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

IC: Stark
Ringilla, Anew

Stark fell silent at the sight of the devastation that greeted them. The Imperial presence on Ringilla had been irrevocably eradicated with such vehemence and totality, that even now, he could still feel residual resonances in the force, echoing the unbridled violence and sheer magnitude of brutality visited upon them, such on a scale he hardly wished to ponder.

This was not the ‘welcome’ he had expected, not that he had been expecting one in the first place. But still....

Stark remained stoically silent for the most part as he focused on gaining greater clarity through the currents of the Force. The bombarded Imperial Base spoke to him like a crimson message written upon an alabaster wall. The presence of Paladians at the site did perplexed him, however.

Of course, he’d heard the exchange between Mai’hun and Myra, but did not see any reason to interject. It was always better to know the truth about these matters. The Chiss pilot was simply curious and Myra was very concerned, as usual. Stark nodded towards Primarch, having received the Paladian Leader’s unspoken communication through the Force. Yes, the Diving. Hopefully it wouldn’t be into the planet’s freezing waters.

Softening his facial features, Stark turned to Mai’hun.

“I’m curious, how do you say ‘Liberator’ in cheunh?” Needless to say, he was asking for a good reason.

Looking at the two ladies gather their weapons, he wagged a finger at them. “Tut. No Blasters, the Paladians are not our enemies. If you must carry them, at least have them holstered for now.”

As if to make a point, he gestured to his lightsaber, which was safely clipped to his utility belt and not being carried by hand. He understood that the need for caution, should there still be dangers lurking about. As humans and chiss, they did not have the inherent fortitude that Paladians seemed to posses naturally.

Stark moved out to open the landing ramp, then proceeded to follow Primarch to his long awaited reunion.



Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

IC: Dathisi Niroon
Trande, Vas Nihollia

Dathisi had listened to Un'hee's words with undivided attention and not without a fair bit of curiosity as she spoke of her abilities and the existence of the Chiss "Sky Walkers". It was even more curious that force sensitive Chiss lost their connection to the force once they hit a certain age, and that it only seemed to manifest in Females. The force did indeed work in mysterious ways, and at any other time, she would have been keen to research this more, but now was not the time for such things. The young woman before her seemed burdened by the fact that her force sensitivity had remained beyond her adolescence, and Dathisi was horrified that the kindly girl had accepted slavery and punishment for something that was completely out of her control.

The pair had stopped off at a small restaurant after finishing their day at the clinic. Dathisi selected a table away from the other patrons, so that they could talk with at least some privacy. She ordered them both a light meal and a drink to go with it. The topic of conversation eventually moved to Dathisi's own demonstration of her force abilities. Dathisi's head dropped slightly and her gaze fell onto that glass that she cradled in her hands. She could tell Un'hee wanted to know more about her own connection to the force. The girl had very bravely opened up to the older Cathar, so she at least deserved somewhat of an explanation.

She explained that a long time ago... She was part of an order of peace-keepers, called the Jedi. She told the young Chiss that the Jedi were force sensitive, just like she was, and that the used their powers and position to protect and help those throughout the galaxy. Dathisi mentally shook her head. What she had described was probably the most romanticised and oversimplified description of the Jedi Order, but she didn't want to overwhelm Un'hee with information straight out of the gate, and definitely didn't want to scare the girl further. Jedi carried many burdens, and the horrors of the clone wars and the Order 66 Jedi Purge still made Dathisi's heart heavy. No doubt Un'hee would have more questions, and she would tell her more, in time, but for now Dathisi was just relieved that Un'hee seemed a bit less burdened now that she could speak openly to someone about her gift.

Un'hee's next words however, caused the Cathar significant concern

Un'hee had asked Dathisi if she had felt "The calling at the mine". Dathisi shook her head. She had felt a few sensations at the mine, but nothing she would define as a calling as such. Curious. She asked if the Chiss woman if she could try and elaborate on this "calling"

Un’hee tried to explain the sensation with her limited vocabulary and knowledge of the Force. She explained that when she first arrived at the mine, she felt like someone was always around her, comforting her, promising her things, but without using words. The feeling made her want to lash out against the slavers. The calling, as Un’hee referred to it, made her feel like using her anger and sadness was the only way to escape, but the girl has resisted. She had not been raised to harm others.

Dathisi's eyes flashed in obvious concern as she pondered the young girls words... a Calling... to use anger and sadness... promises, temptations... A Chill ran down her spine as she remembered the teachings of the wisest of Jedi Masters.

"...Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering..."

The dark side.

Dathisi's ears twitched. Had someone been trying to lure Un'hee to the dark side? Un'hee said that the calling had ceased once she had been freed and started living with Dathisi, Mirri and Andren. She had done well to resist this "calling", but if someone was trying to sway the young woman, it meant that the Two of them weren't the only force sensitives in Trande or on Vas Nihollia.

It was then that Dathisi felt the smallest, infinitesimal notice in the Force of the Dark Side. She tensed up slightly, and her eyes fell closed as the feeling washed over her in the force. A frown crossed her brow. This sensation, this feeling... it was familiar to her. It felt like... the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. During the Clone Wars. The background din of the restaurant faded away and For a moment, long forgotten images of the Jedi temple flashed in her mind as if though she was seeing it though the eyes of her younger self...

...The grand temple Spire that housed the Jedi High Council...

...The cavernous ornate hallways and rooms used for knowledge and training and healing...

...And there was Someone...someone she knew?...

...And they were here.

In Trande.

Dathisi opened her eyes suddenly, the sights and sounds of the restaurant coming back into sharp focus. She looked at Un'hee sitting across from her.

We should go"

Dathisi said quietly under her breath , fishing out some credits from the pocket of her cardigan and placing them upon the table to pay the bill. She stood and beckoned Un'hee to follow her. The passed out of the doorway and into the street. Dathisi's feline eyes scanned the evening crowds cautiously before looking at Un'hee and taking a hold of the young Chiss woman's hand.

"Stay close to me alright?"

This person had betrayed their presence, and Dathisi had most likely done the same. Dathisi did not know what their motives or intentions were. They were close. All the more reason to be cautious.

"Of all the backwater planets, in all of the systems, and all of the clusters in this collosal galaxy, I wonder how it is that you ended up on mine"

TAG: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Borek Tek
The Bang Boom Express, 49th Floor Artemis Cradle hangar

Tek was not happy.

He finally awoke, with Zeek faithfully sitting next to him. Tek scanned the area. Not his ship. Must be Tata's ship then. Wonderful. He would now be owing her a favor. A beholding. Problem was, the only person he wanted to be-a-holding to was not here. Daya. What had happened? He didnt ask Tata to get him. He wanted her to go after Daya. Tek closed his eyes, and made a sound as he began to concentrate on healing himself. Eventually he knew he would find out. Until then, he would heal.

Not to long after he woke up, Tata showed up. And she had what was what she considered a plan. Tek had other words for it. A meeting with some others. She explained the situation and plan to Mandrelo, IG-66, and Tek. She wanted Mandrelo and IG-66 to go after a ship that had departed the 41st Floor a day ago before her scouts lost them. Abaddon had tried to stop the ship from leaving but had failed. Clearly there was something on that ship that he wanted and if they had something he wanted, they could negotiate with the monster and try to find out where Daya was. The look from Tek made it clear that he was not happy about that. What didn't any of these hunters try and tag the ship? But at least he didn't get to Deya. Again. Sloppy. Just fracking sloppy.

While that was happening, Tata and Borek would go see Prompa Sompa. Something about finding old Boba Fett cause they felt they needed his help. Tek snorted but stayed silent. His anger was silently growing. They could get the old bantha themselves. He rather go after Deya. After all, he ws not in the guild. He could go wherever he fraggin pleased. He didnt trust Deya's life to a boinking crazed droid.

Tata took a big puff of her cigar and looked at all of them gathered around her table.
“Alright boys, what do you think? We going hunting, like hunters ******* do? Or do we let this damn Syndicate Supreme think they can hurt our people and keep going along their merry way?"

Mandrelo grinned.

“Hot damn, Tata. You know I’m in. How bout it IG?” The man asked the droid. What was that droinking idiot so happy about? Tek had always hunted. He was already annoyed at having to have a go at the giant well before when he had planned. And he planned to deal with him again. But now, being so close to Deya, only to lose her again was too much.

Tek crossed his arms. "You're plan is flawed darlin'. Tek responded slowly. "Abaddon already sold Deya to somebody. If he finds out that we want her, he might tell his buyer to lose her out the nearest airlock. If he knows she is important to me, he will CERTAINLY kill her. He aint really the kind of 'sharing' type of guy." Tel shook his head. "The man tore a ship apart to find something. That is probably on that ship as well."

Zeek chirped softly as he began to pick up some readings, and slowly drifted up to the ceiling, hover to what he considered, out of harm's way. Tek continued.

"Why dont you go with them two to look for that relic? You dont need me. I tracked Deya here. I can find her again." he growled, even as he gave a slight nudge to his ribs with his elbow. "And what makes you think you can even get the Fett to help? What do you have to offer him? It's obvious that he's been in hiding if he is still around. Why should he tell us anything?" Tek growled as he stood up, relishing in the pain that his side was giving him. It gave him purpose. And he wasnt going to waste it.

"You had your chance. Twice. I aint waiting on a third." Tek stood up. Unless Tata convinced him, he was out of there.


Tag: @Master Vo'Un'Var, @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Csilla, CDF HQ

The door slid open. Chord took one step in and stopped. He had never seen the inside of Settu'asol'rerrist's office, in person, but knew quite a good deal of what was in the office. He looked around the room for a moment before his intense gaze (notably more intense than other Chiss) settled on Lord Sabel. He turned to the Sith Lord and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Commander Tuasolr...I was not expecting you to make it back to Csilla for my briefing."

Chord was no Force-Sensitive, but Lord Sabel would sense something within the man. Now, up close, after years of hearing of the young prodigy, he could sense through the Force that the man was not to be taken lightly. He moved and spoke as if he was certain; every action and word placed purposefully. The comparisons to the lost Grand Admiral Thrawn were well-earned, but Chord had never thought as highly of Thrawn as the rest of the Senior leadership in the CDF. To Chord, Thrawn was a traitor, nothing more or less. A clever one, sure? But he reviled any comparison to a traitor.

His eyes never left Lord Sabel. Officially, Lord Sabel outranked him by several ranks, but Chord barely operated within the confines of the CDF. His unit, Sabel would have discovered by now, was like an iceberg on the southern pole of Csilla: most of its operations were beneath the level of perception. They had no name and only reported to the Head of State, alone. The earlier briefing had been more of a courtesy than a requirement.

"The Syndicate Supreme, I suspect, has a large fleet, Commander. One that is very well organized and led by someone I can only guess is high in the Syndicate's leadership... I have so far been unable to track the fleet to a central hub, but they have been rumored to border Grysk space and Ascendancy space...I believe you know where I am going with this."

The Artemis Cradle. A gargantuan mobile hub of galactic undesirables.

"Commander, I have cleared with the Generals another Joint Operation: We are requesting your assistance in establishing a stronghold on the Artemis Cradle. My belief is that when this war reaches its heights, having a commanding position on the Artemis Cradle will be quintessential to our success."

For a moment, Lord Sabel would sense something. Then it was gone. It felt...threatening. Was it from Chord? Or was the Dark Side warning him of the Artemis Cradle?

"I assume your forces are capable of such an endeavor."

Tag: @darthbernael

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Trande, Vas Nihollia

That night....Dathisi slept and dreamed of...Coruscant...Specifically

​

The Jedi Temple!

Though the dream could not have been more real. The smell of the hallowed ancient halls. The energy of the youthful younglings running through the halls. The tranquility of the archives and the sagelike demeanor of the masters washed over her so vividly she would almost miss it. Almost. Seated on a bench, outside the archives, with bruised shoulders, forearms, and hands was a young cathar. Frustration. Pain. The Force would resonate off of her, but one wouldn't need the Force to decipher the feelings of the young padawan. The teardrops from her face began to form a soft, damp spot on the mauve colored carpet of the hallway. Dathisi would remember this day.

A long, hard day of training had come to an abrupt end when Master Windu called Master Teprae away. The omwati had not gone easy on Dathisi this day. In fact, it was one of the tougher days of training she ever had. The memory would become more and more clearer to Dathisi in her dream until...

"Meaningful...Purposeful...This day was. Hmm..."

Suddenly, Dathisi was in her current form, watching herself from across the hall. The dream was now less clear, visually, but the emotions were still raw and vivid. The voice; the syntax, belonged to Grand Master Yoda who stood with his claws clasped together over his walking stick. Something was happening... Dathisi had only spoken to Master Yoda in passing once she became an apprentice and even less so once the war started. No....This was something different...Different than a dream.

Her younger self was demoralized and was approached by a Jedi Knight. The face...shrouded. He knelt down and began to comfort her:

"Do not worry, young one. Master Teprae is harder on you because she sees something in you. You must not allow doubt to cloud your mind."

Master Yoda looked up at the current Dathisi.

"Remember, you must...Speaking to you, warning you, the Force is."

Who was it that had spoke to her that day?

Tag: @Jedi_padawan_leigh

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Abaddon's Apartment, The Artemis Cradle

Abaddon looked at her for a moment then smiled.

"I believe you, darlin. But see..." He placed both hands on his hips and began to circle her hanging body. "Where does that leave me with you? You may not know where they went, but you know something. I want names. I want comlink data. Ship names." He walked over to Jenica's body and nudged it with his boot. "You think on that. I'm going to go shower and when I come back....Oh you better have something more to tell me, red."

"KEEP CLEANING BOYS!" He shouted as he left the room.

Maybe Mara had already noticed him, maybe not. He was dressed in different clothes. Syndicate clothing. And a red hat that covered much of his face. Though, with the Force, Icarus' presence would be unmistakable. He meandered his way over to where she was hanging, pretending to sweep up broken glass. He didn't look at her as he began to whisper.

"Heya Red...Couldn't leave a partner...hanging." His attempt as humor in a rather dire situation. "How ya feeling? Cuz we're gonna need to move if we're gonna get outta here alive. It's just me...you...and uh...this thingy here."

He looked up from his sweeping and flashed open his jacket. There was a blaster. His blaster. And a hilt that Mara Jade would recognize as her own. He gave her a nod.

"Huh, Red? Whadya say?"

Tag: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

 

Mara's eyes widened in amazement. Icarus was full of surprises, and not unwelcome ones, either.

"Get me down from here, quick then, and let's leave while we can." Mara said.

When they were well away, she would make sure to get her injuries tended to, at least so they were manageable, if not well on the way to being healed. The priority now was making themselves scarce.


@The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Ringilla, Destroyed Imperial Base

Myra and Mai'hun cautiously holstered their blasters. As Primarch and Stark descended the ramp, the Paladians began to surround them. There were ones that bordered on humanoid size and then there were ones several meters taller; some of them even larger than Primarch. But as the circle formed around them, the Paladians began to stiffen their legs and backs and their horns began to glow. It was hard to discern, but it seemed that they were welcoming Primarch home. His horns began to resonate the brightest colors and low growls could be heard from the bottom of their throats. It began as a low drone before growing to a medium volume, monotonous sound cascading across the frozen surface of the planet.

Myra got closer to Stark and readied her hand slowly to her blaster. "You're sure this is okay?" Mai'hun's eyes widened behind them both as she turned her head every way in wonder, marveling at the paladians.

Primarch raised both of his massive palms and the drone ceased; the paladians separated: their horns aglow, some sat and swayed from side to side while others, the larger ones, began to go back to dismantling the Imperial base. The last detail had not been apparent during the arrival, but that was indeed what they were doing. Removing any reminder of their fallen foe. Two of the largest ones, which Stark and Myra would have to crane their necks back to appreciate their entire size (approximately 13 meters tall) slowly closed the gap to Primarch and seemed to commune privately with their leader.

After several minutes, Primarch's voice crept back into Stark's head. "It is time to begin the diving." There was the sense of humor. "And it does involve going into the lakes."

"I will not be going with you...You must be of sound and solid state of self. I realize that your sense of self...given the remnants of another still attached to your soul...may be muddled. But before you take the dive, you will need to know yourself at the most assured level, or else the minds and memories of all the others that have swam in the lakes will envelop you. Mother's Song tells me that there is a message for you there."

He explained to Stark that the diving had claimed many travelers to Ringilla. They would lose themselves and either perish or become born anew as new paladians. Only ones of broken minds and lacking a profound sense of self would find themselves lost forever. Myra and Mai'hun would be remaining behind as the two larger paladians led Stark to the water's edge a mile away. The paladians gave each other a look before diving into the water themselves, where they awaited Stark's dive.

Tag: @greyjedi125

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Depths of the Unfinished Star Destroyer

The boy was separated from his father and taken to a holding room, guarded by two stormtroopers. The father was being led to the Grand Admiral Rae Sloane: a name that may be familiar to Taza, but ultimately would scream no significant importance. The Imperial Remnant had done a good job of erasing their trail when they left known space and the importance of the leadership would've been at the top of things that needed to remain hidden.

Taza's position on the skeleton Star Destroyer; her presence being unaccounted for and unnoticed (by most) gave her a small window of opportunity. She was in a bone white hallway that was dimly illuminated. Apparently the lights were not the highest priority for the Star Destroyer construction crew. There was an access terminal a few meters down the hall. Her private communicator beeped to life.

ACCESS THE TERMINAL TO FIND WHERE THE BOY IS.

If complied with, Taza would find a location, after a few moments of digging. Most of the Star Destroyer was spaced; no doubt to conserve energy on the unfinished project, but it doubled as a technique to remain hidden from long range energy scans; the less energy expended the less energy to be detected. There were multiple sections, however, that were specifically highlighted and would stand out.

The Bridge of the ship. Not the optimal place to go hunting as there would likely be the bulk of the stormtrooper presence.

The hangar of the ship. Low on stormtrooper presence, but it would lead her back to a place where they would actively be searching for the inhabitant of her ship.

Platform 32. A blip on the schematic. It glowed red. It was an interrogation room. Singular and isolated from the rest of the ship. Judging from its location, the section was surrounded by spaced out sections and was the only other place that appeared to be inhabited on the vessel. It was a turbolift ride, or more subtly an airvent shaft up, from the floor she was currently on. Something told her this would be the ideal section that would hold the boy. As the cavity could be spaced, the boy killed, if the father did not comply.

She had a lead.

Tag: @SirakRomar (Combo??)

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Abaddon's Apartment, The Artemis Cradle

Icarus the bothan tipped his cap at Mara Jade. Trying to remain inconspicuous.

"Okay red. Most of these guys are cleaning crew, not actual foot soldiers. I hope you still got them Force moves."

Icarus dropped the broom and pulled out his blaster and tossed Mara's lightsaber up in the air, behind Mara's back but very close to her hands.

He aimed his blaster at the cleaning crew members as he waited for Mara to cut herself loose.

"Alright boys, this here be a jailbreak." He said with a smirk and a weird accent. He couldn't hide it: this was the life that Icarus had signed up for. He wasn't a quiet, political bothan like most of his kind. He was a rapscallion...a vagabond...and an outlaw. Pissing off the law and crossing criminal gangs got his blood rushing. But he had a code and that code kept him from leaving Mara behind. When he saw their ship get attacked, he did not expect either of them to survive, but something told him to hop out of Carl's ship and take a chance on Mara Jade. He'd see how it paid off.

Tag: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

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Grysk Hegemony Space

Ronin had been murdered. He was a slaver. The galaxy wouldn't miss him. But the Syndicate would. He was a powerhouse and highly efficient, loyal killer.
The Outrider was missing in his pursuit of some dark lord...Snoke...Colussia heard the rumors of the Sith, some ancient Force using order dwelling in the Unknown Regions. Yet, the Outrider chasing them and jeopardizing their organization for some misplaced aim of a vendetta...
How...uninspired...
How...quaint...
Mirth Leech was missing. Having escaped the bloody, inattentive hands of Abaddon. He would need to be found soon before his sense of loss and regret betrayed their internal network.
Abaddon was the only one who was showing a minimal level of competence and accountability. While he had lost Mirth, Colussia could not hold it against him. Mirth was clever and Abaddon was not. What Abaddon was, however, was a wrecking ball who would soon launch their endeavor of assuming control of the Artemis Cradle.
The Fifth Prince was...doing what he did best and she expected results soon.

Colussia stood and looked up at the peaceful moon that her fleet maintained orbit around.
Thousands of ships...
The Nomad Fleet...
With no more Thrawn to match her forces...
The galaxy was now her's... And she would wipe the galaxy of the Imperial Remnant and the Chiss Ascendancy.

"My Queen..."
She looked at her first mate. "Yes?"
"The Grysk have agreed to your terms. We are now in control of sector 4 and sector 5 of the border. They have agreed to the payments and will not impede our efforts."
Of course, they had agreed. They had gone to war against her Nomad Fleet before and she had outmaneuvered and destroyed them.
And now, as the Artemis Cradle drifted along the border, quickly approaching sector 5 of the border...
Her plan. Abaddon's plan...Would soon be underway.
​

 

Thankfully, Mara was adept at using her lightsaber in either hand, although it was made for a right-handed grip in most instances. She severed the bonds with a low setting and landed beside Icarus with a grace that belied her continued discomfort, although now she was upright and about to be on the move she could also divert some of her energy at dampening the effects of her injury.

Even as she landed, she moved her still-active saber to neutralize the cleaning crew that Icarus had left over.

"Lead the way. Jenica's ship is so much slag. We need to find a way off this station or a bolt hole to lie low."

@The Jedi in the Pumas

 

A combo with our continually amazing GM @The Jedi in the Pumas

**********************************
IC: ‘Stark’
The Diving


‘You must be of sound and solid state of self. I realize that your sense of self...given the remnants of another still attached to your soul...may be muddled. But before you take the dive, you will need to know yourself at the most assured level, or else the minds and memories of all the others that have swam in the lakes will envelop you. Mother's Song tells me that there is a message for you there.’

Primarch’s words echoed in his mind, then slowly faded as they were fully assimilated into his consciousness.

Stark closed his eyes and walked the whole mile deepening his connection to the Force, wrapping himself in the Force, following its current, filled by ’Mother’s Song’, as the Paladian’s referred to it.

With each step, he was less Stark, shedding every iota and nuance that remained of ’Starkiller’, down to the name, as he was becoming more the being he truly was. The one made clean by the Force: K’ir Tor.

As the shell of ‘Stark’, he did not open his eyes once they at arrived at the water’s edge. The material world seemed ‘immaterial’ now, as he was deep in the Force. There was no hesitation as he took a step into the frigid water, a fact he would hardly ‘feel’ in this place where the identity of Stark would be ‘buried’ and where ‘K’ir Tor’ would rise in his place.

Methodically, he entered the waters and submerged himself. Old things would pass away and all things would become new.

Thousands of them.

Needles they felt like, though he was sure they weren’t.

Thousands of them pierced his consciousness. Or a consciousness?

She. A female Togruta. She was young, a teenager, but powerful on the Force. ‘Stark’ was now Olara. Olara had come to the planet hundreds of years ago. Crash landed. A survivor. The water had seemed so inviting. She longed for home and-

Chord looked at his hands. It would appear that the lakes of this planet contained microorganisms. It had taken but a few minutes for him to deduce the psychological gap in consciousness he had experienced. He would mark this as hazardous and on future landings on this planet-

A human male was sinking down to the depths of the lake. His lungs filled with water and his heart slowing... slowing...slowing... His eyes would produce tears if he was on land. It hurt. To live hurt. He had never known peace. And his skin began to harden. As his heart stopped...it began to beat again. Horns protruding from his head. The lakes were willing his body... forcing his body to transform... he did not know peace in his former life... but in the next, Mother’s Song would lead him down the peaceful path. He would be Paladian like the others. And he would take on a new name.-





The drone of humming... a song surrounded ‘Stark’... the luminescent beings that were lost throughout time. They were making the song.

Mother’s Song. And the entity formerly known as Stark was quickly becoming one of them.

Stark who now claimed the name and identity of K'ir Tor, simply smiled and remained at peace. He honored Olara and her experience and any other that would come to him while thus submerged. He would learn their names and their stories, even as he would continue to trust in the Force. He did not fear transformation, he did not count change as loss, but simply continuation. Both Stark and Starkiller had led a tormented existence, finding peace only at the very end. The Second Prince had killed 'Stark', literally, that story had ended there. Whatever was next, that would be new, and he would embrace it.

Or would it embrace him?

"Almost reminds me of the oceans of Kamino..."

Galen Marek's voice spoke from one of the white-green beings beside K'ir Tor's own white-green body.

"Are you leaving us behind, now?"

K'ir Tor smiled before answering.

"We are all intrinsically connected, the past, the future, the present. But the seed must first die for a forest to be born. I go where the Force leads me and accept what it affords me. I can't well leave what is already a part of me, but all things must be placed in balance.

So, thank you Galen."

"And how..." A deep machine aided voice replaced Galen Marek's.


"Will you build anew when it was I who taught you everything you knew? You are a clone. Created for one purpose. A purpose which you and all of your kind failed. I made Starkiller everything he was. You have no past and your present is slipping away. You will soon be no more."

"We all learn from someone. None of us come out simply knowing, not even you. We cannot choose our origins, but some can choose how they end, like Galen did. Besides, Stark died in battle and saved lives.That is enough for me. The Force has granted me a second chance for as long as it sees fit. If this is my time, then it simply is."

"Choosing to be born and choosing to pass into the force are not choices at all. It is simply inevitable. What we can choose, is everything that happens in between those two events."

“You’re saying all the right things.”

This voice was different. A zabrak... thousands of years old... Yet... not dead.

The view changed. He was seeing life through the eyes of...Of...

The corridor of the spacecraft was empty and cold and dimly lit. An ancient lightsaber in his hand. He was breathing hard and was bleeding heavily. There were people after him. There were Jedi after him. People he once upon a time called friends and comrades.

They appeared on the far end of the corridor and charged at him.

He charged back.

Then things froze.

Minute remembered this moment well.

“K’ir Torr... This was the moment I decided to give myself... to myself. This was when the purpose of my life’s ambition... everything I had been trained for betrayed me. My own people hunted us down and drove us to the edge of the galaxy.”

K’ir Torr’s began to feel it. A strength within himself he had never touched before. It was so foreign and different.

“I realized then that the ideals that I had adhered to were not wrong, but that I was not who I needed to be to serve them. I made myself into an ideal that transcended death and served the Force in order to preserve the light.”

“The Force has led you here because it is not done with you yet. It wants you to be with full heart and mind and at full power because you need to survive the coming years. You needed the light...And it needs you to not be snuffed out.”

K’ir Torr’s body was healing itself at a rapid pace. No longer did the pain from the battle with Ronin and Primarch remain. His soul was being repaired and born anew.

He was surviving the Diving and Minute’s vision faded away. A massive ring station came to his mind. Large numbers of lives would be lost. The visage of a large tattooed man, covered in blood and battle.

Abaddon. He needed to be saved.

K'ir Tor took in the zabrak's words. He did not know him, he hadn't known Olara, or Galen for that matter, but what he did know, was Mother's Song: He knew the Force.

K'ir Tor gave himself to the healing currents, let the words of his new purpose penetrate his mind, his very being. He'd only had a feeling regarding his place in the Unknown Regions, but now he had confirmation. K'ir made a choice, to commit all the strength he would be allowed to have to the service of the Force, to and for the Light, for Life came from the Light. He didn't need to know how the story ended, for all stories did end. His sole focus would be the journey and the mission he was entrusted to perform.

This was the way.

K'ir Tor, a servant of the Force.


Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

IC: Dathisi Niroon
Trande, Vas Nihollia - The Kett House

That night in her sleep, Dathisi was transported back to her old life. She dreamed of the Jedi temple on Coruscant, but the dream couldn't have felt more real to the Cathar. The sensations were so vivid, the sights, the smells, the sounds, the feeling of tranquility, it washed over her, making her feel a longing for those lost days. It was enough to make her miss it, well almost.

Seated on a bench, outside the temple archives was a young weary Cathar. Her younger self. Dathisi felt herself remembering and recalling this particular day. The bruises and welts from the training sabers had marred the skin of her arms and shoulders, her hands had been bruised and raw from the hilt of her lightsaber. The training session had been one of the longest and toughest she had undertaken thus far, and the sharp words of her master had burned hot in her mind

You need to be faster!

Too slow! Again!

How do you expect to reach casualties on the battlefield with such sloppy form!

Have you learnt nothing?

No good. Get up. Do it again.

Respite had come in the form of Master Windu summoning her master away for a discussion. She had left the training room, exhausted, in pain and demoralised and had slumped down onto the nearest bench, and in a moment of weakness, the tears had came silently and unbidden, running down her face and dripping onto the mauve carpet beneath the bench. She had been frustrated and tired, but also ashamed that she had allowed these feelings to overcome her. A good Jedi mastered such feelings, and didn't let them cloud their minds. The memory continued to become clearer and more vivid in Dathisi's mind, until...

"Meaningful...Purposeful...This day was. Hmm..."

...Her current self was now in the hallway. Things shifted in the dream at that moment. The emotions and the feelings were still there in sharp focus, but the images in her mind seemed to become less clear somehow. That voice, those words...they were unmistakable. Her feline gaze fell onto the diminutive frame of Master Yoda, who stood beside her in the hallway, his clawed hands clasped onto the cane that he carried.

No...something wasn't right. She had had very few encounters with the Jedi grand master. He had been present when her Master had accepted her as her padawan, but their encounters had been even rarer after that, especially during the war, save a holo conference with the Jedi medical corps or two. Master Yoda had not been in that hallway that day, she was certain of it. No....This was something different...Different than a dream.

Her gaze was pulled back to the scene unfolding across the hallway when her younger demoralised self was then approached by a Jedi Knight. The face of the Knight was...shrouded. He knelt down and began to comfort her. A male voice found her current Dathisi's ears.

"Do not worry, young one. Master Teprae is harder on you because she sees something in you. You must not allow doubt to cloud your mind."

Dathisi's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the exchange between the Jedi Knight and her younger self. It was strange, she remembered this event happening, but the Knights face was shrouded and she couldn't make it out from her position in the vision. Who had been talking to her that day?
The current Dathisi blinked, a confused look ghosting across her features. Master Yoda then looked up at the current Dathisi.

"Remember, you must...Speaking to you, warning you, the Force is."

---

Dathisi gasped softly as her eyes opened, the "dream" disappearing with her waking, the grand Jedi temple halls now replaced with Dathisi and Andren's modest bedroom. She turned her head and looked at Andren, who was sleeping soundly beside her. He stirred a little but did not wake as she pushed the blanket off herself and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. She reached up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before looking at the chrono. It was early. It would be a couple of hours before the settlement would start it's awakening for the day ahead. Her feet padded quietly against the floor as she exited the bedroom, not wanting to disturb her husband from his slumber.

The house was silent as she moved into the living area, Mirri and Un'hee still appeared to be sleeping. She approached the hallway storage cupboard and carefully and quietly retrieved the same hidden item she had retrieved on the day of Mirri's distress call all those weeks ago. Bringing the item back with her, she walked over to a chair in the living area and sat down, cradling it in her hands as her orange-yellow eyes looked it over



The once shiny lightsaber hilt was tarnished and slightly worn, the bright silver grey Duralium and polished bronzium accents had dulled over time, scuffs and scratches gained from repeated use. She grasped it in her hand, and could almost feel the pain in her hands from the dream. No...it wasn't a dream. It was a vision, and more importantly, a warning through the force.

Her thoughts went back to the shrouded knight in her vision and she sighed in frustration. Why couldn't she recall him? She had not forgotten the fleeting dark side presence she had felt the day before. The unseen force user that was now in Trande, with intentions and motives unknown.

She stood and walked over to the window, looking outwards into the sleeping streets of Trande settlement.

"Who are you"

She whispered

TAG: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Taza Talone
Aboard the Unknown SSD under construction, Hangar

So she had an idea where to find the boy and the messages kept on coming, also she was not so sure if she was to trust the messenger. Sneaking around in the corridors was faster, but she would face the risk of running into patrols. There had to be patrols, this was the freaking Empire after all.

So she took the ventilation system, her slim body robbing though it‘s vents from one level to another. It was dark, but she had memorized the way and any light would only show her identical looking metal tubes, she was passing. She made her way through the system as quickly as possible. When she arrived she made sure the corridor she used to exit was free and then let her down holding the edge of the vent, carefully and silently touching down with her feet. She made her way around two more corners and then risked a look at what she assumed the most likely cell for him to be imprisoned at. Imperials were predicative, indeed two guards stood right in front of it. They were probably ready to execute the boy if orders were given. A hostage to subdue his father.

If she was captured in the corridors she would be killed anyway, so attacking two Stormtroopers was not making her situation any worse. Yet, she hated violence. What other options did she have? A distraction was risky and unreliable and took time she did not necessary have. Hacking their frequencies or stealing a stormtrooper uniform was out of question ,as it added additional risk to an already risky challenge. She gave her self a few moments, waited for the guards to check in with control, to win at least the time between two check ins. Once they had declared all was clear, she took out her blaster, put it to kill and high energy output and breathed half in. She dived around the corner, taking aim at one Stormtroopers head and firing right away, before changing aim within a second to the second and firings second time. Then she gave each an additional shot and lowered the gun, quickly moving towards the door.

The first stormtrooper dropped from the headshot and the second took a blast right to the chest, but not before he fired a shot into Taza’s shoulder. They both were down, but the smell of her own burning flesh would creep across Taza’s nose and the pain in her shoulder would render use of her left arm extremely painful.

The console to enter the door was now clear and there were no obvious signs that the confrontation was noted by the other Imperials aboard. Half of the hallway was darkened; further evidence that this was a part of the ship that was meant to be isolated. Once again, curious, but not something Taza has time to focus on now.

The boy was the most important part of her mission and his prison was now in front of her.

She gasped in pain, put her blaster to stun and leaned next to the door. She now had limited time. A blaster wound needed to be attended for. Of course, she had to fight the only stormtrooper in the world who could shoot. Hissing frustrated she pressed the OPEN button and turned to the cell, her gun first. Just in case there was a guard or executioner inside with the boy.

Her body walked forward and it would be too late before she noticed how far she had gone. The boy was a huddled, bloodied mess in the center of the room, chained to the floor. He wasn’t responsive, not even to the dim hallway lights that now illuminated his face in the surrounding darkness.

The guards would have the key to his locks on their belts. From his blood loss and her injury, time was growing dire. A radio buzzed from one of the fallen stormtrooper’s helmets.

“E-74, we’re reading the prisoner’s cell has been opened? What’s going on down there?”

She took one of the blaster guns of the fallen Stormtroopers and fired directly at the chain. Then she picked him up as good as she could with one arm, putting her blaster away in her belt and began to move as as fast as possible. He chances of Dopingteste without the boy wäre probably bigger, but without him was not an option. So she picked the little chances she had to make her way to the nearest hangar.

From a crouched over position, the boy rose like a ghoul, bloodied, into an upright position much taller than the boy had been before. It wasn’t him at all.

——-
Rae Sloane peered at the console as the stormtroopers.

When... did this... happen? Dammit.

“Evacuate the ship and space it. We will come back for it later. Bring Mr. Gragas along.”

“What about his son, Grand Admiral?”

“What about him? Leave him. We have the information we need. If we stay here, Declan will kill us.”

It would be more than a decade before she realized the mistake she was making.
——-


The Fifth Prince of the Syndicate Supreme Declan stood above Taza and looked around. He was hurt but he didn’t seem disoriented.

“Sorry for the lil trick in there, love. You’ve played your role smashingly. Lets get you and the boy off the ship, shall we?”

Taza looked up and gave the man a defeated smile. "Okay." She said. As soon as he turned his back to her she raised her gun and fired though. Two stun bolts, just in case he made it through number one.

Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas (combined)

 

50th Floor, Artemis Cradle

Icarus held his blaster at the rest of the cleaning until they were in the hallway, then they shot down the hallway to the turbolift. A smile from Icarus showed Mara that he was enjoying himself.

"I got a speeder waiting for us outside. Your credits are in your account. Carl was going to jip ya, but I made sure you got what you're owed. I got a friend that's hold up away from all this chaos. Back on the 41st floor, where your ship is docked. We'll lie low and figure out our next step, red."

The doors of the turbolift slid open and Icarus darted out through the lobby, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were not immediately being followed. They got to the speeder and sped off, darting through the crowded traffic still dealing with the aftermath of the Opera House explosion from hours earlier. The pain in Mara's shoulder need to be tended to soon and that aide would arrive from a most unexpected source.
-----
41st Floor, Artemis Cradle

The floor was so peaceful that the contrast was startling to Mara and Icarus. People were still shopping and laughing and congregating as if there was nothing happening. Which, due to how the Artemis Cradle was governed and separated, that was indeed how it felt for the citizenry. Icarus drove the speeder off the turbolift. A few minutes later they would arrive at a rundown, dirty hotel building. Icarus ushered them inside quickly and found the apartment he was looking for, banging on it quite hard.

"Korl, open up mate, its Icarus. Got an injured lady here."



The man that opened the door looked dastardly, but....definitely familiar to Mara. He beckoned them in and began to stir around in the small kitchenette. "I should have something for the pain. Any particular drink, ma'am?"

She definitely seemed familiar to him as well, but he couldn't place her.

Tag: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

------
40th Floor(Imperial Floor), Artemis Cradle

The Admiral's outfit was led past a broken and blasterfire riddled storefront to a central community hub that had been repurposed by the Imperials into a main site for planning.



What the Admiral and his entourage would notice as they observed their surroundings was that the Artemis Cradle was unlike any superstructure any of them had ever been on. The "floor" they were on seemed to stretch on for miles in many directions and the curvature of the Cradle couldn't be distinguished. While most of the inhabitants of the 40th floor wore stormtrooper armor or imperial garb, there were come unique types of note: some of the other occupants were clearly former residents dealing with the aftermath of the battle and others were pristine clothed officials of some sort; likely the "government" of the Cradle that Lord Sabel had been briefed on. Insurrections and hostile takeovers weren't uncommon for the Cradle, though they were rare. However, there were protocols and agreements that could be arranged to benefit everyone and that was what clearly had taken place here: The violence of the takeover by the Imperials was but a show; the arrangement had been agreed upon with the Cradle government before a blaster had been fired to allow the Imperials to take the floor.

A rather brutal reality and one would have to wonder what the Empire had to trade to accomplish this.

As the group came to a halt beside one of the legs of the hub station, a door slid open and a bruised, battered, damaged dark-haired man limped out. He was in charge. He was Fold. Lord Sabel had been separated from the Empire for some time, but Fold was spoken about even before the fall of the Empire. He was a soldier. A warrior, who could be an Admiral himself if he so desired. But he had no such desire. General Hux and even Lord Vader had spoken about his abilities highly. Lord Sabel would be familiar and he may be curious as the what opponent could've inflicted such carnage on Fold.

Fold's plain expression did not match his injuries. Impressive still.

He studied the Chiss outfit, going from face to face, before settling on the Admiral. His eyes flickered. He explained the situation of the station: The Imperial floor was secured, but they were hearing chatter on the intelligence channels that Abaddon, the man that had soundly defeated Fold and his commandos on the 50th Floor, was preparing to launch an offensive, but there was nothing else. They had no idea where, when, nor whom they should be targeting. All their orders were, at the moment, were to hold the Imperial Floor at all costs. Fold limped over to a schematic and showed the entourage a map of several floors of the Cradle. It was much to large to spread their force out and they could only send so many intelligence operatives out at a time.

Needless to say, their position was very vulnerable: simply waiting for an attack with little information to go on.

The brief being informally completed, Fold turned to the entourage. "I don't know what you're here to do, sir. But the situation is as I've described."

Tag: @darthbernael

------
Ringilla, Aboard K'ir Tor's ship

...The Artemis Cradle...
​

K'ir Tor's would dart open. His breathing rapid and his sweat staining the blankets over him. Yet, his body felt better than it had since he had emerged from the pod on Kamino. His connection to the Force was pure and tranquil. The message he was receiving was strong: He had to find the Artemis Cradle. He had to save a man named Abaddon.

Myra's sleeping eyes opened as she sensed K'ir stirring. She was in seated upright in the chair beside his bed. She yawned... "Hey sleepyhead. You've been down for a day. How are you feeling?"

The door to the private quarters slid open and Mai'hun emerged with headphones on a cold caf and a...visually less than appealing breakfast for the two of them. "Alright, so I did some research on that Artemis Cradle that Stark kept muttering about in his sleep... Turns out it'sa massive space station on the edge'ole Grysk space and Ascendancy space. Not an easy place to find, but you got'ole one of the best damn sky walkers and pilots this side of Csilla, Starky. Is that where we're headed?"

Myra grabbed a black ball from the breakfast tray and bit into it, giving K'ir a knowing smirk. She raised one eyebrow. It was established, unspoken as of yet between them, but they both understood. She'd follow him anywhere.

The Imperial base outside was completely dismantled, a testament to the commitment of the Paladians to remove their enemy's presence from their world. Primarch stood outside the ship, out of a window that K'ir's private quarters had a view of. It was nighttime on Ringilla now and too dangerous for them to be on the surface. The temperatures were deadly below freezing and the beginnings of a blizzard came down from the sky. Primarch was wrapped in a comically long red cloak and the same pants he had worn when he and K'ir first battled weeks ago. His large polearm stamped in the ground and a sense of pride at having reclaimed his planet. Earlier, while K'ir slept, he delivered a blue cloak that was much too large for his friend at the base of the ramp.

There were no more words to be spoken into the mind of K'ir. Primarch felt that his friend had recovered, was reborn, and would sing with Mother's Song as a guardian of the light.

Tag: @greyjedi125

------
Depths of the Unfinished Star Destroyer

Taza's shots missed. Her aim had been true, but Declan dodged the stun shots, spun around, grabbed the blaster with one hand and dug his fingers into the blaster wound in her shoulder, pinning her against the wall. The movements were advanced military disarming techniques, but Declan's speed was unnaturally fluid. He sighed and spit a glob of blood at the floor.

"Now, love...That's not going to happen again, is it? Nahh...It's not gonna happen again." He let her go and took a step back. His eyes slid to the upward corners of their sockets and he wagged a finger at Taza. "Your boy's gonna die if we don't get to him. They're about to space us. We should move. Once we're away, we'll be square, love. You take your boy back to his..." He chuckled. He knew something. "His mum. And I'll be off to cause the mayhem and terror that got me nabbed by the boys in white. Savvy?"

With a smooth motion, he kicked one of the stormtrooper's rifles up to his hand and turn back down the hall. Taza would hear the distant clicks and unlocking of pod doors. The spacing was about to begin. Taza would recall the image from the security com earlier which indicated another room nearer to the bridge. The direction Declan was headed would match that location. Declan began a light jog down the hallway, whistling, but he knew as well as Taza that they were out of time if they would get the boy and back to Taza's ship.

Tag: @SirakRomar

------
Trande, Vas Nihollia

Another day at the clinic.

Everyone moved through the clinic with a pep. An enhanced positive atmosphere, likely due to the reduced number of cases today. The Church was running a community celebration welcoming the refugees, preaching sermons, passing out first aide, and attempting to establish connections between the residents and the newcomers. The streets were almost empty and the clinic staff consisted of Un'hee, Mirri and Dathisi.

While Un'hee was meeting with their only patient so far this morning, Mirri leaned across the front desk and talked to her mother. "I really think that Un'hee is like a long lost sister. We have the same interest in music, art, and she's willing to teach me Cheunh. With all that we've been through, and all the traveling we've done, you know I've never been able to build strong relationships. Un'hee's been through so much and . . ."

----
The older man coughed. His hood still raised above his head.

Un'hee patiently began taking his vitals, just as Lady Dathisi had shown her. Mirri told her that she should work on her bedside manner though, as the past few years had made the already quiet girl even more so. She exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them.

"My name is Un'hee. I'm a bit new here, but Lady Dathisi is right down the hall...But that's not to say you're not in good hands." She was off to a bad start and she was growing more embarrassed. Un'hee pictured Mirri in her mind and asked herself: what would Mirri say? "You're in great hands. We'll find out what's causing your cough and get you back on your feet in no time, Mr..." She had forgotten to read the name on his chart and commit it to memory. Mirri had told her that that always made patients feel more comfortable when there was a sense of familiarity. But familiarity did not seem to be a problem with this man. He reached out to place a callused hand on Un'hee soft hands. She immediately felt better...euphoric...completely, unnaturally reassured by the man. He reached back with his other hand and pulled back his hood, revealing a tattooed face.



"You can call me, Mr. Hett. It is nice to finally meet you."
----

The presence of the Dark Side drowned out Mirri's words. Dathisi could feel it so vividly. So staunchly. How could she have missed it?

He was no longer hiding his presence or nature. The sinister intentions filled the air.

He was here. Now.

In the clinic.

Alone with Un'hee...

Tag: @Jedi_padawan_leigh

 

Mara was struck by the contrast of the atmosphere on the various levels of the Cradle, from hectic aftermath of the explosion to the relative peace and quiet routine on the 41st Floor. She was glad to be able to have a breather and recoup as well as that the credits were stashed in her account. She gave Icarus a grateful nod for his looking out to keep up the other end of the bargain, even after things had gone south.

This Korl, he seemed familiar.

She was glad he had something for her injury; as for a drink, "I want something stimulating not something that'll fog my sense." she answered coolly. Getting to the point in her typical fashion, she asked Korl, "Have we met somewhere?"

@The Jedi in the Pumas

 

The Bang Boom Express, 49th Floor Hangar, Artemis Cradle

Tata took a puff of her cigar. “Mandrelo, IG… you boys get a move on. Update me when you’ve cleared the Cradle’s perimeter. Tek… hang back.” Mandrelo and IG shuffled out of the Express, no doubt returning to IG’s ship with their mission.

Tata wasted no time as soon as the ramp closed behind them.

“Tek…tell me what happened to Deya. Exactly. Tell me who she was sold to, where she is now, how you’re going to make a goddamn Prince of the Syndicate tell you anything. Go ahead… Floor’s yours, big man.”

She shook her head.

“You don’t know a damned thing. You been on this space station for about a day, half of which you spent getting your ass kicked and the other half you spent being repaired from said ass kicking. But lemme guess…You’re going to march off and find Abaddon, give’em some of your cowboy charm and if that doesn’t work, you’re going to… Let’s see…”

She picked up her oversized blaster from the table and pretended to hand it to him.

“You gonna shoot’em? Oh wait… that doesn’t work. Maybe you’ll blow him up! Oh wait, that won’t work either.” She pulled on her cigar and laid the blaster in her lap before folding her arms. “Saw the footage of the fight between you two on that rooftop. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t most people die when you stab a lightsaber into their face.”

There was a pause as she let her point be made. Tek, armed with all his anger and skill, was not prepared to take on Abaddon. Even without the injured ribs and overall stress on his body as it recovered from their earlier fight, Abaddon had proven that he was more than capable of taking on multiple fighters and if there ever was a one on one match, he would win.

“I’m not gonna stop ya from walking off this ship and going and getting yourself killed. But you know that’s not going help us find Deya and get her back.”

Her comlink buzzed to life and she waited, staring Borek down, before answering it. She stood and pushed her shoulder into him as she walked past him. The ramp was down the hall. The choice was his.

Tag: @Ktala @Master Vo'Un'Var

------
41st Floor, Artemis Cradle

Korl smiled as he brought the drink around the corner of the bar to her. The apartment was small and poorly lit. There was a couch, a small chair in front of a dirty table and a backroom that Icarus hustled off to, complaining that he needed some rest from the day's activities.

"I don't think we have.I'd remember a face like yours. My name is Korl Marcus." He handed her the drink and as he came close, even in the dim light, she would become sure that she had seen his face before. The eyes...It was in the eyes.

Korl took a few steps to the seat that was across the room and sat down. "What happened to you? I hope Icarus did not bring you into his world of trouble. He has a knack for doing that." He noticed her limp arm. "Is your arm broken?"

Tag: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

 

Mara took a long sip of the cold drink and leaned back into the couch cushion. "I was helping Icarus out for some convenient credits when I agreed to help with an extraction and a data grab. Yes, I do believe it's broken. I had an unfortunate encounter with a giant, literally, who seems to take malicious pleasure in breaking people and things that ... get in the way."

@The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Borek Tek
The Bang Boom Express, 49th Floor Artemis Cradle hangar

Tata took a puff of her cigar. “Mandrelo, IG… you boys get a move on. Update me when you’ve cleared the Cradle’s perimeter. Tek… hang back.” Mandrelo and IG shuffled out of the Express. Tek watched them head out then turned to look at Tata. She didnt say a thing until the ramp closed behind them. Then she addressed him directly.

“Tek…tell me what happened to Deya. Exactly. Tell me who she was sold to, where she is now, how you’re going to make a goddamn Prince of the Syndicate tell you anything. Go ahead… Floor’s yours, big man.”

She shook her head. Tek simply grinned at her. Not the pleasant type of grin either. He decided to let Tata have her say. "Anyone ever tell you you're cute when you're angry?" Tek drawled at her.

Tata shot back, “You don’t know a damned thing. You have been on this space station for about a day, half of which you spent getting your ass kicked and the other half you spent being repaired from said ass-kicking. Tata went on a long rant. Tek was looking at her as if she had suddenly grown horns. But near the end of her tirade, she did make one good point. “Saw the footage of the fight between you two on that rooftop. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t most people die when you stab a lightsaber into their face.”

Tata paused to take a breath, and Tek nodded. "Where your brains go girl? And Yeah, your right. But I didn't say ANYTHING about crossing sabers with that walking mountain. Va'trak! I wasn't planning to this time. But I sure wasn't going to just walk into his cell. Tek stood up, and walked around Tata. "And you're right. I've only been here for a day or so, but I managed to find the hunters YOU LOST, and if I didn't have to dance with the devil, I would have saved her too," he growled.

With a grunt, Tek sat down. "I just want to track down Deya. I don't plan to go anywhere NEAR that messed up mis-step of nature. Like I said earlier, he would have her KILLED, if he knew I was involved, just to tick me off." Tek paused as he worked to control his emotions. "I CAN track her. But I dont know anything I can do to help dealing with the Fett." Tek stood back up.

Her comlink buzzed to life and she waited, staring Borek down, before answering it. She stood and pushed her shoulder into him as she walked past him. Tek's eyes flared slightly, at the pain, and Zeek gave a single chirp. The ramp was down the hall. Tek started down towards the ramp. He gave Tata a sad look.

"Fett is a guild guy? Should be a piece of cake for you, Darlin'. Take care of yourself."

A worried chirp came from Zeek, but Tek simply gave a pat to Zeek, staying silent, as he turned and continued walking, his face going blank. Tek at the moment didn't care about Abaddon. At the moment, he knew he might be wrong, but his thoughts were on Deya. She could not have gotten too far away. He had a general lo-cal. And he had a few tricks up his sleeves. Because he knew that she might not have been on the ship at all. But Tek had found out from Zeek that Abaddon was after something on those ships. One ship didn't make it off the station. But he didnt hear anything about Deya being found. So he had to try the other ship. Tek used the Force to dull the pain that he was feeling, as he slowly walked towards the ramp. To his ship, 'Rupert's Run'. Time to go home.



Tag: @Master Vo'Un'Var, @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

IC: K’ir Tor
Aboard The Tenasas


He hadn’t said much upon waking, but made new small gestures, like giving Myra a light hug, instead of a nod, and bringing a seat for Mai’hun to sit on, instead of letting her stand. This feeling was, well…he wasn’t sure how to phrase it or fully describe it, for he’d never quite felt so deeply connected to those around him, so deeply in tune with the Force. This was a completely new experience for him and it initially robbed him of proper words.

Thoughts of the Artemis Cradle and a man named Abaddon were present in his conscious mind, but so were thoughts of Primarch and his people, The Hoppe family, Myra’s Mighty Men, Chord and the Chiss, the grandeur of the Unknown Regions. Having all of this present in his mind should have felt heavy, but none of it did. The ease of balance and harmony he experienced within himself was refreshing, and quite honestly beyond his imagination. The sensation was truly humbling.

K’ir Tor took an easy breath, and the room seemed to dilate and contract with his breathing. This, this change, it was much more than restoration, this was complete renewal.

“I’m really happy that you two are here.” He stated simply, an expression of gratitude etched upon his face.

“More so as we are about to embark on a new journey.” Ki’r would move to take the oversized cloak left for him by Primarch and don the garment for the moment.

“Sorry If I seem a bit strange to you for sometime, I’m still adjusting to some of the changes…” K’ir said, without going into detail. That would come in time.

“Yes, Mai’hun. We are headed to the cradle, and we are fortunate to have you as our very own Sky Walker.”

K’ir had a bit of a knowing smile on his face at that last word.

“But here are two tid bits. First, I would like to name the ship The Tenasas, I think that should fit nicely. And second….”

Here, he paused for a heartbeat, the shrugged.

“….Please call me K’ir Tor, for this is my new name. I know, I know, it will take some time to get used to, but I promise to explain more later. You’ll understand better then.”

K’ir offered a happy smile, then half turned to gaze outside his window. He could feel Primarch’s presence, strong and steady, firm and balanced.

“We shall meet again my friend. Light be with you.”

Turning back around, he looked once again at his two traveling companions. It dawned on him that the three of them struck a curious balance, if he didn’t know better.

“So, tell me all I need to know about this Artemis Cradle.” He said with a glint in his eye. Whatever lay ahead of them, he felt he was ready to meet it with certainty, not as a man, but as an emissary.



Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

Fifth Prince of the Syndicate Supreme, Declan Curare: The Syndicate's Commination



Declan Curare is a fallen angel. Not in a metaphorical sense, but an actual descendant from the Angels of the moons of Iego. He was born on Iego and raised in a small village that worshiped the Angels. He was corrupted by the Dark Side of the Force from infancy. The Empire's negative influence could be blamed. The Sith's influence could be blamed. Or the damage that the Clone Wars caused to the Angels themselves having a residual effect in the inhabitants of the planet. Whatever the cause was, Declan was drawn off world in his teenage years to serve the Rebellion's cause. He was sent onto small Outer Rim Worlds and Imperial cadet facilities to obtain intel and bring back information. The Rebellion was known to utilize young people to do such things. What the Rebellion did not account for was that Declan took these responsibilities very seriously. Obtaining information became secondary to kidnapping the children of Imperial leaders, torturing counterintelligence Imperial spies, and stealing valuable items to sell to fund the Rebellion.

During these years, Declan awakened a unique skill that he attributed to his Force sensitivity and his Angel adjacent biology: Force elevated hypnosis. When the Empire fell, Declan immediately became a criminal even for the New Republic, for the many war crimes that he committed during his service. He held no disdain for this treatment, he understood the rules and accepted his punishment, but something stirred in him. The thrill of being sought after, hunted, outwitting his pursuers, and living life on his own terms. It became his sole goal in life: to find the ultimate thrills and find the most dangerous areas in the galaxy to explore. Naturally, this led him to the Unknown Regions. He has stolen from the Chiss Ascendancy, Grysk Hegemony, Imperial Remnant, and New Republic. He has become an experienced escape artist, hand to hand combatant, assassin, and thief. He is the ultimate criminal thrillseeker and it was only natural that the final Prince to be named was the young, savvy fallen angel from Iego.

He is the Syndicate's infiltrator and counterassassin. Colussia utilizes his skills to infiltrate their enemies, kidnap targets, and blow up sensitive targets. His last mission was to infiltrate the Imperial Remnant and confirm the rumor of a hidden Imperial Fleet in the Unknown Regions.​

 

Abaddon's Apartment, The Artemis Cradle

Nothing feels quite as good as a shower after a good day of fighting.

The hardcore heavy dusk rock music blared in his bathroom.

Blood mixed with dirt pooled around his feet as he stomped around washing himself. He stepped out and grabbed a towel. The reflection that greeted him at the mirror made him a bit sad. The old scar across his head was the last time he had been seriously wounded. He had to give it to the cowboy today. Not only had the dude got away, but he had blinded him with his trick axe. Lightsaber to the eye.... He'd never had that before. Though there was no lasting mark, merely a singe around his eye socket and his vision was already returning. The brawl and subsequent explosion in the Opera House had been a real letdown. The last time he had faced off against Ren and his boys, he'd actually thought they were going to kill him. He wasn't even sure he had killed Bossk. What a trophy both of them would've been. Alas, Mirth had to go and choose today to run off. Abaddon recounted the many times he had warned the others that allowing such an unreliable junkie like Mirth into the organization was a mistake. However, even he could not have foreseen the green man putting together such an ambush to get away.

He respected it. Still would kill Mirth the next chance he got.

But today had been full of surprises. Colussia informed him that the old man had been killed. Ronin was no scrub and was strong as a krayt. The Outrider had warned them to be wary of the Chiss, but for them to pull an outright attack on Ronin was a ballsy move. Abaddon grinned as he pulled his pants on. With Ronin dead, Mirth missing, and the Outrider on one of his expeditions, he knew his time was coming up. Colussia had approved the go ahead for tomorrow. They'd be trying something that had never been done successfully before: A multi floor takeover of the Artemis Cradle without the government's permission. Once that was over... Abaddon knew what would come:

The Syndicate would finally let him off the leash.
----

Elsewhere...On the Dark Lord Snoke's Space Station

He's...Uniquely dangerous.
The Dark Lord thought.
The Outrider stood before him and the only evidence of the man's presence was visual.
There was nothing in the Force.
No that was incorrect.
It was the absence of nothing.
Like a walking blindspot in the Force.



Silence stood between them.

"Where is he?...Where is your Master, puppet?"

The Outrider's voice was light. Behind the mask, he was young.

No less dangerous. His words cut the Dark Lord Snoke. It was too late to ask how he knew.

"I commend your persistence...Your knowledge...Your passion... But I will give you only an end to your journey."

Snoke responded as he rose from his throne and ignited a red saber.

"There is no end."

Then they clashed and fought to the death.
​

----
"How the hell did she escape?"

He yelled the question, but a smile was on his face. Dressed in his thick hide pants, no shirt, and his vest, Abaddon had completed his warrior ritual. Before any great fight, he would shower, rinse his body down with boiling oil, and cover himself in red and white war paint, illustrating a skull on his face. The little red head escaping did not bother him in the slightest. He believed her when she said she was just doing a job. Hell, they all had their roles to play. If she had not escaped, he would've simply killed her after his shower so good on her for getting away.

"Abaddon." One of the Syndicate grunts approached him. "We're almost in position on every floor from the 40th to the 49th, except the Imperial floor."

"Good stuff. Let's rock and roll, boys." Abaddon clasped his hands together excitedly.

The grunt shook his head, confused. "But we're not in position on the Imperial floor."

"How many troops we talking about?"

"Several hundred. And it appears more are arriving. The First Prince's intel indicates that there is a powerful Force User on the floor as well."

Abaddon grabbed a bottle of champagne and began to make his way to the door.

"I'll be taking that floor, personally."

"Will you be requiring back up?"

He opened his free hand, modeling the daggers on his belt. "Sure. Tell the boys to bring mops and buckets. With Sonya and Kitana on me...It's gonna be a bloodbath."

 

Borek Tek
Onboard the 'Rupert's Run'


Tek gritted his teeth as Zeek settled down in his usual spot, while Tek locked down his ship, and scanned his equipment. "Go, check for messages Pard," he told Zeek while he sat down heavily, and rubbed his temples. He had a headache. After his spat with Tata, he decided to leave the station. He had collected his bounty of the guy he killed earlier. And Tata, collected HER bounty, by charging him what he considered a bit more than normal fees, for docking.

He had argued for a bit, before settling in on the payment minus bounty...and of course the fee for healing his sorry butt. But he was ready to simply leave. While he still treasured Tata as a friend in all, sometimes the guild business could be a royal pain. Which is why he had opted long ago to be on his own. And now, with what had happened to Deya, it only instilled it further.

Once all dues were settled, Tek took Rupert's Run up, but he was not leaving yet. No, Tek actually did have a plan. After he was cleared, he sent his ship up to a low orbit and began his scans. After all, no matter what Tata said, Tek had his own ideas. He had wanted to ask her about her latest intel, but she was not in the mood. So instead, he began scanning the area. He was looking to analyze the trails left by departing ships. With luck, not too many folks had left lately. Matter of fact, from that last brawl, it seems that a lot more had come in. If he was lucky, he could possibly find a trail that would point him in the right direction. He didn't dare think about if he could not find her. He would find her. Or die trying.

Tek leaned back, as he watched the scanners. Keeping a low run, while expending very little fuel, he let the ship drift slowly across the station. He let his mind relax, and touch the Force, looking for something to guide him to Deya.

He leaned over and opened a small drawer. Inside were a glass, some bourbon, and a tiny silver chain. She had given it to him the night she had disappeared off. Holding it, he poured himself a drink, and set the bottle down, before picking up the glass. The dark liquid burned his throat. Rubbing the chain with his thumb, he continued watching his scans. "Hey pard...call me if ya find something," he called out to Zeek before he took another drink.

He WOULD find her.


TAG: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

episode 5 conclusion: Part I​

The Tenasas, Hyperspace

The explanation from Mai'hun came fast and loaded with information. A supermassive space station that moved along the border of the Chiss Ascendancy and the Grysk Hegemony. Filled with refugees, travelers, criminals, and everything above and below, the Cradle was a hub of mysterious origin. Myra refused, at first, to believe that such a station could actually exist without the Empire having discovered it. Mai'hun scoffed in reply and explained that due to the way it moved and the hard-to-navigate lanes of the Unknown Regions, even denizens of the Ascendancy doubted it's existence. Mai'hun, however, an experienced Sky Walker and an anomaly that never lost her Force Sensitivity, finding the Artemis Cradle was just a matter of monitoring the timing of the jumps and 'seeing' her way through the chaos.
----
The Artemis Cradle

Mara Jade and Korl Marcus spoke for a while longer. He seemed specifically curious about what brought her to the Unknown Regions, but did not seem to want to pry or be invasive. He then retired for the night and offered the kitchen to be use to her. Her body would ache, but the bacta first aide that Korl had provided, along with the Force would speed her healing process so that by the time she awoke in the morning she would be feeling better. Nowhere near her 100%, but definitely more capable than the encounter with Abaddon had left her.

She would need all the rest she could get...
----
Lord Sabel's orders would be followed and executed with extreme precision and expedience. The hours until the next day came would prove vital in fortifying the floor. The Dark Side of the Force did not hide the truth from him. Something was coming. Abaddon was coming. The man was not subtle in his movements and one strong in the Force, like Sabel, could sense the man. He felt...like battle. Strife. A true gladiator. There were few of them in the galaxy, but Abaddon was one. Similar to an old Starship that had seen 1000 battles over its recommended limit, Abaddon's combat experience was of a mythic level.

A few hours passed before a box of ysalamiri were acquired from black market dealers on the Cradle, that charged an extremely exorbitant price for the creatures. But the cost was of no consequence. While he received no transmissions from Chord (not entirely surprising), he and Fold were messaged by Sloane's second-in-command, Pelevin, a very large, muscular green twi'lek who barely fit into his Imperial grays. He was in the midst of briefing them when... the transmission was cut.

All transmissions going to the Artemis Cradle were cut.

It would be only a few more hours before the why was realized.
----
Hours of scanning passed before Zeek beeped to life. The Artemis Cradle was growing in distance as Borek Tek would open his eyes to Zeek's alert. Zeek informed Borek that the droid picked up a trail from days with familiar signature patterns he cross-referenced to known Syndicate Supreme com channels. It spoke of multiple shipments of slaves to a ship referred to as the Bordamazian. While he beeped, Tek would see a white starship of Chiss design drop out of hyperspace.

The Force scratched at his brain.

Similarly, the Force reached out to K'ir Tor as the Tenasas set a trajectory to the now visible Artemis Cradle. The only other ship in close proximity, the Rupert's Run, for a moment would seem to be the genesis for the alert the Force was giving him. But it wasn't...

Mai'hun's screen would become filled as a fleet of ragtag ships, some old, some new, and some on fire and careening out of hyperspace in pieces. They flew past both of the minor ships towards the Artemis Cradle.

​

The Nomad Fleet had arrived!

Tag: @greyjedi125 @Ktala @darthbernael @Master Vo'Un'Var @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

 

Tara Talone
Aboard the unfinished SSD

So the guy had eyes in the back of his head or something. Probably a force user. Tara considered abandoning the whole mission, as this felt more and more like military work and less her job to investigate. Returning with the news where the boy was and who had taken him would probably be far more valuable now than shooting her way through this monstrosity. The New Republic could send fleets and all that. After all, this was the Imperial Remnant. There was no guarantee the boy would make it out alive though and she was here anyway. So as her new companion was such an amazing fighter, she fell back and allowed him to do the fighting. Wounded and tired as she was, she felt that was really not her job now. Following him she kept a save distance and tried to keep orientation where she was within the ship.

Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas