The Eternal Vigilance (The Maw)

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian sighed.

 

He was tiring of the constant threats to the glaxy by one evil force or the other. For once, couldn't the galaxy save itself? Why couldn't a person simply settle down and relax? He was beginning to think the Force was a curse more than a blessing...

 

He walked over to where Armiena was, not noticing what she and her mother were looking over, neither hearing their conversation. He simply spoke, from his heart.

 

"Sweetheart...listen. I know we've been planning this for a long time, but I also understand...you're their leader. I...I understand if you'd want to put it off again. I stand by your side. You know this...but I also mean as a Jedi. For so long I've wanted to settle down, but now it seems further away than ever..."

 

Aryian looked halfway down dejectedly, but then up again, a smile on his face. He wanted what she wanted, even if that meant abandoning the wedding a while longer in pursuit of a higher cause.

[ObliviousKnight]

For a moment, my mother and I stood silent, almost shocked by what my fiancé had just suggested. I could feel the tension in my mother's spine; the old Miraluka was slowly drawing herself to her full height, staring down at poor Aryian as though she intended to rip his head clean off his shoulders. Such a messy prospect wouldn't do, especially not where my love was concerned.

 

"Want me to slap him, Armiena?" Contrary to my mother's words, I saw that her hands were balled into fists.

 

"Not really." Judging from my mother's quivering presence in the Force, those words had completely failed in defusing the tension Aryian's suggestion had provoked. Smooth move, Aryian. Taking more aggressive action, I thrust the tiny box that held Aryian's ring at my mother's startled form, then turned to face my fiancé with crossed arms and a peculiar expression of mixed exasperation and adoration.

 

"Thanks. That would have gone flying if you hadn't taken it. Let me make something very clear, if it hasn't been made abundantly obvious yet."

 

Let's see what you think of this.

 

I virtually flew at Aryian, tackling him and sending both our bodies to the metal floor. A stab of pain shot through my body as my knees met the ground””the floor of the hangar had never been built with this in mind””but the dull thud of my fiancé's head indicated that he had suffered the worse for my unexpected actions. My eyes level with Aryian's, our lips only a slight distance apart, my elbows flat against the floor, I spoke quietly and with intensity, almost severity.

 

"Don't ever doubt me. I've been waiting for our wedding for too long””when you were in that coma, I thought was going to go insane if you didn't wake up. Don't ever doubt that I want this, or”¦ one of us will make sure you pay for that mistake." My eyes bored intensely into Aryian's, but I lightened that impact of my words with a smirk and a wink. "Sorry I couldn't make your invitation."

 

"What just...?" I wasn't quite aware of my mother's confused interruption, who held the little box in the palm of her hand, frankly startled by the turn of events. I wasn't privileged to see her expression, however; my gaze was fixed on Aryian, whose face now dominated my sight. I paid her no heed; instead, I lowered my lips to those of my love's and kissed him. Hard.

 

There were few areas in which I would never make a compromise, and this was one of them. I was going to have him as my husband, and we were going to have that future together that we both wanted, free from the war and the stupid hatreds of the galaxy. As distant as it might have been, it was worth fighting for, a cause to fight for with body and mind and soul.

 

Perhaps this rushed, unexpected kiss wasn't a proper substitute for Aryian's proposal of a long, steamy shower spent with each other, but it would have to do. That would have to come in the future, but I intended to seize every present moment we could get.

 

We are going to get married, and I will accept no compromises. Never again.

[Kirana Sunrider]

Kirana stood silently listening to what everyone had to say. She hadn't met Skye, even though she had seen her in the corridors from time to time on various Jedi locations. She'd never thought much about the other woman, though knew her reputation as a healer preceded her. Kira had been going to send one of her former padawan's to her for healer training at one point. That padawan had parted ways with her a while back.

 

When they spoke of what they knew about the various Gods, Kirana felt a shiver track down her spine. Her thoughts went over what had happened back then and how much effort it had taken to free herself from his grasp.

 

She felt sorry for Skye as Ara explained that she'd had to retrieve her soul after some occurrence to do with another of the Gods. Watching the Miraluka drag the Grandmaster down the corridor and seeing Aryian follow, Kira gave a shake of her head, turning towards the Prince and Ara.

 

"I don't know much about the others, though I did have a run in with Nurgle. He used deception and stole some of my memories. Malin played a large part in helping me to restore my memories, though the God swore he would see both Malin and myself kneel before him."

 

She would always be grateful to Malin for that. It had been the taint from Nurgle stealing her memories that had destroyed the relationship between she and Locke.

[Hou-Jo Poleb]

Hou-Jo got up and left the room. He had grown bored with the nonsense of the gods. He never followed or believed in them before and he wasn't going to now. "I'll be in the other room if anyone needs me."

 

He left the room and walked over to a window. He closed his eyes to try and look into the future. To see what the future held. For the first time in a long time he could see nothing that pertained to the situation Isolder alerted them about. The dark side clouded everything. The future was impossible to see.

_________________

[Xen-Que Poleb]

The Ancestor Spirit appeared in the room where some of the Jedi were conversing. He could sense his brother was nearby, but out of earshot. Isolder and Kirana were both here. He was only visible to the two of them.

 

"Something else has happened."

[Malin Kyrell]

An encrypted and untracable comm comes in for Admiral Starlisk.

 

The Imperials on Naboo are about to be facing a crushing defeat, but reprisals will likely follow. Hurry.

[Ary the Grey]

((Those of you who are here, are here. Those of you who are not, are not. You were told in advance.))

 

Aryian almost laughed. This was exactly what he wanted, and his wife to be had the same intentions in mind. They got up, and Aryian took his electrum hilt in his left hand, reaching into an inner pouch on his robe to pull out a Hapan firegem that was about the size of a small cred. He had intended to use it for a lightsaber crystal, and it wasn't cut correctly, but it still held the inner beauty and raging sparkle the firegems were known for.

 

In a moment, Aryian had levitated the hilt, superheating the metals on it in a matter of seconds by rubbing the air against it. In a moment, they were soft enough for him to manipulate with his will directly, and he easily flowed the runoff metals around the gem, setting it and forming a perfectly shaped ring at the same time. Of course, this trashed his lightsaber hilt, melting the innards to the point that the electrum hilt was nothing more than slag. He stirred up a breeze to cool off the two objects, retrieving them both and clipping the slag onto his belt.

 

"This...this is for the war. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to have to deal with the loss of you, and I don't want you to have to deal with my loss. Now...let's get married."

 

He tucked the ring tight in his hand, holding onto the future as he took his bride by the hand, leading her back to everyone else, approaching Onderin.

 

"Marry us. You all are our witnesses."

 

He looked at Armiena, smiling warmly, overjoyed. This was the happiest day he had ever experienced...He looked to Kirlocca and Ara once before turning back to Onderin, ready to finally be a husband.

[Dagon]

::Darkwatch deploys an inverse net bomb to protect the ceremonies under way and the eternal Vigilance, as per contract.::

Edited September 19, 2007 by Guest

[Ary the Grey]

((Clarification))

 

Aryian recieves a relayed message through his implant sent to his ship, detailing a contract made with Darkwatch securities by none other than himself. Milliseconds later, a hasty explanation is transmitted to him by the Blur itself, explaning it as a wedding present, though by using Aryian's credits for the contract. He sighs once, but is still grinning ear to ear as he lets those present know not to fear through the Force, silencing the would-be comments and plans of attack, as Aryian himself had very nearly done.

 

He glanced at Armiena briefly, rolling his eyes, and he knew she had some idea of what was going on, surely she knew it was nothing to worry about as Aryian turned his attention back to Onderin.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin ignored the comm for a moment as Aryian approached him and told him to marry Armiena and he on the spot. He smiled wryly at the suddenness of the whole thing, but it was clear that the galaxy was a mess and these two were necessary in the scheme of fixing it.

 

Just then, something else happened, bringing the war a little closer to them. But he heeded Aryian's unspoken advice to not fear what was happening. For a moment, nothing would interrupt what was going on.

 

He had had a little time to come up with something to say, so he began a raw introduction that he thought suited the state of the galaxy and these two Jedi Masters:

 

"Dearly Beloved," he began, the antiquated words referring to all that were here to witness the wedding, as few as they were.

 

"We are gathered here this day in the darkest of times. Corruption, war, and evil are everywhere. The galaxy has been torn asunder by chaos and conflict.

 

"But even in these dark times we must not forget that life goes on. Across the galaxy people are still growing up, worrying about paying the electricty bill, and yes, people are falling in love.

 

"So we are gathered not to mourn the losses that this great war has brought or lick wounds of defeat, but instead present a strong symbol of unification in the form of marriage.

 

"Just, then, as these two Jedi Masters are to be unified as one flesh today, so must we all rise up as one Order, becoming more than conquerors in a galaxy full of fear and need--becoming nothing less than Champions of the Force!

 

"Now, then: do you have the rings?" he asked, his speech finished in no particular haste despite what was going on over their heads.

[ObliviousKnight]

"Blast. Um, excuse me." My mother's voice whispered behind us, excusing herself for cursing at a ceremony of matrimony. There was a whisper of light cloth and leather as my mother retrieved the ring I had requested for my husband. I wasn't paying attention, as I stood transfixed before Onderin, the most likely surprised Ara-Lai Kaipi and Kirlocca, the possibly irritated Prince Isolder, and my suddenly emotional mother. Emotional was an understatement; as I let go of my fiance's hand to reach for the ring, I could feel her hand shaking beneath the glove she wore.

 

This was almost completely devoid was ceremony. It was sudden, it was spontaneous, and it interrupted everyone's business without pretense or apology.

 

Even if I wasn't the bride, I would have liked it.

 

"We do." Turning it over in my my hand, I allowed Aryian a glance at his ring. Although the means of its construction weren't nearly as dramatic as Aryian's--I'd felt a twinge of jealousy as my mother realized she'd been outdone--the tiny piece of jewelry was exquisite. Flawless. It was a simple, platinum band with a small Corusca gem set upon it--a beautiful metaphor that I knew my mother would have loved to teach.

 

And so the roles of our best man and maid of honor was suddenly truncated into being mere witnesses to our wedding; our rings were already in our hands, ready for our vows. I was reeling, almost delirious--not with the suddenness of our decision to immediately perform the ceremony, or the utterly unorthodox manner in which it was proceeding, but with joy at finally completing it. Only a ceremony, perhaps, but still an important step forward that declared that we had no intention of quietly hiding our love.

 

Finally. Finally. I turned back to my soon-to-be ex-fiance, soon-to-be husband, my full attention on him and the simple touch of our hands.

[Ary the Grey]

"Of course..."

 

Aryian held the ring out to Onderin, taking a quick glance at his own. Amazing... The worksmanship was exquisite, more interesting than Aryian's plain gold set ring. And a corusca gem...Armiena must've paid a fortune to get her hands on one. Finally, the time was here. Finally, after everything they had been through, they were going to begin a new life.

 

"I swear to you, Armiena, you are my one focus. Nothing will come between us, and nothing will cause us to drift apart. I swear this on my life, and on our love, may it never die until we do. From this day forwards, I will place priority on us above all other things, us...and hopefully our family."

 

He looked dep into her eyes, watching her blush slightly as he took her left hand, sliding the ring onto it as he said his vows. He brushed her cheek slightly with his hand, before once again lowering his arms to hold her hands again. This time, he ignored all but Onderin's voice, completely captured in her eyes...those deep emerald eyes...

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin regarded the rings with something bordering awe. The gems were beautiful, and he had not encountered their equals in some time. It reminded him of a time that seemed long ago now, when he had been taking his Jedi Master trials, and he had had before him twelve crystals that could be added to his lightsaber upon the completion of the trials, and each had invoked a powerful vision....

 

The Admiral returned to the present and found the two waiting for him. He looked first at Armiena, the bride. "Do you, Armiena Draygo, take this man, Aryian Darkfire, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to charish and to hold in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, both mental and physical, in hope and despair, until in death do you part?"

 

He then turned to Aryian. "And do you, Aryian Darkfire, take this woman, Armiena Draygo, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to charish and to hold in sickness and in health, both mental and physical, in wealth and in poverty, in hope and despair, until in death do you part?"

[ObliviousKnight]

When Aryian seized my eyes and I gladly reciprocated his attention, I couldn't help but tune out what Onderin was saying. I was familiar with the traditional wedding vows of countless human cultures across the galaxy; what he was speaking wasn't particularly special or even transcendent, and thus, the traditional response to the vow was similarly cliché. Such tradition wouldn't do, especially not after we had slashed it to ribbons, nor would bowing to tradition suffice for my wedding.

 

I'm a notoriously competitive person, Aryian. Always have been, still am, always will be. Death is nothing, only a physical blow that matters little to the soul. All that fails is the body; the spirit remains constant. Even these Jedi will admit that.

 

So, being that naturally competitive woman, I'll outdo you by another level. We will have that family, you always will be my top priority in life, and I will love you always.

 

I winked at my fiancé; that action alone had to clue our witnesses into the fact that something unsaid had just passed between us, let alone the faint, indecipherable wisps of the Force from my spirit. But in the limited, physical world, I clung to tradition even yet and spoke those simple words, so short, incapable of fully describing the commitment that they confirmed.

 

”œI do.”

[Ary the Grey]

And like so many other points in his life, for Aryian, time completely came to a halt, slowing down to no movement. Like a lightning strike, memories flooded back to him.

 

The first time he met her...she was beautiful, in battle. Graceful, elite, and not to mention attractive. It was then that Aryian became interested in her, enough to ask her out later.

 

The dinner date. It was hilarious for both of them, eating nerf steak aboard Aryian's battle-battered ship, catching a moment of calm and serenity between missions from the council. Back then, they were gung ho, ready and willing to die for a cause they deeply believed in. They had both begun to fall for each other at this point, and Aryian remembered becoming more protective of her, to the point he'd do crazy things he never would have before...

 

Naboo. He proposed to her there after an evening of riding Aiwha and eating a dinner under the stars...that night had been perfect. It was there that he had shed his armor, vowing to leave war for the greater good of her and the Jedi, much like he had destroyed his electrum lightsaber as a sign of his dedication only seconds ago...

 

Coruscant. He had failed her there...they had both failed. But he had sacrificed himself for her, the ultimate test of his love. It was in that one thing that the failure had been a success. It had all led here, now...

 

To this one critical moment.

 

"I...do."

 

He smiled, realizing after all the joys and hardships they had experienced, they were finally one. Finally they were about to be man and wife, the one thing that Aryian had desired above all other. He noticed the water welling in Armiena's eyes, and he wiped a threatening tear away, holding her hands tight. He almost laughed, the moment was so emotional and incredible for him.

 

"I do."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin failed to keep a slight smile from creeping onto his face at the conviction of the two Jedi Masters standing before him. It occured to him then what an honor it was to be doing what he was now doing. It was a ceremony that had taken millenia to perfect, and it had not lost an ounce of its meaning in all those years.

 

And now here he was, performing it for two people whom he respected deeply. He could not help but share in their joy of the situation, despite all that had gone on that spoke to despair. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and this was a symbolic step towards it.

 

"Then," he said, "by the power vesting in me by the Rebel Alliance and the Jedi Order, I pronounce you man and wife. Aryian, you may kiss your bride."

 

His bride...Armiena Darkfire.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara blinked back tears, wiping them away from under the rim of her glasses. Sanare gleamed a beautiful rose color, humming softly.

 

Beautiful...

[Ary the Grey]

And with that, it was done.

 

The Jedi Master, overwhelmed, leaned in, kissing her in a passionate embrace, trembling slightly as his mind was afire with joy. He was unsure of himself, but he didn't care. The one thing he had pursued was finally his: Armiena Draygo was his wife.

 

 

 

...and after several seconds, he was still kissing her.

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

((Does this mean we have to file joint Imperial tax returns now? ))

[ObliviousKnight]

Death is the ultimate power in the universe. It is utterly irresistible; with every passing moment, death becomes more potent, entropy wears the galaxy down to simplicity, and newborns are enslaved to the promise that, eventually, death will come for them.

 

Love is the defiance of death. Love”¦ is to set an ordinary man as the greatest power, the highest priority in your life, or as the traditional vows would describe it, ”˜until in death do you part'”¦ which, as the Force dictates, is only the end of physical existence. Death, compared to the Force, is nothing, a little insect beneath its titanic power.

 

Screw this. I'm not wasting my time with this grave and serious entry. To quote from that awesome and incredibly corny song”¦.

 

All you need is love.

All you need is love.

All you need is love, love.

Love is all you need.

 

””From the journal of Armiena Darkfire

 

The one to start crying, I was relieved to find out, was not myself. The Force was merciful and spared my dignity for once--although, I'd thrown that out when my husband and I (husband, I repeated to myself) had completely abandoned ceremony and decided to get married in the space of a few glorious minutes, rather than a more traditional show that could last hours.

 

The person that was crying, I quickly realized, was my mother. My sight dominated by the view of my husband's gray eyes, I couldn't see her face, but the sudden gasp and wet sniff from her direction confirmed that she was overcome, elated by the conclusion of our wedding. She was lost, drowning in her joy despite her determination to remain in control for our sake.

 

I decided to not hold that against her, but rather, give her further reason to rejoice.

 

I reached for Aryian's face with my left hand, letting him feel the smooth chill of the ring he had placed on my finger, pulling him deeper into our first kiss as a wedded couple. I could feel the amusement surrounding us as it evolved from a chaste first kiss, a promise of devotion and ceaseless love, into a passionate embrace that lasted longer than was polite at a wedding. I shared their amusement and my husband's joy; I chose to let our need for oxygen, not social convention, dictate the length of our embrace.

 

I lost track of time. It wasn't as though I was counting.

 

When, finally, the dull ache in my lungs forced me to pull away, I could feel the warmth of my cheeks burning through.

 

Leaning back in Aryian's arms, I just smiled.

[Kirana Sunrider]

Feeling another presence there, Kirana turned around to face the ghostly form. She hadn't expected to see Xen-Que, not here. "Something else has happened?" She queried him, "What else has happened? Your brother... should I get him for you?" She added the latter after having seen Hou Jo going into another of the rooms. It seemed so long ago that she had passed that message to Hou Jo.

 

Her words seemed to go unheard by the others as their attention was drawn elsewhere, expect perhaps for Isolder and of course Xen-Que as the surprise marriage ceremony began. She stepped closer to the spirit, though turned to face the bride and groom. At one point in time she had hoped that she and Locke might... well, that was all in the past and he'd totally shut her out, breaking the life-bond that they had shared. She didn't even know where he was or if he still lived, so completely had she been shut out. A slight pang twisted inside her before she quelled it, banishing those thoughts back to the past where they belonged.

 

She noticed how Ara reacted to the ceremony, hearing the humming sound coming from her sword. With the pair joined at the lips, Kira turned back towards the ghostly spirit.

[Vladimir Faust]

After the ceremonies were over with, a short comm arrives on the communication channels for the bride and groom, as well as their various guests:

 

To Mr. and Mrs. Darkfyre and their guests,

 

I regret my absence at what was surely a touching ceremony, but with an Empire to help manage, I do have my own duties. Know that after your losses at Gala and the time you took for your wedding, we have been very, very busy, so enjoy your respite from reality.

 

I confess above all though, that despite having made plans to disrupt the ceremony, and I did have them, the one thing, the only thing, that stayed my hand was satisfaction. A couple cannot be seperated until they are joined as one, nor alas, can one be made a widow or widower until their properly married husband or wife is murdered. Any action taken against you will be all the sweeter now that there is something of substance, something beautiful, to destroy.

 

So, I give you my gift of a night of peace and shall drink to your health, with the knowledge that night and that night alone is the only guarantee you two are likely to have. I'll be seeing you all soon.

 

Oh, and congratulations.

[Hawker]

Even in the most bright and sunny days, like today, there were shadows. And in one of those shadows, sat Mrakhh. Watching the joyful wedding between Aryian Darkfire and Armiena Draygo.

 

The wedding was quite different from those on Togoria, but all weddings had the mood of happiness to them. The Togorian made a small grin. He was happy for his master. Though he still had not gotten to know Master Darkfire, he could tell that this wedding had been long awaited.

 

Mrakhh would give his master time to go on his honeymoon before bothering him about official training. Seeing the wedding sort of made Mrakhh homesick, but he shook it off. He was a jedi now, not just some homesick Togorian.

 

When Mrakhh saw that the wedding was starting to come to an end, he stood up and walked back to study more about lightsabers.

[Xen-Que Poleb]

"Something isn't right. Someone has tried to tap the power of the caelstum I wielded in life."

 

Xen-Que's physical spirit became pale, as opposed to it's original tint of blue, and was all-white for a few moments, fluncutating.

 

"Something else has happened. The Rebel planet. Gala. Massive dark side presence, too strong to be any one person, just disappeared all of a sudden. No death. It just disappeared. Isolder, I hate to keep you from your personal agendas, but do you think it would be possible for you and miss Sunrider to investigate?"

[Darex Trevelian]

No amount of learning in the universe would have kept Darex away from the wedding. The Force had pulled him from his meditations, insisting that he rejoin the company of others for at least an hour or so.

 

So he had sought them out. Standing in the doorway, he managed to catch most of the brief ceremony. As Aryian and Armiena were finally married, Darex beamed. He remembered the first time he had met Armiena. She had been a mere hopeful, as had he. They had become fast friends. He had watched her be taken as an apprentice, become a Knight, then a Master, then the Grandmaster of the entire order. But none of these accomplishments seemed as significant as finally marrying the man she loved deeply.

 

Love is greater than any promotion, knowledge, or advancement. It is truly a powerful force in the galaxy... His mind thought back on the times in his own life when he had thought that he, too, was in love. But they had all been nothing, merely chaff in the wind. He wouldn't say he was jealous of Armiena, per se, but he did know it would be nice to have someone to share life with.

 

He gave Armiena a big smile and gave her a quick hug. "Congradulations, my dear friend." He shook Aryian's hand, and nodded to Ara, Onderin, Kirana, and the other people in the room. Then he quietly took his leave, his heart full of joy for his friend, and for the hope that came with her marriage.

[Dashel Illioni]

The shuttle that came in from an outer rim farming planet dated back to before the clone wars. It landed at the Vigilance's smallest pad briefly enough to discharge a lone figure dressed in traditional jedi robes dyed a deep blue trimmed in black. He paused before entering the security area to consult with a small datapad.

 

"Good," he thought, "the last of those holdings have been sold off."

 

Of course, several prototypes had been stored in various places throughout the galaxy, including a ship of clearly Sith origins that he might study in his free time.

 

Dashel smiled at that thought. The grin grew until it threatened to overwhelm his feline facial features, as the happiness aboard the ship was very contagious. He stopped at a nearby terminal to inquire as to what was going on.

 

"I have been gone a long time if they finally managed to marry each other."

 

With a shrug, he went to the quarters he had been assigned and dropped off his few belongings. From the duffle bag, he selected a formal pair of robes he had purchased soon after being knighted, putting them on. Under them as always were the garments he had acquired in the ruins of Ossus and the twin sabers he favored.

 

A brisk walk took him to where the celebratrion was taking place and he joined the other Masters, Knights, and Padawans congratulating the happy couple.

[Amon Saulot]

::An encrypted comm arrived at Manaan from Gala.::

 

Good news from the battlefront, the Sith attack has been successfully thwarted. I defeated Kakuto Ryu and Exodus in personal combat, and Master Organa is working on healing the Dark Side corruption that the Sith inflicted. The day is ours.

 

And my congratulations on your wedding, masters Draygo and Darkfire, may the gods smile upon you.

[Ary the Grey]

It was funny. The world seemed to blur around Aryian as several people got up and gave their congratulations to the couple, but Aryian paid them minimal attention, looking, almost staring at Armiena. After a while, it was obvious, and she gave him one of those 'what?' looks, but he simply smiled.

 

"I need a map. I'm lost in your eyes, my dear. I don't suppose...you'd join me for dinner one of these nights?"

 

It was a line similar to the one he had used when they had first gotten together. Swiftly he moved towards her, engulfing her in a bear hug and swinging her around the room before setting her down, kissing her lightly on the cheek, and whispering in her ear.

 

"I love you."

 

With that, Aryian hesitated a moment longer, grinning ear to ear, before he moved off towards Kirlocca, beaming with happiness. He expected a huge hug from the large Wookiee, and prepared for it before he totally reached him, still grinning like an idiot on jawa juice.

[ObliviousKnight]

”œPick-up lines?”

[Prince Vegeta Isolder]

Isolder was surprised to see the spirit of Xen-Que again. It seemed wherever the dead Blademaster appeared, trouble followed. Isolder did not know Kirana at all. He had heard of her skill however.

 

"I do not have much of a choice. It is my duty to intervene."

 

In truth, Isolder was unsure the rest of the Jedi were interested in this weapon. He was beginning to feel if something were to be done about it, it would have to start with him.

 

"I have no problem investigating with Kirana, if she will accept another with us. I have a partner named Moon Knight now."

[Vladimir Faust]

As a delayed wedding gift, and one taking full advantage of the Netbomb which not only by its mechanics, prevented people from entering the planet while active, but could also prevent people from leaving, a handful of Imperial cruisers makes steady progress, ringing around the planet of Manaan and deploying their cargo, then vanishing back into hyperspace. Employed in an orbit well beyond even the protective netbomb, the cargo is the old Imperial finger, raised towards enemies who would seige up in times of duress.

 

The cargo is nothing more than an Orbital Nightcloak, Mark II. This wonderous device, which had Faust's whole hearted approval, drapped the world in a cloak of night, cutting off all sensors and communications and most importantly of all, stopping the flow of sunlight.

 

The general effect is to freeze the planet, eventually clutching it into a grip of icy death. The hundreds of satilites that comprise the Nightcloak are each armed with short range laser cannons to prevent the people on world, the only people who could know about this devistating attack due to the communications jamming, from safely deactivating the cloak as they flew through a field of impenetrable darkness, also making transport off world nigh impossible unless one were to traverse this deadly guantlet.

 

Already the tempature on the planet, taken by sudden nightfall, plunges a short two and a half or so degrees with in the first few hours, threatening to freeze the watery world over in due time. Not to be outdone or to fail to add his personal touch to the affair, dummy satilites are deployed to aid the field's integrity and add extra lasers for defense. On a select few of these dummy satilites, a short, simple message is broadcasted down to the planet below, containing nothing less than Faust's mocking laughter, looped, to play for days on end.