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Exodus

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Clearly, they were near the security center, for Emily's guide slipped away after his conversation over comms and into a nearby room. She waited outside the door, not sure what to do. Quietus was very near, she knew that much, and his mood was sour.

 

It was when she felt a life snuffed out in the Force that inspiration came to her. Looking back, she'd never know what made her do it. She'd tell herself all sorts of things--that it was just all part of the show being the most prominent one--but in reality, all it really could be was the will of the Force, which was puzzling in of itself, for why would the Force speak to her like this? But at the time, she wasn't thinking, she was just acting.

 

With a rush, she hit the panel and darted into the room, turning her entrance into a shocked stumble and look of sudden realization as she saw the dead man. "Stop!" she cried. "Don't shoot! Nobody move!" She stood in between Quietus and the rest of the security forces, one hand out to each side. "Think about this," she begged the KDY forces. "I've seen Sith in action. If you open fire on him now, how many more of you will die?" Her lip trembled. "Please don't provoke him. I couldn't bear to see more of you dead, not when it's my fault."

 

She turned to face Quietus, fully engaged in her performance. "Please, my lord. I am the representative from the Link. It is my fault that your secret has been revealed to me. But I swear it won't go any farther. Please, don't kill anyone else." She glanced back at the security men. "It is my fault that your fellow has been killed. Allow me to take full responsibility. I don't want anyone else to die. My employers will understand; you will not be responsible for what happens."

 

She looked back at the Sith, falling on her knees. "My lord, I am the only loose end. I put myself willingly at your mercy." Her voice wavered as she babbled. "Take your vengeance out on me if you must, but don't harm any more of these good men."

 

To the men in the room, she would no doubt appear to be a heroine, willing to sacrifice herself to protect them. She hoped that would be enough to prevent them from escalating the situation, for she knew without a doubt that no matter how good they were, Quietus would not rest until every one of them was dead if they opened fire now. In her own mind, she barely knew what she was saying or doing, so wrapped up in the performance was she. But she retained enough of herself to feel a burst of joy at seeing her beloved's face again.

 

"Please," she begged again. "Take my life, and let this end. Leave the others be."

Emily%202015_zps34rpkjob.jpg

 

"Days in the sun...what I'd give to relive just one. Undo what's done, and bring back the light."

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((Alrighty, due to some confusion and for the sake of avoiding an all out war that I would lose, the three of us agreed to roll back a little, and change the outcome of my post... The security guard no longer is dead, merely knocked out))

 

For all his power in the Force and experience in life, Quietus was genuinely surprised when the door opened once more and a young woman in a business suit came darting into the room and came to a stumbling stop, her ponytail missing the memo as it swung around and splayed across her face before receding. Quietus was easily dumbfounded for the first few seconds of her entrance, caught dead in his tracks by the collision of his train of thought and these new developments as she stood between Quietus and the rest of the security room.

 

But of course, this was no ordinary woman. This was not the Link representative that he had planned to dispose of. When Quietus had sorted through his thoughts enough to become cognitive again, he cursed himself silently for being so blind about the whole situation. The woman before him was his lover and former apprentice. Truly, he should have known or even guessed at this possibility the moment the issue of the Link representative came up, but he had failed to put two and two together in the moment. He had gotten a brief sense of her presence before, but had dismissed it to be pursued later. He had simply forgotten about it until the moment she came running in. Everything was beginning to click together now.

 

Why didnt I sense her presence so close...

 

Before the question could even fully form in his mind, he knew the answer; he was so preoccupied with his goal of securing the ship's contract, he had been blind to anything else; even blind to her presence. It was a mistake that he had made countless times before in his life as a Sith, and was still struggling to curb even now as a Sith Master of countless years. The moment the fog cleared from his head, Quietus knew how grave of a mistake had been made, but also recognized that his actions just prior to Emily's entrance had possibly served to reinforce her cover story, and if not, his actions immediately following would cement it for sure, assuming that either of them made it out without the CoreSec soldiers gunning them down outright. Once again Quietus had taken a very large bite out of life; it would possibly be one that he could not chew.

 

But then, as if some miracle through the Force, the soldier who had kept his silence and apparently paid the price for it, began to stir. It seemed, as powerful as Quietus was, he had not actually killed the man outright like even he had thought. Perhaps this particular soldier was far more resilient than Quietus had guessed, but the result was the same. Instead of a killing blow, the Sith had only delivered an incapacitating shot. As Vex'aedr slowly backpedaled with a low growl in a mixture of curiosity, surprise, and disappointment, the soldier grunted and groaned a few times, managing to get his arms under him and attempting to rise. Once the tuk'ata was back at Quietus' side, his eyes still on what had been its toy moments before, a two of the closer CoreSec troopers rushed in to help their comrade half to his feet before dragging him back to check him over.

 

Only back at it's master's side did Vex'aedr finally take note of the raven haired woman. Much like Quietus, Vex'aedr had been blinded by its own thoughts and did not notice her until this moment. But like Quietus, Vex'aedr also instantly recognized her as Emily. The only problem was that Vex'aedr did not know to hide its pleasure at seeing her again the way that Quietus had done. The tuk'ata was just about to pounce on Emily in affection when she spoke, allowing Quietus the needed chance and excuse to force his will on Vex'aedr to halt. His hand shot up towards the tuk'ata, his gaze going with it, silently telling the beast to stop. To say that Vex'aedr was puzzled then would have been an understatement. It took a significant force of will for Quietus himself not to stir as Emily's eyes met his, and he could see her joy veiled behind her performance.

 

"Please, my lord. I am the representative from the Link. It is my fault that your secret has been revealed to me. But I swear it won't go any farther. Please, don't kill anyone else..."

 

Quietus' eyes went with her as she looked at the security forces, which he noticed for the first time were almost all about ready to cut him down on the spot. Some showed the physical signs of it, having risen from their consoles or having part-way drawn their blasters. But Quietus did not stir, and did not speak, merely watching and waiting as Emily's performance played out. She then turned back to him, and he once again had to hold himself in check.

 

"My lord, I am the only loose end. I put myself willingly at your mercy. Take your vengeance out on me if you must, but don't harm any more of these good men... Please, take my life, and let this end. Leave the others be."

 

And so the scene was set, and Emily's performance played out. She had suceeded in at least stalling the hand of CoreSec, as every set of eyes in the room suddenly shifted to the Sith Master. Now it was his turn; his turn to spin the web of deceit and falsehoods that would get both of them out of this room filled with angry troopers without a shot being fired. His turn to right the wrong that he had nearly commited; his turn to change the outcome. As if in slow motion, Quietus gazed around the room, taking the entire scene in.

 

He looked at Emily, now on her knees before Quietus, a look of absolute terror and fear on her face, hiding the sheer audacity of her plot and the sheer passion and pleasure that she was feeling at being beside him again. He turned to Vex'aedr, his loyal pet and companion, who for his part was still utterly confused. But the tuk'ata knew better now than to question the iron will of its master; if Quietus told him to stop, he would stop until given permission. Whether it was due to the confusion of not understanding the situation, or because the tuk'ata had taken a cue from Quietus, Vex'aedr wasnt even showing any outward signs of the joy that it was feeling at seeing Emily again. His eyes then fell to the Codru-Ji, still down on one knee near the wall; its eyes darting back and forth between Quietus and the friend that he thought had been dead. The amount of fear on his face - fear for both itself and for the woman he thought was just an innocent Link representative - would have otherwise given Quietus a boost of confidence and power. But that fear was grossly misplaced in the moment; to say the least, it was a day the Codru-Ji would not soon forget.

 

Quietus then brought his gaze to bear on the solider, still clinging to the arms of his friends, who had been lying on the floor seemingly dead moments before. The man was cleary dazed, and probably still didnt fully understand what had happened or where he even was. There was no fear, no anger in the man's eyes, only confusion. The looks on the faces of the two he was clinging to on the other hand, were blazing with anger and hatred. Had their gazes been weapons, Quietus would have been incinerated by now, a fact that actually brought a mild amount of amusement to the Sith's mind. Even teetering on the edge of a massive fight that he probably would not win, facing possible death, he still was able to find humor in the way others tossed anger at him like knives.

 

He then came to look upon Captain Miller, and Lieutenant Lars in the middle of the room. The leaders of this merry band of very angry soldiers. Anything that happened from this point, any action by the CoreSec troops spread throughout the room, would fall squarely on their shoulders. it was clear outright in that moment why Miller was the Captain; his face was of stone, hiding the man's true feelings lurking behind a mask of duty and honor. The man was not brash, not quick to jump; he was grounded and well versed in the galaxy, and it showed. He stood in start contrast to the Lieutenant, who visibly writhed at his side. For her, the anger and resentment towards Quietus was clear to see, but she was holding herself in check. While the other soldiers were being held in check by the command structure and the fact that Miller had, as of yet, not ordered them to open fire, Lars was just barely holding herself in check. She lacked the full sense of honor, duty, and skill that Miller had, and was thus barely containing herself. Had it been any other moment, Quietus might have again sought to exploit her to react, but fate dictated otherwise.

 

And so Quietus' glance around the room ended. What had seemed to take minutes, had in reality only taken seconds in reality. Quietus allowed himself a deep breath, accompanied by an extended blink of his eyes. When they opened, his gaze was once again back on Emily, and he was back to reality. It was indeed his turn to play his part.

 

"So... you are the Link representative.. one who attempted to ascertain my presence here, the one who has conveniently arrived just after I did asking veiled questions about my ship. And now that your ploy is revealed, you wish to take responsibility? You wish to keep these CoreSec men from death? You say you put yourself willingly at my mercy, for me to exact vengeance upon..."

 

He paused, finding that his words had come out as an almost evil mewing, dripping with deceit and ill intentions. He played off of it however, taking another moment to stroke his chin in mock consideration.

 

"Very well... I accept your life as payment for your insolence... I will find out what you and your bosses back at the Link were playing at attempting to cross me. Mark my words; they shall suffer for their attempts."

Then without warning, the hand that had been so carefully stroking his cheek lashed out, catching Emily across the cheek with enough Force to knock her off her knees and to the floor beside her. But it was a calculated blow, and was not as it seemed. In reality, Quietus had used the last possible nanosecond to execute a Force push on Emily, pushing her down without the harsh impact. To her, it would feel like little more than a playful pat on the cheek, while appearing to everyone else as if Quietus had just completely dominated the woman. But with the show of force came a silent message through the Force, from Master to former apprentice.

 

THAT is for telling me no, then sneaking up on me... You little minx...

 

"Your life is now mine. A loose end which I will ensure is closed. How much you suffer shall be determined by how... cooperative you are with telling me what I need to hear."

 

He reached down and unceremoniously dragged Emily back to her feet by her arm, and then held her there as he turned again to Captain Miller.

 

"It would seem Captain, that this incident has solved itself. I do so apologize for my hasty actions towards your men... Im sure you understand, given the sensitive nature of my contract. I absolutely can not risk such information. The fact that your man was willing to die to keep a potential clients privacy has once again restored my confidence in your security measures."

 

The tone of Quietus' voice was uncharacteristically diplomatic, even more so given the events of the past minutes. But being diplomatic was one of the only ways to difuse the situation. The fact that the soldier had not actually died was in itself a small miracle of the Force, and one that Quietus did not want to gamble against.

 

"In fact, as payment for my own hasty actions, I offer you this; whatever medical services that man requires, add it to the bill for my ship. And I would not be upset if you were to... say, take a little more on top to wash that bitter taste out of your mouth? I do hope this little misunderstanding wont impact my contract."

 

Quietus grinned then, genuinely finding this situation to be amusing; all things considered. Now it was time to see if this last second gambit would work.

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I ate a hippo. It was delicious.

May the Forth therve you well...

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The whole operations room froze for a second when Quietus started choking a man. Miller immediately signaled and dropped to one knee behind a console, drawing his blaster pistol in a practiced movement. Guards around the room similarly dropped, and those like Lars that were unarmed dropped flat to the floor behind whatever cover they could find. As Lars did so, though, she hit the console that would bring the destroyer droids in. The rolling Colicoid-like machines were close by and would arrive in less than thirty seconds, as they were standing by for such an occasion as this. Still the officers held their fire as Miller had yet to give the signal. His restraint in doing so was due to extreme discipline. He really didn't want this to come down to a fight, and he was willing to wait for the last possible moment before it came to that. If he needed to, though, he would give the signal and quite possibly die in the fight that would begin.

 

Even before the destroyers showed up, though, someone else ran in and the CoreSec officer Quietus had been strangling was released. Miller was somewhat confused by the woman's words and her self-sacrificial attitude, immediately detecting that there was something unusual going on here, something that didn't meet the eye. Still he delayed giving the order, and soon the droidekas had arrived at the doorway. He quickly signaled for them to hold their fire as well.

 

Finally the scene played out, and it appeared that the officer had lived through the ordeal. It didn't really sit too well with Miller how Quietus was treating the Link representative, but his desire to keep this from turning into a battle was the greater force. Much to his surprise, Quietus then apologized and offered to make amends for his actions--maybe he had realized at some point the same thing that Miller had--that the battle would be costly for everyone. Even if Quietus won, he would have lost the contract. Who could know if his pet Tu'kata would have survived, or if KDY would have scrapped his personal ship before he could reach it? There were too many unknowns, too many variables even for a Sith Master to provoke this kind of war.

 

"Stand down," Miller finally said to the officers, and they (some of them reluctantly) lowered their weapons. The droidekas immediately curled back up and rolled out of the room. He turned to Quietus. "Thank you for your offer, Lord Quietus. I will leave the details of the contract to be determined by Foreman Shesh and leave it to his good judgment what reparations are due."

 

Shesh was nowhere to be seen, they realized, but he peeked his head back in the doorway. "Ah, yes," he said. "I'm sure covering the medical bill will be sufficient. I'll get some people working on the exact numbers for the entire project immediately. It seems to me like the status of the project is a go."

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There was a long pause while the room waited with bated breath to see what would happen. When Quietus spoke, his words were dripping with malice, but she knew he had understood as soon as he saw her and was taking the time to reconsider. In her heart, she rejoiced. She hadn't wanted this to turn into a slaughter. Even Quietus couldn't take down a whole shipyard full of officers. The fewer people that died, the better in this situation.

 

She had to admit, though, she wasn't expecting the hit. As the Force behind it (pun intended) threw her to the ground, she landed with her arm crumpled beneath her, her face to the floor. It was good that she did, for it hid the twitch of a smile that came to her lips at his message. Her fingers quickly undid one of the buttons on her shirt, rumpling her appearance and adding to the appearance that she had gone down harder than she actually had. Besides, it was fun to tease Quietus.

 

She was just starting to push herself up again when Quietus grabbed her and dragged her to her feet, holding her possessively by the arm. She kept a terrified if determined look on her face, meeting the eyes of some of the security guards only in fleeting glances. For the most part, she kept her eyes on the floor while Quietus, like a good Sith, ignored his new property and spoke to the captain.

 

She couldn't help relaxing a bit, though, when the captain called his men to stand down. It had worked. She knew that the officers weren't happy about her being a hostage, but it seemed like it had prevented a firefight, and that was enough for both Emily Skywalker and Emily Antilles. She looked at the captain, a sad look on her face. "Thank you," she mouthed, her lip trembling again.

 

She took a deep breath and bit her lip to keep it steady. If she was going to be a woman going to her death, then she was going to be a brave one.

Emily%202015_zps34rpkjob.jpg

 

"Days in the sun...what I'd give to relive just one. Undo what's done, and bring back the light."

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Quietus merely met Captain Miller's gaze as he spoke, not breaking from it until Shesh poked his head around the corner and made his presence known once again. It seemed that the situation had indeed been defused from the tipping point that it had been at moments before. As much as Quietus would have enjoyed bathing in the glory of a battle against CoreSec, he knew better. He was no longer a reckless Sith that would leap into battle and deal with the consequences and outcome later. But as much as he had matured, the previous minutes had shown him that such recklessness was still quite present and alive within his mind. But the moment had passed, and now it was time to move on. He nodded towards the foreman, accepting the statement, before turning back to Captain Miller.

 

"So be it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Link representivie to pry answers from, whether she chooses to give them to me or not. I will however, conduct my interrogation aboard my ship..." He turned his venom filled gaze and words to Emily, increasing his grip on her arm and shaking her almost violently before continuing, "The ship that this, kuce was so interested in. I reckon she will get much more than she bargained for."

Quietus sneered terribly before turning back to Captain Miller and the rest of the CoreSec troopers. From his perspective, he could not see any further reason to stay among so many troopers who had been so ready to put their lives on the line to ensure his came to an end. He held the gaze on Captain Miller for a moment, taking the few heartbeats to study the man once more, assessing what truly lay within his mind before Quietus turned towards the door, dragging Emily with him. As he did so he motioned to Vex'aedr with his free hand, watching for only a split second to ensure that the tuk'ata fell in stride with its master. He then turned back to Emily, his grip tightening on her arm as he looked at her, reaching up to caress her face with the back of his hand.

 

"Such a shame that I will have to break her; such a pretty little thing she is... Oh well. Perhaps I'll have a little fun with her along the way."

 

The sadistic grin that spread across his face fit the statement perfectly. It was perhaps the most truthful statement that Quietus had said since Emily had burst into the room, a wave of amusement passing through his mind as he saw her act falter ever so lightly in her eyes before they took on the outward appearance of absolute terror. It was an appearance that was to be expected from someone as helpless and terrified as a simple representative being reduced to the plaything of a Sith Master. And it had been a rare moment that required no charade on Quietus' part, and he knew how perfectly it would fit. But as quickly as it had come, so too did it pass. Without warning, he pushed Emily forward and released the iron grip he had on her arm. At the same time however, Quietus withdrew and activated his black lightsaber, instantly bringing it to bear on her, pointed threateningly at her chest.

 

Lets go kuce, you and I are going to have QUITE the fun little evening." He spat towards her, before looking over his shoulder one last time at Captain Miller and adding, "Oh dont worry Captain, I promise I wont kill her. She will survive... beyond that I wont promise much."

 

Quietus allowed himself to laugh before turning back to face Emily, his lightsaber still pointed at her. Quietus knew that Miller's hands would be practically tied at this point; the Sith no longer was an outward threat to the shipyards, but he did not expect the captain to let the interrogation sit well either. If nothing else, the entire security force assigned to the Kuat Drive Yards would be on extra high alert for any further disturbances from Quietus, a fact that was not to the Sith's liking at all. Venting his frustrations slightly, he jabbed his lightsaber towards Emily a little more to indicate that she was to move out of the room. And with little more than another cursory glance at Vex'aedr, Quietus lead the party out of the security control room and back into the hallways that would lead them back to the hangers.

1fE1uLv.png

I ate a hippo. It was delicious.

May the Forth therve you well...

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Quietus seized her roughly and sneered. His iron grip on her arm was firm, and that made it easy for Emily. She didn't try to struggle, only hung her head. As he caressed her cheek, she glared defiantly at him until he hinted that the Link representative would suffer 'worse-than-death'. It was all she could do to keep up the act and force a look of abject terror to her face. It was already hard enough to not throw her arms around him right now; she ached for him so badly. His words, which to the KDY forces were terrible threats in line with the most depraved Sith Masters, were gentle teasings to her. She was terribly, terribly tempted to say something back, but she knew it would break character, and they weren't completely out of this yet.

 

He shoved her forward roughly and she heard the snap-hiss of a lightsaber ignigted behind her. "Let's go, kuce, you and I are going to have QUITE the fun little evening," he said, indicating that she should move. That had better be a promise, she thought as she turned to go, still keeping her face drained of color and a mask of terror.

 

They moved quickly though the halls, both of them ready to get off these orbiting shipyards, knowing that every minute longer they spent here meant that the chances of CoreSec deciding not to let them go increased. They entered the hanger and boarded the Ogariv II. As soon as the hatch was closed, Emily turned and threw her arms around Quietus' neck, pulling his head down for an intense, passionate, urgent kiss. It was like a glass of cool water in the middle of a desert, and she didn't pull away until she absolutely had to come up for air.

 

Then she tossed him a saucy grin. "C'mon." She headed to the cockpit, pausing only to scratch a confused Vex'aedr behind the ear. Once there, she let Quietus handle getting his ship into space, while she pulled out the slave device she had installed on the Shadow's Shine for occasions such as this. "Make a microjump to coordinates 34-865-927.5. We'll hook up with my ship there, and I'll slave it to yours."

 

((Continued in the space thread))

Emily%202015_zps34rpkjob.jpg

 

"Days in the sun...what I'd give to relive just one. Undo what's done, and bring back the light."

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  • 1 month later...

In response to a very discrete ping sent from a CoreSec agent who had left Kuat before sending out the message, ShadowFett's vessel, the Justice, slipped into the system and headed for the drive yards. He quickly received landing clearance and was put directly in touch with the CoreSec officer in charge of security here, a certain Captain Miller. As he landed, Mand'alor had 2277 look up Miller's service record and display it in his HUD. Former stormtrooper, several tours of duty, distinguished CoreSec record. Seemed like just the kind of man that Fett, a Captain himself, liked dealing with.

 

The Mandalorian in full beskar'gam wasn't the kind of officer Miller seemed used to dealing with, but it was clear that he'd taken a moment to look up Fett's own heavily redacted public record and had thus gained some respect for the man he was dealing with. Although it was missing a lot of details, Fett knew his record had amongst other things a background in bounty hunting, time spent in New Republic special forces, and his heavy involvement in the Battle of Centerpoint, the Last Battle of Coruscant and in the Death Star Battle at the end of the war.

 

"I received a tip that Darth Quietus was here, Captain," Fett said without preamble when he came buy'ce-to-face with Miller. "But not much else other than that he had a somewhat large project."

 

Miller nodded. "I'll fill you in. But first, if Quietus finds out you were here, things will go quite poorly. Let me take care of that," he said. He approached Jan Lars and nodded. She immediately went through the security records and removed all trace of Fett's arrival and footage of his presence. He wouldn't show up in the registry, in the landing clearance records, or anywhere else. They weren't going to blow this.

 

When that was done, Miller handed Fett a copy of the technical schematics of the ship that Quietus had ordered. "Let's head to my office," he suggested.

 

--------------------------------------------------------

 

"Looks like he's building a luxurious prison for hostages," ShadowFett remarked when he'd read the overview. "It's true that it could mean the Sith are looking for a legitimate source of income, but it just so happens that such a ship would be almost impossible to attack without endangering the civilians." It was pretty typical dar'jetii, he mused, despite how clever Quietus thought he was being.

 

Miller nodded. "That's what I thought. But Foreman Shesh wasn't going to turn down a contract this big, and I think we can use it to our advantage."

 

"At least we'll know where the Sith are," Fett agreed.

 

The other Captain gave a slight smile. "To that end, the engineers are going to hide several tracking devices throughout the ship, embedded in the walls. They'll be inactive, totally inert and thus won't show up on even detailed scans. The Sith should keep their ship easy to find if they want to attract business, but if they decide to disappear..."

 

"You just turn on one of the trackers and we can make our move," the former beroya finished. "It will still be difficult to assail; we'll have to do it via boarding action. It looks like there's only one way to the Sith portion of the ship though."

 

"We have some ideas about that, too," Miller continued....

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  • 1 month later...

ShadowFett left Miller's office confident that the Sith Casino wouldn't be a problem, but indeed could be an advantage for CoreSec. Unless they were exceptionally thorough right down to examining every line of code that ran shipboard systems, the dar'jetiise would be unlikely to find that there were backdoor codes written in. Someone transmitting the right codes at the right time could detach the forward Sith portion of the ship and completly power it down, turning it from a mobile ops center to a target floating dead in space. When combined with the locators hidden in the wall, it would mean CoreSec would ultimately have the upper hand if it ever came down to a brawl.

 

The dar'jetiise would simpy have to be the first to tip their hands. Fett realized that any such strike would have exactly one chance to succeed, and even then it could put a significant amount of risk on the passengers. But the best part would be when the Sith made it clear that they were threats to galactic security and then CoreSec stepped up with a well-planned response. The Mando'ad was simply looking for chances to hit them now--a twist of events from the height of the war when the Sith were so plentiful they hadn't any need for subtlety. Back then, he had found himself allying with them about half the time and holding about an equal opinion concerning the jetiise. It was remarkable how much Marc Spector's offer had changed him, and yet how much he was still the same man.

 

Still not in the record books for having been present at all, Mand'alor made his way back to the Justice and left Kuat.

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  • 3 weeks later...

With much the same lack of respect that he arrived with the first time, Darth Quietus' custom ship, the Ogariv II emerged from hyperspace above the Kuat Drive Yards once more, and wasted little time in contacting the orbital shipyards in order to gain access.

 

"KDY Control this is Darth Quietus, requesting docking clearance in order to take delivery of my... [/i]special[/i] project. Oh and do give my regards to Captain Miller won't you?"

 

The tone of the transmission was practically palpable, leaving no doubt that as Quietus spoke, he did so through a massive knowing grin. While Quietus was doubtful that this visit would end up being as tense and precarious as the last one had been, there was a very dark part of the Sith that was craving combat and destruction.

 

All in due time...

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I ate a hippo. It was delicious.

May the Forth therve you well...

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Karys observed with interest the interaction between the Kuat Drive Yards control tower and his master. This was his first time here and as such he was unsure how they might react to a massassi, a species many thought extinct. A fact he would soon prove the whole galaxy wrong about. He let a slight grin grip his lip at the anticipation of it all and of seeing this project Quietus had mentioned earlier as he spoke, somewhat curious as to just who Captain Miller was and what had happened to him.

 

"Interesting place master, such mechanical marvels. I can't wait to see this project you speak of although if might inquire, who is Captain Miller. Is he a jedi or one of their whelps you killed.''

 

It became obvious that the massassi had a nagging curiosity to know who the guy was and what happened to him. Much how a small child wished to know a certain story. Yet at this same time Karys hoped that whomever was in the shipyards wanted not to talk but to fight. He hoped they were that eager to die so he might taste his first victims among the sith. He craved that action, just as he craved the blood of the jedi and hoped they were that foolish.

https://jedirp.net/topic/4851-trodai-narat-iv-adas-darth-akheron/

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 "Only in my pain, did I find my will. Only in my chaos, did I learn to be still. Only in my fear, did I find my might. Only in my darkness, did I see my light." - Darth Akheron

 

I survived the Great JNet Outage of 2012

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"Welcome back, Lord Quietus," KDY control greeted him. "You'll find that your project has been delivered on time. You may dock directly on your new vessel. Foreman Shesh is presently on board and will facilitate transfer of control, and I shall pass your regards to the Captain."

 

Shesh was indeed onboard, and when he was notified he immediately went down to the main hangar. He was quite proud of the work that KDY had turned out on this one, and it was a truly great feeling to have gotten to work on something of this scale again. It almost made him miss the war. Sometimes, he wished the Galactic Alliance had decided to keep a fleet around even in the time of peace. It was just better business for Kuat.

 

Armed with a pair of datapads, he was almost sad to see this vessel off, but confident that the proceedings with Quietus would be much more pleasant than last time.

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Quietus received the response from the drive yards in acceptable time, and acknowledged that he would proceed immediately to the newest ship to come under the umbrella of the Sith. As he proceeded to navigate through the drive yards at a speed that seemed comfortable enough, but was in reality carefully calculated. Truthfully, the Sith was disappointed that he wasnt going to be allowed on the Drive Yards themselves again, but could hardly blame CoreSec for wanting to make sure that another incident didnt occur.

 

Such a shame, I was looking forward to taunting Captain Miller again...

 

And so Quietus decided to take as much time as was feasibly possible to get to his destination. Last time he was here, Quietus had acquired the blueprints to the entire Drive Yards; this time he would make a visual inspection to note any "undocumented" changes that there might be. Quietus probably trusted CoreSec just as little as they trusted him, but it was enjoyable to watch them squirm behind their principles. After all; they were merely on the drive yards for security, and had little say in what the yards did in terms of business. Still, no matter how little CoreSec was involved, they would be sure to attempt to find a way to get an upper hand on Quietus; even if that card wasnt played for some time. As the Ogariv II continued on, it would become ever apparent to Karys, still sitting behind Quietus in relative silence, what exactly Quietus had been secretly building here at Kuat.

 

The first thing that someone would have noticed was the bright sheen of gold shaped like a dull dagger; for sitting there in space just off the shipyards, was the Shadow's Gambit. Built upon the 600-meter-long standard Vindicator-class heavy cruiser hull, at first glance the Shadow’s Gambit resembles an Empire-era Interdictor-class heavy cruiser in almost every way, right down to the four large globes that break up the otherwise standard Star Destroyer lines of the ship. It possesses the same three drive engines and hyperdrive as the original design, but the similarities end there however; instead of housing massive gravity well generators, the globes are instead each a massive dome that offers spectacular views of space to the occupants and guests. Each dome is unique in its own design and what is contained within. From where Quietus and Karys were sitting, they could just barely make out the emergency lighting from each of the domes as countless workers made their final touches of polish to the ship.

 

"I present to you my apprentice, the Shadow's Gambit... a casino ship that the Sith shall run. It will fuel our coming conflicts, and it will be entirely untouchable in its merits, No Jedi crusaders to 'liberate' it, no massive fleets to stop it as a ship of war... Only the millions and billions of credits that it will provide to us in the coming months and years. But of course, even a civilian ship such as this is more than it seems... Even this ship hides secrets from the galaxy."

 

The entire time Quietus spoke, his eyes were scanning the hull of the ship. He had put countless hours into the design and creation of this ship, and knew it better than anyone. He knew what he expected from the ship, and he knew what it contained. But the healthy distrust of CoreSec was enough for Quietus to visually inspect everything he could to ensure its quality and perfection. So far, the ship was fitting the bill.

 

======================================================================

 

Once the Ogariv II landed in the main hanger of the massive casino ship, and Quietus exited the ship flanked by his apprentice and Vex'aedr, the Sith Master took in a deep breath of his new ship, and looked around. Only then did he spot the semi-familiar face of the Foreman that he had dealt with last time he was here. There was a strange look on the face of the foreman; proud, yet sad. Confident, but still tinged with the effects of fear, worry, and doubt. It was a combo that brought a grin to Quietus' face as he moved to approach the foreman and meet with him. Last time he had surprised Shesh with the massive white tuk'ata, this time he brought the beast and a Massassi in his wake.

 

"Ah, Foreman Shesh. We meet again. What do you have to say on our little venture here?"

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I ate a hippo. It was delicious.

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Foreman Shesh eyed the Massassi warily, clearly not certain at all what the alien was. Kuat had never been that friendly to non-humans, and Shesh was as Kuati as they came. That didn't mean he didn't know better than to even accidentally offend a Sith Lord.

 

He straightened and met Quietus' eye. "It is without a doubt the most impressive thing to come out of these shipyards since the height of the war, my lord," he said proudly. "You'll find your requirements have been met with the finest attention to detail. I assume you would like a tour?"

 

He hit a few keys on a datapad which sent the signal that Quietus was on board to the skeleton crew and maintenance teams they had aboard the Shadow's Gambit. Everyone was to make themselves presentable and ensure that absolutely no problems took place during the tour, so as to present the vessel to its new master as its best light. It additionally served as a signal that they would soon be disembarking, and any crewmembers that were stationed here instead of the shipyards would need to have their effects in order. Shesh was a little bit surprised that Quietus had come alone--or, rather, with one other person--instead of with a crew. Perhaps they were waiting offsite.

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Quietus' gaze continued to wash over the various aspects of the docking bay as the Foreman spoke, listening but only barely. The ship so far was magnificent as far as he could see, but there was still a massive amount of ship to examine before Quietus would fully sign off on the ship. Every moment that passed only served to deepen Quietus' suspicions of CoreSec. Especially given the way he had riled up Captain Miller and his guards, there was increasing doubt that they would let a ship such as this, especially when it came to the secretive section nestled in the nose of the ship. Now it was only up to Quietus to figure out what someone like Miller would do, and to then locate it on the ship. A tour was in order indeed.

 

"Yes of course Foreman, I have great expectations for some of the domes; ideas that I could only imagine in my head. Im looking forward to seeing just how spectacular and unique this ship has become."

 

He turned to Karys and Vex'aedr behind him, finding each to be glancing around admiring different aspects of the ship. For Karys, the fascination seemed to come from the ship itself, but for Ves'aedr it seemed the tuk'ata was just happy to be in such a large room that he could run around in without worrying about running out of space. The various workers that were still milling about only served to be identified as possible snacks to the tuk'ata.

 

"Apprentice, you will join me on this tour, so that you may see the majesty and glory that our brotherhood have built. Uzticigiviens, you will stay and guard the ship, let no one aboard except myself or the māceklis understood? But try not to eat more than one of the workers this time. Some of these fine Kuat men and women have families and pets of their own that will miss them if you eat them all. We wouldnt want that now would we? We just might need them again in the future."

 

With his will imposed on his apprentice and a reluctant tuk'ata, Quietus turned and gestured for the foreman to lead the way and begin the tour, keeping his eyes and his heightened Force senses open as his eyes poured over every inch of the ship.

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I ate a hippo. It was delicious.

May the Forth therve you well...

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((I see no reason to rigorously dictate Shesh's ramblings during the tour.))

 

The Foreman gave a somewhat nervous smile after what Quietus had said to his pet. "Then we're off," he said. They quickly hopped on a turbolift that went to the first dome. He decided that they would start by visiting each of them and from there visit the bridge and/or the secret Sith section in the bow. First the fun bits, then the functional ones. They soon arrived at the first dome and he started to ramble about how much detail had gone into its crafting, pointing out the most expensive and innovative features while glossing over the mundane. He knew he didn't really have to sell it--the idea had already been sold--but it certainly wouldn't hurt to give Quietus an overall good impression of KDY and the work they had accomplished for him.

 

Plus, he wouldn't want Quietus to become displeased for any reason.

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As the tour of the massive ship finished some time later, Quietus found himself to be rather surprised. The entire time that he, Karys and Shesh had been touring the ship, Quietus had remained keenly aware. He had studied the mannerisms of Shesh, his body language, his mood, even his words for any of the countless signs he knew that could lead to deceit. There were no ambushes of CoreSec troopers around the next corner, no subtle glances from the foreman to indicate hidden knowledge, and only the general sense of fear that came from being in the presence of Quietus himself. Of course, Shesh had been rather pointlessly babbling most of the time during the tour, with Quietus only raising a question a few times in an attempt to glean anything of advantage from the foreman. As they arrived back in the main docking bay, Quietus found himself nodding out of approval.

 

"Perhaps Kuat Drive Yards is indeed worthy of the reputation it has earned. Your work of satisfactory Foreman Shesh; I just might return for your services again in the future. Consider the contract fufilled, and I will now take possession of this fine vessel."

 

After finishing the deal and watching in silence as Shesh and the last of the KDY workers departed from the ship, Quietus turned to Karys, finally allowing the facade of plesentness to fall from around him.

 

"Insufferable worm... He just didnt know when to shut up. Come my apprentice, let us make our way to the bridge so that we might unleash the Shadow's Gambit upon the galaxy. Along the way, you can tell me what you thought of our host, and what you think of the ship."

 

Without even waiting for an answer, he spun and made his way towards the turbolift that would take him and Karys to the bridge, his boots clanking dully upon the metallic floor of the docking bay. It was a sound that echoed in the fairly empty docking bay, as well as a sound that brought Vex'aedr running to it's master's side as Quietus walked by. For Quietus, his mind was racing with all the things that needed to be arranged; most importantly would be to bring aboard the crew and staff to properly run the vessel and its amenities.

 

One step at a time... he thought with a grin.

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I ate a hippo. It was delicious.

May the Forth therve you well...

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As the tour of the massive ship finished, Karys unlike his master was not surprised at all at the mannerisms of the human as he trailed behind him with his master. Throughout the tour every move he made the massassi noted, even noting the first impressions the man gave and how he reacted to the sight of Karys himself. Afterall first impressions spoke alot more than most words ever could. He continued to study the mannerisms of Shesh all the way up to the point of the tours end and when his master requested he speak of his impressions of him. Karys had taken care on the way over to the Kuat Shipyards to check just who ran the show here now and had found it to be CoreSec...what he figured amounted to nothing more than highly paid thugs who spoke of upholding the law and abiding by jurisdiction when it appeared behind the scenes they were more than happy to step beyond their bounds and break the very oaths they swore. It left a sour taste in his mouth and he would be wary of any trouble when they landed because of it.

 

Although the foreman gave no indication of hidden knowledge and upheld his nervous look, Karys has a feeling in his gut something was wrong even if the force failed to reveal otherwise. His gut was rarely wrong. It was with that he spoke as his master instructed following by his side and keeping pace informing him of such.

 

''Yes...he did seem to ramble on alot and seems alot more nervous than one should under the circumstances and that to me causes concern. It was almost like he was trying too hard, at least that's the impression I got. He strikes me as the type to make any deal that may ensure his own survival, like a great many others of his variety in this galaxy and as such I do not trust him. My gut tells me his hiding something although the force and his general disposition says otherwise thus far. I do not know what it might be his hiding just yet, I can't seem to place my finger quite on it but his diffently rambling too much for someone who's just earnt a bucket load of credits, aside the obvious nervousness of being around two sith and a ta'kata.

 

Most simply keep their mouths shut for fear of losing the contract or their life but him, he was not so. He acted differently than I imagined one would. Not including there was a distinct lack of CoreSec or any form of security which strikes me as troubling given their connection to the Jedi. Such people do not tire easily of their prey. It's as I said I got a bad feeling about him and this whole business. My gut is rarely wrong about these things. But enough of my gut you also requested of my input as to the ship itself.''

 

Karys paused a moment before continuing.

 

''The ship itself I believe is a magnificent marvel of engineering. There are a few spots where I might consider improvements but others than that it's fine on all counts, especially the hidden compartment and worth every credit.''

 

It was then he finished talking. He didn't like it one bit. The distinct lack of Coresec officers, security or any others aside the foreman worried him deeply. And how the man acted was also drawing his suspicion, rambling...talking on ceaselessly even despite the apparent look of boredom Karys had been giving him throughout the tour other than when they approached the ship itself. But he trusted his master knew best if there was such a problem and would deal with the worm appropriately should his gut be right.

https://jedirp.net/topic/4851-trodai-narat-iv-adas-darth-akheron/

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 "Only in my pain, did I find my will. Only in my chaos, did I learn to be still. Only in my fear, did I find my might. Only in my darkness, did I see my light." - Darth Akheron

 

I survived the Great JNet Outage of 2012

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Quietus' mouth curled into a cruel sort of grin as Karys spoke about the lack of CoreSec. He of course had noticed it too, but unlike his apprentice, the Sith Master knew why CoreSec was giving him a large berth.

 

"Indeed my apprentice, there was a distinct lack of CoreSec agents and troopers on this ship. But this is a situation where knowledge bears fruit. There are a number of reasons why they are not here, most pressing of which is the fact that this is my ship and they have no business being here. But there is also the fact that I quite nearly wiped out their entire security center the last time I was here, as well as the fact that I left explicit instructions that no one outside of the Kuat Drive Yards learn of this project. I would think that CoreSec has learned to keep their distance from me. So long as this ship performs as expected, there is no reason for me to concern myself with the actions of CoreSec here. They can do absolutely nothing to stop what I have planned for the Shadow's Gambit. Nothing at all."

 

Every Sith learns to perfect their diabolical laughter at some point, and for Quietus that moment came long ago. As such, when he began to cackle almost madly as he and Karys reached the turbolift, it was of the most supreme example of diabolical laughter that was heard, projected enough to echo through the empty hallways. Only the closing of the doors on the turbolift could silence the laughter.

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

As Quietus strolled onto the bridge of the Shadow's Gambit he surveyed the scene only once. He had of course been here not long ago as part of the tour that Foreman Shesh conducted, but this time the bridge stood completely void of life save for the two Sith. Quietus strolled silently down the middle walkway, evoking the age old images of Sith commanding ships in eons past. Only this time, there were no crew members to order around, no captain to ensure his commands and decrees were met; only Quietus and his apprentice. But that suited the Sith just fine. As he reached the centerpoint of the walkway, he stopped, gazing out of the forward viewport into the vastness of space that surrounded him and his new toy.

 

"Now comes the real magic trick, a true show of force and power."

 

His words were directed towards Karys, but his gaze never left the viewport. Now indeed the test of power and control of a Sith Master would start. His hands rose from his side, palms facing upward as the SIth bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes to focus, to better visualize what he was about to do; control the ship, meant to be run by a crew of dozens, by himself through the Force. Using the Force he keyed the comm on one of the control panels near him, and spoke.

 

"Kuat Drive Control, this is Darth Quietus aboard Project number three five seven, dash six zero zero nine, henceforth to be known as the Shadow's Gambit. Requesting clearance to depart from the docking ring and from the system. Beginning preflight checklists now..."

 

With the precision, control, and split focus that could only come from a Sith Master with many years under his belt, Quietus began manipulating the various control consoles across the bridge, keying them for audio cues to indicate their passing the individual station checklists. Slowly but surely each station, department, and system cleared and checked out and indicated ready status. Once they received clearance to depart, Quietus finally opened his eyes and looked out the viewport once more as he reached out through the Force and fired up the sublight engines. There was a distinct but subtle and muffled roar as the engines fired up to full power, and before long the starscape outside the viewport began to shift and move as the Shadow's Gambit departed Kuat Drive Yards.

 

Once the massive ship had fully cleared the shipyards, Quietus turned to look over his shoulder at his apprentice with a wicked grin, and at the same time keyed the ship to jump to hyperspace.

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I ate a hippo. It was delicious.

May the Forth therve you well...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Karys simply nodded as he listened to what his master said. So that explained the lack of Coresec however he could not shake the feeling that they would soon see them again and that something was amiss even if it did not show itself, he was more than a little paranoid as came with being from a culture where most wanted you dead or to replace you but for now he trusted his master's judgement.

 

His reply was simple even despite the laughter of his master. He did not doubt his master would find a way to stop them should they try but could not shake the feeling they would try none the less. Such sorts rarely gave up such prey as he had told his master previously.

 

"Let us hope so."

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

As both strolled onto the bridge of the Shadow's Gambit he also surveyed the scene. Looking about Karys find a seat to his liking and planted himself with a good view out the front so that he might see the stars in all their glory and the vastness beyond. To see the void of space was to his mind akin to looking directly at the force in a sense and to viewing the darkside in all it's glory. For space was a chaotic mix full of emotion and imbalance which suited him just fine.

 

And then he heard the words.

 

"Now comes the real magic trick, a true show of force and power."

 

Words directed towards him. What happened next peaked his interest and kept his gaze upon his master and the movement of the ship. He found himself wanting and craving the power he commanded despite knowing it was beyond his reach at the moment. Someday he swore he too would control such ships with a simple motion of the mind and movement but for now he was content to observe and learn. It was then the ship entered hyperspace to destinations unknown, he only hoped the next step he would start his true journey.

https://jedirp.net/topic/4851-trodai-narat-iv-adas-darth-akheron/

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 "Only in my pain, did I find my will. Only in my chaos, did I learn to be still. Only in my fear, did I find my might. Only in my darkness, did I see my light." - Darth Akheron

 

I survived the Great JNet Outage of 2012

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  • 10 months later...

Jumping out of Hyperspace, The Obisidan Owl came to a complete stop. Khal placed the ship in idle and finished off the rest of his brew.

 

"Well we're here. Now what? We wait?"

 

Khal leaned back and crossed his arms while staring off into the black abyss.

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Aryian sighed as they entered realspace. Now came the part he hated.

 

"Yeah, pretty much. We're supposed to meet an old associate of mine here, but when and how he'll make contact...I don't know. Might as well bring you up to speed, though. There's a big, nasty Sith we're hunting right now, who we think is behind a series of mass ritual killings on several planets. The media and CoreSec are keeping it fairly hush-hush for right now to prevent a panic, but it honestly could be something big. There's several reasons to believe it is big, and that this guy is behind it. His name is Vladimir Faust, also known as the Hunter.

 

"You may or may not have heard of him before, the galaxy is a pretty big place, but he's most famous in the inner circles of intelligence for being the man behind the Coruscant shield fiasco a few years back. Son of a b**** somehow disabled the security settings on Coruscant's planetary shield arrays, and then changed the emitters to lower the shield to about halfway through the upper levels...cutting hundreds of buildings in half and causing planetwide devastation and death. Most of the general public still doesn't know for certain it was him, though it's a pretty big conspiracy on the holonet, has been for some time."

 

He paused for a moment, thinking about all that. On a whim, he also sent out a comm via his implant, calling for one of his assets to join him.

 

"He's been tried many times, jailed and escaped several times, died a few times...it's hard to keep track of him. It doesn't help that he's a criminal genius as well as a Sith Master. Oh yeah...which reminds me..."

 

Aryian reached down into his robe, pulling out a medical-gun looking device. After giving it a once over, he pressed it against Khal's leg and pulled the trigger in one smooth motion so the other wouldn't have time to react to the sharp sting as a small needle quickly drew a pinprick of his blood, as well as injecting a miniscule amount of nanites.

 

"Relax, it didn't hurt that bad. This is so we can 'back you up', as it were. If you wind up dying, we can clone you. You don't really have the mental conditioning or training yet to transfer your consciousness to it, so...the nanites I just injected can record your thought patterns and transfer them at the time of your death to the clone. Meanwhile, the blood on the needle will be used as the template for the clone."

 

Aryian fiddled with the gun a little more, plugging his comlink into it, and transmitting the data on a highly encrypted and secure line back to the facilities on Mechis. Looking back up, it was quite obvious that Khal was still slightly miffed at the gross invasion of privacy that Aryian hadn't even bothered to consider.

 

"Oh, come on, think of it as free health insurance and terms of our arrangement. If, after we're done, you don't want it, you can terminate the clone and remove the nanites yourself, using my equipment if you even like."

Immediately reachable by  charlesjhall@gmail.com

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A series of three ships arrived in Kuat space in fairly close proximity. Two of them had clear CoreSec markings, but were designed with clearly militarist sensibilities -- they were landing craft that could insert military or pseudo-military personnel into a hostile environment. CoreSec's Special Tactics division had been known to use the ships when they needed to take action in force against dug-in criminals who were spoiling for a fight.

 

The other vessel was better described as a flying tank. Few such vessels could be spotted in the galaxy outside of Mandalorian space, but those in the know would recognize it as a MandalMotors Tra'kad. Those who knew the Mandalorian CoreSec Captain, ShadowFett, could be reasonably certain that this was his personal vessel due to their scarcity.

 

Indeed, Fett was at the helm and approached the Kuat Drive Yards directly with the two other ships in formation behind him. He commed in and reported on his arrival, as well as stating the reason for his visit: "I've received a tip from the Jedi Council -- one of them uncovered a lead that suggested the drive yards are one of Faust's targets." He kept his opinion of Onderin Starlisk, the specific Jedi who had uncovered the lead, to himself, as the Mando'ad did most things. Whatever else could be said about him, Starlisk's fleets had won the war and his influence had helped shape how the galaxy looked now.

 

ShadowFett was provided with a hangar in which to land by control. "Please have Captain Miller meet me there." It hadn't been long side he had spoken to the other alor'ad when KDY had created a casino vessel for the dar'jetii called Quietus. Miller had proven a worthy man to head up security here, an ex-Stormtrooper with a distinguished career behind him and no doubt more ahead of him. Fett was certain he could trust Miller to handle Faust's threat seriously without his help -- but if an attack came, Mand'alor wanted to be on the front lines and, with any luck, in position to follow any leads back to their source.

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((Khal, feel free to describe your reaction to both my posts with yours.))

 

A slight ripple, but Aryian felt it nonetheless. He pointed, recognizing a Mandalorian ship configuration.

 

"There. The ones with the CoreSec markings. Follow them. Tell the landing controller whatever you like, we'll be fine."

Immediately reachable by  charlesjhall@gmail.com

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Commander Melfis Druger was not an Adept loyal to Faust. He was an ex-Imperial loyal to the former Emperor, and one who had stood firm against one of the fiercest bounty hunters in the Galaxy, a Trandoshan and former Black Sun Vigo. Though the artificial patches of skin on his face finally melded in to look natural enough, he visage looked to be of beaten leather, and his gruff voice was even deeper. He still was overly cautious, but slowly staging a coup within the Kuati drive Yards required a cautious mindset. It helped when the KDY's ownership was sympathetic to your cause, there were resources to pool for it to grease wheels that would not budge, and when needed, a killer and mentalist of Faust's skills to eliminate the cogs that were stuck and replacement with more tractable parties. Faust had quietly been a visitor to the KDY over the past several months, personally overseeing what he needed for a plan to reshape the Galaxy, a plan now reaching fruition.

 

The former Imperial Star Destroyer Captain was on the bridge of a large, custom vessel, and because of its size, it truly could be called a bridge. The ship was still in its space dock, surrounded by machines and engines to assemble it. It was one of three new ones commissioned about a year ago from a private consortium as "deep space research vessels" for beyond the Galactic Rim, while also quietly setting them up to be modded in a way to turn them into fully functional ships of war. Not here, though KDY promised to be a first victory. The former Emperor had personally promised Druger, and several of his fellow soldiers a new Empire that would last forever and that Faust had discovered a shareable secret of immortality to be shared with a cadre of elite officers.

 

If Druger and the others only knew the real truth, but their hearts and minds were Faust's.

 

The Megiddo, the Ragnarok, and the Apocalypse as they were privately called were hidden under more mundane scientific names in their docks. The Megiddo was 95% done, just missing some exterior armor (for asteroid strikes and the unexpected) and the installation of its gravity well (for assisting in capturing unique specimens that its tractor beams could not wholly catch). The remaining 2 were 87% and 85% complete.

 

An ensign brings up a report. Though cargo ships had recently arrived, having gathered two legions of the faithful within (cargo manifest: shield generators and glassteel plating), the so-called-lawful-authorities still ruled over Kuat... for now. Commander Druger reads the report, a tip from the Jedi had pointed CoreSec towards the shipyards. There were enough friends in high places to intercept the comm as part of the normal chain of command at the shipyard.

 

Melfis gives a nervous bite of his nails, one habit he never left behind. "Have our agents instruct them to land. If they are asking for Captain Miller, he must be one of their agents. He was never on the list of people we tried to recruit (the rest being Kuati nobility and other ex-Imperials). We have no choice but to let him meet them there, but have him followed until he meets the CoreSec agents. Give the Agents and the Captain the revised Neimodian greeting protocol." (Have a droid greet them, sequester them in a room, give them tea while they wait. When consulting with one's secret Sith Mastermind for the invariable command to execute said guests, do not use a half-assed attempt at gassing them to kill them- hence the "revised" part). Melfis taps his chin with a well bitten nail. "Place them in the same block as the Tibanna gas storage facilities." (or if one did use gas, a quick explosion would work and not a slow, visible air-born poison). One thing Druger did not consider was how Sidious ultimately disposed of Gunray and the others. Oh, dramatic irony...

 

"And contact the troops, secure and encrypted comms, standard protocols. We may have to begin operations shortly if Lord Faust is further delayed."

 

*****

A comm goes back to Fett, also on a wide enough channel to get the other ships, which included Aryian's. A call is also sent to Captain Miller to meet the others.

 

We thank you greatly for the warning. We will have Captain Miller meet you at once. Follow the beacons and land at the airlock as instructed. The Captain should be there to greet you at landing.

In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed - but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

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As Aryian spoke, Khal’s brow narrowed slowly after each word. He listened to him carefully, thinking and debating about what he was getting himself into. It sounded like war was coming. With war comes death and loss. The two things Khal knew to very well. When the Jedi Master finished explaining the situation, Khal grabbed the bottle of Correlian Ale and gulped it down. That was until he spat it out from the small prick of a needle piercing his leg.

 

“What the hell!?”, Khal yelled in shock. It wasn’t as if the slight pain was what shot him off, but the fact a man he had barely just met had took some of his blood.

He rubbed his leg rapidly, giving Aryian a dirty look. Once he heard the explanation he shrugged it off, but still, he was in little awe of what had just happened.

 

Back to the situation at hand, Khal pushed back into his chair and began to ponder more on what Aryian spoke of. Khal wasn’t afraid to die, especially with the “insurance” Aryian had placed on him, but he was afraid of not being the same after being cloned. So that settled it; Khal chose he wasn’t going to die. And he didn’t mean by; he would run away. This Sith bastard devastated the planet he grew up on. Even if it was the Upper Levels. He remembered hearing about it on the holonet and how it was covered up so quickly by CorSec.

 

“Alright look, I’ll help your cause free of charge from here on out. Under one condition though; you watch my back, and I’ll watch yours. I have had a couple of engagements with Sith Spit down in the lower levels and I’m pretty handy with a blaster and as a pilot. I help you in catching this criminal; you tell me why I see things before they…”

 

At that moment Khal’s head tingled. It was as if a thought popped into his head that he couldn’t remember that thought. A second later, ships marked with CorSec symbols jumped out of hyperspace. The gunslinger clinched his fist. He felt uneasy about this, but Aryian pointed out that they were the men they were waiting for.

 

Following the Jedi’s orders, he followed the ships but kept his distance. When the transmission echoes through his ship, he glanced over at Aryian with a brow raised.

 

”Sir, I don’t think this is the smartest thing you have attempted.

 

“Save it B34K-3R.”

 

Khal slowly brought the ship into the docking bay and placed the ship on lock down.

 

“B34K-3R, keep the ship secured until we return.”

 

He got up and prepared his gear, whilst punching a few commands into his wrist comm. He then placed his coat on and turned to Aryian.

 

“Your lead, Jedi.”

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ShadowFett disembarked from the Justice and two squads of Special Tactics cops departed from their support shuttles to form up behind him as he strode forward to meet Captain Miller, who was waiting to meet him as requested.

 

"Captain Fett," Miller greeted him. "Welcome back. I see you brought backup."

 

The Mando'ad nodded. "We need every ally we can trust, and these men will do their jobs well," he said, gesturing to the cops that were behind him.

 

Miller nodded. "I'm sure, but isn't that Jedi Master Darkfire back there?"

 

Moon Knight turned and noticed that Darkfire and another man had, in fact, entered the hangar behind him. He considered that fact for a moment. The jetii had been through some troubled times recently, he had heard. He had kept an ear to the ground and there had been some mixed reports about what Darkfire had been up to. Even back in the Augury days, Fett had had a sometimes-strained view of the man as he struggled with how the responsibilities and restrictions of being a Jedi interfered with his personal goals. Those days were worth something to Fett, though, and he trusted Darkfire more than most men. At the very least, he was a powerful warrior and would be an asset if the demagol Faust or his agents really did show their hands here.

 

"The Council sent him. They're taking Faust's threats seriously," he answered. He gestured towards Darkfire and his colleague to join them. While they were on their way over, he continued. "I don't know how much time we have, Captain. We must assume that Faust or his agents are already at work here, despite CoreSec surveillance. If we can find them before the attack begins, we may prevent much."

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((I had my last two wisdom teeth pulled thursday, I've been out of it more than I expected. I'm back, and have permission to post Khal's minor actions.))

 

Aryian approached Fett, who was talking with a Captain Miller, or so his rank and name tag indicated.

 

"There's going to be an attack? What makes you think it'll be a plain attack? Nine times out of ten, when someone wants to attack Kuat, it's to steal something. I'm guessing if there is an attack, it'll just be a distraction."

Immediately reachable by  charlesjhall@gmail.com

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ShadowFett looked at Darkfire through his emotionless buy'ce. "We can only guess at Faust's goals," he said, "but if he wishes to leave the galaxy in shambles, he will need to compromise or commandeer this shipyard's ability to construct and repair capital ships."

 

Captain Miller spoke up. "If Faust has bought off all the right people, maybe he could slow things down for a while or cripple us through electronic warfare. I can vouch for this shipyards' security being one of the tightest in the galaxy, though. Chances are, even a primarily electronic attack would require a physical incursion. Hell, he could be planning a string of assassinations."

 

Unfortunately, the Mando'ad realized, there were so many possible avenues of attack that it was going to be difficult to prepare against all of them. The best they could do would be to split up and cover as much ground as possible. "I've seen my share of security architecture," he said. After all, he had overseen a Black Sun base on Dubrillion, helped design the current system for CoreSec HQ, and had broken into more than his fair share of places in the past. "I'm going to try and find the kind of loopholes that Faust's agents might exploit.

 

"Darkfire, I recommend you start paying visits to the people whose loyalty Faust would need to get inside this place without a fight. Perhaps you can determine their loyalty and influence them to change their course." He put a little emphasis on the words 'determine' and 'influence', as jetiise had certain ways of interacting with people that were beyond the talents of regular men.

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As the CoreSec agents and Jedi come up with a plan of attack, the first part of Commander Druger's ordered operation comes into effect. A protocol droid enters the area, coupled with a single Phase I dark trooper. Only a scattered few were about, and Melfis judged the extra eyes and firepower made up for the lack of subtleness in deploying one as an escort.

 

"Pardon the heavy guard," the droid explains, "troubled times. Since we had to demilitarize following the creation of the Galactic Alliance, good security has been hard to find." The droid tilts its head in a way that indicated a smile. "We'll be having the directors of the Yard's security meet you all in a conference room in our warehouse area for discretion's sake. We are concerned regarding Faust's activities, especially if the stories are true. There are some in Kuat's nobility who still might rally to his banner, so the quieter we are in coming up with a plan, the better." As par for many of Faust's deceits, truth and lies mixed always worked wonders.

 

*****

On the bridge of the Megiddo, Commander Druger was in a cold sweat at the comm on his usual encrypted channel, this time directly from Faust himself. A low buzz of activity was felt among the scattered troops and assembly workers assigned to the ships, having picked up a change in their commanding staff, along with an order to mobilize.

 

Kashyyyk was a success. Will be coming to KDY to mobilize the troops. Stand ready, Commander, the hour is at hand.

 

Melfis Druger wasted no time in relaying the order to the trusted few who needed to know. Among their allies in the Kuati nobility and KDY leadership, nothing was said, nor would it be. Melfis's eyes turned out past the viewplate that counted for a bridge window (the design of the ship, while close to a Star Destroyer, did without the raised bridge, believing that shielding and tons of durasteel worked better together to protect the command crew). A fleet of three cargo ships were making port. Melfis knew they were carrying more droids and troops. He knew in his heart that Faust and his ship were aboard them. Doubtless he was taking pains to shield his presence from any Jedi or other seeker, but he sensed a moment ot exactness, a tell that the hour was truly at hand.

 

First with Faust's help, we will retake Kuat, then the Galaxy will once more be under an orderly, proper rule...

 

The hour is truly at hand.

In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed - but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

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