Among the Dead (FO Dominion of the Dead Nebula and Vortusa)

[4ND-R0]

Location: Orbit of Virsun, Space Station, Training Section
Objective: Testing simulation protocols in training via participation in the simulated wargames.
Allied Forces: First Order | [member="Rolf Amsel"] | [member="Asharad Graush"]
Enemy Forces: Opposing squad in simulation
Post: 03

1313 was fairly impressed by the squad as they operated. No chatter. No quips. Silent and and effecient. He could almost relate to this outfit of stormtroopers. He followed behind Rolf as they moved along the right side of the arena, providing rear cover for the commanding officer. The cyborg trooper was thankful so far that none of his surrogate squad had fallen yet. He was not as good as Rolf when it came to come under quick cover. His bulky armor was made to function more like a juggernaut, not like a stealth operative, thus making him far more cumbersome with such actions. He turned an scanned ahead. The enemy's flanking was shorter on their end, but still out of range for a good shot. The cybernetic trooper's mind raced and made a strategy from his youthful years as a cadet up until the point he was outfitted with the technology was in mechanical symbiosis with.

"Commander." He got Rolf's attention,"Suggestion. Two time it. A team of two of us goes ahead, drawing initial fire from the enemy. Second team drops in behind first team and gives them hell. Enemy focus is split, causing confusion."

It was a thought. He would occasionally peer out from cover and fire off a couple of stunning rounds before returning under cover with the commander. His respirator was going quicker. Instead of the slow, eerie breaths that had been heard earlier, it was a series of sounds: ho-presh..ho-presh...ho-presh. It was an exhilarating feeling to be out on the battlefield again, even if one that was made up in a training simulation of the real thing. He kept his eyes trained to occasionally read out information that was processed out on his HUD. So far so good. The battlefield even reminded him of a distant, but fond memory. His old squad-mates in the training academy, forging a bond in simulations and real battles. Begone days. He ducked out of cover and fired a few rounds before slinking back undercover, still awaiting for his proxy commanding officer to give him an order. That's what he was born and indoctrinated for. To obey the orders of others and carry them out, like a good soldier.

 

[Progflaw99]

-----
Location: Orbit of Virsun, Space Station, Training Section
Primary Objective: 1. Defend against the attacking squad in the combat simulator.
Secondary Objective: 2. Aid in systems facility testing and avoid the "Big Red Button".
Allied Forces: First Order | [member="Asharad Graush"] | [member="FN-1313"]
Enemy Forces: Incoming Squad, "Hotel Squad", 16 12 Troopers
Post 5 of 25
-----

Rolf grit his teeth, perspiration slowly soaking into the cloth beneath his armor. 1313 had been taking shots as they'd progressed which wasn't quite was he was hoping for, the enemies attention now drawn. Right now, he was hunched over behind one of the arena's obstacles, stun bolts peppering the other side of the panel. He needed to break the enemy's concentration if they were to progress any farther... but he wasn't going to be able to do that. They'd taken a casualty atop the central peak, his shoulder getting hit by an enemy stun bolt as he'd sprinted to the top. Only losing one so far, he supposed they were doing well. The enemy was already a full fire-team short on their side, a mere 12 remaining. As another flurry of stun bolts flew over where he was hunched, he grinned. 1313 may not have grasped the strategy entirely, as he was better equipped for a frontal assault, but that gave Rolf an idea. He opened a short range com-link to his squad.

:: FT4, hold. FT's central, sweep forward, right. Assault on my mark. ::

Rolf had an idea, and if they performed it in sync, the enemy stood no chance at victory. Rolf rose, his blaster barrel sneaking over the edge of the cover and firing as he brought his sights to bear on the closest enemy position. He hoped 1313 would fire as well, the rapid increase in fire volume coming from their position a distraction from the other fireteams. A sharp clatter caught his attention, the sound of metal on metal sending his mind into a rush. Grenade. Someone had thrown a grenade. He lowered himself, but not in time. The flash grenade erupted in a ball of light, the explosion scoring his retinas. It was then that time slowed, his mind began processing things at an increased rate. His eyesight had been temporarily taken from him, but... he could see. Not in a conventional sense, but he could feel them. He could sense their hearts racing, the enemy thought they were winning, that he could tell. Now was the time to strike.

:: Mark. ::

His voice was calm, level and even as he spoke. His eyes still blinded he rose, his mind's eye painting a picture for his inhibited body. One squeeze of the trigger on his blaster, an enemy was knocked to the ground by a stun bolt. Three return bolts scorched the air as they passed him, now he was vaulting the small cover he'd been hiding behind. As his feet touched the deck, a cacophony of blasts could be heard coming from the other soldiers, their fire causing the enemy to duck behind cover, which is exactly what Rolf wanted. He had the advantage now, he was in motion, his eyes slowly recovering as he traversed the small arena. Like something out of a holo-vid, he rushed the bunker where at least five of the enemy had ducked down behind. He felt it then, as he had before a small ember emanating from within himself.

Left foot. Right foot. Whoosh. Left foot. Right foot. Whoosh.

And then he was upon them. The small ember, in the space of several seconds, had gone from a small spark to a raging inferno. He felt alive, truly alive. Had his enemies been anything but fellow troopers at that moment, they would not be. His blaster barrel snuck over the edge of the bunker wall. He squeezed the trigger long, and hard, the blaster repeatedly firing into the five soldiers inside. He heard their yells of pain and surprise, exciting him all the more. He let out a carnal roar as he finished them off, then vaulting over that obstacle he landed inside. He'd taken out five of their soldiers in one assault. Normally that would be half of a standard squad for the First Order, but today it was lightly less. Their ranks had been inflated slightly due to the influx of workers, but that didn't matter to him. He could taste the defeat on the air, the remaining enemy soldier's assault now shattered. His vision had returned now, his mind not even attempting to process what had just happened. It had felt so natural, his body almost acting in its own as he'd stormed the bunker. It was as if he knew he was going to make it, unharmed.

He turned, hoping to see that 1313 had followed him, his tabs on the trooper lost as he'd assaulted. Now they controlled the two high points, and all they had to do was sweep up the rest. He once more activated his com link.

:: We have their bunker. FT's flank right and left, we'll pick them off from here as you push them into the open. ::

He grinned. It had worked. The counter-assault had worked. Now he just needed to end this. He turned to 1313 before speaking once more as he prepared to stand up.

"Ready? This is your chance, we're going to assault in the open as they are pushed from their cover by the flanks. Should be just your thing."

​He waited for the hybrid to initiate their maneuver.

 

[Visser Chernykh]

12/22
In orbit over Vortusa

His eyes opened again. He blinked against the bright lights overhead. Consciousness remained after a few moments. His vision swam as he went to turn his head too quickly.

He breathed deeply to dispel the nausea. A med droid quickly came to his side. It'd noted the spike in it's patient's vitals. "Please remain still, sir," came the calm synthetic voice.

"Where am I?," Mael Ren said in a husky whisper. His throat was parched.

"You're in orbit over Vortusa, sir, aboard the Snoke's Wisdom."

Mael let out a long breath. He'd made it. Relief flooded in to replace to disbelief. He'd thought death certain in the tunnels of the cave.

"Water. Bring me water."

 

[Davin Jusik]

Location: Orbit of Virsun, Space Station, Training Section
Objective: Observe war games
Allied Forces: [member="FN-1313"] @Rolf Amsel @Asharad Graush
Enemy Forces: None
Post: 01

Amin stood in an observation terminal that ran parallel to the area where the troopers below were participating in a simulation of sorts. His hand and eyes worked in synchronicity as he jotted down notes in his datapad. To a casual onlooker, Amin would appear to be a slightly nosy civilian, maybe someone's son or a captain of industry, but to the trained eye Amin was the Devil. With his casual demeanor, less than officious clothing, and a badge on his belt that identified him as a member of the FOSB. The Field Agent had been ordered briefly to help supervise the construction in system as a security adviser of sorts, with the mission technically being to watch for saboteurs or treasonous behavior. Thus far the assignment had been incredibly boring. Bringing all of the excitement of a sightseeing tour of an industrial center.

It had brought slight entertainment though. This had been his first interaction with his former Stormie comrades as an open member of the FOSB, and their reactions after discovering his association. Not that any of them knew his name, but a member of his organization wandering about tended to drive a cold fear into anyone who had a hint of doubt where their loyalties lay. Since he'd mostly spent his time menacing Stormies by accident the Agent had taken it upon himself to start a little pet project.

So he watched. He waited. Eyeing the more aggressive trooper with a particular interest. The leaping over walls bit brought some nostalgia and a chuckle from him.

 

[Saffron]

PharmaTech
Vortusa
| 1 |

---

"No one has heard hide or hair about the Queen in ages." the low murmur came from Saffron's right. The blonde was currently sitting in the lounge of a PharmaTech Facility. Vortusa was rich in agriculture, and in that provided a venue for another Biodome to produce and enhance agriculture. Morodin and Ithorian employees were steadily continuing increasing output, and in that provided a wealth of new enhanced botanicals for PharmaTech's production.

However, with the continuing spread of First Order in the Outer Rim, ATC knew that it had to be mindful of just what were their limitations. While they were a neutral entity, they were still subject to the needs and demands that are given by the First Order. As long as the conglomerate worked in conjunction with the growing government, then no issues should arise.

"Rumor has it that she disappeared after her marriage." a slight frown drew over Saffron's brow at that.

"Marriage?" she queried, looking up from her stack of handpainted Sabacc cards. The young woman used them as a medium for a form of Cartomancy.

"Yes. And after the Lords of the Fringe melted into the shadows... well... not much has happened here. Mores the pity. Perhaps the First Order may be able to set up some form of order, no?"

Saffron quietly took one card, flipping it over. The Eight of Flasks. Change and transition.

"Indeed."

 

[Ria Misrani]

Location: Voris, Vortusa; Chiss Quarter
Allies: [member="Sentiri"]
Enemies: Soon™
Objective: #3 It's Just A Moon, Kids.
Posts: 2 // ??

Mr. Orentho sat playing his part of 'diplomatic aide,' feeling as if this Murrik needed to be taught a few lessons from Chiss Intelligence. Keeping his expression neutral he lets the two of them prattle on. The delegate-elect was certainly your run of the mill xenophobic Chiss, and at least this made Orentho proud. He couldn't say the same for his superior, although he had to admire her - well, she had admirable traits he was sure. She was a Chiss, she had to, and as she kept the other man rambling. Orentho side-stepped just to the left ensuring he was out of Murrik's view before disappearing all together heading toward a kiosk.

The kiosk was fairly ordinary, just somewhere - where you'd get your location, perhaps a few numbers. Read on the delegation, read about the Chiss and get directions to a few transport and taxi locations. Here he could hear the conversations from those around him throughout the Quarter. While at the kiosk he slipped in a listening device and then turned in the direction his superior and the delegate had headed in. He'd accidently bump into a few people, again, his role was to be lowly, and perhaps clumsy. If clumsy leads to his excusing himself and performing a sleight of hand to grab at their pockets then sure, he was clumsy.

One could learn plenty about a person, or people from the contents of their pockets. Wallets he poured through and dumped auspiciously into random places. By this point, Sentiri was already well inside the Chiss Quarter's delegate office or embassy as the Ascendancy would always claim them to be. Using his badge he was able to get into the office, at least as far as the foyer where a secretary was. From there he charmed his way around the desk. "Thank you so much, I just, I just have to get these reports out to the Ascendancy on the First Order, my boss will be so mad, and is that a new lotion?"

"Oh this? No, but it's a lovely scent! It's called Successful Blue, for the inner Ruler in you." She quoted the commercial and of course, Orentho stuck his hand out and looked at her. "Oh well now, I'll just have to try and did you hear about Cyntine? She's gonna be back to singing, and just - did you see her body?"

"I did! I cannot believe she had twins, she doesn't look like she's had any children at all, and so fast!"

"Girl," Orentho leaned back, "you know she had surgery, there's no way, with twins? Oh no."

"You think so?"

He brushed his hands together, "of course, now how do I get this on here?"

"Oh, you poor thing! Here, let me help."

As she leaned over in front of him to help, Orentho slipped another listening device beneath the desk. Continuing the conversation, he adjusted his comm to get feedback on the listening device from the kiosk. So he could hear the conversations from around it, and then refocused his attention on the secretary.

 

[Samka Derith]

Post 5
Name: Samka Derith; undercover as Lissanna Phyron
Objective: 3. Native Issues
Allies: The First Order
Enemies: -
Location: The Fortress, capitol of Cir, Dead Nebula system


"I'm your... hostage?" Sam blinked and took a couple of steps towards Regi. He was standing about two meters away holding himself in a wary manner. "There must be some mistake, R-Regi."

"No mistake. I'm sorry. Whatever the First Order is building out there... it's not good news for our people. It has to go if we're to survive."

"Very well," Sam's voice lowered dangerously, "I wanted to be certain." She channelled her energy away from concealment and towards combat causing her eyes to revert back from their natural brown to the faded red of dark side corruption.

Regi's own eyes widened with horror as he caught the small yet meaningful transformation. "What the-"

He was interrupted and sent flying across the room by a blast from Samka's Force Push. He hit the statue of the founder's colony ship with a sickening crunch. Sam pulled her saber from under her dress, it had been in a holster strapped to her leg, and turned to face Regi's hired help. Two gamorreans, a porcine species which seemed to exist solely to provide dumb muscle. Sam's crimson blade ignited and she gave it a short twirl in her hands, an intimidating gesture to signify her elegant control over the weapon. The gamorreans seemed confused at first, evidently unprepared for this teenage girl to be a dark Force user but one of them soon rushed forward, swinging his axe in wildly, while his partner took a more cautious role attempting to move to Sam's rear while she was distracted. It was simple enough to dodge with some footwork but she needed to take care not to be outflanked.

Oh it has been too long. A sadistic grin lit up on the young Ren's face as she gracefully dodged her enemy's attack. The darker side of her personality had taken over now and it was begging for a quick kill. Sam fired off a bolt of lightning from her free hand directly into the first gamorrean's face. The attack should have left him temporarily blind and he staggered backwards squealing. The second gamorrean now jumped into the fray to cover his wounded partner. Then you shall die first.

The gamorrean swung his axe sideways and Sam rolled sideways underneath it, taking a slash of her blade as she went. The effect was felt immediately as the gamorrean dropped his weapon clashing on the ground and let loose a series of deeply pained squealing sounds. His entire stomach had been eviscerated. A quick slice to the neck ended his agony. The other gamorrean let loose a roar. Samka didn't need to understand Gamorrese (and why would she? It was a primitive language with no galactic influence) to understand this was the anger of one who had just lost a close friend or loved one. His vision had not yet fully returned, that much was clear by how inaccurate his attacks were, flailing around in the vague direction of his enemy. As much as she would have enjoyed toying with her opponent for a little longer, Sam decided it was time to wrap this up and threw her lightsaber directly into her foe's skull then pulling the weapon back to her with the Force.

"Now that's sorted," she turned back towards Regi and the gamorrean's body slumped to the floor. Regi was sitting in a stunned heap on the far end from the door, apparently too shocked to move. "Shall we have a chat?"

 

[Saki lin]

Space...it was amazing...the way nebulas formed how stars combined and made a beautiful scenery in a scene of bla know and

She snapped out of her daydream as she maneuvered forward towards where she could see groups of people setting pieces in place and welding them together" hello I was sent out here to assist in the construction of the station over here

The men looked over at her with dirty looks...do to her being a xeno race they didn't quite like it....have her work with them

"Yeah uhhh you can fetch stuff for us"one guy said waving her off" go get more of those beams"

She nodded and went off as she gathered the beams with a magcart and started back a she slowed down" beams gathered as needed sir " the man looked up and nodded" alright now you'll be handing them"honestly she was quite annoyed she was a bloody engineer not some hander...however she started handing them as she bit hertongue and kept quiet


Over the few minutes that got a section done and the man looked to her" alright uhhhh...let's see if need you to get more supplies" she gave a huff as she shook her head" yea I'll get so-

Hey did I say talk back?"the man said quite rudely to her as she looked to him

I was sent here to help assemble not be a retriever"she said firmly

Now listen I don't care what you are or what you know all you aliens are good for is simple t-"she didn't get to hear the rest as she flew off and back in....she was bubbling with anger...and anyone in the force probably would see that...meanwhile she stripped the suit off and hung it back up before storming off and into a quiet place....where she sat down and started to mediate to clear her mind and keep from ripping someone to pieces

4/25?
Obj-cool my jets
Location space station empty area
Allies-first order

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Post 14

Natasi raised her eyebrow at the Ren's request. "Very well. There's a conference room just on the other side of the medical bay." She followed him through but then turned back towards the Lieutenant. "Stay here, Lieutenant. Guard the door." She followed [member="Caid Centurion"] through the bay and into a private conference room. She didn't make any move to sit down at the small table instead clasping her hands behind her back and fixed the Knight of Ren with a half-curious look.

"You may inform the Supreme Leader that a full report on the result of the readiness testing he ordered will be forthcoming," Natasi said firmly. "Preliminary results indicate a need for better vetting of command staff, an increase in the frequency and quality of the training on standard Imperial procedures. What I witnessed regarding Delta Blue was not up to the requirements of the Supreme Leader's Navy," Natasi said, flexing her left hand again before falling still.

She frowned and shook her head. "All the other battlegroups in which it was tested fared well -- nearly perfect marks, usually. I wonder what went wrong here."

 

[Saffron]

PharmaTech
Vortusa
| 2 |

"How do you imagine things will change with the First Order, Ma'am?" the elder woman pouring Saffron tea queried for her opinion. The blonde Companion gave a small smile.

"I am certain that the First Order has a plan, Marei." Saffron said in a neutral tone, thanking her for her tea with a grateful smile. Beside her, Saffron studied the Sabaac cards. Her right hand gently caressed the back of each card. Force or no, this was her gift.

"Trying to determine just what will happen?" a new voice entered the fray. Hazel eyes rose and met the violet ones of Aeri Vyn, the Zeltron woman who was in charge of the sector where the Core Worlds met. The coral hued woman slid into her seat across Saffron. She too, had been a Companion once. What was little known to any save Kiran and Alric Kuhn is that Aeri had been trained to be a Valkryie, meant to protect Danger during the twenty years he had been gone.

"Among other things." Saffron replied, gesturing to the datapad that had all the recent information on the Vortusa Biodome. "It is small, but scalable." she replied, watching the woman take the datapad to quickly scan the contents.

"I take it you have been well, Aeri?" Saffron asked, bringing her cup of tea up to her lips.

"I could use a good connect disconnect," Aeri replied rather crudely, watching in amusement at Saffron's slight crinkle of her nose in distaste of her wording.

"Saffron, after everything, who would have thought you would still be so quaint?" Aeri said with a laugh.

 

[Artemis Margs]

Location: Orbit of Virsun and the construction site.
Post: 17
Allies: First Order
Enemies:None
Objective: Find a rifle barrel to swallow.

"So, what sort of tests have they done to you?" Margs asked the incapcitated captain.

"Nothing much," Carlyle sighed, "A few preliminary tests, a couple of x-rays. They're just pumping me for all of relaxants."

"Relaxants eh?" Margs asked "Do they.... well, do they relax all things?"

The captain looked at Margs with a curious look, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know.... what if it relaxed you bowels?" The lieutenant asked meekly.

"My bowels?! You don't think Doctor Iveri gave me laxatives?!" The captain asked, red faced and sitting up.

"Well, who knows." Margs said, "Guess we'll find out as soon as we get you out of that thing." As if by coincidence, the door to the chief medical officers office opened, and a stern man with greying hair walked out, tutting at Carlyle.

"Whats wrong with me Doc?" The captain asked, "And did you feed me laxatives?"

"No, no. Lieutenant, where did the Moff go?" The stern looking doctor asked.

"In there," He pointed to the door behind hin, "Is it bad?" The lieutant asked.

"Not too bad," The doctor said, "It's just, well, I thought she should hear it first."

Carlyle grew red with rage. "Some bloody bedside manner you have!"

"With you captain," the doctor said, brushing past Margs, "There's no need for any niceties. You're a captain, you should know this."

Carlyle muttered something under his breath while the doctor entered where the Knight of Ren and the Moff were meeting. "Ma'am," he began, "I have a report on captain Carlyle's health. It'd probably help understand his outburst."

[member="Natasi Fortan"] and [member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Post 6? Idk

Ciardha was silent until they were within the confines of the conference room. The Ren had just turned to speak but [member="Natasi Fortan"] immediately launched into some explanation of a readiness test that he, frankly, knew nothing about. The Knights of Ren operated in a veritable vacuum of fractured information and compartmentalized information. These were relatively standard techniques for any large government organization, so Ciardha Ren did not much mind. In truth, they were only given information they needed to know in order to execute their duties.

However, Ciardha was not like most in the sense that...he did not generally accept merely waiting around to be told to do something. Pro-activity was quite a sincere preference to being reactive. His presence onboard the Vindicator had nothing to do with the Supreme Commander and everything to do with personal interest. Of course, nobody outside the Council would know that if they saw him here. "I am not here to receive your report, Moff Fortan. That is not my role. This task was entrusted to you, and Supreme Leader Sieger is only interested in hearing the results from you."

Silence lingered for a moment before Ciardha continued. "A suggestion, however. Disabling the vessel in question's external communications mediums is advisable going forward. I'm not here to tell you that the Vindicator followed the procedure of officially notifying other vessels around them of the suspected outbreak. They did not. It only came to the attention of another through an intercepted transmission on the air defense network between Vindicator flight control and an approaching shuttle. Said vessel performed flawlessly in following procedures to contain the outbreak."

Offering a simple nod of his head, Ciardha shifted the focus of the conversation. "The Lieutenant mentioned the Captain having a mental breakdown." A pause. "He also offered a number of erroneous excuses on the Captain's behalf. If it is your judgment that the Captain may still have a future in command, the Supreme Leader will undoubtedly desire he be placed under observation for a...probationary period of sorts."


No sooner had Ciardha's metallic voice trailed off than someone decided it would be best to just open the door and barge in on a meeting between a Moff of the First Order and a Knight of Ren. Before the doctor could rattle off more than a syllable of his 'explanation', Ciardha seized the man's throat with the Force. As Ciardha's right hand balled into a fist, the invisible energy immediately clamped down on the doctor's windpipe, slowly suffocating him. Even if Ciardha released the man and allowed him to breath again, he would undoubtedly suffer a great deal of swelling that would require rather immediate medical attention due to the strength of the attack.

"Get. Out." Ciardha released the man as his fist relaxed, but he followed it immediately by casually motioning the doctor away, a ripple of Force energy sending him careening back into the corridor, door closing behind him. Slowly, Ciardha turned his gaze back to Natasi. "Perhaps the entire staff should be replaced."

[member="Artemis Margs"]

 

[Artemis Margs]

Location: Orbit of Virsun and the construction site.
Post: 18
Allies: First Order
Enemies:None
Objective: Find a rifle barrel to swallow.

The doctor nearly choked out on the spot, wheezing out the words "Moff Fortan sent me..." when the Sith relinquished his grasp upon the older doctors throat, he glared derisively at the man. As he picked himself up, his hands went to his throat, and he winced a little. The medical officer knelt down and picked up his papers, neatly ordering them before delivering them to the Moff on a table. He then turned and left the conference room entirely. "If the Knight of Ren isn't interested, perhaps you'll be."

"Alrighty doc," Carlyle said, "Whats wrong with me?"

"Our initial scans indicate that there's an anomaly in your skull." The doctor said, picking up a scan of the captains brain. On the left side, frontal lobe was a large growth. "It isn't a tumour, it's a stress growth." He said, "It usually occurs over decades, growing and festering. Most people I've seen with this have been older officers who've had fifty, sixty year careers."

"I have a stress growth? Already?!" Carlyle asked, seemingly amazed.

"Stress growth, what are those?" Margs asked, seemingly confused.

The physician paused, and sat down, not waiting for ceremony. "The stress growth grows when there is a negative endorphin rush. This can be triggered by anger, depression, and more commonly stress. Now, our captain out there, he's been growing this bit by bit. Usually at his age, they're about the size of a fingernail, this one, this ones the size of his thumb. Now, there are only two conclusions to reach about this. Either the captain has an endorphin problem, or the workload he's had has grown it. Having worked with the man for nearly two decades, I think it's the latter."

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Samka Derith]

Post 6
Name: Samka Derith; undercover as Lissanna Phyron
Objective: 3. Native Issues
Allies: The First Order
Enemies: Anti-First Order forces
Location: The Fortress, capitol of Cir, Dead Nebula system

"You... what is this?" Regi spluttered. He was still curled up on the floor.

"An interrogation," Samka answered matter-of-factly then used the Force to lift the statue of the settler's ship and drop it on the boy's legs. It fell to the ground with a sickening crushing and Regi's anguished yells of pain. She had to stop, the more reasonable side of her began to push back. Torture was a double edged sword. It can persuade unwilling lips to part with their knowledge but also cause the captive to give false information just to make the pain stop so Sam's bloodlust had to be content with the damage she'd already caused.

​She sat down slowly and casually in front in front of Regi who was now sobbing uncontrollably, his eyes glued to the floor. Sam rearranged her dress slightly, giving herself a moment to regain her composure. "Now Regi, we have to talk about this. It wasn't very nice, was it?" Regi continued sobbing with his head down. "Look at me when I am speaking to you, Regi," her voice raised slightly and slowly Regi turned his head upwards, his eyes meeting hers.

"Lissanna..." he croaked. "What... what are you?"

While it was common knowledge that The First Order rejected the teachings of modern Sith, the Knights of Ren were still shrouded in mystery. Few people knew of their existence and fewer still knew of their role. She decided to indulge him somewhat. "I'm part of a... select group of Dark Force users who serve our Supreme Leader. A bad choice of hostage. Now you answer my question, are you acting alone?" Regi's head fell backwards and he began to breath heavily, his eyes darting around constantly. "Shhh," Sam began to sooth him. "I can make it better, just tell me what I need to know."

Regi coughed then shook his head. "We're not o-organised but there's lots of us. All doing what we can."

"I see, I see." Sam said quietly. "So these... negotiations?"

​"A stalling tactic. A waste of time." Regi wheezed words between breaths.

"So.... I shall have to find other ways to ensure the Supreme Leader's new space station is kept secret. This wasn't part of the plan but... I was hoping for something like this." Sam's blade ignited once more, slicing a clean hole through the boy's chest causing him to convulse violently. "Thank you for the date, Regi. It's been eye opening. I had a lot of fun."

Sam stood up, hid her lightsaber and made silently for the door leaving the three dead bodies behind her.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Post 15


Natasi's neck straightened, her head lifting a fraction of an inch, and her eyes widening ever-so-slightly as she was addressed by the Ren. Initially, she had no reaction beyond that, but internally she was wondering just what he was doing there if he wasn't asked by either Natasi herself or the Supreme Leader. Far be it for her to question the Knights of Ren, but it did seem rather odd that he should be all the way out here at this particular moment. Her eyebrows lofted a little and she cut her eyes to the side.

"Very well," she said flatly. She had nothing left to add.

When the door opened and the Ren's grisly business done, Natasi arched an eyebrow but said nothing until it was over, then resumed the conversation as it had been left. "I will make my recommendations to High Command based upon the report," Natasi answered, "When the report has been completed. Now, since you're not here to receive my report, nor are you here to advise on the readiness testing, perhaps we ought to skip ahead to discussing what part you're playing in the operations in the Nebula. Is there something you need from me?"

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Post 7

The Knight of Ren didn't particular have a sense of humor while discharging his professional duties, but Natasi's parting comments did amuse him. His masked and cloaked figure remained largely motionless as he gazed at the diminutive-in-stature-only Moff. He could see certain...similarities. Yet at the same time, there were a great many differences between her and that of the step-sister she apparently did not want.

There was certainly no reason to let on that he'd, in fact, had no awareness of this test. As far as [member="Natasi Fortan"] was likely aware, Ciardha Ren could have been among the senior members of the Order. In truth, Natasi knew Caid better than probably almost all others in the First Order. She just had not as of yet interacted with him under the guise of his Ren identity, mask and all. There was scarcely a need for any level of deception - particularly given the fact they were sealed in a room alone together. "To speak with you," he lied, "Is the primary reason for my presence."

Slowly, Caid reached up to pull back the head of his cloak. Shortly thereafter, he pulled the sleek, featureless mask off of his head. Young, nearly flawless features were revealed beneath as he cradled the piece of equipment under his arm, silver-green eyes burning with intensity in Natasi's direction. "To deliver an intent." Caid's naturally deep, honeyed voice reverberated throughout the room. "We all maintain our own individual lives within the First Order. The vast majority of my Order elect to remain solely as they area, masked and hidden from the galaxy. I desire more..."

As Caid's voice trailed, he turned his head to the side and regarded an unseen force, a distant whisper for a few silent moments. Slowly, he returned his emotionless gaze to Natasi. "We will have to speak in greater length at a later time. I have another duty to attend to at just this second." Almost as quickly as he'd removed the device, Caid slid the helmet back over his features and raised the hood of his cloak. He discharged no courtesies before turning and motioned the door open with his left hand.

Soft footfalls carried him to [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"]'s room. Pausing, the Knight of Ren delivered a simple metallic message. "We will be watching you closely for the foreseeable future, Captain. You will become accustomed to our presence as the attention of the Supreme Leader focuses rather intensely on your command." Caid unceremoniously turned and began retreating back to the turbolift that had carried him to this level.

Within five minutes, the large Ren had re-entered the hangar. Masked gaze fell on the Stormtroopers still running drills in the hangar before his amplified metallic voice called out to the Captain. "Captain Geris. Assemble your men...we depart for the station immediately." Ciardha Ren said nothing further once the command had been given to [member="Miles Cormin"] and his fellow troopers. Silently, the Ren retreated up the loading ramp to his vessel, departing shortly thereafter. The Stormtroopers could follow in their own transport.

[member="Saki lin"]

 

[RIP Carlyle Rausgeber]

Location: Orbit of Virsun and the construction site.
Post: 19
Allies: First Order
Enemies:None
Objective: Fighting the laxatives in his system.

"So what are we gonna do about this thing in my head?" Carlyle asked, "Are we going ti have to extract it, or?"

"Well captain, I think it'll be just fine where it is. You should probably rest for a little longer." The medic said, "There's a number of drugs I can get you to take that'll mitigate the side affects of such a growth."

"Do we have them onboard Doc?" The captain asked.

"Oh, yes we do. It's some basic pain killers is all, nothing too drastic." the doctor said.

"No chance I can become addicted to them?" Carlyle asked, "I don't want to end up like some kind of Corellian junkie here."

"No, no. The chances of that happening are remote at best. The only forseeable argument I see for that, would be if you were to take the pills during times of heavy inhibition, like drinking." The doctor said, turning to his datapad, and beginning to key in product codes for the access of his stores.

"Good, good." Carlyle said with a small chuckle, "Now, Margs you should-" The captain was cut off by [member="Caid Centurion"] 's dramatic exit. The officer became visibly pale at his warning, and the trio looked at him with a sense of unease as he left.

"Bloody a-hole." Margs grunted when they were sure he'd left.

Carlyle buried his head into his hands and groaned, "Doc, give me those pills, quick. Something tells me I'll need them."

"Right away sir." The doctor said, walking to his officer. While the medic rushed away, Lieutenant Margs peeked his head into the conference room, looking at [member="Natasi Fortan"] .

"Moff Fortan, is there anything I can assist with ma'am?"

 

[Miles Cormin]

[member="Caid Centurion"] [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] [member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Artemis Margs"]

As the troopers were carrying out a drill to speed their transition between fighting stances, Miles suddenly felt that cold presence again. The troopers all stopped, including Captain Geris.

"Fall in!" Miles yelled, taking charge, "Attention! Present arms!" The troopers quickly assumed position as the Ren gave his orders to Captain Geris.

"You heard him!" the captain yelled, "Onto the transport! Double time! Move it!" The troopers flooded back aboard their transport, which quickly took off to follow the Ren's ship.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: Virsun
Post: 3/22
Allies: [member="Ileris Sonn"]
Enemies: Unknown
Objective: Construction of giants

"No response. We'll keep the prisoners in escrow but we'll deliver the hypermatter on Virsun. That ought to give them some breathing room for keeping the Dead Nebula supplied with hypermatter"

"Patching the coordinates of the hypermatter storage facility now"

"Initiate the landing sequence on Virsun"

"Speaking of hypermatter, if we can get the Dead Nebula a hypermatter extractor or two, perhaps we would no longer need to import hypermatter!"

That, even when accounting for the Nuknogs producing 1 million tons of hypermatter a day in orbit over Sump. It is wise not to depend on a single source of hypermatter. They are not going to look the other way, just that Dunames was a little conflicted about what to do. There has been no response for a while, and there has been very little they could actually do about that. But Dunames was not a company that produced hypermatter; Star Tours only delivered hypermatter. Was there anyone - anyone in the Dead Nebula that had any clue as to how rich the Dead Nebula was in hypermatter or other strategic materials... perhaps the First Order's hypermatter or mining companies, respectively, would appreciate such information. But, for now, Dunames had other issues to deal with, as the Maersk of Lanteeb began to enter the atmosphere of Virsun, she had no idea as to what to expect of Virsun's hypermatter reserves or demand.

 

[Caid Centurion]

Post 8
Approaching Station

The Phantom slipped into the only completed hangar bay of the station roughly thirty minutes after departing the Vindicator. The VCX-100 nestled softly onto the polished deck near a number of other vessels. Caid estimated that he'd seen at least thirty parked vessels on approach and the hangar didn't even seem a fourth full. No more than ten seconds after the vessel had touched down, Ciardha Ren emerged on the loading ramp and descended swiftly. Purposeful footfalls carried him away from the vessel and the hangar, fully expecting the Stormtrooper contingent to, more or less, be in tow.

The sight of an individual obviously belonging to the Knights of Ren and white armored Stormtroopers was enough to draw more than just the occasional eye. Any individuals roaming the corridors that met the sight head-on either altered their path or flattened themselves against bulkheads. It was a certain...legacy that Caid rather presumed he'd merely inherited. It certainly had not yet been earned, most of his deeds being completed covertly. That was the way of it though. They were a presence, yes, and there was purpose to that. However, the exact workings of the Order remained so largely because of the secrecy surrounding their lives.

A sensation caused the Ren to slow his progress to a gradual halt. Turning his masked head, Ciardha gazed down a perpendicular corridor before speaking to the Captain. "Captain. Send all but one of your men to collect Chief Engineer Larazny from the Central Control Station. Return her in stun cuffs to my vessel. If anyone questions you, you are acting on orders of Ciardha Ren." Turning his head to regard the troopers briefly, Caid raised a single gloved finger in the direction of [member="Miles Cormin"]. "You. Come with me."

Without waiting for a reply, Caid turned and resumed his initial brisk pace, homing in on the presence he sensed in a room at the end of the corridor. It was curious only because there was no work actively being completed in that particular area of the station.

[member="Saki lin"]