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[Dene Vye Cognatus]

The operation would undertake the 1st Assault Fleet's Naval Support, the Imperial Army has selected several officers and select enlisted accompanied by General Cognatus and his apprentice Aurielle Stratus. The recently adapted program, ODST (Orbital Drop Stealth Troopers) formerly the Department of Special Operations of the Army had merged with the elite ARC program, that was formerly lead by now General Cognatus. Under special training regulations the ODST has been offered a training scenario that is a live and active situation, normally investigated by Military Intelligence, General Cognatus had offered the chance for 1st Liuetenant Quinn to show off his troopers. Having responsed to a distress call in the Rishi Maze, an unknown location to the current Imperial Republic, Kamino has long been since disbanded after the Clone Revolt. Kamino, thought to have been destroyed by the Galactic Empire many years before.

The planet has no large landing areas for warships of any sort, and only a small landing area has been located, the planet also continiously suffers from wild rain storms. Much of the facilities remain destroyed and under water, not able to be retrieved or searched.

Current Participents:
All Army members
Any Navy members
Anyone else who wishes to join

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

General Cognatus looked out the window of Terror the 1AF Flagship commanded by Vice Admiral Kelly, a well respected man. Dene had served with him many of times. Awaiting the arrivals of the last of his crew he stood aside Auri in the Command cockpit. The vast Defender Class Battleship was still in orbit awaiting the crew's arrivals, he was hoping they would be here soon as per his orders, he needed to debrief them.

[John Kelly]

Vice Admiral Kelly strolled onto the bridge reading a data pad and looked up to see two new faces on the bridge. He went back to reading the data pad until he reached them. Removing his glasses he smiled at the two guests.

Welcome on board the Defender Class Battleship Terror. The Fleet is ready to break orbit and makes its way into hyperspace soon as your troops are on board General. Tho I am a bit surprised to be going to this location. I'm sure nothing of value can be left there after all these years. Then again who knows what could be there. I've sent ahead some picket ships as forward recon.

[Jared Quinn]

Jared and the rest of the recently formed ODST unit were aboard a sentinel assault craft, they had been given a chance to put their new training and armor to the test; Jared himself was uneasy at the moment since most of the program up until now had been training on Kuat with the help of the technicians and engineers in their armor. Jared knew live trainings were a completly different situation in itself, He had informed the rest of the unit of what he knew including the distress beacon that had been picked up.

Jared caught Sparky as she was called looking over at him."Something the matter Sparky?" The thyferran woman shook her head slightly."We're slowing though." Jared merely nodded and stood from his seat as he heard the pilot speaking into the shipboard com and gaining landing privelidges in a hanger."Alright folks, this is our first time off training wheels; let's be on our best behaviour and show army command why they gave me the go ahead for this project."

A few moments later the boarding ramp lowered and twelve green uniformed personnel disembarked carrying their gear bags and equipment, Jared lead them down the ramp and towards the turbolift since he had recieved orders to report to the General immediatly."The rest of you grab a bunk and I'll fill everyone in when I return."

They seperated and Jared continued into the turbolift before punching the button that would take him up to the bridge of the battleship, he'd seen a few of them during his time on Kuat but never boarded one until now; he knew the firepower the ship wielded made him and his troopers seem miniscule in comparison but he also knew it did not have the fine control a soldier did. It was only a few moments more before he walked onto the bridge of the Terror and up to General Cognatus before setting down his gear bag and saluting sharply."First Lieutenant Quinn reporting as requested General." His rank sounded strange hearing it in his own voice.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Aurielle was getting used to her place beside General Cognatus. It was strange how at ease she became so quickly onboard with total strangers. She had not known any of the men before the ball, although she had heard Kelly's name as a child. But a child, she was no longer. Auri was dressed in her new usual attire. A long tunic-type shirt, skin tight yet flexible down until the top of the hips, where a slight flare made it possible to hide a lightsaber under and allow easier movement fell to her fingertips. She had leggings on underneath, which went into her tall boots. She had a utility belt on loosely across her waist, and it sat at an angle hanging down over one hip. She choose tan today, with a black belt. Her tunic was just a shade lighter than her leggings.


She listened with interest to the orders. But they were interrupted by the arrival of Lieutenant Quinn.

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

General Cognatus looked at the LT and returned the salute. "Welcome to the Terror, LT. I expect you and your men are ready for what lies ahead?" He said with a curious tone. He had wondered if the LT and the ODST's were truly ready, he had expected this mission to be a simple and easy recon mission, but if not an army unit is in the hangar bay for back up, its all they had for this mission, assuming the worst they would be alright with the resources they had.

"Lieutenant, I want you to meet me in the breifing chambers, Admiral Kelly and the rest of our unit will be present." He looked to Auri and smiled, her uniform was a bit awkard for an operation of this stature but perhaps it was as comfortable and flexible as he it looked. "That looks quite... comfy Princess."

[Doom Juscus]

*3 weeks earlier*
Staff Sergeant Juscus stepped out of the shower as he always did about 15 minutes after PT. He picked up his datapad to check for announcements for the day. He noticed that applications from all eligible enlisted infantrymen, E-5 and higher, were being taken for a new unit. He looked at the information provided. He laughed as he noticed they made it sound like special forces for some reason with the world stealth, and laughed again at how they use specialized suits and drop pods. There is nothing stealthy about that, he said to himself. He then remembered his longing to be in one of the recon commando platoons, or at least get a transfer into a spec mission unit so he can go back to being a marksman. No doubt he loved going head to head with the enemy and obliterating them, not knowing when the next step would be his last; but just seeing his enemy from far away, watching, waiting, gave him a personal connection with this man he was about to take the life of. Nothing could compare to that.

*now*
Sergeant Juscus stepped out of the shower after PT and picked up his datapad to check for any new announcements. "Oh look," he thought to himself as he noticed that their unti was getting deployed to an unknown area. "Unknown area? What the f*ck does that mean?" Doom said out loud. "Whenever we get to do something it is always up to the end of deployment I ever find something out about what we will do," Doom continued to rant, "When will the officers who run this sh*t get their heads together. I mean who could I tell that would screw up the mission?"

Doom was done by this time getting dressed and headed to the CQ desk to talk about what is happening with the other platoon sergeants. To his surprise noone was talking about it.

SSG Juscus: Hey, what do you all think about our deployment?
SSG Kelly: What?
SSG Fox: Don't know what you're talking about.
SSG Cardinal: Huh?
SSG Juscus: Havn't you all read your datapads lately? We are getting deployed somewhere.
SSG Fox: Well at least I get to shoot my weapon at a real person.
SSG Kelly: Finally! Been waiting for some action.
SSG Cardinal: Again?

The four continued to talk about the information that they recieved, which took all but ten seconds to review. "Maybe the old man will tell us something," SSG Kelly said. "I doubt it, not until we actually leave," replied Doom.

Edited by Doom Juscus, 14 February 2009 - 10:54 PM.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Aurielle rolled her eyes at the General. Well, it wasn't so much visible, as it was a complete attitude switch she had if one was reading her thoughts and aura. If they were, it would be clear. Outside, on the surface, she simply smiled. "It is quite functional, thank you. I'd be wearing a uniform, if they had any comfortable features about them." Her tone was so sweet, it spelled to anyone within earshot, "Caution! Female Speak is DANGEROS!"

She took a few steps closer to the General, moving to his other side. She still had no idea what was going on. Her thoughts were scattered between many things, including an assignment from the Academy. "What's next, boss?"

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

Dene chuckled at the Princess before checking the ship crewlist for the remaining units of the crew. "Hopefully LT Chamberlain shows up soon." He smirked as he made his way over to where Admiral Kelly was standing. "Has your recon units spotted any trouble?"

[John Kelly]

The Admiral turned to the General and shook his head. I'm afraid they are in the last Hyperspace jump. They should be dropping out of Hyperspace within the hour. We'll know more once they revert to real space and do a scan of the system.

[Ibram Chamberlain]

Ibram was lying in his bunk on the Coruscant garrison. It has not been long since the annual ball, and Ibram was still reminiscing about the night. Recently, he had received a package from his folks detailing on how he was missed and they hoped he was enjoying finally being able to be in the Army. There was a unique envelope from his uncle, and Ibram carefully opened it. In it, lay a small unsuspecting metallic piece. It simple looking, and it looked it had been worn through the ages. A silver chain that outshined its piece attached it. With the small package was a small note. It was handwritten, and the writing was precise and neat. Ibram read the lines, and did so many times. Like a relic, he slowly picked up the seemingly obscene piece. This little object was in Ibram's hands but they felt seemingly numb. This pendent belonged to Ibram's grandfather's father, and Ibram's grandfather wore it all the time his uncle said. He had given it to his brother-in-law at his death, so it had been in the other family's possession taken care by his Uncle Gavin. Gavin wrote that he forgot to give Ibram the piece, and said it brought good luck, and that Ibram would need it more than Gavin.

Ibram slowly pulled it on around his neck, and his fingers were trembling. Carefully he notched the chain around his neck and looked towards a mirror. It hung almost perfectly around his neck, and Ibram felt a little chill go up his spine. With a renewed sense of purpose, he got ready for the next deployment. He locked up his footlocker and got his pack together. All sat on his bunk at the Coruscant garrison, in a neat pile and arranged neatly. He pulled out his data pad and he had received more news on the deployment. However the 82^nd's trip hadn't been scratched and Ibram was summoned to a Company meeting hosted by CPT. Casx. All Casx had to say to the group is that the 20^th was temporarily shifted in deployment to some special training or something along those lines. Casx had finished the briefing with that all too recognizable finely groomed beard bearing his famous wry smile that said he was up to something, for he gave it on occasion that had importance. He had given the same smile when leaping out of the Navy landing ship when he jumped off the side into the unknown. With little ado, the 20^th loaded up on a smaller transport and made its trip to a waiting fleet.

In his seat, along with his newfound comrades, Ibram grabbed the pendent and played with it in his hand. Soon it was revealed that this large warship was known as the Terror and it was one of prides of the Imperial Republic Fleet. This wasn't hard to grasp, it was majestic and powerful upon first glance. Many wide-eyed soldiers, including Ibram gawked upon the impressive size of the ship. Slowly, the transport docked in the internal bay and the troops of the Big 2-0 Company, 82^nd "Indefatigable" Brigade unloaded into the mass of troops. Ibram just followed Casx while he argued with the Navy officers on board. This was typical, but it was also entertaining. So, the big 2-0 waited on board the Terror awaiting where to go.

Edited by Ibram Chamberlain, 02 February 2009 - 08:33 PM.

[Kai'Len Ciunus]

Kai'Len Ciunus slowly rolled his shoulders. He and a few of his men sat in the shuttle seats and waited patiently. They had been in transit for what felt like forever. But as the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace, every man aboard, except maybe the pilot, was struck speachless. the Terror loomed up in front of them. It was a thing of pure beauty and grace, and just at a glance one could almost sense the very universe quivering in fear of her wrath. Kai uttered a small whistle of amazement. It was all he was capable of at the moment.

It reminded him of the first time he had ever seen a starship. So long ago, when he was just a boy living on the ice world of Fest. The thing had been a junker of a ship, but even then it had taken his breath away. This was much better. It almost, in just the slightest way, made him envy the Navy. The Captain that he had been assigned to nudged him.
"Quit the gaping kid. You're gonna make the Navy boys float away with their over-inflated egos if you keep that up."
Kai nodded silently and closed his mouth. He looked over at the weathered man. Captain Galmanex, Captain Gal for short. Kai had never heard of him, but aparently he had more time in the service than Kai had in two of his lifespans combined. Not to mention the guy was a master of Armored Tactics.

"Sir, even you have to admit, she is a beauty."
"Son, I don't have to admit anything. But she looks nice. I'll give you that much. Now.." He cleared his throat and suddenly shifted into Commander mode, "When we dock, get your butt up to the briefing. I have some things to take care of first, so I will meet you there. Understood?"

"Yes Sir. With all do respect though Sir, Isn't the commanding officer supposed to be present?"
"Yup. That's why you're going. They didn't tell you kid? I'm just riding shotgun. Just here to make sure you don't have a repeat of those piss poor tactics you used in your last deployment. But other than holding your hand for the scary stuff, I'm just the babysitter."
"Yes Sir."

Ten minutes later the shuttle docked. Before Kai was even off of the ramp, the two walkers and single medium tank that they had brought along were being unloaded. Kai smiled under his helmet and made his way for the Briefing room, waving off navy personel as he went.

[Zechs Kel Isen]

Zechs observed his chronometer, they were probably all waiting for him. And as much as he hated to be late, the late call had made him that. There had simply been no way to get onboard in time. He looked back at some of the empty seats in the Troop Transport, According to his orders he was to bring only a part of the company with him, the orders didn't say why thou. Probably cause the Troop Transport wasn't capable to transporting an entire company around.

According to the data he received only moments ago from the Transports' pilot they would be landing inside the Battleship' s Hangar Bay, he guessed they were bringing the Transport along, unless it originally belonged on the ship. That hadn't been in the orders. Nor would it matter. Leaning on the long barrel of his light repeating blaster rifle, he tried to put his attire in a way that it wasn't a bother to him. His hadn't worn this kind of armor since the Academy, and neither had he had a need to. It was still a little ackward a he stood there. Adjusting the top left arm part of the armor, he looked at the forces that he was to lead into battle. Generally speaking he was alright with the men that had come along, he knew that at least some of them could be trusted to do there job well.

A violent bump and the need to steady himself on the wall made him aware that the Transported had made contact with the Battleship. With his helmet linked to his belt, Zechs pulled the back of the rifle off the floor and grabbed it by the middle part of steady it. It was somewhat a beast of a weapon, and a little too heavy for his liking, but it served it's purpose well.

Adjusting his glasses with his left hand, he signaled the group to disembark. "Alright, we're up. We're not militia so I want a clean orderly formation outside. Sergeant Oriol take the men to the staging area, while I sort out what we're doing on his chunk of metal. Sergeant Griggs, you're with me".

As the doors opened, he heared the Sergeant shout something. He wasn't paying attention to what it was, everybody would just have to do what they were told. He was the first off the transport, followed by Sergeant Griggs, and looked around, trying to get his bearings in the vast hangar bay. He soon figured where he was and moved out carrying the bulky rifle in his right hand. Eventhough his rank wouldn't suggest it, the emblem on his shoulder armor identified him as the Commanding Officer of the 181st Heavy Infantry Company. Briefing Rooms weren't for troops, they were for officers, although his second was a Sergeant. In this case that didn't matter.

....

After asking around, the two finally made it to the Briefing Room. After having a quick scan of those present, he assumed that the General wasn't present yet.

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

Dene looked around at the others entering the ship, a small number of soldiers this time, several officers and a few companies would accompany them. He watched as a Colonel waved all the crew members to the briefing room, he made his way to the Admiral. "Admiral, we are ready to depart, get me an eta when you are able to." He gave a slight smile and made way to his briefing room.

A few moments later...

"ATTENTION ON DECK!" The Sentries screamed out as they shot off a crisp salute. He watched as several officers stood up and saluted the General, some navy, some army. The General returned them and began speaking. "Alright guys, this is a routine scout mission, you all are here for specific reasons, number one reason however is that we have received a distress call from the Rishi Maze there hasn't been any activity from this cluster of planets in nearly a century." He clicked a button and a star map the size of the room exploded, planets and stars filling the room. Dene pointed to a little area, where several stars appeared to be in an gravitational pull. "This here is Kamino, we all have heard the stories and the rumors of it over the years." He stopped to look around at the facial expressions.

"Approximately 0745 Coruscant time 3 days ago we had recieved a distress call from the Republic of Kamino, a video message, allow me to play it." Dene clicked another button and a holorecorder played the message, several armor clad humanoids were firing upon several large creatures, not even half a minute through the message a large creatures face appeared in the holorecorder, its ferocious claw killing the last of the humanoid troopers. Dene looked around as he shut it off. "Whatever is happening there we need to find out, I sense something very dangerous and thats why you all are here, LT Quinn and his Special Force Unit will be our main front line support, followed by LT's Ciunus, Chamberlain, and Kel Isen will lead small planetary invasion units, followed by Sergeant Doom who will have a platoon, we also have two military company's on deck of the Terror for back up."

"Princess Stratus and myself will accompany the ground forces to ensure mission success, consider this a serious and live fire training session, while we do not know what we are fighting, we should not underestimate this situation. Intelligence has informed us that due to the fact of abandoment over the last fifty years we can expect pirates, nomads and smugglers, im sure you all can handle yourselves, if not you can stay aboard the Terror and help Admiral Kelly." He stopped for a moment before continuing.

"The First Assault Fleet will accompany us, should we need naval bombardment, or patrol's and the like we can rely on our Navy brothers to assist us." Dene nodded to the Navy staff in the room. "Admiral Kelly will be handling operations until we are in system, we only have one landing position and its very unstable, transports will only be able to drop a few of us off at a time. LT Quinn and his unit will land first, securing a foothold on the planet followed by Me and the Princess, and the rest of the Army crew in this room." He looked to the LT's and the Sergeant.

"Any questions?" The General awaited any questions, feeling the ship rock as it entered hyper space.

[Zechs Kel Isen]

These meetings were 'fun', they got to watch the pretty pictures and and ask the standard questions. He always wanted to know why CO's never included the answers to those questions into there initial speech, but then again it would make them wise if they had all the questions to all the answers. As the creatures appeared they didn't seem like anything Zechs had encountered before, but then again the Galaxy was a mighty big place. Considering there potential strength, several scenarios unfolded inside Zechs' mind. Things could get rough.

As the General called for questions, he had all his questions laid out. "Considering your layout of the forces present, the unit leaders will report directly to you, General?"

He waited for the General to finish his answer before asking another: "Furthermore, are their any Rules of Engagement or are we on 'clean up' duty, General?"

The standard questions someone just had to ask, he didn't mind asking them as it was a little bit implied to do so.

Edited by Zechs Kel Isen, 13 February 2009 - 11:35 AM.

[Jared Quinn]

Jared listened to the briefing and the questions a Lieutenant he had not seen before, he looked at the General and remained silent for the moment as he wanted to talk to the General alone for a moment since he had a few questions about his unit's drop zone and what type of aerial cover they would be given since from the video file it looked like they would meet heavy opposition after landing.

He knew they could probably hold their own til the regular companies were dirt side, his major concern would have to wait til they arrived in the rishi system given that it seemed there was a general lack of intel on their landing zone.

[Ibram Chamberlain]

After CPT. Casx was done making fools out of the duty officer and numerous other orderlies in the hanger bay the big 2-0 began moving to it's designated area. Ibram was about to follow up with Pops when Casx pulled him aside. All he bothered to say was that Ibram was to follow him to a briefing, effective immediately. However before going, Casx pointed out to Ibram that since Lt. Lolmbou got killed in action, that left a spot open that needed to be filled. Casx turned around, gave Ibram a rank cylinder in a small oaken case. He raised his voice slightly, enough be heard during the shuffling of everything in the hanger bay in which they arrived.

"I put in your name for the spot, so far you proved that you can do something under pressure, and I like that. Though Chamberlain, don't go and get yourself killed quite yet, cause blast it we need good officers. Lolmbou was a hardy man, an average man, but unlike many of the officers he always got things done and lead by example. He didn't like handing out punishments until necessity arouse. He had developed several little programs I adopted to have a better run Company. This included meeting every officer and non-com once a week. It helps me help all of you and see where things are going in the big 2-0. These are big shoes to fill, so I want you start right away and don't wear'em out either. We got pulled some special mission, nothing dangerous enough to my standards but enough for you to be hurting in the morning. I will be watching you in particular, now follow me to the briefing."

Ibram was a mix of various feelings and thoughts. He never saw the Captain really speak more than he had to, more or less to key Ibram in on what was going on. Ibram now felt that he was truly part of the crew, another regular, more importantly one of them. There was little time to think, and they hustled to the briefing. Only this time, akin to his highly polished boots he wore his new rank cylinder. He was also the only man to accompany the Captain to the briefing.

The Terror was a maze, a magnificent display of the sheer brilliance of not only the Navy, but the Imperial Republic as well. It seemed impossible that such giant hallways and hanger bays could fit on just one ship. It looked well looked after, and the droids shined just for the occasion. They passed numerous checkpoints and large durasteel doors. Then they entered a large circular room, with a holo-emitter projector in the middle. It was a large round projector the size of a large table used to project maps and various other things so that everyone could see the same image in 3D. Casx and Chamberlain were some of the first to arrive. Besides the large projector in the middle, were numerous long benches that encircled the room. They elevated upwards to accommodate a larger audience. The Captain and Lieutenant took their seats, and watched as the room filled.

It was a boring wait, as again there was little Intel to the mission, Ibram hoped there be a lot presented when the Briefing began unlike the last mission where a map was a luxury. Ibram was chomping at the bit to ask Casx a few personal questions. The man was a legend in the 82^nd, but was mostly ambiguous when asked something that dealt with many of the rumors that surrounded him. He was a myriad, but was universally admired by many of the men. No matter how things looked when on a mission he always, somehow got them out of it or through it. Even getting equipment of food when there was seemingly nothing. These were some of the things that Pops told Ibram when he asked about Casx. Ibram simply didn't know the questions to ask, but it always bugged him. The light bounced off his many ribbons. Ibram knew there was a story behind each, and that Casx was involved in some major action where he earned many of them. Though he never spoke of it, the 20th's members have crafted the stories. It all seemed like legends, and the Casx a hero. Though on many occasion someone had the guts to ask him what he did, he always humbly replied or had some candor about it. It also looked that the finely groomed beard he wore matched him perfectly, and he had handsome features with no appearing scaring.

That's what Ibram did to kill time, besides asking about the man he saw brutally gunned down and the only other friendly face he knew in the Company he was first arrived. The man who he replaced, for a second time now, first as a Second Lieutenant, now as a 1^st Lieutenant. Ibram felt guilty but at the same time felt his call of duty, which he needed to be confident. He was now to be responsible for the entire Platoon, and look after them. No longer would Lolmbou offer his condolences and advice, he had unwillingly passed the torch to Chamberlain. The man had a lot influence upon the young Chamberlain when he arrived. With him gone, Ibram felt alone and in a sense on his own. Ibram couldn't let Lolmbou down, not his Platoon, or the Company down. He had a duty, and he must be strong. He wondered how Casx could do it, every day and do such a fine job every time! Why Ibram had gotten the job bugged him, and why he was the one chosen to accompany Casx to the briefing.

A little conversation transpired and the Captain reminisced on how good of a soldier Lolmbou was. With little ado, more officers began filling the seats. Most looked all too picturesque of the ideal perfect officer. They all were clean-shaven, and looked alike in some senses. Some wore grim faces, others with that look of that cold calculating expression that troops were expendable in order to complete the mission. Others look giddy, and excited to be here. There weren't as many as Ibram thought would be in the room, and many sat somewhat distanced from each other. It slowly filled.

The durasteel door shut, a built man entered, with numerous other ranking officers entered the room. At once the room stood and saluted, and he waved them down. He looked determined and that could be seen in his eyes. He arose by the projector and began detailing the mission to the Rishi Maze. The room went dark as star maps surrounded them. He talked about it being a scout mission, and was a glorified scouting mission. However the destination amazed Ibram. He knew the name Kamino well, being such a military history buff with the Clone Wars being his specialty. He grew excited, and even more so that he was going there. He then saw Casx stroking his beard; an action Ibram was all too accustomed to seeing. This meant he was either in doubt, or was thinking. Ibram had never met General Cognatus before, and his appearance matched his position. The mission was clear, and after he asked for questions, Casx was quick to ask. Whenever he spoke, he had his words chosen carefully and spoke His deep, booming voice echoed the room when he spoke. However some others had addressed the General, and Casx waited patiently then spoke.

"General, with all due respect, what can we expect upon landing? No surprises unlike the last operation, one those surprises cost me some of my best men, I'm sure you felt some sort of loss? How small of a footprint are going, or want to make? Understandably, I'm sketchy of Intel. Thank you, sir."

He then sat down, with a curious face gazing at the General. Ibram simply just watched, and waited for Casx's questions to be answered. Ibram quietly waited in anticipation to go Kamino- a place he thought was all but gone. Perhaps there can be some relics to find among the ruins. Ibram was fond of that thought, evermore the thought of finding a relic of old.

Edited by Ibram Chamberlain, 14 February 2009 - 07:04 PM.

[Kai'Len Ciunus]

Kai'Len sat back and thought to himself for a moment. He noted that a few familiar faces were present. It surprised him a bit that so few men had been selected for this mission. And after seeing the brief holo-image of the attacking creatures, he finally understood. too many officers would draw too much attention. this was Kamino. The birth place of one of the most pivitol wars the galaxy had ever seen. it was almost a sacred place as far as Kai was concerned. The Mandalorian in him wanted to cheer that he would get to see it. He quickly squelched it out. not the time, nor the place.

He listened to the questions posed, both by the new face in the crowd, and the legendary Captain Casx. He nodded in agreement about the intel issue. It had cost his men dearly on the previous mission. Many of his men had been lost. He slowed his breath at the thought. He still recited their names every morning as part of an old Mando' tradition. He glanced over at Captain Gal to see if he maybe had some questions to add. The grizzled old Cpt. looked over at him and jerked his head toward the General as if to say, "Well, if you got something to ask... then ask already kid."

Kai inwardly sighed and spoke up, "Sir, Will the armor unit have infantry support in this mission? And is there going to be better intel once we hit planetside in regards to the facility itself?"

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

Dene smiled as the questions poured in;

"Considering your layout of the forces present, the unit leaders will report directly to you, General?" LT Zechs Kel Isen had asked, followed by, "Furthermore, are their any Rules of Engagement or are we on 'clean up' duty, General?"

The General began to speak. "Yes, all ground forces will report directly to me, as for rules of engagement, due to the nature we want to remain on stealth status, guns blazing is not the way, however if we are attacked by these creatures the rules of engagements will become assault basis."


After he had answered the questions Captain Casx stood up. "General, with all due respect, what can we expect upon landing? No surprises unlike the last operation, one those surprises cost me some of my best men, I'm sure you felt some sort of loss? How small of a footprint are going, or want to make? Understandably, I'm sketchy of Intel. Thank you, sir."

"Unfortunately Captain, our intelligence dropped the ball big time on the last op, I do not rely heavy on intel, since they aren't here after all." He smiled. "LT Quinn will be dropping first, so there won't be any surprises for the rest of us, if it all goes as planned LT Quinn and his men will be able to be the surprising unit this time." He took a breath before finisihing off the answer for Casx. "Sadly Captain, loss is not always preventable and yes I did feel loss, this is a scout operation at best, until we know what we have we will continue to scout the planet with the Navy's assistance."

He looked around and spotted Ciunus as he asked the questions. "Sir, Will the armor unit have infantry support in this mission? And is there going to be better intel once we hit planetside in regards to the facility itself?"

"At this moment LT, we will have little armor support, light walkers at best due to the stability of the walkways, everything else just won't fit. We do have infantry accompanying your unit so no worries there. We will have realistic intelligence once we hit ground side."

"One last thing gentlemen, do not underestimate anything, keep your eyes open, and watch each others back." He dismissed the men and began walking out, sensing LT Quinn's need to talk to him, he walked over to the LT. "Anxious Lieutenant?"

Edited by Dene Vye Cognatus, 16 February 2009 - 03:16 PM.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Aurielle watched the video with an almost confused mentality. It had been only a short time since she had been freed from Centerpoint. She had serious doubts about what was going to happen. More specifically, if she was yet strong enough to face the creatures she had just seen. Part of her was anxious to go, though. She had not been permitted on missions after rejecting the dark path as her only option. So this was a large step for her. Aurielle's face held no emotion. She did not display her insecurities for everyone to see. Rather, she appeared calm and collected. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear absently while listening to the questions and answers. She wasn't exactly sure how Ryden felt about this. She turned to him, and he looked normal. But his thoughts showed worry. She nodded to him, very lightly, and he caught the gesture. A signal that she was okay with everything that was happening, or rather about to happen.

~General Cognatus, I am going to retire in my room to meditate before arrival. Please come find me when you are free. Do not rush, it is not urgent.~ Auri sent the private message with Force speak, and motioned to Ryden that it was time to go. He followed her to her personal quarters. Auri knew she'd need all the strength she could get.

[Zechs Kel Isen]

The answers were responded by the General as expected, the General also seemed to express his intention that he wanted to keep casualties to a minimum. If it hadn't been for that, Zechs would have gladly wasted his life and that of his men on this mission, if only to complete the objective. It meant adapting his tactics a little.

Pondering about the events that were to unfold, his eyes glanced at the princess as she left. Grabbing his rifle from the floor, he spoke to his second: "Little girls do not thrive on the field of battle." The Sergeant didn't respond to him, probably knowing all to well where his line of thoughts were heading. Silently the two left the briefing room, heading back to where the men were probably still standing, unless they had found themselves something better to do, like preparing for what was to come.

Again they had to make the journey, this time to the staging area, where all the forces would be gathered prior to deployment.

[Jared Quinn]

Jared finished listening to the general answer and watched everyone file out, he was surprised when General Cognatus approached him after everyone had left. He turned his head to look at the general as he had spoke."Aye sir, along with a bit apprehensive. Alpha team is ready but I'd like to know if we're getting a fighter escort down until we get exit the transport or not. Also curious as to how long my team will be dirtside until the rest of the units descend."

Jared was hoping to get answers since most of this operation was begining to remind him of the clusterfrak that had happened on the station, what made matters worse was they were going to Kamino and didn't have a clue as to what waited for them.

Edited by Jared Quinn, 17 February 2009 - 05:36 PM.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Aurielle was stopped by a comment made out loud by someone she didn't recognize. She turned, eyes narrowed to slits, and watched the man walk out of the room. How dare he make the comment before she cleared the door, let alone hearing range.

Who is he? she asked her handler. He followed her vision, and shrugged. Zechs Isen, some laggie on loan from some grunt position most likely. She did not like him already. Men who assumed that they were superior got on her nerves in general. But then again, she was here by choice. He was here because he had to be. She tried to calm herself, realizing that she was letting a nobody make her skin crawl, and continued to her quarters, wishing to speak to the General even more so. It was one thing for the men to disrespect her as part of the Army. She was new. This was her first assignment. But a man like that making audible comments of someone her age, a Fledgling Knight taken on by the Army General, was definately either asking for trouble, or begging for it.

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

Dene looked at the Second Lieutenant curiously, sensing anger from the Princess for his comment he smirked. "Lieutenant Kel Isen, do keep in mind that is Princess Stratus, you disrespect her, you disrespect me, and I assure you son, you do not want me on your back."

"You will be assigned with 1st Lieutenant Quinn for the remainder of this operation, there won't be any lives wasted on my clock." He watched as the 2nd Lieutenant exited. "Lieutenant Quinn, I know and sense your feelings on this, your going headfirst into an hostile environment, you will have fighter escorts, but the next ground forces to hit hillside will be 9 minutes, we are looking at an forty five minutes for total deployment."

He knew this was going to be a bit rough, Quinn had been on a few missions prior to this but never where he was the only Commander and unit available, there were large creatures out there and he could only imagine the fear of some of his men. He patted the LT on the back and guided him to the door... "One thing Lieutenant, when fear comes knocking, give them one right in the kisser." He grinned. "May the force be with all of us."

Dene walked to Auri's chambers, knocking lightly he walked into her room. What bothers you Princess?

Edited by Dene Vye Cognatus, 17 February 2009 - 08:15 PM.

[Aurielle Stratus]

(OOC: This was roleplayed out by both parties on the IRC. Posted with permission from Dene Cognatus.)

Ryden opened the door, and moved past the General, giving Aurielle her space. Auri looked up, and took a deep breath. "General, are you crazy?"

Dene looked at Auri curiously, "Crazy, about?"

"I am not ready for this." She looked at the case by her bed, with their project inside. She had a loaner saber. While most of her day was filled with training and study, they had worked together on it. Sighing, she looked back at him. "I know I've maid progress. But let's be realistic. Will this get me killed?"

Dene smiled slightly. "You will have to face it eventually Princess, trust me.. I am here to help you, you will overcome it."

"Overcoming fear isn't easy. Is it wise to rush into this?" She would go, and she knew Dene Cognatus knew she'd go. But she was still worried.

"My dear, there is nothing unwise about your situation, you are with me, you cannot be harmed without me sensing it a mile away, do you really want to stay on this ship and prove that LT correct?"

The General hit a nerve, and Auri bit her bottom lip. "How is that iridescent loon a Lieu ..." she stopped herself and took a deep breath. "You're right," she said a few moments later. "It's just hard to place my trust in people now ..."

"I am the only one you need to trust for now Princess, the rest of the men on this ship are here to serve." He reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Aurielle nodded. She was learning a lot with Cognatus. He was also kind and genuine, a trait she had not been used to with Kennedy. He seemed to want to make her not just physically strong, but mentally and emotionally healed. And that was enough. She bowed her head slightly as a sign of respect, then looked back up. "So what's the plan, Sir?"

"First, don't call me Sir." He chuckled. "This mission I think will heal you mentally..."

Auri nodded. She figured he had a plan if he was planning big missions weeks after she gained freedom. "I mean the mission plan, sir. Not my personal plan ... I mean ... General? ..."

"Dene?, we are going to scout the surrounding facilities, infantry will scout it out and report intelligence back to command."

"Dene." she repeated, in a thoughtful voice. "Alright. I think this will be interesting. How long until arrival?"

Dene checked the time "Soon I hope.." He smiled. "How comes your lightsaber."

Auri sighed. The instruction given to her by Dene had been helpful, but the task was difficult, and delicate work. Auri was taking her time, making her piece a part of her. "I am not finished yet. But it is coming along. I am trying to make sure its something to be proud of."

Dene smiled, "I'm sure you will succeed"

"Thank you. I intend to. I can say that if I am able to create the weapon as I envision it, I shall hold a one of a kind piece. Thanks for your help ..." she added quietly.

"Your welcome." He whispered, giving her a smile.

Auri nodded, standing from her position on the floor. She pulled on her utility belt holding a few small blasters and her lightsaber, then fastened a cloak around her shoulders. "I'm ready to follow. Let the work begin."

He grinned "Are you ready?"

Auri nodded.

[John Kelly]

Vice Admiral Kelly stood at the main view port on the bridge reading the details for his part of the mission. He looked up as the Terrors Captain approached. "Sir the last of the Generals troops are on board along with their equipment."

The Admiral smiled and walked towards the crew pit. "Helm come course 180 all ahead full. Comm notify the fleet to break orbit and form up with the Terror and prepare to jump. Navigation plot our Hyperspace jump and distribute to the rest of the fleet. Captain once we are clear of the gravity well have the fleet make the jump."

Within moments the Fleet made its first jump of several jumps to its main destination.

[Zechs Kel Isen]

Even if she didn't take the comment as it was intended, his point was validated by her own response. Snotty little rich girls were no match for the hardships of battle. He had seen too many of them in the past. Girls who thought that the battlefield was just another party ground where you only needed to watch were you were going.

Many men had wasted there lives trying to protect those. Daughters of great men who intentionally made themselves out to be more capable or less susceptible to death and injury then they were in reality. War was no playground, he knew that from experience. His mind questioned the motives the General had for taking her along. Force User or not, stepping into the blazing fury of battle took a certain kind of person and when such a person would cross over there old self was lost for ever. Blood and Misery would be their ally.

Being assigned to LT Quinn didn't change a thing, as such Zechs wasn't bothered by it. The mission and objective wouldn't change due to the change in command. The two of them rounded the corner to the staging area. Adjusting his glasses he spotted the presence of what was still his unit up to this point. They were set to pay the price for going to war.

[Kai'Len Ciunus]

Kai had almost made it out of the briefing room with Cpt Gal when the 2LT spit out his comment. He shook his head slowly and sighed as he continued to walk. With a flick of his head in the man's direction he chuckled softly to Gal, "Is it just me, Sir, or are they getting bolder..."

"Aye kid, wouldn't be my choice of words, but it works i suppose. So.... what is your plan for this little outing?"

"Well, nothing big... which is good, cause I was counting on the field to be too small for any of our larger walkers or tanks. I figure 2 Recon Walkers and an AT-ST in the rear. I'm not planning on testing those old platforms any more than i must."

"Hhmmm... It could work. But this isn't going to be an open air fight like you're thinking. It's all gonna be close. No dirt under your feet, and lots of rain. Your brought out 4 of those Recon cans, right? I'd stick with those instead. That AT-ST might just get in the way."

Kai nodded in thought, finally saying, "Point taken... alright, but that means that only 8 of us are going planetside. Will you be joining us Sir?"

"Nope. My old butt is gonna sit up here and yell in your ear the whole time."

Kai nodded again before snapping a salute and walking into the hangar bay being occupied by the armored unit. He walked over to the Sgt. in charge of overseeing the walkers and told him what they would be using for the mission. The man glanced at him dubiously, but nodded in assent. The LT moved between the ranks of men as they went about their pre-mission shakedowns and selcted the other 7 men that would be going dirtside with him.

He gathered them into a small circle and gave them a cut down briefing, telling them only what was need to know. After that was finished, he made his way to the walkers that they would be using and began the final inspections. It gave him something to do in order to pass the time of space travel. He almost laughed to himself as the thought went through his head : "It's gonna be a long day"

[Kaidlen Shan]

Just before the Terror and the ships accompanying her jumped to lightspeed, a small ship appeared and requested permission to dock. The yatch, known as The Void Echo, had high level clearances that allowed it access to just about anywhere it's pilot chose to go. Not that the pilot used those accesses freely, whenever she wished. That was not the purpose of them after all.
When the Void Echo landed, the boarding ramp lowered down quickly. An armored and armed figure strode down it, with a military trained stride. Pausing at the base of the ramp, the figure removed the electrostaff that was worn on it's back. Giving it a spin, the figure 'scented' the air in a manner that reminded some of a hunting animal trying to scent it's prey. (Think of Vader in A New Hope when he's picking up on Obi-Wan's presence within the Falcon on the Death Star.) With a nod, the dark purple and blue figure strode off, not paying any attention to anyone else within the landing bay.
Heading for the bridge, the figure drew attention of everyone who spotted it. The armor was obviously that of a member of the new Royal Guard. Those few who actually spotted the flash of brighter purple along the right side of the breatplate realised that the figure was none other than the new Commandant of His Majesty's Royal Guard, Colonel Kaidlen Shan. Salutes quickly snapped out, as those who knew who the Colonel was also knew that this woman had the ear of the High Prince. However, the armored woman did not see the salutes, as she was focused on her destination.
Upon arriving on the bridge, the armored Colonel made her way over to Admiral Kelly, and saluted before removing her helmet with one hand.
"Admiral Kelly, it is good to see you again." Kaidlen smiled at the older man. "Can you direct me to where General Cognatus and his troops are? I am here to visit with my sister for a bit, before your mission starts."

[Jared Quinn]

Jared headed down towards the barracks area he and his unit had been assigned then walked into them, he laid everything for those in his unit since it only made sense they knew what he knew; after the briefing he took Thomas aside and both men sat down at a table."This mission feels like a clusterfrak already sir, we don't know what we're walking into and we don't know what will be waiting for us when we are planetside."

Jared looked at the Hapan man and nodded slightly."I know but we are going to prove we deserve the extras we get, remember Thom, this is our first live fire op. We keep our cool and all make it back with our boots on it will look good on us."

Thomas nodded and rubbed his hands together while watching the younger officer, he remembered when he had first met Jared back on Fakir when he was still just a sergeant and quinn was nothing more then a fresh out of the academy second lieutenant."If you say so Jared but all this making my head hurt."

Jared merely grinned at the man who was called One-Eye by the rest of the unit, they both stood and went their seperate ways; Jared headed over to his bunk and sat down on it before dragging over his gear and pulling out the wrist section of his armor before flicking on the holorecorder. He sat there for almost twenty minutes recording before flicking the unit off, he was going to send the message through the comnet after they dropped out of hyper.

[Zechs Kel Isen]

With the forces that had amassed in the belly of the Imperial Republic's mighty vessel, it gave every indication that there would be a very single sided slaughter. With the layout of the planet there was little room for a large amount of units to be placed anywhere. The units that now filled out the staging area where more then enough to wage war on a small scale. Considering many of the units were heavy hitting, Zechs wondered if they were expecting large units rather then militia forces and beasts.

Sitting on one of the present crates with his eyes closed and most of his unit scattered around the same area he waited for the time that they had to go to work. The voices of the men, the sounds of the ship and the vehicles inside it made an odd orchestra. Quietly the Lieutenant listened to it as the time passed by.

[Kaidlen Shan]

(OOC: I've waited over 2 weeks for a responce, so I'm done waiting.)

Kaidlen got the directions she requested and departed off the bridge with a brisk stride. It didn't take her long to locate the staging area, as the Colonel knew her way around the interior of most IR Naval craft. After all, it had been part of her overall training.
It was a scene of controlled chaos that greeted the armored woman. She smiled to herself, as fond memories surfaced. Shifting her helmet under her arm, she spotted a man sitting on a crate, meditating. Or, at least that's what it looked like to her, anyways. The young Colonel approached him, and spotted that he was a low ranking officer. He should be able to help her out.
"Lieutenant, I need some assistance." Kaidlen called out just loud enough to be heard over the noise. "I'm looking for my sister, Princess Auri. Do you have an idea on where I can find her?"
The staff-like weapon in her other hand tipped down to rest against the deckplates.

[Zechs Kel Isen]

As the voice spoke and Zechs' eyes opened, they rested their gaze upon the person that had spoken. Spotting the markings, he jumped down from the crate and saluted. "I'm sure the Princess is with General Cognatus, Colonel. A more accurate location, I am unable to provide you with."

He doubted that the woman standing before him was the actual sister of the princess, they didn't really look alike, however sister could very well have a different meaning altogether. His initial gaze had spotted the staff-like weapon, combined with the coloring of the armor meant that standing in front of him was a member of the Royal Guard. No unit would dear field a staff on the field of battle except a guard, but that wasn't only because their objective was completely different from everybody else. Observing the rank, the person in front of him could very well be their commander.

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

((Sorry guys still no internet but im trying! Kaidlen don't forget we already are in hyper))

"Princess, do you feel you are ready to face the challenges that will come before you this mission?" Dene had sensed that she continued to question herself but he had sensed and forseen her immediate success. Smiling to himself his communit buzzed.

"General Cognatus, we have come out of hyper into an asteroid field, we are taking evasive manuevers to avoid direct hits. Sir, I got a bad feeling about this..." The younger ensign posted at the communication center had reported. Dene sensed fear amongst some of the Navy crew. "Comm, this is General Cognatus, is Admiral Kelly on station? We need to get fighters deployed, keep sensors up and your eyes peeled." The General turned to face Auri.

"Can you sense it? We have visitors." Dene exited Auri's chambers and made way to one of his LT's. "Lieutenant Quinn, we have company, get your men strapped in deployment is imminent." Dene got on his comlink. "All units, prepare for deployment hostiles are imminent."

Dene made his way to the hangar bay. ~Auri, meet me in 5 minutes at alpha ship, hangar 9, area 3~


MOD:

The Terror exited hyperspace to find the system filled with ship wrecks, and an asteroid field. The crew has been placed on high alert and continue to scan the system, General Cognatus sensed an enemy ambush. The Navy has sent out fighter wings to scout the system, the Army prepares for planetary invasion.

[Kaidlen Shan]

(OOC: I've not forgotten. Looks like you have an extra person on this mission, Dene. )

The Colonel returned the salute, as she studied the expressions that crossed the young Lieutenant's face. The first one was doubt, then what she thought might be something similar to respect with a twinge of fear mixed in.
The the announcement rang out over the PA system:
"All units, prepare for deployment hostiles are imminent."
Kaidlen grinned at that.
"Well, looks like I'm going to be sticking around for the battle. Lieutenant, I suggest you get jumping. I'll find my sister on my own."
She gave her helmet a toss, straight upwards, and used the time to sling her electrostaff back across her back. Kaidlen then extended her right hand upwards, and her helmet dropped neatly on it to. Then, with a brisk turn, she strode off, heading away from the Lieutenant.
The Colonel paused, and reached out with her senses, trying to determine where the General and her sister were.