Open Sullust What a Surprise

[Nox Solus]

A small Mandalorian fleet flew towards the orbital shipyards of the planet unopposed. They had already hailed the port earlier, requesting refits of their frigates and corvettes. With the sanctions against the Sith from the FWA, the shipbuilding production line had slowed for the planet, especially with it still remaining neutral and relying on the services of independent clients in order to power the shipyards and to keep manufacturing operational. With Mandalorians in constant battles and campaigns, it wasn't hard to believe that upgrades/repairs were desperately needed.

As the fleet approached the perimeter of the shipyards, they would halt just outside of weapon range as agreed upon. After a brief communication passage was allowed forward but only for the corvettes, the guns and shields deactivated. The Sullustians were being cautious and allowed portions of the fleet to be outfitted before swapping out with the next. The port's guns would track the corvettes about halfway before altering their targets to the frigates, the only remaining threats that could attack from outside.

As the corvettes were relayed instructions, each one would dock after another upon a different section of the shipyard, allowing simultaneous repairs across each. Being docked, they provided no danger themselves upon being in such close proximity to the port.

Unfortunately, for the repair crews and security that would soon be entering the ships, they were not just filled with the crew but filled to the brim with Clan warriors. Nox waited outside the door that led to the docking ring along with dozens of other Mandalorians, each one armed to the teeth and understanding what they had to do. The first step of his plan had been a success as waves of warriors had been practically snuck onto the port by the Sullustians themselves and without raising a single alarm yet.

The attack would be a blitz, one where they swarmed the station quickly that had no chance of standing against Mandalorians in CQB. With the help of surprise and experienced crusaders, the typical security that manned the port would face a ferocity they had never seen before. Nox glanced to his right and saw faces he had seen before, giving a slow nod to the assembled group. It would be one of the rare times in history so many Mandalorians were together and completely silent but still an intensity in the air, the one that permeated before every battle.

@Wit @Nefieslab

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Arthos was someone who enjoyed being able to say that he was a Mandalorian and that he understood and lived by the Mandalorian concept of honour. It would probably surprise most outsiders, then, to know that Arthos had been entirely onboard with Nox's suggested course of action. Flying in and catching the enemy by surprise coupled with overwhelming force and violence? It was a traditional Mandalorian attack.

How was it honourable?

Well because it gave their enemies an immediate chance to fight back of course. It wasn't the fault of the Mandalorians if their response was lackluster. Standing off to one side from Nox, Arthos nodded to the Solus before turning to the clan warriors from Clan Vizsla.

He slapped a hand to his chest.

They followed suit - a near silent salute and cheer all in one. If they weren't intent on catching the enemy unawares, they would have been stomping their feet and jeering by now. Still, there would be time for that soon enough. Arthos drew his long vibroknife and held it at the ready.

There was a burst of air as the maintenance door in front of him opened to reveal a suddenly very surprised Sullustian customs official.

"O-oh..."

Arthos slashed out, cleaving the man's head in two before kicking his body back out of the ship down the ramp before it was fully aware that it was dead. Surging through the door, Arthos fired with his Blackhand pistol, taking one of the few security guards off of his feet from the surprise attack.

"Kyr'am bal kote!"

The clan members burst from the ship behind him as they streamed out of the other two ships as well, squad leaders already leading their warriors towards their objectives. The members of Clan Vizsla roared their approval as they rushed around him to take their objective of the on-board defences of the station.

"KYR'AM BAL KOTE!"

Arthos himself moved closer to Nox.

"All ships unloading without issue." he reported to the Solus Alor, "We should secure the connection with the planet."

@Wit @Orbit

 

[Beau]

Mandalorian fleet, the very words brought a smile to Beau's face as he sat atop a box waiting for the party to begin. How things had changed, going from being a scattered, battered, remnants of a people to be united under one banner to fight the good fight once more. And on top of it all, for Kryze to be working with Solus and Vizsla, oh the beating his ma would have given him for telling her lies if she had been alive to hear him talk of this day. Well, he was doing it for them, for the family he had lost, to make sure future generations did not have to face that same loss. The Mandalorian people were only ever safe when they were strong, and when the Galaxy knew that they were strong. Today would be another step in that direction. That, was the way.

As Kryze troops poured out of the ship, lead by Beau and a small squad of Nite Owls, the paltry security detail that greeted them could hardly keep up with the ferocity of the Mandalorians. «For Kryze!» He shouted as he slammed an elbow into a civilian who was trying to reach for the blaster dropped by one of the guards who had fallen to the floor with a hole in his head. «For Mandalore!» Both calls were answered by loud shouts of oya from the Mandalorian troopers, and the shouts seemed to scare the Sullustans even more.

Smiling behind his helmet at the effectiveness of their attack, he let the assault surge past him for a moment as he stayed besides the docking station to make sure there were no complications with unloading all their troops. The element of surprise might have worked to their advantage in this initial push, but they would need every boot on the field if they wanted to keep that momentum.

Only when the docking station was fully secure, and a squad had been stationed to ensure they had an escape route if needed, only then did Beau and his cluster of remaining warriors begin moving deeper into the station, where the advance forces had already started engaging. «LZ secured,» he contacted Nox and Arthos over the secure line, «moving towards the secondary objective.»

@Orbit @Nefieslab

 

[Nox Solus]

The seconds would tick by, the Crusaders growing antsier as adrenaline and excitement pumped through their veins with the anticipation built steadily. This is what they lived for.

Unfortunately for the Sullust, whoever first had opened the door would have had their fate sealed as Arthos came charging through and took the man down in a simple strike. After he let loose a couple of bolts, he would see Nox flanked by two other Solus as they flew above his head and slammed into the security guards that had accompanied the customs worker. With the weight of the Alor and the speed he flew in, he simply took the guard with him in the air as the two would slam into the second door for the station. He was used as a cushion for Nox and after his purpose, he activated his lightsaber before stabbing him in the stomach. Impaled to the door, Nox pulled out his I.D before swiping it across the pad, unlocking it for all of them to stream through.

As a stream of Mandalorians entered into the guts of the station, Nox and Arthos at the front, he pulled out his peacemaker with the Vizla, firing upon the last couple of guards as the rest secured their breach of the shipyard. Nox would glance at the man after, about to reaffirm his words before Beau comm'd in on his success in a different section.

The Alor would turn shift in Arthos' direction as he lifted his gauntlet to speak into his comm but really to them both, "Good work, keep up the pressure. Stay on Beta and do it quickly. Arthos and I will change course and take on Alpha objective instead." Beau was closer to Beta objective than either of them and Nox had faith in the warrior's skills.

Nox then activated another line that was connected to all of the squad leaders as he relayed quickly, "We don't want damage to the shipyard, were here for a purpose. Any shipwrights, engineers, crew, or workers you find, apprehend them. If you meet resistance, you know what to do." The order would be given before the fighting really began and true bloodlust set in, allowing him to receive confirmation from the squad leads.

The Alor would deactivate his comm piece and fixate his attention on Arthos before reaching into his belt to pull out a small holoprojector. With the help of the same broker from Borgo Prime, they had been given schematics of the yard. A red dot would appear on it, signaling Alpha objective. "Our target." Nox simply stated as both were able to study the route. They had fought together before and the Alor knew the Crusader's efficiency himself. Little words would need to be shared as they understood what to do.

@Nefieslab @Wit

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Hearing Beau through his helmet-coms, Arthos grunted a little bit in acknowledgement. No use in reporting he had heard the message verbally after all - they all knew what they needed to do after all. Alpha objective between himself and Nox? That was absolutely doable. The locals had proven themselves rather lacklustre in their defences so far though he would admit that was likely the effects of surprise.

They needed to ensure their enemy didn't get chance to regroup.

"Oya." he confirmed to Nox, before turning to his clan members, "On, On!"

Arthos saluted the Alor with a clasp of his hand over his chest before moving forward. As they approached the connection between the shipyard and the planet below, the resistance began to stiffen as the Sullustians began to push forward security droids. It made sense that they would rely on their tin soldiers given their own lack of martial prowess.

Dozens of U9-XX Droids armed with standard carbines, commanded by Sullustian security guards and some D3-CG commando droids scattered amongst them. As the advance seemed to begin to stall against the resistance, Arthos frowned beneath his helm.

"Flanking to the left." he told Nox over the comms, "3D combat is where we excel beyond their wildest dreams."

Shooting off his grappling line, Arthos drew himself to the wall to the side, over to the left of the enemy. Landing with his feet against the wall, Arthos connected to the wall with his magnetic boots and started advancing, firing his peacemaker from the odd angle of slightly to the right and above the enemy. He had left his jetpack behind on the ship for this mission after all but that didn't stop him from being able to attack from an odd angle.

@Wit @Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Arthos picked up immediately on the change of plan and adjusted accordingly without elaboration required. It was why Nox found he respected the Vizla more than others and why the two always seemed to fight by each other's side. With a quick bark to the fellow Vizla Clansmen to get them moving, the true assault would commence shortly as the two Crusaders offered each other the same salute. The Solus'alor would turn away to face his own men that had assembled there, his lightsaber drawn out but unactivated, "We take the station today! Give nothing! Oya!" The speech had been short and sweet but it was all that was needed to light the short fuse. A raucous Solus cheer would erupt before they surged forth with the Vizla.

The push through the station at first faced little resistance, workers and shipwrights restrained and captured, but that would change. Sullustans were not proficient in combat and with their recent flow of revenue hindered, it left their security to be aligned to the idea of quantity of quality. Bolts were exchanged from both sides, the walls struck with blaster marks as the Mandalorians slowed.

Arthos called out his idea, Nox pitching him a glance before offering a sharp nod. He pressed a button on his gauntlet as he shouted above the firefight, "Cover fire now!" Hearing the voice of their Alor, multiple Solus would stand out from their own cover, laying down suppressive fire for the Vizla to pull off his maneuver. As Arthos committed to his flank and his first round of bolts struck down a couple of droids, the ones around them began to fixate their attention on him to fire.

With the general constriction of the hallways and rooms, the number of droids could keep the rest of the Crusaders pinned for as long as they wanted. When the machines became distracted by Arthos, however, Nox saw the opportunity for them to crack them. As the grouping of bolts was fired upon the flanking Vizla, most likely requiring him to halt his push if he wanted to avoid a hole in him, Nox made his move.

Arthos would hear the eruption of a jetpack before Nox flew through the air and bulleted toward the droids. He angled himself to slow down as he flanked from the right, his feet swinging from under him to run along the wall a few steps until his jetpack shut off. When it did, he kicked off with his feet, the white blade from his lightsaber snapping to life mid-air as he landed in the middle of the droids. Nox would commit a wide slash around him, simply cleaving a pair of droids in half as sparks flew and took on another, adrenaline surging through him in waves. More and more Mandalorians would spill in with roars, taking the fight close and freeing Arthos.

@Nefieslab @Wit

 

[Beau]

While Nox and Arthos moved towards the command center, Beau and his Nite Owls surged through another section of the station towards their own target. The life support systems. If push came to shove, they could bring the entire station to its knees if they had those systems under their control, so it was a powerful card to hold to bring the Sullustans begging for relief.

Catching up quickly with the advance forces, he found them engaging a squad of guards and a dozen or so droids. Not breaking step, he raised his carbine and began firing, the sudden arrival of Beau and his troops catching the guards by surprise. While the droids maintained their cool, their Sullustan masters were not so composed, and soon there were openings in their formation that allowed more Mandalorians to surge forward and begin overpowering the defense forces. Beau joined another Kryze warrior in charging a droid, shooting for its head while his companion aimed for its chest. The double salvo was enough to drop the droid, and Beau briefly nodded to the woman before moving onto another target.

Once the droids started falling the defense collapsed, and the Kryze forced marched on, till they rounded a corner to find themselves face to face with a much larger group of droids standing in front of a door. With a single corridor leading up to the door, and no cover for any approaching Mandalorians, they were at a disadvantage. A few Kryze fell in the first burst of fire from the droids, and the even more injured were dragged back around the corner as they took cover once more.

«They have a mounted repeater.» He warned those who were just catching up, and gestured for them to wait as he peaked around the corner, getting a quick look and ducking back before the droids took at shot at him.

In need of alternate routes, he brought up the schematics that Nox had provided, and began scanning them, looking for any way to avoid having to do a straight charge at the droids.

@Orbit @Nefieslab

 

[Louis Lorsoni]

Louis was listening to some music from a pair of his headphones while he was working on fixing the navigation system to some old T-65B X-wing. Or at least the model was old. Besides the navigation systems, the ship was kept in pristine condition, which Louis always appreciated. Starships might not have been leaving things, but they still required decent maintenance. After he finished realigning a few of the astromech circuits to the rest of the ship's memory drive, he hopped out of the cockpit and hummed along to the song.

Louis probably would've continued to work on the ship if a yellow blaster bolt hadn't hit the hull of the X-wing, leaving a very noticeable scorch mark. As soon as the mechanic took his headphones off, he could hear the emergency alarms blaring and everyone was running and yelling and...

Just breath...Just breath...After taking a few deep breathes, Louis opened his eyes and run out of the hangar to see what was going on. Even though it was probably obvious, Louis was still hoping it was just an accident like a starship's fusion drivers exploding or something terrible like that. A few Sullustans were screaming about an attack, so there was that to look forward to instead. While everyone was running away from the danger, Louis found himself fighting the crowd.

It can't be him, can it? Louis needed to find out who was trying to take over the ship yards, dreading that it was his father along with the rest of the Lorsoni crime family. Then, to his relief, he saw Mandalorians fighting over on the station. Louis let out an audible sigh of relief, "It's okay guys! I thought it was someone else." He said to no one in particular, as most people were probably worried about getting out of the fire fight than listening to Louis.

Now the engineer found himself in a bit of a bind. He could go and fight Super Commando Jetpack Mando-Trooper Warriors with his DH-17, or he could run away and hope for the best. Louis didn't like either of his options, so while he stood amongst the fleeing the crowd, he tried thinking of an alternative, but to no avail. Sullust was his new home! Running away from home always sucked.

So, Louis gathered himself and pushed through the crowd to make his way to the station. If there was something he could fight for, it would definitely be his home. You can do this...you can do this...you can do this...

@Wit @Orbit @Nefieslab

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Walking down the side of the wall with a squad of his own men who had followed him, Arthos set foot back onto solid ground to the left of the main assault force led by Nox - to the right and slightly behind the defenders. They were already rapidly becoming overwhelmed but with Arthos and his crusaders laying down fire from that angle?

They were falling apart.

Of course people were beginning to get wise to the fact that the station was under attack and some were looking to arrive to reinforce the area. Luckily for the Mandalorians, with Arthos and his squad on this flank they could encircle the enemy from two sides and push them back to the connection point.

At the connection point the Sullustians could send thousands, had they they manpower, and their numbers wouldn't matter at all in the tight approach to the shipyards. Arthos fired his blaster pistol again, smashing one of the commando droids and demoralizing the Sullustian security.

"OYA!"

As his crusaders gave a shout of them own, Arthos led them from the front, ducking behind an overturned long enough to reload his blaster pistol fully.

"Reload, Vod, ee have enemy reinforcements approaching." he told Nox and Beau over the coms, "Not organized. We need to push up harder and they'll fold."

@Wit @Orbit @Charles

 

[Nox Solus]

With the combination of a close-quarters assault and the flanking fire from Arthos and the other Vizlas, their opposition began to buckle and fall. Nox was a whirlwind of metal and plasma, tearing through both droid and whatever living guard attempted to stand in his way.

A droid tried to fire a point-blank shot but it was quickly deflected by his lightsaber, Nox growing fonder of the weapon each battle, and used his beskad to pierce it through the chest. The body of it would be used as a shield, the Alor pushing the machine as its back was lit up by fellow security. When he closed the distance, he simply pushed the droid into one of the other two before his lightsaber lashed out and cleaved the other one. By the time the other droid recovered, both its arms would be taken in one slash and then its head followed after another.

The first defense wave had been broken through, the Mandalorians finding a solid purchase within the lobby as they pushed forward. Once they pushed past the connection point, it would directly lead them to their main objective at the heart of the station. But more and more security forces spilled through as bolts went flying soaring in the room, both Nox and Arthos taking cover behind a flipped table.

More security forces funneled in, through the hallways connected at the end of the room and exactly where they needed to go. Fortunately, as Arthos pointed out, their numbers couldn't be organized as they had to file in order to get everyone through. That proved to be incredibly hard with Mandalorian Crusaders firing down upon you. "Then we push now." Nox responded with a cock of his head before gesturing to the Solus beside him, "Smoke em!" Nods would be given to him before multiple Mandos reached into their belt, freeing a smoke grenade before they pulled the pins and tossed one right after the other.

"You, you, you, and you, with me!" As smoke filled into the room, Nox would rush to the other flank, activating his jetpack with the small squad as they approached more from the right. They landed near an assortment of tables, flipping them over as well before all of them activated their thermal huds. Through the smoke, they could see the security forces either coughing or firing blindly but more importantly, the ones who were exposed. "FIre!" Nox shouted, each of them pulling out a blaster before unloading into the smoke with precision as men fell.

@Wit @Charles @Nefieslab

 

[Beau]

Having studied the schematics, one of the Nite Owls had noticed a room nearby that seemed to connect to the air ducts. And while the ducts were too small for most of the Kryze forces to get through, there were a few among their number who just might be able to force their way through them. So as Beau waited with the bulk of his forces, peaking out every now and then to draw fire from the repeater and keep them on their toes, three warriors were making their way to that room to sneak into the ducts.

Time to stretch on, till his comms came to life and a single word was uttered from the other end. Go!

That was all he needed, and at a nod from him the Kryze warriors burst around the corner once more, but just as the repeater was about to come to life two figures dropped down behind the repeater and the droid manning the repeater found a beskad sticking out of its chest. With the sudden loss of their big gun, and at the sight of a sea of Mandalorains charging them, the sentient defenders panicked and folded, and once more the droids found themselves outnumbered. Not a single Kryze soldier fell as Beau reached the door. Two soldiers stepped up soon after, drawing fusion cutters and getting to work on opening the door.

«We're at the target,» he messaged Nox and Athos over the comms, «preparing to breach.»

Whatever the state of the fight on their end, Beau could help matters by taking out his target. Fighting without atmosphere would help the Mandalorains, and thin down much of the defense they might face.

@Orbit @Nefieslab @Charles

 

[Louis Lorsoni]

Louis was not prepared in the slightest for the violence that ensued around him. He was even able to at least grab his blaster before an explosion threw him off his feet and into a metal paneled wall. These Mandalorian guys really were the real deal, with all their fancy arm gadgets and even fancier armor with even more fancier weapons. Louis' hope of defending his home slowly dwindled while he watched. All he could do was watch. They used everything they could to their advantage, even flipping over tables to use them as cover.

Now, Louis could've said he was technically behind enemy lines, but that would be a joke. Yes, he could see the Mandalorian's backs as they continued their push through the facility, but Louis could not stand up to fight back. He sat up with his back to the wall to see what was wrong and found pieces of shrapnel in his chest. It was almost crazy how pain worked, because if Louis maybe hadn't have looked at the injury, then he might not have felt the searing pain that followed.

I don't think I can do this... Louis worried. He tried yelling for help, but not a word came from his mouth. Fatigue, dizziness, and the ringing in his ears were completely disorientating. The most he could do was wave his arms up like a mad drunk and hope that someone had the decency to try and help him.

@Wit @Orbit @Nefieslab

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Arthos was checking with the other Vizsla he had brought, making sure they were prepared to move up on the flank they had been pushing on when Nox was ready to push with the Solus agains the other. As he was checking, Beau came through on the coms to confirm his half of the mission was progressing apace... even as Arthos noticed a human with some rapidly increasing blood on his chest back the way that the Mandalorians had advanced from.

He was dressed in some Civilian half-armour, half-clothes that he had seen work crews and the like use. Definitely no Mandalorian... Arthos snatched a Galaar-35 carbine from one of his men, flicked it to stun, and fired a stun bolt at the clearly injured man. With that done, he would thrust the carbine back into the Vizsla's hand.

"Don't shoot the civilians." he warned his warrior, smacking him on the back of the helmet, "They need to work when we own this place."

Coldly logical and practical.

With that done, Arthos gave a warcry of his own before charging back into the fray, blasting with his blaster pistol as he closed the distance. Shoulder-barging a commando droid from the side while it was busy laying the fire down onto a group of advancing Mandalorians. Pressing his pistol against its head flush, he fired once before spotting someone rather important. A Sullustian security officer was very loudly giving commands to the droids and other security officers... Arthos darted across the distance between himself and the officer, activating his gauntlet buckler to soak up a blaster bolt from the officer himself before he tackled the man to the ground and pressed his blaster right up against his neck.

"Shut down the droids or find out what your teeth taste like when they're melted by plasma."

The Sullustian shook like a leaf.

"S-security forces... s-s-stand down!"

How much it worked over the local com lines, Arthos didn't know. He didn't want to think about what would happen if it didn't work since he had jumped over enemy cover to land in the middle of a cluster of them to take their leader hostage. Already he could almost feel the 'weight' of their blaster sights hovering on him... but he had their boss at blaster point.

@Orbit @Wit @Charles

 

[Nox Solus]

The thick smoke enveloped the security forces after a few seconds passed. The actual guards would choke from the fumes and prevent them from firing their weapons as they all came out from a checkpoint. It left the droids to remain as the only viable defense to keep firing but the squad under Nox's command would quickly deal with them, well placed bolts to the torso or head.

Once the droids were gone, it allowed Arthos to maneuver across the foyer in order to reach his target. Seeing the Vizla move, Nox followed with him for support with the others accompanying without the need of an order. They all activated the combat mode on their jetpacks, quick bursts of flame utilized to propel themselves and catch up to the assembled group of guards.

By the time the smoke cleared and the guards had found Arthos on top of their commander and able to point their weapons; they would hear the familiar click of blasters behind them, either pressing into their spine or against the back of their head.

Surrounded, the Sallustans dropped their weapons as they clattered to the floor. Even though the Vizla would be entirely focused on the commander, he would hear Nox's voice from behind him, "Nice work, Arthos." Once the Vizla stood up, the Solus would grab onto the commander's collar to drag him before shouting out to the others, "Restrain the prisoners and then sweep through the level again. I want everyone found."

Nox would then gesture to Arthos with a motion of his head, "Let's go." The Solus would then drag the Sullustan within his grasp along with him to the command center. When the door opened, the Sullustan would be used as a shield at first, alarming the others and motivating them to drop their weapons. "Step away from the controls." The command barked out to the operators. Once they stepped back, multiple Mandalorians would take their place as they took control of the systems.

After the thumbs-up signal from one of the Mandalorians, Nox pressed a button to transmit a signal. Outside the station, the frigates would receive said signal and draw into the port, the threatening gun emplacements no longer aimed at them but instead sided with them, locking down the shipyard.

The Solus'alor would then activate his comm and speak to Beau, "The center has been taken. Once you complete the Beta objective, the shipyard will effectively be ours." Once that was done, the shipyard would be completely isolated.

For Louis, two Mandalorians would remain guard near him as the battle neared a close.

@Wit @Nefieslab @Charles

 

[Beau]

As the cutters were about to get through the door, with Beau and the remaining Mandalorians waiting to charge in, the door suddenly jerked. The two warriors working on the door jerked back at once, years of training making them wary and quick to react. The door gave another jerk, and with some effort opened up halfway. The efforts of the Mandalorians had messed with the mechanism, but the opening was still wide enough for Beau to look through.

About half a dozen Sullustans waited beyond, all with their hands in the air.

"Don't shoot! We give up!"

Behind his helmet Beau smiled, noticing the few droids inside the room standing motionless, seemingly ordered to stand down by those they were supposed to protect. They had obviously seen what had happened to the larger forces outside, and the reality of their situation had probably dawned on them.

At a nod from Beau a few warriors grabbed the doors and pushed, forcing them open most of the way, creating an opening wide enough to walk through. Beau walked in, but he ignored the Sullustans as he fired of a quick barrage of shots to take out the droids. Even if they were standing down, they were a potential threat.

Behind him more Mandlorians streamed in, pulling the Sullustans away from the station and taking over. Within seconds they had control. Beau finally responded to Nox's earlier message, pulling up a data feed to finally see what was happening on their end.

«Location secured,» he messaged, taking off his helmet and settling down into a seat, «we did our bit. Now it's your turn Solus, we could do with some beers.»

@Orbit @Nefieslab @Charles

 

[Louis Lorsoni]

After being stunned, the pain in Louis' chest faded along with everything else. The Mandalorians had invaded the planet, but he was still grateful for that small mercy. When he had finally awaken some time later in a medic bay, Louis found that the shrapnel had been carefully removed and his wounds had been bandaged. It was all a bit confusing for the engineer. Weren't the Mandalorians supposed to be the bad guys that conquered everything? Well...they had just conquered Sullust from what Louis could make of.

So, he got himself dressed, and then left to go outside to see if anything needed to be fixed. Luckily, the old X-wing he had been working was mostly unscathed besides a few blaster scorch marks here and there. It wasn't anything Louis couldn't buff over and polish. Before he made his way to the hangar, the iconic T-visor helmed warriors caught his eyes. To get a better look, he quickly wiped off his glasses and readjusted them to his face.

In that moment, Louis didn't care about what the holonews and tabloids said about this guys. Their armor was so cool. The fate of his home was in the hands of these warriors, and Louis wanted to know if it was for the best. Maybe there would be more jobs to do if thee Mandos wanted more of their war-machines manufactured. Was that something Louis wanted to do? Did he want to actively work for a band of space-vikings?

As long as Dad isn't involved, I think I'll be fine. He decided. The imposing presence of the warriors made him feel like a child. They all seemed like they knew what was up, and Louis felt a little left out. But, a familiar face...or helmet...caught his attention once again. "Hey! You shot me!" Louis shouted with an innocent smile, waving at one of the apparent leaders of the operation. "What, uh...What are you planning to do with the rest of us?" Louis asked literally any of the Mandos that would listen.

@Wit @Nefieslab @Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

After he had sent the message out to Beau, it would only be a few moments later until the Mandalorian responded back with the objective completed. Nox had to hand it to the Crusader, he was efficient. With the elevator to the surface cut off, there would be no more reinforcements flooding into the station. Well, there was at least one other way but the Solus'alor had an idea about how to handle that.

Nox pressed a button on his helmet, connecting his comm with another fellow Solus, Vroj. He led the detachment that took over the hangers and it was time for his part to come into play. "Vroj, crew whatever they have that is operational. I want a blockade around the shipyards." There would be static for a few moments before a voice came through, "Understood." After a few minutes, various types of ships would spill out from the hangar, from simple fighters to corvette and frigates, inflating their small fleet substantially in a short period of time for this take-over. Not only would it deter ships attacking from their flanks but it would help prevent any shuttles from the surface infiltrating the shipyards as well.

The Solus'alor would then look over to Arthos, "Comm the rest of the squad leaders. Have them move whatever captured engineers and personnel that we have and bring them to the main lobby." Thankfully, his men hadn't let their lust for combat get the better of them and they had been able to capture and restrain most of the non-combatants on the station.

Once that order would be given out to the men, Nox would focus on one of the Sullustans restrained in the center with them. Taking a few steps, he would grab the collar of one of them before pulling him to the console and placing him in one of the seats. "Establish a line to the surface. I wish to speak with your leaders to discuss terms." The Solus'alor would lock his gaze on the holoscreen as he waited for the line to connect. If the people of Sullust wanted to avoid any further bloodshed, this would be the only chance offered by Nox.

@Nefieslab @Wit @Charles

 

[The Storyteller]

As Arthos and his Vizsla crusaders moved to secure the prisoners and get the situation more firmly under the control of the Mandalorians, as Nox demanded to be put through to the leaders and as Beau focused on putting his feet up after a job well done... the Sullustian in charge of the local area, Governor Acver Taf, was busy panicking.

"What do you mean the droids aren't responding?! We spent good credits making sure those things were top of the line!"

Shaking his head in dismay, Governor Taf sat back down heavily behind his desk and reached for the bottle of brandy that he had available. After winning the last election by promising to reduce the military budget drastically, he knew he was reaping what he sowed. He knew it but that didn't mean he had to like it - didn't even mean he had to accept it gracefully.

He started uncapping the bottle.

"Governor! The Mandalorians seem to have taken the control stations for the shipyard!"

The bottle shook in his hand.

"How in the name of the lava devils could you possibly know that?! Our forces haven't reported in yet!"

A small pause.

"They're trying to call you from the control station."

... that would do it.

The bottle stopped shaking as Governor Taf finally did what he had been fighting aginst and poured himself a measure of brandy. Swiftly dispatching the first glass of the amber liquid without comment, he poured another.

"I see." he replied, doing his best to project strength as he poured his second glass, "Bring up the screen."

As the screen came up upon the desk in front of him, Governor Taf did his best to school his features as he eyed the helmet of Nox Solus. The only visible sign of his discomfort was the way the glass of brandy shook slightly as he took another drink.

"I am Governor Acver Taf and you have my attention. Who am I speaking to?"

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

The Sullustan did as he commanded and a few moments would pass as a connection was established. Nox would cross his arms over his chest during the wait as the feed finally switched on. A Governor introduced himself but the Solus' eyes would lock on the glass of brandy that the man had in his hand first. An urge to shake his head had to be resisted as his gaze would be lifted to Governor Taf's own. After this would be done, he could already see a replacement soon be in order if this went smoothly.

"You are speaking to Nox Solus, Solus'alor of my Clan and commander of the force that has taken your shipyards. Here are my terms and I will make this simple, just in case you've had too much." Even though the Governor wouldn't be able to see, he would definitely be able to feel Nox's gaze flick to the glass still in the man's hand. "Your planet will surrender and pledge to the Mandalorian cause immediately. You will abide by our laws and your planet's production capability will be used in order to further our efforts." The Solus knew what card he held and he pressed hard but he also knew when to, "Despite your surrender, your people will be treated with respect and fairly. My intention is for both our people to prosper but under Manda'lor's guidance."

Even though Nox's word meant everything to him, the Governor didn't know that and the broadcast from Lothal certainly didn't help. That was why he had brought the non-combatants to the main lobby. "And as a show of our intention." The feed would switch to the lobby as it showed the restrained prisoners. Enginers, shipwrights, and more were all restrained as quite a few Crusaders were posted all around them. The feed would then switch back to Nox, "All non-combatants safe and sound and ready to return home upon your surrender."

In order to drive the final point home, he gave context to the rest of the station, "The defenses have been turned to our side, your own ships, and the connection to the surface has been cut off as well. The only way to get in the station is by shuttle and that would be a quite costly approach." Not only would they have to get through the turrets and ships, but they would also have to clear out all the Crusaders afterward. It could possibly be done but even if they managed to somehow get a foothold, Nox would ensure that before he left or died that the station would be crippled catastrophically. It was the lifeline of their planet and they both knew that.

"Do you agree to the terms, Governor Taf?"

 

[The Storyteller]

The Governor's grip on the glass tightened as he was seemingly called out for feeling the need to have a drink at such a time. But considering he was talking to the "Solus'alor" (whatever the hell that was) of Clan Solus, with a multitude of ship-based heavy weaponry aimed at his planet? It seemed more of an appropriate response than Nox seemed to realise. Though their clan had waned over the millennia, there were still rumours and histories of Clan Solus that ran through to the modern day after all.

Eyeing the captured civilians, Acver took another drink.

"Ready to return to us safe and sound... provided I surrender immediately." he noted with a small sigh, a headache building behind his eyes, "Else I'm sure your men will gun them down."

He drained the glass.

"Damn you, Mandalorians. Damn you and damn your Sith Masters and damn the rest of the Galaxy for thrusting my planet back into their fucking war..." he cursed, setting his empty glass down, "Sullust will surrender. To avoid another slaughter or glassing, Sullust will submit."

Force and Gods be damned but he had no choice... perhaps the inevitable prisoner camp in his near future was a good thing? It could hardly be as horrible as being the one forced to hand his people back over to the Sith by way of their latest minions, the Mandalorians.

@Orbit