[Ravaged] Gulon Station Run-On

Fiction Updates:

Ravaged - Prologue 1
Ravaged - Prologue 2
Ravaged - Prologue 3
Ravaged - Chapter One

Summary

After a somewhat debatable success on Orion, Tarentum has discovered the location to an ancient space station found in the Mortex Sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Once a satellite project of Darth Vitus, its believe this station has remained untouched since his time and with the nearby stars providing infinite power, but its unclear how time has effected the place. Tarentum, under the recently pulled tight reins of Scion Altera, has come here to discover relics, knowledge, and treasures that has been denied to them by the Dark Crusades; with many rejecting the Iron Throne’s call to Begeren. However, the station’s defences and much more awaits the Tarenti onboard and not every one is sure this is the best move for Tarentum…

Run-On Details

Over the next three weeks, this thread will be home to the Run-On event for the Gulon Station series. At the beginning of each week, a new mission objective will be announced to the House and listed below in this original post. Tarentum members have the following week to complete that objective before a new one is announced and posted. (Much like we did before in the Avenger event that was a prologue to the Dark Crusades - click here to see Tarentum’s team)

Week 1 Objective

• Week 1 will run from June 17th-June 23rd, ending at 11:59pm EST on that day
• Tarentum has gathered in the ISD II Magnus Kaerner and is approaching Gulon Station. Fighters have been launched to scout the station for defences, and their intelligence is expected at any moment
• You, as a member of one of the House’s Battleteams, has been tasked with boarding and securing the station. Each Battleteam has been assigned its own hanger to secure first before new orders are given.
• The House Summit is unsure what resistance you may encounter, but it is likely the station has its own defences powered by the solar panels that line the station’s exterior. Furthermore, this is a satellite project of Darth Vitus and any number of dark experiments or Sith magic could be housed here…

Week 2 Objective

Hi all! I got an email from Raiju saying that he has an emergency in RL he needs to deal with and he missed the deadline for posting the details for Week 2. It just so happens that I had a bit of a SNAFU yesterday as well and was unable to cover for him… so my deepest apologies for this being rushed and lacking in an actual fiction update. Also for pushing the week back by a couple of days. Because the lack of updates was our fault I’m allowing posts from week 1 up until this post, even though the original objective said June 23 was the cut-off.

So with no further ado, here is the new objective for the new week. Enjoy, and good luck!

Week 2 will run from June 25th to July 2nd, ending at 11:59pm EST on that day
Having gained a foothold in the hangar, it is time for each of the assault teams to make their way deeper into the station and attempt to locate the central control room.
The way will not be easy: sensors indicate a number of heavy signals moving within the station. The sensor operator has indicated that the signatures look similar to GXR-5 Sabotage Droids4, but he admits that it is difficult to tell for certain or exactly how many there are. There are many other, smaller signals as well.

While the rest of his team waited aboard the assault shuttle, Farrin Xies, Battleteam Leader of the Jen Kaari, sat silently in the conference room adjoining the Magnus Kaerner’s hanger bay. Eyes closed, he was deep in meditation while he waited on the intelligence from the scouts that had been launched earlier in the day. His friend and former master Hades, as the leader of Tarentum’s other Battleteam, should have been here with him but he wasn’t; Farrin could vaguely feel him through the Force somewhere nearby, doing the dark side only know what.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Farrin refocused on his meditation, only to be interrupted moments later by a young Ensign entering the room. The boyish Ensign saluted smartly, pausing for a moment when the Dark Jedi Knight didn’t return the salute and instead stared him down, emerald eyes glinting with barely-contained annoyance. “M’lord, our scouts have sent back their intelligence on your team’s objective.” The young officer handed Farrin a dented datapad, which the older man immediately began to scan through. “It’s requested you begin your assault on the hanger immediately, m’lor-” With a dismissive wave of his hand and a quick look, Farrin sent the boy away while he continued reading.

After a few minutes’ study, the Jen Kaari leader sighed. It wasn’t going to be an easy fight, but his Quaestor had ordered it and thus it was going to be done. Standing, he threw his cloak around him before striding out of the room and turning toward the shuttle holding his team. With some of the most senior members of Tarentum as a part of Jen Kaari, he was confident in their success. However, no one really knew just what awaited them on the Gulon Station, so it probably wouldn’t do anyone much good to get cocky quite yet.

Kalmah squeezed her eyes shut. Age and corruption carved deep furrows through her pale flesh, their shadowy circuits connecting frown lines to crow’s feet. A palpable emptiness - the vastness of space - balanced the sorceress’ rage as she sat in commune with the Dark Side.

Her endless thirst for greater knowledge - her obsession - was the true motivation for her presence aboard the Magnus Kaerner. All else was pretext. Of course, Kalmah’s peers were not lacking in awareness; they all knew the score. They needed each other. One scheme enabled another.

Kalmah exhaled audibly as she snapped back to life, urged towards the hangar bay by the din of scrambling foxtrots and their units. She gathered her scrolls and instruments, stuffing them into a satchel worn by datapads that didn’t quit fit. It was probably more than she would need - but there was no telling what Vitus had left behind. She would not be denied his dark secrets by a lack of preparation!

Kalmah boarded the shuttle quietly behind the group that woke her, gripping the lock on her bag tightly. She did hope that their forward forces had not expended themselves before securing an entry point…

“-So we’re supposed to slip past whatever defenses are still operational and hop on board the station.” Levathan finished briefing Rax as they and Raiju walked through the Hanger blast doors to their waiting Cargo Shuttle.

Noticing members of Jen Kaari and the Knights of Tau boarding their own shuttles, Rax started towards the KoT Assault Shuttle. Yet stopped and looked back as Raiju called out to him.

“What our smirking Krath here, failed to mention, was that we have our own shuttle. Since we’ve been assigned sample duty and need the extra room. Sure you’re up for this?” Recalling Rax’s recent recovery from the weaponized Kozema.

Still grinning, Levathan added “shouldn’t go so bad this time, since you learned the hard way on Oricon.”

Wake us! Tore through the human Sith’s mind, causing Rax’s go numb and lost his equilibrium for a split second but it was enough for Levathan and Raiju to reach out at once.

“Easy there Rax, there’s no shame in sitting this one out man,” said Raiju softly.

His mind clearing as quickly as it had gone numb, Rax straightened quickly and moved towards the shuttle, “I’m fine; just those meds the droids had me on, just need to get moving.”

Sharing a concerned look with each other, Raiju and Levathan followed the Human in boarding their shuttle.

With the Magnus Kearner holding position well outside any weapons range, the trip to the station took some time. Whilst they flew out of the MK in formation, upon reaching halfway, the Cargo Shuttle slowed allowing the heavier armed and armored Assault Shuttles of Jen Kaari and the Knights of Tau to charge in.
Watching from the cramped cockpit of the Cargo Shuttle, Rax couldn’t help but feel an itch to take over the controls from the Navy Pilot and join his brethren in KoT in assaulting the station.
They we’re still halfway to the station, yet the TIE Defenders that had been sent out to probe the defenses were already on their way back, signaling that turbolasers had been located, but appeared inactive. Nonetheless, they joined up in formation with the closing Assault shuttles and made their way closer.

Levathan could sense that Rax was growing impatient, despite being in the cargo compartment with Raiju, he could only pity the pilots at having an impatient Sith looking over their shoulders.
Sighing, Levathan spoke out “Raiju, something seem off about Rax to you?”
“I-“ Raiju cut off his reply as they both sensed a change in the cockpit.

Quickly getting up and squeezing in, they saw what had triggered the change. The Station’s defenses had suddenly come online, specifically targeting the closing Assault shuttles, with the Jen Kaari shuttle already having taken a couple of hits, one of its engines flaring usually…

Another damn platform, another damn shuttle ride, and more time away from his own studies and running of his county; Anshar could only mentally kick himself. Of course, it wasn't that he was doing anything that would harm Tarentum, or cause any trouble. However, there were plenty in the house that thought Anshar was plotting something. Why else had he created a home guard? Why else had he abruptly stepped down as leader of the Jen Kaari. And what had motivated him to suddenly join the Grand Master's staff? 

All of that was unimportant in the long run, but it simultaneously hid Anshar's own personal goals and fueled speculation. It certainly unsettled some of the Tarentae. Anshar's peers of that highly honored, but largely complacent, group had grilled him over all these things and more. There had not been this much acrimony within the group for some time and, deep down, Anshar believed that the other Tarentae trusted him, but wanted to verify what they thought. Betrayal was an easy thing for any dark sider, regardless of how much they preached fraternity. Almost as a gesture to placate everyone, Anshar found himself cramped aboard the assault shuttle, rocking along with the sudden barrage of turbolaser fire. A few blasts found the aft portion of the vessel; the shields should have held out.

However, the shuttle lurched violently and bucked a few times before the pilot managed to get a handle on the vessel. Still, the passengers could detect a distinct difference in the handling of the shuttle. There had been some damage done. Reaching out with the Force, Anshar could sense the minds of everyone around him: the pilots of the TIE Defenders reversing course to challenge the suddenly awakened station. He could sense the orders flowing on the bridge of the Magnus Kaerner moving the vessel to a protective position. Soon the star destroyer's ion cannons would be joining the fray.

Some disorientation, some panic, and just some general uneasiness filled the occupants of the shuttle, except for Anshar. He was confident that they would make their destination, now just mere minutes away. His confidence stemmed from his visions of what was to come. And that is where the true trials would begin.

Kalmah struggled to brace against the turbulence as the Jen Kaari shuttle sustained another hit. She was rewarded with pain for her efforts, slammed violently against the bulwark. Several of her datapads crashed to the durasteel flooring in the chaos, crushed beneath the flailing bodies of her raiding party or just rendered useless from the impact.

“Perfect,” she thought to herself, grimacing against a nasty headache. Peering through the desperate gesticulations aboard the shuttle, Kalmah observed Anshar’s composure. While Tarentum forces floundered, Anshar’s confidence was simultaneously eerie and inspiring. Wincing and touching her wound, Kalmah reached out to the Dark Side, grasping for the stability and aplomb displayed by the Dark Jedi Master. Her fear, her disappointment, her pain…they would sustain her.

It was against all odds that the assault shuttle survived the battle, turbolasers having thoroughly singed whatever made the hunk of metal fly. It careened almost helplessly through skirmishing fighters and flak, the station’s defenses now drawn to the flagship and it’s other assault units. The Jen Kaari shuttle, at this point, would have been considered “expected.” It seemed that the Force had other plans.

As if guided by some unseen hand, the flaming vessel plummeted wildly into one of Gulon’s many bays, the panicked and anguished screams of it’s passengers a lurid soundtrack to the trauma and violence of the crash landing. A sickening cycle of tumbling and rolling should have tossed the whole of the shuttle’s inhabitants to certain demise, but the craft held true. It was a menacing and gruesome miracle to behold, and became all the more astonishing when Tarentum foxtrots emerged from the wreckage with lightsabers ignited!

“Jen Kaari, fan out!” Farrin roared as his team exited the damaged shuttle, lightsabers drawn and lit. Though he had tried to mirror Anshar’s cool composure aboard the shuttle, he was more than a little jittery. This was his first mission in command of a team in quite some time, and he was concerned he’d make simple mistakes that would cost him or his team dearly.

With Force-aided speed, the Jen Kaari leader sprinted in a blur towards the four battle droids closest to him. Clearly the droids hadn’t been expecting to be immediately rushed and so were slow to react as Farrin’s brilliant silver blade sliced cleanly through their torsos in one fell swoop. His attack did not go unnoticed by the squad of humanoid troopers rushing to enter the hanger bay, however, and one began to open fire on him with a quickly deployed heavy repeater.

The Dark Jedi Knight had just enough time to dive behind a large crate before the the repeater blasts tore through him, though he didn’t get off completely scot-free - one bolt had sliced through his robes, missing his left arm by what was likely centimeters. Temporarily pinned down by the fire, Farrin hoped the rest of Jen Kaari would soon distract the squad firing on his position to allow him to continue the fight.

Kalmah heard Farrin’s command to spread out as if it were miles away, a distant transmission struggling to break through the ringing of her ears. She pushed herself up against the shuttle’s debris, yanking her hand back in seconds from the searing heat that coursed through it. A mild burn dried her flesh almost instantaneously, though it was ultimately a cosmetic affliction. The sorceress was far more concerned about the gear she had brought aboard the shuttle. Now, it was nowhere to be found.

Smoke became thicker as the flames of the wreckage roared higher, threatening to trap her alive. Instinct pushed her through the shuttle’s exit, steps behind the Jen Kaari units. Kalmah had no choice but to leave her belongings; pinned down by sudden fire, salvaging the ship was not going to be possible.

Kalmah, like Farrin, called on the Force to aid her speed, narrowly outrunning blaster bolts to reach one of the Jen Kaari cells. Her sense of the battlefield was poor - she was not accustomed to being on the front lines - and so it was her companions who first stepped out to meet the station’s resistance. Streaks of laser fire and whirring lightsabers provided just enough cover for the Dark Jedi Knight to contribute her skills to the battle.

The heavy, tenor song of the blasts against his position drew Kalmah’s attention to Farrin, some yards across the battlefield. The crates he used for cover began to splinter, drawing closer and closer to uselessness as blaster fire penetrated them. With hardly a second thought, Kalmah began her own assault, gathering the Force and pressing it together into an unseen telekinetic mass. With a scream, she hurled the massive, invisible hammer against the trooper and his cannon, brutally slamming his face into the back of the weapon. The hapless gunman was sent soaring through the hangar like a rag-doll, directly towards Farrin Xies and his silver blade.

The spectacle quickly drew attention to Kalmah’s position, and it wasn’t long before her Force-wrought barrier began to wear down. She drew her lightsaber, deflecting blaster fire with frenzied acrobatics. Her body began to tire under the strain, and she raced against the enemy as they began to fall, one by one…

Anshar seemed to glide through the battle, both of his lightsabers out and forming a defensive perimeter that the blaster bolts simply could not penetrate. The Force once again was Anshar's ally, perhaps even more so than before. Of course, with so many targets, the defenders were as equally scattered in their own attack. Still, the presentation of biological enemies did seem a bit surprising. Anshar had expected some biological beings; after all, even droids could not completely maintain themselves and each other. Seeing a somewhat motley bunch of would be soldiers left Anshar puzzled, but unnerved. They were not professionals.

Steadily, the defenders of the hangar were worn down, many of them destroyed or killed outright. As the last few blaster shots rang out, Anshar glanced around at the others. None seemed to be injured, at least not severely; their clothing was bit worse for wear, but it would still suffice. Farrin was bending down over one of the biological enemies who still seemed to have some life left in him. The numerous puncture wounds in his torso, however, indicated that the rest of his life would be rather short. 

“Why are you here?” asked Farrin. “What are you defending?”

“For generations. . . guarded this-” wheezed the dying man, “-place. Until the master returns.”

“Who is the master?” demanded Farrin.

“-will – know – him -when we- see him,” struggled the man. Though he could barely talk, all present could detect the tattered resistance, the outright defiance. He would be of no use, certainly not this close to death. Farrin stood up, leaving the man to his fate. 
“Alright, team, we need to get control of this thing. Let's move out- stay close and be ready,” he instructed. Slamming his fist against the control panel, the door leading to the rest of the station opened up and the team began to enter.

Anshar, however, did not move immediately. This soldier had said that they had guarded this station for generations. His weapons and armor certainly indicated that was the truth. It was ancient, probably having been passed down through generations. The blaster was a little newer, but still a few decades old. So, the station did get support someone, or at least had at one time. Clearing his mind, Anshar followed the rest of the Jen Kaari out of the hangar and into the main corridor. What awaited them was unknown, but soon to be discovered. A path would have to be cleared for the team to get to their objective and to get answers.And Anshar would clear a path to get to his own answers, if they were indeed on this station.

(OOC: Thanks Anshar, my birthday was on the first and so I’ve been out of pocket and unable to post)

The white blade of Farrin’s lightsaber sliced cleanly through the last of the droids that had attacked the Jen Kaari and, after a quick survey of the room, the Battleteam Leader disengaged the weapon. As he turned to address his team, the small comlink in his ear chirped in alert.

“This is Jen Kaari Lead, go ahead.”

“Sensor Lead. M’lord, we have three large signatures reading active one hundred meters from your position, I believe in the next room. I’m fairly confident they’re the sabotage droids we alerted you to earlier.”

“Received and thank you, Sensors. Jen Kaari Lead out.”

Grinning, Farrin gripped his lightsaber tighter in a mixture excitement and slight unease as he addressed his team. “Jen Kaari, looks like we’re going to have a real fight in the next room. Three of those big droids - the sabotage droids we were briefed on. If they’re guarding the next room, they’re probably sitting on top of something we really want. I want someone to take point with me. I’m going to go left and they can go right - we’ll try to flank them.”

The Dark Jedi Knight stood expectantly, waiting on a volunteer.

Kalmah listened intently to Farrin’s communications, lending a suspicious eye to the open surroundings of the hangar bay. Where were reinforcements? Something didn’t add up. She waited, impatiently…

…but nothing happened. Nobody came. All remained still. It was a stark, eerie rest in the string of sharp crescendos that marked their journey here. Farrin made the call to move on to the next objective.

Surprisingly, it was Kalmah who stepped forward, an ashen hand cradling the bizarre handle of her lightsaber. She met Farrin’s eyes and nodded grimly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Her anxiety was not a fear of death, but anticipation of the unknown. If those droids were protecting something valuable, she wanted to be the first one in the door! She reeled her imagination in, suppressing day dreams of ancient Sith magic and lore. There was no telling what the ancient Dark Lord had left behind; generations of faithful guards had to have been compelled by something. What were they protecting?

“Let us go,” she insisted, the raw tenor of her voice a haunting siren for an advancing army. She gathered the Force close to her, prepared to react swiftly to any immediate threats. Her dastardly mind games and biological attacks would be useless against machines.

Which reminded her - she was getting hungry. She could only hope to run afoul of some cult of Vitus’ acolytes.

“On your orders, Sir,” Kalmah remarked, grudgingly. She despised the military chain of command, the faux-meritocracy-oligarchy that all the clans had become. The only sovereign she recognized was the Dark Side. She would bare it’s tendrils and lead it through this station once again. It would meet itself, and she would be rewarded for the completion of the cycle…

Farrin could hardly suppress a grin as he smashed the repair droid hard into the steel bulkhead, and likely would have made some quip about it had he not rounded the corner and seen what lie before them. So far, he had not made contact with any of the huge droids that had been reported in this vast expanse of a storage room, and so his half of Jen Kaari had spent the last five or ten minutes slinking from huge storage crate to storage crate, looking, only finding the odd repair droid here and there. Finally, they had found it.

With a start, Farrin realized that there were actually two of the sabotage droids in a large open space amidst the crates, but one was on the ground with a repair droid tending to it. The Battleteam Leader turned to his half of the team, and nodded at them. “It’s time.”

Stepping out from behind the crate they had hidden by, Farrin lit his lightsaber. Pausing for the briefest of moments to focus himself, he then dashed out towards the two droids. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kalmah peek her head out from behind a crate as well - hopefully she had brought the rest of the team.