Ask Invasion Cabal on Kabal

[The Storyteller]

Cabal on Kabal​

Slighted by the Efforts of the Jedi on Ossis, the Sith Order mounts a Reprisal Attack in the Outer Rim
​

Civilians were already clogging up the streets, with law enforcement officers trying to guide them out of harm's way. It had only been an hour since the enemy ships in space had been sighted by a friendly pocket ship, and already order was beginning to break down on the world's surface. Families, men and women alike were trying to leave the capital city Shoribus as fast as they could, knowing that if any fighting was to occur it would be here. Yet the situation was even worse for the planet's Defense Forces. Officers were not attending their posts, soldiers were deserting in the dozens. A distress call to mobilize the planet's reserve had been made, but no one knew how many would follow the call to arms, and how many of them were stuck in the traffic jams all over the city. Civil servants and politicians were running through the Central Citadel in panic. Kabal's defence had always been their neutral stance, they were no militant people, and the men in the Citadel knew that best.

It was at this moment when a great shadow set over the town of Shoribus, as Sith Star Destroyed Vengeful entered orbit. Only lightened by the red glowing shields of the entering warship, that drowned out the sun, the civilians looked up in awe onto their invaders. A small formation of Defense Force gliders advanced towards the entering aggressors, but the Siths own escort fighters made short work of the outdated craft. As the friendly gliders fell from the sky in flames, the somewhat organised refugee streams of the city turned into a panicked mob, with hundreds being trampled as the thousands of civilians tried to leave. All the while the Sith Star Destroyed kept ejecting landing craft that swarmed in the air like a flock of bees.

 

[Ashla Ti]

There had been many a moment in the last year where Ashla had felt out of place, where she did not know what to do, or what to day. But not here, not today. As the lights inside the gunship switched to an eerie red to indicate the attack had begun, the young Togruta felt in her element. She might not know what the latest fashions in the Galaxy were, or what a twerk was, but she knew war. She knew death.

The gunship rocked around as a few stray shots from the ground defense hit their shields or exploded near them, but finally the lights inside the gunship turned green as it came to a stop at the surface. As the doors whooshed open, Ashla shrugged off her cloak and jumped out from the hovering gunship to land with twin blades held lit in her hands.

"Move to those buildings," she instructed the troops that poured out behind her, pointing to two high buildings that had an unobstructed view of the CItadel, "hold the high ground!"

As the troops dispersed, Ashla started moving towards the Citadel, keeping her eyes out for other Sith who might be emerging from the other gunships. It might be fun to try and storm the Citadel all on her own, but having some company might make it a little easier.

@ThisIsHowLibertyDies

 

[Zoya Viktrov]

Another gunship dropped down next to the one that had deposited Ashla into the city. Zoya emerged from it wearing more simplistic garments than the type she was usually seen in back home. Her master, Darth Raze, had not specifically commanded her to seek out battle; but she knew if she were to complete her training, she would need experience at some point. Raze had told her that she possessed unique skills that would enable her to fight almost entirely with the Force, and there were few better places than a battlefield to develop those unique talents.

Outside the gunship, Zoya quickly spotted the Togruta stalking towards the Citadel. Soldiers fanned out in every direction, obeying the girl's shrill commands. She was surprised they listened to her. The girl looked younger than Zoya herself, though she supposed age didn't matter much when you were a Sith. Having the Force gave one authority even age and wisdom could not always bestow. Doubly so if you were so blessed as to be able to choke the life out of those who disobeyed you.

When the troops were dispersed, Zoya fell into stride alongside the Togruta girl. She felt the urge to say something. A greeting perhaps? But in the end, she kept her mouth shut. Better to let others initiate interactions while she kept her eyes peeled for more allies—or enemies. @Wit

 

[Gideon Millemm]

Lieutenant Millemm held on to a handrail as he stood inside the AAL, conducting the last Radio Check on Platoon and Company level. It felt funny, in many ways this operation had been his brainchild. He had spent so much time aiding in the planning on a strategic level, that it felt odd to him to be back in the tactical element. After knowing his radio checked out, he instructed his second in command on the second AAL of his platoon to give the last instructions to the other half of his men, before turning to his own squad leaders. The lack of enemy fire still wondered him.

Occasionally turbulence shook him as he addressed his men for what would be the last civil time. From here on it would be combat commands. "Alright lads, listen up. Issue of orders now. First Situation: Friendly Forces have ceased air superiority, and members of the 1st Regiment are currently securing the grounds around the Citadel with the aid of Sith Forces. Forces of the 1st Battalion 2nd Regiment are en route to the Citadel and will deploy on the various rooftops if possible. Members of the heavy 2nd Artillery Battalion 2nd Regiment have deployed 5km Southeast of the city and shall be able to aid with plunging fire after 0600 Standard Time. They are guarded by the 3rd Infantry Battalion 2nd Regiment.

The situation of the enemy, they are entrench-" The sound of an explosion, and heavy turbulence abruptly ended his repetition of the command. The sound of heavy gunfire filled the air, and he gestured to his subordinate commanders that they better return to their squads. Once again he had to curse that the AALs did not offer viewports. Heaving himself along a rail, he moved back in the shuttle to join the pilots in their area, so he could see what the hell was going on, in the meantime requesting status from his second. Yet even before he got to the pilot area, he heard the frantic command of the company commander, ordering the surviving AALs to land immediately and join the ground forces, and his smile began to fade. Either the casualties were too severe, or the commander had gotten weak knees witnessing the carnage. This decision however meant it would be a mere ground assault, and he wondered if that wouldn't mean much more losses in the end.

As the AAL touched down, and the ramp opened, his men stormed out. They were now a bit ahead of the friendly line, and the enemy made full use of that. Finally, enemy fire kicked in, and as his men dispersed to find covers in the big street they had crashed down in. Finding some cover in a nearby alley, he began to assess the first losses, whilst throwing out a first battle order into the platoon radio line. "Squad 1, get into position behind the stone well centre street, Squad 2 provide cover! Main fire direction centre down the street! Suppressive Fire - Fire!" As he saw the members of the 2nd squad fire, he gave the follow-up command. "1st Squad, Move!" as his squad moved forward, he looked back the street. Two Sith (@Wit @Mockingjay) were advancing his way with a larger number of troops. A small sigh of relief escaped him. He really wouldn't want to hold this ground with only half of his platoon.

@Arclight

 

[The Storyteller]

Every odd Sith Transport was now tumbling from the air, veering off after they were hit by the devastating enemy AA fire. The defenders had managed to get at least one AA battalion to the Citadel grounds, and they now displayed their full firepower. On the other hand, resistance in most other parts of the town was minute, and the refugees in the outskirts were the largest problem outside the city centre.

There, however, the fights begin to intensify as the Sith Order Forces encountered the first forward-deployed machinegun nest. The first line of defenses was now engaged, and the city administration seemed to have decided to put up a fight.

 

[Asminys]

Darth Asminys eyes opened as fire raged around him. Metal creaked and groaned as the Sith Lord shook his head to clear the haze. Bodies of his legionnaires were scattered through small space of the burning and twisted lander that had been at the head of the pack. His advisors had told him that leading from the front was unbefitting of someone of his rank, but the Sith Lord was loathe to miss out on the action. Ruling was so tedious.

He wasn't dead yet, and he could hear the booming of artillery and the echoes of blasters firing around him. Which meant there was blood to be spilled. Shakily, he got up on one knee inside the lander. His lightsaber ignited with a snap-hiss, metal sizzling and melting around him as he carved a hole in the metal beneath him. Returning the saber to his hip, he closed his eyes and held his palms up at his sides.

Metal creaked and groaned, and a twisted shrieking echoed from the cockpit. The lander rose above Darth Asminys and he kneeled there for a moment, hands held high. Rage consumed him, anger that the pitiful Kabalans had shot down his ship and killed the soldiers loyal to him. Their deaths were fuel to the fire as his arms swayed back above his head, palms crooked towards the flaming hunk of starship.

With a forwards wave of his hands, the lander flew forwards. It crashed into an artillery gun before tumbling through a group of infantry that were rushing to the front.

Snap-hiss

Asminys ignited both of his sabers as he shakily gained his footing, blood trickling from a wound on his head, the sleeve of his bodysuit burned away. The flesh burned painfully, but the Sith Lord pushed the pain away as his hateful eyes flashed across the troopers that were just now reacting to his presence behind enemy lines. His crimson saber whipped up to catch the first blaster bolt as they turned one by one to fire on the Sith Lord.

All dead men.

@Wit @Mockingjay @ThisIsHowLibertyDies

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan's galaxy-spanning trip had been a disaster. First he'd had a very strange encounter on Kesh, which he was still processing. Then, his transport to Yavin had been routed through Kabal in order to drop off some folks with enough credits to influence their flight plan. With the added stop Ruzaan was looking at more than a week of hyperspace travel to get back home, but it was looking increasingly likely that he would die on Kabal instead as the Sith launched an invasion of the planet.

The Togruta had left the spaceport and had borrowed a speeder in order to answer the call to arms sent out by the planetary government. He'd reached the Citadel just as the first Sith transports began swarming out of the belly of the Vengeful, joining with a few hundred soldiers of the Kabal Defense Force (KDF) stationed there. They were led by a stern human by the name of Commander Marsha Tithens, a human woman of about 50 whose steel-grey hair matched the ramrod posture with which she carried herself. She was dressed in the battle armor of the KDF; grey with yellow highlights, with a helmet under one arm and a rifle slung across her back.

A holomap of the surrounding area showed the extent of the invasion; it would be a costly attack for the Sith thanks to the murderous AA fire, but the defenders were seriously outnumbered. However, Ruzaan was pleased to see that the panicked atmosphere elsewhere on the planet did not extend to the armed forces; while dozens had deserted, the soldiers that remained were unified in their desire to make the invaders pay for every step they took on Kabal's soil.

To that end, the interior of the Citadel was set up to receive the unwelcome guests. The main double doors on the South of the Citadel, some 5m high, were made of heavy durasteel and measured no less than 10 inches thick. The doors opened up to to a large, pentagon-shaped atrium where a pair of E-Web heavy repeating cannons were set up on the east and west sides of the pentagon, aimed at the door. A second-level balcony was bristling with soldiers, and the ground level boasted an array of defenders behind a makeshift barricade. The invaders would find the Citadel to be well-defended, certainly.

The KDF had chosen to make a stand at the Citadel both because it was important- a symbol that stood for the sovereignty and autonomy of the Kabal peoples- and because it was a diversion. Even now, the royal family was fleeing with a dozen elite guards through a secret tunnel out of the Citadel to a ship a couple miles away that could take them to safety off-planet. The royal family's survival and testimony would no doubt rally the galaxy to band together against further tyranny from the Sith.

Ruzaan was ignorant of this scheme, and was trying to meditate near the eastern E-Web. Strangely, he was less nervous than on Felucia, and had managed not to throw up over the E-Web's power pack next to him. Instead, he ran through a mental checklist of his gear. Double-bladed lightsaber? Check. Dark brown Jedi Wanderer robes? Check. Short-range comlink? Check. Utility belt with rations and a few bandages? Check. Speeder keys? Check. A bad feeling about this?

Check.


((OOC Note: I'd like to see Ruz end this with all four of his limbs attached, but short of that I'd appreciate a more cPvP approach so I can work with some/all for some cool moments that make your characters shine even more than they already do.))

@Arclight @ThisIsHowLibertyDies @Mockingjay @Wit

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

This was not her first time in combat, but this was her first time participating in an invasion. The acolyte was a bit nervous, but more so uncertain. She was unfamiliar with the man leading this, and her master was nowhere to be found. Though once Malou hit the ground and found Ashla, Malou felt a bit more certain.

The Miralukan acolyte came in her armor and with two sabers, and her face was covered completely by a full face mask. It had a single, vertical slit down the middle for viewing the world around her, but it was not in use. Malou had no use for eyes when the Force could show her everything she needed to know (and more.)

"Is this your first rodeo?" Malou asked this of Ashla with a voice that seemed almost bored. Though her voice was plain, excitement had begun to rise in her. This was a challenge she was ready to face.

@Wit @ThisIsHowLibertyDies

 

[Ashla Ti]

Ashla watched the AALs land further ahead, beyond the line their own troops had formed, and troops started emerging from the landers, drawing enemy fire. They were pushing the line, and it didn't take a hyerpspace scientist to realize that she would be best used helping those troops in some way. She was trying to plan her next move when she was joined by two others.

At first they both seemed strangers to her, which wasn't surprising given how few Sith she actually knew, but then one of them spoke and recognition dawned. Ashla didn't know the armor, but she did know the voice. A smile on her lips, both out of recognition of the voice and the simple fact that she actually got the reference behind the question, she let out a chuckle as she continued walking.

"Of this scale? Most definitely." She was about to ask the same question of their third companion, giving her a sideways glance and truly taking in her appearance. "Wow, red really is your color, isn't it?" Her head and shoulders turned to the side to take in the acolyte's red hair and jacket, appreciatively. "It suits you. This is Malou," she jerked over her shoulder at the armored Miraluka as she introduced her to the Sith in red, "I'm Ashla."

That was when they were rudely interrupted by all hell breaking loose. A lander crashed not too far ahead of them, and as the three acolytes looked on a surge of the Force emanated from within it as the crashed lander suddenly rose into the air and went flying towards the enemy artillery.

In its wake stood a figure, lightsaber lit, already deflecting blaster bolts flying at him. Burning strong in the Force.

"Who is that?"

@ThisIsHowLibertyDies @Mockingjay @Arclight @lizziie

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

((OOC Note: I've been advised that due to the majority of Sith being inactive, the invasion fails. This post is a narrative attempt to wrap up Ruz's presence in this invasion, while also offering an explanation for why such an invasion might fail. I do look forward to threading with y'all in the future!))


For the defenders inside the Citadel, the expected battle never came. As Ruzaan meditated, he could sense the tides of the battle slowly turn. Clearly, Kabal had contingency plans in place for such an invasion; they had learned from previous Sith invasions of other planets such as Ossus which similarly had targeted the capital. The presence of such plans was not a surprise as they stood within easy striking distance of Sith space.

The defending KDF used their knowledge of their home planet to the utmost advantage- drawing the invaders into traps and crossfires- and inflicted heavy losses on the Sith troops and forced the Sith to withdraw due to a lack of fire support. Lacking a large starship fleet, Kabal had instead invested in a strong Anti-Aircraft battery along with a few planetary defense guns that soon began threatening even the mighty Star Destroyer that loomed over the capital.

A cheer went up across Kabal as the capital ship turned and fled the system, leaving destruction- but also a free planet- in its wake. For the next few days, Ruzaan assisted with healing the wounded and beginning the process of rebuilding Kabal. Throughout it all, a fog hovered over him, just enough to occupy his attention if he wasn't busy. He'd sensed the presence of someone familiar during the invasion, but couldn't discern who it was. During times like this, he also felt an overwhelming sense of relief that he hadn't faced any Sith in battle; the reports had indicated that no less than four Sith had spearheaded the invasion.

72 hours after the Star Destroyer had first appeared in the sky, Ruzaan curled up on a bench on one of the first public transports to leave Kabal as travel restrictions were eased. A few stops later, he would arrive back on Yavin IV.

@lizziie @Wit @Mockingjay @Arcangel @ThisIsHowLibertyDies