Battle of Coruscant: The Capital

[Nerovec]

Finally it is time...

Nero couldn't help but smile as he landed unto Corusant and saw the battle unfold. He stood ready and steadfast, his yellow light saber in his hand he ran across the battlefield killing everyone that stood in his way. Now after a fierce battle he stood and beheld the crown jewel of Corusant. I have waited years for this moment...Oh how I wish to see the republicans faces when they hear that their precious capital has fallen due to the Sith...

Nerovec started laughing maliciously as he slowly walked towards the structure waiting eagerly for someone who would dare to try and stop him.

 

[Calixis]

"Oh for pities sake."

The situation was just getting downright absurd now. First ritual spells cast by a seemingly endless throng of Sith in bloody dresses, then what must have been the galaxy's only Sith suicide bombers alongside levitating pillars and now a bloody starship. Were they going to drop a meteor on to them next? Maybe a whole damn moon? If nothing else, they were obviously proving a far, far bigger thorn in their side than they had anticipated. Perhaps he ought to have been flattered that their defence had garnered such attention, but the escalation of arms was not doing their already short-handed, barely equipped defence any favours. The inevitable bombardment from the overhead destroyer would have been enough to annihilate just about any section of the Capitol Building they deemed fit, making their attempt at defending the exterior all but pointless.

With a frustrated, guttural growl, the Lieutenant turned on his heel and ran straight for the Capitol Building, his rifle sling keeping it hanging from his waist even as he dropped it from his hands, fingers quickly pressing against headset. "Get back from the windows. Withdraw from the doorways!" Maybe they were already dead, but Skahl intended on being true to his words and making the invaders bleed for the ground they so desperately sought. If they were dead anyway, anything else was a bonus. Being engulfed in a hail of rocket and heavy cannon fire wouldn't have garnered the desired result, nor the death these men deserved.

The first missile impacted behind him, all but annihilated the ground, sending a shower of concrete and dust teeming in all directions. "Back! Get back!" His command was unnecessary as he threw his legs over the makeshift barricades, almost every soldier and security officer assembled began scattering from the formally grand entrance and the hastily assembled barricades. The Lieutenant threw his body to the side and just past one of the lobby chamber's many towering pillars as he felt the heat of the missile detonating on impact behind him, another horrific explosion filling his ears as he buried his face into the carpet on instinct. Again, that same damn ringing filled his ears. He was really getting tired of all these explosions.

Skahl dug his fists into the scarlet carpet below him, clenching the material as he began to push himself upright, propelling himself forward and catching the wall with his elbow. For all that his ears had been forced to endure in the past few hours, at least he could feel every limb in his body otherwise functioning. Taking several breaths, he stared straight at the floor, waiting for everything to stop bloody moving. With a pained groan, he straightened himself and tapped the transceiver of his headset until he heard a low, if satisfying, chirp. "We're funneling the Sith inside... Mines, proximity grenades, timed explosives. Everything you've got, use it. Units around the windows, funnel them back down the halls." He spared a glance towards the great entrance of the building. Structurally, it remained largely intact. The missiles had been enough to annihilate their exterior defences, but the Sith would not have the advantage of all their fancy breaching toys. "They have to fight on our terms now, man to man." The hint of a smirk just about formed as he brought his rifle around and let it hang by his waist.

"My legs! My legs!" The young Twi'lek private writhed and wailed in a mixture of sheer physical pain and mental horror as a security officer dragged her back from the annihilated barricades. Everything below her knee had been turn into little more than powder, stumps covered only by completely blackened bits of cloth and flesh, strips of muscle and bloodied, charred skin hung over the shattered bone. It had been nothing Skahl hadn't seen before, but it was the screaming that again succeeded in piercing what part of him hadn't been completely hardened. The chamber was far from empty, but her wails still echoed off the enormous walls. She yet lived, but several more had not been so swift. Blackened husks and body parts lined the entrance way, whilst pools of scarlet gore and strips of lingering skin were all that remained. Most of the wounded fell back unaided, but more than a few were being carried, dragged or otherwise assisted by their comrades. From the doorways to the stairs, trails of blood had begun to pool together to form a single cryptic testament to their fight.

The Sith were not going to wait. Their first wave had failed to secure a foothold - their bodies strewn about the lobby were a testament to that - and the chamber itself was an excellent position to hold them from. With one floor above looking down upon it, the whole ground floor was extremely exposed with the only direct routes up and into the rest of the Capitol Building being the two stairways directly across the chamber, the only real cover between them and the doorways being the numerous towering pillars that would only accommodate so many men's needs for shelter, many of them already being rigged with explosives from the balcony above. "Get more men up on the first floor, rain down fire on them. They have to come us and their artillery can't do bugger all in here." The Lieutenant's pace had already quickened considerably as he made for the stairway to the right. "Once you're done rigging your traps, get back to firing positions."

 

[Livu]

After the initial strike Laiev brought the craft upwards and back high into the sky. With how fast the thing was going it would take some incredibly powerful use of the force to touch it, and a couple of bolts of lightning sent from ground level wasn't going to do the trick. She joined with her other two comrades in the air, all three of them forming a lose formation... and likely were the first to see the Clawcraft soaring towards them. This called for more defensive actions if they were to keep alive long enough to cause damage. Her hand slammed on the radio console just in time for someone's voice, a surprisingly understandable voice at that, to carry over it.

"Affirmative Corporal. Do you have any information on- Dammit!" One of her fellow pilots broke formation, swerving around to go the opposite direction as it dodged canon fire from the enemy Clawcrafts. "Hound 1, Lurcher 5, shields up and spread out!" She growled over communications, "And watch your blind sides! Try to get a count and keep them busy!" Despite calling for evasive actions, Laiev started bringing up the coordinates the Corporal had requested to be targeted and began making heads or tails of the logistics. As reckless as ever, her A-Wing again swooped in over the Sith below, aiming at the area indicated with her cannons and letting bolts fly over the ritual grounds. For an added measure she sent one of her precious missiles flying towards the ground below as well.

With ordinance dispensed, she pulled up and flew high, surveying the battlefield below while keeping an eye on her radars as well as adding in several zigzagging maneuvers to try and avoid any shots fired her direction. The place was in ruins, and with the new threat they were outnumbered and left with very little to do other than keep an eye out and stay in the air. Oh and not getting shot down. That was a very important thing as well.

 

[Berlioz]

Ray nodded in approval as the LT returned to their defensive position, briefly ducking back against a small slab of concrete. He took a short breath, readying himself to turn around and fire - to then see a Twi'Lek Private across from his staring blankly at the sky. He narrowed his eyes, briefly peeking his head around the slab towards the sky. His eyes widened, his jaw feeling itself come heavy. His cigarette fell numbly from his lips, striking the ashen ground with its smoldering ember. His hands opened slightly, unwittingly dropping his dusty blaster rifle onto the ground as his mind briefly froze. He stared in brief disbelief, seeing a Colossal Sith Warship in the sky floating towards them. A cylindrical object whirred past him overhead,

"Back! Get back!"

Ray took a gasp of air, feeling his mind suddenly moving once more. He turned, making a frenzied dash to the far interior of the chamber. Behind him, another missile struck, sending the grizzled Engineer flying across the archway - his back painfully slamming against a cracked pillar. He unceremoniously dropped onto the ground, his eyes jerked open in momentary paralysis. He swallowed, his eyes locked onto the small crate he and the Nautolan had scavenged towards the archway.

To him, that small box was everything. Without it, they were 50 Shades of Screwed. No traps, no controlled dets,

No escape.
​

Ray threw himself forward onto the ground, gritting his teeth as he crawled forward towards the bent, metal demo crate. Another explosion erupted further behind, a secondary explosion sending small pebbles of stone and pieces of cindered flash onto his back. Along the far right side of the room, two thermal detonators caught a hefty piece of shrapnel, smashing them against the pillar they'd been meticulously bound to. The pillar's base was blown to pieces, the pillar and ceiling rapidly beginning their crumbling descent to the ground.

His bloody, trembling hand reached forward, grabbing the small plastic handle along the top of the crate-

And making the fastest dash of his life back to the Lieutenant and the others. He ran a hand through his hair as he ran, dashing past the Twi'Lek Private who's legs had been turned to red paste. He ducked behind a small, blasted speeder, tightly hugging the demo crate as his hyperventilating lungs fought to keep him conscious. He looked over at the LT as he directed the others to continue to take up firing positions, setting the front chamber into a killzone as he sat holding the crate in his arms.

From outside, the shouts of approaching Sith Infantry suddenly grew faint, the sealed entryway having bought a spare moment of time and silence before the next orbital strike blew another hole in.

His make-shift trap had worked, though damn near killing the man in the process. The front of the building was, for the moment, entirely sealed - the very ceiling it stood upon having crumbled to the ground. Ray took a heavy gasp, looking towards the LT, "We...We need a god damn plan B - Now."​

 

[Calixis]

Well, that was a few more seconds bought if nothing else but inevitably they'd find a way through the hole. Lieutenant Krusair was at the top of the right-hand flight of stairs by the time Ray had made it to him, having hastily ascended the final few steps as the detonation shook the chamber. "Right. You obviously know what you're doing with explosives. Come on." Skahl gestured for the Lance Corporal to follow him, quickly marching several paces towards the back wall of the first floor. A group of soldiers were knelt around several oversized, well-packed packs and exchanging items between one another.

"Most of the civvies got out underground but the shuttles are still making round trips." Coruscant's surface was a mere fraction of the whole planet. Trillions teemed below the light of the sun. It made sense then for the Capitol Building to have its own evacuation routes. If they couldn't escape upwards, then they could easily put distance between themselves and the Sith underground. The time they had bought fighting the Sith had ensured that almost the entire building from the ground floor and up had been evacuated, but there were still far too many civilians that needed ferrying to safety below them. The 'good' news was that the Sith would have to go through the defenders before they could reach them. Skahl wasn't wrong when he had said that every second they held meant a shuttle away, though not quite so literally. He settled his hand atop the rifle hanging at his waist. "We've the run of everything above us."

The Lieutenant spared a glance over his shoulder and towards the entrance before turning back the small team. They'd already saved potentially hundreds of important persons that day... or, at least bought them a healthy amount of breathing room. Their job wasn't done yet however, with so many politicians, staff, wounded and other non-combatants still being evacuated below them. "If they're going to destroy this building we're all dead anyway. If they want it intact... well, let's make sure it isn't. Hopefully we'll take a lot of those bastards with it as well." With a datapad in hand, a human woman looking expectantly at the Lieutenant, Skahl nodding at her. She rose up and offered out the device. "We'll hold them on the ground floor. Once you've set up try and reach the evac shuttles." He exhaled a sigh, giving the stubble at his chin a slow stroke. "If you can't reach me on comms, detonate the explosives. It won't need to be a controlled explosion so long as you take out enough of the supports in the right places, so... don't hesitate on the trigger. Got it?"

 

[SonOfTheo]

Indura's current endeavor of swiping faces off of coconuts down below with her gun was growing untenable, fast. The Mandalorian/Sith were running salvos all over the front of the domed building and it was growing more unstable by the minute. A building so well engineered and meant to house literally the most important men and women in the galaxy was not meant to sway and groan the way this one was. She estimated having maybe as many as five more minutes exchanging fire from various office windows before she ended up like the squad that had died huddled around the elevator shaft.

She blew the lungs out of a Mandalorian leaping from a drop-ship by putting a round in his breastplate, sensing him fall over convulsing, his heart almost imploding in his chest. Two other Mandos caught him, glanced at his wounds, and snapped their heads (from hundreds of meters away, mind you) toward... if not her exact position, one uncomfortably close to it. Mandalorians were some of the smartest and deadliest fighters in galactic history, so she'd been taught during training, and they didn't need the Force to be that way. If the Mandos had pinpointed her, it was time to go. Add onto that the fact that more and more of the main corridor on this floor was vanishing in barrages of artillery fire, leaving only a gaping hole open to the ground below and the smoggy, war ravaged sky.

Indura considered her options. She could stay and keep sniping, spout off one or two more coordinate pairs to her new best friend Shepherd 2, soon make a martyr of them both when the Sith inevitably overwhelmed the Senate dome and secured Coruscanti airspace. Or she could go higher, see what could be seen from the dome itself, if she could find a way past the buildings security measures, which was unlikely. Lastly, she could return down below and accept that sniping and countersniping in this battle had lost their use. She stepped through the shattered commandos and signed off to Shepherd 2. "Shepherd 2? Come in Shepherd 2. I'm about to lose my vantage point, can't give you anymore targets from high up, be advised." She hid the communicator in her pocket and stepped into the elevator with one foot hanging free in the air, reached her climbgun out and shot a hook deep into the bottom of an elevator parked above her.

After sliding down the shaft with the gun's wire, an interesting thing happened. The floor she'd just decided to bugger off of must have been hit with something big because a wave of sound, fire, pressure, and heat spilled through the hallway she'd left into the elevator shaft.

The elevator her grapple was mounted too made a sickly groaning sound and budged a few feet downward, causing her to do the same and slam against the wall. The shaft echoed with the deafening sound of tortured metal in the elevator car tearing and twisting. This overwhelmed her aural amplifiers and she screamed gutterally in pain.

The car snapped free of the cable above it and began to fall, picking up speed, causing her to drop with it on account of her being grappled to it. Cart and woman descended down the shaft, alight with sparks of metal on metal. Indura had vague impressions of the shaft without her amplifiers but the Force was with her. She sensed the door on the first floor was miraculously wide open from when she'd pried it to ascend earlier. The car was high enough up behind her, and she was low enough in the shaft that if she timed it right she'd make it.

Merely a meter from the bottom of the shaft she let go of the grappling hook and dropped the rest of the way, landing on one leg and scrambling madly at the lip of the open doorway to the first floor, emerging from it like a panicked tornado of a woman. About five seconds later the elevator car slammed into the bottom of the shaft and exploded, causing a wave of force, force, and fire to lift her up like a ragdoll and throw her a ways down the corridor.

Indura was senseless while her aural amplifiers rebooted and recalibrated themselves for battle conditions, her mind and body too numb from momentary shock and pain to reconcile with her senses. She could feel that the leg she'd landed on was damaged from the momentum of the land, but she wasn't sure how. A moment later she rose and tried to put her weight on it. Her knee rejected the motion, seizing her leg in pain, and she realized she'd be walking with a limp for a while. Not a terrible price to pay, all things considered.

She looked around and saw that the guys on this floor were preparing for gotterdammerung, laying traps and setting up turret choke-points. Her feathers were properly ruffled and she was still jazzed for survival riding an adrenal high, but so long as she could work her rifle she could contribute. To the LT and a nerve-wracked looking engineer she said "Sir, I just came from the upper floors. I'm good to walk, good to shoot! Just set me up."

 

[saam]

The Sith stepped forward and swung violently. As their blades clashed Ikora could feel his strength driving down on her and she quickly realised that she had made a mistake. The initial swing was strong, but it held back his full strength, only weighted in a way to challenge Ikora. And now he gained an advantage over her, literally coming down over her with tremendous force. Falling to one knee Ikora's body tensed in a desperate plea to resist, shoulders raised, body shaking from exertion and yet her blade continued to advance upon herself.
Ikora was tied to the locked blades and could not even spare a hand to try and ward off the Sith with the force, he would simply overwhelm her should she try. She looked for the padawan who had been blasted away by the force. Lanna now reached out to stumble the man and bore down upon him with her blade giving Ikora a moment of reprieve from his attention. Angling her body away from the Sith's lightsaber Ikora deactivated her own blade, off balancing the sith. As his lightsaber swung through lacking any resistance, Ikora reactivated her blade within his open guard, seeking to slash across the mans leading thigh to try and inhibit him.

@Enuf @Zenya

 

[Dawyn]

(For the Republic!!!! @Calixis)

“General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands man your battlestations!”

The alarm blared out across the JSS Righteous Path, Silver Dawn and Holy Way, Sabre-class corvettes, the three ships that had been given to the S.A.D. by grace of Vosrik, which had been stationed near Coruscant to support their operations on Bilbringi. Upon receiving a panicked transmission from their allies on the capital world, Maksem had immediately ordered a jump to lightspeed. While they were in transit, he ordered the three ships to be jury-rigged with capital-class seismic charges, which they had been transporting in their cargo holds to support covert activities on Bilbringi. He knew that they had no chance at doing significant damage conventionally, so a blood sacrifice would have to be made. He felt like a monster deliberately sending these men to their deaths, but, it was for the greater good. At least that was what he told himself.

He stood at the entrance to the cargo bay on the Righteous Path, lightsaber in hand and armor on, watching the stars speed by beneath him, protected by a force field. Next to him stood members of the Avengers of Mandalore, the 500-strong elite space marine group that had been assigned to the SAD following Onderon, seeking revenge for the death of their loved ones. The other two ships also had complements of Marines, standing in a similar position.
They had all been outfitted with UA-19 combat armor, XPC particle rifles with ten clips each, jetpacks, and an assortment of grenades. A few even had flamethrowers. They all stood ready to immediately combat jump over Coruscant. Raising his lightsaber, he addressed them.

“The people of the Galaxy, for all the love and respect that they have for the Jedi and the Republic,
are beginning to feel disappointment in it; they are losing faith in us, and many curse us for giving our people over to the yoke of the Sith oppressors while our forces run away!

Some foolish people at the front comfort themselves by saying that we can always retreat further since we have much territory, much land and manpower, and that we will always have more than enough to fight! They say this to excuse their shameful conduct at the front. But such talk is lies and falsehood, and only helps our enemies!

And so the time for retreating is over. Not one step back! That must now be our watchword! NOT ONE STEP BACK COMRADES! NOT ONE STEP BACK!”

With that, in a way worthy of cinema, the three corvettes exited hyperspace some distance away from the capitol building opposite the star destroyer, swooping down like majestic eagles in the noon sun across the ravaged cityscape, all shields forward and to the front. The marines and Maksem jumped out of the three ships, activating their jetpacks and firing down on the Sith in the plaza as they paradroppped down midway between the building and the plaza, so that they could move to either position easily.
In the meantime, the three ships moved and charged towards the Star Destroyer’s bridge at full speed, doing basic evasive maneuvers. Those that would be shot down would ram into the front of the ship, detonating their seismic charges and causing major damage. Those that made it through would ram the bridge of the star destroyer while detonating their sonic payload, certainly slicing it in half and effectively bringing it out of the battle, if not outright causing it to crash. Over 200 crew would die to assure air superiority, but they would all do so gladly to destroy the Sith menace. Taking a break from firing his rifle down at the Sith, he glanced up and watched the heroic sacrifice, a single tear streaking down his cheek.

I will make a memorial for you all, I swear.

As he thought that, he threw two supernova grenades down below him, exploding among the Sith.

 

[Draenika Ahaihl]

Spoiler

There was no greater rush than literally throwing oneself out of a moving transport - dropship, rooftop or even a starship - there was a certain helplessness that automatically made his heart pound in panic, even whilst his head reassured him that his jetpack would see to a safe landing. It seemed that only the Sith and Death Watch filth below him, appearing akin to roaches to be crushed from up high, could deny him a comfortable descent. But then, where was the excitement in safety? Draenika Ahaihl lived for moments like this. To feel the adrenaline coursing through his body whilst doing his duty for the Republic, for Mandalore and - mostly importantly - the brothers and sisters alongside whom he dove into battle alongside of, most of whom were big guys and gals for the Sith.

The arrival of the corvettes may have been a surprise to the invaders - and many of the brave defenders - but it was not a subtle one. Many eyes would have been drawn to the sky and the sight of hundreds of marines descending from the vessels like a great human wave was something to behold. "K'oyacyi, Marines!" The target of their landing was a clear one, the great domed capital building that stood iconic even in the vast skyline of the ecumenopolis. Another unit, a more sensible mind, might have deployed its forces upon the rooftop of the great structure. This was not to be their LZ, however. This was shock and awe through blood, guts and raw Mandalorian courage.

"Ready arms! Make the impact count! We're crashing this invasion with no survivors!"

 

[Enuf]

"The Power of the Dark Side is Strong with me," his voice would bark, a maniacal laughter escaping him as he pressed down onto Ikora with his tremendous strength, he was gaining the upper hand and soon would slay the stubborn Jedi in her outdated ways "You shall di-!" his voice was cut off as the sudden jerk of his feet being thrown out from under him. He would land on one knee as the Padawan jumped at him, his left hand shot upwards to literally grab the Padawans lightsaber. To his advantage his Glove was made out of a special material which would prove extremely effective in his defensive position against the two. Though he was slow on the defense against Ikora the blade sliced him straight down the leg a deep wound cut into him as he let out a gasp of pain, cursing under his breath as he was attacked "H--how dare you lay a hand on me!" he lashed out towards her, a bratty voice almost as he brought his hand up attempting thinking for only a moment he would attempt to shove her back away from him with pure kinetic force. His eyes darted around, hoping for some Aid because at the moment? He was dead in the water.

 

[Ranavik]

Missile fire rocked the ground as the first of the strikes hit the earth just outside the senate building.

The catwalk Rhoc had perched himself on was definitely not the place he wanted to be, anymore.

He quickly stowed the RH-35, strapping it onto his back, and clambered over the catwalk’s railing, balancing along the very edge. He gripped the railing and let his feet leave the edge, briefly dangling over the floor below to check that he wasn’t about to land on some poor bastard, before barking a warning and dropping down.

The nautolan rolled as he landed and quickly righted himself, sprinting after the rest of the troops as they retreated from the building foyer. Right behind them, the bone-chilling sound of more missile fire streaking for the stragglers reached their ears. The ensuing explosion seconds later sent him and anyone too close to the danger for a even a modicum of comfort reeling and stumbling forward, or down to the ground. Rhoc was one of the ones to wipe out from the force of the blast, but he was quick to pick himself back up and keep running. He reckoned that busted rib of his would be screaming at him to stop if it weren’t so muffled by the adrenaline frantically pumping into his bloodstream.

Battered about though he was, though, he was still alive. Beaten, but not beaten. Same as the rest of the GAR's forces, who were all regrouping in the Senate Chamber. And thanks to that engineer, they had a few more precious seconds to work with. The Lieutenant gave out his orders - while other squads were to go about setting up the explosives, the fighters would stay back and hold the line. Rhoc guessed that meant him. Hopefully that cannon'd serve as well against Mandalorians as it had against Sith.

The nautolan jogged to the other men, women, and aliens already taking up position on the first floor. He took the automatic cannon off his back and gave the engine an experimental whirr. The barrels spun around to his satisfaction, and he set his gaze down below, waiting.

 

[Brark Biyitt]

(Glory to the Republic!)

Death from above. The concept was as beautiful in practice as in theory. Beneath the black mass of space marines that drifted down from the heavens was a storm of rifle fire and hand grenades. Perhaps the Sith and their mercenary lackeys below wondered why they would expend so much ammunition before landing on the ground, but the Avengers of Mandalore were eager for blood.

As they touched ground it became clear they weren't shy about spilling their own in return. The element of surprise fading, Space Marines fell in droves as they were caught in their descent. Brark disengaged his jetpack while still many meters in the air, bringing himself smashing down upon an unfortunate SBZ soldier's skull. Blood and brains squelched out from below his heavy drop boots, but Brark wasted no time in savoring his first confirmed kill of the day.

"KE NU'JURKADIR SHA MANDO'ADE!!!"

The space marine charged headon into the chaotic mess of friend and foe, loosing particle rifle fire with wild abandon.

 

[Dacua Strogh]

Spoiler: Theme

Offering a glance across the carnage laid out in front of them Dacua felt a strange rush; a feeling similar to that of a druggie eying up their poison of choice. Fearlessly she stepped up, making her way up and jumping from their ship, falling through the air as the partially metaphorical fires of war rise around them. The wind rushing past was invigorating as she fell feet first, though as she came closer to the ground her jetpack began to emit short bursts meant to slow down her flight and land safely. Strangely despite it all, safety is primary in Dacua's mind, for this is her last mission until she'd be able to retire back to her family's old farm, left to her before their deaths.

As soon as her boots touched ground Dacua strode fearlessly forward across the battlefield with her brother's and sisters in arms. In her armor she looked the model soldier, with not a bit of skin showing through her armor and her glorious XPC rifle held comfortably in both hands. A long, white, bloodstained cape with a red letter 'M' painted on it trailed behind her, flowing in the winds of battle. It looked like it had once been a flag, but now it was a symbol of her and her comrades superiority. "GLORY TO THE REPUBLIC!" She roared out, raising a fist as she rushed forward.

 

[Zic Zuc]

As the brave men and women of the Avengers of Mandalore prepared to throw themselves to tumble down to the planet below, with not but a few centimeters of armour and a jetpack between them and the flames that would soon envelop them, and between survival and making a massive red patch on the ground, Zic steeled himself for yet another mission. After nearly fifty years of combat, he'd grown used to war, but the buildup to the next mission were always tense. Would he make it out again, or would their Sith and heretical Deathwatch fools be his final end? He wasn't afraid of death. He'd come to terms with the possibility any mission might be his last long ago. He also knew, however, that he was starting to get too old for this sort of work, that he couldn't keep up for much longer.

As they fell, they would surely encounter resistance from the enemy, and many of them may not make it back alive. Even after over forty years of combat experience, Zic still disliked the idea of losing comrades. He'd already lost his parents and brother, he wasn't about to lose his new brothers and sisters, as well. He was a soldier of the Republic, a warrior of Mandalore! A true Mandalorian, unlike the pretenders they would soon be at blows with.

One last mission, and I can finally hang up my rifle, retire back to the family farm with my wife. Just got to survive this one last day, or at least go out in one final blaze of glory.

"Ret'urcye mhi, vode! Par Manda'yaim!" he said as he made his jump.

 

[Lieya Grando]

Lieya Grando was still shaking from the decent onto the surface of the war torn planet. She had done the routine time and time again, but it never stopped making her heart beat fast, and her palms sweat in anticipation and excitement.

As she fell, generously using the compression inside her jet pack to land swiftly onto the ashen-strewn ground. As soon as her heavy boots hit the ground, she snapped the cord to the jetpack, turning it off, and unhooked her large gun from her back. Pressing it into her shoulder, she parted her legs, standing firmly, and at the ready to immerse herself into the battle.

To her left was her sister, and to her right was her brother. Sucking in a deep breath, she reminded herself why she was here. For the avengers of Mandalor. Her family. Her friends.

Clicking the safety off of her gun, she pulled the trigger, shooting up into the sky several times.

"Avengers of Mandalor, let's do each other proud!"

 

[Zenya]

Lanna, Ikora, and the sith continued to battle it out for the next few seconds, until a large ominous shadow crossed over them. They ignored it at first, but once the darkness swallowed Lanna's oponents, she paused, flinching back to look up at the sky. Her eyes widened in that moment, glaring at the massive looming ship above her.

She jumped back from the two swinging their sabers to viciously attack each other.

"Ikora!" She yelled. That must have gotten her attention. Locking eyes with her for a short moment, she turned off her light saber, feeling a sinking feeling inside of her chest. Without hesitating, she dodged another swing of the Sith's blade, and then began to sprint. She hoped Ikora was close behind her.

They had to make it to safety, and inside the Capital building was the most obvious choice of cover. Or so, she hoped safety would be offered. The ship above them looked deadly, and ready to drop fatal blows.

Connecting her saber to her hip, she ran.

Leaping over crumbled rubble, and jutting pieces of metal, the first bomb touched the surface of the planet, and she could feel the ground lurch under her. She stopped running, and jumped in front of a protruding shard of what must have once belonged to a building. It was large enough however, to block the wave of rubble and metalic pieces that were released from the explosion.

The sound made her head rock, and her ears buzz with a high pitched screeching sound. It was loud, and the impact was heavy.

After she finished tensing up with her arm covering her eyes, behind her thin wall of safety, she ran once again to the Capital building.

Approaching it, she whipped around the corner, diving into the inside. Hoping she hadnt completely abandoned Ikora, she expected to see the woman behind her at any moment. If not, they must have gotten separated along the way.

A puff of dust came down from the staircase she was standing by, as she just started to orient herself. Touching the wall with one palm, she coughed into her other hand. Slowly she began to look to the side, opening her eyes.

What she saw made a chill run through her blood. Not only were people running back and forth, but people were wounded in horribly grotesque fashions. As much as she wanted to move on, unfazed, she wasn't hardened like some of the soldiers around her. Instead, she slowly stood straight, the horror draining out of her gaze, and she made her way to where a group of people happened to be residing for shelter.

Graind of debris fell off the ceiling in scattered dust, and the ground beneath her seemed to shake.

The building was coming down, eventually. It was just a matter of when.

 

[Vinny]

Spoiler: OOC

Whoo! Lots to catch up on, dang! I'll do my best to address everything. Let me know if I missed anything or made a mistake. Lots to go through.

The zeal in the air was electric. Cries of "For the Republic!" "For Mandalore!" "For the Brotherhood!" scraped through the air like blades across a fresh corpse, no resistance. Cain felt each cry as a jolt to his system, blood pumped easier, his mind felt clearer, his breath came more relaxed. This was the benefit, the gift that embracing the dark side as a faith gave him. There was no fear or rage in Cain. Only Zeal. His chest was heaving with excitement by the time the wedge of sith warriors at his front pushed them to the gate proper. He felt a twinge of fear and anxiety in the air, he glanced to the left and spotted Lord Jissard facing of with Lanna and the other Jedi. He seemed to be ... hoping ... was it? He smirked at Lanna from afar. The Jedi looked torn between slaying him and retreating. Cain screwed up his face and reached out with the force, grabbing at Lord Jissard just as a blast from Republic Turbolasers went astray, shaking the walls of the Senate Building. He whipped the force, tugging at the other Sith and released, Jissard would accept his help or not, it was his choice.

Cain hated waste.

He turned back to the doors, his soldiers pushing further. Troopers firing from behind the protective shield of swirling red blades. More troopers moving to the left and right to secure the flank. The path was blocked once more, obviously the chaos that broke out had given the Lieutenant enough time to prepare a defense deeper inside. Very well. Cain mused, smiling. Show me your passion.. He gestured to the blockage and two priests and a shock trooper strode forward. The Shock trooper dropped to a knee just as-chaos broke out over the battlefield! More dropships, republic fighters, men and women in mandalorian armor declaring their agression toward the Mand'alore that bound himself to the Sith. Of Course, Cain nearly groaned, he nodded to several of his warriors to move to protect their rear as the Mandalorians fought one another. Let them have their bloodsport.

Another stray blast sent the Senate building shuddering. Cain flicked his wrist and nodded to the blockage. First a rocket from the now re positioned trooper sent much of the blockage to scrap and rubble, then the two sith priests strode forward, raising and lowering their arms before shoving out-a telekinetic whirlwind picking up and sending the debris of the Lieutenant's barricade swirling down the passage. Several proximity traps exploded, but he still sensed danger down the hallway. He gestured to the troopers. "Move out! Keep an eye open for traps!" He ordered, turning one last time to look behind him. The battle was in full sway outside, chaos reigned supreme. Cain's lip curled. Fight all you like, he thought as he stepped over the threshold, officially entering the Senate Building.

"There are intruderes in the main hall." Cain said in the most mocking, female monotone he could manage. There was a snort of laughter among some of the sith and sbz, though most remained focus. "Tough crowd," Cain rasped, and began to march with his men. "Let us try to enjoy this, ladies and gentlemen." He said, and nodded toward the hall. "They will have set traps along our route, find them, and find alternate paths just in case. I want this entry hall secured for when the Mandalorians crush their rebellious kin. Get to it!" He snapped, whirling back to the battlefield. He marveled for a moment.

So this was the lieutenants perspective. Truly, terrifying. He swallowed his awe, and returned to his work.

@Calixis @Berlioz @Zenya @Enuf

 

[Berlioz]

Ray looked towards the LT as his gaze fell on him and the demo crate. From a nearby elevator shaft approached a rather brutish-looking woman with a blindfold and rifle. Ray stared at her in momentary perplexion, noting the heavy slug-thrower and optic cradled in her arms. That thing's bloody huge. No way it's anything smaller than a .38 Slug- he looked towards her face, She's a Sniper. A blind Sniper? What in the god damn? Ray took a short breath, shaking his head and dismissing the thought. Not the time. He turned, looking to the LT and giving him a nod as he listened to the man's instructions. He rested the demo crate onto the ground, gesturing to the other four soldiers approaching the crate. Ray, for the first time, paused for a second to actually gauge the crate's innards. His eyes widened slightly, his lips perking in a dull whistle. He reached in the crate, pulling out a black, 10lb metal cylinder. An antenna stuck out from the side, accompanied by a synthetic red button. Ray reached back down in the crate, continuing,

"Y'all know what this is?"

He glanced around, "Of course you don't. This here, friends, is a 53-R High-Yield Thermite Bomb. Nasty son of a bitch. Find something that looks big & important, set it, press the god damn button and get out. They're linked to a single trigger. Look for points of weakness, find one - drop this and come back to help the LT. I'll do most of the rigging, but I can't be everywhere at once. These dets need to destabilize multiple points at once, else shit won't break."
​

He handed one to a nearby Soldier, "LT didn't need to say much. We know what the hell's about to go down. Literally. I'll keep the trigger on me, make sure it's safe. We ain't giving this place to the Sith, period." He stood, passing out four more of the heavy cylinders, "Get your asses going. We'll meet at the Evac point to blow this shit sky high and Radio the LT to meet us there. If he does, he does. If he don't," Ray paused, swallowing heavily. "He don't." A loud rupture caught his ears, seeing his brief barricade blown to cinder. He hoisted the heavy demo crate up onto his back, running its two leather straps over his shoulders as a cacophany of gunfire and noise erupted from the outside. He didn't know, he didn't care. Job's been given, time to do it.

He hastily stood, pointing a finger to the Sniper, "You're with me - watch my ass. Platonically."

He reached to his back pocket, rapidly tucking a lit cigarette to his lips and beginning his jog down the Senate Building's corridors as the sounds of battle reached his ears once more.



@SonOfTheo

 

[Hanna Most]

Hanna Most was loving the atmosphere, the fighting, the pure art of war was something she completely relishing in it. She loved war. She was extremely hyped and ready. She made sure her armour and weapons were all ready and locked before she pulled her helmet on her head. Looking at the rest of her colleagues with frosty eyes, she gave them small nod to them, before looking at the door. This Avenger of Mandalore was thirsty for blood.

As soon as the door opened, she leaped and held her gun tightly in her arms as she fell, letting the compression do the work as her boots hit the ground, the ashen strewn streets with the bodies. War was war. She readied her rifle and was ready to kill. "FOR MANDALORE!!!!"

 

[Calixis]

"Here they come, open fire!"

The order was hardly necessary as a great crescendo of blaster fire, explosives and defiant battle cries filled the air. From the first floor, whole squads of soldiers and security officers again began to rain fire upon the invaders. Theirs was a far more defensible position than the exterior had been. With a single - impressively sized but nonetheless lone - entrance into the chamber, the Sith attempting to secure the main lobby would be funnelled forward and into their waiting weapons. Two heavy repeaters poured an endless stream of heavy blaster fire downrange, thermal detonators were 'cooked' to explode before the Sith would have had time to push them aside, whilst the sheer amount of blasters being fired ensured that many Sith would be torn apart under the volume of bolts one could not hope to wholly deflect.

The stairways had been hurriedly barricaded with an assortment of tables, benches and other useless furnishings that had not been used to defend the doors. There purpose was to slow the Sith's ascent up the stairs more than provide the defenders with any real cover, considering the first floor's solid mezzanine provided better safety. It would be a crude, awkward, ascent upwards and whilst the Sith would inevitably attempt to clear it, that demanded concentration not directed against the shooters. There was still considerable ground to cover before the Sith would make it that far, however, at least whilst taking so much fire and being as exposed as they were. Lightsabers could only do so much after all.

Skahl again pulled the trigger on his rifle, a single bolt shrieking from the barrel of the weapon and burning through a Sith's waist. As he reeled from the pain, it was all he could do to deflect another lone bolt before several more struck him down dead. With her back against the XXXX, the Sergeant ran her thumb over the trigger of the detonator, turning her head up to look expectantly at the Lieutenant. "Now." With that, the Zabrak pressed her digit down over the small button. There was only a moment of delay, before a chain of explosions erupted from around the top of one of two pillars closest to the doors, the towering support collapsing downwards atop of the first wave of the attackers. A great boom shook the entire chamber as it struck the ground, but the Republic forces did not cease their frantic firing.