Raid Dark Tide: Diablery of the Foul [DK Raid of Minos Sector]

[Eosfor]

The blood of the alien captives dripped from the sacrificial altar, as the Priestess lifted the Kyber crystal blade high, over the torch flame. Her lips motioned little, as she chanted the ancient riddles of corruption, whispering madness into the green crystal from within which a black shadow grew, as the bleeding became ever more intense.
The twitching figures of the once Honour Guards, once sworn protectors and greatest servants of the Sith Order, now reduced to deranged shells of champions, with their characteristic crimson cloaks torn and clawed by the desperate grip of the slaves that were being dragged across the Sanctum, to the sacrificial altar, carried the dismembered parts of the alien away from the Priestess. Their eyes, visible from through the broken visors of their conical helmets, gazed upon the exposed flesh with craving.
The captives from Pergetor were famished; Denied any food or care as they hanged chained or nailed against the durasteel walls of the lower decks of the warship, with many having already been dismembered, their incomplete cadavers still hanging cannibalized by the cold grip of the chains so ungently wrapped around their wrists.

The rituals in the Sanctum were emitting enough foul energy for the entire warship to be drenched in a maddening sense of rage. The insaned troops, once high veterans of the many wars waged in the name of the Sith Empire, now mere minions of destruction, with their armours marked with the seven-pointed star of their dark masters' heretic cult, flock to the hangars and the battle stations, as the maniacal laughters from the main gun decks echo, indicating the malice that fuelled the crew which prepared the massive cannon batteries for the moment the void blastdoors would open, and signify the beginning of the most-anticipated carnage.

Like a wound in the very Force, a storm of the Dark Side, the Marauder Fleet emerged into Realspace, followed by dozens of warships of pirates, corsairs and other vile predator that grew roots in the furthest nebulae of the Kathol Spine and the Outer Rim. Attracted to the Fleet like flies to a carrion, the miasma of the outlaws and underworlders further strengthened the might of the Marauders who finally revealled their true intent to the Sith rulers of Karideph, while they planned to make a show of force loud enough to be heard from Minos Sector, to Dromund Kaas itself.

Spearhead to the fleet was the flagship, the behemoth of a warship who's name caused fear to many a world, the Shadow's Avenger, her dark hull having scratched away the Sith heraldry of the House Kata who had been her masters for decades, now branded with the Seven-Pointed Star of the Shadow Cult, embracing its heretical descend by turning to the very Empire she once battled for.
Onboard the Avenger, the thousands of souls of corrupt troops, Sith Cultists and branded war-beasts, all rushed to battle stations as the beaming black tide advanced towards their prey.

At the very depth of the Sith Sanctum, in the middle of the black chamber lit by the dim flickering light of the torches that revealled the splatters of blood and the rotting remnants of intestines, memoirs of the cursed day the Avenger fell into heresy, stood the iron throne, spiked and built on the deck, with countless wires and cables connecting it to the rest of the chamber. Upon the throne, sat the hooded figure of the Dark Lord.
His armour branded with the cultist symbols, while his armoured fingertips tapping against the arms of the throne, embracing the lightning being cast momentarily in disordered manner from the kyber crystals that were planted at the base of the throne; trophies of Jedi and other victims claimed from past engagements, left to bleed beneath the feet of the Dark Lord, until corruption seeds enough within them, to be used for much more vile purposes....

The Dark Lord, in his ecstasy of rage and ill-intent, lied like a statue upon the throne, as his entire being was invested in the deep battle meditation which fuelled the countless soulless minions who embarked in his Dark Crusade. Occasional red lightning sparks blazed from his entity, slithering their way into the cables around the throne in light-speed, as his will was being twisted in electronic manipulation, causing the massive holoprojection at the Bridge deck to flicker, guiding through the electronics of the ship his mighty warlords into action.

A beam of darkness spread from the fleet like a grand maw in the void, swallowing whole its surroundings in a declaration of the Dark Lord's will; An invitation of violence; A promise of madness and death. A calling, for all the servants of the Dark Side to rally to his horde, as the Dark Crusade went on.

And so, as the Battle of Karideph was about to begin, so did the War for Minos....

 

[Hyara Hemstagon]

The large Weequay's muscles stretched as he pulled down the chain that lifted the munition crate from the lower deck, as his cybernetic leg was exposed from the short-cut work pants worn without shirt, demonstrating the several chaotic alien tattoos that dressed his torso and arms. The stench of sweat and dirt filled the rusty deck, while the crew moved quickly to prepare the several cannons on both port and starboard sides of the ship.

With heavy steps, the Zeltron quartermaster pushed his subordinates left and right as he barked orders in an alien tongue. On the upper decks, the troops, crimson-armoured warriors of pale skin and black long hair, prepared themselves for the battle to come, as it was customary. Their warcries and prayers loud, yet not enough to overshadow the roaring of the fighter squadrons that were heating up their engines in the hangars, refuelling and performing the last-moment maintenances and checks before takeoff.

And there, at the very stern's top, on the castle-shaped superstructure of the bridge, the blastdoors were sealed shut, as the She-Captain stretched her long fingers over the half-melted control consoles of the bridge. Lightning sparked from the tips, as the heavy, chain-like pale braided hair hanged uncontrolled over her continuously spasmically moving one-eyed face. Her one, good eye, was mirroring the lightning she was charging into the consoles, as her Force powers took over the electronics of the ship. the deep fire-marked brandings of ritualistic symbols and runes deforming the otherwise pale of her skin, while the characteristic eyepatch like shadow, behind the heavy braids of the hair.

"Blasters ready and weapons HOT!" she screamed, as her mind gave more and more into the dark thoughts that swarmed her already insane mind. "Blood will spill and the void will shakeee!! Time to revel and DIE UNDER THE CRIMSON STAAR!"
Like many among the fleet, so did she, Hyara, the One-Eyed Vulture, join the Athysian corsairs who had joined @Eosfor 's Dark Armada, in hopes of plunder and zealotry. And now, before the view of Karideph, it was the corsair squadrons who would make haste to collect their most-vile bounties....

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Karideph
Vespasian Vaisoron had been sent here as a scouting party, as an agent on the ground to potentially provide Intel on both the defences and incoming attackers. It was assumed that Karideph would be the goal of the marauders, both as a point of attack and a potential stronghold to operate from. Taking over the Minos Cluster was impossible without the world and striking further was ill advised. Hence why the Warbringer sent him here. Hence why he was now looking out of a window onto a rather lush world and cityscape than into the void on a warship.

Vaisoron was not exactly the type of agent you would sent anywhere to perform a secret and clandestine operation. He arrived with his shuttle and no forged papers or codes, nor was he making a secret out of his being as a Sith. The saberstaff was at his side, the armoured robes red and white with shining armour. The moment he set foot on the world, was the moment he started to exert his dominance.

He had commandeered the command of one of the cities, Veriden, and prepared it's defences since two weeks. The idea was not to form a cohesive defensive line outside the city, but use the massive city itself as the fortification. Instead of pushing massive amounts of troops to hold unholdable junctions and streets, they were analysing which and where minimum amount of troops could do maximum damage. Yet Vaisoron hardly believed his few militias and regular garrison troops could hold for a long time, hence why he sent out envoys to the Kari, to utilise their tunnels.

It was all done and in the works when the sirens started singing and the enemy had entered the system.

 

[Eosfor]

The first black columns of thick smoke begun climbing over the horizon, as the first splinters of the horde's fleet engaged the surface, attacking lesser settlements and setting the vast fields aflame, which soon caused massive wildfires and eclisping smoke that distorted the view of the ships. A paradise of agricultural production, Karideph was, in the Marauder's eyes, it was a symbol of Imperial dominance in the Outer Rim. A symbol they were determined to bring low and defile, for all the Sith to know they were under threat.
Pirate ships, sailing in full thrust in the lower atmosphere begun reckless attacks against the distant planetary convoys of cargo ships that had lagged behind schedule, while others engaged the surface fleets deployed by the distant cities. The more foolishly brave among the pirate captains had their own ships fly close enough to the settlements themselves to be within range of the local defence artillery emplacement, who quickly and with dreadful accuracy blasted their ships from the sky.

Above the skies, in lower orbit, heavy dreadnoughts and battlecruisers could be seen through the holoscanners, as they took position for an assault.

The spearhead of the armada advanced across the void, as the Shadow's Avenger led the Marauder horde onwards, under the guiding hand of the Dark Lord. Approaching the upper atmosphere, the heavier of the warships turned their heavy armaments to the planetside, taking position for orbital bombardment. There was little point in launching ground assaults before the orbital defenses were at least weakened. An imperial outpost as it were, Karideph would have a sufficient arsenal to defend itself against an enemy assault for long enough for imperial reinforcements to arrive. That, of course, was a plan that was supposed to work against a Republic invasion, which was usually characterised by limited to no orbital strikes and small but myriad ground offensives, as the coreworlders were much restrainned on civilian casualties.
When it came to the Sith, and worse so, the Marauders, however, there were no such constraints.
The void around the planet's atmosphere begun blazing as the Marauder Fleet finally came into range of the heavy orbital artillery from the fortified settlements of the planetside.

A single phrase was transmitted in all frequencies through the holo. Uncoded, with no intention to be held classified or even discreet.

"Kia Tave Spagga"

"To the Sword" (In Sith)​