SWRPF Archive The Shattered Galaxy: Main Game Thread

Palace State Auditorium ? Imperial Center

Lady Naera Paramin, Imperial Advisor

Naera had listened dutifully, along with the other advisors with whom she had attended the state address. Her own aides remained seated behind her and took cues on when to clap; she knew that these aspiring politicians had not actually been listening to the Emperor's speech. This was their folly; it was common sense in the upper echelons of government to be fully briefed on absolutely everything; especially when the highest seat in that government opened its mouth. Yes, they would come to regret this.

When His Imperial Majesty Emperor Iaius I was finished, Naera stood and applauded- her aides only a millisecond behind her. The roar of applause lasted for at least five minutes, and then still longer after Iaius had left the dais. HIM had finally decided to lead the Empire into talks with the Rebellion; at least, to rid them both of the Sith uprising. She couldn't decide if she was more frustrated that it had taken him this long to recognize a good idea, or if she was more proud that the slow progress of government had promoted in HIM careful deliberation on the matter. Either way, something was about to happen in the Empire, and she intended to be a part of it.

Naera Paramin had become an Imperial Advisor during Palpatine's last days. She had achieved some degree of fame in the Imperial Court for her shrewd ideas on any matter of governing a colossal government such as the Empire. Although she had attended academy, she did not come from any sort of status in the Empire. As such, she tended to feel as though others looked down upon her. Although, considering her latest position, she had few reasons to worry over this any longer.

"Well! We have work to do," Naera proclaimed, as the aides behind her ignored her and began to titter about a handsome Moff who had also attended the address. She turned to leave, with a glare at the aides. She donned what others might call formal wear; such was normal for those in close discussions with the Emperor. Her top was a shimmery deep emerald green knit whose neckline swooped from the end of her left collarbone to the end of her right. The sleeves were overly long, falling only a few inches from the tips of her fingers, but it was an elegant look; not sloppy. Her skirt clung to her hips and down to her knees, but flowed out with a small train that made it a more simple task for her to walk quickly than one might have imagined.

Although both were taller than her, Shimora and Waleshe struggled to keep up. Shimora carried a datapad and streamed off the list of engagements and meetings Naera would be attending that day. When she reached the end of the list, she said with exasperation, "And at some point, you need to fit in a privy council meeting," in an attempt at irony. This would undoubtedly be the most important meeting of the day.

"Shimora," Naera began with equal exasperation, "forget everything else. We need to be able to brief the Emperor on our relations with the Rebellion... and how I plan to deal with it."

"Lady Paramin, we've been preparing for this for days, since His Imperial Majesty's address was announced," Waleshe said.

"Thank you, Waleshe, as if I wasn't already aware. Listen to me," Naera said, turning around on her aides before they had time to stop. They had made their way from the auditorium into a hallway on the way to her office. "This could very well be the most important meeting I'll ever have. And if I'm lucky- no, if I'm prepared- then it may just be an important day for you. Have the talking points in my hands in the next five minutes, and don't ever discuss good-looking Moffs in the same room as the Emperor again. I don't care if he can hear you or not. You were in the presence of other state officials. Did you notice? All of them were men, seated in our section. The very reason we have such trouble as women in this place is because of attitudes like yours."

The girls s

 

The sun hung low in the sky, casting an almost ominous orange light over the valley. The air was cool, and its almost supernatural chill could be felt in your bones. It took an effort to hold yourself upright, the gravity once and half again as strong as that of the galactic capital of Coruscant. All things considered, it was a good day to be a Sith. The planet we find ourselves on is named Korriban, a world with a long and dark history. The center of attention at the moment is the end of the Valley of the Dark Lords, the burial place of the Sith Lords of ancient times, where there stands a man garbed in robes of black and dark maroon, the mixing of colors making him appear permanently bloodstained. Draped from his shoulders is a cloak of dark red, with a clasp bearing the emblem of an ancient and noble house holding it in place at the front.

This man's name is Alec Garonnin, and he is the new Dark Lord of the Sith.

---

[b][i]Alec Garonnin[/i][/b]
[i]Valley of the Dark Lords - Korriban[/i]

"The galaxy is [i]weak[/i], and we are [i]strong[/i]." Korriban's new lord and master surveyed his followers as he spoke, reaching out with the Force to gain a sense of their mood, guiding them with his words like a puppeteer would orchestrate his show. The valley was full of practitioners of the dark side of the Force and their allies, they were lined up from wall to wall and stretched as far back as the eye could see, and their combined malevolence was so strong it could almost be felt as a physical force for once accustomed to reading the minds of others with the Force. Anger, greed, fear, hatred, disgust, these feelings were the fuel for the unstoppable fire of the Sith.

"The Empire once made so glorious by our former master, [b]Emperor Palpatine[/b], has fallen so far that it is beyond any recognition. The so-called Galactic Emperor hides behind a [i]little girl[/i] as his excuse to rule, unwilling to stake his claim to the throne by force of arms. The Galactic Alliance is no better, for it is they who slew our noble master Palpatine, and are even now aided by our eternal enemies, the Jedi Knights, spewing forth the same lies that they have spread for so long. The foul Alliance seeks to create peace and a galaxy without conflict, a fool's goal. The galaxy shall never be free of conflict, no, instead we must [i]embrace[/i] a path of conquest! Only by understanding what we truly are can we forge a lasting order in the galaxy, and give it a strong hand to show it the true and right path."

There was a certain mindset that had to be instilled in the followers of the Sith way. Ambitious, but patient. Desirous for power, but not overly greedy. A sense of arrogance, but feigned humility. He could not enlighten them so rapidly that they would become a threat to his rule, but neither could he keep them in the dark so much that they were useless as tools. They had to be strung along, fed just a little at a time, luring them to a place where they would have no choice but to become instruments of the dark side and its lord.

"Powerful allies stand beside us in our quest to rid the galaxy of weak leadership. Lord [b]Garen Kya[/b], Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side, gains us countless new allies by the day, and his Prophets spread their teachings and convert populaces of entire worlds across the galaxy to the wisdom of the dark side. One of the most brilliant strategic minds of Palpatine's Empire leads our combined military might, Grand Admiral [b]Nial Declann[/b], and his battle plans shall lead us to victory over those too weak to understand our ways. Lord [b]Xander Malifi[/b], our Blademaster and Headmaster of the Korriban Sith Academy, trains new acolytes and adepts for us, strengthening both our forces and our ability to [i]manipulate[/i] the Force. Always at the frontlines of conflict, our allies the Nightsisters of Dathomir strike fear and terror into the hearts of our foes wherever and whenever they venture into battle."

[i]Powerful allies, yes, but dangerous ones,[/i] the dark lord thoug

 

Grand Admiral Nial Declann
Valley of the Jedi, Korriban

Regardless of what grand words might be uttered by the new so-called Dark Lord of the Sith (in reality, Declann knew this man was weake in terms of training compared to the late Palpatine or even Lord Vader), Grand Admiral Nial Declann was greatly concerned for the future of the new Sith Order. Their military might be able to hold off the Empire for a little while, but the Sith lacked the manpower for a long-term engagement. The Empire still controlled some of the most populace planets in the Galaxy and, thus, had great pools of human resources to draw from. The Galactic Alliance, while probably not a major threat on its own, could easily become dangerous if they got too chummy with the Empire. Under Emperor Palpatine, such friendship would have been impossible, even laughable, but Declann had heard about the new Emperor. He seemed much more pragmatic than Palpatine and, thus, in Declann's mind, more dangerous. Palpatine was too cruel and xenophobic for his own good: he turned too many people against him with some of his antics.

Standing in the front row, Declann felt too gaudy in his stark-white Grand Admiral's uniform with golden epaulets. Although he wore the uniform as a proud servant of the Sith (and, before that, the Empire), he was never greatly enamored of the attention it naturally drew in a crowd, even among fellow military men. Although it was not standard to wear arms with the white dress uniform, Declann always did: his DL-44 blaster pistol and, recently added, his silver-bladed lightsaber. It was newly constructed and, although he practiced frequently these days with the traditional Jedi weapon, he was still a long way from being an expert. No, his marksmanship, especially with a pistol, was his main combat skill (along with some melee training of course, but not with a lightsaber).

Although he was listening to the new Dark Lord speak, Declann's mind was wandering...ruminating on various things. For instance, this was quite an interesting place to hold such a speech as Garonnin was giving. Although outdoors (not really a plus on this forsaken planet, but worth mentioning still) and with plenty of room, this was not exactly your normal auditorium. No, this was a valley full of dead Sith. If it had been up to Declann, he would have chosen some place different, some place less connected with death and burial. On the one hand, the Dark Lord was talking about how the Sith were being 'reborn', yet this was not a place of birth or of life, but a place of death. An ironic combination to say the least since Declann had never heard of any Sith able to resurrect themselves and bodily overcome their own mortality.

His mind returned to the issue of the Sith's survival within the larger Galaxy. What they needed were allies, but who? The Empire would likely never do business with the Sith since its membership included traitors and deserters (Declann himself among that number) from the Empire when it had been at its nadir. The Galactic Alliance, as long it was led by a Jedi, would probably be even less likely than the Empire to work with the Sith. Again, if the Empire and Alliance ever started cooperating, it would likely sound the death knell for the Sith Order. What smaller groups might be able to tip the scales in the Sith's favor, or at least give its enemies pause before doing something rash and violent? The Hapans? Nah, too isolationist. The same could be said for the Chiss (yes, Declann had heard of the mysterious species that had given the Empire the great military tactician known as 'Thrawn'). Black Sun? Even though they seemed to be on the downturn, they were still quite powerful, but did the Sith want to affiliate with an infamous crime syndicate? The Corporate Sector Authority, besides being in an area of the Galaxy that the Sith were unconcerned about at the moment, was too closely aligned with the Empire and also, being more of a corporation with a government wing, they would not want to earn the animosity of the Allianc

 

Thus, it begins?

---

[b] Palace State Auditorium ? Imperial Center
[i]Grand Admiral Randal Duflin[/i][/b]

[blockquote]The past few months had been a rough time on the Empire, and thus it had been a rough time on Randal as well. Report after report had piled up on his desk, informing him of the situation with the Sith succession from the Empire. The sheer number of personnel that had their loyalty swayed to the Sith was surprising at first to him, but eventually the numbers became just statistics on the pieces of paper. Some of the names were familiar to him. There were acquaintances, former crewmates, and even some close friends, but they were lost to him now. They had chosen to throw in their lot with the Sith and stand against the Empire. Anyone that stood against the Empire was someone that Randal would not tolerate or even consider a friend. They were all his enemies now. The faces of these men that he knew flashed in his mind as Iaius spoke of the new threat of the Sith. [i]Declann[/i]. The name and the face constantly came back into Randal?s mind. His was the only face that Randal could identify as a face for these?.Sith. The tingle for whiskey rang in Randal?s mind, but he brushed it of easily, for there was something more important to focus on.

As Iaius? speech ended, Randal stood to applause him as did the trillions of other people in the galaxy watching this speech, yet the speech left a slight sour feeling in his mouth. Iaius had just hinted towards opening talks with the Rebellion. The thought of even recognizing them as a legitimate government and power in the galaxy was something that members of the empire considered foolish. During the days of Palpatine, such notions were treason. But today perhaps marked a new step in the march back towards the complete control of the galaxy. Dealing with the more recent Sith insurgency was far more important than that of the now years old Rebel situation. Perhaps even in working with them, Iaius could show the Rebel?s how good of a leader he truly is, and perhaps even in time take them back into the fold without as much bloodshed as before. [i]Nonsense, they still will remain enemies as soon as they find our presence to have no use.[/i] A smile crept across his face as he denounced the notion of a permanent alliance with the Rebels, for something [i]of that magnitude[/i] was beyond the ability for the galaxy to cope with?.for now.

As H.I.M. and his daughter left the podium, the rest of the people in attendance began to vacate the auditorium in a very efficient manner. Walking towards the exit with other members of the Admiralty other important figures of the Empire, a flash of color caught his eye among the otherwise mostly white and grey clothing of the auditorium. The green silk that caught his eye eventually found a face. [i]Lucrecia[/i] His eyes were playing tricks on him, but Randal did not know this. To him, what he saw was Real. Slowing down his pace, he tried to focus his eyes looked over and told him he was seeing his wife, alive and well.

[i]Thud![/i]

From behind, Randal was hit by the line of people trying to exit the building. ?Forgive me? he said, quickly returning to the pace of the rest of the people in line. As he looked back to see Lucrecia, he instead found some other woman in the same clothing. She was a blonde haired woman, obviously of some higher level or importance, but not one that Randal was familiar with. For the moment, he turned his eyes back to the lines of people leaving the auditorium, still holding onto the image of his lost wife he had seen just moments earlier.[/blockquote]

[b]Tag[/b]: No one, yet.

 

Kev-Mas Colcha and Brinlon Vosk
Valley of the Dark Lords, Korriban, arriving at the Starport in the VT-49 Decimator, Crimson Phoenix

"Starport Control, this is High Inquisitor Kev-Mas Colcha in the Crimson Phoenix, registration number 24016872438301942674516198871620, requesting landing clearance," said Kev-Mas over the comm of his ship as he approached the Sith Starport, his ship's engines sounding much like a muffled mix of a YT-class Freighter and a TIE Fighter.

"High Inquisitor Colcha, you are cleared for landing in Hangar Bay 4," acknowledged the Starport Control Officer.

"Roger that," said Kev-Mas, who then switched off the comm and turned to Brinlon Vosk, who was operating the co-pilot seat next to Kev-Mas, "Brinlon, deploy the landing gear as soon as we get into position."

"Yes, Kev-Mas," said Brinlon Vosk, his voice with a slight raspiness to it.

The Crimson Phoenix's dark red paint job glistened in the Korriban Sun as it touched down into the hangar bay, landing with a soft thud on the rocky terrain. Moments later, the boarding ramp slowly dropped to the ground. Out of it came Kev-Mas, dressed in Black Imperial Katarn Armor, with Maroon Inquisitorial Zeyd Cloth Robes draped around it ending in a long, flowing cape, as well as Brinlon Vosk, wearing a regal looking buckled flight jacket, with black slacks with a red stripe down the legs, tucked into black uniform boots, his thighs accompanied with holsters for his 2 Clone War era blasters, a gift from Kev-Mas, who most likely obtained them from a Clone Trooper or two that he killed during the Jedi Purge.

Kev-Mas took a very short moment to adjust his Cybernetic Eyes' Environment settings for Korriban, and then they were off, to get to the speech they had missed earlier. In fact, Kev-Mas didn't miss much of it - he was keeping track of it using the Holonet uplinks in his HUD, but he still needed to be there nonetheless.

 

IC: Gaph Tetsu
Palace State Auditorium â?? Imperial Center

The Empire had been good to Gaph Tetsu in the past, and when the war took a turn for the Rebellion, Gaph had taken the risk that the Empire would continue to be good to him. Now, here he stood, 'The Reptilian in Black' next to a pair of large doors listening to a long winded and over thought out speech. He had never understood why politicians wouldn't just say what they meant to say, rather than using overly large words to elude to their true feelings but leave their actual speech politically ambiguous. That's why he liked bounty hunting so much, their was no grey area, no false pretenses, just two beings and their weapons. The lines were clearly drawn, everything was black and white. He liked black and white, it was easy to understand, easy to deal with.

But that was why he wasn't a politician. He was a paid killer, and a good one at that, nothing more. Thankfully, that was all one needed to be in a dangerous galaxy like this, you didn't need to be a doctor or a lawyer to be successful, just a damn good shot. Of course, if you were a damn good shot, it's always best to work for doctors and lawyers because they have far more money than some people in the galaxy.

As the speech finished up, Gaph made his way out the door, in a attempt to beat the rush. He would have been the first one out too, if only he hadn't seen that coin on the ground. Shiny money tended to distract him, so instead of being the first one out the door and hailing a cab, he, like so many others, waited in the bottom of a bottle shaped line, hoping to find a gap he could squeeze through. As he waited, he used the time to think of what he would do next...he hadn't had work in a while, so he could hit up a Cantina somewhere around here and see if he could scare up a job or two, or he could just head back to his ship and wait for a call or a bounty to be posted. He was mighty thirsty though....



Tag: Anyone

 

Captain Kallipso Stavus
On patrol near Corellia, Corellian sector, Core Worlds

?THE EMPIRE IS VICTORIOUS ON ALL FRONTS!?

Sitting on the bridge of the Vindicator ? her Vindicator ? Captain Kallipso Stavus resisted the urge to join in on the clapping that continued to roar from the holo. From the expressions on the faces of her bridge crew, it seemed that they, too, wished to join in, but knew better than to do anything that may anger their captain. That may have been a good thing on someone else?s ship, but Stavus preferred respect over fear. They would learn, eventually, or else they would leave. Momentarily, she wondered whether the rest of the crew, also listening in on the Emperor?s speech, were as impressed as those she could see. Hopefully so. The Emperor was a great man and deserved that respect and admiration.

Nodding to her communications officer to shut off the ship-wide intercom, Stavus stood and strode to the front viewport, where her lieutenant joined her. ?Status report, ma?am,? he announced, handed her a datapad, then returned to his station. The captain nodded again and began to read the scrolling text.

When she finished, Stavus turned to look down at her navigator. ?Plot a course to Imperial Centre,? she informed him. ?Apparently we have a new assignment.? Ignoring the pleased expressions on many of their faces, Stavus returned to her seat to re-read the report. Finally, things were getting moving. Finally, they would get to show their worth, once again, in battle. And they would not be defeated, not if Stavus had a say in anything.

TAG: Anyone on Imperial Centre

 

IC: Gjorgji
Palace State Auditorium, Imperial Center

Gjorgji snorted happily as he managed to finally land the bulky vessel Blarth on the dinky little landing pad. Strangely enough, the ship suited him, and while it was used to transport heavy cargo and multitudes of animals, Gjorgji had left the space vacant aside from several corpses which he figured he could stash somewhere later. Mostly used for storing unruly bounties that he was told to bring in, the smell usually knocked out the rowdier ones. With the ship landed, and not on the precarious ledge that it would have been on had the dock authority not been able to speak a language the Gamorrean understood.

Sauntering out with a bulky, corpulent swagger, Gjorgji sniffed the air of this world and grimaced in disgust. He flicked the durasteel ring in his nose and pushed past the dock authority who swore something in Huttese and caught the broad backhand of the Gamorrean to his skull. Gjorgji blinked and reached into the chestplate of his makeshift armor, dropping about double the amount of credit chips onto the unconscious body of the dock authority as he twitched. The Gamorrean took that as a sign the man was happy.

The Gamorrean had his weapons at his belt, loosely one might add, and Gjorgji pushed his way into a crowd of people. Various aliens, some imperials, and Gjorji sniffed the air and snorted. He smelled rather rank and smelling a lot of the clean Imperials made him want to wallow in a mud pit for about a week. His red-orange eyes focused ahead as the crowd thickened and with a dissatisfied grunt, he shouldered his way further through the crowd. The Gamorrean pushed over someone who just refused to move any further and he squealed in anger.

"Hey humee, watch where Gjorgji is moving, or Gjorgji gonna break your puny skull." Gjorgji knew not a lot of people understood Gammorese, but the inflection of his threatening tone was surely there. The man pushed his way to his feet and before he could make a comment back, Gjorgji flattened the man with a quick knuckle sandwich. The man sprawled out, and surprisingly enough people just stepped over the unconscious body and Gjorgji turned around finding himself shoulder to shoulder with a rather scrawny looking rodian clad in black. His eyes narrowed on the being as he tilted his head curiously...

TAG: Gaph Tetsu, anyone

 

Halycron Residence - Hapan
Thok Halycron

The lights, the people, the grandeur. The entire screen image was just magnificent. Thok could not believe what a powerful feeling the images on the screen were providing. And to think, the emperor had not even begun his speech to the galaxy. Just the tone and cadence of the Emperor?s voice emitted enough power to show that he was truly in charge. To have that sort of power, to have the control over large amounts of people, to be the Man who could command that sort of empire was enthralling. Thok could think of nothing else as the Emperor continued his speech announcing his plan of action for the Empire.

Walking from his bedroom to the living room, Thok turned his larger projector onto the Holonet news, which was covering the emperor?s speech from many different camera angles. Everything seemed so perfect, so beautiful, so?empowering. Look at this young man, so in charge of his life. He?s already the most powerful man in the galaxy, and what is he, maybe 40?. Thok was envious, but not because he wanted the empire for himself, but because this Emperor Iaius was able to control all of his people, and he was a man!

Grabbing the remote, Thok switched of the telecast. He had seen enough of this speech for today. With a quick flick of his wrist, he whipped the remote onto one of the sofas, and moved back into his bedroom. Disrobing himself, Thok stepped over to the mirror to get a better look at himself. His skin was bronze, tight, toned. As he flexed his chest, the ripples of his abdomen could be seen with great detail. Perfect he thought. I have the intelligence, the beauty, and the physique to be a man of power. Someday, the time will come where I can assume that position. Someday I will deal with those who stand in the way of my dreams. Then, those who are within the Hapes Cluster will bow to me Thok Halycron, as the ruler of the Hapes Consortium.

Walking over to his closet, he began to look through the different choices in what he would wear to dinner that night. Hmm?the red tunic? The black suit? So many different choices, but what to choose? Oh, well since I?m in the spirit of things, I think I?ll wear this! Quickly removing the hanger, Thok put on one of the more outlandish outfits he owned. It was a simple pair of black slacks with a red pinstripe up the side. Black wingtips and black socks accompanied them quite well. A simple black tunic, but it happened to be made of some of the finest silk in the galaxy. However, this was not what made this outfit so outlandish, that right was left for the suit coat he wore with it. It was as bright of a red as a Sith?s lightsaber, double breasted. To finish things off, Thok grabbed his black hat and gloves, quickly putting them on. Moving back towards the mirror, Thok gave himself a good final glance. Perfect. He was ready for a good evening on the town. Grabbing a cane from next to the door, Thok turned out the lights, and locked his house for while he was gone.

Tag: No one yet.

 

Of Rune Fanuc
Valley of the Dark Lords, Korriban

Rune stood dutifully off to the edge of the proceedings. His eyes never faltered, nor let his Master escape their view. He was obedient, to the point of obsession. Rune was once rebellious, but he quelled such feelings in the face of his new Master. A man far more powerful than Rune?s last, far more worthy of his dark talents. Rune was a guardian and assassin under the charge of Alec Garonnin, the Dark Lord of the Sith.

He had little interest in the words spewed by the idealistic Sith, however. He was not Sith, himself. Rune did not have the ambition, the drive for power. He lived to serve and constantly reminded Alec of this fact. Rune however was not the ignorant beast that he was made out to be. He was underestimated by many, and that pleased him. It made his job easier.

Despite being merely a minion, he was very interested in the Sith teachings. He pondered the weight and what truth lay behind them. The Force, as a whole, was another mystery he sought to unlock. He knew that he was sensitive to it, but it?s nature escaped him. He had constantly heard that the Dark Side was the true face of the Force, but what made it so?

He only hoped that Garonnin would be able to shed some knowledge on Rune?s confusion. Or perhaps another minion of his Master, for he had many. Faithless followers all. They were vicious, violent and highly unbearable. Most had egos similar to small planets and many larger. Rune tolerated their presence only because he was loyal to his Master. When Alec allowed it, he would enjoy breaking their necks.

Tag: LI, Sith

---

[b]Of [color=green]Drox Vrieska
[i]Vrieska?s Droid Repair and Mechanics Shop, Corsucant[/i][/color][/b]

[i]Drox snorted at the speech given by the Emperor. He garnered looks from two human patrons in the corner of his shop. They scowled. Drox scowled back and they continued shopping, clearly disgusted. Drox spoke loudly to his assistant and companion, LE-GU45, dubbed Lee by Drox.[/i] [color=green][b]?Lee, would you mind escorting those [i]?High Galacticans?[/i] the hell out of my store??[/b][/color]

[i]Drox turned off the HoloNet and leaned back in his big reclining chair. Lee, meanwhile, was busy pushing the indignant costumers to the door. Drox smiled at their useless protestations. When they were gone, he leaned forward. Lee went back to the storeroom and Drox was left to ponder Iaius?s words.[/i]

[i]Drox had rarely known a more pretentious man. Even Palpatine had been less self-centered than the Galactic Emperor Jello. He spoke down to the citizens of the Empire, though his intelligence was average, at best. In a contest of wit, Drox had faith in his Emperor?s failing. But, it was treasonous, to speak such words aloud. Drox did not want that kind of attention. So, he accepted Iaius, as HIM, until the day he would fall.[/i]

[i]Still, the man certainly had passion. However misguided Jello was, he was a leader and the galaxy would do well with one. But, his position was not uncontested. He had affirmed joint threats from both Sith and Alliance. Drox did not like the galaxy?s odds. No matter how chance weaved it, they would trade one Empire for another. Or, in the unlikely case of an Alliance victory, would be subjected to a sham of a government. Drox scowled again.

He stood, and vaulted the counter from the open half of his office, into the bulk of the shop. Lee came from around the corner, obviously having heard his rustling. In his arms he held a cloak. Drox gratefully accepted it.[/i] [color=green][b]?Thanks, buddy. Now, what do you say about taking a trip.?[/b][/color]

[i]Lee did his best to offer a mechanical shrug.[/i] [b]?You know as well as I, that I am programmed to follow you everywhere. Even if you had said nothing, I would be required to follow.?[/b]

[i]Drox grinned a insect like smile and pushed open the door. His fingers tapped a code into a sm

 

OOC: Whill, you're post is still valid just a slight change in location, Gaph was watching the speech broadcast on the HoloNet in a HoloTheater in Imperial Center.

IC: Gaph Tetsu
Exiting a crowded HoloTheater -- Imperial Center

Gaph finally found his way into a small gap in the mass evacuation of the HoloTheater, and wriggled his way out into the street. Now all he had to do was head back towards the the Docking Bays at the Spaceport, find the seediest Cantina around there, and scrounge up some work.

His plans, however, abruptly changed when he rounded the corner, into a large greenish mass of flesh and cobbled armor. However, this wasn't what first caught Gaph's attention, nor was the foul stench in the air, but rather his eyes were drawn instantly to the vibro-axe and club hanging loosely from a large belt.

Gaph instantly took a step back to get the full picture, a large Gamorrean who was either confused or extremely pissed off, Gaph could never really tell the difference in Gamorrean Facial Expressions. Just to be on the safe side he placed his right hand behind his back, so it would be quick to grab the pistol he had concealed in the small of his back, and made a slight bowing motion.

"Sorry, Sorry. Dobrah un koochoo." He said in Huttese, literally, I am a idiot, which was about as close to an apology you could get with the language of the Galaxy's most egotistical species.

Now all Gaph could do was wait. If it came to it, he could probably blast the pig before he got close enough to use the axe, but, like any Rodian, he didn't like to take risks like that.

Tag: Whill

 

IC: Gjorgji
Outside a crowded HoloTheater -- Imperial Center

So the rodian decided to speak, and in a mix of Galactic Basic and Huttese no less. Gjorgji smirked, his tusks jutting out from his lower jaw and his eyes focused on the sneakiness occurring behind the bug-eyed alien's back. The Gamorrean squealed, which almost sounded like a chortle of sorts, his belly rumbling like a bowl full of hutt-slime pudding. The makeshift armor plates rattled a little and the porcine alien placed a meaty hand on the shoulder of the Rodian. "Gjorgji thinks Rodee got guts. Got guts to sneak gun behind back." Gjorgji snorted and pushed more of the crowd out of the way, dragging the rodian into what could have only been called some form of friendly headlock with the inflection on "friendly". To be honest, Gjorgji wasn't one to bathe much, let alone at all.

The crowd people made sure to give the Gamorrean merc a wide berth, and he looked down to the rodian with what could have been a smile, perhaps a grin? Maybe a smirk? Whatever it was, it had a lot of drool. "Gjorgji gonna buy brave Rodee a drink. Potwa beer, and lots of it!" The green-skinned pig-like alien snorted again and began to drag the rodian along with him, towards the nearest cantina, almost serving as a sort of bulldozer when he used his weight and muscle to ease through the crowd. The headlock tightened for a moment as Gjorgji paused, his red-orange eyes narrowing yet again.

"But if Rodee try and pull gun on Gjorgji again, Gjorgji gonna knock Rodee into next system." The Gamorrean's threat didn't last long, keeping the rodian close as he chortled again, clutching his own armored stomach.

TAG: Gaph Tetsu, anyone

 

IC: Jad Grohen

A small tear came to Jad Grohen's left eye as the Emperor finished his speech, a common sight that fellow crew members had begun to notice occurred after every speech the Emperor made. Jad knew, deep down, that it was because he was truly, deeply moved by the speech, but the others tended to think it a crocodile tear shed by an opportunistic brown noser. Well, what did they know anyway? It took a true patriot to really appreciate the Emperor's sentiments in the first place.

The images in the Star Destroyer's holo projector room faded out, and the crew began to file out in a less-than-orderly fashion, with many grouping up into smaller clusters to discuss what they had just seen. Jad kept his eyes of the now vacant projection space, and then turned to leave, turning his gaze towards his shoes, as always. Now, it was back to his post in the bridge.

A fellow officer came up to him from the side. "Quite the speech, eh?" Jad's compatriot inquired.

Jad's gaze shifted to his peer. "Yes, I found it particularly inspiring, myself. I mean, he's no Emperor Palpatine, but The Emperor's probably the greatest leader still alive."

The other officer cocked an eyebrow. "You really think that?"

The look on Jad's face hardened to an icey stare. "Yes, I really do. Why?"

"Well, it's just that... y'know, the Galactic Alliance's chair is..."

Jad looked as if he could strangle the other man. "The Rebellion's leader is a pretentious terrorist and a threat to peace if I ever saw one." He walked off in a huff. He never could stand traitors.

TAG: Anyone else on a Star Destroyer

 

Alec Garonnin
Valley of the Dark Lords ? Korriban

"Sith! Sith! Sith!" The chant came up from the crowd as Alec finished his speech. They had been whipped into a fierce frenzy, alright. Of course, then there were those who had been unaffected by his words, and the subtle impulses imprinted with the aid of the Force. The dangerous ones. They would require watching. None so dangerous as the Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side, Garen Kya, of course. The man was a walking spider, spinning webs wherever he went, entangling all who came near him in his multitude of machinations and wheels within wheels plots.

The last that he had heard of him was that the Supreme Prophet was supervising some sort of archaeological dig on one of the moons of Yavin. The fourth one, if he recalled correctly. Any artifacts he found there would pale in comparison to what had been unearthed on Korriban, of course, but it was still enough to make one wonder exactly what a master plotter was doing out in the middle of an uninhabited jungle. The Prophet was following the Sith's code about the retrieval of artifacts, of course, but he would have to send someone to keep an eye on him, and to report back to him anything of worth found in the ruins of the temples. Perhaps one of his new Jensaarai allies would do...

Leaving the chanting masses to calm themselves and disperse, he strode over to one of the tombs he had indicated earlier in his speech. They were massive, labyrinthine structures, and when the Sith had arrived he had seen about having them converted to be used in Sith operations. His own personal chambers were located deep in the heart of the one before him, the Tomb of Marka Ragnos, one of the mightiest Sith Lords to have reigned millennia ago, and legend had it that it was his spirit which had crowned the infamous Exar Kun as a Dark Lord of the Sith, long after his own death. Perhaps, someday, that spirit may even crown him, Alec Garonnin, and then he would truly be Darth Sanguinis, in fact as well as name.

But before that could happen, he would have to surpass the feats of his countless predecessors. And to do that, he first needed the capital of the galaxy, Coruscant. A pawn would be necessary, something to manipulate the Galactic Emperor with. He dismissed the thought of the Empress, while abducting her might be the best way of going about it, she was likely to be protected by legions of the Empire's finest troops. There would be little hope of getting past whatever security arrangements had been made for her. The Princess Imperial, on the other hand, was a different story entirely. She was considerably more active and mobile than the young Empress, and likely much more valued by the Emperor. Yes, she would be the perfect target.

A quick thought pressed into the mind of one of the minor Sith functionaries scurrying about, and the minion came running, equally both terrified of the Dark Lord of the Sith and eager to please, no doubt hoping for some small scrap of a chance at advancement. Brushing aside the man's groveling, Alec wielded his most imperious tone to deliver his commands. Best to make an impression on them while they're still weak. "Have Lord Colcha, Grand Admiral Declann, pilot Vosk, Mandalorian Valo, and Rune brought to my chambers in the Tomb of Marka Ragnos at once. I have a mission for them."

Having sent the man on his way to do his dark lord's bidding, Alec began the long and tiring task of climbing the massive staircase that led up to the tomb. Who designed these tombs, anyways?

TAG: Kev-Mas_Colcha, kit-kenobi, NickLitYouAFlame, AvatarOfYunYammka

 

IC: Poison

Poison stood amongst the other Sith, near the very back of the group, robes pulled tight around her, hood concealing her face. Utterly motionless, the Sith Hand let the words of her Master sink into her mind. The Jedi. He'd spoken of them. They were back, out in the open, where she could seek them out. Her hands twitched slightly at the thought. Soon, he would let her go hunting. He would tell her where she needed to go.

The rest was a good thing. They had power. Many people on their side. Many people who would fight for the Sith. That was good. They would win, and do what they liked, and not be stopped by the enemy. Traitors and stinking Jedi were the enemies, and they'd all die soon, as they should.

The speech ended, and Poison glanced around at the others. Were they showing enough respect to the Master? Had they been listening? Would they obey his commands? All seemed to be well just now. Nevertheless, she shifted her weight from foot to foot, fidgeting slightly.

There. Someone was late. Someone was disrespectful. She eyed the man approaching the group, who wore armour and robes that signified rank. High rank. But still...disrespectful of the Master. Poison watched him from within the shadows of her hood.

Then...the Master was departing as the others cheered wildly, going about the things he needed to do for the Sith to get the victory they deserved.

Tag: Group, Kev-Mas

 

Kev-Mas Colcha and Brinlon Vosk
Valley of the Dark Lords ? Korriban

Kev-Mas, saw Poison eye him suspiciously, although however much he wanted to tell her off, she was an ally, and he would reserve that anger for an enemy. He would ignore her for now. Moments later, he and Brinlon were approached by a minion, with orders to meet with the Grand Inquisitor at his chambers in the Tomb of Marka Ragnos.

"Yes, thank you," acknowledged Kev-Mas to the minion, then going with Brinlon, walking across the rocky terrain to the Tomb of Marka Ragnos - why he had chosen a dead Sith Lord's Tomb for his chambers, he'd never understand, but he admired the man, however younger than Kev-Mas he might be, nonetheless.

Arriving in the Dark Lord's chambers, Kev-Mas addressed Alec. "My lord," bowed Kev-Mas in greeting, "If I understand correctly, you summoned my friend Brinlon and I?"

TAG: The_Loyal_Imperial

 

IC:Jace Valo
Hangar Bay 4, Korriban

A few seconds earlier cheers had erupted throughout the hangar from the other pilots and mechanics who had been watching the holo on the far wall, and were still raging around him. Jace was not inspired or moved by the speech, he was a bounty hunter and a soldier for hire. He had no allegiance to anyone here except to the person who was paying him the credits, and even that was strictly a business allegiance.

He reached into his cockpit to grab his fusion cutter, and then rolled back under his ship to continue his repairs. The cheering had finally died down and the other pilots and mechanics had gone back to whatever they were doing, but now there was an excitement in the air, that Jace could almost taste. The bounty hunter rolled back out from under his ship and sighed. He had finally finished his repairs, and was thirsty for a drink.

Rising to his feet Jace placed his fusion cutter back in his cockpit, and was about to turn to leave when he heard someone addressing him. Spinning on his heel he listened to what the man had to say. Apparently the dark lord wanted to speak with him. Jace asked the man to repeat where he said to meet the dark lord. Jace thought that meeting in a tomb was rather odd, but dismissed the man, and grabbed his dark red helmet, which was laying at his feet, and started for the tomb, decided his drink could wait.

Several minutes later Jace stepped into the dark lord's chambers and noticed to men already standing before the dark lord. He shifted his game back to the dark lord, "Have a job for me?"

TAG: All Involved

 

Grand Admiral Nial Declann
Valley of the Jedi, Korriban

Even though he had his concerns about the future of the organization he had tossed his lot with, the former Imperial Grand Admiral could not help but be moved by the near euphoria of the crowd as the Dark Lord ended his speech. Already standing, he began to applaud, although he at least refrained from hooting and hollering like some adolescent at a shockball game. He could sense the excitement through the Force, but there was something sinister about it: it was the clamor of the hungry predator as it prepared to hunt for hapless prey. The crowd, for the most part, seemed driven by a hunger for power and glory, a dangerous motivation since few would ever find satiation for their desires. Historically, that had been the downfall of the ancient Sith.

Declann waited for the crowd to begin dispersing before he started away, planning on taking a jaunt over to Korriban's currently-under-construction spaceport. Supposedly the new spaceport was being built on the ruins of one constructed several millenniums in the past, perhaps during one of the Sith Order's heydays. Either way, he wanted to check on the progress of not just the reconstruction of the spaceport, but of the (re)building of infrastructure in general. One of Declann's qualms with Korriban was that, for all intents and purposes, it was a wasteland. It certainly did not of the panache of the Empire's capital planet (Coruscant) or even the Alliance's (Mon Calamari).

As he was walking, he sensed the underling approaching him to deliver a message. Declann was not surprised that the Dark Lord wanted to speak with him. He assumed the new leader had some ideas cooking up and, undoubtedly, they probably would involve the Grand Admiral. After the message was delivered, Declann nodded, "Thank you," and politely dismissed the young messenger. Even though the young man was of low rank and probably not Force Sensitive, there was no reason to be rude or abusive. He had learned this during his 'true' military days.

Approaching the tomb, he shook his head in wonderment. Why would you put your personal chambers in a tomb? Even if Marka Ragnos (yes, Declann had made sure to read up on Sith history and its important personalities) had been a great Sith Lord, it still struck him as odd to use the man's tomb in such a way. The Grand Admiral hoped that if he were buried in a similar type of tomb that nobody would use it for such a vain reason.

Walking down the oddly formed steps, he entered the chambers proper, quickly noting his colleagues' presence, but, at first, not actually showing signs of taking notice of them. Instead, he sharply saluted the Dark Lord, "Sir, you called for me?" It was only at this point that he politely nodded towards his fellow Sith.

TAG: Sith

 

IC: Gaph Tetsu
En Route to Sienar's Pub -- Imperial Center

Gaph did not speak pig. He had never wanted to speak pig, nor had he ever felt the need to speak pig, that was, until this very moment. The Gamorrean's eyes clearly went to his right hand, which was still behind his back, and he, in what Gaph only considered loosely a language at all, spoke something only a pig could comprehend, and pushed towards Gaph. While his speech inflection hadn't been threatening as far as other species were concerned, Gaph was still a bit nervous. Especially when the Gamorrean put him in a tight head lock and began dragging him down the street.

Someone had once told him that playing dead would make a Gamorrean loose interest, and this seemed like the perfect time to try that trick. Gaph let himself go limp, as the Gamorrean continued to speak and push through the crowd. Suddenly they stopped, and the head lock tightened. At this point, Gaph decided playing dead was not working, and he looked at the Gamorrean's face, just as he spoke again, eyes narrowed. The pig laughed again and continued on.

It wasn't that Gaph disliked the pigs, it was just that they smelt so bad he could hardly stand it. He knew humans said things of that sort about his people, but they didn't have the extra sensitive olfactory glands he had. He remembered one time a small time Crime Lord in the Imperial Center Under-city one asked him to take out one of his Pig-Guards that was informing on him to other crime lords. Gaph had been able to follow a three day old scent trail to capture the beast. He was just glad the Crime Lord had accepted a finger as proof of death and not wanted a head or a heart like some of those under-world psychos did.

Finally, it seemed, the two had reached their destination. Sienar's Pub, a Medium sized joint close to the docking bays that was run by a female Besalisk. Maybe the Gamorrean was going to buy him a drink...or maybe he was going to buy the Gamorrean one. Either way the Pig had tossed him into a booth that had emptied out as soon as he had set his eyes on it.

"Thank you friend..." Gaph said nervously, "I was on my way here before we met as well." He grinned, hoping the being spoke Basic. He cleared his throat, and stood up waving his hand in the air. "Excuse me everyone! Not to be a bother, but does anyone here speak Gamorrean?"

He figured no one did, but it was worth a shot.


Tag: Whill, Nick, Anyone else

 

Xander Malifi
Valley of the Dark Lords ~ Korriban

As the crowd around him roared it's approval at the conclusion of Lord Garonnin's speech, Xander Malifi sat quietly waiting. Other issues were pressing in his mind, thanks in part to his appointed duties as Grandmaster of the Sith Academy.

The position was half curse, half blessing. While he was forced to engage in the bureaucratic practices of running a institute of learning, he was also given access to much of the cache of knowledge that had been discovered here.

If not for that, Xander would not have accepted the burden of running the academy. Of all those aspiring to be Sith, only the Dark Lord and possibly the Supreme Prophet had greater access to the relics and artifacts of the ancient Sith. This placed Xander in a unique position of being able to while away his hours on this isolated lump of rock in study, if only he could find the time to escape his duties as Grandmaster.

Luckily he had some gifted subordinates which were able to take much of the workload off his desk, and allow him to do just that. Obviously there were still many issues which required his personal attention, but as time passed those were becoming fewer and further apart.

But of course there was always something to draw him away from his studies, like this. It was a tiresome event, and one that seemed to benefit only those too weak to think for themselves but it did help to keep the moral of the students high so he could see the benefit of it at least.

Noticing only now that the cheering had stopped and the crowd was beginning to thin Xander stood from his seat and attempted to shuffle his way through the masses unnoticed, which was difficult as most in attendance knew him and requested his attention, most likely to try and curry favor or gain some sort of advantage over a rival in the academy. He ignored them all.

His only desire was to make it back to his office within the school as quickly as possible, where a half finished manuscript awaited him with potential knowledge which could give him greater insight to the dark side of the Force.

Tag: Any who are looking for some fun