The Sith Empire had returned in force since the Eternal's announcement. It wasn't clear where the sizable forces had come from, but the galaxy was filled with a nearly countless number of sentient creatures, and many of them lacked any sort of moral compass. Or perhaps they simply bought fully into the return of an Empire. Propaganda was a more potent tool than most soldiers gave it credit for and Talak knew personally how easy it could be to be led astray.
Whatever the means of explosive growth, no one could deny the threat on the horizon. From the surface of Ryloth, the presence of warships cast terrifying shadows down on the sandy surface. The slaps of missed turbolaser rounds churned up the ground and sent fountains of sand flying into the air. The battle had already been raging for the better part of an hour with smaller warships having already smashed precariously into the surface of the planet. The battle continued on the ground as soldiers and marines poured from their downed vessels and began to return fire on one another, demonstrating a shocking amount of determination.
Frigates and corvettes stretched from the atmosphere through to the edge of space with fighters of both the Ryloth Defense Force and the Empire exchanging blows. Although the Twi'leks and their allies had the greater number of ships, numbers weren't always everything. The old, repurposed Imperial II-class Star Destroyer was not something to be lightly dismissed. Although the ship looked to be in poor shape with many of its guns offline and segments of armor missing, it was still a force to be reckoned with and the obvious flag ship of this assault. Although most species weren't long enough lived to have seen these wedge-shaped terrors in their prime, everyone knew the stories and the intimidation factor was only slightly diminished.
Nevertheless, the militia of Ryloth was more fearsome than most gave them credit for. They fought for their homes with tooth and nail if necessary, and while their own technology may not have been cutting edge, it was reliable and faithful. Fighters, corvettes, frigates, and small battle cruisers bolstered by the forces of mercenaries had taken to the skies in defense of the planet, unleashing a surprising amount of fire against the Imperial forces.
And the Twi'leks were not alone. Allied worlds had made the decision to send forces in defense of their neighbor against the growing threat. They recognized that to ignore this threat until it knocked at their own doors was to court death and subjugation. Among those who had readily volunteered to join the fight in defense of Ryloth was Talak Rand, the Jedi who not so long ago would have been fighting on the other side of this battle. Had he the time, he might have found himself once more reflecting on how his life had changed, but he was far too distracted for that now. Every thought was pushed out of his mind whenever the ship shook under the blast of another laser cannon round against the shields. He hated this part of battles. There was nothing he could do to protect himself, and it seemed to stretch on for an eternity. For all his combat experience, open warfare was not something he was used to, and now that he was here, he wasn't sure he would ever get used to it.
The Gladiator-class star cruiser had dropped out of hyperspace and immediately entered the fray of the battle, trading fire with the mile long behemoth ahead. Although outgunned and dwarfed in size, its Captain - a fiery-spirited woman who commanded the utmost respect from her soldiers - was quite determined to bring the fight to the enemy.
Fighters and dropships launched from the cruiser's hangar and streaked across the debris-filled space toward the destroyer. The ship shook once again, jolting Talak against his restraints as it carved its way toward the side of the flag ship. The dropship made its approach at what Talak deemed to be an alarming speed, but the pilot didn't even flinch. He admired the man's steely gaze as he watched the approaching warship, slamming a pair of levers into place with masterful timing. The ship slowed far more quickly than Talak would have liked as both a counter-thruster and a repulsor burst fired almost simultaneously, slowing the ship before it could slam into the side of the enemy vessel. The front end quickly made a seal with the hull and went to work.
Thirty seconds! Force be with you! the pilot shouted to the boarding crew as massive plasma torches carved through the hull of the destroyer. True to his prediction, a chunk of metal fell away 30 seconds later, and the boarding crew had their opening. Talak was out of his restraints well before that, deciding he'd rather be on a ship full of thousands of enemies than have to spend one more second inside this suicide craft. He didn't know how these marines did this on a regular basis.
His lightsaber activated a glowing white as he dropped the five feet from the hatch to the deck below, meeting almost immediately with blaster fire from crewmen who looked far from comfortable in a gunfight. Marines poured through the hole behind him, and Talak knew that other boarding ships would be doing the same all over the ship. The push was afoot, but Talak had confidence at the boarding team behind him. No pressure.
Forsaking his typical robes, in an open battle and on a ship where the threat of space or atsmospheric loss was real, he had donned a modified flight suit that was much like what he had used on hostile planets in the past. In this case, it was fully enclosed with sealed gloves, sealed helmet, and a bit of added armor to acomodate the dangers. It was something he was comfortable in and served his purposes well in conjunction with his regular equipment.
Whatever the means of explosive growth, no one could deny the threat on the horizon. From the surface of Ryloth, the presence of warships cast terrifying shadows down on the sandy surface. The slaps of missed turbolaser rounds churned up the ground and sent fountains of sand flying into the air. The battle had already been raging for the better part of an hour with smaller warships having already smashed precariously into the surface of the planet. The battle continued on the ground as soldiers and marines poured from their downed vessels and began to return fire on one another, demonstrating a shocking amount of determination.
Frigates and corvettes stretched from the atmosphere through to the edge of space with fighters of both the Ryloth Defense Force and the Empire exchanging blows. Although the Twi'leks and their allies had the greater number of ships, numbers weren't always everything. The old, repurposed Imperial II-class Star Destroyer was not something to be lightly dismissed. Although the ship looked to be in poor shape with many of its guns offline and segments of armor missing, it was still a force to be reckoned with and the obvious flag ship of this assault. Although most species weren't long enough lived to have seen these wedge-shaped terrors in their prime, everyone knew the stories and the intimidation factor was only slightly diminished.
Nevertheless, the militia of Ryloth was more fearsome than most gave them credit for. They fought for their homes with tooth and nail if necessary, and while their own technology may not have been cutting edge, it was reliable and faithful. Fighters, corvettes, frigates, and small battle cruisers bolstered by the forces of mercenaries had taken to the skies in defense of the planet, unleashing a surprising amount of fire against the Imperial forces.
And the Twi'leks were not alone. Allied worlds had made the decision to send forces in defense of their neighbor against the growing threat. They recognized that to ignore this threat until it knocked at their own doors was to court death and subjugation. Among those who had readily volunteered to join the fight in defense of Ryloth was Talak Rand, the Jedi who not so long ago would have been fighting on the other side of this battle. Had he the time, he might have found himself once more reflecting on how his life had changed, but he was far too distracted for that now. Every thought was pushed out of his mind whenever the ship shook under the blast of another laser cannon round against the shields. He hated this part of battles. There was nothing he could do to protect himself, and it seemed to stretch on for an eternity. For all his combat experience, open warfare was not something he was used to, and now that he was here, he wasn't sure he would ever get used to it.
The Gladiator-class star cruiser had dropped out of hyperspace and immediately entered the fray of the battle, trading fire with the mile long behemoth ahead. Although outgunned and dwarfed in size, its Captain - a fiery-spirited woman who commanded the utmost respect from her soldiers - was quite determined to bring the fight to the enemy.
Fighters and dropships launched from the cruiser's hangar and streaked across the debris-filled space toward the destroyer. The ship shook once again, jolting Talak against his restraints as it carved its way toward the side of the flag ship. The dropship made its approach at what Talak deemed to be an alarming speed, but the pilot didn't even flinch. He admired the man's steely gaze as he watched the approaching warship, slamming a pair of levers into place with masterful timing. The ship slowed far more quickly than Talak would have liked as both a counter-thruster and a repulsor burst fired almost simultaneously, slowing the ship before it could slam into the side of the enemy vessel. The front end quickly made a seal with the hull and went to work.
Thirty seconds! Force be with you! the pilot shouted to the boarding crew as massive plasma torches carved through the hull of the destroyer. True to his prediction, a chunk of metal fell away 30 seconds later, and the boarding crew had their opening. Talak was out of his restraints well before that, deciding he'd rather be on a ship full of thousands of enemies than have to spend one more second inside this suicide craft. He didn't know how these marines did this on a regular basis.
His lightsaber activated a glowing white as he dropped the five feet from the hatch to the deck below, meeting almost immediately with blaster fire from crewmen who looked far from comfortable in a gunfight. Marines poured through the hole behind him, and Talak knew that other boarding ships would be doing the same all over the ship. The push was afoot, but Talak had confidence at the boarding team behind him. No pressure.
Forsaking his typical robes, in an open battle and on a ship where the threat of space or atsmospheric loss was real, he had donned a modified flight suit that was much like what he had used on hostile planets in the past. In this case, it was fully enclosed with sealed gloves, sealed helmet, and a bit of added armor to acomodate the dangers. It was something he was comfortable in and served his purposes well in conjunction with his regular equipment.