**NSD Ascendancy

Sepros Orbit**

"Get to that Temple! I want it surrounded in a matter of hours, or at the very least, I want it already under fire!" The raised voice of Tra'an Reith was enough to show the stress he was under. It had rapidly become apparent that the Sadowans were playing the long game, intent on delaying as much as possible, hoping for extra-system re-enforcements. It wasn’t certain yet who they would be, but it was a pretty even guess either way.

"I don't want to still be here, men spread all over that planet when the Taldryans bother to show up for the party. I assure you, that neither do you. Get it done." The nod he received from his right hand made it seem as if it would be done immediately.

"By your will, Quaestor." Kal di Plagia's voice was ever the same, steady even in the face of adversity. The hologram disappeared as the Plagueian examined the map in the war room aboard his flagship, keeping track of the RSD Final Way and her escorts. The Sadowans were putting up quite a fight with their retreating action, keeping just engaged enough to menace the two other fleets, without putting themselves at significant risk.

The Majestic Heavy Cruisers of Scholae Palatinae were having trouble with getting their fire to track through the fighter screens that the Sadowans kept running near constantly, forcing a closer combat if they wanted to actually punish and destroy any of the capitol ships belonging to the Clan. As it stood, for now, it was sufficient to keep them marginalized, rather than engaging them for actual destruction of the assets. If nothing else, it left them something to regroup with after the destruction of the Temple of Sadow.

The vault though, had to be raided before that could commence. The holocrons within, much less the other lore and knowledge of Naga Sadow and Plagueis only knew how many other Sith Lords, lay hidden and entombed under that Temple.

Tra'an's personal communication unit beeped again, manifesting the image of Xen'mordin Vismorsis.

"I see that you too are captive aboard your ship." The dry, almost languid statement belied the stress and anxiety they both felt. Neither of them liked to be stuck aboard ship in a time of war, much less at the orders of their own underlings. While understanding that their deaths could compromise the mission, and that their abilities as tactical controllers from the sky served a purpose, each had cut their teeth in the field and preferred it to remain that way.

"Indeed. Kal has made it well known that anyone who takes me down to the surface without his say so will feel many days of wrath. And no one wants that." Tra'an replied.

With a grin and a laugh, Xen responded, "That sounds similar to what Arch has promised to anyone who dares to bring me down. I suspect in the end, you and I will have to find our own way to the ground."

Tra'an nodded. "I agree. I look forward to meeting you again in person at the gates of the Temple of Sorrow as we prepare to breach it and take its treasures for the greater good of the Brotherhood."

With that, the connection ended, as they both returned to the business of running a war.

**Sepros

Temple of Sorrow**

"Sir, they've destroyed Firebases Delta and Echo in the South and South East." The messenger's jaw trembled, his voice wavering as he presented these findings to the Consul of Naga Sadow. Locke's hair was mussed. Gone was the business suit of the corporate executive, replaced with his robes and traditional garb. The facade had been discarded for now, as the human contemplated the fate befalling his beloved Clan.

"The whole point of the bases was to bleed and delay them in the first place. They were never meant to stand." Locke's voice was steady. Even disheveled as he was from stress and anger, the charisma and authority he radiated soothed his subordinate. "Send out more units to entrap the paths leading here. Slow them down however you have to. The longer it takes, the fewer of them there will be."

"Yes sir!" The man saluted and left, hurrying off to give the orders, and to spread the reassurances that their Consul had it under control. Truly Locke's leadership stemmed as much from his genius, as much his ability to inspire and gather those who believed in him. It was a testament to this ability that he had risen so fast in a place of intrigue and assassination, one that was never quite stable and solid.

"The Final Way and the rest of the fleet have retreated to a minimum safe distance to repair and resupply before re-engaging." Teu Pepoi glanced over the holographic display covering the in system fighting, showing both of the orbital conflict.

"For now, the invaders seem content to let us stay alive without pursuing extermination, simply because we are just a distraction. It's almost like they seem to be saving themselves." Shaking her head, she continued. "They'll need every ship if they expect to take Tarthos."

Her voice rolled smoothly over Locke's ears. He heard it, and acknowledged it with a wave of the hand, even as he focused on the ground conflict. Macron and Atra were out there, spearheading the guerrilla forces that strove to push back the threat, to slow and harass it. It would fall upon them to ensure the successful defense of their home Temple. Force forbid if they failed. Though as yet, it would be a first for Macron and Atra together, to fail.

"They'll not bother with Tarthos. They're here for the Holocrons. They're here to hit the Temple, and deliver a message. They're here to remind us that we are not alone, and that our complacency in not working with our allies has left us vulnerable." Replying firmly and quietly, Locke stood and began to pace. His hands behind him, even as his eyes were far away. Without them, we are as much at risk, as any of them." Locke waved at the markers for Palatinae and Plagueis.

"What should we do about the Temple defense?" Her voice was firm, not a doubt within it.

His choice of her as his aide when he ascended, validated her time in service to the Clan, and ensured her loyalty. Between them, there was not a single thought of personal advancement. All thoughts they shared were for the benefit of the Clan. Leaders they may have been, but not so corrupted by the Dark Side as to set that aside or manipulate it for themselves. Not yet anyhow.

Locke stilled, coming to a decision and focusing again on the here and now.

"We bar the gates, and listen for the cry of Plagueis and Palatinae at the gates. They will come, and we will be ready to beat them back."

With a nod, Teu turned back to the communications console and began dispatching the necessary orders, even as Locke's gaze turned to the representation of the NSD Ascendancy. He knew that the day would come soon that he would face Tra'an in combat, and he was looking forward to it. Between them, there would be a reckoning. There was a sense of betrayal between them, even if there had been no formal alliance. The Sadowan tightened the grip he had on his hands and turned back to the fight, issuing his own orders to compliment what Teu was already doing.

**NSD Excidium II

Bridge**

After the call to Tra'an ended, Xen received a call of his own.

"Sir, the Warspite is ready for the trigger. Say the word and we'll make it happen."

"For now my friend, focus on keeping everything on target. We can't afford to be distracted from the goals at hand. If we don't make it to the Temple, then it won't be worth doing." Xen'Mordin's level voice was met with a hazy nod before the call ended.

"Sir!" called the Lieutenant at the gunner console. "The Sadowan ships are retreating further away. They've pulled out of orbit completely. It looks like they're moving to make repairs and refuel. What should we do?

"Let them go," came the reply. "They don't stand a chance against the combined might of our fleets. Keep an eye on them though. Let me know if they seem to be moving or doing anything suspicious." Hands resting lightly on the holo-table before him, Xen clenched them briefly before letting go. It was going to be close.

South Eastern Firebase (Destroyed)

Alex d'Tana looked at the remains of the Dlarit base and nodded. It hadn't been the cleanest take down ever down, but it had happened in the end. What mattered, was that the sky was clear. Finally, resupply and forward troop movements could be dropped directly, without having to trudge the klicks of dangerous terrain between the landing zone and the wrecked half way point.

Already though, Furios, Telum, and their respective teams were readying for the next stage. As the re-enforcements were ferried in, fresh troops replaced the dead and the slain. Already they were at double the strength at which they had assaulted the firebase, and more were still coming. It was going to be quite a march to the Temple.

Southern Firebase (Destroyed)

Eether and Xantros stood admiring the battlefield before them. Both of them were slightly singed from the heat of the blast they had used to make their objective, evaporate. The high explosive charges had sent up a fireball so high it could be seen from orbit, albeit briefly.

The remaining members of their squads were busy cleaning up the leftovers who had been outside the base and survived the fireball. Yet others were directing the air traffic of the arriving re-enforcements on where to set down and unload their troops and equipment. The chaos had order, and it was rapidly showing as the units moved into Imperial formation.

A portable holo-projector was lugged out and placed on a dais, so all could see. The face of their Quaestor appeared, larger than life and bluer than the skies back on Ohmen.

"You have done well!" The amplified voice from the speaker system rolled over those assembled, all of whom had stopped to observe. "This is not over yet though. March on, and get to the Temple! Meet up with our allies, House Plagueis, at the rally point. Then it will be time to invade!" A raucous cheer broke out from the assembled troops, before being silenced by their officers. As Eether and Xantros nodded to themselves, they looked over and grinned.

"Last one to the rally point is a Arconan-Lover!" shouted Xantros.

"Won't be me!" replied Eether.

** Sepros

Forward Guerrilla Forces**

The forces that had been harassing and wreaking havoc upon the invaders had regrouped away from the main contingent to strategize. Macron and Tiberius di Cloud were looking at a holomap of the area, trying to plan the best place to lure the fools into traps and encircle them for ambush.

Macron's communicator beeped louder than normal. Or so it seemed, until everyone realized that all of their communicators had gone off. Macron pulled his from his belt and activated it, revealing the figure of Locke Sonje.

"All of you who are seeing this, are on the ground involved in the defense of the Temple of Sorrow. You are receiving this because we have finally managed to pinpoint the landing locations of the invaders." At this statement, a small cheer went up before quickly being hushed by a glare from Macron.

"Someone needs to take these out, while others remain on the defensive. Decide amongst yourselves who will stay, and who will go, and communicate it back to the Temple so that we may better coordinate you. For Sadow!" Locke's figure faded, and the quiet returned, leaving just the sound of the wind as it whipped through the trees.

"Well then, the time for payback has arrived." Macron's words made everyone present shiver, and then a couple outright blanched in fear as he smiled. Macron smiling was never a good thing, for anyone but Macron.

-=+=-

Week Two Competitions!

*Fiction (Demolition): *

HSP/PLA: We have discovered a rebel supply depot in the Aeotheran jungle. Deeply in trenched in the forest, we must risk the hazards of the local environment to destroy it. Find this depot and destroy it using the explosives provided to you. Write how you would accomplish this mission in 700 words or more. Submissions will be judged based on creativity and realism. Send all entries to [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

CNS: We have discovered that the forces of PLA have a supply dump inside the Kel Rasha spaceport. Though part of the spaceport may be damaged, we must risk it in order to destroy this supply depot. Using the explosives you are provided, infiltrate the facility and destroy this supply dump. Write how you would accomplish this mission in 700 words or more. Submissions will be judged based on creativity and realism. Send all entries to [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

GFX: Create an image for a Standard, defined as a crest or emblem, for one of your unit's Army Units. Minimum image size of 500 x 500. Send entries to [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

Gaming: Select someone to team with you in a 2v2 match. Most 2v2 match victories wins.

TOR: Most Flashpoints completed

ACC: Continuation of week one.

Poetry: Choose and write one of the following sets: four haikus, three limericks, one sonnet, or one standard poem (Defines as AB rhyming) of at least fourteen lines on subjects related to the events of Week Two. NOTE: you must use a different form than the previous week. Send entries to [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

TL:DR?

Read It Anyways