Fandom Star Wars: The First Order at War (Open)

[Jackson123]

A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away....​

Three decades ago, the Battle of Endor had concluded in the destruction of the second DEATH STAR, and with it the collapse of the Empire.​

​

The NEW REPUBLIC was reinstated. While in the Unknown Region, the FIRST ORDER, under the leadership of Supreme Leader Snoke, work tirelessly to restore the dictatorship to the Galaxy.​

​

The FIRST ORDER was not the only Heir to the Empire. Remaining uninvolved with the First Order, the Imperial loyalist commanded by GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN, with declared neutrality, is silently observing from afar as turmoil bound to unfold.​

​

Today is the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Endor. On the orbit of HOSNIAN PRIME, the Republic starfleet had gathered in celebration. Blissfully unaware of the destructive power that the STARKILLER BASE is ready to strike......​

 

[RikuXIII]

{Thena: Empire of the Hand; Takodna - Maz Kanata's Castle}
The Pyrefly touched down gently among other ships clustered near the ancient castle that the pirate queen Maz Kanata had claimed for herself. It had long been neutral ground, a place all kinds of smugglers, spies, mercenaries, and riffraff could come without fear of violence. The mantra "No Fighting" was drilled into regulars by Kanata. It was a set up Thena respected, and a useful place to search for answers.
"Timetable is uncertain." Thena said as she touched the control to open the bottom hatch of her ship, extending a ladder down in the process. "But I want you to keep the engines warm. We need to move on as soon as I have a lead."
"Got it." Acknowledged the gruff synthesized voice of HK-CG, or simply CeeGee.
Thena had often wondered who decided to program CeeGee with the rather lax verbal style and voice, though it wasn't a problem. It made him seem more than just a mechanical servant, though maintaining the loyalty of a droid. A small chirping beside her caused the chiss to turn to find her ID10 Seeker Droid beside her, vibrating slightly as it hovered.
"No, I want you with me, Deci." Thena answered.
The small droid bobbed up and down in acknowledgement before moving to clip onto the outside of Thena's shoulder bag, its small legs folding up neatly. With orders issued, Thena slid down the ladder to solid ground. Sliding on tinted glasses to conceal her glowing red eyes, the Imperial Spy headed towards the Castle. Yellow face markings completed the Pantoran disguise she generally used. To many, she was Thena Chinoida, a Pantoran courier and gossip magnet. A simple identity, but useful. The only one who seemed to catch on this was a facade was Maz Kanata herself, but the old whatever she was seemed content to simply give Thena knowing looks.
Reaching the castle itself, Thena paused to let a small party move in ahead of her. She was early for her meeting with a contact, who promised something big on the First Order. If it was as big as claimed, she might need to leave in a hurry.

 

[LostPrimarch]

{Agadan: Freelance; En route/Arriving At takodana- Maz Kanata’s shipyard.}
​

Lying in the bed of the captains quarters aboard the Alpha Monka, Agadan tossed and turned in his sleep. The dream was one which had visited him often, though memory was more accurate. He was reliving the moment of his vengeance, the shame he felt as he succeeded, and the burning feeling of acid in his lungs. However among the cacophony of emotions he felt one push through the rest like a hot knife cutting through the fog of dreams. DANGER he felt through the force and was barely stirring when the glowing blue saber nearly struck him. Reflexively he raised his hand gathering a bit of force in his palm to stop the blade, yet his panic subsided almost immediately as he recognized the situation. Drawing his own saber to his other hand he would raise it to intercept the slowly falling blade. The moment they met the blue saber would pull away and its hum would be cut short as it was retracted.

“Excellent job master, your ability to remain on guard remains impeccable. As requested i have awoken you exactly two hours after you went to sleep.” the voice came from D3-R9 his training droid. “Flattery will get you no where D3, though i suppose i do owe you a thanks for the wake up call. How much longer until takodana?” Agadan said while he retracted his own blade and put it in his pocket for now. With his other hand he reached out and a small remote floated to his hand. With a press of a button the tint of the windows of the Alpha monka would begin to fade to clear windows filling the freighter with the light-show of hyperspace. “We will be exiting hyperspace in 44 seconds, another two minutes for landing procedures assuming our docking codes are accepted.” the driod said turning to follow Agadan as he made his way to the cockpit, it was a short walk, but Agadan purposefully slowed his pace so that he would arrive right as they exited hyperspace. The beautiful Green and blue gem of a planet would come into view just as he strapped in, D3-R9 would follow suit taking the co-pilot seat and strapping in. Not that it was needed, D3 was neither a good enough pilot, nor did Agadan need another pilot, most of his ships systems were retrofitted to be controlled by him here at the captains console.


“Never fails to amaze me how this gorgeous of a planet can have such a low population, youd think people would flood to a place like this.” he said as he shot the docking codes to the shipyard on his way towards it. A few seconds later he was given a lot number and he would engage the auto landing procedure. “Perhaps it is too remote for the urban types in the galaxy master? They do seem to be in the majority after all.” D3 would say without looking at agadan, good thing to because it meant he didn’t see Agadan raising an eyebrow at his oddly insightful answer. The ship would lower gently to the landing pad and upon its secured landing Agadan would rise and tell D3 “your on guard duty D3, Set saber to standard.” he said leaving the cockpit and making his way to the cargo bay. The shipyard he had landed on was a good couple of miles from the castle so he intended to take his speeder. “Of course master, good luck finding work.” agadan waved off the last and grabbed his belt on the way out. He checked his holstered blasters before pulling his saber from his pocket and clicking it in place on the belt in the small of his back. Mounting his speeder he would press the remote to lower the ramp and move his way out. Once on the ground he pressed the remote again to close the ramp and lock his ship before heading towards Maz’s castle and hoping she would be happy to see him this time.

 

[Specialist]

Vitals: 100%

Location: Mos Eisely Spaceport, 'Rizzo's BlackShip Imports', Level -2

Interactions: [OPEN]
​

"Final asking price. Five hundred thousand."

"One million. You are blind to see that this First Order prototype only ever saw one or two missions."

"Originally, the pricing was set at three-fifty kay per unit, according to schematics. I'm raising it up 70% of its value because I need a top-of-the-line ship."

The Weequay behind the counter sneered; what was already an ugly mug twisted into a garish snarl toward the T-shaped visor of the Mandolorian's helmet that gazed emotionlessly back at him. Then, a snorting chortle seconds later. "If it were any other nobody coming down into my shop, they would have left in a bag. Yet, you have guts. Guts, I cannot spill because of that armor. Hmph. You know, perhaps I am feeling generous today. Fine. Five hundred thousand-"

"-Give it a chrome paint job and full-service scan. Nothing else will be necessary."

"-Then you will pay a hundred more."

"Fine."

The figure reached her right hand out as the holo panel at the front of the counter materialized into a light blue hue; serving to be the single brightest source in the dimly lit beige-colored hangar bay. With the confirmation details already on screen, the wire transfer was completed with only a few swipes as the terminal blinked green for a second before vanishing back into the display port. With a stare that never left the Weequay, the humanoid's tone lightened with a serpentine smile. "Always a pleasure doing business with rich clientele. Bay Seven, up the stairs."

Nodding once, the Mandolorian walked over to the rails of the stairs and ascended them through every rattle, creak and snap that followed her footfall on the platform. As cutthroat and greedy as those leather-skinned pirates were, admittedly, their source in black market goods was not to be questioned. The door at the end of the stairs opened with an equally horrific hiss; the motor straining to left the door into the frame as she stepped through to yet another hangar on the other side. The hulking frame of the nearly sixty-foot-long starfighter was nearly unrecognizable from the sheer amount of service droids in, around, and on the ship's hull as they painted the exterior to be a shiny, reflective coating. Just as she'd requested, another crew of PIT Droids descended upon the hardpoint and subsystem plates of the starship; neatly cutting them away and inspecting the internals before replacing the panels and bolting them securely back to the hull. After about thirty minutes of waiting around, the service droids backed off and left the area as the cockpit unlatched and the ladder unfolded to the ground. The TIE Silencer was now ready to fly.

Climbing aboard and powering on the ship, the ladder retracted back into the housing as the cockpit closed with a high-pitched whine. The only indication that the ship started was the audible ignition of the thrusters upon starting up; the engine itself only measured as a gentle vibration underneath her seat. Looking around to ensure everything was running properly, the Mandolorian opened up the communications channel and spoke briefly. "Tower, Shadow-One holding short of Bay Seven. Requesting permission for departure." After a few seconds, the communications display lit up as the voice on the other end acknowledged her presence. "Shadow-One you are clear to depart Bay Seven. Good day." Slowly, the titanic doors in front of her parted open as the relentless light of the twin suns slammed into the tinted viewscreen of the ship; causing the panels to polarize into a dark red. Raising the collective and engaging the thrusters, the ship quietly made its way clear of the hangar bay before shooting off into the upper atmosphere.

Toggling the auto-pilot, her hands flew across the controls as she plotted a hyperspace jump to Takodana; the ship suddenly pitching up and orienting itself to the coordinates as it flew toward the hyperlane route. Hopefully, the New Republic wouldn't be too trigger happy like she'd heard of the old Rebel Alliance. Turning on her transponder, Nora sank into her seat as the force of the acceleration turned the stars into white lines before being plunged into the swirling blues and dancing blackness of hyperspace.

 

[Jackson123]

RSD Hecate
Resurgent class Star Destroyer
Unknown Region
Orbit of Ilum



When the enormous starship exits from hyperspace, the starlights outside the viewport were, for a brief moment, stretched into slender lines by the moving observer’s redshift and blueshift effects, before finally returned to the way they were. The Hecate is now steadily patrolling in the normal space time continuum.

"Hyperspace sequence complete. All hands secure from hyperspace station." the shipboard public address circuits announced across all decks of the massive star destroyer.

Trillions of stars shining, their rays of light travelling through billions of light-years, and finally reflected off the hull of the Star Destroyer, shines in silvery grey, with the name Hecate emblazoned underneath. There is no end to the darkness of the universe, an infinite void, the absolute zero temperature, cold beyond imagination. Yet, the galaxy, large as it is, is a stone's throw away in the eyes of civilizations, who can long been able to harness the power output comparable to their stars and travel from locations across the entire galaxy.

From the bridge of the Star Destroyer, Captain Matthias look out over the silvery metallic armoured deck extended towards horizon before him, covered in intricate patterns like an infinitely vast silver etched circuit board, a few shimmering transport ships sail through the distant stars, occasionally disappearing silently into hyperspace. The space dust brought over by the Star Destroyer’s own hyperspace jump is being ionised, becomes a cloud of dull red light that ponds over the silver hull.

Matthias can hardly recognise the planet of Ilum. The forested ice planet, rich in kyber crystals, was a safe-haven and sacred planet for the Jedi Order. The last time he was here, he was part of the orbital defence fleet of the mining facility Imperial Trench, now the First Order had turned this planet into a weaponised megastructure, with a colossal hollow cylinder planet-destroying gun embedded within the massive trench, large enough to dominate the view of the planet from orbit. The planet is now known as "Starkiller Base".

The captain glanced impatiently at his watch. The hour to declare war against the New Republic is coming ever closer. The glaring red energy in the gun barrel of the Starkiller base became visible even from tens of thousands of kilometres away.

 

[Specialist]

Vitals: 100%

Location: Takodana Orbit > Maz's castle

Interactions: [OPEN]
​

Even with the notable improvement of the ship's smoothness in hyperspace, the sudden deceleration as the ship exited back into realspace always made Nora's stomach flip lightly. The tinge of nausea faded into silent admiration as the planet of Takodana shone in its various hues of greens and blues as she drew closer and closer to the planet's surface. Despite the lack of orbital stations in the immediate vicinity, the atmospheric entry finished with a two-tone warning that a missile lock had been achieved, approximately three miles from one of the landing areas. Great. Disengaging the auto-pilot, the ship hovered ten miles off the ground as the Mandolorian explained to the weary controller that, no, she was not affiliated with the Empire despite the transponder's details suggesting otherwise. After what felt like an eternity, the tone stopped with the instructions to proceed to a landing pad on the other side of the monolithic fortress. To anyone on the ground, the ship glistened a bright silver as to reflected the light from the sun; barely emitting anything above a gentle whirr as the craft slowly made its way over to the available landing pad.

Once she had landed, Noraella gave the clearing a quick visual scan upon powering down the starfighter and toggling the cockpit lock. With a rush of depressurizing air, the cockpit lid opened toward the sky as the Mandolorian climbed out from the cockpit and descended the ladder to the ground; the assembly retracting closed behind her. Without a second more, she proceeded toward the castle at a brisk pace. Hopefully, there was still time. The rumor was all she had to go off of, yet hopefully, this data cache would verify what the Hand had been suspecting since the conclusion at the Battle of Endor. It was no secret that something had caused a split between Thrawn and the Emperor, and although she'd never met the leader of the Galactic Empire, the tales from the Commandos under Saxon suggested that he was always one step ahead of his enemies- even those he put in power.

 

[RikuXIII]

{Thena: Empire of the Hand; Takodna - Maz Kanata's Castle}
Inside the castle, Thena made for the bar, making special note of faces she scanned along the way. Kanata herself was concerning herself with other patrons, which suited the Chiss spy perfectly. Since avoiding attention was preferable, a drink was called for. Making it to the bar, she caught a server droid's optics.
"A sashin-leaf mead, and some cracknuts." Thena ordered.
"Right away, miss." The droid's crisp voice intoned as it moved to fulfill the order.
Thena took another look around as she waited for her order. Some familiar and fresh faces in the crowd. As this was a popular hang out for many different factions, it stood to reason other organizations had agents watching this place. The one that concerned her was the First Order. From reports and her own investigations, the First Order took the worst parts of Palpatine's Empire and amplified them. The build up of military might had long been a source of interest and concern for Imperial Intelligence. There were also whispers of a darker arm of the First Order called the Knight of Ren that invoked the days of the Inquisitors. And now, she was waiting for a contact to come fill her in on some vital information on the First Order.
"Your order, miss." The bar droid said, cutting into Thena's thoughts.
"Thanks." The spy said, putting a republic credit on the counter before collecting her mug and bowl of snacks.

 

[LostPrimarch]

{Agadan: Freelance; Takodana-Maz Castle}

Pulling his speeder to the water facing side entrance of the castle Agadan felt a chill ride down his spine. He knew the feeling well, some kind of trouble was likely going to come his way. With a sigh he pulled his remote out and locked his speeder bike before climbing off and ensuring his lightsaber was concealed beneath his armors back sash before he made his way to the side door. As soon as the door opened Agadan muttered a curse as Maz looked at him with giant eyes narrowed. “You…i thought i told you that you could not come back after what happened last time.” The alien woman said with a clear tone of annoyance but a clear undertone that said he may well be able to talk his own way past her. “Dont worry Ma’am, if someone tries to start a fight this time ill know better. We will take it outside for sure this time….please Maz, i dont have anywhere else to look, work is drying up left and right, and i get the feeling that the galaxy is about to go belly up.” A look of concern washed over Maz’s eyes before she asked “That wouldnt be one of those Jedi feelings would it?” Agadan shook his head and patted his gut while rubbing the back of his neck with the other one. “Nah nothing like that, just a gut feeling is all…look ill leave my blasters with you if it makes you feel any better.” Maz rolled her eyes. “You can come in Agadan, but dont patronize me. I know the blasters arent what anyone needs to worry about. Just know this is your last chance, you mess this one up and ill call in a favor.” agadan raised his hands defensively and a grin crossed his face. “Best behavior… i promise.” he said as she stepped aside to let him in and took his place heading outside.
~~~

As agadan entered the main room of the castle he found it rather packed. But with only a few people really standing out to him. Not because of how they dressed or carried themselves, but rather the danger he could feel emanating from them. Or rather one in particular, a woman at the bar, one he hoped didnt notice his looking as he made his way to the opposite side of the bar and asked the barkeep for a glass of blue milk and an order of some sweet jerkies. Once the order was brought to the strange woman he got danger vibes from he averted his gaze and began to scan the edge booths of the room looking for any smugglers he may recognize and try to get in on their gig. Without any luck he would resign to his milk and jerky after it was quickly brought to him. He would transfer some credits with a decent tip to the bartender earning a smirk before he slid the barkeep his contact info and said “Give this to anyone you think sounds like they need some…talent. If i find a gig you’ll get another fifty credits.” the barkeeps smile faded they realized he was just buttering them up but they took his holocard anyway and nodded before moving off to another guest.​

 

[Specialist]

Vitals: 100%

Location: Maz's castle

Interactions/Mentions: RikuXIII LostPrimarch [OPEN]
​

The air felt different, and it was no longer clear. Upon stepping into the entrance of the fortress, a light haze seemed to waft through the enclosed environment- not enough to obscure, but just enough to serve as an annoying distraction by catching her eye. Taking a moment to lean up against the sandstone-tinted wall, shrouded eyes scanned the crowd; taking in the minute details of the individuals present. The maiden herself was tending the masses, as Maz seemed irritated at the man's banter. It only took a single word for her to dip her helmet down in a mixture of avoidance and disgust: Jedi. In truth, she couldn't explain why she felt the way she did toward members of their ilk. The third Vaagari War saw her working with the force-sensitive monks, yet they mostly kept to themselves unless reliant on others for skills they did not possess. They were skilled combatants with a blade; not afraid to get up close and personal to finish their foes- their moves as fluid and complex as Kamino's rolling oceans. Yet, that was all they had to them. Why one was here post Purge was slightly bewildering to her; either the man was suicidal, or unflinchingly confident. Or both.

Yet, something else caught her attention. The tactful, yet hushed voice of someone familiar. Turning her head slightly to the left and looking up, she was quick to catch the slender, cerulean-colored Chiss ordering something to an awaiting droid. This got her to tilt her head to the side briefly as she turned her head away to resume people-watching, becoming lost in momentary reflection. Had it not been for Thena’s uncanny supply of battlefield intelligence during the Battle of Kariek, the entire offensive may as well have ended in a failure- or worse. She only hoped she pulled her weight in kind during the Third War- to have one's kind threatened through genocide was something she knew all too well. Pushing up off the wall, she whispered faintly to herself, "Aliit ori'shya tal'din," and slowly made her way through the crowd until she reached the countertop, folding her arms across the surface while looking forward. "Fancy seeing you here."

 

[Jackson123]

RSD Hecate
Unknown Region



“Proximity Alert. Friendly vessels exiting hyperspace, bearing green zero-niner-five, ETA 30 seconds.” In the resounding noise of the proximity alarm, the radar operator reported from the data pit of the star destroyer bridge.

Two other quadrilateral shaped star destroyers emerges from hyperspace. Their sublight ion thrusters ignited at the same time, their brightness comparable to the nuclear fusion reaction of the sun itself.

The three enormous star destroyers manoeuvres to a fleet defensive formation in the orbit of Ilum. The Resurgent class on the far side to Hecate is the RSD Autumn Drizzle, and position in the centre of these two is RSD Snowy Wind, the flagship of Star Destroyer Squadron Sixteen.

“There’s a change of plan. We’ll be heading for Takodana system, to conduct a freedom of navigation operation.” In the hologram stood Commodore Luthor Strecas, the commanding officer of the star destroyer squadron.

“What happened? I thought our orders were to guard the orbit of Ilum until the starkiller base firing sequence is complete.” The commanding officer of RSD Autumn Drizzle asked over the hologram. Captain Jazen Suginora asked exactly what Matthias had in his mind.

“It’s a direct order from Exegol. Supreme leader wants us to distract the New Republic’s attention before the first strike.”

“Direct order? He skipped the whole chain of command to make last second decision on a destroyer squadron?” Matthias said in disbelief.

“We’re not the only one. Grand Marshal Konrad wouldn’t let him, the two had some back and forth about……improvising the deployment of millions, you know their deal.”

“I understand.” Matthias nodded. This is certainly doubtful, but he will do his duty.

“Plot course for Takodana system. Prepare ship for hyperspace jump.” Matthias turns around and said to the Officer of the Deck (OOD), a 22 year old lieutenant commander. Looking at him sometimes makes Matthias think of himself when he was younger, fresh out of the Royal Imperial Academy, laddish and energetic.

“Aye aye, skipper.” The OOD snaps to attention. It didn’t take long for the 1MC (ship wide PA) to start buzzing with command.

“Man battle-station, Hyperdrive. Set all department to condition 1-HS for hyperspace jump, set condition 1-HS. This is not a drill…”

With almost no delay, the star destroyer squadron started their second hyperspace leap towards the mid rim of the galaxy.

(TLDR: 3 first order star destroyers are now heading towards Takodana system)

 

[RikuXIII]

{Thena: Empire of the Hand; Takodna - Maz Kanata's Castle}
Thena half turned from the bar to pick out a good spot to wait for her contact. A spot by the fire seemed ideal. She would have a few minutes to...
Thena felt someone move behind her, close. Kanata's rules about fights were clear and respected, but there were always bone heads. Her contact, maybe? A quick analysis of the possibilities ran through her mind in an instant before she turned to see who it was. She tightened her grip on her mug just in case before loosening it again when a familiar visage and voice greeted her.
"I could say the same." Thena replied to the mandalorian. "What's it been, a couple months? Glad my client sent you to save my bacon."
The Imperial Spy hoped that Mali would pick up on the cover and run with it. It was always best to act as if someone was listening in. However, her presence was something of a mixed blessing. Mali was an excellent soldier and operative for the Empire of the Hand. If the contact needed escorting out, having this mandalorian as back up all but assured a clean extraction. But if she was here on her own mission, things could get dice-y.
"What brings you to this watering hole?" Thena continued in a pleasant tone. "Wouldn't mind catching up before my client gets here."
Thena also caught sight of another familiar face. Gatreel. A former jedi turned mercenary. Someone she had been cultivating a connection to to continue her research into the Force. She had been looking forward to the next time they'd "bump" into each other, but this wasn't the time for that. Blast.


Mentions: Specialist LostPrimarch

 

[Specialist]

Vitals: 100%

Location: Maz's castle

Interactions/Mentions: RikuXIII
​

"Wouldn't be the first time." Nora quipped back, head lowered off toward the center of the countertop. She wasn't in the same position but could understand Thena's hesitance to engage in conversation- especially in a place like this. Likewise, her voice was low and angled solely for the agent's ears."Got a tip about stored information somewhere on the planet. Whatever or whoever has it will confirm a hunch of mine concerning a change in galactic events. Not for the better- especially not for the Hand." She despised delivering such vague statements, rolling her shoulders and remaining lax as she leaned slightly into the counter. "If there's anything I can do concerning why you're here, I can probably help- seeing as I don't have the slightest idea where my objective is." Nora bit back a sigh, muttering softly. "If this turns out to have been a waste of my time, I'm coming back for that Rodian."

 

[Jackson123]

RSD Hecate
Takodana System
Star Destroyer Squadron 16



The vast universe, all silent in such eternal darkness for billions of years, separated by light years, even the most blazing stars have but only a little light to reach this distance.

Suddenly, a ripple, the stable fabric of space-time is instantly distorted and reorganised, and a tremor that transcends the speed of light arrives at its intended coordinates, which then begins to take on its original form in the real space -- three star destroyers, each more than 2900 metres in length, emerges from hyperspace after consuming more energy than even some stars could emit in it's entire lifespan.

The sleek, silver hull of the starships glistened in the starlight, with the faint interior light rippled around the edges of their alloy shell mirroring the stars in the distance.

"Hyperspace sequence complete. All hands secure from hyperspace station. Set condition one throughout the ship, smoking lamp is out on all decks. Lay before the mast all twelve o' clock reports, that is all." The loudspeaker announced.

Captain Matthias stood on the spacious elevated platform in the middle of the star destroyer bridge, the sunken data pit on either side are filled with various console and bridge crews in their station. He can feel the cold breeze from the air conditioner on his wrinkled face, the recycled air from the life support system and the electric smell from the various apparatus created the familiar scent that he is accustomed to in his decades of spacefaring career.

The cold starlight from far distance, shining on the hull of the starship with the blazing sun of Takodana system, reflecting in the captain's eyes.

“Proximity alert! Unknown vessels exiting hyperspace, bearing one-seven-zero.” The comm-scan operator called out.

Emerging from hyperspace is a Mon Calamari star cruiser, accompanied by two Nebulon-C class escort frigate, now shadowing the 3 star destroyers from their starboard quarter.

“Star destroyer, uhm, this is a New Republic naval vessel. You are entering New Republic territory. Change your course or you will be fired upon.” The frigate transmitted in hailing frequency.

"This is First Order warship. We are on our routine transit through Takodana to Batuu system, we are exercising freedom of navigation within international space. Are you threatening me, over?" the radio operator on the flagship RSD Snowy Wind responded.

Then came a long silent in the transmission. While the star destroyers carry on in their original course. Games like this had been continued on since the signing of the Galactic Concordance, the rising tension between the First Order and the New Republic while increased the frequency of these activities, didn't change the rule itself.

Of course, with the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Endor at hand, the New Republic have one more reason that they wouldn't want the First Order to wreck the party of them either. With the Takodana system being so close to the Spar Trade Route, that leads directly to Endor system.

"Ehh, First Order warship, this is New Republic vessel. Change your course to......oh my god, what is that?"

The transmission abruptly ended, while in the far distance, a gigantic red beam could be seen travelling across the stars.

Traveling faster than anything ever generated by artificial means, through a torn portion of space-time within hyperspace, the concentrated glowing ball of energy, disturbed space was energized and lit up by its passage. It was as if a minuscule sun had suddenly appeared from nowhere, the massive unstable beam shines ultra bright light in all directions within hyperspace, allowing everyone in the galaxy to see the mean red streak of the Starkiller weapon stretching across the sky, heading directly for the Hosnian system......

"So it begins..." Captain Matthias murmured to himself.

 

[RikuXIII]

{Thena: Empire of the Hand; Takodna - Maz Kanata's Castle}
Thena kept a friendly smile on her face as Noraella explained her presence, even threw in a little laugh to keep up the ruse. So, she wasn't the only one here on an ominous lead. While the two leads might not be related at all, that explanation felt hollow to Thena. No, she was getting one of her feelings. A seed of certainty about things, like how she would feel when she would guide a ship through hyperspace. Something very big was coming, looming in the future like the shadow of a gravity well in a ship's path.
"Well, maybe we can see to your treasure hunt after i see my client." Thena said, sounding causal. "Who knows? Might be fun."
The Imperial Agent was about to press for more details when there was a commotion from outside. It didn't sound like a spat, but...panic? Conisdering the clientele here, that was somewhat jarring. The icy touch of dread worked it's fingers down Thena's back, but she didn't know for what. But, years as a ozyly-esehembo and in the service of the hand, she knew to trust her instinct.
"Eyes up, Mando." Thena said in a low tone, the pretense of the jovial courier gone. "We may have come across something concrete."

Specialist

 

[Specialist]

Vitals: 100%

Location: Maz's castle

Interactions/Mentions: RikuXIII
​

Only a nod was returned by the Mandolorian as she rolled her shoulders and took another idle glance around the area. Admittedly, 'playing the part' wasn't something she did- perhaps it was something she could work on; there was more to life than just being an expert on blasters and hunting bounties. It didn't take a Jedi- much like the one a fair pace away from her- to know that she had said something that seemed to confirm a silent change in her fellow Hand operative. "Was looking for a bit of fun anyway. Don't keep your client waiting; I'm gonna take a walk. Drop me a line if you find any activities for us." With that, Nora reached into her satchel, retrieving a 32c credit chit and tapping it against the table before walking back toward the entrance, leaning against the rough stone pillar and glancing up into the sky.

....what?

Either a star had gone supernova during the day, or an unknown solar event had just taken place. Breaking her previous statement, Nora spoke briefly into her helmet as the channel opened by the click of her tongue. "Unknown red energy pulse, visible from the sky. This isn't a coincidence."

 

[Jackson123]

The sky of the Hosnian Prime turns blood red, glowing ever brighter. The Republic starfleet gather in orbit for victory day fleet review bursts into flame and disintegrate, pulverize by the intense energy. Every men, women and children screams in horror as the destructive beam reaches it’s destination, the skyscrapers melt within seconds before their eyes, the wave of heat torn their flesh away, the shockwave blasts what’s left of their charred skeletons into ashes.

(big fan of terminator 2)

Perhaps it’s a mercy that most lifeform were killed before their nerve sense any pain. The starkiller beam relentlessly drills into the core of the planet, the crust open up revealing the mantle magma within, megacity cave in on itself, and, exploded.



The orbit that Hosnian Prime once occupied is filled with what can only be described as an asteroid belt.

Hosnian Prime was not the only planet to suffer such fate, as Courtsilius, Raysho, Hosnian, Cardota, four other planets were all destroyed by the branches of the starkiller beam within roughly 30 seconds.

The galactic history had entered a new era.

All across the holonet in the galaxy, people started to notice all connections from Hosnian system went offline. The Hosnian sector of the Corellian Trade Spine what were once filled with busy traffic went completely silent in an instant. Attempt to reconnect to the New Republic capital all failed.

The New Republic thought they had prepared enough for the war, but when it all came crashing down on them, it became painfully clear that they are in fact not prepared for what’s to come.

Amidst the chaos, starfleets bearing markings of the First Order emerges from the border of the Unknown Region. The declaration of war is broadcasted throughout the New Republic.

 

[RikuXIII]

{Thena: Empire of the Hand; Takodna - Maz Kanata's Castle}
Thena followed Nora out of the castle, trying to properly analyze what her subconscious had picked up on. Something was very wrong here, she just wasn’t-
The streaking red energy burning through the sky was the focal point of attention for all onlookers, Thena included.
“Spast!” The agent swore under her breath.
There had been, of course, been rumors of the First Order developing super weapons, but nothing definitive. Well, now there was. Th maniacs had done it. Thena tore her eyes off the sky and upped out her comlink.
“CeeGee?” She called as she moved back into the castle.
“Acknowledged.” He mechanical voice came back promptly.
“We have some form massive energy weapon attack visible in the sky. I want an analysis of where it’s happening.”
“I’m on it.” The droid replied. “I’ve been monitoring official channels and we have a declaration of war broadcast from the First Order.”
“Spast!” Thena exclaimed again. “Get the ship ready for launch. We’re leaving as soon as I have the client.”
She returned her comlink to inside her bag, missing what CeeGee said in reply. New plan. Get her contact had high tail it it of here. The Cold War had just gone supernova.

 

[Specialist]

Vitals: 100%

Location: Maz's castle

Interactions/Mentions: RikuXIII
​

Nora's hearts raced with a surge of energy she hadn't felt since the opening shots of the Vaagari War. Turning to run back into the monolithic fortress, the idle chatter had been replaced with an eerie silence as devices across the cantina had begun to open with the forced broadcast of a declaration of war against the Republic- and potentially all else who dared to consider themselves remotely allied to the resistance network. This particular organization, the First Order... She'd heard of the name mentioned more and more as the years passed under the safety of the Hand and her Mandolorian instructors- this was after the Galactic Empire fell to the Rebels, of course. It was as if the entire cycle was repeating again, yet something was different about this new declaration. Malicious. Ominous. Foreboding. The dripping venom laced within the voice of the Order's representative momentarily sent a chill down her back as she paused to listen to the message. Snapping herself back into focus, she turned around and promptly made a beeline out the door and over to her starfighter; unlocking the cockpit and clambering inside as the hatched closed with a gentle hiss of pressurized air. Initializing the ship's systems, Nora once again contacted Thena upon opening the hyperspace map. When she'd noticed the entire lane of the Trade Spine no longer appeared as a series of linear points of connection, she went silent. A soft 'ping!' emitted from the console as the map had suddenly updated, and removed an entire star system. Tilting her head in confusion, she refreshed the map.

Nothing.


Her blood ran ever colder as a silent tear trailed down her cheek. One steady breath to compose herself, exhaling slowly as she clicked her tongue and opened the comm link. Her voice cracked; mind still shocked with the grim reality that there would be no peace; so long as darkness reigned fierce over the galaxy at large.

"Thena- Hosnian Prime and four other planets just got karking obliterated." A pause, recomposing herself. "If there’s anything else you can gather, let me know. I’m sure the Hand will be recalling us both shortly.”

Initializing the ship’s systems, the gentle hum turned into a whirring roar as the ship ‘jumped’ into the air; the landing struts folding into the main assembly as she angled the craft toward the sky and raced toward the orbit of the planet. Her previous objective carried no value compared to the events that just unfolded. This required much more attention, and cemented what she already appeared to suspect prior to arriving on Takodana.

 

[CelticHero37]

Riar Duinn
The Raven​

Takodana System
Maz Kanata's Castle

A mysterious figure sat in a dark corner of Maz Kanata's Castle, scrolling through a datapad. Others seemed to keep their distance from him. Many of them recognized him, but his reputation deterred friendly conversation. He was known by most as The Raven. Claiming to be a smuggler by trade, many felt that there was much more to him than he let on. Either way, he had a full set of Mandalorian Beskar armor which in general was already a cause for caution. He had one leg on the table in front of him and his golden visor hid the trajectory of his gaze, making it seem like he could be staring at anyone. At the same time, he had yet to be an actual threat to anyone there. So people simply kept a cautious eye on him to make sure he didn't try to start anything.

The crowd tensed for a moment as something clattered to the table in front of The Raven. He had dropped his datapad and was now leaning over the table with a hand on his helmet as if he'd been hit with a massive migraine. In reality, it was something else that disturbed him. Despite never training with a Jedi or Sith, he was a Mirialan. As such he was naturally precluded to have a connection with the force. It wasn't something he'd put much effort into learning, but he had always been confident that he could if he wanted to. There was great pain and loss that flew through the force like a shockwave. Something major had happened, and it wasn't good.

Once things had calmed down, The Raven got to his feet and walked briskly out and to his spaceship, Darkwing. As he walked up the ramp to his ship, something seemed strange. He heard some rustling coming from the cockpit. Drawing his blaster, Riar crept toward the cockpit until he was right at the door. Curving around the wall with his blaster held out, he looked to see what was going on. As soon as he saw what was going on, he let out a sigh and straightened up. Holstering his blaster, he said, "I thought I told you two to stay in the cargo hold. You're not in the clear yet."

"But we've gotta get outta here! Something crazy's going on and we've been hearing some concerning chatter from your ship. Something about the First Order," replied one of the two men standing in his cockpit. They were wearing clothes that indicated they had come from some sort of prison or containment facility.

Pushing them aside, Riar Duinn headed for the pilot's chair. Hearing the name First Order brought an urgency to his step. Looking back, he stated, "I've got something I've gotta take care of. You can either foot it from here, or we'll be adding a detour to our flight plan."

"I-I think we'll take our chances here. I get the feeling we won't like where you're going," stated the second fugitive.

"Smart choice," commented Riar, "There are two cloaks near the ramp, they're on the house. Wouldn't wanna be seen in your getup, so that will help ya get to where you're headed."

The men nodded and thanked him before making their way off his ship with haste, taking the cloaks he had offered. As soon as they had left, Riar took off. Darkwing cast an imposing shadow over the castle as he headed for the outer atmosphere.