Log:Sith Empire: Black Night II

A scattered sith element looks to regroup.

OOC Date: June 20, 2023
Location: Fringe World Sith Outpost
Participants: Sith Empire, Tamsin Cas, Bors Thul, Merulia, Zoka Kanas, Aryn Cortess

The escape pod landed hard upon the planet far below the black fleet. The entire trip down was filled with the annoying pings of alarms as outdated systems and struggling flight controls attempted to take over the vessel to slow its descent so as to not kill the team on board.

The view port was all they had to be able to see outside, and for awhile, all that greeted them was the molten image of fire as re-entry threatened and pommeled the craft in ways that had centuries old instruments rattling. The landing was not soft, but they had survived. The pressure and impact was enough to render everyone unconscious, and for long moments, only the tick-tick-tick of hydraulic coolant systems filled an otherwise quiet void.

Something happened in the time that followed, and a loud clanking noise was heard on the outer door, threatening to bust it open. BOOOOM! Something struck it, bending the metal exterior inward. The methodical beating implied something of great strength. BOOOOOM! It struck again.

Comms began to crackle to life as garrisoned legions of stormtroopers mobilized for a full scale defensive action. Commanders over comms began to question the likelihood the Sith Lords had even survived the landing.

Kalus (Aryn) was strapped into one of the seats, her head hung down and limp, unconscious and quiet, lightsaber still clutched within her gloved grip despite her predicament. It wasn't until the fifth BOOM against the hatch that she came too and grimaced, her mask hiding the expression. Her hand comes to caress a bloody side of her head and she grunts, "Another happy landing... anyone broke?" She hits the quick release on her strap and falls from her seat to land on all fours, disoriented but quickly recovering. "...and who is making all that bloody banging nonsense?"

Anyone broke?

Groggily, Bors comes to with the shaking of the pod, hand lifting to pat against the side of his helmet. <"Mfzzm, bffzzmffmz ffmmzmf ihmsfzzm..."> a moment taken to smack the side of his helmet harder and his visor suddenly engages to burn bright cerulean again. Standing with the release of restraints and trying to keep his footing while drawing his whip blade.

<"Zffkashhht mmffszzzmffmm bzzzffmszifmfm..."> head rolling back as if looking to the heavens for aid. <"Ffzzmzs."> Language. Bors.

Achlys had survived the trip down through the atmosphere. They had survived the landing, most likely, as they were hanging like a ragdoll from the straps, but not in that dead - for real though - way of corpses. It was the banging that started to bring them out of their unconscious state, and the saber they called and ignited that cut them down from the tangle of straps they had ended up in, the impact of their body hitting what was now the bottom of the craft almost as loud as the sound that had roused them, "I am here." A moment to center themselves, before they pushed to their feet, saber having doused itself as they fell. "Viewport." They were heading to one.

Unconciousness hadn't been the reprieve one might hope. There were aches, pains and discomfort from the impact...but no real injury in the cse of Merulia the nightsister.

A soft groan she managed to reach up and rub her eyes before releasing her harness.

She felt like she'd accidentally ingested a particular root from her own planet...but she was alive!

"I am uninjured Lord Kalus," she offers in answer as Meru cautiously gets to her feet, finding her balance and equalibrium once more.

The red armored trooper had made it to the escape pod, strapped herself in, and held on tight. The landing had been anything but pleasant, and a panel that had broken off had smacked against Zoka's helmet, or at least the one she had taken off of one of the other troopers, since her's had been wrecked.

She unstrapped herself and fell to the floor, grunting faintly as she lands, and takes a moment to push herself back up to her feet. The sound of something slamming against the door got her attention, as she tried to shake off the cobwebs, pulling her weapon out of the rack she'd locked it into for safety, <"I think we have company.">

Rising up with a slow grunt, Kalus tested the integrity of her back with a slow and straightening effort that ended with an aged grunt. When she had recovered from the effort, her head turned toward the noise Bors was making and shook her head, "Your helm is still malfunctioning, sir."

Achlys sudden activation of their saber and movement commanded Kalus' attention as she, too, moved for the viewport. Looking out the circular hole showed the stems of long, tall swamp grass, and mud; mud that was slowly drawing them down further as if to eat the pod and occupants alike.

"Time to exit, I thi--"

The door above suddenly caves in, and a black automaton hand pierces through, rotates, then takes hold of the beaten metal and yanks the hatch right out of its threshold. Illuminated red eyes peered down at the group, the eye belonging to the head of an Imperial Dark Trooper. "My Lords.." The android voice says, "Hostiles approach. Evacuate your craft and return to the garrison out post." The ten foot tall warrior droid straightens and reaches back with a hand to pluck its assault rifle from its back to level it ahead to cover. "This way."

<<"This is Dark Trooper Cresh, Sith Lords located, alive, returning to friendly lines, over.">>

<<"Understood, Cresh. Bring them to the southern gate, our other positions are being over run.">>

<<"Acknowledged, Commander.">>

"Good," Answers Kalus when Merulia indicates they are uninjured, "It would seem we are moving now. Up we go, then." Kalus remained in the vessel until the last, accepting the arm of the droid to hoist her out and set her on solid ground.

The tall and heavy droid motions for them to follow, stomping ahead of them. "This way, my Lords. The weaponized lubricant threatening to conquer the Empire is just this way. Ready flame weapons, lightsabers, and anything one can use to combat this corrosive agent. It is unkind to organics." A pump of Cresh's weapon creates a pilot flame, and the droid hunkers into a fighting position as it stalks forward.

In the distance, the garrisoned outpost can be seen as the main source of light in the night. The darkened horizon was lit with an eerie fire, and laser lances, flames, and other weapon platforms fired with loud discharges into the surrounding forest. Aside from all the fighting, the forest seemed alive with the sound of husked horrors, hosts which used to be alien and human alike filled with a sentient ooze that consumed them from the inside out. They moved through the forest as a horde, converging on the garrison.

Clearing an initial path, Cresh rushed ahead to engage the Mnggal Mnggal husks, firing a plume of fire that rolled out like a ball from the muzzle and consumed a small group. "Affirmative," The droid exclaims, "Burn spoiled sentient weaponized organic lubricant. Your filth will not stop the Empire." Apparently Cresh's patriotic setting was set to maximum.

Moving to follow where they've been directed, Bors's hand bashes against his helmet, grunting and shaking it, <"Ever the font of joy and grand tidings."> the grimace audible and his path moving to the incoming creatures seeking to interpose and consume. Still feeling his joints feeling fine since Achlys's bacta injection before their flight from the cruiser - Lord Thul's advance is jaunty yet.

Thumb brushing over the toggle of his chain weapon, causing it to become flexible and trail behind before another toggle brings it around - locking it to blade form and dragging its powered edges through the midst of one of the approaching husks.

"Hurts! Hurts! Hurts! Hurts!"

Spinning into a ballroom pirouette when more descend on him, finding Bors steps akin to those of a man playing coy with their floor partner, turning and weaving around the latest pair of arms and thrusting the blade through their back, <"Lady, I am making a path.">

Achlys, who needed only the space of a second or two to settle themselves back into themselves, held the hilt of their saber fast as the door was torn open. That they did not sense life in that arm was no guarantee of safety, but the appearance of the Dark Trooper was a better guarantee than they could have expected. Droids, so far as they knew, could not be infected. If that were not the case, well...there was neither time nor breath to make such suppositions as the group was soon on their way, following the droid towards, they hoped, the safety of the compound. But they were not unmolested, and Achlys soon found themselves in the thick of it, saber flashing as the fireblade put paid to a trip of the husks as they moved, no caution giving to looking behind them. if one could not trust the fire behind to do the work, well, there was no hope ahead.

Infected horrors, creatures of nightmare wearing the flesh of others...Meru knew of this creature from the last encounter, but that didn't make the knowledge any more uncomfortable.

Yet this was not the time for her mind to dull her with visions of what might happen if they were overwhelmed.

The door exploding outward, Meru lept, coiled, landed and lept again like some graceful feline entity finding a path through the wilds and the horde alike. Flashing crimson of an ignited saber reducing to ash the foes that did not avoid the 'claws' of the catlike Sephi.

As the group is being rescued, they should not resist. ET-6260 is thankful for the fact that the Dark Trooper droid had managed to find them. She supposes she should consider herself lucky for getting on the same escape pod as the Sith Lords. She swings her weapon out in front of her as she exits the pod, turning and leveling the rifle, a blast lancing out and hitting one creature in the leg, sending it toppling down where it still manages to craw, <"Ew.">

At least this way it won't be able to continue to chase after them, but they still have plenty of those gooey figures to blast apart as they move. She figures they'll be fine as long as they stick with the droid. None of these things could kill something like that.

Aryn brought up the rear of the group, moving around the plume of fire at a steady jog. Not nearly as graceful or practiced in the dance movements Lord Bors was, Aryn used her running momentum to generate her strikes. Her crimson blade cuts through a pair in passing, weathering the ash just long enough for her cape to disrupt its settling flow when she passed by it.

Cresh charged ahead, spartan-kicking an entity into a large tree that promptly fell over with loud, protesting cracks. As the entity the droid kicked pulled itself from the bark, the droid engulfs its haunting form with flame. "Recover from that," The droid comments defiantly, turning then to follow its group.

One last horde remains between the group and the southern gate. Stormtroopers fire from the ramparts of artificial walls, effecting little change until the flame trooper arrived to send out spurts of hungry flames.

The horde the stormtroopers were fighting began to turn away to run back toward the woods, back toward the Sith. <"Look!"> Yells a young trooper. <"We scared them off!">

<"No, we haven't. /Look/! Sith!"> The Corporal points after palm-slapping the back of the Private's helmeted head. "LET'S HELP THEM OUT.. GET THE GATE OPEN.. FLAMETROOPERS!? FLUSH IT!"

The front gates begin to open and several husks rushed the opening only to be met with a WHOOOSH of chemical fire that immediately consumed them. Heavily armored troopers carrying the flame packs trudged outside to set up a small perimeter by the door, but they were vastly outnumbered. Imperial training kept their feet planted in place, though, their weapons firing constantly to give the Sith a window.

Caught by claw like hands grasping the plastoid plates of his right arm and dragged off balance, shoved and nigh toppled by the myriad of hands impacting against him. Blade rendered useless for aught but to fend off attacks, Bors is shoved back and slammed against a tree with the mouth of a teenage girl wrapped around his forearm, seeking a gap or rent in his bodyglove to do the Lord in.

"Good job old man. Die all he way out here."

Muttered to himself in the wake of letting himself be kicked to the ground by another attacker - forcing his arm free when plastoid composite creaks and he feels his flesh bruising beneath. Scrabbling to get clear as the husks bear down on him.

Achlys was, if nothing else, imminently spacially aware. Even as the husks attacked, and the gates of the compound opened to bring fire, they continued to press forward. Not with the force of their saber, but with the might of the Force. Those who could feel its whirls and eddies felt the torrent of directed will rushing over them like a tide as the three clusters of husks were blown back from the perimeter of the entryway. The way was not entirely clear, but it was clearer. The imminent danger to the party, however, was not ignored and a quick shift of Achlys' helm brought the Thul Knight into focus. The weight of the hand that settled around him, invisible though it was, was not crushing. Simply firm as he was tugged out of harms way and held aloft until he could put himself to rights. "When you are ready, Lord Thul." One would imagine he would be dropped on the move a his word.

Merulia was not a Sith Lord like others, but she was a Nightsister...and she was a keen student. She might not match the scale of Tamsin's telekinetic display, but she -did- understand it well enough. Giving a lift of her hand as she touched down, the woman extended the hand without the lightsaber and a wave of force rippling out to scatter away the creatures blocking their path.

The trooper is starting to get bogged down in the muck as she runs. She struggles forward, trying to get herself onward. One of her boots does get snagged on a root under the mud and she stumbles forward to one knee.

As she's working to get herself unhooked, she suddenly feels herself hauled upwards by the Dark Trooper. Once back on (relatively) solid ground, she looks up to the massive black droid, <"Thanks."> She says, as she gets back to running again. Almost there, just keep pushing!

Eventually, all of the Sith group reunite with Imperial forces at the gate. Thanks to Lord Achlys and Merulia, the horde threatening to close in on the lone flame troopers, and subsequently the Sith group as well, is cast back into the darkness with significant, deadly force, freeing the others to be helped or moved along. Kalus brings up the rear with Cresh, who promptly shuts the door and locks it. The Corporal of the stormtrooper squad meets the Sith and company, dipping their white-helmeted head.

<"My lords, welcome to the only outpost on the surface. Commander Ingram is mobilizing the evacuation in the landing zone up ahead, but the legion is spread out along the walls, fighting the hordes back. Last word we had was that the northern gate has fallen, troopers are dying, and there is little in the way of stopping the horde-- well, until you all arrived. The Commander has standing orders for us to convey if you arrived during the battle; keep the entity back long enough for the freighters to get off world; the evacuation is nearly done, so you won't have to hold long.">

Kalus, who is winded, nods, "Very well. Point us in the direction of this gate, Trooper, and we will be.. on our way." Hands on her hips, the masked face of the older blonde angles up a moment, going through a steady-breathing exercise to bring her fatigue back under control.

<"That way, ma'am. Just follow the path. A squad of special forces set up hasty barricades in an effort to buy time. Maybe they're still there?">

"If they are, we will find them," Confirms Kalus, who begins move along. Cresh, who remains standing there, almost takes a step to follow, but a loud THUD on the southern gate draws its attention, and the tall trooper rotated, pumping its flame rifle. "PREPARE FOR BATTLE, TROOPERS! FOR THE EMPIRE!" Declares Cresh.

Taking the path toward the north is a short one, and they come upon the hastily set up barricade currently being manned by two special forces troopers. One is very injured, battered and beaten with shattered plasteel, a broken arm, missing helm, and bleeding leg. She has propped herself up against the higher barricade, holding a flame rifle out and firing in random intervals. The other trooper and jerry rigging several explosives and preparing the lob them. <"Hey, look at that. Sith Lords.."> Says the explosive-working trooper. The bleeding one spits out blood. "Best reinforcements we could ask for. Now I know we can hold this point. -- Just in time, too.. here come some more."

Moving at the line with the others, to join the northern bulwark, the call outs for Kalus and Achlys being heard and the old man happy to keep moving, to be still moving, as he puts his toe to the defense line. "Ere more greatly things change." Bors murmurs within his helmet. Blade lifted in a two-handed grip. Unable to half-sword without the energy couplings of the blade slicing off his fingers he opts for a cross body hold, waiting to thrust into the oncoming enemy.

<"Plot a course through the night, to a place that I once knew."> Singing... of course he's singing. <"To a place where my hope died, along with my crew. So I swallow my grief and face life's final test. To find find promise of peace and solace of rest."> head lowered and rising up onto the balls of his feet to lean into the inevitable charge.

<"As the souls of the dead fill the space of my ears, their laughter like children, their beckoning cheers. My heart longs to join them, sing songs of the lanes, I remember the fallen, do they think of me?">

It did not take long for the group to make their way through the compound, likely because as many troopers as possible moved out of their way to make way. better the Sith than them, yes? If nothing else, it allowed Achlys a good amount of time to both offer medical aid, to Lord Thul, as well as the downed trooper, before they stood, focus shifting to the incoming tide. "I will do what I can to slow the tide." Their blade remained in their left hand, held in a low guard. Once again, it was that invisible force that they used, power rushing out at their will to blast the husks back towards where they were rushing into the compound. Achlys' mask looked this way and that, pieces of the road obstructions which had not been used to create the barricade flying up and off of the ground and sent at speed towards the broken place in the wall, duracerete grinding as the pieces wedged themselves into the gap.

Safe for the moment, Merulia pulls down her hood and deactivates her lightsaber, but the hilt is never far from her hand as she falls into step behind the Sith lords, a warrior herself at best, if not still technically an acolyte. Her hands do move, making sure the braids securiting her hair back were in place lest she be grabbed and dragged down, but the Nightsister otherwise was casting her amber eyes around them for the treats in time for the call to rally.

There goes that saber, back to her hand as she looked between her commanders. "Were this a more familier planet, we might be able to summon more unconventional forces...but I will follow your lead my Lords."

And follow she would. She might not have the finesse that Aryn or Tamsin do...but she tries, pushing herself harder...until the barricade actually starts to warp in the wrong direction and she's forced to draw back, lest she do more harm than good.

Once they have reached the relative safety of the outpost, ET-6260 takes a moment to catch her breath, and double check her weapon, cleaning some of the mud off of the sight and making sure the barrel isn't obstructed. There's not a ton of time for rest until it's back to the firing line.

She takes time to use her newly cleared sight to lock in on one of those gooey forms, watching it's movement for a moment before she fires a blasts it clean in half, sending it flying in two different directions with wet splatters.

Kalus relies upon martial skill over her prowess with the Force. Knowing the overwhelming destructive power of the Mnggal Mnggal did not lay with their individual strength, but their mass in numbers. Darth Achlys display of power was impressive, and Kalus might have commended her thought process had the MM not already closed the distance and began their assault.

Staying near Lord Bors, Kalus cuts through two entities, though a third swing yields nothing but a loud hum. Ashen remains flutter between the two as she spins her weapon in preparation for another flurry.

The Commander over comms can be heard issuing the general retreat. Supply ships bearing the supplies of the outpost had been loaded up, and now personnel was expected to move back to the hangar.

"WE MUST WORK OUR WAY BACK!" Yells the able-bodied special forces trooper. The other trooper yells, "I'm a liability. Leave me here with the explosives, I'll cover your retreat!"

<"Be thee attempting to shine a hero, trooper?">

Bors comments as husks bear down on them, pushed roughly back and his swing is sent wide while his boots slide through the mud with the creature battering fists against the older man's forearm.

<"Just want to kill some husks, sir."> comes the response of the red armored figure and Bors steps in, spearing the husk with the bilari bladee, drawing upwards while it is engulfed in flames by the energy couplings. Knowing he lacks the physical strength to haul the other with, a swordman's salute is offered. Blade flashing and Lord Thul begins his rearward advance while holding Mngal Mngal's husks at bay.

"Unacceptable. They may overrun this location before you can detonate. And an injury is not always a liability." Certainly the more troopers they had who were experienced with this contagion, an obscenely virulent one, the better. Keeping their saber in one hand, Achlys moved to retrieve the downed trooper, likely making use of the force to assist them, as the trooper was of a size, and a bit larger than they. The Sith paused, seeming to stand still for the a moment, as they studied the explosive ordinance which had been laid out, some small trickle of the Force connecting their mind to the rudimentary electronic mind which existed within the explosives, "They will detonate when required. Now move, trooper." And then, they moved, dragging the trooper with them, but managing to move at a decent enough speed that they did not both become a liability.

Be it a frustration of failure or the opporunity to grow, Merulia lifts her other hand. She might not have the green glow of Dathomir's fire about her, but the Nightsister had the force...and even through her, a powerful ally it was. Rippling telekinetic force cast the horde back, preventing them from pushing further through, from getting further way from the explosives trap.

Student or not...she'll hold the line as best she can!

There's more focus on running than anything else, as ET-6260 fires into the crowd of creatures as she continues to back towards the ships. There's just SO MANY of those things, no matter how many shots she fires it doesn't seem like it'll be enough. Still she's not content with just running without a fight. That's not the right way to do it

The fighting was not easy by any means, but the help from Merulia's display of raw power buys the team a lot of needed time to bring back the injured special forces trooper. She limps, one arm over Darth Achlys' shoulders, the other holding her weapon ready to use it. The other trooper leads the way back quickly, pausing only to take out sudden ambushing stragglers with well placed shots intended to disable, not destroy. Remove their means to move, they couldn't close the distance!

That left Kalus, Zoka, and Ser Bors bringing up the rear. Kalus dips back enough to disable the fast runners, shrieking terrors that sprinted fast to close the distance only to be cut down with a pair of masterful swings.

As they arrive at the port, they're met by Cresh and the southern squad. Cresh picks up the injured trooper who lightly taps the Dark Trooper on their cheek with a fist, "Thanks, Cresh-- My Lord.." She addressed Achlys.

The troopers moved off to the transports, but the Sith were cut off by the Commander. "My Lords.." He addresses them. "One matter has yet been resolved, and it comes from our highest authority. Empress Kessa wishes to divert your expertise to the last remaining facility further in the forest. It contains potent artifacts of .. an esoteric nature. Our troopers lacked the.. key to open it, and we believe it may require your gifts to trigger its doors. Retrieve these artifacts, preserve the Sith legacy, and a ship will carry you to safety. -- For the Empire.." Commander Ingram gestures toward their ship, an Epsilon shuttle with a Dark Trooper that was boarding it; it seemed Cresh volunteered for the final leg of this crucial mission.

As the crew drew near to their vessel, the large trooper says, "This unit is ready for action. Time to crush the lubricant once and for all!"

Kalus chuckles, "Keep that energy, Cresh. We may need it."