Star Wars OPEN Dark Reach: Episode II – THE STORM OF ONE

OOC: The following is a combo with Lady B and Sinrebirth – thank you so much!!

IC: Empress Bellorum Graul, Emperor Aryan Graul, Admiral Davis, and Norin Graul
The Graul Estate, Nubia

The first order of business was clearing the house. The staff was dismissed for the night, they wanted no witnesses. They sent Gramps and Lyz with the medical team from the Stardust to one of the safe shelters that had been built under their warehouse.

Everyone was to avoid running into the real Norin Graul because his current whereabouts were unknown, they were able to confirm that Norin was currently not inside the main house.

Their footsteps echoed eerily down the empty corridors that led to the office wing. Bell found the decor a bit stuffy and wondered if he even allowed his family in that area of the house.

Aryan trailed a few paces behind his very pregnant wife, her distended belly causing her to amble along with a distinct waddle. Her condition had clearly slowed down their forward progress, but he had no objections to the delay at this point. His apprehension about their plan persisted, and he could use the extra time to prepare himself for the task ahead.

In the face of insurmountable odds, Aryan had heedlessly suggested that he impersonate the Norin Graul of this era to gain access to Nubia’s defense fleets. As his direct descendant, he had a passing resemblance to the man, so it seemed like a logical choice to use that to his advantage, especially when they needed those assets to fend off the One Sith’s impending assault.

… but now he wasn’t so certain.

His great-great-great grandfather’s office—which would later become his father’s—held too many unpleasant memories. However, they were more peripheral in nature; impressions that he was able to glimpse through the Force. He recalled how he had rarely stepped foot inside this private domain as a child, only doing so more recently out of necessity when his father had fallen ill… and yet, he could perceive so much. Norin’s presence imbued the space, allowing Aryan to latch onto every snapshot that passed across his awareness.

The good.

The bad.

And the traumatic.

It elicited a sigh from his lips as he leaned back against the far wall, almost as if he hoped the shadows would conceal him from Norin’s influence. "I don’t know how you convinced me to go along with this," he murmured under his breath, his eyes roaming aimlessly over the various flimsies and trinkets on the desk.

Aryan shook his head slowly, reminiscing. "It’s like a nightmare to embody that man."

Bellorum nodded and answered, "I’m sure." She slowly circled the room, gently touching objects. Images passed through her mind, a man who resembled her husband shouting. His face was red and veins throbbed in his neck, this man was practically spitting because he was so angry. A boy who was clearly frightened, yet he didn’t flinch during the man’s tirade.

She wrapped her arms around herself tightly and crossed the room to a settee. Bell slowly sat down and leaned back, eyes closed, she was weary enough that it felt like she might drift off to sleep.

The man definitely could pass as her Aryan, she would know the difference, but anyone else might not. Bell had relaxed and allowed the visions to enter her mind again. The occupant of this room had raised his voice more often than not. Images that didn’t feel relevant raced through her mind, but then one stuck out. A petite Chiss girl that Norin struck violently. Bell’s eyes opened suddenly, what had she just witnessed?

The young woman appeared so frail, yet she stood up to him. There had been another woman near them who seemed frozen in place, likely horrified over the man’s actions.

"Try and hurry," she requested, "this place is vile." Bell swallowed hard, halting the flow of memories that this place held from entering her head again.

The study was thankfully empty of him, but the Force stunk with his musk; his shadowed essence.

There was a flash of memory for them, of Norin beating bloody a Chiss woman -

Then it faded.

There were already missed messages on the comlinks.

One was from the local defense coordinator, requesting permission to engage -

Another from the nearest hospital, complaining of a power cut -

Another from the satellite chain in orbit, giving them ample data on the disposition of the Tapani warships in orbit -

Closing his eyes briefly, Aryan thrust the dark visions from his mind and reoriented himself to peruse the various memos awaiting Norin’s attention. He found the latter two intriguing enough to download directly to his datapad for future reference—an altruistic effort at a local hospital would certainly boost their approval ratings, and he couldn’t bypass an opportunity to gain access to the enemy’s playbook, including their fleet placements and schematics.

However, it was the request from the defensive coordinator that proved particularly beneficial to his plan. It provided an opening to engage the Nubian military and exert his authority. While he was still dubious about whether they would actually fall for his ruse and believe that he truly was Norin Graul, they were out of options. They had to give this a try... or suffer the consequences of their failure.

Glancing across the room toward his wife, Aryan held her gaze for a long moment, lightly touching her mind through their bond, before settling down behind the holoprojector. He placed both hands flat against the desk and inhaled deeply through his nose. Once he found his focus, he toggled the controls with his thumb and opened the channel.

"Admiral," he intoned gruffly, modulating his voice just enough to emulate Norin’s inflections. "Are you that dense or merely incompetent that you couldn’t make a simple decision to advance the fleets?"

Aryan inclined his chin and glared at the other man, seeming to stare through his soul. "There are religious radicals bearing down on our territory, and you have the audacity to waste my time—precious time that could determine whether we actually survive this invasion—by asking for permission to proceed?!"

He rose to his feet and slammed his fist against the desk, upsetting a pile of flimsies.

"What kind of fool are you, Admiral?! I have a notion to board a shuttle and come up there to slit your throat myself! Your number one priority is to defend this system from outside intervention. Do your job and deploy! NOW!"

The Admiral was really a clerk with a middleman job. Nubia had been passed between the New Republic and Empire a few times but hadn't been directly fought over and despoiled. The Empire had nationalised the world, but much of its direct rule had come from elsewhere, and the New Republic zealotry in emptying the entire system of every Imperial had made Nubia more independently minded than not...

... and Admiral Davis was just in charge of defending one of five hundred thousand worlds that were independent.

He had spent some Nubian credits, yes, bought up eighteen Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers, but it was hardly as if he had the budget for Star Destroyers and Star Cruisers - he was purchasing Corellian chop-shop fighters; Uglies, combining X-wings and TIE fighters and YT cockpits and B-wings. When a small fleet arrived in-system, and then smuggler and Hapan ships arrived, he wasn't sure what to do.

Aboard the Nubian Pride, a sixty-year hulk, he had been watching the carnage from his ready-room - not even the bridge - sipping caf and unsure what he could do. So when the emergency channel chimed - the one the real rulers of Nubia had access to, the corporate mega-lords and fixers and movers that allowed democracy on Nubia to play with the populace - he jumped out of his seat, spilled his drink, and snapped a salute that was sloppy as hell.

"Director Graul, sir," he stammered. "We can't beat those ships in a straight-up fight, we should discuss evacuation!"

Bell’s posture tightened listening to the Admiral’s voice. She lifted her finger towards the holocam and gestured lightly. A small red light indicated the stream was now muted on the Admiral’s end.

"Should we find out who the next being down the chain of command is?" She asked angrily. "This guy is useless, and a coward."

The bloody fool had already wasted valuable time. "You know, we have the team on the stolen Interdictor," she smiled, "I’m sure one of the Knights could oversee the fleet." His suggestion of evacuation really bothered her, "you have to put your foot down on the evacuation order, we discussed with Insipid that it’s best to keep the fighting out of populated areas."

She stood and walked over to stand across the desk from Aryan, "we don’t bend on that."

Bellorum wasn’t completely convinced that how she would handle this situation was for the best, it was mostly her knee-jerk reaction to the lame Admiral. She knew Aryan would make the best call, and she wouldn’t dispute his decisions.

"That’s assuming the violence remains outside of the cities," Aryan noted grimly, shifting his position to prevent the Admiral from interpreting their conversation through ulterior means, such as lip reading or surveillance equipment. "Insipid may aspire for one thing, but whether that actually comes to fruition is another matter entirely. I’d rather have a contingency in place… just in case."

He quirked a brow and gave his wife a knowing look. "He doesn’t exactly have the best track record."

There was no need to elaborate; he knew Bell was aware of Insipid’s shortcomings. The Sith had suffered several humiliating defeats under his watch, including Mortis, Bedlam, and many personal catastrophes aside. It wasn’t clear whether he had permitted those failures to occur on purpose, or if he was simply that incompetent. Either way, Aryan had no intentions of enduring another disappointment.

Straightening his posture, the Emperor unmuted the call and shifted his gaze to scrutinize the other man. "You may proceed with limited evacuations… if that will ease your primitive mind," he scoffed with disdain, narrowing his eyes as if daring the Admiral to further question his authority. "Begin with the border towns. The larger population centers will follow, but only if it becomes a necessity. For now, place them on high alert."

He then leaned back and canted his head, taunting the man. "As for your general ineptitude in repelling our intruders, I have a solution for that. I’m sending you someone who can assist in correcting your inefficiencies and ensure that you succeed in your endeavor; someone who is not afraid to uphold our ideals and fight for our sovereignty. You can expect them shortly."

The officer spluttered but knew who he was dealing with. "Yes, sir, I acknowledge." There was genuine fear in his voice, and the line cut.

Not a second before the door was thrown unceremoniously open by Norin Graul.

"What the hell are you DOING!"

He had his hands already curled into fists, ready to inflict violence -

For some reason... neither of them had sensed him coming.

How?

How did he get to them without their notice? His voice certainly startled her. She physically jerked when the door banged open, but his voice… it triggered something deep inside her. A very old memory.

It triggered fear, but not for herself. She was afraid for someone else.

Instantly Bell was on the move to get between Norin Graul and her husband, but it wasn’t Aryan she was afraid for. It was someone else that Norin had beaten and terrorized. Someone who looked a lot like her.

"He’s taken charge of defending Nubia from destruction," Bell answered boldly. "That's what the hell he’s doing. I suggest you have a seat, and do not take that tone with us again."

Aryan stood frozen, unable to move as he stared at the imperious man with utter disdain. He was well aware that this version of Norin Graul was not truly his father, though he couldn’t dismiss the similarities between the two men. His domineering presence immediately contributed to Aryan’s insecurities.

It hearkened back to his childhood and the rigorous schedule the man had lauded as part of his daily routine. Military service had hardened him, and he had adopted those same principles as a means to raise his family. As Norin’s only son, Aryan had suffered the most under his strict regime. He had expected more from him than the very troops he commanded on a regular basis. As a result, his efforts were always deemed insufficient and often ridiculed. The verbal abuse—and sometimes it progressed in a physical sense—was enough to erode his young mind. It wasn’t a wholesome environment for a child to learn and grow.

And now, nearly sixty years later, all of those experiences came rushing to the surface of his awareness. He was suddenly ten years old again, cowering in fear as his father berated him in a condescending tone.

That voice…

It echoed relentlessly in his mind, whittling away at his self-confidence and fostering doubt and vulnerability…

He wasn’t even aware when Bell stepped forth to diffuse the situation, placing herself between him and Norin. Everything had shifted to a gray, luminous haze, almost as if he had wandered into a dream.

And just like a dream, his muscles moved of their own accord.

With slow deliberation, Aryan reached into his jacket and produced a small hold-out blaster. He then pivoted, pointed the barrel in Norin’s general direction, and depressed the trigger.

No!

Bell instantly raised her hand to pause the blaster bolt before it delivered what was literally a kill shot aimed at Norin Graul. It glowed an angry red as it hovered between them, straining against Bell’s pull.

"I don’t blame you for shooting to kill, dearest," Bell said without looking at Aryan. She kept her stare fixed on Norin while she spoke. "I certainly would’ve done the exact same thing in your position, but let’s not do anything rash that could jeopardize this already fragile timeline."

She released her hold on the bolt, redirecting it into Norin Graul’s kneecap.

TAG: @Lady_Belligerent; @Sinrebirth

 

GM Post One of Two

IC: Darth Insipid
The Battle of Nubia

The shadow man moved among the shadows, pursued by shadows, confronting, you guessed it... shadows.

Of himself, of others, shadows cast and to be cast.

The dark side was very strong here.

Darth Insipid knew very well what that would eventually mean.

To his dismay.

To his hope.

To his prayer.

He felt a huge surge in the Force, and then was a detonation in the city, a whirling of smoke and debris and masonry.

Insipid paused, regarded the two who were exposed from the dust.

Ike and his new apprentice, Tia.

With a nod, and a nudge in the Force to the youngster of thanks, he moved on, darting towards civilian districts.

From the skies dropped, with firm, crushing boots, a Sith Trooper.

Then another.

And another.



Three.

Insipid darted away from Ike and Tia, conscious that they were tracking him, not them.

And then there was a whirl of power and two took after his scent.

Insipid cursed.

The last? He turned to Ike and Tia and pointed his fist.



A hammer in the Force pounded into the two of them.

The battle was on!

TAG: @Tia (combo)
---
Consciousness

Soliloquy came to in the sky.

A dim memory, muscle, rather than actual.

The Sith Trooper had stepped to his unconscious form and sneered.

"Pathetic."

Apparently he'd felt it sufficient to boot Soliloquy out of the ship for his airdrop.

Currents of the Force confirmed facts.

Imperial Knights in-system, in orbit, Sith in the city, friends old and new.

Another ship had dropped three Sith Troopers near Ike.

Two were pursuing something, an indistinct shadow in the Force.

There was a hospital besieged, the terror of patients and children filing the area.

A Sith Trooper diverted from the chase of the shadowed one, to head towards two little darknesses; Serapis and Hekate.

The third Trooper was heading towards a manorly Estate; the Graul one.

In orbit, Hapan and pirate and Imperial and Tapani ships skirmished, killing and killed, burning and falling.

Nihl, Wyyrlok IV, Inexor, the others, where were they?

Soliloquy had choices to make, as he fell, fell, fell.

Adas was silent for now; Soa was absent.

TAG: @Mitth_Fisto
---
The Hospital

Insipid had diverted towards the blossoming panic of a hospital aflame, strafed, rather than struck.

He sensed Hekate and Serapis, send a subtle warning to them of incoming and diverted.

One of his two remaining pursuers rushed off.

The Sith Trooper was a hulking powerhouse, and a raging attack slammed into the greenhouse, covering them in transparisteel shards a moment before he leapt into their vicinity, a pair of red blades swinging for each of their throats -

TAG: @DarthIshyZ, @Nehru_Amidala, @Mitth_Fisto (updated TAG, please post what you have otherwise)
---
Graul Estate

Norin dropped to one knee, but smoke rose up and merely revealed, beneath his skin, a metal kneecap.

The man growled at them.

A wave of the Force slalomed out, upping the desk, and intending to throw them -

He reached into his upper bicep, and drew out a red lightsaber.

He'd let the One Sith turn him into a cyborg.

Norin's eyes glowed yellow and he readied himself to kill Aryan and Belligerent.

He had been working with Darth Krayt all along.

In the distance, they'd sense Insipid running their way, pursued by a Sith Trooper.

TAG: @Lady_Belligerent, @HanSolo29
---
Orbital scrum

Fighter craft picked off Fury-class assault ships, but not before most of them delivered their payloads; Sith Troopers, and seemingly Soliloquy in the middle of it all? Bernael and Iudex might not notice, with the Victory-class Star Destroyers resisting their raiding forces.

They were just slightly too outnumbered, though there was an Interdictor acting out in the middle of it all.

Behind the Tapani armada appeared a ship.

It was large, eight kilometers long.

An Mandator-class Dreadnaught.

An antique, but a powerful one.

The resurrected Pelagian Moon, with Shey Tapani in command.

In it's hangars?

X-wings, TIE Advanced starfighters, E-wings, and Tapani Manta-class starfighters.



Their pilots?

Well, they had their choice of what to fly.

They were Knights of the Empire.

The Imperial Knights.

Walce, Cera, Madelyn, and her Nightsister lover.

Their opponent?

The stolen forces of the Tapani High Lords; Victory-class Star Destroyers, frigates, carriers, corvettes, all being engaged by Pyke and Hapan and Nubian ships.

Shey spoke up into the comms.

"Capture or take out that Victory destroyer," he gave them a target, not yet besieged by their allies, standing in the heart of the enemy formation. Two TIE fighter squadrons screened it's bridge. There was darkness abounding, but none of them were aboard that destroyer. Between them and their target? Three other Star Destroyers, turning to face the Pelagon Moon, which promptly began firing.

They'd have to thread turbolaser fire, but Shey had faith in them.

They needed to smash the centre of the enemy formation, and that meant small forces with powerful punches.

Them, essentially.

@ConservativeJedi321, @TheAdmiral, @TheSilentInfluence (singles)

Of course, in the middle of all of this, Bernael and Iudex were freed, as the High Lord's fleet was trashed.

The heart of the enemy formation stood strong, but the flanks were completely baffled; the rear attacked by the newly arrived Mandator, the Pykes and Hapans engaging the port and starboard sides, and the forward motion of the attack on Nubia stymied by reluctant Nubian defenders, who were now acting as if someone had lit a fire under their backsides and they hated it; heavy cruisers setting up a line but nothing else, they’d need much more direct command.

Inexor, with Shimmer in his clutches, was getting further away, but he was definitely not trying to get too far.

Indeed, he must have been distracting them from that miasma.

It was a cover, a shroud, and Iudex and Bernael had detected it, to the edge of the atmosphere, perpendicular to the greater battle, but there was something there, in the Force, anyway. Technology said there was nothing... a cloaked ship? Or ships? Was the Force user beneath that shield so powerful he could not truly hide himself(!)

Had they found Krayt?

A moment later, a blazing pain, across the Force, and a snapshot in the minds eye of them each.

Inexor had just cut off Shimmer's arm.

A chittering chuckle.

"Come on, come on, you don't want me to kill her, do you?"

TAG: @darthbernael, @Silvertough

 

Graul Estate, Nubia

She had underestimated Norin Graul, and now he was severely complicating the situation. They needed control of the defense fleet, and there was little time to spare.

Cover for me.. Bell’s voice echoed through their ancient bond. I’ll get a message to the — Kriff! Norin had pulled out a lightsaber.

Aryan didn’t have a weapon with him that Bell knew of, besides his blaster. He would need something to defend and fight back against a lightsaber.

Her hand felt the cool hilt of her own blade, it had slipped into her palm… on its own. She exhaled a breath she had been holding, and quickly touched the cylinder to her lips, whispering to it, “protect him.”

Catch!” Bell tossed her lightsaber across the Aryan and took a couple of steps back.

She watched until the hilt was secure in Aryan’s hand, only then did she step back farther and quickly entered a text based communication:

Imperial Knight Hhat, proceed to the capital ship Nubian Pride. You are there representing Norin Graul to relieve Admiral Davis of his duty. He is to be handled as you see fit.

Grand Admiral Hhat, you are now in command of the Nubian Defense Fleet. Protect Nubia and her citizens, Admiral. You answer only to Emperor Aryan Graul.

Knight Brokenborough, you are healed sufficiently, assist Grand Admiral Hhat and assume the role of Vice Grand Admiral in command of the NDF. Protect Nubia and her citizens, Vice Grand Admiral.

Knights Tyrell and Donvoy, remain in control of that interdictor. You are now to be Grand Admiral Donvoy, and Vice Grand Admiral Tyrell of the Sith Defense Fleet. Recruit from the staff on board and kill any that do not follow your orders. Protect Nubia and the Sith Empire from enemy attacks. You now answer only from Emperor Aryan Graul.

I’m counting on you four to protect Nubia and our Empire from your positions, do your best and destroy incoming enemy ships.

—Bellorum

She turned back to face Norin, Aryan didn’t need her help, and she would only help if he wanted it. This man wasn’t her Aryan’s father, but he seemed equally as twisted and vile. Norin Graul was Aryan’s kill, if he should want it.

Tag: @HanSolo29 @Sinrebirth @Ananta Chetan
@CosmoHender @Silvertough @galactic-vagabond422

*****​

One of the Rodians held out his hand to show Helinith a wicked looking thermal detonator. “You calm down, lady, or I’ll kill us all.”

He quickly exchanged comments with his partner in their native language. They decided on shoving her out of the air lock if she harmed any of the beings on the ship. It was their ship, and she would not get any cooperation with her bossy attitude.

“We don’t want to go to Yinchorr,” the second Rodian spoke up, “you just insulted these hard working Rodian’s who are not slaves, they were paid for their work and are now going home.”

Tag: @darthhelinith

 

OOC: Comboing with Sinrebirth and Silvertough, someone made a mistake hurting Shimmer...

IC: Bernael and Iudex
Nubia, Orbital scrum

Looking out of the viewscreen, Bernael took in the chaos of the battle as a small smile crossed his face. A line, an old line from a works long thought vanished from the galaxy came to mind, ”Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”*, his voice a calm, flat tone as he spoke.

An interesting, fleeting sensation crossed his awareness as he watched the battle, watched some of their foes craft release their deadly payloads of forces toward the surface of the Nubia. He turned back, facing Iudex for a moment, ”Did you feel that, my brother? A presence that…” he cut off, reminding himself that sometimes the more ancient beings of the galaxy were able to feel others of similar antiquity where the younger beings couldn’t.

Although…a grim smile crossed his face when he felt the pain and the glee of Inexor reached them. ”If…if I am correct that one just signed his own death warrant.”

"A rout?" Iudex intoned in turn, drumming his fingers atop the railing. "No, no, but soon. Their flanks are overrun, their retreat cut off." A pleased growl reverberated within his throat. Even his motley collection of pirates had been performing above his expectations. Excellent. Perhaps their Empire wasn't in such dire straights as he had previously imagined.

He regarded Bernael with a raised eyebrow, before tilting his chin in a shallow nod. Yes, he had also sensed it. That peculiar something that seemed to over just out of view in the periphery of his mind's eye. A cloaked vessel, both materially as well as through the Force itself? Something to look into after the One Sith's flagship was taken out, perhaps.

A lance of raw emotion temporarily pierced his concentration. Paired agony and childlike glee washed over his mind, and then, a moment later, it was gone. Iudex glowered, a fist clenched white-knuckle tight.

Shimmer.

"No." Iudex growled, taking a moment to squash the rage blazing deep within his core. "Until my judgment is fully meted out.. Death will be but a distant dream for the Pretender. Advance."

Bernael’s eyes seemed to drink in the light around them as he nodded to Iudex. A touch of mental command and the ship they were aboard arrowed deeper into the formations of foes that advanced upon them. But the minnows mattered little, Krayt and Inexor mattered more. Against the pressure of the Force against them, he reached out, pain intruding on his mind, reaching for the Croke. ’Inexor desires to kill your ward.’ he sent, hoping the mental message managed to reach the other ancient one.

Refocusing, he began to lash out, using what he had to redirect torpedoes and missiles, to turn their courses back on the ships that had fired upon them. He trusted that his brother would ensure that they headed in the needed direction, his focus now was to make sure that they arrived where they needed to be. That trust, likewise, extended to trusting whether Iudex would choose between Shimmer and ridding the galaxy of Krayt.

Iudex fell wordlessly into lockstep with his fellow Circle-Lord, mentally filling in the defensive or offensive gaps left by the old vampire as he moved them forwards. Nothing would stop their crusade, the countless dead congregating in their wake was testament to such. It was clear to Iudex that his battle-brother shared a similar sentiment to he, that their destination was all that mattered. Petty concerns over the state of their vessel or an escape plan afterward were irrelevant in the here and now.

No, all that mattered was the placing of Krayt and his many minions' heads on stakes for all the galaxy to see. A more fitting end than what they truly deserved, but so be it.

Now Iudex drew freely from his well of rage, tossing aside anything and anyone that dared attempt an intercept of their vessel. He could see Inexor's ship ahead in his mind's eye, hiding deep within the One Sith's reserves. It mattered not. All would buckle and break against their reckless advance.

Soon.. Iudex promised. Soon..

Fighters were tweaked off path, missiles were diverted, even a couple of laser bolts were outright deflected upon invisible walls -

The two of them were wielding the Force as a shield and sword, pooling their resources and finding themselves greater than their sum of parts -

The Dreadnaught cruisers that made up the local defenders were as much a danger to them as the enemy, uncoordinated even as the Hapan and Pyke forces tried to hem in the Tapani -

But they blazed their way across the engagement as Inexor's ship ducked into an orbiting station; something civilian, lightly armed and already pockmarked with ill-aimed damage; there was a lot of random fire being hurled around -

As Inexor and Bernael neared the station, a quartet of advanced fighters, TIE Clawcraft from the future timeline, roared out of the hangar towards them -

Bernael let out a humored snort. One arm gestured out of the viewscreen, a talon pointing at the Clawcraft. ”If that doesn’t put the nail in the coffin that Krayt and his goons followed us across the multiverse I do not know what does.”

Letting his own power intermingle with Iudex’s, something that had become more natural, something also remembered from doing something even deeper when fighting Snoke, by Manticore’s side, he reached out, seeking to confuse, to distract, to override circuits and minds inside the Clawcraft, mentally preparing himself for when they boarded the station and confronted Inexor.

”I believe this craft is as much a weapon as the armaments it carries. Which means it’s usefulness might now be in removing those gnats from the board before we deal with the annoying wasp.”

"These heretics tarnish the name of the Sith if they truly think a station of civilians will temper my fury!" Iudex snarled in indignant fervor. They would all be willingly sacrificed if it got him what he wanted. Stations could be rebuilt, fleets reorganized, populations reborn.

There was only one Shimmer.

"A rancor doesn't concern themselves with gnats." He countered darkly, before reaching out through the force to simply crush one of the offending vehicles into a bloodied, shattered orb. "Feed on their fear if you must, our arrival is inevitable."

The space around Bernael began to darken, as though he was becoming shrouded in it. A deep chuckle drifted from the rising darkness. There was a sense of his presence rising before there was a sense, in the Force, of a bowstring being released. ”Fear is the salt of what you might call the spice of my feeding. Terror is the saffron of it.” came from him in an almost purred tone.

In the distance, the station that Inexor had disappeared into shuddered in its geosynchronous position. The ancient what once had been an Anzati chuckled again, as another surge of his presence filled the zombie marionette filled bridge. As the pressure increased and the shudders of the station dissipated, the edifice beginning to grow larger in the viewscreen, faster than their speed would dictate, Bernael himself seemed to change.

His shape writhed, orange streamers of power radiating across his face and body, tenting the cloak draped over him. The streamers blazed as they centered around his eyes. He was shifting slightly, the power of Ooru he’d taken into himself revealing…revealing there was even more to him than he’d let on. His head turned to face Iudex, the face almost a mask, one that any historian of the galaxy would blanch at, one whose voice and the mind behind it they both knew well.

His smile was cruel yet not a word passed his lips before he turned back, ”Let Inexor tremble at what his feeble ideas at revenge have unleashed.” his tone hollow. ”And now I will feed in earnest.” he muttered as the station raced towards them, grinding the two remaining Clawcraft to dust in its headlong flight.

Iudex turned away from the display of madness and horror evolving to his side. Not out of fear or the like, but for simple peace of mind. There was no need to stare into the heart of the expanding abyss to confirm its existence. Not when he had survived such a mistake during the Battle of Hapes. The vampire would consume all that stood before them, and Iudex would mop up those unfortunate enough to survive. It wasn't the most equal of arrangements, but by the Force was it effective.

Instead, Iudex found himself with his hands raised outstretched before him, palms facing the bridge's ceiling. Electricity sparked and crackled across his body, illuminating his emerald skin in a nigh piously white aura as a ravenous craving of it's own filled his body. One of devout fervor. His Imperial Truth had saved him during the Battle of the Akkadese Maelstrom, and today, through sheer force of will, it would save Shimmer.

"Our crusade is righteous." Iudex called through gritted teeth, extending his arms further apart as if to embrace someone who wasn't there. His voice boomed throughout the bridge, echoed by an unseen pervasive thrum of power. "Blessed Bogan, grant me the will to purge the heretic, to smite the apostate, and to bring retribution to those taken from our Order. In your name I will scour the Galaxy with the flames of perdition. I vow to let none escape my anointed wrath, my judgment as Arbiter of the Empire. I will never waver, I will never retreat, not until all those who spurn the will of the Dark Side are crushed upon the rocks of my fury. So I promise in my name, Iudex, Circle Lord of the Sith."

The Force surged to answer his call, and within a single heartbeat those that had managed to escape his companion's initial charge were yanked back into Bernael's ravenous maw. They would die, as had been demanded of them.

There was a Force surge, a powerful, terrible counter.

It wasn't just Inexor, no.

It was... someone else.

That grip seized upon them, tractor beams too, and they were drawn into the hangar itself.

Bernael’s form slowly began to shift, returning to normal, as the Force surged, pulling them in toward the station. His head shook as the orange faded from it, ”It appears we will have the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.” his deep, thick voice said, as he turned to glance at Iudex.

”I issued a challenge to the one we desire to destroy and he could not help but respond. Or so it appears. And you will get the chance to retrieve Shimmer.” As he spoke, he turned back, watching the viewscreen darken as they were pulled into the hangar, the corners of his mouth turning up in a pleased smile, looking forward to facing their foe.

Iudex brought his hands together above his chest, tightly clasping them as he continued in his chanting, voice now barely above a soft whisper. The surge within the force only strengthened his convictions. An undeniable proof that his request had been fulfilled.

His eyes shot open, fervor and fury blazing from within gilded irises like a horrible star, "Light likes to think it is the fastest thing in the universe," Iudex growled, boring imaginary holes through the durasteel bulkheads of the bridge towards where the Force had located Inexor and his ilk.. The chanting from before had continued, even as his mouth spat out different words, taken up instead by the lips of the crew that hadn't been yet consumed by Bernael. "But no matter how fast light travels, the darkness is always there waiting for it. Such is the totality of our retribution."

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @Silvertough

*Ozymandias - PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

 

IC: Takaris Yur
Kesh, Keshtah, the City of Tahv



The quiet world in Wild Space was a lot quieter nowadays.

The Sith Lords had moved on to Hapes, and then Imperial Space, such as it was, stepping stones to greater and greater heights. That left Takaris Yur on Kesh, as High Lord of the Sith, while other humans and Keshiri debated and did what they did.

It was inevitable, arguably. The Keshiri had managed to leave the planet before the Clone Wars, and then in-fighting had cost them the technology. Yur had tracked down rumours of Keshiri fighting for the Separatists - for the Sith Lord Tyranus - but didn't care either way. Nothing had come of it and he suspected Kesh had been periodically, secretly, involved in the greater galactic community and the Sith ways had cost them.

This time would, potentially, be no different.

But there remained a few connections to the wider galaxy still.



One of them was within a bacta tank off the Circle chambers, adjacent to those human and Keshiri Lords that ran the day-to-day of the planet. Well, it was a tank, but it was also, well, in the asylum wing of the secret Sith compound. A whole level was kept for criminals that might prove useful, madness with potential. It had been a specific requirement of the Sith, something to do with Bedlam and the way in which a mental ward upon that world had given them the idea.

His name was, Yur believed, Anark, and Lord Insipid had left him in the care of his Keshiri secret apprentice.

But with news of the New Sith Order having been ambushed at Nubia, and left high and dry by Imperial and even some Hapan allies, Yur reasoned that now was the time.

To wake him.

With a rap of his purple-skinned knuckles upon the glass, he pressed Anark to awaken.



He also took a very large step back, because Anark was, well, mad.

The Keshiri looked at the very long data file of episodes the Sith Lord had gone through, and the injuries he had inflicted...

TAG: @Snokers (combo opportunity for your GLORIOUS RETURN!)

 

OOC: The following is a combo with Lady B and Sinrebirth – thank you so much!

IC: Empress Bellorum Graul, Emperor Aryan Graul, and Norin Graul
The Graul Estate, Nubia

Their lives, and those of the citizens, depended on the Imperial Knights following her orders, and now that her messages were sent, she had to trust them to carry them out.

This was exactly what she had hoped for Aryan’s sake, they could avoid. It had been in the back of her mind though, it was inevitable that father and son would face off.

She stayed to the edges of the room and pulled the edges of her bulky cloak closer to disguise her pregnancy. Norin would exploit that detail to gain an advantage if he knew, hopefully, he’ll see her as simply being plump.

Slowly she eased along the shelving that lined the walls, maybe she could get behind him. Hitting him with a toxin-laced dart would be tricky, she needed to see where cybernetic parts ended, and where he was still flesh and blood.

It was difficult to comprehend the circumstances that led to this moment. Aryan recalled how he had allegedly fired his blaster at his great-great-great grandfather with the intent to end his life—but Bell had intervened to redirect the shot into the man’s knee. She reminded him that they needed to preserve this reality and prevent another Change. Killing Norin Graul could have devastating consequences for them all.

But that’s when things spiraled out of control, and it soon became clear that they may not have a choice.

Norin, always obsessed with the Force and achieving power and prestige, revealed that he had allowed the One Sith to transform him into a hideous abomination. He was more droid than man; a crazed cyborg who had acquired unnatural abilities through his programming, which enabled him to emulate Force users. He even brandished his own lightsaber to emphasize this point.

However, Aryan wasn’t entirely unprepared to confront the man in his current form; he had his wife to provide assistance. Aside from a brief nudge through their bond, Bell surrendered her lightsaber to him without prompting.

Aryan caught the hilt as she tossed it through the air, relishing the touch of the cool metal against his palm. With such an elegant blade at his disposal, he recognized the significance of this moment. The wielder and the Kyber crystal shared a sacred bond. The fact that Bell trusted him to use her personal saber was a testament to the strength of their relationship. She considered him worthy—even if he doubted his own abilities.

And sure enough, as he thumbed the activation switch, the amethyst blade extended and hummed to brilliant life. That was all the confidence he needed to proceed.

Planting his feet, Aryan recalled the combat training he had obtained at the academy years ago and quickly utilized that to adopt a defensive stance against Norin. He would not act out of recklessness; he would bide his time and wait for his opponent to commit a crucial mistake.

"How proper that you would allow Krayt’s cronies to turn you into a literal monster," Aryan taunted with a wry smirk, slowly circling around to cover the man’s flank. "You can have all the technology in the galaxy, but it will never equate to the natural flow of the Force; something you will always lack and never experience."

The Emperor stopped and gestured slightly with his blade. "Come on, old man, I know you’ve waited a long time for this." He scoffed lightly. "So have I."

Norin laughed. "Thanks to Lord Krayt, I do not need the Force now."

His eyes flittered from Bell to Aryan, making it abundantly clear that he was watching her, too -

A hand was lifted toward the Emperor, and a bolt of lightning erupted from his fingertips in brilliance -

Aryan acted on pure instinct, moving aside and raising his violet blade to repel Norin's attack. The white tendrils of electricity licked hungrily at the saber, forcing him to clench his teeth against the sheer intensity of the strike. He was still an amateur when it came to utilizing the Force to its full potential, but it was becoming easier to open himself to its vibrant flow. As it energized his mind and spirit, it bolstered his stamina and gave him the strength to confront his twisted relative.

However, there was so much more at stake.

The intimate bond he shared with Bell burned brightly in the Force, reinforcing their love for one another. He sought to preserve their union, even as Norin stalked them from across the room. Aryan couldn't allow the man to discover the truth about Bell’s condition. Despite her delicate state, he would not hesitate to harm her or their unborn children. They were vulnerable, and it was his duty to protect them.

Clamping down on that thought to strengthen his resolve, Aryan pushed forward with the blade to deflect the lightning back at his opponent. With his free hand, he reached for his blaster once more and fired several shots in quick succession at Norin’s chest.

A diversion would be helpful, but he was watching both of them closely.

Her efforts to fade into the shadows didn’t seem to get past Norin, it was anyone’s guess what Krayt had done to him. He bragged about not needing the Force, but what did he have?

Aryan’s concern for her was humbling, and she made sure he could feel her love, and the confidence she felt in his ability to protect her… now more than ever. Trust me, just as I put my trust in you. She was prepared for the lectures that her actions would result in later, but she secretly adored when he instructed her after she’d caused him anxiety.

"Why you?" Bell asked boldly as she stepped closer. "Why would Darth Krayt turn you into a cyborg abomination?" Her voice was harsh and demanding, she was filled with loathing for Aryan’s distant grandfather.

Bell was clearly playing with fire, but Aryan would protect her. She would get Norin angry at her, hoping that he would focus his attention solely on her and give Aryan the advantage.

"Mr. Perfect Norin Graul, why are you so desperate to be better than your son?"

Insulting him made her bold, and she’d crept closer to him before she asked what she really wanted to know. "Who was she? Tell me who was the woman that resembled me… the one that you struck?"

How far could she push him?

"Only a coward would strike an individual markedly smaller than yourself."

Norin flexed a hand and sent his reflected lightning bolt into the study, igniting the carpet, and the blaster bolts sent him stumbling but merely revealed his chest of metal. He grinned maliciously as Bell sermonized him.

"You look so much like her."

A smirk.

He projected an image from a holoprojector on his arm, showing Sybelle.

And then he seemed to vibrate, but vanished -

Appeared before Aryan, as if moving with incredible speed -

Crunch -

He grabbed at the blaster and crushed it, as well as fingers -

Then he moved, appearing behind Bellorum, backhanding her -

"Ah, the memories."

He was fast.

Augmented fast.

Aryan’s concentration lapsed when Bell surged forth to confront Norin, resulting in a string of profanities and a stagger in his step that cost him the advantage. Before he could reorient himself and pivot out of the way, the other man was beside him, knocking the blaster away while simultaneously crushing the bones in his left hand.

Pain blossomed from the point of impact, eliciting a scream from his lips that was somewhere between a growl and a curse. The action also caused him to double over so that he failed to see the moment when the bastard slapped his wife across the face. If he had known, there would've been hell to pay. Instead, the Emperor clenched his teeth, juggling the lightsaber in his grip, and quickly held the wounded hand to his chest to protect it from further injury. It was only now, in this precarious position, that he was able to take stock of the situation and note the augmented way in which Norin moved and the little hologram that had provoked Bell into action.

But perhaps the more pressing matter was the fire the elder Graul had ignited when he deflected the lightning into the floor. The flames spread swiftly across the plush upholstery, licking toward the ceiling as black smoke billowed from the source. The small inferno promptly triggered the automatic fire system…

… which gave Aryan an idea.

Inhaling deeply, the Emperor reached out with his senses to anticipate Norin’s next move. He tried to envision the scope of the room, including the location of furniture and other odd trinkets, using their placement as a means to detect any subtle changes in the density of the air. The displacement of particles would indicate movement—

Aryan's eyes narrowed as he canted his head.

There.

Without hesitation, he used his uninjured hand to toss the lightsaber back to his wife, nudging her through their bond to draw her attention. It was a risky maneuver, but he trusted her to stay out of harm’s way until he could incapacitate Norin. From there, he knew she would not hesitate to utilize the weapon when the time came to act.

Turning, Aryan then reached for the ceiling and commandeered one of the fire suppressant nozzles with the Force. He angled the valve in the direction he anticipated Norin to appear, dousing the man in a spray of white foam with the intent to short out the delicate circuitry that sustained his cyborg body.

"Bell, NOW!" he shouted above the din.

She wanted him dead.

But… who was the woman who looked so much like her, that Graul had beaten?

Norin Graul moved at an inhuman speed when he injured Aryan, and Bell’s movements were slowed in a way that even the Force couldn’t change. She wouldn’t stand there and watch, this would stop!

The flames of fire weren’t a hindrance, she could walk through those and use them to her advantage. Except one step forward and Graul was behind her.

She heard Aryan’s voice call out to her. "Bell, NOW!" The hilt of her lightsaber slid comfortably into her palm as a clear message from her husband.

It was Aryan’s blessing that she should kill his father.

But the backhand came without any warning. Her free hand flew to her face where he had struck, "you have signed your death warrant old man. Never touch me again," she said bitterly.

The fire suppression chemical had been raining down on them, and now she felt the cool foam running down her arm when she lifted her lightsaber. Its violet blade reflected in the white foam pooling around their feet.

Time stood still for her, but truthfully, the entire exchange was over in an instant.

She knew hesitating was folly. It’s a lesson that you learn early on.

"Tell me her name," Bell demanded. I have to find out who that is, but I have this, I promise. Aryan had been clear, and she felt guilty for not dispatching Norin the moment he hit her.

At that moment, one of the babies inside her squirmed. What was she doing? They had too much to risk, she quickly reminded herself and felt her blade thrusting for Norin’s chest.

It needed to be over, and he would be dead. She would accept the consequences of killing her husband’s many times great grandfather, a man in a timeline she was not born into.

A gloved hand touched her arm, stopping her. Bell quickly looked to her side and had a fleeting glance of a cloaked woman who lightly shook her head.

The figure wasn’t a stranger, and she was protecting her.

One of the babies stretched, it was another gentle reminder of what her actions could endanger. She could not kill him, in the end, they had three living beings that they had to secure the future for.

Her blade extinguished into the hilt. Had Aryan seen the woman step in to stop her?

Darth Krayt had been rather fiendish in what he did with Norin Graul.

Several of the Sith of the Order had contemporaries in this timeline. Helinith, Bernael, Kya. If not themselves, they’re ancestors, just as vital to the future. For everything to carry on as it did, through the Second Galactic Civil War to the very End of Time - and through it - events had to happen as they were not predestined to.

Otherwise, Changes, Darknesses, and yet another Palpatine or even Thrawn would arise, causing them all kinds of grief. Potentially even ending them all.

So thus the efforts of the Circle of Lords, specifically the former Triumvirs, to track down the various versions of themselves. Most of them had not been found, already missing, seemingly sequestered by an unknown third party and some of them had been found, and too difficult to keep hidden.

One of those had been the Aryan Graul, here and now, who had been lightly watched by Insipid but no thought had been given to Norin Graul, for he had already birthed his son. True, Aryan had also had Arek and grandchildren, but Aryan was entwined with later events, much like Sam Hhat, Madelyn Linnett, Barriss Offee, and others; they had to be saved. Norin? Who knew? Insipid didn’t have infinite resources and prioritised.

And so, Darth Krayt turned Norin into a weapon; one that could not be killed without courting a Change.

So, when Bellorum and Aryan were a mere moment away from causing a Change and killing Norin Graul, three figures in battle, a spectral one appeared and intervened in Bellorum’s actions - visible only to her.

But that hesitation cost them.

Norin grinned, for he knew all about such risks, thus he had played so hard into the hands of this confrontation. He knew they couldn’t kill him, because they didn’t. But their fates? They were not entirely written, not all the way through. The gap from here to there remained, and he and Darth Krayt knew it.

So when he saw hesitation on her part, intentional, accidental, inadvertent, or not, he knew that both Aryan and Bellorum were at their maximum commitment. His eyes dazzled, his body wracked in pain, but his sensors nonetheless detected as much.

He activated his failsafe.

A weapon that was twofold; sound and light. Which struck them first was irrelevant, but their eyes were stabbed by an all-but-blinding energy, sound burst their eardrums, and then they were promptly electrocuted through, the concussive force of the wave lifting them and slamming them bodily to the wall.

Darkness took them; not the manifestation of it, no, merely unconsciousness.

Norin stepped over to Bellorum and checked her pulse; strong, ditto the child. The only risk he had taken, for the future mattered to him too - a new child to mould. But now? His eyes cast over Aryan, alive but down. Now? He had everything he needed.

Lord Krayt would be pleased.

TAG: @Lady_Belligerent; @Sinrebirth

 

THE BATTLE OF NUBIA

The station suddenly accelerated to the surface. Purposely. It took down Darth Bernael and Darth Iudex towards the surface, to the edge of the capital city.

The space station was being purposely landed, all while Iudex and Bernael glared through the bulkheads. A clatter of Stormtroopers in modern armour, powerful mechanisms included within them, and the blaster rifles were keyed to include sonic weapons. Dozens of them, clearly bought across by the One Sith.

Darth Inexor’s voice came over the comms. “Come now, come now. Don’t let them be wasted.”

A scream from Shimmer across the same channel; the pain would catch the Force senses of her Master. Soliloquy would be drifting almost parallel to the station, the stations engines pushing it to the surface at the same pace he drifted.

His powers were augmented, though, he’d see it. Quite literally, his apprentice had lost an arm. So too could he sense that Darth Nihl was now within the shadows in high orbit, above the battle. Not just him, but three Sith Dragons, massive capital ships.

He’d be able to track Darth Talon and Maladi, and also the Imperial Knights aboard the Interdictor cruiser, and the others arriving aboard the Pelagon Moon to ambush the Tapani Victory Fleet. The Nubian Dreadnaught’s were still uncoordinated, needing more direction.

He also had a trace on two unconscious Sith; Darth Bellorum and Aryan Graul. But Darth Insipid wasn’t following them, he was still at the Graul Estate. Ike and Tia were between him and Nehru and Serapis and his two guardians. They were heading towards Insipid…

… but Bellorum and Aryan were heading towards a location to the edge of the city. Darth Krayt was there… and Inexor and the station was en route to that landing. There was a strange darkness with Bellorum and Aryan; it felt similar to Aryan, but different - like a relative.

The insight that Soa granted him told him it was Norin Graul, all made up as a cyborg… he was leading them to Darth Krayt.

Where were the other two Sith?

Darth Kroan and Havok?

They were shadowed, cloaked, standing besides Inexor. Behind amulets specifically designed to shadow them.

Soliloquy could see it all.

Did he have time to save them all?

Or would have to pick and choose?

TAG: @Silvertough, @darthbernael (combo), @Mitth_Fisto
—-
The Citadel

It was at the edge of the City.

It was already there.

Darth Krayt was already there.

When Bellorum and Graul came too, he sat in-front of them. “I’m bringing the rest of your Sith to you, my friends.”

He indicated Norin Graul. “It’s time for the finale.”

Krayt tilted his chin. “He told me about the children.”

TAG: @Lady_Belligerent, @HanSolo29 (combo)
—-
The Graul Estate

The main building had been damaged, but by and large everything stood up. When Ike and Tia reached the Estate, there was no sign of Bellorum and Aryan, and he was concerned.

“This isn’t good.”

Indeed there was no sign of anyone. Ike wondered. “Wasn’t there supposed to be an Aryan from this timeline? And his wife? Grandchildren?”

It was rhetorical, Tia wouldn’t know.

“There is,” came a voice, and Darth Insipid stepped from a burning outbuilding with a Sith Trooper head in his hand.

Ike glowered. “Tia, allow me to introduce you to the Sith Emperor, Darth Insipid, my estranged husband.”

He indicated Tia. “My apprentice.”

Insipid looked at the girl, to see how respectable she would be. Or how dead she would be, of course.

Propriety had to be observed, even on the battlefield.

TAG: @Tia (combo)
—-
In-front of the Pelagian Moon

The Imperial Knights were sicced on Tapani TIE Fighters. Madelyn, Cera and Walce.

There was an ominous edge to matters.

The battle was going well, a motley task force of Hapans, Pykes, terribly disorganised Nubian Dreadnaughts and the Pelagian Moon.

But that didn’t mean the fight was over.

Their Victory Star Destroyer target rolled, advancing on them; with speed, with its bulk of a hull as the weapon. Ramming speed!

TAG: @TheAdmiral, @TheSilentInfluence, @ConservativeJedi321 (singles)

 

Some beings have a life Force like a tiny red light on a cardiac event monitor, they pulse in a predictable pattern, never changing. Others resemble the dancing light displays in the Coruscant entertainment district; that was the best way one could describe Bellorum Graul.

She could range from a brilliant burning sun, to an icy cold void of shimmering black, depending on her emotions, and those who shared a closeness to her would notice immediately if her brilliance was extinguished… even for a moment.

When Norin Graul unleashed his weapon on Aryan and Bellorum, their presence in the Force had vanished, and for a period of time, they left behind an eerie silence.

The Imperial Knights, who were sworn to give their lives for them, would notice the moment Aryan's aura of dynamic intelligence was doused.

Will, Sam, Arthur, and Charles would have difficulty ignoring that something dire had happened to their Emperor and his wife.

Nubia’s orbit ~

Talon paced the bridge of the One Sith capital ship she commanded. Her boots made no sound on the highly polished deck plates, but her voice echoed menacingly as she spewed orders. They were getting closer to conquering the inferior Sith they had cornered on Nubia.

With a shout to the communications officer, she escalated the fight. “Launch the Sith Dragons. No one lands on the planet, we destroy all of them in orbit.”

Tag: @Ananta Chetan @CosmoHender @Silvertough @galactic-vagabond422 @Sinrebirth @HanSolo29


The Rodian’s had their navicomputer rigged in the case of a hijacking, they hit the fail-safe the moment Helinith had started acting up. She was now locked in to the trip to Rodia.

“You are getting off when we land, and you find your own ship,” the captain told her, “now you behave or we’ll shove you out the airlock”

Tag: @darthhelinith