Falleen

[Tygo Edsbryder]

Tygo disembarked the landing craft with the troops, having left his X-wing in the hangar. It was a lot of things, but easy to disembark for an assault was not one of them. Haulanz of House Constipex flowed out of the craft alongside him, along with the grim masked Bekenden of his homeworld and a handful of Kraaienbladen. Constipex's soldiers were a disciplined and professional sort, conventional fighters trained to fight in grand armies, but his people were urban combat specialists, hardened killers who would find lofty perches and dismantle choke points from on high. Falleen would be liberated soon enough.

 

Intel for the op suggested some sort of berserker pirate cult, an odd choice for the notably stoic and emotionless cold blooded Falleen. It was unlikely that there were many true believers here, the Sith's presence had been brief, too brief to raise children in indoctrinating cults, or for people to forget their old traditions and ways. It was peculiar that the cult hadn't fled to more remote regions to subsist on piracy now that the Sith had largely fled the galactic stage, now they were exposed and largely unsupported, easy prey for the triumphant rebellion.

 

It was unusual for Tygo to be going into an operation with anything more than a squad, but he enjoyed the feeling of a larger force by his side. His work was often distasteful, even if it was necessary and for the good of all, so to be included in a nobler endeavor filled his heart with joy. Though the lion's share of the glory would go to Contispex today, Edsbryder would conduct itself with valor and determination.

[Tygo Edsbryder]

Tygo let out a practiced exhalation, as if expelling air to make room for an influx of the Force, followed by a measured deep breath that tasted of roses and spring water. There was a purifying sense of relief whenever the prince stood against the darkness, a painful pressure drained away like drawing pus from an old wound and freshly bandaging it. Confronting and banishing the dark wasn't just an internal conflict, it called upon people to look beyond themselves to the greater needs of life around them, and to support each other when the burden of evil became a crushing threat.

 

"Bekenden, Kraaienbladen, rise above!"

 

The forces of House Edsryder specialized in urban mobility, and their preferred strategy was to leverage advantage from taking elevated positions. Maannacht produced a number of Sithspawn and dark side infused wildlife, and hunting those monsters cultivated skills that translated well into hunting armor in military engagements. The Edsbryder Haulanz ascended the city buildings, with the kraaienbladen identifying and calling out targets, and the Bekenden readying heavy weapons and longarms for providing strategic elimination of major threats.

 

The land tanks were the first priority, and the Bekenden trained their coil guns on exposed vulnerabilities from their perches and opened fire. As long as Gaijin wasn't doing the armor mapping of the vehicles, their opening salvo would be crippling, and Tygo readied himself for the advance once the enemy armor was neutralized, rapier and blaster in hand.

[Tygo Edsbryder]

It seemed that the fledgling was not as dispossessed of mettle as his first encounter had originally suggested. The squire was confused and scared, but that was the appropriate response to being in proper battle for the first time. Drawing a bead as he advanced confidently, he sent lancing bolts of crimson into the heads of enemy soldiers, flicking his blade to deflect any fire that was on course to hit him.

 

Even as the edges of the enemy formation began to fray, desperation slowed the advance as they began to fire more often and more erratically. Tygo could hold his own against the onslaught, but many of the line soldiers and the squire would be overwhelmed without intervention. The inquisitor holstered his pistol and clutched at the threads of light that fluttered unseen beneath the veil of reality, raveling them around his hand in a circular motion before manifesting them as a blinding light in the palm of his hand, bright enough to cause those that looked upon it to flinch and recoil.

 

Under the blinding aegis of the light, Tygo and his allies advanced to close with the enemy line in melee combat. Tygo made sure to position himself between the squire and any massed enemy fire so that the boy would not get gunned down.

[Tygo Edsbryder]

Tygo heeded the Lord Commander's orders and sent a short range burst to the Bekenden, a number of whom rapid repelled from their perches to further encircle the trench line. With calm precision the prince and his Haulanz pressed along the enemy emplacement, coldly dispatching the remaining opposition. Resistance wilted as they swept through the fortifications and tunnels, ever tightening the noose. The Bekenden were trained as urban hunters, and the trenches and bunkers translated easily to the narrow alleyways and enclosed spaces that they were used to fighting in.

 

The Bekenden were soldiers of grim aspect, monsters that outlived the tyranny of their masters, but they were now sworn to the light all the same as Edsbryder itself. They were living proof of a way back from the darkness, which made the situation on Falleen all the more irksome. The soldiers they were fighting were victims of Sith indoctrination, who until the arrival of the Sith had led normal lives. When treating the Sith blight upon the galaxy, sometimes amputation was necessary, but Tygo had never fallen in love with the image of blindly destructive hero. This was why he was so dedicated to the destruction of cults, every false prophet and dark priestess that he slew would preserve the light for countless lives. They would save as many as they could, but for these poor fools, there was nothing left for them but the firm cut of justice's blade.