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Author	Topic: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
Sith-I-5 Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 5/28 5:56am Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	IC: Detective Kate Lockley, Doakes, Angel, HNN Skyhook main hangar. Location: Coruscant low orbit, under the planetary shield Huddled into a corner with her Galactic City Police Department colleagues, Lockley seethed at Chief Supiro taking over the skyhook. Her arms were crossed over the front of her chest armour. "I cannot believe the lieutenant ceded control to Municipal like that! P.D. were here first!" "You didn't ask." Angel put forward in a reasonable tone. "I didn't even know it was on the table!" Her voice softened. "I want a shower; I want my old clothes back. No offense, " She knuckled the hard crimson plastoid of her bicep armour. "but I left this behind when I reached detective." "None taken." Angel assured her. The quieter Doakes finally said something. "They don't need to hold onto us as witnesses to anything! There are enough holocams up here to record what went down with us, the troops and the bounty hunter. Bree can direct them to Security Control, and we can go to the lifts." The STANG officer signalled the female twi'lek. "Bree. Do you have a minute?" They saw her look up towards them, and then behind her, two more people walked in from the corridor connecting the various hangars. One carried a stretcher a basic stretcher composed of metal tubing and strengthened cloth. "Ambos have arrived." Tag: no-one -----signature----- Crowning Moment of Awesome – THE MASTER. Summoning six billion robotic beach balls Of Doom to decimate the Earth, blowing a good-bye kiss to the Doctor, all the while dancing to "Voodoo Child". EPIC. EVIL. WIN. 007 Family - DVC's twin bro'.
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Sith-I-5 Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 5/30 2:21pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith - Date Edited: 5/30 2:39pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Sith-I-5
	IC: Agent Mitch Nifesta, Mission Supervisor Angeo Lim, the Darth Unlucky, SGIS Base Ship. Lying under the heavy block of exotic machinery that was his cloaking device, Mitch stared up at it, without really seeing it. Sometimes, through the Force, the truth or falseness of a situation, ideal, spoken sentence, could be revealed, and... and what the rodian had said, had suggested with his question, felt right somehow, that he had been involved in the Senate attack. “Lim?” Knowing without having to look, that her holograph was still projecting from the base of his SGIS datapad, within arms length to his right. “Agent.” “You don’t know how much I want to say, categorically, that I had nothing to do with it.” “Did you?” She asked. “The Senate is still that mushroom-shaped building with all the windows, right?” “Sure, if its been taking Weight Gain without reading the instructions.” “Well, what I fired at was long and tall. We couldn’t hang around to long enough to confirm the kill, but we did have a runaway that was guided for lightsabre crystals. You know, targeting something unique to the man.” “Adder.” She understood that the decision to ‘ride the kill’ was related to this adversary from three decades past. Took severe and violent umbrage to SGIS’ interference in one of his previous schemes. “Adder.” Mitch confirmed in monotone. “I want a report on my desk in the morning. Everything that went down from waking up at Coruscant, till the moment you saw starlines.” “Understood. Lim, were there casualties?” “There will always be casualties. We will talk later, Agent. Lim out.” Her image dissipated, leaving him alone. Alone with his thoughts. After a while, he realised he hadn’t asked how the place had been assailed in the first place. Ground attack, air, up through the sewers. Bomb blast; raked with turbolaser, which would have been his favourite if he had been sent to the Supreme Chancellor’s office to arrest Palpatine seven years ago; air-to-ground torp’; bio-weapon. He had given the matter some thought in the intervening years, but aimed at the Imperial palace and military installations around the galaxy. Not once had he considered attacking the Senate Building. It would undermine the ‘hearts and minds’ campaign to win over star systems to the Rebel cause, if you deliberately targeted their representatives. “Actually, frag it.” He would have gone on to decide that until someone confirmed that it was a his missile, and presented him with a casualty list, he wouldn’t worry about it; he didn’t have a problem with property damage. “Oof.” He would have, but he'd sat up, and cracked his forehead on the faded “Do Not Sit Up Suddenly” warning, pasted under the cloaking device by the original installation techs. * * * * Up on the bridge, Yoda and Roland winced simultaneously. “Ouch.” “Felt that I did.” The small teacher shook his head while sitting in the co-pilot chair, where he could just see over the flight controls. “When Coruscant we visit again, drop in at the Temple to get my hover chair, we should.” “Anything you say, Master.” Roland picked something out of his close-cropped beard, and regarded it critically. Yoda leaned over and poked a gnarled grey-green, fingernail into Roland’s knee. “And patronise me you should not.” “No, Master.” Tag: No-one -----signature----- Crowning Moment of Awesome – THE MASTER. Summoning six billion robotic beach balls Of Doom to decimate the Earth, blowing a good-bye kiss to the Doctor, all the while dancing to "Voodoo Child". EPIC. EVIL. WIN. 007 Family - DVC's twin bro'.
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HanSolo29 Title: Fan Art Manager Registered: Apr '01	Date Posted: 5/30 10:13pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	IC: Salla Zend Cafe, KOSP, Kavala Orbit For a place that catered to the needs of the tourist, the little cafe sure knew how to put on the glamor and really 'wow' their customers. Salla had been expecting a mediocre meal to tide her over until she was able to set up the big meeting with Calrissian, but everything she had experienced so far had fully surpassed her expectations. She had gone simple, of course, ordering a nerfburger and fries accompanied by a fizz-pop, but it turned out to be the best nerfburger and fries on this side of the Outer Rim Territories. In fact, it was so good that she was even considering making a special trip back out to the Ursa system to experience it all over again. But then again, maybe it was her smuggler's gut getting the best of her. It had been months since she had eaten anything other than rations or some kind of preservative. Any type of real food would taste like a gourmet feast by this point. Pushing that thought from her mind in order to enjoy the rest of her meal, Salla lifted the fizz can back to her lips and took a sip, her golden eyes doing a continuous dance as she darted her gaze back and forth between the streets and the interior of the cafe. There was no sign of Calrissian so far, but another rather suave male figure caught her attention as he rose from his seat and started to saunter his way in her direction. He was a solider-type, solidly built and carrying himself with an arrogant swagger that indicated that he was better than the rest of the competition. Salla snorted to herself and casually lowered the fizz-pop can back to the countertop. She knew his type all too well and if the poor sap had any brains, he would know better than to try and win her over. It may end with...dire consequences. "Hi, Gorgeous, I’m Jay," the man drawled. "Is this seat taken?" Tilting her head to the side, Salla regarded the man with one eyebrow cocked curiously. Calling her 'gorgeous' had been his first mistake and it would cost him. But for the moment, she decided to toy with her prey before delivering the killing blow. "Wrong table, Jay," she spat his name as if it was a disease, spreading herself out across the booth to prevent him from sneaking his way in. "If you're looking for someone named Gorgeous, you'll have better luck snuffing out that corner booth over there. They seem more like your type, hmm?" She pressed her back against the seat and waved sloppily to the far side of the cafe, indicating a bunch of ruffians consuming their midday meal. But the man was persistent. Without skipping a beat, he borrowed a chair from another table and hurriedly drug it across the floor to the booth she occupied. Again, he repeated his question. "Okay, Take Two. Is this seat taken?" Salla sighed. "You're either deaf or can't take a hint, Jay. I'd rather sit here and enjoy the rest of my lunch in peace, but since you obviously can't get that through that thick skull of yours, I'll let you sit down and blow off some steam. Maybe it'll relieve some of the pressure hindering your brain and you'll start to understand the concept of 'no.'" With a devilish grin, she waved to the chair he had pulled up and without another word, returned to her meal. This was gonna be a long day. TAG: Jay -----signature----- "One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation." "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13 One of Hammer's Angels Fly casual
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Sith-I-5 Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 5/31 1:37pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith - Date Edited: 5/31 2:23pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Sith-I-5
	OOC: Gratitude to Ominous for giving me permission to run an ARR Blockade Runner, and for providing a name for her. IC: Captain Che’att, Flight Officer Shaara “Bait”, Sergeant Grillo (nrc’s all), planetside starship repair facility. Location: Yavin Four The three Rebels stood at the apex of a small hill grass-covered hill, overlooking the valley where Che’att’s CR90 Corellian Corvette, sitting amidst a maze of scaffolding, was almost finished being modified and customised. The Chief Technician for this work, was with them, dressed in the light grey one-piece coveralls and white sloped helmet, of his calling. “As per your instructions, Captain, we have expanded the vehicle bay upwards into the deck above, and downwards with bulging ventral hull, to accomodate a heavier vehicle capacity. You were thinking of fitting a Nen-Caervon mobile command base in there, I believe. Do you have one yet?” The amphibious-looking Rybet officer shook his moist-fleshed head, “No. The Alliance doesn’t have any to spare. I think one of my jobs will be to procure some of that stuff, so we’ll need the room in case we come across one.” He nodded down to the ship he had brought into ARR service himself. “Did you manage to move the port side airlock like I asked.” “Yeah, that was one of the easier assignments. Which says something. We have moved it forwards a touch, and modified it to seal around the canopy of a Y-Wing. Because of where the blockade runner’s engines are, you will have to carry the starfighter facing backwards.” Che’att looked past the tech, to his pilot, the slim, but curvaceous blonde human girl, Shaara. From Tatooine, she was reputedly the only person to climb out of the Sarlacc that inhabited the Great Pit of Carkoon on that world. She had been chased into it by a stormtrooper squad that had wanted to assault her. They had never gotten out, though in hindsight, I probably covered that with the word ‘only’. Anyway, that was how she had earned the nickname, “Bait”. “Is that going to be a problem for you?” Che’att asked. She shook her head, her damp hair darker than normal and sticking to her forehead in the humid heat of the jungle planet. “No, sir.” The technician continued. “We have boosted the power of the tractors surrounding that airlock, to push the Y-Wing away from the vessel on launch, and to automatically help get it aligned when it comes close for docking.” “Make sure you set it to push or pull against the hull plating around the cockpit, rather than the canopy itself.” Shaara put in. “I don’t want it ripped off the fighter while I’m in space, you know.” The Chief licked the nib of his pencil and scribbled a note on the pad of flimsi that he carried in the crook of one arm. Pencils didn’t exactly like the humidity, but coped with it better than a modern datapad would. “Sure. Right, we had to completely overhaul the landing gear to cope with the distended hull, and pulled in the legs from a Gallofree transport that didn’t need them anymore.” He pointed out the armaments. “You still have the two big twin turbolasers, both controlled from the bridge. You now only have two habitation decks in the main body; what crew numbers are you expecting?” “Well not many want to serve under a Rybet; we are known to have little in the way of ethics, and mostly self-serving.” The captain indicated himself and the others. “Myself, these two, two Mon Cal volunteers as bridge crew. I’m not sure whether to bring technicians along on our maiden voyage. Probably wait until we come back alive the first time. Did you install the Dac bridge equipment for the Mon Cals?” “Yup, ripped out of one of their fleet vessels that got too badly damaged during the blockade. Wouldn’t have made it here if one of their fellow cruisers hadn’t tractored and jumped with it.” The Empire had put a blockade around the waterworld after taking recordings of an ARR-operated MC80 star cruiser pounding a VictorySD over Tatooine. Che’att took an electronic black box out of the bulging pouch on his tan uniform trousers, and pointed it at his ship, studying the red LED readout. He glanced away at another repair facility, further away, but visible as a clearance in the dense green treetops. “Hey, we even at the right ship? Portable telesponder is not showing her as the Gone in Sixty Seconds.” “Sorry, Captain. Word came down from the General; we gotta call her the Doom 2. You gonna appeal?” The command officer inhaled and sighed heavily. “No.” He tapped his own chest with a stubby green finger. “In this Rybet’s Alliance, I signed over the right to name my own ship.” The Chief pulled a pair of wrinkled handkerchiefs from a pocket, stuffed the oilier one bak, and offered the clean one to Che’att. He looked at the square of mostly white cloth draped over the other’s fist, understanding the intent behind it. “Don’t be fething sarcastic. I’ll be fine.” Grillo and Shaara snickered, while the grinning Chief put it back with the other. The pilot turned serious. “So what kind of 'wishbone' are we getting, sir?" She asked, using the name Rebel pilots used for Y-Wings. "We won’t be able to fight a war with just the one.” “Not getting it for the fighting. Getting it to gather intelligence. I have asked for one of the long-range scout jobbies, filled to the gun-wales with sensor equipment and scanners and stuff. If you want fighting, Flight Officer, hopefully you won’t be doing it with her.” "You'll never get a 'Longprobe', sir." Che'att shrugged. "Well whatever we get, we'll put a top-of-the line sensor suite in it. For now, lets get down and have a closer look. Chief? Lead the way." Tag: no-one -----signature----- Crowning Moment of Awesome – THE MASTER. Summoning six billion robotic beach balls Of Doom to decimate the Earth, blowing a good-bye kiss to the Doctor, all the while dancing to "Voodoo Child". EPIC. EVIL. WIN. 007 Family - DVC's twin bro'.
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Sith-I-5 Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 5/31 2:56pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	IC: Major Tim Bayliss, Hangar deck L4, Enforcer One. Location: Hyperspace, three hours from Distress Zone Bayliss looked at the ISB Colonel after he had sniffed around and approved the Larty assigned to him. “Very good Major. Excellent work; your crews should be commended for a fine job.” He continued his inspection of the LAAT. “My men will find this suitable for the job. I will send them down at once to load up and await departure.” “Thank you, Colonel.” The two saluted, and Uvye departed for his suite, leaving the major to call for the two larties that his own men would be using to escort the Colonel’s. Soon enough, the ISB team was back, in full, black armour, drawing stares from hangar personnel. Even the blasé carousel operator could not claim to be unmoved by the sight of the soldiers arriving at their assigned LAAT and going to work, apparently without exchanging words with each other. Uvye stood in front of the slightly envious major. Bayliss’ men weren’t bad, but the lack of action was affecting them, he felt. “ We will be prepped within 30 minutes, is this sufficient for you?” Uvye asked. “That will be fine, Colonel.” The major acknowledged. “We are still three hours from the reversion point. Half an hour before arrival, the ship will be placed on Yellow Alert, and the Captain has requested you join him on the bridge at that time. You can then join in deciding our strategy once we arrive, and see what is going on. I will pick you up at your cabin.” His own men would board during that time too, but he did not relay that to the guest officer. Tag: Colonel Uvye -----signature----- Crowning Moment of Awesome – THE MASTER. Summoning six billion robotic beach balls Of Doom to decimate the Earth, blowing a good-bye kiss to the Doctor, all the while dancing to "Voodoo Child". EPIC. EVIL. WIN. 007 Family - DVC's twin bro'.
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ArgenPalos Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 6/1 12:26am Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	IC: Biggs Darklighter, Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, General Dodonna and of course the much used General Yueh (nrc of course) Location: The Great Temple Meeting Room, Yavin IV Biggs Darklighter bit his lip wanting to interject his opinions as he listened to the members of the High Council discuss the ramifications of the latest happenings on Coruscant and across the galaxy including at Kalee. He was normally quite talkative so the desire to expound his opinion came naturally yet as a member of the Council in only an advisory and observational post he decided kept his opinions to himself. He fidgeted in his chair as the General mentioned the existence of Luke and his and Master Kenobi’s self-imposed exile, which he knew was on Tatooine. He wondered how Luke was taking to his beloved homeworld. It was a dry, arid place but much like any other living situation, if one could look past the challenging outer layer, one would see a planet pulsing and vibrant with potential. To Biggs, it was beautiful place. Mon Motha, meanwhile, listened intently as opinions were bandied about. She waited for her time and resolved to give her opinion after she had carefully mulled over all options – after all she had been a Senator and this felt all a little too familiar to her. She smiled subtly as she realized she trusted these men and women sitting around the table infinitely more than many of the corrupt and self-serving Senators on Coruscant. Mon nodded as she listened to the always effusive General Yueh demand an aggressive course of action whilst the others seemed more dubious of such rash actions. As the Jedi Master wisely counseled a more measured approach, namely one which required obtaining intelligence upon Coruscant which the General readily agreed to: “As for now we need good intel. We need to contact Organa on Coruscant and find out what is really happening there now.” He turned to MonMothma, “Can you make that happen?” Mon Mothma paused before answering but then did so with a steady calm: “Of course, General - we have many operatives on Coruscant,” she began with candor, referring of course to now widespread net that was slowly enveloping the galaxy which not only included the wily Bothans but many other agents which were doing their part for the alliance, all risking their lives for “the cause.” “However,” she continued with self-possession as she folded her hands on the table in front of her. “If we need to contact Senator Organ, then yes, I would be the appropriate one to make such a move,” she asserted, knowing the Senator would be privy to things that even operatives might still be trying to discover. “To Coruscant I must go,” she nodded, still serene despite the implications. “I can’t agree with this,” came the gruff response from the suddenly peevish Admrial Ackbar. “There’s a galaxy-wide manhunt for your person, Senator and you somehow intend to slip into Coruscant and have words with a well recognized Senator? This mission is foolhardy,” he said, turning away as he stared blankly at Biggs. Biggs was surprised by the glance and pretended not to notice for lack of a response. Mon Mothma steadied her resolve and responded: “It is true, Admiral, that I am a wanted criminal, however, the one place they would not expect to find me is on Coruscant. I will make the trip to Coruscant.” Admiral Ackbar grumbled under his breath but mulling over the situation knew that the Chandrilian though seemingly serene and malleable was stubborn and could be as fiery-tempered as the red in her hair. If he pushed too much, she would respond with even more resolve. “How long would it take you to acquire this intel?” impatiently asked the firebrand General Yueh. “Can this be done in a timely manner – we must act with speed and precision or our window of opportunity will be closed and we may lose our best chance to catch the Empire on its heels,” he demanded, his fist pounding lightly on the table. “I understand your concern, General,” replied Mon coolly. “However, this may not be the appropriate time for an attack, regardless of whatever intelligence we acquire.” Before the General could respond, Mon turned her gaze back to the rest of the assemblage and added some thoughts: “This brings me to a question, however, which I must ask due to a statement which was made just a little bit ago by Master Shuri,” she said turning her now steely gaze to the flaxen haired woman. “You mentioned you were not so sure of Emperor Palpatine’s demise,” she asked pointedly as her hands unfolded and she stood up with purpose. “As we now know the Emperor was a Sith Lord, we wish to know if this fact has any bearing on his supposed death or his possible survival.” Picking up the datapad which contained the Naboo dossier, she punched a few keys and brought up the appropriate files, as a few beeps and whirs confirmed the retrieval. “From the Naboo we have learned some interesting things…,” she announced with an uncommon tinge of drama in her voice. Pushing a few more buttons on a remote control, the lights dimmed and she activated a large holographic map which protruded from a lens in the middle of the table. A holograph of the entire galaxy enveloped the table, each system a small pinpoint of light. Then pressing another button a certain system grew larger as the rest of the galaxy faded into obscurity. “The Naboo acquired a datafile from the ruins of Palpatine’s villa upon that planet which confirmed the existence of a secret cloning facility that the Emperor had constructed on the Kolmite system,” she added earnestly, pointing to the form of the large planet as she continued pacing around the table which caused the very hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. “We have already dispatched agents to see if they could acquire any further information, surreptitiously of course, but what is evident from the files is that this is no ordinary facility for the cloning of soldiers for a grand army but in fact, it is a cloning facility for the Emperor himself,” she said resolutely. “This is the part where the importance of the role of the Jedi is paramount and why I have such concern for the well-being of the Order,” she continued as she deactivated the holomap and the lights brightened once again. “What little we know of the Sith but we do know they practiced various forms of so called ‘black-magic’ and alchemy, at least that’s what the datafiles from thousand years past when the Dark Side Force users attempted to use these dark arts against the Jedi and the Old Republic, however, they still remain a mystery to us,” she said almost worriedly. Then more assuredly she turned her gaze to Master Shuri: “Master Jedi, we need you now and to be truthful I and others of the council are concerned for the viability of the Order,” she stated gesturing to Admiral Ackbar and General Dodonna who both nodded in agreement. There was a perceived precariousness to their status that she felt was evident that had to be addressed. “We are blind to the machinations of the Sith and we need the Jedi at least point us in the right direction, Master Shuri.” Arriving once again to her seat, she sat down and after dramatically pausing a few moments as the Council sat breathlessly, her gaze still upon the Jedi, she asked her: “Master, is there any way the Emperor could have feigned his death all in a plan to occupy another body…..is this a possibility? Is there any reason we shouldn’t destroy this facility and what if there are others?” she asked with urgency in her voice. Biggs was awestruck at the revelation, his mouth agape – he knew little of the Jedi and even less of the Sith. The history books made the thousands of years of warfare between the factions (the Jedi as the guardians of the Old Republic when they numbered in the tens of thousands versus the power-hungry Sith and their armies who had their own designs upon the galaxy) seem as some sort of wild fairytale and now more was being revealed than what he could believe. Admiral Ackbar, privy to the revelation motioned to Biggs to close his mouth as Mon Mothma listened for the Jedi and the rest of the Council’s reaction. Not a bead of sweat was present on her brow and her lips did not quiver in the least; these were dark times and they needed to be dealt with without the usual subtlety of a politician yet despite the fact she rarely spoke with such candor, she knew she brought up questions which had to answered. TAG: Everyone at the Council Meeting OOC: Nashtah, Captain Paulus, and Jabba posts coming up -----signature----- }~Proud member of the Jedi Technician Crew (JTC)~{ ~~~~Palmam qui meruit ferat~~~~ USC Trojans - 2009 Rose Bowl Champs and CFB Team of the Decade
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MASTER-OF-EVIL Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 6/3 5:02am Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith - Date Edited: 6/3 5:05am (2 edits total) Edited By: MASTER-OF-EVIL
	OOC: Thanks Sithy for the heads-up, this is an in-between post to get things moving. Hope this works for you Sithy, pm me if need be. MOE IC: Calis Bane formerly known as Sin Hyperspace "Once the door had sealed behind the multi-talented jump-trooper, Merch continued. “We will be dropping out of hyperspace along the Hydian Way in about thirty minutes to drop these two off in an Ursean Stinger. They will be going to check on one of our operatives, that we received a cryptic message from. Could be dangerous. Probably routine. But she’s one of us, and we just want to make sure.” Sin took a moment before responding to the Commander's information of their current situation. "Will this just be a drop and leave pit-stop or are we to stay until they return Commander?" Sin queried as he felt this would further delay tip back to the Capital. "And one more thing, if we are to drop them off, I would like to make contact with his Majesty as soon as we revert to real space and inform him of the current situation." Sin had been thinking about this, it would be wiser for Lord Vader to know ahead of time before they arrive and also for him wanted to see how the young Sithlord was faring compared to him, to get a sense of him since he last saw him outside the cave entrance on Kalee. Sin felt like it was a lifetime since he left Coruscant and now it felt longer still as if unforeseen forces are trying to slow him down from reaching his goal and finally rid of the body he had to safeguard. Until he has a word with Lord Vader, he is still unclear as to what will transpire once back in the Capital. Tag: Sithy -----signature----- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pCaOcv6OOQ Best New Star Wars RPG Winner Summer 2007 - War of the Sith Part IV: The Invasion of the Cha'ala
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Ominous Registered: Jul '04	Date Posted: 6/3 7:32am Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	IC: Colonel Uvye Location: Hyperspace, three hours from Distress Zone “That will be fine, Colonel.” The major acknowledged. “We are still three hours from the reversion point. Half an hour before arrival, the ship will be placed on Yellow Alert, and the Captain has requested you join him on the bridge at that time. You can then join in deciding our strategy once we arrive, and see what is going on. I will pick you up at your cabin.” Colonel Uvye saluted Major Bayliss, “Thank you Major, until then.” He turned back to his men and made several hand gestures towards them. They nodded in unison and went to work, prepping for the mission at hand. Juru walked inside the shuttle and stored his gear in the overhead compartment. It had been a while since he saw combat, but the training for it was never-ending. All his reflexes were finally tuned and ready for any unexpected changes in the circles of war. Upon exiting the shuttle, he gave one last nod to his second-in-command and left for his state room once again to await the escort to the bridge. Tag: Major Bayliss -----signature----- Proud member of the JTC Silence is Golden, Duct tape is Silver! Those who live by the lightsaber get shot by those who don't. the real purpose of language is no longer to convey meaning - it is to obscure meaning
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Ominous Registered: Jul '04	Date Posted: 6/3 4:04pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	IC: AllianceForceRecon Bravo Location: Khomm The planet Khomm was a combination of vast oceans and plains. Plains was the right word! [From Wookiepedia] The Khommites possessed a culture of conformity, with a society that had remained unchanged for a millennium. They decided they had reached the pinnacle of their civilization in 990 BBY, so life on the planet remained static. Through the Khomm Central Population Planning, all of the citizens of Khomm were clones of previous generations. A clone of each person of each subsequent generation was created to ensure the continuation of their species. The cities on Khomm were mathematically perfect grids, with square housing and gardens, all preplanned. The animal population of Khomm was also genetically controlled by the Khommites. If a visitor landed on Khomm, its dullness could literally make one crazy. The small team of Alliance reconnaissance soldiers had set up shop in a rented out apartment near the civic building that housed the Khomm Central Population Planning department. It was late into the evening. The streets were beginning to thin out below as most of the citizenry was heading off to bed. The team awaited their contact, a scientist inside the cloning facility, who they had approached after weeks of monitoring the alien’s habits. Tonight they would be heading inside the facility to verify the existence of the Emperor’s DNA and if possible a clone. The Khommite, Dorsk 69 was nervous. Although there were others walking around that looked identical to him, he felt completely unrelated to his own. He reached the apartment of his Alliance contacts and rapped slowly on the door. It slid open slightly to reveal a human looking directly at him. The Alliance soldier asked, “Know any good white basketball players?” Dorsk 69 answered back as he was told, “There are no good white basketball players.” The door slid open further allowing the Khommite to enter. Inside, the remaining Alliance recon team members were smearing black make-up all over their faces. The commander of the Recon team walked over to the nervous Khommite and smiled warmly. “You look nervous. There is nothing to worry about. My men are shadows and very professional. They will not put you in danger.” The Khommite had been unknowingly holding his breath since walking into the room and let out a large gurgling sigh. “I am sorry. It’s just…I’ve never done…this kind of work before…I am a scientist.” The humanoid Alliance member patted Dorsk 69 on the back. “You will not have to do anything you don’t want to.” Dorsk 69 shook his head, “No, I want to help.” Later on… They had reached the cloning facility in a reasonable time. It was a large 5-story facility further out from the main city. The street lights were dim giving the team perfect cover for their mission. Dorsk 69 showed his I.D. to the guard in the lobby and gave him a story that he was working late on an important project. The guard nodded to the scientist and let him pass. The Khommite guard had been employed for many years without a raise or promotion. Every night it was the same thing, week after week and month after standard month. Disgruntled he watched the scientist pass and then sat back down at his desk and fell back to sleep. On the outside of the building under the cover of darkness, the Alliance members scaled the wall of the building to the floor designated for their insertion inside. Dorsk 69 quickly shuffled to the 4th floor and opened a window. Right on time, the first soldier crept inside and stayed against the floor in the darkness. A small surveillance camera was mounted on the side wall facing the door.The humanoid went quickly to work, capturing an exact copy of the room with his camera. Pulling a small computer from his pant leg, he hacked into the system and fed the still image into the overhead camera to cover their intrusion. After everyone was inside, they moved to the door. Dorsk 69 was the first to enter the hallway which was void of cameras. He glided across the smooth tiled floor with the Alliance team behind him, crouched down and hugging the walls. They reached a double-door where Dorsk 69 stopped and indicated with his hands there was another camera on the inside. The same technician nodded he understood and performed the same procedure as before. The room was filled with computer files and a work station. Immediately the technician went to work breaking into the files with the virus he had created to find evidence of the Emperor’s DNA. Rapidly punching the keyboard while the others kept a watch from outside, the tech, named Virus by his buddies found a file hidden deep within the mainframe. It was titled NABOOSEN. Virus raised his hand into a thumbs up gesture indicating he may have found something. Now they had to find actual organic evidence. They quickly backed out of the room and into the hallway. The commander of the recon team asked Dorsk 69 where they kept the clones. He whispered, “All none-Khommite clones are kept on Sublevel 4.” The commander pumped his arm up and down signaling to head out. As they crept through the hallways, he came up behind Dorsk 69. “Are there any cameras on that floor?” “No.” was the quick reply. “But there is one inside the elevator.” He signaled again for Virus to lead the way. The elevator doors slid open slowly allowing Virus to catch site of the camera looking directly at them. Without hesitating he signaled for everyone to hug the walls and away from the camera’s eye. He quickly disabled the camera allowing everyone to enter without notice. A small red light on the console in front of the guard began to blink as he snored even louder. Sublevel 4 was completely dark. The recon team slipped on their NVGs over their eyes and switched through a variety of different views; ultra-violet, infra-red, when a red light appeared to glow in the center of a yellow haze in front of them. The Commander and his team walked slowly through the room, carefully avoiding anything in their path. They reached the source of the red glow and stopped. Shutting down his NVG and pushing them up on his head, he pulled a small illuminator from his belt and flashed it into what looked like a smooth glass tube. Jumping back slightly, he was greeted by a large head with eyes to the sides of the head. Through the thin, transparent skin, a small organ was pumping vigorously. The light moved down to a screen that contained the vitals of the fetus. He whispered, “It says here this is 6 weeks old but was cloned a week ago!” He was surprised and appalled at the same time. Accelerated growth! Scrutinizing the data, he read NABOOSEN. He looked back at Dorsk 69, “You said this was the non-Khommite cloning level?” “Yes.” Dorsk 69 looked around as the commander flashed his light on the rest of the room. There were similar tubes with the same name on the screen. Dorsk 69 quickly punched in a code which revealed further information about the clones. “It says here that attempts to speed up the maturation process led to awful side effects.” “What side effects.” “Violent behavior for one; our cloning technique involves moving the baby into another incubator with another one of its kind. It helps to strengthen the bond between families. However it says here that when they did that, the babies attacked one another.” Further away from the main tubes, another team member called out, “Commander you’ll want to look at this!” “What is it?” “Not sure.” They walked over to a closet door and peered inside. A tube similar to the ones in the lab was filled with crimson liquid. As the commander moved in for a closer look, a severed arm from the elbow down banged against the glass. “Holy…! We have to report this, I think we found our evidence. Virus? Did you get a copy of that data from the hard drive?” “Right here sir.” “Good let’s get out of this freak lab!” They backtracked to their original position, cleaning up any evidence of their presence, including the cameras and repelled back to the ground. Dorsk 69 quickly guided back down to the lobby and past the sleeping guard. On the way back, Virus uploaded all their intelligence into a encrypted, compressed file and sent the databurst out into space for pick up by the Alliance. TAG: Alliance intelligence on Yavin IV -----signature----- Proud member of the JTC Silence is Golden, Duct tape is Silver! Those who live by the lightsaber get shot by those who don't. the real purpose of language is no longer to convey meaning - it is to obscure meaning
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Corellian_Outrider Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 6/4 7:41pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	~OOC~Many apologies for my absence. It has been unintentional as DRL has been consuming. I know I said this before but my other posts shouldn't be too long behind this one. I like to thank my friends for your support during this time. Thank you! ~IC~ Ahsoka Tano Location: Hydian Way - Corellian Action IV Freighter, 'Big Score' Returning down the aisle from the refresher, she stopped at her assigned spot and looked over the rows of seats. The other passengers were sparsely seated in the cabin. Mostly humanoid in some form among a few 'true' humans. It didn't bother her that there were hardly anyone on the flight. It was drastically quieter than the Ursean shuttle down to Kavala. Allowing her to experience the peace of mind. The carving attached to her necklace jiggled against her chest as she plonked herself down in the middle of the row. It was a reflex action for her hand to grab it. Her thumb stroking the smooth ivory back as her forefinger trailed over the grooves that had been whittled into it years ago. It was something that she held dearly to her. What it meant to her was something that few people could understand. The memory was from long ago yet still fresh in her mind as though it happened yesterday. An important moment of her life. Remembering the curious feeling she at first felt. Then the anticipation, she didn't know what was going to happen. A moment of lightheartedness before the surprise that caught her off guard. A smile appeared on her face as she could feel the joy she had experienced. Reaching for it, she held the smooth ivory object up so that she could see it properly. It was something special, a gift that she would not allow herself be parted from. She made a promise and one that she can not break. 'Was I so different then?' She pondered briefly before chuckling to herself. She placed her feet on the edge of the seat and wrapped her arms around her legs so that she could rest her chin on her kneecaps. 'Of course! I've grown taller. My montrals and lekku are longer, I...' Her eyes lowered. 'I wonder what they would say if they could see me now... I wonder what would have happened if I had done things differently... If I hadn't... just hadn't...' She sighed, the corner of her lip dropped. 'I can not allow myself to think about such things. I need to work out what I should do when I reach port. ' She gave a sideways glance to the tray beside her. 'I suppose I should keep up my strength.' Sliding her legs around to the unoccupied seat beside her so that she was more comfortable, she reached for the breadroll. Picking at it with her fingers, for each small chunk that she tears off, she chewed slowly on it. Before she knew it, the roll was devoured in no time. While the ingestion of food eased the sick feeling she was experiencing, she didn't need her stomach to growl again to tell her that she was still hungry. Taking the lid off one of the containers, she saw that inside was a stew of some description. Regardless of the fact that it looked and smelt nice, she resealed the lid anyway. 'No, I don't want to over do it.' She frowned. 'Can't eat that. I wonder what they have for dessert?' She picked up a small round dish and removed the lid. Her eyes expanded when she saw within: a cube-shaped caked, covered with pink icing and shredded white flakes. Sliding out a spoon from the packet of cutlery, she dug it into the corner of the cake and brought it to her mouth. 'Coconut and ... pink icing... need another taste to.... sponge cake with a layer of raspberry within...hmm.' She pulled the spoon slowly out of her mouth as her tongue scrapped the remnants off the shallow of the utensil. A few more spoonfuls and the cake was gone. Looking disappointedly at the dish, she scrapped out the last bit of icing on the bottom and sucked on the spoon as she placed the empty dish back onto the tray. 'It's never enough, they do it on purpose.' She took the spoon out of her mouth and placed it in the dish. 'It usually never is...' She felt her seat rock as something had hit the far end of the row. She flick her eyes over and saw movement coming from the floor. Removing her legs from the seat, Ahsoka leaned over to investigate and spied a pair of small shoes attached to child like legs, sticking out from under the seat. Ducking her head down, she could see that a little human boy, who would of been about three, had crawled under the seat. The boy looked up at her and had a big smile on his face. "Hello." "Hello." Ahsoka greeted softly. "What are you doing under there?" "Hiding." The boy giggled. "Oh hiding are you?" She grinned. "What is that you are hiding from?" "From my sister." He crawled towards her. "We are playing a game." "I see." She stuck her head up to see if anyone was about looking for the child. She saw a reptilian Barabel get up from its seat a few rows down but she couldn't see anyone looking for the child. She returned her attention back to the boy. "Are you sure that is a good hiding spot? Doesn't look very comfortable." "It's okay...a bit small...." the boy wiggled more under the row of seats. "... and dirty." Ahsoka could hear a girl's worried voice calling from the direction of the bow. "Ace? Come on out, this isn't funny." "That's my sister. Don't let her see me." The boy whispered to Ahsoka. Ahsoka curiously glanced up at the access way at the front of passenger cabin as a girl entered the passenger cabin. She looked like she could be in her tweens. Her long brown hair was kept of her worried face by a blue head band. She walked up to the standing Barabel. "Sorry sir. Have you seen a little human boy pass through here?" She gestured to her legs. "He's about this high... No?" The alien hissed and shook its head and continued pass her in the direction of the refresher. The girl spun about on the spot. "Dammit! ACE! Where are you?" Ahsoka raised her arm and waved her hand to get the girl's attention. The girl saw gesture and jogged down the aisle to her. Ahsoka pointed to her lips for silence before motioning to under the seats. The girl's gaze followed the movement "Ace! You little devil. Get out of there." She reached for his foot to stop him from crawling away. "Nooooo. We are playing." Ace started squirming as he was pulled out from under the seats. "Why do you think Uncle Antan banned us from the bridge?" She looked up at Ahsoka. "Sorry to of bothered you Miss. My brother here is a little rascal." Ahsoka's attention pricked at the mention of the bridge, she glanced at the two and gave them a slight smile. "No. It's alright." "Come on, Ace!" The girl sternly took her brother's arm. "We got to get back before we get in trouble." "You... have access to the bridge?" Ahsoka curiously asked her. "Yes." The girl stopped pulling her brother's arm and answered her proudly. "My Uncle owns this ship." Ahsoka smiled at her and nodded. "I was wondering if you could tell me whereabouts we will be docking on Coruscant?" "Oh there is a port not far from those government places..." The girl pulled her brother to sit down with her. "We have our own landing area at one of those ports." "Government places?" Ahsoka crinkled her nose. "The Senate District?" "I guess so.. Yes..boring there. They don't have proper holo theatres there." The girl sighed as her brother was trying to crawl over her while mumbling something. "Ah... I never really-" "Have you seen Sooktar Lightforge's newest holodrama? It is so dreamy...." The girl interrupted her. Ahsoka tried not to laugh at the girl's use of words. "Uh no, haven't seen one... or any holodrama in.... well.. years..." "Years?" The girl looked surprised and regarded Ahsoka. "You are joking?" Ahsoka shook her head. "No. No joke." The girl had an expression of shock and horror. "How can you live like that?" "Life tends to get too busy for some." "Oh..." The girl nodded. "By the way, my name is Aer-." "I'm Ace." The boy interrupted and reached for Ahsoka. "Hello." "Sit now," She pulled her brother onto her lap and stopped him from clambering about. "Sorry, I'm Aeron." Ahsoka grinned and nodded "Ahsoka." "Hello. I'm Ace." The boy reached out to her with his hand."I'm threeee years and two months old. How old are you?" "Hello Ace." Taking the Ace's soft pudgy hand, Ahsoka gave it a little shake. "Nice to meet you too." Ace cooed, sounding quite pleased with the attention. Ahsoka hesitated before answering his age question. "I am eigh- I mean nineteen." "Nineteen?" Aeron remarked. "You are ten years older than me. Ha!" She shook her head. "And our names all start with the letter 'A'." * * * * * * * * * * * * There was a slight vibration. A change in pitch of the engine alerting Ahsoka to a change of state with the vessel. 'Probably the transition from hyperspace. We must be here by now.' She noted in her head, 'Coming from the deceleration of the vessel... the sublight drives will be-' As on cue, she heard the four sublight engines drew upon more energy to propel the Corellian ship. The thrumming becoming louder. 'About time too! This journey was taking too long.' There was a chime from the intercom, the a male voice followed the an announcing tone. ["Good evening passengers. This is Captain Antan Azzameen, we have arrived at Coruscant's orbital space. We are making the preparations for entry. We hope you have enjoyed your journey by travelling with Twin Suns Transport Services."] Reaching for her necklace, she pulled the chain over her mouth. The smooth ivory carving bumped softly against her lips. She gave it a soft kiss before letting drop down to her chest. 'Please tell me that I am not too late...' TAG: To Be Continued -----signature----- "Certainty of death? Small chance of success? What are we waiting for?" "You take on One.You take on All" "Creation is an act of sheer will and next time it will be flawless"
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Sith-I-5 Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 6/5 1:22pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	IC: Commander Merch, Krayt’s Fire Venator Star Destroyer. Location: The Hydian Way hyperlane Perched on the end of his desk in the Outer Rim Intelligence Centre offices, Commander Henio Merch listened to the tall Emperor’s Hand who stood before him, while the Ursean pilot, and one of his own ORIC agents, stood behind the dark agent. “Will this just be a drop and leave pit-stop or are we to stay until they return Commander?” “As soon as their craft is free and clear, we will continue on our way, Colonel.” “And one more thing, if we are to drop them off, I would like to make contact with his Majesty as soon as we revert to real space and inform him of the current situation.” Merch shook his head gravely at the request. “Sorry, Colonel. You will have to call His Majesty from Coruscant orbit. You are welcome to record a message for us to send whilst we are in real space, but we won’t be around long enough for you to even dial up the HoloComm. We have our own schedule to keep.” * * * * (Half an hour later…) Watching the ventral hangar from the curved front of the flight control centre, over the attack hangar, Merch watched the stark white Ursean transport drop out through the Star Destroyer’s belly shields, her smooth, moulded hull momentarily flashing blue in reaction, into the free space beneath the cruiser. He watched her rear-most sublights flare, and push her forwards and out of sight. “She’s away, Commander.” The Officer of the Deck reported, standing over a console that Merch took to be the visual scanning repeaters for the lower hull. “Good. You may signal the bridge that we can continue on to Coruscant.” “Yes, Commander.” Merch stayed at the internal window, contemplating the unfamiliar starfield. He vaguely wondered if Colonel Sin had managed to send a message in the short time they had been here. In a few short moments, the stars he was looking at, through the bottom of his ship, enlongated to starlines as the vessel accelerated again. Tag: no-one. OOC: MOE, you are welcome to continue posting, but the ship will arrive at Coruscant in two posts time, not dependent on interaction with Sin, Calis, etcetera. -----signature----- Crowning Moment of Awesome – THE MASTER. Summoning six billion robotic beach balls Of Doom to decimate the Earth, blowing a good-bye kiss to the Doctor, all the while dancing to "Voodoo Child". EPIC. EVIL. WIN. 007 Family - DVC's twin bro'.
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master-of-les-pauls Registered: Jan '05	Date Posted: 6/5 6:09pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith - Date Edited: 6/5 6:10pm (1 edits total) Edited By: master-of-les-pauls
	OCC Approved by myself and the grand lady her self, Pash. Name: -- Argor Age --27 Gender: Male ----Species: Human -----Eye Colour: Dark Brown ------Hair Colour and Style: short cropped -------Skin Complexion: slight tanned --------Clothing: Light Brown Jedi Tunic and Dark Brown Robe ---------Physique: Slim, almost bordering on anorexic ----------Personality: Hard and uncaring but also has a very theatrical side ------------Force Sensitive: Yes Rank---- Prophet of the darkside Lightsabre colour -Red bloodshine Hilt description – A see through crystalline diamond that has been carved into a saber Bio At the age of Five Argor was taken from his family and enlisted into a secret sect called the Prophets of the darkside. A secret clandestine organisation, formed by the rouge Sith Lord called Darth Millennial thousands of years ago. There members were trained in a secret castle on the planet Dromund Kaas, around twenty five years before the start of the clone wars the Prophets were converted to Darth Sidious cause. Sidious kept the order secret, even from the Imperial court and also from his apprentice Darth Vader, but would select the most skilled and adept of the Prophets those choosen would become his hands. With the formation of Empire, the Prophets became an even more important tool for Darth Sidious. He would often consult them to verify his own visions. It was in this facet that Argor excelled and because of his unique ability for force visions, he quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the lesser Profits of the order. It was in fact Argor who foresaw the death of Darth Sidious , the Prophets warned the Emperor that he would meet his demise during the battle of Kalee. But the Prophets warnings fell on deaf ears and were met with disbelief and contempt. With Argor's vision coming to pass, the Prophets mobilized and spread out across the galaxy. There spreading was in order to strike out against the rising rebellion and to await the return of there master. Because of his innate ability to foresee the future, Argor took it upon himself to travel to the secret clone facility upon Khom. Traumatic experiences Being taken from his parents, The death of Darth Sidious Ic Argor Location Khom “Are you sure they got all the data that they require?” Asked a wispy light voice. “Yes sir, they got enough data” Came the officers reply. Good Argor thought to himself, everything as going just as he had foreseen, he watched on a huge screen as the two intruders made there escape from the facility. “I want those two followed and once we have dealt with the rebels I want those to brought in for interrogation” Argor could not disguise the excitement and glee that filled his voice at the thought of the oncoming battle. Yes the two thoroughly unpleasant intruders had discovered that the building had an extra four sub levels but what they failed to discover was that there were in fact six sub levels and various secret placements in the barren waste lands around the facility. Housed in those extra two levels and in placements held the factuality's defence network, even though Argor had foreseen it he still couldn't not believe those cretins had believed that his Imperial majesty would leave such treasure unguarded. But still that was the fun of it all, there sheer gullibility and the fact that they would relay to rebellion this “Fact” would lead to the start of this pitiful insurrections downfall. For Argor had foreseen it, the rebellion would bring an attack force that be routed in a surprise attack and with the annihilation of this pitiful group Agor would capture there craft and then he would revel the location of the rebels hidden base and the existence of the Prophets to the new Emperor. Darth Vader. “Sir do we have an ETA for the Rebel force?” Asked the officer. “Expect them within a standard week “ Agor replied. “Either way I want our force on red alert now” Never had he wanted a battle so much in his young life, it was not the rebels arrival that excited him so but it was in fact the lone Jedi warrior that would form part of the strike force. Agor's skin became covered in goose pimples at the mere thought of engaging this one remnant of that over blown and pompous order. He had never in his life come across one of these Jedi before and he was relishing confronting one in battle, battle to this Jedi's death. “Officer I will be in my quarters, I wish to be informed the moment the rebels enter the system” “Yes sir” With that Argor turned and left the control room, his long black cape bellowing out behind him. Tag no one -----signature----- Leader of the Jtc Pilot in the rebel alliance, Red 5 reporting in Co Gm of the greatest rpg on the boards! The Galaxy at war Luke Skywalker the son of the Suns "None of the stories people tell about me can change who I really am" - Luke Skywalker
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master-of-les-pauls Registered: Jan '05	Date Posted: 6/5 6:21pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith
	Ic Martino Riggism Location Pantolomin “Surveillance. There is a stolen patrol ship on the other side of this island, but we do not just want the thief, but her friends too. We want you to keep an eye on the ship and it’s pilot without being detected, and to alert me if anything strange happens, or especially when her pals turn up. Do you have a daily rate, Mister Riggsim?” “Well why don't you fellas give me a few moments to dress myself and then I'll give you my answer” And before the Imperials could reply Riggism slamed the door shut. As much as he disliked the idea of getting into bed with Imperials Martion was in no position to refuse work. After a few mad moments of tearing his wardrobe apart, Riggism found some suitable clothes to wear and he then reopened the door wearing faded jeans an a tatty white shirt. “Do I have a day rate?” Martino pondered out loud, of course he did but of course it was not the one he was going to quote these morons “For this type of job I want 15,00” Tag Commander Theta -----signature----- Leader of the Jtc Pilot in the rebel alliance, Red 5 reporting in Co Gm of the greatest rpg on the boards! The Galaxy at war Luke Skywalker the son of the Suns "None of the stories people tell about me can change who I really am" - Luke Skywalker
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SithStarSlayer Registered: Oct '03	Date Posted: 6/5 9:32pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith - Date Edited: 6/6 6:15pm (8 edits total) Edited By: Imperial_Hammer
	I_H Edit: Elements removed at GM's Request IC: Queen of the Naboo, Sabe Amidala/ The Imperial Grand Vizier, Sate Pestage/ Miss Soobie/ and the Ledaren, Sheyf Quinlan Vos Location: Imperial Senate, Emperor's Conference Room[/b] Sabe had just finished her transmission to the Naboo Embassy, requesting suitable attire and other necessary accoutrements for her temporary guardianship of the seat of government. It had been a long day and promised to be a longer night still! Nightfall or the predawn hours of the morning would be a perfect time to stage a coup. The Senate had adjourned; the building was empty of most government employees. There were emergency personnel, engineers and such assessing damage and making repairs. There were extra guards posted, the surrounding buildings had been evacuated upon her orders and troops patrolled the vicinity and snipers were posted within the scrapers and on the roofs. Was it enough? Should she order the two divisions currently in the Dead Zone to pullout and cover instead the Senate and the surrounding blocks? It was the Moffs Amidala did not trust. There were a few Senators she suspected who would if they had the man power to back them would attempt a coup, but she knew of none who had private armies. At least here, in Anakin’s office she could monitor most of the goings on. If the monitors winked out – that would be a definite sign! Sabe replaced the blaster within the holster and absorbed in her thoughts, tapped R2 on his dome. “Oh, sorry!” she muttered. The stubborn lock of hair fell once more over an eye. Sabe blew upward and placed once more the strands in the proper place. Hearing the furtive tapping on the door, Amidala turned partially in that direction. With all this technology about – tapping at a door? Who was it this time? Relying on her training, from years past, Sabe composed her face and her stance. “You may have to cease for now, R2”, she whispered. Artoo beeped mournfully, though relieved to leave off the task she’d asked. He quickly detached from the port and rolled back and away from the desk. He had spent the time roving over protocols as requested by Amidala to unlock the Master’s computer, yet, complying with the Master’s commands. * There were two reasons for Quinlan’s sending-off of Solo. The first; he believed, was a moral one. The young man needed to choose his own destiny, he was of age now… and the second, well… the second was personal. When Pestage stepped from the safe-room, Quin had a premonition about how the day would end. So it was better to cut the kid loose before things got… out of hand. * Soobie stood at military attention as her training required. Senate aides were a quasi-military corps adhering to protocols of conduct, that had long before the end of the Republic been codified. When the lift doors opened to disgorge its passengers, Soobie had to qualm the curl of her lips at the sight of the strapping Sheyftain. There was little she could do about that blush on her cheeks though, warming at the memory of the Kiffu's unobserved but rather unorthodox parting gesture only several hours earlier. Her backside twitched. "Ahem... Ledaren... Speaker, Your Excellency," said Soobie to Vos, Amedda and the Grand Vizier, lifting her chin and standing as tall as she could. "Welcome. Ledaren...I'll escort your party to the conference room, if you would be ... so good as to attend me for a moment?" Before the Sheyftain could even wink at her to re-start their flirtations, Pestage was already at it again, attempting to assert his ‘position of strength’. Even as he followed, the Grand Vizier objected. Quinlan shook his head as he stepped out and drew alongside the young Imperial, waiting for the Dignitaries to follow. "Conference room? Dear girl, I shall need my undersecretary and a guard escort..." overrode Pestage. Amedda, who'd been resting his chin against one cradled arm, raised his brows at Pestage's pique and looked on to see how the resistance would be met. What was left of the former Jedi-Master’s patience was close to hanging by the thinnest strand of the Guardian’s dreadlocked mane. “Then summon your aides…” said Vos as he turned to face Sate while unhooking a thumb from inside the top edge of his utility belt to point a finger at him for emphasis: “Tell them to meet us in the Emperor’s conference room.” He narrowed his green-eyed gaze as he continued, “there is no need for any ‘additional’ security Grand Vizier. Special agents are now stationed throughout the Halls of the Senate and besides, I’ve already told you that I’m all the personal protection you’ll need...” The last seven words were saturated in truth and dripping with sarcasm. Quinlan turned his attention back towards the fair lady, “Miss Soobie, if you would kindly lead us… we would be happy to follow.” “Best damn response all day,” she muttered under her breath smiling with a sparkle in her eye. “Thank you, Sir,” she retorted with a snap to attention and bowing curtly, she lead the way to the conference room, the entourage followed closely behind by the young aide who’d alerted her of Vos’ return. He ran up to Soobie’s side as the small group entered the well appointed meeting room. “Go fetch a comm. for the Grand Vizier and get them refreshments. Aside from that, nothing else and don’t let them leave this room,” said Soobie in aside to the aide. “How the hell am I going to do that. It’s the Speaker and the Grand Vizier, for crying out loud!” He gesticulated anxiously. “I don’t know, uh… Lord Vader’s orders! Tell the Guards. Act. Anything,” whispered Soobie. Soobie’s pale blue eyes surveyed the assembled as they entered the large room with it’s expansive wall of windows and then wide-eyed and hopefully, she looked, trying not to seem too anxious, to the dark-haired Kiffu as she gestured toward Lord Vader's offices. “Ledaren, if you would,” she said gesturing for Vos to follow her out of the room leaving the young aide to bear the glare of the two VIPs. Soobie could hear the young aide’s voice break as he was saying he’d return with a transponder for the Grand Vizier. She hurried along and stood outside Lord Vader’s doors, turning to Vos. “Um… Ledaren… Lord Vader’s not in this office!” She shifted and her voice nearly came out a whispered plea. “No one outside this office,” said Soobie, tapping with emphasis on the doors, “knows but me and … well, now you! Something’s come up and … Amidala is waiting inside. We can explain…” Vos nodded wryly while looking down to the pixie blonde. “That won’t be necessary, hot-stuff. I’d rather just deal with what’s going on.” He watched her turn and he couldn’t help but appreciate the view. “And why does Amidala sound so familiar?" he asked while following her into the inner sanctum. His thoughts raced from Ryloth to Kashyyyk and even to Ursa… but that name still eluded his recollection. “Kark that Glyteryl!” He cursed under his breath. Sometimes is felt like he had three or four life-times worth of memory clouding his brain… the worst of it was when none of them felt like his own. Soobie had palmed the keypad slightly addled by the Kiffu’s rich voice and not really registering Vos' words, but half slipping into the room as she leaned against the doors, she put her hand out to stabilize herself and the cooler temperature in Vader's private office hit her face briskly. "Um... Your... Majesty," she said quickly turning to palm the doors closed after Vos, "ah.. this is the Ledaren, Sheyftain Vos. Ledaren, sir, this is Her Majesty, Sabe Amidala II Queen of Naboo." Sabe nodded, recalling him now. "Yes, I thought it might have been you. You passed me once in a hall when I first arrived upon Ursa. Has Soobie briefed you as to why I am here and Anakin is not?" Clearing his thoughts, Vos smiled agreeably, eager to move quickly to matters at hand. "I require no briefing, your highness. I escorted Lord Vader to the ReConSu before the attack happened…" he said with a slight bow. Soobie stood to the side. It was clear her input at this point wasn't necessary. "Before we left, I can assure you Molita made it abundantly clear in post-op… that when we arrived at ground zero, we both knew he was on borrowed time. What I need to know is, where are they now?” Quinlan stopped for moment and ran his left hand through his blackened but slightly greying locks as he took a deep breath. He looked the Monarch in the eye as he began to speak again in a slightly softer tone, "I'm sorry to be so... short. Forgive me, but in the last few hours I’ve rushed a brother to surgery, witnessed the bombing of the Senate with my own eyes… removed the dead with my own hands… before spending the last half hour with the worst politician in the galaxy…” he took a deep breath and held it in briefly, “I’d wager that Sate could sour even the sweetest vineyard.” The aide raised her brows recognizing at Vos’ slight gesture back toward the direction from which they’d come, he spoke of Sate Pestage. The Grand Vizier was well, the Grand Vizier! "As a Naboo,” he added, “I'm sure you hold a great affection for the Re…" Sabe laughed at the former Jedi's honest bluntness. "Yes, I can well understand your feelings for politicians- especially those with whom Palpatine surrounded himself - but for now - he may be a necessary evil...Ms Soobie, you may go for now - " Sabe paused feeling her stomach growl. "And is there any way you can find something edible about? A half sandwich perhaps? I'm not picky." Soobie bowed, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty," and began to leave a little reluctantly. She'd never been privy to such conversations. "And, as to your inquiry about Anakin" –Sabe continued biting her lip, for there had been no confirmation as to his status, “…as far as I know he is in a bacta tank at the Ursean Embassy, though as stubborn as he can be...." she was saying. Anakin could be obstinate to the point of infuriation, but this time she knew he certainly would not have the desire or health to leave it. Yet, it did nag her there had as yet been no word! Did that signal a break in communication, or did he not arrive. "As far as you know?” he asked incredulously. “When ‘knowing’ pertains to Lord Vader and his wellbeing... only CERTAIN will do, Ma’am.” He looked over at the aide, “You need to stay Soobie. With the new Emperor under the weather, our situation precarious, we are shorthanded; you may be the one running more than this Office for a short time." Soobie sighed and turned on her heel as Vos' words halted her and she looked confused from Vos to Lady Amidala, not knowing whose command took precedence! Sabe was taken aback by Vos’ seeming inferred rebuke. “We are trying to establish communication with the Embassy, Sheyftain, and yes, I would like to know for certain.” The Queen then shot a hot glance to Soobie who, found wanting blinked and took the silent censure. Was he challenging her authority, thought Sabe, slimming her eyes. Quinlan gestured emphatically. "One thing IS certain! We need to carry on as if Lord Vader were here." He felt Sabe’s irritation and her feelings of indignation. "I beg your pardon Vos...." Amidala said taking a step forward. "Anakin left me in charge! I was referring to Anakin's stubbornness in not allowing himself time to heal. However, I assure you, I do not take anything Anakin says lightly." Quinlan chuckled to himself at her aggressive stance. Soobie’s brows rose at the sudden tension and she almost wished that she could just… blend right in with the décor. "I am not here to debate what the Re said to you, I am here to fulfill my duty. My oath, my orders are from Lord Vader and thus I only answer to Lord Vader... we will run this office as if he is still in it, since I have received no command to the contrary! If you are here by his order, then I am sure he did not mean for it to counter his directives to me…Your Highness," said Vos with a bow. "I didn't have this much trouble with Counselor Quest, Quinlan Vos," said Sabe under her breathe, blowing her stubborn curl from her face and then lifting her chin with a knowing smile, her hands on her hips as she stepped even closer towards him. "Or is it you just don't like women to be in charge?" Vos chuckled aloud this time; so hard in fact, that the “snaking” locks stirred on his head. “Heh Hehh Hehhh… Quest? Oh, I'm not Sarcev and I've been around puh-LEN-ty of women with more authority. Nor is my position, up for discussion.” "Alright...." The Naboo crossed her arms and turned to the little blue and white astromech droid "R2, play back your master's request to me before he left." Quinlan raised an eyebrow at the astromech droid as it whistled and beeped its response, “What is that supposed to do?” he asked to no one in particular. Something whirred inside the droid as it searched for the requested archive and a thin sound recording began to play. ~~///Sabe’s voice anxiously queried impatiently but softly, “Where is this Vos that Anakin mentioned earlier?”///~~ Sabe looked down at the R-2 unit remembering her thoughts as she had stood over Anakin earlier before Molita carried him unconscious to the transport. …She would HAVE to stabilize the situation. How at this moment, she had no idea. If only she could speak with Vos. She did not know much about the mysterious man, but she did know that Anakin regarded him, a brother. Vos was, if not de facto, de jure Anakin’s second Lieutenant. Sabe knelt again before this very complex man she had come to love against all her own counsel, taking his hand. ~~///“My heart, you must go with the doctor or you will surely die. Celeste and Sophia’s lives will be in danger. Those who would seize power would not allow them to live. All our lives will be forfeit, if the Moffs and the others know you are ill.” "Your lungs have to be aspirated, Majesty, there is no sterile environment here! You need the bacta to heal!" This voice, Vos recognized as belonging to the no-nonsense Dr. Molita. It was clear he was talking to a patient he wasn’t certain could hear or understand him. There was a gasp and sputtering, and a raspy voice that belonged to Vader. "You... You... for us... you..." Sabe’s voice spoke up , taunt with emotion, with fear. "His lungs are collapsing, and he will never reach the bacta tank..." "Yes he will," said Molita firmly, "if we leave now." Then Sabe’s voice again, anxiously saying,“I don't have a legal foot to stand on, holding this office.” "You are the only one here who can," asserted Molita. “If not you, then the chief of staff and that would be Miss Soobie in Jan di Toli’s absence.///~~ *** "It would appear you were meant to hold this office, so I fail to see the need for any conflict in our authority. The Re spoke few words. I will know as much as I can discover of his intentions,” said Vos while he stepped ‘around’ the Queen and was now gazing down at R-2. Clearly it would have been difficult for Amidala herself to understand exactly what authority the Re had given her. “The only truth I’m interested in at the moment is his. And now, I will have it,” murmured the Kiffu, stepping over to R-2 and pulling the glove off of his left hand before placing it squarely on the center of the little droid’s blue dome. Reaching out with his latent talent, Vos inhaled sharply, the images flooding his mind in a rush. He watched them unfold from Vader’s eyes, from his perspective… before Sabe returned with the Spice. This was the first time in quite a long while since Quinlan had read anything of Vader’s. Didn’t matter, his impressions were always tough to deal with – so much, so thick with the ‘cacophony’ of the Force. It took less than a few moments… {{{Anakin spoke with great difficulty instructing the astro-mech quickly, realizing he was not much long to the conscious state. “Artoo, you know what to do…” //Damn…2 hours! Just 2 more hours and I could secure …there’s no point in dealing in these variables. The point is moot…I won’t last another hour even with the spice…// //So cold… chest tight… Where is she?... Ah… Sabe…surrounded by enemies…// “Artoo, help me to the desk…” Anakin hung over the keyboard of his computer, patched all his peripherals into the protocols he was building and began the process of overlaying security and restricting access to all but a very few items, one message he input and sent to himself flagged as a high priority. //Encrypt… code…secondary wall…// “Now…plug in, Artoo…You do not go beyond this point: One, I say so…Two….I say so, besides, your circuits will fry and I kinda like you the w….way you are! Once the code is tripped, you will have minimal access too…Ah!” Suddenly, he was struck with a bleak, claustrophobic foreboding unrelated to the political situation. The light in his vision flickered in a kaleidoscope of colors. “Huuuuh!” He clutched his chest. //…can barely breath…// A sensation of alert made his skin rise. An image of something half-remember, a shadowy image in black and the artificial sound of a breathing apparatus seized him into mobility. To push the image from his mind, to flee it, he sat up straighter. With determination and fortitude - He reached for something in his utility pouch and withdrew a small tool. Artoo whistled sadly. “It’s temporary.” Artoo whistled sharply. Suspicion! “Have to, Artoo. She ... too much of a temptation… I know she will … try…you keep her out of trouble. You help her Artoo. But, you do not go beyond that firewall and no one but me has access to your memory… past … now… there! That should do it! Ah….” Artoo ‘sighed’ as Anakin’s fingers deftly if shakily keyed a set of quick protocols on a small keypad within his chassis. Anakin closed a hatch on Artoo’s side and with great effort spot welded the door closed. “There! Anything Sabe needs, she can get from … the staff. She can keep this office occupied and functioning – cover my absence … at least for a while, coordinate with Colton and Vos…can’t think…Vos will reassure her let her know he will deal with reigning the military…if she lets him reassure…ah … DAMN!” Anakin hunched with a hacking cough into his fist. “Blood!” “Come on Brother Vos!” “Artoo!” Lurching forward, Artoo bleeped as the Master leaned on his dome and dragged himself shivering and then fell to the black leather couch. }}} Sabe watched Vos curiously as he stood unmoving, his eyes distant, with his fingers splayed over R-2’s dome. His expression was tense, but nothing could be gleaned from it to the negative or affirmative. "If the holo does not convince you Master Vos - perhaps Anakin's lightsaber will. Do you think I could have just taken this?" she queried, and taking it from her hip, she held it before her. "Where is Di Toli?" Vos asked in frustration, Sabe’s voice interrupting the ‘reading.’ “Showing me his weapon means nothing, he’s lost more of them than I can count. He must have misplaced it because you’d never take it from him,” he smirked in remembrance. "Look SHEYF,” she said in exasperation, “We don’t have time to waste. There could be a coup masterminded by the Moffs. If you half-way know Anakin Skywalker, you know what I say is the truth." “Is that so? I have learned otherwise. R-2, play-back Lord Vader’s first comments after securing your chassis,” said the Ledaren firmly. ~~///”There! Anything Sabe needs, she can get from … the staff. She can keep this office occupied and functioning – cover my absence … at least for a while, coordinate with Colton and Vos…can’t think…Vos will reassure her let her know he will deal with reigning the military…if she lets him reassure…ah … DAMN!” Anakin could be heard coughing harshly and then croaking angrily, “Blood!”///~~ “As we all can hear, the Emperor desires for us to cover for him; just as I suspected. I’m afraid nothing will work without di Toli’s sense of bearing, Lady Amidala,” stated the Kiffu matter of factly, “and trust me, if it's the Moffs that have you so wound up, then your energies are misplaced.” Soobie looked from the Queen to the Sheyftain and back again. “As Ledaren, the Imperial Fleet can be called under my direct command... or are you not familiar with the K.I.G.?" Sabe’s fists balled at her hips. "Do they all now? You control Tarkin? I'd like to see that!" Vos scoffed. "No one controls Tarkin, you DEAL with schemers like him." "Ah..." said Soobie stepping forward and putting her hand out. "Excuse me... " She looked down at her com. Apparently, Kirashimi was having trouble with the VIPs. "I ... Sir... Your Maj..." "What?" Sabe turned on Soobie and then back to Vos. The man was an even more pompous back-end than Quest! Soobie whined nearly to herself, "Oh! The Grand Vizier wishes to see Lord Vader immediately..." "Then deal with him, Vos....Tarkin's plotting now. He has to be...” Vos ignored the absurd and flippant request as he turned back to Soobie, "Tell the Grand Vizier to sit and wait his turn. Or he'll be seeing me first. Now get me di Toli!” "Yes, sir!" said Soobie, crest fallen at having to shore up Kirashimi. She lifted her comm to her lips and turned to the wall to whisper quickly, "Kirashimi, tell him he ... I don't ... he may not ... get him away from those doors... Tell him Lord Vader is not able to ... just... get a backbone, Kirashimi!" Soobie stamped her foot. Sabe took a deep breath. "If you are not with me, Vos, you are a part of the problem, and Anakin will not at all be pleased." "With YOU?" Vos said aloud, as Soobie answered her com. "My patience is wearing thin ladies...." said Vos, as he reached up with to fingers and thumb pointing out. He used the Force to trip the locking mechanism on the control panel, preventing Sate from barreling in. "Sir, ... Your Majesty! The Vizier will not leave the door. If we could agree upon a collaboration, that would be good. We can not keep this together with ... " Soobie looked pleadingly from one to the other, not aware that the door was now secure. It seemed that many things left in a haze congealed when one felt one's life was somehow on the line. "If I may, Mr. di Toli will not likely leave the Executor while the planetary alert remains in place. Lord Vader does not put full trust in Admiral Ozzel. ..." said Soobie her voice trailing off. "Open a secure channel, Miss Soobie. Get him on the line!” Vos almost shouted. "Yes, sir," said Soobie wincing as it became clear the two were at loggerheads. "Holo, sir?" He answered her with a “Yesss...” through clenched teethe while he stared in disbelief at the smug woman. "Now, I know that Anakin depended upon you for much, but perhaps his trust in you was mistaken. Perhaps you are the one who is staging the coup. Belay that order, Ms Soobie…" "What? Oh...Your Majesty," said Soobie raising her brows. Amidala crossed over to the sofa and planted herself. "It would seem Ms Soobie that Vos, is frightened of what lies beyond the door and has decided to lock it from here. We might as well make ourselves comfortable." "Your petty training has taught you nothing about fear. You will carry out my order, Miss Soobie. Lady Amidala has no authority to rescind it." "Why do you put her in such a position, Vos?" the Queen asked. "I've had it with you politicians. This Empire will maintain “as is” and Lord Vader can deal with the fallout." "You are the fallout sir," retorted Sabe coldly. Quinlan almost wanted to throttle her throat on the spot, but the thought was fleeting. "What... ah... Mr. di Toli, sir... I..." said Soobie, slowly blinking and swallowing. Vos stared into the Holo transmitter: "Di Toli! I need your ear for a moment." "Mr. di Toli is ..." said Soobie and then stopped as Jan di Toli's image materialized on the console. "Ledaren?" Suddenly, di Toli’s image flickered. Yet, his graying red hair so closely cropped as to render the man bald could be seen clearly. He wore his cap under an epaulet and gazed keenly out, his hazel eyes inquisitive. "Ah, Jan!” exclaimed Vos, “… and not a minute too soon!" he said slightly amused. Sabe made herself comfortable upon the couch. What a jackass of a man! How could Anakin tolerate him! "Why aren't you planet side, heh hehh hehhh?" asked Vos, with a chuckle at the end. If this man was in charge of military matters, his lack of patience, and diplomatic skills would no doubt escalate problems instead of solving them. Sabe had thought she could depend upon him as Anakin could! Evidently he was a part of the problem. "I am an old salt, Ledaren," said Jan with a strained chuckle. "I must see to fleet Onslaught. We've only just completed our compliment around Imperial Center and well, can't leave Admiral Ozzel to it all, can we." "No. We cannot, unfortunately. What was your last?" Vos inquired jovially. "The keel is a bit worn here totting out from Kalee, Ledaren! You probably experienced the same. My officer says you are haling me from the Re's offiices. How are things holding down there?" "We've a bit of a situation at the moment. Seems Molita has requested the Re's presence and it was an offer he couldn’t refuse…” Vos said cryptically. Sabe took out an energy bar from a side pocket and peeling the paper back began to crunch. She imagined the paper tasted better. "And now, the ‘holy mother of the Naboo’ wants to run the show in his absence." Di Toli's face suddenly looked as though he had indigestion, a small strangled noise escaping his throat, which he promptly followed with a fist to his chest and a cough. Regaining himself he said, "Yes, that's what I understand from Herr Admiral Colton! "Without dragging this out forever, you can understand my... concern." Vos returned rather enjoying di Toli’s struggle at restraint. Another bite and Sabe began to enjoy herself. "I understand completely, how may I assist you?," the balding man said standing more erect. "It's been a long day for everyone," Jan said with a sigh. "Is ... her ah.. Majesty available?" tried di Toli. Sabe wiggled her toes within her boots. "Why yes, she having a Gamorean Powerbar right now,” informed the Kiffu with mock haute speech. "May I speak with Her Majesty Amidala, then?" asked di Toli one more time. [i][b]"Well, I'm sure she'd rather gouge my eyes out than converse with ME again... perhaps YOU could speak-easy on my behalf? Heh hehh hehhh” Di Toli coughed with more force, and Vos’ smile hurt as he teased, “You should get that checked; you aren't a young wamprat anymore.” "Of course, Ledaren. My pipes are only moderately more tuneful than yours, but of course I should, yes." "Mr di Toli..so sorry to bother you... How is my lord?" Amidala stood and walked over. Quinlan stepped aside so that Jan could see all of her in the display. "Tolerable, thank you, that is if you mean myself, Madame Majesty, very kind of you." "I know you are quite busy - but for the record - could you state to Mr. Vos, whom our Lord left in charge while he is recovering?" "Madame, he relied on both of you, and I'm sure his trust in the Ledaren and in you, majesty will no prove ill placed.” Replied Jan before Quinlan interjected: "Appearances must be kept. There is no debating this. There are too many who would make a play at the first sign of weakness... and by weakness I mean further change." " Indeed…” replied the Ursean, “These are difficult times.” "Vader's position; while rightful is tenuous at best. Letting one enemy know of his predicament would be utter foolishness on too many fronts." "It is my understanding that the situation is ... delicate. The Empire wants reassurance that little disturbance will transpire as the Emperor Palpatine's fate is discerned. The Reina remains as advised in Ursa. Imperial Center is unsettled. AHEM...Sir, Madame," said di Toli over the debate, ""You both have good points." “Upon my arrival, I proposed maintaining as is, this R2 unit bears witness to the Re’s desire for the same.” Sabe removed a tiny crumb from the corner of her mouth and dropped it upon the floor. Vos continued, even as he walked off-holo and came to stand closer to the aide. "Tactically, we can sustain... and if I can get to the Re, I can expedite the healing process.” "If you would indulge me," di Toli said further, and more calmly, "this frequency is Ursean and encrypted. Yet, we must be advised to use restraint. Now, if you please... ahem, Madame, you are office bound, and we need someone there to coordinate in the interest of the Re. Ledaren, you are free to move about, to coordinate with Lekauf and the Imperial Guard, the Palace, with the Senate Guard and Black Guard...." Poor Mr. de Toli - did he have to deal with this man everyday? Vos was stating the obvious. While he was downstairs she was upstairs coordinating the safety of the Senate and the environs. " Yes, if that's so, then go to him man! But it is imperative that you and her Majesty find a meeting ground in all our interests! We need you both! …" Di Toli looked off to his left. A faint voice could be heard, the words indistinct. “You’ll …both forgive me… Your Majesty,” said di Toli with a bow, "You may, of course call, should you feel so inclined.” The aide smiled and it was clearly not a habit. To Vos he said, “Ledaren, Herr, let us communicate at regular intervals, on the hour. Madame, Admiral Colton will be your liaison and I am given that you may soon see him yourself… I must attend Admiral Ozzel. Traffic in orbit is building up. I am requested on the bridge.” The image showed di Toli looking keenly. "With your permission, Ledaren…” "Of course my friend, I'll take it from here. Gruss Seele, di Toli, Ledaren Out!" Jan snapped a salute and the image flickered and disappeared. *** “I need more, perhaps there is something to be gleaned from… this.” Quinlan flicked his bare hand up and called Vader’s weapon to it, all in one swift motion. “Don't worry your Highness; I don't intend to use this... I prefer to read it.” Soobie caught her breath as the saber zipped through the air at a lethal speed. She ducked in instinctive reflex where she stood behind the Ledaren as he began to use his gift. "I... knew you must be Kiffu. I've read about Guardians," she ventured without inhibition, so amazed at his "reading" of the astro-mech droid and now this display of Force-use! "I've never seen one perform an act of their site in person before..." Her voice trailed off as she felt the tension heighten in the room and she bowed her head and murmured, "Beg pardon..." His head bowed slightly, he watched Sabe from under his knitted brow, the Kiffu would have grinned at Soobie’s remark but for the faint hue, ancient and hazy, that bled through Sabe’s imprint. Intermingled with a telling mélange of conflicts, Anakin’s admonition to tilt the emitter away from her, the origin of the blade spoke with a faint voice whose words were barely distinct. Vos looked up, determined to break from it. The Kiffu turned to Sabe, "The bruises on your wrist prove just how you attempted to get that saber... NEVERMIND that he gave it to you afterward..." His green eyes stared into her soul as he spoke quietly to her, "And, if I know that, Amidala; kin of Padme, understand that many of your secrets have already been laid bare. Vader was wise to have restricted access to his astromech’s core and to his computer… Oh, yes… I even read your imprints...” In fact, though it was apparent, Sabe had indeed some Force-sensitivity, there was but a thin veil between her imprint and the "soup" of her existence - her memory! "I'm not threatening you, I'm apprising you of the situation before you do something further to ... regret.” His voice was calm and steady, in spite of his anger. He knew Vader was aware and that would do for now. Vos, the one who’d engineered the activation system of both his own and Vader’s sabers, held the unit in his hand before him and with the Force switched the internal lever back so that the saber would not ignite unless he or Vader turned it on. “You have been informed of my position. Your business is keeping this office up and running. You would be wise to alter your approach. I'm not as patient as your Lord is!" Quinlan then turned abruptly and ordered Soobie, "Now let Pestage in!" “Yes, sir, Ledaren, sir,” she said trying to sound confident and turned quickly before the order could be belayed and become yet another “bone in the pit” of this battle. Amidala was not at all finished! "I have kept this office running way before you showed up. I've ordered the surroundings buildings evaculated, extra troops called in and snipers placed in strategic positions. I am composing a list of possible dangers from the Senate and the Moffs! Quinlan rolled his eyes at Sabe and stepped forward, anticipating Pestage’s rancorous entrance. Before Sabe could move, Sate pushed past the blond aide who again closed the doors quickly behind him. The Grand Vizier’s aide left outside, the potentate twisted his face, ready to meet Vader on and now, his face gone slack with surprised to see the “Boy Wizard” nowhere in sight. Slowly his lips curled into a twisted smile and he fixed a greedy gaze on the angry Naboo. “Oh, Well… now how are we met by the Queen of Naboo? Your Majesty Amidala, by the look on your face, I take it you are not happy to see me. Not a very promising happenstance is it? It looks like a tea party to which I have grossly been uninvited!” He did not wait for her to respond but continued. His voice lost its oily smoothness, to become harsh and considerably full and addressed the Kiffu who stood within spitting distance. “WHERE IS LORD VADER?” Suddenly, doubt crossed his face. “Where IS Lord Vader,” Pestage snapped, now wondering if Vader had not perished in the explosion and Vos had led the Grand Vizier into a trap. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” he commanded to know of Sabe, turning on her and taking a step forward, his hands flexing. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed the divertissement of snapping bone, but the large man, for all his show was quite more than capable. Instinctively, the son of Pethros also took a step forward, and the angry Grand Vizier stopped in his tracks. “Huh! smirked Sate. “How gallant and selfless you are! She’ll never appreciate you, Kiffu! Women like her consider themselves principled, and above dirty, gruff-handling, “back-world-ers” such as you,” the Vizier said picking a loose thread from the opulent weave of his long-sleeved robe and then fixing a steely gaze on the Kiffu as he adjusted to smile knowingly at Sabe and then continue, “… with your chip on the shoulder, heart of gold honor!” “I asked a simple question, Madame. What exactly are you doing here in Lord Vader’s office… with him… nowhere in sight. Your costume, though fetchingly revealing is no negligee….” Observed Sate drolely. Ignored Sate's taunting as to her relationship with Anakin, Sabe said, "…What is it?" Amidala folded her hands fingers intertwining so she would not be tempted to place them about the infamous counselor's throat. She was familiar with the dossier complied by the Naboo Secret Service, but even that esteemed group would not know all the evil the man standing before her had committed in the name of Palpatine and Empire. “You must be thoroughly distracted, something the matter,” Pestage queried, concern swelling in his voice. Carefully and with precise articulation, Pestage asked, “Why is Lord Vader not present and what are you doing here in his stead?” "He is busy attending other matters of state. Are there others with you, sir?" Sabe asked looking beyond the man to the closed door. Sate never went anywhere by himself. 'Where is Amedda?" As he listened in reluctant patience, his “charm” could almost be seen sloughing away. “Never you worry! I am accounted for! Amedda, he waits in the conference room like a good boy. He’s the speaker and you’ve no need for him just now.” He returned to the matter which most held his interest. “What emergency could cause him to leave this office in your care, Majesty, for emergency it would have to be? No ruler on the day of his ascension leaves the seat of power so soon!” The Vizier looked from Vos back to Sabe. “As you know Vizier, with the death of Palpatine, there are many who would see themselves the next emperor. Lord Vader is attending to those who would endanger the government. Surely this bombing of the Senate is an indication they would stop at nothing at killing thousands - you included. Lord Vader is attending to the threats without and I, the ones within." “Yes…. Yes, indeed,” said the Vizier, “others … who would see themselves” he said noting in his peripheral vision the saber held unclipped in the Kiffu’s and, the man’s firm grasp upon the hilt. “… So… you are taking care of the shop, so to speak while … um… Vader is…” he gesticulated, “somewhere?” Pestage could countenance no more and he lashed out vehemently, referring to a particularly gruesom event in Sabe’s past, “You couldn’t manage your way out of garbage bin you little “she-dog”! You’ve a lovely face, I don’t think the embalming fluid did you much damage at all,” he finished with an air of sympathy. A lost dream. It was one of several. She had loved once, long ago. They would be married, have a family…The Naboo pursed her lips tightly for a moment in memory. Undercover for the Naboo Secret Service, her mission about to reach its successful culmination, Sabe was betrayed, along with the other several, who with her, had finally gathered the evidence against Chancellor Valorum’s assassin linking him to Palpatine. She could remember clearly the eyes of the one amongst them who would leave unscathed, the traitor, her lover. Only a small move, a microsecond before he fired his blaster saved her, the shot glancing, but it was enough to send her falling into the pit of funereal waste alongside which they had all been running. The sharp pain was with her still. A shard, a sharp object pierced her side. The corrosive chemical and stew of rotting flesh allowed the poison entered her body, killing the child she had yet to tell him she carried. As if the memory alone weren’t sordid enough, the reference coming from Sate’s lips seems the height of profanity. "I stand here before you, Vizier as proof that I DID climb out of that charnel pit. But let's not dwell on the past, shall we..." Sabe began to circle him, "Your past can condemn you - but it is you who NEED me...to keep Master Vos from running you through with his lightsaber. Not that I would not enjoy the exposition..." She stopped behind him and whispered in his ear, "I don't want the carpet to be fouled with your filth!" “Still, all’s fair in love and war!” said Pestage with a chuckle and then he stopped abruptly. He looked at her knowingly. “Well… so the two of you… Vader away… I love a good mystery! YOU NEED ME! YOU NEED ME BADLY,” he pronounced with growling relish. “Galling, isn’t it! Priceless - and the two of you are here swapping insults! Brandishing of sabers, oh my, while the Empire wonders if Coruscant is under attack!” Sensing he had piqued the dark Kiffu’s interest, Pestage turned to him abruptly, “Careful before you manhandle me, JEEEEEDAI! I know you too Quinlan,” said Pestage throwing a warning glance at Vos. “Do you now? Dooku made the same mistake and it cost him his life…” Vos scoffed. “Oh yes yes! The Count sent Anzati to absconded with the Reina. I do recall. I’ve nothing in common with that dead magician, Dooku . He was too rarified a creature for me and anyway, what badge of honor is it that? Old history and useless knowledge now,” said Pestage with a flourish. “Heh, then we will forge a new path as we restore order in the new Emperor’s absence, Pestage. And, I require that you be a major part of the solution.” Without so much as a hand gesture, he silently called upon the Force and he gave Sate’s throat the slightest squeeze. “Or, do I need to remind you of where your ‘true’ loyalties lie? To whom you really serve?” Sate wanted to grasp his throat, but only wiggled his jaw slowly as he twisted his head to and fro, pushing against the invisible hand as he glared at Vos. “You …. Argh…Son of a Murglak! I’ve evacuated bit pieces of … puny Jedi like you! You think you can coerse me! Let me go!” he demanded, murder in his eye. Aware of what he was doing, Sabe glared at the Kiffu, and then interjected coldly in a low voice. "All men can be placed into groups. I know your type all too well. What would you be without your powers? Ever asked yourself that?” "You Foolish woman!" snapped Vos as crimson veil finally filled his vision, "how dare you mock me! I have forgotten more than you could ever DREAM of learning!!" his eyes flashed a strange color but Sabe didn't look surprised, "Mock you? It’s Jedi like you that gave that once esteemed order a bad rep." Amidala said. “The Force made you what you are - not you. If you were a 'mere' mortal - you'd be some two bit credit muscle man for a petty criminal. Now move aside while I deal with the scum that Palpatine appointed." "E-nuff!!" Spat the Kiffu nearly in a fit of rage, “You think you know SOO much...” Vos lit Vader's weapon in a flash and his flourish ended with the tip of Vader's blade humming mere inches from her throat. “But it is now painfully clear to me, that you understand so lit-tle…” A sputtering, fitful growl of a laugh filled the room from the Grand Vizier who stood still poised stiffly on the balls of his feet trying to stretch his neck thin enough to elude Vos’ inescapable grasp. It wasn’t the first time he’d found himself in such an uncomfortable embrace. “I…..argh…hardly think this happy little … coterie … is what Vader.. had in… mind. Do you think… you might let go while you two continue this bickering …eh!” “No, we're not going to argue further. We coordinate. I am not interested in securing power for myself, or organizing this cesspool of intrigue. I’m going to leave that to the two of you, who are obviously more patient than I…” replied Quinlan, as he finally released Sate from his telekinetic grasp. Sate clasped his throat. “Your idea of a handshake is it, wizard?” Turning his head to rub, Pestage looked at Vos angrily, but warily. “You are on the top of my list,” murmured the Vizier not entirely desirous he should not be heard. “And you!” Said Vos as he wheeled the saber around and brought it to bear just in front of the grand Vizier’s face… “Are now at the top of mine!!” “You can’t keep Vader’s whereabouts secret for long. There will be a clamor for him. Now tell me where he is so I know what’s to be done. Like I said, you NEED me and if you want MY cooperation, you will tell me. My people are waiting for me and if I do not return to the Palace within the hour, there will be quite more to deal with than me, Sheyftain,” said the Vizier to the Ledaren, peeved, but deferent. “How shrewd of you to whistle a different tune!” observed Vos, as he pointed the blade’s tip towards the floor. The fact that it remained lit was not lost upon Sate. “Has anyone addressed the public and what about her Royal Highness?” he asked gesturing to Amidala with one hand while using the other to rub his throat. “The Queen will handle the affairs of this office, through Soobie. With di Toli engaged with Ozzell, I need you to massage the Moffs into a softer, more manageable position. I alone will tend to Lord Vader, personally. “In case you’ve forgotten, I am the Grand Vizier and as long as stations are maintained I have my place secured! I want assurance Vader is alive and will recover.” Vos smiled slowly and knowingly. Pestage was all too comfortable in the shadow of the Sith. He depended on Vader following the example of his extinct Master. In word and tone dense with meaning, Vos replied, “His fire has not gone out of the universe; that I can ATTEST to you. What I need to be assured of is your plan for dealing with those schemers?” “The Moffs?” queried Sate, who was still rubbing his throat, “…there is no massaging them. They will behave as long as they are reassured it will be business as usual,” at which statement, Pestage was inclined to regard Sabe sidewise. “I’ll make an address. We’ll soon have Imperial Center back on the wheel. I will convene the Ruling council tomorrow.” "What about the Speaker? How will you re-draw him in?" asked Vos before Sabe could interject. “Amedda is a believer, Vos. He actually believes in fairy tales, in jura pie, mother, and parliamentary procedure, the Imperial order! He’ll come ‘round so long as he believes in the cause,” asserted the Vizier snidely. “Principled just like our Royal martyr here!” Vos turned towards the Queen as he deactivated Vader’s weapon, “To know thy enemy, is to know thyself … I have never been: all about power. For me, it has always been about respect.” He held up the saber hilt before he continued, “What I really want you to know is: your Anakin, our Lord Vader was who permitted me to kill the man that hunted your sister...” The former Jedi Master flipped the hilt to her and turned to walk away. From over his shoulder he spoke to her through the Force: "You may play with his lightsaber all night long... but you will always be second fiddle to the Reina…” Then, as he passed Pestage, Quinlan gave the keys to the Empire to the Grand Vizier, “Do as required, Sate. I'm going to assist the Emperor. When he has been restored, I will send for the both of you…” The Kiffu adjusted the drape of his cloak on his shoulders as he exited the room. "Oh... uh... Ledaren? Sir...?" said Soobie, now more tentative toward the mysterious Force-wielder, turning out of the double doors after Vos' wafted cloak. "Yes?" asked the Kiffu as he stopped just inside the conference room. Soobie came up short at the dexterous halt, nearly running into the man. "How do we know ... I mean... will you contact us... ?" The aide almost winced as she looked up, blinking nervously. "Have no fear; your Emperor will soon be well. You will attend to the Queen until Lord Vader returns... It's better to keep those two guessing, but I will keep you informed if a situation should arise." "Yes, Sir," said Soobie, trying to exhale in relief discretely. Vos winked and said, "I look forward to your report," before spinning on his heels. He was out of the room and out of sight before she knew it. -----signature----- Lucas didn't ruin my childhood but he sure wrecked Vader's ^^Foolish men mistake transitory semblance 4 eternal fact^^ o[]\|\|]ooooooooo[0]\|\|[]{ Gal: 5:19-21 Philippians 2:9-11
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TheMaidofOrleans Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 6/5 9:41pm Subject: The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith - Date Edited: 6/6 5:42pm (6 edits total) Edited By: Imperial_Hammer
	I_H Edit: Removed at GM's request
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