Participants: Xiq'Vuular , Xul'Quaras
Operations Center – DBC Windseeker
Vuular reenters Operations, weapon in hand and walks down to the Pit, leaning his plasma rifle against the console. "Commander, set condition one throughout the fleet. Prepare to jump to Cerulean." He pauses, activating the holographic display. "A.M.I, respond."
"Yeah?" says AMI, appearing on the holographic display almost immediately. "Battle preparations are complete. I'm ready to go. Should I lose the bombs to reduce my mass?"
"Your call. Whatever you feel is right." The Colonel replies, clearing the throat. "All ships jump in ten seconds." He says out loud, his order relayed through the communication officer. Operations goes silent, as each officer counts down in their head until the time has run out. Just as the clock hits zero, Vuular replies, "Jump." And the ships jump out of the system to their target - Cerulean.
With a lurch and a flash of white light the ship accelerates to FTL speed.
"I guess I'll keep them, just in case." says the hologram, nodding with a smile. "Let's kick some butt today!" Her hologram disappears, only to be replaced by a holoball coming into the room and setting down right behind Xiq before A.M.I appears again in a brilliant flash of blue light.
"Very well." Vuular says, clicking the communication grid on again. "All marines prepare for ground assault. Fighter squadrons, launch when we drop to normal space. We will send out a planet wide signal when we arrive."
"Woo!" says Ami excitedly, grinning widely. "I can't wait! Oh, I so hope they resist..." She grins a little wider, even, as she considers all the possible outcomes. "We have a 2.001 percent chance of failure -if- another empire decides to help out. We're gonna kick butt."
"Those are good odds. No ships should be able to dispatch fast enough before we land ground forces." Vuular says. "We should have control of the world before that happens and I don't epxect any outside interference."
With a lurch the ship's FTL drive slows to sublight and the viewscreen displays the starry void of space once again as the ship's computer reports the destination has been reached.
As the ship comes back into normal space, the holographic display shows Cerulean. Orders are shouted, ships are prepared to be scrambled. As another moment passes, other Dominion ships show up on the grid as they jump to normal space.
"Yes, very good odds. If they manage to launch fighters, it's gonna be more of a slaughter than a battle. I'll make sure of that." says Ami confidently. Her eyes go big as she sees the planet, and she giggles in a girlish but, given the circumstances, kinda creepy way. "Shall I lift off, Colonel?"
"Momentarily, yes." Vuular says, nodding to the communications officer to open hailing frequencies. Once he is given the green light, he turns to the console to speak. "Planet Cerulean. This is the Dominion Battle Group Aurora, under the command of Colonel Xiq'Vuular. We are launching assault fighters and ground forces to land on the planet. All members fo the government should hand themselves over to our marines when they arrive. Resistance will be met with force. Any ship attempting to run the blockade will be fired on. Cerulean is now a protectorate of the Dominion. All assets on the planet are under Dominion control. The events of the last day have proven that the corporate entity acting as your government does not have your interests at hand. They are quick to jump to conclusions. Quick to assault other empires. We will install a lawful government on Cerulean, and allow it to join the Dominion as a full member. Prepare to receive our landing parties."
After the comm goes off, fighters and troop transports launch from the Windseeker.
A.M.I grins and nods,, and soon the Shadowcaster can be seen launching with all the other fighters, standing out among them clear as day, since its design is so unlike all the others. "I'll just keep a holoball here to keep an eye on things, just in case." she says with a nod, "I'll see ya 'round!"
Vuular watches the sensor readings. Nothing. Not yet. Picking up his plasma rifle, he turns to his second in command, "Shock troops to landing bay. Prepare to put boots on the ground. I'll lead the assault myself. If needed we will call in an orbital strike." He sighs and walks off the bridge as the officers are busy at work.
Landing Zone – Cerulean
The Sandstorm, escourted by a squadron of fighters and landing craft, swoop in overhead. The fighters and other landing craft continue on to land elsewhere while the destroyer lands in the Landing Zone. After it sets down, the main airlock opens, and out pour Dominion shock troops, along with Colonel Xiq'Vuular in full battle gear and the captain of the Sandstorm. "Do not shoot civilians. Only fire if fired upon. Take any members of Seven Suns into custody."
"Sir!" says Xul, along with the rest of her squad, their voices slightly distorted by their intimidating black helmets. Despite the complete concealment of their features, one can almost feel their relief to finally be planetside and in action again. "Where should we start the search, sir?" asks Xul, their commander. Vuular points towards the settlement, "There. Leave a squad to monitor the landing zone. All other forces should move forward." With that order, the marines redeploy, some taking up position along the boarder of the landing zone, the rest move with the Colonel as they walk at a brisk pace north to the settlement.
Xul'Quaras nods, and then uses hand signals to direct her men to go with the rest, taking a position in the front. The heavy shock troops go first, with Xul in their second rank, her rifle without its scope today, though one might be able to find it hanging off her belt. Her hackers and engineers stay behind, helping the other squadron with shotguns and dual pistols.
Vuular and the marines approach the small settlement, mostly tents and small buildings. "Search them. Bring all Seven Suns members to the ship for interrogation. As for the others..." He pauses, scratching his chin. "Captain... maybe we can use this to our advantage."
"Can we?" asks Xul, lowering her gun and looking over to Xiq. "How do you mean?" Her squad forms a peremeter around the settlement, attaching small scopes to their large machine guns.
"We find something here. Real or not. Pin it on Seven Suns. A front to hunt down the rest of them. Neutron bomb, perhaps? Biological weapons? Something." Vuular says, thinking, as he looks at the pathetic settlement. "How a man lets his people live like this, I will never know. Get them food and clothing. Actual shelter as well. The ship should be able to provide pre-fabricated buildings to use as dwellings. We can at least use this planet for its resources."
"An unethical mining operation. His people already look as if they've been living in slave quarters anyway. Why waste weapons when we can get started on resource gathering -and- make it look like the people were being abused?" says Xul, looking around at the surroundings. "I scanned this place before landing. It's laden with crystals of a structure similar to diamonds, which humans treasure. It would not be hard for people to believe a corporation was conducting mining operations with slaves. Bio weapons would be a bit less believable."
"No, but Seven Suns has come out in support of Lotorians. If we found a biological weapon that could harm Hekayti, in defense of the Lotorians.. It could sway them to our cause. Yes..." Vuular says, as a plan comes together. "We should start mining here, but ensure these people are treated properly first."
Xul'Quaras shrugs a bit and then says, casually, "Why not both? Big corporations have always been demonised for things like I mentioned. How else would they fund the bombs without an illegal mining operation? They're not exactly the wealthiest company."
"No, they are not. But we need not make that connection. All people will see is that they had biological weapons that could target the Hekayti. Seven Suns is known for their support of the Lotorians. This is a good way to gain ally." Vuular says. "We should discuss further on the flagship. Leave a garrison here." He smiles, walking towards the ship.
Xul'Quaras nods, and then turns to the men. "Alright, people!" she yells in a commanding tone, possibly something Xiq's never heard before, "Until the Colonel or I gets back, you will defer to Vala!" She gestures to a rather tall woman, and follows Xiq up the ramp, slinging her rifle over her shoulder.