Star Wars CLOSED Star Wars: Episode V: Twilight of the Force II: A Father’s Fate

IC: Boba Fett
Ready to go for the Indigo Tower, but then -

They were prepped, and the Osik was on it's way, when all of a sudden the tracking fob in his pocket chimed, and cut-off. Eyes widening behind his mask, he glanced down, pulling it out and realizing, grabbing for Tor, not even sure if he grabbed her as he rushed to comm - "Ka'rta, stop! Contract has been cancelled - I repeat; Contract has been cancelled - Norin Graul is dead. Fob is deactivated!"

He already had a call coming in, and he swore, feelingly. "I have Jabba the Hutt on the line - but don't shoot!"

He cut the line, and Tor would have a moment in which to follow her mother, or to not.

Aryan Graul was, for this second, not even a valid target for a hunt!

In the middle of all this was a familiar voice across the comms, cutting across whatever Madelyn was doing also on a personal channel -

It was Jerod.

"What the HELL is going on?"

The Force suddenly sang with the arrival of a personal ship.

Not just Jerod, but Arthur, Alfred, and Mirdala too!

The family had escaped in the last moment of Mandalore's destruction!

They'd been caught up in the communication issues caused by the Void, and thus undetectable in the Force. When the Mandalorian forces split between Kashyyyk and Entralla, they were caught in the refugee snarl, and it wasn't until now - a mere two days since Mandalore was consumed by Darth Zorn - that they were able to track down the others - they spent the last two days assuming Madelyn, Ka'rta, Tor and Leia were dead, but no, they weren't; they'd been lost in the confusion.

Now, they were here.

Here for the finish.

TAG: @galactic-vagabond422, @TheSilentInfluence (combo with the GM you two!), @HanSolo29 (mentioned, combo finale)
---
Aboard the Chimaera, Coruscant orbit

Grand Admiral Thrawn stood, chin in hand, elbow in his opposite palm, peering at the readouts and repeated footage of the Sith fleet. He analyzed the data from Kashyyyk, more and more of which had came in. The Jedi had been correct in targeting the under-side superweapon, yes, but there were less obvious solutions to the droid battlecruisers. Indeed, the Sith Star Destroyers were brutal ships, pound-for-pound more powerful than the Imperial-class and more than a match for the Mon Calamari designs. That meant they already needed numerical superiority to win this.

It was something they likely didn't have.

The only way to win this was by defeating Zorn. It was likely that he exerted personal control over the Sith forces, and even the Eternal droid ones. Which meant killing him would be key. The Empire of the Hand might have Starkiller Base under way, but it couldn't be completed without the expertise of Qwi Xux. He'd track her down later, there was no doubt of that, but his focus had to be on Zorn.

The doors to his inner sanctum chimed, and Thrawn winced, his thought chain broken. He kept the reaction from his face, simply unlinking his hands and placing them behind his back. "Come in," he said softly. The doors allowed captain Pellaeon to step in, datapad in hand.

He sketched a salute. "The Chimaera is fully at your command, sir."

It was an old, formal way of saying things, and Thrawn appreciated it. He had met Pellaeon just before the Battle of Lothal, as captain of the Harbinger. He had assisted Thrawn in the exposure of the treachery of Grand Admiral Siralt, and had lost his command to the purgills. Thrawn still had yet to tell the man about what had transpired with Ezra Bridger out in the Unknown Regions, but Thrawn had returned, Pellaeon had survived, and the record would show that both had been demoted for incompetence; Thrawn given a quiet mapping role in the Unknown Regions, and Pellaeon made a lesser officer aboard the next Star Destroyer to be named Chimaera that had emerged from the Imperial shipyards at Kuat.

But all younger Bridger had done was delay the inevitable; of Thrawn as Grand Admiral, and Pellaeon as his personal protégé.

The Chiss looked at Pellaeon. "Is there anything to report?"

"Just one thing, sir," the captain said, opening the datapad. A Corellian freighter happened upon the Starkiller project. It was immediately jammed and intercepted by General Soontir Fel and taken aboard the Fell Defender. He read on. "The scan found nobody was aboard, and records confirmed that a hyperdrive mishap had seen the crew take a ship and leave it."

"Oh?" Thrawn said, drily as he turned. "They had time to call over a ship before their hyperdrive sent the ship into hyperspace?"

"Admiral?"

"From what direction did the ship arrive in-system," he said coldly.

Pellaeon hesitated, checking. He personally thought the story acceptable, but he hadn't thought to backtrack the route. When he did, his face paled. "The Yavin system."

Thrawn's voice could not have cooled more. "The site of the New Jedi academy, and with the Starkiller project being in the same system as a former Jedi holy site..."

"Yes, sir."

"Open a channel to Captain Dorja and the Relentless," he said firmly. "I need to issue my orders before we depart."

TAG: No-one, but one supposes @TheSilentInfluence, @darthbernael and @darthhelinith may care
---
Edge of the Coruscant system, among the Hutt fleet

The channel to the system opened, and the Twi'lek majordomo of Jabba, the pale skinned Bib Fortuna, made an announcement in Basic. As he did, the flotilla beside Bernael, Arb and the Eye leapt into hyperspace, sidling up to the New Republic, Imperial and Hapan armada.

"His great and illustrious Jabba the Hutt has offered the fleet of the Hutt Clans to the destruction of Darth Zorn and his superweapons. He and his Sith cabal are bad for business, and while we are often treated poorly by the galactic community, we remain apart of it and based upon the words of encouragement offered by Captain Han Solo, intend to offer our support without seeking immediate redress and recompense, so that we might be remembered by this Galactic Alliance against the Sith."

As he spoke, a sole Imperial Star Destroyer turned and jumped into hyperspace, but even without the Chimaera, the armada could be said to be larger than the one which attacked the Death Star fourteen years ago. The Hutts were the sole independent power left in the galaxy now Nouane and Bakura had signed up, and it represented a major shift and success for Feyna Organa, even if she had not personally achieved the communication.

But there it was; a New Republic, Imperial, Hapan and Hutt armada.

A true Galactic Alliance.

It was a good start to a new day.

Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Anakin would watch from the cockpit as the Rogue Shadow, a ship he could sense carried Mace Windu, headed to the Home One. It docked with a Mandalorian refugee ship, which took aboard it Madelyn Linnett, but for the moment the she was free to make her own decisions as to where she went.

Anakin gave the Corellian a wry look. "What did you agree to?"

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox (combo)
---
Senate Tower

In the office of the Chancellor, Shevu stepped back in, even as the comms lit up with the good news of Hutt support. Jabba himself was unavailable - communicating with Boba Fett about a certain Black Sun underlord - meanwhile the ship of Del and Nola left the Nubian Embassy - Winter aboard, and Del requested permission to dock at the Chancellor's own landing pad.

Del himself was shaken. They'd shot up Ike, and had no idea if he was alive or not, but Del was taking gulps of breath. He may have been security, but this was way beyond his ordinary every day; none of this was. He huffed a little. "Is Winter secure?" The ship was hovering in the traffic lane above the Senate Tower, a CSF gunship positioned between them and the Chancellor's personal landing pad; he'd just told them they had Winter. "Are you okay, Nola?"

For Shevu, he wasn't entirely sure how to keep up with it all, because a lot was happening. Feyna had not yet had chance to confirm that she wanted Aryan arrested, let alone the rest of the cabal in the Blue Indigo Tower, and indeed she would have access to the feeds that showed Thrawn had left, and the Hutt's arrive! "Madam Chancellor, I have Corellian Prime Minister Saxan on the line for you... and Norin Graul's personal team apparently with Winter asking for permission to land?"

Aidel Saxan had been a steadfast ally of Feyna's at a distance, preferring to keep separate the New Republic's use of Corellia as capital and her position as its ruler. She had been a strong supporter of the government returning to Coruscant the moment the uppermost layers were habitable again, but also a firm supporter of Corellia remaining in the New Republic and as supportive as possible. A smart politician, her ex-husband was her Deputy Prime Minister, and they retained an amicable and even productive relationship.

Corellia, Del, Nola, Aryan, Treen... she had plenty to deal with even as the re-provisioning of the armada came to a slow end. The crescendo of it's launch was upon them - and space was thick with freighters, yachts and other small personal craft - with far more leaving than coming...

TAG: @JediMasterAnne x2 (combo?)
---
System edge

Aboard the Fury, Arb looked rueful at the now empty space around them.

"Never thought I'd see the day the Hutts joined up. Galaxy is going to be mighty small and dangerous for the villains of the galaxy, isn't it?" He glowered at Bernael. "Any chance I can get my ship yet?"

There was a ripple in the Force, and Bernael would feel a rip, rip, rip in himself, cutting across his chest, a pain more excruciating than any Abeloth or Renn had inflicted upon him. There was a sound; a voice - his, but at a much differing tempo.

What do we have here?

TAG: @darthbernael (combo)
---
IC: General Soontir Fel
Aboard the Fell Defender, Ilum system, Empire of the Hand space

The Otana was scooped up by the Fell Defender, and in short order the four of them would hear the foots of Imperial Stormtroopers wandering the YT-2000. They did a small circuit and stepped down the ramp, their words carrying up into the ship - and it could be heard from within the smuggling compartments.

"What is it?" A firm Imperial voice rang out; Soontir Fel.

"Empty, General Fel," a Stormtrooper said swiftly.

"Has it been scanned yet?"

"Not yet, General."

The Corellian officer looked at the Otana, remembering having seen this design in his youth. It had been twenty-four years ago that a delicate situation saw him leave Corellia, with Soontir ending up in the Imperial Academy. In time, he'd watched the Empire become more corrupt, until he had been contacted by Admiral Parck of the Empire of the Hand... and saw the Imperial dream born anew, perfected, and without the issues that had plagued Coruscant.

But with the Yuuzhan Vong coming, necessary evils had to be embraced, and reluctantly too.

He was in-charge of Starkiller Base, yes, but only because the Grand Admiral trusted him... and that meant investigating anomalies like this. He refocused as the two-man sensor crew came to the ramp of the ship. "Carry on," Fel said, turning to leave and drifting back into his thoughts.

The sensor crew nodded the Stormtroopers that took up positions at the bottom of the ramp, and drifted up with the contraption that would do a deep-scan of the Otana.

With the troopers at the bottom of the ramp, and the unarmoured sensor crew inside the ship...

For a brief moment they had a chance, but if the crew lifted the alarm...

They had to move, and now.

TAG: @darthhelinith, @darthbernael, @TheSilentInfluence (combo)
---
IC: Beaumont Kin
Ast Kikorie, Moddell Sector, education district

The world of Ast Kikorie was a curious one.

A distant Republic outpost in what was otherwise Wild Space - if not the Unknown Regions - the AST prefix was similar to the ORD one which covered various worlds. But while the Old Republic Depot's acquired a sinister aside when the Pius Dea Crusaders used them as jumping off points for their massacres of alien species, the AST concept was a resurrection of the idea without this negative connotations - but also with less renown, whereas nowadays everyone could name the most famous ORD planets - Ord Mantell, Cantrell, Trasi, Pardron, Cestus, Ibanna and so forth - no-one could remember the Ast worlds, for a project once sponsored by the Core and then abandoned by the Clone Wars.

Beaumont had this in mind as they descended, but it was idle thoughts and really nothing to be shared.

When they passed customs, Beaumont was sure to have Qwi carry things, not paying a great deal of attention to the procedures and rules given by the Aryou officer. He was in-character as a hot-shot infamous archaeologist, designed to blend in with what Follnor had inevitably done.

It was the usual gaggle of humans, Twi'lek, Rodians and Duros that seemed to make up galactic travel nowadays - but also one very esoteric species; a Blood Carver.

The young man was alarmed at that, and stepped closer to Qwi for the moment. He whispered, spy conspiratorially; "Did you see that?"

They were being escorted through the metal detectors by a series of elderly security droids watched over by an Ewok, of all things, and the Blood Carver, leaning in a corner with his arms folded, swept his gaze over everyone and nobody.

Rouser warned them; there was an association with Follnor permeating the Blood Carver. The rogue archaeologist had prepared the land for his rivals; it was as clear as possible that his claws were deep in the City...

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox (combo)

 

IC: Arek Graul
Private Apartments, Nubian Embassy, Coruscant

Despite their precarious situation, Four-Dee wasted no time initiating a probe on the information Arek had requested about his sister’s alleged location. It didn’t take long for the droid to rattle off his conclusions about a place called the Kuna’s Eye and the surrounding systems.

“The Moddell Sector?” Arek repeated to himself, his brow furrowing in thought as he tried to recall where he had heard that name before. He had a fair understanding of the Outer Rim, both from his exploratory research after the End of Time and as a prerequisite for certain platforms within the Nubian Security Force. One world, in particular, jumped out to him as being important, mostly due to its relevance to galactic history. He had a feeling it wasn’t a simple coincidence.

“Doesn’t that include Endor? I’ll have to pull up the regional maps to be sure, but with the last battle––”

The younger Graul trailed off, realizing that he was about to go off on a tangent that probably wouldn’t make sense to the others. It was easy to forget that the Battle of Endor hadn’t occurred in this timeline. They had no context.

Fortunately, no one asked him to elaborate further. The tract of the conversation quickly shifted when Four-Dee suddenly announced that Norin Graul had perished. The news hit Arek like a vibroblade to the chest, a shock that rendered him unable to speak. Surely, there had been a mistake. Maybe the medical droid’s diagnostics had malfunctioned, or perhaps his sensors had not been properly calibrated…?

"The droid speaks the truth; he was just killed by Aryan - by Darth Skelm."

The voice emerged from the shadows, along with a woman who Arek instantly recognized as the mysterious interloper from earlier. At least she was proof that he hadn’t been hallucinating. And yet, he took no pride in that revelation, not when he absorbed all that she had to say – the terrible truth that his father had succumbed to the dark and had committed Norin’s murder.

Arek should’ve been appalled at such a discovery, but he wasn’t all that surprised. In a sense, it almost seemed inevitable. He knew what his father was capable of, that he had allied himself with the Sith in their own timeline. If he had possessed the Force, Arek suspected that he would have fallen there as well. This timeline reflected everything he had feared.

But the fact still remained, the Aryan Graul of this time was not his true father. It made it easier for him to accept the task he ultimately had to perform. It also offered him hope that perhaps he could still reach his real father – if he ever had the opportunity to return home and seek him out. That same hope gave him purpose, a boldness that carried him onward.

Inhaling deeply, Arek glanced down at his Grandmom and ran a hand through his blood-matted hair, idly wondering if she had heard everything that had just transpired. There was so much he wanted to say, but before he could utter a single word, a soothing voice broke into his thoughts.

“I am a Jedi Master,” the woman, who identified herself as An’ya Kuro, stepped next to the bed with a grim determination. “I will fix what your father has done. I swear it.”

“You don’t have to do this alone,” Arek proclaimed as he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, a rueful smile spreading over his features. “He’s not my real father, or rather––” He winced, realizing how ridiculous it probably sounded. However, it didn’t stop him from revealing the truth. “I’m not sure how familiar you are with the concept of parallel universes, but I’m not from this reality. I can help you.”

​

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Combo with our illustrious GM

IC Bernael, Arb, the Eye, and….
Onboard the Fury

Bernael looked up to where Arb was standing, about to answer when he lurched to his feet, a roar escaping his lips. Pain, deep, abiding pain ripped through him and darkness flashed into being around him, talons ripping out, his Hunger rising and lashing around. Slowly he regained his senses, but his anger remained. And then the voice sounded.

What do we have here?

His head tilted to the side, annoyance and curiosity vying for space in his expression. ”You are not the version of me I sent back with a piece of our Fath….”

A smile, a very unpleasant one crossed his face as a realization came to him. ”So it worked, and I’m guessing that pain was when he realized that I did kill him, albeit taking however many centuries to come to fruition. He was weak, believing that balance nonsense and deserved it. You will find me a much different prey, much more difficult to overcome, dear Father.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.

Perhaps.

Arb glanced around and them back at the Anzati. "Bernael?"

Exactly, said the Eye. Not Zas'tel, not Eye, not Presence... we see the sin of this host.

"What was he thinking when he picked an agent of the Architects?"

Who knows.

Who cares. I travel all paths, as my agents do. The Death speaks to me, not you, Eye and Shadow and Nevet.

Bernael laughed, a grating sound, one filled with humor but also annoyance, ”Arb, Watcher, may I introduce my departed Father. You speak of an agent of the Architects, yet one is here with us, in a manner of speaking.”

Another dark chuckle, the darkness, nor the close hold to his emotions and power, that Bernael had at the moment around him standing firm, ”That Bernael fulfilled your purpose, so you come to use me to be reborn in this timeline as well, do you?”

That Bernael is dead.

Arb looked back and forth, eyes narrowed. This was a more corporeal example of the Change than he was used to... but then again, the crossover between Feyna, Zorn, Han, Ka'rta, Madelyn, and Bernael... which he knew of, of course, was sufficient.

The Eye was silent, simply doing as decreed.

Watching.

Has my Coat taken a life of it's own, and killed the Ones? Have you consumed to the point that I may consume you to cause the Rebirth of Cold Danda Sine, the God of Death?

Bernael laughed again, ”Consume me? Dead God, Father who brought my kind into existence, I am not what you believe, anymore, I can feel you writhing inside me, constrained. The Darkness that allowed you and my relatives to come into existence lives in me now, now I am the God of Death!”

Internally, he locked down and constrained those parts of his Father that he’d allowed to be absorbed earlier, to further his own aims, knowing the shade would seek to reconnect and use such an axis of advance to seek a foothold inside him. ”Or would you rather aid me and I will find such a host that you may join me at my side?”

There was a pause.

Arb looked thoughtful, and whispered. I'll get us going, okay? At that he left for the cockpit. The Eye sounded disapproving, but was here for the conversation.

I accept aid from nobody.

The God was displeased; he sought the truth of matters, not obfuscation. But this was the same problem most entities attempting to both create and possess powerful Force users; the tension between usefulness and free-will; it was a real issue.

The Ones; tell me of them.

Bernael laughed, pure humor in the sound. ”Do not accept aid...now that is funny, coming from a shadow of a shadow of a being, that needs, willing or unwilling, what I can provide to even have a glimmer of a chance to be reborn.”

He glanced at Arb, then touched the Watcher, his amusement at the current situation, as well as the knowledge that this was a delicate moment that had to be overcome, in the mental touch. Turning his thoughts and speech back to the intruding presence, ”Oh your siblings, your competitors, those beings. You wish to know what could oppose you if you succeed.” He sat back on the lounge, gazing at, well, nothing, a sinister smile on his face. ”Oh but I’ll not give you information for free. Everything has a place and currently you do not know yours, or accept that you are not what you were, that I have taken your place. I wasn’t making a suggestion of aid, by the way, I was telling you terms. Aid me and you may survive, fight me and I’ll destroy you, dear Father.”

A dry chuckle; the lights in the lounge darkened, leaving the room in a deeper darkness than mere starlight.

My existence was the result of several moments of apoptosis, fool. The first Change, that ushered in the Twilight Wars... and yours, allowing me to be passed on and through to the End of Time... culminating in my Rebirth when a third Change was encountered.

The Fury slightly moved as Arb moved it along, wanting to ensure they were in position when the armada launched to still follow it to Exegol.

Do you understand? I am a Wound incarnate; not merely condensed around a single person, but in-fact wielding the power of the Epitaph. Your unreality... it is nothing, and I have already foreseen it's end.

There was a movement of air, and the Eye ceased to exist; Death had reached for it, and done what it wished.

As well as yours.

There was a moment of quiet, and the moment passed…

A dry chuckle, this time from Bernael, intruded into the moment of silence. Bernael kept his relaxed posture, affecting an air of lack of care at the erasure of the Eye. ”Thank you for ridding me of that one, its usefulness had reached an end.”

A two toned whistle left his lips, the hatch to the kitchen opened, and as he reached out a hand, a chalice of bloodsoup flew into it. ”I’d offer you some but you do not drink, or cannot currently.” Taking a sip he continued, ”Yes, that end is to come but I am it’s end, not a God who has forgotten the Truth of his rebirth.” He paused, the smirk coming to his face, ”Did you ever wonder, in all those eons, why we turned away from you? Why your Children of Death chose to follow our own path and not that of yours? We learned that Truth.”

If it were possible, the darkness deepened further, no longer under the control of the shade but of Bernael, ”My birth no one saw coming, Father, not you, not the other ‘Gods’, save one being, the one that caused it to be, one beyond you even. And that one, knowing what was to come chose a soul whose form had been destroyed, at the time of those Twilight Wars you spoke of, one of a multitude of that being, and made it mine. Then, at the next Change you spoke of, chose, the darker part of that being became a part of me, even more than you are.”

His tone never varied, no insolence, no humor, no despair, no fear, just a flat monotone, which spoke as much of his care of the situation as his words. ”But….if you truly must live now, in this instant, another, bearer of another part of that soul, and that of the one whose hand stirred the Twilight Wars, is currently in the cockpit, and would be such a vessel.” his hand languidly gesturing in the direction Arb had gone, to move the Fury.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, anyone at Coruscant

 

The following is a combo with Sinrebirth – thank you!

IC: Senator Aryan Graul and Gaeriel Captison
The Indigo Tower, Coruscant

It was over; Norin Graul, his father, was dead.

The news should have filled him with elation, a personal victory that granted him freedom from the unyielding bonds of his father’s tyranny. He no longer had to suffer by his hand, and yet, Aryan felt surprisingly numb. There had been no theatrics and no cataclysmic shift in the Force to herald the occasion. Even when he glanced at his reflection in the Indigo Tower’s transparisteel panorama, he half-expected to see his Sith status manifested in his flesh, but he didn’t look any different. Instead, the old man’s passing had opened up a void within himself, a hollowness that was palpable. It was the only indication of his ascension.

There was also the subtle change that announced his Master’s departure; she had severed their bond, but he had anticipated that. She likely did not understand his objectives, that he had to do this to restore peace to a ravaged galaxy.

Or maybe she was simply afraid of his burgeoning power. Either way, he did not dwell on An’ya Kuro for very long. He was too focused on the void within his soul and how it may relate to his future.

That’s when he recalled Norin’s revelation, that he had a daughter.

Jalynn.

What if the girl was the key to filling that empty void? Her presence alone would complete him, particularly after the loss of Arek. Once he supplanted Chancellor Organa, he would make it his goal to seek out Jalynn so that they could consolidate their power and usher in a new era side by side. It all seemed so clear to him, almost as if it had always been the intended outcome. This was his destiny, and he would stop at nothing until she was found.

But before he could fully formulate his plan, Aryan’s comlink chimed with an incoming transmission. He nearly crushed the small device within his fist to silence it, but then he noted the source. It was Gaeriel.

Aryan pursed his lips and activated the comm with a flip of his thumb; he had to take this.

“Hey,” he drawled evenly, now strolling from the room to give them some privacy. His voice held no hints of the darkness that lingered just beneath the surface. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. Is everything alright?”

Gaeriel looked at him, concerned. "I just heard that a Death Star turned up over Coruscant," the Bakuran said. "I know you had a meeting with Treen and her... political acquaintances." She managed to keep her voice neutral, considering how in the past day her dislike of the Kuati had bloomed into a full hatred.

"Is... everything alright?" Her eyes narrowed as she peered at him across the distance. "Are you alright, Aryan?"

His expression easily dissolved into a reassuring smile, almost as if he had been waiting for her to ask after his wellbeing. It provided a release, which he was able to utilize to reinforce his position. That was an important step if he wanted to secure Gaeriel’s support moving forward.

“I’m fine,” Aryan replied in a soothing tone, his eyes searching her face across the divide. “There’s no need to worry. The Death Star prototype poses no immediate threat...but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t act. The Chancellor made a colossal mistake in handling the crisis, and the wolves are beginning to circle.”

He inclined his chin and issued a soft scoff. “Were you aware that she claimed ownership of that mechanical monstrosity live on the HoloNet? And that she failed to give the order to dismantle it? Some are already calling it treason. I have a notion that events will accelerate rather quickly in the wake of this controversy; it may even push up our timeline.”

The Senator leaned closer, his countenance now grim. “Gaeri, I need you to have Bakura standing by to take the next step. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for – the Bakuran people will finally emerge from the shadows and obtain enough influence to achieve greatness.”

The words tumbled from a man's mouth that she didn't recognize; he seemed taken by something, perhaps madness, perhaps inspiration. She locked eyes on his lips and the impossibility of what he was saying.

Gaeriel looked uncertain, as if she didn't entirely believe Aryan, but she caught his excitement and pressed on. "Greatness? What do you mean?" She cooled her features, realising that it meant -

"What do you need from me?"

Treen managed to resist the urge to scoff, for while the others addressed their own governments from other rooms, but she remained, sipping on some emerald wine as the galaxy fell neatly into place.

“Your trust, Gaeri,” Aryan stated with conviction. While he was acutely aware of Treen’s presence at his back, eavesdropping on their conversation, he did not make a move to acknowledge her. He could not allow himself to become distracted at this crucial juncture. She would have to wait.

“You have always been a great asset at my side, and I need you more than ever.” As he continued, he used the Force to put power behind his words; to emphasize the importance of his request. “I’ll never forget what you said to me the other day – that you believe that I can bring about lasting change. We are now standing on that precipice. A change is about to take place that will usher in peace, and Bakura will have a prominent role to play in the new era.”

Aryan’s expression reflected his fervor, though he did not permit his gaze to waver from Gaeriel’s face. “After you inform the Bakuran Senate on what is about to occur – the rebirth of our glorious Empire – and prepare them for the transition, I would like you to rejoin me on Coruscant to solidify our position.”

Gaeriel hesitated, taking the reading of Aryan and seeing what she saw. There had always been the chance of this; she could have even been said to be looking forward to it. All of Bakura had been, arguably. Why else would they have voted for the former Galactic Emperor? The people wanted order and security; a world which had suffered under the chaos of the Confederacy of Independent Systems for twenty-two years had been begging the Empire to save them, blaming the Old Republic daily for their continued suffering.

By the time Aryan Graul had appeared as a prospect, the populace had eagerly embraced the man who could restore order.

But now, as she stared into his face - were his eyes yellow, or did her vision deceive her?

She could see that the heart of the Empire was a dark, dark, dark place.

Yet, she knew the Bakuran Senate would endorse a secession; would sign accords to join the New Empire; would clamor to be the capital if they had the chance. Gaeriel took all that in and nodded. "I shall inform the legislature, Aryan, and I'll join you on Coruscant."

She hesitated and responded as she knew she would have to for the rest of her new relationship with the man.

"Your Majesty."

With that, she cut the channel and went to complete the work of a madman.

Aryan made no effort to contain his pleasure upon receiving Gaeriel’s response. He reveled in this personal victory, a wolfish grin spreading over his features for all to see. It was the first step in a much larger design, one that will ultimately lead him to glory.

“Thank you,” he intoned in a gravelly tone, practically leering into the holo display. “I’ll see you shortly.”

Once the line disconnected, Aryan quickly switched gears and dialed in the frequency for his office. With Norin Graul out of the picture, he had a few ‘housekeeping’ items to attend to in the interim. That included securing the man’s estate and all of his personal effects. As the next of kin, that was his right and obligation. He suspected that it would also provide clues in the search for his daughter, which was his main motivation at this juncture. There was no telling what sorts of secrets the old bastard had been hiding...

With a slight scoff, Aryan swiftly shot off a message to his staff to initiate the process. Only then did he return his attention to Treen and her compatriots.

“I believe we have some work to do,” he announced as he spread his hands in an amicable way. "Shall we begin?"

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Senator Treen
Indigo Tower, Coruscant

Although Ka'rta, Boba Fett, and Tor had been called off, that didn't stop Coruscant Security sending assault ships to intervene. There was a tannoy of sirens, as ships ignored the Osik to surround the Indigo Tower.

Senator Treen glanced at the windows, looking bemused. "Emperor, there appears to be some interference pending..." The Kuati looked amused. "Might I rely upon you to deal with this?" There was a rumble across the restaurants tannoy as it was hacked.

"This is Captain Shevu of Coruscant Security. I have an arrest order from Chancellor Organa for Senator Aryan Graul and any other individuals conspiring with him to illegally overthrow the elected government of the Galactic Senate."

Treen chuckled. "Oh my, that sounds serious."

She produced a comlink, adjusted it, and handed it to Aryan. "The Coruscant stage is yours, your Majesty."

TAG: @HanSolo29
---
Nubian Embassy, private sector

“I’m not sure how familiar you are with the concept of parallel universes, but I’m not from this reality. I can help you.”

An'ya Kuro nodded solemnly at the younger man battered as he was; he did well. "First, we need to get out of here." She regarded the unconscious woman and the hover-gurney. "Can we move her?"

The medical droid nodded. "She is quite stable, but it will take some time to fully flush her system of the drugs I was subjecting her too." An'ya narrowed her eyes at that. "Senator Graul had a further secret hangar, hidden beneath the landing pad." It indicated an alternate accessway which was opened. "Now that he is dead, I am released from my security protocols, Master Arek."

They had a chance to escape, accordingly. In the bay was a small but modern Crix-class shuttle, an expensive prototype but useful for low profile actions, as it was not in common circulation. An'ya looked at the droid and gestured the gurney and it onwards, and looked back to Arek.

"Your father is a very grave threat now; he has embraced his Sith heritage." Her words tumbled free, as if she felt responsible for what had happened to him. "He was my only way..." An'ya bit her lip, a surprisingly honest response for a hard, hard woman. "To understand the Change..."

Her gaze swept over Arek, and her visage hardened. "We need to head to the Chancellor's Office..."

"... your father," she amended her words. "Darth Skelm, he'll want to strike at the head."

An'ya paused again - she was clearly processing her third failed Padawan poorly. "Tell me what happened to your father while we get her settled." She swept forward, retreating to her silence - where it was safer for her emotions.

TAG: @HanSolo29
---
Coruscant system, armada

The Millennium Falcon emerged from the Home One, the Sith wayfinder plugged in and showing coordinates to a world in the Unknown Regions. Lumpy confirmed they had a route, and not much else he could say about it. The galactic map was, obviously, empty there. There were a few people - very few - which knew about the Red Nebula, but nobody knew the way through.

It had a few differing names, of course, all similarly ominous sounding.

The Dark Worlds.

The Perann Nebula.

The Nihil Retreat.

The Falcon drifted out of the Mon Cal cruiser, the entire fleet preparing to deploy. The New Republic, the Imperial Remnant, the Hapans Consortium and the Hutt clans - a Galactic Alliance. Lumpy noted the last of the tenders and fleet service ships moving off, and the increasing tide of civilian ships jumping for Corellia. He looked unhappily at it, and was about to speak up to Han and Anakin about it.

Anakin held up a hand to stop the Wookiee.

"Wait."

He turned the sensors over, reaching over Han's shoulder to turn the display to the edge of the system. There was a Surronian Conquerer visible, and his brow was firm. "Han, there was just a massive dark side spark just now. There."

The Fury was indeed docked to it - Arb had connected the ship while Bernael and a God of Death conversed.

There was a degree of mirth to the latter's voice.

This reality has a built-in expiry date. I will leave you to it.

At that, having caused all manner of problems, he left, and Arb communicated with the Fury as it disconnected; voice only.

"Look, I didn't switch off the cloaking device, honest," he said drily. "But I may have sabotaged it..."

Indeed, the Fury turned up on the scopes of the Millennium Falcon.

"You see..." Arb said, sarcastic to the end. "I have a pretty firm belief that you're not playing by the rules that the Master set-down back in the day."

"There," Anakin said, pointing at the black-ship that suddenly showed up on the sensors. "That's an old Sith design, I recognise it from my lessons at the Temple."

Arb finished off. "Your hyperdrive might be a bit tweaked, but not, well, permanently." He cut off, and the Conquerer began to turn to leave.

Lumpy rumbled a question. "The dark side locus is aboard that Sith ship," Anakin said firmly.

"Captain Solo?"

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @darthbernael (combo, Han starts)

TAG: @JediMasterAnne (continue the combo as Feyna and Nola)

TAG: @galactic-vagabond422, @TheSilentInfluence (continue combo as Ka'rta and Madelyn)

TAG: @BobaMatt (PM outstanding)

TAG: @darthhelinith, @TheSilentInfluence, @darthbernael (continue combo as Vhardia, Leia and Renn)

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox (continue combo as Qwi Xux)

 

OOC: Combo with @Jerjerrod-Lennox and @Sinrebirth

IC Bernael, Hana Solo, Anakin Skywalker
Deep Orbit, Coruscant

They were nearly ready to go, Han running the last system checks when Anakin piped up regarding some dark sider who it seemed had managed to get into the Coruscant system.

"Oh fantastic" Han remarked "We are just about ready to go and this person decides to pop out of hidin. I mean really? You want to maybe have a chat with another possible dark sider or Sith when we are about to take on Zorn?".

He shook his head "I'm not puttin the Falcon in the firing line until we get to Exegol. You wanna have a chat? Be my guest, but you need all your strength to take on Zorn. This guy or gal on that ship? They could distract you".

Anakin couldn't disagree with that. He keyed the comlink, taking it that he had permission. "Sith ship; we see you, and we've enough firepower to turn a planet into a series of craters. Make this easier on yourself and surrender."

Arb whistled across the open comms as the Conquerer headed away. Anakin noted it, and while he understood Han's reluctance, was concerned by the spike of power he had felt. He muted the mike, and glanced back to Han. "I don't want to leave someone behind that can threaten Feyna, alright?"

Bernael growled under his breath but ensured all his power and presence had been drawn back into himself after the outburst and discussion with the shade of his Father. Standing and moving swiftly to the holo table he taped out a series of commands, sending the astromechs to begin repairing both the stealth system and the hyper engine. At the same time he set the pilot AI to begin running through its subsystems and repairing those that could have been affected by Arb as the bridge was the only place to have done his sabotage.

He moved to the bridge, gazing out and seeing that the ship that had called was a distance away still, although he was certain that the fleet itself could cause a great deal of damage to the Fury in a very short time. Pressing the comm, ”The ship you wish, the one you believe is a Sith, whatever that is, is the one now departing. I am willing to talk but I am not in any position to surrender.”

Releasing the stud, he took the initial report from the astromechs and hid the annoyance he felt that it was going to take some time to repair, probably just enough to repair it prior to the fleet’s departure. So he had that long to hold off the man calling, to keep them from taking him prisoner.

Han rolled his eyes and checked the mike was still on mute before turning to Anakin "Yeah I know you don't want anyone hurting Her Highness but she can sure handle herself. And I don't think this guy wants to play ball…."

He faced forward again "And if he's set on departing then why don't we just let him for now? I mean I don't like these Sith but you think he might reveal where he's going? Maybe set some Jedi on him or go get him afterwards…."

Anakin nodded at that. They had plenty on their plate, and he un-muted and went to respond when the comms crackled. "Is that Han Solo commanding the Millennium Falcon? After fourteen years?" The voice was unmistakable to the Corellian, who had walked in criminal circles for many years.

Arb, the former right-hand man of Qi'ra Ananke, the leader of Crimson Dawn, presumed dead for several years now at the hands of Ka'rta and Madelyn at the end of the last war.

Anakin looked nonplussed, and commented. "Why are you fleeing aboard the Conquerer?"

"Simple! I just escaped captivity from the mad, bad Anzati murderer. He used Zorn tech to eat Metellos, did you know that? Caused a bit of a mess that got Ood Bnar killed recently as well!"

The personal comlink on Han's shirt vibrated; he had a personal call coming in now, while Arb caused the drama over an open channel with Bernael. Lumpy rumbled as quietly as he could; he would make sure Anakin didn't fly the Falcon anywhere apart from Exegol. Anakin heard as much, and pulled a face.

Han couldn't believe Arb was back and what was he doing near the dark sider ship? He mouthed at Anakin to keep him talking, it looked like he was airing that guys dirty laundry in public, the more they got the more the New Republic could use for later on in hunting him down if he escaped.

Han also raised a finger to echo Lumpy, if he took the ship anywhere but Exegol Anakin would find himself in one of the escape pods and off the ship.

But the thing that most intrigued him was why his personal comlink was going off. He hoped it wasn't Xav.

"Solo here".

A smile crossed Bernael’s face as he heard the attempts to lure the Chosen One out to attack him. He continued checking on the progress of the astromechs. He had local engines and the hyperdrive was rapidly coming close to full operation, should he need it but he didn’t want to advertise that information yet.

Keying the comm, ”Really Arb, acting the innocent? I may be what I am but I am not the one carrying darkness inside. I heard of Zorn, only after dealing with an issue far from here, but you certainly seem to know a great deal about it. I will not deny I am an Anzati, but do you honestly think one of my kind would go around advertising ourselves and destruction on such a grand scale? No...hidden, individual attacks are our way.”

“And whoever you are on the ship contacting me, I am attempting to leave, but that duplicitous being that Arb is deliberately disabled portions of my ship so as to hide his own crimes and escape.”

He saw the light for the hyperdrive system come online and kept a pair of astromechs checking and double checking it’s systems to ensure there weren’t deeper subroutines that could disable it again while sending the others to assist in finishing the repair of the stealth system.

It wasn't Xav.

"Well hellooooo Han," said Arb. "Colour me surprised that you're back with the New Republic! Can't wait to see you over-promise and peeve the Chancellor. Nice swing with the Hutts, I have to say." The man oozed humour. "I've not seen Qi'ra Ananke for a while I admit, but she had already exhausted her usefulness to me."

As to Anakin, he noticed Lumpy lock in the wayfinder and coordinates to Exegol, but ignored it. "I am Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, Jedi Master and, previously, the preferred candidate and successor to Darth Sidious." He hardened his tone as the astromechs rushed to process all the subroutines... Bernael had been right, there was malicious code present... but not of a recognizable code...

"Your ship stinks of the dark side, and I felt a particularly violent disturbance in the Force a moment ago; a death of something powerful," Anakin pressed on. "If it is your intention to leave Coruscant, then I suggest you do it now, before I make an issue of your existence. I don't care for obfuscation. Whether you serve my son or not, you are Dark, and you need to leave."

The Conqueror was nearly away, and the Fury was seconds from completing it's process.

It looked like this Anzati guy and Anakin were having a right old ding dong and Han would let that one continue with one ear on the conversation.

Lumpy meanwhile had things ready to go, Han couldn't have asked for a better replacement co pilot.

Han spoke quietly into the comlink "Yeah well what do you expect. At least I managed to sway them instead of Qi'ra's flunky. So what, you're leading Crimson Dawn now? Do ya think she or this Anzati guy won't come after ya? Because this time, you may actually stay dead".

"Oh and the Chancellor? She's rather pretty actually, shame she got the Prince but ya know royalty and all that. And I've got a debt to repay. So nice knowing ya and all that and thank you for revealing all the monster's dirty secrets but if you have nothing more useful to say I suggest ya get lost. Because you're getting in the way".

Bernael tapped out a message to the astromechs to lock out all the affected subroutines that they could that wouldn’t affect their ability to go to hyper and to standby at the first sign of trouble to immediately switch systems to the backup hyperdrive, which ran off of completely different system, which Arb should not have been able to affect as it’s controls were in a part of the ship Bernael knew the man had not visited.

Over the comm, ”I would gladly get out of your hair, Anakin, if it were not for the fact that that duplicitous, evil little beast in the ship now departing hadn’t disabled my systems with the goal of getting me attacked by you with no provocation. I have almost finished the repairs and with your leave I will get the repairs done and then depart, without giving indication of any other activity.”

He sent a command to prepare a stealth drone in case he truly did have to depart the system before the fleet did, so that it could track and follow the fleet. In that case, he would be able to either catch up or follow the trail as the fleet crossed the distance to Zorn’s redoubt. That was a last case scenario but, while he would someday test this Chosen One, today, in front of the combined fleets was not the day to do so.

Anakin looked somewhat wry. "Of course, how fortuitous for you."

The astromechs tweeted that they had everything repaired, as if Anakin leaned over for the console, causing Lumpy to stiffen that he was going to adjust the coordinates of their jump. Anakin just checked the sensors. "Your ship seems to be up and running now..."

He tapped a control, and Lumpy looked alarmed as a concussion missile was keyed.

Arb chuckled. "Don't worry about me, Solo, I'll be out of your hair... any second now?" The ship's hyperdrive spooled up, and he had one last thing to add. "Keep an eye on Anakin, he was supposed to have become a Sith Lord... and he actually wanted to rule the galaxy as..."

His tone dropped a dramatic octave.

"Father and son."

The Conquerer vanished into hyperspace.

Bernael heard the warning tone of a prepped missile and his smile turned dark. Tapping a stud, the already stealthed drone slid out of the atmosphere evacuated hatch on the far side of the Fury from the Falcon. He couldn’t see or sense it but knew it had immediately departed the area, closing in on the fleet, away from the damnable Chosen One and his abilities.

”The Father will face the Son, two will enter the battle but only one will exit. Which it is cannot be said, but the galaxy will tremble.” he intoned, letting the words be transmitted.

Closing the comm he instructed the pilot AI to jump them to the nearest system that wasn’t swarming with craft from the combined fleet. The crowded scene around Coruscant disappeared, the streaked grey of hyper replacing it. He checked one last time, with the astromechs observing the hyperdrive but the subroutines that were compromised had not yet affected things so he returned to his study of the fleet itself, at the main lounge terminal.

Anakin and the dark sider were still going toe to toe but he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Lumpy looked alarmed. Han narrowed his eyes as Anakin armed a concussion missile.

He is NOT goin to fire that missile….

Of course Arb's words resonated within him as his ship took off. He would never trust Arb but Han was already keeping a close eye on Anakin. Maybe he would have to keep a more watchful eye for Ben's sake.

He switched his comlink off and gave Anakin a look of thunder as the dark siders ship left.

"What are you playin at?" Han said folding his arms "I did not say you could blast this guy at any time, let the New Republic handle that particular mess as no doubt they were listenin in".

"There are only two people that can touch things on this ship. Me" he indicated himself "And Lumpy. If I need your help i'll ask for it".

"So" Han started to prep the hyperdrive "Let's get to Exegol before I throw you off my ship".

Anakin looked sincere. "I had no intention of firing; just wanted to ensure he left. We'll pass the ships profile to Coruscant Security and then we can leave." He deactivated the missile launcher.

"Exegol it is," Anakin said, watching the space where the Fury had gone. Lumpy handed the data to General Kre'frey, and turned the ship around to launch into hyperspace.

"Good man" Han responded but Arb's words were still ringing around his head. "Hopefully that creep will get nowhere near Coruscant again. Maybe he'll be next after Zorn. Who knows".

Han checked the data on the ship was sent before taking a deep breath and blowing it out. It was game time.

"This is Captain Solo of the Millennium Falcon" he sent over the comm channel to the fleet "We are about to enter the belly of the best. Let's hit 'em where it hurts. And maybe, just maybe we can save the galaxy from total annihilation. See you guys there. Solo out".

He looked to Lumpy and Anakin before settling his hand on the hyperdrive lever. He was about to put his faith in the combined armada, the Chosen One and his beloved Falcon to see this through.

I have a bad feelin about this…

He pulled the lever and the Falcon took off…

To war.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, anyone at Coruscant

 

IC: Senator Aryan Graul (Darth Skelm)
The Indigo Tower, Coruscant

The security forces arrived and quickly established a cordon around the Indigo Tower’s rotating base. While it was bad timing, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. After his interview with Captain Shevu the day before, Aryan surmised that they would eventually show up to issue him an arrest warrant. It seemed inevitable.

And so, when they seized the restaurant’s communication system and announced the Chancellor’s intentions to take Aryan and his allies into custody, Skelm merely canted his head with a wry grin. Feyna Organa had long been grappling to find a shred of evidence to implicate him for the events of fourteen years ago. That she would move against him now was a sign of desperation.

It would be her undoing.

And the galaxy would know the truth.

Turning toward the panoramic viewport, Skelm held out his hand and accepted the proffered comlink from Senator Treen. He trusted that she had already set the frequency to broadcast his message planet-wide.

“I am shocked and dismayed over these outrageous and…false accusations, Captain,” Aryan spoke calmly, his voice never betraying his conviction. “I can’t believe that the Chancellor would resort to such a callous act to protect her own sanctity. Could that mean that the rumors are true? That she does intend to subsume the New Republic into Hapes? To become their Queen Mother for life? Why else would she put so much effort into silencing my voice, when I was only promoting unity and strength?”

Of course, the rumors he referred to originated from the news article that Javis Tyrr had dropped several days ago across several media outlets. It highlighted the growing resentment toward the Chancellor, going as far as suggesting that she would use the upcoming trial to remove Aryan from the galactic stage. It now appeared as if everything in the report was becoming a reality, and Skelm paused to ensure that his audience also made that connection.

“I must admit, it is a disturbing trend that extends well beyond this incident,” he continued in a more solemn tone, now switching tacts to speak directly to the citizenry. “The fact that she had fled the planet and failed to act appropriately during Thrawn’s assault; the fact that there is still a Death Star hanging in orbit without a plan to decommission it for good; the fact that she has yet to address the people about Darth Zorn and how she aims to quash that threat – ordering her consort to carry out the task in her stead is not sufficient in these uncertain times.

“There are whispers of unrest; you are dissatisfied with the response of this administration. You are…afraid. That is simply unacceptable, and shame on Chancellor Organa for fostering these negative emotions. She is catering to fear. Well…no more. I can restore order and peace. And I can guarantee to slay the same fear that now grips you.”

Skelm inclined his chin and shifted his gaze to stare hard at Shevu’s ship, almost as if he could see through the tinted transparisteel into the soul of the man himself. “To demonstrate my sincerity, I will agree to go with Captain Shevu,” he stated evenly, a thin smile spreading over his lips. “But only if I am granted an audience with the Chancellor to discuss these troubling developments. This must be set right. The people––you deserve answers, and I intend to provide them to you.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth; @JediMasterAnne; anyone on Coruscant


–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


IC: Arek Graul
Private Sector, Nubian Embassy, Coruscant

It came as no surprise to learn that Norin Graul had prepared for all eventualities, which included a secret hangar and a shuttle he could utilize as a contingency plan. It was their means of escape, and at Master Kuro’s urging, they quickly maneuvered the medical bed in that direction.

But even with Four-Dee on one end of the frame and Arek on the other, it was a slow and arduous task. It didn’t help that the young man’s mind was elsewhere, fixated on the terrible truth An’ya had shared with him regarding his father. He knew that it was his responsibility to confront him, and while the Aryan of this timeline was not his own, it would not make things any easier. He understood that and he dreaded the inevitable encounter.

His only consolation was when Master Kuro mentioned the Change and how she had perceived Aryan as the key to uncovering its secrets. Arek pursed his lips at this admission, taking a moment to brush his fingers across the datapad stashed inside his jacket pocket. Perhaps all was not lost; not only did Arek have his own theories pertaining to what happened, but he possessed something that could provide undeniable proof.

“I can assist you with your research,” the young man offered meekly, a small smile bringing a brief spark to his battered features. “On the Change, I mean. I have my own experiences with the End of Time, and well...I also have this.” He reached into his jacket and produced the datapad. “Apparently, my mom’s paranoia had some benefits. She got into the habit of documenting everything since Dad’s rise to power. You’ll find the last few entries interesting. It includes what happened on Ach-To.”

However, there was no time to discuss it further; things were progressing far too rapidly. Master Kuro recognized this and swiftly issued her instructions. “We need to head to the Chancellor's Office…your father,” she trailed off to amend her words, obviously struggling to accept the truth. “Darth Skelm, he'll want to strike at the head.”

Arek nodded solemnly, his eyes diverting from the woman’s face. It should have come as a shock, but it didn’t. His father had always been ambitious, an overachiever who strove for the best. It made perfect sense for him to target the Chancellor. It was a role he coveted.

“Tell me what happened to your father while we get her settled,” An’ya carried on, appearing to dissolve into small talk, though Arek suspected there was more to it than that. She was formulating a plan, and he was happy to oblige.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Arek admitted as he gripped his Grandmom’s bed and steered her toward the hangar. “I haven’t seen him in...what, five years? He hurt my mom pretty bad. Not in a physical sense, but––it was an affair. From my understanding, it went on for years, and when I ultimately found out, I guess I blamed myself for not realizing it sooner. I thought that maybe I could’ve prevented my mom’s pain, so when I confronted him about it…” He winced, obviously reliving a terrible memory. “I–I didn’t hold anything back. I lost my sense of self and...well, I lashed out with my abilities. I never looked back after that. I took my mom and left. That was the last time I’ve spoken to him.”

He sighed and clenched his jaw, his eyes shimmering with the onset of tears. “The only reason I know that he’s still alive is that my guide – a man named Insipid, revealed that he could send me to the same timeline Dad escaped to after The End. I thought it was ridiculous, but here I am.” The young man scoffed and shook his head. “I escaped to a different time as well, so it’s all true.

“I’m assuming he’s still with the Sith,” Arek continued, spitting out the last word as if he was poison. “I heard rumors that he allied himself with them for political gain; no surprises there. It would also explain how he survived the Senate Massacre, when the Sith invaded Coruscant. He was the only Senator to walk away from the tragedy. That’s a little too convenient, right?”

Once again, the younger Graul shook his head. “Anyway, if I had to guess, he escaped with them, and he’s living a posh life under their protection.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

OOC: Combo with @darthhelinith, @TheSilentInfluence, and @Sinrebirth

IC: Leia, Vhardia, and Renn
Hiding

Leia tried to keep her breathing quiet. She had a hand on top of BB-8, hoping he would remain quiet too. She looked at her Master, feeling afraid as she heard walking above them. She wondered if they would find them, and then; what would happen. She didn't want to be a prisoner or worse. Leia turned to look at her Master in the dark, knowing she was there next to them and waited to see what she would do.

There was one thing that rang out in Leia's mind.

Danger.

Vhardia squeezed Leia's hand slightly, encouragingly.

In her mind, she reached out to Renn.

Together? Ready when you are.

Renn heard the tromping of boots on the deck plating, the bodies moving around the ship and then sensed that there was only a small crew still aboard, those that were to scan the ship he supposed. And then he felt Vhardia’s thought.

Reaching back to her, with his mind, ’Yes together, I am ready.’

He waited a moment to let her process the thought and prepare herself. One more time he reached out, ’Now!’ he sent the thought. The plating slid open as quietly as he could do and he flowed out, a seemingly liquid tide of being. Senses questing, he found the crew around a bend of the corridor, which gave them an extra second of time before they had to act.

Vhardia put her finger to her lips and with a barely audible 'stay here', she slipped out of the hatch with a lightness of foot that she had been known to possess from time to time. She watched Renn's liquid form with a mixture of curiosity and fright, which she instantly felt bad about, though in her defence she had never seen a neti stay 'unformed' before.

She pointed in the direction she could sense the crew, clipped her lightsaber hilt to her belt and rolled up her sleeves.

The crew was dragging in the oversized sensor, and placed it down with a thud around the corner. The techs were chatting absently - about a work colleague one of them was attracted to, the typical inane thing. There was a click as they pressed buttons and turned controls, and then his voice grew louder as the man turned the corner -

His blue eyes widened as he saw Vhardia, missing Renn, his mouth open to shout -

The other man was trailing behind, the Force would tell them -

Leia listened to her Master and kept quiet, looking up as Vhardia slipped up through the open hatch. She waited, quietly; heart pounding in her chest as she hoped everything would be okay.

In a split second Renn moved, a thought speeding from him to Vhardia as he moved, ’This one’s mine. One more…’

His malleable form wrapped around the man as the man’s mouth opened to shout, like a flat serpent, encasing him from head to toe. Inside his ‘coils’ he could feel the man’s breath running out and sent a thought to him, ’Shhh….shhh...sleep now’ His voice was filled with all the mental soothers he could send into the man’s mind without killing him.

Vhardia nodded silently and crept around the corner, leaping at the second crew-member, who conveniently had his back to her. With a quick blow to the back of the head, he was knocked out and she dragged him to where Renn was waiting.

"That's number 2." She whispered and opened the hatch where Leia was hiding.

"Quietly, now. There's more outside."

There was a call from the outside of the freighter.

"Have you started yet?" A Stormtrooper shouted up to them.

The second added. "Do you need a hand?"

Leia looked up as Vhardia opened the hatch and nodded instead of speaking. She went to the edge of the hatch and half jumped to the edge to grab onto the ledge, hoping that her Master could grab her if she missed. She wanted to ask, how many more of these guys were there. But kept quiet like her Master wanted her too. It wouldn't do them any good to be found.

Renn motioned to Vhardia, to take up position on one side of the entry ramp, out of sight. He glanced at Leia, ’Little Padawan, take BB-8 quietly around the bend of the corridor, please.’ sending the thought to her.

He moved up to the other side of the entry ramp, the side Vhardia hadn’t chosen, and rearranged his vocal chords to sound like what little he’d heard of the scanning crew when they were moving through the ship. A nod to Vhardia to prepare herself and he called down the ramp to the stormtroopers stationed there. ”We could...ummm...use a hand up here, the scanner’s stuck.” he stated in a nervous, frustrated sounding voice.

Vhardia wordlessly moved into position on the other side of the ramp, nodding at Renn.

Hope this isn't too noisy.

Leia nodded as she looked at Renn, reaching out with the force as she turned to lift BB-8 up and out of their hiding place. She winced as after she let him down, the muscle in her arm straining with effort.

She motioned with her hand for BB-8 to follow her and quietly moved around the bend in the corridor to hide.

BB-8 beeped slowly and quietly.

For their part, the Stormtroopers audibly sighed, and clacked up the ramp to assist -

Renn had flattened himself, as fully as he could, against the wall of the corridor as he heard the troopers walking up the ramp. He kept his gaze on the entrance to the ship they would walk through. Beyond that, he could see Vhardia preparing herself.

The white suited troops walked through the hatch and he let them get out of sight of those that may be in the hangar bay before he moved. Bounding off of the wall, he wrapped himself around the stormtrooper nearest him, reaching feelers of his body into the helmet to rip wires from where he assumed the comm would be, smothering the man under the armor.

The trooper writhed in his smothering embrace, fighting as hard as he could but Renn had washed over him like a tidal wave, lifting his feet from the desk. The fight was hearty but silent, as Renn tightened his grasp. He felt the man’s heart slowing and then the body went limp in his grasp. Letting his attention be divided to see how Vhardia was doing with her ‘victim’, he kept the embrace on the trooper for a few more moments, in case the man was faking his unconscious state.

Once he was sure he slid down the hall to the unconscious scanning crew and set the body down beside theirs. Reforming into his usual shape he winked at Leia before moving back toward Vhardia, in case she needed any assistance with the other trooper.

Vhardia leapt onto the back of the trooper that had just passed her, ripped his helmet off and gave him a hard blow to the back of the head. He toppled to the floor in slow motion, as she used the force to slow his descent and muffle the sound of him hitting the ground.

Picking herself up, she brushed herself down and sent a 'thumbs up' to Renn before cautiously sticking her head out of the open gangway to see if there was anyone else around.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @darthhelinith, @TheSilentInfluence

 

IC: BB-8
Peering out from the Otana, aboard the Fell Defender, Ilum orbit

The droid confirmed with a tweetle that there was not.

There was however an Imperial shuttle primed for departure. It likely had the local codes, and it seemed to be unmanned.

He took it upon himself to roll down the ramp and head to the other side of the hangar at a zig-zag, hiding between boxes and barrels, before plugging in. With a quick hack, he tootled an update to the team.

The camera's are down!

They had a small chance to decide what to do; but a spark from the rear of the Otana would draw their eye, confirming that the Imperials had shot out the drive as a precaution. These weren't standard Imperials... they were clearly a cut above the rest.

---
The bridge of the Fell Defender, regarding the planet

Soontir Fel stared at the Starkiller and rued the necessity of it. The Empire of the Hand had garrisoned the star system not just to keep the superweapon secure, but to ensure that no other faction stole it. For it they did... Thrawn was the only man that Soontir trusted with control of the weapon, and he was grateful that the Chiss had inherited the weapon from the old Empire, and not Zorn.

When Amedda stripped the Ultimate Weapon before the Battle of Korriban and sent the weapons away, it was to hear, to reprovision the Starkiller superweapon, his secret weapon. Thrawn had intercepted them, and now the project was being prepared for the coming of the Yuuzhan Vong War.

When his comlink chimed, Fel responded automatically, but hadn't expected the Grand Admiral himself. "General Fel," the Chiss said softly, and the Corellian stood to attention. "You have Jedi aboard that ship you just captured. Secure it, immediately."

Fel wildly turned to check the hangar displays. "There is nothing out of the ordinary sir, the Stormtroopers are there, and the scanning crew doing their job. They'll find the Jedi, sir. I had the engines shot out just in-case."

Thrawn looked nonplussed. "The cameras will have been subverted by some plucky astromech, like the Jedi always do. Hail the Stormtroopers."

Soontir turned to an officer, and indeed, a comlink would chime by the feet of Leia, Renn and Vhardia.

TAG: @darthhelinith, @darthbernael, @TheSilentInfluence
---
IC: Captain Hamner
Senate tower, Chancellor's landing pad

"Ma'am," Hamner said snappily. "I was about to contact the Senate Guard to head to the Nubian embassy, and, well, this came out across the planet."

It was Aryan Graul, again addressing the galaxy in the early morning of the third day since Thrawn's assault on the planet.

“I am shocked and dismayed over these outrageous and…false accusations, Captain,” the Senator of Bakura spoke calmly. “I can’t believe that the Chancellor would resort to such a callous act to protect her own sanctity. Could that mean that the rumors are true? That she does intend to subsume the New Republic into Hapes? To become their Queen Mother for life? Why else would she put so much effort into silencing my voice, when I was only promoting unity and strength?”

“I must admit, it is a disturbing trend that extends well beyond this incident. The fact that she had fled the planet and failed to act appropriately during Thrawn’s assault; the fact that there is still a Death Star hanging in orbit without a plan to decommission it for good; the fact that she has yet to address the people about Darth Zorn and how she aims to quash that threat – ordering her consort to carry out the task in her stead is not sufficient in these uncertain times.

“There are whispers of unrest; you are dissatisfied with the response of this administration. You are…afraid. That is simply unacceptable, and shame on Chancellor Organa for fostering these negative emotions. She is catering to fear. Well…no more. I can restore order and peace. And I can guarantee to slay the same fear that now grips you.”

“To demonstrate my sincerity, I will agree to go with Captain Shevu,” he stated , a thin smile spreading over his lips that made Del's spine freeze. “But only if I am granted an audience with the Chancellor to discuss these troubling developments. This must be set right. The people––you deserve answers, and I intend to provide them to you.”

"He's as bad as Norin," Del said breathlessly. "Worse, even, as he can use the Force..."

The medical droid seemed content with Winter, and would take her away the moment the Chancellor agreed.

With matters as they were, Feyna had a difficult moment, and Norin still to deal with. Del had a bad feeling he was going to be sent back into that death trap, and he swallowed, looking at Nola for support.

Hamner glanced at his comlink. "I have Shevu on the line, looking for orders."

TAG: @JediMasterAnne
---
Nubian Secret Hangar

As An'ya Kuro mused over this other timeline, she began to wonder aloud, her voice finally found.

"These Changes, they are not good for the Force, I imagine. More and more of them, twisting the natural flow of events..." The Jedi Master locked Arek's adopted grandmother into place, as the medical droid hacked the ship for them; it didn't take long, Norin was shamelessly predictable in his passwords. "There will be consequences to your coming across to here, Arek. But perhaps you are here to stop your father."

She looked more certain of it.

"We need to speak to the Chancellor before -"

The medical droid stiffened in surprise. "I must apologise, Master Graul, Mistress Kuro, but there is a message from Aryan Graul being transmitted to Coruscant. Without further permission, he played it.

An'ya's expressed grew sharper, as if she was even more determined to do something about it.

TAG: @HanSolo29
---
Inside the Indigo Tower, impressed

Senator Treen toasted Aryan silently, and the line grew quiet. "That will keep them busy, rushing for the authority of the Chancellor to arrest you. You're essentially untouchable now, unless Feyna intents to court utter chaos. Which she might, who knows... she is made of harder stuff than you realise."

A sip. "She has to be, for her to have bounced back from what happened to her homeworld."

The Kuati looked at the Death Star hanging in orbit. "I have some plans for that, I must admit."

"But first," Treen said, indicating the opposite viewscreen. There was a slight shudder to the sky, indicating a stealth-equipped ship. "We do have an escape vessel for your allies, if it serves you that we should move on, or we should stand firm."

The sky was filled with repurposed Republic-era LAAT/i gunships, a good two dozen, cutting off most avenues of escape.

The Force sang with a shadowed promise, however; there was someone coming for him.

Something.

The skein of the dark side spoke to him.

His destiny was about to arrive; where would he meet it?

In the distance, of course, there was a tangle of Mandalorian ships in the throes of their reunion... and resolve.

TAG: @HanSolo29 (single), @galactic-vagabond422 and @TheSilentInfluence (combo wrap up)
---
IC: Anakin Skywalker
En route to the Unknown Regions, heading to the Red Nebula

It was deep, deep, deep in the uncharted territories they were heading, aboard the Millennium Falcon, and Anakin took the time to meditate upon it. This was their very last quiet before the storm. Quite literally so, in-fact. In short order, they would be facing the armada of the Sith, more refined and powerful than any threat he had faced during the Clone Wars or Galactic Civil War.

He sensed that Han was angry with him, for basically commandeering the ship to pursue Arb and the shadow man, but Anakin was overprotective of Feyna, and he had needed to be sure. There were other dark threats in the galaxy, yes, all doing their own terrible thing while the Force focused on the greater, and bigger, threats. The Far Outsiders, that shadow, Qi'ra Ananke... they were all out there.

Anakin would have work to do regardless.

Sighing, he called out to the cockpit from the dejarik table.

"Han, can you come here?"

Anakin's voice caught.

"We need to talk this out."

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox (combo)
---
IC: Data Arb
Aboard the Fury, quite literally

While the drone shifted to pursue the combined Alliance armada, which was moving off to the edge of the gravity well after the departing Millennium Falcon, the Fury had an unwelcome guest. Arb... albeit in data format. There was a slight chuckle as the AI appeared on his screens as the Fury attempted to navigate.

"So, yes, you guessed it, I threw you under the proverbial hover-bus. Grand Designs don't mix well with Chosen Ones, and you're not exactly following the script. But, I thought you'd appreciate some company, and I had a few of these irritating Holocron AI's lying around, and I did leave you that Black Holocron thingy. It has a couple maps in it, and, well, other stuff and all."

"But now you can't kill me, I thought I'd lay it on thick. Whether or not Zorn or Skywalker wins, that's between Ones, not us. You're your own crazy imbalance, but if the Jedi kill Zorn, y'know that Mandalore will go back to what it was, but Metellos won't? You're about to have the biggest target put on your back... so you're basically about to run out of time."

"Tell me your plan, and, well, I'll let you know how successful you'll be..." He prodded his eye-patch. "I can see with the Master's Eye and all..."

TAG: @darthbernael
---
IC: Follnor Callat
Heading to the second AST station

Crowding into Pascale's yacht, Beaumont casually sealed the room of artefacts, which of course Follnor noticed.

He looked bemused, and swept into the pilots lounge, producing a holoproj which he casually tossed aboard the table. It activated, showing a star-map of the Moddell Sector.

"Two theories. One, that a Dark Jedi stole the tessent from Alsakan, or two, that an Aldera Guard did. Good fun, and the former doesn't really help us, because there are no known ancient dark side sites within the Moddell Sector, after all, though the forest moon of Endor has some interesting lore..."

"An ancient Battle of Endor, or some-such," Beaumont cautiously volunteered. "Between the various species that had sought refuge there during the Twilight Wars, apparently." He wasn't eager to give the archaeologist too much information.

He gestured to the Endor star, and the Echo resonated, but not positively; in the negative.

Beaumont didn't notice, and he as his finger drifted across the Kuna worlds it shifted positively.

Follnor didn't have any connection to the Force, so prattled on. "So that leaves us to complete a search of the Ast wreckage, in the middle of an asteroid field. It'll take time to hunt down." He indicated the Mandalorian. "And we only have two ships."

There was an alarm, and the ship dutifully notified Qwi that three fighters had swung out of the said debris field - uglies, a kitbash of New Republic and Imperial designs - X-TIEs. The Kintan Gunrunners had clearly been in wait.



The Mandalorian stiffened as his sensor link to the Razor Crest told him as much. "We have company."

Follnor looked mildly at them, grinning at Qwi Xux. "Yes, we do. I asked my friends to emphasise the point that this is my show."

"You hired me to help you locate the Alsakani Tessent, not butcher your competition," the Mandalorian said, clearly displeased.

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox

TAG: @BobaMatt (combo continues)

 

IC Bernael and @Sinrebirth as Arb
In Hyper away from Coruscant

If Bernael could truly reach Arb he would have throttled the man right then and there, regardless of what Arb said. ”If I could kill you I would, now. Do you truly think my Father would have given up me for you? But it did work well enough to make him leave, even if it did also make you show your true colors.”

His anger rose but there was no place to focus it as the target of it was parsecs away and still moving. So, instead he poured it back into the pool of energy he would need when dealing with those he would be facing soon. ”Why am I even attempting to talk to you, or tell you what my plans are, it’s not as if I am truly speaking to you but rather a recording you made.”

"Come now, Bernie," said Arb. "Our Master was a creator of Holocrons. What he knew, I - you - us - knew. As inevitably as sand in a timer... the Eye travels forward, and it sees." There was a flutter of a hologrammic hand. "Perhaps you forget how much you have forgotten," a dry chuckle.

His hologram pointed.

"I left the Black Holocron," said Arb. "You may want to work on it. It was nearly important, once upon a time... or perhaps, it would be important, one day."

"There is an Eye... did you ever wonder what it saw...?" Arb was not finished. "After all, it is easy enough to nudge a holocron across realities... rather than whole people..."

”We have all forgotten much, Arb.” Bernael growled out.

He reached out and the Black Holocron flew from where he had placed it, into his grasp. ”I am one of the few beings left that truly know the crafting of these things. But I will complete the mission, on my terms, not our Master’s. He saw much, his Eye sees much but not everything, as much as he tried.”

He chuckled, ”In case you missed our recent visitor, it is obvious that things can breach the walls of reality. But it wasn’t the first in recent days, the walls are getting thinner.”

Arb chuckled. "The walls are thin around this reality because it's new, Bernael."

"It's only thirty-three years old. We're in a pocket dimension, it's own story, an alternative universe that has a built-in expiry date. The Force will correct itself, and that means those of that are left..."

Arb crowed. "Will have some decisions to make."

The AI signed off, and that, well, was that.

If Bernael could reach through the holocron and throttle the annoying little....worm, he would have. But that simply wasn’t possible. He looked at the empty space for a few more minutes of silence as he thought. A shake of his head as he made a decision.

Turning to the pilot station, and the AI controlling it. ”Take us out of hyper at the first possible opportunity and reorient us to follow the signal of the drone, at a far enough distance to keep us out of sensing range of the Chosen One and the sensors of that massive fleet.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Senator Aryan Graul (Darth Skelm)
Indigo Tower, Coruscant

As soon as the live stream ended, Aryan turned and accepted a flute of champagne from the banquet table. He felt confident in what he had just achieved, the Force resonating with the positive energy of those he had spurred into action below. The citizenry was expectant and empowered to do their part, to serve him, and to arrange for the ultimate victory.

He did not need to listen to Senator Treen’s everlasting praise to know that his speech had been a resounding success. Nevertheless, he indulged her all the same, touching his glass to hers in a celebratory toast.

“She’s resilient, yes,” Aryan deduced around a sip of alcohol, replying to Treen’s colorful commentary on Chancellor Organa’s character. “But she will not risk political anarchy, not when her influence is waning. It’s a volatile environment; all it will take is one spark to ignite the flames of chaos. While that would certainly help our cause, I don’t believe she is that naive.” A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. “No, she will play the game by the rules. That’s why she will accept my request; she can’t afford not to. A refusal will signal to the people that she is not willing to compromise, that she is guilty of the accusations I brought against her.”

Treen turned toward the viewport, intent to push the conversation forward. “I have some plans for that, I must admit,” she murmured quietly, gesturing with her chin toward the Death Star looming large in Coruscant’s atmosphere.

Aryan rocked back on his heels as he studied her reflection in the transparisteel. Until this moment, he had only viewed the space station as a bargaining chip to sow doubt among the Chancellor’s followers. However, it was probably irresponsible to not have a comprehensive plan. It was the perfect tool to incite order, after all.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked in a gravelly tone, his brow lifting curiously.

“First,” Treen interjected, raising a finger to indicate the opposite viewscreen. “We do have an escape vessel for your allies, if it serves you that we should move on, or we should stand firm.”

She evaded his question, and while that typically would’ve provoked his anger, he now remained reticent. This was a momentous event for them, which likely accounted for her zealous behavior. She was eager to witness the rebirth of the Empire, and he could hardly fault her for that. He required more people within his inner circle who exhibited her kind of enthusiasm and competence.

For now, Aryan focused on her inquiry and reached out through the Force, searching for the elusive escape vessel she alluded to. It was barely perceptible due to its stealth technology, but it was there among the CSF transports, idling in wait for the Senator’s call. A soft scoff escaped his lips at this realization.

“You’re not taking any chances, are you?” he remarked with a sly glint in his eye. “I must admit, you have performed admirably during this initial phase, so if it behooves you to depart until I have concluded my business with the––”

A sudden surge blossomed within the Force, choking off his words in midsentence. It pulsed against his very soul, the thrill of the experience setting the hair on his arms and the back of his neck on edge. If he listened close enough, it even developed a voice, like an intimate lover whispering secrets into his ear.

It offered a promise.

Something or…someone was coming.

And they would ensure that he fulfilled his destiny.

A wicked grin spread over Skelm's features as he uttered a single phrase, “I’m ready.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Darth Zorn
The Battle of Exegol

Passing through the distant Nihil Retreat and tangle of the Red Nebula, the Millennium Falcon preceded the New Republic armada by a handful of light-minutes, but that was plenty of time in the middle of an engagement.

Lumpy roared as they arrived in alarm.

It was one thing to see a bit of footage of a Xyston-class Star Destroyer attacking his homeworld, and another to see tens of thousands of ships.

Pennant codes spoke of the names of many of them.

Tuk'ata, Silooth, Hydra, Terentatek, Rakghoul, Shambler, Devourer -

All names of ancient Sithspawn, given to massive hulking warships.

Many of them were high in orbit, clearly poised to deploy.



Rather than as in another reality, the armada was in low orbit save for two vessels, unable to bring their prodigious shields and weapons to bear, this Sith armada was half-deployed, and when the Falcon arrived, it was painted with around a thousand targeting locks.

Lumpy flicked circuit breakers and sensors, painting the locations of as many ships of possible so they could feed the details for the armada when it arrived. Raddus had briefed them via a data-message that they would likely be allowed to the surface, what with Darth Zorn's obsession with Anakin Skywalker, and they could feed the so-called Galactic Alliance warships with an early advantage.

He roared at Han to pilot, and Anakin watched the Sith fleet with growing concern.

This was massive.

It was far, far beyond his son to work upon... he had clearly inherited someone else's design...

He reasoned that it had to be Darth Sidious, as had been suggested.

It was terrifying.

Their sensors chimed; twelve TIE Daggers launched from a nearby Star Destroyer. Anakin keyed the internal comms. "Welcoming committee."

The TIEs began to fire before they were even in-range, clearly a force designed to harass the Millennium Falcon just for the sake of it.

The ground was not yet visible, because there were far too many Star Destroyers between them and the planet.

Lightning crackled; the world was almost cackling at them.

In a few moments, Anakin began returning fire.

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox (combo)
---
Five minutes later

The New Republic armada emerged en masse, Mon Calamari cruisers, Hapan Battle Dragons, Imperial Star Destroyers, Hutt warships, and more besides. Hundreds of capital ships supporting thousands upon thousands of escort warships, which immediately disgorged several million X-wings, A-9 Vigilances, Miy'til interceptors, TIE fighters and more. It was an impossibly large amount of ships cramming into orbit above Exegol.



A truly immense showing, and they opened fire a few seconds after arriving, unleashing a full barrage before the Sith armada was able to target them. A thousand Star Destroyers vanished in the first moments, and then the counter-barrage shattered back, crushing Galactic Alliance warships even as coordinated torpoedo and missile launches from the fight swarm caught up and impacted -

It was devolving into a full-blown brawl -

---
Shortly thereafter, minutes, essentially

There was a flash of pseudo-motion, and the Fury arrived, and indeed in short order Bernael's sensors were flooded with signals, and then again, was the Sith armada unleashed a storm of TIE Daggers into the battle, a swarm of screaming craft advancing on the Galactic Alliance fighters. There was a furious battle occurring, with more and more shattered Star Destroyers dropping into a lower orbit.

The Force rumbled with violence, and there were all manner of powerful Force users in play.

Darth Zorn, Anakin Skywalker, at very least, but others too.

The skies were full, it was impossible for the sensor systems to even ascertain what was in lower orbit, for the range of his scans was so reduced by the overwhelming amount of data and overlapping signals. The Force sang with chaos, but also opportunity, and the Anzati would have to decide where it would be, or go - because the Force also spoke of a path, and a place, where the Dark and the Light were about to truly, finally, clash.

There was almost no point that could be described as pivot, or fulcrum, just an infinite amount of moments of emotion, violence, and death.

There was another flicker; a pair of ships arrived just after him - and more -

After the Osik and Jerod's Skipray blastboat rendezvous with the medical frigate that remained in orbit. Owen met them, looking pale, and indeed hooked up to an IV that floated beside him on a small repulsor, and hugged the all behind before the child remained with them.

In short order, Ka'rta, Madelyn, Arthur, Tor and Jerod were heading to Exegol, following the armada that had preceded them. The combined Mandalorian forces followed, those that had headed to Kashyyyk, and those that had headed to Entralla, centred around the single Keldabe-class battleship the Death Watch had scrounged, with some two hundred support ships ranging from armed freighters to professionally outfitted-corvettes.

When they arrived, the enormity of it all was before them. It was impossible to decide precisely what threat they should prioritise.

Their contribution was like a drop in an ocean of violence, but Madelyn would have a tug in the Force to follow.

The confrontation between Light and Dark was about to take place beneath the lightning-filled clouds - there was a route, but it was between jagged violence, a hundred thousand points of red lasers burning against green.

A Xyston-class Star Destroyer in lower orbit received a transmission from the surface, and began to head up toward them, releasing some seventy TIE Daggers, but Osik's enhanced sensor suite, and indeed, the Fury's, could follow to the surface -

If they could make it!

TAG: @galactic-vagabond422, @TheSilentInfluence, @darthbernael
---
The depths

Beneath it all, he sat, within the Monolith temple, the upside down-pyramid construct of Sith statues, black-robed acolytes, mad science laboratories, dark side museums, and a single massive Throneroom of the Sith. A few kilometers away, there was a reinforced sensor tower which was guiding up the thousands of Xyston-class Star Destroyers that had yet to fully launch. There were many, many vessels in low orbit that were still unable to raise shields, unable to fire into the colossal battle for fear of hitting their own ships. That tower was protected by a legion of Sith Troopers and orbital weapons but was, for now, concealed far beneath the violence; if discovered, it would be a brilliant target...




Zorn didn't care about that, indolently leaning upon the Throne and paying minimal attention to the fate of the galaxy. The Sith spirits that whispered to him - Sadow, Kun, Ragnos, Locphet, Mindran, Sissiri, Felkor - he ignored their jibes, their praise, their snarls - and he reflected merely on the ghoul of Vergere, the self-proclaimed Darth Traya.

"Betrayal undoes even you, Skywalker. It always will."

Victory? Defeat?

It was immaterial to him.

That was for others to decide.

All he cared about was his father, who he merely sought to tease with death as an amusement, with no real intent.

Of course, it was very clear that there was not a single Eternal Fleet battlecruiser in the battle...

Where was the second of Darth Zorn's fleets?

TAG: No-One
---
IC: The Master of Masters
Indigo Tower, Coruscant

The cloaked ship met with the docking port in the middle of the stand-off as Shevu hurriedly consulted with the Chancellor. Senator Treen clucked with amusement as Coruscant Security was stymied by the simple power of a political statement. For a moment, no more ships were lifting from Coruscant, and instead paused, as if waiting for either Feyna to respond, or Skelm to announce what they were to do.

Balanced, they were, on a precipice.

The ship birthed a cloaked man, one who swept into the private area that the two of them occupied, bypassing the other Senators making their comm calls and plans and schemes and plots.

He was the Master of Masters, and carried himself with an air of solemnness.

"Darth Skelm, I have been tasked to provide some things to you," the stranger said, notwithstanding that Aryan would likely recognise him from the mirror on Ach-To, or perhaps not - it was fourteen years ago. He had in his hands a sceptre, and a small box. The sceptre appeared horned, reflective of an ancient Lord by the name of Marka Ragnos... who had, actually, appropriated the staff and modelled himself after it, and a non-descript box of wood that was no barely twice the size of a lightsaber hilt.


Scepter of Ragnos, pictured

"So," the man said, without aplomb. "I have been tasked as the delivery boy for the man who has - or is about to - have everything."

He sounded pretty wry, almost amused.

"This," he hefted the Scepter. "Is an ancient artefact that enables you to drain Force-strong sites, and re-channel that into others, even yourself..." he hefted the box, voice pitched in the same tone. "This includes a lightsaber, an important item that Lord Zorn has bequeathed upon you... and a concoction that you are required to inject when you have obtained an infusion of Force sensitive blood... and have performed a heinous act."

He continued on, Treen entranced by his words as if hypnotised.

"The ritual cannot be completed without a death, without the blood, and an embrace of the dark."

He bowed, presenting both.

Indeed, he spoke the truth of both things in his hand, and the three items.

A Scepter, a silver-and-chromium short-hilted lightsaber, and a vial and injector combination.

"With it, you will have command of what even now arrives in orbit."

Indeed, it was here; the Eternal Fleet battlecruisers absent from the Battle of Exegol were here.

They were idle, holding position, waiting for orders.



It was perfectly staged.

Whatever damage the armada had taken at the Battle of Kashyyyk... it didn't do anything for the impressiveness of their numbers.

With the galaxies fleets at Exegol... it seemed inevitable that they were in trouble.

Treen's eyes widened in awe, and in joy, and she bowed to Skelm. "I shall lead the Senators and officers we have loyal to take the Death Star prototype for us, your Majesty, and our Empire will be complete and announced." With that, she went to go.

It was looking bad for the galaxy.

The black-coat did nothing but bow his head.

TAG: @HanSolo29

TAG: @JediMasterAnne, @HanSolo29, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @TheSilentInfluence, @darthhelinith, @BobaMatt (combos to continue)

 

IC Bernael
Battle engaged, Exegol

The same instant the Fury erupted from hyper, the stealth, finally fully restored, enveloped the ship. However, even without, Bernael doubted that anyone would notice him in this furball. His screen was nothing but a mass of sensor readouts and that was just the surface of the fight. There were so many craft in orbit that his sensors couldn’t penetrate more than a third of the way to the surface.

His senses, however, were relaying their own mass of information, death, chaos, destruction, souls evaporating with no chance for him to use them. But he too had to cloak himself, reducing the presence the Eye had finally released, to that of what could be considered just a normal being, as a star as bright as his would immediately be noticed by any Force user present, especially the two he sensed below, Anakin and Zorn.

The part of him that was the Dark Side itself sang in joyous harmonies at the chaos, but also instructed, planting the ideas for a course through the chaos, to the surface in his mind. His eyes surveyed the course, surveyed the chaos and realized one other, important point. This wasn’t Zorn’s entire fleet….

A smile, from the depths of Darkness, crossed his face at that, knowing that even if the Alliance succeeded, he would have something salvageable from this, a fleet, and possibly more, that could be recovered, used in his crusade. Which meant one thing, the end of Zorn.

Behind him, as he began his run, more ships emerged from hyper, with that distinctive feel of the warrior to them, the Mandalorians. A nod, of course they wanted revenge at what Zorn had done, but it just furthered the chaos. A chuckle, more chaos, more opportunity.

The weapons systems had been prepped, half the systems set to deliver ordinance of the kind that ships of the Alliance would fire, the other half that of what Imperials would typically fire. He nodded, as the Fury began it’s bucking, twisting, diving run toward the surface. He bounced from conflict point to conflict point as he descended.

Here he passed between a Republic frigate and a Star Destroyer, firing a salvo at both, timing it so that his weapons left their launchers to intermix with the payloads delivered by both sides, his weapons and ship hidden as he slipped by. There, he nearly grazed a Mon Calamari cruiser as his weapons spat Republic missiles at the SD it was targeting.

Again and again, he passed closely to little conflicts hidden among the larger, assisting neither side, but firing on both, increasing the chaos and violence, making both sides rip each other apart even more vehemently. The entire time, he followed the path the Dark Side had provided, skimming through the gaps, spinning and twisting to avoid fire from both sides. His shields stopped most of the incoming fire from the craft around him but occasional laser blasts skimmed the hull, shrapnel from exploding craft rang against it, missiles in flight caused the Fury to jink and sway with their passage.

And then he was through it, into the relative quiet under the battle. Fighters still soared around him, arcing and looping in their attack runs, smaller capital craft used the atmosphere to hide for moments before attacking, the remaining SDs used it to bombard the undersides of the Alliance fleet, but it was not as crowded as it had been above.

Part of that, of course, was due to the nature of Exegol’s atmosphere itself, the roiling clouds, the arcing lightning, the interference from it that made coordinating a battle so difficult at that level. He used every advantage he could to get the Fury down to the surface. Finally he broke through the lowest layers of the clouds, spotting what had to be the Temple. He set the Fury down, still stealthed, a decent distance away, as he was sure others would be trying to join the ‘party’ inside.

Slipping his chameleon cloak over his armor, he ensured his kukri, daggers, a few other surprises, and his sabers were in place, before using his natural camouflage to disappear from sight. Dropping out of his ship, he felt the Dark Side crowing, felt the abundance of its energy inside and knew he would soon find things of just as much interest as Zorn in that massive structure.

He squared his shoulders against the wind, rain, and lightning pounding in the open and began to approach the Temple.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Grand Admiral Thrawn
Starkiller Base, surface

It was, of course, a snow-world, as Ilum had always been. Far enough away from the twin-suns of the solar system to be cold, the three Jedi would land the shuttle without interruption or issue, which of course was curious in and of itself as they hadn't known precisely where they were to go... and one would have expected them to be approached.

BB-8 beeped his concern to Renn, confirming that his scans were being jammed and so he couldn't put together a technical readout, but also that another Imperial Star Destroyer had arrived in orbit; the Chimaera. The Force was girdled with threat, and a trio of shuttles escorted by four TIE fighter launched, clearly heading towards them.

The Force however, for Leia, it was calling her; her crystal was not far from here.

They had speeder bikes, a small cache of munitions (nothing special), and a heading, if Leia spoke up to Vhardia, but they clearly were on a limited timer... The comm beeped, and BB-8 confirmed it was from the lead shuttle, though there were two channels in use. The droid looked to them as to whether they would answer, or just go, or, splitting their numbers, do both.

Thrawn watched and steepled his fingers, calculating.

He'd ensured they had no way to ascertain which parts of the Starkiller Base were key, not without entering one of the various facilities and exposing themselves to even more risk.

They had no way off-world, of course; he'd ordered the lock-down of the shuttle now they were on-world. Even their astromech would be unable to override it. It had taken time to ensure this was done; the trip they had taken heading down the surface had been all he required.

He had the complete record of what was supposed to be aboard the shuttle, so he knew about the speeders, the munitions...

All he needed to do was narrow down their options.

One-by-one.

He waited for them to answer... or to not.

Either way, he had made his opening plays, and they were not going to be able to commandeer the Fel Defender now they had left it, nor use a dogfight to escape into hyperspace.

How they responded would simply tell him how many Jedi he was facing.

TAG: @TheSilentInfluence, @darthhelinith, @darthbernael
---
IC: Beaumont Kin
Kuna's Tail

They decanted where Pascale had told them to, an otherwise nondescript world in the Modell Sector. He called it up, and named it. "Kuna's Tail, with a note that it's also named Sarafur..." Beaumont tapped, frowning. "It's the only world in the Kuna star cluster with a second name, and I can't immediately see why."

"But it was mentioned by the Shistavenen legends that the Alsakani Dark Jedi who fled with the Tessent came here..." Beaumont was still chewing over pursuing a Dark Jedi legend rather than the Aldera Guard one. "I don't know, Qwi. It seems like a long shot."

He tapped the sensors, and not a moment before an entry caught his eye, hyperspace deposited one of the Kintan Gunrunner's ships. "Qwi!" They had followed them here, and even if the Mandalorian had secured the Razor Crest back from the Blood Carver, the Gunrunner's were still an issue.

Beaumont suddenly recognised one of the constructs.



"A Killik mound?" Beaumont looked surprised. "We never see them off Alderaan..."

He tapped more buttons...

"Though I believe there was a Jedi Temple concealed in one on..."

He paid no heed to the attackers, absorbed in his work.

"Lothal?"

Qwi would feel her reflexes heightened by the Echo as the first lasers cut at space -

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox (combo)
---
IC: Dr Pershing
Battle of, Exegol, laboratories



https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/s...rnal-DB.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20200319155905

Doctor Pershing patted at the blood on his shirt, rolling his mouth as if he was unable to speak.

As Bernael swept upon the area, he would see it full of all many of dead and wounded acolyte, many with their lives winking out.

The man could only think of the room as it had been, because to see it as it was now, full of broken machines, spilled vats, and bloodied corpses, was too much for the admittedly mild mannered man. When it was just science, he could focus on his work.

But had he paid much attention to the mutterings of Yupe Tashu and the other acolytes?

Not really, no.

How was he to know that the projects they had worked upon were not permitted by the Dark Lord?

That when Darth Zorn returned to Exegol after a year in meditation hunting his father, he would slaughter them and destroy what they had created?

There was no way.

All Pershing could do was look at the shadow... at the Anzati, his intellectual mind realised, and mutter, hesitatingly. "Who - Who are you?"

TAG: @darthbernael (combo)
---
IC: Lumpawaroo
Aboard the Millennium Falcon, heading back into orbit

The great battle above them was a cacophony of violence, with more and more Xyston-class Star Destroyers joining the fray. There were New Republic, Hapan and Imperial fighters breaching the fighter screen to attack the lower ships, but only a handful were harmed.

Indeed, after the initial surge, the Galactic Alliance armada was struggling to handle the Sith battlecruisers, which by and large, ship-for-ship, outgunned them in one at a time engagements. The Mon Calamari designs stretched their shields out to protect the lesser ships, and indeed the Hutt warships had incredible armour but the Hapan Battle Dragons were fragile, focused on incredible forward assaults, much like the Bothan Assault Cruisers and Starhawk designs. Imperial ships were great all-rounders, which made them susceptible to specialised warships, or simply ones which were bigger.

So there was a pattern emerging, but one which simply meant they were losing out as more and more Sith ships inevitably headed into orbit.

That made the tower on Exegol's surface even more important... and was why two AT-ATs with red trim wandered around it, and about forty TIE Daggers were circling it. As Lumpy watched, the group stayed there, holding position and simply mass-firing upon the enemy. A whole Xyston-class Star Destroyer hung in a protective position above, even though it had no engines or shields up.

The transmissions were being tracked, of course, but the Galactic Alliance simply had it's hands full.

Lumpy rumbled, tapping at a group of ships that were not yet fully dedicated; a motley group of Mandalorians.

He eyed Han, mimicking that the man had a charisma to call them.

Of course, there was a Sith Star Destroyer heading towards the group, but Madelyn Linnett and Ka'rta would know that knocking out one Star Destroyer wouldn't help.

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @TheSilentInfluence, @galactic-vagabond422 (singles please, but replies needed this round)

TAG: @BobaMatt (combo to continue)

TAG: @JediMasterAnne, @HanSolo29 (Coruscant combos to continue)