EliteCommander

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Aboard the Imperial Venator

---

Eri had her shield raised as she breached through the door, though she was quick to recognize the colors of the soldiers within. It was inefficient that they lacked a means to properly communicate and coordinate their movements throughout the ship, but she at least knew who her allies were supposed to be. Although, her rushed briefing had not included this strange Human in front of her. His weapons seemed to use some manner of technology she had not seen before. His blade made enough sense to her; it looked like an energy sword with a shame more appropriate to Human anatomy. However, it also appeared to be able to make his blade fly from his hand and move independently, or even lift enemy soldiers through some invisible force. It reminded her of the Forerunner technology she had seen, which could float and move on their own with no visible force acting upon them. She wondered if this universe had technology far more advanced than what she had seen so far.

Although, regardless of what means this Human was using to accomplish his feats, Eri was not a warrior who was keen on allowing others to steal the glory of a battle from her. He charged forward even more aggressively than she had, and seemed to be able to deflect incoming weapons fire even with his thin blade at close range. Not to be outdone, she charged in right alongside him. She could not react seemingly precognitively to shots as he could, but her speed and strength was far beyond Human, and between the two forms of shielding she possessed, she could stay in the fight just as he could, for the most part. She had to periodically allow her shields to recharge, but in those moments, her team behind her could support her. Given the location of the hangar and the distance they had moved so far, Eri had to imagine they were nearing the bridge.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Dunmer who had been a former champion had remained through Vykosa's interruption, but just like all of the rest around them, he had shied away from challenging her. He stayed close, but it was not until after she left that he felt comfortable speaking again. Even once they returned to speaking with Jerrick, he stayed around.

"Indeed, being a lycan spirit is a lot different from what it was like to be alive. You all really should keep that in mind when you're talking to the people here. I still remember what it was like in Tamriel. Unless you haven't let it loose in a while, your beast spirits tend to...rest in your normal forms. It's always there, in the back of your mind, but you only really let it out when you transform. It's not like that for us. Our beast spirits are still bonded to us, and they're equally as 'awake' all the time. Being in one form or the other...they don't really feel much different. That can take more than a few years to get used to." The Dunmer explained.

"Hmm...I have to imagine so." Meesei remarked, though she still kept her focus on Jerrick. "But do not worry, Jerrick, I was prepared for at least...most of this. I expected I might have to prove my worthiness to lead. Still, we have to keep our focus on Vile, and that will remain my focus. But...I am still grateful to be able to see you again. To speak to you, to...give my apologies. I wish you could have lived to see all the progress we have made. I do not know what information you are privy to from the Hunting Grounds, but our clans have grown considerably in size, power, and organization. We had to flee Bruma after our location was discovered, but we have an even more secure home now and have become more than we once were. Vera has done an admirable job as the alpha of the clan since your death."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Aboard the Imperial Venator

---

Although the Resurgence's soldiers had advanced first, Eri's team could take space quickly in the hallways. Along the sides of the hall, all down its length, were supports that protruded from the wall and offered sufficient cover, even for a Sangheili. These red-and-black armored soldiers of the Resurgence were certainly fighting well to be able to push back the Imperial soldiers from their already-established positions, but Eri was not one to leave the glory of battle to others. Unlike the allied Humans, her and most of her troupe could afford to take hits as they advanced into cover, so they could push forward more aggressively.

Eri was, as usual, at the front of her team, and it was not long before she had caught up to the frontline of her allied Humans. She had seen the work of the strange, orange-armored bounty hunter, though she had not seen where that one had gone. Eri had been told to pay attention to the mercenary's performance if possible, but it mattered little to her. Eri was more than glad to take the lead on their assault of the bridge.

To allow her shields to recover, Eri took cover behind one of the supports along the right side of the hallway, right beside one of the Resurgence's clones. She towered over him, though her full-faced helmet may have made her appearance at least somewhat less alarming. As her shields pulsed and strengthened around her armor, she looked down at him. "Cover my left. Just don't shoot me in the back."

The next set of support struts ahead of them were being used as cover by two Imperial clones, one on each side of the hallway. As Eri rushed out from behind her cover and charged forward, she held her left arm out in front of her and activated a bright blue shield of seemingly solid light, projected from an emitter on her forearm. It was a hardlight shield: an example of recovered Forerunner technology that had been adapted to interface with the power systems of her combat harness. Eri's rank and role aboard the Aegis afforded her certain privileges, among which was access to nearly any equipment she deemed necessary for her missions. The hardlight shield was a protective barrier far more advanced than any Covenant energy shielding, and it perfectly suited her aggression in combat.

As Eri ran forward, she drew her energy lance from her back and activated one of the blades. Her preference for the long staff weapon in melee combat came from the fact that it complemented the strengths of the shield well. Unlike an energy sword, she could easily thrust the lance around the shield at a close opponent, which was precisely what she did. The Imperial clone fired his blaster fruitlessly into her shield until the moment her lance impaled him through the chest. Regardless of what the Humans behind her did, her own team was quick to support their commander's attack. A flurry of plasma fire from two storm rifles kept the Imperial clone on the opposite side of the hall pinned in cover until Eri was already upon them. The Imperial did hit an accurate shot onto Eri once her shield was angled away from him, but she was just as quick to respond. She activated the second blade on her lance and, without a wasted motion, lunged across the hall towards the second Imperial. Between her own powerful legs and the length of the lance, she easily had enough reach to be able to put a blade through him as well.

Eri had dropped her hardlight shield for her lunge, so she took a second shot from farther down the hall before she got herself into cover and again allow her shields to recharge. Although, the next set of cover was an open blast door that was closer than the gaps between the support struts, so an Imperial behind the door on the opposite side of the hall still had an angle on her. She drew her plasma rifle with her free hand, but before either of them could fire on one another, she witnessed something she could only describe as bizarre. The Imperial clone was suddenly enveloped in a dark violet field of energy and started floating helplessly in the air. Eri had not witnessed the cause, but as confused as she was, it made it easy enough for her to land multiple shots with her plasma rifle.

Of course, Eri did not act alone within her team. The Immaculate Aegis had not sent near as many warriors to board the enemy vessel, but they had sent their best, which showed in the practiced synergy between each of her warriors. Even without being able to listen in on the troupe's closed comms channel, it was easy to see from the outside that they communicated effectively. Storm rifles provided a barrage of plasma fire to keep specific enemies pinned, either to allow others to reposition, or to lure those they were not shooting at into exposing themselves to the carbine-wielding marksmen. Thanks to their energy shields, the Sangheili could afford to allow themselves to take some incoming fire if it ensured they could land an accurate shot on an opponent. It was a luxury that the Imperial soldiers did not possess.

Once Eri had made it to the door, it was time for the whole team to advance, so one of the Sangheili near the front made use of one of their more effective means of suppressing fire, launching a full six shots of his concussion rifle through the door to the Imperials on the other side. He spread out the shots all across the hall to put enough pressure on the enemy to allow both their team and their allied Humans to push forward more easily. The explosive shots melted through and damaged cover, and though they did not hit anyone directly, the concussive force of the blasts could still injure, and knocked a few briefly from cover.

Quite the opposite to many other squads, the Unggoy and Kig-Yar did not take the frontline position among Eri's team, as she did not view them as simply fodder. The Kig-Yar was the best sniper in her troupe, if not in the whole crew of the Aegis, and the Unggoy both had their talents. One Unggoy, who was currently near the back firing a needler in the general direction of the enemy, Eri noted as being particularly observant to his surroundings, even in the chaos of battle. He noticed one of the Imperials readying a grenade, and appropriately warned Eri. On the Unggoy's signal, Eri dashed out with her hardlight shield active, using it to intercept the grenade as it was being thrown through the door and push it back in the direction of the enemy.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

The Immaculate Aegis

---

As per Shipmaster Falul's order, the Immaculate Aegis had opened fire with a volley of plasma torpedoes and began to charge its ventral lance the moment the Resurgence gave the word. The torpedoes spread out from sides of the carrier and arced around towards their three intended targets. Although, in the time that it had taken for the torpedoes to near their targets, the lead Imperial vessel had already taken enough damage that the Aegis had to redirect most of the torpedoes targeting it towards the other two vessels flanking it. Only those bound for the engines and weapons remained on course.

A plasma torpedo could deal heavy damage to shields or destroy a section of an enemy ship, but it was the superheavy lance that constituted the greatest display of an assault carrier's power. The amount of energy collected into the projector as it charged was immense, producing a relatively small, but brilliantly bright blue orb of light underneath the carrier at the tip of the weapon.

When it fired, the effect of the near-lightspeed particle beam was almost instant. It illuminated the ships around it a blue-white glow as the single brightest source of light within the void in which their ships were floating. The charge time required of the beam meant that the Imperial vessels were already being heavily damaged by the other vessels in their makeshift fleet, but it likely would not have mattered for the Imperial ship unfortunate enough to be targeted by it. Not Falul nor the officers targeting the Aegis' weapons knew enough about the Imperial vessel's design to aim for any specific weak point, but it could still cleave the ship in half.

---

Eri 'Moram - Aboard the Imperial Venator

---

The two cloaked phantoms had already been launched by the time the Aegis had started to charge its lance. Though, their pilots had been sure to take a wide enough path to their destination to ensure their camouflage was not compromised by the electromagnetic disturbances created by the beam. The Resurgence's boarding craft had already mostly cleared the hangar and were disembarking troops by the time the phantoms landed. Using the closed communications channels they could now access, the pilots had at least warned the other gunships before disembarking their own forces down the gravity lifts.

Special Operations Officer Eri 'Moram was in charge of the boarding party, and despite only the short time they had for briefings, she understood her mission. For the Sangheili among her personal team, they wore environment-sealed Infiltration harnesses, with black plating, apart from her own armor that had a reddish hue. The troupe on the other phantom wore mostly variants of the storm harness, though they still had black-plated armor.

Eri often selected her preferred weapons and armor equipment modules based on the particular needs of her missions. For the close-quarters fighting aboard a hostile ship, Eri brought both an energy lance and her energy sword, as well as a plasma rifle. Among the other eleven members of her team, their primary weapons were storm rifles, carbines for marksmen, and concussion rifles for armored or clustered opponents. Given her team's specialized role, they had a much higher proportion of Sangheili compared to the average infantry unit, with only two Unggoy and one Kig-Yar that had proven themselves enough to be a part of her team. The Unggoy were both armed with needlers, and one carried a fuel rod cannon, while the Kig-Yar had a beam rifle on her back. Though, for close quarters, she currently had her point-defense gauntlet active and was wielding a plasma pistol.

As soon as they were out of their phantoms, Eri looked to the leader of the other troupe. "Take defensive positions around the hangar and guard our escape." She ordered, though looking around, she could see that there were what appeared to be strikecraft that had not had time to be launched before the hangar had been overrun. "Once you have your positions, learn what you can from these ships."

On the part of Eri's team, she was after information, and she had arrived in time to hear the Resurgence's soldiers shouting about storming the bridge. It was the most likely place to find the kind of information her Shipmaster wanted, so working with these Humans seemed to be the most sensible option for now. She did not have the schematics for this vessel, but they knew precisely where to go. Without delay, Eri's team advanced with them to join them in the fight in the halls.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmph, you do not bow before Vykosa? Perhaps you do have spines...or perhaps you are fools?" The Khajiit growled. "You stand before the alpha of the Moon Hunter Pack! The most fearsome pack to have ever hunted in Tamriel, and now the most powerful pack in the realm of the Hungry Cat. And you are the ones who deigns to lead me into battle?"

Meesei, as was her expectation and responsibility, stepped forward up to Vykosa to meet her challenge. The Khajiit was tall and obviously more physically powerful than Meesei, though that had, of course, never been a concern for Meesei in the past. "We are the ones who have led our war against Clavicus Vile, and by right of my strength, I am the one who Hircine has selected as his Champion. I am the one that our lord has entrusted as the tip of our spear against Vile. Would you defy Hircine's will?"

Vykosa showed no sign of standing down, and indeed, only took on a more aggressive posture. She drew her wooden staff in one hand while her other was held open with claws extended. "Vykosa was among the first mortals to be cursed with Hircine's lycanthropy. She defied him in life. She defied him to form her pack and refused to be his prey. She defied his curse to create lycans with power far beyond anything he saw fit to bestow onto us. Vykosa defied Hircine's designs, and would have conquered Tamriel to dominate those who had hunted us, rather than just accept being the prey that Hircine intended us to be. Vykosa lived her life in defiance of Hircine, do you think she fears to defy him now, even here?"

Though she did not make any particular movements, Meesei was ready to respond to any potential violence at a moment's notice. Given her role, there was no option for her to back down. "Perhaps not. But you should fear to defy me."

The tension in the air could be cut with a blade. Lorag was nearest to Meesei and had already had one hand on his weapon since Vykosa introduced herself. Kaleeth was nervous, but focused, and Ahnasha stood side-by-side with Fendros, ready to support him. The silence lasted through an uncomfortable pause before Vykosa's grin turned into a laugh, albeit still a threatening one. "We shall see, lizard. You may make your camp, Champion, but the Moon Hunter Pack will be watching you with...interest."

Vykosa was not interested in any response and did not bother to listen before she left. Meesei had known that a more hostile greeting was possible, though she realized that she likely should have expected it. History was filled with arrogant and prideful lycanthropes, and the majority were now all residents of the Hunting Grounds. At the very least, they might now have the chance to have a more pleasant conversation with Jerrick.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

---

Shipmaster Falul gave a low snarl, though he avoided transmitting such to the Imperial vessel. The response itself was not terribly threatening, but the implications underneath still forced Falul's hand. With the information that had been presented to the Imperials, they had no reason to demand his presence, considering that he had stated an urgent need to leave. Perhaps there was some possibility that the Galactic Empire was not the enemy he was led to believe, but that notion seemed less likely than not. While he perhaps did not have the certainty he would have liked, Falul had to make a choice, and if they could prevent their enemy from sending out a signal, then it might not be a binding one.

Falul replied, simply and calmly, to the Imperial. "Very well. By your request, we shall remain." He said before closing the channel. In this case, he would do as the Imperials asked, though they would come to regret it soon enough.

"Prepare to fire on your targets on the Resurgence's signal." Falul ordered his officers.

Uril, Falul's second-in-command, activated the holographic display from the table in the center of the bridge. It formed a three-dimensional display of every ship in the vicinity, based on sensor data. The others seem to intend to board one of the vessels, Shipmaster. It could be an opportunity to gather useful information, but I believe it a risky strategy."

"Agreed." Falul replied, turning his chair to face the display. "But we likely do not have time to dissuade them. If this is the path we are taking, then we shall take advantage."

"Shall we prepare boarding parties?" Uril asked.

Falul zoomed in the display on the Imperial vessels. "No, I do not want to lose ships to this folly. We will send two cloaked phantoms. Special operations. We require small teams that can move quickly. Have them aid the others, but have them focus on identifying and recovering any useful information or technology, then leaving as quickly as possible."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

---

Falul was concerned with the arrival of the three Imperial Venators, but it was not until Erthos' message describing his plan that Falul grew visibly agitated. He let out a growl, slamming his fist into the arm of his chair. "Grah! Scan these Imperial vessels and search for any concentrations of energy signatures. Mark targets for plasma torpedoes on any obvious weapons and engines, and any likely location for their reactors on all three vessels. Target the ventral lance on the rearmost ship, but do not power any weapons. Not yet."

Erthos, it seemed, was already just expecting him and the others to join with him in combat against the Galactic Empire. He was planning an ambush, and one of the other vessels was even planning to board. Now that the Aegis' spirit understood the technology it had been examining well enough, it could open a secure channel with the Resurgence and the rest of their small fleet. "Supreme Commander Erthos, I have still not agreed to fight your war. You expect us to fire first against these Imperials? Make no mistake, if I were certain they were my enemy, I would slay them without a second thought, but all they have done thusfar is offer you medical aid. And if we were to engage them, we should destroy them all quickly and not risk detection."

Though he voiced his dissent, Falul doubted that his words would make any difference. Erthos did not seem like a man who would be swayed from facing his enemy. In a way, it was admirable, but it may not have aligned with Falul's goals in the moment. He needed certainty. Falul needed to know who his enemy was, and for that, Erthos' tactics had actually inspired an idea. Erthos' ruse was drawing in their supposed enemy, and Falul was not beyond a ruse himself. If he knew that the Empire were going to try and force their will upon him, to demand a surrender or even just prevent him from leaving, then he would know that he could not avoid fighting them forever. If he made his intentions to leave known, and was refused, then that would make supporting the Resurgence the prudent course of action.

"Open a channel with the Imperial vessel." Falul ordered. Regardless of any doubts or questions that his officers might have had, they followed his order without hesitation. "Imperial vessels, since you have arrived to render aid, my ship's assistance is no longer required. My vessel's presence is required urgently with my people, so we shall be leaving imminently." He announced. Should he be refused, he would simply "accept" the Imperials' order to remain, but he would have his answer.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Dunmer started to laugh. "I would have been more surprised if you had anything to say about me. There are no histories of me to keep. I suppose it was a fight to claim the Ring in Skyrim, but I did little of note with it after I brought it to Morrowind. There are other stories here that are far more interesting to tell."

The Dunmer pointed a finger to a large, transformed werewolf watching them from just off to their right. "This one died in battle with the Nerevarine himself. That werecrocodile lurking in that river over there? She killed a swamp leviathan alone and cut out the Ring from its stomach. And not in that order, either . Regardless of what anyone else tells you, though, I promise my pack and I did give a worthy fight before that Orc killed me. He had us heavily outnumbered."

Meesei heard the sound of a scoff from behind the Dunmer as the large, ferocious Khajiit finally approached. Meesei supposed she could have been a Cathay like Rhazii, given her height, but her general features still looked closer to Ahnasha's. In any case, she stood with her arms crossed, glaring down at the Dunmer. "Your efforts to save face in front of your 'successor' are almost as pathetic as you are. These 'champions' may have been strong enough to earn some small renown in life, but in death, they all bow to the superiority of Vykosa the Ascendant!"

The Khajiit, Vykosa, turned her eyes not to Meesei specifically, but to the rest of her pack. "Now, will you dogs bow too?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

---

As soon as the Aegis recieved the Daedalus' transmission, it was transferred to Falul's console. Though, he took the time to examine the co-ordinates that had been sent along with it, then go over the data he had on these "Transitory Mists". It was somewhat encouraging that at least some of the other shipmasters were like-minded to Falul in regards to their fallback point. Falul had read the information Erthos had given him on Kashyyyk and Naboo, which only made him suspicious of the motivation for suggesting them. They were supposedly in territory controlled by the Galactic Empire, and would have an Imperial presence. Falul did have aboard his vessel the means to hide the ship on a planet, but that would not be his first choice. This nebula that surrounded what was known as the Hapes Cluster would make for a far more secure base of operations.

After a minute or so, Falul replied to the transmission, sending it on an open channel to all of the other ships as well. "This is Shipmaster Falul 'Taham, of the carrier Immaculate Aegis. I am in agreement with the Shipmaster of the [i]Daedalus[i/]. Any planet with the presence of the Galactic Empire is unsuitable for our purposes. Should it become necessary for us to venture beyond our base for any materials or information, this 'Hapes Cluster' seems to have a central location in the settled portions of this galaxy."

Falul brought up a holographic display of the navigational data Erthos provided for them. It showed a map of this galaxy, and even at first glance, it brought up some concerns for Falul. "However, there is a potential concern we may face if we intend to cooperate. The map we were given of this galaxy...if it is accurate, then the settled worlds of the galaxy are far more widely-dispersed than in my own home galaxy. If your Earth has the same length of days as the Earth of my universe, Shipmaster Caldwell, then the Immaculate Aegis will require nine to ten days to complete the journey. I do not believe that all of our ships are capable of traversing the stars at similar speeds."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

---

Falul had done what he could aboard the Resurgence. He had spoken to those he felt might advance his goals, and he had both the navigational data and other information provided by Erthos. While most of them likely had differing motivations, for the moment, he did believe that they each had the same goal of returning to their respective homes. The only one he was skeptical of was Erthos, because if it was true that this was his universe in a different time, then what happened here might influence the state of Erthos' own time. Out of everyone, Erthos' goals were the ones that could change most easily.

However, insofar as their short-term goals were concerned, Falul doubted there would be many differences of opinion. Regardless of what approaches they intended to take to find their ways back to their home universes, their ships would need a place to refuel and resupply. The Immaculate Aegis was a warship stocked with enough weapons and supplies to siege entire worlds, but it was still not a self-sufficient vessel. Falul was not going to gamble on this being resolved quickly, so they needed to find at least some place they could call a fallback point. Whether or not that would be one of the places Erthos had suggested remained to be seen. Falul's guards followed as he led them back to the hangar at which they had arrived, and back to their phantom.

Once back on his ship, Falul went immediately back to the bridge to resume his duties as Shipmaster. The ship's spirit had already interpreted the data that had been sent to the Aegis, and Falul had the datapad Erthos gave him sent to one of their Huragoks to examine. With luck, they would be able to make their own ship's systems compatible with, at the very least, the communications technology used in this universe. Though, he made sure the Huragok's first order was to have the data translated and sent to his own console. He needed to read about these planets Erthos had mentioned, as well as any others that might be in the area.