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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Star Wars Star Wars: Episode IV: Twilight of the Force: A Father’s Legacy - Game is now OVER!

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by Sinrebirth , Nov 20, 2018.

  1. AgentViper007

    AgentViper007 Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2005
    OOC: A combo brought to you by myself and the Lord of Darkness himself, @Sinrebirth :cool:

    IC: Pascale Rouser and The Beast
    Location: Takodana


    It looked like a scene from an Armageddon like holomovie.

    Debris everywhere, everything on fire (including the forest now, Pascale assumed the lovely Qi’ra or someone had decided to light a little inferno) and it included several bodies now. The droids were everywhere, milling around as if they had nothing better to do or awaiting further orders.

    Pascale sighed, it looked like the crystal had gotten away. He now had to make a decision, pursue or maybe head back to Coruscant. Take his seat at the head of the table as Dark Prince and Underlord. He knew that he couldn't waste all his resources on chasing one crystal, the Vigos would probably be on his back for it.

    The heat was becoming unbearable now and Pascale was beginning to sweat, even in his lightweight suit. The Geonosian commander Dellso then opened a line, and there was further bad news. Fett’s armour had been recovered, which meant he was probably dead. Pascale hoped not but the man was a survivor perhaps he had made it, he had to hope so anyway. The other bodies had been identified including Maz’s which Pascale was sad about. She had been a good host. It seemed Han had definitely gotten away with Qi’ra and the boy also seemingly making it out as well.

    The boy was in the care of the dark lady, which would be scary for him, but Dellso did present an opportunity. Let the Empire and Rebels squabble with each other, Black Sun could take advantage and do some good business. After all, war did make good profits. However Pascale was no fool, he wasn't going to go up against Qi’ra just to grab a young boy, he couldn't count on the beast saving his backside again.

    Speaking of which he was back, demanding to speak with him as his ride arrived. He was like Mimban, glad to get off this world.

    As he made his way towards the shuttle he spoke on his comm “You present a good plan, however Qi’ra will be a tough nut to crack as the boy is probably with her. Keep track of them, let’s see where they head, same with the crystal. I heard Solo mention he was heading to Tatooine as a first stop, but it may change. The eventual destination is Mandalore, see if we can keep track of the Ghost see where Solo decides to park up for a bit”

    Internally he thought to the beast so what can I do for you?

    Dellso acknowledged the information, and also that there was no formal chain of command between the Dark Underlord and the Separatists... but he also understood that Black Sun was their best chance of catching the Crystal.

    “The Empire has announced its intention to invade Mandalore. Their plans might change, but we shall get onto it. The Vizier’s ship was undetected on arrival, so it may be that it has countermeasures... we shall search, and see if we can locate them, or track the Ghost.”

    But then, they were alone, in a shuttle manned by a droid and en route to the flagship. The cruiser-carrier was taking on-board the surviving fighters and it’s sole droid lander, recovering the majority of the army deployed. A general report would confirm that their airforce here remained at 70% capability, but their army at 20%, with sufficient fuel and reserves to deploy several thousand droids remaining to a single target. The cruiser-carrier has enough coaxium hyperfuel to launch for half a dozen more targets, however.

    Into the silence, and in an inner place that no droid could monitor, the voice returned.

    So... we’re still alive.

    There was a gurgling quality to His Voice, much more than the voices-within-voices manner in which He ordinarily spoke.

    Pascale nodded to himself as Dellso finished up. He would leave the Geonosian to it and trust that he knew what he was doing. After all he had more experience with war than Pascale did.

    Mandalore seemed the place to be at the moment. He hoped that Ka'tra and Linnett were at least doing alright and not in too much of a bother.

    They had enough droids (although not as many as they had before) and starfighters to hopefully take on any problems that arose. Black Sun would have to try and keep track of what was going on as well. Pascale relaxed back in the shuttles seat to get a little more comfortable.

    Meanwhile in his head….

    Thanks to you saving me twice back there yes, was that the royal "we" he was using?. You dropped in at the nick of time there. Thanks to you, you still have a body to inhabit.

    It sounds like however you have been in the wars yourself judging by your voice. Perhaps you should have stuck with me, you would have been safer.

    Pascale knew he was pushing it here but it was a good point.

    Hmmmm, He said. Thanks to me. For a moment, the gurgling quality seemed to be gone, and He spoke as if strong again. Perhaps He was trying to cover up his weakness.

    The Force is with us, Underlord. A sleeping Force legacy, it would seem. He seemed to debate. A host body bereft of the Force would have failed by now; a body with the Force in earnest would have sustained me in whole.

    What are we, I wonder.

    The God of the Sith nodded, moving Rouser's head.

    The Crystal is one location for our power. Our Temple is another. The Temple is gone; destroyed by Mace Windu in his battle with Grievous. The Father gave him the Dagger, but I managed to escape before he met us with it. Without a true form, we would have been destroyed, once and for all, Crystal or not.

    We ask again.

    "Where is the Crystal!?" He snapped, Rouser's mouth speaking the angry words.

    With the beasts gentle musings he was startled with angry outburst with the entity once again taking control of his body, even for a moment.

    Luckily they were alone in the shuttle. Pascale immediately pushed back in his mind as if to tell the beast off.

    I have been wondering what I am as well he thought answering the beasts musings perhaps it is connected to a past life, perhaps I have had the Force and never knew I had it who knows. Inwardly he smiled perhaps you hold the key to unlocking that potential or discovering who I truly am.

    I am glad you escaped the Temple, a shame as it was a fascinating place. With me you will be significantly safer from any Jedi intervention, well I hope.

    As to the crystal patience my friend he soothed. You may need to learn it as it can be useful. As I mentioned before, your crystal is presently with the cocky smuggler Han Solo, you met him at the Temple. He is at present leading us on a chase to catch it. The eventual destination is Mandalore, what he will do with it there is anyone's guess.

    But I am not the only one in pursuit. The dark lady Qi'ra is also after it, she was the one that tried to throttle me. The Rebellion is also after it, I am not sure about the Empire.

    So you need not worry, we WILL get the crystal. One way or the other.


    For a long, long, moment, He was silent, as Rouser reminded him where the Crystal was. His gaze seemed to wander, making a connection to the Crystal, perhaps.

    I see.

    There is something we must do. Take control of the lifeless soldiers and their 'Confederacy', so that we might better find my Crystal.

    The presence lifted, for a moment, and then grew all the more silent.

    The Dark One is coming.

    All of a sudden, He allowed Rouser to sense the overwhelming presence approaching the world. Even several hours away, the Dark Man was allowing his presence to be known, projected at them, as opposed to it having been hidden and shrouded for however many years, or indeed long, long decades.

    Take control of the Confederacy?. Pascale couldn't believe what the beast was saying. He had just gotten control of Black Sun but now the entity wanted to take it further. Rouser shouldn't have been surprised really of course it wanted more. Pascale however didn't. He had gotten the title of Underlord and it was enough for him.

    Besides, the Separatists looked like they were leaderless, especially with no word from the Council. It looked like Dellso would be in charge for now. But with their resources dwindling and the Ultimate Weapon probably now in someone unknowns hands Pascale did not want Black Sun falling with them. He would use them until he needed to pull out. Besides Black Sun had its own agents he could use. He didn't have to use too much, just enough.

    And then he sensed what the beast sensed, a powerful dark presence headed their way. No doubt this dark presence was after the crystal too. For what else was there to get?.

    Another fly in the ointment he thought if this Dark One is coming then we will need to be ready. We will need to hopefully grab the crystal before he does and perhaps you will feel rather better.

    As for your suggestion about taking over the Confederacy the answer is no. To gain more power is to fall more quickly. The Separatists have been weakened but they have useful resources which I can use. When the time is right they will be discarded but for now they are useful.

    Stay quiet if you can, if you reveal yourself too much you might not have a body to inhabit.


    He immediately got on the comm to Dellso "Commander we will need to depart as soon as I arrive. Somebody is coming, and I don't think they are here to have a cosy chat"

    Another pause.

    I think you’ll find that our fates are entwined with that of the Separatists. When you took the offer of Underlord, you tied us to them. But the Empire, or the Separatists. We care not which we take.

    Dellso clicked a response. “Certainly, Underlord. The head of the Separatist Council is en route to meet us and then we shall depart. He has requested we put refreshments aside for you. To say thank you.”

    At that, the line cut.

    Pascale thought back at the beast and the Underlord title only still stands if I get that crystal. I may have taken that title but even I know it may be stripped from me. You make a good point about us being tied in to the Separatists but we are their clients. What you still don't get is that it is difficult and dangerous to try to get to the top of these organisations. Do I like the power? Yes. But unlike you I have limits and Black Sun is it. The Separatists, the Empire? They can give us money for jobs and that is all we need. You seem to be hell bent on conquering the galaxy, it is foolish. Why lead when you can sit in the shadows and cause chaos and disruption. I have been anointed The Shadow for a reason and this is what I suppose I was destined to do. To be in the shadows.

    Meanwhile Dellso had dropped a little bombshell. It seemed there was a new leader, and it wasn't Dellso. Which only meant…..

    Oh bloody hell….

    Pascale hoped it wasn't but it could be that the Dark One had possibly taken control of not only the Separatists, but possibly the Ultimate Weapon.

    Which was really bad news.

    Time to make a decision. He could stay and face the Dark One and possibly die. Or escape, get chased down and possibly die.

    Both choices were bad.

    Pascale sighed. Either way the Dark One would take up the chase anyway for the crystal. Perhaps he could cause some chaos on the inside before he met his demise.

    Might as well go out with a bang. Unfortunately it isn't going to be on my yacht. I think this is definitely what they call karma.

    He had caused so much death and destruction perhaps he deserved to die. But he was determined that he wouldn't go down as a monster.

    He let the shuttle continue on.

    Time to face Fate.

    @Sinrebirth
     
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  2. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Han Solo
    Tokadano, Fortress

    Han shrugged.

    "To be honest not entirely sure of that. Nobody really talked to me or listened." Han gave her a smile and then turned to the General. "Wouldn't hurt to know you guys got a plan though. I am kinda done running around loosing friends for your little war, Milady."

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @JediMasterAnne
     
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  3. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    IC: Senator Feyna Organa
    Aboard the Ghost, Hyperspace

    Feyna glared at him, biting back the angry retort that immediately came to mind. Considering that it had been her planet the Empire had destroyed, he had some nerve saying something like that to her. But she wasn’t blind to his side of things, either, and it would be wrong to simply dismiss his friends’ deaths out of hand, considering what they’d died for. “I’m sorry about your friends. I am.” She meant it; that part came out sounding calm, genuine, but as she continued, it was hard not to sound annoyed. “But I didn’t ask you or them to get involved in the first place, and if you want out, no one here is going to force you to stay. I’m grateful to you for getting us out of that mess back there, but once General Syndulla recovers, we’ll have no further need of your services as a pilot. We can drop you off at Tatooine and you can go back to smuggling, or whatever it is you do with your life.”

    She stopped and pointed to the box. “But the crystal stays, whether you do or not. The Empire made this ‘my’ war when they destroyed my planet, and if you think I’m going to sit back and let someone take that thing and wipe out another innocent world, you’re dead wrong.”

    She dug her datapad out of her bag to update her ‘to-do’ list, taking Winter and "Base" off the contact list and removing the question mark next to Anakin’s name and moving him to the top of the list. “We’ll contact Anakin at the base once we reach Tatooine,” she remarked, more to Winter than the pilot—though she suspected discussion of the crystal was not over yet. “At least we can get caught up with any major events we might have missed.” Hopefully, the Empire hadn’t managed to repair their Death Star yet, and blow up another planet. “And we’ll see if he has any suggestions for this plan.” She wouldn’t say it out loud, but Feyna wasn’t particularly confident in this plan, and from the sound of it, neither was their pilot.

    TAG: @RachelTyrell @Sinrebirth @DarkLordoftheFins (mentioned)
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2019
  4. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Han Solo
    Ghost, Hyperspace

    Han smiled at her and shook his head.

    "Listen your highness, people might jump around and do what you want them to where you come from. This not where you came from. I will keep that box until this thing is destroyed and then you can have this forsaken crystal. Until then I won't hand it over to you or anyone. I have been hiding and avoiding authorities for many years. There is right now nobody better suited than me to keep this thing out of the wrong hands." He pushed the box back into his backpack and pulled it back on his shoulder. "So you do your part and I'll do mine. Your Highness ."

    The girls were trouble. Usually he would have been amused by that, but today he had lost a lot of people.

    He calmed himself down and nodded before returning to his cockpit. "Sorry about Alderaan. I ... we won't let this happen again. I promise." He meant it. A planet wiped out, he would not fail with this plan or if he did he would pay the price, but nobody would get the damned crystal. Not on his watch. "Call this Skywalker guy once we are out of hyperspace and tell him to head to Mandalore. We won't have long before they catch up with us."

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @JediMasterAnne
     
  5. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    The following is a combo with the always amazing Sinrebirth!

    IC: Lyz & Aryan Graul
    Private Quarters, Imperial Palace, Coruscant

    The sun was just making its final descent behind the tall pinnacles that peppered Coruscant’s western skyline when Aryan and Lyz finally retreated to their personal chambers. The media conference had only just concluded, and the fact that the red and orange hues from the waning light were already casting long shadows across the urban sprawl was testament to how grueling the meeting had truly been. The Emperor had endured at least six hours of dribble from a voracious group of talking heads who will later spend six more hours debating the same topics they had recently discussed during their primetime HoloNet broadcasts. It was a vicious cycle that Aryan had no patience for, but he kept telling himself that it was all for the benefit and glory of the people.

    He lightly scoffed at that notion and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, clearly exhausted as he turned to face the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the veranda. In truth, he was thankful for this reprieve and the time away from the spotlight, but something still felt distant...and hollow. He found that he could not fully relax.

    Perhaps it was the false facade he now peered through to observe the cityscape beyond. He wasn’t truly looking through glass, but rather, a special polylommite blend that was designed to withstand a high-powered blaster barrage. It served as a sobering reminder of how dangerous and fleeting his life had become; this was his new reality as the Galactic Emperor of half of the known galaxy.

    And yet...maybe it was something far more banal that had triggered this feeling of unease.

    Clenching his jaw, Aryan pressed his palm against the transparisteel, seemingly unconcerned about leaving a smudge, and idly studied the thick material as if to gauge how effective it truly was against an attack. As he did so, the interior of the lavish bedroom glinted and swam into view within the reflective surface, causing his nose to turn up slightly.

    During his side trip to Mimban, Lyz had set out to remodel their private quarters in the same pale greens and neutral grays of the bedroom they had previously shared back on Nubia. While he recognized the reasoning behind her choice, it still felt somewhat cold and awkward. They haven't spent a night together there in years, and considering everything that had happened in the interim, it didn’t seem appropriate to embrace it now. This wasn’t a homecoming; it was a reminder of everything they had left behind – their faults, their tribulations...their grief. It was a culmination of everything Aryan had hoped to avoid in the aftermath of his affair.

    Lyz must have sensed his apprehension, for it was in that moment that she decided to break the silence and call to him. “How are you doing?” she spoke softly. “It’s been a busy two days...”

    Aryan tensed at the sound of her voice, his shoulders heaving slightly with a sigh. In his brooding, he had not expected her to reply so openly, and it took him a moment to push his negative thoughts aside and gather his resolve. When he finally stepped away from the windows, he tapped the wall panel to activate the automatic blinds to afford them some privacy. Only then did he start to remove his heavy robes and his suit coat, discarding both over the back of a plush chair before turning to face the bed and the woman resting easily atop the sheets.

    “Reasonably well, under the circumstances,” he replied broadly, his fingers working to loosen the clasps of his shirt as he sauntered over to the edge of the bed and sat down beside her. “The speech had the desired effect, and it helped us to regain full control of the commentary. That’s the kind of message we needed to send in the wake of the Alderaan disaster – we have their support now.”

    He flashed an impish smirk, almost as if he was lauding himself for a job well done. His blue-gray eyes then strayed precipitously toward her slender legs, the tanned skin poking out from beneath the hem of her nightgown to provide a sensuous view.

    “Of course, there’s probably a more...intensive answer, but I find myself presently distracted,” he murmured quietly, reaching down to massage her thigh when he was finished unclasping his shirt. “We’re here, Lyz. This is what I’ve been working toward all these years. Why I--” He caught himself before he could say something that would trigger an adverse reaction, his expression sobering. “I’m just trying to put it all in perspective and hope that I don’t act too carelessly.”

    The Emperor frowned marginally and inclined his chin to meet her gaze. “Arek is still out there, after all.”

    Lyz nodded. "Exactly," she said, though she was smiling too. "As long as Arek is a Rebel hostage, we cannot do anything too dramatic. Not until Intelligence locates him. But with Tarkin out of the way, we can hand the entire debacle to them and push harder for us to not be involved - especially if the Separatists have their own weapon..." A shrug, and she sat up, her arms back supporting her as she did.

    "... so we're not out of the woods yet, but we're here, and in the best place to make sure that everything goes the way it should." Lyz leaned forward and placed her hand on his face. "Together, we can do anything."

    "Even make them pay for taking our son, if we have to."

    Inhaling deeply, Aryan reached up to clasp her hand in his own and leaned into her touch, truly savoring this moment for what it was. It felt like an eternity since they had last enjoyed each others’ company and shared this kind of intimate contact; it was a shame that it would be tainted by the ravages of war and the loss of their son.

    “It’s remarkable that the Republic even had it in them, to utilize such crude tactics to compensate for their losses,” he muttered quietly, his brow furrowing in thought as he clearly tried to make sense of this mess. “I know that they did not acquire that knowledge from...Mon.”

    He wasn't quick enough to stop himself this time, and he noticeably tensed when he mentioned the late Chancellor, being fully aware that he may have crossed a line. And yet, he had to get that out there. If not to prove a point and call attention to the inconsistencies in this situation, then certainly to start the healing process between them. He was through with Mon and he had chosen to stay with Lyz; she needed to know that.

    “Even the Princess Organa seemed genuine about peace when I met with her prior to the conference date,” Aryan continued surely, kneading the back of her hand with his thumb. “I can’t even fathom where the disconnect occurred. It’s like they are two different entities now...or they snapped under the pressure.” He shook his head lightly. “Regardless, we called their bluff and the truth is out there now. The galaxy will respond...and they will not take this lightly. As I said, we control the commentary now. Whatever we decide, they will have our back.”

    Lyz lightly pulled him to lay beside him; she curled up in the nook of his arm - their old nook. It had been their home, this precious space between each other. Aryan had defiled it first; Lyz afterwards, out of loss and anger and spite. She tensed as he did, but released it. They had to press through this. To see if they could.

    "Sentan did not say anything about it to me, no scheme was suggested to target Arek, not even by the Dark Jedi that tried to seize control of the Empire..." She had to lean into their pain, their frustration, their loss, as much as she leaned into his shape, into their joint space, back into their first home.

    The one they had built of their meeting of hearts, souls and mind.

    Aryan surrendered himself to her and reclined back against the pillows, tightening his embrace and drawing her close so that she could rest her head against his chest. He then angled his chin down and nestled his cheek into her fiery locks, breathing in her scent and releasing a contented sigh. At this point, the only blemish on an otherwise perfect moment was Lyz’s sly reference to Sentan, but he should have seen that one coming after his own admission. Under the circumstances, he probably even deserved it, which is why he did not react. Instead, he stretched out his legs, kicking off his shoes in the process, and moved closer still.

    “It doesn’t make sense,” Aryan mumbled into her hair, his breath hot as it brushed the back of her neck. “They’ve never attempted to contact us or make demands. What is the point of holding a hostage if you don’t have terms? It’s the silence that’s killing me. It just seems to confirm my suspicions that they've lost their way." He shook his head slowly. "And this isn’t about peace; I’ve already made my intentions clear about that. So, what do they want?”

    He pursed his lips and tilted his head back to stare at the intricate patterns in the arched ceiling, his brow furrowed with thought as he mulled over the different possibilities. “You know, Lyz,” he began after a long pause, his voice becoming more of a husky drawl. “I even considered reaching out to them...to break that divide and take the initiative myself.

    “I know you said not to do anything too dramatic, but--" He bit his lower lip and scoffed. "Am I crazy?”


    Lyz paused, thinking as she stroked his hair absently. "I am not sure. You gave them the chance to respond with your speech. You opened up to the entire galaxy, and gave the Rebels and Republic the opportunity to reply too..."

    "... we have not invaded Chandrila, and the Empire stepped in to save Naboo without prompting." She was thinking aloud. "Corellia has declared itself neutral, and we have let it." Lyz would have shrugged if she was not happily pinned down by Aryan.

    "If we keep the status quo as is, we've not done anything wrong. We can make big fanfare of any concession and every moment until Arek is returned is one we're proving our intentions." She paused. "If we put Intel on it, then we're doing our best without wrecking the entire galaxy for it." Lyz squeezed him, allowing her eyes to wet. "Leave it with me, Aryan. It is my responsibility - I let him be separated from me. I should fix this - while you save the galaxy."

    She leaned over and kissed his forehead.

    Aryan exhaled through his nose and closed his eyes briefly, reciprocating her show of affection by planting his own kiss to the top of her head. “I thought you told me it may be too late to save the galaxy,” he murmured quietly, recalling her comment from their transmission the other day. Despite the weight of his words, there was still a hint of levity to his tone. “Are you setting me up to fail?”

    Pressing forward, he glanced down into her chestnut gaze and smiled cruelly before his expression turned serious once more. He had to admit, she had formulated a decent plan, but there was still something about it that didn’t sit right with him. The best way to describe it was a slow churning in the pit of his stomach – not quite nausea, yet enough to fill him with a sense of unease.

    “Are you sure you can handle this, Lyz?” he asked carefully as he reached forward to cup her cheek, his thumb idly brushing aside a lock of hair from her face. “It’s not necessary to place this burden squarely on your shoulders, I’m here if you need me…remember that.”

    He straightened, his blue-gray eyes searching her face intently. “How do you plan to proceed once they track him down?”

    She met his gaze just as openly. “With love. He might have been brainwashed, for all we know. You and I remember the chaos of the Republic. How it bred separatism, and the Clone Wars. Say what you will for the Empire, but it bred Order - but Arek won’t remember it.” Lyz’s gaze grew unfocused as she thought.

    “It was just that Amedda didn’t have control; he allowed Tarkin and Daala and Krennic too much power, and they made the Empire into something which bred more chaos than order - the Death Star itself.”

    Her eyes narrowed as she returned to the here and now. “I can’t save him alone; I doubt he’ll trust anything I say to him. But if I can get him home, then I’ll have done my bit.” Her eyes grew searching, as if peering into his soul.

    “Will he have a home to come back to, Aryan?”

    The Emperor made no effort to hide his frown. It was a loaded question, one which could be interpreted several different ways: if Arek had lost his way, would Aryan accept him back and help him to recover, or perhaps Lyz was referring to the Empire itself and whether he would dutifully keep watch while she sought to rescue their wayward son. Either way, Aryan remained wary; he could feel the unease continuing to build within his gut, causing him to stir against her embrace.

    Something just didn’t…feel right about this whole situation.

    “You know I will do my best to ensure his safety and seek forgiveness,” he replied softly, his brow creasing with mounting concern. “But I still don’t like this, Lyz. It’s not just the Republic and their exceptional behavior, but there are other factors to consider, namely my Grand Vizier and her...volatile ways. She can’t become another Tarkin or Daala, not while our attention is focused elsewhere.” He inhaled deeply, angling his gaze back toward the ceiling. “I received confirmation from her chief lieutenant that she fled to Takodana, likely to pursue the smugglers that escaped from Mimban with the crystal. I can only assume that she plans to use the Separatist weapon to undermine me and seize the Empire for herself.”

    He closed his eyes for a moment, inwardly cursing himself for allowing her to influence him in this way; for allowing things to get so far out of control. But what other choice did he have? She had threatened him with the Force. She was a--

    “She’s a Sith,” he blurted out loud, even as the thought crossed his mind. “Did you know that, Lyz? Darth Ananke. She forced me into appointing her to my administration so she could work from the shadows and weave a web of intrigue right here in the capital. I tried to sever part of her network, and succeeded to some extent, but as long as she’s out there, Arek--all of us can never truly be safe.”

    Aryan was breathing heavily now, as if a great weight had suddenly been lifted from his chest.

    Lyz twitched, almost as if she wanted to physically back away from him.

    "A Sith?" She cried out, her heart-rate rising. "Like Palpatine?" Lyz could barely breathe. They had all heard the Republic and Rebel propaganda, spread against the Empire by the Jedi, but the general consideration was that the Chancellor had been taking advantage somehow; his term had been extended by the Separatist Crisis just as it was about to end, and then he'd remained in power for five years longer than he should.

    Palpatine had created a separate clone army and Navy while the Clone Wars raged. Palpatine had deployed much of the Home Fleet to Saluecami, Felucia and Mygeeto to make Coruscant vulnerable. Yet, as soon as Dooku was dead, the emergency powers could not be surrendered unless Grievous died, and the Moffs were created as a parallel government in the mere days between Dooku dying and Grievous dying. Palpatine had acted to secure power as the war ended, rather than prepare to hand it back to the people.

    In essence, the key had been placed in the lock; Amedda had turned it, but Palpatine could just have easily.

    But all of that was because Palpatine was a Sith.

    If Ananke was a Sith too...

    "...I hope you have a plan to deal with her, or we're screwed." Lyz bit out.

    Clenching his jaw, Aryan lapsed into silence and continued to stare unblinking at the ceiling. It was a rarity when something rendered him completely speechless, but in this instance, he didn’t have a clue on how to proceed. Not with Ananke. Not with a Sith. How was he supposed to formulate a plan against a being of unspeakable power...and win? She could conceivably crush him with her mind before he even lifted a finger to act.

    To make matters worse, he realized that Lyz was leaning on him as a crutch; she expected him to find the sole solution to this seemingly impossible situation. This only compounded his anger and frustration.

    With a disgruntled sigh, Aryan extricated himself from their embrace and sat up abruptly on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his thighs. “I don’t know, Lyz,” he grumbled in a deep baritone, lifting his hands to rub at his tired eyes. “I told you I was in over my head. There might’ve been a brief time when I thought that maybe we could make it work...but we’re beyond that now. Once she finishes her business on Takodana, she’ll come for me.”

    He shook his head, his hands still covering his face. “For us.”

    Something flittered across Lyz's expression, and she hoped that Aryan didn't see as she sat up.

    What it was; a realization that her lie about Arek meant that Aryan would not reach out to the Republic; that he could not. Which meant they didn't have the Jedi to balance out the Sith. Then again, she reflected; Anakin Skywalker had confessed a desire to murder Aryan... so did they even have the Jedi?

    Kenobi, if the recordings were any indication, had stopped him, but he had promptly vanished, as had Mace Windu after defeating Dark Jedi on Naboo. They could have all died at Mimban with the Death Star...

    Lyz continued to have these thoughts, but realised the silence was stretching out. "We need to figure this out, Aryan. But we have time."

    She paused, drawing his hands apart. "Together, okay?" She kissed him, fully, for once, and for all, afraid - as she knew he was too, and he needed her and she needed him.

    A Sith, she rued. What were they going to do about her?

    For his part, Aryan knew she was probably right and did not protest. He simply gave his consent by reciprocating her kiss hungrily, every nerve-ending in his body seeming to come alive under her tender touch and relieving him of any lingering concerns. He felt whole again…invincible. All he could think about was this impassioned woman leaning into him with a fiery intensity. He could tell through her actions that her desire for him burned brightly, and he wanted nothing more than to rise up to the challenge and satisfy her needs.

    To rekindle what was lost.

    To reaffirm their love for each other.

    Reaching up, Aryan lightly stroked her cheek, his fingers tracing the contour of her jaw before gently guiding her back upon the bed. All the while, his lips remained firmly in place to explore and stimulate. In this moment, his passion for her was strong, a tumultuous force that could not be stopped, almost as if years of repressed emotions had suddenly come to a head and he needed to find a release. He responded to this by allowing his hands to continue down the length of her body, pausing briefly at her hips before slipping beneath the hem of her nightgown to find her curves.

    To hell with the Sith, the Empire, the galaxy…and anything else that stood in their way.

    This was their moment to share.

    And as time slowed, they both came together as one.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth; @QueenSabe7 (mention)
     
  6. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: Winter
    Aboard the Ghost, hyperspace, exit point

    As it was hardly a straight jump from Takodona, the Ghost had to decant and reorient before jumping on. When that happened, and the ship was opened to the HoloNet, all manner of update flooded in.

    The Death Star being destroyed above Mimban and taking the surviving Jedi with them; the Emperor returning to Coruscant and accusing the Republic of holding Arek hostage; the Ultimate Weapon jumping to Takodona in pursuit of the Crystal - as planned; Mandalore and Chandrila on the edge of an Imperial deadline - the latter at the hands of a blockade, and the former having fallen into Civil War - Linnett and Zey and Ka’rta had not been heard from since making orbit of Mandalore.

    Winter absorbed all the content, as Chopper blatted rudely.

    “I suspect, Feyna,” she said slightly, “that we need to get in-touch with the Emperor. I saw the recordings from Delaya, Irenez and Garm sent them to me - but Lyz Graul is clearly painting a picture and we need to get our story in. Aryan Graul was a force for reconciliation between the Empire and Republic. I do not know what your analysis of him has suggested, but everything else shows him to a conniving politician, yes, stupid with his heart, as any human, but not a mass-murderer of the Death Star variety. He’s not great, but he is our best chance of stopping the Ultimate Weapon, at this point - Lyz however abandoned her son to us and next thing we know Aryan is suggesting we kidnapped him. It’s all her.”

    But she also eyed Han. “But he is also right; we can coordinate with Skywalker too.”

    Chopper buzzed and opened the channel, hunting the Rebels and finding them - Control diverted the call through, and next thing they knew, they were looking at Jan Dodonna and Anakin Skywalker aboard the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer. The Gorgon had been secured and the crew rounded up or imprisoned. Commander Kratas and the command crew had agreed to serve on - under guard, for now - but they acknowledged that the Empire had cast out Tarkin and Daala and they may as well be Rebels or Separatists - and the latter was really the enemy.

    Jan looked sadly at Feyna, but let Anakin and her speak first. They had met, after all, not a few days ago - on Alderaan. Jan had no idea about Kenobi and Maul, but the shape of the conflict to come would be determined by Feyna, Anakin, and, somehow, Han Solo.

    TAG: @RachelTyrell, @JediMasterAnne, @DarkLordoftheFins
    ---
    IC: Owen

    Mimban

    At the end of the day, where else would they jump. The coordinates were in the hyperdrive’s memory, and they may as well. Takodona had been a mess, and Owen and Jerood had barely escaped the disaster in Jerrod’s B-wing. They arrived to a hemisphere of wreckage, listing capital ships, and shattered fighter craft. They had precipitated a massive engagement over several days, all because they had accepted a contract to smuggle supplies to the Coway.

    Owen and Jerrod took a few moments to take stock, putting out feelers to Mandalore and hearing no further, nothing more than the fact that a civil war had engulfed the planet. “Shavit,” Owen said.

    “Yeah,” Jerrod said neutrally, trying to hide her worry. “We’ve sent Ka’rta into a nightmare. “

    Owen shook his head. “It was her decision to adopt Linnett, and Linnett is determined to reconnect with her clan. Ka’rta can hardly deny the girl her birthright.”

    “No,” Jerrod again said. “She couldn’t. But I wonder if we did.”

    “By not helping Ka’rta reconnect earlier? After what happened to her?” Owen sounded surprised, turning in his seat to look at her better.

    Jerrod sighed. “It certainly feels like we’ve done something wrong, to get her into this mess.”

    “Or we’ve done something right, and she’s doing what she should be,” he replied. “At the end of the day, in the last week she’s agreed to help out the rebels. That’s a massive change from Ka’rta ordinarily being all about creds. Surely that’s a good thing?”

    “Who are we to judge, if she’s dead?” Jerrod said, quietly.

    Owen had no answer.

    They needed Fate to find them.

    Surprisingly, it did. Or rather, they did, because they were now free, and they owed Ka’rta for said freedom, and so they would repay their debt of freedom.

    --
    Mandalore, Keldabe

    They had made it.

    Not in one piece, not aided by the Force or loved by Fate. There was no Master guiding their star, only cruel, inevitably mathematics. Madelyn Linnett had rushed into the Galactic Civil War with a naivety that belied her young state, let alone her amnesia. She had taken Zey and Ka’rta along, and now the Osik was grounded.

    The hole that ran through it had eventually shorted out the rear engines, and the vagaries of a planetary insertion had simply brought them down in the City, but thankfully not at a terminal rate. Zey had shielded them with the Force, but they would be battered, bruised, and Ka’rta’s home was just a broken ship, now.

    Keldabe was not much different. Mandalmotors tower was down, and many a street was littered with armoured corpses, broken buildings and debris and rubble. This is what they were coming to save. Zey took a deep breath as the cockpit tipped them out. Zey took a deep breath, and eyed the wreckage of the Mandalmotor tower. He could sense the crystal of the Darksaber.

    “It is this way.” Zey purposely tried not to sense how Ka’rta was feeling.

    Betrayed, probably, by Manda itself; if the armour of a Mandalorian was a skin to them, and in many cases a sacred expression of themselves, then the Osik to Ka’rta was probably the same.

    TAG: @galactic-vagabond422, @TheSilentInfluence

    IC: Arek Graul
    Rendezvous, not far from Yag’Dhul

    Far away was Ananke, complete with Arek, who was slowly regaining consciousness. The oppressiveness in the Force vanished, but it did not go far. The Force told Ananke that it would reach Takodona and follow her soon enough - if she was not careful. While in hyperspace they could ill contact anyone, which left Arek, and deciding what to do with him, rest, food and sleep, while Braata, the Holocron absently awake but wondering, a steady rhythm to its thoughts.

    So Darth Sidious is the Dark One who will...

    Braata paused. “What if I told you that the flow of the Force was malleable, and that it can be changed, but in doing so the Force has mechanisms to physically reset the board?”

    Arek woke, peering at the Holocron. “What is that?” His eyes were tantalised, incredibly intrigued. Temptation and curiosity dripped from him. “It feels dark, but powerful...”

    His expression refocused. “Where am I?” For a moment his rage was rebuilding within him. It dispelled when the sensors chimed.

    Ananke’s yacht had arrived. It dutifully presented itself to dock, but from another port came an armoured Mandalorian, who promptly levelled a rocket into the side of the shuttle she had taken from the Stardust; damage alarms screamed, and from somewhere was the sound of whistling air.

    Rook Kast had taken up residence in her yacht using old Dawn codes, but she’d never been high enough to control the beacon call - and had been taken along for the ride from Coruscant. As Rook returned to the yacht, Ananke had precious moments to dock and take back her home before the shuttle lost all composure.

    Arek held his ears, and shouted over the noise. “We need to go!” The Braata Holocron in the meantime began to float as gravity gave way. Never a dull moment, she absently reflected.

    The shuttle from the Stardust dutifully issued an automatic call for help. The yacht similarly moved closer and began docking procedures. For once, droid-like automation was helping Ananke rather than trying to kill her.

    TAG: @QueenSabe7
    ---
    IC: Sate Pestage
    Moraband, local town

    From his shuttle, Sate Pestage worked magic, entwining Imperial networks of information and tapping intelligence, Navy and army channels. For Lord Maul he had all manner of data, and for once the competing natures of the organisations, and even within Death Watch, resulted in information being suppressed and lost, and digging them out resulted in all manner of gold.

    Pestage hid what needed to be hid for his master, and was sure to keep his limited Force training in mind. Whilst he was never going to throttle someone with an unseen hand, he was long able to conceal his thoughts without end. Of course physical pain was a thing, and the former Grand Vizier was ill-placed to do much about that traditional manner to extract information.

    But it was a moot point. He was positioned to support the rise of the greatest power this galaxy had seen, and he had pulled out all the stops. It had taken a dosage of blackmail and bribery to start seizing control of portions of the HoloNet, and he would justify the expenditure to Lord Maul in due course. The fact was, for every shadowed motion that Pestage made, Aryan Graul could make a public declaration and undo everything. That the man had retired to his rooms for a few hours was a godsend, and Pestage pressed the advantage.

    Which is why he intercepted a message from the children on Ossus. A handful, under the care of a Jedi Master that Pestage could not find on the Roll of Jedi; Ood Bnar. The very last of them, requesting across Jedi lines for support evacuating the world. Pestage dutifully crushed the signal, and was prepared to present the information to Lords Maul and Zorn... when they were finished with Kenobi. The sooner they were, the better. The Jedi Master had foiled Sith plans since before the Battle of Naboo, and the sooner he was gone, the sooner they could be even more surer of their victory - and Maul could declare himself Emperor.

    One of Lord Maul’s ploys was moving in that respect, of course, but Rook Kast, the Mandalorian sent to collect Aryan Graul, was unable to break the security cordon around the Palace. She’d made mention of a yacht she could use as base of operations, within the cordon, at last they’d spoke. But Lyz Graul had reinvented the security system and employed new agents, and now Aryan was back from his brush with death at Mimban, even more of his staff had replaced the Imperials that had once served Amedda.

    Hissing, Pestage knew that he had to break the routine; to divert their attention. Conscious that time was slipping, the former Grand Vizier made sure to bounce his signal across dozens of nodes before connecting to Coruscant. A handful of codes overrode the external systems, for it was much harder to rewrite code than staff, and Pestage was an oversized hologram in the west wing of the Palace.

    The comms team jumped in unison. For, of course, everyone thought that he was dead. Pestage knew it was the dead of the night on Coruscant, but they needed to get on with matters. “Call the ‘Emperor’,” Pestage said. “We need to talk.”

    He folded his arms. “I’ll wait for him to get here.” Pestage hoped he would finish up before Maul was, so he could present everything all neatly for his master.

    TAG: @SirakRomar (peripherally), @LordTroepfchen (peripherally), @HanSolo29

    IC: Dark Man
    Takodona

    Time passed, and Rouser was left to his own devices, but opulently so. Food, a bath, all manner of pleasantry, and then it was time to go and be ready. He was alone; even He was gone, not replying to any entreaty. Rouser could regroup and refresh and rest - one of the few pieces on the dejarik board given respite.

    The Ultimate Weapon arrived, a moonlet, and Dellso and a shiny protocol droid stood in the hangar. Another shuttle was ready, and as Dellso led Rouser up the ramp, two Super Battle Droids flanking them, he spoke as the shuttle drifted across the distance.

    The droid dutifully translates. “Lord Sidious came to many of us after the Battle of Naboo, and encouraged us to prepare for separatism. Within a decade thousands of systems had joined us, and, as we held a stranglehold on the economic welfare of the Republic, we knew we could build an army in plain sight and that Count Dooku would lead us to victory when the Weapon was complete. It was only after Geonosis that Dooku introduced us to his Master, and we knew who had played who.

    “But it was too late. The Republic had produced a clone army and fleet in secret, and we were caught off-guard. Our every stratagem was undone by a handful of Jedi leading hundreds of clones, and every gain was met with loss, as if we were being managed. An endless stalemate.” A clicking snort.

    “Of course, we were. Sidious was Palpatine, we discovered, when the Jedi told us. But in the midst of the chaos of the Jedi Rebellion we knew we had to strike - we took back the Weapon and Geonosis and returned to the Sith plan. Once we had the Weapon, we would destroy the Empire and Republic and their struggles would be for nought.”

    A pause, as the shuttle shook - it had crossed the magnetic threshold of the Weapon, and they would shortly arrive. “But it was not long after Sidious died that another spoke, still garbed as him, and we came to know that Sidious had a secret apprentice; a reserve; a confidant. We never knew who we spoke to, save that we were to address him as ‘my Lord’, and so we did. He supplied with us all manner of resource and secret to construct the Weapon, but the Empire beat us to many of them. It is only now, two more decades later, that I realise that the Sith were merely moving to another form of control - the Sith had created the Death Star to destroy the Republic and lure the Jedi to their deaths - so they could destroy the Death Star themselves.”

    “I know not who the Sith Lord is; I know only that if he secures that Crystal, he will win. We will all win, and we will all be rewarded with peace.” At last the Geonosian met Rouser’s eyes. “And that we cannot disobey the Sith. He knows our darkest secrets even before we do.”

    A slight chuckle in Rouser’s mind. He was not alone, clearly.

    The shuttle clicked, and the Sith Lord stood, a double row of hundreds of droids creating a corridor to him.

    A shadow in a robe, his cowl up, the neck clasped shut, and Darkness consuming his features. A short, guttural, laugh as he saw them both. Dellso dropped to one knee at the base of the ramp, and averted his gaze.

    [​IMG]

    The Dark Man was here.

    TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2019
  7. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Anakin Skywalker
    Gordon, Yavin IV

    It reached him like a shockwave echoing through the force ... Obi-Wan Kenobi became one with the force. Anakin felt it and he barely managed to set his shop down. It took him a minute to calm himself.

    Padme, Leia and now Obi-Wan Kenobi. Something had gone terribly wrong. His oldest friend was dead. No, he wasn't. Anakin realized this in that exact moment. There was no death. He was one with the force. And he wasn't gone ... not really. But he had left this world and also left Anakin with a monomental task. A Rebellion.



    It was an hour later finally good news arrived. He looked at Feyna Organa and smiled. "Feyna I am glad you are alive." He nodded. "My deepest sympathy ... for your loss." It felt hollow saying this, but he felt it had to be said anyway. How could words ever express his feelings? Or hers? The loss had been so great and absolute words failed to express the pain they had caused.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @JediMasterAnne (let's combo from here)
     
  8. BobaMatt

    BobaMatt TFN EU Staff star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2002
    OOC: Written in conjunction with the illustrious

    A little music to speed us on our journey...



    IC: Ahsoka and Mace Windu
    Later...


    A whisper and chirps, and Morai peered into the battered man's face. Ahsoka had transferred Mace Windu from his wreck of the ship to their medbay, and Morai fluttered around in silence, concerned, and curious.

    Ahsoka let the bird do what she wished. They had travelled far. It made her think of what had happened before, on Malachor. She knew what should have happened. Vader. The Inquisitors. Maul. Instead, a stand-in, the Hammer, Malus, a Jedi who had fallen to the dark side and been possessed by the armour of Adas. A loose end from a time gone by, and not who should have been confronting her Malachor.

    [​IMG]

    Morai had shown her that.

    Ahsoka knew that much. Knew that something had changed. When she should have been pursuing Ezra and Thrawn, having been whisked away during the Battle of Lothal, instead she was here, at Morai's beckoning. It had not been easy to understand what the avian had wanted; not always. But she had saved Ahsoka twice now, and she would save the Force for her.

    Here seeing a dead man and speaking to him of what he knew now that he lived.

    Mace Windu's eyes blinked open to see a convor flapping around above him, below a metal ceiling. He sat up sharply in alarm, and his whole body roared in protest, stealing his breath from him. And there was Ahsoka: older, wiser, radiating in the Force. "How did you find me?"

    Ahsoka simply looked to the convor, robes swaying. "Morai found you. She became quite insistent, a few days ago. Following whatever occurred while you, Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker were in hyperspace before Alderaan was destroyed." She seemed serene, as if she was connecting dots that she should have been unable to do so.

    Mace couldn't do anything but nod, now. The convor settled onto a shelf. He searched for Obi-Wan in the Force, to touch his shoulder...but there was nothing. His heart quickened. No. No. No. No. The torment inside him seemed to disturb the bird, who began to swoop in circles again. If it affected Ahsoka, she didn't let on.

    "Where are we? Where is are Kenobi and Skywalker? No. No no no."

    "Kenobi is gone," Ahsoka confirmed. "He has been slain by Anakin's son, whilst in league with Maul." Always two, there are... There was almost no inflection to her words, as if Kenobi had not mattered to her, and Maul held no significance to the person who now spoke about him.

    In many ways, they didn't.

    Nor did Anakin, her former Master.

    The Jedi master probed Ahsoka, trying to discern the truth of her statement. Would she lie? He hadn't seen her in decades...anything could have happened by now...and yet...

    It was true, then. And it was all because of decisions he'd made. Another voice skipped off the surface of his mind. Luke's. I am a Jedi, like my father before me. What were these voices? Windu thought he knew, now. They were the death throes of possibilities, snapping off of time like brittle branches in a storm.

    Ahsoka's presence in the Force was odd. Familiar, but...

    "So the Jedi truly are lost."

    “No,” said Ahsoka. “The Order is, true, but it has the opportunity to be reborn. The New Jedi Order.”

    Morai tweeted. Ahsoka nodded. “But we must discover what has changed.”

    Her eyes were unerringly focused on Mace.

    Unlimited Power!!!

    "What has ch...?" And then focus snapped sharply into Mace's eyes. "You never used to speak in riddles, Padawan Tano. Mystery and wisdom suit you."

    He began to stand and lost his balance, collapsing against the bed. He would need to meditate, to heal, to call the Force into his muscles and skin. For now he willed himself upright, felt his weight sink into the bottom of his feet. The darkness watched him from afar. Fine, then. If this was a struggle, then let mere standing be vapaad. He was broken, but not shattered, still standing tall. He peered down at Ahsoka. How many years had it been, exactly? What had she seen on her travels?

    "You speak of shatterpoints."

    Ahsoka nodded. "Something that you were once renowned for, I recall."

    She stepped forward, and Morai cooed. "Someone has been experimenting with them, using them to bend the natural flow of matters."

    The Togruta held out the staff for him to touch. She did not request, or order, she simply presented it to him.

    The natural flow.


    The girl - no, young woman - was beginning to sound like the Aiing-Ti. The thought made Windu shiver as his hand closed around the staff.

    For a brief moment, Mace Windu saw them all.

    The realm where Luke missed the shot to destroy the Death Star; the realm where Luke died on Hoth; the realm where Morgan Katarn's son - Kyle - became Emperor; the realm where the Empire won the Galactic Wars; the realm where Kyle Katarn's son had apprentice, and he became Dark Lord of the Sith after resurrecting Marka Ragnos; the realm where Anakin became Darth Vader, and slew both Kenobi and Sidious on Mustafar; the realm where Darth Vader became a suited, a wheezing monstrosity; the realm where Vader's Sith apprentice slew him, and became the Sith Stalker; the realm where a perfected clone of his Sith apprentice killed a Jedi-trained Leia at the Battle of Endor; the realm where Vader held his hand out to Luke in a city in the Clouds and his son said yes, becoming Darth Librium, Father and Son ruling the Empire; the realm where an insane Shaper continued the Yuuzhan Vong War; the realm where the Clone Wars dragged on for seven more long years, a Galaxy at War; the realm where Darth Ruin took Coruscant in the opening days of the New Sith Wars and caused Chaos Eternal; the realm -

    Ahsoka removed Mace's hand from the staff before he was overwhelmed.

    "All of these offshoots were the result of shatterpoints - but many of them self-correct, and fade away. Some become pocket stories, which may seal and re-open at the whim of Fate." She paused, as if she was debating continuing, and Ahsoka looked to Morai, who seemed to nod.

    "Many of them have been erased by a future calamity."

    Ahsoka held out the staff again. "There is one where the flow passes as it should."

    “The Dark Man is not a One yet. As long as he is not; we can prevent this calamity; so long as we can find a way to the long lost Light...” Ahsoka mused aloud. “But because it has been lost in what was supposed to be, it will be easier to access it from where we are not. After all, whomever did this must have interfered with the Light to do so.”

    Morai nodded, tweeting loudly, not quite as musical as an astromech and slightly more shrill. Her eyes met with Mace’s, and encouragement flowed from her to him.

    “But it depends on what you know, Master Windu,” Ahsoka said, softly. “You’ve discovered something, something that you would not have had matters not been changed.”

    Ahsoka hoped that Mace would not pick up his Truth - that he had been supposed to die and become the catalyst that birthed Darth Vader. She hoped that he would simply understand that the change meant new information could be discovered.

    But Mace Windu was a Jedi Master, and a Master of Shatterpoints. If anyone could deduce their Truth; it was him..

    Mace could feel the Force swell beneath him, inside him, around him. He felt connected to the galaxy in a way that communicated certainty. Ahsoka's riddles, like a puzzle cube, resolved themselves in his heart.

    "You refer to the legend of the First Jedi Temple. You believe...we should travel there?"

    Ahsoka looked to Morai; Morai looked to her.

    They both looked to Mace.

    “Yes,” Ahsoka said simply.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth, Anyone
     
  9. AgentViper007

    AgentViper007 Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2005
    IC: Pascale Rouser
    Location: Lucid Voice, Takodana


    There was nothing that bat a hot bath.

    Most of the time he put up with Fortuna's shower after delving around in a dark cave or temple but nothing was as good as having a lovely bath. On board the Separatist cruiser he was being treated like a prince, well he was Dark Prince of Black Sun. He enjoyed a good meal and a drink and was given time to refresh and relax, hence the bath. He had to get as freshened up as possible, he was about to meet the new leader of the Separatists. As a man of wealth he enjoyed the finer things in life and this was the chance to enjoy it all before it all disappeared.

    As he was having his bath different scenarios began to pop up in his mind as to what could happen next.

    Could I die?. Probably, either the leader of the Separatists could be disappointed in him and then decide to off him. Or he could be put in some dark and dingy dungeon somewhere and tortured to death.

    Could I sabotage the Ultimate Weapon?. Possibly. He could try to find a weakness and exploit it, or transmit it to the Rebels or the Empire and then try to get off the thing and let the others have at it. He could end up dying aboard the thing, perhaps if his odds were against him he could blow it up himself. His conscience would then be clear.

    Could he be used as some mindless slave?. Again possibly, although the beast would have something to say about it. Of course the beast could choose to desert him or it could reveal itself, either way was bad. He could of course also be shanghai'd into service.

    Could he be given command of the Separatists or the Ultimate Weapon? The answer was no thanks, he would try to decline as he was best suited being in the shadows.

    He could try to manipulate himself out again, but somehow he knew it probably might not work. It maybe didn't hurt to try. He sighed as he got out of the bath to get dressed.

    Unfortunately his wardrobe now consisted of only one of his trademark cream suits as the rest was all aboard his now wrecked yacht. However his suit looked like it had been freshly washed and pressed as he padded into his room from having his bath. Freshly dressed back in his suit, shirt, belt, shoes and trademark hat once again sitting in his bed he made sure he looked at least presentable. His weapons were back in position, kyber shard in one pocket of his trousers, datapad in the other.

    The beast thankfully was quiet which enabled Rouser to relax and think in peace. There was no point trying to prod him at the moment after all he didn't want to give away to anyone that he had an entity inside him. He was sitting in a chair scrolling through the information he had on Black Sun and it’s assets before his comlink pinged. The Ultimate Weapon had arrived, and he was to meet Dellso in the main hangar to board a shuttle to head to the superweapon.

    Time to meet the Master he thought straightening his jacket and heading out of the room. He was greeted by Dellso and two super battle droids along with a protocol droid and and they proceeded on board. Dellso spoke, the droid translating as they covered the distance between the cruiser and the weapon.

    “Lord Sidious came to many of us after the Battle of Naboo, and encouraged us to prepare for separatism. Within a decade thousands of systems had joined us, and, as we held a stranglehold on the economic welfare of the Republic, we knew we could build an army in plain sight and that Count Dooku would lead us to victory when the Weapon was complete. It was only after Geonosis that Dooku introduced us to his Master, and we knew who had played who.”

    “But it was too late. The Republic had produced a clone army and fleet in secret, and we were caught off-guard. Our every stratagem was undone by a handful of Jedi leading hundreds of clones, and every gain was met with loss, as if we were being managed. An endless stalemate.” A clicking snort.


    Basically Pascale was getting a history of how the Clone Wars started and came to be. Pascale had tried to avoid the war if possible, however war brought good contracts in the underworld and Pascale had taken advantage by procuring some treasures for both the Republic and the Separatists. He didn't care who won, just that he got paid on time and could scour the galaxy for anything that took his fancy or that someone had asked him to procure. The only time he did care was if artifacts themselves were threatened, he wanted to preserve history not annihilate it.

    “Of course, we were. Sidious was Palpatine, we discovered, when the Jedi told us. But in the midst of the chaos of the Jedi Rebellion we knew we had to strike - we took back the Weapon and Geonosis and returned to the Sith plan. Once we had the Weapon, we would destroy the Empire and Republic and their struggles would be for nought.”

    A pause, as the shuttle shook - it had crossed the magnetic threshold of the Weapon, and they would shortly arrive. “But it was not long after Sidious died that another spoke, still garbed as him, and we came to know that Sidious had a secret apprentice; a reserve; a confidant. We never knew who we spoke to, save that we were to address him as ‘my Lord’, and so we did. He supplied with us all manner of resource and secret to construct the Weapon, but the Empire beat us to many of them. It is only now, two more decades later, that I realise that the Sith were merely moving to another form of control - the Sith had created the Death Star to destroy the Republic and lure the Jedi to their deaths - so they could destroy the Death Star themselves.”

    “I know not who the Sith Lord is; I only know that if he secures that Crystal, he will win. We will all win, and we will all be rewarded with peace.” At last the Geonosian met Rouser’s eyes. “And that we cannot disobey the Sith. He knows our darkest secrets even before we do.”


    The beast chuckled, whereas in Rouser’s mind all he could think was another one!.

    Even in the underworld there were tales of the Sith and the Jedi. The Sith were the masters of the dark arts, able to snap your neck just by thinking it, Rouser rubbed his neck as he thought about Qi’ra trying to throttle him. He had also heard what had happened to Chancellor Palpatine on that fateful night of Order 66. It seemed that the Clone Wars, the whole thing was one great big master plan devised by the Sith, however there were lumps and bumps along the way. Pascale had to applaud whomever it was pulling the Separatists strings, they had made an excellent plan, unfortunately it seemed that they couldn't anticipate some things. He wondered what the beast made of it all.

    Palpatine being Sidious was a surprising revelation however if it was all part of the plan it was a stroke of genius.

    It seemed this secret apprentice, whomever it was, was as intent as Pascale in getting the crystal. Only this time he wasn't getting it for Black Sun, he was getting it for a Sith. A Sith that could possibly make him do things that he didn't want to do. He was becoming slightly nervous at it all, but he had to make sure he presented a calm and cool demeanor in front of this Sith and hope he didn't detect a thing.

    Basically it sounded like the Sith had played one massive game and whichever way the Clone Wars went, they would win. With this war going on it wasn't so sure where they were playing their cards on this one. But it all hinges on getting this crystal. And Pascale was slap bang in the middle of it.

    What have you gotten yourself into Rouser?

    He didn't share Dellso’s joy that they would have peace. Because even if the Dark Lord won, would he stop there? Would he just end up blowing up planets for fun?. Or would he just go around with this big superweapon basically demanding fealty to him? And wat of Black Sun?. Basically at the moment this Dark Lord had a droid army, a superweapon and one of the galaxy’s biggest crime syndicates under his command. And he seemed unstoppable.

    Perhaps Pascale could shift things, or perhaps someone out there cold. Even in a time of peace crime syndicates could still operate under the radar at least. Perhaps he could do his part to keep the peace.

    The shuttle arrived, and the ramp descended to show a figure dressed in black, darkness within the cowl. He didn't know what creature dwelled under that cowl but it seemed like this figure was darkness itself. A short laugh emanated from the Dark Lord as Dellso dropped to one knee at the base of the ramp.

    If there was one code Pascale stuck to was to be always gentlemanly at all times. Even when his rivals were verbally mud slinging at him he remained calm and used his gentle Commenori tones to try and not antagonize his foes. Of course he could throw in a jibe or two but most of the time he stuck to being polite.

    He followed Dellso’s lead and dropped down to one knee, casting his gaze to the floor. He didn't know how much deference he should show a Sith but he decided not to speak until spoken to. Hopefully the beast would take the hint during this exchange and shut up.

    Welcome to Hell Rouser.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth
     
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  10. LordTroepfchen

    LordTroepfchen Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2007
    Darth Zorn
    Korriban

    His Master had failed to defeat Kenobi. Even with all the darkness of Korriban to strengthen him a simple single Jedi Master had bested him.

    He had pondered over this simple fact for most of the day.

    Darth Zorn had retreated to the tomb he had meditated in before. The tomb carried no name of the fallen Lord buried here. But he felt power here. He was drawn to this place and here he contemplated the defeat and victory he had experienced today.

    It was him slaying the Jedi Master, but not in combat. He was not yet powerful enough to defeat him. The man he had once called his father was probably even more powerful. The most powerful force user of the galaxy. If he wanted to claim his destiny he had to overcome him. He had rivals. He felt them out there. Maul seemed careless and also unaware of many of them. But Zorn started to feel them now. He felt their power resonating to this place.

    The Sith'ari had no rivals. To overcome them he would to truly rise beyond his limitations and that meant he would have to find a Master who had achieved the same. Darth Maul had revealed the pathway to his ascension. Darth Zorn wouldn't have to walk it alone though.

    Was true power not claimed?

    As he arrived in the dark burial chambers he saw a stone gate open. Had it been open before? He was almost sure it had not been there. It revealed stairs leading into the depth of the caves below the tomb. No, it had been closed.

    An invitation. A challenge to Darth Zorn, the heir of the Sith.

    Not yet. Soon. Soon he would begin his descend.


    Sate Pestage had started working. Ossus. The remains of the Jedi were there. Children. Anakin Skywalker would have to deal with them. Wiping them out would be one option, but they might be more useful. Weaving the web. He reminded himself of the weaving of the web. He send Pestage a Order to keep the message and find a way to release it to the Rebellion when time was right. He also wanted three unmarked transports to get there and evacuate the children. Hiring smugglers who thought they worked for the Rebellion. Then they should bring them to Korriban.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @SirakRomar
     
  11. galactic-vagabond422

    galactic-vagabond422 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2009
    (OOC: A combo post with @TheSilentInfluence and @Sinrebirth )

    IC: Ka'rta, Madelyn Linnett, Zey
    Mandalore

    They were here, the birthplace of all mandalorians, the supposed home of her family. The place her grandparents grew up had children and died. Her own parents were denied that, had that taken away from them. In the shattered streets lay other mandalorians that had given their lives for their clan, their supposed home. Was anywhere home for her, for her kind? The cast out, the children of those no longer of this place?

    As she came tumbling out of the cockpit her aching weary body didn't want to move. It was beaten, bruised and tired. It was done calling for rest. Her heart on the other hand was filled with rage, with an anger that she had never known. She was angry at Madelyn, at Zey, at Bo-Katan, at Fenn Shysa, at the Manda itself. Everything had conspired against her and forced her into this situation. In pain and anger she got to her feet, screaming. Letting her anger innervate her. She would see this to an end, hers or the conflicts.

    She didn't want that blade, she didn't need that blade, she was taking it. More out of spite than anything. To cow those that never wanted her, to make them finally notice her, to look her in the eyes and accept her. This wasn't altruism, or fighting for peace, this was anger, rage at a system she couldn't fight with a blaster that she couldn't tear down with her raw strength. Anger with nowhere to go, but out. Towards the goal at the end. The darksaber, that would end this, or she would die in the attempt.

    Putting one foot in front of the other anyone could see that she was battered in the crash, just another sign of fate being against her. She didn't notice.

    Rage, was damn good anesthetic.

    Madelyn watched Ka'rta storm off and looked around at the debris and darksaber. She frowned up at Master Zey and started to dig around. "We need to find it before Ka'rta does. Which way are we going?" Madelyn looked back up at him with a serious expression. "I don't want the Sith to grab the darksaber."

    Zey looked after Ka'rta as she went. Enough was enough.

    "Shysa - Madelyn, you need to take stock of what you are doing." There was all manner of detonation to the west of them; the opposite direction of the fallen tower and where Ka'rta was going. The Jedi Master pointed at Ka'rta's retreating form. "She's hurting. She's sacrificed a lot to get here, and you aren't paying any attention to what she wants, or needs. This is unbecoming of a friend, let alone a former Jedi Padawan."

    He was Master now. Regardless of who she was now and then, Linnett was about to break Ka'rta, and the Darksaber, for its importance, was not as important as the connection they had. Zey had no attachments, but if Linnett allowed Ka'rta to become something... dark, then she would have truly failed in her responsibility.

    The noises increased, and Zey turned to face the destruction as a building escaped. A tank burst through, slamming into the opposite side of the street before righting itself. Zey turned away from Madelyn, drawing his lightsaber. "Go, and save your friend, and Mandalore. In that order!"

    Zey ignited the green blade, and charged.

    Madelyn stared hard at Master Zey. I guess I haven't been a good friend or Vode. She turned back to where Ka'tra went and then smiled back at Zey. "May the force be with you." She called out as he went to face the tank alone. "Stay safe!"

    Madelyn turned and ran hard after Ka'rta; almost colliding with the woman as she grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry." Madelyn coughed and breathed hard. "It was stupid to bring you here. I wish I could take it back but I can't. I can't do any of this without you and I don't want to lead Mandalore by myself." Madelyn stepped in front of Ka'rta and looked up at her as another explosion came from the distance.

    Ka'rta didn't notice the explosions or the tank in the background she was single minded. She was finding this thing and going home, or whatever she was going to do once she found this mystical darksaber. She almost walked straight through Madelyn but, she stood in her way. The anger rose again.

    "Now!" She nearly growled, "Now you realize how ridiculous this is, how idiotic your idea has been from the beginning? You're just catching on now! After everything that has happen, at the point at which we can do nothing more than continue with this idiocy." Her eyes through her visor would be full of hate and vitriol. "You just have the epiphany that maybe just maybe this wasn't the best idea. At the exact moment we can do nothing but, walk forward into our almost certain death. Perfect timing, Shabala perfect timing there Madelyn. Do you realize what you've done. You dragged me and Zey into this mess. I swore an oath to protect you to be by your side and you abused that. You pulled me along on your own whims because you got this idea into your head that you could unify the clans. I followed because I gave my beskar word. I told you again and again that it was futile that it was dangerous, that we would most likely die and you continued. You knew my feelings you knew my stance but, you pressed on like the galaxy revolved around you, like this was all just some story. The lost princess returns to the place of her birth to reclaim what was rightfully hers. Well this is not that story, you are not some Manda chosen savoir, and I am not your faithful companion that will follow you until the end." Her voice was nearly raw from the fact that she hadn't stopped shouting since she started tearing into her vode. "I am broken, I am in pain because of you and just now you are realizing it. Was it Zey that brought it to your attention? Did he finally burst that little bubble you've been diluting yourself in so that you can finally see the destruction your actions have wrought, the lives you have ground under your desperate need to find out who and what you are when you had everything you could ever need...with me."

    Madelyn swallowed hard, feeling upset. "At least I don't hate the world because of something people I didn't know did because they thought it was right. The politics change on Mandalore all the time. I don't want to rule because it's my birthright. I wasn't born into a clan. I want to rule because maybe I'm the right person to make them see that all this fighting is useless. The Sith are coming." Madelyn stepped away from Ka'tra. "You can be mad all you want but everyone with suffer if we don't stop them." Madelyn wiped her eyes. "I don't know much about being Mandalorian yet but I know the difference is between right and wrong and right now we need to help them."

    A cruel laugh came from the mercenary. Doing what's right, lofty ideas, useless ideals. She shook her head even as more explosions rocked their surroundings.

    "Right and wrong don't matter if you're dead. Do you honestly think there will be enough warriors left to fight once we bring an end to this war? Look around you, thousands of them lay dead, killed by their own. We would be a few against a billion. That planet crusher is heading this way and we will not have the numbers to fight back. We were already few and this is making it even worse. And we will not even make it that far because we will both be dead. The two of us on our own cannot survive this."

    "Then I guess I'll do it on my own. The darksaber is a rallying cry. I'll earn it." Madelyn didn't hide the hurt in her voice. "I'll earn it and kill any Sith in my way." She shook her head at Ka'rta. "I feel bad. It must be awful to hate everyone all the time." Madelyn turned and started climbing up debris. "Mand'alor?" She yelled quietly, digging around as she left Ka'rta. "I need that darksaber...please show me...."

    Ka'rta followed after Madelyn. The younger woman was being silly again, and the merc was still angry not just at her but, the whole situation. Nothing was going her way, nothing at all. She had no where to go but, to find the darksaber. Finding it was now the only reason she was here. They had come too far to stop now.

    "Sometimes," She started, moving through the rubble as well, "Anger is the only thing you have to sustain you. The only thing that can keep you going when you have nothing left to give...like me."

    "You adopted me." Madelyn offered. "We're family whether you like it or not." She sighed and shook her head. "Maybe you can use that anger on our enemies." Madelyn offered. "I really am sorry. But just because we fight doesn't mean I'll ever abandon you Vode."

    There was an explosion behind them, and then, a cessation. Silence. Cold, deathly silence. A hand caressed Linnett’s cheek as it departed. May the Force be with you.

    Though it was altogether harder to make that impression upon Ka’rta, Zey sought to make it before he left. To thank Ka’rta; to apologise; to fill her with the respect he felt for her.

    Ka'rta let out another grunt, she was beginning to regret that decision. A decision she made in a bout of crushing loneliness. It was rash, rushed choice, one she should have thought about more before making. Even through all that she did give her word. She was many things but, someone that breaks their word, never.

    Behind her was another explosion, but a cold silence followed it. Even she could tell that Zey was gone from this galaxy. There was a feeling of respect, honor flowing through her. With a shake of her head it was gone as well.

    "You weren't listening were you." She said with a sneer under her helmet. "This isn't about you abandoning me...this is about you using my word as a chain to drag me into the jaws of death."

    Madelyn sank to the ground in defeat. She buried her face in her hands and sighed, a few tears escaping for Master Zey. I wish I could remember him. How to use the force. Madelyn looked back up at Ka'rta. "I just wanted to help. I'm sorry I didn't think about you or what you were going through." Madelyn shook her head and looked down, allowing the tears to escape for freely. "I'm so stupid..."

    Ka'rta wanted to be angry, to roar at her for being an idiot and only coming to that realization well after they could do anything about it. She wanted to berate her for only thinking of herself and what she wanted not considering those around her that were suffering. Then her tears started to fall. At least something finally got thought. With a deep breath quashing her fury she stepped forward wrapping her arms around Madelyn's shoulders.

    "You've got a drive to conquer the stars. You just have to realize that it isn't just yourself you bring along...it's me too. I meant what I said...where you go I follow."

    Madelyn nodded against Ka'rta. She tried to control her crying for a moment to reply. "What do we do now?" She asked. "The Rebellion...everyone's coming here."

    "We find that shabala darksaber..." Ka'rta replied in spite of herself, "It might not change the course of the war but, we've come this far we might as well."

    They came to the tower of debris.

    It was incredible. Whomever had toppled the Mandalmotors tower had planned that a skirmish would occur here, taking down both Mandalorian leaders. Had one died, it would have been fine, but both? That was a disaster. One had been selected by the clans in the absence of Jango Fett, but the other had the Darksaber. Of course, Death Watch had itself split when Maul took command... and all of this was relevant because of a war the Mandalorians lost seven centuries ago and saw armoured Mandalorians drove off-world, or to Concordia in exile.

    With Death Watch now split even more between Maul, Ananke and Graul, the simmering violence on Mandalore had erupted again, resulting in... this. Thousands of dead warriors, and Keldabe in ruins. In orbit, the ships were breaking apart with no clear winner, and Ka'rta's estimation that there would not be anything to be save would soon be true.

    But they had to find a Darksaber under several tons of rubbish.

    A Darksaber which Zey had actually been able to detect... where every sensor in Ka'rta's repertoire would fail.

    Which meant…

    Madelyn hugged Ka'rta and stepped away; looking over the endless pile of rubble. How am I supposed to find the darksaber in this? Madelyn kicked at the ground.

    Quiet your mind.

    Madelyn whirled around, looking for the voice.

    Reach out. Find the Darksaber.

    Madelyn hesitated and looked at Ka'rta. "Did you hear that?" And without waiting for her answer Madelyn felt herself reach out, hand shaking in the air as she shut her eyes. Guide me.

    This way.

    The voice answered back and Madelyn felt something cold and warm as she stumbled towards and over the fallen tower.

    Ka'rta ran through everything she had in her helmet but, found nothing. Pawing through the rubble with gritted teeth she paused to look over to Madelyn.

    "No." she replied watching the other woman close her eyes and walk around the space. Was she actually? She thought that had been taken away from her?

    When a Child of the Force asked, former or not, descendant or not, as long as the light was sought, the Force would answer.

    And so it did.

    It told Linnett where the Darksaber was; a handful of moments digging to their right, and it would be theirs, and the moment they turned the tide, together, would...

    Be...

    Now.

    Zey’s voice reverberated through them both and then left. The Force would be with them both; always.

    Madelyn stopped suddenly, turning to the right and digging for a few precious moments until the glint of metal came through. Madelyn breathed slowly and carefully dug it up, holding the darksaber carefully in her hands as she stood and then, activated it.

    Ka'rta joined digging through the rubble Madelyn moved toward. She moved some of the larger pieces out of the way. Seeing the glint she paused, this wasn't her weapon. It wasn't her fate to rule. That belonged to someone else. She let Madelyn take it to stand proudly as it's dark blade flashed to life.

    As the onyx edge cut through the air, the rage and anger that had been keeping her standing disappeared. All the pain it had been holding back came back full force and not just the injuries from the crash but, all of them. Her rib broken in the temple, her shoulder dislocated when she caught Owen before he fell off a cliff, the muscles torn as she fought a trandoshan hand to hand. The memory of finding her parent's ship blood all over the deck. All the wounds and pain gained over years of fighting hit her all at once. She reached out bracing herself on a high mound of rubble.

    There was nothing left to be angry about, she was no longer a cast off of Mandalore...She was Mandalore.

    TAG: @TheSilentInfluence @Sinrebirth
     
  12. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Feyna Organa, Han Solo and Anakin Skywalker
    Ghost and Gordon

    The updates brought both relief and sorrow; upon hearing of the Death Star’s destruction, Feyna felt as if a massive weight had been lifted off her chest. But the loss of the Jedi, barely beginning to rebuild from Order 66, cast quite a damper on the victory.

    And, of course, Emperor Graul had indeed publicly accused the Republic of taking Arek hostage, as Feyna had suspected. Winter suggested contacting the Emperor, which was all the convincing Feyna needed to banish her earlier hesitation.

    It crossed her mind that if they could in fact convince the Emperor that his wife had lied to him, and Arek had never been a captive, then perhaps they could get some Imperial support going up against the Separatists’ Ultimate Weapon.

    Except Arek was very likely dead, if not a captive of the Dark Jedi Vizier Qi’ra, and Feyna wasn’t looking forward to breaking that news to the Emperor.

    Anakin first, then worry about the Emperor.

    It was another bittersweet reunion, albeit via hologram, but a welcome one, nonetheless, as the blue images of Anakin and General Dodonna materialized in front of her.

    "Feyna I am glad you are alive." Anakin spoke first. "My deepest sympathy ... for your loss."

    “Thank you, Anakin,” she replied, with a sad smile. “It’s good to see you, too…and I am so sorry about Padme and Leia.”

    "Thank you." Anakin gave her a sad smiled. "Many of our friends and family were lost. I guess all we can do is fight in their honor now. Where are you? We have just evacuated the base on Yavin IV and acquired a more ... mobile base of operations." He looked over to the imperials and sighed. "And unlikely new allies."

    Han was overhearing the conversation from the background. Their hunters where probably following them. Every minute they came closer.

    Q'ira ... or whatever pathetic thing she had become ... was among them. She had been brute on Tokadano. Unsubtle. Even though she had a lightstick and Alex magic she was a shadow of herself now. Nothing left of the smart manipulator he had once lived. A beast really. The separatists were having numbers and that was probably a problem. But they would be slower. Slower and nearly indestructible.

    He had never believed in the legendary warriors calling themselves Jedi, but all his hope now was that their most legendary member actually ... lived up to the legend.

    Anakin Skywalker. The guy had won many battles and many many against all odds. Hopefully he had one more miracle left in him. But there was a sadness in his voice. He had lost someone too. Han felt sympathy for the guy. Jedi or not, their situation was not so unsimiliar. They both probably had not asked to be heroes in a battle for the fate of the galaxy.

    "Skywalker, my name is Han Solo. Very sorry for your loss, really am. But I have to be little unsensible here. We got a giant super weapon and an evil force user hunting us. So I got the crystal needed to complete the battle station of the seperatists and the plan to lead them around and eventually take them to Mandalore. Which is your chance to get this space station thing and blow it up. If you figure out how to." He sighed. "So do you have a plan?"

    Winter looked to Han, and smiled softly. "A plan would be great. We will need to keep the Separatists off-guard until we have the force we need to destroy it - assuming we can?"

    She eyed Feyna. "Dr Erso did not build this Weapon; he has not sabotaged it."

    Jan Dodonna chimed up. "We did find an exhaust port which led directly to the reactor in the Death Star, but from Dr Erso's notes he manipulated the Empire into installing that..."

    "What about the main weapon? It is not operational and must be directly connected to the reactor core. Can we enter with fighter through it?" Anakin raised his brow at Dodonna who had probably had studied the plans most of them. "A single proton torpedo to the core could destroy the whole station."

    Dodonna paused. “As long as it’s not completed, then I presume so, though that’d be some kind of suicide run, surely?”

    Han sighed at the plan. Quick thinking, but the General was right.

    "Well, you basically got a few seconds to get out. Zero space to maneauver, no room for mistakes. Almost impossible to pull off. Almost. So question is ... are you that good Skywalker?"

    Feyna had been listening quietly, but at this she stopped to pass a look to Winter, wondering if she was thinking the same thing she was. Feyna almost wanted to point out to Solo that Anakin was the only human known to have ever raced pods, and had won a race at the age of nine. How many times she and Winter and the twins had heard the story as children... Not to mention everything he'd pulled off during the Clone Wars, but she wasn't going to speak for him.
    And if she was really honest with herself, she was inclined to agree with Dodonna; it sounded like a suicide mission.

    She turned a questioning look to the former Jedi; he hadn't responded to Solo yet. "Anakin?" She prompted.

    Anakin eyed the hologram of the man called Solo. He had probably gone through hell to keep a crystal save that was key to a war that was certainly not his. There was the air of a rogue everywhere around him. Yet, Anakin felt better for him being with Feyna. Something about the man told him he was actually very good at staying alive.

    Feyna joined the question.

    "I will have to be. The weapon needs to be destroyed."

    Feyna only nodded in response. She really did hope that Anakin was up to this; she was sick of death, sick of losing those who mattered to her. Her list of friends had already been cut far too short for her liking, and she didn't want it getting any shorter.

    Her gaze shifted between Anakin and Dodonna. "How many fighters do we have left? We lost a lot at Alderaan and Delaya, and Commander Antilles was killed on Takodona.

    "And what of these new, 'unlikely allies' you mentioned?" She glanced back to Anakin.

    "We picked up a Star Destroyer including most of it's crew along the way." Anakin smirked for a moment and then returned to be serious.

    "Four Squadrons, but that does hardly matter. We are not going to attack it in a space battle. That would only lead to a heightened guard. We have to drag them to the ground. If they threw everything down there and feel save in space a single starfighter might slip from their attention." Anakin swallowed. What he planned there was using billions of living souls as a distraction. Sacrificing many of them to save all of them. "Also we quite obviously have the means to force them into a ground offensive."

    Winter paused. “Should we have a second pilot prepared? Things can go wrong, after all. I dare say that Captain Solo is a good pilot - his reputation precedes him, after all.”

    Chopper tooted derision, but rolled off to check on Hera. He purposely gave the box a wide berth. Those twelve faces creeped him out; completely so.

    Han shrugged.

    "I think Skywalker suggested I actually land to draw the forces of our enemy into a ground war." He disliked the idea a little. "But if you got a Starfighter waiting for me ..." He could hardly believe what he was saying. This was a suicide run. Then again Han did not really expect to get out of this alive. He had signed up for a mission he had considered more important than his personal safety. He was aware of the consequences of this path of action. "... I could join the run."

    Anakin nodded. "That was what I suggested. But ... I would appreciate the company. The X-Wing will be waiting for you."

    Winter nodded. “By the time the Separatists hit Mandalore, it won’t matter precisely where the Crystal is, after all. As long as it’s in-system, the Separatists will need to secure the system, so the ground and air and space component comes into play.”

    “And forgive me, Captain Solo, but you are no groundprounder.” She eyed Feyna. “But we also have something to bring to the table which may help with Imperial interference.”

    “But being as you threatened to murder the Emperor, I suspect that some of it will have to come from you, General Skywalker.” Again Winter displayed a degree of omniscience, if only because her perfect memory meant that absorbing Intelligence reports was a skill.

    She gestured to Feyna, indicating that she needs to speak about Arek now.

    Feyna frowned briefly; she couldn’t recall having previously heard that Anakin had threatened the Emperor. That’s going to make things even more complicated, she thought.

    “In case you haven’t heard the Emperor’s latest speech, he has publicly accused the Republic of holding his son Arek as a hostage. He didn’t specifically name any names, but that was aimed at me. But it’s a false charge, a lie fabricated by Graul’s wife.

    “Arek and his mother survived Alderaan with me, Dr. Erso rescued us from the debris field when he fled the Death Star, and Commander Antilles led us to the convoy at Delaya, where Senator Iblis was overseeing the evacuation. When Mrs. Graul was left unattended, she stole a shuttle and left Arek behind.” Again, anger crept into her voice.

    “Arek was never a captive. I even told Garm that I was against using him or his mother as hostages. I took Arek with me out of Delaya because we were under attack, and I didn’t think it was right to leave him behind. But even then I already suspected his mother might have had something like this up her sleeve.

    “The problem now is, Arek and I were separated at Takodona, and last I saw of him, he was confronting Graul’s new Vizier.” She looked to Anakin. “I think she is a Dark Jedi, Anakin. If she hasn’t killed him, she may have taken him captive herself. Furthermore, when Commander Antilles died, his X-wing crashed very close to them; they may both be dead, and if the Emperor hears of this before I can set this straight, he may retaliate.

    “I have to contact the Emperor to set this right.” She didn’t give the others a chance to argue with her. “I don’t think he knows the accusations are a lie. I’m not convinced that he had a hand in Alderaan’s destruction; Dr. Erso said there was never any contact with him at any point during the Death Star’s construction, and watching Graul’s reaction from the live feed…I still want to hear him say it to my face, but I don’t think he knew.

    “He says he still wants peace, which is why I think he may not be aware that his wife has lied to him. And it may be a long shot, but if I can convince him of the truth, maybe we can get some Imperial support against the Separatists.”

    “Do we risk an open channel, or do we go to him?” Winter said, thinking aloud. “We have access to the Imperial HoloNet after all now,” she said, gesturing to Anakin. “We could feasibly loop him into the call now - but I don’t think we should give him the whole details of the plan.”

    “I’m loath to use the Separatists as a scapegoat, but they do have a superweapon and they recreated General Grievous, from what information we’ve been able to dig out.” Again, her encyclopaedia of knowledge struck again. “They were clearly sticking to the program that Palpatine set them on.” Winter frowned when she said that, but drew silent.

    "I think the sooner we speak to him, the better," Feyna interjected."Taking the extra time to go to him raises the chances of him hearing about Arek from someone else." She didn't want to give anyone time to pin Arek's death on her and the Republic.

    "I disagree." Anakin sighed and looked at the young woman. "The so-called Emperor had a Dark Jedi as a Vizier who has the boy and while his Vizier has the boy he accuses us of holding him hostage? The Emperor who became Emperor through a Dark Jedi revolt and who publicly lied about Mon Mothma? A lie that was only holding together because coincidentally someone blow up Mon Mothma the moment after she was accused? Graul was involved. Obviously he was involved. Now his Vizier takes his son and only then he announces that we take him hostage? Feyna this is set straight. We know who he is and what he is. And I did not threaten to kill him, I just informed him I would. And I will. This is war, if he wants to life he needs to make peace. Otherwise it is me or him. But about contacting him ... he is a liar and has no interest in the truth. I don't think he is the mastermind behind this. Obviously he is a pawn. But he won't be interested in the truth and he certainly won't help us. Just let him spread his lies. If the Clone Wars gave us one lesson it is that there is no truth. Everything depends on a certain point of view."

    Anakin felt like he sounded a bit too much like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

    "Solo, I guess you got contacts in the underworld, do you? Just a hunch I am having. Let them know you are willing to sell to the seperatists. The Empire has more to be worried about when it comes to this space station than we do." Anakin nodded. "They will be there. They can't allow this space station to go live. If it does they will be the first target."

    "Yeah, actually our space wizard is right about that. His Vizier got the boy and you are accused of holding him hostage ... right after he has gained him back? Makes only sense as a move to gain sympathy. Which is a good thing." Han leaned against the wall and only then understood that probably nobody saw his point why this was good. "Guilty Hutts, always try to look innocent. He seems to believe he needs some sort of public support. Skywalker is right. This is war. It is about survival." He nodded and then raised his hands. "Anyway I can make that call. Sure." He liked the Skywalker guy. For a Wizard he was refreshingly no-nonsense.

    "But being the non-rebel guy in the room, might I ask a simple question? Why not give the crystal to the seps?" He shrugged. "Why make the three sided war your problem? Lay low, you got a cell structure. Decentralized. This super-weapon is no threat to you. Let them battle it out. Then finish whoever is left standing."

    The Princesses handmaiden stood her ground. “We can’t let superweapons proliferate. At all.”

    “General Skywalker, respectfully disagree. I believe that we should try. If Graul continues to be the villain, then we’ve lost nothing - we jump to Mandalore, and carry on. But if there is the smallest chance that we’re right, then this could turn expose Emperor’s wife and convince Graul to take action against the Separatists and the Dark Jedi too.”

    She looked as firm as she could. “We want to end this war. Not fight it until every world is dragged in or devastated - or destroyed.”

    "Because being peaceful saved Alderaan?" Anakin raised his brows. "I know how to end the war Winter. So do you. We give up. War is over. What we try to do here is win the war. There is a reason why we consider it important. You should not forget that." Anakin's voice now left little doubt he considered this comment immature and therefore in many ways a failure from a senior agent of the Rebellion. "Maybe you should give yourself a moment to reflect what our beloved ones died for." He swallowed down his anger and looked at the three assembled.

    "But let's give it a try. We got nothing to loose. You are right about that one. Will be interesting to hear what he got to say." He stepped back and folded his arms. "You jump to the next stop, I call the Emperor." Anakin sighed and nodded to Dodonna to cut the connection. "May the force be with you."

    Feyna tried not to let it show, how much Anakin's words had hurt. Perhaps she shouldn't have even mentioned the idea of contacting the Emperor to him. And given the turn his mood had taken, she wasn't sure it was wise for him to be involved in the call at all.
    She looked over to Winter, the only one who seemed to agree with her. She trusted Winter more than anyone else here, but Winter wasn't much older than she was. Were they both being naive? Would it be better not to--
    No. The longer Graul thinks we have Arek, the greater the chances that he will move against us. We can't let this war escalate based on a lie.
    And as much as she trusted Anakin, as much as she understood his feelings, his temper was a liability. "Very well...but Anakin, if you cannot keep your temper in check, I will cut you out of the transmission."

    The aged General and veteran of the Clone Wars smiles slightly behind his beard, but nodded. “I concur - contacting the new Emperor is our best chance to end the conflict before it escalates.”

    Han had been ignored with his suggestion and that was fine. These guys had obviously deeper problems. The Emperor seemed to have a fanclub within the Rebellion. That was unexpected. They had not even started to rebel and the whole thing was already divided with an internal pro-Imperial faction? Wow, they would not be around for long. Skywalker or not.

    The connection was killed and Han sighed about this internal struggle.

    "Kinda like the guy." Han simply noted. "But I don't think you will be on that call." Han shrugged and turned to the cockpit. She considered him to be emotional when she obviously acted on a childlike urge to tell her enemy she had not done anything wrong. The enemy who did not care probably. A classical royal eager beaver, not looking at the bigger picture. Wasn't his problem. Really wasn't. For some reason he gave it one last try anyway. He half turned around one last time and looked at the two women.

    "Why did you not talk on Tokadano? The girl with the red lightstick? That's the Emperor's right hand and trusted advisor. Just had to say hi." Han looked innocent. "Just saying." Then he turned around, took up the crystal box and put it back into his backpack. "Before you hand it over to Graul ... I am gonna take it."

    He went back to the cockpit to make the next jump. He suddenly felt more alone again, knowing the divided loyalties of his guests. The girls were trouble. They might have good intentions, but they trusted the wrong people. If the Rebellion had not anyone who was more of a team player or a bit more aware of the chain of command, they would not last.

    Frustrated by his new allies he pushed the lever to jump to hyperspace.

    Tag: (combined with) @DarkLordoftheFins @JediMasterAnne @Sinrebirth
     
  13. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Anakin Skywalker
    ISD Gordon, Yavin IV

    Anakin felt the pain of the conversation still echo in his presence. They were trying to make peace and betrayed their cause through it. Restore democracy and end the oppression by the Emperor was something they seemed willing to sacrifice all too easily. Alderaan seemed already forgotten.

    Wasn't it that what the Dark Side always needed? Tolerance and obidience by the good people.

    Yet, in a three way war indeed the Emperor was a potential ally against a greater threat. Solo had been right of course. From a strategic point of view handing the crystal to the Seperatists would probably start a war between the Empire and them. But how many innocents would die on the planets destroyed by this new weapon? How many would be dead before this conflict ended? It was not the way.

    Anakin finally turned to General Dodonna and shook his head. "Your great trust in my abilities is noted, General. You are dismissed. Get some sleep before the battle begins."

    Anakin turned to his CO and stepped next to him. He did not give Dodonna another look.

    "Take the ship to the fringes of the Mandalor system. Do not engage the planet yet. But place two X-Wings on the surface." He ordered Dodonna. "For Solo and me."

    Then he turned to Commander Kratas. "Your men have been disgraced by your Empire, but you have saved their lives. Now I give them a chance to regain their honor. Everybody who wants to fight against the Seperatists on Mandalor shall have the chance to do so."

    Finally he turned to the holonet connection and opened a channel to the Emperor itself. He waited until the line was established again to his office.

    "This is General Anakin Skywalker. Maybe the Emperor wants to talk to me this time. I am calling because of his son." He simply said and folded his hands in front of him.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @HanSolo29
     
  14. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    IC: Senator Feyna Organa
    Aboard the Ghost, Hyperspace

    Furious tears welled in her eyes as Solo made the jump to hyperspace and the connection was lost. His attitude was not helpful—at all. She felt like neither of them understood what she was trying to do.

    “You would rather I did nothing? I am perfectly aware that Graul may not believe a word I say, but how does it hurt to try? What happens if Arek turns up dead, if the Empire pins it on the Republic and starts attacking other planets? Are you and Anakin going to go on the HoloNet and tell those planets, ‘Oh, Princess Organa wanted to talk to the Emperor about that, but we thought we knew better, so we stopped her, even though she warned us this might happen’?

    “I have no intentions of giving that crystal to the Empire, or the Separatists. I wish there was a way to destroy the damned thing, but since there isn’t, I’d settle for seeing it hidden away and buried where no one will ever find it, as long as it can never be used to destroy another planet. I don't even particularly care if the Empire helps us against the Separatists or not, but it was an idea.

    “Anakin already threatened the Emperor, if he goes off on him again he could make things even worse. I never said I was certain of Graul’s innocence, but I can’t say for sure that he was involved, either, and nothing good comes of pointing fingers at the wrong people. But if it turns out that he was, then I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong, and I’ll fight him and the rest of the Empire right alongside Anakin without further argument. But I want to hear him swear to it, to my face, and you’ve just stolen that.”

    TAG: @RachelTyrell @Sinrebirth
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2019
  15. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Han Solo
    Ghost, On his way to Tatooine

    Han stood up from his pilot chair and looked at the little Princess.

    "IT IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT!" He yelled at her. The simple, obvious truth was the reason why he had made the right call. "That is why it had to be him!"

    Han spread his arms in a gesture of not understanding her.

    "What do you think this is? Child's play? Kindergarden? You try this and you try that? You get what you want? You feel better or worse? See if a kid stole your little bunny? Your Highness this is the Emperor. The man running the Empire. It does not matter what he is innocent of. He is running a brutal organization of ruthless murderers in uniforms. Have you seen the spice mines where they let children of alien races work until they bleed to death from open sores? Have you ever seen a Wookiee slaver camp? Have you been on Mimban where they rained down fire on villages full of kids and old women? I don't care who blows up what planet or who fights what war. I know they are all evil. But you wanted to satisfy your ego. You haven't volunteered to make the run which will mean almost certain death. Skywalker did. He puts his life at stake and all you do is putting ours at stake because you little child-believe you got it all figured out!" Han shook his head. "I believe Skywalker can handle him. I don't believe you can. That is why I trusted him more than I trust you. Because he tries to do the right thing and you try to get what you want!" He folded his arms. "Anakin Skywalker threatened him? You wanted what? Become friends with him? We try to win a war here. This call will be our only chance to achieve something and you want to use it to find out what you ... YOU ... think of the Emperor? What were you thinking?"

    Han shook his head. "You should be embarrassed to even doubt Skywalker! Let the man do his damned work. It will be him who will lay down his life for this plan, not you." And Skywalker would not be the only one. "And considering he won't exactly be alone ... I would like to spend what might very well be my last hours in peace. You can hate all those mean grown ups who did not let you play with galactic politics as if they were your new toy from the lounge. So out of my cockpit."

    Han sat back in his seat. The girl had heart, but she had not the mind or experience he would have hoped for. The problem was that these people would probably lead the Rebellion once Skywalker was gone. So why did they actually sacrifice their lives for these people? Why did Skywalker do a suicide mission for people who constantly doubted him? They did not trust him, but in their darkest hour they turned to him.

    Han knew the answer. He also understood why he trusted Skywalker more than the others. He was doing this for the same reason Han did it. Also nobody thanked him, also nobody believed in him, also nobody appreciated his sacrifice ... he found it unbearable someone blew up planets full of people. Anakin Skywalker had somewhere down the line decided saving those billions of lives was more important than his own continued existence. Han Solo had surprisingly come to the same conclusion.

    Han Solo, smuggler and rogue had actually found a kindred spirit in a Jedi Master.

    Oh Chewie would laugh about this. Han almost missed the laughter.

    "Leave me alone." He simply said and felt his loneliness return. He knew this feeling all to well. He had not felt it in a very long time though.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @JediMasterAnne
     
  16. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    IC: Senator Feyna Organa
    Aboard the Ghost, Hyperspace, en route to Tatooine

    There was so much she wanted to say, but as far as Feyna was concerned, he was beyond reasoning with, and he didn’t want to talk to her anymore anyway.

    She hated that he had a point.

    Whether Graul had a hand in Alderaan’s destruction or not didn’t change all the horrible things the Empire had done. Chandrila had been blockaded. Naboo was under occupation. Graul hadn’t stopped either of these attacks. And all the things Han had said, about Mimban, the slave camps, the spice mines.

    She tried to reason that Graul had only been Emperor for a short time, certainly not long enough to fix the things that Amedda had allowed during his reign. But Solo was making her question herself so much, she didn’t know if she could trust her own judgement.

    Had she gotten herself so wrapped up in her personal predicament with Arek and Lyz that she’d lost her way?

    Again, her fear was that the Emperor would retaliate against the Republic if Arek was killed, but she didn’t know for certain that Arek was actually dead, or if Qi’ra had him, or if he was stranded somewhere on Takodona, cursing her for leaving him behind, just like his mother had done. Now, she had to wait and hope that Han was right, that Anakin could handle Graul without losing his temper. She felt horrible for being angry with him, one of the only friends she had left. If he did manage to even just get the Empire off their backs about Arek, she’d apologize for everything in a heartbeat.

    And as much as she wanted to avoid letting the war against the Empire escalate…the fight wasn’t just about Alderaan. Getting a confession or a genuine promise of innocence from Graul didn’t matter. Her father had been fighting Imperial oppression before the Death Star. The Death Star was gone, and so was her father, but the Empire’s oppression remained. The Separatists were just a temporary distraction.

    Would Bail have tried to take the diplomatic approach with the new Emperor, as Feyna had wanted to, or would he have agreed with Anakin and Han?

    She hated that she wasn’t sure how to answer that question. She wanted to ask Winter, but part of her didn’t want to know the answer. She’d failed at so much lately, or at least it felt like it; she didn’t want to find out that she wasn’t the person her parents would want her to be.

    And she hated that Han and Anakin had to be the ones putting their lives on the line to go up against the Separatists’ weapon, and she hated that Han was holding it over her head. She couldn’t pilot a starfighter, or any ship—otherwise she wouldn’t have needed Solo to pilot the Ghost.

    An idea about that started formulating in her head, but since no one was very receptive to her ideas at the moment, she wasn’t sure it was a good one. For now she’d keep it to herself; maybe she wouldn’t need it.

    She wanted to go up to the cockpit (not his cockpit; it wasn’t his ship, he was just flying it, she’d wanted to retort), to apologize, to thank him, to say that he was right, to ask what he wanted her to do. But she didn’t want him to lash out at her again for disturbing him after he’d asked to be left alone.

    Probably he’ll say I don’t mean it anyway.

    TAG: @RachelTyrell @Sinrebirth
     
  17. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Han Solo
    Ghost, On his way to Tatooine

    It took Han about thirty minutes to feel miserable about putting her into place like this. The girl had probably lost everybody she had known. Of course she felt the need to face off with the man potentially responsible for this.

    Han would feel the same.

    Also Skywalker and him did the death run, that did not mean she would not have a role to play. This was all so above his pay grade.

    With a sigh of regret he got up from the seat as he took his backpack and walked back to the lounge. Feyna was looking miserable as he made his way there and he set down opposite of her.

    "I am sorry. Sorry I had to make that call. Sorry I yelled at you. Guess we all had a very rough day." He nodded more to himself than anybody else. "You did an amazing job. Finding me and the crystal, saving that kid, making the call to the Emperor. Shouldn't be you, but the idea was right." He put the backpack on the table between them.

    "Now I have to give you another job. I can't stow this in an X-Wing and fly it right into this space station. Someone has to make sure they don't get it. Considering our options ..." Han gave the unconscious Rebel General and Winter a look. "... that someone is you." Han gave her a tortured smile. "You are the only one I trust."

    He shrugged. "Congrats, you got the third most dangerous job in the Rebellion." He hated to put this on her. It was another death sentence. If Skywalker and him failed ... this was a death sentence. They would hunt her down. No Jedi Master or rogue smuggler would be there to get her out of this.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @JediMasterAnne
     
  18. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    IC: Senator Feyna Organa
    Aboard the Ghost, Hyperspace, en route to Tatooine

    She glared at him when he first came back, expecting to get yelled at some more, but by the time he was done she was eying him with something more like curiousity and disbelief, surprised by what she was hearing. Part of her wanted to say something snarky, but she didn't want to fight with him anymore. It certainly wasn't going to accomplish anything if the Rebels started arguing amongst themselves.
    "I'm sorry for the way I acted, too," she started. "I suppose I've just been building myself up to face the Emperor, and to get so close and then have it snatched away...
    "Arek saved my life at Alderaan; the only reason we survived the the Home One's destruction was because he got us sealed back in their shuttle just in time. And using them as hostages, after he'd just saved me, it wasn't right, and that was what I told Garm, and he agreed with me.
    "So yes, I'm kind of insulted to be accused of taking him captive, and it's frustrating that I can't defend myself against it, that I have to let Anakin fight that battle for me, too.
    "But what's done is done now, and I won't argue about it anymore."
    She looked pointedly at the backpack, with the crystal inside. "Are you sure you trust me with that?" It was an honest question, she wasn't trying to start another fight. Their enemies would only have it over her dead body, but half an hour ago Han had been accusing her of wanting to give it to the Emperor.

    TAG: @RachelTyrell @Sinrebirth
     
  19. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Han Solo
    Ghost, On his way to Tatooine

    The girl still did not get it wasn't about her personal feelings. Han simply nodded about her comments. Probably this whole thing would not matter in retrospect. A few more funerals and it all would be brought into perspective.

    Han did not buy the Emperor would move in a fair and just way. If he did he was not a good choice for an Emperor. Being cruel and evil was part of that job description.

    "Pretty sure you should have it, yeah." He answered tired and a bit sad. This was him preparing for someone else to do his job, because he wouldn't be around to do it.

    "I think I get back to the cockpit. Not long before we make it to Tatooine." He gave her a confirming nod and still did not find the strength to get up right away.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @JediMasterAnne
     
  20. JediMasterAnne

    JediMasterAnne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2004
    IC: Senator Feyna Organa
    Aboard the Ghost, Hyperspace, en route to Tatooine

    Feyna nodded quietly, taking the box containing the crystal and transferring it to her own bag, pushing his pack back toward him. Somehow, considering the price they’d all paid to get the thing off of Takodona, finally getting her hands on it didn’t feel like much of an accomplishment.

    “Thank you,” she told him. She wasn’t talking about the crystal, though. “I know we’ve gotten you into something much bigger than whatever you originally signed up for, I know that it’s cost you, and I’m sorry.”

    She lapsed into silence for a few minutes, though there was more she wanted to say. Winter’s earlier comment about some recordings from Delaya flitted through her mind; Feyna didn’t know what was on them, maybe something that might support the fact that Lyz had left Arek behind?

    Han probably didn’t want to hear her talk about Graul anymore, though, so she dismissed the thought. She was going to have to learn to live with the fact that she wasn’t going to be the one to deal with the issue, and she wasn’t going to get the answers she wanted about Alderaan.

    It felt like another failure; eventually, if and when those that remained of her people found out that she had survived, they were going to ask her if Graul had done this, and she wouldn’t be able to give them a definitive yes or no.

    Moving away from Graul, she had other questions for Solo, though she wasn’t sure he’d want to answer them. She was still curious about how he knew the Vizier Qi’ra, but asking that particular question might not be wise. She was also wondering just how he’d managed to get the crystal from Mimban in the first place, and about Takodona—that was probably still too fresh.

    “Why Mandalore?” seemed the most harmless. “Out of curiositiy.”

    TAG: @RachelTyrell @Sinrebirth
     
  21. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    IC: Emperor Aryan Graul
    Private Quarters, Imperial Palace, Coruscant

    The chime sounded with a shrill crescendo, rousing Aryan from that semi-conscious state halfway between wakefulness and slumber. With a plaintive moan, he reluctantly lifted his chin from the plush pillows and angled his head to glance at the small nightstand beside the bed. The intermittent flashing of the comm unit proved an unwelcome sight at this late hour, especially when you consider that only a short time ago, he and his wife had finally succumbed to exhaustion. He could have used a few more hours of sleep, but he begrudgingly accepted that these late night interruptions were part of his new reality as the galactic Emperor.

    After all, the galaxy never slept.

    Pushing himself up on his elbows, Aryan reached over to silence the offending chime and opened the comm. He did not bother to announce himself through idle pleasantries, but rather expected whomever had disturbed him to simply acknowledge his presence and get on with it. Clearly, he was not in the most favorable of moods.

    “Uh, I’m sorry to wake you, Your Majesty,” the strained voice replied after a lengthy pause. Aryan did not recognize the speaker, but he sounded young and fearful. “We received a transmission that requires your attention.” Again, the young man hesitated. “Someone claiming to be Sate Pestage is demanding to speak with you, sir. He asked that we contact you immediately.”

    The Emperor clenched his jaw as he slowly rose to a sitting position and perched on the edge of the bed. “And you followed through with that request?!” he snapped, running a hand over his face with consternation.

    The sudden movement upset Lyz at his side, but thankfully she simply rolled over and remained blissfully unaware of the current exchange. She did not need to witness him losing his temper over what he perceived as an act of gross incompetence. Was this young aide so naive that he could not screen the calls and filter out the imposters? Particularly when they posed as a dead man?

    And yet…

    What if Ananke had failed in her task to eliminate the old fool? What if he was still alive and wanted retribution for being unceremoniously dismissed from the role of Grand Vizier? Was it possible for him to obtain that kind of influence?

    But regardless of whether he was alive or not, the Emperor decided that he did not owe Pestage a thing. The man had tried to seek refuge with Tarkin and his band of traitors, after all. That was enough to label him as a terrorist, and he would not grant an audience with a known enemy to the Empire.

    Inhaling deeply, Aryan lowered his hands from his face and peered at the comm through the darkness. “I will not stoop to his demands,” he replied in a firm tone. “Send Miss Pilleu in my place...and if she’s still asleep, then wake her. She could use the practice, especially if I am to name her my new Grand Vizier in the very near future.

    “In the meantime, monitor the call and see if you can trace the source and location. Mr. Pestage is a dangerous criminal. If he is still alive, I want to snuff him out and end this.”

    Content that he had provided the aide with enough direction to keep him sufficiently busy, Aryan leaned forward to cut the call, but just before his palm hit the pad, the young aide cleared his throat and continued. “Actually, uh...there, uh--there’s more, Your Majesty.” The man exhaled heavily, causing the comm to crackle sharply. “Anakin Skywalker. He, uh...well, he’s calling about your son.”

    Time appeared to slow. For a moment, all Aryan could do was stare blankly into the gloom as the shadows shifted ominously around the room from the traffic passing outside the window. This created scintillating patterns on the wall that seemed to echo the turbulent thoughts now passing through his mind. Was Skywalker himself responsible for kidnapping Arek? Or was this a ploy to pass on information and perhaps draw him into a false sense of security?

    Either way, he had made his decision.

    “Patch him through,” he rumbled in a deep baritone, his jaw muscles bunching to reflect his growing indignation. He did not even bother to wake Lyz and inform her of the news as he rose swiftly to his feet and left the room.

    A few minutes later, Aryan entered his private study and settled down in the chair situated behind the scentwood desk. Dressed casually in a solid blue tunic, lounge pants, and with his hair slicked back after a quick stop at the ‘fresher, he appeared unnaturally disheveled, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

    With a sharp sigh, the Emperor activated the comm and adopted a more professional demeanor, his hands folded before him on the desk and his expression impassive. General Skywalker,” he began sternly, emphasizing the title as if he was genuinely surprised by the promotion. “Your reputation certainly precedes you. With everything you’ve done in the past few weeks, I should’ve known that it would be you who would eventually come forward to present information about my son.”

    His words remained purposely vague, almost as if he was presenting a challenge...or perhaps making an accusation.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth; @DarkLordoftheFins
     
  22. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Anakin Skywalker
    Gordon

    Anakin had to genuinely smile. The Emperor was trying to gain the upper hand. Was there a more clear sign he did not have it? Anakin was not here to play games though. Well ... mostly not ...

    "Your Highness. Finally we get a chance to have a little chat. But please don't get me started about the things you should have known ..." His reply could not hide the amusement. Nevertheless he returned to a more serious tone right away.

    "I am calling about your son, who was saved by a few of our agents on Alderaan. Someone tried to kill him by blowing up the planet. You probably. Luckily he did not suffer the same fate my family did. After your wife abandoned him ... on a personal remark you choose your partner perfectly to underline this lack of trustworthiness and psychopathic behavior ... there were some complications. But considering the boy is said to be a bright young man I wanted to offer my assistance to return him to his father safely." Anakin sighed. "I know what it means to loose a child." He was very serious as he said these last words. He was just not sure if he meant Leia or Luke.

    He was curious how the Emperor reacted. Had he kept the return of his son a secret? If so he would hardly have taken this call. The boy was probably not dead and not with his family. So he was with the Dark Jedi. Aryan Graul was about to learn what it meant to ally yourself with the Dark Side. Despite the curiosity Anakin gave him no time to respond but kept on talking. He was neither interested in accusations nor apologies or questions.

    "There is also a matter of a more galactic importance as the Seperatists are about to hunt down the final component to complete their own planet-destroying super weapon. Yet, I feel those matters are best discussed in person. If you agree I would propose meeting in the ruins on Yavin IV. We just abandoned them as our base of operations and they are quite private. I will come alone, but as a token of trust I would accept you bring any bodyguard of your choosing. Even your lightsaber swinging Grand Vizier if you want. I guarantee your personal safety. You have my word."

    The bodyguard was a trap for the Dark Jedi, but the promise was not. He had to fight not to smile at the thought of Obi-Wan Kenobi's approving nod. He would have liked Anakin to overcome his own urges to do what was right.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @HanSolo29
     
  23. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: The Dark Man
    Aboard the Ultimate Weapon, Takodona

    The Dark Man peered down at the Geonosian, and the Underlord. He peered long. He peered through. He peered beyond. He could be dealing with organising the reinforcements he had en route, or peering through the book his Master had left him, or working on his List. But instead, something had caught his eye.

    I see.

    It was his voice, but it was to Him.

    With a fluttering of his gloved hand, he pinched his fingers together and wrenched his hand upwards. There was a wail, and a scream, to which Dellso covered his ears and the droid retinue did not react. From Rouser's chest came a liquid yet solid yet attached black, viscous fluid, and Rouser would feel pain. The string was being ripped out of him, but not fully; atop the stream would be a face, with tentacles for a chin. Typhojem remained tethered to Rouser, but the Dark Man held him out for all to see. Dellso scrambled to his feet and back away.

    The Dark Man sounded amused. "Now where did you find this?"

    TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox
    ---
    IC: Sate Pestage
    Holospace between Coruscant, Moraband and Yavin 4

    The Emperor didn’t bite. He sent some no-name to deal with him - Miss Pilleu. Whoever she was, she was no Sentan Moor. With a scowl, Pestage wished that Maul or Zorn was present. They needed to make a statement, and announce themselves to the galactic stage. Death Watch was divided but less so since Ananke had vanished, but not in their favour; the Empire was divided, but less so since Tarkin and Daala had died, so again not in their favour.

    Did Maul have a cunning plan?

    Or was it just revenge?

    In terms of resources, they had minimal, and Pestage and Kast had brought the majority of that to the table. Pestage opened a separate channel to Kast and put Aryan’s stooge on mute. “Where are you?”

    There were sounds of battle.

    “Busy.”

    Then she cut-off. Pestage frowned at the location of the call. At last discussion, Kast was intending to break into Ananke’s shuttle, but having done so, was no longer on Coruscant? The Mandalorian had failed them.

    Pestage was vexed, and, briefly, was unsure what to do. He was unaware of what he was allowed to confess to. He did not want to place them on a path without consent.

    Lord Maul would be most displeased.

    Of course, Anakin and Aryan were still in discussions about his wife and son... little did everyone know everything that was going on with Lyz and Arek Graul.

    Especially as Lyz was awake, and feigning sleep - and listening via the bugs she had placed in his ‘private office’ when she had the room remodelled.

    Well isn’t this interesting.

    TAG: @QueenSabe7 (mentioned), @HanSolo29, @DarkLordoftheFins, @SirakRomar (mentioned), @LordTroepfchen (mentioned)
    ---
    IC: Winter

    Tatooine, in orbit

    The Ghost arrived as Hera Syndulla woke, and Winter and Chopper filled her in. In short order, they joined Han and Feyna in the cockpit.

    The Twi’lek General nodded. “I’m caught up. So you basically want us to throw everything at Mandalore, in the hopes the Empire doesn’t squash us? Well...” She looked concerned. “I wish I had been awake. We could have done with concessions - lifting that blockade over Chandrila, withdrawing from Naboo. But I know that we had to convince General Skywalker at all.”

    “Seems like a mad plan or two, but we need to get to Mandalore and rally people.” Hera eyed Han. “Do you have any more of your people who can meet us there? I intend to reach out to Saw Gerrera, maybe Lothal. We are going to need assets, and backups, and whatever else we can get going.

    Jan Dodonna supplied a burst update about their capture of the Star Destroyer Gorgon, and that they were en route to Mandalore, but the system edge. Similarly, he confirmed that he had managed to reach Admiral Raddus, who was diverting with his task force to Mandalore as well. There would be a decent sized Rebel/Republic force to hand if needed, but it was basically all they had.

    “Feyna, I am at your disposal. We need to make some kind of statement so the Separatists know where we are,” Hera indicated the box, “but if they break through our line, my focus will be to keep you alive. Garm may be the most senior Senator... but you’re our future, Princess.”

    Winter didn’t disagree. Chopper tootled in awe.

    TAG: @JediMasterAnne, @RachelTyrell
    ---
    IC: Ahsoka Tano

    En route

    The ship was nondescript, and Ahsoka left Mace Windu to his own devices as they progressed. He had the opportunity to rest, eat, drink, wash, even shave, if he wanted, for whomever had previously occupied the guest quarters had left much of his own personal effects here, and Ahsoka had not removed them.

    The owner of the various items was not immediately obvious, but Rex often travelled light.

    Ood Bnar had already while leading the surviving younglings, uploaded a degree of the Jedi texts to their mainframe, which Ahsoka of course had access to though she should not have had. Though Ossus had been out of touch since Alderaan had been destroyed, he had been conscientious enough to scan in the texts that Master Windu had been studying - though the subtext was that the younglings needed to be kept busy while the Masters and Knights were away.

    The message was dated not two days earlier.

    So much had changed since then.

    Eventually Ahsoka would come to Mace’s room and call through. “We are at the edge of the Unknown. The shatterpoint emerges anew.”

    There was a treasure trove of information protected by the Ysanna, from the Jedi Temple which had been destroyed four millennia ago, and being as the story of the Jedi naturally flowed from Tython to Ach-To to Ossus... it represented, until said Great Sith War, a continuity of knowledge for twenty one thousand years. The Jedi had lost much with the devastation there, and though Revan’s descendants had rediscovered Tython for a time, there had been no such hierophant to rediscover Ach-To. Indeed, the texts had called out to Mace Windu... when they would not have had.

    TAG: @BobaMatt
    ---
    IC: Albert

    Mandalore, Keldabe

    The battle above finally petered out, and ships began to land across the devastated capital. A kind of combined horror at what they had done had resulted, but the clan leaders and their retinues began to not so much march as mob their way towards the fallen Mandalmotors tower.

    Ordo, Kryze, Skirata, Kast, Viszla, Mereel, Auchs, Awaud, Teh Naast... so many clans, from the length and breadth of the seven thousand years of the Mandalorians. They advanced in a daze, armed to the teeth but not engaged, approaching the toppled tower from all points of the compass.

    They found Ka’rta and Linnett, and the Darksaber.

    It had been claimed, and now, they needed to listen.

    And decide what it meant.

    All the while the Empire’s countdown ticked away.

    All the while a band of smugglers and rebels concocted a plan to turn Mandalore into a turning point in the war.

    All the while Sith picked at their allegiances.

    All the while the Dark Man and his Ultimate Weapon prepared for the end.

    How the clans responded would be down to what was said by these two claiming the Darksaber.

    TAG: @galactic-vagabond422, @TheSilentInfluence
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2019
  24. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Darth Maul
    Korriban, The Valley of the Dark Lords

    Maul slowly walked into Pestages small command center and looked at the various screens. He was not worried about these things. Details of galactic intrigues hardly mattered if they were such an impossible to solve knot.

    "They are talking? Anakin Skywalker and Aryan Graul." He smiled. "Have you hired the smugglers as my apprentice has ordered you? At least on these simple things you should not fail." He looked at the man. "Soon he is ready and so do we need to be. If the Emperor leaves Coruscant I want to know when and where. Oh and as your attempts to destabilize the Empire have been so unfruitful, a little side quest. I want you to contact your sources, everyone in the Empire and I want them to spread two simple truth.

    Number One: Aryan Graul knew about Alderaan and used it to cover up his rape of Mon Mothma. Therefore the well times announcement. Number Two: Aryan was part of the Dark Jedi Rebellion lead by Darth Ananke who now serves as his Grand Vizier." Maul smiled. "Rumors. No statements, no announcements. I want the doubt to spread like poison."

    He knew what Luke was about to do. He would go down into the catacombs. Leaving him with time to weave the web further.

    "I will be away for a while." He hissed and turned to leave. Outside the Sith Intruder deactivated the cloaking device and he entered his ship. Coruscant was his destination. He had a promise to keep. "Once you did what I asked you, you stay silent. Complete silence. The Sith work from the shadows. So stay in the shadows and make sure my apprentice gets what he wants."

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @LordTroepfchen
     
  25. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Han Solo
    Ghost, Above Tatooine

    Another round of peace-seeking. Han was getting tired of this now. This was a lot of things, but not a Rebellion.

    "Well, the Empire probably has more of a problem with the Ultimate Weapon than you do. I was ignored before, but maybe you should just let them handle the whole thing." Han said to the "General". Han raised his brows. "Just saying. People are gonna die. Think for who you want to bury your friends really. As long as we keep the crystal out of their hands the Empire has a real chance."

    Han sighed, tired of discussing politics as if he was an expert on them. Then he turned to Hera Syndulla. "Ready to take back your ship then?"

    For a moment he was truly considering taking the offer to be dropped off on Tatooine. He was not a Rebel. They were. Also the only thing they wanted to rebel against so far was their own leader.

    He longed for the more simple days when he and Chewie were running weapons for the Hutts.

    Tag: @Sinrebirth, @JediMasterAnne