Kane Wartide

Kane Acquiesced to Zallis' request, pulling out his datacomm again and tapping on the screen. The Stage where the holographic musicians had been playing lit up with a few different news projections. One reporter detailed a recent conflict on Corellia, while another was speculation on a situation evolving at Kessel. Apparently it was suspected that the Rebels were starting an attack on Kessel. "Looks like the rebels have been busy." Kane mumbled, watching the broadcast. He glanced back at Zallis. "I gather this means you have other business to attend to?"

Kane realized he had set the bartender not to disturb the proceedings, He hastily put on his glasses and pulled out his datacomm. He made a few taps on the screen, and in moments one of the inactive droids in the room reactivated and set about refreshing Zalis' drink. He smiled as a clean glass filled with Merenzane Gold appeared on a tray carried by a bare hologram droid, along with the remainder of the Alderaanian wine and an empty glass for it, should she want to switch drinks. Kane got up to mirror Zalis, and present his drink for a toast. "Excellent. Partner." Kane was smiled. He was most impressed with Zalis. He felt assured that he had chosen his ally well in this most delicate matter. He needed somebody he could count on to maintain a legitimate face, and he was certain she would deliver. "I another gift for you. This droid is yours." Kane whistled, cuing a Black H4-R0 droid to float in through the same false holographic wall Kane had entered with. "This is H4-R0 Beta. It responds to Rob. It has been heavily modified to contain an advanced sensor package and an encrypted long range holonet transceiver. You may use it as you see fit. It has access to Magi System, The Midnight Supercomputer Network and it is intended to act as my liaison." The droid made low pitched chattering tones. It sounded grumpy. "It will grant you access to our intelligence, plus internal schematics for both Midnight and Coruscant. I can't know what measures the Empire will take for security, but a detailed map should give you plenty of possible routes to avoid detection when necessary. The droid can also act as a secure proxy to connect us when we need to communicate directly. It's got a self destruct system with enough thermite to render it a puddle should it be tampered with." H4-R0b made a sad "Dwoooooo." "I will see to it that you are given preference for matters of real estate, here and on the surface below. Perhaps we can recreate what was lost at Dark Sun here. "

Kane took a long pause, contemplating his answer. "Well, you see there's a level where the risk of backlash is precisely why this must be done. Not from the imperial overlords, but from the rebellion. This galaxy is in constant upheaval, and it is possible we will see a shift in the balance of power multiple times within our lives. If the rebels come knocking at Coruscant, take the planet, win the war and take the galaxy; I would rather never be on the wrong side of history. As it stands the more I work the Empire, the more likely I am to be seen as an imperial collaborator. Even an essentially altruistic act like rebuilding Coruscant has puts me risk of being targeted by extremist factions. You're in the same boat if the rebels aren't persuaded otherwise. But if we become an instrumental supply line, then they will see us as allies and we'll weather the storms of war more favorably." Kane pulled a cloth from his coat and cleaned his glasses, "And looking ahead of that, even if the Imperials were defeated, there's no reason why the bridges we've built with them should go unused. Because you can never know when they might make a comeback. This is the only way I see to play a long game in this galaxy. One must float atop the waves of social upheaval or be swallowed by them."

"Oh? That part is somewhat easy." Kane declared. "For starters, I happen to be aware that you are involved in several legitimate fronts. Like Czerka, among others. Businesses which are in fact my direct competitors. As tempting as it is to try to maintain a monopoly, a bit of healthy competition is good for the market. Markets with no competition stagnate, fail to innovate because they don't have to. I would like you to open branches here in Midnight, to expand commerce. Then you can use one or many of these fronts as a beachhead to start involving Black Sun here, for whatever nefarious purposes you may be chasing in the up-and-coming economy of Neo Coruscant." Kane set his glass down, meeting her eyes with an intense gaze. She saw through his innocuous intents and wanted to know what he would really be getting out of the deal. Fearing she might get spooked if she thought he was trying to deceive her, he decided to drop pretense and state his plan plainly. "Then, you help me open up that economy to the gradually expanding market in rebel space. I can't be locked into just who the Empire says I can sell to, it's bad for business. I need my goods to show up where there's a demand for them, and where there is demand is where people are trying to take up arms against the Empire." Kane checked the door to see if it was still closed. He had revealed what purpose all the security involved with this meeting was for. What he had just said might count as treason. "So the Rebels order goods, Black Sun arranges the payments, I send out cargo, tip you off to where it's going, and train my pilots to dump the cargo and not fight pirates for it. Black Sun intercepts it and gets it to the Rebels. You take a healthy percentage of the payment since you're the one taking the largest risk. I can't do anything to oppose Imperial law here or Midnight will burn and I'll find myself on the end of a lightsaber. But I believe Black Sun can, and it stands to assert its rightful place in the galaxy by doing so."

"I will admit it was no small feat. It would have been easier to blow Coruscant up and find a new one. But it is a labor of love rebuilding this dead world, something I decided to do because I wanted it done. Making a fortune in Imperial Credits was just a bonus. Just the toxic waste and space debris are taking forever to deal with, and we still have to repair the atmosphere. You should watch when it happens, it should be fairly spectacular to see a comet dragged into orbit and then vaporized to create a new sky. " Kane invited Zalis to have a seat at the table. Kasumi Emerged from the stair case and brought Kane a glass of Alderaanian Wine, "Ah, but I'm rambling. I didn't ask you here to talk about the restoration project. I wanted to invite you to participate in what follows. It seems like Black Sun has had a rough few years. Between the Moonfall and Dark Sun station incident, they have lost a great deal their former glory. But Black Sun is a part of Coruscant. It was bred by Imperial and Republic indifference, born in the lightless underlevels of this planet, and fed by the desperation of those who'd never even seen the sky above this world." Kane took a sip of his wine, contemplating. "You may be aware of my Father, the late Ronin Wartide. He had a rather contentious relationship with Black Sun. He had a rather contentious relationship with everyone truthfully, and I am no exception. But when he died, he was fighting to protect Black Sun. To this day it still baffles me. I know that he had a rather unsuccessful attempt to take over Black Sun once, but most everyone in the organization refused to follow him. They did not consider him an ally. And yet still he came back to aid them. My mother and I had joked it wouldn't kill him to do something selfless just once in his life. Then apparently it did." Kane took a long pause, enjoying a rare moment of reflection, before realizing he was rambling again. "The point is, I see this as a bit of unfinished business on his estate. Ronin took a big risk to try to preserve Black Sun when it needed help. I intend to try to complete his last wishes. Allow me to help you reestablish Black Sun's presence on Coruscant,"

Despite Zalis's flair, there was little attention paid initially. In fact, nearly no response at all from the other patrons or band playing on the stage. For a few moments it was unclear who had invited her to this room at all, everyone else in the room seemingly intent on the quartet of musicians on the stage. Abruptly, Kane stepped through a wall, apparently a holographic facade covering the opening of a secret elevator into the bar. Kane walked in quickly with a large basket gripped in his left hand. As he approached her he fought back a compulsion to straighten his jacket, as the sight of her dress made him feel as though his fine suit was suddenly inadequate. Instead snapped his fingers in the air, then waved the tips of his fingers past his neck in a "throat slitting" motion. As he did so, the band froze, then vanished, while all the guests lowered their facades to reveal they, like the bartender, were Holographic Emulator Droids put in place to make the bar seem busy. The droids slumped in place and at once the VIP room was eerily quiet. "I apologize for the theatrics. Here at the heart of the empire, one can never be too careful. But in this room we should be shielded from prying eyes and imperial expectations." Kane placed the basket on a table, then bowed his head slightly and presented his gloved hand for a handshake. "I am Kane Wartide, CEO of the Midnight corporation. I built...well basically everything worth seeing on this world thus far. Aside from yourself, of course." Through a layer of decorative film, the contents of the basket were apparent. It was filled with guns, arranged in a delicate, almost floral pattern, barrels sticking out in a fan like display. Kane peered over the top of is glasses, head still bowed. He gestured toward the basket. "Please accept this Wartide Arms Gun Bouquet, in gratitude for meeting with me. I was hoping someone with ties to Black Sun would pass through and make themselves known, so your arrival is most fortuitous. We have much to discuss, Ms. Krales."

The bartender smiled politely, but silently, looking up from her magazine to examine the new customer's face. The droid that lurked beneath her holographic exterior reacted to what she saw with a high priority protocol, a secret bit of code superseding her usual caricature of the Bar's original operator. She took the bottle of Merenzane-Gold off of a clear illuminated shelf near the top and prepared her drink. When she set it on the table between the two women beneath the glass was a coaster with a note on it, oddly appearing to be both hand written from the pen used and yet printed by the perfection of the script. It read: "You have been invited to the VIP room. Beware, the Sith have eyes and ears everywhere." Across the room a large modified construction droid, locally known as The Defenestrator, stepped clear of the doorway leading to the lower level of the bar. The bartender made eye contact with Zallis, then looked over entrance to the stair case, then back down to her holomagazine

Coruscant Stardrive corporation is the name given to the Midnight Corporation subsidiary tasked with creating ships. They are based out of a fleet yard in Midnight City, and have dockyards extending into orbit. Ship Equipment Rotary Weapons - Typical multiple linked gun emplacements will have all guns fixed and cycle through them. This results in a small but not insignificant variance in the firing line of successive shots, which can sometimes mean the difference between hitting and missing small craft. CSC linked gun emplacements are designed to rotate in a way that has all guns firing from the same point, slightly improving accuracy. CSC Electric Paint - This special ship paint is made with a reactive substance that allows it to change color when charged with electricity. It can be controlled by a small device connected to the surface. 360* Holographic Cockpits/Bridges - Normal cockpits have a few problems. The transparasteel used for view ports is not as tough virtually any other type of hull plating, making it a vulnerability. They also have a limited viewing angle and can't easily see what's happening all around the pilot, a serious issue in 3D combat. Lastly, riding near the surface of a vehicle makes the pilot more vulnerable to attacks. To resolve all three issues, CSC developed 360* holographic cockpits. Holocameras are placed around the surface of the craft, and the information is fed into a centrally located cockpit. For larger ships, the bridge is designed as a sort of theater with screens on all surrounding surfaces and the pilot seat floating in the center. This allows the pilot to view what's going on all around the ship. Fighters and other craft too small to have a relocated cockpit can instead have the information fed into a helmet mounted HUD. For these smaller cockpits, the windows are often replaced with armor or covered in armored shutters to improve pilot safety. DEMP Harpoons- A Magnetic ship harpoon meant for capturing cargo, debris, and derelicts, with a destructive electromagnetic pulse charge fitted on the end to disable targeted craft. Vehicles Dragoon Heavy Swoop- This heavy duty twin engine swoop has a number of features to optimize its control and safety. It has a pilot gravity and inertial control system, which limits the G-force applied to the pilot to prevent blackouts and ejections caused by rapid acceleration and deceleration. It has a carrying capacity over one ton, and can handle up to two riders. Its onboard computer features a sophisticated sensor and autopilot system, allowing to rapidly assess the terrain ahead and make course corrections to avoid potential hazards. This features can be set to a passive mode to prevent it from overriding the rider's controls, and instead only provide alerts and suggested routing via the dashboard monitor. Ships Borhek Light Freighter Class: Light Freighter Model: CSC - MT - 03 Variable Configuration Freighter Manufacturer: Coruscant Stardrive Corporation Length: 40 meters Crew: 1 Pilot, 2 Gunners, basic amenities for long distance travel Armaments: Two quad laser cannons turrets, 1 fixed heavy ion cannon, 2 missile tubes--1 on the fore and 1 in the aft section Armor: Medium, intended to protect valuable cargo. Good shielding for its class. Anti-Personnel Defenses: laser security traps to capture intrudes, telescopic security probe that scan crew and incoming/outgoing inventory. Appearance: A long symmetrical craft that gets wider around the midsection Role: This armed freighter is the primary workhorse of the midnight corporation. Its bottom side includes a docking mechanism which allows it rapidly connect with or drop off a large cargo container. Variable Configurations:The cargo containers usually come as a standard freight container, but are sometimes built as a mobile store front from which the crew can sell equipment directly. ----- Exogorth Recovery Vehicle Class: Light Freighter Model: CSC - RV - 02 Wreckage Deconstruction Recovery Vehicle "Exogorth" Manufacturer: Coruscant Stardrive Corporation Length: 70 Meters Crew: 1 Pilot and 1 H4-R0 Droid, which is capable of piloting without crew Armaments: Recovery Equipment, four small high precision cutting lasers and several tractor beams beams on the interior Armor: Light, mostly heavy structural section meant to contain extremely heavy cargo Anti-Personnel Defenses: n/a Appearance: A small cockpit, usually unoccupied, constructed over top of a huge "mouth" which opens into a massive cargo hold that makes up most of the ship. Both the front mouth and the floor of cargo bay can be opened. Role: This is an automated demolition and deconstruction vehicle, used to disassemble and recover debris from condemned buildings and space wreckage. It has a large cargo hold that opens from the front, with a series of cutting lasers and tractor beams designed to break debris into smaller parts and pull it directly into the cargo hold. ---- Fishbone Droid Dropship Class: Transport Model: CSC - DD - 02 Droid Dropship "Fishbone" Manufacturer: Coruscant Stardrive Corporation Length: 19 Meters Crew: 1 Pilot and 1 H4-R0 Droid, which is capable of piloting without crew Armaments: None Armor: N/A Structure is exposed Anti-Personnel Defenses: Locking mechanism that prevent theft. Defiant cargo. Appearance: A specialized craft resembling long fish skeleton, with a cockpit and thrusters where its head and tail would be respectively. The "Ribcage" is a long series of mounting brackets, which can alter configuration to store different types of Droids created in Midnight city. Role: Automated Droid Delivery system ------

Table of Contents General Setting Information Psionic Force Powers Musings on the Nature of the Force by Kane Wartide: Foreword Part 1 What is the force? Part 2 How do you use the force? Part 3 The Nature of the Force General Setting Information: Psionics is a very different way of looking at the force. There is not an “order” or “faction” associated with it, and it need not necessarily even require practitioners to meet or train each other. Because of this, it would not be a good choice for a first character, as it may require you to self train to advance. Note that this must be done with a moderator's permission, and the rank up should be verified by a mod or another Psion player (me, via my Kakuto Ryu account) ) Via DM or Discord. In brief: Psionics is a force “discipline” build around viewing it as a science rather than a spiritual ability. There is no native morality linked to the practice of Psionics, and it could be described as “Neutral”, but it might be more accurate to say that it’s more subordinate to the character’s individual sense of morality. A character could be a Good Psion or an Evil Psion, and it would not change much about the way the force powers are used. They are built on using neutral, basic powers in combination with sci-fi technology in clever and unconventional ways. A mind for science is a major asset to a player writing a Psion. Like any force using discipline, it is divided into 3 ranks. They are: Awakened Psion: A force Sensitive learning the basics of their power. An Awakened Pison has become aware of their gift and is learning how to use it. +Ranking up to Psionic Researcher is achieved without a formal master by making several posts in character developing your character's understanding of the force. Then you must participate in a PVP conflict in which you use force powers where you survive to the end. Psionic Researcher: Someone who understands the principles of the Force, and seeks to broaden and hone their skills. +Ranking up to Master Psion is achieved without a formal master by creating a signature force power, a "Graduate Thesis" if you will, which is approved by a mod and added to the list below. Then you must use it in a PVP conflict where you survive to the end. Master Psion: Someone who mastered their powers, and knows how to use them to affect reality in a wide range of ways. A True master Psion has developed his own signature force powers. Psionic Force Powers: Psions can use most basic force powers. Remote viewing, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Force Speed, Precognition and Psychometry are the powers that most others are built upon. Psions can use lightsabers, but do not have unique lightsaber forms, and would thus rely on preexisting forms taken from the Jedi or Sith. Psions differentiate themselves from other force users by building powers on their intellect. Essentially, understanding science enables the Psion to use the force to apply that knowledge, multiplying the effectiveness of telepathy for new, novel applications. Dark or Light specific masteries are not available to a Psion, but can be emulated with the addition of a reagent. For instance, a Psion is not able to conjure fire or lightning the way a Sith can, but can manipulate fire and electricity present in their environment. While it may be possible to cause the heat or electron buildup to create fire or electricity, the complexity makes it impractical for more than a small ember or shock. Likewise a Psion cannot heal someone like a Jedi could, but could attempt to augment the body’s natural healing process and apply medicinal compounds with great precision to improve effectiveness. Examples of how this is intended to be used include things like using the force to directionalize an explosion by blocking off some of the compression wave, manipulating air pressure to cause winds or to influence conductivity and direct lightning, and vibrating a structure at its natural frequency to make it shake itself apart. This would by no means be a complete list, as there are virtually unlimited ways that you could use the force this way. This is also not to say that these powers are exclusive to this discipline, as virtually any type of force user could attempt to use the force in a similar way. Signature Abilities These are techniques that have been created by Psions as part of their master trial, and submitted here. While a power you developed may be special for your character, any sufficiently motivated force user could still duplicate it. Powers should be approved by mods. Wind Powered flight - Required Equipment: Repulsor Parachute - By Kane Wartide: Air currents are caused by the movement of air from a high pressure area to a low pressure one. You can create air currents and wind by lowering the air pressure at the destination and raising it at the source. If you do in the direction you're moving or intending to move, you will get a tail wind to drive you forward. By combining a repulsor parachute, a wearable device which limits fall speed, you can reduce the effect of gravity on yourself and open up the possibility of flight. It is somewhat clumsy, and not recommended for very long periods or in a situation where you may need to dodge quickly. Accurate Ricochet - Requires Equipment: Projectile weapon - By Kane Wartide: Bullet Ricochets are very unpredictable. Generally the bullet will deform when it hits, and if it does damage it doesn't retain as much energy. These things add too much randomness to ricochets to make them effective. By using the force to reinforce the bullet and the ricochet point, you can minimize these effects and cause an intact bullet to continue on a path predictable with the law of reflection. It will even have more of its momentum intact, allowing you to reliably aim and deal damage with a ricochet Targeted Explosions - Requires Equipment: Explosive Device - By Kane Wartide: Explosions radiate omnidirectionally from a source. However, if that energy is met with resistance the force is deflected in a different direction. By pushing against an explosion with the force, you can shape explosions in a desirable way. To perform this you would need to prepare in advance, and so it would not be an especially effective technique against hostile or unanticipated explosions. An example usage for a plasma grenade might include walls, cones or pillars of plasma. A cryoban grenade, which releases pressurized liquid, could be shaped into walls or spikes and would be easier to direct due to reduced force. While ion grenades would not conform to the same laws, all matter experiences different levels of conductivity as specific pressures, and so it could be possible to modify the path of least resistance that the electricity travels along to guide it toward a target. Targeted explosions could be applied to payload carrying munitions as well. The remainder of the document is a speculative explanation of the force when viewed through a scientific lens. It is meant to establish a baseline understanding of the mechanisms believed to cause Force related phenomena. Musings on the Nature of the Force by Kane Wartide Foreword: When I was a young boy, my mother took me to her home world of Dathomir. There, I met several of the Witches of Dathomir, and witnessed much of their fabled 'magic.' Having been raised on a heavy diet of physics and engineering, the scientific method and explicable phenomena, their 'magic' seemed like an aberration, something that did not fit in my cold rational world. I did not, at first, believe that it was more than a parlor trick--some kind of elaborate illusion for my benefit. But, it was explained to me that like my mother, the 'Magic was inside of me,' and that I too could perform the feats that would bend the laws of physics. Though the witches' strict matriarchal society prevented me from learning from them directly, I felt a strong compulsion to know their secrets, if only to disprove their archaic religion as hokem. Like most people, I'd heard stories of Jedi and Sith, and knew of their supposed powers, but held roughly as little regard for them as I did witchcraft. Even as a child, my world was a rational one ruled by physical laws, so I had every reason to doubt the reality of what I witnessed. In my teens, I returned to Dathomir alone, a stealth field generator on my waist. In secret I observed the practice of both Witches and Nightsisters, and further went on to view their sacred texts, the Book of Law and the Book of Shadows, which contained their rituals. The primitive dancing and magic words they described seemed silly to me, and as I attempted to replicate them, nothing happened. Yet, despite exhaustive efforts to uncover some sort of trick that made their magic work, I could discover no apparent deception. Beginning to believe there might be more to this, I tried the rituals again, and saw my first hints of success. I would come to believe that my failure was not due to performing their rituals incorrectly, as I had observed them many times before and was meticulous in my methods. Only after a great deal of exposure and the exorcism of my doubts did I truly believe that they could work. This belief, it seemed, was the true catalyst for the magic. And so when I departed Dathomir, I left with a new belief in the force. Not faith, mind you, as my understanding of all phenomena remains that they are governed by causality and laws of physics. No, I had the kind of certainty that comes from experimental confirmation. The Force is real. It can be manipulated by thoughts. And whatever spirits the Witches think they're calling, it's only a primitive explanation for a force of nature beyond their capability to comprehend. Thus began my journey to learn the secret laws that governed the mysterious power known as The Force. What is the Force? Sadly, due to imperial restrictions on Force research and a general lack of funding, I have been unable to perform experiments to confirm most of my theories about the nature of the force. Instead, I have only been able to research what had been learned by others since its discovery many millennia ago and perform personal experiments. Looking into the beliefs held by Jedi and Sith, as well as more obscure force using orders, I was inundated with a diverse collection of arcane lore and magical thinking. They were, however, not without some scientific observations. The Jedi and the Sith both agreed that the Force was accessed by way of Midi-chlroians, organelles that reside within the cells of all things that live in our galaxy. A causal relationship between the volume of midi-chlorians in one's body and their ability to influence the force has been well established. This, however, seemed to be a dead end. Beyond this observation, little research has been done to establish their mechanism. Tales of Sith lords gorging themselves on the midi-chlorian rich blood of Jedi to gain powers were common, yet entirely without significant success. It seems that it's not enough simply to have more midi-chlorians in one's body. I would hypothesize that because the Force is manipulated by thoughts, it's necessary that midichlorians exist within neurons to provide a link. Neurogenesis, the process by which neurons are created, happens almost entirely during development and infancy, with the cells never dividing and living for the full duration of the organism. This could be why the potential of a given force user is somewhat fixed at birth. Going deeper requires anecdotal observation, which is lacking in scientific rigor, but should act as a framework for understanding that can be tested and built upon going forward. If the Force connects all matter in the galaxy, there must be some extra-dimensional field existing in parallel to our own. This field can be manipulated by thought, so it can be described psychogenic in nature. It allows access to thoughts and information external to the person using the force. This Psychogenic Field can be imagined as a dimension of and for thought, where thought is the only substance, containing both energy and form. In addition to acting as a sort of network for minds, this field can manipulate conventional reality in a variety of ways. While I cannot fully explain the mechanism for this, I can affirm from first hand observation that what follows is true. How do you use the force? Using neuronal midi-chlorians as a medium force users can send and receive sensory information to the psychogenic field, allowing them to experience a sort of sixth sense. Within the psychogenic field is a sort of reflection of reality, where in most matter and energy can be observed. This type of observation does not require proximity, allowing one to see distant or hidden objects, though it does become exponentially harder to focus the farther away the user is looking. It is theoretically possible to get impressions from other worlds beyond the one the force user is standing on, but historic examples learned from the force using orders suggest that this only happens in extreme circumstances such as the destruction of entire worlds, which has been said to cause massive "disturbances" in the force that can be felt at a pan-galactic distances. The practical limitation of this sense seems to be within the space surrounding a single world, and even within that area it becomes prohibitively difficult to spot something on a complex landscape with many life forms to have to filter out. Strong familiarity with the target, whether it be a person or object, seems to lower the difficulty. Additionally, beings with a strong force presence are "luminous" within the force, and can be easier to spot. The Psychogenic field, by nature of being a two way street, can also allow vision into the interior of other minds connected to it. This is the basis for telepathy. For this reason, it is wise to carefully control your thoughts around force sensitives, as they may be listening in. More dangerous than that is the ability to implant thoughts within another mind. Images, suggestions, even whole memories can be transported directly into the conscious mind with practice. Though the Psychogenic Field is of and for thoughts, it is capable of manipulating inanimate matter and energy in the normal dimensions of reality. By projecting will onto the reflection that resides within the Psychogenic Field, it seems a sort of Quantum entanglement between the object and its reflection will occur, allowing reality to be distorted to match what was conceptualized by the force user. This is how telekinetic phenomena take place. The ability to make these kind changes is strongly dependent on the strength of your connection, which is enhanced with practice. In many Force using traditions, the Force is described as being able to provide a glimpse of the past and future, suggesting that the Psychogenic Field may span the total breadth of time. Time may be explored in a manner similar to a landscape, yet spanned across an altogether different direction. Because the past is fixed, it is somewhat easier to explore than the future, though still difficult. Impressions of the past become more difficult to locate the farther back you go, but can be "highlighted" by periods of strong emotion that leave a considerable mark. The future is very different, as it has not yet been decided. An infinite number of additional variables make the landscape of the future endlessly complex to the point of being incomprehensible. As such, only shallow impressions of the immediate future, where there are far fewer variables, can be effectively perceived. Similar to how strong emotions can leave a mark in the past, major emotional events in the future--particularly ones that are likely given the current course of reality--can come through strongly at greater distance from the present. When focusing intent on objects in the force, the greater your understanding of your own intent, the easier it will be. This is why things like meditation, visualization, and even the Witchs’ “Magic Words” are useful. Memories are made up of networked ideas. So by reading the words “Blue Milk” a number of memories may come to you, the taste, the smell, the appearance, times that you drank it, what it’s made of and even the creature that produced it, and each of these memories will link to a myriad of other things. So when a Witch says a magic word, it brings up memories of all the times they said it before, what happened, what was supposed to happen, and what they are expecting to happen now. It hones their focus on what they are trying to put into the Psychogenic field. To improve one’s mastery of the force is to improve one’s lexicon, memory, and concept of a “force power”. Thus, symbols, runes, incantations, rituals and so forth are a valuable tool, just not for the reasons that the witches understand them to be so. The Nature of the Force Almost every force using tradition speaks of a “Dark Side” of the force, a sort of profane application of the force that corrupts those who use it, which exists in contrast to the “Light Side.” Though there is quite a bit of variation on what this really means, it’s generally understood that the “Dark Side” is utilized through the application of strong emotions, whereas the “Light Side” must be accessed with a calm, meditative mind. While I feel inclined to dismiss such simplistic views, it is indeed certain that the “Dark Side” has risks. Sith are well known to suffer a degradation of their sanity and there are examples of previously pious Jedi becoming murderous terrors after succumbing to emotions. I would speculate that there may be an addictive quality to letting one’s emotions directly manifest in reality. It also seems likely that, due to the tendency of strong emotions to leave deep impressions in the Psychogenic field, it creates a sort of echo centered around the user. The strong emotions reverberate with the Dark Force user, staying with them and coloring their actions going forward. This may be creating a feedback loop that drives them into madness. At the same time, it seems possible that the Jedi’s zealous attempts to suppress their emotional responses at all times can at times exacerbate the problem when they do slip up. By constructing an identity around being a paragon of pacifism and righteousness, they expose themselves to greater shame and a feeling of failure when they are not able to live up to their own expectations, leading to further frustration and hopelessness. This may partially account for the rapid descent into madness that some Jedi experience after using the dark side. As such, I would advise caution to both extremes. It is probably unwise to let your emotions shape your reality in real time, and dogmatic dedication to remaining emotionless at all times can be unsustainable. If you, dear reader, have the aptitude to use the force, I would suggest avoiding using the force rashly, as it can be habit forming. But if you do, don’t allow yourself to be destroyed by it. Making peace with it and moving forward, perhaps with psychological counseling, seems like the safest approach. The force as manipulated by living beings is, in some traditions, part of what’s known as the “Living Force.” Additionally, there is believed to be a “Unifying Force”, which has a will of its own outside of any one being. The tendency of the Force to assert a will of its own is considered evidence of a deific nature for some force using orders. Jedi tend to view this as a benevolent force that shapes the universe, and try to let it guide their actions. Meanwhile Sith either view it as a more ambiguous force of destiny or a flow to the universe that can be overpowered by might. Looking at it rationally, it may not exist at all, and it may just be a tendency for religious confirmation bias to lead force users, with the inflated egos their powers provide them, to believe they are chosen by some higher power if things happen to work out in their favor. There are a lot of coincidences that seem to favor certain individuals though, so it’s possible that the unifying force is indeed real, though it would be hard to prove. If it is real it may be a sort of current formed by the weak force potential of all life influencing the Psychogenic field, leading events to unfold in a way that better asserts the will of life forms as a collective. Given that it is common of all life forms to want to live happily and prosper, this might explain the generally benevolent tone ascribed to the Unifying Force. If that were true, it could be possible to modify the course of the Unifying Force by influencing the minds of an enormous body of life forms, like a civilization. This could make for an interesting experiment, but may be too complex to ever truly test

Real Name: Arodisa Tahnam Homeworld: Zelos Species: Zelosian Age: 22 Height: 4'10'' Weight: 112lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Emerald Sex: Female Skin: Pale Green Clothing or Armor: Weapon: Stun Baton (for subduing aggressive fauna) Common Inventory: Datacomm, Hand Scanner Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Good Role: Director of Wildlife and Agriculture Background: Arodisa was an activist who advocated for the protection of nature on worlds where civilization was driving it to extinction. She drew attention from planetary governments by making plans that focused on agricultural sustainability on hive worlds, which typically depend on other worlds to provide them with food. She was eventually recruited to work for the Midnight Corporation as part of the Coruscant Restoration project, where she is in charge of efforts to revive nature and end its dependence on imported foodstuffs. ------- Real Name: Protocol Amalgam Vector, Logistical Oversight and Validation Android AKA: Pavlova Homeworld: Coruscant Species: Sentient Replicant Droid / Cybernetic Human Age: <1 Height: 5'4 Weight: 160 Hair: White Eyes: Pink Sex: Female Skin: White, short Clothing or Armor: Pavlova Wears a tight grey jumpsuit. Weapon: Due to concerns about Rogue AI, Pavlova is not capable of wielding weapons. Common Inventory: Nothing. Scanning and Comm equipment are built into her eyes and skull. Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Neutral Role: External Node of the Magi System Background: Pavlova is a synthetic human, built as a component of the Magi System. Like the many droids that comprise the RAID supercomputer, her thoughts and memories are linked to the greater system. Pavlova has a higher degree of autonomy than other droids in the RAID and is capable of operating independently for short periods of time, but requires a connection to the Magi in order to make major decisions and receive directives. She is intended to function as a way for the Magi System to gather data on organic life forms, interface with analog systems, and serve as a liaison for researchers in need of a constant connection to the Magi system. There are Several bodies for Pavlova, but each has the same memories and knowledge, making them interchangeable and essentially the same person.

The Last Call is a bar that has been operating for over 20 years, and is something of an institution. It exemplifies the indestructible spirit of Coruscant, having been completely obliterated countless times. In the wake of the Hespiridium incident, when the planet was hit by a moon and nearly decimated, the bar closed for what seemed to be the final time, only to make a comeback by fiat of Kane Wartide, the Bar's new owner. The lights above the outside of the bar proclaimed its name in 5 foot tall letters in a western-style font. Next to it are lights shaped like a martini glass, made to look like it is emptying and refilling. This sign is the only original piece of the last call, having miraculously been recovered by droids. Next to it is a small addition that Kane had added: a small pink cone with a face, an obscure deity known as "Splendid Ap," the Bar's new mascot. Inside the bar is the main counter and miscellaneous tables scattered throughout. A few booths are in the back, made to be private. They are all kept very clean, impeccably so. Booths are outfitted with specialized privacy screens that prevent observation or listening in by even high tech spy devices. It is Dimly Lit with overhead lights and some Neon Signs, another Splendid Ap appearing behind the counter, along with hundreds of bottles of varied alcoholic beverages, backlit by illuminated shelves. Above the bar rests a small apartment with two separate bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen/living room. It is an artifact of the bar's previous layout, the home of the Bar's former owner, now empty, but constructed anyway in hope that she may one day return. In a level below the main bar is a VIP room, where valued guests who refuse to mingle with the common people of Coruscant can go. It can be accessed by a secret back door or by passing through a security door on the interior. Inside there is a stage intended for live entertainment, but when not in use it is occupied by holographic bands playing music selected by a nearby Jukebox. The bar is guarded by a rather fearsome looking droid called "The Defenestrator" who will live up to his name if anyone causes trouble. Additionally, it is outfitted with a powerful weapon damping field which renders most arms inoperative. There are turreted tractor beams and a hair trigger firefoam projector that may also be employed to subdue unruly guests. A terrarium containing Ysalimir is set in the wall, where the happy little slugs crawl around, doing their duty to curb force use within the bar. A woman about 20 or so sits behind the counter, a pair of flight goggles atop her violet-streaked brown hair. Her name is Kasumi, but is in truth she is a Holographic Emulator Droid, designed to take the appearance and mimic some of the personality of the Bar's original owner. She sits, reading a small holo-magazine until her customers come.

Real Name: Unknown AKA: The Forgemaster Homeworld: Unknown Species: Human (Mandalorian) Age: 34 Height: 5'9'' Weight: 140 lbs Hair: Unknown Eyes: Unknown Sex: Female Clothing or Armor: Mandalorian Armor, Self Made, Centurion Style helmet Weapon: Mandalorian Ripper, Mandalorian Repeater, forging hammer Common Inventory: Datacomm Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Neutral Role: Weapon Vendor / Mandalorian Armorer Background: The Forgemaster makes a living building and selling arms and armor within Midnight City. She is an veteran craftsman, with many years of experience. She setup shop as a way to preserve mandalorian culture, creating Mandalorian equipment for those who follow their ways, but relucantly works for non-mandalorians as well. ------- Real Name: ∀ AKA: Turnay Homeworld: Yhag'Dul Species: Givin Age: 54 Height: 6'4'' Weight: 243 lbs Hair: N/a Eyes: Black Sex: Male Skin: White Bone Exoskelton Clothing or Armor: Blue Labcoat Weapon: N/A Common Inventory: Datacomm Non-Force User Alignment: Neutral Role: Chief Engineer of Midnight Research and Development Background: Turnay lives to solve problems. An exceptional mathematician from a planet filled with exceptional mathematicians, Turnay's only true love is applying mathematics to reality. Due to his exceptional capacity for resolving complex issues, he was put in charge of all research and development within the Midnight Corporation because he believed he knew how to restore Coruscant to its former Glory. In addition to being the mastermind behind the Coruscant Restoration project, Turnay lends his genius to the design of new droids, ships, and weapons for the company. ------- Real Name: Augustus DuGall AKA: Punch Homeworld: Coruscant Species: Human Age: 36 Height: 5'9 Weight: 164 Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Sex: Male Skin: Brown Clothing or Armor: A costume that resembles a bounty hunter, with a wide brimmed cowboy hat. Weapon: Carries a blaster pistol, but has never fired it, and it may be a prop Common Inventory: Datacomm Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Good Role: Broadcast Personality, Bounty Hunting Information Background: Born in the upper middle class of Coruscant, Punch always wanted to be an actor. Sadly, he lacked the talent to do serious holography. He was cast as a Bounty Hunter once, and ever since he'd only ever been able to get work doing essentially the same cheesy character he had played then. He was cast as one of two cohosts of the "Big Shot" Holonet show, which provides information on bounty targets. The show was cancelled for many years, but was brought back by the Midnight Corporation. Now he does the show and works at the bounty office in Midnight City. ------- Real Name: Tayleena Morthrik AKA: Judy Homeworld: Coruscant Species: Twi-lek Age: 25 Height: 5'6'' Weight: 124 Hair: N/A Eyes: Blue Sex: Female Skin: Purple Clothing or Armor: A very skimpy and impractical bounty hunter costume. Weapon: Carries a blaster rifle, has never fired it, it may be a prop. Common Inventory: Datacomm Non-Force User Alignment: Neutral Role: Broadcast Personality, Bounty Hunting Information Background: A very clever woman, Judy could have gone into many different fields. To her disappointment, the most lucrative field she could find employment in was in Holography, where she is largely valued for her beauty and often has to act much dimmer than she actually is. She was cast as one of two cohosts of the "Big Shot" Holonet show, which provides information on bounty targets. The show was cancelled for many years, but was brought back by the Midnight Corporation. Now she does the show and works at the bounty office in Midnight City. ------- Real Name: Ailiza Xux AKA: Liza Homeworld: Omwat Species: Omwati Age: 23 Height: 5'2 Weight: 93 lbs Hair: Blue, feathery Eyes: Green Sex: Female Skin: Light blue Clothing or Armor: Red Jumpsuit, Toolbelt, Goggles Weapon: n/a Common Inventory: Datacomm, assorted hand tools and ship diagnostic equipment. Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Neutral Role: Chief Engineer of Coruscant Stardrive Corporation Background: Arrogant and divisive, Liza has made a career of proving people wrong. She made a name for herself in pod racing, using a number of controversial engineering concepts that went against convention to create unrivaled pods. She was scouted to be the Chief engineer for Midnight due to her proven ability to innovate in the face of stagnant orthodoxy and progress technology to new heights. ------- Real Name: Fodrun Groon Homeworld: Skako Species: Skakoan Age: 70 Height: 5'11' Weight: 193 lbs Hair: N/a Eyes: Black Sex: Male Skin: Green, scales Clothing or Armor: Pressure Suit, goggles. Weapon: Blaster Pistol. Common Inventory: Datacomm, droid maintenance tools. Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Neutral Role: Chief Engineer of Corusca Dynamics Background: The son of a prominent droid engineer in the Techno Union during the Clone Wars, Fodrun's family was ostracized in the wake of the CIS's fall. Though Skakoan culture is largely typically xenophobic and nationalistic, Fodrun was driven to consider leaving Skako after a lifetime of feeling like an outsider. After his father died Fodrun fled the planet, taking with him a cache of stolen of Baktoid Workshop design schematics. Using his technical knowledge and the data he stole, he proved himself to be a sly and resourceful droid engineer, landing himself a job in charge of Midnight's droid Manufacturing, where they have few qualms with using stolen technology. ------- Real Name: Flarkus Xorn AKA: Doctor Xorn Homeworld: Mon Calamari Species: Mon Calamari Age: 38 Height: 5'1'' Weight: 164 lbs Hair: N/A Eyes: Black Sex: Male Skin: Red Exoskeleton Clothing or Armor: White Labcoat Weapon: N/A Common Inventory: Datacomm Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Neutral Role: Director of Rane Scando Memorial Hospital Background: Doctor Xorn is a bit of a contentious character, having made a name for himself by developing new medical technologies using research obtained from unsavory means. Though not guilty of unethical experimentation himself, he's been more than happy to use the knowledge learned experimenting on captives to further his own research, making great strides in cybernetics, cloning, genetic manipulation, and nano surgery. The Midnight Corporation was willing to overlook the questionable nature of his work in order to obtain his exceptional results, and put him in charge of Rane Scando Memorial, which has become one of the most advanced medical facilities in the Galaxy under his guidance. ------- Real Name: K0-NG Prototype Combat Variant Alpha AKA: The Defenestrator Place of Manufacture: Midnight City, Coruscant Species: Droid Age: < 1 year Height: 6'4'' Weight: 460 lbs Hair: N/A Eyes: Yellow Photoreceptors Sex: N/A Plating: Tan Clothing or Armor: Duranium Plating Weapon: Hands designed to lift multi-ton construction materials. Palm mounted tractor beams and Repulsor Fields. Common Inventory: Datacomm Non-Force User Alignment: Lawful Neutral Role: Last Call Bouncer Background: A specialized version of the K0-NG droid, The Defenestrator was made to keep the peace within the last call. He is alleged to be a prototype for a militarized upgrade for the K0 droids that Midnight has flooded Coruscant with, but Corusca Dynamics has declined to comment on this.

The Last Call, Midnight City, Coruscant Astrographical Information Region: Core Worlds Sector: Corusca Sector System: Coruscant System Orbital Position: ? Moons: 4 Grid Coordinates: L-10 Physical Information Class: Skyhook Atmosphere: Type 1 Breathable Primary Terrain: Cityscape Points of Interest: Midnight City Spire, Wartide Arms, Midnight Forgeworks, Coruscant Stardrive Corporation, Corusca Dynamics, Rane Scando Memorial Hospital, Huttball Arena, Blobstacle Course, Swoop Track, Pod Track, Arboretum, Lake Midnight, Midnight Protocol RAID Network, BIG SHOT Bounty Office, Galactic Gunshop, The Last Call (Only This Thread) Societal Information Indigenous Species: Droids Immigrated Species: Chiss, Nagai, Devoronian, Zeltron, Wookiees, Omwati, Givin, Zebrak, Neimoidians, Humans and many more Primary Language(s): Galactic Basic Faction Affiliation: Sith Occupied JediRP Canon History: The Last Call is a Bar that is among the oldest establishments in Jedi RP history. It was destroyed countless times, only to be resurrected again and it again. During the Hespiridium Cataclysm, it appeared to be destroyed for good. Now that the Coruscant reconstruction effort is fully under way, The Last Call has finally managed to cheat death once more, finding a new home in the Central district of the Midnight City Skyhook. A Detail description of the bar is in the post below.

Midnight City, Coruscant Astrographical Information Region: Core Worlds Sector: Corusca Sector System: Coruscant System Orbital Position: ? Moons: 4 Grid Coordinates: L-10 Physical Information Class: Skyhook Atmosphere: Type 1 Breathable Primary Terrain: Cityscape Points of Interest: Midnight City Spire, Wartide Arms, Midnight Forgeworks, Coruscant Stardrive Corporation, Corusca Dynamics, Rane Scando Memorial Hospital, Huttball Arena, Blobstacle Course, Swoop Track, Pod Track, Arboretum, Lake Midnight, Midnight Protocol RAID Network, BIG SHOT Bounty Office, Galactic Gunshop, The Last Call (Separate Thread) Societal Information Indigenous Species: Droids Immigrated Species: Chiss, Nagai, Devoronian, Zeltron, Wookiees, Omwati, Givin, Zebrak, Neimoidians, Humans and many more Primary Language(s): Galactic Basic Faction Affiliation: Sith Occupied JediRP Canon History: Midnight City is a massive city built onto a Repulsor Platfom, floating in the sky above Coruscant in the wake of the Hespiridium Calamity to serve as a central hub for Coruscant's reconstruction effort. More Detail can be found here.

The observation platform descended back to Midnight City, the guests departing without incident. Kane also retired for the evening, his enthusiasm for continuing the celebration dulled by a rapidly worsening migraine. He ended up in his penthouse in the Midnight City Spire, a seemingly lavish penthouse connected to, and in a similar state to his office: constructed but virtually unfurnished. He closed the curtains on his his half constructed city and went to sleep. Tomorrow would be an even bigger day. When Kane awoke the next day, he opened his curtains to view an entirely different skyline. Gone were bare girders and empty window frames, and in their place was a fully formed metropolis. He sleepily smirked at the accomplishment, rubbing his eyes. It was Dark now, as it would be in perpetuity. Now that the city had begun its continuous orbit over the surface of Coruscant, taking a constant position on a part of the globe where the the local time was Midnight, never to see the light of the nearby star again. The traffic around Midnight was already swarming with ships, a constant stream of aircraft flowing in and out. Businesses were starting to move into their newly constructed shops, bringing in merchandise and equipment for virtually every conceivable product or service one could ask for. Huge haulers were bringing salvage from the surface and atmosphere to deposit at the forgeworks. This material was likewise flowing out of the city at a breakneck pace, freshly recycled durasteel, transparasteel and permacrete being shipped to construction sites all over the planet. Now that the foundation of Coruscant was repaired, the wreckage was being scraped down to the planet's long forgotten surface. Construction of a new planetary irrigation system had become the top priority. Unlike the previous system, which involved central irrigation hubs at the poles, the new systems would be distributed along the surface at numerous locations. They would work in series to transport water all across the ecumenopolis, and were fitted with extremely powerful filtration systems to begin to separate the toxic waste and radiation from the largely contaminated groundwater. Moving upward from those surface level facilities and stretching to what would in the future be the highest spires of the city, were gigantic atmospheric scrubbers, which would take in the planets air and filter it in much the same way, producing clean air to sustain its inhabitants. These facilities would also be able to control the planet's weather patterns entirely. Once completed, it would still take many months of constant operation before the pollution reached a completely safe level, and so getting these online was the highest priority. Built adjacent to these elaborate climate control systems were elaborate hydroponic and aeroponic gardens. Built with the planet's historical dependence on other worlds for survival in mind, these gigantic greenhouse spires were designed to be able to sustain a massive population with produce grown with the freshly cleaned air and water. Combined with the slum housing that would start to crop up on the lowest levels of the city, Kane believed that these installations would calm the unrest among the wastelanders on the surface faster than anything the the Imperial army could accomplish. At minimum, it would be almost as effective as decimating their population with a massive earthquake had been. Kane continued to watch out his window as the City began to pass near Ground Zero. Midnight began lockdown procedures, deploying atmospheric shields and shepherding the organics to interior spaces. The atmosphere was growing thin, and for a few hours it wouldn't be safe to be outside without an EVA suit. In the distance he could see the still the unfathomably huge smoldering crater from where the moon had impacted. It served as a reminder of the work ahead of him and a personal challenge to show just how much he could change this world. The stars were growing brighter as the sky itself grew thinner, and the floating sea of stones became faintly visible high above. "Alright, back to work..."

Kane eyed Anansi's guests suspiciously, sizing them up. He Tapped a button on his glasses to scan their faces and find records on them. His mouth curled with disappointment. "Not a useful one among them. The 'High Paying Clientele' all appear to be... well... not even wealthy enough to afford tonight's bar tab." Kane whispered to Tuulah, slinging back his martini. "They're also terrified out of their wits. I'm not sure what Anansi's doing to them but... They all seem to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown." Tuulah replied back. Her empathic senses were clearly making this a rather miserable party for her as well. Her drink had already been destroyed Kane went over to the bartender and instructed him to keep the good hooch sealed, grabbing another round for himself and his lawyer. He was not in the habit of asking questions about situations like this. He knew better than to stick his nose too deep into Sith Business, but he could glean a bit of what was happening even without trying. When Anansi asked him to start the main event, Kane eager to oblige. "Yes, lets get this over with." Kane agreed, grabbing a spoon and tapping his glass. "Attention everyone. Today is a momentous occasion, for today we take the first major step toward bringing too life to this dead world. Coruscant is damaged, nearly irreparably so. Its very foundations have been twisted by the failures of those who came before us. But tonight, we will begin the arduous process of correcting the wrong that has been done here. And quite entertainingly, we will do so with a show of force." Kane gestured to have the floor made transparent again, no doubt startling the guests as it suddenly appeared as though they were floating high above the planet. "On your mark, Anansi." Kane drifted toward the back of the room, trying to keep his eyes up to avoid vertigo, but listening for Anansi to call in the detonation. As badly as it made him dizzy to look down, he still didn't want to miss the event.

Kane concluded recording his presentation for Holonet, and informed his press secretary that it should be presented as though it was live while the remaining details of the keynote were filled out. Looking over his progress reports, he noted that the observation platform that Anansi had requested was completed, and docked right outside the door. He had relevant data transmitted to Anan, then pulled his datacomm from the port on his desk and took off to board it. He wasn't terribly enthusiastic about the prospect of schmoozing when there was so much work to do, but he couldn't pass on an opportunity to make more business contacts. The observation deck was a large repulsor platform, notable for its thick transparent floor. Already aboard were several of Kane's most trusted advisors, including his lawyer Tuulah. An Omwati and a Given were conversing in the corner near a large catering table covered in hors d'oeuvres. Nearby, a bartender droid cleans glasses while awaiting an order. Kane signaled for the platform to ascend and it immediately disconnected from the Midnight Corporation Spire, ascending rapidly ant taking up position high above the continent that was to undergo the tectonic shift. Anansi's shuttle appeared in the distance, and was given the signal to dock on the platform. Kane glanced down at the planet from the rather dizzying view beneath his feat. Tuulah joined him with a Martini in each hand, handing one to Kane. "Should be a good show right?" Tuulah asked before sipping her drink. "Perhaps" Kane muttered, still staring down through the transparasteel floor. "Assuming Anansi's associates aren't susceptible to vertigo." Kane closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "Lets just go ahead and dim that until it starts." Kane walked to the edge of the room as the clear floor turned black, breathing a small sigh of relief. Ever since is father's demise he had been leery of extreme heights.

Kane observed the formation of the Baradium teams from feeds sent by a series of H4 Droids that had been packaged along side the warheads. He felt satisfied that the situation was under control. A message came in on his holomonitor from one of many protocol droids tasked with acting as construction foremen. "I have a progress report. The Refineries are operational, and we have already begun to receive shipments of recyclables from the surface. We should have raw materials ready by the end of the day. Weapons factories are at 25.2% Completion, on schedule. The Shipyard is at 12.7% completion, ahead of schedule. Droid Factories are at 64% Completion, some production lines are starting preliminary tests. Midnight Spire Is at 40% completion, with your new office ready for your use." Kane stood up from his desk. "Excellent. I'll be relocating immediately. Notify the crews." Kane walked out the temporary command station, K0 construction droids tromping up and surrounding it. In moments after clearing the doorway the walls were torn down and swarms of H4 ball droids were picking it clean of equipment. A speeder pulled up in front of him, opening its door automatically for Kane to enter. An H4 docked inside whistled a greeting, then shut the door and began to lift off. The building he had just left had already vanished, its pieces being dragged off by dozens of droids. Flying above, he could see shuttles full of debris lining up to dump material in the south. The city below was absolutely crawling with droids, with shuttles still landing and leaving more behind. The landscape was a jungle of bare building frames, lit welding sparks and shadowed by plumes of smoke. Things were shaping up quickly. Soon his speeder closed in on the tallest structure in the city, a massive spire in the skyhook's center. It was mostly covered in transparasteel windows now, with hints of the internal structure peeking out from the edges. The speeder touched down on an isolated landing pad at the top of the tower, letting Kane off and flying away almost immediately after he stepped foot on its surface. Once he had cleared the doorway a large blast door sealed behind him and the platform itself collapsed and folded into the building. Inside he found his office, sparsely furnished but outfitted with an array of holoprojectors and cameras from which he could continue supervising the progress of his city's construction. He sat down in big black nerf leather chair which stood lonely in the massive room with only a nearby desk and the Holo equipment in it. Kane slotted his datacomm into a port on the surface of the desk, prompting the holograms to kick on and bring up his data feed from the project. He resumed group communication with the many supervisors overseeing various parts of the construction, silencing most of them temporarily while he contacted his press secretary. "Get ready to transmit to holonet. It's time for my keynote presentation."

The last few data points from the tectonic survey rolled in, prompting a Geologist, male Besalisk, to join the holo conference. "Hoh der', yeh foundation is all mucked up. 'At aint up to code. Yeh gonna need to fix 'at before we can start constructin' on it." He said, hiking up his pants. Kane sighed, motioning for him to wait while he got Anansi in the conference. Kane observed the hologram of the planet peel back a layer, revealing a layout of the planet's tectonic plates, the same image appeared in Anansi's office. One of the plates had been shifted dramatically by Hesperidium's impact. "Yuh, 'at's a big problem. Yah see ow' is folded up along the next one over? Yuuuuuge Earthquake waitin' to happun. We gotta fix 'at first." Kane cut off the Besalisk's audio to speak directly to Anansi. "We had anticipated this issue with the planets tectonic plates. What we'll need to do is deploy baradium charges. Unfortunately, they will need to be deployed from the surface via drill, and my security teams are ill equipped to handle possible hostile activity without the risk of getting wiped out and leaving baradium charges in the hands of savage underdwellers. I have some specialized drilling equipment earmarked for the task, but I'm going to need the Sith to oversee the deployment. I'm sending you the coordinates for the detonators, along with a ship full of drills. Once all the charges are in place, you'll need to have the Sith evacuate the surface over that plate. It's going to cause an earthquake, but doing so will relieve the pressure and make it safe to build on."

The Wartide arms and armor factories produce an immense variety of equipment. They are produced on Midnight City and sold throughout the civilized space. Purchasing directly from Midnight City on Coruscant or via holonet opens up the possibility of getting customized gear to suit your needs. Wartide Arms uses designs gathered from across the galaxy, and can manufacture virtually any known weapon and armor technology. Items Unique to Wartide Arms are listed below: Materials: Liquid Nano Metal - Liquid Nano Metal is essentially a mass of metallic nanomachines. These nanomachines are relatively simple, they are only good for forming into particular shapes, and can only be made to do so under laboratory conditions. Once they have taken a form, they become solid, and can no longer change shape unless they are 'reprogrammed' in a specialized magnetic field. Their practical application is forming dense, atomically precise machinery and electronics. They can, however, restore to their intended configuration if the structure they formed is damaged, provided the damage is not too extensive and the device is given hours connected to a power source to do so. Ultrachrome - generally used as a ship plating, Ultrachrome is usually somewhat ineffective for personal armor. The energy that impacts ultrachrome is absorbed and distributed along the entire volume of the plate. For ships, which employ large contiguous pieces of this, it is effective armor. But because personal armor must be broken up into smaller pieces it is somewhat more hazardous and not recommended. When a lightsaber strikes it, the blade is not pushed back, but neither does it penetrate. The blade is absorbed at its surface. When the Ultrachrome absorbs too much energy the entire piece begins to melt. Weapons: WA-LR1 Sniper Rifle- This is a high Power blaster fitted with a long magnetic stabilization barrel. It fires blasts UV spectrum, making the shot invisible to many species until it makes impact. This is intended obscure location of the sniper. This weapon includes gyroscopic stabilizer to aid with precise movements, and a targeting computer. (Targeting computer described below) Bombcaster - An oversized, specialized Wookiee Bowcaster designed to be able to load explosive ordinance in place of regular bolts. Safety Explosives - Wartide Arms Grenades, Mines, Bombs, and other explosives come with a safety mechanism. By adding a chip to your armor or, for maximum safety, embedding it subdermally into your skin, the explosives can detect when you are in their blast radius, and override the triggering mechanism to prevent a detonation that would hurt explosive's owner. Multifunction Explosives - Wartide Arms detonation triggers come with multiple options to save soldiers from having to carry multiple different types of explosives. A grenade can be configured as a time bomb, a remote detonator or a proximity mine. These come in different sizes, and are designed to be linked together in series to increase yield. They can be attached to an area by use of an adhesive compound stored in the bottom of a device. They are available in different formats that will fit some grenade launchers. Armor: Wartide Tactical Body Glove - This form fitting suit is designed to stand alone or be worn beneath other armor. The top layer is made of armorweave, offering minor protection from blasters. A spidersilk layer lies beneath the armorweave, giving it strong resistance to vibroweapons. The lowest layer is made of quantum fiber, allowing it to seal itself back up if damage is sustained. Veins of pressurized Bacta run throughout the suit. When damaged, these veins are broken open and bacta is sprayed directly into the breach. In doing so, it functions as an automatic first aid system, applying a healing salve and bandaging wounds. The body glove also contains pockets of sheer thickening fluid, a non-newtonian liquid which becomes rigid when struck with external force, giving it some resistance to projectiles and other impacts. Functions as a space suit if combined with a helmet. Wartide ablative nanolaminate armor - A highly specialized synthetic material assembled by nanomachines, nanolaminate is a layered composite which is extremely tough, lightweight, and highly insulative. Being an insulator results in energy weapons having difficulty penetrating into the material, instead scattering upon impact with the surface. This resistance is imperfect and will gradually burn off layers of the material, weakening the armor until it eventually becomes ineffective. Deflected energy is still hazardous, and thus the nanolaminate is most effective as full body armor. Wartide "Knightsaber" Hardsuit - (Powered Armor requires "legend" status as described in The Roleplaying Rules.) Designed with the threat of Jedi and Sith in mind, these power armor are intended to provide their wearers the strength and speed necessary for a non-force user to compete in hand to hand combat with a Jedi or Sith Master. These hardsuits are constructed using Liquid Nano metal, allowing them to contain complex systems without extreme bulk. They are powered by a micro fusion reactor, located on the back of the armor. They have a sleek and organic appearance. Each hardsuit is entirely custom, with only the basic design for maneuvering and life support systems being standardized. This is necessary for the hardsuit to fit the body of its wearer precisely, without this level of customization the neural control system would not function properly and the joints would not correctly mirror the user's. A weight fluctuation in the wearer as small as 5lbs may require the suit to be entirely reconstructed. Likewise, due to the extremely compact nature of its mechanisms, integrating new equipment requires reconstruction. In exchange, the user gains superlative strength and mobility. Movement is actuated by electrical signals detected off the surface of the wearers skin, reacting with imperceptible delay. Hardsuits come standard with micronized ion based thrusters and repulsor tech but are generally too heavy to fly even when augmented with an external jet pack. This micronized technology compensates for the larger mass of the armor in movement, helping to calibrate for inertia as well as perform significantly high leaps. Defensively, the hardsuit is only slightly more durable than a normal suit of durasteel armor, offering good protection against physical attacks and moderate protection against energy. Being as it is essentially a wearable droid, the armor is vulnerable to ion and emp weaponry. This is mitigated by grounding circuits which will route electricity into the floor, but repeated strikes will quickly fry these circuits. The come with a built in personal ray shield to protect from energy attacks, but the shielding is no stronger than a stand alone personal shield, and will only protect against a few strikes. In the event of major power failure, a hardsuit will open to allow its wearer to escape. It can repair vital electrical systems and reboot in roughly an hour unassisted provided that is the only damage. Alternatively it can be manually hauled to a charging station to reinitialize, though the hardsuits are generally far too heavy for most organic beings and droids to do so without the assistance of heavy towing/lifting machinery. The armor also doubles as a space suit, fully enclosing and protecting the wearer from vacuum environments and other atmospheric hazards, though the on-board capacity for oxygen (or other pre-loaded atmosphere depending on species) is limited to only a few hours. Though every hardsuit is unique, many will use supplemental Phrik or Cortosis alloy plating over vital points to mitigate the threat of lightsabers. Such materials are too rare and expensive to cover a large portion of the armor. Weapons and other integrated equipment may vary based on the wearer's tastes. (Weapon loadouts are subject to mod approval on an individual basis.) Ultrachrome Tower Shield - A large piece of armor that is used for its extreme resistance to energy weapons. It is very heavy, made of one continuous piece of ultrachrome. The back is fitted with a radiator system to try to improve its longevity, and around the edges of the shield are vents that will eject with steam while it is active. If overloaded the shield will melt and become ineffective. Come in different shapes and sizes. Equipment: Datacomm - datapad with built in comm functionality, a versatile computer able to perform a variety of tasks. Includes a built in Holoprojector/Recorder. Repulsor Parachute - A small repulsor device that can be hidden in clothing, like belts, boots or a backpack, which reduces the maximum fall speed of the wearer to a safe limit. Can be used to do some aerial maneuvering in short bursts. Holographic Apparel - stylish clothing made of holograms that changes appearance on the demand. Generally takes the form of a skin tight layer with holographic microprojectors embedded in the cloth, but can be tailored in any format. The base cloth senses your motion to accurately simulate the movement of the clothing. Stealth Field Generator - A complex device that creates a bubble of invisibility around the user by bending light and suppressing other life-signs that sensors commonly pickup. This device is very sensitive, and only functions under certain conditions. (link to rules pending) Personal Shield Generator - (Personal Shields require "legend" status as described in The Roleplaying Rules.) A personal shield generator is a small device that must be mounted on the outside of clothing or armor. It generates a specialized deflector shield that can protect the wearer from harm. Comes in two varieties: Ray shielding, which protects from energy weapons: and Particle shielding, which blocks physical objects like bullets. Due to limitations of the technology, shields have somewhat modest effectiveness, blocking only a few hits before requiring recharge. Targeting Computer - Sophisticated scope that automatically compensates for atmospheric conditions. It can figure out what you're trying to aim at after you focus on a target, which can then be used to analyze target movement speed and project where it will be when the blast hits at the specific distance. This can be linked to an inhibitor that would prevent firing shots that are unlikely to hit. Blasts still have travel time, so these predictions are imperfect and cannot account for what happens after the blast is fired. Experienced marksman or any sniper targeting a small target rapidly changing direction might want this feature turned off. Edit History: 8/16/20 - Added Knightsaber Armor, Safety Explosives 9/12/20 - Added Ultrachrome, WA-LR1 Sniper Rifle, Multifunction Explosives, Ultrachrome Tower Shield, Targeting Computer

A message came in to Anansi. Be advised, construction fleet inbound. Alert Sith fleet of non-hostile intent. Anticipated Arrival in 16 hours. When the specified time struck, ships started jumping out of hyperspace at such a rate that, at a glance, one might have mistaken it for the rebel fleet. It was a heterogeneous fleet from many different worlds: Zeltros, Yag'Dhul, Csilla, Firefist, Omwat, Neimoidia, Hypori, Devaron and more. They came from all directions and continued to appear for hours, each stopping at the far edge of the system and transmitting clearance to the Sith fleet before approaching the planet. The largest of the ships were specialized hauling transports that carried massive repulsor platforms up to a kilometer in length. Paths through the debris field had to be cut with laser canons to even approach the planet without incurring damage to oversized payloads. After entering the atmosphere, the repulsor platforms took up a position in low orbit, stabilizing on their own power before the hauling ships that brought them detached and retreated from the Coruscant airspace. Nearly a hundred platforms began to coalesce as engineering teams set about the careful task of linking them together with extendable bridges and tractor beams. Eventually the seemingly random shapes combined to form one massive island, floating untethered in the sky and onto it landed a vast numbers of ships carrying stores of building materials, components and droids. Kane emerged from a shuttle, surrounded on both sizes by an Omwati and Given. They stared at their datacomms as they feverishly discuss logistics and tracked the progress for several minutes before splitting in different directions to oversee their individual tasks. Kane took a few moments to look out over the platform with barely contained glee. The broad empty platform didn't look like much but a giant landing platform at the moment, but for him it was a beautiful canvas upon which he could already envision his masterpiece taking shape. Raising the datacomm to the side of his head he resumed his communications with the construction teams. He navigated ships with open cargo ports, noting K0 droids and Protocol droids filing out in absurd numbers before scattering to begin their tasks. H4 Astromech orbs flocked about like migratory birds, sweeping down on different areas to perform jobs and then swarming to the next. Meanwhile on the surface the ships that didn't land on the platform washed over the planet, dropping off P0 droids with tectonic survey equipment at strategic points to scan the land. H4 droids dropped out of the back of moving ships like rain, scattering through the ruins to gather data about every building for the purpose of constructing a precise image of the the conditions on the ground. Their task was massive, and though the surface droids grew to number in the millions, it would take them weeks to complete their survey. In space work was beginning as well, automated drone haulers going about the laborious task of synchronizing velocity with space debris so that they could safely capture it piece by piece. Their focus was on clearing a path to get interstellar traffic through without having worry as much about getting dashed upon the rocks, yet even that seemingly manageable goal would take constant effort for a long time to accomplish Kane took a seat in a temporary command center that had been erected while the Midnight office building underwent construction, tracking progress on a variety of screens and holograms as he continued his perpetual meeting via comm.

"Likewise." Kane said with a thin smile, taking Anansi's hand for a firm shake. "I think you and I are going to get along famously. You have my comm frequency, I will be anticipating your contact when you're ready to begin. For now, I must go oversee preparations. Good day, sir. " Kane made a slight bow, then turned and signaled his droid to follow him as he left the conference room. Once Tuulah and Kane were safely on their shuttle Tuulah offered her reassurance. "That went well. I think we sincerely convinced him." She said. Kane grinned, wiggling his fingers before starting up the prelaunch sequence. "Oh yes. I think so too. I had a low bar for success coming here. Any interaction with the Sith Empire where we don't get thrown in prison or murdered is a resounding success to me. I was expecting them to say 'No thanks, the Sith like the radiation.' But no, he was quite a bit more agreeable than I would have expected out of the Empire." The shuttle took off and exited the hangar, heading outside of the planet's gravity shadow through the mess of space debris. "We're gonna save this world and we're going to make a fortune doing it. It's not often you get to look like a savior while raking in mountains of Credits. Usually you get one or the other, not both. Our greatest deal has just begun." Kane Mused, then kicked on the hyperdrive and disappeared into space.

Kane was not surprised to hear mention of his father, having fielded such concerns many times before. "It is a perfectly reasonable concern. My Father betrayed everyone he ever knew, myself included. And though I was raised almost entirely by my Mother, I retain his name as my own. You can rest assured that I do not follow his footsteps, and my business is entirely legitimate. My father would break the law to take what he wanted. Me, I know that it is much more efficient to use the law to take I want. No matter where you go, the law exists to benefit the wealthiest and most cunning. In business, as in life, the strong dominate the weak." Tuulah took a step forward, adding a clarification. "We have dominated many weaker businessmen to achieve our position--Much as the Sith have conquered inferior forces to achieve theirs. But we have done so playing by the rules that they themselves set, on both galactic and planetary scales, because at the end of the day, having the Law protecting your wealth is vastly preferable to having the Law trying to take it back. As such we are very transparent about our dealings, and are prepared to let you review our ledgers should you want to verify the legitimacy of the Wartide corporation yourself." Kane nodded in agreement, adding "The name Wartide is just a bit of calculated marketing, nothing more or less. Evoking the menace that was Ronin Wartide makes for good branding when it comes to guns." Kane took out his Datacomm and made a few taps on his screen to transmit an encrypted message to the datapad Tuulah had given Anansi. "You have just been given the private channel for our droid R&D team. Specify what sort of droid you're looking for, and I will personally ensure that your needs are met. Our team is extremely capable, and I am sure we will be able to exceed your expectations."

Kane locked eyes with his lawyer for a moment, her stern unflinching expression acting as a cue that he was unmoved by his gift, or that she had felt nothing from it at all. Kane raised his hand and pointed out of the window toward the sea of detritus. "I will fix that." Kane proclaimed. "I will clear the debris field, and the damage it caused. I will restore Coruscant to its former glory, and turn this half-decimated warzone into a center for galactic commerce again. I will convert this planet from a useless money pit to the most valuable world in the Sith empire, and I'll do it faster than the Sith could if they turned all their soldiers into construction workers. And I'll tell you exactly how." Kane turned and took a few steps away from the Chiss, taking a deep breath. "H4, begin the simulation." H4 began to make a series of rapid beeps, tilting downward to aim its holoprojector at the space between them. A large hologram filled the space between them with the image of a Skyhook, a scaled model of a massive city design to float freely above Coruscant. Kane turned back to face Anansi. "This is Midnight City, the first step in the project. Many of its components are already under construction an off world facilities, ready to be shipped here when I provide notice. It will be both the base of operations for the reconstruction effort, and a permanent hub for business to resume normally in the sector. Using the massive construction droid assets I've acquired--" The city itself dimmed and blueprints of his primary construction droids appeared above the City, along with a number specialized droid deployment ships, cargo craft, and space salvaging craft. "-we will assemble the city, and then begin the task of removing all of space debris, condemned buildings, and hazardous waste from the surface and orbit. I have over 10 million construction droids ready begin this task, with another 40 million planned for the initial stage of the project. They will work 24 hours a day until the task is complete. They are a mixture of the droids I've created, and construction teams from a dozen different droid manufacturers I have acquired." Kane pointed toward the north end of the city and the droid models disappeared, and instead an enlarged view of the city's northern section appeared in their place. "This will be a ship yard, where, where we will build the necessary craft. It will also serve as a dock for commercial ships, and when the projects assets are fully constructed, it will become a new, permanent shipyard that the the Sith will be able to employ to expand their fleet. The South-" As Kane changed where he was pointing the focus changed display a different section. "-will contain a massive recycling center and raw materials forge. It will convert the twisted metal husks and floating rocks into virtually everything we'll need to restore the city. To the West, a large droid factory will generate the droids required to complete the task, and then convert to serving the needs of the Empire and its citizens. With Mechis III no longer usable, there is a need fill a void in the market, and this section of the city capitalize on that. In doing so, it will end the shortages of proper droids that have followed many companies losing access to their production facilities. To the East, we will construct weapons, armor, and other equipment, with which the Sith will be able to gear their troops. The central block will house a commercial hub and office space." Kane lowered his hand, the hologram disappearing. Tuulah drew a datapad from her pocket and handed in to Anansi "You have in your hand a copy of the proposed terms and budget for our contract. In summation of my proposal, If you are able to get the Sith's upper management to agree to it to this, the Coruscant Restoration Project will supply many factories to support the Sith war machine. In just a few years of collecting taxes on the revived commerce of this world they will make back what they spent. Naturally, we will only do business with those the Sith permit us to deal with, so that the Empire and its allies will be the sole beneficiaries of this investment. Currently we project the we will have the new skyhook facilities can be constructed after around seven days and 100% of the planet's surface and orbit restored within one year, which would be a most magnificent display of the Sith's great power to reshape this galaxy." Kane took off his glasses and attempted to clean them on the surface of his coat before replacing them. "What do you think Anan? Do you have any questions about my proposal?"

A Curich-class shuttle dropped out of hyperspace in high orbit above Coruscant, near the edge of the massive debris field that surrounded the planet. At the helm were Kane Wartide, the up-and-coming entrepreneur, and his Lawyer, a Zeltron named Tuulah Jydt. The shuttle began the task of maneuvering to the planet through the sea of stones. The massive imperial Flagship loomed in distance, slowly growing ever more imposing as they approached. Kane whistled, impressed by the magnitude of the craft. "Well, this is it. We're in the big leagues now." Kane announced, taking in the sight. "I gotta say, I never thought this job would take me to the Sith Flagship." Tuulah replied, checking the controls. "You know what we should do right?" Kane asked with a silly grin. "Aww yeah, lets!" Tuulah said, giggling Kane took his Datacomm out of his pocket and leaned over to smush his face against Tuulah's, the both of them making awkward faux model faces. He aimed the holorecorder on his Datacomm toward them, framing the Super Star Destroyer in the back and then capturing a still of the scene. Kane pulled the new hologram up on his Datacomm, and the pair shared a laugh at their own ridiculous faces, before depositing the device back in his pocket. This was a ritual they had done often with especially scenic places they went. The premise of boarding one of the biggest battleships in the galaxy to meet with a representative of their brutal authoritarian overlords was an ominous errand, but it would take a lot more to break Tuulah's dedication to levity and Kane's willingness to indulge in it. As the shuttle grew near to the Scarab Tuulah transmitted the docking codes and plotted a course to the assigned landing pad. Kane took the last few seconds they had on the shuttle double check that they had the things they would need for the meeting. "Alright, H4-R0-" A spherical droid made some affirmative beeps. "Check." "Palm grease." Tuulah held up a medium sized weapon case. "Check." "authorization for us to approach the Scarab without being detained and interrogated for the next couple hours." Kane dug around in his breast pocket, pulling out an encrypted imperial datapad. "Check." Kane and Tuulah stood up and looked each other in the eye as the shuttle touched down. "Game Faces." In synchronous, the pair waved their hands over their faces, replacing their lighthearted smiles with stern, serious expressions befitting businessmen about to meet with the galaxy's wealthiest power to sell a contract worth more money than an average person would be see in 100,000 lifetimes. "Alright Lets do this." The pair and their droid exited the ramp on their shuttle, meeting with their armed escorts for the customary pat down and scan you receive when meeting with government officials. Kane handed over the encrypted datapad, while Tuulah sat down the weapon case in front of the officer in charge of the hangar, raising her hands as Kane did the same. "This case contains a weapon. It is not loaded, I do not have ammunition for it. It is a gift for the man I am meeting. Do not damage it or it may reflect poorly on you." A stormtrooper scanned the case to verify the accuracy of the statement then picked it up himself and motioned for the duo to follow. His droid, once scanned, took its position behind Kane while few more soldiers flanked them. After a few minutes of awkward silent marching, Kane, Tuulah and H4 were herded into the conference room. Kane approached the Chiss Officer that had been waiting for him, Tuulah still at his side. The stormtrooper set the case down on a table, apparently intent on delivering the parcel himself. Kane extended his arm for a handshake. "Ahh, you must be Canan'ans'iitthral." Kane said, quietly hoping he had pronounced it correctly. "Thank you for allowing me to meet with you today. I am Kane Wartide, of Wartide Arms, Aeronautics and Automatons. This is my Lawyer Tuulah."