Created by: Nehru_Amidala & Kyber Acyk

This private roleplay is the creation of two Aspies, and will contain massive spoilers of fanfiction pertaining to characters here within as well as speculation regarding Grysks and the possible connection between UrSkeks from Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal and information revealed by Tim Zahn in the 2018 novel “Thrawn: Alliances”.

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Prologue:

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…



Before the Big Bang created the entire universe and the Force, a great and mighty civilization mysterious and alien roamed the emptiness, created by God in HIS own image to spread music and light throughout the limitless cosmos. For untold eons, they spread outwards relishing the light. However, even in the brightest of lights, there lays the chance to fall into darkness. A subspecies of the angelic host, known as UrSkeks began to dabble intensely in self-reflection wishing to rid themselves of what they viewed as weaknesses. Unlike the other archangels, djinn, cherubim and seraphim, they were a Trinitarian species. This single minded devotion to ignoring what made them whole led to a long, drawn out schism. Untold scores perished and the whole of the Holy Realms burned with such chaos, it led to the Big Bang.

Angered by their rejection, YHWH turned his back to these fallen angels. Banished to a faraway galaxy, they reformed themselves into a new society. One centered on conquest and religious dogma- the now called themselves the Grysks.

As the eons passed, they learned how to feel the ebb and flow of the Force, especially how it was affected by the Ashla and the Bogan. One day, a celestial being calling herself Yun-Harla (or Aughra, as the Geflings would know her as), created the planet known as Thra. Also observing the creation were a newly spacefaring race, the Chiss. Ancient trading partners with the Gallifreyans, the Grysks struck with vengeance but were pushed back. They lay in wait, gathering slaves in the mists of the Unknown Regions, awaiting the right moment to begin their conquest of the GFFA.










Meanwhile back in the GFFA, it has been a month since Grand Admiral Thrawn struck a decisive blow to the fledgling Rebel Alliance. With the members of Phoenix Squadron executed for high treason, he has wed the lovely map maker, Minerva Hektor. A month into the marriage, everything is going well for the young couple. One day, a distress call from the frontier world of Mytilini calls Minerva away from her beloved husband, setting her up for the adventure of her life…

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, Jedi Master Kol Acyk, a Mandalorian Jedi Investigator, has been given an extremely urgent assignment by the Jedi High Council on Coruscant. Unlike their fallen brethren, this version of the Jedi Council broke away during the Clone Wars and it operates in secret deep within the bowels of the planet.

A distress signal was received from the frontier world of Mytilini. The Jedi Council believes that it originated from a Jedi Master and their padawan, who both vanished while investigating reports of sentient trafficking on the planet. Thus, Kol was given unlimited resources to carry out his vital mission.

Unknowingly, Kol is about to have the grandest adventure of his entire life...

 

IC: Jedi Master Kol Acyk
Location: Jedi Temple “chambers”, Level 3125, Coruscant

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The heavy metal door of the chambers slid closed with a metallic hiss. The rain began to fall as Kol pulled a data pad from his belt and looked over the gathered information related to the missing Jedi Master and their padawan. They had intercepted messages from several female sentients who had found themselves the victims of stalking by an unknown organization. They discovered that these female sentients would all be sold across the galaxy as personal slaves or forced into marriages. The pair was last heard of as they investigated sightings of unusual persons in and around a market town near the expansive, vast wild plains that made Mytilini famous across the entire galaxy.

“I believe that you will use the available resources and your powers to your utmost to find them alive,” Jedi Master CiakBem’s words rang in his ears and his helmet. After all, Ciak Bem had been his Master when the Mandalorian was a young Padawan, and they had travelled across the entire length and breadth of the galaxy tracking criminals and had even visited neighbouring galaxies on the occasions that required them to.

Making his way to the spaceport, Kol’s mind turned to his wife and children who had been spirited away in the aftermath of the Clone Wars. Being a Jedi Investigator, Kol had gone from one side of the galaxy to the other, and even made jumps into some of the other surrounding galaxies, in his quest to hunt down vile criminals. Up ahead, his battered but beloved freighter, The Wandering Twi’lek, was waiting. She had seen the entire galaxy, survived many encounters with the Galactic Empire and had even been pressed into service as a Galactic Empire special operation landing vessel for a time.

Arriving there, Kol saw it was nearly empty, with some smugglers lounging around before they headed off on their spice runs. Making his way up the entrance ramp into the cockpit, Kol hit a switch and the ramp retracted. Settling down in the cockpit and strapping himself into the pilot’s seat, a row of switches were switched on, and lots of interior lights turned on. Pressing a button on the control column, the engines fired up and the freighter was soon in a stable hover. Kol pulled up a galaxy map of Mytilini - the most economic route was flashing upon the holovision screen in yellow dashes.

Throwing anoth@er switch, which activated the guidance systems, Kol guided the ship to the outer limits of Coruscant. Hitting the thrusters, The Wandering Twi’lek entered hyperspace in a flash of light. Soon enough, The Wandering Twi’lek arrived in outer space, somewhere near a well-known smuggler planet, due to a warning light and the alarm sounding in the cockpit. Starfighters appeared in the distance, aiming to get this intruder out of their space. Automatic weapons on the outside of the freighter returned fire and they shot down a trio of fighters and forcing the other two fighters to retreat.

Up ahead, guided by the flashing yellow dashes, was Kol’s final destination. Mytilini looked as if it was still stuck in the ways of early pioneers. The ship began its descent towards the planet and its features became more pronounced and visible to the eye. As the vessel approached the spaceport, the voice of the spaceport master broke through a blizzard of radio chatter, asking for identification on the ship, pilot and purpose for the visit. Hopefully Kol’s rehearsed lines would allow him to land without incident.

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IC: Jedi Master Kol Acyk
Location: Mytilini, Outer Rim

“The ship is The Wandering Twi’lek and my name is Kol Acyk. I am a bounty hunter. This planet is one of many on my list that my client gave to me to track someone from their organization who defrauded them out of several trillion credit,” there was a long silence on the other end; hopefully the spaceport master accepted Kol’s statement.

“Understood and thank you Mister Acyk. You may land your vessel on Pad Thirteen. It is opposite the main entrance to the spaceport. I hope you will have a pleasant stay here conducting your business,” Kol breathed a sigh of relief and spotted the pad as it rose up out of the dust. The ship touched down and settled on her legs. The ramp was lowered and Kol strode down the corridor to the ramp and emerged, being met with a hive of activity. Striding down the ramp, he received several stares from the workers; it must have been the first time that they had ever seen a Mandalorian in the flesh.

Now, where to begin? I could try the cantinas for a start, and then ask those locals if they have seen anything out of the ordinary happening over the past few weeks.

@Nehru_Amidala

 

OOC: Locals and Clyde the barkeeper (voiced by Peter Capaldi)
Location: Mytilini, Outer Rim Territories

Kol was correct about the stares, it had been a very long time since anyone had seen a Mandolorian, in particular one who wielded a lightsaber. Choosing not to engage with the supposedly-hostile bounty hunter, the locals hurried away to do their daily errands and chores. Their was definite air of mistrust and paranoia in the air around the well-established sp.ace port. The stall vendors were refusing to make prolonged eye-contact that seemed vaguely autistic. The transactions were rushed and everywhere there seemed to be some sense of ill ease.

Needless to say, the weather belied the ill ease of the sentients trudging through the dreary rigmarole of life. The sky was a calm blue, the wispy clouds suggesting a warm front moving through, the hum of landspeeders and birdsong added to the domestic calm. Striding towards his bar, The Old Dinghy, Clyde the bartender was driving his speeder down one of the access ramps when he spotted Kol looking around. Kriffing odd place for a turista!

Clyde had to hurry, the fresh garthim legs he got from up north certainly keep forever. Having encountered Mandos before, he could tell this one was looking for info. Was he here about the missing women from the town up north? And now, with Grand Admiral Tharwn's wife on world herself! Clearing his throat, he called out, "OYA MANDOA! You lost?"

IC: General Minerva Hektor, Lady Thrawn
Location: Mytilini, Outer Rim Territories

January 1996 (Imperial Year 18) had been the happiest one in Minerva's Hektor's life. A New Year's wedding to her beloved Chiss Grand Admiral, their convincing of Bail Organa to evacuate the entirety of Alderaan (without Leia's knowledge so it would not mess up the timeline dictated by the Star Wars Trilogy that was set in stone) ahead of the Death Star's arrival, and the welcome marriage of her adopted father, ISB (now a double agent for UNIT) Colonel Wulff Yularen to Margie Fowler, back on Earth. Nothing but calm.

Life aboard the ISD Chimaera was running smoothly. With Admiral Konstantine's death following the flattening of Atollon on Christmas Day, and Governor Pryce's death on Lothal by loth-wolf escaping her highly publicized trial for high treason against Emperor Palpatine, the attempted assassination attempts on Grand Admiral Thrawn and General Minerva Hektor, along with not paying three years of back taxes.

As well as peace and calm were concerned, there was still the existential threat of the species the Chiss called the Grysks. Minerva knew them better as the UrSkeks from the fantasy film The Dark Crystal. In actuality, there were actually Skekses. Their crystalline form were UrSkeks, the avian-reptile hybrids were Skekis. She had let Thrawn know this important difference when they were still on Coruscant during last year's Empire Day. She had even shown him the director's cut of the film BBC had aired last year with breaks including interviews with Frank Oz and Trevor Jones, the director and film's composer Margie had taped on VHS. Thrawn had found both versions enchanting, and was able to form plans to beat them in space battles. He even went so far as to purchase the art books to get a better understanding of Skeksis religious views. In the end, he determined they had no souls (Chiss were monotheistic, worshipping Sol Invictus) and were vulnerable to certain sound frequencies.

The reason Minerva, Lady Thrawn was on Mytilini was at the behest of her dear friend, Admiral Rae Sloane. Their third muskateer, Captain Lynette Kai'ckul had been shot down over Mytilini , and thus far there had been radio silence. Landing her personalized TIE Defender, the Black Tulip, Minerva climbed out of her ship, readied her pack and began to explore.

She didn't have to go far when she spied a destroyed farmstead. The stone hewn structures had been utterly ravaged, it appeared that an earthquake had been through. "This was no earthquake, a garthim did this," she whispered as she examined some broken glass. There was black residue left and it was inky. The miasma of the place smelled like rotten sushi. She had seen enough.

Making her way back to the ship, she slid into the cockpit to contact her husband when from the towering pines, a garthim roared and pulled her away...

@Kyber Acyk