of the transport speeders, the squads set his words into action like a well-oiled machine. The soldiers split up, a squad going into each speeder, and then the two speeders rocketed forward to approach the secondary line of Sith forces, made up of twenty more troops (these the elite Hosten commandos) and two gunnery speeders. The transport speeders slid to a stop, and Sergeant Tyrell leaped out, beckoning for Royston to follow.

"You lot, hop into the transports. The rest of you, come with me and the General! Speaking of which, General, if you've got any of those Force-tricks your lot are fond of, now would be the time to use them."

As soldiers dashed this way and that around him, Royston grinned as he knew what he could do to help 'the cause.' Making sure to keep his Force signature hidden away so as not to attract any undue attention from the nearby Jedi, Royston amplified his voice with the Force so that it would cut through the din of battle and all of the Alliance forces would be able to hear.

"Attention all Alliance forces! I've got a small tidbit of information you might be interested in. Now, I'm sure your Jedi masters have neglected to inform you, but the battle raging above us in space rages no more. That's right, the orbital battle is over and I'm afraid we, the Sith, are the victors. In case you can't figure out for yourselves what that means, I'll put it to you this way: Saleucami is lost, no matter what you do here and now. So drop your weapons and surrender, and I personally guarantee you will walk away from this battle unscathed. Or stay with your Jedi and keep fighting a pointless battle until you all die, one by one, for nothing."

As he spoke, Royston poured feelings of hopelessness, fear, and paranoia into his words, using the Force to strike at the very heart of the Alliance forces. If he could break their will to fight the battle could be won without another shot being fired. Of course, it paid to have a backup plan, which is where Sergeant Tyrell came in.

"Transports, move out! Commandos, on me! Move, move, move!"

The transports, now loaded up with an additional squad from the secondary line, surged forward toward the Alliance line, covered to the front and side by the two gunnery speeders of the second line. The remnants of the second line, Sergeant Tyrell and Royston among them, ran forward toward the first line of Sith forces, making sure to head to the flanks so as to avoid the rocket fire which was still striking the center.

 

[GABA]

Ebberla moved gracefully through her moving troops. She danced against the flow, her squad keeping on her trail. She skidded to a stop, feeling something sinking in her chest, something the Force was trying tell her, but blaster fire warmed her cheek and her focus returned. Her squad took cover and Ebberla followed behind, extinguishing her blade for a moment before peeking from their charred boulder to the base. Her comm link beeped signaling the shields have gone back up, however, it didn’t feel right. The air around her wasn’t only heavy with the darkness of night, but something more sinister, above death and war.

The shifting of ash a dust continued to filter through the air making it difficult to see afar. She could still see Commander Fosra’s troops in the distance, she turned her head and peeked over the boulder toward the base. Dust cleared for a moment and Ebberla could make out the faint blue glow of the shielded base.

The solider that contacted Ebberla earlier approached the base, with caution, but with haste, seeing his dead comrades lying on the ground. He went to turn their bodies over to see their faces… well one still had a head.
The illumination from rockets brought forth enough light for Ebberla’s squad to see one of their own over the dead engineers. “General Daw!” one the soldiers exclaimed in surprise, he jumped up and ran toward base. Ebberla cried out for him to stop, but the explosion of rockets drowned out her voice, another solider followed to try and stop him.

More rockets exploded, the comm link’s light went off catching Ebberla’s eye, she lifted to her ear listening, the squad looked at her and she pointed to the base, they understood and went to check on the squads on the North and East side of the base. The Jedi closed her eyes listening, Commander Fosra was trying to say something, but there was too much static, too much background noise. However, it didn’t take long before she knew what he was trying to inform her.

The Sith most definitely made it inside their base or else communications would have informed her of what was coming.

Sith Reinforcements.

There was an overwhelming presence asserting itself upon her troops, Ebberla pushed back with the Force, dissolving the feelings of fear and hopelessness that attempted to sway her troops. But it was going to take more than making her troops feel better to now get out alive. With reinforcements in front and who knows how many Sith were now behind them, Ebberla knew they were in a dire situation. She knew if they kept fighting, they would be beaten by their numbers. If they retreated, there was nowhere to go. Her heart sank to the thought of surrender. It was a catch-22 either options available.

She turned back to her troops at the base seeing where they had went, and then turned her head back to the frontlines. She listened to the whispers of the Force, its calming waves pulsing against her. She had yet to regret a decision made with the Force.

“ALL TROOPS FORM UP!” she cried into the comm.

“Tris we are or soon will be overwhelmed with numbers, there is no win to this fight for us today.” Ebberla spoke to Tris in the comm link, “Surrender is going to have to be our option.” The Jedi ignited her blade redirecting stray blaster bolts into the black dirt, she turned her head back to the base making sure her troops were coming; they were rising, but slowly. She, however, would make her way to the front lines to initiate their surrender.

 

[DeathToll]

Tris stood strong, beginning to see a light in their struggle. Rockets crossed, fire riddled the terrain, and explosions blasted each side. The rigged speeder tumbled towards the front line, but there was Tris. His free hand shot into the air...

* SNAP *

Shatterpoint with Combustion. The speeder split in two, crashing with softer angles outwards against the shields of the men. The enemy's aim was just as clouded as their own as huge plooms of fire and smoke errupted before each of their masses. The more they hit, the more deaths were lined up; but the more they missed, the harder is was for any to see what was going on. But once the Empire's troops left their cover and made for the open field between their positions, they'd be wide open to the hail of Allied fire.

Snipers opened fire on the side of the main Alliance forces and they reacted. After four men were killed, and a fifth moved to take a shot in the shoulder, the edges of the front and back moved in to cover the sides as best they could. Tris' head snapped left.

Just as more rockets came, Tris angled both hands as those projectiles were taken but slightly off their aim to change in the snipers' direction now broadcasted. Tris' forces were taking more damage than the Empire's, but holding strong; but the cliff that held the sniper's fire would soon be destroyed, either destroying the snipers first or with the collapse of the cliff.

Tris' communicator blinked. He hadn't heard the message. Just after sending the rockets away, a soldier was tapping him on the shoudler. He looked down and snatched up the damned thing.

"ALL TROOPS FORM UP!"

Tris crunched a thumb onto the button to open the channel.

"What?! I'm trying to win a..."

More incoming fire, and the feeling of the enemy making movements. He released the button and bent a shoulder back as one shot nearly hit him, wizzing by. But as he had turned, he came face to face with the consequence of his dodging action; looking the soldier who was tapping his shoulder right in the eyes as he breath his last breaths, choking on the hole now sizzling through his throat. Tris just stood there, eyes wide, as the soldier fall dead.

"Tris we are or soon will be overwhelmed with numbers, there is no win to this fight for us today... Surrender is going to have to be our option."

Tris was dumb struck. Had all the other battles been decided? Space was the enemy's territory now? He couldn't fathom defeat. He was not capable of it. But when one battle's victory could so easily be overshadowed by the rest, what could he do?

"That's ...that's just rediculous..."

Tris shook it off, doubting it all to himself with the comms switched off. He tried to call in support. Static... No. Had he been so blind? A soldier ran up to his side, deep within center of the ranks.

"Sir! General! The formation needs to change! What are your orders? Senior General Daw has issued surrender! Sir!?!"

He'd missed a beat. He'd missed the chance to change formation. His turn was up. He whispered in disbelief...

"...We surrender."

 

[Zach]

As Ruthric stealthily came out of the base, he saw the remaining forces of the Alliance's forces. The Jedi had tried rearranging themselves to defend against the oncoming hail of rockets, but even the exposed areas for his snipers had been vital. A Jedi had stepped forward and pushed out with the Force, shattering a tumbling vehicle as it rolled toward the barricaded troops. There was a second Jedi behind the front lines, leading a squad of her own when the strike hit them.

Ruthric caught the face of the Jedi and felt a sense of solidarity. There seemed to be something about her that targeted the priority of her forces, over that of victory at all costs. He had to admit, it was an admirable state of mind, but an enemy would not always show mercy when faced with submission. He wondered if she would truly call the order for surrender, based on the basic sense he gathered from her.

The Sith Lord turned to face the other side of the battlefield, behind the Alliance forces and their base. The engineers still lay dead by the generator, now stood over by a patrolling soldier. He'd turned to the Jedi and alerted her to Sith forces placed behind their barricades - they were surrounded. Darth Umbra allowed himself a brief moment of smug confidence, placing a wide smirk across his invisible face. Jedi... They never ceased to amaze the assassin in their foolishness. They never took the necessary means to dominate in a battlefield, and stood by their flimsy title as Peacekeepers of the Galaxy.

In many ways, Ruthric scorned the existence of the Jedi. While he personally hadn't had a historical moment them in his life to portray them as the enemy, he'd realized their foolishness when it came to matters of war. Before being a Sith, even he had been one of the many soldiers in the Galactic Alliance, much like the very Stormtrooper Commandos he commanded now. Ruthric was always a warrior at heart, pushing his limits and bringing his comrades together as a solid nation. While most had interpreted the Sith as independent soldiers for their own personal gain, Ruthric saw no gain in such a mentality. The personal attachments which the Jedi discouraged and frowned upon, or even exiled their own for, had always led the Sith Lord to become stronger. He'd formed close friendships an Force Bonds, such as his Iktotchi brother, Sogar Derisma, or his prodigy student, Ichabod Jayce.

It seemed as though Sogar had emerged victorious in orbit, driving off the defending Alliance fleet from their protective stance around the planet. Ruthric could vividly feel the cries through the Force as the deaths of Saleucami's citizens fell under the Sith Imperium's fleet. The barrage had been a devastating and horrific tactic, but a necessary one in order to force the Alliance to engage in combat. While he didn't know the exact details happening in orbit, he could feel the presences of the Jedi aboard the fleets disappear into hyperspace as they abandoned their brothers and sisters on the planet. It was far from expected, but apparently even these squirmish dogs didn't have the balls to face the Sith in real combat. Thus far, the Imperium had risen from the infernos of battle since the beginning of this war. It wouldn't be long until the Jedi were wiped from the galaxy completely.

Ichabod Jayce, the most promising of students under the Sith Lord's teachings, had successfully taken the battle over Saleucami's capitol. It was a vital point for the invasion fleet, and control over the base of operations and logistics for the planet would make their domination swift and easy. Ruthric felt pride, more than anything else in the young prodigy's victory, and smiled genuinely at the broadcast sounding through his internal comms. The Jedi were dead, and their forces defeated. There was little to stand between the Sith and Galactic Alliance territory now.

The mighty boom of Royston's voice flew through the ranks of Jedi's forces, intimidating and demoralizing their valor. Umbra found the Crusader's voice recognizable, but curious as well. The absence of Walter Shaknaw, another aspiring student of the Sith Lord's, implied that he may have fallen in battle. Whatever the case was, Royston's presence was comforting, knowing that the Sith were always prepared to face an enemy. Even wildly circumstances that could eliminate their commanders wouldn't stop them from taking the battlefield.

Without much delay, the Jedi leading her squad of troops halted, bracing and ensuring the safety of her troops after the barrage struck. There was a moment of hesitation, but he could see it in her face as she came to the inevitable confusion. Over the comms unit he'd taken from the killed soldiers, he heard the order for surrender. It was nearly finished, and Ruthric's first major victory was coming to a close. The coordinated efforts between the Sith had surrounded the Jedi, and would soon be in the mist of the ranks.

As Royston's transport speeders zoomed on the southern side of the battlefield toward the Jedi's left flank, his own transports picked up soldiers in the front lines. A squad filed into each vehicle, including Sergeant Noxx's soldiers. The transports zoomed close behind Royston's as the Sergeant signaled to the protective gunnery speeders. They quickly moved into formation around the transports, firing at the Alliance's forces with covering support. As they got closer, Ruthric stepped forward, raising an arm to the exposed backs of the Alliance soldiers.

The Jedi seemed to emit a presence more potent than any Padawan or Knight he'd met in the past, including that of the infamous Matsu Ike's, when they'd first met so long ago. It wasn't unlikely that even she had strengthened since then, but this Jedi surely held the rank of at least a Master. He wondered how far in her training and skills she'd progressed, but he doubted she would have much of an opportunity to stop the inevitable. Umbra still contemplated how far he would go before accepting the Jedi's surrender, but there was no need to reveal that he already knew of it.

The Jedi Master stepped forward before her troops, likely to stand as a figurehead in their submission. Ruthric focused with the force through his remaining real arm, forming a telekinetic grasp around her body. He immediately yanked her figure backwards into the air towards him, her back facing the hidden Sith. He activated the lightsaber between his metallic fingers and lurched forward to the left, swinging the brilliant ruby blade around in circle, narrowly avoiding the Jedi Master. He aimed with the Force to remove her weapon, trying to specifically pull her lightsaber toward him while bringing her back to the ground. As his lightsaber came around, he circled and spun to arc the lightsaber down to point at the Jedi's throat. He raised his left arm in a defensive curl towards the Alliance as he caught the lightsaber, preparing to grasp the energy of their potential blaster fire. He focused his telekinetic grasp over the woman into a solid barrier of compressed energy. He focused more than anything else on keeping her pinned, and two solid barriers would be easier to control than a grip and barrier.

"Do you think your time has come, Jedi?" he asked her, narrowing his eyes as the stealth field generator deactivated. His figure came into view with an ominous fade, as if the crackling concealment of bent light were dissipating in small bursts of energy. "I think not... I think, you will live to fight another day... You will return to the Jedi Order, and bear this message," he told her with a vicious grin. "You will tell your Masters of the Order that the Sith will never stop coming. You will tell them that the Sith will take your planets, and your people, and your resources. You will tell them that their time in this galaxy is coming to a close," the Sith Lord uttered, now grinning deviously at the eyes as he stared down at the Jedi.

 

[Raif]

Royston wasn't the least bit surprised when he felt the Jedi use the Force to push back the negative influence the Sith sorcerer was projecting over the battlefield; in fact, he would have been surprised if that hadn't been the response he earned from his enemies.

As Royston, Sgt. Tyrell, and the rest of the the forces which were left of the second Sith line rushed forward to reinforce the front line, Royston took a deep breath and gathered himself to redouble his efforts at demoralizing his enemies. After all, he was relatively fresh and new to the battle, so he didn't think he would have much problem overpowering this new light-sided Force presence he felt, despite how powerful it seemed to be. As he opened himself up to as much of the Dark side as he could draw upon, though, he was caught completely off-guard by what he felt coming from the opposite end of the battlefield; in fact, the Sith stopped dead in his tracks, attracting the attention of Sgt. Tyrell.

"What the frikk, General, we gotta keep mo--"

The strormtrooper's comment ceased as Royston made a motion for silence with one hand and reached up to remove his helmet with the other. His face was covered with a mixture of his trademark smarminess and something new...surprise.

"Sargeant, tell our forces to hold their fire and their positions. Don't fall back, but make no offensive move until either I or Lord Umbra state otherwise."

"What?! General, we've got them on the ropes, we--"

"They're surrendering, Sargeant. Can't you feel it? Oh wait, that was stupid of me, wasn't it. Just have faith in your general, and relay my orders. Now."

It was obvious that he didn't like it, but Sgt. Tyrell did as he was ordered. The speeders which had been blazing forward towards the Alliance lines slowed, and then halted. The troopers within disembarked but made no further move forward; instead, they simply spread out. They kept their weapons at the ready, though, and the tension between the two opposing forces was palpable enough to cut with a dull vibroblade.

As this was happening, Royston kept advancing, projecting soothing, calm energy into the Force to keep both sides of soldiers from growing too anxious and resuming their fire on each other. As he stepped forward into the no-man's-land, Royston quickly keyed his comm:

"Lord Umbra, meet me between the two lines at your earliest convenience. I believe I am about to broker an end to hostilities."

Dropping the comm unit back into a pocket, Royston kept talking, although this time he resumed his earlier trick; though his voice sounded no more strained than what would be typical in normal conversation, thanks to Force amplification it cut across the din of the battlefield, into the ears of every Alliance solider...and the Jedi especially.

"It may be difficult for many of you to believe, but I am true to my word. I promised that if you laid down your arms and surrendered, you would leave this battle alive and unscathed - and I intend to hold true to that promise.

"Now, I know surrender can be a tough pill to swallow, especially when it comes to saying the actual words or making the first move. So I have made it for you. The forces of the Sith Imperium have been ordered to stand down, and I promise you they will follow that order unless provoked."

As Royston spoke these words, a dark flash crossed his otherwise positive message, promising a cruel and painful end to any soldier who defied him.

"Now, I extend an invitation to the leaders of this gallant and courageous fighting force to come forward and meet me, here on neutral ground, and let us come to an agreement that ends the bloodshed today, here and now."

Royston brought his hand from his pocket and up to his mouth, tossing a small chocolate chew into his mouth. He then grinned broadly across at the Alliance forces, at no one in particular.

"Come on, whaddya say? Can we make a deal or what?"

Unlike the holodrama stereotype, not all Sith were bloodthirsty, battle-starved monsters that lived for nothing more than death and destruction; Royston was living, breathing proof of that exception. If a deal could be reached which gave Saleucami over to the Sith without completely whiping out the Alliance forces, well, Royston wouldn't be the least bit bothered by that. The goal was to win, and winning was what Royston did very well.

 

[GABA]

The Jedi Master still gripped her ignited blade, deflecting the last of stray blaster bots finding their end after soldiers stopped firing. She have had begun making her way back up to the front when she felt the Force stir greatly around her. Ebberla's world came to a near complete stop as the Force begun revealing events to occur. Though it was only a few seconds worth it was always enough to prepare the Jedi for what was to come, and allow her not to question the Force.

The Jedi Master felt a cold grip yank her backwards, she listened to the whispers of the Force as it told her exactly what to do. She pushed against the grip, slowing her some, her body twisted. Her blade came around feeling a pull, only to be cut at the hilt by a red flash making her Jedi tool invaluable.

Her body made impact with the ground, ash and dirt flew up around the Force users. There was a tug on her broken blade, she released it. A red blade pointed at her throat, the darker side of the Force pushed down on her, but the Jedi pushed back as to not be overwhelmed. She listened to the Force as it continued to whisper in her ears to be ready for anything and everything.

Then the Sith spoke, she could feel his eyes trying to break her, but she was unmoved nor intimidated. She listened to what he had to say. Ebberla did not speak for a moment, her heart was finally starting to calm, then she responded.

"Your message will be delivered." she replied, "And from who have I this honor to deliver this message from, from who are you speaking on behalf of the entire Sith Order?" Ebberla asked wanting to know his name.

 

[DeathToll]

A chill ran up his spine, and he lost his strength. He too had learned to trust the instinct of the Force, and he saw it ..as real as ever. He saw Ebberla, surrounded by mist and shroud, suddenly gripped by the cocky Sith and pulled towards his smug stink. Tris lost his breath in that moment of realization, a heat rising to his cheeks as his mouth dropped open. But when he heard the cutting of metal like an echo through a cave, feeling that severing split of her lightsaber that shocked him back to life with the strength of an avalanche, he'd been ripped out of the vision. He'd lost his rational thinking for that moment, and it struck him sort of funny.

He never quite returned, rotating his distant gaze back to the troops who surrounded him with their lives. Not able to focus on those fuzzy shapes, there was but one thought ever expanding over his mind.

"...You! Drive!"

Tris blindly threw out a pointing finger to the nearest soldier, though already looking to one of the remaining speeders to his side. He ran towards it, retracting the blue beam of his lightsaber and becon of hope to his tight holding upon his belt. Hopping into a slide across the front hood-plating and twisting around, he plunged himself into the passenger's seat and slammed the door shut. The soldier was a bit lost, but obeyed his order and made for the driver's seat. Tris was never one to drive himself anywhere, even in this urgent moment. Quickly, they took off towards base and left a confused mass of still willing soldiers. They had been inspired to a victorious ambition early on, and now they were being left to surrender; as if Tris himself was the one taking their victory away from them.

The entire ride back, for Tris, was scattered. His bubbling elitism still questioned the reality of this situation. The calm and clear voice of another Sith easily permeated into his unprotected mind, which only further threw him into dismay; clenching his mental muscle against the worry and confusion in his state. Yet, with each thought, there was one constant. He was concerned. He clawed at the anticipation of confirming her well being as they neared. His eyes searched for reason, but for the fluttering heart beat that continued to lift his chest.

They came closer, still in the speeder, and he looked up. He could make out the scene of that Sith standing over her and he felt the urges of aggression surging, clutching the vehicle with an animalistic desire; almost vaulting out from his seat, yet for the bottling confusion that subdued him. But finally, when they came close enough and slowed to a stall, there was this weightless moment when he saw her eyes, his face lifting from the tense heat of the 'protector' and becoming lost in a stare - whether she saw him or not. His thoughts evaporated and time stood still.

 

[Zach]

Ruthric's eyes darted to the side as the Jedi's lightsaber parts clattered against the hardened rock of magma. The course surface they stood upon was smooth in some places, but the halves came to a stop in a dip between two rocks. The Sith Lord idly brought the pieces to his curled left arm as they came to a stop, sliding them into place against his belt. The Jedi seemed unmoved by his attempted intimidation, but he would have been disappointed if she had. There was no fun in terrorizing children of the Force who knew not the ways of war.

Umbra grinned sinisterly as she accepted the message he wanted delivered, maintaining her expressionless face. She asked for his name curiously, inquiring who exactly it was she was faced against. He debated whether or not it was worth the risk of revealing his identity, but the title he bore would not jeopardize his true name. While it was no secret, he didn't like the idea of people knowing him. For the sake of appearances however, it was necessary to leave an impact on their fallen opponents. it was the will of his Emperor, and so it would be done.

Ruthric leaned down to the Jedi Master, still bearing that devious grin as his eyes met with hers. His eyes had a near hint of deep red to their almost black appearance, but a thin line around the prosthetic iris had a thin strip of yellow. It was curious that his prosthetics had turned color in coordination with his alignment in the Force, but it was no ultimate mystery. There could have been a number of reasons why they looked the way they did, but it was their purpose that served the Sith Lord. "You may call me... Darth Umbra," he uttered quietly, observing her facial features through the HuD display of the visual system.

From a short distance, he felt the approach of another strong in the Force, quickly making his way from the other end of the battlefield. In the stray from the ongoing assault and Royston's announcement, the soldiers hadn't appeared to be fully aware of his presence, but the Jedi Master's ally must have sensed the danger posed against her. Ruthric shifted his eyes to the side, keeping Ebberla tracked in his visual combat display as he focused on the approaching speeder. What looked to be a commander sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle, staring at the pair as they came to a halt. This was presumably the other Jedi, but he didn't leap into action.

While the Jedi hesitated, Ruthric did not. He reached out with his left arm, focusing the energy he'd gathered to prepare Tutaminis and transferred it into a force of pressure. The concept of kinetic energy was used in both techniques, incorporating the buildup of a solid barrier into an enemy, or forming to block and absorb incoming energy. The wall of pressure was not so much as to throw the speeder and its occupants into the air, but only to press against his body. The driver was of no concern. It would feel almost as if a pallet of bricks was thrown against his chest, pressing him to the seat of the speeder.

From atop the ridge beside the destroyed cliff that looked over the battlefield, the Stormtrooper Commandos steadied their rifles and aimed at the speeder, but held their fire. Umbra turned back to the pinned Jedi as the speeder came to a halt, reaching for a compartment on his belt. "It's good that you've decided to walk away from this battle. You would not have survived otherwise. While you've agreed to bear my message, that is not the only thing I wish to be delivered," he added slyly, his brilliant white teeth beginning to show between his lips.

From inside the compartment on the Sith Lord's hip emerged an insectoid figure, skittering across his belt. The assassin focused on keeping Ebberla restrained, ensuring that there would be little the others could do to prevent what was coming. His ally, Royston, would make sure of that as well, as soon as he arrived on the scene. The Jedi had ignored his call, and the professional gentleman wasn't likely to be pleased at their silence. As Ruthric thought about that, the Sith Pincerbug crawled toward Ebberla on the black surface of Saleucami's magma caverns and prepared its acidic ink, about to imbed the emblem of the Sith upon her forehead. While it was more practical to have two of the insects performing the task, Ruthric didn't want to risk a pair killing each other in the tiny compartment. Nevertheless, even if something did happen to the creature, it wouldn't be difficult to grip the acid with the Force to imbed it with.