Space

[Jae]

:.Jae had woken up to a blasting message over the comm. It was a pirate lord, by the name of Ronin Wartide. He had heard of him before, of course, who hadnt? Supposedly, he was claiming control over Black Sun, and willing to annhilate any BS agents to opposed. If this pirate was seeking assistance, the money would be good, and it would be one hell of an entry back into the world of piracy. He slouched forwards, and opened up a comm with the pirate lord:.

[Ronin Wartide]

A Comm is returned to Jae, in the same encrypted form.

[Exodus]

The transport crawled with biomechanical assassins drenched in over cloths that tiptoed in absolute conscientiousness and precision. The man that had been delivered to their burden had remained silent but even so, watchful reports detailed his excessive mental strain and sweat as if he'd been on pins and needles, but perhaps his terminal injuries were the reason.

 

Exodus considered his interest in this new child of darkness, the potential he carried at his premature period in time. It reminded him of himself when he had crossed this forsaken path. It was remarkable how far he had come. In actual fact, it had been awhile since Exodus had swum in so much thought. Dark, unkempt hair sprawled across his pillow and treacherous spheres of poisoned emerald focused into the tall atmosphere, reaching as far as his visualization would allow.

 

A hand crossed his bare stomach and scratched lightly before the door to his quarter's thundered open. That same hand shot out towards the source of the commotion and homed in on a man dressed in what some would distinguish as navigational attire. The man stood shocked, his mouth agape in an attempt to express regret but there were no words and he could not find them for the life of him. More often than not, his throat would crumple in the seconds to come, as a rule he would lie in a pool of his own disgust by now, but Exodus smiled and wiped a thin of his hair from his face instead.

 

”œThank”¦ you, Lord Exodus. It will not happen again.”

[Darth Furion]

Okay, let's review the situation. You're blind. You have a couple broken ribs. You are on what has been thus far an inhospitable ship owned by a man made of living shadow who on your first meeting seemed to have no problem with taking your life. At least he hasn't started pumping poison into the room.

 

He stood up to gauge how his ribs were healing. The fact that he was standing at all was astounding to him. He walked a few steps. Still very little pain. He smiled and let his fingers run along the cloth binding his chest. He let himself breath deep. To his surprise, his ribs didn't scream back in protest.

 

Well, that was quick. They must not have been as bad as I had thought.

 

He unbound his chest and let himself breath naturally. He took the continuous free time to think.

 

Now, time to think some things through. First, what does this man want with me? He promised me power. Power to save the ones I loved from a horrible fate. But I don't really love anyone. The ones I sort of care for are my tribesmen, but that isn't love, that is duty to my tribe. Frankly I despise most of them. They never treated me as one of their own. And what sort of power does he wield? Does he know some form of combat? What could he possibly have to teach me? Why am I staying in here? I should be asking him these things. I don't even know why I'm still in this room. I'm going to go get some answers.

 

He felt his way over to the door and knocked on it.

 

"Hello. Is anyone there?" He stood at the door for a few seconds, waiting for a response. When none came, he made his way into the hall. He stayed close to the right side of the hall, keeping one hand close to the wall for balance. He heard a voice come from in front of him.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

Julio dropped his hand from the wall. He wanted to look as respectable as possible on his first meeting with the crew and using the wall for support didn't look too good.

 

"My name is Julio Furion. I would like to speak with the Master of this ship."

 

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to get back in your room, we will be landing very shortly. I will ask for an audience on your behalf when we land."

 

"Where are we landing?"

 

"Byss. Now, go back to your room."

 

Julio only nodded and made his way back to his room. They would be landing soon and he could ask all the questions flying through his mind.

 

What the hell is on Byss?

[Slicer]

Flying through space with the greatest of ease. He quickly arrived to his destination after deciding time was of the essense. This post was useless.

[Moon Knight]

At a suitably secure place in the expansive vacuum of deep space, The Redawn of Vengeance slowed to a crawl, going nowhere in particular at the moment.

 

ShadowFett, now Moon Knight, left the cockpit with 2277 making sure everything remained secure and headed back into the living quarters. "Tell me who you are and why the Gungans were after your head," he commanded his passenger, the shapeshifting Vash Mammon, in a deliberately rough voice, his accent familiar to one who had been around a long time ago, during the Clone Wars, though not many of such beings lived still.

[Zadkiel]

The spacer he had snagged a ride from was roughly thirty standard years. Zad had to think to recall how old he was and even then he wasn't quite sure. He felt he was only around five years younger then the man, but couldn't be sure. It was obvious by the man's demeanor that he was intimidated by Zad and his weapons, but with the amount of credits offered he hadn't been able to refuse-especially when Zad touched upon the force just enough to urge him into agreeing.

 

They were well on their way when the man came into the small kitchen he had on his freighter. Zad eyed him closely as he ate his sandwich, watching the man as he made a sandwich for himself and poured a little ale. Zad leaned back in his chair and watched on as his thoughts began to turn into a tunnel, focusing on one thing”¦but the man soon broke his train of thought as he spoke up.

 

”œSo, why are you after this girl? She got a bounty on her head, or something?”

[Slicer]

Slicer, entered hyperspace, shortly after dumping the man in cargo area of the ship. He sighed, then quickly policed all of the weapons he could find on the man's person. Removing anything, the man could possible use as a weapon, he then activated the blast door, effectivly sealing the man alone, in the back of his ship, which at anytime he could activate the gas canisters and send him back to sleep.

 

Though he doubted that would work. He quickly set up his sensors, to read the man's bioscans, since even the smallest increase in brain activity could register as the man becoming alert. Even just that moment where he opened his eyes was to be considered. Then Slicer switched over to a cam, to beem a feed of the man into his cam. Minmizing the cam, he now only had to half way glance at it, in order to check up on his quary.

 

Meanwhile the Super star destroyer he had launched into hyperspace, got closer to arriving at its destination. So he decided to quickly send off a comm for its arrival.

[Vash Mammon]

Vash was slightly unnerved by this man. It was very surprising. He had encountered men like Moon Knight before. Mercenaries, bounty hunters, and similar ilk were common place. But there was something strange about Fett. Shi'ido had minor psychic capabilities to aide in their transformations, and it was that part of his mind that was unsettled by Moon Knight. Vash always could almost always feel his superiority to others, due to his age and their youth. It was revealed in their mannerisms and speech. But he actually felt almost inexperienced in comparison to Moon Knight, as if Moon Knight was much older.

 

Normally I would think up a lie, but it is almost as if I am compelled to tell the truth.

 

Vash averted his eyes from Fett's gaze. He began shifting back into his human form. His wings shrunk away, and his long red coat became visible. Vash found it easier to make his story a little less damaging when he wasn't looking into Fett's eyes.

 

"Well, it is not anything serious. I tried to study them through my shapeshifting ability. Unfortunately, my knowledge of their culture was surprisingly lacking."

 

Vash was trained in anthropology, so it was actually a genuine surprise to the Shi'ido.

 

"I made some mistakes, and they found me out. Nothing major. I didn't kill anyone if that's what you are asking. As for who I am, I am a freelance scientist. Nothing more."

 

The truth was a little different. Vash wasn't studying them, he was trying to control them. And he stopped being a scientist hundreds of years ago. But it was true that he had not used violence this time. One of the idiotic creatures had stumbled upon him in his true form, something no one else had ever seen. It was a careless mistake on his part, and so he had fled.

 

"What about you? Who are you? You don't exactly look like a resident of Naboo."

[Moon Knight]

ShadowFett narrowed his eyes at the shape changer, though his mask hid the expression. He got the feeling that he wasn't getting the whole truth, but he wouldn't worry about it just yet. Being rough wasn't going to get the whole truth out of Vash, he felt, but perhaps a different approach would. It would take time.

 

The hunter took a step back from Mammon. "I am Moon Knight," he said, "and I do not, in fact, reside on Naboo. I went there to find someone. If you are truly Vash Mammon, then I have completed my goal.

 

"I understand that you may be able to help me in my search to damage those who are needlessly cruel, those who could be considered evil; that is, the Empire, Sith, SEED, and such.

 

"Are you the one I seek?" It was a pointed question, one that tended to accelerate the course of how the conversation could have gone.

[Sirvani Zsahra]

The black Nubian ship slipped through the blurs of hyperspace.

 

Sirvani rose. "Come." She lead Torin to a small training room on her ship.

 

"You remember what you learned on the Heretic." It was a statement, not a question. "The Force can also be used to mask your presence. It is the epitome of stealth. This gives you the element of surprise--you can hide your distinct Force-signature from other Force-users."

 

She let it sink in for a moment. "Focus on the Force, and command it to do this for you."

 

She began to lower her own Force-signature, and soon Torin would be aware that while he could see her, he could no longer feel her.

[Vash Mammon]

"Well, that is the name I gave you isn't it. I am who I say I am."

 

Vash though it extremely odd Moon Knight had heard of him. Vash knew very few in this galaxy, and even fewer who knew him by name. That was essential to his methods. He could not think of a single person who was active in the galaxy that knew of him. Even his last employer Trowa Barton had disappeared. Vash had been careful to keep an eye on the Holonet and current events, even in the underwater kingdom of the Gungans. Shi'ido were rare enough to make him a target of a disgruntled former associate. So it was very strange that Moon Knight had actually been seeking him out. Though of course that was hardly the oddest thing he had noticed about the man.

 

The oddest would be his desire to take on the Empire, the Sith, SEED, and every other evil force in the universe? Perhaps it would be wiser for him to seek psychiatric help.

 

Nevertheless, Moon Knight had saved him. And it was apparent he did not do so for the potential credits. Vash obviously had a selfish motivation here as well. He needed a spring board into the realm of those who controlled events in this galaxy. This could be just such a spring board, though that remained to be seen.

 

"I have dealt with all of those groups."

 

Vash shifted again. He was not changing species, so it was an easy transformation. The image of Jidai Geki stared back at the Moon Knight, clad in Vash's red coat. The memories of Moon Knights of old within Fett stirred. Jidai Geki had slain Marc Spector. Vash spoke in Geki's voice.

 

"As you can see, I am intimately familiar with them all."

[Moon Knight]

ShadowFett raised an eyebrow as memories surfaced. Memories of torture and of hallucinations. Hallucinations that had successfully tricked Marc Spector into giving away important information. Fett didn't think much of Marc's ability to resist torture, but even the greatest men were susceptable if the conditions were right.

 

Jidai Geki....the present Emperor, not to mention the long-time head of SEED, Moon Knight reminded himself. I can see now why Marc wanted me to seek this being out.

 

He immediately began to think of ways to use this man's talents, whether they included the form of Jidai Geki or not. It occured to him that the option was quite available to execute the same ideas he was having with the false IDs and personas he had been creating.

 

"Are you, then, willing to continue to fight them?" he asked. It was strange to be the one asking questions--he rarely had to obtain information in such a way that depended entirely on others. But he had to secure this man's aid--it was a means to an end.

[Vash Mammon]

Vash needed to get back into the galaxy. This man was offering him a path. It was not a sane plan. But assassination was Vash's trade. Moon Knight did not seem to be a man to make idle threats. So while he may still turn out to be insane, Vash was at least sure that Moon Knight believed what he was suggesting was a realistic possibility.

 

And if I can kill enough Imperials, I may get to Geki himself. Or even get in his favor. Either way I win. And if it goes wrong, I can always try changing into a Gungan again. Or maybe an Ewok.

 

"Alright. But you aren't getting the million credits if we do this."

[Moon Knight]

If Moon Knight made any facial expression in reaction to Vash's comment, it was lost by his mask and imperceptable in his voice. "Compared to the goal I seek, a million credits is superficial."

 

Ideas came to mind and, now that ShadowFett had Vash's tentative allegiance, he would be able to begin to explore them. "The way I see it, Mammon, the best way to do this would be to first single out a single Imperial officer and meet with him or her, one or both of us posing as businessmen.

 

"If we dispose of said officer and you take on his form, we would have an internal influence within the Empire. From there, our options would expand considerably."

 

And, curiously enough, it would be a way to go about it at minimal risk. Fett had tried the more direct approach once, but attempting to combat several Sith at once was a less-than-desirable situation. This way, they could pick their targets. Fett was capable of much, and Vash Mammon would be a key, if not much more than one, to maneuver his opponents.

 

"What say you?" Once again, Fett had to confirm the shape shifter's agreement. He would just have to get used to this again. Listening to other people and asking for support was something he hadn't had to do since leaving the Black Sun. But he had done it with them for quite some time, and not all those memories were dark.

[Bad karma]

The modified troop transport reverts to real space and docks with a space station very few know about, unloading two of the prisoners. The A-Wings touch down in the hanger, but the freighter disengages and moves on to the resort at Byss.

[Torin]

It was odd for Torin that this was the lesson, because as he remembered things, the first time he had recognized feeling a Force presence and understanding that as a feeling, it was Darth Anathema which he felt. Since then he had constantly been in her presence. She had always been within a range in which he could sense her being, but as the Master demonstrated her power, for the first time in months Torin was alone. It slightly shocked the apprentice that his Master all but disappeard. She stood before him, his eyes were telling him she was present, but the Force, which over the past few weeks he had come to rely upon, was telling Torin that Sirvani, his great source of lust, no longer existed.

 

This thought, however, he did not dwell on for long because he could see the sense in this power. Jedi could feel the Force just as Sith. If Torin could feel Sirvani, then most certianly a trained Jedi Master would recognize her presence within minutes and possibly from hundreds of miles away. To disappear from Force radar would most certianly prove usefull later in Torin's life.

 

"Focus on the Force, and command it to do this for you."

 

Torin considered this statement for a few moments then reached out with the Force. Even in the darkest depths of Space the Force was present. Within the walls of the ship, humming through the hyperdrive, and flowing past the vessel as it sped through the great ocean that was space. He tried to push this presence away from himself as if he were going to attempt a Force run, but he could tell by his master's eyes that he was failing.

 

What I learned on the Heretic...

 

He thought about the lessons as his connection to the Force grew. His idea of pushing the Force away was not a bad idea, but it was the opposite of what he needed to achieve. He did not understand entirely what to do, but he listened to the Force and allowed it to give him suggestions. He felt it move about the ship freely, and then suddenly, with lightning reflexes, the apprentice reached out and pulled as much of the Force into himself as possible, flooding his own Force signature with the identification of everything around him. His Force body started to blend into his surrondings as he took on more and more of the energy, consuming it to his fullest.

 

He did not completely disappear as his master. If he had been trying to hide from a Jedi Master his location would have immediately been given away, but had it been a padawan (what a silly name. Torin was happy the Sith did not follow the same practices), or possibly even a Knight, the young Sith would have been well hidden.

 

Now with his eyes closed and focusing hard on maintaing his current state Torin asked his master, "How am I doing?"

[Vash Mammon]

Vash thought it the most logical plan. But there were a few problems.

 

"My power is not immune to Sith Masters and most Sith Lords. Their Force power will see through the physical deception in most cases. We need a way to circumvent that."

 

The implication seemed obvious enough to Vash. The Sith worked closely with the Empire. And if someone discovered the deception, it would be his neck on the line, not Moon Knights.

 

"What about ysalamiri? I would be hidden from their detection. They are less than a meter in length. One would be hard to conceal, but not impossible. Thoughts?"

[Moon Knight]

Moon Knight raised an eyebrow. He was no expert in the art of Shi'ido shapechanging, but he had always been under the impression that the change was entirely physical and only mildly illusory. How, then, would one armed with the Force be able to detect his true form? Even with the illusory aspect of the change disabled, it should be convincing enough.

 

But Fett could hardly argue with an actual Shi'ido about such things--that is, if Vash Mammon was a Shi'ido to begin with and not a Clawdite or some other, lesser known type of changeling.

 

At any rate, the truth presented a difficult issue. If Mammon couldn't fool a Sith or the Emperor without using Ysalamiri, then it would appear that Ysalamiri would be the best option. But wouldn't it be extremely suspicious for an Imperial officer to be carrying around an Ysalamiri? And, even if the Ysalamiri was concealed, what would keep those Sith from knowing about it anyway?

 

"I have little knowledge about the Force," the Mandalorian said, "except from combat experience against Jedi, both dark and light. But would they not be able to sense the hole an Ysalamiri would create in the Force just as easily as they could see through your disguise?"

 

Moon Knight was reminded again of the things he had done in service to the Black Sun. Some of these things had been to combat and kill Jedi Knights. He felt no regret--regret was a weakness--but it made it somewhat more unusual that he was now a warrior that fought for their same ideals. He had never been evil, and the times he had fought them had been in the line of duty. He had never really understood them, and thought that they could be more effective if they weren't entrenched in hypocrisy...he had fought a certain Jedi Master who was the King of Hypocrites.

 

But they were better than Sith. His memories of Jidai Geki, Lord Ar-Pharazon, and Darth Barrabas had convinced him that, while they could potentially be cunning, they were too blinded by their own perception of the power they weilded for their own good. And they couldn't seem to understand that the things they could offer were resistable.

 

At any rate, these were things he would need to keep in mind for the campaign ahead of him. He pulled himself out of his mental tangent and awaited Vash Mammon's response.

[Vash Mammon]

Vash didn't know much about the Force either. He only knew that ysalamiri blocked it, and knew their relative size. The idea that they would sense a gap in the Force was not something he had considered. When Vash had transformed into Geki, the Jedi Knight Locke had been able to sense something was amiss. He didn't quite know Vash wasn't Geki, he merely suspected it. But they weren't facing Jedi. Sith were liable to kill at the first sign of suspicion, just to be sure. That was what he based his assumptions on.

 

"It may indeed be more dangerous to carry a ysalamiri. I don't know. Let's just go forward and take the risk. I am certain I can control my thoughts enough to fool them for a time at least. Hopefully long enough for us to do what we need to do. I will avoid high powered Sith if possible. That shouldn't be too hard for a man such as myself."

 

What that really meant in the Shi'ido's mine was that he would flee at the first sign of danger. If there was one thing he was good at, it was the art of escape.

[Sirvani Zsahra]

"Close," she replied. "It takes practice. Once you get good, you can vanish in the Force. But practice helps you also be able to come back. To retain your identity."

 

She sat down. "Well, apprentice, what do you want to learn next? Do you have any questions for me?"

 

She was in an odd mood. She didn't know what she was feeling, and didn't really know what to say, so answering his questions would alleviate some of that for her.

[Moon Knight]

"It also may be prudent to avoid taking the form of the Emperor--surely you would be more quickly identified as false if you attempted to impersonate one so easily detectable through the Force," Moon Knight suggested.

 

"Our first step would be to gain the attention of an Imperial officer," the Mandalorian continued. "This could be through a business proposition or through feining potential crisis. This officer could be the one you will impersonate to further our purposes."

 

That part should be simple enough. The Empire was in a weakened state, and learning of something that could damage them further would potentially create the need to send an officer and not just discuss the matter over comm, which would be insufficient for ShadowFett's cause.

[Vash Mammon]

Of course, Vash knew he would not waltz in as Geki. This Moon Knight seemed to have a very low opinion of the intelligence of those he dealt with. Vash had the sudden realization was that this was how he treated most other creatures. It was ironic that he should be the subject of it himself.

 

But that doesn't mean I have any intention of changing.

 

"Yes, that seems wise. I could try luring a meeting with them as a Vratix bacta dealer. It is a simple plot to see through if we are not careful. But it has worked for me before. It is all up to you though sir Knight."

[Karnage]

After leaving the rest of his men, Karnage was eager to get back with them. His ship roared out of the hangar, and into space where his vision became overrun with the brilliant spectacle of white, blue, red, yellow, and orange lights filling the sky. Then, he realized he was getting distracted so he punched in the coordinates and he shot back into his seat as his beetle-like ship blasted into a dimension between reality and something else which lasted for a short time until he came to his location.

[Ripper]

Ripper left the planet's atmosphere, following Karnage into space. As his R2 droid collected Karnage's coordinates, the ship made the jump to hyperspace, heading to his next destination.

 

Ripper dozed off after slightly injuring himself back in training. Got to catch up on a little sleep... he thought as he slept, his ship en route to... In a matter of seconds he was completely asleep.

[Torin]

Torin sat down in front of his Master to consider what she had said. His young brain had formed many questions over the past few weeks, but training had been moving so fast he hadn't had time to ask them all.

 

"I have been curious about you for some time now. Something I think you are quite aware of, but as far as training and the Sith go I have a few questions."

 

His legs were crossed and his hands rested on his knees. He looked directly at his master. "The first concerns the meeting we just left. It was a lot of information to take in all at once and I'm not too sure I understood everything that happeded, but the most important thing for me to learn I think would be the distinction between the class systems. The Dark Lord appointed two other Sith to head up different classes, what are those classes, what's their purpose or what do they mean, and what class do you fall within?"

[Avararda Dinn]

A small, unknown, unmarked ship floated through the black pool of space.

 

Aboard, a lone man hovered only inches above the sleek metallic floor, sitting cross-legged. A black, tattered band was hastily crossed over his empty eye sockets. It was only until an alarm within the ship went off that he stirred from his meditation.

 

Sighing, the Jedi Knight stood and approached the window, smiling at the irony of a blind man looking out the window. However, it was not the clear viewport he consulted, but instead spoke aloud.

 

"What is it? Pirates?" he question, apparently to no one.

 

"Unknown space. Please consult your local docking station for further information," came the mechanized response

 

Var shook his head.

 

"That doesn't help-"

 

Before he could finish, a violent rocking swept the Knight's feet out from under him. He landed hard and coughed, trying to regain the lost air from his lungs.

 

"What in the...?"

 

What Avararda didn't see was that outside, a massive vortex was swirling about. Everything that was near it was consumed. Also unbeknownest to the Jedi was that he was the reason the vortex was present.

 

Again, he spoke to his onboard computer.

 

"Evasive maneuvers!" he shouted.

 

Too late. The whirling storm had already consumed him. Just as abruptly as it started, the raging beast winked out of existance, leaving nothing but silence and mystery.

[Moon Knight]

Fett's throat hurt. He hadn't had to do this much talking in some time, and it was starting to irritate him. He had decidedly taken control of this new relationship and Vash was looking to him to make the decisions straight out, so he would undoubtedly have to do some talking, as uncomfortable as it made him.

 

"Go ahead and try it," he simply said. If it didn't work, they could try something else. "Mask your transmission's point of origin, however." As long as they couldn't be traced, they had an unlimited amount of tries at this, since Vash could always just change form and send in a comm as a different businessman than the last time.

[Vash Mammon]

Vash shifted his body into that of a Vratix. It was necessary so he could mimic the insectoid species high pitched voice. Vash had entirely been truthful. This method had gotten him into trouble as much as it had been successful. But as long as he masked their true location, Vash was not concerned. He sent an untraceable communication to the Imperials.

[Sirvani Zsahra]

It was a good question. She had hoped he would have questions about the meeting. It had been a significant one, if only for the general workings of the order.

 

"There are three classes, as they talked about in the meeting. The first is the Sith Warrior. Lord Quietus chose this class to lead personally. They focus on battle. Attacks, lightsaber work, and anything that can aid them in a fight is what they focus on.

 

"The second class is the Krath, or Sith Sorcerors. They are the alchimests. They forge armor, build new fighters, and work to protect the members of the Order. This is your former master Oblivion's speciality.

 

"The third group is the Sith Assassins. They focus on the mind, manipulating and seducing. They are powerful, but not all brawn like the Warriors. Hiding in the Force like I showed you is one of the Assassin's favorite tricks. Master Exodus is the head of this class."

 

She paused. "I suppose I am most like an Assassin, although I'm not a big fan of sterotypes. That's where I fit in best, I suppose."

 

She turned the conversation to him. "Where do you feel like you'd fit in best?"

 

She also wanted to ask him about himself. She didn't know anything about him, other than what had been revealed by his actions.