Carida

[Exodus]

• "It binds us together, all living things, past, present and future. The Song fills each in their turn, and overflows in the abandonment of self. This woman is passing into the light after so many years in the darkness, be the helping hand she needs…"

 

The archaic machine stirred awake, slowly against the itching of each word in her mind. The vibrations of their thoughts and energies breached the metal contraption, the shifting in the moods outside of the grace of battle was an interesting tease for this particular entity.

 

 

• "She spilled blood, innocent blood. She deserves to meet the light in judgement, not as a friend with an embrace! She is SITH!"

 

The slow creep became an unheard hiss, the snap of a venomous snake cradled into a corner with no choice but to attack. The veins of the Holocron inside the possession of the Jedi Knight ran rampant with the fire of the dark side. The disturbance would be hers alone to carry, and hers alone to feel. Inside of the device was an essence that she was more than familiar with, but his impression was tainted with something unexplained.

 

 

• I lost EVERYTHING! I lost EVERYONE! I was violated and tortured, and still I embraced the just path. This woman fell, and has done unspeakable evil. She led the attack on Gala beside that Wyrm. I resisted evil. I fought for my life against people like HER! Her type SCARRED ME they... Raped me. They took my sister. Why should she regain the light, she doesn’t DESERVE its embrace!

 

The visual pain inside of her mind was an encumbrance so loud and so vicious, a pure energy swallowed and reciprocated. Her violations and her tortures, the evils that swam through her mind while she quickly reasoned with them was insufferable. The hidden Holocron juiced with an explicit voracity, playing on the emotions that bathed in the mind of Kyrie, teasing and desiring her immediate rise to the One True Side. If she continued in this manner, the weight of the item would burn through her clothing and persuade her to cut down the poor excuse of a former Sith right where she stood. Her scars, her pain. The Dark understood these emotions, understood that the bottling of them was a rot inside of her body that would drive her to be less than that of a mortal. It wished for her to be true to her emotions, true to her thoughts and learn to obey them beyond the guise and lies of the Light. The truth behind her sorrows were not to be excused, the physical impressions written all over her body was especially a reminder that she needed to be more than an unsympathetic Jedi. That she needed Ma—

 

 

• ...My name is Kyrie Eleison, Exorcist of the Imperial Knights. Rest and heal, if you desire we can speak when you are ready. I wish to learn what I can of this cult, so we can destroy it. You can leave when you desire, I will not keep you here outside your will.

 

 

The Holocron hushed, for now.

[Sandy Sarna]

When Sandy hit the blade a meter above the hard ground she instinctively let out the air in her lungs in a hissing rush and rebounded using her blade as a lever and landed two meters behind her master. The wind from her jump whipped through her long blonde hair and made a rushing sound by her ears as the force augmented the speed of the jump. Her face contorted into a grimace as she landed on a pile of shattered storm commando armor visor glass and a large chunk of it bit through the thin skin on the bottom of her foot. Whoever the trooper was whose visor had been blown away must have had a horrible day. Sandy figured she was having an equally bad day too. The chunk of green glass pierced through her foot and emerged from top. Warm blood began to trickle and flow as she lept back towards her master, shunting the pain into the force and letting it guide her movements. The blood called to her. To use the power of the pain. Her first strike was low and followed by a second high slash and a foot sweep with her injured foot.

 

When her ankle hit her master's, the glass shard few out and skittered across the ground, leaving a wake of blood from the open wound. She stopped the wound with the force and lept away again, wincing. It was so tempting.

 

She laughed at the pain and tipped her blade towards Tobias in a salute before she fell into a defensive stance. Her guard high, the blood on her leg and foot staining the brown tunic pants. The long trail of blood whispered to her from the back of her skull. She flicked her free hand and summoned the force. It was all too easy. She fell into the force and concentrated on the blood trail. Mixing it with the dark earth, forming it. When Tobias next moved three sharp blood formed spikes would flash towards him from the dirt at his feet. Intending to skewer his shoulder.

[Raven Nasra]

The fur of his chest was soft as as had ever felt and smelled of distant memories that Raven could not pinpoint. There was a comfort that she had never before felt in that embrace. Although it was awkward slightly with the height difference, her being only an inch over five feet and him towering over her at well over six and a half. It would look preposterous if someone were to be spying on them. She began to panic for a slight moment before she remembered that the door was very much locked and the security detail outside would not dare let another person enter. They were completely alone. There were also holo jammers up and the room had been swept daily for bugs. The soothing calm that oozed off the grandmaster overwhelmed her resolve and she hugged him back fiercely. The warmth was wonderful, she hadn’t been hugged like that at any point in her life, not even by her parents so many years ago. She knew it was an unnatural movement for wookiees but she appreciated it. She released him and plopped herself down on the couch beside him. She gripped his hand and smiled very warmly at him. Leaning into him.As the translator droid finished its chirping translation she replied,

“Tell me about these mysteries of the force that you are exploring." She ran her hand up the fur on his large arm. "I would love to hear anything that you have to say.”

 

____________________________

 

 

The voluptuously overweight barkeep wiped his hands on the greasy rag that he called an apron, which was very much just a red and brown stained towl, and took the credit chip from the human. Tucking it securely away in an overstuffed pocket he shrugged his fat shoulders, shaking the jowls on his face at Stephen.

 

“Where the hell have you been you sack of shite? There were hardly any survivors of any of the fighting. Half the gorramed planet destroyed along with half its populace and you ask about the ones who kriffing done it?”

 

He slammed a oversized fist on the counter and poured the two of them a shot of Jenesaari Tequila. “If there were any survivors from the fleet or ground battle, the kriffing ISB has them squirreled away on one of their secret bases, or in POW holding aboard the Seraphim. Why’d you ask?”

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca sat down with Raven on her couch, allowing for the moment and mood to take the room where it went. He hadn't allowed for the Force-no, life to flow so freely in his time as a Jedi Master. This was something rather new, yet somehow... awkward to him. He was used to always being focused and disciplined in the Jedi ways, but with Raven... she melted some of those disciplines away. The Wookiee wasn't sure whether to keep following or to resist. He was suddenly awarded a moment to resist as his commlink buzzed. It was Skye. She had encountered the one who claimed to be Faust. Onderon was a bit far from Carida, and even further from Coruscant where the Jedi Master knew many of the Jedi were at. Jaina was much closer on Kashyyyk, but the mission he gave her was a very high priority that he wanted kept quiet. It would have to be the only available Jedi he knew that was close. Tobias Vos. Kirlocca sent a quick message to Tobias Vos and his apprentice Sandy Sarna, as he was confident that Tobias would prove his faith in him as a Council member on this mission. He then returned his attention to Raven.

 

<< The mysteries are just simply the future and the present. Within the Jedi, we have those who focus heavily on combat and the defense it can help render those in need, which is what I have been focused on for my entire Jedi Life. Then we have those who focus on the Force itself, studying many things about it, pursuing knowledge and new and ancient techniques. Then there is a balanced middle ground. In my recent tenure as Grandmaster, I came to understand that such ways of combat are not the what the Jedi Order needs from it's leader. So I have begun to pick up a technique where one feels out the Force, following it to seek out pains and burdens. Masters of this like Kitt Fitt was, could feel pain, death, turmoil, and even birth of life on planets light years away. >>

 

Kirlocca leaned back and thought about the times when he would spend with Kitt meditating. Kitt was always aware of the entire temple and the feelings of every Jedi in it. It was always something special to watch. Just thinking about his old friend brought a smile to his face. He turned and saw Raven's face.

 

<< But if you are like me, still new and exploring... it's hard to stay focused. I sometimes can feel the future, or someone else's plus their emotions. In my recent exploring has brought me a consistent vision. It doesn't show anything, but their is a feeling of extreme pain, aggression, but then it only feels peace and calm. So that has been on my mind. >>

 

Kirlocca reached out and felt the Force again, to which he felt the very same awkward ping in the Force. It was very un-natural in the very feeling.

 

<< That plus something I can feel on this planet. >>

 

 

"Tobias and Sandy... Skye has encountered the person posing as Faust on Onderon. This has taken over as the highest priority for the Jedi. I need you two to go to her and aid her in bringing this man back to the Council to figure out the why, the who, and the motivation of him claiming to be such a person. I want you both to leave as quickly as possible. We can not afford any delays. May the Force be with you both."

 

[Haphaestus]

Haphaestus lowered his voice so that even Kitaara would have to listen carefully to hear it. "Surely you can sense it," he said. "The whole galaxy is looking at Carida right now. In the course of mere days the fate of the next years will be decided."

 

He had a long perspective. The course of the galaxy over a few years was of no great concern to him. Had he not witnessed the end of the Old Republic from his place of vigil on Vjun? Had he not seen the Empire replace it and multiple galactic civil wars eventually resolve in the introduction of the Galactic Alliance? And wasn't that new government now already falling to pieces? At one point, when his ascension at the hands of Nurgle was recent, he had thought that his involvement in the war would have a significant impact on things. It had been short sighted for him to get involved as he had.

 

But even he was interested in the opportunities that Carida had, not least due to the shatterpoint in the Force he'd perceived. If the right moves were taken in sequence, a chain reaction could be created that could snowball into greater and greater opportunities. Just as he had taken Kitaara as his apprentice to begin establishing a lasting dynasty, so too could his influence be furthered here.

 

"It shall be our stage," he said. "Tell me. Who else do you think might be here? Not merely politicians and bureaucrats."

 

He did not wish to encourage her directly to call on the Force. It should be safe for her to use it to observe her surroundings; the dark side would cloud any ability for them to be singled out. But if they were more overt, they would be found out by any trained Force users present. And there were other trained Force users present, he was realizing.

[Kitaara Shiri]

The low rumble of his vocabulator prompted Kitaara to pay attention to the ceaseless tug in the back of her mind. Most of her experience in use of the Dark Side had come through action, not perception. Her awareness was, admittedly, not her strongest point, but giving in to exploring the odd sensation she had detected was like relaxing into a hot bath. At first, it was so extreme as to be uncomfortable, but as she eased into it, her body welcomed the meditative expanse she had been in want of all along, shrouding herself in the spiteful darkness as she would the heavy velvet cloak she had checked at the door.

 

They were not alone on Carida, that was for certain. The dim presences of the flat individuals before them all appeared somewhat homogeneous through the Force, but amidst the avarice of the evening, the heavy-hearted duty of the planet in the wake of tragedy, and the sharp Imperial pride, there was another inimitable beacon that seemed to interact with the Force in an entirely different way. Tentatively, she reached out to that presence, attempting to determine more details. But a searchlight passed over her in the Force, and she retracted her mind immediately, clouding it once again in the anonymous greed of the Benefit Gala, and hoping that such a touch had not gone detected.

 

"Those who touch the light," she said definitively, searching his impassive features for a glimpse of confirmation that would not appear. "More than one. But one who stands above the rest. He is strong."

 

Even under the leadership of Raven Zinthos, drastically at odds with the history of Imperial sympathy, the Force swirled in dark clouds over Carida. A sense of gloomy foreboding seeped into her bones. While she had never been able to visualize shatterpoints in the way Haphaestus commanded them, Kitaara could almost see the splintering repercussions that jutted out into the future of the Imperial capital. The galaxy rested on the edge of a knife, and Kitaara and Haphaestus held the power to drastically shift the balance in their favor. "If our leverage of this shatterpoint does not lie within these walls, we should seek it out," she said quietly. "Do you know who it is?"

[Beck Pilon]

Beck held nothing back as he was escorted out, letting our under his breath the very distinct words 'Some military leader you are', but didn't care if she heard it or not. Her anger towards him, which could have been justified had she had made the orders clear or made some way to verbalize how she wanted them to act. She did not, showing a red flag upon her leadership skills within the military and navy functions. But such was the way of an ignorant woman. Now, he had new orders that he could play around with.

 

At Bespin, his orders were clear. Fight until there was nothing left. There was no room for surrender. If Black Sun did in fact have hostages, they deserved to die for forfeiting orders. Plus, he doubted very much that such a large scale of numbers were alive. Only eight hundred landed, and by the time he had reached the command center building and began their assault, over half were killed. They maybe had one hundred troopers to ransom, and even that was stretching it. But for now, he would travel to Kuat and build the fleet as the current Head of State requested. So he marched off, having the new batch of commando units under the training he setup to meet him at the hangar bay. There, the new squad was given it's name, Torpid, and the boarded a Curich-class shuttle and were off to Kuat.

 

((Edited to fix an auto-correct))

Edited July 15, 2017 by Guest

[DoctorOblivious]

The photo gallery continued on, holograms of Armiena’s family and friends interspersed with images of alien starfields. At one point, an image of Draygo’s face, completely covered with some gray-green-blue goop, appeared in the queue. Sophia couldn’t help but smile at the image; she had no idea when or where this holo had been captured, but there was something delirious about Armiena’s expression. She wore a ridiculous, shit-eating grin; the collar of her white robe was frayed and blackened; patches of her pitch-dark hair were missing and some of what remained was shrivelled. It appeared that the Jedi Grandmaster had barely survived a close encounter with a flamethrower. Nevertheless, Armiena appeared delighted, giddy with relief and triumph, astonished that she and her friends were all still alive.

 

Sophia was stunned out of her reverie by a vibration coming from her armored satchel; someone had just sent a message to the comlink-archive that the historian had recovered from the Gravedigger.

 

Sophia cast a glance upwards at the ceiling of the tiny room and considered the wisdom of unsealing her barostatic satchel in an enclosed space with only a pair of small air vents for circulation. The protectant gas, odorless, colorless, tasteless, and mildly toxic, was not exactly intended to be vented outside a dedicated scavenging device. Although, it was only at one atmosphere of pressure and was slightly denser than air…

 

The historian shrugged and peered closely at the edge of the canister, taking another look to ensure that the airtight seal was intact. Sophia withdrew her pocketknife and worked the blade into the seal, prying the edges of the breached container apart to reveal a padded insert containing Draygo’s holocron and archival disc, both in the same position when she had left the two troves in the padded enclosure. The light glinted softly at the edges of the artifacts; there wasn’t even a hint of fingerprints on the sides of the devices, aside from those that Sophia had left the last time she handled them.

 

She knelt down to inspect them more closely, her nose almost touching the face of Draygo’s archival disc. A loose hair trailed from her forehead onto the device. There wasn’t even a trace of fibers left on the face of the disc. Perhaps the Empire’s customs’ inspectors hadn’t pried into her belongings, she decided. Sophia involuntarily gave a sniff and almost immediately felt lightheaded. The historian snatched the Grandmaster’s effects from the canister and slammed it shut, hoping to forestall the release of the toxic gas into her room. It was no use; Sophia had already gotten a good whiff of the protective gas and the lightheadedness was getting worse. Shoving everything valuable into her bag, she retreated from her room and resolved to allow the vapor to dissipate over the course of several hours.

 

Sophia took the archival disc into her palm and, much to her astonishment, the device immediately lit up at her touch and displayed the contents of Darkfire’s message. The young Imperial Knight was certainly irritated, but he wasn’t resolved to ignore her arrival to the Imperial capital. She bit back a little giggle and hoped that a temporary sense of euphoria wasn’t one of the symptoms of a dangerous exposure to the gas. Her shoulders still heaving with the occasional hiccup, she withdrew her datapad from her bag and took a quick, unsteady holo of the two artifacts.

 

She sent a brief message to Aidan Darkfire.

 

 

“I just want to talk.” Attached was a holo of Armiena Draygo’s archival disc and the holocron that was in her possession. Both the objects were almost unique. There were perhaps six copies of the archival disc manufactured over the entire course of its production, for use only by members of Draygo’s Council; the holocron was of an extremely unusual four-sided configuration, a tetrahedron. Hopefully, this would convince him that Sophia had known the young man's mother,

or that she had at least come across some of her belongings.

 

 

Sophia swung her backpack and its contents onto her shoulder and walked away from her room, staggering into walls only twice on the way to summon an airtaxi. Its driver, a male (she thought) of a species that the historian couldn’t even identify, made a double-take when she passed him the address supplied by the young Darkfire. Sophia passed a credit chit under the transparisteel barrier separating the passenger compartment to his seat; his face, a mucosal mess of eyes and horns, gave her a concerned many-glance but he seemed convinced of the wisdom of ferrying her to the military base.

 

The floor of the airspeeder lifted under her feet and they set off to an undoubtedly past the military base. Hopefully, the identification badge supplied by immigration would get her security gates; hopefully, Aidan’s good grace would allow her to leave.

[Tobias Vos]

Carrying momentum forward was fantastic way to last longer in battle. If you stop- you have to put more energy into starting to move once again. Keeping the motion going forward as well builds up speed and power behind strikes and movements. One would also have to pay attention to where they were in battle, and the surroundings. If you carried TOO much momentum- the style that person was using might escape them and they would fumble and lose their precision, typically giving their opponent a wide opening. Such was the way of Makashi Lightsaber Form, a practiced form from Vos's days with Slicer.

 

Vos knew this- but they were in a simple training session, he wasn't expecting blood magic, or Sandy to augment her blood with Force Power. The Kiffar had only ever seen two people do such a feat. While caught off guard, he never knew Sandy held such power. He did, but didn't expect it like this- the power to manifest itself. Completely unsure on what to even think about that, he knew he had to close this training session. The Imperial troops were watching his apprentice lash out and pervert her force powers.

 

He carried the motion, there wasn't much time to cancel his momentum. Three spikes shot out of the ground and blood. Tobias had let the dust kick up around him, but he stopped in a low guard, resting on one knee with his other leg kicked out at an obtuse angle. The saber- held inverted in his hands guarding across his body. Remaining there for a moment, the dust settled- showing his stance, and his deep breathing- his chest rising and falling from the exhilaration. Thoughts raced around as if it were a podrace. Calling to the Force, he collected himself, rising to his feet, and returning to a typical grip on the saber hilt. Standing there, he locked eyes with Sandy. Without giving anything away, he snorted a laugh as the saber disengaged. Then as quickly as he could blink- the saber fell out of his hand and his clothing seeped with blood. Deep red blood made its way though his nontraditional Jedi Robes, and down his arm. The saber itself was covered in a thin layer of blood- Vos's. His arm was limp- the nerves cut through- the pain radiated, but was suppressed to a bearable rate. He swayed for a moment, as the spike in his arm shifted a bit against the muscles trying to work his right arm. Calling the bloody hilt to his left hand with the Force, and pulling his arm in- and pinning it against his body with some maneuvering of his clothing, and of course, leaving the solo spike in his arm, he activated the hilt again.

 

If this was how she wanted to fight and train, he would abide. Not quite his style, but he let it enter the next phase. While not fantastic with his left hand, part of him wanted to train himself as well as Sandy in the art of one armed combat. Unusual combat like this could be the key to victory if you caught an opponent off guard, or your greatest weakness resulting in your defeat. Since this was training, it presented an opportunity to exercise both.

 

And to teach the Imperials that even if you disable a Jedi's arm, they are still quite dangerous and can handle quite a bit of pain.

 

There was commotion going on around them from the Imperial troops- the soldier that Sandy connected with was dazed, but overall unhurt it seemed. Settling into a defensive form, the stand off began and the collection of his own Force capabilities grew in his body. Filtering toxins and potential poisons from the wound in his shoulder, Tobias's body began to turned defensive. Internally, externally, and the unseen connection the two had through invisible means, Tobias was a boulder in the river. He was the definition of defense, and he would be immovable.

[Sandy Sarna]

Seeing all the mess she had made sandy thumbed the ignition switch and brought the blade to its sputtering end. She bowed briefly to her master and then ran over to him, drawing on the force already to staunch the bleeding. She caught the coagulants in the force and began to weave them into a scab over wound, withdrawing the toxins like a woodsman would draw poison from a wound. She cursed under her breath as she slowed then stopped the bleeding and began to stitch the wound back together with the force. Ignoring the laughing Caridian Stormtroops who were pulling up their man who had stayed into the wrong training arena.

“Kriff me dead, I didn’t know I could do that, I just wanted to try but gods i kriffed up hard.”

 

She was on the defensive, hoping that he didn’t hate her for trying something like that out. She didn’t think she was tapping anything dark, but she had gone and kriffed it all up. She blinked back a few tears of shame and sorrow and finished the healing process. Though there would be a scab and a mark of shame on her soul for a while. She ignored the comm beeping from her and his utility belts and when she was finished she bowed again.

[Raven Nasra]

Raven smiled softly. Keeping her hand on his upper arm. She was probably right, she should never trust her base instincts. She almost laughed at herself. How very foolish of her, he was a busy man, and a distracted one, it would be unkind to heap another distraction on him. But she was lonely too. She would leave the next step up to him, but the words that he was growling had piqued her alarm.

“Do you sense another dark presence here?” She wondered how even the most powerful jedi could even sift through the pure chaos and pain that radiated from this half destroyed planet. She ran her spare hand through her hair as she thought. Twisting the jet black locks in slight distress. “We bombed the Sith Temple and even fired upon the old Serpent Order temple, if you sense the Sith here I can summon the Knights and my armies, I would happily accompany you to fight whatever this is...”

 

But that would mean an end to this. Whatever that was, and her heart pulled at her to stay next to him. She rubbed his shoulder lightly. Unsure what to do or say next. So she sat, perched next to him, dread slowly building in her heart.

 

________________________

 

 

Elsewhere on the planet, The construction of the following began:

 

Planetary Shield System

 

Overhaul and repair of the two Golan 3 platforms Saraphim and Archangel

[Tobias Vos]

As the Kiffar composed himself, deactivating his saber, yanking the spike out of his shoulder and letting Sandy use her healing techniques. He let out a howl of pain as the object was removed, but even as his eyes welled up with tears- they were quickly set aside by the Jedi Master. More pressing issues were coming at him. Attaching the hilt back to his own belt and collecting the training saber from Sandy, a feeling of pins and needles came back to his arm. A deep feeling of regret was forming in his apprentice's mind, reflected in her eyes as well.

 

"If you caught me off guard, just think about how you can turn this onto whomever you're fighting!" His deep voice bellowed in the room, with an amused tone about it. "Anyways, it is just a scratch, I've had worse. It's not like you lopped off my arms and legs!" He chuckled again.

 

His left hand patted her on the shoulder and then reached for the comm that was buzzing loudly in his bag that he left by Robert. Calling the small device over to him, he listened. Then, his face turned over as if it were a stone, cold statue. Tobias grasped Sandy's hands drawing them away from his shoulder, gently but firm. "We need to go now." He whispered to her. Turning, he reached out his good hand to call the bag up and over his own shoulders. Moving towards the solider who had been collateral damage, after ensuring he was really fine- He extended an apology from himself and his padawan. The man nodded, and it seemed as though the whole room was put at ease. He expressed some further words with Robert and then motioned for Sandy to follow him. Shortly after clearing the doorway- Vos broke into a run, not a sprint, but he was determined to get off planet and move along as quickly as possible. He explained to Sandy along the way. Finding the Ysalamir and their frames already on the ship, Vos sent a communication to his compatriots of both the Peregrine and the Twilight sects he had been maneuvering. A message to Raven spoke of the supplies, and why he was reassigning 6 of the ships he said was coming to the aid of the Imperial Remnant, included an apology, and went about his business orchestrating one of thee biggest operations he ever assembled, in as little time as possible, with very few details.

 

He just hoped they were in time to actually help. Sandy cleared them for lift off- and got them into hyperspace, Vos tapped away sending messages to McNamara, Raven, and Kirlocca.

 

Kirlocca-

" Is there anyone else coming to assist with the situation? I have my people adjusting course now, but messages will still take time and we do have the Imperial Forces here we could tap into. I did just give them a bounty of goods to demonstrate our good graces... Yourself or any Jedi coming along? What of those Imperial Knights? Please advise, I would like to try to start coordination of forces if that is the case. If Miss Zinthos can spare the troops, we could use the back up especially with the Ysalamir harvest they just aquired. Better to be ready, than scrambling and scrubbing blood off the floor."

 

 

Raven-

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and my apprentice, I would have like to touch base again before departing but a situation has arisen that needs my attention and parts of my fleet, a few ships will still get here with supplies but once the three corvettes already on Carida are done unloading, they will be redirected to the current Jedi mission. My apologies, but I am sure you understand how sometimes things do pop up."

 

 

Robert-

"Once again, I express my apologies that things got a little- interesting down on the training ring. Sorry to have run out like that, but other matters require my direct attention and intervention. Hopefully my request for Imperial back up is pushed through. I would have liked to speak you with further, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders- it's like if we think along the same lines. Until next time, live long and prosper."

 

[Adwin Antares]

One more stroke and… Gah!?

 

Adwin growled at the stale basement air, looking at the smudge he wore across the paper. His right hand shook with bitter impotent rage, almost breaking the stick of charcoal that he still held there. But, the longer he stared, the more the cloud of dusty charcoal mocked him. It was smug, sitting on the corner of his work and laughing at the obsessive compulsion that tugged at Adwin’s brain. Yeah, you just sit there thinking you had the last laugh!

 

Adwin’s head drooped and he sighed to the empty room.

 

He shifted his gaze. Pictures hung everywhere. Charcoal renderings, colorful period pieces, majestic battlefields and peaceful landscapes with a touch of his creative flair, all lay in different positions around the cluttered room. When his eyes fell back to his work in progress, he sighed again. Under the smudge, a young woman stared back at him. A monochromatic vision of strawberry blonde hair and green eyes bored into his mind as the familiar lyrics to one of his favorite songs played in the background. The quality was a little bad because the song was ripped from a shaky holocast, but the vocal and instrumental parts were still recognizable.

 

Fear is the Mindkiller… yeah…

 

Adwin dropped his charcoal on a nearby desk and planted his face in the welcoming - albeit very dirty - embrace of his hands. The charcoal dust worked its way into his nose, but he was too distracted to care. His mind was full of limitless possibility, many paths to follow and many options to take, but he wasn’t sure of any of them. There was a sea of bountiful roads. Yes, many of those roads could lead to disaster and push him right back to where he was. But, if that was the worst thing that could happen, what did he stand to lose?

 

Memories of his mother came roaring into his charcoal stained eyes and fragile tears hung on his cheeks. Images of her long cornsilk hair playing over his infantile face warmed the cold edges of his melancholy heart and broke open the sluice gates, releasing the welled up glass in his eyes. His hands trembled against his face and Adwin hunched further, ignoring the pads of moisture falling on unfinished roughs on the floor. Tender words, comforting glances, and protective warmth filled the ambiance of Adwin’s thoughts for the next second or two. Then a sharp knock roused him from his fetal reminiscing, almost knocking him to the floor.

 

“Come in!” Adwin said, choking back the moment and trying to wipe away the tears in his eyes with a charcoal covered handkerchief. Stinging dust met his vulnerable eyes and he cursed silently to himself, trying to remedy the problem with the bulk of his forearm instead. It was a shoddy solution and he turned, red faced and puffy, to see his Father coming down the stairs.

 

“Adwin, you’ve been in here for two hours. What could you possibly be working on that’s more important than dinner? Oh… Adwin! Are you okay?” Captain Antares’ voice changed immediately when greeted with the stains on his son’s face. He rushed down the remaining steps and spanned the dirty room to Adwin’s side. He took a clean kerchief from his breast pocket and started to wipe the charcoal away from his son’s irritated eyes. When he could once again make out the icy blue of his boy’s beautiful eyes, he welcomed his son in a hearty embrace. He settled his chin on the top of his boy’s brown hair and closed his eyes, rocking gently back and forth. “It’s okay Adwin. It’s all okay.”

 

His Father didn’t elaborate. He didn’t have to. The two of them just sat there, rocking back and forth for a blissful minute before reality reasserted itself. The smell of seared Kaffezzar fish wafted into Adwin’s nostrils and his stomach broke the silence with a thunderous roar.

 

Quite startled, Adwin’s father’s eyes widened. Then the both of them just laughed.

 

“It appears you ARE hungry. Well, food is waiting for you upstairs when you’re ready.” The Captain bent over and gently kissed the top of Adwin’s head amidst the strands of his greasy chestnut hair. He gave one final squeeze before returning the way he came. But a thought stopped his foot on the last step, just before the door.

 

“I miss her too. Just remember, I'm here if you ever want to talk about it.” His parting words echoed in the silence of the basement. Then, after a small look to Adwin, his Father left.

 

Adwin’s eyes met the charcoal woman and his face hung low again.

 

I should get some food at least…

Edited September 18, 2017 by Guest

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca kept his Force perception on the weird ping in the Force, but was able to turn to Raven and keep his attention on her.

 

<< Dark presence, yes. I also can feel pain and despair. This planet is teeming with emotions. But that's not what occupying me. It's something else... It might be worth an investigation, but I wouldn't waste resources on it. Especially since I can still feel the Dark Side active. If I go to find this... Ping in the Force, I wouldn't want you to forsake any defenses you will need for yourself. >>

 

Kirlocca then stood up and grabbed his robe and put it on rather quickly. But he also made sure that Raven was reassured in everything, so he projected his own emotions of comfort and peace to her.

 

<< I will travel alone. If I go alone, I will not attract more to me. However, I feel something... Danger is coming to the planet again. I want for you to stay here and have the Imperial Knights remain close to you. I fear the dark wave I feel coming upon the galaxy is coming close. You are starting something... something that is drawing the eyes of others. If you follow me, you will only endanger yourself. >>

 

Kirlocca then began to walk towards the door. He stopped for a second at the door to give Raven one last bit of comfort.

 

<< There is little that can kill me. Many have tried, and I have outlived many generations of Jedi and Sith. Find my in the Force now, you will then know if I need any assistance. May the Force be with you Raven Zinthos, and the Imperial Knights that protect you... Wait for me love... >>

 

Kirlocca then made his exit. He moved quickly and silently through the halls and found his way out. He felt awkward saying love to Raven, but he knew how he felt about her. Besides, he was now completely focused on the weird ping in the Force. It was not hard to find, so he would follow it until he discovered what sort of thing it was. Moving alone would help him catch whatever it was in the Force, and it would now keep Raven safe. He really hoped she would listen to him and have the Imperial Knights stay closer to her. There was indeed something dark lurking on the planet, and Raven was indeed causing a stir in the galaxy. She was far safer away from him at the moment. He looked at his comlink and saw that he had missed something from Tobias. He would respond to him shortly after he was able to find the mysterious thing in the Force...

[Ary the Grey]

Elsewhere on the planet, The construction of the following began:

 

Planetary Shield System

 

Overhaul and repair of the two Golan 3 platforms Saraphim and Archangel

 

Rules for this aren't in effect yet. So it's gotta get nulled.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Assuming the Moriarity woman was on her way, Aidan went ahead and filed the necessary visitor paperwork so she wouldn't encounter any red tape while in the military district. Well...as long as she visited him and then left and didn't try to make any side visits to any restricted areas. But Aidan doubted that would be the case, and Imperial security was some of the most rigorous and thorough in the galaxy. Only professionals managed to slip their gaze, and if this woman was one such, he'd have a bigger problem on his hands before he knew it. But the Force hadn't warned him...and his grandmother had taught him long ago to trust in those gut feelings.

 

After a bit, he found himself sitting on a couch in the barracks common room, watching some news on the Holonet, waiting for his visitor. She would find him easily enough, the desk sergeant was aware of her impending arrival and would direct her to him.

[Haphaestus]

"No," Haphaestus answered. "Whoever it is, I have never before encountered them." He cautiously expanded his Force presence just a bit.

 

A hint of amusement entered his voice. "It seems that we have an escapee from the Helios," he said. "We ought retrieve her before she gets too far. It would be unfortunate if she stumbled upon a restricted area and the Remnant collected her." NYX-1 was the first of her kind, a prototype. While Haphaestus could conceivably repeat the feat of creating her, he wished the technology to remain strictly unique to Lemnos, and examination by the Remnant government could lead to consequences ranging from unfortunate to dire for the future of Lemnos Industries. "We should not be gone so long as to miss whatever opportunity awaits us, if it is here at the gala." Truthfully, the shatterpoint was a little vague. His plan was simply to be observant both physically and in the Force until it materialized.

 

The former Dark Lord without another word departed the party, heading back for the ship. The droids they'd brought with them to interact with the party guests extracted themselves from their polite conversations and joined them as they boarded.

 

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

 

NYX-1 hummed to herself as she floated towards her destination, casting about with the Force with her special gift like she was playing some kind of guessing game, trying to get the right vector to get her there eventually. The humming made the time pass easily, and she was delighted to find that she had subroutines that could compose simple original tunes and give them voice through her vocabulator. Her creator had a certain appreciation for arts that manifested not only in her beautiful, sleek, state-of-the-art design -- which of course put any purely organic being to shame -- but also in her programming.

 

This seemed to include appreciation of natural beauty. Caridan wildflowers, she decided, were her new favorite thing, accordingly. Extending small manipulator arms, she made frequent stops to pick a few, and was beginning to gather quite a bouquet. It greatly hindered her ability to make progress towards her destination at any real speed, of course, but she was unconcerned. Everything would come in its due time.

[Kyrie Eleison]

Beyond the song, there was a hidden rhythm that moved in resonance with her own, joining in below the surface. It expanded and amplified the sounds of the movement of the Force as it flowed around the Exorcist, allowing them to be woven into a tone that was like the howling of a wolf upon a distant mountain. The echoes moved about her subconscious below her own reckoning, the sounds of the holocron were like the eddies of hidden tides, disguised amongst the waves.

 

The Exorcist brought up the medical display so the two could both see the extent of the injuries. There were elevated levels of white blood cells along with a delay in coagulation factors, but otherwise the wounds were healing well under the treatment of bacta. The Exorcist smiled past scars on her own face, a pang of jealousy springing into her mind like the pinprick of a needle

 

She has luck, I had no access to Bacta. I had to scream through infections as they ravaged my flesh.

 

The thought brought unwanted memories bubbling to the surface. She remembered the tearing pain as iron spikes had shredded through her face, born on the whip of a Sith Master. She had been meant to lose the deathmatch in the arena, and he had lost his bets. He had extracted his losses in blood and flesh. The only evidence of her thoughts were shown through a slight change in the songs that passed through her, taking on a subtle undertone of pain in the joy.

 

Her own words grated on her tongue, the words in basic coming difficult to her. Her natural stutter passed into her words despite her best efforts.

 

“Y-you are h-healing w-well my f-friend.”

 

She gave up on the effort and passed her song to the woman through the Force. She had learned the technique from Xae-Lin Ardel, and it carried to Emily bearing a small note of the Jedi’s presence.

 

You are free to go when you desire. My personal number is yours, as is my friendship. Call upon me when you need, and you will always have a striketeam of Imperial Knights at your need against this Cult.

 

The Jedi General passed the orders to the security detail, allowing Emily access to any available ships and freedom to travel civilian areas. She was under the protection of the leader of the Imperial Knights. The woman bowed, her ARC armour yielding to the movement and turned to go, parting with a friendly nod and an extension of the Force

 

May your paths rise to meet you, and the Force be ever at your back… Emily Zsahra-Skywalker

[Raven Nasra]

Panic gripped her heart as Kirlocca stood suddenly, but she could feel his presence reassuring her, and though he couldn’t stop the feeling of disappointment from flooding her, he did manage to assuage the feeling of abandonment that had started to fill her. She stood as well, following him to the door. She hugged him briefly as he turned to go and as he walked away she couldn't help feeling that he was walking away from her life forever. Taking with him the little glimmer of love that he had brought with him. She wanted to call out her love for him but all she could manage was:

 

“Stay safe, Kirlocca.”

 

Don’t leave me forever

 

She turned and walked slowly to her desk. She ordered an ISB agent to track the Jedi Master as long as he was on Carida. If he got in trouble, she wanted to know.

[Kala Ianauria]

If anyone was watching, then they would certainly see that the part of Imperial troopers facing the main gate of the facility only contained 13 of the 20 individuals assigned to the Wild Bunch. 2 were piloting Nemesis class gunships named Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, 1 was piloting a spec-ops M.A.A.T named Becka by a man recently inducted and promoted to the rank of lieutenant on the order of Knight-Apprentice Ianauria.

 

Who had landed with the others, than ran off to a point around 100 meters away from the main group, followed by 4 others, including the group’s 1st Sergeant and four of the roughest troopers of the ‘Bunch’. They carried a mortar, 2 heavy repeaters, and an automatic grenade launcher in addition to their standard loadout.

 

Once they reached their position, they paused long enough to ensure that both groups remained undetected.

 

The enemy remained blissfully ignorant of the group right up until the moment Kala signaled for the fireworks to begin.

 

Appropriately, they began with her small command. The heavy repeaters and grenade launcher both opened up on the main gate, with her remained troopers firing as fast they could pull their triggers and reload their weapons. The whole point being to make it seem as if her group was a far larger Force and draw the droids to them at an angle canted to the gate.

 

She herself was not actually participating, instead listening to the Song of the Force, attempting to find guidance towards the woman that the terrorist were holding hostage.

The nearest XM droid turned towards gate, firing its weapons directly towards the troopers whom found a way to increase the volume of their return fire in response. Only, they never targeted the droid, opting instead to use the cover of the droids fire to finish their destruction of the gate.

 

The gate quickly fell, groaning as it did so amid a flurry of sparks.

 

That quickly brought the other two droids scuttling forth until all three began advancing towards the small quad across the two hundred yards or so of open space. The original droid led, with the other two spaced out diagonally from the leaders left flank.

 

Once that last one cleared the gate, the 1st Sergeant gave the night’s second signal.

 

As he signaled, Kala opened her eyes and marked a direction on her bracer’s computer than unlimbered the light repeater she carried and joined her troops into pouring fire at the lead droid.

All three droids stopped and began firing on her position, their shots splintering trees and throwing up dirt around the troopers. A pair were actually hurt by flying debris but quickly rejoined the firing line after administering basic first aid.

 

Among the second, larger group which had been absolutely silent until signaled, two troopers watched the screens of night vision enabled rangefinders, swinging their equipment around until all three droids were visible inside their viewing screens along with a very wide swath of the initial blocks past the gate.

 

With the press of a single button, they uploaded their data to the M.A.A.T and Nemisi whose pilots immediately fired a total of 18 ion rockets into the targeted area from three different areas of the compass.

 

The M.A.A.T fired a pair of guided ion missiles towards a large power source that Imperial intelligence believed powered the area.

 

Both groups of troopers immediately activated portal shields capable of deflecting the ion bursts, keeping their equipment safe even as all three droids and and ten blocks of the target area went completely and totally black while the power generating plant shut down, cutting the majority of power throughout the rest of the targeted area.

 

The M.A.A.T and gunships immediately shifted to new positions below the firing horizon of the city after firing their ordinance, waiting for any new orders.

 

Both groups met up at a preset rally point past the main gate after planting demolition charges on the droids. The destruction of the droids soon rumbled through the night.

 

At the rally point, the reassembled group separated into three fire teams, with Kala leading a scout group along the line she sensed led towards the hostage. A hostage the Captain warned everyone to not trust, to secure her until Imperial Intelligence had a chance to interrogate her in case she had begun identifying with the enemy. One of the other teams followed behind the scout group in direct support, while the other, equipped with jump packs, went to the top of the nearest building to provide overwatch.

 

Once all three groups were in position, they began moving deeper into the area, every trooper using passive sensors built into their helmets to check for threats of any kind.

[Adwin Antares]

Looking at the Kaffezzar fish steaming on his plate, Adwin watched galaxies roll by. Stars and clouds of cosmic dust brushed across the skin of his forehead and raked through the mop of chestnut that fell down to the tops of his shoulders. His eyes lingered for a moment on the wiry greens that sat beside the fish, freshly shorn from local fields, before drifting back to the entree. The savory taste of seared meat stole his focus and his palate, but the rest of his mind wandered aimlessly. Worries, fears, stressors, and mindless diversions were not strangers to the canvas of his mind, filling it until he had little else to think about; smudges and smears that drew from the clarity of his lifetime masterwork.

 

Captain Antares, troubled in his own way, looked over at his son with concern etched into the weathered edges of his face. His brow furrowed, hard lines framing sad, icy blue eyes. And he tilted the crown of his head, biting hard at tears that fought to surface. He lifted his right hand to wipe fresh steam from his brow and cleared his throat.

 

“Arana, how are your studies?” Captain Antares said, turning his gaze from the sullen edge of the table to look at his beaming teenager. “I hear 'Evar Evangelists and Marketers' is sponsoring you now. Where do you hope to go after you graduate?” He paused for a moment, allowing himself time to spoon a bit of fish into his mouth.

 

“Oh!” Arana exclaimed, mid-bite, before turning to face her father with a wide glittering smile. She too had been eyeing Adwin with slight concern before devouring her fish with gleeful haste. “I’m thinking of going straight into my career. I’m not sure which direction I want to go yet, but I plan on researching a bit before I jump into the Graphic Design track. I have a plan, I just need to work out which company best serves that plan.” Arana said with admirable zeal. And it would have been even more impressive had she not been trying to speak through a mouthful of fish, which made all of her words sound more like: “Bluh bluh bluh bluh.”

 

Captain Antares tried not to laugh at his daughter’s hilarious display but managed a chuckle before resuming his fatherly expression and knowing glance. With eye contact alone, Arana bowed her head in apology and swallowed her food.

 

“Thank you, Arana.” The Captain said, before making sure his own mouth was empty. “No thoughts to furthering your art studies in local universities or holo-net programs?” Captain Antares raised a curious eyebrow, noting Adwin’s mutual interest in the subject of his sister.

 

Arana shook her head slowly. “No Dad, you remember Addy’s friends? The ones who went abroad to art school?” Arana replied, resisting the urge to add more food to her mouth. “They attended the most prestigious art school in the region and had very little future waiting for them when they got out. They’re working as statistical analysts for the Imperial war-machine.”

 

Adwin’s silent nod was enough to confirm Arana’s response. And, despite a concerted effort, Captain Antares acknowledged her reasoning. His own university experience had been the cornerstone of why he became involved in the political sphere. But he could understand why, with a number of graphic design companies chomping at the bit for her work, that she wouldn’t want to push them away when her potential future was at stake. “Fair enough Arana. Just, keep your eyes open. It never hurts to have backup plans.”

 

Arana smiled warmly and, from that point on, the rest of them continued to eat their food in relative silence. On the surface, the interaction was mundane and very little was said for the remainder of the evening. But tension hung in the air. Drama threatened to rain down upon them and neither of them wanted to bring that drama to bear. Paralyzed with causing continued strife, all of them ate with as much deliberation as they could.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Guest

[DoctorOblivious]

Moriarty spent the airspeeder ride to the Imperial base housing the Empress’ Knights in silence, only responding to her driver’s pleasantries with the barest minimum to avoid rudeness. Yes, it was quite pleasant weather this day; what had happened to the planet was awful and good riddance to the Sith, the freaks and murders that they were; she was a historian specializing in contemporary military history on her way to interview a veteran of the Civil War; this was a particularly challenging field, due to incomplete records and heavy classification on tactical data, et cetera. Once those topics of conversation had been exhausted and the young historian fell into brooding silence, her driver issued a gurgling rumble that Sophia assumed was his-hers-whatevers species’ equivalent of a sigh and tapped a button on the airspeeder’s control surfaces to fill its cabin with something vaguely resembling music. The melody was almost completely atonal and the woman’s lyrics were indecipherable to one unfamiliar with her language. At least, she guessed that the vocalist was a female, judging from the higher pitch of the artist’s voice.

 

Her dark eyebrows furrowed into a frown. Sophia almost immediately began to develop a mild headache and there was a ghost of a high-pitched humming in her ears; apparently, the music made abundant use of frequencies that were just slightly beyond the range of human hearing. Despite the headache, the music was oddly compelling.

 

In Moriarty’s possession were two Jedi artifacts of almost unique rarity, one of which appeared to contain a complete record of the Jedi Grandmaster’s holdouts during the Civil War. The information that the archive contained was of incalculable strategic significance, and despite the fact that she was willfully carrying the devices into an Imperial base, Sophia merely felt… thoughtful. Even with the installation looming just on the horizon, a typically Imperial abomination of geometric shapes making heavy use of duracrete and steel, the historian wasn’t even afraid, only nervous at the prospect of potentially botching her reunion with Draygo’s son. It was rather peculiar.

 

There was a harsh rap on the airspeeder window at the civilian entrance to the military base. Sophia glanced to her left; an MP, clad in grey plasteel armor of a cut similar to that of a stormtrooper’s carapace but wearing an open-faced helmet, jerked his thumb back and she vaguely made out the command to disembark. Her hands fished through her bag to pay for the transit. In her hurry, Sophia neglected to count out the coins before she dismounted but it must have been sufficient for a respectable tip, judging from the driver’s double-take.

 

For the next several minutes, Sophia waited with some degree of impatience in the MP’s shack as the next cycle of security checks commenced, quietly chewing on the inside of her lip as her documentation was challenged. From there, her credentials and visa were further examined, confirmed with immigration at the spaceport; Sophia’s person and bags were checked for weapons and fieldcraft devices by both scanners and physical examination; in general, another cycle of feeling thoroughly probed and more than a little violated by a regime that was rightly paranoid for its security. Upon verifying the historian’s identity and her approval to visit a military installation, however, Sophia was allowed to enter on foot, albeit guided to her destination by another MP to prevent the clueless civvie from wandering off...

 

Approximately a quarter of an hour later, Sophia was guided into the common room of Darkfire’s barracks by the unit’s staff sergeant. The historian immediately picked the young Darkfire out, even without the assistance of the identification patch on his uniform. Even slouched in a cushy sofa and half-watching a mind-numbing Holonet broadcast, he even looked like his parents’ son: dark hair, brilliant green eyes, though his broad build was more reminiscent of his father. Sophia turned to murmur a quiet thanks to her guide and entered the room to introduce herself, but the desk sergeant remained just inside the doorway in case his intervention was needed.

 

Sophia strode towards the couch and shrugged the backpack from her shoulders. Standing before Aidan, she held out a brown-skinned hand for him to shake. She had long, slender fingers and a thin wrist; it was obvious that this was a woman who had very little training and wasn’t accustomed to physical exertion beyond basic civilian exercises and tapping away at a datapad. More interesting, however, was the historian’s Force-presence, if Aidan had gone through Jedi training. Even if her touch and biometric readings indicated that Sophia was made of the same flesh and blood as any other human being, one trained in the Force would be rather perturbed by her presence. The brown-skinned woman clearly wasn’t a droid--she was even gifted with a mild Sensitivity to the Force--but there was something indescribably off to Sophia’s aura.

 

“Aidan Darkfire? Sophia Moriarty. I served with your mother during the war.”

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan took Sophia's hand, a chill running up his spine, though he wasn't quite sure why. Gesturing for her to sit, Aidan relaxed as well.

 

"I apologize for my rudeness on the comm...you have to realize I get contacted about every other month or so from someone claiming to know a lot about one of my parents, but they're usually just a scam artist. And I mean, if that's what you are, you've at least stuck your neck out further than all the others would have dared to."

 

He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.

 

"So, what exactly do you want from me? I haven't heard from either of my parents in a long time...and frankly I rather prefer it that way."

[Kitaara Shiri]

The pair of Sith stopped off at the Helios, largely so that Kitaara to trade in her impractical party gown for her combat suit. While she had not expected to leave so suddenly, Haphaestus' announcement of their most recent creation's whereabouts drew alarm bells in her mind. The droid was, as of yet, untested, and they had brought NYX-1 along in the first place so that they might monitor her and watch for any anomalies or programming updates that would be needed, not to mention keep the tech out of the hands of their competitors.

 

Leaving the prototype to roam free across the Caridan wild was not exactly what they had in mind.

 

Thankfully, Moff Weyler's estate was situated in the foothills of the mountain range that bolstered Carida's capital, in the temperate zone of the planet, giving them some time before NYX-1 was likely to be discovered by any other sentient being. However, having no built-in defensive capabilities, she was just as likely to be destroyed by native fauna than Imperial troops. Having more or less accomplished their objective at the Benefit Gala anyways, Kitaara gladly left behind the noise and excess of the party to embrace the tactical comfort of her form-fitting combat jumpsuit.

 

Disentangling her lekku from the ornate headdress she wore, the Twi'lek put aside her mask of glitter and jewels and retrieved her lightsaber to hang on her belt, shrouding herself once more in the warm anonymity of her midnight-colored velvet cloak.

 

"Ready," she intoned as she prowled near-silently back down the landing ramp, flanked by a pair of Enyo-class units, leaving the manufactured saccharine complexion behind her in the Nubian yacht.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca moved quiet and quickly along the mountains and forest under the blue sky of Carida as he tracked down the anomalous thing within the Force that left the Jedi Master feeling perplexed. Carefully he used the Force to jump from rock to rock along the mountain side, keeping a steady feel on the life that surrounded the planet and the direction he was heading in. He could almost feel what he was tracking coming closer into his view, although, he wasn't sure he would see it with all of the native fauna that covered the planet. As he moved, he stopped himself mid thought as he began to wonder if leaving Raven was the right thing. Could the Imperial Knights be strong enough to protect her in the event of a Sith invasion? The thought made the Wookiee pause after he landed on a rock. He had to push the thought aside, as he doubted the Sith would be so bold as to engage the Imperial Remnant on their home world so soon.

 

He looked up to see a residence on the horizon. As he began to scout the area, both with his own sight and through the Force, he could still feel that anomalous thing, yet the life around the residence was harder to gauge. With his sight, all he could see was nature, wild fauna, a droid, and the building that looked like it would belong to one of the Moff's on Raven's council. Is there an animal or beast nearby? The house looks empty and the droid couldn't be the so- But then it struck him, the droid was the source he was feeling in the Force. It was sitting at the spot where he could feel the pings from the Force. The Jedi Master decided that it was indeed foolish to go chasing after a droid, but since he had already left Raven, he might as well bring it back to her as proof of what he was feeling. Maybe she knew what it was. Kirlocca began to make a few more jumps in the Force to get closer to it so that he could bring it in.

[Haphaestus]

Remaining in his party attire to save on time, Haphaestus lifted the Helios off the ground and headed out in pursuit of NYX-1 while Kitaara changed. The little droid had not covered a tremendous distance since she had escaped, but was a few kilometers from the party and beyond the estate's security network.

 

However, as the ship approached low over the trees to avoid undue attention, Haphaestus quickly realized there was a different complication to the pickup. The bright Force presence he and Kitaara had been discussing earlier was here. No doubt NYX's unusual Force presence had drawn the attention of a Jedi Knight or Master. The circumstance was unfortunate at face value, but it could be managed. As he maneuvered the ship to the nearest clearing, he spoke to his apprentice. "It seems we are not the only ones to have noticed NYX-1's departure," he said. "I will approach as Designer Vulkas and attempt to evaluate the situation. You are to remain close by but out of sight. Bring both of our weapons in case."

 

He then spoke to the Enyo-class droids. "Remain here. At the first sign of trouble, activate the ship's comm jammer so that the incident cannot be reported. Then locate and eliminate any potential witnesses."

 

Lowering the boarding ramp, the former Dark Lord disembarked, quickly making his way towards NYX-1's unique Force signature. He arrived and found a rather infamous Jedi Master approaching from the far side. This was an unexpected development, but it was becoming clear that his interaction with the Jedi was the source of the shatterpoint he'd been detecting.

 

"Master Kirlocca," he spoke as a greeting, masking his Force presence carefully. No doubt the Wookiee would know Haphaestus by reputation, but disguised as he was, there would be no way to make the connection. "I see that you have detected NYX-1. I must say I appreciate your attempt to locate and return her to me. I am Designer Vulkas of Lemnos Industries, and she is our most valuable prototype."

 

For NYX-1's part, she glanced between the two beings, clutching her bouquet of Caridan wildflowers, many of which had been pulled up by their roots. "Why hello Master, uh, Vulkas!" she said. "I hope I'm not in trouble."

 

He fixed his gaze on her for a moment. "Return to the ship, and we will discuss your actions later."

[Kitaara Shiri]

Watching her teacher slip into the night, still dressed to the nines in his finery, Kitaara's eyes gleamed in anticipation. NYX-1 was incalculably valuable, and for now, it would be imperative that she remain hidden from the galaxy at large. Even if she was returned to them by who or whatever might retrieve her, too many questions asked could land Lemnos Industries figuratively in Mustafar. So, they would not allow her to be apprehended.

 

But while they were not, strictly speaking, Sith--at least not affiliated with whatever dark elements had lain siege to Carida's fleets--it was a nuance that Kitaara did not expect the Imperial forces to recognize should the unfolding scenario come to blows. She had mere fragments of doubt in her teacher's ability, but to find themselves embroiled in a custody battle on the surface of a world that would not take kindly to their true identities would be to sacrifice all they had gained.

 

Fear was her weapon, however, and Kitaara took her apprehension and put it to work. Wheeling on the Enyo-class droids that stood with her on the ramp, she distributed new orders.

 

"Set up the comm jammers now, and do radar sweeps for other signs of life or droid movements. It's paramount that we remain undetected," she said gravely. "If you find anything, take it out."

 

Her own saber clipped to her belt, Kitaara hoisted Haphaestus' darkmetal staff as she made her way into the cover of forested twilight. Given that he hefted the thing around near-constantly, she had expected that it was durable but lightweight, like some kind of reinforced aluminum. Quickly, she learned this was not the case, as she had to switch hands or reposition it in the crook of her arm or try to carry it over her shoulders to find a comfortable way to transport its weight. A walking stick it was not, and she found a new source of appreciation for how readily Haphaestus could apply it without regard to its weight.

 

Tucking herself into the cover of mirror-blue Caridan night, Kitaara's feet moved lightly, her natural instincts coming into play once more. The Lothja jungles were light-years away, yet suddenly she was seven years old, sneaking into caverns to check for doashim before putting her little brother to bed in a relative shelter for the night. It had not taken long to learn that silence, absolute silence, was essential to sussing out the habitat of monsters.

 

It was with that same silence that Kitaara slunk through the trees now, pulling the Force around herself like a cloak as she had been taught. Instead of the prey, she had become the stalking predator. Thick clusters of trees and underbrush gave way to a clearing where NYX-1 had collected something that looked like it belonged on her entry table in their Nuba City apartment, slowly wilting away into death. Honed skills in acrobatics were encumbered by the weight of Haphaestus' staff, but nevertheless, she managed to clamber up into a nearby conifer until she found a perch approximately five meters from the ground, counting on the heavy brush and the shrouding of her own presence to keep her hidden.

 

She almost toppled out of the tree in surprise when Haphaestus' greeting met her ears. "Master Kirlocca..."

 

So, it had not been just any Jedi she had sensed through the Force. The Wookiee Grandmaster himself had deigned to investigate their little creation. The weight of significance that lent to their efforts brought a slowly curling smile to her features as she held the staff within easy recall of her teacher and their droids filtered through the underbrush.

[DoctorOblivious]

Sophia couldn’t say that she blamed Aidan for preferring to avoid his parents. The young man had been dealt a terrible hand during his upbringing. True, he’d at least been raised by his grandmother on the frequent occasions that Draygo and her husband were on the frontlines or in the relatively exposed temples on Gala or Borleias, but it couldn’t have been much of a substitute. Misal, Sophia knew from personal experience, was not a particularly emotionally available woman, and her associates were even more secretive. The historian’s typical interaction with them involved getting black-bagged and dragged on board a shuttle to an unknown location.

 

“Understandable. You had a raw deal growing up.” Sophia was tempted to say something further, to reassure the young man that the separation had hurt Armiena almost as badly, but thought better of it. “I had a chance to complete my education when the war ended--history, emphasis on contemporary history. I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the material that has been published about your mother, but they’re all political hatchet jobs by hacks who are trying to sell a political opinion, not information. I knew your mother--I mean, towards the end of the war, I was practically her left hand... erm… woman and I’d like to set the record straight before these idiots twist her life even further.”

 

At the words left hand woman, Sophia’s amber eyes gave Aidan a searching glance, carefully observing whether he showed any reaction to that phrase whatsoever. Perhaps the Imperial Knight had simply been too young to remember. In any case, speaking those words on the Imperial capitol, where it was entirely likely that her every move would be shadowed by the Ubiqtorate and her every utterance recorded and transcribed by listening devices, was taking an insane risk that wasn’t likely to pay dividends. After all, in the last years of the civil war, Aidan was more or less being raised by his grandmother and what little time he did spend with Armiena was likely to be lost in the hazy memory of early childhood.

 

Sophia turned to rummage in her satchel for the artifacts she’d recovered from the Grandmaster’s ship. Feeling the cold metal and rigid crystal of the archive and holocron under her fingers, she placed the two artifacts on the table beside them. Both glinted in the light, bearing a light sheen from nervous-sweat left behind by Moriarty’s hands. The archival device was a palm-sized disc, seemingly wrought of ordinary steel aside from a concentric ring around the core of the device and a few miniscule divots that indicated the presence of holoprojectors and sensors. The latter was an ebon holocron of an unusual configuration, a four-sided triangular prism. A faint light glimmered from within its lattice, but it lay otherwise inert.

 

Despite all of Sophia’s efforts, she’d never been able to activate that holocron.

 

“I found these on your mother’s ship, near Kashyyyk. That disc contains a substantial portion of your mother’s archives.” Sophia couldn’t believe that she was revealing these artifacts in the middle of an Imperial military installation. Her heart was pounding in her neck. “I don’t want to cause any trouble, but I’d like to get to know you.”

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan only showed slight confusion when Sophia had mentioned her phrase...wasn't the phrase right hand man or woman? Still, she seemed harmless, and really only wanted to help. Aidan sighed, rubbing his temples as he looked over the baubles she'd pulled from her sack.

 

"Well...I suppose you're not like the other hacks that try to contact me. I don't think I'd mind helping, but I'd also like to know what you need from me before saying yes or no. I just managed to get into the Imperial Knight program, and it's a little improper to put in for leave if you need me offworld, but I suppose it could be arranged. Otherwise, I mean...I don't think I played that large a role in my mother's life."

 

Aidan reached out to grab the items, to get a better look at them, the black tetrahedron particularly catching his eye. But as he touched it, all the hairs of his arm stood up on end, as if a mild electrical current passed through him. Immediately he recoiled his hand, then slowly moved in to touch it again, this time with nothing happening. What the...

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca froze for a moment as he took in everything that was happening. In the Force, there was a tiny current pulling towards the main landing area before the droid that a cyborg looking thing had identified as NYX-1. There was a sudden sense of underlying danger, but no worse then something he had already encountered before. This was much more subtle and held a feeling of a breaking point, like a weak structure upon a dam. This Vulkas person held a position near the ramp of the ship, and continued to stand in the midst of the Force pulling like a current creating a whirlwind. Part of him mediately began to wonder why he had never heard of Lemnos Industries until just now. Carefully, the Jedi Master took a step forward and made a few more steps after that as he spoke.

 

<< The droid is an interesting design... Why build it to connect and feel the Force?... >>

 

As he took his steps, he felt a need to prepare his lightsaber. If the droid could feel the Force, then Vulkas or someone whom employed him could touch the Force. And the very fact that the Force was creating a current that was pulling inwards towards the very spot that Vulkas stood made the whole situation uneasy. Now he began to wonder if the thing that he felt threaten Raven was here. If this droid and cyborg thing was a threat to Raven, he would end it before it could reach her.