First Reply All Roads

[Auteme]

Somewhere in Alliance space​

The fact that the passenger liner was less than half full was, perhaps, a sign that her course was less than perfectly safe. The Indulgent was among the few vessels still heading into the Core, many others having been commandeered by the Alliance in recent days to bring people out instead; even then, there were only about a hundred people aboard, plus crew, which was mostly droids.

Not without benefits, of course; cheaper fare, a full booth at the back to herself, and fewer people who might recognize her, though as time passed she tended to worry less about that. She hadn't been to Alliance space in close to two years; the pace of the nation left her behind, so she was free to do as she liked.

No, perhaps not; she was being drawn back. At first she thought it was Solipsis, but that thread had gone slack, no longer binding her as it had. The Force had other plans.

There was a slight jolt as the Indulgent reverted to realspace, hyperspace lines returning to static motes of light. She sat up, a little confused; they shouldn't have been due at their destination for at least another hour, but she'd lost track of time a little as they travelled. She looked around in the dark of space, and then down the aisle.

Maybe it's a routine re-route, given the conditions of the Planeshift. Maybe they've been stopped or pulled out of hyperspace. Maybe they've arrived, and Auteme lost track of time. Maybe you're aboard. Maybe you're not. Do your thing.

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

It was no accident that they had reverted to real space.

An Old School Interdictor Cruiser's gravity well had been active on the Hyperspace Lane. Within seconds, Tractor Beams had locked into the Passenger Liner.

It had no markings. It was not Alliance Military. Nor was It anything the Empire would currently use. It was a powerful vessel all the same, more than a match for a simple liner.

A single transmission buzzed to the Liner's comms, from a heavily synthesized electronic voice.

"Attention, Liner, this is the military vessel Kenobi's Aegis, requesting permission to send a shuttle to dock with your vessel. We are not a pirate ship, and your lives are not in danger. But we believe there is something very dangerous aboard your vessel, and we must send a search team aboard to find it." came the transmission to the vessel Auteme was currently on.

"I repeat, your lives are not in danger from us. We are not your enemy."

 

[Auteme]

Pirates, surely! Captain Kelm ordered the bridge to get everything back online, as their systems were still reeling from the sudden interdiction. What a farce, he thought. Calling themselves "Kenobi's Aegis" -- transparently an attempt to get them to lower their guard, using a Jedi's name like that! He slammed the comm, "Kenobi's Aegis, this is the Indulgent. Release your tractor lock immediately and deactivate your interdiction field. This vessel is protected under Alliance law. And- what military are you supposed to be part of?"

A sharper man might have thought twice for a different reason -- the power disparity was so significant between a cruiser and a passenger liner, there wouldn't be much need for pirates to lie about their reasons for wanting to board. Kelm, however, reconsidered only because of the authority with which the electronic voice spoke; he was one of those deeply annoying people, who went with whatever the last person said.

As they came under the shadow of the Aegis, Kelm spoke again -- "What, ah, is this something dangerous aboard? Our security measures are very thorough, you know."

Auteme, for her part, stared curiously out, only catching a glimpse of the cruiser's rear from her viewport at the liner's back.

Nathan Bloodscrawl ​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"I fully recognize you are under protection from Alliance Law, Captain Kelm. But I am afraid I cannot do as you ask until you let us aboard..." The voice said. "And I imagine your security normally is quite thorough. But not against the danger that is aboard your vessel..."

A single Starfighter that resembled a normal TIE but absolutely wasn't was launched out of the hangar.

Their transmissions were jammed instantly.

"Captain Kelm, that is a state of the art Starfighter jamming your communications and is armed with Ion Pulse Missiles. I give the order, and it will fire one to overload your systems. Unless you want to spend quite some time out here fixing the ship, I suggest you comply and let us aboard. We desire neither your lives or your valuables. We are quite well off, I assure you." the disguised electronic voice said. "Think, Captain. If I was a pirate...why would I waste time talking to you? This ship has more than enough weapons to force your compliance with me uttering a word. Now quit being thick and allow my team to board. This will all be over very quickly if you do."

The fighter flew by the windows. The Cruiser hung silent over the liner.

"Either I enter politely by shuttle or I enter by tactical breaching pod. The choice is yours. You have ten seconds to make up your mind."

Next to Auteme 's area of the ship one of the passengers could be heard whispering.

"That ship...it's one of many. A Relic from ancient conflicts. I saw one in action once. Took on a bloody Star Destroyer and won..." the passenger muttered quietly.

 

[Auteme]

The mention of his own name shook the captain, enough that he started to believe the voice on the other line. One of the crew began to protest, but Kelm told him to zip it.

“Ahem- copy, Aegis. You are, erm, welcome aboard- what, ah, is the danger you’re looking for?” he asked nervously.

Auteme had suspected as much — she didn’t know a whole lot about ships, but she didn’t recognize the cruiser as anything Alliance, Sith, or Imperial. Stopped by a third party; not pirates, they weren’t attacking, or they were playing a strange game. Curiousity, or perhaps some sense of danger, drew her out of her seat; she headed towards the front of the ship moments before the captain came over the intercom telling the passengers to stay in their seats. Her pace quickened.

Nathan Bloodscrawl ​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"You'll know once I'm aboard. Expect me in five minutes. I'll meet you at the Hangar. Aegis out."

Communication promptly cut.

Four minutes and thirty seconds later...


A Stock Lambda, colored in deep crimson, streaked out of the ancient cruiser to land in the Liner's small hangar.

The ramp to it hissed open and the crew hesitated as a man in strange, horned black armor with an odd symbol on the torso, an old, worn looking lightsaber dangling from his belt, flanked by two women who looked and were dressed exactly the same as well as a four man squad of what appeared to be Clone Troopers with red markings on their Phase 1 Armor, armed with old school DC-15 Carbines stepped out.

The bridge crew had come out to meet this mysterious figure. Upon seeing him in the black armor and lightsaber, they were immediately frozen in fear.

"First Crewman Leni Baris, Navigation Officer Colm Medra, Comms Officer Danny Bridgeton. Pilot Damien Thriessmin, former Alliance Fighter Pilot, Flight Manager and Chief Attendant Drizz Tygr, Captain Reginald Kelm..." the horned figure who looked like a boogeyman's nightmare said in his heavily disguised electronic tone before fixing on The Flight Manager, the one who checked off that passengers boarded.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm a ghost..." the strange individual said, walking up to the nervous Flight Manager, a portly human man with a balding scalp who shrank back in fear.

"And allow me to reassure you that I am not here to harm or kill innocent people. But the thing I am after isn't innocent.

The 'Ghost' held up a small, miniature holoprojector that depicted the features of a beautiful young Twi'lek woman with pink skin.

"This woman. She's on this flight. I know it. Don't bullchit me." The Ghost warned.

"Alorya Saadmi... she's in row six. What...what do you want with her?"

"I have bad news. She's been dead for about three months right now. She's the danger of which I spoke to your captain about. Please take me to her."

The crew had never imagined they would be in a situation where they actually might have been less nervous dealing with a Sith; This individual was a complete and total unknown. He was not Jedi. Wasn't a Sith. Wasn't Alliance. Wasn't Imperial. Wasn't even a pirate.

He was an unknown. And that which is unknown can be especially frightening.

The terrified attendant began to lead him but he gestured to Kelm to walk with him.

"Now, Reggie...I can call you Reggie, right? I do sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. I have a distaste for all this cloak and dagger stuff myself, but it's quite necessary in my line of work. You see--you have a monster aboard. A dangerous shapeshifter that consumes and imitates its victims as it's specialty." The Ghost said to Captain Kelm as the crew followed him. "After I have dealt with the monster...my men will sweep the vessel looking for any surprises this creature left. They often leave...pieces of themselves. I couldn't tell you over comms because it might have been listening..."

Upon entering the passenger cabin, the Ghost's presence immediately terrified the passengers.

The Ghost held up his hands. "Everyone, I apologize for interrupting your journey. Remain in your seats, please keep your hands where they can be seen by my team. I'm not after your lives or your valuables. As long as you remain calm and cooperate, we should be out of your hair in about fifteen minutes. If anyone attempts to move or leave their seats, my men will have no choice but to stun you."


Auteme

 

[Auteme]

"You should sit down-" the Twi'lek pulled her aside to one of the deeper booths, a little more secluded. Auteme wasn't the only one standing -- some other passengers had crowded around the windows on one side of the ship to get a better view of the other ship, some exclaiming they saw a shuttle. The more adventurous followed some of the crew who'd gone towards the small service hangar to the liner's port. The crew, of course, had repeated the prior message to

So pulled she was; a girl half her age, with a classic Twi'lek allure- no, that wasn't it. She was pretty, yes, but the way she looked at Auteme said something else. At first she thought the girl might've recognized her, but this look was different. The Twi'lek sat, finally releasing Auteme's arm. "They, um, said to sit."

"Mm. Any idea what's going on?"

Auteme had picked up the basics from an earlier visit to Manaan's Order of Shasa -- a sense for deception beyond even a Jedi's. The Twi'lek's "No," fired off alarms in every corner of her mind.

"Hm." Another look to the girl, trying to place her. She didn't feel... real? As though she were a person, stripped of context.

"I- um- sorry," she said, seemingly reading Auteme's suspicion. "I- I need your help." The shy-vulnerable act was good.

Too good.

"With what?"

The girl just stared -- and then Auteme placed the look. It was hunger.

The Twi-lek leapt at her, only to be slapped into the aisle. She rolled, bent strangely, then ran on all fours away. Auteme took a step in pursuit -- but then something rumbled behind her.

A suitcase, under the girl's prior seat, jumped on its own.

Nathan Bloodscrawl ​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"Chit." The Ghost swore as his target tried to attack Auteme in a secluded booth before the former Chancellor fended her off and who then tried to pursue, getting in The Ghost's way as his target tried to escape

"Don't move!" He yelled at Auteme while he teleported in front of his fleeing quarry, hand emitting a strong aura of Force Light that caused the creature to screech in agony, instantly catching fire as her stolen form vanished to reveal the default form of a Basic Cultist of The Cult of The Brain Demon , a white Catsuit clad woman slowly breaking down into a mess of white blood and decayed looking yellow organs.

The Healers immediately cast a protective shielding spell over Auteme and everyone immediately nearby as it tried to jump towards her.

The Clones fired with pinpoint accuracy at the case blasting it open and...a detached face with no eyes, a copy of the Cultist 's victim, grew thin tendrils and tried to leap for one of the Healer's, who immediately blasted it with Force light as The Ghost caught it with telekinesis, burning it up with an application of Force light that made the silent, bubbling, screaming face burn to dust in purple flames seconds later.

The crew was panicking and one of the Fett Clones ordered every one to stay in their seats, firing a stun blast into the air as a warning as some started to panic.

The Ghost walked up to Auteme.

"Sonavaschutta...looks like we found the beast's target..." The Ghost remarked placidly, turning to his team.

"Sweep the ship, top to bottom... shielding spells at all times. You see anything that looks out of place, shoot it." The Ghost said as the now dead Cultist continued to break down behind him into a rotting mess, traced of its very strong and rotting Dark Side Aura detectable to Auteme 's senses.

The Ghost turned to face Auteme again.

"Auteme Denko-Durren, Former Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Alliance and Jedi. Visited the Order of Shasa in the past I believe. Probably what saved your life. Even I didn't know you were aboard..." The Ghost admitted as his team cautiously, slowly swept the vessel, two clones staying behind to keep order with the passengers.

"The Force favors you, it seems. The Cult of The Brain Demon was likely watching you for months, looking for the opportunity. If it had absorbed you it would have been able to channel your personality and memories for its own ends. Your closest loved ones might not have been able to tell anything was wrong...until the fake you would have started murdering them. You wouldn't have even known you were dead. You'd be existing one minute, then you would be put away like a coat in a closet. You'd have been that Cultist's little black dress..." The Ghost emphasized.