Star Wars CLOSED 10 ABY: Fringe Elements and the Perseverance of the First Order

Unknown

The cathar woman, the much mentioned Lady Dathisi, took his hand and Unknown helped her to her feet before looking about themselves in case any more attackers suddenly showed themselves. Or if the red guy returned. Neither proved true, which was good.

He could use a break. It was not much, but ever since the public gathering he had felt a little strange. The fight had felt strange. The vision thing was strange. It was just all strange. He had no other way to describe everything. While he felt more normal, whatever normal passed as for him, current events left him feeling more drained than usual.

There were questions of what was going on, he just shook his head silently, he had already stated he wanted them answered too. If anyone around here at least seemed like they would know something, it was that K’ir guy.

Judging by the way Mara kept looking at him in between statements too, he was getting the feeling they already knew each other in some fashion. He wasn’t sure what to make of that currently or if there was anything to make of to begin with. When K’ir offered his ship as a place to recoup, Unknown hesitated but ended up shrugging.

“Might as well, could use a safe place while someone explains to me what I just got involved in.”

As the man messaged his ship, Unknown’s eyebrows rose under his helmet. That meant more people of K’ir’s were there. How large was his crew? It was safe, right? After a moment of thought, he realized there was no reason to distrust yet and decided to just continue with his agreed upon course of action.

When everyone was ready, he quietly followed them all there and would wait for these answers. He didn’t anticipate talking much, a man with no name did not have much to say. But he would listen and listen well.

Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas @Jedi_padawan_leigh @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @greyjedi125

 

OOC: A combo-post with the incomparable @The Jedi in the Pumas. Thanks for everything! You have set an incredible stage for 10 ABY.

Fouche - Under assumed name Rik and Panda Volar Lars
Shack, 75th Floor, Artemis Cradle,

“A con man looking for a purpose... Now that’s original,” Panda gave a small smirk and cocked his head to the side.

The fingers of his right hand drummed over his left and he stared at Fouche, trying to see a hole in the facade.

“I believe you’re a con man. Desi attempted to defend you as such. But...” he nodded at one of the henchmen and the man placed both hands around Fouche’s neck from behind and lifted him out of the chair, strangling him.

“We have no use for a run of the mill con man.”

Fouche waved his arms wide incredulously in mock shock, but it had also hit a chord. "Run of the mill?" He intended to bellow a "hey" to show how it'd wounded him but misjudged the grasp around his neck. It came out more of a hungk - which was a little embarrassing as his feet left the ground. He brought his arms up to wrap around the large biceps, trying to lift himself into the grip and take the pressure off his neck. The blade shifted in his sleeve.

He leveled a gaze at Panda, and attempted to release the grip to no avail.

Hungkkkkk.

Amazing the faces you make when being strangled, Fouche thought, as his bottom lip curled down. He attempted to lift himself again, knowing that air wasn't coming but that without attempting to fight these guys, he wasn't going to get very far. Instead, Fouche reset his gaze on Panda and flashed him the best smile he could, intending to hold it as long as his consciousness held out.

His head started to pump and his eyes to get fuzzy, but still, he held his grin. He even forced his mouth to open to show his teeth in a wider smile.

Run of the mill my Shebs!

Panda watched as Fouche kicked and shined a grin at him. The mobster raised an eyebrow and gave a half hearted salute. He appreciated stones. This con man had stones. The strangling continued until Fouche’s struggling ceased and he lost consciousness, still holding a grin on his face. Panda knocked the ash of his deathstick on the floor and gave a nod for his man to release Fouche. The con man dropped to the floor in a crumpled mess of human parts, unceremoniously, drool spilling from his mouth. He was alive though. First, go around and all.

Panda nudged him with his foot.

"Get him back into the chair."

The henchmen picked him up and slapped him back into the chair. Panda did not move from his position. A smirk upon his face.

"Cute act. A bit of flair for the dramatic. Desi does not want me to kill you. Why not?”

Fouche looked at Panda as his world came into view. Strangling wasn't the worst way to go and it had been a calculated risk that if they wanted to kill him that would have happened prior to locking him up, feeding him, and coming to visit a second time. Panda seemed the kind that liked to play with his food, but not the kind to waste his precious time. Calculated risk.

Time for another one.

"She said you had a job," he said simply.

"A job?" Panda's eyebrows rose to a measured height, simulating surprise. "You know better than that, guy. There's always jobs to be done. No, I think..." He faked a sigh, as if deep in thought. "I think Desi has taken a liking to you and wants you to help her with a job. I'm going to make an educated guess and say that the fiasco at the Opera House was likely Desi's own doing. She's always had a nose for the ****work."

Panda stood back upright. He was bigger than Fouche and clearly did not need the help of the goons to keep Fouche under control. But he moved like an experienced criminal: there was no need to show off his might or cruelty. Just being around him...people could just feel that this was a man of great violence when it was necessary.

"Alright....Rik. I let you live and Desi drags you along for whatever she has planned. Do you know what I would expect from such an arrangement? What do you think I'd do if anything happened to her?”

"I think we're both pretty imaginative men," Fouche replied.

"That we are. Then it sounds like we understand each other a little better than before."

Panda waved two fingers towards the door and the henchman began to exit; the one who strangled Fouche knocked the man's chair to the floor before he left, chuckling as he exited.

Only Panda and Fouche remained and a silence hung between them.

"This is ****** waters you find yourself wading in, Rik. I hope, for your sake, you know how to swim."

Panda exited the outhouse on that last word, leaving Fouche to his own faculties. A peek outside after a few minutes would reveal that he was alone, at least no one was there physically watching him anymore and no more long black speeders were parked outside. Maybe now was the time to make a run for it. Or maybe now was the time to find out who Desi was and what she had planned. He'd have a few more hours to himself before the next knock at the outhouse door would come.

******

Cradling his face in his hands, Fouche felt...inward? Outward? Detached was the feeling. Whether it was residual affects from Panda's death sticks that still lingered in the air or his own brain's reaction to being choked out, he wasn't sure. Laying back on the floor, he spread his arms and legs out and released a loud sigh that echoed back to him in the shack.

He lay there for a few minutes, both feeling his heartbeat in his head as well as a general fog that seemed to spread from one corner of his face and travel around in a slow moving wave.

"Rii’ca," he grumbled.

Looks like that cover was here to stay for a bit. The last time he'd played Rii'ca - "friends call me Rik" - was at that dive in Muunilist. What a trip that was. That had to be almost 20 years ago, during the Clone Wars. Why had that name come to him at the Opera House? Why not the suave playboy Sveen Trank? Or the collegiate anthropologist Ruudy Bernitha? No. It had been the openly deceptive, drunk grifter Rii'ca that he'd given the lovely Zeltron woman.

He wrapped his arm behind his head to support his neck.

Well, if he was stuck with Rik, he'd might as well settle into it.

First order of business was to find out who he was getting into bed with. This Panda fella was no joke. He had the stink of someone that knew how to survive, and who likely had. Even someone who didn't like to get his hands dirty would still reek of an unsavory past. The trick was finding it.

Fouche had been flying by the seat of his pants for too long - since touching down here on the Cradle. And he'd really stepped in it. If there was any prospect of staying alive he needed intel.

Stretching, Fouche let the vibroblade he'd been concealing clang to the floor, and fished for the comm from inside his belt. Cracking the case, he exposed the inner workings. After a few moments, with a piece of the spring from the mattress, and tingling fingers from a mild electrical shock, he was able to modify the comm to access the Cradle's HoloNet - at least for a few moments before the core would be overclocked and deplete the battery.

First order of business, Fouche tapped into the public records.

[Query : Desi Banks]

A small rap sheet popped up on the display -

[petty theft, menacing, suspected in the theft of...]

Fouche passed on to known associates. Panda Volar Lars was the only name he recognized...and the Banxxi Crime Family, which he didn't. He called up their file. The display produced a directory, and a rather large one at that. The Crime Family was either suspected, implicated or downright involved in a number of illicit activities. Various lieutenants were listed, as well as a public warnings to travelers that suspected activity on certain levels was popular to certain types of crimes. But not an awful lot more was helpful, and looking through it would likely take up the remaining juice he had.

What was certain was the Banxxi Crime Family was The Family in residence. Even when not implicitly stating that the family was involved, connecting records from civic organizations weren't shy about saying that the Banxxi's that were to blame by Hook or by Crook. What was also clear from the records was that the local authorities weren't exactly motivated to move in on the organization. Perhaps that was because of their size, but Fouche suspected it was more than likely something less legal. The larger an organization, the deeper the pockets into government.

There wasn't any mention of the Family's head - though there were some allusions that it was Panda.

Fouche dismissed that notion. Panda was pretty high up the food chain, but (and maybe it was just a gut feeling), he wasn't the head honcho. Maybe...Rancor Man....from the Opera House. Desi had seemed pretty sure they weren't savory characters, but when he'd met Rancor Man in the hallway with the bloodied Zeltron in his arms, that wasn't the look of someone who had spotted someone carrying a compatriot. Oddly enough, Panda had shown more compassion.

Switching to more recent briefings, he called up the Pit event from the Opera House. Name of the challenger was Abaddon.

[Query: Abaddon]

As the display came to life with information, Fouche sat up.

Known member of the Syndicate Supreme.

And from believed to be from Geonosis.

So he wasn't a local boy. A broad search on the HoloNet brought up past high profile fights under the name Abaddon that spread into the Outer Rim Territories. Assuming they were the same - and the list of uncanny victories had to indicate that he was the one and same - Abaddon had been a walking tank for sometime.

Fouche's screen flickered and the comm buzzed. Minutes were left. He quickly keyed in a cross reference for the Artemis Cradle, Syndicate Supreme, and the Banxxi Crime Family. A headline by a boots-on-the-ground journalist towards the time of the beginning of the Empire caught his eye.

[Night of a Dozen Patricides Strikes Artemis Cradle
by Lootina Neu]

The journalists quoted a "well-placed" yet anonymous source who was not authorized to speak on behalf the Artemis Cradle authorities. Apparently, the Artemis Cradle had been ruled by 13 dueling crime families nearly 20 years ago. The Banxxi Crime Family was listed among them and premiere among them until someone the reporter could only name as The Outrider and his lieutenant Dice, had attacked the crime families with a small army.

12 murders - or better described as assassinations - of the crime family heads was leveled at the Syndicate as the culprits, along with details of the gruesome murders of the crime families - children, women, men, and lots of collateral damage.

[In an unheralded response to the atrocity and in demonstration of civic duty, The Banxxi Crime Family announced an unparalleled alliance with the Artemis Cradle.]

Reading further, a figure in the Family only referred to as The Survivor was made into a sort of folk hero - leading the fight against the invaders, directing his once-nefarious family to take on the self-sacrificing roles of Guerrilla warriors, saviors...heroes.

The invaders were beat back, The Syndicate removed from the Cradle, and The Survivor was added to the Devas of the Artemis Cradle - presumably a position of power here.

And that's who Panda worked for. That's who Panda killed for. That's the hospitality of the Family that turned his face into a bulbous mass, confined him to a box, threatened to kill him, shacked him up here, and then nearly killed him. And who'd offered him a job.

The Banxxi's were still criminals of the worst sort, but the people of Artemis Cradle loved them.

And Desi was attached to them, but how? Fouche keyed in her file again but the the comm fizzed, spit a spark from the bed spring protruding from the casing and with a small poof exhaled smoke.

Toast.

"Kriff," Fouche said aloud to no-one, and tossed it across the room.

The Survivor, The Outrider, Dice, Panda - it sounded like a sabaac hand with different names. And no matter how you dealt it, Fouche didn't feel like he had a winning hand.



Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Episode 7 Conclusion: Part I​

Southern Jungles, Isle of Nobu Genesi

The woman. Her words are true.
The man. His words are slick.
They do not sound like the blue one with tattoos.
Nor the ones he brought with him.
He seeks to steal from Mother.
Hurt Mother.
Maybe they can help.
That isn't for us to decide.
Only the Stag will decide their fate.
Let's go!​

The words being etched in the sand came to an end. The presences that seemed to be transcribing upon the ground were gone, Tiona would sense their disappearance, though she did not sense their arrival. How many more presences were in their midst that she had not noticed? Was she not experienced enough to notice? A child, now a young woman, who had never been formally taught deep into the ways of the Force, how was she to know that the very jungles she and Thallass walked were home to various Force presences, past, present, and future? The answer was that she could not. Few in the galaxy had the ability to see the Isle of Nobu Genesi for what it was and none were fortunate enough to understand what the island was. She could be taught however, but that, as was the truth of Nobu Genesi and the treasure it contained, was something that would be revealed in time.

For the present time, the vines around Thallass' wrists loosened and he would be able to pull his feet out of the sand, after a few minutes of struggling. The path they were on...there was no way to go but forward. Through more sand and dirt. The jungle that ran adjacent to the path they tread was too thick to penetrate and Thallass' eyes continued to pick up creatures out in the distance. Not the furry, clawed monstrosities from before, but creatures that seemed too large for the island they inhabited. A glimpse here or a small trace there of a large tail the size of a spaceship, an eyeball the size of house, or several groups of feet that should be making louder sounds than what they were when they made contact with the ground. Tiona would notice none of this, her eyes were unable to see what Thallass' were able to. The Force, and the isle, had a different plan for her.

Forward.

Forward.

Keep going down the path.

The path of the Stag was one meant for the strong. The brave. And Tiona would have the sense that those that lacked courage would only find death and no escape. They were being judged. By the Stag. And as minute after minute turned hour after hour of going down the path, they would grow exhausted and only have each other to rely upon until they came to...



A pristine temple and a bridge that led to it. Was it abandoned? Where were the creatures that Thallass had seen the entire way? Gone. But what was certain, as any good treasure hunter would know, one does not merely walk into a temple in the middle of a jungle on a mysterious planet without expecting a few bumps along the way.

Tag: @galactic-vagabond422 @Kurisan (Combo post with you two to end the episode!)

------
Chord's Compound, Csilla

The vomited sand disgusted Chord though the mannered Chiss made no movement to betray this internal emotion. Sera hummed and zipped to the other side of Tek. The Trickster Machine's advanced internal workings were spinning at full processing speed. Millions to billions of ideas and plans ran across his CPU cores in milliseconds and yet he could not figure out why Chord was asking Borek Tek to do this. Chord worked for the Ascendancy and, in a blink of an eye Sera infiltrated and scanned all information and correspondences in the Ascendancy files and could find nothing that would warrant or direct the Chiss Spymaster to demand the kidnapping of a member of a royal family. This was personal, somehow. No...that was too easy, Sera reasoned. Chord was planning at a larger game. How much did he know? How was this all connected?

A chirp escaped Sera's tiny floating droid body. A chirp that sounded like a chuckle. This was why he had come here. This was why he had led Borek Tek here...well one of the many reasons: Chord was entertaining. But, time was now of the essence and Sera had other things to attend to.

----
What could be more entertaining than Minute's plan for the people on Vas Nihollia?
----

"Yes, Mr. Tek. The Vanger Matriarch will have plenty of security and bodyguards. It is no small ask, but as I have explained before: It is likely your and Ms. Deya's easiest path to freedom." Chord allowed his gaze to drop to Deya, his eyes flashing an intense red. "Ms. Deya nor you are slaves or prisoners here. The choice is yours, Mr. Tek. You are free to return to your ship and do whatever you feel is right and I wish you luck either way." Chord took a seat in the swivel chair in front of the many blacked out displays and crossed his legs, folding his palms on a datapad he grabbed. "If you do accept this request that I have asked of you, inform me of what you need. I will accommodate whatever the request is. I hope I am not being braggadocious by saying: there are few things that are not within my capability of acquiring."

Zeek beeped to Tek, indicating that Deya needed to rest, as her vitals were beginning to rise with the confusion of her current situation. She had not registered Tek until this moment, her eyes widened... Her vitals skyrocketing.

Tag: @Ktala

------
Trande Settlement, Vas Nihollia

The crowd dispersed. It took several hours to get a handle on the situation and Muul was trying his best to get a handle on the situation. He knew that newcomers to Trande would bring trouble, but now the clinic was full of townsfolk complaining of headaches and dark visions. They had a lightsaber wielding, tattooed twi'lek in custody and, they were lucky she was injured because Trande was not prepared to hold a Force user. Speaking of Force users, apparently Dathisi Niroon was a Jedi of some sort and had stabbed a man in the stomach and she would eventually need to be brought in for questioning.

Just what in the hell was going on here!

----
The Tenasas could only land at the poor excuse for a landing pad that Trande possessed. The landing zone was not built for more than three ships and with the arrival of K'ir Tor's ship, joining Mara Jade's and Unknown's crafts, the space was narrowing fast. Myra watched as Dathisi, Mara Jade, and Unknown boarded the ship while Mai'hun readied some refreshments. Nothing extensive, just a few biscuits and tea and water. She was no maid and they had not been expecting company before K'ir Tor's call. As soon as they were all seated, Myra placed both her hands around K'ir Tor's face.

"Ever since I've met you, it's one battle after another." Her eyebrows raised as a sly smirk spread across her lips. "I'm beginning to think you like it."

The inhabitants would talk, information would be exchanged, and decisions and plans would be made. Whatever was decided, the Trande Settlement would be forever changed this night and the future that Minute was praying for would slowly start to take shape.

----
Three Days Later...

The inhabitants and visitors of the Trande Settlement would look to the sky in the early morning and see a fleet of ships. Of ancient ships. Of the Huzon Fleet that had been lost to time behind the Grysk Hegemonic Territory.

Dathisi would feel it as her eyes opened next to her caring husband who had not let her out of his sight since the ordeal with Dice the Heartbreaker.

Mara Jade would feel it.

Unknown would be able to look to the sky, aboard his ship that he was allowed to stay in, and see them.

And K'ir Tor would be alerted by Mai'hun. The Force would tell him and Dathisi and Mara Jade that every. single. individual in the hundreds aboard the Huzon Fleet ships was Force Sensitive. They had been led here for a purpose. They were seeking something. Someone.

"Now...isn't that curious." A single tear rolled down the face of Dice the Heartbreaker as he stepped out of the hotel he was staying in, biting into a luscious piece of fruit. The man had not left the Settlement and was beginning to like it here. He too would sense the arrival of the Huzon Fleet and the many minds aboard that he could infect and manipulate. But he had not lost focus of his primary objective here... To capture the heart of Dathisi Niroon.

----
The Vilestorms Region, Vas Nihollia

Wapoe would awaken when the familiar presence of the Huzon Fleet above the planet shocked his mind alive. It had been three days and the corpse of the Outrider was being torn away by wild desert foxes. Wapoe too was being dragged by a pair of the foxes. They must have thought the long lived Force manipulator was dead as well. He might as well be. For he had set in motion a series of events that would spell the end of this universe. The end of all universes. Sera the Trickster Machine was out there, working on machinations that only he and Minute knew of.

That was a problem for another time. In the meantime, Wapoe, unknowingly, had brought the leader of the Syndicate Supreme to his end and soon news would reach the First Prince. Unrestrained and unchecked, the First Prince of the Syndicate Supreme would continue her plans on conquering the galaxy.

Yes, this incarnation of Wapoe had been quite active. Hopefully, the three day rest had left him refreshed. But he would find leaving Vas Nihollia quite difficult. Upon an inspection of his body, Wapoe would notice small vegetation and fauna growing from his skin.

Now...isn't that curious.

Tag: @Sinrebirth @greyjedi125 @Jedi_padawan_leigh @Jedi_Ascension @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

------
The Megarea

Days had past for the fleet of Admiral Sabel. The new ships in the mock battle had performed amazingly and fought the battle hardened ones to a small stalemate. The misinformation campaign against Chord had not provided any noticeable results, but Sabel was experienced and knew that Chord was as well. The battle would not yield immediate results...They were both advanced sabacc players...Piece movers as Borek Tek had correctly identified. It was to be a long game. A notification sounded on Sabel's datapad. It was from Sten. The notification was simple, but quite unusual for Admiral Sabel's fleet:

One of the suspected spies, the confident and calm male was found dead in his quarters.

Another alert.

Red Guard 0021 had spaced himself a few moments afterwards.

Other Red Guards were complaining of nightmares and voices in their heads.

Tag: @darthbernael

------
75th Floor, Artemis Cradle

The next morning, Fouche would awake to Desi in the shack, cooking breakfast.



The Zeltron was singing. Pheromones were filling the air and Fouche would notice that she was even more attractive than before. She was priming him for...

"Hey RIK you're awake... I got a meeting for us scheduled!"

Daughter. That was the last word that Fouche received from his information dive from the night before. But with Desi in front of him with food and an offer for a meeting, maybe his information dive wasn't the thing at the forefront of his mind. Desi bounced around the room and tossed his plate on the bed and a bottle of whiskey onto his stomach.

"Alright, peep this old man." She said as she pulled up a chair...The same chair that her Uncle Panda had sat at before almost having him strangled. In fact, the room still smelled of Panda's deathstick. "I know my last play was kind of wild. But hey, it wasn't my fault! Plus, I still got those cred chits and access cards. The dealer is ready to meet and I figureddddd." She leaned forward and batted her eyes. "Since you helped me before and you owe me one for Uncle Panda not killing you, you could come to the meet with me. Make sure everything is on the up and up. And be my bodyguard!"

Tag: @Kalio_Dynkos

 

IC: Fouche - Under assumed name Rik
Shack, 75th Floor, Artemis Cradle,

In that mental twilight in between sleep and awake, two worlds collide - that which your brain was creating and that which your environment may influence it. Like the alarm that turns into a synth trumpet or the person talking that become a voice on the radio. In this moment, Fouche was vaguely aware that he was asleep - mostly from the indication that his eyes wouldn’t open but that he also didn’t care enough to try.

It was dark. His throat was sore, closed to air and he felt the need to struggle. He was under water. No. Panda stood over him, hand over his throat - but he was pink-skinned and…humming? Panda’s grin widened, and his lips started to form over words but they indistinguishable. Fouche shook his head, trying to wrench free. He couldn’t breathe. Again. But he also felt heavy and weightless as the same time. His head burst with pain from the right temple, and the air smelled of…bacon?

He gasped for air as Panda stood over him, pinning him to the bed. His pink skin reddening, the song playing on his lips as Fouche approached death or passing out again. He put his arm up to push Panda off before it was too late.

The clash of a dish startled him, tearing him from his sleep. As he bolted up in the bed - his world came into view. And there stood Desi over the stove top, cooking.

Fouche rubbed his face with both hands and growled in frustration into them - which turned out to be a mistake. The muscles in his neck screamed in pain.

“Des…” his voice came out a hoarse whisper.

"Hey RIK you're awake,” the pink-skinned young woman said to him grinning. “I got a meeting for us scheduled!”

Fouche leveled a gaze on her, closing one eye tight to be sure she was really there. This time not covered in blood, she was actually quite fetching.

He swung his leg off. He blinked.

And young. She was young.

“Daughter” was the last word he’d seen on the comm before it gave up the ghost. Who’s daughter? Panda’s pinkish skin in the dream flashed briefly in his mind, he shook it off.

“Des…” he rasped again, holding his hand to his throat.

But, she was already moving - bouncing - around the room. A ball of energy. She bounded over to the bed and he couldn’t help but notice the fluidity of her movements. But, he needed to stop her. They had to talk. He put his hand out to signal her to stop. Instead, she tossed the plate of food on the bed and a bottle of whiskey onto his stomach.

Resigned and feeling calm, he laid back on the bed with a grunt, cradling the bottle in his chest.

“Alright, peep this old man,” she said, sitting in a chair next to him. “I know my last play was kind of wild. But hey, it wasn't my fault!”

Fouche screwed off the top of the whiskey bottle and took a swig silently.

"Plus, I still got those cred chits and access cards. The dealer is ready to meet and I figureddddd,” She leaned forward and batted her eyes. "Since you helped me before and you owe me one for Uncle Panda not killing you, you could come to the meet with me. Make sure everything is on the up and up. And be my bodyguard!"

Fouche looked at her and took another punctuated swig of whiskey.

The math didn’t add up. He’d helped her before and saved her life. Check one for team Ri’ik. She’d gotten him beaten and strangled for his troubles…he was moderately sure that might not be a point in her favor, but not one for himself either. Then, his deal that spawned from that included keeping her alive. So, far…not exactly a “you owe me” kind of situation.

Despite the fact, he was grinning at her, and not really sure why.

“Sure, Kid,” he said with a wink. “I trust you.”

He passed her the bottle.

“What’s the gig for anyway?”

Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Borek Tek
The offer, Csillia

Tek stood still, not looking at Deya, but instead kept his eyes glued to the Chiss known as Cord. Behind him, Sera chirped. He kept his eyes focused on the man. He didn't trust himself to look over towards ... her.

"Yes, Mr. Tek. The Vanger Matriarch will have plenty of security and bodyguards. It is no small task, but as I have explained before: It is likely your and Ms. Deya's easiest path to freedom." Chord allowed his gaze to drop to Deya, his eyes flashing an intense red. "Ms. Deya nor you are slaves or prisoners here. The choice is yours, Mr. Tek. You are free to return to your ship and do whatever you feel is right and I wish you luck either way." Chord took a seat in the swivel chair in front of the many blacked-out displays and crossed his legs, folding his palms on a datapad he grabbed. "If you do accept this request that I have asked of you, inform me of what you need. I will accommodate whatever the request is. I hope I am not being braggadocious by saying: there are few things that are not within my capability of acquiring."

Tek nodded curtly. "Understood."

At that moment, Zeek beeped to Tek, indicating that Deya needed to rest, as her vitals were beginning to rise with the confusion of her current situation. She had not registered Tek until this moment, her eyes widened... Her vitals skyrocketing.

So, the man was giving him time to consider his 'offer'. Interesting. There was definitely more going on here than he understood. Course, Tek knew that this was playing into several things. Unfortunately, he did not have the intel. But he would. He gave another sharp nod, as he moved forward, removing his coat. He walked over, and draped it around Deya, saying nothing, but firmly grabbing her shoulders and picking her up. He gestured at Zeek, and then moved quickly, using the Force if necessary, to move Deya, to get her away from this man, and out of this room, and moving non stop to the Rupert's Run. He would not say a word or even look at her until they reached his ship. Zeek was closing monitoring her.

He simply didn't trust himself.



TAG: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

IC: K’ir Tor
New Allies, Vas Nihollia

Aboard the Tenasas…

K’ir Tor felt pleased that everyone had agreed to meet aboard his ship and was grateful to Mai’hun for the refreshments. He also promised to go on a provision run to restock their dwindling supplies.

His face brightened considerably when was with Myra and held her for longer than he normally did. He looked into her eyes and took in her face as if for the first time, even as she held his face in her hands.

"Ever since I've met you, it's one battle after another." Her eyebrows raised as a sly smirk spread across her lips. "I'm beginning to think you like it."

He smiled in response ands chuckled. He could not deny her loving rebuke, and simply accepted it. “I don’t deserve you.” he said finally, then kissed both her hands, feeling their softness and their warmth. Truly, she was his anchor.

In short order, he introduced their visitors.

“This is Mara, this is Dathisi…..and…..” Well, there was no real way to get around it. “Our armored friend here is simply known as…Unknown.”

Everyone had a drink in their hand and the group was feeling relaxed, not to mentioned he was feeling inspired.

“You should all know, that we have been gathered together, not by random circumstance, but by design. The Force has lead us all here for a purpose greater than ourselves, I know you can feel it. We must each trust in the leading we feel in the core of our being, we should trust in the Force. I’ve experienced so many things that frankly defy explanation, and only make sense in hindsight.”

Here, he gave them all a knowing smile. “Something is happening, and we will know more as events progress, of that I am certain. Everything happens for a purpose. Everything.”

He paused, and briefly thought about Primarch, then Chord.

“But for now, we must get to know each other better. I mean, aside from me being K’ir Tor, which is my chosen name, you should also know that I am an avid Pazaak player, not bad at Dejarik and terrible at Sabacc."

At this he laughed out loud.

“I really like this ship, which was recently acquired, with a pilot no less.” He gave a small bow to Mai’hun. “But more than this ship, or my life, I think I love Myra more…..maybe.”

K’ir Tor winked at Myra, hoping no one would notice him turning red around the cheeks. He had never spoken those words aloud before, much less confessed them in front of a group. But he felt compelled to declare it now, to let others know that she was special to him.

“I came to the Unknown Regions to get away from trouble, and now…well, I’ve found real purpose in my life.”

That was putting it lightly.

K’ir Tor felt comfortable and relaxed. Safe. He was in the mood to share, for transparency. Whatever question was asked of him, he would answer. He was willing to disclose his origin and his past, but more so the present. Forming a bond with everyone aboard was going to be important, especially if what he was feeling was any indication. They were going to need each other, more than they could imagine.

But being here, with the company of others. It was a nice feeling.


********

Three Days Later

He had been up early, meditating. Something was just hovering just outside his understanding, something he could not quite identify. It wasn’t the Tall Man. K’ir Tor could feel that he had not gone. No, it was something much different.

Mai’hun’s words gave words to the concept and the force then confirmed it.

This was the opposite of peace. The opposite of safety. This was not the Light.

But, there was something else he had almost missed. Something curious, way in the distance, elusive and undefined.

Everything was about to change.



Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas ( @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @Jedi_Ascension, @Jedi_padawan_leigh , @Sinrebirth )

OOC: I’m perfectly willing to do combos if desired , single or in a group, for anyone who might have questions for K’ir Tor.

 

OOC: I would also be happy to combo up

~~

Aboard the Tenasas:

Mara smiled at the effusive words of K'ir Tor. He was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. All strength and light when helping Dathisi, now being candid and asking for openness and trust from the others. She felt he'd earned that much.

"I came here almost incidentally," Mara said, "certainly not intentionally, but it looks like I was meant to be here. The question is what threat does this Dice pose and does it represent a bigger menace?" She paused. "And that other place/time encounter ... what piece of the puzzle does that fit?"

***

Three Days Later:

Mara felt and saw the impending change, a shift. It tingled along her nerves and made her battle-ready.

They were on the brink of ... something portentous.

 

Unknown

As the commotion around the town slowly settled down and the citizens restored themselves and their prisoner to order, he went with the others back to Kir’s ship. Food and drink was set out, which was nice, but he declined them silently. Opting instead to take a place standing off to the side.

He didn’t intend to talk if he could help it, there was nothing for him to really add. Everything going on was so clearly beyond him and his comprehension, but he was involved now anyway. That warranted listening and being present to these talks.

Unknown listened to the lovebirds, somehow not surprised that one of Kir’s crew was a lover. Seemed like something that just made sense. Their host seemed to kick off the full conversation with formal introductions.

It was amusing to see himself being introduced as ‘Unknown’, but it was true and quite likely to become his actual name at this rate. Why bother correcting it? Instead, the man in the odd armor just nodded in acquiescence to the given name.

Unknown listened to the small speech about how the Force brought them all together and that everything occurred for a reason. A sentiment he enjoyed personally, but couldn’t say he was too sure of. Losing one’s memories and full identity? Where was the point in that?

Perhaps the Force’s cruel idea of a prank. A wonderful thought. Really.

Listening further, the man described his personality a bit in an overture to them connecting and revealed enough. He was compassionate, genuinely not faked. And deeply spiritual with regards to the Force. Something he felt he should know more about, but as with all else, didn’t.

They could say all they wanted. He would say nothing. The only reason he was so forthcoming with Muul and the others was because he was in a dire situation that forced him to. With them to fall back on, there was no reason to relate to this bunch. If anything, while he was dragged into—whatever this mess was—Unknown was counting on it to only be for a brief time. No need for long entanglements.

Though…His eyes located Dathisi under the helmet. He had been referenced to speak to her specifically multiple times now. Perhaps she would be an exception. Perhaps. Maybe, when they were alone, he could speak.

When Mara spoke up with her questions regarding Dice (the red guy he supposed) and their strange encounter. Other place? Other time? Yes, that just reaffirmed his notions. Keep his trap shut and just let these people talk it out. They were truly beyond him. Anything he said would serve only to reveal the level of fool he was in regards to this topic.

Unknown merely turned his head to look between Dathisi and K’ir to see what they said since they had more knowledge of what was going on.

Three Days Later

Standing up from the pilot's seat in his ship's cockpit, Unknown would stare through the transparisteel to watch the archaic fleet arrive over the world. If that wasn't ominous, he didn't what was. The man's jaw tightened and his eyes darkened.

Perhaps now was the time to think about escaping, if there was even an opening left to do so. There was no reason to get caught up in the storm that was coming. All he wanted was to find his memories and go back to his life, whatever it was. But Dathisi, the one he may heal him possibly, was here. But there was no guarantee of that being possible. And the woman in that other time/place as Mara had stated some days previous? Well, he didn't know her and had no reason to assist. Selfish? Yes. But also realistic. The chances of gaining anything out of this was likely nil.

Better to prepare an escape plan if it was possible. If not, well, then things got more complicated. A lot more.

Tag: @greyjedi125 @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @Jedi_padawan_leigh @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Tiona & Thallass
Southern Jungles, Isle of Nobu Genesi

Tiona held on tight to Thallass, praying her words and his efforts would prevail. It was a disconcerting feeling – to throw herself at the mercy of the Mother Forest. She could only imagine how vulnerable the Duros felt.

Thallass watched the words writing in the sand, still keeping himself calm, though Tiona could hear his heart beating fast in his chest. It was a tense few moments for him as the spirits deliberated about whether or not to let him go. The only sign that they weren't just going to kill him outright was the fact that there wasn't a vine tightening around his neck, while the sand sucked him deeper under. They made mention of His Royal Highness, and the other mercs brought with him. And the possibility of aid that the pair could grant them. Normally Thallass would try and negotiate a fee, or some reward, but, it was hard to have a sit down with ethereal spirits that had a whole forest behind them.

Only the Stag will decide their fate.

"That's not ominous." Thallass said quietly to the side as the vines loosened.

Tiona eventually felt like the presences – for there were more than one – had retreated from this place. A settling in the Force told her the moment of immediate danger had passed. She let go of her companion and stepped back.

The vines and sinking sands were releasing their grip! He was free again. She smiled with relief then helped him struggle out.

Gently and carefully Thallass unwrapped the vines, doing his best not to just tear them away from his form. He'd already gotten the forest angry at him, not a good plan to enrage them more by possibly hurting them. Tiona helped him free himself from the sand and he gave her a nod.

When he was free, when she felt the danger had truly passed, Tiona recapped her behaviour of the last few moments and lowered her eyes, shyly.

“I… uhh… sorry about the hug… Nothing personal. I just needed to, you know, make sure we both didn’t get into trouble.”

At her apology, Thallass gave a slight smile. "You're alright, you were trying to protect me. Quite surprising really given our, somewhat tense alliance. I should be the one apologizing, I'm the one that got sloppy and tried to call for support."

His tone was kind and caring, no blame to be thrown around except toward him.

The path opened up before them, with jungle either side too thick to penetrate. Tiona paused. What were those presences? The words in the sand? Her senses were perhaps more trained than most, but she was no Jedi and understood little of the deeper truths of the Force. She shrugged. The path was laid before them, they had better take the offer before it was retracted.

Taking a breath and putting his blaster away, Thallass scanned the path ahead of them, the only way to go. Between the dense jungle he could still see motion, see creatures moving around in the distance. Except these seemed to be much larger than the ones that were now behind them. He could never get a good look at them but the parts he could see they were massive, far larger than an island of this size could possibly support.

They set off together. They did not make conversation. Tiona was still too embarrassed about her earlier outburst of emotion. Stupid, stupid, stupid! she chided herself. Always stay focused, always stay cool. However, a small part of her heart told her that showing her true feelings had convinced the Forest to let them pass.

There were a few times Thallass would try and point out their gigantic companions to Tiona, only to realize that only he could see them. How? He wasn't connected to the Force, had not a lick of sensitivity, then why could he see these monsters and she could not?

He flexed his hand a little, trying not to rest it on his pistol. As he had been shown by the spirits, firing blindly was a good way to get them pissed at you. Though it seemed these lumbering giants cared little for the pair of adventures walking through their forest. Likely they were beneath their notice, so long as they didn't make a nuisance of themselves. Which Thallass had no plans of doing.

The pathway stretched on. And on.

And on…

Tiona was beginning to wonder if they were truly headed in the right direction. Her estimate of the island’s length told her they should have arrived at the central mountains long ago. The distance they were travelling was too great. But, the impenetrable green walls of foliage towered either side of them and gave her little sight of their further surroundings.

To Thallass also, they trudged on for what seemed like hours. The thick heat of the jungle pressing down on him. There was something at the end of this path, the spirits wouldn't have let them follow it if there wasn't a goal at the end of all this. He kept one eye on Tiona making sure she was keeping up, but mostly it was for his own sanity. He knew at least she was real, that she wasn't just some figment of the jungle. Keeping her in his sight gave him some comfort that he wasn't alone walking through the 'Forest of the Mother.'

Tiona would occasionally glance across at Thallass. He struggled on in defiant silence. Each time she saw this, she gulped down her fatigue and doubled her efforts to continue. But there was no doubt, she was becoming exhausted. I won’t be the first to give up! she decided. Being a female of the species perhaps put her at a disadvantage physically to the Duros, but Tiona was tenacious and dug deep, forcing step after step along the path.

It felt to Thallass like the path just kept going, and going, like there was no end, that the spirits, or the Stag was playing a trick on them. Every time he would look at Tiona she would always keep going, so would he. There was an odd competition, unspoken but a little felt. Neither of them would give up, they would keep going. Thallass's face could best be described as calm determination, though he would admit to sweating quite a lot in the jungle heat.

He paused to take a few sips from his canteen, keeping hydrated as much as possible, one of the many things his grandfather had taught him. He also taught him to never give up. He continued to press on. His feet started to hurt, his legs started to ache, but he kept going. There had to be something.

Finally, Tiona had to call a stop for water and rations. She devoured an energy bar from her pack and it made the world of difference. The pathway stretched on

And on…

Tiona seemed to find a second wind, and Thallass kept pace with her, a bit of pride and some stubbornness keeping him going step for step with her. In the quiet he could hear the birds and insects singing and chirping. It was almost calming but he could still hear the low rumble of heavy footsteps in the distance. Never feeling fully comfortable. Though he did what he could to keep the worry off his features. Not that it was very difficult his body had other things to worry about.

But, there had to be something at the end of this.

The feeling crept up on Tiona that they were being watched. The Mother Forest was testing them again. Or was it the Stag – the image that had entered her mind at the time of choosing pathways? The oppressive heat beat down upon her shoulders. The chorus of jungle critters battered her from both sides in rising and falling waves of noise.

Must… go… on…

She looked again at Thallass. He was surely struggling now too, but the stoic explorer was tough. She had known that just from looking at him. He had also shown the character to continue with this, and in turn that had inspired and motivated her.

She wondered if either one of them would have made it alone, without this silent little competition to push them on? When Tiona was sure she could not take another ten steps without collapsing, the path abruptly ended.

They arrived at the edge of a sheer cliff. They were at the mountains! The final breakthrough gave a last wind of energy and she skipped and clapped her hands.

“We did it!”

Her eyes took in the sight before them. A stone bridge, forged in an ancient style, and a beautiful temple in similar architecture beyond. Her heart lifted. This was surely a sacred place. It looked abandoned, but Tiona had been in this business long enough to know this appearance was deceptive.

​

She unhooked her pistol and energy blade, checking them for charge. Then she looked across to Thallass. She still had energy bars and water in her pack, and really needed them. She was not sure how he was doing – the Duros had notoriously inexpressive faces.

Letting out a breath, Thallass looked to his partner with a smile. "Yeah, yeah we did."

Tiona said, “Wanna make a brief camp and recoup before going in there?”

Taking a seat on the ground, maneuvering his long limbs into a cross legged position, Thallass said, "And yeah, I think we should take a bit of a break. Figure out what our next steps are. As fun as it is to see an abandoned temple in the middle of nowhere. I don't think she should start running up to it. Given what we just went though, I sense more challenges in our future."

Tiona laughed. Thallass had a gift for the understatement, and a deadpan wit in the face of adversity.

She flopped down with relief and unshouldered her pack. Inside she reached for an energy bar and offered one to him.

"They taste like crap but they'll keep us going for now," she said.

"If you're offering," Thallass said, taking the energy bar. Tearing open the wrapper, he took a bite. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst either. He most certainly had eaten worse. There's a surprising amount of things in the universe that are eatable by reptilian species like himself. "It's not too bad." He said giving Tiona a smile.

She sat cross-legged opposite him and enjoyed the fact their alliance had seemed to reach a new status. They had placed their trust in one another and survived a lethal trial together. Nothing like a bit of shared deadly peril to encourage bonding.

She considered again the presences of the forest. She had encountered the Force in a number of forms in her life now, had studied for years in the temples of Mirial, but realised once again she was but a child in its ways. She decided Thallass was perhaps not the one with which to meditate upon exactly what was the nature of the sentient forest. It would be something to ask the Elders when she returned home... assuming that did actually happen.

Instead, it was time to look ahead, to what lay before them.

She nodded to the temple. "You recognise the architectural style? Any idea of era or culture?”

Looking around, Thallass gave the temple a long gaze. There were some things he recognized but nothing was really clicking.

"Hum..." He said in short reply to his partner's question. "I see some influences from Massassi so could be for similar purposes. Worship of some entity, hopefully not some power mad Sith lord that wanted adoration. Era, fairly old, not much is known about this area of the galaxy outside of Chiss scholars. My best guess, early old republic, possibly before." He took longer look seeing if he could pick up any more details.

Tiona nodded in agreement with Thallass' appraisal of the temple. Of course, pre-light-speed era was pretty meaningless; every world had its own history and before space flight there would be no outside influence. But she had not detected any modernity, and was glad the Duros had not either.

Thallass' and Tiona’s eyes and knowledge did not steer them wrong, but they would only know for sure if and when they ventured closer. At the opposite end of the bridge, positioned like gigantic dejarik pieces, were roughly a dozen statues in awkward poses in front of the temple. There was no obvious explanation for their arrangement; their order was random and sporadic. From across the bridge, Thallass nor Tiona would be able to tell that the sculptures, though sienna stone, had bags, belts, and blasters that straddled their figures which were from various different makes, models, old and relatively new.

There was only one figure that was not a statue. It was metallic droid that did not seem old at all and was comically out of place in the middle of such a scene. It was not moving and did not seem particularly dangerous. It was just...there. And Tiona would not as much see the droid figure's presence and she would feel it through the Force.

​

She rose to a standing position and stretched. The rest and rations had done her good. She looked again at the temple. They could only know for sure once they got inside.

She peered at the distant statues at the other end of the bridge. They seemed arrayed in odd positions; not the usual straight line flanking a pathway into the temple, for example. But she was too far away to discern their details.

However... there... something brushed her senses. She felt a presence in the Force. It was not the same as the sentient forest. Something different, unusual, amongst the statues.

She turned and looked at Thallass. "Ready to go take a look?"

Thallass got up as well, taking another look at the pillars and design again confirming his thoughts on the age of the building. Definitely Early Old Republic, though purpose was still a little hidden from him. Perhaps they would find out more once they got closer. Though it looked like getting inside was going to be its own challenge given what he could see, and his mind putting two and two together.

They crossed the bridge and noticed the droid. They paused at the exit of the bridge before wandering amongst the statues. A bunch of statues in odd poses, aligned randomly with different equipment of differing ages. Thallass’ blue brow arched a little. The droid standing on the other side still functional. A gatekeeper maybe.

"Best get going," He said walking in step with Tiona, "I get the feeling our next challenge might be a little stiff..."

TAG: @The Jedi in the Pumas @galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Dathisi Niroon
(Andren Kett)
Aboard the Tenasas/Trande Settlement

Dathisi had boarded K'ir Tor's ship with Mara and Unknown, and was introduced the Kir's other crew. A human Woman named Myra, and a Chiss female, whose name was Mai’hun. Dathisi felt a pang of guilt as she observed Mai'hun, the young chiss reminded her of Un'hee, the girl she had lost, the girl she had failed.

Never again

Light refreshment was provided by Mai'hun, and Dathisi listened as Ki'r addressed those who had gathered. He spoke of their coming together

“You should all know, that we have been gathered together, not by random circumstance, but by design. The Force has lead us all here for a purpose greater than ourselves, I know you can feel it. We must each trust in the leading we feel in the core of our being, we should trust in the Force. I’ve experienced so many things that frankly defy explanation, and only make sense in hindsight.”

K'ir continued, offering up some information about himself. Apparently he enjoyed card games, with varying degrees of skill, and he had a soft spot for his companion Myra. Ah, young love. He was a beacon of calm in the force, Dathisi could feel it. Mara spoke of what had caused her to cross paths with the group, as well as questioning the appearance of Dice and what his motive was. The helmet clad sharp-shooter declined to say anything. Dathisi was curious about him and his story, but she wouldn't pry. She would allow him to open up in his own time. The Cathar cleared her throat softly.

"I'm Dathisi Niroon. I was a Jedi who fought in the Clone Wars, and witnessed the purge of the order. I survived, and ended up on Vas Nihollia. This planet was my sanctuary, as it is to so many people. All these strange occurrences threaten this sanctuary. I thank you again for your assistance in helping me break Dice's hold on me...I just hope the force will provide guidance on what our purpose is..."

3 days later...

Dathisi had not had the best night sleep, and had awoken early, staring at the ceiling of the bedroom, lost in thought. She signed softly and turned her head to look upon her devoted husband. Devoted...some would probably now say "long-suffering" the trouble she had caused him. It was her fault that his daughter saw fit to join the bounty hunter guild, and now she had most likely tarnished his reputation within Trande. Force knows what the church would say when the news of her true self filtered down into the congregation. She could only imagine the backlash. Add to that that Muul would be well within his rights to knock down the door and arrest her, well... it was not a good time for the Kett household. And now, in the midst of all this chaos, another chapter was beginning.

She remembered the conversation the pair had shared in the aftermath of Dices ordeal...

---

Dathisi and Andren had made their way home as the chaos that had gripped Trande started to subside. The moment the door shut behind them, Andren clearly had questions, and he wanted them answering.

"What happened out there! That guy, what did he do to you? Did he hurt you?"

She held her hands up to stop the barrage of questions from her understandably rattled husband. "Darlin, please, just give me a minute" she pleaded as she reached up and rubbed her temples. Damn this headache. She approached a cupboard and retrieved some pain killers. She popped the medication and chased them down with a large gulp of water. She didn't know how much good they would do, but she still felt rough after wresting herself free from Dice's puppet strings. She felt Andren's eyes burning into her back, and she straightened up, letting out a soft sigh as she turned around and faced him. Remember when I told you, all those years ago, that there was something...different about me?"

Andren nodded slowly, his expression softening "Your previous life" he replied "I kinda figured, after seeing you carry that saber of yours again" He continued with a nod of his head towards the lightsaber at her hip.

Dathisi nodded "For all these years I cut myself off from the force. I lived a normal life, a happy life. But recently, that power...it's awakened in me again, and every day I feel it getting stronger" She walked over to a chair and sank down into it, scrubbing her hands over her weary face. Andren remained standing. "I suppressed my true self to protect our family, to protect the settlement...but now it's all out in the open" she paused for a beat to allow Andren to take in her words. "the man who attacked the clinic, the man in red... They crossed my path for a reason, but I still do not know that reason. The force brought them to me, but I don't understand why"

Andren bristled at the mention of his wife's assailants, but especially at the mention of the man in red. Dathisi had told him that Dice had possessed the townsfolk, as well as herself, and his expression was one of thinly veiled disgust as he shook his head "That scumbag... should have finished him off then and there"

Dathisi held up a hand to cut of that train of thought. "If I done that, my actions would have been just as bad as his, despite his actions, he was unarmed and I...would have started my fall to the dark side" Dathisi said somberly, crossing her arms across her front. She still felt "tainted" by Dice. Words from old masters came to the forefront of her thoughts. "Once you start down the dark path, it will dominate your destiny" Dice had slunk off after she had wounded him, but Dathisi could still feel him within Trande settlement. What was his game? What if he attacked the townsfolk again...Had she made the wrong choice in letting him live? No... no she couldn't think that way.

Andren sighed and put his hands on his hips, starting to pace "So...what are we going to do?"

Dathisi placed her hands on her lap. "The newcomers, K’ir Tor and his companions. I believe they are here to help. He and Mara are strong with the force, maybe they can help me understand this...awakening. Help me to discover my purpose." She sighed. "Andren, I'm really sorry I've put you through all this... I don't deserve your understanding, never mind your forgiveness..."

"Townsfolk say that young man dropped out of the sky like someone out of a holo-comic..." Andren remarked, trying to inject some short lived light-heartedness into their conversation. He finally took a seat down beside her, taking her hand and giving a it a light squeeze. "Maybe not...but you warned me about your "gift" when I courted you, and it didn't stop me wanting to be with you. He rubbed his stubbled jaw with his free hand. "Look. I can't say I know much about all this force mumbo-jumbo...but i do know you. You are more than the force, You are a good person, and you've given your best years in service to this settlement. It might be rough going but we'll get through it.

--

Dathisi gasped softly and sat up on the bed, the sudden movement causing Andren to stir, tired eyes slowly opening, as he turned over to look at her. "Hey, whas goin' on?" He murmured sleepily, a confused look crossing his weary features as he watched his wife move quickly from the bed and exit the room. With a groan, he swore under his breath as he too pulled himself up from the bed and followed Dathisi out of the room. He turned his head to see the front door open, and could see his Wife stood beyond its threshold, looking up towards the sky. "Hey, whats the...huh?" He did not finish his sentence as he followed Dathisi's gaze upward. His eyes went wide in surprise as they landed on the sight of a fleet of ancient star ships. Dathisi looked tense as her feline eyes scrutinized the scene before her. She drew in a steadying breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Andren's voice faded away as she concentrated. The ships, they were manned, hundreds of beings were apart of this fleet...

...and every single one of them, were force senstive.

How...how could that be?

Dathisi's eyes opened and she left out a shuddered breath. The sensation of feeling that many force sensitives caused a feeling of electricity to lance up her spine. At any other time, the presence of this many force sensitives would have been a comfort... so why did it feel...wrong? Her expression was one of both Awe and caution as she continued to stare upwards. She felt Andren come to a stop at her side

What the kriff are those?" Andren whispered beside her

"I don't know...but I can feel them"

She replied. Yes...They had been led here for a purpose. They were seeking something. Someone.
"I've got a really bad feeling about this" she murmured under her breath as she took a step forward. If she had felt this, no doubt Mara and Kir had too. She turned to Andren, a flash of determination in her feline eyes.

"I'm going to K’ir Tor's ship"

What should I do?" Andren asked, a look of concern ghosting his features.

"Observe the situation for now, be vigilant, the situation could change at a moments notice. Report anything suspicious to Muul. And don't do anything reckless. We don't know who or what we are dealing with here"

Andren nodded, albeit somewhat hesitantly. "Ok, but Dathisi, darlin, be careful"

Dathisi nodded. "I will" she said as she broke into a jog towards the landing pad and K'ir's ship, her mind whirling with questions

Tag: @greyjedi125 @The Jedi in the Pumas @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @Jedi_Ascension @Sinrebirth

 

Episode 7 Conclusion Part I​

Deep in the Southern Jungles of Nobu Genesi

It stirred. Then the droid body shivered. Its receptacles clinked as they rapidly opened and closed as the machine came to life. It had been days...maybe months or years...He had fallen silent on the steps of this temple for some reason he was having trouble remembering. The machine turned towards the bridge and saw two figures approaching. One was a child of the Force and the other....well he was not. They were... He looked around at the petrified expressions on the statues he stood among. Oh yes...Treasure Hunters. Thieves. Invaders. They all came by different names but for the same purpose: to peruse and take from the temple. Minute was... well today he had to count himself among them. His memory of why he had come here was firing on his internal processors. He was here to steal from the temple as well.

As Tiona and Thallass came to the end of the bridge, Minute's arm would creak as it rose and opened a palm towards Tiona.

"I'd advise you take no more steps forward in your current form. This place is highly resistant to beings like us in organic form."

Tiona would exhale. And her body would grow limp and crumple to the ground.

Thallas would be unaffected and the droid that had spoken was now turning and walking into the temple.

"There's a tendency of travelers in this galaxy to travel alone and eventually learn that companionship is an essential key to achieving anything. If you do not wish to turn out like the rest of these chaps: turned to stone in pursuit of the Island's secrets. I'd advise you gather the woman's body and before you enter. She will appreciate it when she comes back to reclaim it."

----
Tiona watched as her body fell to the hard stone surface. It was no doubt by the hand of the droid in front of them, only when she would look back at the droid she would see...



The spectral figure of one of her own. It was clear that he was from a time long before the current age. He wore black armor and a brown scarf around his neck. It was what he had worn when he had almost became one with the Force. But he had not. No, he had stayed behind and become Minute instead.

He smiled an arrogant smile as he stood beside the droid that was conversing with Thallass. Thallass could not see her or hear her, but Tiona could him. She was somewhere...in between. Minute beckoned her to follow him as he turned and began to head into the temple, mimicking the path of his metallic real world counterpart.

"This is no doubt strange to you and for you. You...You are disconnected from our people...the Mirial. Hmm...We suppose that makes sense. We believe you live in an age where our people are scarce and endangered. A shame. Nevertheless, we assume you've come here for one of the many treasures this temple holds. We think we can help each other, for we are searching for something as well."

His voice sounded as if he was...many. His use of we was not just an peculiar quirk. Tiona would....*know* somehow that she was speaking to many entities that were somehow one. He would feel as old as the very temple they stood in front of. Yet, she did not sense deception. Quite the opposite...it was pure light side energy radiating from the spectral figure. Minute cast a glance at her body.

"We do hope you trust this man. We fear you'll both turn to stone if you abandon each other. Pray his want for treasure is not greater than his common decency...But we suppose if decency was common, then the galaxy would not be in its current state."

Tag: @galactic-vagabond422 @Kurisan

----
Aboard the Rupert's Run, Csilla

Borek Tek, Deya, nor the Rupert's Run would be approached for the entirety of the time it would take for Borek Tek to make his decision. Deya slept for almost a full day. Zeek monitored her closely and there were things the tiny droid noted:

-Deya's heartbeats were irregular. Nothing dangerous yet, but they were distinctly different than Zeek had recorded before.
-Her brain patterns indicated that she was not having a variety of dream sequences, but that her brain was replaying the same dream over and over.
-Deya's health had deteriorated substantially from the last time they had seen her. She would need constant fluids, feeding, and care before she'd return to her previous physical state.

No matter how matter of fact Chord had sounded, Borek would know that he was on a clock. He was on someone's clock and eventually Chord himself or, more likely, some assistant would come to find out what decision he had yet to make. Zeek's analysis outlined that Deya was in no state to make a trip deep behind enemy lines. At least no physical state, not yet. Mentally, Borek knew what she was capable of and maybe she would bounce back and be able to care for herself before he had to make a final decision...This...was the best case scenario. Incredibly optimistic. This was the life he had chosen and it was the life that had chosen him. Sure, he could have been a smuggler or pirate or sith lord somewhere, on his own, only caring about himself. The galaxy and the Force...they would allow you to make some decisions and some they would make for you. Sera had not hummed or lit up in the past few hours. Clearly something, somewhere was occupying his attention. Or maybe the machine god enjoyed seeing Borek Tek agonizing over what his next step would be. Soon... the clock would strike dead and Chord would want an answer. What would he decide?

Tag: @Ktala

----
75th Floor, Artemis Cradle

Desi squealed and stomped her feet happily at hearing Rik's affirmative response on her request for his help. That could've gone either way, she silently considered, but was ecstatic that she now had a bodyguard and an aged deplorable on her side. She clapped her hands and retrieved a tiny datapad from her pants cargo pocket. It was of a peculiar design, no doubt a unique appearance attributed to the isolation and advancement of technology within the Artemis Cradle. Things here would not necessarily look the same as things did in the rest of the galaxy; this was a factor that most visitors and passerbys of the Artemis Cradle would subtly recognize. The datapad looked like a small black rectangular block - something akin to a black brick and aside from the screen appearing as Desi placed it in Rik's lap, he may not have known what its precise function was.

The information did the speaking for Desi as she watched silently to see what Rik thought. It would look like she was merely sharing the information with him but Rik was seasoned enough to know that she was waiting to see what he thought - she was second guessing whether everything actually was on the up and up and was looking to see his reaction. The datapad had a shortened history of correspondence between Desi and a Mon Calamari named Bur Ghodadz. It appeared, to Rik, with how Bur communicated that he was a mid level information broker. Mid level because why else would he need a random woman to steal cred chits and access cards from the Artemis Cradle's wealthy and security forces. The encryption that Bur was using would be familiar to Rik's eye - Old Rebellion. Now why would a former rebel need to use old encryptions instead of just using ones from the New Republic? There would be a few reasons, only one correct, and maybe that was an important note to Rik or nothing at all.

All in all, the deal was simple: Desi was to be paid for the access cards and chits in bulk. The information broker was just looking for information and access on the Artemis Cradle. A data dump. Possibly meaning he was just starting on the expansive spaceship. They were to meet at an isolated warehouse on the 75th Floor that barely seemed to be on the floor map at all and that she was come alone - Which Desi had swiftly rebuked. Even she would know better than to a dark meeting by her lonesome. Desi wanted to do this solo, without her family name, but that did not mean she needed help.

"I got blasters and a few detonators in case things get interesting..." Desi said after she was sure Rik had completed a read through or two. She said it casually and confidently, but she couldn't fool Rik: This woman was no stranger to violence, though she likely had never had to pull the trigger herself.

This seemed like a quick drop off with a suspicious character. Easy money in Fouche's pocket. Another day breathing in the galaxy. And possibly access to some more information on the Artemis Cradle's major players. Three things that, less than 24 hours ago, had not be guaranteed. Specifically when Panda had his brute strangling the life out of Fouche. At a minimum it would give the aging con man some more time to figure out his next move.

You take the good, you take the bad...

Tag: @Kalio_Dynkos

----
A Few Places Here and There over the past days, but eventually the Megarea itself, the Admiral's Office to be specific

Mission Accomplished.



How? A small flashback...

----
The Hell Hazard During the Showdown above the Artemis Cradle

Declan scratched one of the cuts he had received above the Imperial Remnant's unfinished Star Destroyer. That was hairy. The investigator or hunter or whatever the hell the woman was who had rescued young Ben Solo and delivered Declan to the Hell Hazard...He considered the fact that she did not know who the child was nor was she familiar with Declan's service to the Rebellion. He guessed that neither mattered at this point. Colussia's operation room door opened and as he stepped in he could tell her unique multitasking ability was at work. Declan remembered reading about how Jedi during the Clone Wars were able to enter enhanced states of focus during conflict, coined battle meditation. Colussia's ability was like that; her extremely high intellect and ability to split focus - It was something to marvel at. He used a rag to wipe his face as he waited for him to pop up in her queue.

She did not look at him and started the conversation mid thought. "Aboard the Artemis Cradle. Abaddon is hunting a Chiss Admiral. He is apparently a skilled Force user as well. Likely-"

"Our only direct connection to the mysterious hidden Imperial Fleet. Gotcha." He finished her sentence and turned to leave.

"Judging from what Abaddon described, he is far more powerful than you and detection will almost certainly lead to death." She noted before the doors closed shut behind Declan. Since when did capture not mean certain death in Declan's profession...

----
So he had flown to the Artemis Cradle and boarded the space station in secret, under the massive explosions and death from the space battle above. He pinged Imperial signal and traveled to the location where Lord Sabel had recovered in the apartment by draining the father of the family of his life force. An Imperial with a conscience? He chuckled. He traveled to where a shuttle had been dispatched from the Imperial Fleet to, no doubt, retrieve the Admiral from the Cradle. The pilot was none the wiser as he was immediately, and completely hypnotized by Declan. The pilot would continue with his retrieval of the Admiral as he had been ordered - Showing no signs that he had made contact with Declan. In truth, the pilot could not know. Declan's hypnosis was of the kind that his very presence could be erased from memory and all senses just by being near him. He even waited and almost abandoned the mission when he saw the arrival of Deva Xcale and the Admiral. The Admiral was powerful, but Declan actually physically retreated aboard the transport when Xcale stepped out of the speeder. If Xcale noticed him, he made no actions to the affirmative and Declan, the pilot, and Admiral Sabel left the Cradle together.

Seated in the transport, in the corner right behind the Admiral, Declan observed. He did not need to physically hide; his hypnosis ability was already infecting Lord Sabel. The Admiral would not notice him. Not on the transport...Not on Csilla...Not once they returned to the Fleet. Not even once they were in the Admiral's personal quarters. Once aboard the Megarea, however, Declan began his insurgency. The first was to kill a suspected spy. He was not exactly sure who the guy was, but it did not matter. Then he made a Red Guard kill himself and induced nightmares in the others. The first plan of action was always to cause disarray and confusion. The second would be to get a message to the Hell Hazard.

Everything was going as planned. Almost.

It was for only a few seconds, but Declan was seen. Seen. Himself. Not a powerful Force illusion or a purposeful use of his Force hypnosis.

----
The alert hummed to life on Sabel's personal comlink. One of the cleared Red Guards was performing a scan of the Admiral when a message from 0021 was forwarded to him from Sten. The Red Guard 0021, as he was spacing himself, had etched a singular word into the skin of his palm:

ANGEL

Tag: @darthbernael

------
I was a Jedi before I was Minute.
I was going to die.
But there was more work to be done.
...I infused my goal, essence, and knowledge into a vessel.
And the vessel moved forward.
I became we as many followed the path.
With the primary purpose of preserving the Jedi.
And the secondary purpose of maintaining the conflict with the Sith for eternity.​

 

A brief and enjoyable combo between myself, @Jedi_Ascension, @Jedi_padawan_leigh, & @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

*****************************************

K’ir Tor, Dathisi, Mara, & Unknown
Aboard the Tenasas/ Trande Settlement

“Dathisi, Mara….” He began saying, then paused for a moment, attempting to find the armored man’s name, but not gleaning it, “…Unknown. Here, in this moment, in this place, we can all agree there’s something bigger than ourselves is taking place. We were all there, with…Etu, despite our origins. I for one, believe that we can be agents of balance, as incredible as it sounds, right here, in the Unknown Regions.”

K’ir Tor’s visage was that of a man filled with purpose. He clearly wished to say more, a lot more, but did not want to overwhelm his guests. But he would share what he knew, what he understood, all the while, hoping it would be enough to hold this small band together. There was much for them to do…if the Force would have them.

Mara agreed. "And it seems that you," she indicated K'ir Tor, "are essential to strengthen and enhance ... push back the dark. Dathisi, you appear to be the focal point of this Dice character, whether by design or through sheer whim. We all though must remain vigilant." Mara knew what it was like to be surrounded by darkness and strive to remain untainted. She sometimes wondered if she had been altogether successful; but she did not feel the pull of vicious hate, vengeance, or the lust for dominance. Her driving force had always done to prove her competence and fulfill the task set before her.

'Unknown' remained standing where he was with his faceless gaze keeping them all in its sights. With the words between K'ir and Mara, he just shook his head and shrugged. Offering words for the first time, but not planning on saying much more. This was all above and beyond him.

"I don't know about the Force, balance, or anything to do with 'pushing back the dark.' All I know is I want answers and not be killed in the process."

"I completely understand." K'ir Tor replied, inwardly glad that the one known to them so far as 'Unknown' despite his reticence, did participate in their discussion, even if minimally.

"Feel free to ask me whatever you'd like and I'll do my best to answer them. You could say I have some perspective from both sides of the aisle. I've chosen to be an open book, as I've seen the damage that secrets can cause."

There was a tone of raw undisguised honesty in K'ir Tor's voice. He smiled at a passing thought, before addressing the group once again.

"Lady Dathisi...?" he intoned in a kind manner, turning slightly toward the cathar.

Dathisi stood, her arms lightly crossed about her front. She had listened silently as K'ir Tor, Mara and Unknown made their resolve known. They were Brave, strong young warriors indeed, and she had no reason to doubt their skills and abilities, but the fact that these newly arrived ancient star-ships were currently an unknown entity didn't sit well with the Cathar. But her mind was still swimming with questions. She found her thoughts briefly flitting back to what K'ir had said about the mysterious woman known as Etu, who seemed to know Dathisi. How did she know her? Dathisi cleared her throat silently as she straightened up, Regarding those assembled with her bright feline eyes.

"Although I do not know exactly why Dice and his fellow dark side ilk are being drawn to me, I cannot let innocent people be caught in the crossfire. The last incident with Dice was way to close for comfort. If he makes a reappearance, or these things..." She pointed upwards towards the star-ships "...are also a threat to the people here then I will do all I can to stop that threat, You all have my word."

In the heyday of the Jedi, Dathisi had been a devout and dedicated servant of the force. An agent of light, a force for good. Now, even after all these years, and after forsaking her abilities, the force still seemed to deem her as worthy. She now found herself answering the call again. She would listen to it, feel it, trust in it once more. She would follow the forces plan for her...

...No matter the outcome.

Never again...

Pulling herself from those most private inner thoughts, she started to pace slowly, Her steps echoing lightly off the floor of the Tenasas

"The question is...exactly what are we facing here. This feeling...I haven't felt such strong presences in the force since before Order 66."

Mara gave Dathisi an approving glance and said, "K'ir Tor and I benefited from pooling our strengths to ward off Dice. I think if we here could forge a Force meld as a barricade and also a means of defense beforehand? Instead of reacting being proactive?" She looked to K'ir Tor.

"Is that feasible?"

K'ir Tor nodded affirmatively to Mara, then regarded Unknown and Lady Dathisi, a subtle and pleasant smile of accordance etched upon his face.

"Indeed we are stronger together. We are of the same mind and purpose. We start here in Trande. We protect the settlement and its people, and the planet. We are the Vanguard of Light, for the Force is our ally."

K'ir Tor took in a breath as cogs began to turn inside his mind. Nothing worthwhile was ever easy. This would be no different.

"To stop the spread of darkness, we must make a stand against it. To drive it back, we must push- but we do not have to do this alone. There are others that could help, Force willing. The task has been set before us, and our best efforts will be put to the test. Are we ready?"

With that K'ir Tor raised his hand and looked to the others once again.

"Aye." He affirmed without doubt or wavering, then waited on the rest to cast their vote before concluding their meeting.

Mara nodded. Vanguard of Light... she liked the sound of that.

Unknown shook his head lightly. More Force talk, it was almost like he was being inducted into some religious combat group.

Though anytime the Force was mentioned, he did feel something in the back of his mind. What he couldn’t say. A tickle of some kind. Familiarity? Perhaps.

But in what way was the question.

Unknown opted to just nod, much like Mara. He was dragged into this mess, so he didn’t feel the need to do the whole hand raising thing.

Now it was also time to wonder what was next.

The answer to that was simple, however. All they had to do, was look towards the sky.

Their greatest challenge was nearly upon them.


Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Tiona
Deep in the Southern Jungles of Nobu Genesi

Tiona took a step and saw the droid stir into life. It delivered its odd warning to her and she opened her mouth to reply when… something happened. She had exhaled and then… she could not describe the feeling. Suddenly she was falling, her legs and arms weak, her vision clouding with dark fog.

Then she regained consciousness. It felt like it had been only a moment, but she was disorientated. She found herself standing beside her own body. She looked down at her crumpled form on the stone ground.

What is going on? Is this… death?

It had all happened so quickly and irresistibly. How had the automaton done that? What manner of weapon? She snapped her attention back to it and saw… oh...

He was like a ghost. He was Mirialan, like her, but his face was full of the ceremonial markings. This one had lived a life of honour and achievements, but it had been long ago, she somehow sensed. He was not of this present galaxy. Like a ghost…

Tiona stared, lost for words, unable to comprehend what was happening to her. She became aware that Thallass and the droid were still there – the droid was saying something to the Duros and he was responding. But neither of them acknowledged her presence, nor that of the strange ghostly man. Am I ghost too now, then?

She looked down at her hands and closed her fingers into fists, then opened them again.

He spoke to her.

"This is no doubt strange to you and for you. You...You are disconnected from our people...the Mirial. Hmm...We suppose that makes sense. We believe you live in an age where our people are scarce and endangered. A shame. Nevertheless, we assume you've come here for one of the many treasures this temple holds. We think we can help each other, for we are searching for something as well."

Tiona reeled from the insight. He seemed to somehow know of her troubled past, stolen away from her planet and culture. And the current age… Yes, the Mirialans were few and scattered, rebuilding after the terrible wrath of the Empire had fallen upon them.

She met his eyes without shame as he stated her purpose.

Yes, she had come here to take away that which needed to be rightfully returned, and nothing else.

How was this possible? Who was this man? His aura shined in the force and Tiona became convinced he was a manifestation of the Light Side. With that revelation, she began to not fear him. Yet there was peril here, no doubt. He spoke again.

"We do hope you trust this man. We fear you'll both turn to stone if you abandon each other. Pray his want for treasure is not greater than his common decency...But we suppose if decency was common, then the galaxy would not be in its current state."

Tiona put aside the odd feeling that she was encountering some kind of gestalt consciousness in the Force here, and glanced at Thallass. Do I trust him? I hardly know him! Yet, she had had a good feeling about him, right from the start, at Prince Luce’s garden party. She had consented to him following her through the jungle. And she had asked him to trust her with his life at a crucial moment.

The Duros had done so, despite the obvious difficulty that had caused him. Tiona had come to trust her feelings.

She prayed that she could trust him, for that was the choice she made now; to entrust her body to him. She turned to the ghostly apparition.

“I am Tiona Kareen, of Mirial. Please, tell me, who are you and what has happened to me?”


@The Jedi in the Pumas @galactic-vagabond422

 

Thallass Falkirk
Nobu Genesi

Thallass walked beside Tiona eyes darting left and right taking in all the information that he could. The statutes up ahead were not your run of the mill decoration. They were a warning, to all those that would enter, do so at your own peril. It was not something unfamiliar to him, and his family. Many ancient temples had unusual defense systems. He wondered what purpose the droid fulfilled. They didn't seem affected by the pertification, though did that mean they were part of the security system or just an independent droid explorer. Time would tell on that.

As they came closer the droid raised it's hand in a flash Thallass's hand moved to his blaster. An odd warning was given, current form? Resistant to beings like them?

He didn't have much time to ponder that question as Tiona fell to the ground. The hand that was on the weapon now drew it, pointing right at the droid that seemed to just rip the life from the woman next to him. Sparing just a quick glance down to Tiona he could tell she was still breathing. That was good.

"There's a tendency of travelers in this galaxy to travel alone and eventually learn that companionship is an essential key to achieving anything." Thallass didn't necessarily disagree, but it depended on who you were working with. "If you do not wish to turn out like the rest of these chaps: turned to stone in pursuit of the Island's secrets. I'd advise you gather the woman's body and before you enter. She will appreciate it when she comes back to reclaim it."

Thallass's brow arched, when she reclaims it? Well stood to reason if a soul could be forced out of a body, it could be brought back. Though he wouldn't have a clue how to do that.

Looking back down at the body he narrowed his eyes. Carrying her would hamper his ability to do much of anything. Surely he would be better without carrying that much dead weight. The thought had occurred to him, to just leave her where she was and go on alone. If the droid tried to stop him a few blaster bolts to the chest should end it.

However, what he and his family does for a living might be morally questionable, he still has a code, a set of ethics passed down from his grandfather.

"Never leave a partner behind...unless they're being an idiot."

The being an idiot part was up for interpretation...but, Tiona had proven herself not to be an idiot. If anything it was him with that stunt back in the clearing.

Slowly he put his blaster back into its holster and crouched down to her.

"Sorry, need to pick you up." He said to her quietly, asking forgiveness for his impropriety. Gently he slipped an arm under her shoulders, and another around her waist. With somewhat practiced movements he heaved her form onto his shoulders. He wasn't the strongest being in the galaxy but, he could carry her, for now.

"Lead the way…" He said his face a grimace as he carried a few extra kilos on his shoulders.

TAG: @Kurisan @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Episode 7 Conclusion Part II
​

Trande Settlement, Vas Nihollia

There was no place to land. Even if the town's small landing pad was empty, the ship that descended from orbit was too big. Muul chewed on the piece of straw in his mouth and kept his hands on his hip. He was alone. The rest of the constabulary had established a perimeter around where the descending ship was attempting to land. Muul watched silently and analyzed the ship. It was an old one. And boy was it massive.



Muul was not the most traveled Chiss in the galaxy nor was he an expert on ships. He knew, however, that the ship was not just old, but it was ancient. Almost like it was a wonder that thing was even still moving around so efficiently. He could not place the design by species. He had no idea what to expect from it. There were a few things that he could surmise:

1. The ship was not here to destroy them. Judging from its size, it could have done that from orbit.
2. Whoever was in charge was courteous enough to not land haphazardly. They were searching for a place that was not too far away. Gee, thanks, Muul thought.
3. He could guess from the recent arrivals and occurrences that he was dealing with Force sensitives. He wished he had Dathisi here, but he had recently found out that their local medic was actually a Force sensitive as well. The constable certainly was in over his head. But he had a job to do and protecting this settlement was what he would do. No matter what.

----
A transport exited the massive ship and made its way towards Muul. An emissary? Muul thought for a moment. His hand remained ready as his belt to pull his blaster if he needed to, though he doubted how much good it would do him. It would take a few moments for the transport to land and in that time, maybe interested parties would join Muul, or watch from the barrier that the constabulary had constructed a mile behind him, where all of the settlement's people were watching. The Church had organized many gift baskets and food, hoping to make friends with the people from the fleet. Others came with their hunting blasters ready to defend their home. Mixed emotions, confused glances, and fear spread throughout the town. The Underboss Dice stood amidst the crowd, towering above the townsfolk, dressed in the desert garb of Trande. He was interested to see what would unfold and whether he would need to interfere. All of this was information he was logging to eventually send back to the First Prince. Also embedded in the crowd were two Chiss Defense Force agents, the same that had pulled Unknown's ship from orbit. They were, needless to say, overwhelmed. Vas Nihollia was supposed to be a quiet post where the the most eventful thing that could happen would be them needing to direct traffic - not welcome an entire fleet of ancient starships. They had radioed back to the Vanger Corporation and were given orders to standby while CDF expeditionary teams would be dispatched to assess the intentions of the fleet.

----

The transport landed in front of Muul. Long seconds passed before the ramp lowered and an elderly man in extremely old armor descended to the ground. He paused at the last step of the ramp, looking at the ground below. He had...never stepped foot on a planet before. Could this place be the new beginning for his people? Could this be the new start that generations and generations of Huzonians dreamed of before him? Jinos breathed deeply before finally stepping foot on the ground. Bliss. The Force had brought them here. They were sent here for a reason, he believed. The Force told him to follow its guidance and that answers would reveal themselves.

He had to have faith.


Jinos, Leader of the Huzon People

"Wait right there partner."

Muul spit the straw out of his mouth and eyed the elderly man. He was dressed an old, worn down armor. He barely fit him. It was more akin to an heirloom or an artifact to be placed in a museum than something to actually protect the man in combat. But he did not want to insult the man by speaking this observation aloud.

Jinos said nothing.

"My name is Contable Muul'Nuruodo and you've landed on Vas Nihollia...Uh...We're um...Under the protection of the Chiss Vanger Corporation. What are your intentions here?"

Jinos said nothing.

He was confused. They both were. Muul repeated his message again in Cheunh and High Galactic while Jinos still did not respond. Only, Jinos was responding. Every member of the Huzonian fleet was telepathic. Every being that Jinos had ever met was Force sensitive and it was only after a moments of precious confusion that Jinos realized that he did not sense the Force in the man. There was no way he could communicate telepathically. This understanding saddened him, but he recovered and responded with a raspy voice that was unaccustomed to being used.

All Force Sensitives beings in the area of the Trande would telepathically receive this message as clear as Muul hearing it with his own ears.

"I am...Jinos. My people...We have traveled a long journey. For centuries and millennia. We only seek a home. We require help, food, and resources as we have been bound to our starships for millenia. Please, we only bring peace and seek help. We only seek-"

Then he sensed her. Jinos' head tilted to the wind as if he was hearing a new sound. The Huzonians were not Jedi. They were descendants of Jedi. The teachings of the Jedi were only passed down through old tales and holojournals. They were familiar with what the Jedi were and looked to them as guardians of the galaxy and progenitors of the entire Huzon fleet. But true, trained Jedi, they were not. This did not mean, however, that Jinos could not sense it. He could and he did. There was a Jedi on this planet. The Force was showing her to him. They still survived!

Muul cocked his head to the side. "You seek a home, huh?... " The expansion of the settlement flashed in his mind. Was this one of those "signs from above" that the movies had?

----
Dragged Somewhere, Vas Nihollia

Wapoe sensed Jinos. He could even sense Ship. And Ship would come to him. But Wapoe would not be able to leave the planet. He was... a part of the planet. There was something he had to do here. There was a purpose for him here. And the Outrider's words...

This is where I plant you.

More vegetation would continue to slowly grow from Wapoe. There was a settlement on this planet, full of life, and possibly full of answers. It also seemed to be the place where Jinos had decided to make his arrival. Wapoe could sense it again... the changing of the mighty script - parts of the story that he could not have foreseen. The Force was not yet done with its intention of balancing out the Master's machinations. It was a bit ironic...similar to the beings of the Mortis, Wapoe now found himself tethered to a place, unable to leave. Yet, this was no mystical, ethereal realm...which meant that there was indeed a way for him to leave.

He'd have to find it though.

Tag: @Jedi_padawan_leigh @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @greyjedi125 @Jedi_Ascension @Sinrebirth

----
This was the moment, Etu was sure.
This was the moment where everything changed.
Where Lady Dathisi, the Protector K'ir Tor, and the Rogue Mara Jade and the Unknown...
Their next decisions would bring about the Jedii City that Etu found herself in now.
The only place that the New Jedi Order could remain HIDDEN.
Away from the eternal conflict.
This World Between Worlds.

​

 

IC: Fouche - Under assumed name Rik
Shack, 75th Floor, Artemis Cradle, Unknown Regions

Desi squealed and stomped her feet happily at hearing “Rik’s" affirmative response to her request for his help. Fouche squinted. She clapped her hands. Fouche’s squint squinted.

A small box-like device was tossed into his lap by Desi. The Zeltron young woman stared at him and was silent while he read, which was a change from their interactions up until this point. She had charisma, an openly playful personality, and all of it was dangerous.

Fouche read over the material on the pad. Thankfully it had turned on. He’d never seen this particular design of pad, but it was intuitive enough to at least follow through with the data he was being presented with. As he read it, he was careful to keep his face stoic, non-committal. Overall the data seemed straightforward. It was your everyday client/buyer interaction, though the material itself was more telling than the conversation.

“Daughter…”

It just rang in his ears. Something about the last thing he’d seen on last night's hacked access to the intranet version of the Artemis Cradle’s Holonet like system. Who’s daughter was Desi? It struck him moreso now as he wondered why Desi had been targeted for this job. By all Panda had said, she was not exactly known for being a good asset. Her jobs had failed more often than not. This information seemed innocent enough. A deep dive on the Artemis Cradle station…but so soon after the attack? In fact, the job had been brokered before the attack. So before?

He fumbled with the pad to start at the beginning of the data again. On his second read, a few details jumped out to him. The target of the information dump wasn't as general as it seemed on the surface. It explicitly asked for information on the Artemis Cradle’s wealthy and security forces. Angles here abounded - the broker probably didn’t have any idea of the why and Desi didn’t seem to ask. She had that going for her. Still, it could just be extortion, a con, blackmail, or something more nefarious. If it was him, Fouche would cast a wide net like this in order to hide the fact that he really was after just one individual.

What was really odd was that the messages were encoded in a style he'd seen before. It wasn't Imperial, not your typical crime syndicate…Chiss? He'd heard they were out here and he'd met that blue fellow... Zahn was it? In Fouche's ISB days, the then Grand Admiral had been notorious for his dogged chasing but uncanny ability to defeat…that was it. The encryption was Old Rebellion, like just after the fall of the Old Republic era Old Rebellion. He hadn't seen this in years. It had long been broken by the Empire and abandoned. Now, why would a former rebel be out here? They won the war. And if they were ex-rebels, why not use the New Republic codes?

Had they been out there that long? Did they want to get caught? Were they that sloppy or had Desi been taken in by something.

He looked at Desi. She was trying to play it cool but clearly on the edge of her seat. She was out of her depth, but, she might also be walking into a larger payload and not realize it. This he could help with.

“Daughter…”

It just kept niggling at him. Fouche sighed as he gave back the data pad. Maybe, just maybe, he was getting too old for this line of work. When the con man can only see cons, maybe it's time to get out. He rubbed at his neck. Not yet.

"I got blasters and a few detonators in case things get interesting..." Desi said, bursting into his thoughts.

“Could be a mynock’s nest,” he said, handing back the pad. “But, still, that’s why you have me, eh?”

He flashed a grin and leaned back in bed.

“How’d you say this contact found you again,” he asked.

Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Borek Tek
On the Rupert's Run, Csilla

No one came to disturb them as Tek kept his eyes and scanners on Deya. Deya slept for almost a full day. Zeek monitored her closely and there were things the tiny droid noted, as did Tek.

Deya's heartbeats were irregular. Nothing dangerous yet, but they were distinctly different than Zeek had recorded before. That was disturbing. But not as disturbing as the other. Zeek reported that her brain patterns indicated that she was not having a variety of dream sequences, but that her brain was replaying the same dream over and over. Tek was worried if this was not her Deya but a clone or replicant of some type. Or worse, that it was her Deya, and they had done something to her mentally, to keep her 'compliant'.

Tek was quiet for a long time as he studied her. He already had Zeek scan her for weapons, and any implants inside of her. The twice cursed droid Sera was quiet. No doubt calculating his own issues at hand. Tek felt as if has definitely being played. Unfortunately, he was unaware of what game was being played. Tek told ahold of Deya's hand as she slept. She knew he was a force user. But he never dived into how much he had been trained and by who. He kept that part quiet. Tek knew she was a strong woman. He would not have allowed his heart to be captured by nothing less. But the physical assault...

"Zeek. I want you to monitor her closely. And alert me if her vitals drop." Tek told his companion. He removed his weapons she could grab. He then scooped Deya in his arms, as she lay on the bed. He gently placed his hand on her forehead, and began to scan her, as gently as he could. He was trying to verify if this was true, HIS Deya. And then Tek gently began to probe her mind and her psyche, looking to see her vision, and what they had done to her.

According to what Tek found...or didn't find, would guide his next steps. For now, he stipped away all of his feelings. It was now his training that would guide them both.


TAG: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Episode 8: This Too Shall Pass...But Not Without Alittle Help
​

Fen'Jali Temple, Nobu Genesi

​

The droid hobbled its way deep into the temple. It did not say anything or turn around to check on Thallas, who continued to carry Tiona's body. The inside of the temple was vast - Nothing that Thallass, an experienced adventurer would find too surprising - But his keen eyes would pick up that... This temple was very old, yet there were spots... a piece of wall, a step there, some scrap of metal... that seemed out of place. Was it that these places and materials seemed out of time, like they were too new or too old for the rest of the temple? Was is his mind playing tricks on him? Surely, he was tired by now. But treasure hunters like him...could they so easily dismiss a gut feeling?

Maybe Thallass would stop to investigate more (optional mini-combo).

Or maybe he would continue to the crypt in the center that was glowing with blue light.

It was on a column, surrounded by deep, dark depths to which even Thallass' eyes could not see the bottom of.

Minute stopped and nodded mechanically at the crypt. Carefully minding its distance.

"We are here to retrieve the contents of several crypts, like this one, here. You are likely here for something valuable as well." Minute held its hand out... Diamonds appeared...It was no illusion. They trickled to the ground...Precious metals...An elixir... Minute's creations took many forms and none of them were false. This being in front of Thallass was capable of making almost anything he desired. Minute cocked its head to the side as it observed Thallass.

"If you go to each of the crypts, there are 3 total here, and retrieve what they hold inside, I can create whatever you desire." It did not seem like a lie. Nor did it seem malicious or like he was making a deal with the devil. But...one had to ask...

What kind of treasure hunter would he be if he wanted something so easily generated? What would his grandfather think?

Or .... Where else in the galaxy could find a droid capable of creation? In the chaos of the trip to Nobu Genesi, Thallass had not forgotten that there was something that mattered so much here that Prince Luce had spent millions to billions to bring them here...And a feeling would tell him that whatever it was was worth more than even this godlike droid.

---

Mirialan Minute observed the Droid Minute's abilities. They did not lose their individuality when they became Minute; it was merely suppressed and blended with the other beings that made up Minute in pursuit of the ultimate goal. This was evident in the small smirk that creeped onto the former Jedi's face.

"The power that we have achieved, young Tiona... More than any Jedi or Sith could have ever dreamed." He was clearly proud. But the ghostly Mirialan was not the most interesting thing from Tiona's current surroundings.

Tiona could see the crypt glowing and she could knew...the Force was telling her that there was something that Thallass and Minute were missing. The light was not blue to her, as it was to them, it was red. The dark depths around their current platform was not dark to her, she could see exactly what was at the bottom: A lake of floating spirits. The Force was telling her that if Thallass approached this crypt unprepared, he would turn to stone and she, would be like the rest of the floating, mindless spirits.

The crypt needed a vessel...a body...a Force sensitive body to obtain its contents.

But how could she communicate that to him? They were not in the same realm. How could she get the message to him? And where would Thallass get a Force-sensitive body from? One that he was willing to sacrifice?

Tag: @Kurisan @galactic-vagabond422 (Optional combo with yours truly, or we can play it out!)

------
71st Floor, Artemis Cradle

While in transit to the meeting place, Desi supplied Rik with her aforementioned blaster pistol (an extremely new, extremely illegal piece) and thermal detonators. She informed him that the contact had approached her through the Artemis Cradle's holonet one night after she had been released by the Artemis Cradle security forces for pulling a stick up job. She had been surprised at how fast she was released, but she alluded to the fact that she knew people in high places.

There went that itch again at the back of Fouche's mind.

It was accompanied by possibly another itch: The correspondence strongly, yet subtle enough that someone like Desi would not have noticed, suggested that the meeting take place on the 71st Floor. But why? From what Fouche had seen so far, if one wanted to conduct some under the radar business, what better place to do it than a floor that seemed entirely separated from oversight and was largely impoverished and scummy... Instead, Desi was driving their speeder to the 71st floor which had completely different vibe. It was a peaceful atmosphere and there were no dirty, overcrowded tower apartments like on the 75th Floor. No...

​

It was clearly an affluent floor and Fouche could see their destination in the distance, a few minutes away. A large, spiraled tower that seemed like the exact opposite of a building where an underworld information broker would want to conduct his business. As they swerved to a speeder parking area a few minutes walk from the building, Fouche would see two gamorrean bodyguards waiting for them at the doors of the building. They kind of stood out, even in business suits. The blaster rifles slung across their shoulders were dead giveaways. There were clearly regular civilians here that had no matters in dirty business.

Something was off....

Tag: @Kalio_Dynkos (COMBO MATE!)

------
A Dive into One Deya's Mind, Csilla

Tek entered Deya's mind.
It was her.
She was unconscious. But his embrace.
His presence in her mind.
It stirred her memories of him.
And her.
The times they had spent together.
When they first met.
When they first kissed.
The first time he had bandaged her bruises from a particularly dangerous bounty.
He would have to sift thru them and go
deeper.
---
He was now seeing through her eyes.
Abaddon.
The monster had torn through her group as if they were children.
He felt her fear as her blaster bolts had no effect on the Prince.
As she tried to run.
As Abaddon's hand wrapped around her throat from behind and pulled her back.
Terror.
Still...he'd have to go deeper.
---
She was in a bacta tank.
In a bright facility.


The people around her...Blue skin.
Chiss.
There was a...being.
Tall.
He had done something to her mind.
He was going to do something worse.
Then...A white light.
White energy.
It burned him. Made him sick.
Pure Light Side of the Force.
Then...
He saw two Deyas....Three Deyas.
Then...
---
He was back in the Rupert's Run and the knock he knew would come, came.
It was time for him to tell them his choice.​

Tag: @Ktala

------
Trande Settlement, Vas Nihollia

Jinos and a small group of the Huzonians set up a small camp on the outskirts of the Trande Settlement. The Trande Council had spent much of the day trying to decide what to do. They did not have the firepower to combat the Huzonian fleet and they were awaiting responses from the Vanger Corporation to see if help would come. The Huzonians could have fired but they so far were acting like interstellar refugees, Muul informed them. He was waiting to see what Dathisi thought but he, as of yet, had not spoken to her. The townspeople of Trande retreated back into their homes as directed by the constabulary... All except Dice, who stood at the edge of the town barricade. He would be the first person that the straggling Wapoe would encounter. The Outrider's death...somehow would lead Wapoe to Dice. Why? For any number of reasons, though it was likely because Dice was part of the very organization that the Outrider had been in charge of. That was one likely reason. As Wapoe would approach Dice (As he would and anyone else who wanted to speak to Jinos and the Huzonians would have to due to the barricades around Trande), Wapoe would access something from the days when he was...the Master.

Dice was from Wild Space. He knew where Exegol was. He knew of Mortis. He was the Scourge. The last part would mean nothing to Wapoe...yet. But he would know that, like him and the Outrider, Dice was a unique being, filled with the lowest depths of the Dark Side of the Force.

A tear would roll down his face as he turned to Wapoe. He offered the hooded figure a wave of his hand and a soft: "Hi."

Jinos continued to repeat the plea. It was narrowed now that he gained his bearings. The planet beneath his feet felt so foreign. This was possibly a new life for his people. His plea would now be focused on K'ir Tor, Dathisi, and Mara Jade, all of them had traces of Jedi and light side energy on them. It was all he had to go on. He pleaded for them to come to him so that they would know that his words were true, his people were in need, and that Vas Nihollia was their last hope. But what of the Scourge? And what would they make of the arrival of Wapoe?

Tag: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @greyjedi125 @Sinrebirth @Jedi_padawan_leigh @Jedi_Ascension

------
The Megarea, A Day after the Visit from a Prince

It was up to Sabel.

To tell his crew that they had been infiltrated...or not. The deviant had made true with his promise: None of the crew, with the exception of Sten, seemed to remember anything after the Red Guard had thrown himself out of the airlock. They had gone right back to work as usual.

It was also up to Sabel.

Whether he would warn Sloane of the impending attack from Chord. Chord, who was proving to be much more involved in the Unknown Regions state of affairs than anyone had guessed. The spy had ties to the Chiss Ascendancy and some organization called the Dark Tower.

Little did Sabel realize, however, how merely knowing about the Dark Tower would complicate his future plans.

Eleodie... The response came a full day later.

Zhe wanted to meet on neutral ground. Zhe would allow Sabel to pick the place.

Tag: @darthbernael (Combo!!)

 

Look at what you made me do!!! GM Approved - The Oracle was Right! He was right.. .

Character Sheet
Name: Alpo Leineri Cummbo II
Age and Appearance: Appears to be a fifty year old humanoid male with a grey complexion. https://wegeekgirls.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/tommy-flanagan.jpg?w=584

Personality: Suspicious and calculating.
Allegiance: Family
Bounty (If not a member of the Guild): Yes- For Stolen Property, states body must be brought in intact.
Personal Effects: Clothes on his back, tools, palm blaster, and basic med-kit.
Ship: GS-100 Salvage ship
Bio: Born on a back world and having lived through harrowing times, he was an outcast and renegade from home. Not that it was home that wanted him back, for he had stolen something in his journeys that was slowly beginning to show age.

Originally he had been an itinerate traveler of the galaxy, a man of the universe without care or worry. Eventually that had turned to nothing but care and worry, and then he had been captured and indentured as a slave for nearly twenty years. Having won his freedom by right of escaping through the Maelstrom around Kessel in a stolen ship he had sought an independence and freedom that was always out of grasp. Limping along he had had to bide his time and in time seek out the scattered other refugees from his homeworld in similar difficulties. It was in this search and gathering and building of a small never ending life of exchanges that he built up a junker ship. Her crew his fellow peoples and droids.

On one delivery run they had discovered a hidden lab that none were to know about, a hidden lab which they approached and robbed for their own wellbeing. He himself was the first to perform a bonding with that labs technology and for several months they had made a much better and more open living. The galaxy being what it was, that toward the end of another decade they had come to consensus to relocate to the wild unknowns, especially with the bounties on their heads, and start a colony on a world that had the needed components in a single system for a new colony. An arid world with bubbling pools they found, they came to establish a mining colony with a small droid operation on the side. It would be a rough life, but they would be free. And so would their children.

 

Double Post GM Approved - Combo with GM to follow

Cala Prime



Where did they come from?

And why did they come here?

As anyone who spent more than a day without a home in the Unknown Regions could attest to, it was not a friendly place to nomads and wanderers. These harrowing times of Chiss Ascendancy heightening its tensions against the Syndicate Supreme and the Empire growing desperate in their search for a home made being in space without identification almost fatal.

But then Alpo and his family came upon Cala Prime; one of many uninhabited planets under control by one of the Chiss Royal Families. Untouched by any exploratory committee. Alpo would do his due diligence in observing the planet from space to find the person settlement spot.

There was a lot of work to be done.

Active sensors were triggered, passive sensors began rhythmic sweeps, and every viewport had droid eyes staring down upon the world. Watching and waiting, analyzing everything to ask the over two dozen questions to answer the singular question: Was this their home now?

Of course he wasn’t alone, his Trandoshan scavenger ship was crammed so one could barely walk the halls for the cram packed nature of his vessel. It wasn’t the only one and each in their desperation were packed for one singular task, to establish a colony without the aid of a homeworld or sponsorship. To be honest he didn’t know if anyone owned this world, but if no one lives here it was an opening enough so long as there were enough raw resources.

An offer they couldn’t refuse.

The planet was open and unbothered. Resources abundant. The ship’s scanners rated that life sustainability was high and there were only the most basic natural fauna to contend with over space.

The scanners would not pick up the single sentient advanced life form on the planet. The individual was a hermit; a particularly resilient individual to be able to live on a planet in solitary. This individual sensed the arrival of the colony ships in the atmosphere. It had been over 25 years since he had felt another presence...

Alpo took one last look at the results before tapping a few buttons to send out the tight beam signal for the others as he closed his eyes. He could feel it, the communion of the whole. The discussion was short as they all knew their time was in this crazy part of the galaxy they had decided to make their home. He felt like his arm was oozing, slipping away, but he ignored that thought as he waited for consensus.

The world had been agreed upon, the three likely settlement locations that had been isolated by the sensors were played out and discussed. The first was a volcanic caldera, they would have plenty of metal resources there, but water and vegetation were nearly non-existant. On another part of the world they had detected what appeared to be an underground aquifer. Only the soil and minerals in that area were more sparse, but having abundant water and vegetation were good things for a colony it just meant they would have to fly and import all needed minerals. Lastly a location had been found that looked like there old ore deposits likely beneath the surface, an underground river was believed to be nearby by the surface pools in the area following a pattern. There were rock croppings and even a small mesa. Vegetation was sparse but it was a desert and that was fine with them. Less desirable for others.

After a short debate about the benefits of merely importing water and food or inversely minerals the third choice were nothing was in over-abundance yet nothing lacking was chosen. Next the dreamers and planners had their say of how they would make this all work as the rest would dance to their song. Opening his eyes he looked at his arm, it seemed off and still felt . . .oozy. Reaching over with his left arm he rubbed the flesh of the right until it finally felt like it settled down. "Alright. Awaiting signal." he briefly stated.

Everyone onboard already knew the verdict, either they had heard it or the others near them had shared the good news in a happy murmur of voices beeps and tones. This was where the work began. The dreamers already were sharing their vision for the mesa. This would be where the colony would start. Based on wind and solar patterns the plan was to first excavate the town directly into the side of the mesa.



These would connect through tunnels to the hangers that would excavated opposite, the extra stone would be set aside for future external additions. They would use miners to dig a pipeline to the water, and in the middle of the mesa they begin mining and building operations of a more advanced nature as they would strive to build internal crop warehouses, a foundry and refinery to make the needed parts, and of course the labs to advance their innate technological abilities to sustain themselves and protect them so that they would never loose their homes again.

Some even dreamed of expanding straight into a mining living space.



Others, merely of a verdant life so many enjoyed merely under a covered sky and a passing sun.



No matter which way they created their future they had to land and begin somehow. The mesa invasion was the first step to any of these plans as they secure and literally would carve their first homes on this world. Tapping the pools and local vegetation for their base needs as solar arrays and wind tunnels for power and ventilation were put into place and built.

As the ships finally touched down, Alpo tapped the comms before opening the ships doors. "Welcome to your new home everyone." he calmly stated as he heard cheering echoing through the halls and bays of his ship. "Welcome home."

TAG: No One. . .yet