NationStates Jolt Archive

As the sun set across the Empire, people were settling down to dinner and watching the news. It was pretty much routine news: stocks up, crime down and the Yankees won yet again. Halfway through, as the newscasters were about to give the three-day weather report, all TV screens were suddenly filled with static.

Ten seconds later, the images spread across the screen were of a barren, snow-covered landscape, trees bare of leaves, man-sized icicles hanging from the stark cliff-face atop which stood an obviously ancient fortress.

Torches were held in sconces all along the outer walls, giving off an oily cloud of smoke that drifted lazily towards the north. The camera panned across the greyish-brown walls to stop and focus on a deep-set opening in the upper parapets of the castle in which a faint light could be seen through the murk.

The camera zoomed in on the window and another image appeared on the screens. It was the inside of the castle, a stark, dank hall where water dripped along the walls and pooled on the flagstone floors. From somewhere, the sound of a hammer on metal could be heard, and, faintly, screams could be heard in the distance.

The camera then proceeded through a large doorway, where a huge wooden door stood open to show a hideous sight.

Along a back wall, four posts were set into the stone floor, and tied to the posts were four men.....rather, what was left of them. They were bruised and bloody, bleeding from many wounds, blood congealing below where they were trussed up like sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

A low, gutteral command was heard and the camera swung to focus on a face that caused more than one Imperial citizen to pass out.

The face was covered with open sores, pus and pinkish blood seeping from them. The skin was dead white, the nose nonexistant, the eyes scarlet and feral. The slightly open mouth was full of broken teeth, except for the two-inch long fangs which overhung the lower lip. The fangs dripped a yellowish fluid which sizzled when it hit the stone floor.

The creature gave what passed for a small smile, then opened it's mouth wide as it laughed it's demonic laugh. The camera pulled back, revealing the creature in all it's horrible glory. It was fully seven feet tall, clad in a torn and tattered battle tunic of black leather, dried blood clinging to it and the leather pants, similarly ruined. Around it's waist hung various pieces of human anatomy, spoils of victory in the land of Baael. It's waist-long, matted, filthy grey hair completed the apparition, and it began to speak, it's raspy voice sending chills up the spines of the viewers.

"I am Azulun." He paused for a second, then continued. "What you are seeing is what I call the Room of Persuasion. In this room, people are persuaded to see things my way."

The camera panned slowly left to right, letting all who were watching get a good glimpse of those who were tied to the posts.

"These pigs are citizens of Xeraph. Take heed to how I deal with Xeraphians." He nodded towards a group of brutish men, who proceeded to strip two of the captives. One of the brutes grabbed a captive by the hair, pulling back the head, enabling all to see who it was.

The man groaned and opened his eyes. He peered blearily for a second, and then without warning yelled at the camera. "Alaric, do not mind us! Do not give in to these maniacs! We'll die as loyal soldiers of the Empire!"

Azulun grunted. "As you wish." Another gesture, and the brute forced open the soldier's mouth, reaching in with a pair of iron pincers and stretched out the man's tongue. Another of the brutes pulled out a rust-covered battle-knife and sawed at the man's tongue. The man squirmed and tried to scream....but he had no tongue. All that could be heard was pain-filled grunts and groans as blood poured from the man's open mouth. The brute tossed the bloody tongue to a pack of snarling wolves who devoured it instantly. As the man choked on the blood flowing down his throat, Azulun reached for the man's chest, seemingly placing a light touch upon it. A second later, he held the man's still warm, still beating heart in his hand. The man died watching Azulun eat his heart, bloody lips laughing with a hideous mirth.

He turned back towards the camera. "See what happens to those who think to do me harm? You pathetic people of Xeraph can expect no less from me and my Horde. I made a vow many years ago that I will tear out the heart of your Emperor and put the rest of you to the sword, or I'll perish trying."

A flick of his hand, and the wolves were loosed to pounce on the three remaining captives. They tore large chunks of flesh off of the men, who screamed uncontrollably as they were eaten alive.

Azulun again spoke. "Watch for me, Xeraph. Watch for me as I creep nearer and nearer to you and your doom-filled land. Twice before I failed to kill your Emperor. This time I will not. He, and all of you, won't know what hit you. Xeraph will be hammered into ruin....and you won't be able to stop me."

Again he paused, looking directly into the lens with a look that could only be described as pure hatred. "I'm coming for you, Alaric. You'll beg for mercy before I kill you...you can count on it." He threw back his head once again and laughed insanely, the sound echoing off the rock walls of the chamber of death..........

Television sets across the Empire went blank as the transmission was severed. Imperial switchboards lit up as people began asking questions....

Aboard the battleship HMS EXCALIBUR, ensign Sanders glanced indifferantly at the half-dozen screens, looking for what he didn't know. A thick, viscous fog was creeping slowly towards the forward task force whose mission it was to be a first-alert if anything should arise that was out of the ordinary.

"Friggin' shit", he thought. "Can't see a friggin' thing." He paused in his casual scan of the screens, stopping to peer a little closer at a speck of a shadow deep within the fog. Out loud, he said, "What the fuck is that?" He manipulated the fine-tune buttons and knobs on the command console, but could not determine what the shadowy speck, now growing larger, was.

He hit his commpin. "Commander, I think we may have something on screen three." In about ten seconds, Commander Martin Joyner was on the bridge, himself trying to see what the ever-growing shadows were.

"Ensign, all hands to battle stations......now!" As Sanders keyed the alert, the first missile slammed into the port bow of the EXCALIBUR.........




ooc: check OOC thread before posting anything here.

The room went dark for a moment after the images from Xeraph faded from the video monitor.
Grand Duke Ozgood the Third stood up and addressed the others in the room.
" That signal was intercepted by one of our spy satellites six hours ago. What I want to know is what are we going to do about it?"
Foreign Minister Sweetwater was the first to speak up. " My Lord, I don't think their is anything we can do. Alaric and his people will never ask aether GAPTS or us for aid. Buy the time things get despret enough that they have to ask us, it will be too late for anyone to help them."
"That is not the answer I am looking for". Snapped the Duke.

General Gayland Cox stood up and walked to the front of the room. "I believe if we were to hold joint army and naval war games near Xeraphian waters and Azulan invades while we are holding said games, then I'm sure any help we offer will be gladly accepted by Alaric." General Cox then looked at a computer print out. " We can embark on our transports in 72 hours, 250,000 combat troops. Supplies are all ready loaded on naval supply ships from the aborted Northern Colonies invasion so they just need to refuel and leave port."

Admiral Nichols looked at his laptop computer then added " The Grand Fleet is resupplying and refueling now at ports around Tarlag so I believe we could meet the three day time table."

"Excellent people, that is the kind of planning I want to see." Ozgood looked around the room and spotted Paladin Dragonblade scowling at the end of the conference table. Lord Dragonblade is there something you wold like to add?"

" The Paladin leaned across the table and looked around the room before he answered. " My Duke, you are treating this like a simple military action, but what we are really dealing with is a supernatural threat on the level of the Forsaken. If you remember the first time we allied ourselves with the Emperor we landed 8,500 troops of the 7th RTC, after the wizards creatures overran the area we pulled 550 men off the beach. I do not wish to repeat that mistake I demand the Knights of Ironhold go in with our forces. I also wish to deploy some of the Arms."

Few people could demand anything of the Grand Duke but one of the ones who could just did. " Very well Master Dragonblade what do you suggest?"

"Three cohorts of Knights with armor support. Also Lady Stormhand, Sir Mc Lar and Sir Brightower all three carry the weopens of power including the Fang of the Righteous. I also purpose to put Lady Paladin Leenara Moonshadow in charge of the Knights contingent."

Admiral Nichols looked up from his computer in shock and blurted out " You must be kidding Lady Moonshadow is over 80 and you want to put her in charge of over 4,000 knights."

The Duke answered back "Who better, she has the most experance dealing with supernatural threats. The other reason is their anyone in this room who has not been on the receiving end of one of her famous tongue lashings. She is the only person I know who can keep Lady Stormhand in line. The last time Stormhand dealt with Alaric's Warlords she threatened to beat some sense into them, that was not a very good first impression.
We have a lot to do people so lets ajorn and get the ball rolling."

Captain Abraham Meadows scanned the latest report from the Xeraphian High Command as to current conditions concerning The Pagan Borderland build-up. He noted wryly that he wasn't being told everything, as he had received updates from his own country's intelligence corps. This Azulun was supposedly going to attack Wiccan Shadows on the flimsy excuse that they had severed relations with The Borderlands without permission from him. Meadows didn't doubt that this madman meant business, as was evident in the execution of three rulers of the Borderlands, the obliteration of another nation there, and the recent tv footage of the torture and death of four Xeraphian citizens. The last was omitted in the latest report.

His country's meager naval forces in their entirety was anchored 24 miles off the coast of Resurrecitas, one of the coastal nations of the region of Mythos. It was in Mythos that the Wiccans resided. Three nations lie in the path of Azulun's intended invasion of the peaceful country: Resurrecitas, Taleloron, and the Cities of Law. Taleloron had pledged naval and land forces to the defense of Wiccan Shadows, but were yet to be seen.

Ancient Shadow's contribution to the threat were 15,000 marines, a dozen tanks, and a half-dozen ships, including one carrier. The carrier held 45 Phamtom IIa fighter jets and 2 Apache gunships.

Taleloron was a religious/diplomatic nation. Meadows wasn't sure just what it was they would have to offer in the way of armament. Another nation, Foxton-Sunbury, had deployed forces similar to Ancient Shadows, but they were still day away.

Wiccan Shadows itself had less than 500 "Defenders" as they were called. Nothing else. They were hard-core pacifists, guardians of a faith so old that it's beginnings were lost in the mists of time. The Wiccans were a matriarchal society, with a very loose government. It seemed that whoever was asked for a decision concerning anything was authorized to answer without consulting anyone else. Pure anarchy, as far as he was concerned. But, whatever makes your boat float....

The reconputer was beeping rather insistently, and he glanced at the screen, eyes going wide at what he read.

"Chief! All hands to battle stations! Alert the Wiccans! Xeraph has been attacked!"

The Emperor was in a frenzy of motion. " Jane, get all info to me as fast as it's spit out. And tell the diplomatic community in Tarantia to get below ground NOW! It looks like the missiles are coming in from the north as well as the west. What's Seth and Teii doing right now?"

"No word from Vhammpyr, m'lord. Black Shadows evidently was bypassed in favor of Xeraph."

"Lucky us. OK, I want Teii and Sethanis to launch a counter-attack, missiles only, frags not nuclear.......not yet anyway. The Pagan Borderlands are 755 miles from the coast of Black Shadows, so ICBMs should get there quickly. Updates?"

Jane looked up at the Emperor. She was white as a ghost. "Alaric, the enemy missiles. There's thousands of them. Naval casualties are high and getting higher. Sixty-six vesals sunk, uncounted others dead in the water. Hold on." She scanned the reports. "Shit, Alaric, the info on the missiles states that they are approximately 39 inches in length 10 inches in diameter, and are travelling at just under Mach One. They have some kind of shifting jamming capabilities that completely shuts down any electronic or electric device for up to 15 minutes. Our planes are falling out of the sky, all defenses are dead, nothing firing back. Most of the missiles are armed with .11 megaton warheads."

Thousands of mini-nukes. "Get me Willard."

Thirty seconds later, General Tom Willard CMDR Xeraphian Forces, was on the line. "Tom, what the fuck...."

"Alaric, the attack is across a 1200 mile arc, from due west to north east, about 100 offshore. They have nothing but missile ships out there, but there's hundreds of 'em. Looks like multi-vector VLS. I figure they've launched around 2200 of 'em. Troops ships by the dozens are a couple pf miles behind them and will be within striking/landing distance within the hour." He paused a second. "Alaric, kiss Tarantia goodbye. And maybe Tarascus if they get that far inland. I can't stop the landing nor the missile strikes. Everything is jammed...nothing moving but tanks and troop carriers. I've got 98,000 Marines within 50 miles of anticipated landing zones."

The Emperor paused. "Your estimation of invasion strength?"

Willard looked down at his report. "M'lord, conservative estimates put the enemy landing 650,000 units over the 1200 mile line. That's conservative because there's more headed out from Baael, Pharex, and Angelianum in Ur Mesop."

Alaric sat down hard. 650,000...and more on the way. Xeraph had more than enough to defend the nation....but there was no quick way to get them there. "Tom, tell me the cavalry is on it's way."

"M'lord, The Burnsian Desert has been bringing in thousands of troops over the past few months to Burns Island. Mandalore Prime apparently has their own recon and is deploying a shitload of everything to our defense. Ancient Shadows, Taleloron, Foxton-Sunbury, and some of the nations of Mythos are realizing that they've been deceived by Azulun and are sending what little they have to the south-west corner of Xeraph."

"Tarlag....what about Tarlag?"

"Sir, theyr'e on theyr'e way with 250,000 troopers and all the support that can be thrown together at short notice."

"What about the Clone Troopers, Tom?"

"Alaric, we've got 21 million of 'em....but only 70,000 are anywhere near the battlezones. The Spiders are presently incapacitated, all sensors jammed."

Less than 200,000 of us against at least 650,000 of them.......

Aboard H.D.S. Lexington - Flagship of the Tarlagian Grand Fleet

Admiral Dayron paced the C&C of his command carrier as the desperate reports for Xeraph poured in. "Sir I have confirmation of 600,000 pulse troops preparing to go a shore."
"Very Well, What about those missile ships?"
"According to Spy Sat. 454 they are holding position covering the landing.
There are hundreds of them sir but they have most likely shot most of their missile loads Sir."
Dayron talked into his command headset " Navigation how long before we are in range of those ships?"
"We are in EMP and plasma warhead ICBM range now Sir, but anything else will not be for another 27 hours."
"Damn, If it was not for those two Super Dreadnoughts they saddled us with we could of cut that time in half. Communications contact the Captains of the Boris the Red and the Ashrim and tell them I do not care if they have to melt their reactors through the keel we need to make another 5 knots now."

Captain Jane Richards commander of the Lexington spoke up " What if we launched an air strike with refueling we could put hundreds of aircraft on target in 3 hours after launch"
"Unless we know they are out of EMP missiles we would just be throwing the pilots lives away. We can order Admiral Starks attack subs forward to engage those missile ships and punch us a hole to the beach head though."
Communications, Flash order to SSN 1275 -
All Nuclear Attack subs are to sprint forward and engage hostile forces. All missile subs are to sprint to 350 km of target and launch cruise missiles in support. All Hydrogen and conventional subs are to provide escort to the fleet.

The Former VL/Xeraphian Military base of Fort Wagner was in a state of advanced neglect… After not being used for close to 50 years… The Cadet Corp busied themselves with cleanup & refurbishing vital buildings…Seeing as the Imperium was planning on using this as a staging point from which to counter Azulan’s Offensives into the Xeraphian Mainland…

Co-Cadet Commander Jacen Valtane was overseeing the complete repair of the bases runaways… Having divided up the Cadet Corp between him & his Co-Commander to better facilitate the repair work… With the Cadet Corp Combat Engineers utilizing Power Armor… The Runways would be completely useable in a matter of hours…
Meanwhile His Twin Brother Jaden was overseeing the Construction of the bases C&C Facilities… Updating them with the most advanced electronics available…
Advance Elements of the 3rd & 7th Cavalry Cohorts were busy constructing barracks & other necessities of the imminent arrival of the rest of their units along with the 1st Legion… The Famed Darkhorse Heavy Assault Group… Renown throughout the region for blitzkrieg style warfare…

Suddenly Cheers arose from the Command Center…Signifying that the Cadets had successfully got the system up & running…
Only to be replaced to the Red Alert Klaxon as the Systems detected the launch of Azulan’s First Strike… The Base became chaotic as the Cadets & Troopers raced to their Combat-ready Stations… The ready alert fighters rolled out from their newly repaired revetments…
The Anti-missile systems began tracking & sweeping the sky for any hostile aircraft &/or launches…

Jaden toggled the seal on his combat suit… Hermetically sealing him away from any type of harm… Looking over he grinned with pride as the rest of the Cadet Corp also finished suiting up… Seeing his Twin Jacen scoot up & down the Battle line… Issuing commands & morale support for the more frightened yet stoic Cadets… With a sudden pang of regret he realized that most his Troops would not make it back home alive… Thinking back to his 17th birthday & How he had proposed to his Fiancée… Thinking about her lessened the shock

Suddenly the Anti-missile systems began spewing forth flames as they deployed intercept missiles towards the inbounds massive missile strike headed for Xeraph… Within moments…Several hundred Patriots were airborne & racing for their targets… Everyone on base had their fingers crossed… Hoping upon hoping that their defensive screen would lessen the destruction that was about to be wrought upon Xeraph…
With a massive roar the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wings, In all… 225 aircraft roared down the newly completed runways… Having received orders to strike the area where the Missiles originated…

Aboard SSN-1275 Admiral Stark's Flagship

"Range to target Mr. More?" Asked Stark
"22,000 meters and closing Sir." responded the sonar operator.
"Weapon Master fire all froward tubes, each torpedo at a separate target. Helm after the forward tubes are empty come about 180 degrees and make ready for the stern tubes to fire. Once they have fired then I want you to dive to 500 meters and sprint for the fleet. The rest of the subs in the squadron will mirror what we do."
With in two minutes of the orders being given all 14 attack subs launched six Long Lance IV torpedoes. Then two min. after the first group we launched four more from each of the subs were on their way towards their targets.

Prince Teii hadn't been this excited in ages, and he was as excited just about as much as a 12,000 year-old vampire could get. He'd been waiting a long time to settle with Azulun, and now Azulun had provided him with the means to do just that.

Vhammpyr was a nation whose "citizens" were of the species HOMINIS NOCTURNIS...men of the night....vampires. Not the vampire of the old Hollywood genre.....that was ridiculous. Neither garlic, wooden stakes, silver bullets, holy water nor sunlight had the slightest effect on Teii's warriors. In fact, they were almost impossible to kill.....they were already dead. If you could burn them or slice them into little pieces,then you could stop them.

Vhammpyr had no navy, no airforce, no armor. The vampire nation contained nothing but Warriors.....tens of millions of them. Ninety-five percent were in a constant state of animated suspension, but that still left a couple of million ready for action.

Vhammpyr did have operatives in various nations of the Empire: tank-battalion commanders, submarine fleet commanders, etc. But these were strictly on loan to the Emperor, and answered only to him.

Alaric had ordered Vhammpyr and Black Shadows to launch frag-ICBMs into The Pagan Borderlands. Vhammpyr and Black Shadows were the northern-most territories of the Empire, and had quite the arsenal of missiles. On any given day, either country could launch twelve-to-fifteen-hundred long-range BloodCall missiles, either nuclear or conventional. There were about nine or ten nations in the Borderlands, five of which were under Azulun's direct control. These five were the primary targets.

The Prince's advisors were at first unsure wht Azulun's Imperium IV assault on Xeraph had passed them by. But Teii knew why. Azulun knew that Teii could stop him dead in his tracks long before he could get to Xeraph. And that the fabled ShadowGuard of Black Shadows would put up such a defense that Azulun's troops, even though outnumbering them 3-to-1, would be so compromised that he would have to abandon his attack on the Xeraphians. Azulun might be insane, but he was no fool.

"M'lord Baron, are the coordintes set for the Borderlands?"

Baron Steg Dinotth, Lord Commander of Vhammpyrian Continental Defense, said, "Aye, my Prince. Four hundred-sixty-two BloodCalls are set to launch into Magogg, Baael, Pharex and Barbaranossa. The Slayer Commune is already a wasteland due to Azulun's purges of the citizenry there."

"And the other nations.....GothReich, Black Warrior Cult, Osatael, and Karassi? What of them?"

"Lord, out Warriors are being deployed against them as we speak."

"Numbers?"

"Three-hundred seventy-five thousand Vhammpyric Warriors of the Third Caste, one-hundred twenty-five thousand of the Second Caste, and our elite Serpent Warriors number fifty-five thousand. As you know, Emperor Alaric has an armored division here, and they are are their way to the northern shores for deployment to the Borderlands."

"And the Angels?"

Baron Dinotth hesitated. "My Prince, there has been no activity in their region. We believe that they are not going to aid Azulun in the attack on Xeraph, but elsewhere."

Teii closed his eyes to slits. "Elsewhere, Baron? Elsewhere isn't good enough. I need to know where............."

A page darted into the room, bowing nervously. "My Prince, Lord Baron.....Angelianum and Gabriellus have attacked Mythos, specifically, Taleloron, Gabria, and Wiccan Shadows!"

"Well, m'lord Baron, there's your answer. What are you going to do about it?"

"My Prince, Mythos Region has minimal defenses. The nations of Foxton-Sunbury, Ancient Shadows, and Taleloron have a nominal number of forces in the area, but they will at best be a temporary shield for the region. Azulun is specifically after Wiccan Shadows, but he will destroy anything and everything in his path on his way there. Normally, Grey Phoenix would be in a protective mode around Mythos, but their airforce has been rendered useless along with Xeraph's due to the black missile's jamming efforts. They could be back on line in as little as an hour, but by then, it might be too late."

Teii nodded to the page. "Let Alaric know, if he doesn't already, that Mythos is under siege. If the defenses fail, the region will be over-run. There's nothing any of us will be able to do about it." The page bowed and backed out of the room.

"So, Baron, when will our Warriors be in the Borderlands?"

"In less than three hours, my Prince. They can't see through our fog any more than we can see through theirs. A complete surprise is our hope."

Teii looked at the Baron with unbridled menace. "You better hope that it's so, my dear Baron, or it's the Fire Pit for you and your family. Understood?"

"Yes, my Prince. I understand."

As Dingotth left, Teii pondered the various possible endings of this little fiasco. None except the death of Azulun satisfied him, and he doubted very strongly that any of his people had the wits to best the rebel King of Imperium IV. He decided.

He pointed to a serving wench. "You, send a message to Alaric. Tell him that I will be joining him personally in just a few hours. Now go!"

It had been over five-hundred years since Teii had left Vhammpyr. The last time he did had involved Alaric also: the Kothites. He stood.....and melted into a thick, greyish-black vapor which flew out a window on batwings.....

The forward defense line was in shambles. The enemy missiles had sunk or made useless over 600 of the Royal Xeraphian navy's ships. The rest impacted shore defenses and still more continued on their way towards two of the royal cities of Xeraph: Tarantia and the capitol, Xeraphia.

Xeraphian allies were sending up anti-missile missiles, but were pretty much unable to catch up to the Mach-propelled invaders. Over 1,000 were set to impact various Xeraphian targets within minutes.

The diplomatic populace of Xeraphia and Tarantia were safe below ground, ensconced three levels beneath the surface of the beleagured nation. Fire Zones were in place 2-3 miles out from the city limits in preparation for the expected land attack. But they were ill-equipped to stop the advance of so many enemy units.

Reinforcements were still two days away. Tarlagian troops had already crossed the Inland Sea and landed on the northwestern arm of the Sea, immediately moving to the disembarkation points along the northern coast for the eventual invasion of the Pagan Borderlands.

Captain Tom O'Neal read with mounting agitation the reports of Imperium IV allies invading several nations of the region of Mythos. Stories had circulated for decades about the beings that populated the lands far to the north of Vhammpyr and Black Shadows. Now those beings were apparently very real, and they were systematically destroying everything in their path. Reports of cities burning, people slaughtered and in many cases eaten alive by hellish creatures, the skies blackened by the hordes of 'angels' which dove out of the sky, impervious to any type of gunfire. The navy of Taleloron was completely destroyed, as was most of it's airforce. Ancient Shadows was putting up a valiant fight, but it was just a matter of time before they were overrun. Foxton-Sunbury units had been ordered by the Emperor to reverse direction and head to the Xeraph/Grey Phoenix border with their naval and land forces. Their air units had been destroyed by advance squads of winged death from Gabriellus.

Alaric himself was at the front, directing the building of defenses along the shore, making sure that all troops had their orders and were following them. All could see the enemy troop ships out in the waters of the North Sea, the missiles bearing down on Xeraph.

He had done all he could. "Captain O'Neal. ETA on missiles?"

"About two minutes, m'lord. Enemy troops about 90 minutes later."

'Fuckin' great', he thought..............

Angel Flight…This is Angel Actual…. Missile Intercept failed… In approximately 30 seconds were gonna make contact with the incoming missiles… Unless we turn now… Some of you will be hit by the incoming… If we don’t hit these fuckers now… Mandalore Prime will be the potential next target… If you turn around now… No one will looked down upon… The radio was as quiet as a tomb as each pilot acknowledged his duty & opted to stay on course… With a grim smile… Commander Hood’s next words solidified the pilots shaken nerves with a calm cool alabaster… It’s been a privilege to fly with you boys… Now let’s show these fuckers what it means to fuck with the Mandalorians… “Strength, Honor & Integrity” was spoken as one…
As the Mandalorian Fighters & the incoming Missile wall closed the gap… With that the Fighters attempted to engage the missiles as they blew thru the Missile flight… Mandalorian Planes exploding as Missiles made contact… Whether by imposing themselves in the missiles path or by taking damage as they attempted to look onto the missiles… In the skies over Xeraph…The Mandalorians fought with dignity… & Died with Honor… Any fighters that made it through the missile flight made a bee line for the enemy transports… Which were in sight… Mandalorian Fighters dove on them… Weaving as they attempted to evade the AA… Their resolve hardened by the last transmission from base… Give’em Hell Boys… The words… resounded over the TAC Channels came from the last person any of them expected… Alejandro Valtane…

The attacks came just as the sun set, throwing the populace into total state of terror. The enemy came in high, bypassing the Taleloron navy, and hit the first small town with devastating accuracy. The creatures weaved in and out of the narrow lanes and alleys of Greenwood, killing most citizens with one swipe of their huge, clawed hands. Heads flew off bodies, entrails spilled onto the cobblestones, dismembered arms and legs lay strewn across the main avenues as well as the btways of the doomed town. Many people were just picked up and dropped from heights approaching a half-mile.

There was very little resistence, not that it would have done any good to resist.

The door to the mayor's home burst open, and three of the beings entered, looked around, and in barely discernable english said, "We are of Gabriellus. We are here to kill all in this country. Our brothers of Angelianum are with us, and when we are done here we will go on to Wiccan Shadows. Our master has bade us destroy all in our way. You are to take this information to those who will use it to their best efforts." With that, one of them grabbed the secretary and an aide, tore them to pieces, and left the horrified mayor staring at the blood-soaked floor of his office. He collected himself, and then picked up the phone to call the King. One ring, and all he got was a recording: "Leave a message." That told him that he was too late. The King was probably dead. Or at least captured. The mayor pulled himself together and headed towards the coast, where he was hoping to find some sort of transportation to.........where? Wiccan Shadows was doomed, and there were other countries in the path of the invaders. First things first. Get to the coast.............

Multiple missiles impacted the Emperor's Palace, exploding and shearing off huge chunks of marble and granite. The walls were unusually thick, designed to withstand just about anything. But the missiles came in low, and undermined the concrete and steel foundation. It wasn't long before the base started to crumble, and the 600 foot tower that was the symbol of Xeraphian might began to tilt towards the 1,230-foot cliff that fell away to the easternmost shore of the Inland Sea.

"Alaric! Incoming missiles are tearing Xeraphia to shreds! Youv'e got to get out of here!" The young corporal barely got that out when an explosion ripped through the corridor, killing him and a dozen Palace Guards. The Emperor hesitated, not wanting to abandon his soldiers.

A captain of the guard rushed in. "M'lord! Get out...NOW!" Another explosion was heard several floors below. Alaric tapped his commpin. "Major Collins. Beam myself and as many others as you can out of here. Get us to Ravennii."

The air began to shimmer, a low-pitched whine could be heard over successive explosions, and a fiery blue oval appeared which the emperor stepped through...and was gone.

________________________________________________________________


The Palace was an almost total loss, as was 65% of the capitol. The diplomats were safe, huddled 200' below the surface.

And the remainder of the missiles continued eastward...........


______________________________________________________________________________________


Alaric appeared in the warroom in Ravenii, as did an unexpected "visitor". He and Teii stared at each other for a few seconds, and then warmly hugged each the other. Teii said, "Come, we have much to discuss......."

A formation of F-20 Tiger sharks streaked over the armored column racing to the Pagan Borderlands. Mile after mile of Tanks. APCs, and SP guns raced to meet the invaders.
Nestled in a battalion of Merkava IV tanks of the 17th RCT was an ancient M-4 half track with a quad .50 cal mount pulled a command trailer bearing the markings of the Knights of Ironhold.

Inside the trailer Paladin Moonshadow and her command staff heard the reports of the Xeraphian capitals destruction.

The elder woman at the head of the halo table stood up and addressed the group seated around the projected map. "Major Scott did Alaric escape?"
" Unknown at this time My Lady, but with their advanced beaming technology I see know reason why he did not."
Lady Moonshadow seemed to take a small comfort in the thought that Alaric had escaped the holocaust that struck his beloved capital. After pausing for a moment see spoke again. "Will we beat Azulun's forces to the beach?"
General Kell answered before Major Scott could reply. "No Leenara our main armored forces will never reach the beachheads in time. the only troops in place at the moment are the few airborne regiments we managed to drop in before we landed. at best they will slow them down."
Lady Jessa Stormhand stood up and punched the table " If we can't beat them to the beach then the battle is already lost and those men there are already dead!"
"The battle is not lost yet child. those men on the beaches will make the landing as costly to Azulun as they can and buy us the time we need to set up defenses. We will provide them as much air support as we can spare and do what ever we can so their sacrifice is not in vain. General Kell who is the Airborne commander on the beach?"
" Major General Maryann Siembieda commander of the 2ed airborne RCT."
"Order Her to hold the beach as long as she can then fall back to our positions. I want Her to slow them down."
Sir Alan Mc Lar commented "I know General Siembieda well, she is a tough fighter and I know she will not give the order to fall back if she thinks it will buy us more time, she will fight to the last man."
The Communications officer interrupted the people gathered around the table. "Lady Moonshadow I am getting a report from General Siembieda command post. Message is as follows " Enemy forces landing. Engaging said forces with all available troops will stand untill releived, send" The message stopped their Paladin.

Alaric and the Vampire prince locked themselves away in the war room of the bunker in Ravenii, now the new Xeraphian capitol. The war was far away from here....for now.

Gen. Willard, CMDR Xeraphian Forces, had deployed all of the available troopers to within 10 miles of the northern and eastern coasts of Xeraph. With the re-booting of all of the attack systems nullified by the Imperium missiles, Xeraph had about 35% of it's available air-and-sea capabilities back. Rattlesnakes, Mambas, and King Cobra fighter-bombers were streaking towards the enemy invasion force, now approximately 73% landed on Xeraphian territory. And moving forward. Estimated time to contact: three hours, twenty-two minutes.

220,000 armored troopers and 63,000 Royal Marines were dug in over a 200 mile stretch in the north. In the northeast and east, the defenders were spread thinly. Tarlag was within hours of reinforcing the northeast, but TBD had not as yet reinforced the east. Mandalore Prime was spearheading the war in the air, about to strike the enemy where it hurt the most.

The Spiders would not be back on line for several hours....too late to join the defenders, but would instead be used as a second line of defense, as would all of the MBTs Willard could assemble, about 1,300 units. Missile defense was almost 100% restored, and coordinates were being determined as to when and where they would do the most damage to the Imperium troop ships.

The two rulers emerged from the war room, faces both grim and set with purpose. Alaric held up his hand for silence. "Gentlemen, we're faced with the most dire situation that Xeraph has faced in many decades. The enemy outnumbers us 4-to-1. And that's a best-case scenario. We cannot get any more troops to the front before they hit us there. I've ordered a secondary line of defense 200 miles from Tarantia, which as I speak is being overrun." Murmurs from the staff threatened to drown out the Emperor. "Hold on, now, just hold on. Tarascus doesn't seem to be a target at this point, so we can expect a full assault on Ravenni within 24-36 hours. Prince Teii will take it from here."

The ancient Prince took a step forward and looked around the room for a couple of seconds. He realized that many, if not most, of the people in this room looked upon him as a boogey-man, a character that mothers used to frighten their children with if they didn't behave. Aside from Alaric, no one had seen the Prince for hundreds of years, and his mythic status was legendary. "Brave Xeraphians. Not since Koth 230 years ago have we faced such a stubborn enemy. Azulun has sworn to kill Alaric or die trying. He will stop at nothing, including genocide, to gain that end. He has already virtually obliterated the nation of Taleloron, and is advancing on Wiccan Shadows, who can do nothing to stop him. The entire region of Mythos is open to being destroyed. We don't think that that is his intention, however. We believe that he is going to come up from the south, hit portions of Mandalore Prime and our southern nations of The Grey Phoenix and The Isles of Xeraph. Little does he know that he won't get far that way." A few grim chuckles were heard. "However, our immediate concern is stopping the advance of those infernal legions Azulun is employing towards our present location. In about 4 hours, paratroops will be landing in the area of our second line of defense. There, they will meet the remnants of our former front lines and the hordes that will be on their heels. These enemy troops are not the usual soldiers of normal nations. They are vampires, werewolves, and drug-crazed battalions of thugs bent of plunder and death. They are berserkers, thinking only of the death of their enemy....us. We can stop them. It won't be easy, and it won't be pretty. Here's how it's going to happen....."

Torches smoked in the evening twilight, lending the leafless oak glade an eerie atmosphere. A half-dozen well-dressed nobles stood in a small circle, their breath forming little clouds of fog about their heads. Their men were huddled in small groups around camp fires, muttering to themselves about how cold it was.

Three men on horseback trotted into the glade, horse's nostrils flaring as they pulled on the reins. The chatter stopped, and the nobles turned to face those on horseback.

The three dismounted almost as one, their silent, almost indiscernable movements throwing shadows on the towering oak trees. One stepped forward. "I am Azulun. Behind me are my general, Rahon, and my...advisor...Tsaphon." Rahon stepped up, an imposing figure fully seven feet tall, clad in black armor, skulls and other body parts hanging from his belt as trophies. The one called Tsaphon hung back, in the shadows, completely hidden in robes of thick wool, face and hands unseen. Azulun himself was as hideous a sight as any human had ever seen.

About three inches shorter that Rahon, he made up for it in bulk. Three hundred seventy-five pounds of rock-hard muscle was bound in a torn and bloody harness of black leather. His hair hung to his waist, tangled, filthy, into which many fragments of bone were woven. His unblinking, serpent-like eyes surveyed the humans with a disdain apparent to all. In his right hand he carried a notched and bloody sword. In his left, a Ruger .44 magnum.

"Phase One of my attack on Xeraph is accomplished. The capitol is all but ruins, as is Tarantia. Taleloron and Wiccan Shadows will be nothing but memories in another 24 to 48 hours. We then turn northward, passing through that fool Valtane's land until we come into The Grey Phoenix from the south, pass through quickly doing as much damage as possible, and attack Xeraph from the south, moving quickly to the gates of Ravennii. I'll have that pig Alaric trapped. You two", he pointed to the kings of Pharex and Karassi, "will land your troops onto the northern coasts of Mercenary Lands and follow the Horde south, towards Ravennii." The Horde was the hellish army Azulun had assembled for the conquest of Xeraph. Made up of were-creatures, vampires, renegade Elven, and thousands of the half-human tribesmen of the northern mountains. The rebel forces of the Imperial nations of Grey Legions, the Black Katanas, and Vhammpyr which had followed Azulun into the Pagan Borderlands brought up the third and final wave of the attack. Almost 955,000 moved against Alaric's 400,000. His Imperial allies could not help him...they were as paralyzed as he was.

Azulun continued. "I'm going to draw that idiot Emperor out of the hole he's hiding in with a ...special maneuver....that will assure his destruction. General Rahon's troops will be the first to enter Ravennii....the first to begin the looting and raping that will continue until all one-million inhabitants of the city are dead, including the fools who have thier embassies there.

Any questions?" There were none. "Then go. Assemble your troops. In seven days, we will be the new masters of Xeraph!"

Rubble and bodies were everywhere. Most of the diplomatic population of Tarantia had escaped to safety days earlier, but a few hundred hadn't made it. They were dead, their bodies consummed by the were-cats of Azulun.

The army of the renegade king of Imperium IV now occupied a 1,200-mile stretch of Xeraph, from the coastlines west and north to the shores of the northeastern territory. Tarantia was 75 miles from the coast; Xeraphia and the Inland Sea were in the hands of The Horde.

Approximately 65% of the total invasion force was now ashore in Xeraph....and Alaric could do little about it. Not yet, anyway.

He paced restlessly. He snapped at his aide. "Where are those fucking Mandalorian Clone Troops? They shoudv'e been here by now!"

"They are almost in position, m'Lord, 22 miles due south of the advancing enemy lines. Our Royal Marines and the Phoenixian advance forces are rushing to reinforce the Clones. Lord Sethanis is personally leading the ShadowGuard in the west. He is waging a valiant effort.....he has fought the enemy to a standstill just east of the ruins of Xeraphia."

Alaric stopped dead in his tracks. "The ruins of Xeraphia?", he whispered. "Then there's nothing left?"

"The ambassadors and their staff are safe, m'Lord, but they won't be able to come out until it's safe. Could be weeks."

Just then, a live feed came in over the loudspeaker. "All units, this is Lt. Col. Tesh. AirWings 73 and 34 are engaging enemy land forces along a 55 mile stretch. They apparently have little if any aircraft and few armored units. It appears that they are relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm us. The squadrons are breaking off and pursuing the attack. King Cobras are bombing the apparent zone HQs, and the Rattlesnakes and Mambas are strafing all enemy units. They're dropping by the hundreds.....but still advancing."

Alaric keyed the mic. "Tesh, what can we do to help?"

"Send in the Marines, sir. Artillery barrage, carpet bomb the rear ranks...send up the Pythons. From my vantage point, we can hit them in the ass HARD!"

"You got it, Colonel. You! Contact Valtane and the Tarlagian generals. Tell them it's all or nothing now. Get Vlad and Sethanis to redouble their efforts. We need to stop the enemy before Ravennii becomes the next victim!"

The Forward Command Post situated deep under Fort Wagner was abuzz with Intense energy as the analysts constantly compiled & updated all incoming data…
Alejandro sat in a chair in the corner bedraggled & exhausted from minor skirmishes with Azulan’s Forces… Suddenly Colonel Johnson snatched up a data sheet…

Milord Missive from Xeraph… Requesting a massive push at Azulan’s rear… The Horde has no Air Support… He wants us to strike deep into their rear..

Scanning the Communiqué… Alejandro stood up… Contact all Fighter Wings I want them to begin non-stop sorties at the main Horde Lines… Contact the 572nd Bomber Wing… Tell them to begin saturation bombing runs…

Contact Jaden & Jacen… Tell them their Corps is to lead our push into the horde rear…
Get ahold of the 1st Legion CO… Tell him to fold all elements into the Cadet Corp…

I’ll lead the 3rd & 7th Cavalry Cohorts… On a Flank Push… We’ll meet up at Phaseline Emerson… Approximately 75 miles NW of the ruins of Xeraphia…

The attached data says we should meet up with the Xeraphian Clones & the Tarlagian Forces…

With that… That warning Klaxons began wailing across the base as thousands of troopers began racing for their transports…

The two battle lines faced each other from a vantage point of four miles. The Horde, as the enemy forces had come to be known, were screaming and yelling so loudly that they could be heard even at this distance. They banged on their shields in unison, the crude horns of the Osatelian ram adding an ungodly element to the din.

The Horde was still a very strong attack force, despite the repeated air attacks by Xeraphian and Katanan fighters. Thousands had been blown to oblivion, but on they still came.

The Imperial forces had not fared as well. Thousands of Royal Marines, Clone Troopers, and ShadowGuard had perished, not a few of them eaten where they fell. The Horde had advanced over 200 miles since landing on Imperial shores 2 weeks ago, over-running the Royal City of Tarantia and the capitol, Xeraphia. They were halted and turned back from the walls of Tarascus and now threatened the new city of Ravennii, unofficially the new capitol of the Empire, just 75 miles further south.

The Emperor, Alaric Tan'it, was pacing back and forth like a madman. He was personally conducting the defense of Ravennii and was currently on the front lines seeing to positionng of the troops.

He was covered head to foot in blood, not a few gashes in his leather battle-harness. His twin Katanas were in their sheaths right now, but they had spilled their share of were-wolf and rebel blood in the vicious hand-to-hand fighting of just a few hours ago.

And now, he stood watching the Horde as they prepared what just might be the final assault on the Imperial forces and their allies. Alaric mentally went over, again, the stats of who had rallied to their defense.

The Mandalorians, ever loyal, had unhesitatingly thrown all they had to the southern defense of the kingdom. Alejandro Valtane was every bit the warrior his great-grandfather Eric had been, and had beaten the enemy to a pulp down on the Xeraph-Phoenix border.

Tarlag...what would they have done without them. They had reinforced the Imperial troops time after time, and had been instrumental in holding the enemy back...at a high cost. The reward that Alaric had in mind when this was all over would go a long way in cementing the already ties between Xeraph and Tarlag.

The Burnsian Desert was not faring as well. Azulan had them bottled up on their island, Burns Island. Azulun couldn't land there....he'd be chopped to pieces. But neither could TBD break out. Stalemate.

Alaric brought his thoughts back to the present. He turned to face the enemy line, now advancing at an almost leisurely pace towards the Imperial lines. He grabbed a bullhorn.

"OK, gentlemen. This is it. Live or die. Win or lose. It's all up to us here. The fate of the Empire and it's allies rests with what we do here today. What do you think?"

The answering roar of the Imperial troops and their allies was deafening..................

As he watched his army advance towards the Xeraphian line, Azulun knew he couldn't beat Alaric's forces. He could hurt them badly, even take a few of their cities. But he didn't have the technology to ultimately overcome the Imperials. No, he just wanted the Emperor. He wanted to see that bastard dead.

"You!", he said pointing at an angel. " I need to get to that castle we talked about earlier. How soon can you get me there?"

Mondroth looked at the vampire king with unblinking eyes. He could snap this creature in two without expending much energy, but his lord had told him to render whatever aid he could. "Two and a quarter hours, m'lord."

"Good. Let's go." Mondroth picked him up in his huge paws, and with a beat or two of his wings was aloft, on his way to Castle Valtane in the Duchy of Valtane, one of the small islands connecting the two main Imperial continents. The plan was to draw Alaric to the island, ambush him, take him captive, and take him back to Baael, there to torture and eventually kill him.

He knew that Alaric would suspect a trap, but he had it covered. And if all else failed, he knew that the Emperor's ego wouldn't allow him to avoid a fight with Azulun.

As the angel sped across the skies, he saw both Xeraphia and Tarantia burning. He could also see what was left of his army in the south retreating, being cut to pieces by the Mandalorians and those cursed Tarlagians. 'But, that's OK', he thought. 'I'll deal with them after I deal with Alaric.'

A short time later, they alighted upon the parapets of the Castle that Alaric had given to Eric Valtane so many years ago, when Azulun was still but a soldier in the army of Prince Teii. Now he was here as a king, and he was about to get his revenge.

He glanced at the guards running up the steps towards him and nodded his head to Mondroth. Instantly, the angel swooped down on them, beheading and eviscerating them with one sweep of his razor-sharp claws. Alarms sounded, men scrambled to get their families to safety. Azulun walked over to the edge of the wall, and looked around for something. Finding it, he hurried towards it, and when he smashed open the door to the communication room of the castle, he pointed to the cameras and spoke.

"I am Azulun. You'll do as I say, or you'll die. Get these ready for a transmission to that pig Alaric. NOW!"

As the terrified men rushed to obey, Azulun glanced at the commscreens. His army was still advancing, but it was growing smaller before hie eyes as they were cut down by allied troops.

"Are those fucking things ready?", he roared. In answer, the cameras sprang to life. "Send this transmission 'live' to all of the enemy nations, and make sure your pig Empeor sees it."

He began to speak.....

The Quad 50's of the Half track could be heard in the distance firing into the approaching Horde. General Kell had decided that the command unit and a formation of Knights were going to hold a nameless Xeraphin village so its inhabitants could flee.

They approached like an unholy wave of black overrunning everything in their path. It seemed that for everyone that was killed two took its place. The tanks and assault guns of the 17th RCT retreated to the far side of the village to form a defensive line to cover the remaining knights retreat.

As Lady Paladin Leeanara Moonshadow stood in the mouth of an ally to catch her breath. A squad of the foul creatures approached her with thoughts of an easy kill on their minds. Their leader looked down upon the old woman and said " Now little one, you have given us a merry chase but now you die."
Leeanara dropped her empty 45 Cal. Luger and smiled. " I know something you don't know."
The blood of brave knights dripped off the beasts fangs as he answered.
"What could you know that I would care about?"
"The way to the Never Never beast." With that answer she touched the tip of her sword Jotenreaver to the side of the building closest to the beast.
The creature contaplated her answer for a moment but the thought was cut short by the heavy combat axe that appeared out of the wall. The axe was followed by a towering troll dressed in desert robes. "NO HURT SHEIKE'S FRIEND" screamed the troll known as the Sheik. More Trolls appeared out of the portal created by the sword and after a short fight the squad of foul beasts was dispatched.
"Sheik make sure nice Lady safe." The troll said as he patted Lady Moonshadow on the head. "Thanks old friend but we have much work to do. Bismark have your troops secure this area so we can fall back."
A huge troll with a panther assault cannon nodded his horned head and went with 12 of his brothers into the fight.

Aboard H.D.S. Lexington

A two seat Sea Harrier landed on the deck of the command carrier. Moments after touching down a nondescript man unstrapped himself from the second seat of the trainer.
A deck crewmen rushed forward to take the mans flight helmet. It took a second for the crewmen to realize who this person was " Oh MY God Duke Ozgood! What are you doing here?" Taking a second to realize what he had just done the crewmen saluted "My Lord, how may I be of service?"
" Take me to your CIC and shut your mouth or you will attract flies."A few minutes later the Grand Duke entered the command CIC of the great ship.
"Admiral Dayron report."
Dayron who was over looking the holo tank turned with a look of surprise.
" My Duke, what are you doing here?"
" Why is everyone asking me that today. I thought I just asked you for a report."
" Of course Sir, On the naval front the enemy fleet has moved off, most likely to support their blockade of the Burnsian Islands. We have begun to provide heavy naval air support to our allies."
The Duke nodded for the moment as he watched the displayes that the Admiral was bringing up on the holo tank.
" What of General Kell and the TEF?"
"We have fared better then most of our allies My Duke."
"Why is that?"
The Horde though for the most part were using primitive weapons were incredibly hard to kill. They seened to be immune to most small arms fire."
The Duke looked worried for a moment and responded "So why did we fair better."
" Specialty Ammo Sir, the 5.56 and 7.62 rounds that we developed to fight aether Kraven's Capital Police or AMF Sentials seemed to be effective on the Horde troops"
" Very Good I am glad all those Grots we spent on R & D did not go to waste. What is General Kells current status?"
" They were fighting a rolling retreat when the got to the village of Alstrin. The village had not been evacuated so Paladin Moonshadow ordered General Kell and the remaining Knights to hold the village so the civilian population could flee."
"And?"
"Here my reports become incomplete if not down right weird Sir."
"Weird How? Admiral Dayron we spent Billions of Grots on our military and a military intelligence network so I expect a little more then it got weird."
" Very well Sir, Lady Moonshadow received reinforcements. With said reinforcements she began a counter attack that drove the Horde from the outskirts of the village and with the aid of the 17th and 18th RCTs they have started pushing the Horde back."
"According to the Holo tank data all of our forces were already committed who were those troops?"
" That is the strange part starts Sir, according to my troop reports Trolls started attacking the Horde. Lady Moonshadow was seen riding on the shoulder of one that was dressed like Laurence of Arabia, like I said Sir just plain weird. My intelligence officer believes the area was hit by some hallucinogenic gas or something similar."
"Right, if anyone starts seeing any dragons let me know we could use them for the Air force."

Captain Smithers woke up to a searing pain in his left arm. He looked down and saw bone and torn flesh, dried blood caked from elbow to wrist. He was lying on the floor of the bridge of the destroyer FORTHRIGHT, flames and sparks surrounding him. As he struggled to his feet, the pain in his arm almost unbearable, he felt a rough hand grab him by his neck, hauling him upright. A creature clad head-to-toe in black was staring him in the face.

"This one's still alive, Commander", it growled. The one addressed as Commander came over, looked at the captain, and promptly back-handed him across his face, sending fresh waves of pain through his body as well as opening up the hideous wound. "Where are your orders, human? Tell me now, and I'll kill you quickly!"

Smithers looked up at the commander with pain-filled eyes and said simply, "Go fuck yourself."

In answer, the commander of the enemy boarding squad pushed back the captian's head and bit a large portion of his throat, tearing it out in a huge gout of blood. As Smither's body slipped to the floor, Commander Kirnieu spat a mouthful of bloody flesh onto the wall. "We'll find nothing here. That measly fleet that the Ancient Shadow command sent against is all but destroyed, along with the countries it attempted to protect. Taleloron's navy is extinct, as is it's country. Wiccan Shadows and the Cities of Law are occupied, and the Cities of Peace have been put to the sword. Lord Azulun wants the entire region under control by next moon."

"Commander! Enemy aircraft approaching! Looks like a squadron of those accursed Mandalorians!"

The commander shouted, "Everybody out to the landing boats! NOW! MOVE IT!"

Three seconds later, an immense explosion rocked the FORTHRIGHT as the SA missiles struck the boiler room of the ship. Flaming bodies of the Baaelian boarders were strewn over the wreckage, many into the cold waters of the Mythic Sea.....................

Salysha peered through the twisted roots of the old oak, and saw nothing but horror and devastation. The groves of the Wiccans were either cut down or on fire as far as the eye could see. The bodies of her friends were lying in huge piles, all horribly mutilated. Off to the south, beyond the mountains, see could barely make out the forward troops of the invaders. They had apparently stopped their push through the beleagured nation for a while, possibly to regroup before finishing off the rest of the countryside.

Sha felt a tug at her waist, and looked down to see one of the neophytes, Ransyth. Salysha put a finger to her lips, and backed down the hole that led to the underground tunnel. "What is it, Ransyth?"

The young girl peered at her, eyes large, face dirty. "My Lady, how are we going to get to Sanctuary?"

Sanctuary. The fanciful place that the Adepts told the children to help them sleep. How indeed would they ever get there? "Don't worry, dear. We'll get there", she said as she smoothed back the child's hair. The only way they were going to get to any type of Sanctuary was to get to where the Imperial troops of Xeraph or Tarlag were staging their stand against the Hordes of Azulun. Salysha had heard that beyond the mountains, appropriately named the Mountains of the Lost, the armies of those fighting against Azulun had gained a beach-head, and were mobilizing for a defense of the land.

She had also heard that many of the nations of Mythos had already fallen to Azulun, the rest trying to pacify the blood-thirsty conqueror instead of fighting him. Fools! They deserved everything they got! Azulun will not stop until the entire region is under his banner.

She grabbed Ransyth's hand. "Come, dear. We must get to the others and find a way over the mountains. That's our only chance for survival."

The Xeraphian defenses were set up in three lines, each two miles behind the one in front. As the two armies met, the fighting quickly became vicious hand-to-hand slashing and hacking. The Clone Troopers briefly held the invaders at a standstill, but there were just too many of the enemy. The ebb-and-floww of the battle went on for over an hour, with the Horde gaining ground foot-by-foot. They were paying dearly for that ground, but they were advancing.

When the battle was within 200 feet of the second line, the Xeraphian commanders signalled the second line to move forward. Xeraphian Marines, ShadowGuard from Black Shadows, Zone Paratroops from The Grey Phoenix, and mountain commandos from the Xeraphian Isles ran forward, all weapons blazing, cutting down the enemy b the hundreds. The Horde's advance stopped, as they were having difficulty climbing over their dead comrades. The Imperial troops shouted their battle-cries and pushed ever forward. Then from the north-west came a thundering cavalry charge, led by General Rahon himself, that slammed into the Xeraphian line, splitting it into three or four sections, throwing the defenders into mass confusion. The Horde rallied and attacked the milling Xeraphians, cutting a swath through them like a hot knife through butter.

Alaric was in the fore-front of the third line, watching his men get cut to pieces. He tapped his commpin, spoke a word, and the third line started forward, right to the area where Rahon was directing his creatures. Alaric made a bee-line towards the rebel vampire general, slashing with both swords as he cut a path to the Imperium standard. In a second, the two commanders found themselves face-to-face, and without a word, charged each other. Their swords met with a loud mettalic clang, sending sparks into the air. They turned, and Alaric saw the vampire pull a pistol out of his boot. He grabbed his Glock and dove to his left, firing as he went. Three bullets hit Rahon in the chest, knocking him down. But it took more than conventional weapons to kill a vampire. Rahon got up, a bit dazed, but quickly resumed his pursuit of the Xeraphian Emperor.

Alaric saw him coming, and ran straight for him, turning at the last secong to grab an abandoned flame-thrower lying on the ground next to a dead ShadowGuard. Rahon fired his weapon, kicking up gouts of bloody mud, missing Alaric by inches. Alaric keyed the trigger, and a 30-foot arc of molten flame shot out and engulfed the vampire head to toe. As Rahon screamed out his life, frantically trying to put out the falme that was burning him alive, Alaric pulled his Katana and with a massive swing of his mighty arms, beheaded the enemy general's burning head. Rahon's headless body walked a few more steps before it fell over in a heap of flaming flesh. A roar went up from the Imperial troops, who re-doubled their efforts. The line began to push the enemy back, killing them first by the dozens, then the hundreds....and then it soon became a rout. The Horde's line broke and began to run, only to find themselves running into a line of AI-Spiders, whose twin Gatling Guns opened up, now killing then enemy by the thousands.

Alaric stood watching, gulping great breaths of air as he stood over his enemy's body. He walked over to the still-smoldering head of the vampire general, looked around, and pointed at an advancing corporal. "You! Corporal! Over here!"

The startled corporal ran over, eyes widening when he recognized Alaric. He got down on one knee, bowed his head. "What does my Emperor wish of me?"

Alaric smiled. "The first goddam thing you can do is get up out of the mud and get your ass over here. Then quit calling me 'Majesty'. I'm a soldier just like you. What I want you to do is get this vampire's head over to a TransBeam unit ASAP. Have 'em beam it to wherever Azulun is. That prick will know he's next. Got that, Sargeant?"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir. I mean Alaric." Then it hit him. "Sargeant?"

"You got shit your ears, Sargeant? Now fuckin' move it!"

Watching the young soldier move away, he began to think about Azulun. 'Yean, buddy. Your'e next. All I have to do is find you, and your ass is mine!'...

The Mandalorian Forces inexplicably advanced….Their lines buffeted by horde counter-assaults…

The Mandalorian Troopers meet each Charge head-on… Each time it faltered under the withering fire that the Mandalorians unleashed upon them… With grim determination each injured trooper trudged on…After untold days of vicious fighting…The Mandalorian Forces were beginning to show signs of exhaustion…

Unlike the Tarlagian & Xeraphian Fronts… The Mandalorian Forces had an edge in weaponry… Whilst their beleaguered brethren were using conventional armaments
The Mandalorian quartermasters had amply supplied all Mandalorian units with specialized ammo….Designed especially for demonic forces…
Shells with “Silver-Nitrate” or “Liquid-Phosphorus” inside them…Each designed to inflict heinous damage upon there intended victims in the most gruesome means conceivable

Even with these special toys…The Horde troops still inflicted damage to the Mandalorian Forces…Though maybe not as drastic as the losses incurred by the Xeraphian/Tarlagian Forces…

As the Mandalorians advanced firing at the retreating horde line…The effects of the special weaponry was telltale… The impacts resulted in what appeared to be flaming eruptions upon the demonic flesh… Searing flesh from body causing them to flair about…

Amid the ensuing chaos…Bright flashes of light strobed across the field…From exploding Phosphorous Grenades detonating... Instantly causing any demonic vampiric flesh to immolate… Several flaming pinwheeling bodies were seen staggering about before dropping to the ground…Where upon Advancing Mandalorian Troopers would step up & mercy shoot them, Before advancing on…

Suddenly a Horde unit spun around & counter-attacked…Causing the Mandalorian line to falter… This hiccup in the advance was a diversion that the horde quickly adapted too… As a flight of winged demons began making swooping passes along the line…Inflicting grievous damage…Killing numerous troopers…Suddenly a section of the Mandalorian line found it self cut-off… In it’s center was an imposing figure… His armor scorched & blackened in numerous places.. In his hands he gripped (2) two blades both covered in gore & blood… With a thunderous impact the lead flying demon landed several meters in front of the Leader… His companion landing beside him & turning the battle into a gore fest as Mandalorian Troops died… Suddenly in a lull of battle… The Demon leader stepped forward & spoke out a name… “So We finally meet Alejandro… Your forces have all but decimated my units…For this I commend you… But alas… That ends today...”
Taking off his helmet…Alejandro stood there…Dirty from combat & bloodied… His hair hung limp & greasy from days without rest…
No…This ends when Azulan’s head rests on a pike…
With that the horde troops swarmed towards Alejandro… His blades flashing & snicking with deadly intent… each swing cleaving deeply into horde flesh… after dispatching the last horde minion… Alejandro stood there gasping & wheezing from exhaustion…
Suddenly the demon leader stepped forward & raised his large auto pistol & fired off 6 consecutive booming shots…all of which caught Alejandro in the chest… Dropping to his knees…His swords fell from his fingertips…
“I Told you this ended today…By decree of Azulan… Mandalore Prime will be razed to the ground & your whore of a wife will be my concubine…” with that he turned & began walking away… Only to stop at the sounds of laughter… Starting out slowly…. The laughter gained volume until the demon general turned back & saw Alejandro attempting to stand… A faint glow of energy appearing to encompass his ravaged body….

HAHAHAHAHAHA….You poor pitiful deluded piece of demonic shit…. You think that after the blood curse you put upon my family years ago… You know that I’m not entirely human… standing up…Alejandro gripped his chest armor & ripped it off… The bullet wounds raw & gory stood out on his tanned muscular chest… Inhaling & concentrating a little…The wounds began to heal themselves… His chin rested on his chest… His breathing initially ragged was now smooth & steady… Raising his head… His blue eyes were replaced by complete black irises… His teeth elongated into fangs…His muscular structure rippling beneath his skin… Enhancing his physique to the extreme…
My Father was bitten by a Kothian Werewolf… Your father if I’m not mistaken… In an attempt to cure him…A family friend attempted to turn him into a vampire… Do you now what happens when Vampiric Blood mixes with Lycan… It’s traits are amplified…
My father not realizing the ramifications of such a blending…donated some of his blood during a surgical procedure I needed…

So… Brother… What say we end this like nobles…

With that both men?... Leaped at each other…Slashing at each other with claws & knives… Each kick would send the other careening into nearby buildings…Thru the walls…After what seemed like hours… Finally Alejandro kicked his “brother” back onto an exposed I-Beam…Impaling him there… Without so much as one word…Alejandro walked up & with one swing beheaded the demonic general … Who was identified as one Khilgau, General of the Southern Armies..



occ: Eric Valtane is Alejandro’s Father… out of wedlock/bastard child

Korad Renua, the Bynzeki Minister for Defence, sat at his station in the Situation Room. The events of the past 48 hours (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=453443) had left him tired and drained, but not incapacitated. Renua had done this work for a very long time, and he was used to feeling like shit.

One of his staff rushed over to his desk.

'Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we've just received an urgent communique from one of our contacts in Xeraph. It appears that the nation is engaged on all sides by enemy forces. Xeraph and her allies are putting up a brave fight, but it won't be long before they're forced to capitulate. We're informed that any ally who risks troops will most likely be sending them to their death.'

Renua stood up. 'We can't withhold troops from an ally under attack. We just can't! But at the same time we're still waiting on that bloody weapons and vehicles order (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12356452&postcount=67)! Tell you what - as soon as we get confirmation from The World Soviet Party that our order is on its way, mobilise 2,500 of our peacekeepers and tell them to wait for their new weaponry and equipment. As soon as their resources arrive, send them to the front line to defend our friend Emperor Alaric.'

'Yes, sir.' The aide vanished. Renua stroked his chin. He hoped the new rifles and attack choppers would arrive in time...

"WEEEEEE" Yelled the Troll as he hung on to the back of the half track.
General Morgan Kell looked back at the Troll and then to Lady Moonshadow with an almost pleading look. "Must he do that."
Lady Moonshadow gave a tired chuckle and responded. "He likes to ride and are you going to tell him to stop."
"Hmm, no my lady. These new allies of ours saved our asses back there but where did they come from?"
"Lets put it this way, they come from the place where the logical mind cannot go. A place of our old myths and stories. My Sword Jotenreaver can open a portal to that realm and I called on our new friends."
The Half track passed a small group of old AMX-13 light tanks that were being rearmed by strange little men in bright clothes.
General looked at these little men who seemed to take great glee in working on the obsolete light tanks.
" My Lady, it is going to hard enough explaining in my report to the Duke the Trolls but how do I explain Tinker Gnomes and an tank regiment made up of nothing but dwarfs."
"Sounds like your problem. If the Duke has a problem with this I could let the Sheik explain things to him."
"That is all right. I don't think he will have a problem as long as we keep pushing the Horde back."
Looking down at the radio operator in the front of the half track Leeanara asked " Any word from Thane Rumgar?"
" A report just in Paladin, The Dwarven Tanks supported by the gnome AFV's and the troll infantry have pushed the Horde forces back 20 km."
"Good, General Kell if your troops have rested and reorganized I suggest we push them out of Alric's lands."

The Mandalorian Forces inexplicably advanced….Their lines buffeted by horde counter-assaults…

The Mandalorian Troopers meet each Charge head-on… Each time it faltered under the withering fire that the Mandalorians unleashed upon them… With grim determination each injured trooper trudged on…After untold days of vicious fighting…The Mandalorian Forces were beginning to show signs of exhaustion…

Unlike the Tarlagian & Xeraphian Fronts… The Mandalorian Forces had an edge in weaponry… Whilst their beleaguered brethren were using conventional armaments
The Mandalorian quartermasters had amply supplied all Mandalorian units with specialized ammo….Designed especially for demonic forces…
Shells with “Silver-Nitrate” or “Liquid-Phosphorus” inside them…Each designed to inflict heinous damage upon there intended victims in the most gruesome means conceivable

Even with these special toys…The Horde troops still inflicted damage to the Mandalorian Forces…Though maybe not as drastic as the losses incurred by the Xeraphian/Tarlagian Forces…

As the Mandalorians advanced firing at the retreating horde line…The effects of the special weaponry was telltale… The impacts resulted in what appeared to be flaming eruptions upon the demonic flesh… Searing flesh from body causing them to flair about…

Amid the ensuing chaos…Bright flashes of light strobed across the field…From exploding Phosphorous Grenades detonating... Instantly causing any demonic vampiric flesh to immolate… Several flaming pinwheeling bodies were seen staggering about before dropping to the ground…Where upon Advancing Mandalorian Troopers would step up & mercy shoot them, Before advancing on…

Suddenly a Horde unit spun around & counter-attacked…Causing the Mandalorian line to falter… This hiccup in the advance was a diversion that the horde quickly adapted too… As a flight of winged demons began making swooping passes along the line…Inflicting grievous damage…Killing numerous troopers…Suddenly a section of the Mandalorian line found it self cut-off… In it’s center was an imposing figure… His armor scorched & blackened in numerous places.. In his hands he gripped (2) two blades both covered in gore & blood… With a thunderous impact the lead flying demon landed several meters in front of the Leader… His companion landing beside him & turning the battle into a gore fest as Mandalorian Troops died… Suddenly in a lull of battle… The Demon leader stepped forward & spoke out a name… “So We finally meet Alejandro… Your forces have all but decimated my units…For this I commend you… But alas… That ends today...”
Taking off his helmet…Alejandro stood there…Dirty from combat & bloodied… His hair hung limp & greasy from days without rest…
No…This ends when Azulan’s head rests on a pike…
With that the horde troops swarmed towards Alejandro… His blades flashing & snicking with deadly intent… each swing cleaving deeply into horde flesh… after dispatching the last horde minion… Alejandro stood there gasping & wheezing from exhaustion…
Suddenly the demon leader stepped forward & raised his large auto pistol & fired off 6 consecutive booming shots…all of which caught Alejandro in the chest… Dropping to his knees…His swords fell from his fingertips…
“I Told you this ended today…By decree of Azulan… Mandalore Prime will be razed to the ground & your whore of a wife will be my concubine…” with that he turned & began walking away… Only to stop at the sounds of laughter… Starting out slowly…. The laughter gained volume until the demon general turned back & saw Alejandro attempting to stand… A faint glow of energy appearing to encompass his ravaged body….

HAHAHAHAHAHA….You poor pitiful deluded piece of demonic shit…. You think that after the blood curse you put upon my family years ago… You know that I’m not entirely human… standing up…Alejandro gripped his chest armor & ripped it off… The bullet wounds raw & gory stood out on his tanned muscular chest… Inhaling & concentrating a little…The wounds began to heal themselves… His chin rested on his chest… His breathing initially ragged was now smooth & steady… Raising his head… His blue eyes were replaced by complete black irises… His teeth elongated into fangs…His muscular structure rippling beneath his skin… Enhancing his physique to the extreme…
My Father was bitten by a Kothian Werewolf… Your father if I’m not mistaken… In an attempt to cure him…A family friend attempted to turn him into a vampire… Do you now what happens when Vampiric Blood mixes with Lycan… It’s traits are amplified…
My father not realizing the ramifications of such a blending…donated some of his blood during a surgical procedure I needed…

So… Brother… What say we end this like nobles…

With that both men?... Leaped at each other…Slashing at each other with claws & knives… Each kick would send the other careening into nearby buildings…Thru the walls…After what seemed like hours… Finally Alejandro kicked his “brother” back onto an exposed I-Beam…Impaling him there… Without so much as one word…Alejandro walked up & with one swing beheaded the demonic general … Who was identified as one Khilgau, General of the Southern Armies..



occ: Eric Valtane is Alejandro’s Father… out of wedlock/bastard child



ooc: excellent...truly twisted, even for you....

The aide ran up to where Korad Renua was sitting and said, 'The stuff's here, sir.' With that Renua sat up and said, 'Go! Go! Go!'

Within half an hour a ship carrying 2,350 Bynzeki peacekeeping troops was steadily carving up the waves on its way to Xeraphian waters. It had to get through the blockade to make it to shore. From there the troops could be deployed and try to cut across the rear of the lines to get to the Emperor and his men.

The other 150 troops were crammed into 10 brand new Mil MI-24 Attack Choppers which were flying a kilometre above the Bynzeki ship. These choppers would break off several kilometres out from the Xeraphian shore and swoop low over the lines to cut off some of the attacks for the other allies.

Renua knew it was suicidal. But it had to be done.

As he watched his army advance towards the Xeraphian line, Azulun knew he couldn't beat Alaric's forces. He could hurt them badly, even take a few of their cities. But he didn't have the technology to ultimately overcome the Imperials. No, he just wanted the Emperor. He wanted to see that bastard dead.

"You!", he said pointing at an angel. " I need to get to that castle we talked about earlier. How soon can you get me there?"

Mondroth looked at the vampire king with unblinking eyes. He could snap this creature in two without expending much energy, but his lord had told him to render whatever aid he could. "Two and a quarter hours, m'lord."

"Good. Let's go." Mondroth picked him up in his huge paws, and with a beat or two of his wings was aloft, on his way to Castle Valtane in the Duchy of Valtane, one of the small islands connecting the two main Imperial continents. The plan was to draw Alaric to the island, ambush him, take him captive, and take him back to Baael, there to torture and eventually kill him.

He knew that Alaric would suspect a trap, but he had it covered. And if all else failed, he knew that the Emperor's ego wouldn't allow him to avoid a fight with Azulun.

As the angel sped across the skies, he saw both Xeraphia and Tarantia burning. He could also see what was left of his army in the south retreating, being cut to pieces by the Mandalorians and those cursed Tarlagians. 'But, that's OK', he thought. 'I'll deal with them after I deal with Alaric.'

A short time later, they alighted upon the parapets of the Castle that Alaric had given to Eric Valtane so many years ago, when Azulun was still but a soldier in the army of Prince Teii. Now he was here as a king, and he was about to get his revenge.

He glanced at the guards running up the steps towards him and nodded his head to Mondroth. Instantly, the angel swooped down on them, beheading and eviscerating them with one sweep of his razor-sharp claws. Alarms sounded, men scrambled to get their families to safety. Azulun walked over to the edge of the wall, and looked around for something. Finding it, he hurried towards it, and when he smashed open the door to the communication room of the castle, he pointed to the cameras and spoke.

"I am Azulun. You'll do as I say, or you'll die. Get these ready for a transmission to that pig Alaric. NOW!"

As the terrified men rushed to obey, Azulun glanced at the commscreens. His army was still advancing, but it was growing smaller before hie eyes as they were cut down by allied troops.

"Are those fucking things ready?", he roared. In answer, the cameras sprang to life. "Send this transmission 'live' to all of the enemy nations, and make sure your pig Empeor sees it."

He began to speak.....


When the vampire's "speech" was over, military units in six nations were being mobilized....in a hurry. Azulun had heard of the deaths of Rahon and Khilgau and was in a rage like none had ever seen. He ordered the immediate withdrawal of all Borderland/Mesop forces from the region of Mythos, where they had been plundering the various nations, putting the populace to the sword. Having commandeered three-dozen troop ships and a couple of squadrons of troop drop-ships, the Imperium commanders set forth from Mythos to hit Xeraph from the south.

Which meant they had to first get past the Mandalorian forces, then the Phoenixian forces, and finally land in the deserts south and west of Ravennii. The troop ships would have to disperse their forces on the western coast of The Grey Phoenix and fight their way into Xeraph.

In the meantime, Azulun had killed or taken captive all of the inhabitants of Duchy Valtane and was setting up a field HQ in the old castle. Through his binoculars, he could see the Duchy of Scandinvan to the south-east. 'Theyr'e next', he thought.

An adjutant ran up to him. "Majesty, Xeraphian forces are pushing our troops back to the landing zones. The beaches are already full of soldiers who managed to get by those accursed Spiders. Enemy subs have sunk or rendered inoperable all of our ships. Our troops have no where to go."

Azulun back-handed the adjutant, drawing blood, and said, "Tell those cowards that they are to fight and kill as many of these pig Xeraphians as they can before they die. If they don't, the penalty is the death of their families....by my hand."

The adjutant got up slowly, bowed, and was off.

Now all Azulun had to do was wait until Alaric got here.............

The cargo cruiser carrying the 2,350 Bynzeki peacekeeping troops managed to reach the Xeraphian coast. Battered and smoking in several places, the wounded vessel came aground 10 kilometres from the forward defences. The troops made their way ashore and began the long march to meet the enemies of Xeraph.

----------------------------------

Overhead the ten Mil 24 attack choppers swooped low over the defences, taking long sweeping machine gun sweeps across the rear lines, taking out ten vampires here, twenty there. It was substantial, but not near enough. The Horde were still breaking through.

The choppers spun 90 degrees and headed for the second line, causing considerable damage, but still not enough. Once they'd punctured enough of the first line of defence, and had spotted Alaric and his men, they made for a landing point behind the Xeraphians. The 150 peacekeepers donned their helmets and their new assault rifles, waited for the choppers to set down, then ran over to the Xeraphians and their Mandalorian friends. Alaric didn't even look round as Commander Eklon rushed to his side.

'What the fuck kept you?' was all Alaric said, as he watched his men fight admirably, considering the odds...

Aboard H.D.S. Lexington

The Grand Duke walked in to the CIC for the morning briefing. After making himself a cup of tea he walked over to the holo tank where Dayron and the other staff officers we studying the incoming data.

"Report Admiral."

" I have good news my Lord, The Grand Fleet with allied help has cleared the waters around Xeraph of Horde combat ships and transports. I also have a report that a small allied force from Bynzekistan has landed and they have just linked up with Alaric's troops."
" Excellent what I thought was a losing proposition seems to be turning around. What is the status of the TEF?"
The display of the holo tank changed to show the current situation in the Pagan Borderlands.
" Our forces along with the "Ironhold Auxiliares" have pushed the remaining Horde troops to the beach. We have commenced a heavy air attack on their forces along with naval and ground artillery attacks. General Kell is keeping his troops back so they can rest and replenish while these attacks are going on. This should just be a mopping up operation here. With the amount of heavy ordnance we are pouring on the beaches we should be able to clear them in the next 48 hours."
The Duke studied the displays for the moment and then sipped some tea. "So the next question is where do we go from here?"
" We have sustained heavy loses Sir. We have lost 100% of General Siembieda Three airborne infantry RCTs. We are also looking at between 20% to 40% loses per RCT depending on the unit. Our naval loses were light but because of the lack of Horde naval activity we will now just be providing support for the ground forces. The smart thing to do now is to hold the border and send back for reinforcements."
Ozgood looked over the cup he was drinking from and said "When have we ever done the smart thing. Send a message to Alaric."

****************Encrypted Message***************************


From: Grand Duke Ozgood the Third
H.D.S. Lexington Command Ship of the Tarlagian Grand Fleet
To: Emperor Alaric
Emperor of the Empire of Xeraph

Alaric my command staff has assured me that our zone of operation will be cleared of Horde forces within 48 hours. I wish to have my forces redeployed to to continue the pressure on the enemy. From what my staff is telling me our best options are to aether move to directly support your personal troops or move to liberate the territory of the Wiccan Shadows.
Our airborn radars have picked up military type dropships heading to an area south of Ravennii. If you need reinforcement to face this new threat ask and you shall have any of my forces you think necessary.

Your Friend
Grand Duke Ozgood

Alejandro stood atop a huge pile of debris & held the severed head of Khilgau aloft, The gore stricken corpse still impaled upon the I-Beam shuddered as it’s nervous system shut down…
The Mandalorian Forces arrayed around the site roared as nothing heard before… The battle lust beginning to overtake them… Alejandro’s own Rage Transformation non withstanding… His visage a grinning face of triumph & escalation…

Leaping Down.. Alejandro handed the gore stricken head to an aide, “Here place this in suspension, contact Alaric, Tell him the Southern front is Secure, By Eric’s Grace, This end of the Ops will be completed within the hour

Since Khilgau’s death the remaining Horde forces lost their nerve & began to retreat pell-mell home, Seeing as the only thing keeping them in a rage was now dead

Most Horde Units without their Commander began surrendering or even committing suicide rather then face Azulan face to face after this defeat.

Stepping outta of a sonic shower, Alejandro breathed a sigh of relief as his troops began clearing the dead from the field of battle… Piling the Horde Dead into gigantic piles in which they would be cremated later in giant funeral pyres to blunt any chance of disease…

Pulling the last piece of a clean field uniform on, Alejandro was alerted to an aide rushing up to him.

“SIRE… News from… *Pant… from Command… Castle Valtane has been Taken by Azulan, He’s fortified it heavily.. All Contact lost… All are presumed dead.. Alejandro’s mind was abuzz as the news sunk in… Azulan feinted an stuck a Mandalorian Holding….That Bastard…”Alejandro’s rage began building at the thought of what that butcher could/would do to Mandalorian Land… ”Contact MP Home Command… Tell them to Initiate Operation Backdrop… Tell them to prepare for a possible Invasion…

The Tarlagian Forces have also cleared their assigned sectors… Intel suggests they may be swinging about to hammer the left flank of the Horde Army hammering Alaric’s position…

“Ok…Alert My Son’s…Tell them to leave enough forces behind to secure these sectors… Have them swing around & Hit the horde Right flank…”

“Milord, I can’t…”

“WHAT.. Are you disobeying me??...”

“NO SIRE…NEVER… I can’t because they’ve already deployed…Their units left about an hour ago…. Contact is expected within the hour…”

Alejandro grinned wickedly at the thought of what his son’s could do to the unexpecting Horde Flank… Contact Command have them begin massive artillery strikes & aerial strafing runs nonstop on the Horde center… Contact Colonel’s Valtane, Tell them I’ll be deploying to assist them… After this we March on Castle Valtane… Azulan forgot one thing about that place, I was born & raised there, I know every nook & cranny into & outta that place… We’ll hit him when & where he least expects it…

--

TBD Forces are still blockaded on Burns Island…Though apparently the Tarlagian Command has the same idea as we did…They’ve also diverted key units to attempt a breakthrough…
“Alright Contact our Tarlagian Counter-part… Check about a joint strike or at least a Coordinated one…”

--

C&C has ID’d another participant… ID’s show it as Bynzekistanian… Apparently their an Ally of Xeraph…?
Command has confirmed they landed about an hour ago in the vicinity of the Xeraph Command HQ

---

Before we get ahead of ourselves… Get ahold of Colonel Paul Stevenson in Command… I need our butcher bill…

A several hushed moments… The aide reported to Alejandro
Butcher bill is as follows…

The 3rd Cohort is down by 31%
7th Cavalry was hit the hardest with 43% losses
& The 1st Legion took a surprising 20% losses, Considering they were in the brunt of the fighting

Scene: Central Plains of Xeraph, Mandalore Frontlines
3 hours into Surprise Flank Attack on Horde.

“INCOMING!!”

Suddenly a series of eruptions slam across the river an a half a kilometer stretch on either side. Sending up geysers of water & blackened earth. One of the 7th Cavalry Cohorts Manticore Light Battletanks disappears in the artillery barrage. A Second Manticore narrowly dodged the blast that destroyed his lancemates

A lone Typhoon Class Hovercraft dipped down into one of the new craters too fast, The opposite edge caught it’s armored skirting, Tearing away the rim & spilling it’s cushion of air.
The hovercraft grounded, jumped back up & then cartwheeled end over end along the riverbank, tearing into the wet-dark clay until it finally flipped out into the river & was lost to deeper water, Taking it’s crew with it.

Jaden blinked sweat out of his eyes, Adjusting his grip on his Mauser 960 Auto Rifle, He leveled up & Clamped down on the trigger. Stitching a line of death into the exposed flank of a Horde Soldier, Another Horde soldier began firing back as his teammate pitched forward dead.

“THREE BATT.” … Jaden grunted over the General Channel, Too busy to toggle for Major Tomas direct.

“Where the Fuck is that Indirect coming from”…
Ducking for cover as another barrage landed within meters of his positions

“I thought the Horde didn’t have Artillery?”
After several long moments…and answer was received…

”They Don’t”… "
“Command says that fire is coming from Tarlagian Positions”…

“Tarlagian?... What the Fuck is their Problem… Have you contacted their command?”

“Yes Sir… No Response”…. Jaden ducked again as another barrage landed amongst some of his troops, sending bodies & parts flying…

“Jesus… Their doing more damage then the Horde is!!”

“Fuck this shit… Contact Command…Tell them that we are under Friendly Fire from Tarlagian Positions in the Mountains to the West… Inform them that I have ordered counter-battery fire on said positions…”

“SIR, By re-routing that suppression fire, We open up our Eastern Flank to Horde Counter-Assaults?” … “They may press us back!!”…
Tomas sputtered… He was a competent officer, But had grown cautious with the travails that had plagued the 1st Legion in this engagement

“Let them Come!!!” Jaden grunted as another horde trooper exposed himself, Where upon Jaden sprayed him with Auto Fire

“Alaric’s Forces are too running too far behind schedule. I Need… NO… I Want that Artillery Fire silenced now… I will not see another loyal son of Mandalore die because of ineptitude…”

Moments later…Outbound Artillery fire whistled over Jaden head… As he ducked down…He muttered a quick prayer for the Tarlagian Troops who wouldn’t be going home tonight,…He hoped his Father would understand his reasoning… If the Tarlagians demanded retribution, Then he would accept full responsibility…

OCC: Figured a little Friendly Fire Incident would help the realism...

Aborad H.D.S. Lexington

"Sir, I am getting a report that a unit of the 74th RCT in under heavy Artillery fire!"
Admiral Dayron and the Duke looked over at the excited communications technician.
The Duke looked concerned at the Admiral. " I thought the Horde had no heavy gun batteries."
" They don't my Lord, Radar track where that fire is coming from."

The Holo Tank display changed for a moment then it began showing the flight paths that the incoming shells had followed. One of the tecnictions studied the display for a second then reported.
" My Duke, the fire is coming from a Mandaloreian 155mm battery. They are firing on a Green Coat 8 inch battery that is attached to the 74th."
The Duke looked puzzled for a moment. "What the hell is a reserve unit doing over here I thought that only mainline units were attached to the TEF."
The Dukes question was interrupted by an excited Communications Tec.
"Sir, I have a signal from Mandaloreian Command they are requesting our units cease fire. They claiming one of their advanced recon units came under our fire."
The Duke slammed his cup on the Holo table. " Dam just what we need a shooting war with our allies. Order all units it that zone to cease fire now!"
The Duke looked at Admiral Dayron " Get some medevac choppers in their to help that recon unit along with escort in case someone gets froggie."

With in minutes 4 Sea hawk helicopters and 6 Sea Cobras raced to the area.

Hours later:

As Jaden wearily looked at the carnage of the battle site, His Comms unit chirped…Reaching up he tapped it…Standing there listening intently

News came quick & contrite… The Horde Flank had crumbled & retreated & was currently holed up in the massive cave network up in the mountains… Jaden ordered his LRRP Teams to station sniper units in key locations to keep up the threat…

Taking a proffered cup of Joe & a High energy bar from a corporal…Jaden Ordered the Injured to be Medivaced back to Fort Wagner…via the JMOB stationed offshore where the more seriously injured would be transferred to trauma units…

Tapping his Comms badge… He ordered a area cleared for the Inbound Tarlagian Choppers… Further ordering the Combat Engineer Brigades to move up & re-establish the frontlines…& to bulldoze the horde dead into piles for immed. Disposal…

As he stood there a Lt. trotted up & relayed a report from Command
His Brother’s unit had been successful in their breach of the Horde center… Currently fortifying a position a mere 2 kilometers from the Xeraphian center…

Also in the report was the “butcher bill”
Coming into the battle, Jaden’s unit had suffered 20% losses… After today’s fiasco…those numbers were greatly inflated… losses now totaled to nearly 41%... A good portion attributable to the misdirected Tarlagian Indirect

Looking up…Jaden watched the Tarlagian Choppers buzz in & begin landing at the cleared area about 2 klicks to the rear of his position.

Moments later several dozen LAAT/i squadrons flittered in & disgorged reinforcements including his Father… The Area was abuzz as Alejandro made his way to his son… Grabbing him in a bear hug of an embrace… Grinning Alejandro congratulated his Son on one helluva accomplishment…

“Congratulations Colonel… One Helluva way to begin your Military Career.
How’s your Cadet Unit holding up?”
*Breathing in deeply, “Out of a reinforced RCT… Both Mine & Jacen’s Units have suffered nearly 79% losses… The survivors are mostly gonna be upgraded to veteran status at this rate…
Damn, All those Cadets will be Honored as Heroes of the Realm… Hell All Mandalorian Deaths well essentially be sacrifices in the name of peace & harmony…All will be honored as heroes…
Well if it’s any token of my compassion… I’ve folded the remnants of the 7th Cavalry Cohort into your unit bringing you up to full strength… I’ve also brought in fresh supplies… I want everyone fully rested & restocked…as of 1000 hrs tomorrow…We finish these bastards & send them back to the fiery hells that spawned them..

Bad News is… Azulan has cornered himself in Castle Valtane.. All the citizens are considered lost…

Stiffening at the Name of a Mandalorian Holding… Jaden spun & almost ordered his unit to mount up & begin preparations for the retaking of the castle..
Alejandro stood there…with his hand up…Fear not Son…He’s underestimated one thing…These more then one way into the Duchy

Besides you have more important things to deal with…*motioning with his head back towards the approaching Tarlagian Delegation… “Just remember, It was a Mistake so go easy…

With that Alejandro sauntered off towards the command center to begin planning the resumption of the offensive…

*crushing his disposable coffee cup…He turned to greet the Tarlagian Party…
Grimacing…Damn the travails of Command…

The Bynzek peacekeepers were managing to cut down several hundred of the Horde's troops, though they were nothing in comparison to the sheer bravado and battle prowess of the Xeraphians. Commander Eklon managed to shout to the Emperor during a small lull in the firing - 'Done this sort of thing before, have you?!' Alaric just chuckled as he cut down ten vampires with one sweep.

Two of the Mi-24 attack choppers had been shot down, and the Horde were now doing unspeakable things to the survivors of the crashes. The eight remaining choppers were still taking long swoops over the lines, although there was news that retreats had begun further down. And soon, sure enough, the Horde's troops began to retreat back to the caves to join their comerades.

Soon, inside the choppers, the voice of Commander Eklon boomed. 'B-Stan choppers! Get your asses over to the caves and start helping the allies blow the shit out of them! We've still got over 2,000 troops here, as well as the Xeraphians and Mandalorians - we can hold 'em off and cut 'em down till we can reach them in the caves too!'

This wasn't over yet, not by a long shot...

Cmdr Eklon parried a thrust from a particularly large were-cat and, raising his sidearm, pumped three .45 slugs into it's face. With a screeching howl, the creature died in the blood-soaked muck that would become known as "Eklon's Field".

Alaric tossed him a nod, and surveyed the situation. Essentially, Xeraph and it's allies were beating the crap out of the invaders. Losses were high, but the results were making it worth it.

TBD had broken through the Borderland naval blockade and were hammering the daylights out of the old enemy ships. By their reckoning, over 80% of the enemy ships were sunk or disabled. They didn't have to worry about rescuing the survivors....the sharks got there first.

Mandalore Prime and Tarlag had not only held their assigned territory, but they had inflicted monumental losses upon the enemy ground forces. Valtane and Ozgood had taken a bit of a beating, too. But the day had been won by the good guys.

Alaric was privately elated that Alejandro had found out that Azulun was in Duchy Valtane. Bad for the inhabitants, but good for Alaric.

"Seth, I want you, Vlad, Schneider, Vyossae, Merton, and Strickland to come with me to Duchy Valtane. I want the heads of the nations of the Empire to see what I do to Azulun."

Seth spoke up. "What about Teii, Alaric? Don't you want him there, too?"

Alaric chuckled. "He already IS there......."

A Naval Commander in the combat greens of the Tarlagian Defense Force approached the Mandalorian Officer. He saluted with the crisp precision of one of the members of the TDFs senor service.
" Sir I am Commander Micheil Ladasour of His Duke's Ship Ivar Forkbeard. I have been ordered here to render any aid and to offer my Duke's personal apology to what has happened."

As this conversation started small groups of Naval Corpsmen began aiding their Mandalorian counterparts in treating the more serous wounded.

" If you wish we can transport any of your more serious wounded to the Lady of Mercy one of our hospital ships a few miles off of the the coast. I can grantee they will receive the finest in care we can provide."

The Commander took a moment to look over the devastation caused by the 8 inch guns that bombarded the Mandalorians.

"It seems an attached unit to the 74th Regimental Combat Team, the
567th self propelled coastal defense battery was given the wrong GPS coordinates by their air born observer. The 567th is not a regular military unit but a " Green Coat" unit which is a sort of peoples militia. They buy or are given by our government obsolete military equipment for home defense. Most are just small infantry units with light weapons but some like the 567th possess heavier gear. As near as we can tell the commander of the 74th a General Oswald Huntington is the brother in law of the commander of the
567th, General Huntington wanted some extra support so he managed to get space on his assigned transport for his Brother in Laws unit."

With a look of embarrassment he continued. " Quite frankly that unit should have never been here. They were never trained for this type of operation and from what my higher ups have told me if he is lucky Huntington will be commanding a desk in supply command in the near future."

" The Grand Duke does have one question for you, why did you fire upon the 567th instead of just moving your units out of the area?"

Jaden stood there as the Tarlagian Officer addressed him… Tired as he was, Jaden’s first thought was that the man though most likely a veteran was a pompous ass…. Immediately he regained his composure & scolded himself for that lack of mental composure…

Extending his hand…”Commander Ladasour, Pleased to meet a fellow trooper…
Looking around, Jaden noticed the crisp martial movements of the Tarlagian corpsman.

Well as you can see, All of the more seriously injured have already been Medivaced out to the Offshore JMOB… These you see here are what we call the “walking wounded”… But you are more then welcome to assist in treating them…

Inform Lord Ozgood, That Mandalore Prime does not hold him responsible for the accident…. Things…err…Happen

" The Grand Duke does have one question for you, why did you fire upon the 567th instead of just moving your units out of the area?"

Jaden’s weariness evaporated instantly as the question stuck his last nerve….

Exploding Jaden spun & bellowed abit too loudly….WHAT!!!!....Are you Fucking Serious!!!.... My Forces were engaged with the enemy…Quite Heavily at that

All of the Nerve…Your Duke has some balls, To even ask such a stupid question…Our Positions was documented…. If we Had “Just Moved as say”…It would have opened up my center to god knows what ..The Horde would have exploited…

Alejandro snapped around at Jaden’s outburst began moving towards him… Covering the ground in great strides.

All around, Mandalorian Troopers began glancing nervously at the Officers…
Alejandro came up & led Jaden away…Placing in the care of his aides, who led him off to the med tent…

Turning back, Alejandro addressed the lead Tarlagian… “Please Forgive my Son’s Outburst, This war has been taxing & he lost alotta good troopers out there…Most of them Friends, For what it’s worth…. He has a point…If he had pulled back it would have seriously weakened his lines to the point, That if the Horde had exploited it…We’d not be standing here right now…
If you’ll excuse me, I got a counter-offensive to plan & organize…& many wounded to take care of…Inform your Grand Duke all is well…. I only ask that we endevour to avoid these types of mistakes in the future…”

Cmdr Eklon parried a thrust from a particularly large were-cat and, raising his sidearm, pumped three .45 slugs into it's face. With a screeching howl, the creature died in the blood-soaked muck that would become known as "Eklon's Field".

((OOC: Aww shucks!))

---------------------------------------------

Eklon watched as the Emperor and his fellow leaders strolled off. He surveyed the battlefield and although the fight was pretty much over, there were still over a thousand Horde troops engaged with his men. Despite Alaric's confidence that the job was done and he could rush off to his final confrontation, if the Bynzeki troops let these were-folk break through, the cities and towns of Xeraph themselves would be sacked and ruined. And then if Alaric was victorious over Azulun, he'd have nothing to come back to. A few tattered scraps of tapestry, some crying women and children. A cow, perhaps. Eklon stepped forward, and keyed his field mic.

'Attention all B-Stan units, this is Commander Eklon. This little skirmish ain't finished! You are to hold your ground no matter what the cost. B-Stan Air Group! I want two of you lot back here to mop up the Horde survivors. The other six of you keep firing at those caves!'

---------------------------------------------

As two of their counterparts wheeled around to head back to the main battlefield, the six Mi-24 choppers were pummelling the entrances to the cave network with a hellstorm of bullets and fire and dust and shrapnel. Every now and again a brave Horde gunman would pluck up the courage to take a potshot, only to be obliterated by bullets with 'BSTAN' on the casings. The allies were succeeding here too. But the cave network was dark, dank and complex. Once the outer wall was busted, the allies would still have to go in and flush them out from inside. That was Commander Eklon's biggest fear. His men were brave and they were good fighters, but tunnel warfare is a whole new coat of Slynex feathers, and he hoped they had the balls for it.

As the Byzneki's started their advance against the Horde remnant, Eklon heard a curious 'clicking' sound off in the distance. As he looked around, the sound became louder and louder, until he saw the source of the noise.

Three hundred.....robots?.....were rushing onto the battlefield. About fifteen feet tall, with eight appendages on top of which rested an oval, titanium body, they deftly avoided all friendly combatants even as they moved at high speed. Eklon guessed they were doing about 50 miles per hour. They quickly moved in front of the Byzneki line, and opened fire with their dual 35mm Gatling Guns, cutting the enemy down like a scythe through wheat. In less than ten minutes, what had been about 1,000 screamiing, slobbering enemy soldiers were now just bloody mounds of torn flesh.

He felt a light touch on his shoulder, and as he spun around, he was face-to-face with one of the robots. A voice came out of a small aperture in the shell of the robot and he saw a small monitor light up. "You didn't think I was going to leave you all by your lonesome to deal with the Horde, did you?"

Eklon saw the smiling face of the Xeraphian Emperor andmanaged to stammer, "What...how...who...ARE these things?"

"They are MEK-ARAKNO AI 6/8aa Units, Commander. We call 'em Spiders. Kinda efficient, no?"

OOC: Oooh, robots. Everyone likes robots. I had a thought with regards to how the battlefied could become Eklon's Field - I don't know if you've thought about it too. My thought was that one of the sneaky little Horde buggers in the cave could come across the control room for the robots, kill everyone inside and turn off the control that tells the robots who's friend or foe. The robots then turn on Eklon and his men, decimating most of them, then Eklon and a few remaining troops manage to take down most of the robots. The remainder, due to their programming, fall back due to being outnumbered. I don't know - what do you think? I'm just trying to justify why the field ends up being named after Eklon. Maybe you had some thoughts?

OOC: Oooh, robots. Everyone likes robots. I had a thought with regards to how the battlefied could become Eklon's Field - I don't know if you've thought about it too. My thought was that one of the sneaky little Horde buggers in the cave could come across the control room for the robots, kill everyone inside and turn off the control that tells the robots who's friend or foe. The robots then turn on Eklon and his men, decimating most of them, then Eklon and a few remaining troops manage to take down most of the robots. The remainder, due to their programming, fall back due to being outnumbered. I don't know - what do you think? I'm just trying to justify why the field ends up being named after Eklon. Maybe you had some thoughts?

ooc: It's known as 'Eklon's Field' because that's where Cmdr. Eklon and his men held off wave after wave of the enemy Horde. I'll be referring to it in the near future as "The Battle of Eklon's Field".

As Jaden stood at the lip if the Command Trench, He watched as Mandalorian Hvy Artillery hammered the entire Pass… The Barrage had been damn near a constant activity the past 3 days… The Horde being like cockroaches.. Had dug in extremely well…Dislodging them was proving to be harder then expected…

He had already lost damn near two(2) squads of Special Troopers, Due to the winding, twisting nature of the caves…
The Horde Forces using them to their advantage… Pulling off ambushes repeatedly

Calling in support, He released the Destroids (Droidekas)… Specially modified Robotic Assault Platforms
These units rolled up into highly agile balls of death & destruction… Specifically created as mobile defensive hardpoints…
His engineers had modified them one step further with “special” anti-demonic weaponry…
Flamethrowers, high-caliber MG’s capable of spewing out specially designed shells designed to inflict maximum damage on demonic flesh….
Some even came equipped with photonic strobe lights for nocturnal creatures…

Looking up he watched the Bynzekistanian gunships make yet another pass along the length of the pass, Keeping the enemy pinned in while his Robotic Units did their PEST EXTERMINATION” thing.

OOC:
Xeraph, I’ll be TG’ing ya soon with the details of our joint Duchy Valtane Assault,
It’ll make sense when ya read it… Also I may add in a twist like I did on the original Koth Epilogue…

As Commander Ladasour was preparing to respond to Alejandro's comments a column of fast moving armored fighting vechiles could be heard coming into the area.
" WEEEEE" came a almost joyful cry that came from the massive troll that was hanging on to the back of the old M-4 half track leading the convoy.
The old M-4 came to a stop near the two officers and emerging from the passenger compartment was on old woman followed by a short bearded man dressed in combat armor and carrying a Bern gun.
" You can stand down now Commander I will be handling this.'" Said the tired looking old woman.
With out even looking back he responded " Mam I am the Grand Dukes personal representative to the Mandalorians and you have no authority here. So get back in your peace of junk and get out of here."

The old woman look annoyed for a second then drew herself up to her full height of 5"5. She then judo flipped the offending naval officer to the ground.
" I Sir am a Paladin of Tarlag that gives me the authority to do what ever I damn well please. You will now go over to that fancy chopper of yours and when you medics are done you will get you ass back to you ship, do you understand Ensign."
With the shock of realization of who he was speaking to he responded. " That is Commander Lady Paladin."
" Well It is Ensign Now!! I suggest you leave before I have the Sheik come over and explain the facts of life to you."

As the former Commander picked himself up and rushed over to his helicopter Lady Moonshadow turned to Alejandro " My apologies on what has happened, I am here to make sure it will not happen again, I am Paladin Leeanara Moonshadow and this is my aide War master Rufas Ironlord."

ooc: It's known as 'Eklon's Field' because that's where Cmdr. Eklon and his men held off wave after wave of the enemy Horde. I'll be referring to it in the near future as "The Battle of Eklon's Field".

Gotcha :)

The battle was over. Thousands upon thousands of dead vampires and were-beasts lay dead or dying in pools of blood and bodily organs. Commander Eklon surveyed the scene with grim satisfaction. Bynzekistan was against war. It was a peaceful nation, preferring to believe that all conflicts could be resolved diplomatically. Eklon was of this belief also, but the belief extended only so far as intelligent beings capable of diplomacy and speech. So when it came to the Undead, Eklon didn't really give a shit.

Eklon's mic crackled. 'Sir, we're in the tunnels and the enemy's engaged. It's not nearly as tough as we thought it'd be. We should be out in an hour or so.'
'Nice work,' Eklon replied. 'We're finished here.'
Eklon keyed Emperor Alaric on the mic. 'Emperor, we've finished here. We're thinking about heading home.'
'Commander, would you mind sending a detachment to accompany me to Duchy Valtane?'
'Yeah, sure thing. How does 800 men and two choppers sound?'
'Thank you, Commander.'
'Ni voleram, my lord.' Eklon keyed a different frequency, that of the S.C.S. Roncor I, that was presently moored over on the coast. 'Send the other two hundred troops, plus wheels.'

-----------------------

On the Bynzekistan coast, one of the giant side cargo doors on the Roncor I opened up. Out sped 25 UAZ jeeps carrying two hundred Bynzeki peacekeepers. When the jeeps reached Eklon's men, they all jumped on, and then the detachment sped off. A few minutes later, the all-encompassing 'thump, thump' of two Mi-24 helicopters to their flanks was all they could hear as Eklon's army rolled towards Duchy Valtane...

The battle was over. Thousands upon thousands of dead vampires and were-beasts lay dead or dying in pools of blood and bodily organs. Commander Eklon surveyed the scene with grim satisfaction. Bynzekistan was against war. It was a peaceful nation, preferring to believe that all conflicts could be resolved diplomatically. Eklon was of this belief also, but the belief extended only so far as intelligent beings capable of diplomacy and speech. So when it came to the Undead, Eklon didn't really give a shit.

Eklon's mic crackled. 'Sir, we're in the tunnels and the enemy's engaged. It's not nearly as tough as we thought it'd be. We should be out in an hour or so.'
'Nice work,' Eklon replied. 'We're finished here.'
Eklon keyed Emperor Alaric on the mic. 'Emperor, we've finished here. We're thinking about heading home.'
'Commander, would you mind sending a detachment to accompany me to Duchy Valtane?'
'Yeah, sure thing. How does 800 men and two choppers sound?'
'Thank you, Commander.'
'Ni voleram, my lord.' Eklon keyed a different frequency, that of the S.C.S. Roncor I, that was presently moored over on the coast. 'Send the other two hundred troops, plus wheels.'

-----------------------

On the Bynzekistan coast, one of the giant side cargo doors on the Roncor I opened up. Out sped 25 UAZ jeeps carrying two hundred Bynzeki peacekeepers. When the jeeps reached Eklon's men, they all jumped on, and then the detachment sped off. A few minutes later, the all-encompassing 'thump, thump' of two Mi-24 helicopters to their flanks was all they could hear as Eklon's army rolled towards Duchy Valtane...

ooc: LMAO..."When it came to the Undead, Eklon really didn't give a shit." That's your new tag.....LOL

Alaric was trying to compile the damage to the kingdom....it was over whelmimg. Two-thirds of Xeraph was in flames: Xeraphia was completely destroyed, save for the underground areas where the diplomats were still safe. Tarantia hadn't fared much better: the surface was in ruins, below ground intact. Khemi had had a breech in the outer walls, but the Horde had been beaten back. Same with Khoraja. Only Tarascus and Ravennii had remained untouched by the invasion.

There were a couple of battles in The Grey Phoenix, but they didn't amount to much. Eklon had seen to that. TBD had chased off the pitiful naval units from the Pagan Borderlands, and Black Shadows and Vhammpyr had saturated the Borderlands with ICBM fragheads. Four nations there were a wasteland, the others licking their wounds.

The region of Mythos had lost five nations to Azuluns allies before they inexplicably retreated back to Ur-Mesop. There was a message from Angelianum, but Alaric would deal with them later.

"Ric, here's what I want to do. Retro-fit 600,000 of the Spiders with standard AI engineering capabilities. Get them and the regular Engineering Corps out to a point 200 miles from Xeraphia. I want a wall built all along the frontier. There are still over 200,000 enemy soldiers roaming around between there and the coast. I want them walled in until we can deal with them.

The wall is to have a base 1/4 mile wide, tapering off at the top to 50 yards. gates every 50 miles, heavily fortified. Spiders patrolling the top of the wall."

Ricala was stunned. "Alaric, your'e talking about a wall 300 feet high and 1,200 miles long. Even the AI E-Corps will take a while to do that."

"That's OK. We got a little time. Get to it."

A last glance at the commscreen. "OK, my friends. Let's get to Duchy Valtane. I'm gonna deal with Azulun once and for all." The heads of the nations of the Empire stepped into the fiery blue oval that was the TrasnBeam and were gone.........

Aboard H.D.S. Lexington

The report that everyone had been waiting for had just come in that the last of the Horde forces facing the Tarlag Expeditionary Force had been wiped out.
Admiral Dayron turned to the Grand Duke " Sir, Paladin Moonshadow is requesting permission to move forces in support of Mandalore Prime to help retake The Duchy of Valtane."
Ozgood looked at the Holo Tank for a moment and responded " Looks like Azulun has no more then a few thousand troops there so we can leave most of our forces here to help in the recovery effort."
" I would suggest a cohort of Knights and maybe one of the replacement units as backup, Sir."
" Give Her the Second Cohort and what ever of those Auxiliary Knights She brought in along with the First Regiment of the Third Highland Irregulars.
That replacement unit is a veteran unit and they have the new Hellcat II light tanks along with those dozen T-7A's we are testing."
"That sounds about right Sir, About 5,000 troops with armor support. I would also suggest that with the EMP threat gone we deploy some of our AI combat units maybe around a hundred for support."
"Very good, also as soon as that convoy arrives with the relief supplies I want to be notified. Xeraph has taken a Hell of a beating and they will need all the help they can get to rebuild."

As the Mandalorian Troops completed the mop up Operations in the cave network, Alejandro along with his son Jaden boarded several LAAT/i’s an began the short hop to the staging point for the counter-assault on the Duchy of Valtane… Alejandro left his other son Jacen in command of the remaining MP Forces…As the bulk had already redeployed to the staging area the day before…

As the inbound LAAT/i’s made the final decent towards the staging area… Alejandro glanced out & stared with awe, The Allied Forces had set-up a massive area, With the entire combined allied forces setup into 3 distinct areas
Each area exuded martial excellence…

Tapping the pilot on his shoulder pauldron… Alejandro pointed at the Main Command area…as the rest off his inbound LAAT/i’s made a beeline for the designated Mandalorian Staging Area..

Stepping off the LAAT/i… Even before it had fully settled… Expecting his aides to bring all necessary documents…He & Jaden strode with purpose to the Command Bunker..

Upon entering the Command Building, Alejandro & entourage sought out Alaric…
Stepping up, Alejandro embraced Alaric in a bear hug & backslapping fest

Taking into account any injuries Alaric had suffered from the numerous battles against the Horde Legions…

Standing back..

I told you when Azulan Invaded & I pledged my forces to your defense, By the unwritten book Xeraph shall not fall… at least not until you pay up on all your Poker debts… at which the knot of men burst out laughing… The weeks of incessant combat disappearing in the warm grow of camaraderie..

Alaric, I almost forgot… as you know Both my sons units were involved in the forefront of the fighting an literally became Veterans overnight..
Jacen Unfortunately stayed behind to oversee the containment & Disinterment of the remaining Horde Forces in our Area of Operations

Both he & an Jaden here showed Valor & Integrity beyond any normal man or Noble for that purpose has shown… For that I have bequeathed upon them both titles of nobility & all the entitlements which may accompany it… Jacen has decided to mull over his conferment until he has completed his assignment… Jaden here has asked for the one thing for which I need your insight on… He has asked for the Land & Titles of the Duchy of Valtane… Even though You bequeathed those lands to my family inperpetuality… I would still like your consent to fully bequeath it to him..

Alaric laughed at the audacity of the younger Valtane. 'Just like old Eric', he thought. 'A big set of balls.'

"Alejandro, my friend, it's OK with me if you want to give it to your son. He's your flesh and blood, which means he's got a head on his shoulders. Now, let's get this asshole off this island before Jaden has nothing left to rule."

They all looked down at a map of the Duchy on a rough-hewn table under the Valtanian command tent. All of the rulers of the Empire were in attendance, except for Prince Teii of Vhammpyr. Alaric knew he was on the island, but he didn't know what he had up his sleeve.

"OK, gents, Azulun is in the castle...we know that much. And from what we can see from here, he's killed most of the residents of the castle and surrounding area. Several hundred he's impaled on wooden stakes in the courtyard." A grim murmur crossed the room. "We know he has about 2,000 troops with him. And his sidekick Tsaphon. I have a hunch I know who he...it...is. If it is who I think it is, we'll need help from Abot Merton here."

Abbot Mencius Merton was the ruler of the Essene Tribe of the White-Robed Monks down in the south-east corner of the Empire. He was also the spiritual head of the Empire, and now he was probably going to be called upon to delve into the dark areas of the Spirit World.

"We have MP and Tarlag sending more troops to the Duchy, and combined with ours will easily outnumber the enemy four-to-one. Azulun knows this, but he's so hell-bent on seeing me dead, that he just doesn't care about his own troops." He drew a deep breath. "So it seems that we're going to have to storm the citadel where he's holed up. And you can bet he's got several booby-traps set. We'll send it the AI units first, let them take the hits, then go in guns blazing. Simple but effective. Questions?"

Commander Eklon stood and nodded determinedly as Alaric outlined the plan.

'...we'll send it the AI units first, let them take the hits, then go in guns blazing. Simple but effective. Questions?'

'Excuse me, milord,' said Eklon. 'What happens if the bots don't set off all the traps? And, excuse me for going all rational on you lot, but, what happens once we're through all the traps and are face to face with King Were-Sonuvabitch himself?...'

"We have MP and Tarlag sending more troops to the Duchy, and combined with ours will easily outnumber the enemy four-to-one. Azulun knows this, but he's so hell-bent on seeing me dead, that he just doesn't care about his own troops." He drew a deep breath. "So it seems that we're going to have to storm the citadel where he's holed up. And you can bet he's got several booby-traps set. We'll send it the AI units first, let them take the hits, then go in guns blazing. Simple but effective. Questions?"

--

'Excuse me, milord,' said Eklon. 'What happens if the bots don't set off all the traps? And, excuse me for going all rational on you lot, but, what happens once we're through all the traps and are face to face with King Were-Sonuvabitch himself?...'


--

Alejandro glanced over his shoulder, and motioned for Jaden to step up…
Stepping up Jaden coughed & cleared…
*Good day Gentlemen & Ladies… As your know the Duchy of Valtane is & has been a Valtane holding, Given to my Grandfather for his support of Alaric, During the Kothian Crisis About 100 years ago… My Father ordered that it be completely renovated after the exodus of the VL Imperium…
Well needless to say the work was completed on it, Everything was updated with the best state of the art equipment known to our people… When the dust settled the Robotic Construction Crews were “mothballed” & put into deep storage far beneath the surface… In locked bunkers…
These Construction Droids are still there & according to a data tap we performed about an hour ago…Fully Functional
Main drawback being that they are construction droids in the truest sense… Capable of superior strength & extreme agility.. But unarmed

My plan is simple… I intend to have some of our best computer technicians reboot them with the explicit orders to attack anything of a demonic nature… This Diversion will provide us with the window in which we shall infiltrate via the old construction tunnels
These tunnels are big enough to allow our entire force to enter undetected until they exit at numerous points around the courtyard…

Bump

A formation of Fighters flew in the direction of Alaric's headquarters. The Jets were escorting 40 transport aircraft.

" Pilot put us down near the Xeraph HQ and order the transports to head to the Revannii airport the relief supplies those planes are carrying are desperately needed."

The two seat Harrier landed in a field near the HQ. A man in wearing a military green coat, jeans and jump boats jumped down from the second seat of the jet. He walked towards the HQ left hand on the .357 Desert Eagle which rode in a military holster on the mans right hip.

" Halt!" Ordered on of the Soldiers that came out to challenge the lone figure approaching the Headquarters.

The man raised his hands to show they were empty "I am Grand Duke Ozgood of Tarlag I have come to meet with your Emperor."

Commander Eklon stood and nodded determinedly as Alaric outlined the plan.

'...we'll send it the AI units first, let them take the hits, then go in guns blazing. Simple but effective. Questions?'

'Excuse me, milord,' said Eklon. 'What happens if the bots don't set off all the traps? And, excuse me for going all rational on you lot, but, what happens once we're through all the traps and are face to face with King Were-Sonuvabitch himself?...'


"Well, Commander, in the first place, the Spiders WILL neutralise all of the traps via their 'scan and negate' software. Secondly, the object of our being here is to run right into Azulun ASAP. His troops will have been dealt with long before we get to him. So all we have to do is be prepared for his trickery. His partner Tsaphon will be the one perpetuating any shenanigans in the world of illusion. That's why we're bringing the good Abbot here with us."

Alaric paused for a second. "As to who this Tsaphon is is no longer a mystery to either myself or Abbot Merton. His name means 'One who is Hidden', and for a good reason. He is the direct descendant of none other than the sorceror Xaltotun, who damn near killed me, the Duchess d'Avignon, Sethanis, and Vlad. Xaltotun was the resurrected High Priest-King of ancient Acheron, the demonic empire that ruled over half the planet 22,000 years ago. Long story short, we managed to send him back to the hell he came from, but not before he mated with dozens of female Xeraphian captives. It's been over 60 years, but...........he's back in the guise of an adept of a Mage of the Temple of Set, who, by the way, is the tribe Azulun is a part of. The vampyrs of the Tribe of Set have the unique distinction of having hollow fangs which can inject the venom of the Serpent god itself. It's said that it's venom is ten times deadlier than that of the Black Mamba and the King Cobra. Death in a few minutes. So we all have to be aware of this added danger."

"Gentlemen, Azulun is going to be one tough man to kill. He essentially is going to have to be either hacked apart, or bound in such a way that he cannot escape. I'd prefer to capture him, but either way you look at it, he's a dead man."

A formation of Fighters flew in the direction of Alaric's headquarters. The Jets were escorting 40 transport aircraft.

" Pilot put us down near the Xeraph HQ and order the transports to head to the Revannii airport the relief supplies those planes are carrying are desperately needed."

The two seat Harrier landed in a field near the HQ. A man in wearing a military green coat, jeans and jump boats jumped down from the second seat of the jet. He walked towards the HQ left hand on the .357 Desert Eagle which rode in a military holster on the mans right hip.

" Halt!" Ordered on of the Soldiers that came out to challenge the lone figure approaching the Headquarters.

The man raised his hands to show they were empty "I am Grand Duke Ozgood of Tarlag I have come to meet with your Emperor."

Sgt. Mallory gave the easily-recognizable Duke a short bow and said, "Sir, Alaric is in Duchy Valtane preparing to do battle with Azulun. He's left word that he'd like you there when the action starts. If you like, we can TransBeam you ther in just a few seconds with as many of your men as you like."

" Give me a moment Sargent." The Duke motioned to the pilot over the man was carrying a large black case. Ozgood took the case from the man and opened it and began removing the contents. First he donned the dragon scale vest then he removed the G 36 assault rifle and slammed home the 100 round box clip he then loaded the under barrel grenade launcher. After filling the pouches and pockets of his vest and coat with extra clips and grenades he turned to the Sargent. " Lady Moonshadow and three other Knights pulse a DEST team will be following along in a few minutes please beam them there as soon as they get here." He walked over to the beam point but suddenly turned to Mallory. " Please do not tell them I have beamed over they will have a fit if they knew I walked into a combat zone." With that statement he gave a slight smile and continued walking over to the beam point.

Two Sea Stallion helicopters touched down near the Xeraphian HQ, after a moment the rear doors opened and a rather eclectic group emerged.
Sgt. Malory recognized the old woman leading the group as Paladin Moonshadow with three other Knights of her order. He also recognized the combat uniforms of the DEST team members flanking her but he thought the rest of her party was rather unusual to say the least. Following her were twelve short stocky men each in strange but heavy looking combat armor. They each carried an old M3 grease guns and had a combat axe strapped to their backs. Then came huge creatures which he recognized from his briefing as trolls, each carrying a medium machine gun like a rifle.
" Lady Moonshadow I you and your group will step this way I will have you beamed over."
Leeanara took a moment to look around and she recognized the harrier jump jet parked some distance away.
"Thank you Sargent."
Turning to the young woman on her right she pointed to the jet. "Ozgood is here."
"Leeanara The Duke is not a fighter he has no business here."
" Alexa, I think he is trying to fill his Fathers shoes. Duke Arnold was a powerful warrior and so was his older Brother."
" But, Ozgood is ten times the leader aether of those men were. he brought us from an isolated group of islands who fought among themselves to a real nation. That man is not in his father's shadow."
" He wants to seen as leading the troops from the front like his Father. I know he can handle himself because I have given him some training. I just hope it will be enough."

The Xeraphians heard the familiar soft whine of the TransBeam and turned to see quite the group emerging from the blue fog. First, the Duke himself, all armored and ready for whatever may come. Next, the legendary lady-warriors of Tarlag Alexa and Lady Moonshadow accompanied by an assortment of....creatures....who rapidly filled the room with their considerable bulk.

Sethanis greeted the Duke with a bow and a warm smile. "Greetings, m'lord. Glad you could make it. We wouldn't have wanted you to miss the fun." To the ladies, he said, "M'lady Alexa, M'lady Moonshadow, welcome, and welcome to all of your....troops." He looked at them with an odd expression, which they returned. "Mlord, it's getting at bit stuffy in here. Could you arrange for your men to join the others out in the field? We're organizing the various units for the eventual attack on the Castle."

Alaric poked his head inside the tent. "Greetings, Ozgood. I'll be with you in just a minute or two." He nodded towards the ladies. "Ladies, good to have you here. There'll be a briefing shortly. Meanwhile, if your'e hungry or thirsty, please let one of the servant girls know of your needs." He was gone.

________________________________________________________________

The assembled forces were finally organized, each nation of the Empire represented, as well as the Tarlagians, the Mandalorians, the Byzneki's, and various species of trolls, etc. The total number was nearing over 75,000, which was going to throw the 20,000 Vampyr Legionnaires a beating they wouldn't soon forget.

But Alaric's mind was on one person, and one person only......

The Duke smiled at Alaric then he looked back and the smile vanished from his face when he saw "The Look" As it was called, a disapproving scowl from Lady Paladin Moonshadow. Ozgood quickly recovered his composure " Good to see you again Alaric, Lady Moonshadow what a surprise. Of course my friend Lady Moonshadows people will be happy to step out side."
Lady Moomshadow's stare softened when she looked upon Alaric "Emperor Alaric I will have the Dukes honor guard deploy for the main assault on the castle. As for myself and my Knights we would prefer to stay with Ozgood as his personal guard in the coming fight. Duchess Ellen and the Twins would be MOST UPSET if her Husband and Father of her children got himself into trouble, is that not right my Lord."
Ozgood thought for a moment then replied " I would not want Lady Ellen to be upset so I am sure you could join us."
Slinging the G-36 he turned back towards Alaric "So now that we are all here how are we going to take this bastard down."
The Duke walked up to the Emperor and shook his hand he then whispered.
"Pay back is a bitch and I am bringing the two biggest ones."

Azulun peered through the binocs at the assembled Xeraphian nobles and their allies. 'Swine', he thought. 'They think their superior numbers are going to keep me from killing them.' He chuckled and picked up the custom, one-of-a-kind high-powered rifle the Mandalorians had so kindly provided him. A prototype sniper rifle that could shoot the ass off of a gnat at 3,500 feet. He slid the titanium encased bullet into the chamber and slid the bolt shut. Bringing the rifle to his shoulder, he established the exact coordinate-vectors through the digital scope, picked a target, and squeezed the trigger.........

The stage was set. Final plans set, revised, set again. The assembled allied troops outnumbered the enemy better than three-to-one. But they knew that they would give a bloody account for every inch of ground given up.

The enemy positions were entrenched in positions across the Duchy, with a few squads moving through the forest just a few miles east of the Imperial Command tent that Alaric had set up. The squads had orders to get as close as possible, but hold their fire until the enemy made an appearence.

Ricala and Schneider were talking together near the open entrance of the command tent. Ric had just beamed down from one of his T'athaa Class destroyers and was catching up with Schneider, whom he hadn't seen in several months.

Schneider was an anomaly in a group of odd people. He was descended from Tanith, as were all of the other Xeraphian nobles, save Prince John Strickland of the Isles of Xeraph. But he had chosen to play down the ancient blood-line in favor of a more modern family off-shoot. He was the only president of an Imperial nation, and an arch-conservative one at that. His country, The Grey Legions, had a tumultuous history. The original settlers of the land were directly descended from the Roman Wolf Legions, known as the 'Grey Wolves'. Duke Avan Astran was a cousin of Alaric, but had chaffed under his rule. Astran wanted it all, and so when Ghenghiz of The Black Katanas and Feratu of Vhammpyr rebelled against the Emperor, he joined the rebels, and the Black & Grey Imperium waged a colossal struggle against the Empire. In the end, the Imperium was beaten back, but not after a tremendous loss of life on both sides. Tens of millions died in a dozen nations, most at the hand of High General Azulun, former general of the vampire warriors of Vhammpyr.

When it became apparent that the rebels would be defeated, Astran high-tailed it to the region of the Empire of Eternity, a newly formed region associated with Damien Dreadfire of Gholgoth. Astran was correct in assuming that no one would follow him there. But he was a foolishly greedy man. He was lured out of hiding by Ghenghiz who had formed yet another alliance, the Essenian Dynasty, and proceeded to attack Imperial forces once again. The Dynasty was defeated, Ghenghiz imprisoned in a 100-by-100 foot cell deep in the rock one mile below the Emperor's throne room in Xeraphia, where he was still to this day. And where he be for a very long time, now that Xeraphia had been destroyed.

Astran was captured, executed by Schneider's Republican Guard faction, and as a result, Alaric appointed Schneider as leader of The Grey Legions. The country was in a shambles, but Schneider had rebuilt it, held the first elections in Xeraphian history, and was elected President in a landslide.

Now, here they were once again facing the last remnant of the rebellious former Imperial troops and their leader, Azulun.

Ric and Schneider, along with the other Imperial allies, were confident that they would be victorious, and that Azulun would never again be able to hurt them..........

This was the feeling when a high-powered bullet slammed into Ricala's chest, spraying blood all over the map-table behind him...............

As Azulun was reloading for another shot, a cold wind blew in through the open window and a thick, grey fog enveloped him. Behind him, he heard a voice that froze him in his tracks.

"So, you think to best me, do you?" It was Prince Teii himself, Warrior-Priest of Vhammpyr. He pointed at Azulun, who was slammed against a stone wall, unable to move. "You are as nothing to me,Azulun. You and your miserable ally, Tsaphon, have reached the end of the road. Enough is enough."

Azulun saw another behind Teii, the one called Merton, one of the White-Robed Monks. He had an open book inhis hands, and he was murmuring an incantation. From out of the shadows, Tsaphon emerged and tapped Merton with a staff of oak, carved with the runes of Asgaard. Merton reeled at the touch, and stumbling backwards, fell out of the aperture high up in the tower of Castle Valtane, hitting the flagstones of the courtyard far below. He moaned softly, not moving.

For the first time in centuries, Teii was surprised........and he didn't like being surprised. Pulling a foot-long dagger from his robes, he fell upon Tsaphon, driving the dagger deep into the sorceror's neck. Tsaphon's hood fell back, exposing a quite human face, now covered in a shocked look as he realized that his life was about to end. For it was no ordinary dagger that was lodged in his throat. It was the Dagger of Grendel, that mythic creature who had been banished to the 12th circle of Hell many aeons ago. There was nothing that could survive the Dagger, as it had been given to Grendel by The Creator at the dawn of time as the ultimate weapon.

Tsaphon seemed to shrink upon himself, then with a rush, exploded in a huge gout of bloody flesh, dozens of pieces of the wizard embedded in the walls and columns of the upper room in the castle.

Teii turned back to Azulun.............but the King of Imperium IV was nowhere to be seen...........

As Ricala tumbled backwards, blood spurting from the gaping wound in his chest, Alaric yelled, "Everybody down! Get a medic in here on the double!" He ran over to Ric who was now laying in a small pool of blood. "Take it easy, Ric. Help is on the way."

It appeared that the bullet had gone clean through the king's upper chest, exiting behind his left shoulder. The medic arrived and began stemming the flow of blood. He looked at the Emperor. "He needs to get to an operating room right now. It looks like the bullet missed his heart, but it went through his lung and shattered a rib, severing an artery. He'll bleed to death in no time unless the surgeons can stop it."

Alaric tapped his commpin. "Collins! Two to Beam to Emergency Surgery in Ravennii! Now!" The medic and Ricala disappeared into the blue oval and were gone. Alaric tapped the commpin again. "Dr. Weathers, Alaric here. King Ricala has been beamed to the operating room in the hospital in Ravennii. He's been shot. He needs all you can do for him and he needs it quickly." The voice of Weathers came back. "I'm on it right now, m'lord. It's going to be a while, so do me a favor and get the sonofabitch that did this." "Count on it, Doctor, count on it."

In a silent rage, Alaric strapped on his katanas and his dual Glock 9mm handguns. He picked up his AK-47IIa rifle and a dozen spare clips. "Seth, see to the eradication of the enemy troops. Vlad, keep me updated on all events."

Vlad said, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna find that fucker and kill him with my bare hands, that's where I'm going."

Schneider said, "Alaric! Wait! Take a troop detail with you. It's too dangerous to be out there alone."

"Fuck that! I'm not letting him get away this time. Anyone that gets in my way will regret it." With that, he was through the entrance of the tent and racing up the slope towards the castle. He was barely a hundred yards into the forest when a squad of enemy rebels almost ran into him. Alaric opened fire cutting them down one after the other. Bullets flied around him, but he made it through unscathed. He pulled a frag-grenade from his waist, tossed it behind him, and listened to the screams of the enemy as they died full of shrapnel. He ran on, with but one thought in his mind.......................

Ozgood unslung his G-36 and ran after Alaric with the Four Knights running to catch up. As Leenara trailed the group she looked over to the "men" she brought with her.
" SHEIK WITH ME" She yelled. Despite his bulk he moved like a race horse. He ran up to the elder Paladin and snatched her up. With his longer gate he caught up to the Duke and the other Knights in short order.
Ozgood could see ahead of him in the woods Alaric in a desperate battle with the Rebel squad but he had troubles of his own. There was a rebel unit flanking the first and they were coming up on Alarics rear. "Boop" went the launcher as Ozgood fired a fragmentation grenade at the enemy troops.

"TO ALARIC" Yelled Alexa Stormhand pulling her Bushman from its holster and putting two .41 caliber rounds into the nearest foe. Alan Mc Lar's Ultra Max 1,000 began laying suppression fire in to the enemy trying to prevent them from coming up behind Alaric. Brightower's combat shotgun along with Lady Moonshadow's ancient Sten gun added to the withering fire. The Sheik who carried no gun had only one recorse he hefted his huge combat axe and charged.
The second rebel group turned to face the Tarlagians and began returning fire. They started concentrating their fire on the huge Troll as he rose up and began running towards them. Unfortantly for the rebels it would take more then AKs to bring down the Sheik. He charged into them and started his bloody work. In a few moments the Rebels lay dead, some to the bullets of the Duke and the Knights but most were chopped in half by the mighty axe of the Troll.

Ozgood looked at the bloody Troll " Are we going to have to get him a medic?"
Leeanara gave a small smile " He can regenerate quite quickly, unless they have an assault cannon I would not worry about him."
Alexa looked to Alaric and saw he was moving forward again " No time to talk people lets move!"

Watching as Ricala was Transbeamed, Something within Alejandro snapped… Looking up he saw Alaric wade thru the Horde Unit… Reaching up he tapped his COMM Badge…
He uttered “Do It”

Within moments a thunderous boom could be heard from the Castle…. As smoke rolled up… Alejandro grinned as he thought how the horde would react to the sudden assault by the hidden contingent of construction droids… Though unarmed… The could hold their own albeit temporarily. With that the Mandalorian Forces surged forward as a concentrated & orchestrated strike of Artillery & Aerial Barrage… Began hammering the Duchy with furious intent… Alejandro with Jaden in Tow lead the reconstituted 7th Cohort thru the hidden underground tunnels, Slowly making their way inside… Any horde recon unit was quickly & quietly dispatched as to keep their location & intent a secret…

The Emperor was now just minutes away from the ramparts of the castle. No more rebels were seen, and so he continued at a trot towards a brush-covered entrance that he hoped would lead him to Azulun. He heard the explosion inside and saw thw smoke rising fromthe northeast side of the castle. That had to be Alejandro's doing. The faint sound of fighting could be heard, but just barely. He stopped to catch his breath and saw the Tarlagians about 100 yards behind him.

As he turned back to get a better look at the hidden entrance, he saw a slight movement in the bushes about 15 yards to the right of the castle opening. He dropped to a laying position and peered with all of his concentration at the area where he had caught the movement. He tapped his commpin and said, " Ozgood, stop where you are right now. Don't come any closer. I may have found our quarry."

Long minutes went by as he waited for another clue as to what or whom had made the noise. The woods were deathly silent, only the faint breeze rustling some leaves could be heard......

He heard it too late. A snap of a twig behind and to the right of him caused him to instinctively pull his Glocks and flip over on his back...not a second too soon.

Azulun was flying through the air at him from a small hill were he had launched himself at the Xeraphian Emperor. Alaric got several rounds off before the two adversaries were punching and clawing at each other as they rolled down a small slope. Alaric knew that at least one bullet had hit the vampire, but it didn't even seem to faze Azulun. Alaric was hitting him repeatedly in that hideous face as Azulun tightened his grip on the Emperor's throat. Alaric was beginning to lose sight of the vampire as his breath was gradually cut off. With a desperate manuver, he stopped punching him and placed the Glock right against Azulun's head, pulling the trigger. The roar of the gun was deafening, but it had had it's effect. The vampire rolled off Alaric, a portion of his skull blown away. He shook his head as if to clear it, and received a kick to his throat from the recovered Xeraphian. Azulun fell backward, but sprung to his feet for another try at Alaric when he saw Ozgood and his men running wildly through the woods towards them. He glanced back at Alaric and said, "I'll tend to you later, pig", and raced off into a thick stand of poplar saplings, heavy with brambles.

Ozgood ordered his men to follow the vampire, but Alaric waved them off. "He's gone for now. He can't get away, so let him be for a while. He's probably heading back into the castle. Thanks for the cavalry charge, m'lord Duke" he said as he gingerly rubbed his bruised throat.

On the east side of the Castle

The Czechalrus build A-7A Light tank raced forward. Major Morse looked through periscope to the cleft in the rocks that marked the way to the east gate of Azulun's fortress. He saw movement coming from the cleft just then he saw an old M-60 tank belching smoke come through the rocky gap soon followed by three others.
Major Morse yelled into his mike. "Damn no one said anything about tanks. Gunner first tank HEAT." A moment later the tanks 100 mm cannon fired into the front of the first M-60. The shell impacted at the base of the turret knocking the tank out of action. As Morse was deciding on his next target he could see a collection of other vehicles trying to escape the besieged fortress.
Morse toggled the radio over to his battalions communication net. "Free fire, free fire, as per the Duke Ozgood's orders no one gets out of their alive."
With that order the 12 Czechalrus built A-7As and the 24 Tarlagian built Hellcat IIs of his command tore into the fleeing enemy. The faster Hellcats raced forward using their 105s to good effect on the enemy units. Morse targeted an escaping Lav-25 that had broken through the Hellcats. " Fire "
with that order an high explosive shell went down range to its target. The shell impacted on the rear crew door causing the whole vehicles rear to left up before it exploded in a ball of flame. Looking for more targets he found none. " Who the hell were those guys, Sir" Asked his gunner Pvt. Shin
"By the look of their mismatched gear I would say mercenaries they would be the first to try and leave a sinking ship".

" You really should not go running off by yourself. " Replied Ozgood. " I know you want revenge but if one of those soldiers back their got lucky you would be sharing a hospital room with Ricala." Loading a strange looking white tipped grenade into his G-36s launcher he said " Now we find the bastard and end this."

" You really should not go running off by yourself. " Replied Ozgood. " I know you want revenge but if one of those soldiers back their got lucky you would be sharing a hospital room with Ricala." Loading a strange looking white tipped grenade into his G-36s launcher he said " Now we find the bastard and end this."


Alaric smiled. "Ah, I didn't worry about my back. You were there."

Alaric turned to look at the castle, now just a hundred feet away. "M'lord Duke, if you would post two of your men outside that entrance, you and I and the rest of your people can start the search for Azulun. He's near. I can smell him. When we get to the courtyard, I'll contact Sethanis and the rest and have them meet us there. I don't know how many soldiers Azulun has in the castle itself, but I guarantee after Valtane's attack, there won't be a hell of a lot. And there's still Tsaphon to deal with. I don't know how Merton and Teii made out with the surprise visit to Azulun and Tsaphon. Let's go."

The group made it's way to the vine-covered opening in the wall of the castle, only to find a heavy oaken door, hinges rusted shut. Alaric glanced behind him. "Looks like a job for your trolls, no?"

Alexa looked at the two men frustrated " My Lords, you quarry escapes. While you two stand their doing your male bonding Azulun is getting away. You both better get your asses in gear."
Leeanara looked at the youngest of Tarlags Paladins and shook her head.
" Child only one of my advanced years should get away with speaking to the higher ups that way."
Ozgood looked over at Alexa " Your hot temper will get you in trouble some day. Alaric will think we are a bunch of unwashed barbarians."
Just then the Sheik stood up and pointed in the direction Azulun fled.
" BAD THING NEAR! "
Leenara put a fresh clip in her Sten Gun. "he is probably right so we should get moving and besides are you going to argue with a troll who can bench press a bus."

OCC this should have gone before Xeraphs last post.

Lady Moonshadow looked at the heavy door and pointed " Sheik Smash."
"SHEIK SMASH!" Yelled the Troll as he ran head first into the door. The door exploded in a shower of splinters. leaving fragments of wood hanging on broken hinges. Lady Moonshadow with a courtly bow motioned to the Emperor "After you my Lord."
The Duke looked rather forlornly at the breaching charges he had brought. "Well I guess I won't be need these."

Two Bynzeki Mi24 attack choppers swooped low from the western to the eastern side of the castle. Three peacekeepers sat with their legs free-floating out the sides of the aircrafts, strapped to the innards of the fuselage. Each of them held no weapons, but rather high-powered electronic binoculars, newly imported from their ally Xeraph.

They were searching for a pinprick of half-life - Azulun. So far they'd found nothing, but that meant nicks when you were searching for a vampire. The choppers continued to make long, slow sweeps over the landscape.

In the cockpit of one of the choppers sat Commander Eklon, who'd been picked up from the eastern escarpment when he'd sustained a bullet graze to the right shoulder. He was tending his own wounds and just applying a bandage when his comm mic screeched in his ear. He tapped his temple and opened the comm line. Alaric's voice came through clearly.

'Eklon - you there?'
'Yes, Emperor, I can hear you.'
'Where are you?'
'I'm in one of the Mi24's - I got winged by some Undead fucker's gas bullet.'
'Son of a bitch. Are you alright?'
'Me? Yeah I'm fine. Just patchin' it up now. Where you want me?'
'Can you make it to the eastern entrance? We're busting in.'
'Gimme thirty seconds and I'll be at your side.'

Eklon tapped the mic to shut it off, then turned to the pilot. 'Take me down. Eastern doors - now.'

The A-7A's 100 mm cannon fired another high explosive shell into the hill side below the east gate. Major Morse looked up the hill upon the enemy troops making their last stand in on the rocky hillside below the gate. " Damn Bastards, seems to be one hiding behind every rock up there. Shin I need an HE round in those rocks 10 meters to the right of the last target."
A moment later another round went down range and destroyed a machine gun position.
" At this rate they can't hold much longer. Connors send out the order to the other Battalion Commanders five more minutes of bombardment then we take that hill. Tell all troops no quarter asked and no quarter given."
" Yes Sir."

"Good. Eklon and his boys are on the way. M'lord Duke, m'ladies, shall we?" He gestured to the now demolished door to the castle and they all started to file into the dark tunnel that, hopefully, led to the castle's courtyard.

The tunnel was dank, dark, and smelled of things long dead. Cobwebs hung in tatters from the low ceiling, their clinging tendrils tangling in the party's hair. The tunnel was wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side, and as they crept along, they became aware of doors every fifty feet or so opening off of the main tunnel. 'No time to be exploring', thought Alaric.

One of the ladies let out a stifled scream, and all flashlights went to the floor of the tunnel..........which was swarming with rats. But, curiously, they were all running in the same direction: away from the courtyard. And they were moving fast. "Just stand still," said Vlad, "and they'll ignore you." A couple of minutes went by, and the flood of vermin subsuded, so they continued on their way down the tunnel.

Ozgood, Alexa, and Alaric were out in front, eyes and ears straining for any indication of their destination. Alaric halted suddenly, hand up in the air signalling a halt. "Does anyone hear that?"

"Hear what, majesty?"

"That sound. Like someone eating something, a chomping, slurping sound." It was plainly disernable to all now, a sound of someone, or something, sucking down a liquid, with a periodic crunching of something more solid. Alaric motioned to Seth and Vyossae, and they began to inch forward, hugging the slimy wall.

As they rounded a curve, they saw the origin of the sounds. Three vampires, who from the insignia on their cloaks were of the country of Osatael, were tearing into what appeared to be the remains of several humans. As they tore huge chunks of flesh from the corpses, showering blood over the walls and floor, they became aware of the Xeraphians. They stood, mouths open in a snarl, fangs glinting in the pale light of the wall torches.

Seth yelled, "Vampires! All who can, fire high and then low. We won't kill 'em, but we'll knock 'em down in a hurry." Twelve automatic weapons opened fire almost simultaneously, filling the advancing vampires with so many bullets that pieces of them flew off, littering the floor with vampiric flesh and bone. The deafening roar of the rifles ceased when they saw all three creatures laying on the floor of the tunnel, shot to pieces, but still very much alive. "Vlad, you know the drill," said Alaric.

Vlad did indeed know the drill. A vampire himself, of the now-extinct tribe of the DarkWings, he pulled one of the two known bringers-of-death that could kill vampires out of his battle harness. A small, hand-held laser, no bigger than a cell-phone, which he turned up to full force. Walking up to the three vampires who were trying to rise, he looked at them for a second, then pointed the laser at each of them in turn. When he was done a minute later, the vampires were dead, cut up into many, many pieces by the surgical precision of the laser. He pocketed the weapon, and cocked his head in the direction of the courtyard. "Wait", said Alaric. "I want to see who those poor fools were." He bent over the mutilated corpses, wanting to gag because of the stench, and saw that they were soldiers of Alejandro's personal guard. He stood up and said, "OK, let's go. This sonofabitch has really pissed me off this time."

They continued up the tunnel and saw a gradual lightening of the passageway. About twenty yards away was an opening where bright light was filtering into the tunnel. Beyond it was the interior courtyard of Castle Valtane. When they exited the passage, what they saw caused more than one to howl in fury............................

As Azulun wound his way through the thickly wooded terrain, he ran through the various plans he had formulated over the past week. It was becoming increasingly obvious that it was going to be difficult to isolate the Xeraphian Emperor. His 'friends' were now accompanying him, so he had to come up with a way to draw him out.

Lost deep inthought, he didn't see the robed and hooded figure in the small clearing just ahead. "Lord Azulun." He froze in a crouch, weapon drawn. "Who's there?", he growled. He peered through the deep shade of the forest, and saw that it was Tsaphon. "You almost got yourself killed, wizard. What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?"

Tsaphon chuckled. "I sincerely doubt that you could kill me, m'lord king. You are evidently having trouble killing anyone."

Azulun bared his teeth, fangs dripping venom. "You mock me too often, wizard. You'd best watch your tongue, or I'll see to it that it's removed."

Tsaphon grinned and held out a hand. "Come, let us see if we can figure out a plan to deal with the Xeraphian Emperor." They walked through the woods, voices low, furtive glances betraying their distrust of each other.

"Our forces are all but defeated on all fronts. There are a few hold-outs still holding forth here and there, but our homeland is destroyed and about to be invaded. Only the Black Warrior Cult is left to defend our shores. Khitann is an obediant servant. He will do his best."

Tsaphon smiled that enigmatic smile. "Prince Khitann is going to betray you, your Majesty. He's going to contact Imperial authorities and broker his own deal with them."

Azulun stared at the sorceror. "How do you know this?"

"I know a lot more than you realize. Forget Khitann, forget your armies. Your thoughts should be on the killing of Alaric of Xeraph, nothing else. This is your final chance. You've tried twice before and failed."

Azulun growled deep within his chest. "Yes, The BG Imperium and the Dynasty were abject failures. We killed millions of the Xeraphians and their allies, but Alaric survived. And if I may remind you, your ancestor failed in HIS quest to destroy the Emperor also."

"True, true', said Tsaphon. But this time, together we're going to do it."

"Yes, wizard, this time we're going to get that pig...................

OOC: Damn you, I had this elaborate little write-up about having turned one of the demons, Gonna have him pull all his loyal forces back.... Dammit

Commander Olsen looked at what strange and unfathomable things were now spread out before them...then looked at some footage one of the "cannibals" had been able to make, unobserved.

His retirement had lasted exactly three weeks, and he thought longingly of his Xeno-biological trials that were being stalled for this.... this....nightmare

The Chief councillor of intelligence had been right, however, that this assignment took prevalence...it reminded Olsen in some strange way of some novels he read, long ago...

Medical officer Hawkeye busted into the room, eyes bulging and sweating profusely... his whole appearance seemed to be thrown into dissaray by something..

"Commander, you have to come see this, it's Carlos!"

They hurried through the make-shift ward to where the unfortunate wretch was being contained....

"Our best piece of fortune was finding this warehouse with it's refrigeration cells intact, Commander... whatever is eating him is having trouble coping with the cold"

Olsen looked into the room through a glazed and mostly frosted pane of clear pleximass... but what he saw was horrifying enough in it's own right..the man's skin was coming loose in parts, and bone-structure seemed to be wildgrowing in some horrible fashion.....

"and you say this happened..when?" inquired Olsen, turning the refrigerator-unit up as high as he could.

"It must have happened after 18.00 Zulu Hours, when team 4 found that battlefield near point 257K, Sir...."

Olsen leafed through the reports of team 4 , and found the piece he was looking for..he cursed, loudly and profusely..then he went to glance over the items team 4 brought back...

He opened an unimpressive-looking box labeled 257K, and upturned it over the makeshift operating-theatre.

standing out from the collection were remnants of an ancient metal alloy Olsen recognised as "ghisim", now a collections of bleak white metallic shards... the force that had destroyed that must have been enormous, and readouts from his equipment had confirmed a thermal blast of at least twelwe thousand Kelvin or another force of equivalent strength, and there was a magnetic distortion as well... and then there were the helmet, one gauntlet, pieces of what had once been a shield, and.... the sword...

Olsen pulled out a small black book, a leather-bound book so old it was almost completely crackled, and put it on the table..from an orderly he acquired a small bell, and a bunch of candles, which Olsen had set and lit around the room in a seemingly innocent pattern...then waited for the orderly to resume his duties...

Olsen put on a pair of black leathery gloves, almost as ancient as the book, gripped the sword with determination, and intoned a chant long thought forgotten..

The Sword trembled and spat an acidic substance that bit into Olsen's skin and outfit, smouldering and eating it's way into him.. Olsen just grimaced and held the sword even tighter, the blood draining from inside the glove as he gripped ever tighter..

Olsen finished the chant, and uttered a command.

The sword started to shiver, and then exploded into tiny fragments, taking out Olsen's eyesight and covering him in small shards, which hissed and caused blood to turn black... then the ancient spirit came forth from within the sword....

Olsen saw clearly, eyes or not, as the spirit materialized...drawing itself to it's two and a half metres in height, with bat-like wings and cat-like talons on fingers and toes..

Olsen smiled grimly at the spirit's futile rage, knowing full well that no mortal soul would survive this encounter...the Elders had taught him well, and now he thanked them in mind for the lessons they taught him, so very long ago, that now saved his existence..

The spirit roared and flailed at Olsen, but something was keeping it from ever quite reaching the old Doctor, and it screamed and wailed in agony and frustration..

Olsen picked up his old booklet, and started leafing through it, reading from memory, and second sight, until he found the correct paragraph, and called out loud: "By the powers of light and dark, by the Blessing of Mother Nature, I unbind thee, to send thee back to where thee cameth from, to remain there until the ende of alle time, so it was written, so it shall be done"

the spirit laughed, and called Olsen in a voice that consisted entirely of nails being dragged across a coffin.."YOU HOLD NO POWER OVER THE LIKES OF ME MORTAL, AND YOU WOULD ALREADY BE WITH YOUR PATHETIC ANCESTORS, JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I BREAK THAT PUNY BARRIER OF YOURS"

Olsen growled, a sound no Man could have ever made, and spoke calmly.
"But I DO know you...you were once Gra'ktsh Uzka'aata-ah, a shaman of the tribe of the Uz'ma'alta Haa'ram.. and now, you are DONE here..for you will now know I represent a force even older than yours, if not the very force that made life possible"..and in the very same time he tore away his Combat-jacket and revealed the sign of "The Wolf" amidst a myriad of tattoo's that together formed a body-painting of stunning craft..

"You shall know that what no-one does, and you shall take it home... for WE are UMBRA, we are Mother Nature's guardians, and it is in Her name I now release you.....BEGONE" Olsen rang the bell, just once, and then.. Olsen was once again alone.

All was quiet.... Olsen focussed and willed his body to heal itself.. for a few minutes there was only the sound of tiny pieces of substance pattering to the ground, and a sound as of rustling paper...

Olsen sumoned an orderly, with a fresh outfit...as the orlderly stared around in abject horror at the blood and bone-fragments that covered every surface except for where Olsen had been in the way of the blast, and looked at the tattered uniform, and the small pile of shards where Olsen had stood as he healed..

Olsen sighed, and regretted what he had to do next..

He called in all the teams, and de-briefed them, manipulating their memory to preserve their sanity, just like the Elders had once taught him....

that all done Olsen called for the extraction team, and the "cannibals" left for home, taking along the corpses of team 3, Olsen had an idea of what had happened to them now, their salvage and a large refrigerated container....

PFC Enrique Carlos was officially declared MIA, and would be Doctor Olsen's primary concern for the coming time... the twelve legged spiders from Lordis would have to wait a while....

Knowldege is Power, mused Olson, as he wondered what more challenges would await their newly independant nation.. and where to next..

Olsen had time... all the time in the world...and he stroked his greying temples and fondled with his sideburns as he prepared the rapport for his fellow clansmen... and the "official version" for the government and media.

OCC Well Xeraph what is behind the Door? I would love to know before I go on vaction.

As Alejandro & Jaden entered the Courtyard, The scene before them was of utmost disturbing to say the least…. All throughout the courtyard was hundreds, maybe thousands of crosses & large pikes… With the many populace of the duchy impaled or crucified upon them, rotting in the heat of the day… Clouds of flies & maggots swarming the bodies… caused more then one troopers to turn back for the fresher air of the sewer tunnels… Alejandro staggered & dropped to his knees & wept at the site of the Mandalorian citizens…
As he knelt there, Alejandro reached down & stroked the hair of a child, He’s life snuffed out… With intent Alejandro noticed a severed arm…. An ordinary arm nonetheless except for one distinguishing feature a birthmark, One in which had a profound effect on him…. Grasping the arm he hugged it to him as he threw his head back & screamed….. Startled by the scream, Jaden came running over to his father who was removing his combat armor piece by piece… “Father, Father… Wha…” He then noticed the arm & it’s distinguishing mark… Reaching up, Jaden grabbed his arm… a long moan escaping his lips…. “Jacen”
Regaining his composure a little, Jaden saw his father bolt across the courtyard & disappear down the main passage for the castle proper… His armor scattered about…
Standing Jaden ordered his troops to sanitize & properly sterilize the area… Glancing over Jaden saw Alaric’s group enter from the western portcullis… Before sprinting after his father… His anger building in crescendo
The Mandalorian Troopers stepped forth with Flamethrowers & began sterilizing the entire courtyard…..

Top Secret Memorandum to Bishop Johaan Aidne,
His Serene Majesty's Ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Tarlag,
Regarding the several border incidents taking place between Xeraph and neighbouring nations

Although the Xeraphans and their allies have triumphed on the field of battle, their nation has suffered severe damage in the process; a great deal of their infrastructure will likely need replacement, and yet more requires extensive repairs. It is likely that, in the most optimistic scenario, the economy of the nation will require at least five years to recover to pre-incident levels. Although it would be tempting to take advantage of the situation, we see no discernible gains for Covenant interests; most tangible assets suffer such damage that the expenditure needed to restore them would render the venture unprofitable. In addition this action would endanger Greenmotte's long-standing policies...

Whatever the invaders hoped to gain from their series of offensives, it is becoming apparent that their plans have backfired in a ruinous way. We predict the Xeraphans will launch swift and extensive reprisals; if they do not, it will be widely and correctly construed as weakness...

Your Excellency should note the extensive personal involvement of the Xeraphan head of state, and his allies' heads of state, many of whom are directly and physically involved in the fighting; most nations in the Index, and indeed, in the known world, eschew such practices, and have done so since the Late Middle Ages. We can only surmise that such manoeuvring grants the allies advantages which outweigh the extreme risks and dangers created by placing such high-ranking officials in the line of fire; it is illogical to place them in such a hostile environment. The exception is if this is a personal vendetta of the Emperor's; in that case, it is logical to infer that, should his defences be neutralised, he would easily be subtracted from the equation, which we believe is a distinct possibility.

We do not know what effect this will have on the situation, but do not believe His Serene Majesty's Subjects in Tarlag to be in danger.

Secluded in his Embassy in the Tarlagi capital, beneath the leafy shade of the high-walled garden, Ambassador Aidne made his last comment on the report, closed it carefully, and handed it to his secretary.
"Send that home. Secure."
"Excellency," the aide nodded and departed.
The Ambassador leaned back in his chair, wickerwork creaking softly. His thoughts were his own, his face marred by a small frown.

OOC: Damn you, I had this elaborate little write-up about having turned one of the demons, Gonna have him pull all his loyal forces back.... Dammit


Adapt it, dumbass. Make it fit. I like demons......

OCC Well Xeraph what is behind the Door? I would love to know before I go on vaction.

ooc: the door into the courtyard? stay tuned....will get to it before you go....

Duke Ozgood looked upon the scene with a look of horror. He seemed to drink this nightmarish place for but a moment, he then turned to his party.
"Lady Paladin Alexa Stornhand wielder of the Fang of the Righteous step forward."
The young knight with tears in her eyes came towards her Duke. " Yes my Duke".
" Azulun has committed a great crime against all of mankind with this one of many heinous acts. I command you and the Knights to hunt this bastard and all who aided him down down. They shall not escape."
Lady Moonshadow stepped forward "Ozgood we know Azulun wants Alaric dead I suggest we stick to him like glue. This demon my be powerful but if we can strike him with the Fang he can be permanently vanquish."
" Wise counsel as always."
Just then an A-7A rolled to a stop just inside the broken gate. A Major of the Tarlagian Army dismounted the tank leading a dishelved man in the kit of a tanker. As the two came forward it was very obvious that the disheveled man was badly wounded in the right arm.
" My Lord Duke I am Major Morse, I know it was against orders but we captured this person crawling out of one of the armored vehicles that tried to escape the castle. What do you want me to due with him?"
" Turn him over to the Mandalorians I am sure they would love to talk to him."
The Man suddenly dropped to his knees " My Lord Duke, I am a loyal subject. Please I beg for mercy my unit had nothing do do with this."
" What?"
" I am Captain Harry Segaloff of the Five Families Mercenary Company. Please My Duke we had nothing to do with this. I ask for the right of the last survivor. To go home and teach the others of your great victory"
The Duke took a second to thing about what was just said. The Five Families were a group of prosperous group of Tarlagian mercenaries who had made a name for themselves over the last twenty years. Ozgood took in a deep breath then shot the man in the head with his G-36. " You and your people are past learning. Major Morse if you find any other of these dogs kill them. Also get on your radio to General Gayland Cox at High Command and have all of the assets of the Five Families seized and have everyone of them arrested. I want them turned over to the Government of Mandalore Prime with my apologies."
"Of course my Lord."

As Alejandro & Jaden entered the Courtyard, The scene before them was of utmost disturbing to say the least…. All throughout the courtyard was hundreds, maybe thousands of crosses & large pikes… With the many populace of the duchy impaled or crucified upon them, rotting in the heat of the day… Clouds of flies & maggots swarming the bodies… caused more then one troopers to turn back for the fresher air of the sewer tunnels… Alejandro staggered & dropped to his knees & wept at the site of the Mandalorian citizens…
As he knelt there, Alejandro reached down & stroked the hair of a child, He’s life snuffed out… With intent Alejandro noticed a severed arm…. An ordinary arm nonetheless except for one distinguishing feature a birthmark, One in which had a profound effect on him…. Grasping the arm he hugged it to him as he threw his head back & screamed….. Startled by the scream, Jaden came running over to his father who was removing his combat armor piece by piece… “Father, Father… Wha…” He then noticed the arm & it’s distinguishing mark… Reaching up, Jaden grabbed his arm… a long moan escaping his lips…. “Jacen”
Regaining his composure a little, Jaden saw his father bolt across the courtyard & disappear down the main passage for the castle proper… His armor scattered about…
Standing Jaden ordered his troops to sanitize & properly sterilize the area… Glancing over Jaden saw Alaric’s group enter from the western portcullis… Before sprinting after his father… His anger building in crescendo
The Mandalorian Troopers stepped forth with Flamethrowers & began sterilizing the entire courtyard…..


Alaric saw the Mandalorians and Abbot Merton at the same time. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!", he screamed. He ran over to a prone figure on the ground and felt for a pulse. Merton was alive, even though he had fallen from the tower. He hit his commpin. "Collins. Get the Abbot to Ravennii, STAT! He's badly hurt, but alive."

"Aye, m'lord." The familiar blue oval appeared and the Abbot disappeared.

Turning to Jacen, he extended an arm around his friend. "I'm sorry for your loss. Rest assured, we will get Azulun. Come...let's hunt him together."

As he stood watching the "cleansing" of the courtyard, Schneider wondered how anybody, or even anything, could be so outright cruel as to crucify, impale, and dismember women and children. OK, men were fair game. They could fight. Women and children were helpless.

He thought about his family, Maria and the kids, Jack and Johanna. His country was among the closest to the Pagan Borderlands and therefore potentially a target. Or was, anyway. Reports began coming in that the first Black Shadow and Vhammpyrian troop landings in several of the enemy nations were indicating that there wasn't much in the way of resistence. The frag-ICBMs had seen to that. Millions were dead, millions more wounded or missing. Alaric's orders were for the occupying forces to kill anything that was left alive. Afterwards, a dozen 100 megaton nuclear devices were to be placed in strategic areas and detonated when all of the Imperial troops were in the safe-zone. The one PB nation that chose not to fight against the Empire, Black Warrior Cult, were given one week to depart the region. With Xeraph's help, they would find a new home somewhere to the south of the Grey Legions. That's where he would come in.

The Free Tribe of the Grey Legions, despite it's name, was the only nation in the Empire that considered itself a republic. Indeed, it's head was not a king, but a president.

President Reichard Schneider had risen from the ranks of the Legions to the head of his government by virtue of the fact that he was a cold, calculating decision-maker who hadn't any problem killing his opposition....whoever they may be. When his troops captured Duke Avan Astran, hereditary ruler of the Grey Legions, he quickly gathered a battlefield jury, acted as the judge of the trial, and found the Duke guilty of high treason against the Emperor. His crime: allegiance to Azulun and the other rebels of the BG Imperium and the Essenian Dynasty. Astran, when he saw the tide turning against the rebels, ran to the region of the Empire of Eternity, ruled by none other than Damien Dreadfire. When he thought it was safe, he returned to the Legions, only to be captured.

His punishment: beheading and dismemberment, his body parts tossed to the sewer rats in the then-ruined capitol city of Stregata.

Now, President Schneider stood there watching Jaden Valtane and Alaric mourn Jaden's brother, Jacen. First Ricala, then Merton, now this. Never in the history of the Xeraphian Empire had even one national head been injured, never mind three, and one of them dead. Though Valtane was not technically part of the Empire, the two boys had played for many years while growing up in the various halls and palaces of the Imperial rulers, the Legions included.

Schneider made a vow to himself: he would not rest until he saw with his own eyes the dead body of Azulun.

Turning to Ozgood, he said, "M'lord Duke, what say we join together and find this prick, eh?"

With feral Intent, Alejandro strode along the halls of Castle Valtane, Screaming for Azulan… Tears streaked his face as he continued to stalk Azulan…
Numerous times Horde units fell before Alejandro’s rage… His anger overwhelming his self control… The family curse at it’s fullest potential… Alejandro more demonic then ever barely stopped as he slaughtered any/all horde member in his path, leaving behind a trail of death & destruction… His blades dripped with demonic blood as he hacked & slashed…
His instincts horned to superhuman levels as everything around him appeared to move in slow motion… Only one thing was on Alejandro’s mind… Azulan’s Head on a Pike…
He would see that murdering son of a bitch drawn & quartered…

Jaden stopped long enough to accept Alaric’s condolences before sprinting after his father… Unsure if Alaric was even behind him, His thoughts were on finding his father & then exacting his revenge on Azulan…

After beaming Abbot Merton to Ravennii, Alaric stood and faced the little group standing in the courtyard. "Listen up, everybody. I think if we split up into groups of four or five we can find this maniac all the sooner. Vlad, Seth, your'e with me. M'lord Ozgood, might I suggest you take the ladies with you as well as Prince Vyossae. Schneider, you go with Strickland and take a Spider with you. Commander Eklon, you also take a Spider along with your men. If anyone sees anything, give a yell on the commpin. Any questions?"

Prince Vyossae of the Black Katanas asked, "Yeah. What do we do if we catch Azulun?"

Alaric stared at him for a second. "Son, as much as I would personally like to cut that bastard to pieces, if you get hold of him, kill him. Don't wait on me or anybody else. Just kill him."

Vyossae smiled. "Just what I wanted to hear."

"Everyone, be very careful. Azulun is probably travelling with Tsaphon, which means theyr'e doubly dangerous. I still don't know what Teii is up to, but it's a damn good thing he's on our side. If you can, report in every two hours."

The groups split up, each heading in a different direction. Alaric, Seth and Vlad went out of the front gate, where the dead bodies of Azulun's troops lay strewn over the drawbridge, in the moat, and on the approaches to the castle. They stopped, looked around, and Seth pointed to the north where they all started walking.

Ozgood's group headed out of a porticullis into the heavily wooded area southwest of the castle. This was where Azulun had fled the castle. They proceeded, single-file, weapons at the ready, the trolls ranging wide through the woods.

Eklon and his group headed north-west into the rolling foothills of the Kranath Mountains where were known to be several ancient Kothite ruins. The commander had no doubts as to whether there were enemy stragglers there. "You, Spider, lead the way."

Schneider along with Prince John and a Spider headed south-east, towards the low hills that were thick with golden wheat. Beyond lay the River Thanis and the rugged lowlands known locally as The Desolation, canyons and ravines cut by the river flowing north to south over the centuries.

Alaric had ordered OBP-1 to scan the island Duchy for anything vampire. Aside from all that were dead by the hand of Valtane and his men, and Prince Teii's signature, it was as if Azulun had disappeared. Alaric knew that that was impossible. Azulun was still here, on the island. And come hell or high water, he was going to find him.......

Southwest of the castle

The Sheik and the two other trolls that joined the party moved ahead of the Duke's group. Ozgood crotched low looking warningly from side to side followed by the others. Looking down the trail ahead the Sheik spotted something emerging from a rift in the ground. Its from changed from a shapeless mass of undulating flesh into a ten foot tall blue skinned creature of unspeakable horror. The beast screamed spraying the area with it's acidic spittle. "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, SOULS FOR THE SOUL REAVER!" With that cry it charged the party.
The Three Trolls stepped aside and let the beast charge through. As it passed the Trolls attacked it as it ran by. The thing shrugged off the powerful attacks of the Trolls the beast was after it quarry of the group of humans further up the trail. The Duke emptied the G-36 into the charging beast with little effect on its advance. Just before it would have run over Ozgood, surely killing him, Sir Mc Lar tackled the Duke knocking them both out of the things path.

The two rebel leaders wound their way through the tangled briers that choked the ravine. They were about three miles west of the castle, trying desperately to avoid both those who were tracking them and the still-resistant bands of the Horde that were fighting in pockets here and there over the island.

"M'lord Tsaphon, your'e sure you know where your'e going?", growled Azulun.

In answer, Tsaphon held up a hand, indicating silence was necessary. As they peered through the brambles, they could see a patrol of ShadowGuard lounging against a low stone wall, talking and laughing as if war, death, and destruction were the last things on their mind. "Fools!", whispered Azulun. "I'd be in their midst in a second and they'd all be dead in a minute."

Tsaphon turned and once more indicated that he should be quiet and that he should stay put. Tsaphon then stepped out of the brush into the full sight of the Guard, who immediately jumped to their feet to confront the intruder. Who they saw caused them to drop their weapons as well as their guard.

The shapely, scantilly-clad serving wench, long brown hair moving softly in the breeze, sauntered towards them, hips shaking in a most provocative manner. "Hey, boys. Got any extra food you can share? I haven't eaten all day."

The Guardsmen fell over themselves to offer food to the woman, who laughed at their eagerness. She took a loaf of bread from one and a few slices of meat from another, a flagon of wine from still yet another.

A bite of the meat, a drink of the wine and she said. "This is fine fare, lads. Too bad they don't have such delicacies in Hell." They stared at her for a second..........

............the next seconds were filled with the screaming of the ShadowGuards as they were sytematically chopped to pieces by Azulun and Tsaphon, who had transformed back to his own shape. As the last Guard lay twitching on the ground, the wizard of Acheron said, "Good. Now that they're out of the way, we can continue into the catacombs."

"Catacombs? You didn't say anything about catacombs", said Azulun. "How long is this going to take?"

Tsaphon shot him a look. "As long as I deem necessary, m'lord King. I need to find a couple of...baubles...that will ensure the death of Alaric."

Another growl from Azulun. "Make it fast, wizard. I'm growing weary of these delays."

Tsaphon bowed. "Of course, your Majesty, of course......."

OOC: BUMP w00t.

Eklon and his group headed north-west into the rolling foothills of the Kranath Mountains where were known to be several ancient Kothite ruins. The commander had no doubts as to whether there were enemy stragglers there. "You, Spider, lead the way."

There were 12 men. Fully trained Bynzeki peacekeepers. Hard as steel, compassionate to the oppressed, full of patriotic pride, loyal to its allies. But now the men were terrified. Back with everyone else it had been fun, a huge challenge that they were all fighting together. Now they were alone. Eklon turned to them, looked into their wide eyes.

'Men, I know how you all feel. You know I'd much rather be back in the capital myself. But we're here. We have to help out our friends. We're battling the Undead, it's true, but they're just another enemy. Cut them down like any other enemy. Conquer them like any other enemy. These Undead have taken the lives of our allies. Therefore they deserve to have what little life remains in them taken away as well. We are Bynzekistan. We uphold liberty. Now let's kill us some zombie.'

The men raised their rifles in the air and their shouts echoed across the foothills. 'Let's kill us some zombie,' Eklon repeated quietly to himself...

bump...this post leads into the last post in the OOC thread...............

bump for info