In this Together

[Tarrius Drast]

Inner Rim/Colonies, Balmorra System, Balmorra
Grand Army of the Republic, 21st Star Corps
Lt. Tarrius Drast en Route to the CZ

Holo Journal Entry #321:

I remember the day the starships arrived over Nar Shaddaa, the smell of the plasma fire in the air, the warmth of the fires and the smells and the sounds. The simulations back in training tried to prepare us for this, but deep down I knew that nothing came close to the real deal. I had dealt with Remnants before, with police raids.

But to be on the battlefied for the first time, nothing could really prepare me for this moment. I was just surprised that me and my men made it out of that crash zone alive....

End of Holo-Transmission

Grzzzzzzzzzzz....the lights within the shuttle compartment flickered green as the voice of the pilot came overhead. "Four clicks out from the drop, it's going to get hot." Caran took a good look at the various men and women within the ship. The Republic was still using old Imperial equipment, and only a few months earlier there would be no denying that Tarrius would have looked the role of an Imperial Officer.

He wore a simple duraplast blast vest, with an open faced bucket style helmet that was favored among standard militia officers within the Imperial worlds. He gripped his blaster as he peered towards the Mandalorians, giving them a nod.

"Our friend's ship has crashed four clicks out, an urgent wide band holo-transmission had been sent out, there is no doubt that the Remnant is behind the attack. It is believed that there are injured aboard the wreck. We need to meet up with the survivors that are attempting to secure and repair their ship. Fight off any Imperials and escort them that convoy out of there." The soldier would pause as he peered towards the rest of the group.

"Anyone have any questions before we land?"

tag: @Logan @Algarus @Tetsu
OOC: I'll start the Dice thread after the intro posts. Feel free to gameplan shoot the breeze and establish your characters before we start doing some tactics and what not.

 

[Braun Stoker]

Operation: We are in this Together
Operator: Lt. Braun Stoker
Location: En route – Balmorra, Balmorra System
Grand Army of the Republic, 21st Star Corps


Lt. Stoker had never liked the moments leading up to a mission, especially since he was no longer with the imperial troops that he had originally been trained with. His Sith Trooper armor now painted white with the republic’s insignia stamped over where he had worn his Imperial colors proudly. His blue accents denoted him as a Lieutenant of the republic, and he had been deployed on this mission with a Lt. Tarrius Drast. He kept his helmet in his lap as he wiped the visor clean in preparation. His old imperial weapons, his trusty gladius blaster (30/30) and his purgio pistol (15/15) accompanied him. For some the transition was easy, but Braun had never felt more alone as the ship’s internal light flicked to a green hue.

"Four clicks out from the drop, it's going to get hot."

Stoker heard the pilot speak over their intercom as they approached the drop point. Sighing, to psych himself up, Lt. Stoker stood up, his blaster hanging from his belt and his helmet in hand. He thought it was crucial that the Mandalorian and the other troopers saw his face before the battle, to show that he was no longer a trooper of the Sith Order. This might have been only in his head but was no the less important to him. Lt. Drast went on to explain the situation, although they had been briefed before going out to the mission. It was nice to have the refresher, and thus, Braun did not complain. He was instead particularly interested in what the Mandolorians had to say.

Braun watched the Mandalorians with a look of interest and distrust. He had fought them on Kessel, Corellia, and countless worlds. He knew they were worthy fighters, some of the best in the galaxy; However, he was not sure how much they would trust some of their former foes. The Lieutenant tried to not look as if he was staring as he slid his helmet over his face letting the burn scars on the left side of his face become hidden behind the armored barrier. He quietly turned the safeties off on his blasters. He was ready to prove that the Republic was worth fighting for, even if he was but a foot soldier. “Well, I guess we are in this together,” He grumbled to himself as he still felt weary being in the same ship as his once greatest foe.

@Logan @Algarus @TWD26

 

[Reyna Solus]

Throughout the ride Reyna had remained mostly silent, her thoughts focused mostly on the potential scenario they'd be flying into. Her top priority was to get any Mandos still alive on the crash site - hopefully they would be able to get there before any Imperial scum came through and finished up the job. Escorting the payload the rest of the way was obviously important too, but things could always be replaced.

Reyna was clad in her typical beskar'gam, sporting the colors of House Solus proudly. Her Slayer Symbol was also easy to spot, shined and glinting like a knife's edge - a clear indicator to any Sith they may encounter that she'd killed plenty of them before and would be more than willing to do it again.

"The Mandalorians are with you, Lieutenant." Reyna said finally, turning her T-visor towards Braun. "Make no mistake about that."

Reaching down to a holster on her leg, Reyna drew her violator pistol, inspecting it a little before gripping it tightly, flipping its safety off as they began to near the drop zone. The Imperials - if there were any - likely wouldn't be expecting a Mandalorian wielding a literal hand canon to come storming across the horizon, so she was hoping to catch a few of them by surprise with the unwieldy weapon before switching to something more mundane.

"Let's do this thing."

@Algarus @Tetsu @TWD26

 

[Crystal Kryze]

Crystal joined her comrade in the silence of the shuttle, her thoughts bouncing between the fact these Republic soldiers were with them, and the potential danger about their current drop off zone. She had her repeater aimmed muzzle up towards the roof of the cabin. The only hint that there was still life inside that suit of armor, was the occasional glance she offered to the men at times. Other than that, she reminded as still as a statue. Her armor was painted in red and silver colors, a Clan Kryze symbol painted over the right shoulder plate, though she doubted if the other two men would know the importance of that.

Reyna spoke up, drawing her gun and speaking to the two officers, to which Crystal hefted up her repeater and laid it across her lap, making sure the power cell was charged and primed, as we as flipping the safety off. She could feel the shifting of the ship, as they were about to touch down. She looked up to the officer who had asked about there being questions, because there was only one that came to Crystal's mind at current. "Do you guys count your kills? Or is that frowned up?" It was a genuine question. Yea, they were Imperials and it was bottom of the barrel type stuff, but it was just for friendly competition.

@TWD26 @Tetsu @Logan

 

[Tarrius Drast]

Inner Rim/Colonies, Balmorra System, Balmorra, The Plains
Grand Army of the Republic, 21st Star Corps
Lt. Tarrius Drast pinned down at the Drop
Nightmare

To say that things were tense was an understatement. Things had been moving quickly and old enemies had become friends for the time being. Communication could have been better and time for training between the two forces, but it seemed these things were out of the trooper's control. His brown eyes would focus in on Reyna's response, he didn't need to say anything back--his eyes would give away that he was with her.

"I count forty-five people here, forty republic troopers, five Mandalorians. The only counting I'll be doing is to make sure you all make it home." He'd say in a serious tone, "Don't underestimate the Imperials, there is a reason they controlled the galaxy for hundreds of years."

He'd close his eyes for a moment as he heard the lights within the shuttle flicker. "Rancor-2-1 this is Hawk 1-1, we're approaching the drop zone. You'll be 1600 meters from the crash site, hump it there, we'll watch you guys from the sky." The static from the comms would hiss through the shuttle's bay, "Seems things are clear, stand bye for the drop doors to open."

Tarrius would un-clip himself from his seat and make his way towards the drop door, his troops and the Mandalorians behind him. His heart raced as the anticipation for the light to go from red to green. With a flash and a buzzer, the door would begin to descend to reveal a bright day, the tall grass around them flushed back as the shuttle hovered. With a motion of his hand the troops would follow him off the ramp.

"Form up, watch the drop zone." The officer would call out as he moved out a few meters, and dropping to a knee.

Everything seemed to be going well, the area was silent, his platoon and the mandalorians had begun to descend from the area. But, the radio chatter on the Republic side began to pick up--something was wrong. He could hear the mixture of Mando'a and Basic, it seemed something was off in the translation.

"That's the wrong drop zone, that's the wrong drop zone...you were to meet up with the Solus reinforcements two-clicks to the right," someone called out.

"Rancor 2-1 Actual what's going on down there?" The pilot would call over the communicator. "Are we good to depart?"

Tarrius would move over towards the RTO, who stood with a large amplifier pack on his back as a small chord connected to a holo-projector in his hand. "Jedi-Actual, this is Rancor 2-1 Actual, can you explain what the kriff is going on." The trooper would grimace at the thought of having to board that shuttle again--they were sitting ducks out here.

"Rancor 2-1, stand bye...uh..." The commanding officer would pause as a hiss of static came through, "...we're going to have you redeploy. Sending the coordinates to Hawk-1-1."

But, that was when things broke down and the nightmare begun. There was a sound of a snap and a hail of blaster fire struck against the viewport of the shuttle, which had been hovering over a few inches off the ground. The once stable ship begun to spin as the comm's began to scream. "This is Hawk-1-1, Hawk-1-1 actual is down, we're struck and controls are shot--we're going down...brace...brace..."

"Get the hell down!" The officer would yell to the Mandalorians and the Republic troopers, his brown eyes focused in on the shuttle as it's wing began to clip the earth, followed by an explosion that sent the trooper back. Everything seemed to ring and his head hurt. He'd hold his hands up, and run them down his legs--he seemed intact, but his body hurt.

One of the troopers flailed on his feet, the shuttle's fuel burning through his armor as he screamed. The Republic shuttle lay in a burning mess, and several soldiers and a few of the mandalorians lay on the ground--lifeless. The trooper would struggle to his feet, he could feel blood rolling down from the back of his head while his head screamed in pain.

Tarrius would approach the RTO, who sat attempting to call in, "Jedi Actual...Jedi Actual...this is Rancor 2-1...do you..." The Sullustan's head would turn to mush as a blaster bolt struck him across the temple--splattering the officer with his own soldier's blood.

"Ambush!" Someone would call out, and that was when they'd come into view Their Imperial armor had been hidden with brush, and their tactics smelled of special forces.

"Get the kriff down, pull the wounded in towards the ship," Tarrius would call out as he pulled the dead transmission officer towards the wreckage. Hopefully the others could hold off the Imperials. Pulling the holopack, the trooper would begin to transmission in. "This is Rancor-2-1 Actual, Hawk-1-1 is down, we have heavy casualties...Imperial ambush..."

​

tag: @Logan @Tetsu @Algarus

ooc: rolling a 1 hurts. We'll need to secure the wreckage and our wounded, as well as handle these Imperials special forces before we can even move towards the convoy.

 

[Braun Stoker]

Operation: We are in this Together

Operator: Lt. Braun Stoker

Location: The Plains – Balmorra, Balmorra System

Grand Army of the Republic, 21st Star Corps



Braun trusted his compatriot’s words as the pilot informed the crew that they would be touching down at the LZ. Things seemed to be well as they received the okay to deploy out into the field. “Confirming orders, 1.6 kilometers to the crash site,” he responded over the local comms as he adjusted his visor. The external light was blinding to say the least as the bay door opened and revealed the outside field that was the planet Balmorra. He hung onto the overhead straps for balance before disembarking from the shuttle. He could remember the empire’s installations here from before the war, but now they were in a barren landscape.

“Troopers, chevron formation around the gangplank, let the rest of the platoon disembark.” He ordered casually the whole shuttle emptied out. “Mandalorian, I don’t suppose you…” He began before being cut off by their comms officer. “Wrong drop?” he questioned as suddenly, without warning, something blasted their shuttle in mid ascent. “We are under attack, Get down!” He shouted as the metal flying object weaved around overhead before landing behind them in a flaming heap. Some of the crew were attempting to escape the flaming vessel but were coved in the flaming pitch that was surely burning their flesh behind the armored helms.

Braun was constantly reminded that battle was chaos. He had fought with the special forces of the empire during his commission with the Rebulica. It seemed strange to him that he was now fighting these same troops. Brush covered imperial troopers began to fire upon the now grounded Republic force. Braun was obviously not the commanding officer here, as he listened to the local comms for commands. Blaster fire filled the air as Braun instinctively attempted to shoot back as one of his troopers was hit square in the chest plate. He grabbed onto the armor’s harness blasting two shots off into the fields in hope of giving him some cover as he pulled the young soldier back towards the shuttle’s remains. Dirt kicked up from the ground where a blaster bolt had landed beside the pair of troopers in motion.

Braun returned fire in that direction hearing a muffled scream as he landed his shot on one of the troopers in that direction. He was blindly firing here almost as he got back to the wreckage. “Drast we are in a tight spot here, what's the command?” he asked as the fellow was manning the comms box. The Mandalorian were skilled combatants and would surely help them clear this field. If only they had some flamethrowers, that would have been an Imperial tactic for sure in such a place…though he did think about the grass’s inflammability as the shuttle was currently on fire.

“We can’t stick around here, that shuttle will put this field ablaze if we are not careful!” he expressed as the blaster fire was intense. Braun kept his posture low as he lowered his fellow trooper to the ground so that he could continue firing with both hands. Sending one more shot into the grass, this time with a bit more aim, he was able to hit something to some effect, though Braun could not see from their current position as he awaited some orders.

Spoiler: Dice

Effectiveness of Retreat and Return Fire (Success)

@TWD26 @Logan @Algarus

 

[Reyna Solus]

*Well, the crash had come as quite the unwelcome surprise. Unfortunately for Reyna, during all of the chaos, her right arm had gotten pinned behind her and subsequently torqued at a completely unnatural angle as the shuttle wing clipped the ground and the crash ensued.

*Reyna heard the bone in her right arm break before she felt it, but the sound alone was enough to send shivers down her spine. The pain came rushing soon after, although the SuperCommando suspected much of the pain was being abated by adrenaline currently. It would only amplify with time, and she didn't see getting out of this quagmire of logistical bullshit any time soon.

Once the crash had ended and the others began to evacuate - at least, the ones that were still alive - Reyna managed to free her mangled arm and make her way towards open air. Blaster fire swarmed in every direction as the Sith insurgents pressed their advantage, but Reyna found solitude behind a large piece of refuse. Flipping on her com, Reyna gripped her violater with her left hand.

"Still alive but my arm is completely kriffed. Feels broken." She said, gritting her teeth in pain. "I can still shoot, but we need to get the kriff out of here as fast as we can. Even if that means leaving people behind and moving towards the real objective."

It may have seemed callous, but Reyna was not going to die in a field to some Imperial ambush. That simply wasn't in the cards.

@Algarus @Tetsu @TWD26

 

[Crystal Kryze]

The shuttle violently shook, which given they were flying into a combat zone wasn't too unusual. What was unusual was the steep dive that the group suddenly took, as Crystal had to cling onto her seat from the sudden lerch to avoid smacking into the back of the shuttle. She must have lost a few seconds in between, because first they were falling from the sky, now they were groundside, a vicious *thud* snapping her back to the current point. There was the scent of smoke whiffing through the cabin, as the rest of the squad was piling out of the back, which given the situation seemed like a sensible choice. Crystal staggered out behind the rest with her repeater in hand, only to be welcomed by an downpour of blaster fire. Now this was a proper shitshow. "Well crap." She muttered to herself, having to duck down as a blaster shot exploded over her head.

Hunkering down, Crystal moved forward towards what was probably the remnants of their shuttle's landing strut, promptly setting up shop. The voices over her comms were now becoming clear, as the ringing was starting to stop. Reyna was injured, and they needed to get the hell out of dodge. They were off to a great start already. Taking a gander of their current battlefield, Crystal felt drawn to make that same decision. This was a terrible field to engage them on. "Seconded. I'll lay down some covering fire. We need to get to the objective. This field does us no favors." Crystal would wait to hear an acknowledgment, before rising up and spraying the field with her repeater, firing off bursts from her repeater as she would pull back with the others.


Roll: Sucess
@TWD26 @Tetsu @Logan

 

[Tarrius Drast]

It seemed all hell had broken loose within a short amount of time. The troopers that managed had fallen into a trench that had formed due to the dropship's demise. The scar was deep enough to provide some cover for the blaster fire. The former bounty hunter manned the Long Range communication's backpack in one hand, as he used his free hand to pull in the wounded. "Jedi Actual, Jedi Actual...status on close air support? We're getting eaten up alive out here, were combat in-effective."

Tarrius pulled his eyes away from the holo-image as Tetsu and the Mandalorians returned fire. They had taken nearly sixty percent of casualties, and only had a few good men left. His teeth clenched as he smacked against the pack, "We're not kriffin leaving these men." His eyes would flare with a bit of fire towards Tetsu.

"Jedi Actual...how copy?" He'd curse under his breath as he shook his head.

"Rancor 2-1 Actual, this is Jedi Actual...we've dispatched a gunship and medevac en-route...stand bye for confirmation over."

Tarrius motioned towards Tetsu and the Mandalorians, "We got a gunship in bound...it's going to raise some kriffin' hell..." He'd yell out over the blaster fire. "Take half of the men and begin to flank around towards the crash zone..I'm dropping you the coordinates on your datapads...The rest of us will hold down the Imps, and that gunship will cover your escape.."

He'd duck down as a stray bolt snapped overhead, "Once the Medevac get's in, the rest of us will follow." He'd pull his blaster from the dirt and pulling himself down into the ditch, as he fixed his bucket helmet back onto his head, "Merry kriffin' life day."

The soldier would pull the communicator back into hand as the mandalorians and troopers began to depart from behind the wreckage. "Rancor 2-1 Actual, this is Reaper 1-1, 1 click from your pause...heading in from the south, we're seeing a lot of smoke from your position....skrsssh...We're gonna need an IR probe to mark the position of the enemy, over."

"Reaper 1-1, copy that..over." Tarrius would motion towards the private beside him, "Cover me," he'd grunt as he pulled himself up from the dirt as he slid a probe from his side. The officer would take a breath before popping up from the ditch and throwing the probe out towards the ditch--a stray blaster bolt striking him in the shoulder, which sent the trooper into the ditch in pain.

"Rancor...confirming that probe, grab your butts...it's about to get hot." The voice was barely audible as the sound of the gunship could be heard screaming through the sky, and over them. Tarrius plugged his already wringing head, as the sound of the ship's heavy payload began to blast out towards the ambushing party. Boom...Boom...Boom...Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt....

"Kriff yeah! Echutta!" One of the soldiers called out, as several others began to cheer as the gunship strafed past and off into the distance.

"Rancor 2-1, confirming splash, multiple hits...those soldiers shouldn't be causing you trouble any longer. Hang in down there." The pilot would sign off as the sound of feet crashing in towards the ditch from behind them. The officer would peer back, to see the medical evacuation ship and their troops quickly pulling the dead and severely injured towards the ship.

"Sir, you should board with..."

Tarrius would raise his hand, "Get those that need it on board, the rest of us oscar mike towards Tetsu and the Mandalorian's position." He'd wince as his shoulder burned--he'd need to get that checked soon enough. "Tetsu, this is Drast...gunship was a success, we're following behind shortly...how's the position up ahead?"

tag: @Tetsu @Logan @Algarus

 

[Braun Stoker]

Operation: We are in this Together
Operator: Lt. Braun Stoker
Location: Balmorra – The Plains Enroute to Crash Site
Grand Army of the Republic, 21st Star Corps – Fireteam Bravo

Braun glared at the Lieutenant who was now offering him commands. He had just pulled his fellow trooper to safety when Drast told him he would not leave his men. “I don’t expect you to Lieutenant just watch the brush,” He offered as he told the team his plan to have Stoker move to the flank and begin moving towards the Crash site. Stoker did not refuse “We are on it Lieutenant, Fireteam bravo we’re Oscar mike, prepare to move.” He expressed calmly over the comms as he moved into position over by where the Mandalorian was firing the repeater. He stopped by her position for a second, “Mando, you’re with me, Drast says air support is on the way so let’s get moving.” He offered, giving her a clear look of acknowledgement as the trench fire intensified for a moment.

[On the way to the objective]

The fields felt immense as the split unit made its way around the combat zone that was swelling with fire as they made their move. “Get those boots moving troopers,” Braun commanded as they moved rather quickly. They were now the point team now, leading the way as they pushed their way on through the brush. It was at this point that the crew would discover what looked to be an old trail that lead through the large fields of Balmorra, which had probably been used by the enemy forces when advancing the position of the shuttle. Back where the Ambush was taking place, the bravo team would be able to see a gunship flying overhead, dropping a payload in the distance. “Hell yeah,” Braun muttered as his troops moved at a jogging pace down the path.


Braun had been reluctant to make his way through the brush, as it was probably full of boobytraps and the like that would cause them some more unneeded problems. The strange geography of the planet reminded him of the rolling fields of Datooine. They would have a moment of peace as it seemed that the ambush had been set back where they had originally crashed. That little stunt had probably been a result of some counterintelligence that had put them in that horrible landing zone. They were hoofing it all the way to the crash site’s original coordinates.


“Mando, do you see anything?” Stoker would ask as they now slowed to a brisk walking pace. This statement would only apply if the Mandalorian had decided to follow them of course. If one of them had, Braun would rely on them to be up front of the column of troops with himself. They were lacking any sort of resistance on this beaten path that worked in their favor. Finally, something was helping them. He hoped that Lieutenant Drast’s air support was enough to free their movement back at their shuttle. It was about this time that he would receive contact over the comms.


“Drast, solid copy to that, we are currently one clicks north east of your location and we are almost on site.” He responded as he could see what looked like Besk’ar armor clad men in the distance, clearly Mandalorian. “we see our scheduled drop just up a head, with our Solus reinforcements.” He expressed over the radio as they would slowly approach the men, the Mandalorian in the lead with Lt. Stoker. He would approach with a sense of apology, “Sorry for the delay, we had a mishap in the communications.” He expressed as they waited for the other half of their group to join them. “Drast, this is Stoker, we will wait for you two clicks north east of your current location to rendezvous with the whole group before advancing on the crash site. Please advise there is a dirt path that was clear when we crossed this way not too far from the field in the same direction, best of luck Lieutenant,” He offered before cutting the communication and addressing the mandalorians again. He hoped this combined mission didn’t see anymore mishaps.

@TWD26 @Logan @Algarus