Vizsla Run On

DeclanRoark

Primary Theater: Lyra Colony

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE : Explore the ancient temple ruins, and secure its secrets and artifacts.

SITUATION : The Brotherhood had been granted access to the ruins beneath Lyra Colony prior to the diplomatic mission to Lyra, but only a handful of Imperial Reclamation Service personnel had made planetfall before the Collective attack framing the Brotherhood as aggressors. Their communications have been completely cut-off, and their fate remains unknown. Meanwhile, the Collective has ‘come to the aid’ of the Principate, and now have a heavy presence in the area of Lyra Colony having deployed companies of Jedi Hunters, Mercenaries, and Fanatics at the only known entrance to the ruins. They are likely to employ the same suicide tactics used elsewhere to frame the Brotherhood. Early transmissions from the IRS unit before comms went down mentioned an artifact, quite similar to the Technocratic Artifact recovered from Meridian station, had been discovered in the Ordu Aspectu temple deep inside the ruins and moved off-world by the Principate. Nonetheless, IRS believes the temple ruins contain impressive knowledge. With the Collective now moving into the ruins themselves, that knowledge will be pillaged and lost should they reach it. Moreover, the Collective has been galvanizing residents of Lyra Colony on the surface against Force users and the Brotherhood, making for a volatile situation on the streets.

Member Participant Snapshots

Links and Resources

Vizsla Clan Fleet: https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/units/vizsla/possessions
Vizsla Home Planet: https://wiki.darkjedibrotherhood.com/view/Zsoldos

DeclanRoark

Realspace
Lyra-3K-a System
Mid Rim Territories
Essaga Sector

Nine Kom’rk-class fighters slipped from hyperspace in a diamond formation designed to obfuscate their arrival within the Lyra-3K-a system. To the naked eye, the formation appeared to be a blurred portion of space. The effect was enhanced by blackout paint, low powered engines, and the absence of friend or foe identification.

The stealth-like formation approached the interior of the system at low sublight speed before fragmenting into three separate flights of three. Each flight moved with precision and assumed precoordinated approaches toward the Lyra Colony, Moon of Thillon, and the Thuvis Imperial Shipyards.

The Lyra Colony’s lead assault ship, Shriek Hawk, engaged the maximum power of its sublight engines sacrificing its initial stealth approach for speed. The ship’s droid pilot, Rekan 1-75, stoically pushed the fighter in a downward spiral into the moon’s atmosphere. Red and orange flames dominated the Shriek Hawk’s forward viewport until the shuttle broke the Colony’s atmosphere with a sonic boom.

Remaining beyond the speed of sound, Rekan 1-75 dropped the assault ship to nap-of-the-moon and skimmed the lush jungle canopy. The Shriek Hawk’s underbelly scraped foliage as it executed a Corellian-drift, turning a complete 180 degrees, before engaging its repulsorlight engines and descending to a jungle landing zone.

The Shriek Hawk’s wings transitioned into an upright position as its exit hatch hissed with the release of pressurized gas. Hand selected elements of Clan Vizsla’s 1st Strike Group disgorged the shuttle’s ramp carrying the equipment of a tactical command post. The Special Mission soldiers moved with precision, establishing communication nodes connected to the Shriek Hawk’s electronic warfare suite.

Declan Roark, flanked by Idris Adenn and Rulvak Qurroc, descended the Kom’rk’s ramp and took their first steps upon the Lyra Colony’s surface. The military strategist Colonel Arcia Cortel trailed the three men, her analytical mind surveying the rudimentary landing zone and judging it adequate for their purposes.

“Mr. Adenn, you have thirty minutes to establish our common operating picture. I want access to the Brotherhood’s Inquisitorious network, positioning of VIP overwatch with the Grand Master’s Royal Guard, and I would be extremely pleased if we knew what the Shroud Syndicate was planning on stealing from the Principate.”

“On it boss,” Idris said as he nodded towards the nearest Special Mission soldier establishing a communication node. The soldier returned the Mandalorian’s gaze with a proficient nod.

“Boss, they are ready for the INQ codes,” Idris said with a slight hint of pride and arrogance at the fact his troops were already ahead of the game.

“X-ray, Lima, Yankee, Oscar, Niner, Fife.”

The Special Mission soldier typed the code into his computer station and watched as it ran through countless algorithms before granting access.

“Grand Inquisitor access granted. We have access to the Advanced Inquisitorius Network and are in the Dark Brotherhood’s systems.”

“Mr. Adenn, you have 28 minutes to establish our remaining networks with the GMRG and Shroud Syndicate. I’d like to know where the Dark Council is on the battlefield.”

“Aye boss,” Adenn responded with a slight smirk knowing Roark was impressed but would never show it.

“Mr. Qurroc, if you would please see to our LZ’s security and the camouflaging of this command post. I’d like to be off the grid as much as possible. Mr. Tydex and Mr. Wight can see to the details.”

The Sephi, contrary to his reputation and desire to work alone, nodded his head in deference to Vizsla’s scion. Rulvak knew that Roark intended to unleash hell on Lyra and knew the initial stages were a necessary evil for the events to come.

“Excellent work,” Roark said to no one and everyone before turning to his communications specialist.

“Get me on the line with the other assault groups.”

KalanAmak

Vizsla Red Team
Thuvis Shipyards
Lyra-3K-a System
Moments Later

The comms system sparked to life. Val Cole moved to the radio operator (RTO) and kneeled next to the squawking box.

“Where’s the holo feed?” Val barked.

“Holo projector isn’t working, sir. Someone forgot to pack the extra lenses,” the RTO rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t my job to pack them.”

“It’s your job to make sure I can communicate,” Val snapped. “Figure out a solution.”

The RTO grunted in acknowledgment and moved aside as Cole knelt down and pressed a switch on the comms device.

“Vizsla X-Ray, Vizsla Red, over.”

The device cracked and squawked, and then Declan Roark’s voice came over the speakers. “Viszla Red, Vizsla X-Ray. Report.”

“Red team is in position on Thuvis. Drydock #3. Nothing here except a couple cruisers and old TIE Fighter parts. Command post established. We have no holo connectivity, only voice. Red Teams One and Four are securing the perimeter of the dock. Team Two is manning the CP. Team Three is preparing equipment for follow-on patrols. Diversion number one is in play.”

“Excellent,” Roark’s voice barked over the radio static.

“Once you have established the connection, set up a link between your system and the main team on Lyra. The more we know about what we are dealing with the better. Stay focused on the primary objective Mr. Cole. Take advantage of any opportunities to enact Diversion One. And Cole, don’t screw this up.”

“Acknowledged, Mr. Roark.” Cole replied.

“Until you have something, maintain stealth and radio silence. Vizsla X-Ray, out.” The communications box went silent. “Get Mr. Amak, Mr. Zoran, Mr. Kang, and Mr. Ricmore over here now.”

The RTO grabbed his rifle and left. Cole opened his strike bag and pulled out a small holomap and switched it on. Immediately a projection of the Thuvis Shipyard blossomed in front of him like a large blue and white flower, illuminating the black of his T-shaped visor. Across the map, small dots appeared, indicating the projected locations of Principate and Collective forces, and known network connections. Cole zoomed in and out of the projection, searching for a network node that appeared unguarded. Stealth was key, and Cole knew he could not risk detection. The Lyran government believed the Brotherhood was behind the assault on the system, it would be unwise for any member of the Brotherhood to be seen hacking into a potential ally’s network while forces were laying siege to their system.

At last, he found what he was looking for. The main central network hub and two unguarded network access points.

As Cole came to this realization, four men clad in armor approached. Kalan Amak, Kenath Zoran, Raiju Kang, and Hector Ricmore kneeled in a circle around the map, waiting on Cole’s orders.

“Gentlemen,” Cole began. “This station is heavily guarded. Principate and Collective forces are located in the active portions of the station, with a few roving Principate patrols operating near the central hub. We won’t have a clear shot at the main computer, so we’re going to have to hack into an alternate node. These two,” Val indicated two points on opposite sides of the station, “are relatively unsecured. I don’t know if these are Principate or Collective patrols. Either way, we need to avoid them. The last thing we need is to be seen doing what we are here to do.”

Kalan Amak removed his helmet. “So, what’s the plan boss?”

“Two separate teams will move to each location and attempt to network access points. Focus on finding out who is behind the assault on Lyra. Strengths. Weaknesses. Mr. Kang,” Val indicated a position on the quadrant farthest from the team’s current position, “You will lead Red Team Three to this position.”

Raiju turned his gaze to Val. “If we meet resistance?”

“If you take contact, shoot to kill. Hide the bodies so no other patrol notices them. We can’t allow any alarms.”

“Mr. Zoron, you will lead Red Team Four. Same mission, different objective,” Val pointed to the network node that was nearest to the team’s position. “Contact seems unlikely here, but be vigilant.”

“Mr. Ricmore, your team will man the command post. Monitor both fireteams movements and provide realtime updates to Zoron and Raiju. Keep comms chatter to a minimum, and do not contact Vizsla X-Ray until I tell you to.”

Hector Ricmore was clearly displeased with his assignment. “So I’m stuck here guarding the command post while everyone else goes off in search of fame and glory?”

“You’ll have plenty of opportunities for fame and glory, Ricmore. Trust me.”

Ricmore grabbed his rifle and slouched back to the command post.

“And what about me, Mr. Cole?” Kalan asked.

“We are going to cause a little mayhem, my friend,” Val said. “You and I are going to render this station’s network hub useless once the two patrol teams have completed their job. Have Red Team One ready to go in the next 10 minutes.”

Kalan Amak stared at Val. “I thought we were supposed to maintain stealth?”

“Oh, we will. We’ll be overwatching the central hub. When the teams report success, we’re going to drop an EMP and a few thermal detonators and then move back to the command post. If we time it right, we’ll be long gone before anyone can figure out we are the ones who did it. Just have to find a way to funnel a Collective patrol to the central hub right as we deliver our package. That’s where Ricmore will come in. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Kalan stared at Val. “You’re going to use him as bait?”

“He can handle himself. He wants glory? He’ll get it.”

Kalan grabbed his helmet and put it back on his head. “I hope you know what you are doing, Cole.”

Val grabbed his helmet and spun it in his hands before placing it on his head.

“Absolutely. I’m about to have a little fun.”

Rajhin

Temnos Excations Co., Alternate Docking Site
Moon of Thillon
Lyra-3K-a System
Moments Later

Declan’s gruff voice came over Rajhin’s personal comlink, ’“Vizsla Gold this is Vizsla X-ray, come in over.”

Finally, the Togorian thought as he keyed up the device to respond. He preferred working alone to as part of a large military operation but he still remembered his years of Obelisk training. “Vizsla X-ray, this is Vizsla Gold, send it.”

“Vizsla Gold, what’s your status?” Declan inquired curtly. He was all about business, which was something Rajhin could appreciate.

“Gold team is in position and ready to commence operation.”

“Vizsla Gold, you are clear to commence operations. Maintain radio silence until mission complete or emergency evac is required. X-ray out.”

Rajhin put his communicator back on his belt. He wasn’t sure how he was chosen as a team leader as a relative newcomer to the clan but this mission was an admittedly low priority. Secure the moon’s kyber crystals or prevent anyone else from taking them and keep as many Collective forces committed to the moon as possible. In other words, a massive diversion. The Shroud syndicate had recently updated their standing bounty on Collective officers, so there would be lucrative targets of opportunity but the overall mission was to make as much noise as possible with minimal Vizsla manpower.

Farrin Xies popped the door to his shuttle Irena which he had allowed the team to use in this mission for a considerable fee. Rajhin knew little of the human, save he was another Force user and whispers of his former career in the Brotherhood. How and why the Tarentae ended up working with Vizsla wasn’t the Torogarian’s concern.

Next off the ramp was Tybalt Softpaw, a fellow Togorgian Rajhin had more or less taken under his wing in recent months. Tybalt’s reluctance to fight was matched only by his raw strength and medical skills. Tybs was useful to have around when he wasn’t distracted. Tybalt stretched out once free of the cramped confines of the human-proportioned shuttle hold.
Last off the shuttle was Kanal O’neill, another human Raj knew little about but seemed well armed and carried himself as one capable in a fight. O’neill donned full Mandalorian armor with dual pistols and the infamous Mandalorian vambraces that could vex even Force users.

The Cathar Akhera Nol was already on the moon’s surface and would meet up with them mid-mission, supposedly with some “backup” she recruited from another clan. That rounded out gold team; Raj, Farrin, Tybalt, Kanal, Akhera and whomever Akhera recruited. That small group had to pin down an entire Collective battalion and prevent anyone from leaving with the kyber crystals. Why couldn’t all jobs be this easy?

AppiusWight

Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System
Lyra Colony Landing Zone
Moments later

“Wight, Tydex, with me, now.”

Ruvlak stated his orders to the two men and pulled them from their current duties unloading equipment from one of the other Kom’rk-class fighters that landed with the Shriek Hawk. Communication arrays, jammers and weaponry were just a few of the crates that were being unloaded though it was incredibly clear from the tone of Ruvlak’s voice that he wasn’t particularly happy about being ordered to work in a group.

The two men followed the male Sephi for approximately six minutes, neither saying a word before he finally turned and revealed their orders.

“Roark wants us to deal with our security and camouflage.”

“Wait, what do you mean by… deal with?” It was Appius who spoke as all of a sudden as a terrifying feeling overcame him. Was it the Force telling him something of what was to come?

However, it was Kano Tor Tydex who responded to him, though any facial expression was unclear through his T shaped Mandalorian Visor.

“Camo nets, heat dampeners and stuff like that I take it?” Kano retorted sarcastically.

“Exactly, inform the soldiers to set up posts around the area and scout the nearby forests.”

It was at that moment when he finished speaking that Ruvlak’s immediate attention was drawn to the nearby forest.

“We’ve been found.”

He connected to the Force and it had told him of a nearby Principate patrol that had come across upon their location having heard them landing. Instantly he bent the Force to his will and disappeared from sight before the patrol caught sight of them.

Seven soldiers stepped through the trees, their sights and weapons set on Kano and Appius. One man stepped forward and addressed the two Vizsla members in front of him.

“Hey! Who are you? What is your business here?”

Kano stepped forward and threw his arms up peacefully. His body language looked like he was coming in peace, until with great speed he unholstered his WESTAR-35 Blaster Pistol with his right hand, aimed it between the eyes of the man in front of him and pulled the trigger. Blood spluttered in the air as the leader of this Principate patrol dropped dead in an instant. Alarming not only the man’s troops behind him, but Appius too.

They stood in front of them and remained frozen for a moment by the fact that their leader was shot in front of them, but after a moment one of the younger members of the seven man squad steeled himself and tried to rally them together.

“Kill them! Don’t let them get away with this!”

But just as he yelled those exact words his heart appeared in front of his chest, presented on a Vibrosword named Surrender by its master.

It was Ruvlak. He revealed himself from the shadows and had struck the young man with such intensity through his heart it penetrated through his muscle and bone and left his body entirely. Ruvlak could feel the Force warning him of the danger around him. But before he could react Kano had launched himself into the air with his jetpack and began to unleash a flurry of blaster fire from the air. The combination of Ruvlak’s swift strikes from his mastery of the Shadow Step martial art form and Tydex’s airborne assault was more than enough to make quick work of these foes those two considered little more than pests.

All Appius could do was watch. Perturbed and disturbed by the ease at which they committed their massacre.

After all was said and done, seven bodies lay motionless on the ground completely void of life, the sight of their mangled corpses would have made anyone sick to their core. Kano landed next to Appius and Ruvlak approached him, seeming almost angry at the Mercenary.

“Those were my kills, Tydex.”

The weapons specialist merely shrugged his shoulders, seemingly nonchalant at the Sith Shadow’s complaint.

“You should have said so then.”

That was Kano’s retort and the two men had a stand-off with each other. Ruvlak’s bloodthirstiness was obvious in his facial expression though with Kano it was impossible to tell his reaction through his helmet.

Ruvlak then turned to Appius. Having just remembered he was even here.

“You. I didn’t see you willing to get involved, Jedi. You better not hinder this mission or you will answer to me personally.”

The threat was evident in his voice. But before Appius could respond he felt the Force warn him of an imminent danger to them. One of the Principate patrol members had survived the attack and had slowly reached for their blaster whilst prone. Their sights were trained onto Kano but before he could shoot he writhed in agony as electricity coursed through his body, stopping his heart and killing him in moments.

Appius had acted on instinct and had saved his comrade. Ruvlak then addressed him to voice his approval.

“Much better. You two clean up this mess and scout the forest. I’m going to tell Roark and Adenn that this landing zone is secure. Oh and don’t forget to camouflage us. We brought all the necessary equipment.”

The two men began first with their clean up duties before finishing their main objective as Ruvlak returned to the presence of Declan Roark and Idris Adenn.

“Mr. Qurroc, I trust the landing zone is secure and off the grid?” Spoke Roark, the Clan Vizsla leader completely unperturbed at the blood adorning Ruvlak’s robes at this moment.

“It is. Wight and Tydex are just finishing up and will be with us shortly.” The male Sephi responded.

“Excellent, in that case be ready.” It wasn’t obvious but it looked like a small smile creeped up onto his face.

“It’s time we make our move towards the temple.”

VonRicmore

Clan Vizsla Command Post
Thuvis Shipyards
Lyra-3K-a System
5 Minutes Later

Utterly inconceivable. Not even 10 minutes ago the Zygerrian known as Hector Ricmore could barely sit still from excitement, it was time for his first mission alongside the newly formed Clan Vizsla. Hector couldn’t wait for this chance to prove himself and the opportunity to create a story worth writing about to his family later. But of course, fate decided to intervene. Fracking. Monitor. Duty.

Of all the assignments Hector could have received, naturally he received one away from the fighting. He was a pilot and a medic, specialized in fixing machines and fixing people. So of course they stuck him behind a computer screen.

The Zygerrian gave a growl of frustration. His armored boot began to Thud upon the floor as he gazed restlessly upon the collection of holo-terminals within the Command Post. The room was deathly quiet, the occasional relay of an order and the tapping of the armored boot were the only sounds to breach the silence.

Hector was desperate for anything to break the monotony. He needed to keep himself busy somehow. Bolting upward from his chair, he pointed his gauntleted finger at the armored figure beside him. “You there, trooper. You’re in charge until I get back.”

The trooper was visibly taken aback. “But sir, we have express orders to defend this area.”

“We will defend the Command Post. I assure you that I am more than capable of that action without being stuck in the same room. Besides, there is still plenty to do before this place is up and running.”

“Nothing I say will sway you sir?”

“Absolutely not. There is far too much to do for me to be sitting around waiting for the action to happen.”

The trooper sighed, “I suppose you better get going than. I’ll keep things running until you return.”

“Wonderful!” Hector stated elatedly. “I knew I could count on you.”

The feline turned away from the trooper and began the long walk out of the base.

In his abrupt departure he missed the trooper’s muttered “I don’t get paid enough for this.”

Voden

Temnos Excavations Co., Alternate Docking Site
Moon of Thillon
Lyra-3K-a System
Irena, En-route to the Moon of Thillon
15 minutes before landing…

Voden had read the dossier of everyone on his team. He was going to be deep in enemy territory with them after all. His consensus? They would do, in a pinch. War didn’t exactly give you the privilege of being choosy. Clan Vizsla forces were fighting on multiple fronts, their forces stretched amongst multiple theaters and somehow some decisions had to have been made. He didn’t envy those people, he knew he couldn’t do it, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t complain – and loudly.

“What is a kyber crystal anyway? What’s it good for? It almost feels like we’re just the detached arm gettin’ thrown off to the pack of rabid kath hounds. Like really, what’s the point?” Voden protested in between shoveling handfuls of popcorn in his mouth. He looked around at the rest of the team who seemed to have resigned themselves to not acknowledging his incessant pouting. “Okay, I know they’re lightsaber crystals, but what’s the significance?”

No answers, but that didn’t bother Voden anyway. He knew how to distract himself when everyone else was too busy staring out a viewport like they were in one of those bad highschool dramas. Suddenly a voice yelled out, “We’re docking now, prepare yourselves.”

Voden sat up straight as a familiar feeling returned. It coursed through him as the pure unadulterated excitement of what was about to happen next spurred him. The debriefings, myriads of intel reports, even the shuttle rides, sure, they were all fun. Nothing could top the exhilaration of an op like this though.

He checked his hidden blade bracer, flicking his wrist to eject the blade from its recessed chamber. With another flourish the blade retreated from view, back into its cubby. He picked up his lightsaber and went to ignite the blade but thought better of it. He knew some people could get jumpy pre-combat and he wasn’t trying to test his luck.

Moments Later on Thillon

Voden stepped onto the surface and glanced at each of his teammates in turn. He didn’t know a single one and so far no one had even said a single word to him let alone even glanced his way. It didn’t matter though. They were here to do a job and a Mandalorian bounty hunter with his kind of experience knew how to be professional. At the end of the day, it really was just another job.

IdrisAdenn

Lyra Colony Landing Site
Eorillia’s Moon
Lyra-3K-a system

The core members of Clan Vizsla stood huddled around their leader, Declan Roark. While the Special Mission soldiers kept busy in finalizing the quickly establish command post, Declan took the opportunity to provide one last rehash of their part of the mission.

“Play it smart,” Declan started off.

“That might be hard for some of us,” Idris quipped giving a quick glance to Rulvak while slapping Appius Wight on the shoulder. Idris’ continued attempts at friendly banter did little to sway to companions.

“Our scouts are in position. There is Collective activity at the entrance here,” Declan continued. He pointed at a holomap of the area and the only known entrance to the ruins. “It won’t do us, or the other teams any favors if you all die here. Colonel Cortel will keep you updated as needed as this plays out.”

The Colonel remained impossibly still with impeccable posture at the mention of her name.

“There are a lot of moving parts in this plan. I would recommend not messing around there,” she said. One of the Special Missions soldiers pulled her aside for a moment with an update of information from the scouts.

“Mr. Adenn, Mr. Qurroc. I trust the two of you are capable of working well enough together to get this done,” Roark said while Arcia was talking with the soldier. Idris nodded with gusto while Rulvak grinded his teeth for a moment before nodding in the affirmative.

“A team of Collective forces just departed into the ruins. They will have a good lead on you,” Arcia stated as she turned back to the team.

“I could give a good lead on you and do some of that messing around you were talking about,” Idris said. Arcia’s eyes narrowed and she gave a slight smirk.

“Stay on task Adenn,” she said.

Idris decided it was better to shelve that particular train of thought for the time being and slide his crimson helmet on his head. Appius and Kano both let out giggles before suppressing their laughter.

“By the time you reach the entrance we should have more specifics on the Collective forces guarding the ruins. At present, it appears that the Collective has sent most of their forces there into the ruins,” Cortel continued.

“And are you assisting with the asset retrieval? Or at least going to tell us what it is?” Rulvak asked looking at their leader.

“I’ve got… my own things to accomplish here. You will know what it is when the time comes. Get going so we can make a mountain of credits,” Roark responded. “Dismissed.”

The group gave a quick salute before turning away to face the dense darkness of the jungle.

Rulvak, Idris, Appius, and Kano all took a deep breath before gesturing to the Special Mission soldiers to fall in behind them. They moved quickly and with purpose through the trees. There was no talking while they made their way to the ruins, just a focused determination to get there and get the job done.

ValCole

Vizsla Red Team
Thuvis Shipyards
Lyra-3K-a System

Over the past hour Val and Kalan had slowly made their way across the abandoned shipyard. Scattered debris and hulls of aged starships provided more than enough cover for the two veteran mercenaries to move undetected.

Pausing in the hulk of a freighter the pair moved forward to a position about five meters back from the cockpit. Through the broken glass of the bridge they had a clear view of the building housing the network hub, from the looks of it they were still about three kilometers from the target. Outside another Principate patrol passed by, as the two hid behind the pilot and co-pilot chairs.

After a few moments Cole motioned to Kalan, “Can you get a view on the top of the network hub? We need a solid overwatch position, preferably something that gives us a line of sight to the main server room.”

Kalan scanned the roof with the enhanced optics in his helmet. There was some damage on the left side from a recent attack by the Brotherhood impersonators, but nothing significant. The rest of the roof appeared intact. There had to be some kind of entry point they could exploit. After all, knocking on the front door wasn’t really an option if Declan’s plan was going to work.

Turning back to Cole he responded, “Nothing I can spot from here boss, maybe we work our way to the far side and can get eyes on something there.”

The Proconsul nodded and motioned for the pair to move to the next piece of cover.

KanalOneill

Temnos Excavations Co., Alternate Docking Site

Moon of Thillon

Lyra-3K-a System

Vizsla Gold group was crouched behind a couple of storage crates which had not made their way into the mining facility yet. Kanal peeked over top one of the crates and initialized the scanner built into his helmet to take a count of the marks they had to deal with. The scanner beeped as it locked onto each different heat signature in the area.

He whispered to the group through his helmet communicator, “Guys, there are a total of seven heat signatures near the entrance.” Kanal continued, “two of them are making patrol rounds while the others are standing around in a defensive formation. There are also two Collective Scout Mechs in the area.” Kanal finished.

“What do you think our plan of attack should be?” Rajhin questioned Kanal.

Kanal took a second to assess the information as he saw it. Based on the limited firepower, manpower, ranged weapons and explosives that the group had available to them, Kanal made his decision.

“Well boss, we aren’t exactly an army, and I don’t know how you Sith and Jedi handle situations like this; however, we have the element of surprise and a sniper rifle.” Kanal explained as he eyed Tybalt’s IQA-11 Sniper Rifle.

Tybalt looked down at the rifle in his hand and squeezed it a little bit, clearly comfortable with the rifle. The Togorian looked up into the Mandalorian’s helmet visor, and he knew the man’s eyes were staring into his own with the expectation of action. “I think he is onto something here. I can take out a few of them before they know what hit them, and then we just need to take care of the rest of them.” Tybalt finished.

“Anyone else have a better idea?” Rajhin inquired. Seeing no one else was making a move to look at the situation any further, he decided that the plan was sound enough. “Alright Tybs, you’re up. Make the shots count.”

Tybalt turned around and placed the rifle atop the cargo container he was sitting behind. The young man was taking aim at some of the worst enemies the Brotherhood had faced in recent years. He looked through the scope on his rifle and took a look around at the Collective Forces before him. He scanned from side to side, just looking for the best target to attack first. As he looked around at his targets, he found the one he wanted. The Raider took aim and squeezed the trigger ever so slightly.

Kanal watched as the Collective Forces were thrown into the air by a huge explosion that rocked the facility. The two mechs were enveloped in flames which resulted in secondary explosions that lit the sky. The entrance to the mining facility had also been blown open causing sparks to fly from the exposed electrical wires.

“Umm Tybalt?” Kanal looked at the Togorian. “Well that’s one way to cause a distraction and wipe out a group of the Collective Forces. The fuel tank was a nice idea. So glad you didn’t blow up half the moon with the potential of Kyber Crystals in the area.”

KanoTorTydex

Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System
Lyra Colony Landing Zone

The scene that erupted just outside of the entrance to the ruins was something Kano would only describe as organized chaos. The members of Clan Vizsla moved quickly on the Collective soldiers with the Vizsla Special Mission Soldiers laying down coverfire.

Kano used his Z-6 jetpack to get a birds eye view of the action and rain down crimson red bolts from his Westar-35 in his right hand and his Westar-34 in his left.

Less than 2 minutes passed while the Mandalorian was in the air and in that quick time he watched as his weapons burned holes into enemy faces causing the back sides of their heads to burst.

Each body that hit the ground Kano saw as a potential paycheck. During the quick assault to gain access into the ruins he didn’t even take notice of his fellow clansmen. They could take care of themselves. If not then maybe a few months of healing will teach them a valuable lesson for any future missions.

As the thrusters from the jetpack shutdown and Kano’s boots connected with the ground he holstered his blaster pistols and pulled his Westar M-5 from its resting place next to his jetpack.

The Mercenary dropped to a knee and shouldered his weapon. As he scanned the area for more enemies he saw Rulvak, Idris, and Appius dispatching those closest to them.

The sounds of blaster fire died down as the number of Collective forces dwindled. The battle with the group had taken all of 5 minutes with no casualties or injuries reported for Clan Vizsla.

Kano radioed back to base informing them that they had eliminated a collective force guarding the entrance to the ruins and letting them know the mission was moving forward.

KenathZoron

Vizsla Red Team Four
Thuvis Shipyards
Lyra-3K-a System

Zoron posted up behind a dilapidated shell of a cleaner droid a dozen yards short of the darkened intersection, wincing slightly at the crunching sounds from his heavy armoured boots. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t be perfectly silent on the metal decking and he was worried that the noise would draw enemy attention sooner than later. He just hoped that he could make it to the network node beforehand.

He scanned ahead carefully as other members of his team took up similar positions of cover behind whatever debris they could find as well. He took a long breath and waited. He hated moving through intersections with a passion - there was always a risk of an ambush, especially in an enemy-controlled area. Because of that, he was taking it slowly as they reached each crossing.

One of his scouts carefully pushed a small rod forward into the intersection as a second scout watched a shrouded viewscreen intently. It was an old technique, but an effective one: a sensor was jury-rigged onto the end of a rod and the images were streamed onto a screen. Simple. Safe.

A quiet whisper came across the unit’s comms. “Mr Zoron, sir, there’s two thermals showing down the left corridor. Looks like a small patrol team. It’s pretty dark though, but I’ll patch your helmet to the feed.”

A small window appeared in the side of Zoron’s helmet visor. He saw a split-feed showing the thermal readings and a mostly-black video. The thermals stood out brightly, showing two humanoid shapes moving slowly up the corridor. The dark contrast of unmistakable weaponry could be seen obscuring parts of their bodies intermittently as they moved. No doubt about it, this was a patrol team.

“Alright, keep the sensor there. We need to get the jump on these two.” Zoron whispered back across the comms. “I want them dead before they can blink - no blasters, no noise.” He glanced over at the scouts at the corner and saw them both motion affirmatively before silently pulling blades.

Zoron shivered at the disconnection between the scouts’ movements and the utter lack of noise from them. The men and women in his team, as well as the rest of their company spread across the other Vizsla teams, were utterly professional killers. They had been hand-picked and poached from military special forces - allowed to put their special talents to use in completing contracts and earning significantly larger sums of money than they ever would have with their home governments.

As the patrol got nearer, he started to hear their conversation.

“… so, I told her, you should see my rancor!”

“What did she do?”

“She said I’d have better luck with a Gamorrean and threw her drink in my face.”

“Tough luck, man - I can’t imagine why that line didn’t work. Maybe you should set your bar lower - like someone with the IQ of a blurrg.”

“Hey! That’s -”

Zoron never got to hear the rest of the man’s protest as his words cut off abruptly. A brief blur in the shadows was all the man likely would have seen before the scout ended his life. The other one barely had a chance to flinch before he too was forever silenced.

Two other scouts quickly raced up and helped pull the corpses out of the corridor. They piled some loose debris on top of them and retook their positions.

“Corridor is clear now, Mr Zoron. Looks like another few hundred meters to the target.”

“Carry on - same plan and tactics. Move.”

FarrinXies

Temnos Excavations Co., Alternate Docking Site
Moon of Thillon
Lyra-3K-a System

Only years of experience kept him from jumping in surprise as the explosion rocked the mining facility’s entrance; instead, Farrin Xies Tarentae’s emerald eyes disappeared behind their lids as he took a deep, steadying breath. The Augur preferred a quieter, more subtle approach to combat - and most everything else, truth be told - but looking over the crate he had hidden behind he realized that this route might have merit. After all, the forces guarding the entrance were down.

Since stepping down two years prior as the Brotherhood’s Headmaster, Farrin had found himself on a bit of a sabbatical, traveling around (and outside of) Brotherhood space conducting research. Always fascinated by kyber crystals, he hadn’t hesitated at the thought of raiding a kyber processing plant - even if that meant linking up with the group of upstarts known as Vizsla that had come together while he had been gone. Farrin generally preferred operating alone, but the little he had been told of the team he had joined spoke to their competence. Of course, that would only be tested under less than ideal circumstances.

As if on cue, sirens began to wail from inside the facility, underlining that the element of surprise was gone. Large explosions tend to have that effect, he cynically thought. Farrin looked at the others around him and in a low voice said, “Well, let’s have at it then.” He reached inside his cloak and took the two silver hilts of his lightsabers into hand before breaking off at a sprint toward the entrance. The idle thought that he might have waited for the actual leader of the team - the Togorian Rajhin - to issue that command crossed his mind halfway to the facility, but he pushed it aside. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, he smirked to himself.

RulvakQurroc

Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System
Ruins outside Lyra Colony

The smell of burning flesh filled Rulvak’s nostrils caused by all the blaster fire from the brief massacre of the Collective forces. He scanned his environment for any additional hidden enemies or survivors while also taking into account the layout in preparation of a hasty retreat should the need arise. The area surrounding the ruins were covered in various types of plants and flowers, as it was quite obvious that the weather and age had taken its toll on the entrance. Columns were somewhat intact barring a few that had collapsed with a little help from the encounter that had just concluded.

Spotting Appius wiping his brow with Idris chuckling beside him, Rulvak was reassured that the recent recruit was capable of handling himself with the Collective’s small fries. The Battlelord made his way over to Kano, catching the tail end of his report.

“…13 enemy casualties, no survivors-” Kano paused as he glanced up at Rulvak before returning to the report, “-we’re proceeding with the mission. Green Two, out.”

“Did they mention what we are after yet?” Rulvak’s curiosity still getting the better of him.

“No, sir. We have a green light to continue the mission.”

“Alright, I’ll enter first, you go inform Idris, Appius, and the other guys. If they need a rest, they can do it when we’re finished.” Kano nodded in agreement as Rulvak turned for the entrance to the ruins.

He approached with caution, looking for any disturbed shrubbery or dirt. The Collective are a tricky bunch, and he wasn’t about to lead everyone into an ambush. The overgrowth was more and more apparent overhead, as it had begun to block out the daylight. Moving closer, his surroundings became obscured by the lack of light. Upon reaching the door, there was no other light source aside from a small section of the ceiling that had collapsed, presumably from old age. The light revealed a pool of water ahead of him with a rather large tree growing up out of it towards the light. The world outside had become nonexistent. The place was devoid of sound with the exception of the few water droplets landing in the pool and a small family of birds that echoed throughout the room.

What could possibly be here? His curiosity was ever-growing. Idris’ voice pierced his thoughts as the rest of his team approached from behind.

“…and that’s how I got a rancor into his sleeping chambers. Hi, Rulvak!” His face presenting a gleeful smile that the Sephi still hadn’t gotten used to.

Appius looked around and stopped on Rulvak, as if expecting him to say something before abruptly looking away once the Sith’s eyes gazed back. Kano then spoke up, “we are to proceed through the room, where there is a passage leading deeper into the ruins. Although we don’t know what we’re here for, we know that it is on the other end of that passage.”

Rulvak looked back into the room, half-expecting to see the room through the tree. “We better move carefully through here, as there wouldn’t be guards outside without more inside. Keep your eye’s up.”

Idris began moving across the room, “let’s get moving. This will be fun!”

KalanAmak

Vizsla Red Team
Thuvis Shipyards
Lyra-3K-a System

“Up there. I need to get up there.” Kalan pointed to the roof of the network hub. “That’s our ticket in.”

Val poked his head around the side of the TIE Fighter panel they were hiding behind and scanned the area with his optics
.
“There’s a lot of activity inside,” Val mused. “If they spot you, the whole diversion is shot.”

Kalan nodded. “We need to move the Principate patrol guarding the network hub away to focus somewhere else. I can probably use my seeker droid to create a distraction. Send it into the network hub to draw attention away. Then we can use jetpacks to get on top of the roof.”

Val sat for a moment, considering the plan. They would have to time this perfectly. If they were spotted before the other teams reached their respective network nodes, the whole plan would fall apart. And Roark didn’t forgive failure easily.

“Red Actual to Red teams Three and Four,” Val barked into the communicator.

“Red Four, go,” came Zoron’s reply.

“Are you in position?”

“We are. We have a clear shot at the network node. I have a computer spike ready and am prepared to go on your orders.”

“Red Three, SITREP.” The radio static was almost deafening. “Mr. Kang, report.” Cole waited a few more moments. “I’m going to shoot the RTO when we get back to the CP,” he said in an aside to Kalan. “Red Two, SITREP.”

“Red Two,” Ricmore’s voice cracked over the communicator. “I’ve moved from the CP to clear Principate patrols and to assist the other teams with the network nodes.”

“Who is leading the command post? Who gave you authority to leave?”

“I just—I felt like I would be better use in the field. Mr. Meadowcroft is in charge of the CP.”

“YOU LEFT THE RTO IN CHARGE?” Val shouted into the mic. “The same RTO that can’t manage to get communications working between four teams on the same space station? If something happens, it’s on your head, Mr. Ricmore. What’s that noise?”

“Contact!” Ricmore shouted suddenly into the communicator. “Principate patrols have opened fire on me.”

Immediately, an alarm klaxon sounded across the station.

“Congratulations, Mr. Ricmore. You have managed to create the diversion we needed. Try to not get killed and don’t let the Principate identify you. Break contact and get back to the CP.”

“Acknowledged!”

Val looked at Kalen. “I told you he’d play his part. Now, let’s get in position. Once Zoron slices into the system I give us fifteen to twenty minutes to be back on the shuttle and off this station.”

Kalan nodded, and released his seeker droid. The machine moved to the hole in the roof of the network hub and began flying around the interior of the room, bumping into Principate soldiers and causing a great deal of confusion.

“That’s it. Let’s go.”

Cole and Kalan stood, fired their jetpacks, and repositioned themselves on the roof of the network hub, watching the chaos unfolding below them.

“Mr. Amak, that was one of your more brilliant ideas.”

“Mr. Cole, between you and me that is saying something.”

Cole spoke into the communicator again, “Mr. Zoron. You’re up.”

KanalOneill

Temnos Excavations Co., Alternate Docking Site
Moon of Thillon
Lyra-3K-a System

Only moments had passed since the explosion that rocked one whole side of the docking site. Kanal ran towards the newly opened hole in the wall with his blasters at the ready. He nodded towards his group in approval. First Rajhin ran into the building, followed by Tybs, Voden and Farrin. Each member of the group took up a defensive position within doorways throughout the corridors as Kanal watched the rear.

“So far no one is on their way,” the Corsair said to Rajhin, “I would have thought they were…” The sound of mech walker legs could be heard in the distance. “Well guess I spoke too soon. Walkers are on the way, and where there are walkers there will be soldiers.”

“Alright guys on your guard, we are moving into the compound.” Rajhin ordered. “Keep close and keep a sharp eye on the corners. Force Users, use your senses, and mercs, you know what to do.”

Kanal moved into the building and made his way to the front of the group as he ducked into the nearest open doorway at the first intersection in the hallway. He peered around the corner to check for enemy combatants but quickly realized this was a mistake as a blaster bolt whizzed by his head and into the bulkhead behind him.

“Incoming!” He yelled out quickly.

“This is our fight boys, let’s take em.” Tybalt shouted at the group.

Kanal took a knee and popped back around the corner firing off shots with both of his blaster pistols. His shots hit their mark on the first trooper. Rajhin ran around the corner, and began to deflect blaster bolts back in the direction from whence they came. The others followed suit as enemy troopers came from the other direction of the corridor as well.

It was close quarters in these tiny corridors, and Kanal knew exactly what that meant. He launched the grappling hook in his Mandalorian Vambraces and caught one of the Collective’s men around the leg. He pulled the hook with all of his might knocking the man on his butt, and as he fell he took out another two troops. Releasing the grappling line as he moved, Kanal activated his equipped flamethrower and set the nearest fighters on fire. There were audible screams coming from within their helmets. This was going to be fun.

Montresor

Clan Vizsla Command Post, Lyra Colony
Eorillia’s Moon
Lyra-3K-a system

There was no mistaking the purposeful stride down the Shriek Hawk ramp, arrogance coupled with competence bolstered by an undeniable confidence. Montresor knew there was work to be done and he fully recognized what Grand Master Declan Roark needed him to do. Quite simply failure was not an option and time was of the essence.

“Move out,” the young Sith Elder bellowed. In short order, two Special Force Clan Vizsla Soldiers moved expeditiously towards a Speeder Bike located in the main cargo hull of the ship.
“Prep my transport and include twenty-four hours worth of supplies,” Montresor stated as he departed the ramp with a noted focus.

“Monty, I was under the impression that you had already departed,” Declan stated with visible annoyance. Elder or not Montresor, visibly shaken by this obvious cutting remark, slowed considerably as he made his way to the mobile communications center being monitored by the awaiting Grand Master and Colonel Arcia Cortel. There was an undeniable air of deferent reverence as he approached the Clan Vizsla Consul. “Declan, my apologies for the confusion. Based on recent intelligence reporting we were waiting for a credible trigger prior to execution.”

“Montresor, the intricacies of the mission at hand are not lost on me. I am less interested in excuses and more concerned with results,” Declan deliberately stated.

“Sir, understood, I will be initiating movement towards the Lyra Colony within the hour.”

“Monty, as further clarification you will be leaving now and fix that garbage uniform. You won’t get past the first checkpoint in that disheveled state.”

Montresor was acutely aware of the Consul’s expectation as he adjusted his Lyra Colony Security Force uniform. Mounting his Speeder Bike and riding off into the distant ruin littered landscape, a single mantra replayed in the Elder’s mind “Failure was not an option and time was of the essence.”

Montresor Snapshot: https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/13369/snapshots/1855/3483

KenathZoron

Vizsla Red Team Four

Thuvis Shipyards - Network Access Node

Lyra-3K-a System

Another fifteen minutes and two more dead patrols later, Zoron’s team reached the utility maintenance hatch that would gain them access to their target node.

With perfect timing, a separate comm channel cut through his helmet. “Red Actual to Red teams Three and Four.”

Zoron continued wordlessly waving instructions to his team and responded quickly, “Red Four, go.” He watched as his troops moved into defensive positions along the corridor, making hasty barricades with debris.

Val’s voice came through again, “Are you in position?”

After a quick glance at his slicers, one of whom gave him a thumbs up, he keyed the channel again. “We are. We have a clear shot at the network node. I have a computer spike ready and am prepared to go on your orders.”

No acknowledgement came from Val, but Zoron knew that there were other issues that he was taking care of, specifically Red Two and Red Three. Zoron tuned out the next few transmissions as they were not specifically directed at him or his team.

A moment later, he heard echoes of alarms ringing up the corridors. He watched as small red lights began turning on and pulsing as well. He got the attention of a group of scouts and waved for them to separate in pairs and push out a few hundred yards up the corridor for early warning.

As the scouts faded into the darkened corridor, he heard Val’s voice again, “Mr. Zoron. You’re up.”

He immediately pointed over to the lead slicer and the man inserted the spike into the node. The screen on the node flickered and then rapid text began flying across the screen as the worms began to do their job.

After a minute or so, the lights in his segment of the corridor turned on and he saw security cameras begin pivoting towards the node. He noted that the lights out about thirty or forty meters were still off, leaving his team in a pool of light, severely hampering their ability to see what might be lurking in the darkness while allowing any responding enemies to see the Vizsla troops easily.

“Mr. Lixon, I want those lights killed now. Ms. Quinn, kill the cameras! Mr. Tacus, push your squad back along our path and hold our exit path.” A volley of blaster fire erupted from the designated squads as they shot out the lights and cameras. Half a dozen troops rushed back the corridor they had arrived through as well.

In the distance, he heard shouting and laser fire approaching. Knowing that his scouts would have set traps to cover their retreat, he waited for the sound of - there it was - explosions.

The scout’s transmission was full of heavy breathing and background noises that sounded a lot like blaster bolts whizzing past the speaker. “Mr. Zoron, we are en route back. Large group of Collective troops are in pursuit. Probably got a half dozen with the mines but there’s still more coming!”

“Acknowledged. Hug the walls on your way back in, give the gunners here a line of fire to cover you.” Zoron looked at the squad leaders who were in charge of the defensive line and both nodded their understanding of the situation. He loved working with professionals like this.

As his scouts came sprinting into view, barely noticeable in the standard view setting of his helmet but nearly phosphorescing in the thermal setting, he set himself into a shooting position and brought his rifle to bear on the space beyond them. He glanced at the timer in the bottom corner of his view with the countdown from the spike showing an estimated eleven minutes remaining.

VonRicmore

Thuvis Shipyards
Lyra-3K-a System
Principate Ambush

“Okay, disengage, fall back to the command center and don’t let them identify you. You can do this Hector!” The Zygerrian known as Hector Ricmore assured himself.

Despite the encryption upohis headset Hector could not risk the possibility of the Severian Principate tracing communications back to Clan Vizsla. He reached up to his helmet and turned off the headset completely.

The need to avoid being identified also made his Mandalorian Vambraces off limits. The usage of a weapon tied so clearly to the Mandalorian culture would no doubt attract attention to either Clan Vizsla or the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

The Zygerrian sighed, he had to continue the diversion and make an escape using Past, his DL-44 blaster, a hydrospanner, and his medical backpack.

Due to his internal monologue he had failed to notice the Principate forces surrounding his position.

“Unidentified hostile! Put down your weapon and surrender yourself to Principate custody. You will be treated fairly under Imperial law if you comply!”

This wasn’t a fight that Hector needed to win, he merely needed to buy time as a diversion. His mother had taught the Zygerrian a respectable amount of politics, especially when it came to negotiations between parties. He needed to stretch out the negotiation as much as possible.

“Don’t shoot! I’m coming out now.” Hector called out. He exited his cover with his hands in the air.

“Slowly place your weapon upon the ground and kick it behind you!” The Principate guard ordered.

Hector complied slowly crouching down and placing his DL-44 upon the ground. He put his right boot on the weapon and flung it behind him.

“Cuff him.” The guard instructed his subordinate.

“That won’t be necessary.”

The guards twitched, aiming their rifles at the Zygerrian.

“Please don’t shoot, I’ve given myself up willingly. You opened fire on me for trespassing, and I have yet to return fire, check my blaster if you don’t believe me. I’ve come to negotiate my surrender.”

The guard sneered. “What is their to negotiate, we have you surrounded, outmanned and outgunned. What could you possibly have to bargain with?”

“I’m certain you would like to hear more about my employer. I was sent into this job unprepared for what I would face. If you could guarantee my safety I could tell you much more.”

While not technically a lie, the lack of preparations was due to a lack of funds on Hector’s part, not due to an employer lying to him. But he certainly was not going to reveal that in a negotiation. A smirk blossomed underneath his helmet, all he had left to do is tie up the negotiation to buy time.

AppiusWight

Orderu Aspectu Temple
Lyra Colony
Lyra 3K-A System

Ruvlak raised his right hand to his communicator. He was honestly starting to get annoyed by the woman’s constant badgering requiring him to keep updating on the teams progress through the temple. If they want an update at least let them make some progress first!

Nonetheless, he was here on a mission and he had a job to do.

“We are about to enter the room at the other end of a passage we believe holds the artifact we seek. Stand by for updates, Green two out.”

That should keep them satisfied for the moment.

The team then proceeded down the passageway all the while noticing that the walls were getting thinner and thinner until they were in single file. Ruvlak led the way followed by Idris, then Appius and lastly Kano covering their backs.

“They need a better architect, this is ridiculous!” Commented Idris humorously, causing Appius to chuckle beside him.

After a couple of minutes, much to their relief, they reached the end of the narrow passage and entered into a spacious circular room dotted with symbols on the floor and carvings within the walls depicting the stories of the Ordu Aspectu’s time here long ago before them. Visibility was poor however.

“Well, I appreciate our little intimate team bonding experience down the passageway so don’t get me wrong, but I’m really glad to be able to breathe again!” Idris stated as he took a big stretch out with his limbs.

“You do know we have to go back through that way to get out right?”

It was Appius who replied back to him with a cheeky smile adorning his face at the reaction of Idris to his statement.

“You have to rain on my parade, don’t you Appius?”

All the Jedi Padawan could do was laugh at Idris’ statement, drawing Ruvlak’s attention once again.

“Focus you two, we’re here.” Said the Male Sephi as they approached a concrete pedestal in the centre of the room, holding a pyramid shaped object upon it. This was the object they were here for.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” said Appius as he approached the object.

It was a holocron detailed with glyphs and symbols not too dissimilar to the ones in the room they were currently in.

Appius picked up the cold metallic object in his hands and inspected it over. This was the reason he was here. He is well versed in ancient artifacts and could potentially identify and more importantly, value the object they found here.

“Well?” Kano asked with his arms folded.

“Well what?” Appius replied.

“Is it valuable?” Kano said. Getting straight to the point.

“It’s more than valuable, Kano. This is history!” Said Appius, getting carried away with the discovery they had found before he continued.

“Not just of the Ordu Aspectu but of the Lyra System and Jedi as a whole. To the right person this would be priceless. But it also depends on what’s inside it…”

He poured the Light Side of the Force into the holocrons and immediately it reacted to him. Opening up and revealing a hologram of two hooded figures who were unfortunately indistinguishable from each other. One stood whilst the other knelt with his head lowered.

“We give into the Force, so that we may achieve eternal life. We offer this sacrifice so that his blood may fuel the will of the Force and give us eternal strength.”

Suddenly, the knelt figures head was decapitated ruthlessly by a sharp blade and dropped to the floor. Blood seeped out of the void space atop the man’s shoulders. The image of this made Appius shudder and he closed the Holocron, not wishing to see anymore.

“Well, that was grim. You ok, Appius?” Asked Idris after noticing the Jedi had gone a whiter shade of pale after watching the recording.

“Yeah, I’m fine. That was just… intense.” Appius replied trying to shelve him emotions for the moment.

Idris approached Appius and clasped a hand onto his shoulder.

“Welcome to the Brotherhood.”

Those words did nothing to help Appius’ unease at the situation but suddenly, something dawned on him at the back of his mind.

“Wait… the Collective has been here a while, right? We got to this pretty easily. Shouldn’t they have picked this up by now?”

It was then the reality of the situation became very apparent to the four men in the room.

This is a trap.

IdrisAdenn

Ordu Aspectu Temple
Lyra Colony
Lyra 3K-A System

There are few things as exciting and as horrible to a mercenary as the realization they had played right into their enemies hands. The Collective had known all along that Brotherhood forces would be after the same prize within the temple ruins. From the shadows and darkened passageways came tiny canisters.

The team of mercenaries were already diving for cover, when they exploded, pure bright white light and unnaturally loud. The split second realization of the situation saved their lives as immediately following the flashbangs blaster fire opened up from all around them.

“Wait for the reload,” Rulvak shouted. They would only have one window of opportunity to secure themselves, and a small one at that. Ears ringing hard, they waited several seconds before jumping into action.

Idris and Kano popped up the instant the blaster fire stopped, laying in with their own fire in three separate directions. This provided the cover fire needed for Appius to get to his feet, activate his lightsaber, and rush toward the main corridor they had ventured down to reach the holocron chamber.

“Guys, we’ve got a problem,” Appius shouted through the comms.

“No kidding,” Idris shouted back, rolling behind a pillar to reload. Appius dove past the pillar and scrambled to get behind it next to Idris.

“We need a new route out, there are a lot of Collective personnel coming down it,” Appius managed to get out between deep breaths.

“Party crashers. Of course,” Kano shouted from across the room.

“Well we should at least cut them off, this complex is huge, we can find another way out,” Rulvak said as he ran by, blades dripping with blood.

“Understood,” Idris and Kano replied at once. Together they turned and opened fire at the roof just above the passage entrance. Several seconds later the rocks began to give way, as the passage roof collapsed. Regretfully, the complex was very much in a ruined status, and much of the ceiling of the holocron chamber began to cave in as well.

“Everybody move!” Rulvak yelled.

The team dove into the nearest passageway, and scrambled down it as fast as possible. When the dust finally settled, they were seemingly alone. All said and done, from first contact with the Collective to now only a minute and a half had passed. Behind them a mountain of rocks, before them a dark unmapped passageway they hoped would lead to an exit.

Idris dusted himself off as he got to his feet, “This party is officially over. Please tell me we still have the holocron.”

Appius nodded as he got to his feet. Reaching into a pocket he pulled it out and quickly examined it.

“Still intact. Can we get out of here, please?” The Jedi responded.

DeclanRoark

Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System
Tactical Command Post

Declan Roark stood behind two Special Mission soldiers manning the temporary command post on the forest floor of Eorilia’s Moon. Digital icons shifted across a graphical display of the Lyra-3K-a system indicating the movements of Clan Vizsla. Additional icons, color coded from red to green, indicated the known positions of the Collective, the Severian Principate, the Dark Brotherhood’s Inquisitorius, and the few members of the Grand Master’s Royal Guard conducting in-theater VIP security.

Communication chatter streamed continuously through the two soldier’s headsets. The noise ranged from calm situational reports to enraged demands for SITREPs.

“Sir, we have intercepted multiple transmissions from the Principate and Collective indicating that Mandalorians are wreaking havoc throughout the system. We also have several transmissions from the Dark Brotherhood. They are demanding an explanation as to why you have split our forces rather than concentrating at the ruins. They don’t sound happy.”

Roark listened to the reports and watched the icons move across the data displays. The Clans of the Brotherhood were engaging the Collective, at varying degrees, across Lyra 3K-A. The Collective and Principate were making a mess of things against the Brotherhood and each other. It was chaos.
An unseen smile formed under Roark’s Mandalorian helmet. It was chaos, but it was controlled chaos.

“Inform Vizsla Gold and Vizsla Red to pack it in. I want them off their objectives within the hour.”

The Special Mission soldier nodded in affirmation and began conducting net calls to the Clan Vizsla diversionary teams on the moon of Thillon and the Thuvis Imperial Shipyards.

“Contact the team at the Ruin. They are to move to an offset location, secure it, and wait for a Kom’rk to conduct their exfiltration.”

“Acknowledged,” the second soldier responded.

Roark turned from the command array and began walking towards the Shriek Hawk, his hand tapping the side of his helmet and activating an encoded transmission to the Dark Adept known as Montresor. Clan Vizsla had a contract to complete for the Dark Brotherhood at the ruins, but it along with the moon and the shipyards were nothing more than a diversion.

Execute Indigo Wampa

The message broadcasted on a repeating cycle for ten seconds before going dark. Roark’s helmet turned towards his military advisor and command post battle-captain.

“Colonel Cortel, it is time to close up shop.”

KanoTorTydex

Ordu Aspectu Temple
Lyra Colony
Lyra 3K-A System

With the holocron secured the group quickly reassessed the situation. The chamber had two offchute tunnels on the left side and one on the right. As the dust was settling Kano walked towards the two tunnels on the left and knelt down at the entrance to the first one. He touched the ground where a fresh set of footprints led into the opening and into the darkness.

The Mercenary called out to the others, “I found our way out.”

Appius looked towards the footprints with a puzzled look across his face, “Those Will lead us to more Collective forces.”

As Kano stood up he looked back towards the Padawan, “Unlikely. Those tracks and coming into the cavern and there are no traces of tracks heading into the tunnel so they had to come from somewhere on the outside.”

Rulvak made his way to the tunnel, “Good enough, let’s move.”

The dust had hardly settled in the chamber as the group started making their way down the tunnel.

The tunnel grew darker and darker as the Vizsla members made their way into the unknown. When the tunnel was pitch black a small light was ignited at the front of the group. Strange shadows bounced from wall to wall as the group silent moved forward.

The silence was broken with Idris’s voice, “Do any of you smell that?”

Appius quickly responded, “I’m not falling for that.”

Kano pushed between the two, “No, he’s right. Fresh air.”

Ahead of them a dim purple glow could be seen as they approached the exit to the tunnel. The right sky was visible and calling them out of the claustrophobic tunnel.

Sighs of relief could be heard coming from the soldiers behind them and that’s when Kano saw the shadow at the entrance. It moved out of sight in an instant and for a second the Mandalorian thought it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. He switched the viewfinder on his helmet into thermal mode and that is when he saw it again, this time clearly outlined. The exit of the tunnel was a deep shade of purple as the cool night air rushed into the warm tunnels.

“Looks like we got our exit.” said the Mercenary.

Montresor

Lyra Colony Credit Consortium
Eorillia’s Moon
Lyra-3K-a system

Noted trepidation

Surveillance is exhaustive. Timing is imperative. Execution is essential.

Indigo Wampa…message received…movement initiated…

This much was clear, the Lyra Colony Credit Consortium security was predictable if the last twenty-four hours were any indicator. Truth in lending, Montresor knew that even if his assessment was flawed his window of opportunity was closing.

“Newbie get over here,” barked the head of security from across the street. “I am not sure what you are doing over there but get to your post. Mandalorian’s wreaking havoc on the moon, at the shipyards, and at the old ruins. We are stretched thin across the force as it is, we don’t need anyone off taking self-directed leisure time.”

“Acknowledge all sir,” Montresor replied smartly moving purposefully towards the vault. The disguise had worked perfectly although that was more a product of Colony wide bedlam then his own tradecraft expertise. Gaining access to the Consortium Lyra Artifact Mint would be another story. He knew he would only get one chance.

“Settle in newbie, it is going to be a long night and from what I gather it is only going to be the two of us.” snarled the guard on watch. “Give me a hand securing this vault.” Montresor’s eyes darted towards the closing door and without hesitation seized the opportunity. With unbreakable focus the Sith Elder deliberately motioned towards the guard, speaking softly, “Your shift is over. Good work tonight, I will see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah new guy, stay sharp. Keep the place running and try to clean up that uniform before I see you again,” the guard muttered as he departed the area leaving Montresor with unfettered access to unimaginable riches.

“Mission accomplished Declan…we are in…”

Elequin

Snapshot: https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/3463/snapshots/1839/3449

Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System
Tactical Command Post

Olive green eyes darted from screen to screen, capturing all information as it played out before them. Cortel sighed heavily and leaned back into her chair. The strike teams were carrying out their missions as well as expected, but from the comms chatter it seemed they were just as lost as she. There was no tangible intelligence to work with regarding Vizsla’s purpose here other than to acquire ‘something;’ an artifact or some other Force related junk, as far as she was concerned. The whole mission was gray and she did not like to work in the dark.

Declan had been pacing nearby Arcia’s setup over the past hour, not saying much but asking the status of the teams. She would give him the rundown each time he would ask, but other than that nothing more was said. With a yawn, Cortel stretched and continued monitoring her screens. It was uncomfortable to be groundside after so many months of galactic travel, but she was hired to do a job, ever-changing as it was, and she was going to perform it to the best of her abilities as always. Next time, however, she would ensure her place was among the stars where she belonged.

“Colonel Cortel, it is time to close up shop.”

Declan’s words were clear and precise. Arcia quickly stood up and her fingers began to fly across keys and screens, closing down programs and secure channels. She turned to face the rest of the post and began issuing orders for a quick tear-down of the camp so they could be on the move ASAP. Cortel watched as men and women moved from place to place, closing boxes and various cases of equipment, disconnecting power supplies and issuing final orders before primary communications were terminated.

Returning to her own piece of the chaos, Arcia keyed in a few commands and brought a headset towards her face.

“Green Two. Shop is closed. Exit Charlie. Ten Mike.”

RulvakQurroc

Ordu Aspectu Temple
Lyra Colony
Lyra 3K-A System

“Well, this should be interesting. Push up against the walls, I’ll go ahead.” Rulvak said as they paused just outside of the light ahead of them. The figure ahead felt as though it was driven by the curiosity of the sound of collapse reverberating throughout the tunnels rather than their presence there. Taking full advantage of this, the Sephi raised his hood and pushed himself into the darkness leaving nothing but a brief shimmer before disappearing towards the light.

His pace slowed as he grew ever-closer to the source of the light, the exit they were hoping for, and a single guard posted up peering back into the tunnel. It was all too easy. The Warlord continued into the wooded area surrounding the entrance, examining the area for any signs of reinforcements. Upon finding nothing, he returned to the single guard and decloaked right beside him. The soldier leaped from his skin, nearly fainting, and fired two quick shots in Rulvak’s direction. Without skipping a beat, Rulvak fluidly maneuvered himself around the terrible shots, and in one quick action slid Succumb into the soldier’s side and out through the opposite shoulder.

Rulvak couldn’t help but play with lesser beings that try to kill him, no matter how awful the attempt. While wiping the blood from his blade, his comm device chirped.

“Green Two. Shop is closed. Exit Charlie. Ten Mike.”

Arcia’s voice smoothly spoke, announcing the end of the charade. Rulvak signaled to the rest of his group, and they hastily made their way to him.

“Did ya have to kill the poor kid?” Idris queried upon noticing the soldier.

“No, but he shot at me. Nevermind that, we need to make our leave via Charlie. Which is nice because it is just over there,” he gestured to a small clearing off in the distance. “Once we see the ship arrive, we’ll make our way into the field and get outta here.”

FarrinXies

Temnos Excavations Co., Alternate Docking Site
Moon of Thillon
Lyra-3K-a System

This was far from Farrin’s preferred form of combat - he much preferred striking from the shadows - but the Augur was still more than capable with his lightsabers to hold his own; the smooth strike that decapitated the Collective soldier in front of him was proof of that.

After Farrin’s last kill slumped to the floor, an eerie silence fell over the corridor. Based on the signage on the walls, it appeared that they were quite close to the kyber crystal vault. Though their mission was largely just to create a diversion, coming away with some crystals would be a nice benefit. Farrin pointed to the directional signage on the wall after getting Rajhin’s attention, and the feline Dark Jedi nodded before motioning the rest of their small band forward.

The Mandalorian accompanying them, a man Farrin did not know well named Kanal, took point as they continued down the corridor, slowing as they approached the few doorways and side corridors remaining in this part of the facility to check for hostiles. After a few agonizingly slow minutes, the team finally made its way to the end of the hallway and their objective: the kyber crystal vault. They took up defensive positions on either side of the closed doorway before Rajhin slammed a fur-covered paw against the door panel. With a smooth hiss, the door slid open…

…where the Vizslans were greeted with a dozen heavily-armed Collective agents and a repeater rifle, weapons trained from across the vault toward the doorway.

Oh kark, Farrin thought. This is what I get for assuming this would be easy.

Elequin

Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System
Tactical Command Post

Cortel immediately tossed the headset into the case with the rest of the communications equipment and closed it after powering down. She stacked the rest of her devices with the primary equipment then turned towards where she last left Declan. Something was not right about the situation at hand: she was hired to fill a specific role, but this felt different. Something seemed off about the entire mission. Arcia began moving towards Declan, who was still discussing with a variety of Special Forces members, when she was intercepted by one of the Vizsla operatives.

“Ma’am, we’re having trouble contacting Green Two for their final orders.”

Cortel looked to the man and waved him off. “They already have their orders and are acting accordingly. Continue to send follow ups until confirmation of their exfil and report back.”

Cortel pushed past the operative and stopped behind Declan. She waited until he was finished speaking and turned to face her. His helmet masked any emotion or expression as he seemed to stare down at the woman. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes.

“So are you going to tell me exactly what is going on here? I have a hard time believing that you just hired me to organize all your peons while they trounce around the forest and stars playing scavenger hunt. Either way, I am getting paid for my work, but I would like to know what exactly is going on. I do not like being kept in the dark, Roark.”

Arcia realized her outburst came out a little stronger than intended, but she held her stance and ground while she stared, more glowered, into the dark visor of the helmet. She did not know if she would get an actual response to her demand, but one way or another she would eventually find out the true plans behind the mission at hand.

Rajhin

Temnos Excavations Co., Alternate Docking Site
Moon of Thillon
Lyra-3K-a System

A flurry of blaster bolts erupted from the open vault door, nearly singeing Rajhin’s tail as he ducked to the side with near-supernatural speed. The team had expected some resistance, but not from within the vault itself. That was troubling. Standard guard patrols and physical security measures were one thing, but this was a trap.

“It’s a trap,” Farrin stated matter of factly given the circumstances.

“Wouldn’t want it to be too easy,” Voden quipped as he readied his lightsaber.

Rajhin noticed that his fellow Togorian, Tybalt, was visibly shaking from the still raging blaster fire passing through the open vault door. The Obelisk’s mind raced for how to solve this particular dilemma.

“Wait,” Raj stuck his hand out to signal his teammates, “this is a vault right?”

“Technically it’s the antechamber to the vault,” Farrin quipped.

“So, one way in, one way out?”

The former headmaster nodded as he realized what Raj was getting at, “yes.”

The Togorian threw his only smoke grenade into the antechamber and waited for it to disperse its contents. The Collective soldiers continued to fire blind through the smoke. Rajhin slammed the panel to close the door, sealing the soldiers inside the vault antechamber.

“Tybalt, seal the door!” Raj commanded.

The snow-leopard pattern Togorian complied and proceeded to rip the control panel for the door right out of the wall.

“So we move on?” Tybs inquired.

Farrin seemed opposed, “It would be a shame to leave such a valuable cache of crystals behind.” The former headmaster’s point sinking into his more mercenary-minded colleagues deliberations.
“I’d say that’s a target of opportunity,” Voden added, “that’s our mission right?”

“It is,” Rajhin replied.

Kanal, who had been quiet until this point, pointed to an air vent above them, “we trap em’ and gas em’.”

“Gas them with what?” Tybalt asked.

“I saw some dioxsis grenades in the arms room we passed getting here. We get them inside then seal the room.”

Raj pressed a button on his communicator. “I’ll go with you to get the grenades, my droid can go through the vents to drop them. Then we seal the vents behind her.”

“Her?”

“My droid–nevermind. Let’s go. The rest of you bunker down here.”

Voden spoke up, “I can slice the environmental controls from the panel two halls back. Just let me know when to seal the room.”

“Thanks,” Rajhin replied, “good work. We should be able to loot the vault without much risk. Let’s go.”

The group split into their assigned tasks; Raj and Kanal went to secure the grenades and meet up with Rajhin’s droid, Voden went to slice the environmental controls and Farrin secured the door with Tybalt. Compared to getting to this point the objectives were accomplished in short order with no resistance save the troops trying to break out of the door.

Voden came over the team channel, “I’m in the system, but they’ve called for reinforcements. We don’t have much time.”

“This won’t take long, we’re almost back to the door,” Rajhin replied.

Surprisingly Raj and Kanal made it back without incident. Raj’s droid, Bast, cut the vent above the antechamber door open then floated down to take two dioxsis grenades. The droid took the grenades and went into the vent. Suddenly the soldiers’ attempts to open the door became more frantic. Bast floated back down and Raj signaled Voden to seal off the vent system running to the vault. The air vent above the door made a sucking sound as the system sealed around the vault and antechamber.

“And now, we wait,” Kanal stated. “It won’t take long.”
“Standby to flush the antechamber,” Raj relayed to Voden over the com channel. After a few minutes Rajhin gave the signal and Farrin cut the door open with his lightsaber.

Bodies littered the antechamber as the Collective soldiers failed to plan for someone turning their own trap against them.

Voden rejoined the group and sliced open the vault door, revealing the precious cargo of kyber crystals inside.

“Take all you can carry,” Raj commanded, “we’ll strip the soldiers’ grenades and blow the rest. That will get their attention.”

Farrin frowned but began stuffing his pockets with the rarest crystals he could find.

ValCole

Vizsla Red Team
Thuvis Shipyards
Lyra-3K-a System

Val cued the Red Team Command net, “Red Three check in.”

The static continued for a few long seconds, Val shook his head at Kalan, “Meadowcroft is not going to make it home at this-“

“Red Three, in position. Glad to hear from someone again”

It was rare that Kalan had seen Cole surprised, but this was one moment where even a T-Visor wasn’t going to hide the Mandalorian’s reaction.

“Execute spike and then immediate exfil off the shipyards. We have 15 minutes. Red Two, get the transports ready for us. Make some noise on your way out gentlemen. Our job here is done.”

Meadowcroft’s voice answered, “This is Red Two Romeo, Command Post breakdown is in progress. No contact with Red Two, his communication and headset are deactivated.”

Val punch a wall and looked at Kalan, “What the frack? I hope he’s getting after that fame and glory he was talking about a few hours ago.”

Activating his mic again Val responded, “Understood Red Two Romeo, continue mission.”

Kalan triggered the timed EMP and dropped it through the hole in the roof of the Central Network Hub and the pair activated their jet packs.

8 minutes after spike activation

“Thermal out!”

Zoron ducked back around the corner after throwing the explosive device. He heard the detonator activate on the Principate patrol and the commands from their leadership as they began to react to the fire.

Two of the Vizsla Commando’s were frantically working on a speeder that had minutes ago been the ride for a Collective soldier. They turned to look at their Team Leader, “It’s ready boss”.

Zoron nodded and the soldier activated the speeder communications, “Mayday! Mayday! Principate patrol has turned on us, we need any Collective backup we can get, help!”

The Mandalorian nodded grimly, “Activate that throttle and send the speeder right towards that Principate patrol when they round the corner, let’s keep moving!”

14 minutes after spike activation

Kalan and Cole deactivated their jetpacks as they landed at the command post.

“The team is packing the last of our items Mr. Cole, we’ll be ready to exfil in one minute,” Meadowcroft beamed at the renewed efficiency of his team.

A simple nod and a single word were the only response from the Vizsla Proconsul, “Ricmore?”

“Nothing sir, comms are still down.”

Kalan looked around the area, “Where are Mr. Zoron and Mr. Kang’s teams?”

Meadowcroft promptly answered again, “Mr. Kang’s team arrived back a minute ago. Mr Zoron should be here shortly. They have been making some pretty significant noise out there.”

As if on cue Red Team Four rounded a nearby corner and headed directly to their designated transport.

“Sir, what do we do about Mr. Ricmore?”

Cole’s icy glare could be felt despite his T-Visor, “He fell behind, he gets left behind.”

As he walked up the boarding ramp he called back to Meadowcroft, “We leave in one minute. Make sure the area is sanitized so there’s no evidence we were here, then get on your transport. Maybe Mr. Ricmore surprises us and shows up.”

15 minutes after spike activation

Three Kom’rk-class fighters lifted off from the shipyard and disappeared into the sable black darkness of space. One Zygerrian remained behind in the custody of the Principate.

DeclanRoark

Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System
Tactical Command Post

“Colonel Cortel, you did a fabulous job managing our forces across this system. We conducted two diversionary assaults and accomplished our primary task of securing the artifact from the Ordu Aspectu ruins. The mission was a stunning success.”

Roark’s hand motioned towards the Special Mission soldiers evacuating the landing zone.

“Now if you don’t mind, we have a bank to rob.”

The Vizsla Consul walked past the woman and towards his ship.

“A bank?” Cortel’s exasperated voice came from behind Roark as she hurried followed him onboard the Shriek Hawk.

Shriek Hawk
Eorilia’s Moon
Lyra 3K-A System

The Kom’rk-class fighter pushed 1,000 kph as it breached the cityscape of Lyra Colony. The craft’s high-powered signal jammers, operating on diverted power from the ship’s shield generators, wreaked havoc on the local Lyra-Sec’s communications.

“I want the ramp down as we reach the Credit Consortium. We won’t have a second chance at this.”
Rekan 1-75, Roark’s combat droid, muttered a curse that it knew Roark could hear. Rekan was many things, but he was not a pilot.

“Affirmative Master, we should avoid becoming a cloud of atoms by the skin of your enamel fangs.”

Roark clipped into the Shriek Hawk’s interior static line and moved past the scowling Cortel who was still agitated no one bothered to tell her what the hell was going on.

“Boss, ramp is going down in 3, 2, 1.”

Roark walked down the ramp as it lowered before coming to a stop at the edge. The Mandalorian’s frame supported by the cable he was clipped into, leaned out over Lyra Colony from sixteen kilometers above. His Westar-M5 unslung and aiming towards the ground below.

“And, descent.” Rekan called out to Roark through his helmet’s commlink. The Shriek Hawk’s repulsor engines triggered, just enough to stop the ship’s downward descent.

“We are coming up on the facility. Get ready!”

Roark dropped a second cable below his feet as the roof of the Lyra Credit facility rapidly approached. Montresor, his uniform cape on fire, his lightsaber batting away blaster rounds, ran across the structure towards the pre-planned exfiltration. The Dark Adept was trailed by a hover sled filled with multiple metallic boxes.

Roark’s M5 spit red fire on Montresor’s pursuers, their zeal to chase the Force user reduced by the Mandalorian’s uncanny accuracy.

“Go, go, go,” Roark called to Montresor as he neared the free cable dangling from the Hawk.
The Sith grasped the cable and latched it to the sled behind him before wrapping his own arms around its metal handles.

“Up Rekan, up.”

The Korm’rk launched upward in a stomach-turning maneuver as the static cable’s winch pulled the Mandalorian, hover sled, and Adept into ship’s hold. The two remained on the floor, panting, in between bursts of laughter.

An agitated Cortel stood over both men.

“You did all this for a heist? A fracking heist?”

Roark released his helmet’s pressurized seals and flipped it on the floor. He smiled up at the woman as an adrenaline filled Montresor continued to laugh.

“Welcome to Clan Vizsla,” was all Roark could say before the two men broke into another fit of laughter.