RPlog:Battle of Selene (Part I)

Imperial Plaza, Selene
It is the pinnacle of splendor, the sight of sights, the very jewel of the already beautiful Selene. The Imperial Plaza, vast and open, ends at its northern tip abruptly with the rise of the Kenora Mountain range from which emerges the colossus of looming proportions - the Imperial Palace. It is a castle as tall as it is beautiful, with its many towers and balconies, with lights that shine brightly in challenge to the stars, with carved stuccos, with outer colonnades and handsome spires. The fact that the Kenora Mountains have no foothills is a geological phenomenon in itself, but here it only serves to underline the greatness of the palace. Like massive organs, the mountains frame the dark design of Emperor's grand edifice, of which a large part is carved into their stony interior. The rest of the plaza is also of interest, although dwarfed by the spectacle and proportions ahead. Among the almost impossible security, a death fence to the local garrison buzzes in the east, where spotlights shine on the castle at night. Above, the space traffic is almost never-ending, its destination one of the towers of the palace. The presence of the Emperor's will is almost tangible...

CSA Fleet (played by Morrison)
An Espo fleet has been dispatched to the Selene system. Officially charged with the defense of the KDY-SFS shipyard in orbit above the Imperial captial, they plan to support the Whitecoats in their bid to overthrow the current regime.

Notable ships in this force include the Strike Cruiser Authority and Star Destroyer Litigator.

CSA Assault Force (played by Zrak)
The troopers aboard the CSAV Authority have been charged with attacking the Imperial Palace.

CSA Combat Engineers (played by Circe)
In addition to the infantry, the Espo forces also include troopers from the 23rd Engineering Company. Their demolitionists will be vital in overcoming the Palace fortifications.

Whitecoats (played by Shara)
There are Stormtroopers in the Imperial Palace that are secretly loyal to Lorn Rhys. As the Espos attack from outside the Palace defenses, these Whitecoats will attack from within.

Imperial Loyalists (played by Lorn Rhys)
The current Imperial regime is not without defenders. Those still loyal to Osbourne will stand against the invaders.

The Story
In orbit above Selene...

The Dark Eminence, the crowning flagship of the Empire, orbits the capitol planet Selene, a silent sentinel watching from the heavens. Traffic to and from the planet plays about in a carefully orchestrated dance, conducted by the computers and controllers below. Ever so slowly, the Super Star Destroyer yaws towards the planet, as if making a turn. As it passes 15 degrees starboard, the first sign of trouble becomes apparent. A starship launches from the hangar bay at full throttle. It recklessly twists and turns through picket lines, nimbly dodging the vessels, some of which break away and half-heartedly pursue.

However, the SSD continues its slow turn towards the planet below and appears to accelerate. The hulk of the ship is completely caught in the planet's gravity well and is being drawn towards its bosom faster and faster. Escape pods futily disgorge themselves from the capital ship, some succumbing to gravity and falling into the atmosphere at odd angles where they burn up. The Dark Eminence shares the same fate, its dagger pointed bow beginning to peel apart as it falls through the atmosphere. In a manner of mere moments, the SSD is completely immersed in the thick Selene atmosphere. Its steel grey body turning a molten red as friction heats the durasteel to temperatures it was not intended to withstand. Radio traffic is frantic as the ship goes down and those watching from orbit are helpless to stop it as it breaks up in chunks and impacts into the planet below.

The devastation below is readily visible from orbit as clouds of dust and debris are tossed into the stratosphere only to fall miles from where they were launched.

As the ship plunges toward the planet, alarms sound on the various bridges of CSA vessels that had clustered around the KDY docks. "Force help them ..." mutters one stunned Captain. As the ship slowly descends Morrison watches through the viewport. His breath catches in his throat. A capship-crash of that magnitude could ruin the entire planet of Selene. Riots, mass hysteria, death. The Imperial leadership would be helpless given the enormity of the destruction about to befall them. The chunkes crash into the planet setting massive fires. Morrison gives the word, "All members of Task Force Red," he says over the Comm, "Situation B, I repeat, Situation B." Having said that, the ships begin to move toward Selene in a holding orbit directly over the capitol city.

The CSAV Litigator is the closest, as they come into range, massive fires can be seen all over Selene. IRD fighters launch out of the VSD in several waves, taking up a picketting position to stop any ships from getting to the planet. The CSAV Authority and the men and women of the 2nd Battalion run to their stations. Equipment is checked, double, triple checked, armor is stowed and secured. The massive carrier turns toward the planet and begins heading toward the capitol city preceeded by a lone dropship.

...cut to the Imperial Plaza on the surface...

Word is already spreading through the Imperial communications net. Though reports are fragmented, everyone agrees on a single fact: there's been a catastrophic impact. And, if that weren't enough, another streaking fireball can be glimpsed descending through the atmosphere. Shuttles and transports launch from the starport outside, pilots panicked at the possibility of another impact. Hysteria is quickly igniting the populace outside.

But, this new threat begins to slow and it becomes obvious that the descent is controlled albeit highly risky. Behind the shields, raised to deflect the incredible friction caused by the insane tactic, the shape of a strike cruiser can be distinguished speeding towards the public landing area. With the landing pattern already impassable with panicked denizens, the cruiser opens fire with cannons, cutting a swath through the traffic and clearing the trajectory. Just before the cruiser disappears from sight, one shot catches a skyhopper in the stabilizer and sends it careening towards the garrison plaza. It crashes into one of the observation towers, raining debris down upon the plaza as it explodes on impact.

Raika shifts position some what nervously as he watches the sky while patrolling towards the palace. As the Dark Eminence begins its descent, he raises his hand to the troopers in his unit, all well trained storm troopers and all against the current regime. "We proceed as planned. Rush the palace asking if they need assistance. When all of the unit gets within firing range I want you to open fire. Try to take the division leaders first to add to the confusion." His voice comes across the intercom to the rest of the unit who continue their patrol calmly. They were within 100 feet of the palace when the SSD hit the surface and well prepared for the impact, only a single man falling when the ground shook from the impact. Raika makes a gesture over his shoulder and his men check their weapons and ready them in turn, as if preparing for a simple raid on a Rebublic base as they continue their march.

The 60 soldiers pick up their pace, running toward the palace, weapons ready but not held in firing position. "What the hell just happened here?" The human shouts as he closes the distance to the palace, glancing over his shoulder to make note of his men positions as they follow behind. Their calmness stands out from the civilians in the area and even from the imperial forces in the area as well.

The normal bustle of night activity has devolved to pure chaos. Burning embers rain down onto Imperial city causing small fires to erupt across the city. The palace, however, remains largely unaffected save for a few carbon smudges from debris.

The men manning the perimeter fence are caught completely off-guard by the surprising swoop maneuver of the Strike Cruiser. In fact, they're not even sure if it is a friendly vessel or not. Those doubts are shattered when the ship opens fire and they return fire of their own. Unfortunately, their weaponry was designed against an infantry or armor attack - the blaster bolts simply scorch the hull of the cruiser but do no other appreciable damage.

The distinctive sound of high-powered turbolasers cuts through the general cacophany of the chaotic scene. Blasts from the strike cruiser impact against the perimeter fence, causing some of the defenders to scatter, but doing little in the way of structural damage to the energized barrier. However, the majority of the strike cruiser's firepower is focused at the small pockets of resistance in the port itself, and, as the vessel's belly cracks open to disgourge a flood of brown-armored infantry and mobile artillery units... the few stormtroopers unlucky enough to have been patrolling the landing area are overwhelmed.

While a portion of the force detatches to secure the spaceport, the bulk of them advance towards the garrison's perimeter. One dull explosion, then another, is heard by those within the plaza. One of the observation tower sentinels is heard screaming "INCOMING!!!!" just before the whistling impact and explosive detonation of artillery fire consumes his post.

Confusion plays to the advantage for a small group known as the CSA's 23rd Engineering Company. Their leader motions them to advance from where they've been dropped among the swarm of infantry into a mix of scrambling troops and panicking civilians. With steady pace they make a jog for the eastern gate from their drop point, gear jumbling on their backs and at their waists. Within minutes, charges are set at points pre-determined to take the barrier down and then the operatives move away.

The blast takes no prisoners, only the lives of those unlucky enough to be too close as a low boom is followed by the sound of debris and shrapnel zinging then landing like deadly blood-soaked hail. The gate is breached.

Raika chuckles at the sounds of death and destruction that swell around him as he looks at the shocked face of one of the palace guards as the soldiers offload from the newly landed ship. "Now." He says coldly into the comm in his helmet as he raises his rifle and fires a single bolt into the palace guard's face. As the dead guard falls to his knees the other soldiers guarding the palace look from Raika's men to the ship and to the fence, seeming to be shocked and confused by one of their own turning on them. Just as the rest of his men scatter and begin firing at the other guards around the palace. Raika dashes to the side and releases a spray of fire towards the palace entrance as his men move in on the palace, advancing through the open area the short distance to the structurem, taking advantage of the shock and confusion. A few of his men, however, rush the fence and begin firing on the distracted perimeter guards. Raika grins as he glances around and watches his men advance on and assault the people he had at one time called 'Allies'.

If the assault by the Authority and the breach of the perimeter fence was not enough to shake the palace guards, certainly the turncoat Imperial soldiers are. The more coherent ones bark orders into comlinks to alert the palace guards within. It's not long before large lumbering blast doors begin sealing off the main entrance, albeit at a snail's pace.

The guards near the entrance fall back inside, presumably to take up fortified positions within the interior. The rest outside do their best to lay down suppressing fire as the the palace begins to be swarmed by the insurgent forces.

The first wave of invaders advances on the breach, and, though the defenders are handicapped by the element of surprise, by betrayal, by the utter chaos of the situation, the few that remain succeed in holding back the tide...for a little while. For, though the first wave is cut down, and the second... the inevitability of their numbers overcomes, and a surge of brown-armored Espo troopers wade through the bodies of fallen comrades and enemies to sieze a foothold within the plaza.

Raika breaths deeply as he looks around and sees the toll the attack has taken, so many of the regime's forces dead or wounded and the guards pushed back into the palace for the time being. He speaks into his com, "Report," a single cold word that echoed throught the helmets of his men. 17 don't report back. Good numbers considering the assault's intensity, but more then he had expected to lose although the enemy had certianly paid for it in blood. He gestured towards the door. "Secure the entrance, if it starts to open throw a few dets in before they have the time to get the doors open." He orders and his men obey almost mechanically. Raika himself turns to the brown uniformed soldiers as they advance. "I'm Raika Navar, commander of the 234th devision at the local garrsion. Welcome to Selene," he shouts, lowering his weapon with a chuckle. "This will be a day that no one forgets and a day that will mark the first towards the empire's glorious future," Raika thinks silently to himself as he casts his eyes across the area that was previously behind him and gazes upon the dead that almost form a carpet across the blood stained ground.

The Imperial forces returning fire slowly whither away. Those that held their positions inside the perimeter fence eventually succumb to the superior firepower. The last few remaining survivors regroup and make a mad dash for the palace entrance as the blast doors grind to a halt and seal. One unlucky soldier gets his legs caught in the machinery as he dives through. Fortunately, for the spectators outside, the gore remains on the other side of the door.

Sporadic and unorganized fire comes from the direction of the garrison, but mostly small arms. No significant mortar or armored divisions appear to have been mobilized yet.

An Espo commander steps forward from the mass of Authority troopers, his superior rank denoted by his armor's golden shoulder plates. As random blaster bolts continue to trickle down from above, he flips up the visor on his helmet exposing a grim countenance and taking a moment to survey the scene with an unfiltered gaze. To the bodies littering the ground, the devestation, the darkening skies, the now fortified palace, he vocalizes only one response. "DAMMIT!"

He makes a beckoning gesture, and another trooper with a large comm pack strapped to his back steps up beside him. "Kalinz... get on the channel. Inform task force command of the situation, they've dug in here... and we're gonna do the same. I want the engineers fortifying our position here, now! Anti-walker trenches, Infantry bunkers, the works! We may be here a while." He shoves the subordinate away to his task then flips down his visor, voicing orders through his own personal comm. Another series of distant booms echoes through the plaza, answering the commander's call. The volley of artillery fire detonates against the hardened palace walls and heavy blast doors. "We're in for a siege."