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| ===Preparation=== | | ===Preparation=== |
| ====An Unexpected Meeting====
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| ====Assault on the Empire====
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| Sometime prior to the Second Collapse, Kirito and some of his family would meet with the criminal leadership of [[Forum:Castris's Criminal Empire|Castris's Criminal Empire]] in the hopes of bolstering their forces and acquiring new, illicit hardware. [[Forum:Castris|Castris]], with profits in mind, would instead declare neutrality on both sides. However, following the failed negotiations, the actions of defectors [[Forum:Tyranaks, the Overlord|Tyranaks]], [[Forum:Lilthis, the Daemon|Lilthis]] and [[Forum:Kamrak, the Titan|Kamrak]] would catch the attention of [[Forum:Tatsuyi Kirigaya|Tatsuyi Kirigaya]], the eldest son of Kazuto, who would contact them with the promise of power and individual sovereign over the criminal underground; the trio would accept this deal in a heartbeat. From the powers of the Fusion bestowed to them, the triune would help to pioneer the field of Fusion-wielding weaponry and tech, as well as fashion new tactics from the profane power such as the Marrow combat stimulant, Fusion Warping and particle manipulation. From their new powers and the backing of the Shadowkeepers, the criminal alliance known as the '''Shadow Collective''' was formed.
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| Their first order of business was subverting the crippled [[Forum:The Seraphite Cartel|Seraphite Cartel]] into the Shadow Collective, where the trio executed the remaining leadership, [[Forum:Zevaksis|Zevaksis]] included. With the destruction of a long-hated Criminal franchise, many of the remnants would join the ranks of the Shadow Collective, the dens would be turned into firebases and forward-operating bases, and their Ethrite refining machinery would be repurposed by Kamrak to accelerate production of Marrow. Following this, Tyranaks would put his plan against his former crime syndicate into motion. With the help of his close friends and superior, he would conspire against Castris and her crime empire in an effort to rope them into the Shadowkeepers to weaken the enterprise, assassinate its leadership and claim it for himself. During this, he would begin assassinating some of the syndicate's associates to sever the ties between them and the Vanguard, including [[Hunter]] [[Forum:Ashe-5|Ashe-5]], her [[Ghost]], and other imperial emissaries. This would, as according to plan, catch the attention of both the Syndicate and spies from the last city. With the help of [[Forum:Kotrik, Bloodcrafter of Shadows|Kotrik]], they were able to kill [[Forum:Rudolph McAlister|Rudolph McAlister]]; however, syndicate investigators [[Forum:Solviks, the Gunslinger|Solviks]] and [[Forum:Myra Winters|Myra Winters]] narrowly escaped their would-be assassins. While the partners continued their search for answers, spymaster [[Forum:Robert E. O. Speedwagon|Robert E. O. Speedwagon]], assisted by his fellow partners [[Forum:Tattoo|Tattoo]] and [[Forum:Kempo Master|Kempo Master]], would conduct his own investigation, where he witnessed the murder of [[Forum:Cisco Ramon|Vibe]] and confronted his murderer, Tatsuyi, who would leave him paralyzed and rightfully angry at Vibe and Ashe's unjust fates, where he would finally swear vengeance against Castris and her empire, as according to plan.
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| However, Tyranaks would soon realize that Solviks and Myra survived the attempt on their lives. He would scramble as many of his assets to tie up any loose ends and prevent them from investigating the conspiracy any further. Meanwhile, he would dispatch his lieutenants, Kamrak and Lilthis, to hunt down and capture the Syndicate's arms dealer, [[Forum:Wren Kinsing|Wren Kinsing]], and his [[Ghost]]. During this, the Gunslinger and Guardian associate would eventually get some answers from one of the Shadow Collective's lackeys and would finally uncover Tyranaks's ploy from a bounty hunter indentured into the Shadow Collective's ranks. Before they could return to Castris with their newfound information, Speedwagon would recover his consciousness and would pick up on the investigation, where he would intercept a distress call from Wren himself. After saving the Syndicate's arms dealer from the disguised Shadow operatives, he would interrogate the [[Warlock]] before realizing the syndicate still maintained its neutralist agenda and the [[Abide the Return|sword]] used to murder Ashe was recently purchased off him. But before he could get more answers, the two would be ambushed by the Fusion-empowered lieutenants and would be swiftly overpowered, leading to Wren's kidnapping and Speedwagon's wounding, where he would first personally meet Tyranaks himself, who threatened his life if he kept searching this far down. After, once again recovering from his wounds and with the help of the syndicate's investigators, he would soon realize this was a conspiracy and would report his findings to the Vanguard while the duo prepared to warn Castris of the war to come. Now realizing his plan was falling apart at the seams, Tyranaks then desperately enacted a new plot to amplify the powers of Fusion within him. A plan that would eventually drive him to the verge of madness from fascination and a road that would lead him to his death.
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| ====Attack on the House====
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| ====Siege of the Shore====
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| ====The Retrieval====
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| ====Call to the Shadows====
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| ====Fall of the Leviathan====
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| {{Quote|My allies aboard that decrepit derelict, hear me and rejoice! Your old master, the pompous and flamboyant fool that was [[Emperor Calus|Calus]], thought he could comprehend the [[Darkness]], bend it to his will, become one with it, and reign over the universe like a child ambitiously pursuing an impossible future. And in that pursuit, he vanished- nay, he was vanquished by the Darkness. He could never control its will and so he was consumed, lost forever in the dark world of un-being. But, I say, good riddance! Now, BEHOLD! Your true savior! Kirito! He gazed the abyss and the abyss didn't simply glance him like the pathetic chaff of the wheat, nay, it chose him! He now leads us to a new golden age, one where we will all prosper, not in the shadow of war, but in the shadow in its purest form. So, if you do wish to witness this magnificent tomorrow, reject your hedonistic ways and your incessant vanity and join us. As for those who refuse, fear not, salvation shall come to you too, but not in apotheosis, but in the bittersweet embrace of death. Either way, the Leviathan shall belong to us, to its right and true owners.|Gha'arn rallying his followers to capture the Leviathan.}}
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| Before the [[Forum:Second Collapse|Second Collapse]], Gha'arn would begin a full scale assault on [[The Leviathan]] in the hopes of capturing it for the Legion in the hopes of adding a flagship to their fleet. With the help of loyal saboteurs and spies aboard the ship, the primary force consisting of Cabal and Shadowkeepers, led by Gha'arn, would rapidly seize a foothold aboard the ship, first establishing a base of operations within the Castellum. From there, they managed to slowly advance throughout the vessel, facing off against the [[Loyalists]] rather advanced and psionically empowered defenses, as well as [[Emperor Calus]]'s mechanical proxies. Stretched thin, however, the clashing forces would enter a stalemate, gaining no ground and taking equal casualties each skirmish. That was until the reserve force, led by the combined forces of Shua'aud and Nu'uorc, arrived and quickly sabotaged the ship's planet-eating engine and captured the ship's core and advanced to the Celestial Observatory, with the combined might of the forces, the army easily penetrated the reinforced defenses of the remnant Loyalists and finally took the astral spire and marched onto the Power Conduit beneath. Here, the two massive forces clashed as [[Thresher]]s and [[Harvester]]s engaged in dogfights, [[Goliath Tank]]s exchanged barrages of Planet Cracking rounds and their armies collided and, despite the fierce opposition the Loyalists demonstrated, they would be driven back to their last and most impregnable stronghold, the Menagerie, losing a massive chunk of their forces, many of their armor columns and their entire air regiment of Gunships. Despite the disheveled state of the true Loyalists, the remnant faction, now led by de-facto commander, [[Forum:Commander Roudak|Roudak]], would manage to drive off their invaders with minimal casualties thanks to the commanders brilliant and careful use of the [[Vex|Menagerie's]] [[Hive|inhabitants]]. That would be until the arrival of the Shadow Enclave, where its leader, [[Forum:Aethrox, Shadow's Hunger|Aethrox]], would unleash his beloved champion, [[Forum:Bracus Korvam, the Famished Champion|Korvam]], against the impregnable stronghold. Within hours, thanks to Korvam's immense psionic arsenal and cohorts, the last hope of Calus's true loyalists would fall and, despite an admirable last stand made by Roudak and the last proxy of his Emperor, their last leader would be captured and, humiliatingly, imprisoned within the corridors he once called his stronghold.
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| Now with the planet eating ship within his grasp, Gha'arn would repurpose, modify and reshape the ship to the Shadow Legion's image. The throne room became his personal chambers and mock court, the Gauntlet, Hunting grounds and Menagerie became research facilities for weapons and tactics, the lattermost chamber also becoming a base for the Legion's Psion Enclave, the Celestial Observatory a bridge, the Power Conduit a makeshift city, named Katharsis, and weapons factory and the maw a shipyard for his expansive fleet. Its hull would be reinforced with more enhanced and durable armor, shield projectors and retrofitted with more advanced and factory condition weaponry fresh from the Shadow's prestigious engineers and repainted in the image of the Shadow Legion. The Leviathan was renamed '''[[Forum:The Abaddon|The Abaddon]]''' and, as according to plan, became a flagship and dreadnaught for the [[Forum:Shadowkeeper|Shadowkeeper]] army. With the newly named Abaddon in hand, the ship and its battle fleet quickly encroached upon [[Empress Caiatl|Caiatl]] and her fleet of scattered [[Imperial Cabal]] in preparation for the Second Collapse.
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| ====Countdown to the End====
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| ===Attack on the City=== | | ===Attack on the City=== |