Open Invasion Operation Blue Storm: Dubrillion

[Altair Din]

With Bastion firmly under Imperial control, Operation Blue Storm was fully underway and now with another staging point from Bastion. New bases of operation were quickly set up to allow ground and aerial troops a presence as the Empire continued its expansion campaign into Jedi territory.

Dubrillion was next on the list and Altair didn’t waste any time before arriving on the planet. Civilians had been given warnings to clear out before an incoming invasion. The main prize was the defunct superlaser facility that he believed could be rebuilt again for a powerful new asset. The R&D potential in that facility was highly appealing. His mind briefly wandered to Tiamat (@GABA), who used to lead much of the Empire’s scientific advancements. He couldn’t help but still feel responsible for her leaving the Empire in favor of the enemy.

The tiefling landed on an island, the planet primarily composed of water. This was near the capital, oceans on all sides. His troops would have to arrive on both land and sea for this takeover. He wanted to avoid too much orbital bombardment, but he needed the navy to find a way to secure the superlaser factory. It was assumed it was defunct and abandoned, but for all they knew it could have been brought back to life with a full patrol at all times.

“I need someone to go investigate the superlaser factory,” He called into the shared comms, “I want ground troops with me as we approach King Arden’s location,” The King was a human that was hiding in his palace during the invasion. There was a massive Chazrach army poised between Imperials and the planet’s King. Successful takeover of the palace and securing the superlaser factory were the two key objectives to take the planet.

 

[Enya Darand]

Forward Operating Base​

Dubrillion​

1100 Hours​

Enya didn't expect her first mission fresh out of orientation would be taking part in a full-scale invasion. She didn't know much about Dubrillion, just that the Emperor wanted control of the planet and that it's Jedi territory...was Jedi territory. She sighed slightly at the recurring thought that just being here would imply - fighting her brothers and sisters was not something she wanted to do. They took her in, she had grown up with them, trained with them, fought with them and, no matter what, they were still family to her. Family...the word felt hollow and ashen on her tongue as the images resurfaced, the smell of sulphur and the crackling of flames, but she quickly removed it from her mind. She was doing this for them, now was the time to prove it.

She looked around at the soldiers she was standing in the Gunship with, all standing there stoically waiting for their moment to rush out and bring glory to their Empire. She knew better though, she could feel their fear, their worries and fanaticism and burgeoning blood-lust all stirring together into some toxic putrid cocktail of destruction. One of them though...her head turned to her right, narrowing on a foot soldier whom, despite his attempts, was visibly shaking. She raised a hand and patted his shoulder, making him briefly flinch before standing at attention.
"Ma'am!" He barked out, trying to sound tough in front of the Imperial Knight (though the truth was she was probably only barely above him in rank, if that). He sounded young, looked it too.

"Are you scared soldier?" She asked softly, raising an eyebrow at the instant denial as he somehow managed to stand even straighter - he would break his back doing that. "No Ma'am!! I'm ready to do my duty for the Empire!!" He would reply, earning a whoop from the rest of his unit. Enya, on the other hand, just rested a hand on his shaking arm. I didn't ask if you were ready," She said as a soft smile creased into her face. "I'm not your drill instructor soldier, you can be honest with me. Every soldier has felt what you're feeling right now, every one." She looked around at that statement, noticing one or two reluctant nods and another few look away from her, clearly too proud to admit it. After a moment, his body seemed to relax into itself a little, but it still vibrated enough to warm a small planet. "Um...it's my uh...my first mission, Ma'am."

She nodded at him, humming softly to herself. "All you need to know is this: take no unnecessary risks, remember your training, and trust your squad, they will look out for you and you them, understood?" He didn't respond, but his shaking seemed to calm a little. "This isn't the day you die." In truth, it probably would be the day he died, as it would for most of the green novices out there right now. Still, one could hope...for all the good that did nowadays. The Gunship finally touched down, depositing the troops inside onto the Forward Camp while Enya stepped off and made her way toward the nearest speeder, her gaze moving across the horizon to the Superlaser facility. The order had been put out, someone had to investigate while the Grand Marshal stormed the palace. As she lifted her leg onto the speeder bike, she slipped on her helmet and activated her comm unit "IK-13, copy the Superlaser facility, on my way, any allied units with me?"

 

[Kellan Solari]

Alpha Squadron of Seraph Fleet’s 81st TIE Wing came screaming through Dubrillion’s stratosphere, shredding its way through a delicate grove of cirrus clouds before sweeping out over the island. For an instant, the pack of Impetus-Class Interceptors were silhouetted before the sun’s flaring light. Then, course identified, Captain Solari pivoted the starfighters hard to starboard and gunned the engines filling the skies with an ionic howl.

In the aftermath of the Imperial victory on Bastion, Kellan had seen himself promoted to captain and handed the lead position of Alpha Squadron, Commander Darrow’s old role before he himself had taken control the entire 81st. Flying point ahead of twelve souls sent his nerves skittering, but the accompanying sense of freedom had nested in his brain like an endocrine-laced spike. Even now, he knew Darrow was watching the assorted attack groups from The Detente above. But so far as the 81st’s premiere attack squadron was concerned…Kellan had the helm.

“Raging Bull (@Sreeya), this is Alpha Squadron.” he hailed the Grand Marshal. “Confirming order to scout factory. ETA is ten minutes out. Alpha Squadron switching over to tac-band sixty-six, repeat tac-band six-six.”

He flipped over to the newly established tactical frequency. After everyone had reported in, he ran through the mission parameters.

“Alright, Alpha Squadron.” he said, “Target is at bearing three-one-five by by one-five-zero, approximately seventeen clicks out. Nothing but ocean between us and it, so we’ll go in fast and low. Keep formation tight and keep an eye on your sensors. Approach is silent, so no unnecessary chatter. Tight beam comms only. Orders are to recon the area and report back to command. No cowboy stuff. Understood?”

“Copy that, Alpha One.” a choir of replies.

“For the Emperor.”

“For the Emperor!”

 

[Merian Sere]

Dubrillion, 158 ABY
Half a klick from island coast


“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Merian stayed quiet a moment. Despite everything, there was calm to be found here, alone on the waves. She contemplated the steep cliffs before them. Impracticable. And sitting above it, the factory. If she listened closely, Merian could hear the sounds of the Empire’s invasion underway. Gunships on one side of the factory, amphibious transports hitting the beach on the other. Above it all, TIEs. Troops, blaster fire. All that well away from them.

“Reasonably sure. Command approved it, which means it has at least some merit.”

“You’d think an Imperial Knight would be on the frontlines.”

“I’m not a usual knight.”

Clearly. Merian had traded the armor for an all-black wetsuit that hugged every curve in her body, the generous ones at her hips, the less flattering one by her stomach. She prepared.

“But it’s madness!” the soldier protested. “It’s the open sea!”

“I’ve seen it before.”

“Yeah, seen it, that doesn’t mean you should jump in!”

Finally, Merian stopped to look at him. Why did he care so much? The man was around her age, some IAF grunt who could operate a small hydro-skiff to drop her off. He’d already filled his part. Why couldn’t he just let her fill hers?

“I assure you I can,” she replied. “A bit colder than home, that’s all.”

“Home?”

“Iloh.”

“Oh.” That tempered him, if only for a moment. “Well at least take a rebreather.”

“Imperial Knights have their rebreather in their helmet. I can’t take the armor that distance.”

Like to put an end to the conversation, Merian spoke into her comlink. “IK-13, this is IK-5, in position. Going under. I’ll update when I surface.”

She put the comlink away. Everything she brought along had to fit in a little watertight pouch tied around her left biceps. There wasn’t much room. Comlink, computer spike. She’d even debated leaving her lightsaber.

“Thank you for the lift, Corporal,” she looked over the man one last time. “If all goes well, I won’t need it back.”

Then she dove underwater.

 

[Vako Yizok]

Dubrillion, 158 ABY
The Palace of the King

"C'atchu'tha hal dalma." Vako cursed himself for coming to Dubrillion and taking the contract for the King.

What a grand thought it had been at the time. Get back into the fight where he belonged, battling with the warlords across the galaxy and making some easy credits. The king made a serious offer to aid in protecting his forces with additional air assets amidst a more chaotic moment in galactic history. And who would threaten a divine ruler with thousands of Chazrach at his back?

But of course, it was the Empire.

Vako could hardly understand this new Empire. He'd been prisoner of the Sith Empire before it, and seen firsthand what they would do. These people were almost like a mixture of Alliance and that Sith empire made whole and with a military precision he had not seen in his lifetime.

And with all the might bearing down on them what did Vako have? A squadron of LAATs acquired at auction.

There was no great master plan that Vako was aware of, and he could hardly understand the natives, complicating and already tense situation.

The squadron Vako commanded was a mix of pirates, brigands and bandits turned mercenary on the flight crew, and Chazrach gunners and troopers that barely knew which end of a blaster to hold.

"This is a real winning combination." Vako murmured doubtfully to himself as he moved to his command gunship.

"We take to the skies, by threes!" Vako commanded, flapping his wings aggressively as he thought about the situation. Vako may have been a ruthless mercenary and known brigand, but as good warrior he was, he knew he was not a match for sound strategists with endless supply lines and advanced weapons. "If you get a call for close air support, you engage. If you see fighters, you run!"

Vako moved to his command ship and fluttered in quickly, placed one hand on the pilot's shoulder and another to his ear, switching his communication to speak only to his mercenaries.

"And if you get a call for parlay, get them to start talking terms until I can get there..." He looked nervously behind him, hoping none of the locals spoke enough hutteese to figure out what he was implying.

The flight line of gunships around the palace whirred to life, the army of the king already well on the move in varied transports and dug in positions. The low rumble of the gunships growled as rockets were loaded into their firing tubes.

 

[Levet Vizsla]

Spoiler: Music

Some of what the other Jedi had said back at the temple still rang in Levet's ears. He had not even stuck around for the whole discussion before sneaking off to stow away aboard a ship. The Empire was going to pave over the Jedi Order if they did nothing. Something had to be done and the hot-blood of the Mandalorian kept him from remaining idle. The debate among the 'wiser' members of the Order was as good of distraction as any.

Weapons were part of a Mandalorian's religion so perhaps it would not be a complete surprise for Levet Vizsla to find himself at the old Dubrillion superlaser facility. The young Padawan was trying to steady his heartbeat and center himself. He was coming to terms with this being his first full scale invasion. Ever since news of Bastion's fall had reached his ears he had felt an approaching obstruction in the Force. He naively had hoped the Empire would have stopped there.

Levet was not entirely sure what he expected but this was maybe more than he realized as he stood on one of the catwalk platforms overlooking one of the landing pads. Small dots on the horizon grew larger, indicating the inevitable arrival of enemy ships. It would be a matter of time before they landed and had a beachhead. The Mandalorian needed to think fast.

Looking around his visor centered on the long outstretched arm of an industrial crane. The man took a deep breath and rapidly ran towards the large loading machine. It would take him a minute, but he had a plan. Even the old rusty cargo containers were big and as heavy as speeders. The magnetic claw of the crane might even be a nuisance to some enemy vehicles if he could aim right. At the very least, the pathway to the elevator down to the lower levels of the superlaser facility could be obstructed. But first Levet had to figure out how the crane worked, if it worked at all.

@Panda Hermit 98

 

[Theia Durand]

There were rules and protocols that she had to follow as a padawan learner; she memorized each one and did well to follow them up until now. The temple was empty as Jedi spread out through the galaxy, taking action back to the Empire and the abominations, and Theia felt completely useless, even bored that she had to stay put while Ezzie was able to go out and do things; she was getting better at her own skills, to focus despite a unsettling restlessness that vibrated deep in her chest. As the Empire took Bastion, the Order looked to send Jedi to help with refugees and relocating political figures who were valued to the planet's ongoing democracy.

First she was told no, and to return to her studies, but then she was able to find a way onboard the ship and quickly she found herself on Dubrillion. She was scheduled to evacuate with the last of the civilians when she overheard Dubrillion's defense forces identify focal points of the Empire's seize. She remember hearing many of fighters say it was a victory-less fight, they knew they did not have the numbers to stand against the Empire, however, they were going to make it as tough as possible for the Empire to make this their new home.

This, of course, inspired Theia; she didn't understand the idea of an invasion except for the purpose of war and chaos that left millions displaced, and millions more dead in the process. King Arden wished to stay behind to fight, it was honorable, Theia could respect it; there was no desire to let the Empire stroll into the palace without a fight. Traveling with a handful of Dubrillion soldiers, the jedi carried datapad tucked under her arm, a few tools, computer spike, commlink and a vibroblade in tow as they moved into position in the palace. She could certainly make this as difficult for the Empire.

@Darasuum @Panda Hermit 98 @Sreeya @Volene @Tic

 

[Altair Din]

Reports began to come in about resistance ramping up on the other side. Unsurprisingly, Jedi had been spotted. He spoke into his comms, “We got Jedi, folks, I repeat, we have Jedi on the scene. Don’t lob grenades and don’t break formation,” He told everyone. He hoped this would be a quick victory like Bastion, but something told him that there were more complications than just the Jedi to worry about.

Kellan (@Tic)would find that his comms were being interrupted, some frequencies jammed as the palace reinforcements intercepted. Altair had new intelligence coming in and he relayed them, but it was spotty on if they were received or not.

“We have pings coming from underwater. Until we confirm what it is, stick to the surface!” He called out to anyone considering going underwater. Of course, the warnings weren’t received. It would remain to be seen what Knight Sere (@Volene ) encountered or if she completed her journey without issue. The planet had more tricks up its sleeve than it let on.

“Knight Darand, I need you to join the main column marching on the palace,” He said before she advanced too far towards the facility. There were rows upon rows of Chazrach to face and intelligence suggested Jedi on top of that. He needed Imperial Knight assistance here immediately. (@Panda Hermit 98 )

After a moment of silence, he commed a particular channel again, “Alpha Squadron? Come in Alpha Squadron,” He called out a few times, “Damn it.”

@Darasuum @Morse @GABA

 

[Grettzik]

The massive Dowutin monk, Grettzik finished sipping his coffee calmly at his favorite local cafe, even as chaos erupted around him. Those civilians of Dubrillion too stubborn or too poor to evacuate were fleeing to underground bunkers and makeshift shelters. Local police were doing their best to reign in and redirect the chaos, even amongst their own ranks. Opportunistic looters were smashing windows and loading up merchandise into their speeders.

Amused, Grettzik watched it all happen. As a Matukai, he followed the will of the Force and it had led him here to the Myto sector. He would never presume to question the will of the Force but he'd be lying if he said he didn't doubt why it had led him here. This system wasn't much more than a luxury hangout, more suited for gamblers and vacationers and not a Matukai.

But he saw it now.

Here was where the Force had brought him and here was where he was needed. He looked forward to testing his mettle against the oncoming invaders. He'd grown to like his little cafe near the construction site and he'd be damn sure to defend it against the oncoming Imperials. He didn't really have too many opinions on the Empire but the few he did were very negative. True warriors didn't use overwhelming numbers and orbital bombardment to fight. The holoimages from the glassing of Kashyyyk still rattled him.

He finished up his coffee and readied his wan-shen, preparing to take the fight to any invaders that encroached.

OOC: Hopping in to make things more even for the defending side. And cause this seems fun.

 

[Enya Darand]

Kriff...

She had been prepping the speeder bike when the word came down - Jedi had been spotted. Of course, the logical thing would be to call a Knight to level the field, and it seemed the Grand Marshal considered Enya to be said equalizer - again, the logical choice given the circumstances of the others. She could swear she was bending the metal of the handlebars with how hard she squeezed her hands against them, her heart pounding in her chest as the full weight of the order rested itself upon her shoulders. She was going to have to fight her old family, not later, not never, but now.

She exhaled heavily before twisting the handle to start the engine, the thrum and roar of the engine doing nothing to drown out the sounds of old friends admonishing her for turning her back on them...and the crackling of flames. Pulling into a turn, she activated her comm unit and sent a message to IK-5 (@Volene) indicating her new orders before hitting the throttle and taking off at full speed, clearing the camp perimeter and passing the soldiers she had deployed with in mere seconds. Maybe it was better this way, her on the frontlines would mean less of their troops were likely to die - small comfort.

The battlefield, an abstract painting of greys, oranges, and splatters of red, passed like a blur, the palace beginning to grow in size until distant sounds became the screaming cacophony of blaster fire. Heading into the city, it was easy to see the lines being drawn, Imperial troops slowly pressing forward against a firm rear-guard lining the front of the palace. She came to a stop some distance from the front, dismounting her speeder and removing her saber, the familiar snap-hiss of the orange blade heralding the Imperial Squire's arrival by the Grand Marshal's side (@Sreeya).
"Marshal." She greeted curtly, deflecting the odd blaster bolt as they sailed too close for comfort."Where are the Jedi, I'll attempt to remove them from the equation."

Hopefully without permanent injury, she thought...

@Tic @Fantasy Liver @GABA @Darasuum @Vako Yizok

 

[Kellan Solari]

“Command, this is Alpha One. Come in Command.”

A steady hiss of static poured from the helmet’s earpiece, interrupted only by sporadic fractals of voices. Blast! They were near enough to the target to make out its details now. Perched upon a cliff of sheer rock face, the facility was a densely packed sprawl of industrial tubing, structures and winking lights. A trio of landing platforms encircled a central dish that Kellan assumed was the Superlaser Facility’s namesake. Simply judging by the size alone, he suspected when it had a full head of steam, the immense energy-weapon would carve through orbiting fleets easily enough. Capability like that would render the Empire a force to be reckoned with throughout the entire sector.

He twisted his comlink dial to a tight beam frequency.

“Alpha Two, come in.”

More static. He groaned and consulted his radar array. No defenders yet, but someone was down there jamming his comms. He glanced out over his starboard wing. Alpha Two trailed his wing as though secured by invisible wires. Captain Solari eased the throttle and dropped back so the two pilots were in sight of another, black flight helmets dark and impenetrable. Kellan ran through a series of intricate hand gestures to indicate Two should follow him but keep his wits about him. He watched as Two turned over his far shoulder and relayed the message to Alpha Three.

Satisfied, Kellan set his weapons systems to hot and pitched his fighter towards the facility below. If they were being jammed, there would have to be an emitter or antenna array somewhere in that industrial mess. As he glanced over his shoulder at the rest of Alpha Squadron mirroring his dive, he hoped he’d be able to recognize whatever it was when he saw it.

@Sreeya @Fantasy Liver @GABA @Darasuum @Volene @Morse

 

[Merian Sere]

With her comlink safely stowed away, Merian missed both warning and change of plans. All that existed was the sensation of her body pushing through water. The way her arms recovered high and wide over the waves. The tension in her wetsuit propping her feet up to reduce drag, assisted by the extra density of saltwater. Tireless legs propelled her forward. Two strokes. Breathe. Two strokes. Breathe. Every fifth breath she looked ahead in a fluid motion to confirm her course. She made excellent time.

On Iloh she’d learned to swim before she could walk. Even now, the act brought her to a simpler time. Cleared her mind with the repetition. She could forget about Dubrillion, about Blue Storm. She could forget the Knights, the ISB, the Sith. She could just be Merian.

The lone knight reached the cliffs that surrounded this side of the island and prepared for the next part of her journey. Even up close they seemed undefended, and Merian was confident any sentry would have missed her sleek black form closing in with the waves all the same. The strategic point was the beach. Why would anyone be here? There was nothing here. Except Merian was counting on that not quite being true.

She inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, more and more each time until her breathing in filled her lungs to the brim. Then she dove. Immediately she surfaced, fighting not to shriek.

How long had the indifferent mines lied in waiting? Years? Or had they been installed only with the Empire breathing down the king’s neck?

It didn’t matter. The sight of them only strengthened Merian’s assurance of what she would find.

The knight dove again, more cautiously this time. The closest mine wasn’t quite two meters away, like staring at her. Merian considered the next one, entertained the thought of slipping between them like an eel. Was her body even capable of detonating them? She couldn’t take the chance. She’d have to go around.

Merian fell back into a crawl and kicked away from the minefield. Deep inside, doubt gnawed at her. The farther she went, the longer she’d have to hold her breath. The initial plan had been to find the opening first, resurface, fill her lungs, then dive to it in the most straightforward way. Now she’d only get one chance. Into the unknown, with two tons of explosives between her and the surface at any given point.

She emptied her mind. Thoughts would only weigh her down.

With one final breath, Merian disappeared underwater.

 

[Vako Yizok]

The chatter on the comms had been quiet at first, and orderly. Not much more than nervous reporting of Imperial landing locations and their movements. The defending force had the luxury of watching their every move as they lowered themselves onto the world. The Imperials were smart though, and careful. No great exposure in their line was notices. Not a sign of a break or an uneven distribution.

Artillery, armor, and infantry. In nice ordered lines, good and covered.

The whirr of the LAATs repulsorlift was very present in the ear of Vako, as he looked at a holoscan. No one called for any help yet. Just notations of the locations of the Imperial lines. Near a city he did not know the name of. Approaching towards the palace. Moving on some decrepit factory complex.

All talk of moving, not a sound of...

The comm lines changed from speaking of movement to the sound of contact. The noise of contact broke to the roar to attack. The roar to attack gave in to the pleading for support.

All at once the com channel seemed to explode with the requests for support.

Now the whirr of the LAAT was such that Vako could not hear it at all over the request for help. And Vako and his sticky band of filthy bandits were who was there to answer the call.

"That's us, boys!" Vako called out. "Drop in, light em up, and buzz outa there!"

Vako and the bulk of his LAATs remained to support the palace defense, a mighty line that was all that stood between the Empire and his benefactor. How well the kings army would fight he couldn't say, he could hardly see the lizards below. But when they dove in close Vako could make out the duraplast of the Imperial Army.

Thwaaam! The force of their rockets striking the ground felt jarring yet satisfying to the Toydarian's wings.

It had yet to be seen what the Empire's resolve was in this fight, but it would not take much for the Toydarian to opt to take his money and... be on his way.

@Sreeya @Fantasy Liver @GABA @Darasuum @Volene @Morse @Tic

 

[Levet Vizsla]

Spoiler: Music

The young padawan skidded to a stop at the base of the crane and climbed. One hand over the other grasped and pulled him up. The armored Jedi focused on the effort to climb and did so rapidly until he was just outside the cab of the crane. All he was thinking about was getting to his destination. Quickly arriving at the top and breaking a sweat in doing so, Levet caught his breath by tapping the controls on one wrist to trigger his utility Heads Up Display. The Jedi’s visor zoomed in to look at the Imperial forces in the distance. Just as quickly as he surveyed the oceanscape he unzoomed and turned his attention back towards what was close at hand.

The cockpit-like cab of the crane had controls, buttons and knobs that were alien to Levet for the most part. But he had worked on farming equipment before and had some experience with vehicles. How hard could it be? He flexed his left hand in a way that caused it to produce a computer spike from the wrist gauntlet. Levet wasted no time in unlocking the crane’s safety features, allowing him access to control the cargo-loading machine.

The Padawan still had some time before an enemy arrived. The Empire mainly seemed concerned with the palace except for some closing starfighters. From his position in the crane’s cab he was easily four stories over the stilted path leading to the super laser facility’s elevator. If anyone arrived at the landing platform they would inevitably have to pass beneath him. It would give him some time to get the hang of the controls and blockade the path from the landing platform to the elevator and in turn, deny easy access to the rest of the defunct facility.

Even small starfighters would find it difficult to find a permanent stable landing once the teenager finished his work. The area was scattered with varying levels of uneven artificial terrain. But from what Levet knew about the superlaser factory was it had at least two more landing pads with dedicated paths and elevators down into the funnel like superlaser dish. This was all too much work and probably would be too little pay off. The Padawan realized he would inevitably have to fall back and looked back towards the ground to see if there was safe place to drop to. Levet second guessed himself and began to take the ladder back down, sliding down several rungs at a time but beginning to make a quick descent none-the-less.

@Volene

Spoiler: reference

This is from a video game but I watched this video to get an idea of a rough superlaser layout idea. Not sure if this helps at all.

 

[Theia Durand]

The soldiers lead Theia to their remaining radio engineers who were diligently working on restoring a comm channel that wouldn't be smudged by the Empire's jammers. They had to return to more primitive means by most galactic standards through radio waves and finding the correct frequency. It was a rush as the invasion continued, it would be essential for those who opposed Empire rule to have a channel to later regroup and build their resistance groups in the capital and its sister cities across the vast oceans of Drubrillion.

However, for now, they needed them just to communicate among themselves in the capital.

The padawan was welcomed to the group, no questions about her intention, they all seemed to have a common goal and worked in unison as she plugged into the terminal with her datapad. Thousands of lines of code appeared on her holoscreen, and her fingers quickly tapped on the lines she wanted, plugging them into the algorithm used to break through signal interference.

"Channel 4.0492.58..." one of the technicians spoke and someone switched the radio channels, but the comms were still silent. Theia frowned as she tried on her end to open a link in other similiar channels; she froze when she felt the entire castle rock from an explosion on the battlefield outside the gates of the castle; the flood lights flickered, one shorted out, but most remained on as they continued, naming off channels as they tried their frequencies.

"Channel 5.9293.92..."

No

"Channel 5.6883.69..."

No

"Channel 5.6896.43..." Theia stated, watching the waves on her screen take a more predictable form.

Everyone paused, listening, some breakthrough talk from one end, but static quickly took over, they were close, and it pushed everyone to keep going.

@Sreeya @Tic @Volene @Panda Hermit 98 @Darasuum @Fantasy Liver @Morse

 

[Grettzik]

In the heart of a bustling city, amidst the chaos of an Imperial invasion, stood Grettzik, resolute in his defense of his cherished cafe. Towering over the incoming adversaries with his robust stature, his unwavering determination emanated like a beacon of hope through the Force. Amidst the sounds of engines roaring and blaster bolts being fired, the aroma of freshly brewed caf lingered in the air, a poignant reminder of the tranquil haven Grettzik was determined to protect.

Let them come...

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was growing frustrated from the lack of comms, but he shouted at his engineers to get everything back online ASAP. When the Imperial Knight (@Panda Hermit 98 ) arrived next to him, he realized she was just a Squire. Shit. Where was the other one (@Volene )? Did he call the wrong one to his side? Oh well, too late now, he had to improvise, “No visual yet,” He told her, “Engage the chazrach forces and do some crowd control.”

The words barely left his mouth before he saw the LAATs hovering above. If there was one mistake people often made, it was shooting rockets towards powerful Force users. Altair wasn’t just any Force user, he was a trained Sith and capable of holding his own against Sith Lords. As a result, as the rockets fired, he acted fast. The Force would grasp one of the incoming missiles, hurtling it off trajectory to collide with the other rockets fired down towards the soldiers.

The explosion after the redirection happened right atop a certain cafe (@Fantasy Liver ), the impact harsh enough to collapse the foundation if successful. Altair prevented mass casualty of his soldiers, but he couldn’t stop all the rockets. Two of them found purchase and landed on his soldiers, impacting a decent amount.

Rage burned in Altair’s chest, “Alpha One! ALPHA ONE! We need air support! God damn it!” He growled as he heard static in response. He could only hope the pilots could use their damn eyes to see what was going on. (@Tic )

If another rocket was launched, Altair would redirect it towards the hordes of lizard defenders to blow them up instead. The tiefling slowly began to advance, his wan-shen in hand to engage in active combat now.

@Darasuum @Morse @GABA

 

[Kellan Solari]

The Interceptors streaked towards the facility, Solari threading them neatly between two of the landing pads and into the compound’s interior. From the exterior, the sprawling installation still gave the appearance of being abandoned. No fighters or point defenses rose up to meet them as they swept overhead at low altitude.

And then, without warning, a crane swung directly into their flight path. Kellan moved instinctively, inverting the TIE and sending it, and his trailing squadron, coiling round the piece of industrial equipment. As he pulled out the maneuver, he risked a quick glance over his shoulder. A lone figure in the crane’s cab (@Darasuum) . Was this the extent of Dubrillion’s defenders? A single contractor armed with a ponderous piece of construction machinery?

Focusing on the task at hand, he scanned the passing facility for anything resembling a jamming array. The surface of the facility was a dizzying bed of dishes, antennas and transceiver hubs. Solari spat an obscenity and swung the squadron upward, banking sharply for another run. They ran another pass over the facility. And then another. Finally, he caught sight of what he was hunting.

A mid-sized dish affixed to a building no larger than a shed, diodes blinking busily. Solari zeroed in, took aim and pressed the firing stub. Cannon-fire lanced out towards the saucer-shaped device. It jerked, sputtered and then gave way completely under the assault, erupting in a plume of flame and smoke that took Kellan by such surprise he had to haul back on the yoke to avoid steering his ship through it. Whatever he had hit was tied into a much larger system.

Arcing once more into the sky, his comlink squealed to life.

“-pha one! Alpha One! We need air support!” the marshal's anger came pouring out of the comms. “God dammit!”

“Kriff.” he grumbled, pouring over his sensors.

“Copy that, Raging Bull (@Sreeya). Comms have been restored.” he said. “Alpha Squadron inbound to provide support, over!”

He flipped over to the tac-band.

“All craft, this is Alpha One. Comms are green.” he announced, eye flicking to the rising snake of smoke that had been the jamming array now shrinking in their wake. “We have enemy bandits (@Morse) engaging ground forces, one-six-five mark seven. Attack formation and engage.”

A surge of relief as the familiar sound of their voices echoed in his comlink’s receiver. A cohesive unit once more, the twelve Impetus-Class Interceptors shrieked towards the LAATs position.

Spoiler: Roll for Comms Destroy

Rolled a 98

@Fantasy Liver @GABA @Volene @Panda Hermit 98

 

[Enya Darand]

Enya kept an eye on the battle before them as her orders were given, so she already had the LAATs in the top-most peripherals of her vision. She couldn't help but focus more on them when they explicitly moved toward their position though, especially as the Grand Marshal also turned his attention on them. The missiles flew and Enya's mind arrived at the same conclusion, her hand outstretching, only to find the projectiles exploding already - the Grand Marshal was quick on the draw it seemed. Despite that, she saw two of the missiles sail away from the shockwave, hurtling toward the front and all the soldiers in it.

She wasn't as powerful as the Grand Marshal, but she was a trained Jedi, she wasn't the novice her rank made her out to be. She couldn't stop the missiles, but she could still move them, she threw her mind toward them and the Force answered, pushing the missiles at least 10 or so meters off target into what seemed like an abandoned building. The explosion probably still claimed some soldiers, but it was a lot less than if she had done nothing.
"The Chazrach...acknowledged," She said, dashing toward the front, leaping into the thick of it with the Imperial troops, running back and forth between groups reflecting blaster bolts at her attackers and carving along their defensive line to relieve the pressure on their forces and let them start pushing forward, or alternatively, catch their breaths. Either way, she was trying to give them some breathing space.

 

[Levet Vizsla]

The distant cry of starships grew to a howl so rapidly that Levet practically jumped out of his seat when the Impetus class starfighter barely missed him. The Padawan had been so focused on his task, or maybe his mind had strayed. Regardless, the youth had been unaware of his surroundings and knew he would be scolded for such a thing ordinarily.

It did not change anything though. Thankfully the crane and the Jedi were both spared from intentional and unintentional damage, at least for the time being. Levet took a deep breath and steadied his nerves before continuing on. All the starfighter did was remind him he was alone and far from home. But the Padawan shook his head and corrected himself. There were blooms of explosions and echoes of battle in the distance. There were others fighting against the Empire elsewhere in their own way. Even if Levet was the only one on this old superlaser facility he was not alone. He always had the Force.

“Don’t center on your anxieties. Keep your concentration on the here and now.” He repeated one of his master’s teachings to him. It had probably been parroted from their own master but it was a worthwhile lesson that had value. “My focus determines my reality.” His breathing was steady and his heartbeat calmed.

The young man’s heart beat only began to climb again and this time because he started running. His focus was renewed and his convictions resolute and spurred him to action. Ahead of Levet was the sea-wall that kept the ocean from crashing in and flooding into the lower recesses of the defunct facility below sea level. The artificial deck passed underneath Levet with each rapid booted push of his legs.

The armored Padawan focused on breathing evenly to maintain his stamina. The last thing the Vizsla needed was a stomach cramp. Once at the industrial sized elevator, fit for two AT-AT walkers side by side, the Mandalorian was breathing heavily and sweating again inside his armor. If not for the regular drills and excersise he would be in much worse shape. He activated the elevator and begin descending into the depths of the superlaser facility. The time it would take to descend would give him time to catch his breath. After a few seconds he would technically be beneath sea-level.

The size of the facility was awe inspiring and incomprehensible from anywhere but directly over it in the sky or after one delved into it completely. But rather than stand idle, Levet broke into a jog and headed for an engineering terminal less than a hundred meters away. Flexing his left wrist like before, he connected the computer spike to the connection port. However, unlike last time this was military grade security. It would take the Padawan a few moments to get past even the relatively old security. For its time it was top notch and still was going to make this difficult for the budding slicer.

@Volene @Tic @Sreeya @GABA @Morse @Panda Hermit 98 @Fantasy Liver 1 out of 2 turns to slice into superlaser facility and gain initial access