Liberation Day

[Jayscreec Alecwit]

Spoiler: Mission

Mining Guild Alliance Mission: Destroy a local pirate base to protect deliveries

Imprisoned ex Red Skull gang members escaped with two blocks of felons last month. They already captured a small city on Serenno. It is an independent planet, liked very much by the Empress and Sith Empire's rich leadership. Even though it's not Imperial territory officially, the elite would prefer not to have them around.

The Mining Guild lost several freighters to these pirates last week, so when they called for help the Empire immediately volunteered Jayscreec. Now it's critical to destroy the pirate base and drive them out of there as soon as possible.

Jay hired Kassanda for help, in exchange for the right amount of credits.

"I can give you twenty men," he said. "You will stage my troops at the city's southern edge."

The Phage-Class Starbomber was being prepared by Jay's team with five crew members. "We will support you from orbit," he paused. "Our first target is their base of operation here, then we clear the area, get you intel and you can move in. From there you will tell us what needs bombardment."

Their droid used a holomap to show the known points of interest to Kassanda.

"Questions? Suggestions?"

@Judis
OOC: Dice, strictly following dice rules. Open for Sith Empire characters.

 

[Markus Varo]

Markus Varo had worked with and for many different individuals or companies over his long military service to the Sith Empire. The Empire was hired by the Mining Guild to eradicate pirates, who had fallen on bad terms with the guild, from a base in a small city on Serenno. Varo and others were tasked with the job.

Markus walked down the hallways of the Imperial ship. He tapped his badge on the durasteel door, and walked through into one of the conference rooms. He looked at everyone, and was delighted to see his friend Jay, now promoted to Imperial Overseer, was here. "Ah, sorry i'm late lads, better late then never!" He nodded to Jay and walked over to him, "Congratulations on your promotion, Commodore."

@Ediwa @Judis

 

[Kassanda O'Ryana]

The Fat Boi, an overhead-class freighter, entered the space. Imperial fighters escorted the ship to the designated area. “Are you sure about this Boss, the imperials?” The mechanical voice of the droid whined as he did not like the imperials. “Yes Boris, Jay hasn’t failed us in the past and I don’t believe he will fail us now. Plus, the credits are good. Maybe we can get those upgrades for you that we have been waiting on.” She grabbed her belt and latched it around the waist, the dagger hung freely on one side. She opted for her normal garb then her ex-imperial agent armor, after all this was only a briefing, she would have time to change before the actual mission.

The shipped landed in the designated spot. The guards waited for her to exit the ship. The redhaired woman walked down the entrance hatch of the ship, a large dire wolf followed closely behind. The woman was taller for human-female but still shorter than most men. The back of the dire wolf rested calmly at the about the waist of the woman with his head extending to the middle of her chest. Her hand scratched his ears. The guards stated “Umm he can’..” Ryx peered over. “Of course, he can, now take me to Jay.” Not waiting for a response, she proceeded to move in the direction of where she thought the meeting would be.

The guards lead the way while keeping a distance from the beast. The group reached the briefing. Kassanda listened to the plan while observing the holomap. She quickly pointed to a few locations on the map, they glowed as she identified them. “I will land my craft here.” Pointing to a location on the outskirts of the town, she continued. “After which I should be able to infiltrate the complex here.” She pointed to a large tower near the middle of the city. “From there I could laser target these key facility locations, and you can precision strike those locations with your bombers and hopefully not kill me in the process.” She said only half-jokingly. “10 thousand credits and 1 thousand for my brokerage fee. As usual.” She winked.

More focused on the mission then the area, she didn’t realize another Imperial officer enter the room. As he spoke, she looked up and over at him. By this time, Ryx was bored and groomed himself.

@Brick @Ediwa

 

[Jayscreec Alecwit]

While the preparations nearly finished an old friend surprised Jay. Commander Varo sponsored him into the command training program, so he was familiar with every single part of his skills and history. Yet his presence calmed Jay. "It is nice to see you in one piece, Commander. I expected you in one of the missions. Care to join me in the airstrike, or would you fancy this pretty girl along ground forces?" He looked over at Kassanda and smiled at her. "Speaking of which, I like your uniform. Where did you get that? I hope none of my men will come in your clothes, that would be too much for one day." Jay chuckled.

"Lieutenant Harquin reporting," Jay's right hand stepped into the conference room and took a seat. She was one of the first people assigned to Jay, right after she was demoted for breach of safety protocols. "We are ready to begin the assault."

"Good job Lieutenant, join Kassanda and take your positions."

The ships left the staging point, taking the ground forces closer to the city. They stopped in the nearby forest, expected to continue on foot to avoid being seen.

Jay engaged first. He brought the Phage-Class Starbomber as close as possible, maybe too close, before releasing two proton bombs. "Fire away," he reported. The bombs hit the hangars, which collapsed on the ships. The awoken Red Skull felons immediately reacted. They started flooding the area, trying to see if they can take off. Only one light freighter managed to get up, the rest were buried underneath debris.

The bomber's crew used three turrets to start spreading death.

Spoiler: DICE

Rolling the attack (barely success)

@Judis @Brick

 

[Markus Varo]

It had seemed the meeting was about finished. Markus turned to Jay, "This is your mission Commodore. I am at your service. I will be wherever you need me to be." In this situation Markus didn't know who was in a higher position, Jay was the one commanding the mission, and therefore was in control. "As you most likely already know, I am skilled in Naval tactics, and would best be in a ship, but if you would like I can go with the girl and supervise the ground team alongside Lieutenant Harquin." Markus looked distastefully at the woman. Markus didn't like to work with non-imperials, especially hired scum. However it wasn't his mission, he respected the commodore's decision. Markus definitely did not like the woman's attitude towards Jay. She exerted a hostile vibe around her that chilled Markus. Her payment was most definitely too much. It was a simple mission. The "as usual" part informed Markus that the girl had worked with Jay, or the Sith Empire in general, before. Markus preferred to work with enlisted men and women. People who went through the "trainings" and "programs". People that followed orders and regulations. Mercenaries such as the woman worked only for their own interest, while the Empress's men and women fought for their allegiance to the Empire. Scum's allegiance was to credits and themselves. Markus had worked with people of "their" type. And hired muscle was best to be used as disposable assets. Dead people can't get paid after all, and Markus would rather not waste precious men and women of the Empire.

Markus was so much in focus that he hadn't noticed the lieutenant and the woman leave. The next thing he knew, a ship left and zoomed towards the surface of the planet. Markus guessed he'd have to stay with Jay, though his personal shuttle was near his men awaiting his commands. Markus snapped to attention and watched as the ship got closer to the enemy ship. Suddenly two proton bombs were fired at the Red Skull gang.

@Ediwa @Judis

 

[Kassanda O'Ryana]

Ryx peaked up a moment as he noticed the new officer scan over his master. He stood up and circled around Kass a moment before approaching the man. The beast cocked his head to the side and before sitting in a position between the officer and the woman.

The redhaired woman was to focus on the defenses and mission that she barely noticed Jay’s comment. “It’s just my normal outfit. It’s comfy.” Kass finished and nodded to Jay. The mission seemed to be in order, and she proceeded back to her ship. The guards keeping their distance. With a low whistle, she called Ryx to her. The beast followed along happy.

Returning to the Fat Boi, she geared up as the ship headed to the strike zone. The craft pulled around and parked in the air near the closest available point to the target. Kass petted Ryx behind the ears before leaving. “Pulled the ship back to space, just in case things don’t go right.” The woman flipped from the edge of the entrance. She wore her standard gear plus a few items provided by the imperials. Not use to the shift in weight, it threw her off a little, but she was able to recover. Guiding down through the air, she reached inside and called on the force, it answered the call and push in an opposing direction to soften the land. Kass quickly recovered, using the force to navigate through the forest with great speed.

She sat at the edge of the forest. The fireworks had begun so she proceeded on foot into the camp. Pushing her force assisted speed to the max of its ability, she was able to slip through the edge of the buildings, jumping to the roof of one, and continuing from roof to roof. Reaching the center tower, she made her way to the targeting nest that was on the map. She took the laser guiding scanner, large handheld googles. Pulling her helmet off, she pushed the googles to her eyes. She scanned the area, the Red Skull felons exiting various locations and manning various anti-air turrets that weren’t on intel brief. She pushed the comms. “They are manning anti-air turrets. I have them laser guide. Please proceed with the precision bombing.”

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled to infiltrate the camp and make it to the targeting nest (Rousing Success)

@Ediwa @Brick

 

[Jayscreec Alecwit]

"Forward!" Jay ordered his pilot. "Fly over the eastern wings and increase altitude!" The starbomber drifted through the airspace, while the pirates sole ship also approached. It was unknown yet if it was going to be used for combat, or they were escaping. Matters? Better not take the risk. "Ventral turrets, target their ship. Fire!"

The sky was illuminated by the Starbomber's lasers and bombs. Kassanda perfectly marked the team's targets, and Jay's pilots managed to complete their precision bombing against the anti-air turrets too. "Fire away," Jay reported on their shared communications. "Hit."

"We don't see any more turrets, so call out if you get visual."

Jay examined the territory below through the screen, getting good view of the pirates' movement. "Take the stairs with your element, short corridor then huge fortified villa. If you get inside I will keep you covered while you breach it."

Spoiler: DICE

Bombing Kassanda's marked targets (success)

@Judis @Brick

 

[Markus Varo]

The bombs found their mark, and the Red Skull gang's ship was hit, taking considerable damage. The enemy ship might as well be destroyed, as the bomber's turrets rained fire upon the weakened ship. Markus was surprised to hear that the Red Skull felons had acquired anti-aircraft turrets. Apparently they had the funding to purchase high tech equipment. However lethal the turrets the felons had, it was no match for the bomber. With no apparent enemy in the sky, and ground threats neutralized, the green light was on for Kass and the team.

"Well that was easy enough, it seems it is up to the girl now to finish the job."

@Ediwa @Judis

 

[Jayscreec Alecwit]

One of the bomber's pilots reported that their recon droids spotted two groups of enemies filling the same building. It was unknown who else was inside, but two dozens of pirates might worth the collateral damage for Imperial Navy.

"Avoid zone C4," Jay ordered. "We begin bombing at once."

As the bomber tried the outmaneuver the enemy's freighter to get a good shot they took severe hits. One turret on the bottom became completely unusable and the sensors responsible for precision shots also went out. Now they had to do most of the aiming with eyes, that is pretty unfortunate for a bomber with friendly forces on the ground.

"Kark," Jay cursed. "We will land by the forest and join you. Continue."

Spoiler: DICE

Attempting to bomb pirate hideout (Major fail)

@Judis @Brick

 

[Markus Varo]

Markus stood idly by, smiling, soon the terrorists would perish, and they would no longer harass the mighty Sith Empire. Let this day shake fear into all the terrorist and rebel cells out there. Let them fear the might of the Empire. He wished there was a news crew here to record what was going to happen. Let the fear spread across the galaxy. Fortunately there wasn't a news team here. The bomber shook as it took hits from the enemy freighter. Just a scratch, what we'll do to them will be much much worse. Markus thought.

Fortunately most of the bomber's systems were operational. Unfortunately, a turret was knocked out, and more pressing, the targeting features were knocked out. Markus nodded, the battle was not over. They would now have to land and finish the job.

@Ediwa @Judis

 

[Braun Stoker]

Waging battle was chaotic. Braun understood this well as the stamping of his Dura-plated boots resonated with the blaster fire of the platoon of Sith Troopers. They were wildly engaging the “Red Skull” brigands that have allegedly been harassing the local mining guild. This was of no concern of Braun’s however, as he was more akin to blasting at command opposed to asking moral questions. As a group of three red skull members emerged from the structures they were attacking. It was about at this time that the opposing force’s hanger, or what Trooper Stoker assumed to be their hanger, received a direct hit from their forces bomber that was dropping explosives upon their enemy.

The fleeing targets stumbled, allowing Braun to effectively lose 4 blaster shots. Though the ground was shaken during the impact of bombs, Braun’s training as a member of the imperial trooper corps helped him remain composed as he fired his weapon. 3 of the four bolts struck their targets, one on the side and the other two finding their place in the enemies’ torsos. The final bolt flew off and struck some debris, becoming part of the many bolts that where slung off into oblivion. He had no words to say in the heat of battle, other than confirming his orders when given.


Bombing their base was preverbally comparable to kicking a hornet’s nest. Red Skull members began to flood into the battlefield, increasing the amount of fire that the ground troops were under. Trooper Stoker heard their file leader command “Cover!” as a second bombing struck the anti-air turret systems the skulls had somehow acquired. Trooper Stoker did not wonder on this thought for long as dove behind some of the resulting debris, as the troopers pushed the offensive (From the south I believe) further into the complex. Unlike combat with more skilled forces, this seemed to be a blitzkrieg offensive. The troopers had seemingly caught the “pirates” with both eye patches down. The troopers would continue to force the offensive maneuvers as the bomber seemed to make its way towards the forests nearby.


“Orders Commander?” Braun communicated through the local imperial comm network, in hopes that there would be a clearer direction for his forces to maneuver. He was but a foot soldier after all.


@Ediwa @Judis @Brick

 

[Jayscreec Alecwit]

Despite being forced to land, the orbital bombardment lasted long enough to ease the ground forces work. The Imperials were winning.

Finally Jay joined his forces at the city's bottom and overtook command. After being briefed of the current situation he quickly reconsidered another approach. "We'll take high ground on the eastern wing. Lure them into the alleys."

One of the troopers stood out as he awaited orders. "Stoker, do you want a big bonus? Bait out these karked scums and we'll hit them from above." The plan was incredibly simple but expected to work. After all, Red Skull gang didn't have any military training.

Jay joined the stack about to push up on one of the stairs. He patted the shoulder in front of him to signal he's ready. "Take me up." Upon reaching the top the first trooper got hit. "Tactical cycle," Jay ordered. "Get down if you're shot!" Two enemies fired at the troops from the roof. They both took cover behind vents and continually fired. One light bolt hit Jay in the shoulder, but the team went up fast enough to take out both of them before they could cause further harms.

"Kark, good work. While we wait for Stoker go set up the ambush."

Spoiler: DICE

Rolling to take high ground (barely success)

@Brick @Tetsu @Judis

 

[Braun Stoker]

“Affirmative Commander, we shall move into position now,” The trooper confirmed as he signaled with his hand to have his unit of troopers mobilize towards the narrow alley way that existed between the two damaged structures in question. He moved east, letting his troops move towards the small space. While probably a good plan on paper, the thin passageway exposed the troopers to extremely concentrated fire. It was like standing right down a shooting range without any cover. Braun charged in first as his troopers tried to move into the small space. “Bravo team, get down this passageway, go!” Braun shouted as bolts flew past his unit. He turned to lay down some suppressing fire but was struck in the side of the helmet. Braun’s head was rattled as three of his 10 troopers were wounded on the move down into alley.

His left eye peeped through the cracked visor of his helmet as his head rattled around. He lost 6 missed shots down the alley, to stand his ground (20/30). He grabbed the back harness of one of his wounded troopers, dragging him down the alley as the remaining forces formed up at the other end of the corridor. “Commander, we are under fire but are successfully in position. Sir if you’re going to do something, do it quickly.” Braun recommended as he kept his profile low as the blaster fire intensified. His left sideburns must have been burned off by the blaster shot that had barely missed its lethal shot and seared his flesh and helmet. “Thank the Sith for this shitty armor.” He thought to himself privately as he held his position at the end of the alley.


He quickly pulled some rubble from the bombed building next to them and tried to use it to offer a small degree of protection, but it was clear that his unit could not remain here long. His heart rate was racing as he leaned his unresponsive comrade against the make shift structure as he aimed his blaster down the line and fired with a bit more precision, hitting a single Red Skull member (19/30) as the brigands came charging down the alley to finish their quarry. Braun had unknowingly lured these men into an ambush from above. He watched as his wounded comrades that had not made it down the alley received coup de graes blaster shots to the head, infuriating the trooper as he loosed three more shots, only hitting one additional gang member before they were almost upon the seemingly trapped troopers (16/30).


“Targets in position commander, At your word.” The Trooper Lieutenant indicated as he prepared the command to open fire in unison.

 

[Jayscreec Alecwit]

"Now!" Jayscreec ordered on their tactical comms.

The Red Skull Gang members who tailed Stoker met continued fire from two directions. In the narrow alley only a few managed to take cover. In doors, beneath heavy objects, or under their deceased. The fire ceased, but the walls remained painted red. The Imperial troops lowered their weapons too and started focusing on their last objective.

However, suddenly one of them pushed himself up and held a grenade. Jay reacted quickly, he aimed for his center of mass and pulled the trigger, sending two bolts in burst mode through the man's armor. The team got tunnel vision. Everybody focused on the grenade, hoping it won't end up at them, but nobody noticed the other pirate.

Another explosive device found it's way, being thrown onto the roof. It couldn't be stopped anymore. They went off a second after each-other, first the one between the bodies, the second on the roof where Imperials positioned. The frags punctured through Jayscreec's gloves and made him bleed. "Kark," he hissed. "Third large building to the left. Kill all of them."

Spoiler: DICE

Rolling to ambush gang members from the roof (barely success)

@Tetsu @Brick @Judis

 

[Markus Varo]

A lot had happened in the short time that Markus had been surprised by the damage the bomber had taken. Markus watched as more and more Red Skull fighters spilled out from their hideout. "

Disgusting. The vermin just don't know when to quit do they?" Markus murmured. The Red Skull members were just as intelligent as a pile of rocks. They were outgunned, and hopefully outnumbered. Intelligence hadn't briefed them on how many there were. He listened as one of the troopers asked for orders. How stupid Markus thought. Wasn't the point of a battle to destroy the enemy? Kill every last one of the bastards, no mercy. Markus didn't complain out loud. It was Commander Jay's mission. He would just have to bite his tongue now, and make sure to mention all his complaints in the debriefing. Hopefully it would teach the young troopers and officers a lessen.

The ship landed in the forest nearby the battle, but not close enough for any stray wandering Red Skull member to attack them as they were exiting. Markus watched as Jay and the rest of the troopers onboard filed out. "I'll stay here and work with the analysts. We'll track your movements and alert you of any danger. I wouldn't be much help in the fight and I'd like to keep my remaining limbs." Markus nodded to Jay, and went to the table where they were briefed. He called the senior staff. "I want reports on the enemy movements and our troops movements." Markus's personal detachment of guards remained on the ship should anyone get curious.

@Ediwa @Judis @Tetsu

 

[Braun Stoker]

Braun heard the command given over the comm as he peeped his head out and began firing his blaster down range (14/30). It seemed as if their little ploy was working for the most part, as the gang’s attention had to be shared among two targets. A classic strategy of attacking multiple flanks it would seem. This plan succeeded up until the point where two pirates attempted to lob explosives at the roof tops, one succeeded in detonating. It was in this moment that Trooper Stoker knew that they would have to push or be exterminated. “Bravo Squad, Rally Arms!” He shouted, the command for the troops to mobilize around their commanding officer traditionally was Rally Arms; however, the commander was beyond their reach. This was a maneuver to protect their leader at all costs.


The commander was currently incapacitated at this time and was beyond their reach, and thus Stoker made the bold decision to vault over his makeshift barricade and take on the corridor of troops. Stoker rapidly pulled the trigger of his rifle, bracing it on his hip as he narrowly avoided blaster fire. He had seen the first explosives wielding gangster and knew what his objective was. He Blasted 10 hip shots down range, hitting half of those shots (4/30). He was in the thick of the fight now as he and his seven remaining troopers fought forward to regain the corridor and exterminate the gang members. Braun came upon them in close quarters, as he attempted to smash one of the gang members with his rifle. He resisted and the wrestled for only a moment before Braun ducked under him and picked him up in a fireman’s carry, throwing him fatally upon his head.


“With me!” He shouted as the retook their alleyway. This would buy time for Commander Jay to recover his disposition. The rubble from the explosion on the roof caused debris to tumble around the troopers as the miraculously pushed forward. Braun noticed the shiny object that he had been searching for. The Fragmentation detonator that the pirate, originally shot by Jay, had dropped only moments before. Braun quickly scooped up the explosive arming it before throwing down to the face of the alley, having faith that his placement would suffice as he dove behind the rubble that had fallen inside the alleyway. “Fire in the Hole, Take Cover!” He shouted as his troops hit the dirt and the end of the corridor was blasted with the concussive force of a fragmentation grenade. “Are you alright Commander?” The trooper asked over the commlink as the bodies down in the alleyway were now, between the fire on the roof and the counterattack, quite numerous.


“Shall we push the attack sir, or shall we hold our position here?” He asked over the commlink. They were in a prime position to take advantage of their push as Braun clipped his blaster to his belt and drew out his Purgio blaster pistol (15/15). They were in the heat of battle and he could not afford the time to reload his battery pack right this moment. He prayed that they would have a swift victory as he prepared to turn the corner and send fire down range.

Spoiler: Dice

Counterattacking the Gang members W/ Assistance from the rooftop attack (+5 to roll) (Rousing Success)

 

[Jayscreec Alecwit]

Intelligence report couldn't brief on the exact number, but Jay had a general idea of how many prisoners escaped that came to Serenno because he heard rumors of that prison's capacities before and after. Unfortunately they terrorized the mining guild so this had to be done sooner or later for the Sith Order's relations and reputation.

Jay was bleeding. He wrapped a bandage around his left hand that had a moderate wound on top. Then he sucked it up. After all one wound won't keep him away from succeeding this mission while he lost troops,. "Imperials gave their life for just the mining guild," Jay scoffed. "We are not stopping now, gather yourself and push their last stand! Heavy troops up front! Go! Go!"

The troops moved in sync, like they had been trained together a hundred times before. From wall to wall, corner to corner they pushed up to an outstanding oval building where the pirates were believed to be.

Jay joined the same tactical team's stack again and signaled he was ready.

"Initiate."

The team pushed inside with Jayscreec being third on the line. The building was empty inside, only ramps all around by the walls. In the middle big emptiness stood, probably it was used as some sort of storage building for massive cargo or ships. As they made their way inside the Red Skull gang immediately opened fire. Although, they barely had time to aim. Two concussion grenades went off among their lines.

They got distracted. And that meant their end.

As Jay reached the top level with his team it was only a small matter of time until the criminals realized they had lost. They couldn't run, they dropped their weapons and came out with their hands up. They were seized and the Sith Order won.

END THREAD

Spoiler: DICE

Rolling to breach their last lines (rousing success)

@Judis @Brick @Tetsu