SWRPF Archive War of the Galaxies Deux [Restart of the WOTG Saga] - Looking for players, see updated first post!

Darth Stygius

Cinnagar

He made sure he kept objects between himself and the group of men he was presently approaching. He opened himself to the Force again and felt their souls and feeling their surroundings before seeing into the current present. Once he had the necessary knowledge of their physical surroundings and the weapons they carried, he could approach with confidence and a plan.

Looking up at an escape ladder, he leapt onto it, grabbing the edges rather than jump onto a level and leaping frogging essentially to the next level until he was at the roof. From there he ran towards the soldiers, following the edge of the building. If they were electronically tracking him somehow and they did not pay attention too closely, they would think he was rounding a corner to attack them.

But once he reached that corner, he would look down and telekentically grab the nearest man and pull him to the roof top where he would drain the appropriate knowledge from him. That was the plan and Stygius had every reason and confidence to believe that it would succeed.

TAG: Jello

 

Darth Stygius

Cinnagar

A black gloved hand with black bracers and dark purple heiroglyphs grabbed the youth from the air and yanked him onto the roof floor. The young man was shoved behind a black-clad figure as Stygius reached out with another hand and pushed the incoming explosives back down upon the men who threw them. The resulting explosions statisfied the Sith Lord and he turned to face his prize now that he did not have an immediate threat to his person.

"Do not be afraid," he said soothingly, his face completely masked behind a black-mesh hood. He reached out for the young man's weapons and force tossed them aside before he grabbed him by his brow. "All I want is what you know. Cooperate and you shall live. Resist and you will die."

He began to drain the knowledge of the young man as to who his immediate superiors were and everything about this time period. Stygius began to notice that his ability to grab that knowledge was not as easy as he knew it should be. He paused for a second, narrowing his eyes, confused before he resumed and choosing to just focus on taking the knowledge of the young man's superiors instead.

TAG: Jello

 

Darth Stygius

Cinnagar

Disgusted at the idiocy of the young man's thoughts, Stygius pulled away and faced the two threats flanking him. He was surprised that these people had any intelligence to use tactics if what he drained from the young man was all these people could produce. Looking down at the young man and before his companions could open fire, he turned away and jumped off of the building to the carnage below.

From there he sprinted toward the location he knew this captain would be waiting.

TAG: Jello

 

Darth Stygius

Approaching Imperial Garrison, Cinnagar

The first shell landed in front of him and knocked the air out of him. He leapt back to his feet and drew upon the Force to shove aside the affects of shell shock. He did not stop moving, knowing it would be suicide to do so. Sytigus stretched out the in the Force and felt more of the shells coming towards him.

He arched a curious eyebrow at the tactics of the Jedi. Could they know who he was to send everything they had at him first before they confronted him? It was possible that they passed a legend down from one generation to the next and keep watch on his tomb. But why waste lives when they knew he would survive?

The more he thought about it the more he began to believe that these were not Jedi at all.

Still, Jedi or not, they had chosen to use artillery against him and he needed to neutralize it before some gunner got in a lucky shell. Quickly Stygius altered his course and began heading toward one of the artillery's positions with the intention of sending their own fire upon themselves, hopefully reducing the amount in half.

And if not, well he'll have a momentary human shield while he tore through them like a hurricane.

TAG: Jello

 

Darth Stygius

Approaching Imperial Garrison, Cinnagar

He never reached the artillergy but at least he had acheived his goal and that was to end the bombardment. He would have headed for the garrison again except that he had an army all around him, or would soon have one. Stygius slowed to a walk and narrowed his eyes once more. He could not defeat an army alone with just the Force as his aide. If he had his lightsabers he could.

So he needed to improvise instead.

And improvise he did.

By deactivating his bracers he allowed the darkside to pulsate from him and encouraged it to gradually increase its radius. Although he had experimented with this idea several millenia ago, he knew its limits were only a hundred meters from himself but that would be enough to effect the men and women he was about to confront.

Stygius picked up his pace and resumed his heading for the garrison. Let these Imperials try and attack him with their war machines. When they fail to stop him, their emotions will betray them.

TAG: Jello

 

Darth Stygius

Imperial Garrison, Cinnagar

After running through an army and watching it break down into chaos, he had free reign to the garrison. Once inside he activated his bracers and closed himself to the Force again. He did not glance back at the disorganized army beyond the walls, instead he focused on making his way to the command center.

He quickly discovered that the place had been abandoned and was perplexed by it. Surely they would have stayed to try and stop him? Was it not their goal? Whatever reasons behind the evacuation he did not care. The fact that there was no one around to slow him down or stop him meant he could reach the command center quickly.

He knew there were still people inside, he could feel their presence in the command center. So someone had elected to stay behind after all.

It was not long before Stygius entered the hallway that ended with the command center's door.

TAG: Jello

 

IC ? Major Garr Faltonni
Rebel Reprisal, Helska System, Outer Rim Territories

?Thank you, Commissioner,? Faltonni said, smiling. He turned to one of his soldiers, a large man of thick muscle and the look of a veteran. ?Master-Sergeant, have the men fall out and board the gunship for immediate deployment.?

Master-Sergeant Herado Barclay, survivor of more battles than he remembered and a former Imperial special operations commando, turned to the line of troopers and roared, ?Alright, you motherless sons-of-Hutts! You heard the man, and you know the drill; load ?em up!? Faltonni watched the slightly shocked expressions on the faces of some of the officers present as Barclay?s blunt nature countered Commissioner Dellos? politeness. ?Move, move, move!?

As Barclay basically chased the troopers out of the briefing room towards the hangar, only Faltonni and the other officers assigned to Alpha Team were spared his wrath. However, Faltonni knew most of it was an act for the rest of the assemblage, a show to both reassure and shock. Faltonni grinned slightly, carefully hiding it from everyone present. Then he turned to Dellos.

?Commissioner? If you?ll follow me??

Faltonni led Dellos from the briefing room, passing through to the hangar where the team?s gunship was berthed. A Clone Wars-era LAAT/i gunship that had been extensively refitted, she was named the Erialc after a girl that her pilot, Captain Rekar Natti, had known. She had been killed in an Imperial raid several years earlier, and was regarded as one of the reasons that Natti joined the Alliance. Natti had once said he would have called her the Erialc?s Revenge, but she had never believed in vengeance.

The troop bay was open, and the team were going through final preparations; attaching thermal regulators to armour, donning cold-weather gloves and balaclavas, putting on combat headsets with communications and holo-recording packages, and, the most important part of the kit ? refractive glareshades with thermal imaging and night vision software. Troopers collected their kits and weapons, boarding the transport one at a time, and falling into regular seating places on the ship.

Faltonni accepted helped from the young Corporal Desake in attaching his thermal regulator, then gathered his own kit and weapon, a modified E-11 blaster rifle with scope and micro-grenade launcher. Pulling on his gloves, he turned to Dellos.

?I?m assigning Corporal Desake to you, Sir. He?ll be with you at all times.? Raising a hand to ward off any protest, Faltonni continued. ?No argument, Sir. This is non-negotiable. Your safety is paramount.? He took a pile of kit from Desake, and the young corporal scurried off to mount the gunship.

Holding the pile of kit towards Dellos, he opened it, revealing a pair of thermal gloves, a balaclava, a communications headset, a pair of glareshades, and a deadly looking blaster pistol. ?If the quartermaster issued you any of this, ditch it now. It ain?t worth sithspit. Trust me, use these instead.?

Pulling on his balaclava, Faltonni said, ?I understand that this is what we call an aggressive recon, Sir, and that, technically, you are in command. I have no problem with that. But, if we enter into a combat situation where lives are on the line, you have to do exactly what I say. If I say drop, you drop. If I say run, you run. No hesitation, no arguments. People may die if you don't, and I want everyone coming back for lomin ale and nerfsteaks.? Faltonni fixed Dellos with a firm gaze. ?Are we clear on this??

Tag ? DS5

 

IC: Colonel Julian Halivan[Alias: Turner Barak], Commenor

---

Julian did not have enough information to make an informed decision about the target. He had Halsen's service packet and everything the Alliance knew about him and had put into a data record. Not much. It was difficult for the Alliance to coordinate the command structure between High Command, the service commanders, unified field commanders, and individual task forces -- and that was the very core of what was needed to operate this rebellion. Keeping detailed records on everyone was a monumental task... but one that the Alliance would have to learn. Halivan was a major proponent in the military establishment for more funding to institutional and organizational operations rather than to field ops. This was not a popular stance and Halivan had few supporters. And he, too, understood the argument: no one wanted to see someone's son going off without body armor in return for new desks and laser-pens.

It wasn't possible to gain any more information about Halsen through this manner, but Julian did seem to interested the query enough. In the end, it might lead only to a more detailed personnel file on a former member of the Alliance, perhaps even a weapons cache seized. But maybe, just maybe, something greater would be established. Julian did not have the luxury to hope, though.

Turner stood up and began walking closer to Halsen, tapping his datapad.

<<[b]I want the cache intact if possible, destroyed if not.[/b]>>

He then moved directly toward the door leading to the larger gaming facilities. The datapad had an effective range of several kilometers, even through all of the walls and signal interference from the sabacc tables. Halsen would have to find Julian now.

<<[b]I know you're tracking me. Come find me.[/b]>>

Halivan sat down at one of several bars in the larger room and ordered a juice. He had had enough booze for the day. Any more and he would lose his edge in this little dance. And there was no reason to give Halsen too much of an advantage.

TAG: [b]ktala[/b]

[blockquote][blockquote][hr][/blockquote][/blockquote]

IC: Commissioner [b]Pax Dellos[/b], [i]Rebel Reprisal[/i], Helska Orbit
[hr]
Pax nodded his head. "I understand your concern, Major. I will be leading the discovery, you will be leading the military mission. And I would not presume to question your combat expertise in a firefight. Believe me, I will be experiencing incredible terror if I do not listen to you. And I'm certain that Corporal Desake will be an excellent guide for me through this... adventure," Pax concluded.

The team boarded the LAAT/i. Pax remembered acquiring a fleet of the things several years ago from a planetary government that had fallen on hard times. What if this was one of those very vessels. Maybe the one he had tested with that Corellian who tole him the history of the LAAT during the Clone War. And now Pax would be riding in one of these. Truly seeing what the fruits of his labor had brought to the Rebellion. And yet... he was not satisfied. Something crucial was missing, and Pax could not determine what. Little matter, especially now, though. Pax felt the ship pressurize and the engines hum.

"Major, take us to the surface. There are two grid coordinates that ComScan has identifies as unusual and has red-tagged for us. Take us to Alpha and set up your LZ," Pax said, relinquishing control to the burly Major, a strong man who knew the meaning of hard work.

Pax could not shake the thought that now would be the time for Alliance Heroes. Men and women of fortitude and vigor. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa reborn. And to win, the Alliance would need not just two heroes. Every member, every warrior and senator and tradesman, would have to become heroes. Though it was a dark time, Pax did not despair. He knew he was in the company of heroes.

The nimble ship began its descent into the wild tundra of Helska, ready to shatter any ill ice might hold.

TAG: [b]cavalier_one[/

 

Jello Approved
Class: Noble/Scoundrel
Name: Mishael Niego
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Species: Human
Homeworld: Klatooine
Language Spoken: Basic
Other Languages: Huttese, Klatooinian

Appearance
Height: 1.76 m
Eye Color: Brown
Hair: Black
Skin Color: Light, creamish brown
Clothing: Favors the Neimodian style of business formal that featured elaborate robes and headdresses, and was common at the height of Trade Federation power.
Other: Always carries malachite (a deep green semi-precious stone with ?marble? like patterns) worry beads.

Personality: A calculating reserved, but pleasant bureaucrat. Even-keeled, and prefers others with similarly clam demeanors. Ambitious, but grasps at humility with variable success. Can be vengeful when crossed.
Habits: Plays with worry beads when thinking. Can falter into long pauses or end sentences abruptly.
Likes: Botany, Observing crowds, semi-formal gatherings
Dislikes: Witnessing violence, ?hard? crime first-hand, commotion
Talents: Administration, Negotiation
Weaknesses: Early life as a slave has given his psyche unfortunate contours. He suppresses failure, can be unhealthily nepotistic, and has unresolved issues about his own humanity. On a physical level, he is a less than adept fighter, though working with the Hutts has made him at least passable in this regard.
Racial Attributes: N/A

Personal Ship
Name: Twilight Roost
Model: CR90 Corellian Corvette
Accessories: Serves as the functional base of operations. Crew complement includes most all the staff of the Special Envoy, with spacious working and living quarters. Reasonably well-armed, with cargo holds available for highly sensitive smuggling runs

Affiliation: Hutt
Rank: Special Envoy
Branch: Klatooinian Trade Guild (KTG)
Primary Weapons:

Force-Sensitive: No

Background: [Name] is the product of long simmering tensions in Hutt Space. The Clone Wars and subsequent conflicts, like any social upheaval, was a boon for the criminal element. But the results left some more equal than others. Organized elements faced increased competition. Collateral damage mounted as the major factions grew desperate. The Kajidics lost sweetheart deals and political protection as old power structures lost relevance. When anarchy invited local governors a chance at state-run vices, there was little reason to keep outsiders involved. These new challenges left Hutt resources strained. Suddenly less able to assuage its traditional constituencies, Nal Hutta?s attempts at self-preservation accentuated the already growing disillusionment of its slave races.

At the same time, a young foreigner on Klatooine was showing considerable promise. Raised their from infancy, he?d successfully embraced the culture as his own while retaining the social skills requisite for smooth interaction with his own race. After demonstrating promising intellectual and administrative capability, he was fast-tracked into an intensive training program. Afterwards, he was moved to the Hutt civil service, where he worked for many younger crime lords. Though his service was distinguished and exemplary, it attracted no attention outside of his field.

When a sport on the KTG board opened up in the early part of the Civil War, the independence-minded factions in Si?Klaata made their push. Noting the ideological background of his parents/masters [Name]?s name appeared on the short list of potential replacements. Eventually, he was maneuvered into the position as a compromise candidate. His official titles are many: majordomo to a major Vodran kajidic, non-voting Board member of the Klatooinian Trade Guild, personal servant to the chair of the Klatooinian Council of Elders. His purpose is singular. He is at the leading edge of a group of secretly partisan bureaucrats, using their posts to lay the groundwork for the independence of the Si?Klaata Cluster races from Hutt control.

 

Jim Halsen/Sticks
Gambling Establishment - Commenor


As he watched the area around him, he saw a new message pop up on his screen.

<<I want the cache intact if possible, destroyed if not.>>

Jim grunted softly. This guy was nuts. Steal a cache? He wasnt a pack nerf. He wished he had a few more drinks in him. This guy wanted to play games, and he was not in any mood for it. Jim saw several folks get up and leave then. Hmm. He wanted to play tag, did he. Jim was not really in the mood for games. But he'd play for now.

Several beings got up, and headed for diffrent rooms, most heading for the gaming tables. Jim watched several before he sat back down at his terminal.

<<I know you're tracking me. Come find me.>>

Jim grunted. So, the mystery man wanted to play games. Fine, he would just change the game slightly. Jim typed furiously on his console for a moment. He then connected his small comlink to it for just a few moments, downloading a certain program. He then stood up, and walked out, heading for the larger gaming rooms.

Jim wandered over, and looked into the room. He leaned on a wall near the door, and then simply waited.

He didnt feel like playing tag with the man, tracking him around. So instead, he set up a simple relay. It was a little trick he had learned, done when folks didnt want to be found out. It set up an repeating interference and feedback, burning out whatever was picking up the signal. THAT, should flesh out this annoying man. Jim reached into his pocket, and pulled out a piece of chewstick, popping it into his mouth. It wasnt as good as a deathstick, but it would do for now. He sat back, to watch the fun.



TAG: DarthSeti5

 

IC - Major Garr Faltonni
LAAT/i Gunship Erialc, Helska System, Outer Rim Territories

Despite having adequate seating in the troop bay, Faltonni found himself standing in the cockpit hatchway as the gunship surged through Helska's atmosphere. Faltonni was surprised to see no cloud cover, only the bright sunlight from Helska's primary reflecting off of the arctic tundra.

"Helska; vacation spot of the Outer Rim. Hope you all remembered your turbo-skis," said the co-pilot, Lieutenant Rollos. "Who did we kriff off to get this assignment?"

Captain Natti adjusted several controls. "Keep the channel clear, Shaan," he admonished. "Or the Major may decide you could benefit from field duty, and not spend the mission in a warm cockpit."

With no apparent effort, Natti leveled the gunship off, and whipping over the tundra at full speed. Displays came to life as terrain sensors kicked in, and Rollos consulted them. "LZ Alpha appears clean, Sir. Two minutes to target."

"Give me a circle of the target area, then set us down. Dust off on my clear, then stay on station."

Faltonni retreated back into the troop bay, surveying his squad - seven trained soldiers and one diplomat. But a very brave diplomat. Unslinging his rifle, he checked the power pack, then announced, "Two minutes! Gear up!"

Each trooper responded immediately, rechecking their own gear quickly, just to make sure one final time. Without speaking, each soldier moved to one of the outer doors, forming into two fireteams, ready to debark. Faltonni motioned Dellos towards him. "This side, Commissioner. And hold onto the rail above your head."

"All clear, stand-by," Natti said over the comlink. "Opening outer doors - get ready for some chop." With a whirring of gears, the troop bay doors slid open, revealing the icy wastes beyond. Cold wind invaded the troop bay, swaying the passengers slightly. Damn, Faltonni thought. It's cold. Be a while before the thermal regulators compensate for the temperature change. Descending rapidly, the ground rushed towards them, until, in a blast of repulsor energy, their fall was arrested, and the gunship hovered a few feet above the snow and ice.

"Go, go, go!" Faltonni yelled into the comm. Almost as one, the troopers dropped out of the bay, moving forwards and spreading out, securing two separate areas on either side of the gunship. Boots crunched on the densely packed ice as Master Sergeant Barclay and Corporal Coynyrs, the heavy weapons specialist, raced ahead of Faltonni. Behind him, Corporal Desake gently, but firmly, assisted Dellos out of the transport, and into the middle of Faltonni's fireteam. Weapons swept the terrain, searching for any sign of hostile activity that might require the gunship to remain behind. Finding none, Faltonni issued the All Clear command to Natti. With a whine of repulsors, the gunship surged forward and away, climbing into orbit to await further orders.

Shouldering his weapon, Faltonni retrieved a datapad containing all geographical information and intelligence relating to Helska. Calling up a map of the immediate area, he passed it to Dellos. "Where do you want to start, Sir?"

Tag: DS5

 

IC: Commissioner Pax Dellos, Helska, Surface

---

The ice wind cut through Pax's thermal regulator. In the past, Pax had been stationed at the Hoth command center, he had made acquisitions on Rhen Var, but none of them compared to this place. The star charts identified the central as Helska and the planets simply radiated outward one through seven. Helska Four. So impersonal, distant. This planet... it seemed like a place where things came to die.

Pax eyed the map Faltonni had displayed. He had already done his research on the probe scans. The Beta location was tagged because it met Alliance parameters for a small base -- if the rebels could use it, surely someone else could. Alpha, though, was much more disturbing. It appeared that a comet had impacted the surface approximately two kilometers from their location. That was something no one but Pax, Captain Talkon, and (soon) the War Committee knew.

Tapping a corner of the map twice and entering a control key, Pax brought up the newest information the probes had gained. Immediately, the information on the comet-like object was layered on the map. Right now, it was classified. As soon as High Command got their act together, they would probably increase the classification to code word clearance only. No one wanted this scan to be seen outside the highest circles until Pax could finish the discovery. And hopefully prove the rumors false.

At the very least, if this was all smoke and ice-mirrors the Alliance might be able to establish a weapons cache and deep Outer Rim listening station on-planet. At the very worst... the Alliance would be threatened by a rising near-pear possibly throwing a wrench in the new Outer Rim military strategy. Even a medium scale pirate group could be a deadly force if they contested the Alliance on the Rim. A massive operation could be disastrous. Thankfully, there could be no force so large as the Alliance in the galaxy at this moment. Such a large build up would have been noticed by someone.

Pax's duty was all contained in his highly classified briefing book. If this was a powerful new group... the planet was the be destroyed. At all costs.

"A comet, Major Faltonni, has been discovered two kilometers from our location, beyond those ice hills. A comet impacted an ice ball planetoid...?"

"A false construction." the Major said.

"Quite possibly. With the [i]Rebel Reprisal[/i]'s sensor stealthing and the small vehicle that we used I doubt we attracted their attention -- if there is indeed anything beyond those hills. We need to recon the area immediately around that rock. Passive sensors only, to be safe. We should be able to get a good idea about the composition of the object. Perhaps it's ancient and was part of the creation of this planet. But... it could be anything at the moment," Pax said, tapping the map on the detail of the rock. "With luck, it will be nothing and we can all get back to a warm ship."

Pax looked out into the expanse with doubt in his eyes, hidden by the equipment. The Commissioner did not need a scanner to tell him that this planet did not seem to add up at all. And he could not shake the feeling that death whispered in the icy winds.

"I'll leave the march up to you, Major. Let's be off."

TAG: [b]cavalier_one[/b][/blockquote]

 

IC: Colonel Julian Halivan[Alias: Turner Barak], Commenor

---

The datapad ran a string of code and sang out a few mournful beeps, having enough sense to turn off the connection to the station Halivan had been using to route his signal through. It got out a burst transmission to the [i]Kanix[/i], uploading all its scans and mission data to Julian's primary computer. Then the device emitted a puff of smoke as Julian began moving for the exit.

[i]Nice trick.[/i] Julian thought as he pulled the zipper of coat all the way up in anticipation of a bit of wind. Halsen would have noticed the minor explosion and to simply sit and wait for him would be foolish. Time to move to the streets. Without a datapad to guide Julian. Without its uplink to his ship to aid in monitoring any Imperial transmissions or signals that the target might make. Julian had previously memorized most of the surrounding area as a matter of form and thankfully he remembered most of the streets. Surely Halsen was following him. No need to go to the ship. A Skipray was a nice catch for someone like him (although Julian doubted anyone but the best Imperial slicers could crack its security systems -- there were indeed perks to being a Senior Intelligence Officer).

[i]I might not get him tonight. He might just get tired of chasing me. That's fine. I have time. And if he's not interested... that fine to. A waste of talent, but greater wrongs have been perpetrated upon the galaxy, I guess.[/i] Julian mulled as he hailed a ground cab.

"Hutt's Head bar."

"Gotcha..."

The cab moved swiftly on to one of the large thoroughfares of Commenor. Julian would get another drink (he deserved it and quite honestly needed it) in private room 22. Possibly pick up a cheap replacement for his datapad from a vendor and check in with the [i]Kanix[/i] so she didn't think he had died. And return to his hotel if Halsen did not arrive. Halivan slumped back into his seat and closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to let some of his stress out through a few breaths. It had been a long life, and it was just getting to the good part.

TAG: [b]ktala[/b][/blockquote]

 

Jim Halsen/Sticks
Gambling Establishment - Commenor

Jim leaned on a wall near the door, and then simply waited. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a piece of chewstick, popping it into his mouth. He sat back, to watch the fun. It didnt take long.

There.

Jim saw a puff of smoke go up. 'GOTCHA!' Jim thought to himself, as he began to move. He could see the man, but not fully, as he began to move, following the man towards the exit. Why was the dude running? Didnt he say he wanted to meet? He was starting to get annoyed with this man. This seriously had a bad stink to it. GOOD. The worse the smell, the more the credits. Or perhaps he could gain some useful info that would barter even more credits. He picked up speed, chasing after the quickly moving man, as they headed out of the casino. 'Frack!,' Jim thought to himself, as he pulled his coat tighter around him. He now sprinted as he saw the guy getting into a ground taxi. Frell. At least this wasnt Coruscant, he thought to himself, as he jumped on his swiftflyer bike. He slid down his goggles, and ramped up the engines, and shot it skywards.

Jim watched, as the cab moved swiftly on to one of the large thoroughfares of Commenor. Jim followed it from above, staying out of sight, which wasnt too difficult, considering the surrounding traffic. Combat senses, honed from years of training began to kick in now, as he followed the man. Dang. It was messing with his alcoholic binge. But in the end, he would make up more than enough credits for his trouble. One way or another.

Jim wondered what he was going to do, once they arrived at their next destination. This was going to be tricky. This guy was good. So why did he need him, Jim wondered. Jim patted his blaster. He would find out. Jim followed until the speeder made it to some place called the 'Hutts Head Bar'. Jim chuckled. His type of element. He hovered, out of sight, as he waited to see if that was the man's true destination, or not.


TAG:DarthSeti5

 

IC: Colonel Julian Halivan[Alias: Turner Barak], Commenor, Hutts Head Bar

---

"Hey Frein, you got any spare datapads? Something cheap?" Turner asked as he unzipped his jacket and threw a cred-chit at the bartender, walking slightly past the main bar to scan the holovids for any news. An aging Bothan (with an ego to match his years) took the chit and ran it through a reader, for form's sake alone. Frein and Turner/Julian had a history and while they did not trust each other they at least respected each other. After a moment, the Bothan had keyed up Julian's favorite room and had a waitress ready to serve him. And a bottle waiting.

"Yeah, I have hundreds," implying a recent acquisition. "I can have on in 22 in a second. Anything special?"

"Short range transmitter?"

"How far?"

"I don't know... ten, fifteen kilometers."

The Bothan considered the deal for a second, consulting his computer station hidden within the bar structure. "Three hundred credits."

"I know that it'll be hot."

"That's why you get a deal on it. Datapads aren't cheap, my friend... and for you, I'll even take off ten percent. [i]Favored [/i]customer," the Bothan said. The weight of their relationship laying over the phrase.

Halivan needed to get out of sight and link the device with his ship. No time to banter and/or barter with Frein tonight. "Alright, you know who to charge."

Frein tapped a few keys, smiling to himself, no doubt counting his profit. "How about a drink with me, for old time's sake? Unless you're in a rush... ?"

"Kind of," Halivan said, sardonically. Damn Bothans. "There's a man coming in. Picture's on the chit. Offer him a drink from me and tell him where I am. He's probably going to have a blaster..."

"Turner," Frein said, using the Colonel's alias, and stressing the name. The one real leverage the alien had on Julian was his identity. Thankfully, Julian had plenty of dirt on the former arms dealer. The Bothan government would pay a fairly high price for this one's head. Julian hoped the economics of using him instead of turning him in was equivalent or better. So far, Frein had been one of his best contacts. "I don't like blasters in my establishment."

"Then you should run a library, Frein. I'll be in room 22."

*****

Picking up the bulky datapad, Julian plugged a datacard into it, loading a few essential programs and items to allow a connection to the [i]Kanix[/i]. In a moment, the ship and Julian were reconnected. He activated his secure link to the bar's holocams to watch Halsen and had his ship begin preparations to leave. And Halivan thumbed his holdout blaster on in case this went bad. Money talked, but it could be drowned out by a well placed shot.

No sign of Halsen yet.

Julian took the bottle the waitress had brought and opened it. Fairly cheap whisky from some super-production facility in the Expansion Region. But it wasn't unpalatable and in sufficient quantities it would knock one over. The Colonel let the amber liquid pour out into a stout little tumbler (no ice) and downed it in one gulp. The burn was satisfying and the taste... well the burn was satisfying. The drink reminded Julian of so many missions past. Before he had risen into the bureaucracy -- although that moniker was deceptive. Julian spent more time on active missions than anyone of his level in Father, and was butting up on that magic 20th mission -- after which he was "officially" barred from performing any more. In reality, Julian had performed more missions than that, but many were so highly classified that they could not count on his official record. And as Julian was an SIO, he could pretty much post himself where he wanted.

Old missions and old friends (and enemies) flashed before Julian as he poured another helping of the whisky into the glass. This one would be sipped, as always. The pattern was very familiar to the Colonel. Death and life. Pour a shot or two of booze and watch his new contact tortured by an Imperial agent, giving

 

Lol, somebody wants the Yuzzies to show up badly.

Darth Stygius I swear I want to keep typing Sidious!

Cinnagar, Emperess Teta System

He had been... confused by his encounter with the Jedi Princess. But after a few days thought and healing, he had been able to understand what had occured. The young Jedi was still a child both physically and mentally. If she had truely understood the threat that which those who welded the darkside could bring to her and the galaxy, she would have allowed her companions to finish him off rather than protect him from them.

But he was never one to look a gift rancor in the mouth. He appreciated the fact that she spared him, but he would not thank her for it. Still, her actions had intrigued him and left her open to his manipulative ways. The next time they met, he would begin her journey down the dark path of the Force. It was, after all, his philosophy to corrupt everything with the Darkside of the Force. He knew, from experiance, that the Darkside can dominate if enough of the galaxy was tainted by it. He had caused it many times in the past and had seen it happen by others.

Stygius stiffly pulled his cloak around himself and resisted the urge to use the Force while the child's masters were still near. Bringing his thoughts back to his teachings, he also knew that the darkside could not dominate forever. The Force would not allow it. But he did know that the Force will allow the darkside to continue to exist under the flickering flame of the light. That was the one thing the Jedi never seemed to truely understand. The Darkside can never be destroyed in its entirety. He also knew what the Sith and other Darksides lacked in their quest to rule the galaxy.

He understood the Force and how it worked to maintain balance in the universe. He understood that the Darkside could not forever dominate the galaxy but what everyone else lacked in understanding he understood that if the Darkside allowed the Lightside of the Force to gain ground in the war, the Darkside then could extend it's longivity. It was simple and yet complicated at the same time. Stygius smiled softly at an old proverb he had once heard in his travels; rule with an iron fist but wear a velvet glove. To simply put it, take the lives of a hundred people but spare the lives of twice as many. The Darkside would still dominate, but the Lightside would momentarily flourish before simmering down to a flickering flame once more.

Dread and Hope. Life and Death. That's how the Force worked and once you understood it, the easier it came to manipulating. And he had thousands of years to perfect his understanding and methods. Now he just needed to instigate the events that will lead to the universe he wished to create. But first, he needed to finish gathering his relics. He would not be caught helpless again like he had this first encounter.

Stygius turned toward the space port where his stolen craft waited. He would wait for the blockaide to be removed before he left the system. There was no point in letting these Imperials, aside from the Princess, that he was still alive.

TAG: Jello

 

IC - Major Garr Faltonni
Helska system, Outer Rim Territories

Staring out at the unforgiving ice stretched before him, Faltonni felt a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the cold wind swirling around him. The ice hills, two kilometres distant, called to him. They promised adventure. They promised death. Hefting his modified E-11, he nodded.

"Squad; we're moving to the ice hills. Patrol formation, single file. Five metre spread. Eyes and ears open - possible hostile contacts ahead. Joahnis, take point. Sergeant Barclay - you're on rearguard. Cover our tracks as best as possible."

Joahnis, the squad's combat engineer, nodded and started off, heading for the ice hills. One by one, the squad moved off in single file. Faltonni turned to Dellos. "Commissioner, I'll be ahead of you. You follow five metres after me, and Desake will be five metres after you. Anything happens, drop and cover. And ready your weapon, just in case."

Without another word, Faltonni set off, Dellos following him. The rest of the team formed up as Master Sergeant Barclay took up the rear, dragging a long tarpaulin behind him in an attempt to cover their tracks long enough for the wind to cover them naturally. Barcaly knew it was only a token effort - the cold wind would obliterate their traces soon enough. But chance was not something commandos dealt in.

In silence, the squad moved on, towards the ice hills and adventure.

Tag: DS5