Carida

[Haphaestus]

"Cybot Galactica," Haphaestus said dryly, "could not design a competent military AI if the future of their company depended on it, Lieutenant. They are too obsessed with recreating the flawed mannerisms and affectations of humans to design something novel." He understood that there was a market for such things, as some individuals wished to treat their droids as people as thus simulated emotions, habits, and even character flaws helped maintain the illusion. But he had no appreciation for it, and Lemnos' droids reflected his sensibilities by default; a droid could be better than a human, and his were.

 

"Unfortunately Lemnos is just now building the necessary facilities to produce droids on the scale of automated airspeeders and starfighters, so I do not have anything official I can show you to your interest," he continued. "If the Remnant were to post a contract for such a machine, Lemnos will bid. In lieu of that, we do have a line in the works that would serve as capable pilots for traditional crewed TIEs."

[Robert McNamara]

Robert eased his stance as the Raven gave the guards a dismissal gesture, and they left the room. All the while his vigilance heightened and crested as- if Robert wasn't in front of guests or Raven he might have gasped as a dead man walked through the door. My, my, how old bones learn how to walk again. He thought- all the while keeping a eye devoted to the Jedi.

[Tobias Vos]

Feeling the warm embrace of his power flow back to him, he closed his eyes for a moment as he dealt with the flood of awareness coming back. He cycled his breathing- then reached out to comfort and support Sandy. The newly arrived guest, while a surprise- it wasn't a shock. What was a shock, however, was his recounting of his battle. A Grand Admiral. Vos analyzed the man. There was potential there- for both greatness and doom. It seemed he carried himself well, as he should if he were a Grand Admiral. But it seemed he was not... professional, nor all that together mentally. Was Raven going to abide the mans very barbaric recounting of his deeds? Would she allow that to continue? Vos knew all about the hard realities of the galaxy, but he wasn't a psychopath. The Grand Admiral didn't see fit to acknowledged anyone else in the room, not asked of the situation in which they were speaking now. A bit of a fool...

 

"I do not require anything, but I would like to enter into a negotiation to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the Jedi Order, as well as the Imperial Remnant. Even if you are not open to an arrangement, I still will donate the supplies as there are people that need help out there. That is the duty of the Jedi Order- is to help the citizens of the galaxy, and one of my personal quests to do so. I've made similar arrangements with various words and shipping companies in an effort to bolster us for... the future." Vos's tone was cold and whispy, a great amount of care went into those words. That last bit held layers of hidden meanings. All the answers would have to be excavated with questions, but for now it was be just summed up in vague comment.

 

"While repayment is not an idea I had- I would guess you have more Ysalamir around the area? I would like to purchase some, five or six- if that would not be an issue. Also, further down the road I would like to- procure an Interdictor Cruiser or an Immobilizer 418. I would fund it, and of course compensate the Remnant for your time and resources. But that is a distant thought. Former Grandmaster Dahar did say I would visit, and now under Grandmaster Kirlocca, I was encouraged to still hold onto this meeting. I do however, have to inform you that- respectfully- I will not tolerate our private communications being given to others anymore- in the future. Likewise I would extend the same agreement to your communications to myself, they would be for me and my staff- only. I have laid out what I am after- short and long term and my initial terms. Is this a partnership you would like to nurture? Or do you have something else in mind?" Another calm and collect tone that he conveyed towards the three Imperials in the room.

[Raynuk Montar]

The space around Carida seemed to be getting more and more popular every day, and today would be no different. A single Starwind-class yacht, usually reserved for the financial elite of the galaxy shot from hyperspace and began to approach Carida. It was the heart of the Imperial Remnant, and that was precisely why the ship had come here.

 

Though clearly, Carida was having a bit too much action recently, the single pilot of the yacht thought. Imperial Space Command seemed to be recovering from something, as all traffic had been thrown into state of disarray. The pilot did a quick scan of some comm channels, putting together that some sort of Star Destroyer had appeared a short time ago fully engulfed in flames and tore itself apart over the planet.

 

The pilot switched comm channels over, and hailed Imperial Space Command. “This is Lupus Kan’do aboard the StringFellow, requesting clearance to land on Carida. I’ve come to collect on the bounty on Force Users. Right now I’ve got two stashed in the cargo bay of this ship, one alive and one dead. The live one is even a well known Sith, goes by the name Emily Skywalker, or Darth Eris. I figure y’all’ed be interested in them. ”

 

The self identified pilot, Kan’do looked around from the cockpit of the StringFellow, which still carried a years old registration. At the time of the registration, the name of the owner was a Jedi hopeful named Tzem Itae, who had come to the Jedi from Taris. There was nothing much of a record of what happened to Tzem after joining the Jedi however, other than him having been distant from the other Jedi in his age group. Kan’do would simply wait, knowing they would check the credentials of the ship, and would likely end up questioning him as to why he piloting a ship registered to a Jedi into the heart of the Imperial territory.

[Lusef Aryan]

Faust's virus still continued on with its mischief. Similar to the freighter that landed over Korriban full of rare medicines and bacta, another Galactic Alliance ship arrived over Cardia. Its pilots, Roni and Rene, twin brothers in service of the Alliance, were more dutiful, aware of the change in route and stewarding it on course. They did think it odd that they would deliver so much valuable and precious cargo to the Imperials, but orders were orders. If nothing else, it may have to do with building good will between the GA and the Empire in the face of the Sith threat. What else could justify sending over a million credits in medicines originally routed for a densely populated trading world facing a potential outbreak after some natural disasters to the heart of the Empire?

 

They came in over Cardia and hailed. "This is Roni Figaro of the Galactic Alliance. I have orders from my superiors to make a delivery to Cardia. Sending a shipping manifest down as we speak." He punched in the console codes, awaiting the clearance to land. He'd be happy to make the delivery and head home, expecting a good word or two for being so quick to travel half-way across the galaxy in such short notice to make this delivery. Maybe even get a promotion for his troubles too. He still had some reservations about this course of action, but assumed it was made and ordered in good faith.

[DoctorOblivious]

Despite her nervousness, Sophia’s eyes widened slightly and she lifted her fingers from the table to steeple them in front of her face, leaving an imprint of clammy sweat on the cold metal. “That would be… very interesting, in fact.” The thrusters in her head immediately began warming up; first-hand accounts from Imperial veterans were rarely considered in the histories of the Galactic Civil War, especially when it concerned engagements against the Jedi. Although, considering the pain that continued to resonate from the recent war, some bias was perhaps expected. “So few historians even consider the Imperial perspective in the war. I will definitely have to give you my comm information so you... can put me in touch.”

 

Sophia paused. The clever bastard had just convinced her to give him her comlink frequency. But for access to the Imperial military archives...

 

“Anyway, the expert that I came to interview is Aidan Darkfire.” Her lips quirked in a slight smile. She did not stutter; Sophia had come to meet with the son of the former Jedi Grandmaster. “I know, he’s barely more than a child, but there are very few people in the entire galaxy who I think have had any experience with the artifacts that I’m studying.”

[Kyrie Eleison]

The young Exorcist’s eyes shone with pride as she watched her apprentice Kala’s bonding with her troops. She was showing them she was one of them, breaking down the mystical barrier of the ‘Jedi’ that kept them beyond the reach of those they were sworn to protect. Once the girl was ready, she would lead her squads to flesh out the basic tactics of breech and entry. With emerald eyes she regarded her other apprentice Aidan where he stood in the back of the briefing chambers.

 

“Aidan, go to barracks A-349 on the Eastern Wing of this facility. There you are to hand pick from the ranks of new recruits your two squads. You are both looking to put together complementary teams of commandos, which you will lead until you leave The Empire. You are rookies, and so are they.”

 

She stood slowly, her bone-white armour reflecting the fluorescent lighting, causing her emerald eyes to glitter. Her scarred face showed a content smile.

 

“When you both are done, you both will be engaging in conditioning with your troops before a live-fire exercise of a hostage rescue. Good luck… Imperial Knights.”

 

((OOC: These two squads are yours forever. Flesh each member out and get to know them. Eat with them, train with them, get a handle on how they operate. Their personalities and backgrounds are fully in your control. They will accompany you on every mission. Put them in your character sheets as Tactical NPCs.))

 

---

 

While her apprentices picked their men, Kyrie uploaded a series of dossiers to her private datapad of the newest recruits to the Empire. She needed to gather commandos herself, and she would join her apprentices in their training. With a fast pace, the Jedi General made her way to her private chambers, where the holocron of Il-Andon Rorik awaited to be studied.

[Raven Nasra]

Raven’s eyes grey larger than their already overlarge appearance. An old Empire Grand Admiral indeed. Though the last vestiges of the old emperors had been erased from the public view on imperial worlds, their spirit still remained, and would remain for decades in the officer corps. Raven could feel her heart fall in her chest, there was so much work to be done. Could the tide against the evil within the old empire ever be turned? She let out a sigh that brought the breath from her lips in a low hiss. “Grand Admiral, while the destruction of the Arach’tar is in no doubt justified, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.” She pushed a datapad towards the man, containing the most recent history of the GA and the reformation of the remnant. “Though we are for the moment, a long distance from it, if we were to venture into a war again, quarter shall be given to all enemies that surrender. We are no longer being led by Sith Lords, and shall show the honour of our profession. We will act like soldiers and not the terrorists we are trying to eliminate from this galaxy.” She let a smiled creep across her lips. “You did well in your destruction of the Arach’tar Grand Admiral by Old Empire standards, if you agree to abide by new rules of engagement you are welcome to find your rank restored within the Imperial Remnant. If not you will still receive your military pension and all the honours you are due for being a permanently retired grand admiral in the Imperial Remnant.” She let the answer sit in the air before turning to the Jedi Delegation.

 

She looked at Tobias and then at Sandy. The young girl had recovered from the illness brought on by the force zapping lizards and had some degree of colour return to her cheeks. “I thank you for your supplies, and you may take as many Ysalamir as you need in return for your aide. I cannot currently loan or sell you a piece of the imperial war fleet. Especially one that does not yet exist. If you want an imperial crew to follow your direction, you can always join our ranks as an Imperial Knight, does that interest you Master Vos? If not, we can have an Imperial fleet captain command the ship under your direction, as long as Imperial High Command, knows and has input into how it is used.” Her eyes hardened for a moment, “I must remind you Master Jedi that you are here only at my leisure, while Jedi are always welcome to seek shelter here upon Carida and other Imperial Worlds I cannot always guarantee that your communications are private, especially one as un jedi as the one Dahar sent to me. I have seen a Jedi fall from grace before Tobias, and paranoia is usually one of the first signs. Sadly as the government is currently in crisis and a dozen million of my citizens murdered by Sith aggression sometimes my staff must interrupt even a private meeting or I must break trust of a Jedi Master I have never met, and who I could not possibly trust.” She smiled wistfully. “I do wish Master Dahar well, however, and if he is in trouble, he is most welcome here in the Imperial Capital.

____________________

Moff Achim Hastangel waved his hand dismissively, wishing the moment he did it, that the liver spots were not so visible. “The survivors we interrogated claim to have been hired by the Sith Lords, there were no ties to the Galactic Alliance. While some in the government may believe that we can profit from manufacturing a conflict with the GA, I will always urge for caution. I believe the Head of State aligns with me on this. We simply cannot afford to get into a war on two fronts. For now, the Sith and their ilk the Black Sun, must be our main targets.” He gestured to the row of holoscreens flickering in the background of the party, showing scenes of devastation, crying infants, and burned mothers. “The Sith did that little one. The GA fleet, even if it was led by Gren Sairdonga or Cadio Sikaot would not do such a thing.” He smiled, wishing for the moment that he was young and full of vigor. This youth in front of him was willing to go to whatever end to sell her droids. And he remembered the feel of lekku...He shook his head, “We will not follow you to your ship, as fun as that may be, simply send your design and catalogue to my office and we will see about a purchase of a thousand test units for preliminary trials. How does that sound?”

 

Beth Andromina on the balcony let herself laugh at the man’s comment towards cybot galactica. it felt good to laugh, especially over something so trivial. “Well keep pumping out those advanced AIs for us actually good pilots to go shoot down. Nothing yet has beaten the sentient pilot at the controls.” However the conversation had taken a line towards the acquisition of units. How boring. And not to mention so very far above her pay grade. “You can always talk to that cluster of Moffs if you want to sell units, otherwise I’ll go back to pushing my shrimp around my plate. THat is unless you want to dance?”

____________________

 

The officer looked down at his datapad, entered a quick series of strokes, and looked back up at Sophia. “Why would you have interest in talking to one of our Imperial Knight Recruits? If you want to talk to him you will have to comm Major General Skirateth and from there Knight Eleison. Both of whom’s comm info I can pass along after I clear it with my superiors.” What a strange but interesting lady.

____________________

Imperial Space Command answered Roni Figaro’s comm hail with discernible surprise. “GA shuttle you are diverted from your present course to the Golan III platform Archangel, The GA capital is under quarantine, as such you will set down under quarantine procedures in bay 34 and your cargo will be fully inspected. We have not been informed by the GA of your inbound intention.” A flight of TIE defenders were scrambled for this unbidden shuttle. ISC sent an express holo to their counterparts in the GASC for clarification.

 

____________________

 

Imperial Space Command Lieutenant Geoffrey Alsaice looked at his console with a sense of awe. The first ever successful Sith hunt! He beckoned his commander and though he was suspicious of the validity of their claim, he gave them clearance to dock at the Golan III platform Seraphim. It was an easy path, laid out with buoys that directed the pilot to land at lane 92, where an Imperial Guard captain and his dozen men waited. Two carrying those dreaded force zapping lizards. The voice that directed the pilot was crisp and posh, echoing the core worlds accent of Old Imperial officers, even though the Lieutenant had been born on Dakshee, and had never even been to coruscant. "StringFellow, you are cleared to land at Saraphim bay 92, do not deviate from the course transmitted. Cheers and safe flying. You will be greeted by an honour guard who will issue credit payment and take control of the prisoner."

[Raphanel]

A message comes through to the Office of the Head of State of the Imperial Remnant from an unknown source, but bearing extremely high level verification codes:

 

Head of State Zinthos, it has come to pass that, through the careful and valiant efforts of members of CoreSec loyal to the ideals of the Remnant and your own Imperial Security Bureau, and at the request of now-Governor Quaylle, the planet Nubia has undergone a change of government. This new government has expressed interest, through select channels, in signing a treaty to join the Imperial Remnant. As no official Remnant representative is on the planet, it is recommended that an appropriate one be sent as soon as possible to secure your interests before the Galactic Alliance retaliates. For now, your loyal allies in CoreSec and the ISB will do what they can to protect and support the new government.

 

--Ubiquitous

[Raynuk Montar]

“StringFellow, you are cleared to land at Saraphim bay 92, do not deviate from the course transmitted. Cheers and safe flying. You will be greeted by an honour guard who will issue credit payment and take control of the prisoner."

 

Kan’do smiled to himself, and began setting in the course towards the Golan III platform that was designated as the Saraphim before responding, “Docking bay 92, you got it.”

 

The path to docking bay 92 on the platform was so simple and quick, Kan’do began to wonder if a pilot was even necessary given all the guide buoys scattered about. What it did do however, was give Kan’do a fair amount of time to visually scan the defenses around the Imperial planet, and he was nothing short of impressed.

 

True he had joined the Cult of Morthos, but he liked to consider himself more of a contractor than a devout follower of the so called ‘Master’. And he liked to think that the Cult knew he didn’t give a womp rat’s tail about their fanaticism, and that that was the reason he worked so well with them; no strings. They were simply an employer. Plus, he was delivering a Sith to the Imperial Remnant in the midst of an open bounty, which was going to only increase his credibility in the more underground and unscrupulous circles, which meant he could charge more.

 

He settled the StringFellow down within the bay he had been directed towards, and after shutting down the ship, moved through the ship to greet the apparent ‘honour guard’ that awaited him and his bounty. He was already walking down the ramp as it finished descending, peeking down towards the honor guard.

 

“Woh. Hey… No threat here gents!” He called out, raising his hands as he saw the squadron of grey armored stormtroopers and the singular imperial officer clad in black. He stepped out from the ship’s ramp, deciding to stop a few feet from the officer. “Like what ya’ll’ve done with the armor. Grey seems like a better choice; not as shiny.” There was a slight awkward pause before he seemingly remembered something.

 

“Oh! Here.” He produced a datapad, holding it out for one of them to take. “Thats uh… thats a log of what happened. If you or your uh, superiors are interested.”

 

The datapad did indeed contain a written account of events that had been pulled from the ship’s computers; it was simply a fabricated story that had been planted in the ship and now on the datapad. As the story went...

 

The original owner of the ship, a former Jedi named Tzem Itae had come across the Sith known as Emily Skywalker near Gala. Itae had been following a tip from an un-named source about a band of Black Sun fighters, that he later matched to an open bulletin from CoreSec as having been seen fleeing from Coruscant. Itae followed the trail, where it lead to an uninhabited section of space near Gala. There he found the Black Sun fighters harrying a freighter that was also mentioned in that same bulletin from Coruscant. It went on to describe how Itae’s arrival had scared off the Black Sun fighters, at which point the freighter transmitted a distress signal to the Jedi, who promptly replied and moved to offer aid.

 

A day later, Kan’do and his partner, a Geelan named Chap came upon that same freighter as a part of their usual ‘discrete’ travel routes, only to immediately have their communications board receive another distress signal, this time from the StringFellow which was still docked to the freighter which was still showing heavy damage from the Black Sun fighters. Kan’do and his partner went to investigate, and it was then that they found the Jedi Itae not far from where the StringFellow, already dying and his eyes burnt out. Itae had docked with the freighter to find that the Sith was using it as bait, and a deadly serious fight had errupted between the two. Itae had gotten lucky, a momentary weakness in the SIth allowed him to score a deep slash across her stomach, which she had fallen from. He was quick to attempt to restrain her in a stasis pod aboard his ship, but had not been quick enough, and as he was securing her, she blasted him in the face with Force Lightning.

 

The logs and comments from Itae ended there, with a time gap before Kan’do added his own and recounted his part, about how he had found Itae dying by his ship with eyes burnt out, and how Itae had managed to tell Kan’do what the Jedi had learned and seen, telling him that the Sith had got the drop on him and burned his eyes out with Force Lightning, but that Itae had finished securing her despite the wounds. It was only through the Force and his pledge to the Jedi Order that he continued to fight on. But the necessity to keep the Sith isolated from the Force also meant using a ysalamiri, which would likewise cut Itae off from it. The Jedi had managed to escape from the bubble, drawing upon the Force until finally Kan’do and Chap had arrived.

 

Kan’do had also noted that Itae had gifted him the StringFellow as a token of his thanks for answering the distress signal, and Kan’do had happily accepted since it was a much faster and higher-class ship than the beat up old shuttle he had been using. Kan’do had gone to the StringFellow and found the Sith already under the effects of the stasis pod, a medical drip, and what he could only describe as a fuzzy feeling in his own mind when he was close to the pod.

 

Kan’do had written in the report that Itae had made Kan’do promise to make sure the Sith was brought to justice, and had taken the promise seriously. He and Chap had moved the Jedi’s body to the ship before sending Chap and their ship on along to their destination while Kan’do took the StringFellow to the only form of justice that also just so happened to pay handsomely.

 

The report ended there, and as Kan’do handed the datapad over he pointed back up the ramp with his thumb and added, “The Sith is in the cargo hold, in some kind of stasis pod thing, hooked up to some chemicals or somethin’. Oh and there’s one of those things in there too.”

 

He pointed to one of the ‘force zapping lizards’ that was strapped to the back of one of the Stormtroopers. “Along with the remains of the Jedi I talked about… dunno if you want him too?”

 

As the troopers moved to board the ship, Kan'do stepped aside, watching them pass and dissapear into the ship. "Sooooo... about that bounty?"

[DoctorOblivious]

“An Imperial Knight?” Sophia stared at the Imperial officer, lips slightly open until she realized that the man was actually serious. “An Imperial Knight. Unbelievable. If that boy’s mother knew about this, you would probably have a diplomatic incident on your hands. The reason why I’m trying to find him is that I’m writing a book about, well, said mother. And unlike most of the tosh that’s been written on the matter, I’d really prefer to make a proper effort. This would include people who knew her--friends and family, other members of the Order… and yes, this would include the opposition’s perspective. Although, it looks like I would be moving at the speed of the chain of command.”

 

Even if Draygo's son absolutely refused to give her the time of day, however, at least this journey would not be wasted. If the Empire actually allowed her access to its archives on the Civil War, then that was a privilege afforded to a select few. That alone would allow her to produce a work of nearly unprecedented depth--almost certainly a controversial and probably a highly-unpopular perspective in the Galactic Alliance, but controversy was not in itself undesirable.

[Kitaara Shiri]

"Governor Hastangel, I am delighted." The whites of her teeth glinted against the dark backdrop of her cerulean skin.

 

While she had been hoping for a contract outright, the purchase of a thousand units of the Enyo-class series would still be at least 20 million credits in the pockets of Lemnos. Their stock had made astronomical leaps up until now, but once their droids had become entrenched as a part of the Imperial military, the connotation between their image and security would be made in the minds of billions of sentients across Imperial worlds. Their next objective, she mused momentarily, would be to similarly entrench themselves in the minds of the citizenry of the Galactic Alliance.

 

Whatever the case, this evening had already been an unmitigated success.

 

Snatching a flute of champagne off of a serving droid's tray as it wheeled past her, she turned back to the Moffs in a shimmer of sparkles. These men threw fancy parties to raise money for people who would likely not see a single credit. Families who waited on inevitable bad news from within operating rooms; dutiful citizens impoverished by their medical bills; displaced immigrants who had come to Carida for the sake of opportunity and found their holdings obliterated by the wreckage of warships from overhead. Let them consider themselves heroes for prancing around in finery, eating delicacies and sipping expensive cocktails for the sake of the Caridan people.

 

Raising her glass, she tossed her head-tails back and smiled confidently. "To the welfare of Carida, and the glory of the Empire."

[Tobias Vos]

"On the matter of the ship- I did not think you had one lying around. We just require the use of your ship building capabilities, and I would be open to a limited Imperial Crew. I would supply my own crew." It seemed as thought the thought had not occurred to him, as his shrug conveying that. "Sadly, I have no wish to join whatever the Imperial Knights are. Is that where some of my Jedi have gone to? Good for them, and good for you. Are Sith joining your Knightly Order? I may have two candidates if that is the case. "

 

--------

Spoiler is nulled. - Aryian

 

Something caught his eye- movement behind the three Imperials- as if coming from a secret doorway there was an elderly human male standing there just leaning against the wall. Whether or not that door way was real or not was irrelevant. Something about him- like a twig breaking he realized what was going on. Why is he here...this is not the place. Breaking his split second attention away from the Force Ghost standing behind them, unsure if he appeared to anyone else he decided to move forward with his conversation. Something was up, and he was sure that he would have to deal with it eventually. The look on the old mans ghostly face was serious.

 

"And on the subject of that last bit- and I of course mean no offence- suggest you keep your eyes on your own people and how Imperialistic they do things, and let the Jedi worry about how Jedi are Jediing." Vos looked at the Grand Admiral that was so proud of a pointless slaughter who admitted something along the lines of a psychopath. Raven would need to reign in her Admiral. He was used to doing things as an old Imperial, while Raven was doing something else. He returned to his attention to Raven. "Dahar was about to send a few Jedi to meet with you to see if there was anything we could do to help your efforts along, supplies and such. Now, however, The Jedi Order has now seen the turnover of a few things, and the Jedi Leadership Team is taking the Order in a more... hands on approach. Actually, I am. I am acting on the behalf of the Jedi Order, don't get me wrong, but myself and my people are very much our own arm of the Jedi Order." Discreetly referencing the designation given to him by Kirlocca as a Jedi Shadow. There was some spotlight encounters that were to be expected, this was one of them. "Sort of like a different branch of the same tree, like the Imperials and the New Republic, or whatever they are now." He sighed, "That is all I wished, to convey my greeting and convey an offer of support. Do not be mistaken that the Jedi support the Imperials one hundred percent, nor will we support the Republic one hundred percent either- so please do not take this as a defensive alliance, the Jedi Order will no longer be an extension of one side versus the other. We are here to support the people of the Galaxy- politics create a silly line between people and progress."

 

Vos cleared his throat as the ethereal figure behind the Imperials straightened up from his lean against the wall and walked right past the three and stood there in front of Vos- just to the side of his line of sight to the Empress. "I would call an end to this meeting, if I might. Something important has come up that needs my attention. Might we speak later, perhaps?" His tone taking a slightly agitated tone- but it was obvious it was at the interruption than at the meeting.

[Robert McNamara]

Robert bristled at the interruption from the Grand Admiral. In all his years in the Imperial Forces, he had never seen this Grand Admiral. What was his claim? He looked like a chump, and the way he interrupted this meeting with anyone else other than Raven, he would have had his head removed from his neck. But Raven was no Sith, that was obvious. So it was business as usual. Robert stood there- he had no role in this meeting other than muscle if things went south. The Jedi's donation of three ships of supplies did indeed drop out of hyperspace- Lisa was feeding data into his neural link- he was visualizing data as the meeting went on. Ships were coming in and out of the space around Carida as you would expect- construction, supplies, workers, shippers, and aid assistance.

 

The ysalamir offer by Raven surprised him, and it frustrated him after the hard work and sacrifice that his men had given in order to obtain these lizards, and she just offered the Jedi some? What if they find a way around the effects? Their tactical advantage would be gone.

 

Soldiers from the landing bays sent up a message and Lisa pulled it as "unusual" some bounty hunter pressing his luck for payment. Communicating with his ships AI, he made a recommendation to the Spaceport control to pay the man and let him leave. A Sith bounty- and he claimed he had a former Jedi in the form of ash. Sorry, we aren't a trash disposal facility. he thought- and sent the message to the troopers to secure the Sith and be about typical business.

 

~~~~~~~

 

Spoiler is nulled. - Aryian

His heart froze- out of nowhere there appeared a figure between the Jedi and Raven and her desk. Without a moments hesitation- he pulled his blaster and put himself between the figure that was between his Empress, and the Jedi. "Raven!" He shouted- no sooner did the words leave his mouth than the stormtroopers busted through the reception door- blasters and stokli spray nets at the ready. Robert was in between them now- himself between the desk and Raven behind him. The bigger Jedi threw up his hands- a sign of surrender and mild surprise mixed with irritation. The irritation looked like it belonged to the figure that appeared.

 

"I apologize for the interuption-" The figure said in a cool and modulated tone, he half turned his head to look back- the odd blue aura around him made him look like a ghost. Robert heard stories- but he wasn't in the listening mood. "I would speak to all of you at once, Master Vos- you need to tell her, so they can start preparing as well."

"Speak now, or there will be severe consequences." Robert issued the challenge. His finger already pulling back on the trigger slightly.

[Tobias Vos]

Nulled. - Aryian

 

Vos bit his lower lip in frustration- and put his hands up. "Perfect timing." He said through gritted teeth. Of course he would show up now, and appear to everyone. Go figure- things were going smoothly- but NOOOOOOOOOO he has to show up.

 

"He means you no harm, he is a Ghost within the Force- your blaster bolts would not do him any harm, and only stall us out..." Vos's tone was pleading- but in control. He was just outside the ysalamir bubble, an he doubted he would get a second chance at this. "By the stars, I ask you hear him out- he cannot appear for long..."

 

One of the fresh troopers was shaking in his armor- and a blaster bolt came from his weapon and halfway between the trooper and Vos- the red bolt froze. In mid-air. A huff of effort from Vos- but he didn't move.

 

"Please, Ms. Zinthos, I beg you, tell your troops to stand down... this is not expected. This is Father, I cannot explain him or what he does- but.."

 

"Enough with the banter- tell her- tell them!" Father looked down upon Vos with cool- firm eyes. He reached out a hand and the bolt disappeared- his back still towards the Imperial Hierarchy.

 

"Can I have my say, or should I just go to my cell?" He was already consigning a surrender...he hoped Sandy would be spared from all the repercussions.

[Kala Ianauria]

What followed might charitably be called training from the trooper’s point of view. The morning’s conditioning started with what Captain Briana “Ripper” Sannis called a warm-up, an hour’s worth of heavy calisthenics that left Kala barely able to breathe and aching from muscles she never knew she had.

 

Sweat soaked into the body-stocking beneath her armor which began to chafe in some sensitive places. Captain Sannis barely broke a sweat. 1st Sergeant Tuan “Snowblower” Ngo looked bored by the whole thing, completing the exercises with a face set in stone with hard eyes that watched and evaluated them all.

 

Kala felt like the Tuan’s eyes constantly rested on her for that very long hour. Once the warm-up was finished, the Captain called the troops into formation to begin what he called a short run. Corporal Cheyna “Cold Toes” Morakaran standing next to Kala looked over at Kala with a cold grin upon her face.

 

In a whisper, she spoke to Kala, “Hope you’re ready to do 20 km., in armor, with a full weapon’s loadout, Jedi.”

“You got something to say Corporal?” shouted the Captain.

 

“No, Ma’am,” said Cheyna,

 

“Good,” said the Captain, “Then you won’t mind carrying the guide-on through the run.”

 

The Corporal groaned softly, so as not to be heard. Kala felt sympathy from several of the other troopers directed towards the young woman.

 

An impetuous, suicidal impulse born of both her intuition and the Force swept through Kala. She stepped out of line and strode past the Corporal and the rest of the troops. The Captain and 1st Sergeant stared at her during her approach, both questions and something else flashing through their eyes.

 

Surprise flowed from the troopers like sweet nectar as Kala seized the guide-on. She turned back towards the Corporal who stepped back into line. Several of the other troopers stood a little straighter, wondering if their Captain and their Knight might struggle whom actually commanded them.

 

Kala’s eyes locked on the symbol displayed there. The flag at the end of the pole carried a simple number. While she was sure the small flag meant a great deal to the troops, it helped mark her as an outsider.

 

So she tossed the pole into air and when the height failed to satisfy her, used a Force push to elevate the staff and flag further. The eyes of the Captain, 1st Sergeant and the rest of the troopers bored into Kala as she watched the item reach its maximum height. She ignited her lightsaber and clumsily leaped up upwards.

 

A couple of cuts followed and the flag and staff fell in five pieces. Kala landed softly beside the pieces and collected them into a single pile. After shutting her saber down, she pulled a blaster, and fired into the pile, setting them ablaze.

 

“We are no longer troopers and Knights,” said Kala quietly. “If we want the Imperial knights to be a symbol of the Empire than we need to be something new, something far greater than Knight and her troopers.”

 

Silence greeted her words.

 

“Like the cycle of Captain Azzer Captain Roth,” said River.

 

“Exactly,” said Kala. “Explain it too them.”

 

“Captain Azzer is a Kuati legend. He fought during a war between two noble houses. During a battle he found himself separated from his comrades and in unfamiliar territory. He discovered the camp of another noble house. Curious as too their presence in land not their own, he hid and watched.”

 

Kala looked towards River, her thoughts gone quiet and empty.

 

“While he watched,” continued River, “troopers from the third house came into camp with troops from Azer’s house and the house he’d been fighting against. He waited for night and snuck into the command tent of the 3rd house. There he found the plans of the third house to destroy both their houses by weakening them through deception. He took the plans and fled.”

 

A small smile graced Kala’s face at the beginning of the legend. Her governess had told her the story, how Azzer found Roth, an enemy commander searching for his own lost troops. The two of them rescued their troopers and defended both their homelands against their common enemy, somehow becoming friends in the process. When the 3rd House was finally defeated, they convinced their houses into an alliance that lasted for centuries.

 

One of the Troopers jokingly called out, “So they became House Azzeroth? If they did, what kind of flag did they march under?”

 

“They became House Ianauria,” said Kala, “and my house has never used flags. Our soldiers only use a symbol they placed upon their chest and arms, both on their armor and as tattoos.”

 

“Not that symbol that grace’s River’s face,” said one of the troopers.

 

“No, that’s the symbol my former family used to mark property,” said Kala bluntly.

 

“Imperial slavery?” said someone.

 

“No, Kuati slavers. We’re taught our duty lies to House, world, than to whatever political body we’re currently a part of. And like with our laws.”

 

“Trooper River,” shouted the Captain, “you and Ianauria find us a symbol to use on your own time. We have a run that needs running.”

 

“Sir,” they both said in unison.

 

“Alright troopers, double time,” cried the 1st Sergeant as they began the run.

 

The twenty kilometer run took just under an hour and fifteen minutes. Kala felt pools of sweat sloshing around inside her armor, with the various straps further chafing a large section of her torso. As she bent over trying to catch her breath, the contents of her stomach spewed onto the pavement.

 

Not that much remained after the first two times. At least she missed her armor unlike a couple of the other troopers.

 

When Kala looked up, she found herself staring at a complete set of mock-ups for various scenarios faced by Imperial troops. Over the entrance to the combat areas a sign hung proclaiming, “Imperial Special Forces, 1st Storm-Commando Training Group.

 

“Catch your breath, ladies. We start training in 30 minutes.

[Raven Nasra]

Though Raven expected some amount of insolence from this brand of Jedi, his attitude was pushing the book for good behaviour. She scowled at him as he asked about Sith Joining the knights, “Our entire objective Jedi Vos is to defeat the Sith, we lost millions of civilians and destroyed their fleet in the first engagement, do not mock us when you and your council sit in solitude and watch this galaxy burn around you. We at least will fight to save it.” She placed her hands on the tabletop and squeezed them into fists. Drawing a frightened look from the pale jedi girl. “I look forward to working with whatever branch of the jedi decide to assist us. I made this very clear, the Jedi are welcome here on Carida and other imperial worlds. They may set up a base anywhere they would like…” Her temper cooled for a moment. “So for your support I thank you master Jedi. I do not expect an alliance, I never have, I simply wish to offer aide and safe sanctuary for the Jedi should they need it. There is a darkness in the GA, surely you have felt it.”

-------

Spoiler is nulled. - Aryian

 

Then shenanigans occurred that Raven was not the least prepared for. At least Robert pulled his gun, and raven reached for the black handled lightsaber she had built so many years ago. Instincts took over and she was in a crouch, holding the cylinder, unlit before her. A force ghost, she recognized it from her time with Tiana.

 

“Speak ghost, and if you harm another one of my men I will hunt you down to whatever dimension you come from.” She looked at Tobias and Sandy then to Robert and his men. “Do not harm the Jedi, they are under my diplomatic protection.”

 

_________________

 

The officer in charge of the extraction of the sith prisoner from the Stringfellow nodded at Kan’do, he pulled out an Imperial credit chit and held it out, as the men dragged the bodies out. The men scanned and checked blood counts for medichlorians from the Sith girl. She was in pretty rough shape, but according to medical readings, she would live if given immediate care. When the stormtrooper medic nodded at him, the Officer handed the man the chit. Five Hundred Thousand credits. That was the cost of the bounty. According to his superiors, it was worth it. As the girl was taken to the infirmary the Stringfellow was given clearance to depart.

 

When Emily awoke she would be in a bacta tank, surrounded by Ysalamiri and facing an imperial officer assigned to the Ubiqtorate. Captain Kaiden was stitched onto his red jacket. He was a man in his early forties, balding, and none too pleased with the Sith.

 

_________________

 

Achim smiled softly and drained his glass of corellian vermouth. “To the restoration of Carida and the future between Lemnos and the Imperial Remnant.” He looked at the holodisplays of crying children and burned houses. “To better days.”

 

_________________

 

The officer shooed Sophia out the door. "You may speak with his commanding officer at first. Or with this badge," He placed the badge above her right breast, his fingers did not linger, "You can enter the compound where he is training while escorted by a security detail."

[Lord MacLeod]

“Grand Admiral, while the destruction of the Arach’tar is in no doubt justified, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Though we are for the moment, a long distance from it, if we were to venture into a war again, quarter shall be given to all enemies that surrender. We are no longer being led by Sith Lords, and shall show the honour of our profession. We will act like soldiers and not the terrorists we are trying to eliminate from this galaxy. You did well in your destruction of the Arach’tar Grand Admiral by Old Empire standards, if you agree to abide by new rules of engagement you are welcome to find your rank restored within the Imperial Remnant. If not you will still receive your military pension and all the honours you are due for being a permanently retired grand admiral in the Imperial Remnant.”

 

“As you say Ma’am.”

 

His tone was neutral as he tucked the datapad into his jacket pocket and continued to observe the meeting, hiding his sense of disgust at how the Empire had fallen from its once proud days deep in his core. Then found his sensibilities shocked further at the thought of lending a ship and crew to the Jedi, religious extremists that were once mortal enemies of the Empire and responsible for assisting the terrorist organization so named the Rebel Alliance.

 

He frowned as he listened, although it really didn’t change his facial expression more than a minute change of his lips and a deepening of the lines around his eyes. It was bloody disgraceful the way things had turned out since he had been gone. Then things turned even worse as the Jedi spoke about him.

 

"And on the subject of that last bit- and I of course mean no offence- suggest you keep your eyes on your own people and how Imperialistic they do things, and let the Jedi worry about how Jedi are Jediing."

 

Luke inhaled as he prepared to respond to the terrorist’s comment, his fingers itching to run the enemy of the state through then have his body drug out to the parade square and let the new Imperial recruits see what is to happen to their enemies.

“At least when I am ordered to end a threat to the Galaxy. I complete my orders rather than running and hiding while someone else ends the threat for you while you wait for the conflict to end then rebel against the legitimate government.”

 

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

Spoiler is nulled. - Aryian

 

Then reacted on instinct as a figure appeared in front of the Head of State, letting the other Imperial move to protect her as he unsheathed his sabre in a sliding rasp of metal. He lunged forward, the blade slipping through the blue figure with no resistance and ending with him half extended in the lunge. The tip of his monomolecular cortosis laced sabre blade pressed against the now protesting Jedi’s chest, resting between the fourth and fifth rib.

 

"Please, Ms. Zinthos, I beg you, tell your troops to stand down... this is not expected. This is Father, I cannot explain him or what he does- but… Can I have my say, or should I just go to my cell?"

 

“I would think very carefully and react very slowly if I were you. One move and I will run your through without a second thought and not even the Head of State will blame me for terminating a threat to the Empire.”

 

His deep voice rasped from his lips low with the familiar command tone that had the stormtroopers automatically moving further into the office, their blasters and stokli spray nets at the ready with a third of them covering the padawan without having been ordered.

 

[Ary the Grey]

So, briefly conferring with Brian and Ian, I've decided to change the ruling/nulling. I am selectively nulling everything to do with the 'Father' spirit, edits have already been made. Regardless of what this was intended for, it should have either been mod approved from the get-go to even skirt a canon character like this, or it's simply an abuse of the rules, especially the powers. Either way, the nulling stands, you may continue with the meeting. Original (now defunct) ruling spoilered below for archival reasons.

 

 

Tobias...Couple things. Firstly, canon characters actually being in the RP are frowned on. To be fair, Brian finally found it in the character sheet template thread as an obscure rule, but it should be with the main rules. Secondly, godmode Force powers. What the NPC just did was basically beyond the normal abilities of even a Grandmaster or Dark Lord. Alias stacking was supposedly an issue, but I am not seeing where this is anything other than an NPC at this point, but if it is a PC, that is an illegal PC.

 

Seeing as this has been responded to by two people complicates the issue further. We can assume, for the moment, that this is a 'spirit' within the Force, force ghost, whatever, but that it is NOT 'Father' from canon. Rather, it wishes to masquerade as him and pretend to be him for motives that can be determined in the future, who knows why. The blaster bolt, instead of fizzling out, simply was dodged, but the Force was used to project the illusion of what was described to happen, and to temporarily make any blaster scoring on a wall look like it never happened. It can be cleaned by an unwritten NPC janitor or soldier later and forgotten.

 

You may use this NPC, but any powers it has must stem from illusion, and it is most definitely not the canon character, despite any PCs or other IC characters currently believing otherwise.

[Haphaestus]

Haphaestus regarded Andromina for a moment in a way that managed to come across as appraising even though his countenance was hidden. "I did not come here to dance," he said. He turned to face the rest of the gala. There were others dancing, most according to traditional Imperial custom. At first it seemed like he was going to leave, but still he lingered.

 

"However, it seems we both are in need of a distraction, and we have not yet exhausted our potential topics of conversation," he finally intoned. He then extended his hand towards her. "Lieutenant?"

 

In his long millennia Haphaestus had never before seen fit to dance in any fashion. It was a uniquely biological act, often as an expression of emotion or an attempt to evoke some quantity of it. Haphaestus experienced emotion but denied its influence over his actions, and he felt no biological desire for intimacy as he lacked reproductive capabilities. This offer to dance, too, was impassive to him. He wished to inquire further of Andromina about matters other than potential avenues of growth for Lemnos Industries.

 

When she accepted his hand she would find him to be technically proficient in the dance if lacking in its subtleties; his sense of rhythm was almost literally a metronome, his movements precise. His flesh was covered from head to toe, but through his gloves and formal jacket he would feel organic enough, if a touch more firm and slightly cooler in temperature than a human. He was unusually steady. He never slouched, and every action he took was measured and deliberate. He was unreadable; there was no indication whether he was enjoying the experience.

 

"You command starfighters," he said. "Did you see any action during the recent attack? I admit that I am curious to hear your interpretation of the events."

[Kitaara Shiri]

Opting for a ladylike sip instead of the distinct urge she had to drain the glass, Kitaara cradled the stemware in her palm. Offering the Imperial officers a winning smile as she began once more, "I am curious to see how the--"

 

Her voice trailed off as the formal High Imperial dance picked up on the wide floor of the ballroom. To her delight and amusement, Haphaestus went whirling by in the arms of a young and shapely officer of about Kitaara's age. While she had known he had the capacity for dance, having conducted the briefest of lessons in some such cultural customs, she had never witnessed his full commitment to the act. For her solemn and stoic teacher to partake in such an expressive, emotive medium was absolutely disarming.

 

"Gentlemen, it's been lovely to make your acquaintance. All our best to your relief efforts. Please, excuse me," she said, taking up the train of her dress in one hand with a gentle bow of her head and moving with the flanking pair of droids closer to the dance floor. Leaning over to one of the Enyos, Kitaara murmured, an effervescent grin on her features, "Make sure you're recording this. Transmit the file to my datapad."

 

Something crawled beneath her skin as she watched the pair, however, a sneaking sensation she could not readily identify that ignited her blood and triggered the darkness that lurked behind her sparkling exterior. Its unpleasantness was wholly unlike anything else she had experienced in her largely brutal and unpleasant childhood, and the strength of it was disconcerting. Carefully composing her face into a statuesque portrait so that no one observing would be any the wiser, Kitaara let the heated barb fester under her skin such that she might, eventually, be able to name the visceral backlash.

[Sandy Sarna]

With the force restored, Sandy drew heavily on it to restore the feeling in her extremities and numb the burning sensation that came from the scars on her arms. Only a few drops of blood showed through the white bandages and stained the green dyed bantha wool tunic. She rolled her eyes and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped. The Imperials were interesting to say the least, their fascist militarism struck a chord of safety that she could understand in her heart. Back on Gala, in the slums and ghettos, there had been various ways to respond to the oppressive sense of insecurity a lack of home and livelihood, some took up violent anarcho-communism, others a fascist sense of nationalism. People found safety in that, Sandy thought, a Fascist Government was a stable government, and with the welfare programs instituted by the current head of state, there were no visible homeless or poor, other than those who had been displaced by the war. She could see the attraction to the Imperial way of life, but she knew the Jedi way was more her style. She found herself longing for her lightsaber as tensions continued to rise as her master and the head of state spatted over stupid things like leaked messages and former grandmasters. The Imperial Grand Admiral in his leather jacket carried himself like a villain from a holoreel about the old galactic civil war. The same villains that had died in the first and second death star, and the same that were lynched in uprisings on Bakura and Chandrillia. Hopefully the same fate wouldn’t befall this man, he could still be saved.

 

She tapped the inside of Tobias’s arm to warn him about telling the head of state off and telling her that the Sith should join her knights. Sandy winced at the comment, which sent the head of state into a bit of a tirade. She coughed slightly after the grand admiral had finished the conversation with a bludgeoning threat.

 

“Is there anything we can do to help your government in preparation for the next Sith attack?” She looked at Tobias, wondering if she should mention the Jedi fleet. If there was anything she knew, it was that the Sith were relentless, and with the amount of displaced civilians around the capital they were very vulnerable to a air based attack. She gripped Tobias's hand, hoping that she hadn't misspoke.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca watched as the stars broken their translucent streaks and became the normal sight that comes with any space travel. Kirlocca quickly opened his comm to the planet's surface.

 

<< This is Jedi Master Kirlocca here to see and assist Head of State Raven Zinthos. >>

[Tobias Vos]

Tobias let the Admiral dig his own grave, if he behaved like this after he had just procured supplies and aid to the people of the Empire? Pondering, Tobias wondered if he should go to the effort of pressing him further. Stuck for a moment on whether or not to tell the unhinged admiral- Tell the tale of Sabatin and that the rogue Seeker group the two fought- and how bloody it was, or to challenge him as a warrior and as a commander. The former would have struck a rough note with Sandy and the Head of State, while the latter would have tipped him into a rage that would result in his attacking Vos. Even without a lightsaber Vos knew it would be so easy to reach out and clench his neck so hard his eyes would pop out of their sockets. As he tried to breath the man would whimper from the pain, maybe Vos would let him go and suffer out the remaining days as pain in his crushed esophagus would radiate around his newly dark world. He would live out his days as a irate beggar on a planet like Nar Shaddaa, or fall so far into a drunken stupor brought about by his pain and vision that he would piss off the wrong person and meet his end- bleeding out with a metal blade shoved in his kidney, his red blood pouring down over the rubbish- with a piece of a diaper tickling his nose as the last bit of breath escapes him, right in the rubbish pile. In a way, Vos pitied the man, and reconsidered just as his apprentice spoke. A small amused snort escaped his nostrils, then let his attention fall on what Sandy was saying.

 

Vos radiated pride as Sandy spoke up. She was a good Jedi, she had such potential. He tried to encourage her through the force, she knew what he had. He was willing to share his toys for a bit- focus would fall to Carida for a bit. "Any food, firepower, healers, droids, credits?" Clearly backing up Sandy's lead.

[Emily]

The next hours—days?—were hell for Emily Skywalker. The drugs she was constantly pumped with kept her numb to the physical pain and kept her mind so foggy that she couldn’t focus on much of anything. There were moments where she was more lucid, but they were passing moments. Images floated in her brain—lightsabers glowing, the face of the Cultist leader looming over her, a sense of movement, the sight of the cultists dumping a body in the room with her. But these were all dim and muddled sensations, and she couldn’t be sure any of them were real.

 

Eventually, however, she felt the drugs in her system petering out. Consciousness tugged at her. Where was she? She felt warm, surrounded in a comforting sort of liquid. Outside sound was muffled, and for a moment she was lulled by the sense of peace and tranquility. It was almost as if she was in a womb… Pain and anguish crashed through her at the thought, jerking her fully awake. Panic took hold and she began to thrash around. The beeps of the medical equipment quickened as her heart rate spiked. Her eyes flew open.

 

After an agonizing moment, her mind cleared. Bacta. She was in a bacta tank. The Force was still being stripped from her. And the watery image of the man on the other side of the glass tank was not one of the cultists she had seen before. No, he was wearing a military uniform, one she tentatively identified as Imperial Remnant. That thought gave her pause for some reason, until she suddenly remembered the bounty the Imperial Remnant had placed on Sith. She stopped thrashing. Oh, she thought dully. So they dropped me off with them.

 

She tried to wrangle up an ounce of caring, but couldn’t. Why should she care what happened to her now? There was no point in anything. She began to wish for the drugs again. At least in the drug-haze she didn’t have to deal with the pain. Her child was dead, murdered horribly by the Cult, and she had nothing left to live for.

 

But she hoped they’d let her out of this kriffing tank. Every moment she was in here was like rubbing salt in the wound. She had become a creature of pain, but she wasn’t beyond wishing for that pain to be reduced, even a fraction.

[Raven Nasra]

Beth laughed at the man, she took his hand in her own and they whirled through the atrium. He was a strange man to be sure, but he seemed nice enough, even if he was just a salesman. As the small orchestra kicked up the beat to a faster pace, she felt reassured in his arms, it was nice and comfortable, even if his actions were a bit stiff. Too precise for a truly comfortable dance, but she hadn’t been dancing since her days at the academy on Yaga Minor, her bare hand gripped his hand as they continued the four step, he had a military gait and posture. Probably the Nubian Provisional Forces. She shrugged it off and looked into his eyes as she answered. Her blonde hair falling over her bright eyes. “I command starfighters yes, I even flew my Defender-E in the combat.” She paused, nothing about the battle from her perspective was classified so she dove into it. “We fought a recommissioned Mon Cal and Two Nova’s. Their point defense cannons were hell to fly through. We lost a lot of men, and too many civilians for it to be a victory. A lot of bodies are still in orbit, lighting a starfall shower every night. Look.” She pointed out the window as the dance slowed to the meteor shower that was lighting the sky. “I hear we took their commander captive, but other than that I can’t say much other than we fought the Sith on the ground and sky, including a wrym.” She leaned her forehead on his chest, “Whatever the price of victory was, it wasn’t worth it.” She pulled her head back and smiled widely, “Thank you for the dance, I think it will be last one we have for a very long time.”

 

____________________

 

Master Kirolocca was given priority landing clearance at the Imperial Administration Building, and was bidden to come to Raven’s office at his first opportunity. The way to the Admin building would give him a clear view from orbit of the complete destruction of the nightside of the planet. A few forest fires still burned, pumping smoke and ash into artificial clouds.

 

____________________

 

“We could use arms and support, anything you can give. Especially if the GA were to consider us weak in this time of peril. Credits we have enough of, for the moment.” She smiled at the padawan. Her Grand Admiral was being especially aggressive at the moment, though she couldn’t rebuke him while the jedi were there, she wished she could. Deriding allies in the moment of crisis because they were merely Jedi was not the best course of action. She held out a hand to stifle any more questions or statements from Luke and looked back to the jedi duo. "Your grandmaster is here, should I have him join us? Or should I wait until after you are gone?"

____________________

 

Ubiqtorate Officer Deckard Almani watched as the young lady thrashed in the bacta tank, she was small, and dare he say beautiful. Not at all what the Sith had been described as on internal holodoctrines. But they had also said that even the most beautiful could be affected by the dark side of the force. He looked down at her vitals that were scrolling across the datapad in his hand. Nothing unusual, brain patterns matched a normal human. The scars on her belly seemed to indicate a violent abortion, not something that she had likely done to herself, the bounty hunter that dragged this girl in, had likely done some horrible things to her. Not nearly as horrible as what had been done to his homeworld by the Sith. The imperial knight Kyrie had been summoned just outside the room in case things went awry. He was in no danger, so he would take his time. He raised his eyebrows at her and caught her gaze, he leaned into the microphone that would project his voice into the hardened transparisteel tank. Asking questions like a list to Emily.

 

“What is your name and position within the Sith Order? What brought you here? And what happened to your child?”

[Emily]

Her actions hadn't gone unnoticed. Immediately, a filtered voice echoed through the tank, bombarding her with a list of questions.

 

Emily paid no attention. She retreated within herself, deep down. If she buried herself in the pain, maybe she wouldn't feel it as acutely. A blank numbness was better than the agony of pain and rage that swirled within her.

 

Externally, she didn't even look up. The Imperial would receive no sign that she had even heard him.

[Tobias Vos]

"I do have some resources I could direct this way. I would need time to reassign their routes, but we can make it happen. But, they will just maintain the shipping lanes and be here if anyone tries to interfere with the commerce, trade, and the relief effort- they are not going to be a fleet you can order around. They will be operating under my direction, and have their own colors and emblems. They will not have any Jedi markings. At a cursory glance- any one looking for a easy way to sack Carida will see the corvettes and hopefully reconsider." Vos scratched his chin in thought.

 

He sighed, "This little meeting has been beneficial to us both, and I suppose it is time for my apprentice and I to move on with our to-do list. I do not need to be here for whatever the Grandmaster wishes to speak with you about. We have to go Corusant next, and I wish to get it done and over with as soon as possible. If there is nothing else, then we will take our leave of Carida. I of course have my personal comm channels listed in there for you." Tobias was indicating the datapad he had given Raven at the beginning of the meeting.

 

One last chance for her to ask his assistance before he left. While he knew Kirlocca was coming, Tobias had hoped he would be able to tell the Head of State that Kirlocca didn't want to know what Tobias was up to, but after the Dahar message and her own retort, this was not the place. And if he found out- he found out. Tobias wasn't acting under the Peregrin Order any longer, and the subject didn't come up for them to discuss. Sandy and Tobias would leave if there was nothing else- someone else would pick up the Ysalamir.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca looked down at the planet's surface as he was given permission the land. The fire and destruction that covered the ground made him realize how important the Jedi were needed in the galaxy. Even more so, the stirring in the Force that whispered of a tide about to crash against the galaxy. Everyone needed to be ready. As he approached the Administration building, he could feel Tobias in the Force. It was good to know that he had made it here and was able to do so without repercussions. As his Owool fighter landed, Kirlocca made all speed towards Head of State Raven Zinthos. They would need to get brings from each other quickly if their was a chance to set p defense against what is coming.

[Haphaestus]

NYX-1 was the first of her kind. She'd known from the first time she was powered on in the workshop that she was destined for great things. Her metal body was designed by her creator to be in all things perfectly suited for her purpose of discovery and reconnaissance. She could hide from sensors and visual scanning both, she was quiet and maneuverable on her small bank of repulsorlifts, and she boasted some of the best information gathering tools that Lemnos Industries had thus far developed.

 

But that wasn't the half of it. Of all the machines that the maker Haphaestus had created, she alone bore a portion of his flesh, which was once bestowed upon him by Nurgle. The flesh came with drawbacks, yes, although Haphaestus had mitigated them. But they also came with the greatest gift of all. NYX-1 could feel the Force. During the flight from Nubia, her maker had taught her the most rudimentary skills in its use; how to harness it to extend her awareness out into her environment, to notice the currents and eddies of the Force, to be drawn where they led her.

 

It was horribly unfair that she was given this gift and then trapped aboard the Helios while there was so much out there to see with her unique senses! She could feel a place steeped in the dark side that was begging to be explored. It was crazy that Haphaestus and mistress Kitaara hadn't sent her out after it. Wait, that was it. Maybe they'd missed its presence in the Force! Surely they would praise her endlessly if she went and found it and reported back to them!

 

There was the unfortunate obstacle of the ship being locked, but that wouldn't stop her. Floating over to the torpedo bay, NYX-1 set to work accessing the tubes, removing the currently-loaded warhead, and squeezing her narrow frame through the launcher. Moments later she was free, activating her stealth systems and avoiding the gala, instead setting off toward whatever distant beacon was calling to her in the Force.

 

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

 

Haphaestus, meanwhile, took a half step back from Andromina and gave a stately bow in Imperial tradition. "Indeed, we may never have the opportunity again," he said. "I find your insight most elucidating, Lieutenant Andromina, and I am certain that if your shrimp were still living it would appreciate the reprieve."

 

For a brief moment he allowed himself to appreciate the irony of the situation. Andromina would have been appalled had she known that he was a Sith Master, and the former Dark Lord at that. She seemed quite convinced that it was in fact the Sith behind the attack here, and it fit with the holonet messages where the Remnant had demanded all SIth turn themselves in and the Sith Order's defiant response. The matter was complicated for Haphaestus: before he had been the Dark Lord, he had been the Imperial Inquisitor, a link between the old Empire and the Sith. He had always advocated that the Sith affiliate closely with the Empire, as it lent them considerable agency to be backed by a government with resources as such, including a full star fleet.

 

Presently he noticed Kitaara watching him, no doubt on some level amused with his outward break of character. Although she had seen him play a part before, few were so intensive. "Excuse me, Lieutenant. I should return to business," he said to the TIE commander before making his way over to his apprentice.

 

"I trust the event has been thus far productive?" he asked her.