Open Sullust Springing Lieutenant Aran

Talak Rand

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Talak's ship dropped out of hyperspace above Sullust and he braced himself for what was to come. This was a world that he could immediately sense was filled with darkness and pain. It was distinctly Sith in the impression that it gave him, and that was an impression he was all too familiar with. He’d spent his life growing up around this. No one could inflict misery like the dark side.

This begged the question: how long had the Sith had hold of this world? He’d heard rumors about worlds falling under their sway, but being here now and feeling it. He couldn’t mistake it. He only hoped he wasn’t too late. He and Crix had moved as quickly as they could to break into - or, uh, rather “liberate the records - from the communication station on Coruscant. That had brought him to here. Crix had not been happy when Talak had told him that he couldn’t actually come, but Talak was not going to survive this just to have Trys kill him for bringing her son into an active combat zone.

That all was assuming he made it out of here at all.

He reached out with his senses as he descended. Beyond the darkness and beyond the fear he could sense it. The swirls of black and red had that speck that was Trys, a purple and blue that he’d come to recognize oh so well. From a galaxy away he could sense it. Even with the closing in of pain and violence around her, she was there. And if he could sense her, that was a good sign. It meant there was more than just a chance.

I’m coming, Trys, he said quietly. He slipped two lightsabers onto his belt in preparation for might come. He was walking into the rancor’s den.

And he hoped he wasn’t alone. He had spread the word to anyone who would listen. Corran and Zad would no doubt have spread word through the Sector Rangers, Talak had spread it through the Jedi, and with fortune the Rangers would have gathered others from the FWA. It wasn’t unlike the Battle of Ryloth and he hoped that others would come. Trys had become a symbol of justice and the entirety of the Free Worlds. No doubt a mission to rescue her would draw in the best and the brightest.

Those who had heard the word would have also received the com channel. Encrypted and for use of the strike team. He took a deep breath in before reaching over to a panel on the display in front of him. With the press of a button he broadcast to whoever else would have come.

This is Jedi Knight Talak Rand to anyone on this frequency, does anyone copy, over? and then there was a moment’s silence as the ship set down on world.
 
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M4G7 Magnus

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Such a large gathering to attack a heavily fortified world in the hopes of rescuing a single person was highly illogical, even if the person was a lieutenant of the sector rangers and a hero, however, while illogical, Magnus doubted the organics wouldn't be moved and join the fight, so he had to be there, couldn't let citizens, rangers and jedi to die without doing anything, it was in his programming to try and save as many innocents as possible, be it Trys or the meatbags that joined the fight, not only that, but he would as well bring judgement to as many sith as possible, for that was his directive.

So, descending towards the world that was supposedly under sith control on his light freighter, already equipped with his electrostaff, blade and rifle, the droid kept an eye open for trouble as he listened to Talak's message, the man that brought them all together "This is sector ranger M4-G7, operative and ready to rescue lieutenant Trys, over." He didn't know what would be his situation by the end of the fight, knowing that the last time he confronted a lightsaber wielder he got chopped to pieces, his calculations told him he would probably be destroyed, but droids of his type didn't feel fear, if he had to fall today, so be it.
 

Maxims Tionson

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Sullust was a bit of a crapshoot of a planet at the best of times - any planet that had surface seas of lava tended to be in his opinion - but it had gone downhill in recent times it seemed. How that was even possible would have been kind of hard to imagine if he didn't know that the Sith were involved. When things looked like they couldn't get any worse and then they suddenly did?

Tended to be Sith.

Coming in to land on one of the many islands of rock that jutted out of the lava seas, his droid friend beeped at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Incoming message huh? Put it through."


Listening to the message from Talak, he smiled a little bit and patted the droid on the head as he finished the landing process. Reminding the droid to lock the Tigris after him, Max disembarked from the ship and touched the com-link in his ear.

"Talak, this is Max. Landed on the lava plains and heading over to you now."


He paused in his communication as he started making Force-assisted leaps over some of the wider rivers of lava.

"Level with me - is there some kind of Dark Side rulebook that means they have to have a fetish for lava planets do you think?"



@Phoenix
 

Nykoria Tallis

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This was it. The hour of reckoning. For the first time, the Jedi had a chance to get a drop on the enemy, and not respond to the news of another disaster caused by the said enemy. Of all people, Nykoria Tallis couldn't say "No" to that. No matter how daring or desperate the rescue plan was.

Although Kori hadn't worked with Talak before, she did hold a degree of respect to the man for what he had done back on Coruscant. Jumping out the window of a 20th floor to save Sector Ranger Chief from falling to his death? That was one hell of a feat. She also remembered hearing rumors of him defeating a powerful Sith Lord, or a member of the Dark Council even, side by side with none other than Master Grayza. In short, Talak knew his stuff. Even when he took risks, they all seemed to be calculated.

So it was no wonder that the Zeltron responded to his call. A part of her wished that the Order could bring their Gozanti light cruisers or CR90 corvette to bear. Izel surely would've loved that. But the corvette was still unavailable, and Sullust itself was well outside the Jedi "jurisdiction" (or rather, a place where such a ship would be VERY frowned upon). It required a deft touch. That's why Nykoria had chosen to take the Serendipity for the mission. Any Jedi in need of a ride to Sullust were more than welcome to join her.

"This is Jedi Master Nykoria Tallis aboard the Serendipity," the Zeltron replied through her comlink, her voice distorted slightly by the helmet of her combat suit. Naturally, her split-saber and stun pistol were clipped to the utility belt. "We're on our way to the RV now." As the ship touched down, the Zeltron's feet landed on the ashen surface. The hellish landscape and lava rivers were a stark contrast to the cold and rotten feeling that the planet was giving off. The Sith were there. Maybe, if the Jedi were lucky, they could do more than just rescue a single ranger...
 

Izel Thral

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Izel had heard of Knight Rand's exploits, though she had never had the pleasure of meeting him personally. Technically they had worked together during the Battle of Ryloth to disable the Sith star destroyer, but their separate strike teams never came into contact with one another. This time however the mission was offensive in nature rather than defensive, striking at the Sith rather than desperately scrambling to stem the flow of bloodshed after it had already started. This is exactly what she wanted.

The Vratix Knight stood onboard the Serendipity alongside Master Tallis, antennae twitching slightly as they dropped out of hyperspace over Sullust. The dark side was strong here... Very strong... She had a feeling they weren't just striking at some small Sith base. They had just stumbled on a major stronghold.

"This will be interesting..." She muttered thoughtfully to her Zeltron friend as they descended towards the surface. "I hope you've been keeping up on your training. We'll find no shortage of enemies here..." Reaching out with one hand she called her pike into her grasp with the Force. She had been improving her own skills in combat, but was still glad to be fighting alongside a Jedi Master, especially in a place so oozing with dark side corruption. Stepping off the ship behind Kori she surveyed their less than pleasant surroundings. Of course, where else would the Sith feel at home? Well... If they had anything to say about it it wouldn't be a home for them much longer.

@Isen (In case the Padawan wants to join the team)
 

Drow Venn

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Drow had met Talak Rand on Tatooine where they'd had, to put it mildly, a bit of trouble with some locals. Having once been a mercenary, Drow was all too familiar with how quickly men who fought together bonded. As it was, while he didn't know Talak the man very well, he was pretty familiar with Talak the fighter and he was happy to lend his assistance when he heard the man's call for aid.

He dropped out of hyperspace in his old Y-Wing starbomber, wincing at the creaking that he heard from the old ship. The Y-Wing was decried by most starship enthusiasts for being too old, too sluggish, and too obsolete for any practical use. Drow would hear none of it - in his mind, any ship that could say it saw service in both the Clone Wars and the Battle of Exegol was still worth flying. But damn if the old bird didn't try its hardest to prove Drow wrong. The old R2 unit strapped in the back chirped nervously and recommended several junkers that would pay a reasonable price to Drow if he sold the Y-Wing to them.

"I don't want to hear it, droid." Drow rolled his eyes, before switching on his comm.

"This is Drow. I'm approaching the planet now. Did you want me to lend air support or land and meet up with you on foot?" he radioed the Jedi strike team that was assembling
 

Preef Callo

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The Sith had summoned Preef for what he presumed was a belated thank you and to grant the official underworld monopoly for the Zaa Fenn Crime Family on Eriadu. He was seated in a waiting area of the Sullustan Sith Headquarters, rumored home of the Eternal and from the rodian's point-of-view a generally moody and intense place. They didn't even sell noodles! Needless to say, the vanguard of the Five Syndicates wore just his regular tunic and carried his trusted blaster in its hip-holster, with two power packs in his belt, as this was supposed to be just an administrative trip.

"Just one more moment, mister Zaa Fenn-" a uniformed officer of the Sullust Defense Force, aka the new Imperial Army, smiled at him, "-there's some unidentified vessel entering the atmosphere." The rodian looked at her funny, not really realizing what she was trying to say there. Sullustan cities were underground, so orbital bombardment was a non-factor, and yet he thought to sense some fear in her words. Was she talking about an ordinary smuggler or an invasion? Because if it was the latter he had to get the kriff out of there right now.

Not having the smarts to ask for clearification, Preef simple nodded and went to get another cup of coffee from the machine. "They sure make you wait," he complained as the dark liquid dropped down into his cup, "We stopped a coup d'etait on Eriadu and they let me wait." The rodian shook his head.. what the kark was going on here?




 
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Crix Aran

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Hiding in the back of Talak's cargo hold was not Crix's idea of a good time but it beat the alternative.

He got why Talak had tried to leave him behind but he wasn't about to stay safely on Coruscant when his mom was out here suffering. And she was suffering. Force or instinct or something else, he didn't know how he knew that she was suffering but he knew it - he could feel it in his bones, in the ever-present coiling dread in the pit of his stomach and the near-constant headache he had been feeling as they approached Sullust.

Was it the Dark Side? He didn't know what that even properly felt like - all he knew was that the combinations of feelings were screaming at him that his mom was suffering. And Talak expected him to stay... anywhere else? No. He might not dislike the Jedi as much as he thought originally but he was a karking moron if he thought he would ever be able to live with himself if he had stayed away.

Taking a deep breath, Crix did his best to stay low and stay quiet as he crept down the landing ramp while Talak was busy having his conversation on the com line. Getting back up he thought? That was good because Crix wasn't dumb enough to think he could get him and his mom out by himself - if lots of Jedi and Rangers showed up as distractions, that'd be enough for his mom to kick all kinds of ass and get them to safety.

Where was his mom being kept? Logic would dictate it was the only facility on this part of the planet and the terrible feeling of wrong sank deeper into him the more he looked at it so... yeah that was probably the place. Keeping low, he kept the ship between himself and Talak as he made a break for it.
 

Juniper

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Nara peered out from the doorway as she dropped down onto the ashen ground. Her legs twitched a little, the muscles tense after sharing a ride with Kori and Izel. The Y-Wing was not built for comfortable travel, especially when you packed it full of Jedi. She took a couple of steps forwards towards her friends, looking out at the hellish landscape.

We're here to rescue someone, don't forget it.

Nara'd heard of Lieutenant Aran. She was a famous Ranger, obviously, but she remembered her for one reason in particular. I remember you. The Holonet. Stood there with the stick up your ass, boasting about arresting Master Oren. Two years gone, because of her. I thought you were a smug waste of skin. No brain and a bad haircut.

That was a few years ago, though.


Whatever lingering mistrust Nara had about the Rangers wasn't important now, though. They were here to take her back, feelings be damned. Honestly, Nara was more concerned about the stifling weight of the dark side. It hung off everything on this world. She pushed the hood down on her coat, her pale face already gleaming with sweat. Heat or terror? She didn't want to think about it.

"I just hope they're cocky enough not to notice us. And that they haven't noticed a bunch of ships with encrypted comms bearing down on their world." Even as she said it, Nara felt that little bit of hope die. "We should've had a better plan that this. Why's Talak Rand so bloody keen?"
 

Ana DAmico

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Anger. Jealousy. Hatred. Fear.

All this and more permeated Sullust. The planet was unwelcoming to life; lakes of gurgling lava flowed across its surface while a toxic atmosphere choked the life from all but the hardiest of creatures or those without rebreathers. As with many worlds conquered by the risen Sith, Sullust was a veritable fortress of darkness. The Sith had kept its prisoners on the ashen surface under the baleful eye of their wardens. This was no mere holding facility; those confined here were subjected to unimaginable horrors and physical punishment designed to break even the most stalwart of hero. Many were brought to Sith prisons, and the unfortunate few who leave with their lives intact are irreparably tainted. It was the corrupting nature of the Dark Side to leave its mark on all who taste it.

Ana had learned that lesson years ago by a man who betrayed their people. There was a sinister irony to it all, though; to be forced down a path of corruption, only for the teacher to find his own redemption. It was as if the darkness guided destiny for this to happen, for her to force herself to find her own way along the shaded and profane path of the Sith. It was terrifying at first, to be so alone, but she learned to embrace it. After all, it was the nature of the Sith for an apprentice to eventually surpass the master. She just wished that she had more guidance before his departure.

Oh well. Such was the fickle nature of the Force.

Ana found herself subsumed by a font of darkness in a meditation chamber within the fortress for some time now. The day had been routine up until she felt the overwhelming presence of… intruders on their world. They had claimed a great prize some time ago; a hero of the Free Worlds – Ranger Aran. It was only a matter of time before interlopers got wise and sought out their martyr.

Sullust was not a place for prolonged conflict. In fact, it was wholly inimical to drawn-out duels for the unprepared. The ashen atmosphere was choking and greatly limited those without the proper protective gear. It’s why whenever Ana ventured beyond the fortress or the subterranean cities, she always wore a rebreather and protective thermal cloak. It was enough to keep her comfortable for a time, at least.

Ana left the meditation chamber and ventured outside to the ramparts of the prison to gaze at the galaxy's least-subtle strike force. Nothing landed nearby the fortress without being noticed, especially not those vessels that made little attempt to hide their signatures. Everyone within knew they had arrived the moment they breached the atmosphere, screaming their ID signatures, and defenses were being prepared accordingly. Around the Jedi landing site and surrounding the prison were myriad lava lakes, obsidian formations, and vents of superheated steam spraying into the atmosphere periodically alongside manmade defenses. There were few entrances to the prison that were not guarded or monitored. Defensive turrets had been activated, lockdowns were engaged, and guards were staging themselves all around to repel the assault. If the Jedi wanted to come siege their fortress, then they had best come prepared.

Ana herself had little more beyond her protective equipment, lightsaber, and vibro-knife. She knew others of their Order would join her to defend what was theirs. It was only a matter of time. The Dark Side would not surrender what it had won so easily.
 
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Zarine Bashere

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Zarine wasn't what you would call a fighter, her strengths lay elsewhere. But when push came to shove, as it so often did with practitioners of the Force, she could hold her own against her more muscle bound brethren. She didn't condemn their inclinations, what could she expect if they listed to the tiny organ between their legs instead of the tiny organ within their heads. She had hoped that her trip to the prison on Sollust wouldn't present much in the way of physical confrontation, she had arrived in the hopes of getting some time alone with the captured Sector Ranger, to try and extract some information from her that others might have missed. She often found that the more mundane and insignificant chunks of information could prove to be the most useful.

But a part of her had known that things would not be that simple. At the very least she had prepared for such an eventuality. There were those who liked to twist the Force around them, the fates themselves drawn to bend to their presence. Many a Jedi and Sith had borne such a curse, and this Sector Ranger was no different. So Zarine had come prepared for the worst, dressed as a run of the mill Sith, her body covered in simple black armor, her face covered behind a mask.

She made her way to the ramparts as well, following the trail of a presence she knew. Stepping up besides her one time high school acquaintance, she peered out at the approaching strike force.

"Subtle, aren't they?" Masked though she was, Zarine wasn't hiding her presence, not just yet. So it would be easy enough for Ana to recognize her, even through the facade.

@Painus
 

Wiley Winnz

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Sullust was a nice enough place for a volcanic world. SoroSuub and the trade that came in and out of the system meant that there was always things to do in terms of flying patrols and the like. But for the past year Wiley had been traveling around the galactic south. He had hoped to get some action after Coruscant, both times. But instead he had been told to 'stand back and stand by'. Great leadership right there. So he kept up business as usual, at least until now.

"So we're to what...stand by?" The rampart of the fortress was one of the few places that provided 'fresh air' with an actual sky. The man had the embers of a cigara burning just a few centimeters from his lips as one arm leaned against a buttress. Inhaling the smoke and finishing the stub he let it drop from his lips and not even both to stamp it out given their location.

There wasn't a need to scramble interceptors yet. A large number of independent ships making a ground assault didn't seem like it would require a lot of fast flying. If anything, Wiley would recommend they just send out the bomber squad and carpet the already partially glassed surface. Not to mention flying around in all the ash unnecessarily meant he would have to do extra maintenance later. A couple of fools charging a prison on the ground seemed like something he would hear about over breakfast in the cafeteria tomorrow morning.

"Hmm, maybe I'll actually be a part of the group activity this time. Team building and all that." Wiley left his life support box and helmet in the seat of his starfighter, not wanting to carry them around while he was on his smoke break. The hangar was only a kilometer or so away from the main holding facility and with a quick jaunt on a speeder or ship it wasn't too long. But the rocky surface made foot travel not ideal so the only other option was to use a small tram or cart. There was no point running over there until he was given the order. Pulling the blaster from his holster he checked the charge before holstering it again.

Something was going to happen. It was just a question of whether or not he was going to have a first hand account. "I'll be right back. I'm going to grab my camera." He said and headed to his personal quarters to get the recorder he had been planning on using to film some of his 'training' exercises. "Hmm, what's a good hashtag? Sucks to Sullust....Ashy Ass Kicking...no...I'll workshop it."
 

Nobody

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You love it here. Prisons are so...dark. Depressing. Full of anger, hate, an inherent desire to gain one's freedom back. Bondage, but not just for those behind its cell walls; bondage to the Eternal reigned supreme, second only to the Dark Side itself. You smile darkly as you exit the main holding facility's vicinity where the ranger is being held, stalking in no apparent direction, here only as second hand defense.

You survey the guards setting up their defenses as the turrets activate, glancing lazily as they scurried about. You hardly expect anyone will successfully get into such a place, at least not with the unseen darkness that surrounded its walls. Sith were everywhere; it'd take an incredible strike team to actually make a difference.

Of course, you're one of many; still, every man makes a difference...at least everyone who can take on a squadron of soldiers with relative ease. You haven't seen any Jedi since that one fool on the Star Destroyer who'd escaped narrowly with his life (as you had, to be fair) as the ship plummeted towards the ground. Maybe it'd be fun to have a playdate of some sort...
 
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Isen Ramm

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Isen followed behind the ship his teacher and mentor, Izel Thral, was riding in. She had suggested that he learn some piloting skills, a particular skill set that Isen was not particularly interested in. As such, she suggested he take one of the old X-wings and follow behind...He was supposed to be practicing maneuvers along the way, but Isen, as he has always been prone to do with subjects that don't fit his interest, took some short cuts instead of tackling the studies with vigor. Isen simply put the coordinates of Sullust into the navicomputer and set for a speed that would keep him safely behind Master Thral. Out of sight, out of mind. He would arrive a few moments after they did if he plugged everything in correctly.

The Padawan had a pretty good idea of the planet's history. Had it ups and downs. Proud member of the Galactic Republic. Then it was dominated and occupied by the Empire. It simply hadn't recovered, and the landscape of lava and volcanoes didn't make it a particularly welcoming place either. Isen was given some barebone briefings about what they were doing here. He knew there would be a lot of Jedi and other allies as part of this mission, but he also knew that the Dark Side permeated the planet.

He knew that Master Max and Jedi Knight Nara Allam would be on Sullust as well, but other than that, he wasn't sure he would recognize anybody. His game plan to simply follow instructions from Izel Thral and the Jedi Masters. But first, he heard a crackling over his coms to the frequency he was told to monitor before leaving. "This is Jedi Knight Talak Rand to anyone on this frequency, does anyone copy, over?"

Isen heard the responses before him. He waited a few moments to prevent himself from talking over someone else. "Isen Ramm here. I'll let my Master do the introductions on planet if they're necessary, over."
 

SenatorRosannaSnowel

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The Jedi and The Sith weren’t the only sides in this battle, Senator Snowel was there on her terms, the red haired Senator cracked a sly smile as she flew a generic y-wing she had “borrowed” from her senatorial guards. Finally, I will be able to make a difference! I’m a good person! But a more dark tone filled her thoughts No, you are here to do what you need for yourself. Kill the Sith, prove you are more powerful then them, show that you are good enough to serve among them, then kill the Jedi later, when your powers have grown. Her eyes drifted towards the two lightsabers strapped to her sides, a purple bladed one, one she had used since childhood and a red one, taken from a man who’s neck she had broken. Shuddering, the woman focused on flying, she was behind her friend, @Nykoria Tallis ’s ship, and before she knew it, they were beginning their descent.

Landing her own ship next to Nykoria’s, the Senator came out and grimaced at the ashen ground. Her fiery red hair was tied into a bun, and she was wearing dark grey robes, her lightsabers around her belt, literally were the two sides of Rossana. Her cool blue eyes glimmered with hope, she was gonna help save this person damn it! Dark sided thoughts be dammed! Walking towards the trio of Jedi before her, she nodded at them and said “Hello Master Nykoria, and hello to your fellow Jedi as well.” Outwardly she tried to remain calm, but inside she was shimmering even with the dark side energy, she got the chance to work with the Jedi again and the master she had met at a bar at that! How exciting is that? The Senator smiled and gestures to the task before them, “What’s the plan?
 

Darth Vyrassu

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Darth Vyrassu wasn't in the building Trys was being kept, but not too far from it. The Darth had kept herself busy for awhile now, absorbing whatever she could from her fallen comrades— Sol Puara's—powerbase. It had been an amusing endeavor, though she'd been somewhat disconnected from recent events.

But not not this one. No. She and the rest of the council were acutely aware of lieutenant Trys capture, and because the woman was considered a hero to some they knew what would come of it.

That was why she wasn't surprised when she sensed the light side. The Jedi. Everywhere. She smiled widely. "Playtime! It's playtime!" she said to herself in a singsong voice. It'd been awhile since she cut a Jedi's head off and played around with it. Why, the last time she'd taken a head was the attack on coruscant prison, when they'd blown up the building and freed another Sith.

How many more Jedi would end up headless this time?

She was excited!

As she walked, she soon sensed a Jedi (@Nefieslab) in the far distance. Even though she couldn't see him yet, she adjusted her path to head towards him. She brought her lightsaber to her hand as she did, igniting it right away. How would one behead a Jedi properly without a lightsaber?

 

Hannibal Grayza

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It was honestly pretty funny how life worked out sometimes, history repeating itself and all. Rangers capture a Sith, Sith come to the rescue. Indy did have a point or two on that account. Sith capture a Ranger, though, apparently everyone and their mother comes to the rescue. Talak had sent him a message some time ago about the whole situation, so when the call went out for help, well, of course Hannibal was going to show up. It was about time the Sith got a taste for one of their bases being the target of an attack. But a mixed group of attackers wasn't going to cut it for the full experience, oh no, certainly not, not at all. The Sith were going to get the genuine article.

Flying in along with the myriad other ships, the Catspaw was making its approach to the planet. It was fully loaded, packed with the cargo Hannibal had set up especially for this particular mission. The droids piloting it had been backed up, their own memory and the navicomputer's memories wiped in advance, and the fuel for both the hyperdrive and standard thrusters topped off. Kind of ironic, since this was the final flight of the Jedi Master's old and beloved Catspaw. It wasn't coming back from this.

While the other rescuer-carrying ships landed safely the Catspaw screamed by overhead, shields set to focus front and thrusters at full burn. The external speakers and open comms blasted an old song, heavy on guitar and drums and wild energy, the sound echoing across the burning plains alongside the blazing engines. A loud voice, familiar to at least some present, boomed enthusiastically through the speakers and comms over the music as the ship accelerated toward the fortress and its defenses at ramming speed.


"YO! I'm Hannibal, Jedi Master, slayer of Sol Puara, and wrecker of your shit. You called down the thunder, now reap the whirlwind!"

To the sounds of rock and maniacal laughter the Catspaw would fly its way directly into the Fortress, crashing its bulk at maximum speed into the walls, turrets, and general area of the front gate. 'Course it wasn't just the ship itself that was the problem. Hannibal had made sure to pack it with ammunition, barrels of spare fuel, a repurposed bit of Coaxium, and a mix of random but purpose-built explosives. When the freighter hit the wall it didn't just impact it, it went BOOM. The kind of explosion that tore through metal and sent burning fuel, debris, and shrapnel through what used to be a front gate. Of course the fuel wouldn't burn very long but hey, it was still fire.


Naturally, Hannibal wasn't actually in the freighter. The Jedi Master instead made his approach separately in the BlazBlue, the modified engines rumbling as the starfighter touched down somewhere between the Nomad and the Tigris. The cockpit popped open and out stepped the Jedi himself, clad in his flashiest armour, the survival HUD swapped out with in-mask filters for the occasion. They were more useful than toxin detectors if he already knew the atmosphere wasn't the healthy kind. Clipped to his belt were his original green lightsaber, his shoto, and Sol Puara's purified lightsaber on magnetic clips, the latter of which he slipped into his left hand as his boots touched the ashen ground.

"Hannibal here. I second the question, Talak, we need answers," he said over the encrypted comm channel, stretching his senses out a tad over the area. There was certainly Dark around, to the surprise of no one, but a particular presence was both closest and felt vaguely familiar. A presence he hadn't felt since the prison. Hannibal began to make his way toward Max and the distant impressively Dark blip on his radar.

"Heading to you, Max. Let's go be distracting, shall we?"


@Phoenix @Nefieslab @Dread
 

The Gatekeeper

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Commander Asento had been charged with the care and the security of the base on Sullust by the Eternal itself, and by his dead body would this base fall to a ragtag strike force.

Bring the turrets online, he said. There were already Sith taking up positions along the defense, but the attackers would have to make it through his defenses first. Sure, they might make it through a layer, but that meant little. This base could withstand a siege.

Scramble our fighters! the Commander shouted angrily. Those pilots always took so long to get into the air, but he also knew that fighters weren’t the only means of defense the base had.

As the Catspaw came in, it would be met with intermediate success. On a straight course and piloted by a droid, it wasn’t adept enough to avoid the cannon fire now lancing through the air at it, and rounds from the ground-to-air turrets found their mark.

Pulses of energy hit the shield but two found their way to the engines. The Catspaw’s descent wavered, slamming into the ground early and just short of the base. There was no question that the explosion was spectacular. It shook the ground and blue and orange flame burst into the air from the varying fuel sources. The outer wall of the base took heavy damage, portions collapsing in on itself and some of the outermost defenders were vaporized instantly while others were knocked back and to the ground. Inside the base, portions of the walls collapsed under the strain of the detonation, but the base on the whole was still structurally intact.

It did serve a purpose, however. It was extremely distracting. Asento’s attention and virtually everyone else’s was drawn to the detonation.

Get that breach sealed up! Put out that fire before it spreads! he barked. They may have been on a fiery lava world, but the fires were contained. He didn’t need an uncontrolled blaze ravaging his base.
 

Talak Rand

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Talak was glad to hear the voices coming over the radio, which meant that there were still friends coming to this rescue. This would have been much more awkward had he been alone.

He grabbed the helmet of his survival suit and slipped it on, capitalizing on its internal features to keep him free from the atmosphere of the world but also in order to conceal his identity. There were still people in the Sith that would have remembered him.

Artee, take off and put the ship on standby, low crawl, he said, making his way out of the ship. He dropped from the ramp to the ground a few feet below and the hunt was afoot.

The attack wasn't meant to be subtle, and it wasn't. This wasn't an attack that was meant to lay waste to the entire base. Not unless the rest of the FWA decided to show up. This was an attack meant to draw everyone's attention away from anyone going in to look for Trys inside.

Remember, no one throw your lives away, he said into the comlink. No, he wasn't going to answer about the lava fetish right now. His mind was far too focused on the task at hand for jesting. Not when Trys's life was in the balance.

Keep the skies clear if you can, he added. At least one person was in a fighter, and that may yet prove invaluable.

For his own part, Talak headed for the base. Not the doors or the main access routes. The bases's most critical functions may still have been underground, but that didn't mean that every piece of the base was. Walls stretched to the surface, doors led out, and cargo bays took in supplies.

With two saber hilts in hand, Talak made his way to one of the walls, keeping his eyes peeled, his presence suppressed, and chunks of volcanic rock as cover.
 

Nykoria Tallis

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"This is what we trained for, Izel," Nykoria replied through her helmet, trying to sound as confident as she could. Kori sensed Izel's anticipation and Nara's anxiety. If the Zeltron were to be a leader, she was supposed to do it by example. So, despite sharing in her friends' emotions, the Jedi Master did her best to exude calm. "Stay together, watch each other's backs, and we'll get through this. Like at Ryloth." Of course, she had sustained a light wound on Ryloth, and the duel aboard the Star Destroyer was a stalemate at best, but it was irrelevant. The Jedi had won that day, and they'd have to do it again. Otherwise... Nykoria didn't want to think what'd happen.

As all the Jedi left the passenger compartment of the Serendipity, Kori gave a "Clear for takeoff" wave to the pilot. The plan was for the Serendipity to leave the vicinity of the base—even retreat into orbit, if attacked—and only return for extraction or fire support, if requested. The Jedi Knight at the controls was a much better pilot than Kori (as little as it would say, for Kori was an average pilot at best); the Padawan manning the turrets was no slouch either. Hopefully, the venerable Y-Wing would be ready to pick up the Jedi or cover their escape once the mission was drawing to its conclusion. But for now, there would be no going back.

Kori was about to answer to Nara when she saw another person approaching. But of all the people she expected to see... The kriff is a karking senator doing here?! To top it off, the redhead seemed to recognize Nykoria even with a mask on. Then something flashed across Kori's mind: the woman was Force-sensitive! The Zeltron hadn't noticed it back on Coruscant, but now... "Our plan?" Nykoria asked; keeping her tone calm and only showing a little degree of surprise in it was more challenging than deflecting 5 blaster bolts in quick succession. "Senator, I don't think this place is appropriate for..."

Meanwhile, the Zeltron was distracted from her rant. Nara's hopes were blown out the window just like Hannibal's ship literally screamed the arrival of the Jedi... before being blown out of the sky. Kori had to cover her eyes, looking at the spectacular explosion. Despite the considerable damage, charging at the gate was not an option still. "Well, there goes our better plan, apparently," she mused, turning away from the inferno in the distance, and to her friends; mainly to Nara this time. "I have to admit, the plan kind of blows."

Kori regretted that she had sent off the Serendipity too early. Otherwise, she would've shoved the Senator aboard before departure. She had nothing against Rosanna; on the contrary, the random meeting in a club on Coruscant was kind of fun. But the last thing Kori needed was babysitting a politician in the middle of a warzone. But alas, the Serendipity was gone already. So now, Kori had to analyze the battlefield and decide on a next move.

Isen and Drow were apparently still in the air and could provide support (unless they'd decide to land too). Max had landed farther off. There was a dark presence in his direction, almost as oppressive as the Sith fortress itself. Hannibal headed there; the two Jedi Masters should be able to fend off whatever was coming their way. Talak didn't offer much guidance either, rushing after his own objective: Trys Aran. That left the Ontotho trio (Kori, Nara, and Izel), a Sector Ranger droid, and the Senator... The burden of deciding what to do apparently fell to Kori. That is, unless her companions had better suggestions.

The Zeltron spoke quickly: "Senator, it's too dangerous out here. Won't be long before the Sith dispatch troops here and try to take our ships. It's best if you left Sullust..." Somehow, the Zeltron was certain that the woman wouldn't oblige: "Or got your ship in the air and provided cover for the Serendipity." Of course, a Jedi Master had no authority over the Senator, so it was ultimately up to Rose what she'd do. So kriffin' reckless.

Frontal assault wasn't an option. Going together with Talak would only draw the attention to him. That left two options: heading to Max, as Hannibal had done, or... "We'll circle the base in the other direction and find our own way in," the Zeltron spoke through the comlink over a secure channel, so that other members of the team would be aware of the plan.

As Talak sought to find the entrance, so would Nykoria and her team. They'd capitalize on their advantage: the Sith attention was focused at the front door for now, so security elsewhere would be less than ideal. Perhaps the Jedi could even draw attention away from Talak. For the time being, they'd just have to keep their distance and look out for a way in: a back door, a sewer pipe, or a rock that that the facility was built into, towering over the walls. Maybe even a secret entrance/escape path that such facilities usually had.

If the Jedi wouldn't find any of that, even an unguarded or poorly guarded section of the wall would do. With Nara and Izel at her side, the Zeltron Jedi felt that she could overcome a lot.

@Reyn, @Charndley, @LeonDrandell
@Phoenix, @Mr. Teatime, @Nefieslab
 
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