Log:First Order: Fury - Zeddir's Fist
First Order: Fury - Zeddir's Fist part 1
Location: Pirate Base - Zeddir's Fist
Participants: Brand, Erisi Auslese, Rathe Versiano and Hadrix Rol
Zedir's Fist, a pirate station, built into a massive asteroid. Large enough that they were able to install a reactor and set up engines with a hyperdrive. Many problems with smugglers and banditry has afflicted the First Order in recent months, including attacks over Sullust resulting in massive naval casualties due to pathogen attacks. A holograph of the asteroid is on display while Hadrix stands next to it, looking grumbly per his ussual.
"By His will, we are striking the pirate base near Utapau where our spies have seen it. We have been granted use of the Interdictor cruiser Grasp, which is being escorted by Carrack light cruiser squadron Hammer." more images appear on the display as he continues,
"Lancer squadron Beligerant is flying spearhead for our assault shuttles and should be coming out hyperspace now to clear our path. As soon as the ramps have cleared the particle shields the ramps are dropping, our incursion force will be dropping as the shuttles enter. Find cover points, establish our beachead and clear the hangar of enemies. Regular troops are briefed that Vanguard and Knights have operational command and can countermand Corps commander orders at any notice. Once we have that, our forces will begin for further entry." he grabs one of the hang straps and flexes his knees. "Looks like we're here. Questions?"
Brand is standing near the back of the transport and is clad in the sith armor he frequently wears when expecting combat. He holds to one of the overhead straps to keep himself balanced and says nothing while the briefing is ongoing. His armor still has the gash in the chest of it, but something has been sprayed in the crack for the time being to attempt a seal of the material. When Hadrix asks if there are any questions, he simply looks toward those others in the transport with him.
The black armored and helmeted form that is Rathe nods at the pertinent points of the briefing. The combat medic's vox crackles to life. "Expected weaponry and opposition?" This is asked even as the helmet drops down to check the medpacs at his belt, his F-11D, and grenades. Lastly he checks the Vibroblade that has it's sheath bolted to the outer part of his left calf, leaving the grip extending past the knee. Once done he looks at each of the others in the transport, as indicated by the movement of his visor onto each in turn, finally it turns back onto Hadrix.
Erisi's mouth is slightly open as she listens, a clear look of confusion on the young Knights features, hazel eyes narrowed slightly. It's clear her brain is saying 'whu', enough that her mouth doesn't have to utter it. One eye is slightly more screwed up than the other, thick rimmed spectacles on her nose, the woman wearing her red and black robes with the hood down, hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, bangs free and wild.
"So ..." A lick of her lips, the dark skinned woman contemplating after he opens up the floor for questions, "We ..are ..not clearing an actual beach, or ..it's a hangar converted to a beach that we're ..heading into." Beachhead, "Okay .." She sort of makes a broad assumption that she is totally wrong and raises a hand up to fingergun Hadrix, "I'll burn bad things." A hardened soldier she is not, and clearly not a tactician. Praise be for fire fingers. Ha cha cha.
Hadrix fingerguns back as explosions shake the shuttle and lights dim to only assault ready red. Outside, turbolaser batteries mounted on the asteroid firing on the lancer craft that are, themselves, pouring fire towards those points to quiet them. "A beachhead is a landing point for troops and is a primay ingr-" he sighs "We land forces there, primarily." he shakes his head.
Outside a shuttle is struck, peeling apart, the troops inside dead before they can feel it, the detonation pushing the one that the Vanguard and Knights ride in just as it passes into the permeable docking shields and the ramp, as promised is opening. Hadrix stands at the door, with the T-21 mounted on his new heavy armor suit's left arm barking and providing covery fire.
"Offload! I am available for fire support! Tell me what you need and point a target and I will assist!" and with that the booster boots of his suit engage and the big war machine actually flies out of the damned shuttle.
Brand's grip tightens on the safety grip above him as the ship lurches when the other transport blows up, swaying as their own transport drifts. When the ramp lowers to touch down, he releases the grip but does not immediately charge out into the fray but rather lets a good few of the troopers go out ahead of him. Walking down the ramp, his eyes scan the field to study the various groups of enemies before speaking to Erisi, "What do you think? Are you going to charge into the middle of one of these big groups?"
Thre was a vox crackle to transmit a chuckle as Hadrix starts to explain what a beachhead is, and gives up. If the loss of the other shuttle touches him, it does not show. Rathe stands up for the offload command, the F-11d cradled to his chest almost as if its size is unfamiliar to him. He hesitates his departure, looking first to Brand, and the Erisi. The helmet shakes briefly, and he is down and out the ramp. His movements are not perfect precision, more like someone breaking in new gear. His first action is to seek cover, not concealment, so he can assess what he has before him. Immediately the blaster rifle comes up to his shoulder to sweep it's muzzle side to side in a horizontal arc.
Erisi grits her teeth as the shuttle is shaken by the explosions, finger-gunning hand slapping into the wall behind her as her hand flies back with the sudden turbulence, "Suckin' the fun outta beaches ..." Breathed in discomfort as she gets her explanation. Once landed, which is quickly after her comment, she's letting her death grip on the strap on the wall go, not having been able to reach the ceiling straps, "Are you joking me? Hells no, I'mma let the professionals do their thing and you know .." A dip of her chin towards chest as she gives her best awkward two eyed wink from behind glasses, "Start the fires." From afar, "You know I can't whip worth beans and I ..I mean cardio and me are mortal enemies --" All said as she struts off towards the ramp, pulling off her glasses and sticking them into her hairline, hood drawn up.
"How about you?" As for Rathe she'll nod at his shake of the head, "Hey buddy." There is no precision to anything Eri does, the woman moving in her tailored robes like she stole 'em and is trying to hide the fact, sleeves rolled up as she takes stock of the groups they're planning on mowing down, "Oh wow ..this ..this is not the Hutt District." Referencing earlier activities, "Hadrix always looks so freakin' cool .." Muttered to herself as she reaches the bottom of the ramp, woman half-squatting into what she thinks is a menacing pose, hands coming up like she's about to chop some air, "Oh this is gonna be like, such a bad day .." She ready.
The greater mass of troopers are having initial difficulties as they come out of the ramps, many being gunned down as the ramps drop by the apparently prepared and turret operating pirate technicians. Corpses drop around Rathe and the Knights as they prepare.
The hangar is massive and pandamonium, shuttles landing, dropping troops and then backing off to make for the lancer craft to re-fill while reinforcement craft try to maneuver the furball outside.
The vanguard and the Knights have the opportunity to make their plans and actions before fire will likely sweep their way next.
Brand shrugs his shoulders in reply to Erisi as she questions his own tactics, his eyes moving to sweep around the room quickly to assess the field. Toggling his comms, he says, <<Work on the groups closest to our position first and then we work outward to clear the field for reinforcements. Hadrix, lay suppressive fire to the next group in line as we take care of the first.>> Looking back toward Erisi he shrugs and says, "I normally work alone. I don't know tactics." Then he is igniting his lightsaber and rushing a group of startled looking technicians.
"I tend to follow you lot so I see when you go down!" The vox crackled to life to answer Erisi's question on the run. When the pirate techs practically obliterate a legion, Rathe's visor snaps to each of the downed troopers in turn. It turns back in an obvious disregard of their death. The shouldered F-11 gets a quick trigger jerk towards the Pirate Soldiers and the obvious miss occurs. There is a muttered grumble from his vox. "I'm going to find that lift droid that trashed my carbine, and dismantle it with a scalpel..."
Swinging his massive Modified T-21 - 15145 repeater-type weapon to bear, Hadrix takes up a steady firing position, and prepares to do battle.
Hadrix's blaster fire rains down as directed by Brand while the Knight makes short work of the entrenched technicians by way of lightsaber blade. Sending severed limbs an bodies flying while return fire pours into the First Order forces, a number of shots splashing against Hadrix's armor while he hovers and provides fire support, others sinking in, drawing grunts from him as he is forced back to get behind cover.
The pirate forces remain dug in, well in cover and unscathed as they manage to keep the stormtroopers at bay.
Brand doesn't slow as he charges through the ranks of technicians, slicing left to right to sever limb and head from body. His style of combat is not a straightforward method of strikes and slashes, but rather seems to be wildly improvisational, made of twirls and feints as he moves from person to person. Once the technicians are down, Brand looks toward the ranks of pirate soldiers that have shot at Hadrix and Rathe. Dodging a shot taken at him, Brand rushes for the entrenched soldiers and begins to work his way into them, dodging around their cover as he spins his saber to cleanly take the head from one pirate, then ducking low and cutting another in half at the waist.
The lightshow and effect by Hadrix's death from above manuever is briefly admired by Rathe. Then the incoming fire has the right of way, Rathe forgot to yeild properly and snarls as he takes a hit to the torso of his armor, which doesn't completely mitigate the effects. There's a snarl of pain, and he nearly misses the unique lightshow that is Brand moving in to duck and weave and perform shock and awe. Inspired another two shots are blasted from the F-11d. They are super-ineffective.
Hadrix lowers his bulky and heavy Modified T-21 - 15145 from its combat readiness position, his muscles relaxing.
Hadrix adjusts the sling on his BlasTech 38CT Flammgewehr, then hoists the lethal weapon forward, gripping its dual handholds. A switch is flipped, and a small plasma torch comes to life at the muzzle of the weapon, looking to be a pilot flame.
Erisi had watched with some interest as the troopers fell around them like leaves in the wind as the pirate forces mowed them down, the force somehow leaving her unscathed. Squinting she reaches up into her hood to pull back down her glasses atop her nose which wrinkles at the bridge, "Oh come on ..." It would seem Erisi had thought this to be an easy in and out job, but of course it's not. As the others engage in heroics and Brand his fancy arsed lightsaber play she finishes rolling up her sleeves, reaches into her robe pocket to drag out some lip balm, applies that, and then nods.
Lips purse, woman still half-crouched, and she begins to focus, hazel-red eyes taking on the familiar hue of gold and brown as she rouses that inner rage and fire. Hyper-focuses. On one man. A filthy looking fellow has earned her gaze, and he stands off, doing whatever it is he's doing, readying to fire, maybe talking trash, maybe just being a sweet guy praying his crew gets out alive.
Either way with a curl of her fingers outward from the palms of her hands the air becomes super heated and the man erupts into fire.
He screams, he writhes, hands patting his clothes in desperation, legs kicking this way and that, the man stopping, dropping and rolling, but he's been set aflame from the inside. A few of his friends or co-workers rush to his aid, kicking at him to try and put him out and likely aiding in sending to peaceful death quicker than simply waiting for him to burn out.
Blaster fire fills the air between forces. The stormtrooper assault is blasted into again, one taking the hit meant to wound the vanguard medic and falling to the ground, chest smoking.
The ground and cover around Erisi is scored and melted, while the assassin's speed is akin to a shield and his passage is illuminated by the man set alight by Erisi, and Hadrix's spray of plasma that manages to splash around but not onto any of the pirates aimed for.
Taking advantage of the sudden distraction caused by one of their compatriots bursting into flames, Brand leaps into the air as high as he can and comes down with his lightsaber gripped in both hands. The blade sweeps into a ruby red arc that slices a pirate's head in half vertically. Jerking the weapon free causes the poor pirate to drop to his knees and rest in a macabre fashion, head hewn in half. Brand does not pause to admire his handiwork, but rather dances away in a graceful spin that brings his saber across to slice across some poor chubby pirate's throat.
At least the combat medic has the grace to do a quick assessment of the trooper that just died for him. A quick shake of his head indicates the trooper did just that. Died. A flurry of activity during all this. The one man army that is Brand attacts Rathe's attention, this draws him to try again with the unfamiliar weapon. He takes half a moment longer with breath held to fire a blast, finally his chosen target actually is hit and goes down. A quick nod of the helmet, and the visor turns onto the havok that Erisi has just caused with her pyroman-...kinesis. Pyrokinesis.
Erisi isn't big. She isn't strong. She's not particularly witty, and she'd give up her life for the right piece of fried dough (read: all). But when it comes to things she's practiced, she can do well enough. And well enough right now means that the Nasty Pirate Woman firing at her makes her first mistake of the night by bringing on Eris' ire and focus. The shot went completely wide and it'd be fair to say as a spectator she never intended to aim for Eri in the first place, but the ethnic woman /knows/. In her bones. Like Brand she doesn't speak, far too intent on ensuring her focus is in directing her anger into the force as a tool, instead of going willy nilly. A departure from Brands willful random poetic slashes, but as deadly (okay not really, that blade tho'). FWOOSH. Another volly of flame that erupts into life once it finds it's target, setting the woman alight from the boots up, "Come on you gorgeous wench, die .." Whispered, Eri swinging up her left hand to draw the air hot for her follow up.
The soldiers numbers thin out under the assault aided by Brand. Some are chased into fire and many more are gunned down by stormtroopers when they are forced into cover.
Seeing the wild arm movements, a massive hand-cannon is brought to bear on Erisi by the one whom she is burning, fighting through the agony as her skin melts and bones cook, firing a wild blasterbolt aimed for center of mass as she screams.
Another pirate, rising from the ranks disbursed by Brand lifts a vibro-pike and charges, howling a wordless battlecry as his sub-par combat skills are matched against the professional killer.
Brand is hardly registering the activity around him, by all appearances. It would seem that he is so focused on clearing out the pirates that he does not even see Erisi take such a heavy shot from the burning woman. That battle cry does gain his attention and he turns in time to see that force pike lowered his way. Stepping aside, a quick lift of his lightsaber severs the weapon and then a swipe ends the man who had been holding it. Only then does he see the burning woman with the weapon lowered at Erisi. Drawing his lightsaber back he hurls it through the air. It makes it about half way before the blade goes out, and the handle hits her in the ass and drops to the floor harmlessly.
Brand Zyrra presses the button on his cylindrical lightsaber hilt causing the crimson red energy beam to slide back down with a protesting squeal.
Erisi IS SHOT. For the first time in her LIFE. She bows forwards, clutching at her abdomen, letting out a gutteral strangled cry, "Oh corellian peanut brittle that ...holy shavit it ..it hurts more than in the holo-movies." Hoarsely called out as she drops down to her knees in a very ungainly fashion, falling over to one side in a half-fetal position, "You stupid beautiful bantha why ...won't you just ..die ---" And because she's straining to try and kill the woman with an ineffective reach out of her hand, she gets to see that beautiful, gorgeous throw of Brands saber, watching the full trip including it going out and bonking the lady in the arse. Even pained she manages a hoarse laugh, wincing as she tears up from the pain, but it's so worth it, "Th-that was awful ...Brand .." Sputter-laughing up blood the woman is like ..close to death, but still finding joy in the moment. Haaa ..ahah ..haha ..wheezehackcoughwincegroan.
Brand Zyrra slides his Sonn-Blas SE-44c Blaster Pistol - 1925 out of its holster, bringing the weapon to bear.
Troopers move to get into positions by exits, the wounded of the Order are triaged, the enemy are jabbed with pike or shot with blaster pistol. Flame rains from the sky and shots are growing more sparsley as the pirate commander who remains, shouting into a comm for aid and at the few standing to keep it up fires cobbled together blaster cannon that fires rocks wreathed in blaster plasma at Brand when he sees the lightsaber come his way.
Things are windng down, and people are gawking at the last major conflict remaining.
Brand watches the lightsaber twirl and then go out... he watches it slap the woman on the butt and clatter to the ground.... he watches the woman turn her pistol toward him, turn it on the side like a Gangsta and blow another hole into him. He drops to his knees, his armor smoking and causing him to hack up a bit of blood that dribbles down his chin. One hand comes to his hip to draw out the pistol at his side, lifting the standard issue First Order pistol, he takes aim and shoots... and misses. There is a humorless chuckle that causes more blood to bubble down his chin before he turns his eyes toward Erisi and mutters, "Asshole."
"Hhh..hhaa ...I ..I am ..." Erisi concedes just after Brand misses again, forcing herself onto her elbow in a move that is very remniscent of her typical friday night, holed up in her fancy apartment on her couch, binge-watching All My Jawas with a reach for the just too far fast-food drink. Coughing up more blud from her stomach wound she uses her reach to stretch out towards the nasty woman, "A badass ...asshole ..you stupid ...bitch." Finding the rage somewhere deep within she draws it up out of a very deep and dark well, hand beginning to take on a soft glow along her veins, shaking hand snapping fingertips, that Nasty Woman finding her upper half, cooking the woman from the inside out. Is she screaming? Flailing? Eri doesn't care, collapsing down to press her cheek to cool deck plating, hazel eyes fluttering partially closed, "I could really ..go for some ..pancakes right now ..can we get pancakes?" Lips smush-murmur into the floor towards Brand, woman not sure who else is left, but ready for a good nosh, "I'd ..*hack* ..~wheeze~ ..I'd even go ..for the frozen ones with them ..fake berries. They're so good." Whisper.
Touching down next to Erisi as medical crews move to bundle up brand onto a stretcher, Hadrix smirks a bit, "Like I said - I don't ally myself with stupid, or useless, people." reaching out to pat her shoulder before he heads for the medical station being set up, oblivious of her whispers and murmurings.
All around the first order is turning the place into a war camp, instead of a pirate hangar, more shuttles landing to drop off ships and personnel. Already Stormtrooper command has holo-displays of commanders giving orders
A job well done, in the beginning of a contained warzone.
"Stop trying to Full Cantina me-" Cough, wheeze, "- Had ..I ain't falling for your wholesome ..tropes." Eri murmurs from her stretcher, hand snagging out to grab the sleeve of one of the medics to demand pancakes. Pancakes before pain aches.
