Vykos Mission Reports

[Meatslopper]

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Key Personnel:

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Darth Isenthrope: Darth Isenthrope is an enigmatic figure in the Sphere of War. Despite overseeing several Imperial fleets, he rarely speaks, he is content to send orders through distant messaging or relay them through subordinates, the only ones to break his silence regularly are the Dark Council, whom he communicates with on occasion to request resources, even High Command only receive close subordinates or distant messages. Despite having reportedly served beneath Darth Malgus during the Treaty of Coruscant, little else is known about his history, someone probably him, has made a great effort to purge it. Despite all this, he has trained skilled Apprentices, and he has been a noted participator in many successful and tactful battleplans over the years, even if usually in the footnotes as either an advisory role or on occasion as its mastermind, yet is rarely if ever the one to enact it, those years seem long behind him if they ever existed whatsoever. 

Lord Venskal: Lord Venskal was the Apprentice of Darth Isenthrope, Sith Bloodied Human, he was originally born in Hutt Space, to an Imperial Ambassador. Upon discovering his force sensitivity he was taken to Korriban and swiftly rose through the ranks, as a politically skilled Inquisitor, his first naval command was on the VT-22 Class, ISS Eyeless Watcher, and eventually placed in command of it's battlegroup. It was a small element intent to protect Imperial Diplomatic Officers, on their journey into Hutt Space and keep a general oversight of Hutt operations, should they ever get out of hand. Eventually he was reassigned to Vykos when the former commander died under classified circumstances and Darth Isenthrope decided he pushed for Lord Venskal to be his replacement. He was a fan of what he called, "Mega-Weapons", and employed many scientific minds beneath him, intent to discover a war-winning design. On Vykos, Lord Venskal was responsible for the failed assault on the Republic and died during an attempt to evacuate from the ISS Blood Spear, his flagship. 

Lord Besmern:  Lord Besmern is the Apprentice of Darth Isenthrope, Sith Bloodied Human, he was born in the Empire on Kaas to a low-class Imperial family, with a standard military heritage. He attended the Kaasian Sith Academy when he came of age, and was notably patriotic, and considered incredibly scrappy, always outwitting his rivals with crude but effective means by the time he left the academy. He has been keen on the field of Naval Warfare since a child, he arose a Sith Apprentice beneath Lord Venskal towards the end of the Cold War. Since becoming Lord Venskals, Apprentice, not much is known about his time there, only that he would earn himself a battlegroup to command and eventually endear himself to Darth Isenthrope and once Lord Venskal died, be next in line to take his place as Lord. He is the current Commander of all Naval Operations over Vykos.

Lord Evergan: Lord Evergan is an old, Sith Lord. He was the first Apprentice of Darth Isenthrope, perhaps back when he was a Lord and it is said, he too served under Darth Malgus. Though certainly not in any direct capacity. He has gained his scars through years of service, and though notably clever as a defensive bulwark, most of his early offensive actions have been a total disaster. The Battle of the Scorched Grounds on Balmorra, being his greatest failure. It's little wonder Darth Isenthrope placed him as the Ground Commander of Vykos. It's been said by many Sith who served under him, that he lacked the aptitude for fighting with aggression and 'preferred retreat to a real engagement', that when he did attack it was in poor order and resembled a horde but he has shown on more than one occasion, that not only are his trenches some of the most robust in the Empire but no matter how hard the siege he has endured. His survival at Fort Undefiable, after it being almost completely destroyed by Republic bombardment, relying on bunkers and inset tunnels of his creation, stands a testament that he is not an easy Sith to crush. 

Rear Admiral Korr: Rear Admiral Korr is in charge of Battle Group Iris, the Imperial Logistical Flotilla over Vykos. They've been supporting Imperial operations over Vykos since it was captured and he is one of it's longest standing veterans, older than even Lord Evergan, he has been serving since the Empire's arrival, from a Kaasian Military family of some nobility. He has been a supporting element during his entire career, from Officer School, to Captaining his own shuttle, all the way to Rear Admiral. He has outlasted many of his contemporaries.

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Enemy VIP's:

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Admiral Oberstein:  A cool headed Arkanian with monochromic eyes, with the white hair deformity, from the Republic. He has demonstrated a skilled tactical sense, and an expert at attrition warfare and sieges, never impatient, he has consistently won battles since the Treaty of Coruscant dissolved, including some brief skirmishes within it. He is an incredibly deft and skilled Admiral, and has not once, looked vulnerable during this whole campaign, his fleet have maintained perfectly coordinated discipline and he has exploited any opportunities given to him, yet beyond his introduction, he has been content to gradually allow his ground forces to gradually take territory and rarely taken risky manoeuvres. Despite being bolstered by the victory at Corellia, he took part in, with new, fresh ships and manpower, he has remained placid. 

General Eisenral:  Not much intelligence has been gathered on General Eisenral, he's Human, his favourite vehicle to employ is the Manka Class Walker, and has a general preference for heavier armoured divisions, but he seems relatively fresh in his current position, despite this, Vykos has been an important battlefield and one carefully plotted, so it is unlikely he is without accolades. Though as of now, he seems to be the hammer, who has with Oberstein's fire-support, broken through Lord Evergan's trench line gradually and isolated Fort Undefiable, with the rest of his main force, engaged gradually on other fronts, to slowly secure other parts of the planet. 

"Admiral" Gurloth: An Alien Harch Privateer, with a small Privateer fleet consisting of one Jehavey'ir Class Battleship [An old Relic from the Mandalorian Wars] and five unmarked frigates. They operate from the 'Neutral Space' and between Vykos and the rest of Imperial Space. They exist to harass our various supply lines, and have succeeded in the vanishing of the ISS Vanquish, a Gage Class enroute to Vykos. But were unable to destroy Rear Admiral Korr's Battle Group. They are equipped with at least one interdictor and prefer to harass smaller targets.

"The Curtain Call of Vykos": A mysterious Republic Ace, who sends out a call to his victims moments before their demise. It contains only a song and the smooth baritone humming of the pilot behind it. It's said he has managed to kill 30 in a single engagement and has come out of seemingly nowhere to be seen as one of the greatest threats to the air-space engagements of Vykos. 

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Important Locations:

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Vykos: Vykos is a rocky world, known for its immense and violent river rapids, that split the land. It has had a cycle of usefulness. Initially, beneath the original Emperor. It was a point of some importance, he not only put considerable resources into taking it but also into its defence. Upon his defeat at the hands of the "Hero of Tython" as the Republic has denoted him and the takeover of Darth Marr and ultimate ascension of Empress Acina in his place. It lost that particular focus, considered impenetrable by the Maelstrom Nebula, it was forgotten as one of the tips of Imperial territory. It was left to Darth Isenthrope a once great tactician of Malgus, who in recent years had been politically maligned for his loyalty to the traitorous Sith was assigned to its defence. It is currently the site for a great battle between the Republic and the Empire.

The Maelstrom Nebula: A difficult-to-navigate Nebula. That stands as the bulwark between the Republic and the Empire. Anyone who wishes to traverse it must do so at sublight speeds. This has made it the playground of Pirates and to properly navigate much of it, Gree Technology has been utilised by both factions. If properly defended by the Empire this might have once been a chokehold to strangle any Republic advance. Lord Venskal has been admonished for his unpreparedness for the invasion by his successor Lord Besmern. If the Republic lose the Battle of Vykos, the Nebula will most likely be their last battleground before being entirely pushed from the region, likely never to return.

Vykos Heartland Zones [VHZ]: It's particularly strategically valuable due to defensible rock formations and long stretches of unusually (for Vykos) flat ground that make for good staging grounds for a lot of ships and men. Fort Undefiable was set up as VHZ-1. It was entrenched behind a complex trenchwork with miles and miles of trenches. It was the centre of Lord Evergan's operations and it was too where he was isolated by three Republic FOBs, immediately engaging and trapping the bulk of his army and resources in one place. The battle has since flipped sides with the Republic seizing both the trench network and the ruins of Fort Undefiable and the Empire seizing the Republic's FOBs for their own. One of the central geographic centrepieces is the Aritorinin River, which runs up alongside the major trenches and is monitored and defended harshly by both sides after an Imperial incursion utilising it. It is considered the most important war front and both sides have staked immense resources into holding it, whoever wins this battlefield will be able to field a far larger amount of resources and most likely win the war.

Vykos Land Zones [VLZ]: This is the catch-all term for the majority of the planet. Many of Vykos Villages are centred around the waterfront, of either the Vykos Oceans or the various rivers, that streak across much of the surface. These are the sources of Vykos's Food Production. They are disparate in importance but both the Empire and Republic skirmish over these lands, securing defensible positions and ensuring continued food supply to their Soldiers on the frontline, the Republic is doing considerably better in much of this territory and are supported by a growing rebellion, who are striking against the Empire with most of the Imperial service personnel engaged elsewhere. Due to Vykos's rocky surface, it's difficult to deploy in mass across most of its territory. Oftentimes, the Republic and Empire employ smaller more surgical elements and utilise the ocean as a staging ground.

Vykos Sea Zones [VSZ]: Vykos's sea plays host to numerous hidden Republic and Imperial bases. The Republic are generally better equipped for this environment, having prepared for aquatic insertions, while the Empire despite having control of Vykos has focused its attention entirely on landbased bastions, with limited available landing space the Republic have by necessity prepared for the realities of ocean warfare better, helmed primarily by a diverse array of specially selected water warfighting experts, usually aquatic aliens with more familiarity with the region of war. The Empire by contrast rely by necessity on a comparatively small amount of aquaticly trained Vykos-born Naval Special Forces and veterans returning from a stint on Manaan, who are responsible for training Imperial units for operating in the region and their equipment was usually intended for Manaan being funneled to Vykos to compete. 

Vykos Polar Zones [VPZ]:  Is the Polar North battleground of Vykos. The powerful currents have made massive ice tunnels beneath its surface. It is not an ideal battleground, but it's a useful staging point for both the Republic and the Empire, with enough open land to be a powerful secondary staging point. The Republic are trying to get a foothold all their own here. They have dispatched several Hoth Veteran Elements here with many Zones dominated by Talz-supported and trained elements. Most Zones here are flexible and mobile, a contrast to the more deeply entrenched fighting of the Heartland. They employ ski's and operate primarily with light infantry, that flexibly move around the terrain. This is true for most Polar Zones but VPZ-4 and VPZ-5 which have seen the most fighting, with entrenched positions warring for the centre of the board, these more concentrated efforts are helmed primarily by the 142nd Agamarite Infantry Battalion beneath the emblem of a Boar-Wolf for the Republic.

[Ruins] Fort Undefiable: Once the Imperial Centrepiece that defined the VHZ and Lord Evergan's centre of power, sequestered behind layers of seemingly undefeatable trenches and concealed tunnels and bunkers carved deep beneath its surface. It was bombarded into bare remnants of what it once was, by the Republic, as the Imperials lost space-air superiority over the planet. That balance has once again equalised and the Republic have been unable to do it again, but their time-spent alone in orbit of this planet has been entirely disastrous for all of the ground engagements going forward. 

Aritorian River: The massive river rapids that runs alongside the major trench lines in the VHZ. Both sides defend it fiercely, what was once an exploitable natural feature not used because of the risk in traversing it, is now watched all the time to prevent its usage after an Imperial operation used it.

Grand Aderian Range: Canyons kilometres high, with one of the planet's well-known rivers the Tueinami River flowing through it. It's a major geographical feature and largely considered an important cultural landmark of the planet. There has been some skirmishing around it, mostly by prideful Imperials who've refused to let the Republic "defile" their planet and by symbolic revolutionaries. It is not considered strategically important but small-scale warfighting has taken place due to concerns over morale. 

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