The Way the World Ends

[Aadya Drast]

Spoiler: OOC Note

CPvP invasion of Mandalore by the Sith. Open to any and all Sith/Mandalorians, or Indies who may have found themselves on Mandalore. Feel free to make your own side threads with events occurring during the invasion.

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The conversation she'd with Tagus on Codia had been in the back of Aadya's mind since she'd left the place a few days ago. What did she intend to do with her newly inherited Empire? The galaxy was shifting in ways that were unable to be foreseen, even with the aid of the force. The United Protectorate was a failed experiment. Cooperation with the Mandalorians had done nothing to prevent the fall of Korriban.. or the death of her husband.

The Invaders that had taken Korriban had stumbled into a complacent galaxy. Korriban had fallen so easily. It had made Aadya wonder if other places would be the same. The Invaders had taken everyone, her included, by surprise. Perhaps their playbook was one worth imitating.

Many hours prior to this moment Aadya had sent discreet, secure orders to the Admirals commanding the majority of the Sith fleet stationed around the galaxy. There were some in places she felt couldn't be spared so they would remain at their posts, doing their duty without any knowledge of the mission most of their comrades would be soon undertaking.

It was a necessary precaution. Long ago her mother had taught her the lesson of never putting all your kinrath eggs in one basket. If things didn't go as planned today, Aadya would need something to fall back to. Her Empire would be made or broken on her choice.

Her Admirals had followed their orders with impressive accuracy which resulted an unrivaled display of synchronization above the planet of Mandalore. Within seconds of each other, around eighty percent of the entire Sith fleet dropped out of hyperspace.

Hundreds of starfighers screamed from their hangers on the numerous Asperse cruisers, swarming the scrambling Mandalorian defenses; Malfeasance corvette's flying alongside to help protect against the eventual deployment of enemy fighters. Nefarious frigates and Audacious corvettes were doing their job in punching holes, allowing ships to enter atmo and descend upon Mandalore like grim death.

Aadya's own Panopticon frigate had a specific destination in mind: the Mandalorian capital of Keldabe. She would arrive with numerous other ships, using a terminal on the bridge to broadcast a holonet signal that would be strong enough to display on any device with a holonet feed in Keldabe.

"I've come to you, citizens of Mandalore, with a choice. You can surrender, give yourselves freely to the Imperial soldiers now flooding your streets and you will not be harmed. Or, you can fight, and be slaughtered in your homes like animals - man, woman and child." Aadya paused for a moment, a cruel smirk creasing the corners of her lips. "Bow to your new Empress, Mandalore. A small price to pay for salvation."

The feed would cut out just before the first barrages of turbolasers and heavy ordinance began to rain down on Keldabe and many other Mandalorian cities scattered across the planet. Regardless of the choices of the Mandalorian people, Aadya was intent to see their home world reduced to cinders.

 

[Darth Valravus]

___________________

❅ THEME ❅​

Her hands were crossed before her chest. Next to her the PEA projected the broadcast from her leader casting her face in a slight bluish tint. Aadya had certainly got the vibe down. From the bridge of her malfease corvette the Deucalian could not help but cock a smile. The first blooms of explosions on the planets reflected differently in each eye, tinted by the differing hue of her eyes.

This was conquest, this was power, this was where she was supposed to be. Keying a communication to the empress once she ws done the Sith Lord spoke to her. "Shall I take a bombing wing and lead it to make sure Keldabe is reduced to ash personally?" Each of the lash heavy bombers held one hundred proton bombs. A wing of them would do the job and then some. But that was perhaps too abrupt. Sometimes sending a message was what was needed and Darth Valravus did not want to step on Aadya's toes, or her vision.

Starfighters in formation flew past the bridge, screaming to meet the scrambling mandalorian forces. This was going to be a good battle. She knew in her warrior's heart that even if some of them bent the knee there was more than enough that would put up a fight. That was what she was here for.

The fleet behind her and behind the empress was more than enough to take on the Mandalorian's current forces. They had not come to meet them on even ground. The Sith Empire had come to decimate them. The Mandalorian's forces had lost momentum and were now just holding their own spread out among the territories they had taken. But that left specific areas weak to a colossal assault like this. That was what they had been planning on. "Prepare my ship. I want to fight the Mandalorians face to face on the ground once we've disposed of the major population hubs." A prompt confirmation from one of her deck officers came and passed on the message to the hangar. She wanted to fight the mandalorians on the ground. But she did not expect them to fight on the ground of Mandalore, Concordia was what the woman had her eye on.

@Logan

 

[Sumas Solus]

Sumas had taken a break and returned to his new home on Mandalore. The Meteor was parked in a hangar on the outskirts of the capital. He was busy inside the ship, cleaning his gear and reassembling it all. It was a quiet day, and given the fact that he hadn't been on Mandalore in a while he figured it would be a nice change to return home. Some music was playing in the background with his copilot acting as the DJ on the holonet.

Suddenly he heard something odd. Several thuds, like a ship dropping out of hyperspace...only it wasn't one or two, it was dozens. He holstered his weapons, completing his armament, and stepped outside to look up at an enormous invasion fleet. It was surreal, seeing those ships entering atmosphere along with several hundred starfighters. But slowly the realization set in. The Sith Empire was attacking. His heart sank at the thought. Not for a single moment did he even consider this happening at all. They just lost their emperor and home planet, now they want to invade Mandalore?

A shaky breath escaped him, filled with anger as well as fear. But he shoved it down. He was a Zabrak, not a bloody Jawa or something. He needed to get a grip. An announcement came on over the holonet and not even a second after it the hellfire came down. Turbolaser batteries rained down their payloads all over the city, making Sumas duck in underneath his ship. The bolts came close, uncomfortably close, but thankfully he and his ship was unscathed. He ordered his co-pilot to power the ship up and get ready to take off in an instant. He stood on the ramp of the ship, contemplating his options. There was nothing he could do against the superior air power the Sith had at the moment, but they will most likely be sending down ground troops to mop up. That he could do something about. Besides, going in the air now was a death sentence, with all of those point defence guns looking for an easy kill.

@Logan @Darasuum

 

[Darth Valravus]

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The malfeasance class corvette was meant for combat fighters. It did lock more hard hitting weapons like its larger counter parts the audacious class corvette or bigger capital craft. It also did not have much in the way of small craft, its hangars limited. But that was fine by Darth Valravus.

Standing on the bridge with her hands clasped behind her back she just observed for the time being. One contact was noted with bright blue paint job coming into view on the display screen. It was maneuverable and its pilot adept. Numerous sith starfighters were destroyed in the following moments. What was more was whatever defensive capabilities it had. Light laser cannon fire from the corvette's turrets would strike, but not penetrate the medium military grade shielding. While if such shielding was on a slower and less agile ship it may have been turned to slag but the evasive manuevers of the mandalorian pilot had the vessel wading in deeper than most other mandalorian defending craft.

In a few moments though he would not be backed by the presence of the mandalorian defense force. The numbers of the sith would be too great and overpower him to the point that no skill would be great enough. But the Deucalian Sith knew that this pilot in the distance was not foolish enough to go berserk and sacrifice himself to just slay a few random pilots of the empire.

Hammering battery after battery of light laser cannon fire would chase the mandalorian. Once enough damage was received he would probably turn and fall back in a tactical retreat. Most of the Sith forces would not give much chase, their areas of attack held back and restricted for the time being to make sure the capital ships and main mandalorian forces were dealt with. A lone attack craft was not worth chasing down for them.

Darth Valravus however scrutinized the ship and wanted to get her boots on the ground anyways. "Hold fire on that ship. Follow that vessel but keep at a distance. Keep us in scanning range of his ship until he lands." She commanded her bridge crew. The Mandalorian would take them to where some ground based forces were, perhaps apart from the obvious metropolitan presence.

The corvette was small and fast as far as capital ships went. It could handle the atmospheric requirements for mobility better than most. Still, the attack craft would have a lead on them to prepare a little and possible send word ahead of his arrival. If he noticed he was being followed then he could also probably warn those he would be meeting.

Spoiler: ooc

@KinkyPrawn took a little liberty there so that we could move to a separate thread. I got someone else to join in and this way it doesn't bother this thread too much.

exiting thread and going to make a side one

 

[Roa Roa Grisbaw]

Roa drew a sigh as she held on the railing of the dropship she was traveling on together with other acolytes and soldiers. She had never been in a military invasion before, or better, never as the invader, that is, given her past experience on Korriban some time before. The young Sith looked at the others around her, feeling observed as, well, she was probably the first Gungan they had seen ever, given that her species was still stuck on their planet without contacts.

She had been given clear orders: kill anyone in sight, regardless if they're civilian or military personnel, don't take prisoners unless they're high-ranking officers or such. She smirked lightly as they finally hit the ground, the dropship's doors opening. The chaos of the battle and the screaming of the scared civilians made her shiver in delight as she advanced, taking her lightsaber in a hand and turning it on, ready for the upcoming massacre.

 

[Leandros Solus]

”And… smile!”

Leandros set the photo-captor up and hurried back to the couch upon which Raz and their child sat posed for the picture. It had taken a considerable effort to convince Raz that family photos would be nice to have, but, once she was on board, it was only a matter of getting the young one ready.

A year or so had passed since Raz and Leandros got married; it was an informal ceremony, neither of the two being much for over-the-top weddings and grandiose displays. After all, Leandros had proposed to her while in the shower, so the bar was set pretty low for the two of them. It was more of a party than anything, and many Mandalorians were incredibly surprised to see that their Mand’alor was not only getting married but was also pregnant at the time of the party, so well-kept the secret was.

Leandros was dressed in his armor for the photo alongside Raz. The two of the new parents sat on either side of their daughter, who was placed in between their helmets. With a ten second timer set, Leandros held his smile and hoped to the gods the two ladies beside him did the same. After the quiet p-chk of the camera went off, he leaned over, kissed his daughter on the top of the head, and then went over to get the camera. Immediately, he sent the photo to both of their datapads for storage, and then to their personal phones for the same. There’s no such thing as too many memories of the ones you love, after all.

”Thanks for sitting through that,” he said aloud, looking down at the photo of the three of them, ”Gods, she looks so much like you, you know that?” He looked up at Raz and smiled, shaking his head, ”Let’s go get some lunch, c’mon.” He walked over and picked up his helmet, though not without resistance from his daughter tugging on it. Realizing it would probably make the poor girl cry if he took it, he sighed and let her hold onto it and play with. He glanced up at Raz and shrugged,

”What do you wan-“

The explosions and screaming cut him off mid-sentence, the surprise of it all breaking his train of thought instantly. Almost immediately he ran to the window and peeked out, his face paling in abject terror at the sight above. Their television’s holofeed cut out abruptly, only to be replaced by the sneer of the Empress. He stared on in disbelief as she spoke, demanding their surrender and threatening their death if they fought back.

If they fought back?!

Leandros inhaled deeply, his face freezing in a rictus of hate. This was their home, the one true refuge for their people. The birthplace of their civilization and their culture. The site of so many memories, the resting ground of so many heroes, the place where Raz and Leandros made their home. The place where his family lived. Each and every able-bodied Mandalorian would rally to defend their home to the death. Even now, he knew the distress call had gone out to the other territories, and Mandalorians across the galaxy would be preparing to converge here and repel their enemy.

His eyes panned to their daughter, clutching their helmets as the blasts of the turbolasers rocked the house, then towards Raz, saying nothing. This was a full-blown planetary invasion without warning. The war had slowed down, giving both sides a chance to breathe. The Mandalorian fleets were spread out to cover their territory, and only a moderate-sized force remained behind to defend their homeworld. Above, in the stars, the two fleets smashed against one-another, though the Sith had superior numbers on their side. The Mandalorians needed to buy enough time to get the civilians off-world. They couldn’t sustain a prolonged siege like this.

Leandros rushed over and grabbed his blasters and beskad, sliding them into their holsters and sheath. Their daughter had dropped his helmet onto the floor in fright, so he picked it up and cradled it beneath his free arm. His mind was racing impossibly fast and he couldn’t think straight, the surprise of the attack having such a profound effect on him.

”We need to get our people off the planet,” he asserted, looking at Raz, ”The ones who can’t fight. The rest will defend them.” He jogged over to their daughter and picked her up in one arm, letting her straddle the side of his body as he supported her. She clutched onto him tightly, confused and afraid, ”I… I got her. Our people need to see you out there. We need to go rally them. I… kriff, I’ll keep her safe.”

With that, he rushed to the door, turning back to look at Raz, ”Whatever happens out there,” he said, pausing for a moment, ”I love you.” He hesitated, gazing at her before he slammed his helmet onto his head, pulled the door open, and ran outside where their basilisks were busy defending their home from landing Imperials. The streets were ablaze and abuzz with activity, Mandalorians fighting Sith and Imperials, fighters screaming overhead and fighting for dominance over the orange-hued sky. Far above, the space battle could be observed on occasion as ships detonated. His ship was nearby, he just needed to get there.

He needed to get their daughter to safety.

@Sreeya @Logan

 

[Sumas Solus]

Sumas knew those ships were a death sentence. But other ships were trying to escape and it was clear that the sith didn't want them getting away. His fists balled as he tried to think of something...but there wasn't all that many choices to begin with.

With a click of his tongue he ran into his ship and jumped in behind the controls, blasting the ship into the air. The view up here was much worse, but for the civilian ships trying to escape he and the few other ships was all that could cover them. Sumas' shields were fully charged and his guns were primed. His target was that blasted corvette along with any other sith ship he could find.

The Meteor lit up as medium and light laser cannons shot down sith fighter after sith fighter. The Meteor was big but it was nimble for a ship of its size. And it was fast. He pushed the ship to its fullest, weaving this way and that to avoid cannon fire as well as the turrets that took an interest in him. When he straightened out again he fired all 3 of his missiles at the lead corvette to grab its attention. It seemed to work because suddenly there was a lot more fire on him. His radar also lit up as more fighters came after him. His shields held but they were taking a beating with all this firepower on him. He gave another turn to fire at the corvette and fighters, blowing a couple of them up with a few hits of his cannons. The medium cannons were a dream, no doubt about it.

Finally he turned and broke off. He got their attention and a couple ships managed to escape. If he could draw them away he could open a hole in their attack to let people slip through. With that he flew off, turning to take out a few fighters that might follow but otherwise he flew in the opposite direction. There was a base not too far from here that supposedly had anti-aircraft guns. He kept his eye on the pursuing craft, noticing the corvette following but keeping a distance. He opened a comm channel. "Mandalorian base, this is Meteor. I'm coming towards you with a corvette in pursuit, get ready!" he radioed in.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

/Exit thread

@Darasuum

 

[Aadya Drast]

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It was but mere moments after the holofeed had cut off that Aadya was moving swiftly towards the hanger of her ship, intent to nab a spot on one of the shuttles deploying troops to the ground. While it may have been assumed that she'd stay in the relative safety of her bridge, Aadya had no such plans. She wanted her feet on the ground, to witness the streets running with blood, to feel the despair and the anguish and soak in the death. Her men deserved to see their Empress fighting along side them, and the Mandalorians deserved to see the harbinger of their death face to face.

The shuttle made quick work landing and unloading its payload of soldiers - Aadya's own personal legion, the 401st - with the Empress trailing just behind. The fight on the ground was already waging with intense voracity, rivaling the war being waged in atmo and beyond. Though it came as no surprise, she had to hand it to the Mandalorians. There were scant few cultures who'd have been willing to stand their ground against such an onslaught. It was commendable, but it would ultimately be futile.

Walking the streets, Aadya watched as her Imperial soldiers kicked the doors in on the houses, sweeping through the Mandalorian homes and slaughtering anyone inside who dared do anything other than kneel before them. The streets were littered with the bodies of those who'd been taken by surprise, their weapons or armor either too little or too far away to put up true resistance.

After a time Aadya separated from her legion, taking a path towards what she assumed would be the city center. A few would be heroes recognized her after she'd walked a little ways, probably trying to regroup or recover from a firefight and happening to run headfirst into the Sith Empress. With a wave of her hand Aadya sent some rebar that had fallen to the ground from a destroyed building flying toward them, catching them one through the chest and then the other as it impaled them, leaving them stuck into another building like a macabre monument to Aadya's vision.

It was then that the Empress spotted a Mandalorian that stood out from the rest; large and imposing, his armor stacked with the records of his successes. Carrying a child too, from what she could tell. Perhaps Aadya would kill the small one too, it seemed irresponsible to leave the girl alive to cope with the trauma of what she was about to witness.

In an instant, Aadya's lightsaber sprung to her hand and erupted to life, the familiar snap-hiss echoing through the decimated street that surrounded them. By fortune or folly it seemed the two were on the street alone, for now. A fair fight against Mandalorians wasn't something you saw very often.

"Do you kneel?" Was the only thing Aadya asked. It was likely that the man would recognize her face or her voice from the holonet, though maybe he hadn't been near a feed when the message went out.

Her steps were steady and even as she began walking towards Leandros, the grip around her lightsaber tight and her muscles poised for action. The force swirled around them all, the darkness so palpable and so real it was possible even one dead to the force like the bald Mandalorian would be able to feel it.

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Theme​

Leandros hurried down the streets, dodging debris and relying on the skill of his warriors to keep them cleared for him. His basilisk lumbered behind him, annihilating any stragglers and acting as a mobile anti-air piece. Imperials around him stormed buildings, slaughtering those too slow to retaliate. For every dead Mandalorian, however, there was an equal or greater number of dead Imperials. The Empire may have had the numbers, but the children of Kad Ha’rangir were fighting for their homes, for the lives of their people a hundred, thousand years yet unborn. They were a people whose lives were eternal conflict, and this reflected in the savage way they defended themselves. Leandros witnessed one Mandalorian charge through four blaster bolts to his body to stab his attacker to death with his beskad before crumpling over the man’s body shortly thereafter, such was the brutal tenacity with which they fought.

His blaster in hand, Leandros kept his daughter tight to his body, the fear she was feeling palpable. The way she gripped onto him, holding for dear life, eyes snapped shut in refusal to look around at the carnage; something in her fear strengthened Leandros’ resolve. He grew angrier with every step, a stream of righteous prayers slipping through his mouth unconsciously as easily as one might breathe. These cowards believe themselves the victors from having caught the Mandalorians by surprise, but they failed to remember the foe they were fighting.

The Mandalorian people had risen from the ashes of a subjugated empire to become the dominant military force in the galaxy in a span of mere months. Unburdened by the chains of their oppressors, they took the fight to the Sith time and time again, conquering vast swathes of territory across the galaxy and shrinking the Sith Empire to a mere fraction of its former glory. Leandros and Raz had personally assassinated one of their beloved Emperors, and the two of them had slain countless Sith. The Mandalorians were not some pest you could crush underfoot; no, they were a scourge, and the destruction of their home would only reinforce their hatred and reinvigorate their lust for conquest.

Whatever circumstances of fate led him to this street, Leandros could not determine. The sounds of battle raged elsewhere, on other streets, and this one seemed relatively peaceful. The sight of several marauders rallying under a supercommando comforted the War Councilor – they would begin their counteroffensive and begin retaking this ground street by street, house by house, rat by rat. To take but one step back would dishonor their clans.

This hope was dashed quickly when they were impaled by some unseen assailant. Pinned to the wall, the warriors breathed their finals breaths in defiance of their killer, shouting out slurs and derogatory phrases at her as she passed. Leandros froze, gripping his blaster tightly as she focused her attention on him. His basilisk trudged up behind him, buzzing violently. Not wanting his kid to be in harm’s way, he jumped up on the droid and set her gently in the pilot’s seat, her diminutive form hidden inside the compartment. She looked up at her father with curiosity and fear, and Leandros felt his paternal instincts kick in. He may die, but nothing would harm her.

”Keep her safe,” he commanded the droid, then leaped off after its low hum in response.

Leandros recognized the woman in front of him as the same one from the holo – the new proclaimed Empress, filling in the shoes left by her passive predecessor. She queried him, and Leandros could not help but laugh at the question. It was curt, but loud, and she would very easily hear his voice. Even from beneath the helmet, his voice was distinct and powerful, the sign of a man who had been yelling commands over the chaotic din of battle for decades.

”Not for some Sith schutta,” he replied in accented Basic, eloquent and witty as ever.

She began walking towards him, the Force swirling around her. Leandros, having fought numerous Sith in his time, had a few tricks up his sleeve. He raised his blaster and squeezed the trigger twice, sending four bolts down towards the Empress with expert precision to keep her busy. With his free hand, he primed and activated the smoke grenade he had, tossing it a few meters in front of him. It puffed and began to billow, but Leandros remained stationary, drawing his beskad with his free hand. If she reflected any of his four bolts back at him, he’d avoid them accordingly.

@Logan

 

[Roa Roa Grisbaw]

Roa hummed a tune almost too cheerily as she walked through the streets, slashing and stabbing any unlucky enough civilian to end in the reach of her lightsaber. She felt alive as she fought, loving every single moment, cheering at each pained scream, relishing in the blood of the innocent and defenseless civilians. As the soldiers started to arrive, she grinned devilishly, grinning more as the soldiers seemed to hesitate at seeing the Gungan, given that her species was rare. Probably she was the first Gungan they had ever seen. She prepared herself for fighting, and yelled "Come on Mandalorians, show me the worth of your people!"

 

[Aadya Drast]

____________

Truth be told, Aadya would have been significantly disappointed if the Mandalorian had chosen any other option other than to fight. She did not come here for an easy win or to roll over the peoples for an easy conquest. If she'd wanted that, Aadya would have sent spies out into the galaxy to find Rebel enclaves and erased them off the map instead. That is not what she wanted. The rebels and their galactic alliance where shadow enemies, pointless to pursue and completely toothless. They were nothing.

Aadya watched Leandros rip off several rounds in her direction, noting that his weapon seemed to fire multiple shots with each tug of the trigger. She'd not had experience with weapons like that before, but it seemed like something worth remembering. With a quick flick of her wrist, she pulled one of the bodies off the rebar from earlier and sent it careening directly into the line of fire, using the still-somewhat-alive Mandalorian as a human shield to absorb all of the bolts.

Her eyes narrowing to slits, Aadya smiled curtly as the smoke billowed from the grenade Leandros had tossed, wondering what exactly his plan may have been. If he was going to rely on technology to win, this fight was already over. In Aadya's mind, there was no piece of man-made bullshit that could possibly stand up to the power that she wielded with the force.

Whether or not she was correct would only become clear with time. Before the smoke would totally envelop Leandros and remove her line of sight, Aadya called upon the force and unleashed a harsh, direct attack at his center of mass with telekinesis.

"Your world burns, Mandalorian!" She called through the now heavy obfuscation, her senses remaining on high alert. "Your people are dying honorless deaths, today. Your Mand'alor has failed you. Ashes and mass graves will be all you have left when I am finished. No one will remember. "

Even while she spoke Aadya was ready to react to whatever Leandros may attempt to unleash upon her. Even if he managed to live through their altercation, the longer she kept him occupied the longer it would would be before he could regroup with his brethren - the more Mandalore would burn.

@Painus