[19 BBY]
[Blessed Shipyards of Koppa Khan, Lorta, Lorta System, Gendius Sector, Cerean Reach Hyper-lane, Mid-Rim]
The hills were on fire Alaya Secura could see from where she stood on the construction scaffolding, momentarily stopping to stare at the hellish inferno distant that illuminated through the pouring rain and dark clouds of this world's night. She gripped the metal structure with her left hand, ignoring the lash of cold rain on her cloak and light armour, staring as the constant chatter, orders and reports of potential dangers and finds, filled her ear. Below the damaged, partially on fire, shipyard was a hive of activity as combat engineers and technicians swarmed like insects over an intact native warship and the production facilities that had been servicing the vessel.
It wasn't anything she hadn't seen, or felt in the Force, but it was still hard to see as the black of the storm was illuminate by the flashing of turbolasers as they were called down to strike areas still, foolishly, resisting. She found it hard not to feel some sympathy for this world, even if they had fanatics and this was one world amongst many suffering through the galactic war. The fact of Ventress, and the two other Nightsisters, being prominent was more her concern along with what came next for ensuring Daron Stormcrow did not Fall. Even if the ancient Jedi Knight, Celeste Morne, he'd somehow found and rescued was...less than helpful, beyond serving as a Commando and, in-theory, training Bariss Offee.
She listened, then moved as the tac-net directed her to the next problem to be dealt with. The Lortan were, sadly, fanatical, and even battered and offered terms, before and after the attack, they cared little about their own lives as they attacked and attacked. Jumping with the Force she landed a little distance away from where technicians and engineers worked at tearing apart equipment to get them loaded unto transports, and ran along the roof of the armoured transport before jumping again. The rain was cold on her face and lekku as she signalled a gunship to her location, one of the Mandalorian heavy ones rather than a LAAT, and grabbed unto the side as they moved towards the firefight.
This had been the past hours, between brief rest breaks of a few minutes to nap and stave away exhaustion, or eat cold damp rations, as her current allies went about looting the shipyards. Standard operating procedure for them apparently, and not something she had done when serving as General...but mercenaries at heart Aayla figured, and resources weren't what they were either. Not that she wanted to go back to that leadership role as she clung to the side of the gunship, wind and rain lashing at her body as two LAATs fell in other either side of the Krayt as explosion filled the area ahead of her. Soldiers in assault power armour were moving forward just below her and she released her grip on the handhold to drop down to them after passing on the warning over the tac-net, lightsaber igniting once again.
Just in time of course, the Force shouting out a warning, as she slashed to the right and sent a blaster bolt back towards the sniper in the building a few hundred metres away. Not hitting him or her unfortunately, but a few words and a gesture brought one of the towering armour clad soldiers to bring their heavy repeating blaster to bear on the area where the shot came from. Each of those suits cost as much as a star-fighter they'd told Aayla, but right now she was glad of them, and even of the droideka's that rolled into position as well and began to tear up the 'housing' area they were assaulting. Or, re-assaulting, as another group of armed fanatics came in from miles away and assaulted the defensive perimeter...
--
[19 BBY]
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, Battle-group Cavalier, in orbit Lorta, Lorta System, Gendius Sector, Cerean Reach Hyper-lane, Mid-Rim]
"I'd have thought they'd have considered surrendering by now..." I muttered standing at the Tactical display with the others, watching as firepower support by the Fleet was called down on another military base that we'd found on sensors "...but looks like it's a firm no"
I sighed glancing at Asajj "Well, at least your elimination of their leadership broke them, and we've got a firm lock on their military bases thanks to our slicers accessing the defensive grid"
She smirked "Was there ever a doubt?"
"No..." I replied with shrug "...I wouldn't have sent you if I doubted those abilities, now would I?"
I tapped the holo-globe of the planet, icons blinking showing icons where our forces were deployed, and others where we were simply blasting relevant facilities as Asajj nodded to herself "No, it just makes things more awkward when it comes to removing useful materials, and getting this cruiser off the planet once we install repulsors. We're blasting any large scale military formations from orbit, there comms are down, and they're still charging in like lunatics...ah, well, if we can get a few ships and remove as much of those shipyards intact it'll have to count as success"
Gardan looked at the display "And the Lorta?"
"Are about to be knocked back technologically for quite some time..." I replied honestly, though in truth I would have preferred not to. Sadly though that option had to be abandoned as they wouldn't knuckle under, and harboured genocidal thoughts for their neighbours even before this, so best not let them come back for revenge "...as we can't afford spend troops holding them down for generations, and an example must be made for our enemies. So we continue with removing what military and space-based infrastructure we can, and then we destroy the rest..."
I brought up planetary surveys picking out primary targets, and then tapping areas off-limits "Thankfully the Lortans were fairly xenophobic, and therefore not so much open to trade, so we are doing a targeted knock back, but I do want to avoid a general massacre. These are primary agricultural areas, and they've been clear evacuating the civilians into shelters..."
"When they aren't handing them a blaster or strapping a bomb vest unto them?"
I nodded "Aye, you're right Gardan, they are kriffing insane, hence this. So I need our analysts to start identifying transport hubs and any other such locations to strike in the next twenty to...thirty hours. We'll need two or three days minimum to get our salvage operations completed, and I want Lorta neutralised as a threat by the time we break orbit"
Asajj frowned "Why not simply destroy the world?"
"Now, now, that would be a war-crime, and we are good, decent, military officers of the Galactic Republic and wouldn't stoop so low. Another reason is that doing so has no benefit to us, and is pointlessly evil. They are no longer a threat once they lose space flight, and that's plenty damage done to serve as a warning to anyone else threatening our authority. You go too far and you're Grievous, feared, yes, but that means future options get even more limited as only fear keeps your enemies in line. Most of our troopers wouldn't tolerate it either, so there's that"
Gardan nodded, tapping at his data-pad and update parameters "Organising, and the Captain-General is right, push to far and many of the rank and file wouldn't, not without good reason I'll say. As to the tactical situation, there was another series of attacks on our shipyard deployment, but they it was easily beaten off. Minor loses on our side, and there has been no sign of Lortan Z-95s, or even aerospace fighters, in the last six hours"
--