"Dawn of the Crusade"
The members of the Ordo Templaris were informed and instructed to depart to Balmorra on the given coordinates, 1162X, 1360Y, by Templari Ehoc through holo-communication. Shuttles departed towards the location and in a short while they gathered by rendezvous, where they met Adept Arrtrok who was left behind on Balmorra from earlier, (read “The Gathering Storm”). As everyone arrived, Templari Ehoc briefed the Ordo.
Ehoc: "I think the wisest we can do is use speeders to close in on the location, and from there make our approach in stealth. Once we are outside their camp we charge in strong, having the ranged soldiers split up and fire from either side. We will be caught in the crossfire but then so will the Jedi, and they will be overwhelmed quickly, giving us a quick and decisive victory. Anyone disagree?”
Everyone simply stayed silent, their orders where simple and clear. They would all check their weapons and prepare speeders to move out.
***
Making their way closer to the coordinates they were headed for they dismounted and proceeded on foot. Ehoc made it very clear that they were all to stay low and keep quiet as they started making their way closer to the Jedis location. There was some grumbling about crawling in the muddy broken terrain which earned those making sounds a sharp disapproving look from Ehoc.
As they got closer, they would hear sounds of battle. Blasterfire thundering across the fields and the sound of steel clashing with steel. The location was just below a small hill giving the Templaris a good view without being seen, and the scene they saw was far from what they expected to find. a group of struggling and outmanned Imperial soldiers defending themselves from advancing Republic soldiers. All would seem lost for the Imperial soldiers, as it was obvious the Republic troops had the upper hand.
Ehoc ordered the group to take up positions for a double flanking manoeuvre for those with ranged weapons, remaining with the melee focused group. The plan was simple, he would lead a charge against the republic soldiers whilst Fia, Boldex, Banshee and Ivy provided ranged support from two sides, effectively creating a killing-field that would cause panic and confusion. With a simple hand gesture Ehoc ordered the attack. and the Ordo Templaris charged inn.
The plan worked perfectly. The republic soldiers numbering over thirty were caught completely off guard and were culled to less than twenty within seconds. There were two senior officers with them who would not go down so easily and took up cover to target the ranged fighters as they quickly picked up on their location, mostly disregarding the frontal push of Ehoc, Craft and Arrtrok.
Slaughtering the poor soldiers, the melee fighters carved their way through the crowd slowly, taking some hits but never faltering, as blaster fire went every which way from both the republic and the Ordo forces. Soldiers fell to lightsabers and bolts in a frenzy of chaotic battle. The commanders taking some hits from both Ivy, Banshee, Fia and Blodex, making them pinned down and unable to properly lead their soldiers. It would not take long for the republic to be reduced to only a handful soldiers trying to rally and get into a defensive position. Boldex saw his opportunity as they grouped together to take out seven of them in one sweep of his flamethrower. Their screams disturbing the moral of those that remained as they died slowly, burning alive. One of the commandos fell leaving the last suddenly staring straight into Ehocs face before he too fell to the ground, his head cut clean off by Ehoc, blood slowly covering the ground.
As the dust and smoke from the battle settled Fia took up a defensive position making sure they had no surprises as Ehoc was approached by the Imperial soldiers. He gestured for the Ordo group to gather around him. There was only 5 left of the imperial soldiers, and they were wary from the fight as well as their loss in numbers. The senior of the would speak.
Officer: “Thank you my Lords.”
Noticing the insignia on the Templars armour he would continue carefully choosing his words.
Officer: “I am unfamiliar with the insignia you wear. If you beg my forgiveness but I know a Sith when I see one, but you do not look like any normal Sith I ever saw.”
The man would seem somewhat unease when he spoke. He was afraid of accidentally insulting any of the Ordo. Templari. Ehoc would reply with an authoritarian manner.
Ehoc: “We are the Templaris. We are true champions of the dark side, and the last hope for the Empire.”
A different soldier from the small group would speak up ignoring his superior.
Soldier: “Well you saved our hides, that’s for sure. Unlike our commander, Lord Varagesh who sent us on this suicide mission.”
His words clearly showed his feelings towards this lord, as they were said with a certain harshness and bitterness. Ehoc would nod to the soldier, speaking up to make sure they all heard him clearly and that his message would be understood, as well as the seriousness of it.
Ehoc: “This Lord Varagesh is a fool like the rest of the Sith order, blinded by the corruption of the Empire. He will have to be purged like so many others as we refine the dark side to what it needs to be.”
The soldiers would be somewhat uneasy from Ehocs speach. Talks of purge was never good for a foot soldier. Yet they remained silent as Ehoc continued.
Ehoc: “Now get back to your detachment and report your mission complete, and let Lord Varagesh know, the Crusade has begun and the banner of the Templaris has been raised.”
Leaving his words hanging Ehoc ordered the Ordo Templaris to head back to camp. They had not found what they wanted here, the information gathered had been wrong, or possibly purposely falsified. He intended to find out, but for now, they would have to head back to their stronghold where he could plan their next move.
The Jedi on Balmorra still eluded the order, the Crusade had begun, and the first victims were the soldiers of the Republic, but that was not the real target. Fenrir and Ehoc were both angry at this failure and came up with a plan to get the information they needed. They would plan two operations to get them the true location of the Jedi. The light on Balmorra would soon be extinguished.
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