Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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An inspection of the Shadows... (development thread)

Aboard the Gnost Dural
Orbit above Onderon

Kian took a deep breath and ran his hands over his black tunic, brushing the wrinkles out of the simple garment. Kian had faced down Sith Lords in battle, had fought against Vong creations, and had known the horrors of war from his earliest days among the Jedi of the Galactic Republic.....but the enemy he faced today was not like those....no this enemy was far, far worse.

"Master Karr," Came a sharp, feminine voice with the hints of an imperial accent, as the door to his turbo lift opened and he exited to the hangar bay. Kian bowed his head toward the dark-haired woman in front of him, she had made it through security faster than he had anticipated and seemed to have waited at the lift in an attempt to throw him off....an attempt that would have worked had Kian not been a Jedi.

"Inspector Drea." Kian said crossing a hand over his chest. "I must say this inspection was rather unexpected. I hope you'll forgive the thoroughness of the security checkpoints, but they didn't have authorization to speed you through." Kian said, knowing full well that the woman had been waiting in security for at least fifteen minutes as she went through the full sweeps and questioning. Kian had in fact gotten word that she had arrived on the vessel but hadn't pushed her through....he had wanted her to see how the security on the vessel worked.

"The security sweep was very, very thorough." She said smiling, though it faded from her face quickly. "As is to be expected on a vessel such as this."

"Yes, our security personnel are veterans in their fields. They've all worked either for the Republic military, typically at military installations, or for planetary defense forces. Even high ranking members of the Jedi and Republic military must go the same screening process, though with less personnel questions of course." Kian said bowing his head once more in apology. This was the third inspection of the Gnost Dural in the past few years handled by Inspector Drea and the fifth since the vessel had been created. The inspectors role was simple, to evaluate the ship to ensure that it was meeting all the rigorous standards it was required to have to house such secrets and to deserve the money the Republic was putting into it. It wasn't a pleasant process, but Kian had gotten use to it. In truth, it was the politicians way of exerting some control over the Jedi that they lacked in many situations.

"Will Admiral Arena be joining us?" Drea asked refering to the Admiral who was in command of the Gnost Dural.

"I'm afraid not right away." Kian said, "She is tied up with a few logistical issues. I will take you on the typical walkthrough of the ship and then we can finish up with her at the bridge." Kian said stepping aside and waving a hand to indicate that the Inspector should begin.
 
The Training Grounds

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This inspection wasn't quite the same as the last few that Drea had done aboard the Gnost Dural. In the past she had inspected financial records, travel expenses, and various other things tied directly into the costs to the Republic. Today's inspection would include that as well, but would begin with a full inspection of the station. The Galactic Republic Senate had sent her to see everything aboard the Gnost Dural and it concerned Kian greatly. There were vast secrets hidden within the Shadow Academy.

"These rooms are used for the training of students." Kian said leading her to the second level that was dedicated to the training of the Jedi Shadows. "This particularly room is dedicated to lightsaber combat." Kian said stepping out into the center of the circular room. "Students train here to defend from a lightsaber wielding opponent as well as blasterfire." Kian said and began to walk toward the door, Drea trailing behind him.

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Leading her down the corridor into another room, they entered a room dedicated to force training. There were a large number of rooms such as this that handled various tasks. This particularly one was dedicated to use telekinesis. There were a number of large, stone blocks that needed to be moved along preset paths using the force.

"This room is dedicated to training students in the use of the force, specifically to telekinesis....moving objectives." Kian said allowing Drea to watch for a moment as a number of students were lifting rocks into the air and moving the blocks. When she turned and nodded, Kian lead her back out to the main hall and toward the next series of rooms. Drea peaked into rooms as they passed to see various students training in both sam
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Finally, entering the last of a number of training facilities, Kian waved Drea inside.

"Master Karr!" A young girl shouted and ran up wrapping her arms around his waist. "Are you hear to teach us something today?" She asked, beaming.

"No Jess," Kian said patting her on the head. "I'm showing a representative of the Senate around the academy." Kian said smiling beneath his mask. "I believe Knight Qual has things in order." Kian said bowing his head toward the Selkath Jedi who pulled the youngling back into the group. Most of the students had their lightsabers ignited and were working on blocking training bolts.

"They are so young to be training." Drea said turning to Kian.

"We believe in training out students early, Inspector." Kian said leading her from the room. "There are a number of Jedi Shadows here who are either going to missions or coming in for some R&R. Most stay on and teach for a while before taking on another mission. Most of the Jedi here are knights or up." Kian said closing the door behind them. "That youngling class is one of only a few that are actually here, most are housed on Ossus."
 
Security Room

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Three YVH-2 droids stood before Kian Karr and Inspector Drea. The droids were impressive with fighting capabilities that made them a dangerous opponent on the field of battle. The original YVH droids had been designed to counter the Vong, these were the updated version that the Republic had put together to handle the more updated Vong tech. Originally the YVH droids had been meant as an insult to the Vong, but this was largely gone now. Regardless of this however, they still proved themselves to be deadly adversaries who would rival a Vong warrior in strength and skill.

"Impressive." Drea said making a few notations on her datapad. "How many did you say you have on board?"

"There are 50 YVH-2 droids on the ship, though only 40 of them are your standard model and only activate during security breaches." Kian said stepping between the droids and the inspector. "Ten of them are infiltration models, meant to look like typical maintenance or protocol droids....they are active at all times." Kian said and walked toward the right where three other droids were standing ready.

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"These are the EMBU droids." Kian said. "They are designed with the Echani fighting style in mind and specialize in close quarters fighting." Kian motioned and one of the droids stepped forward activating its energy sword, going through a series of martial maneuvers and then stepping back smoothly into line. Kian was a bit intimidated by the EMBU droids.....they moved like living things in combat and it was....unsettling.

"Very impressive."
 
"This is the true heart of the Gnost Dural." Kian said leaning over the rail at the balcony that overlooked the main hall of the ship. After passing through security, if you followed the route of most visitors to the Gnost Dural, you would find yourself coming to this place. It was a large room and had the layout of a hotel lobby. The bottom floor was a large stone floor with a large fountain in the middle of the floor. The statue in the fountain depicted a Katarn, the predatory lizards of Kashyyyk. Kian had had the statue installed after he dealt with the animals on Kashyyyk himself after seeing the similarities between the animals and the Jedi Shadows.

At each corner of the room were turbolifts that would take visitors to one of four floors. The second floor was where the academy had training rooms, the third floor was dedicated to security, the fourth floor, where they were now, housed the naval personnel as well as the quarters of the Jedi.

"Those people there.....they are the heart of the Gnost Dural." Kian said pointing a clawed finger at a number of workers who were cleaning in the main lobby. "They see to maintenance, food services, laundry....any and everything that is necessary to keep this ship operational and the people on board taken care of." Kian said smiling beneath the mask. Keep a ship such as this operational and in good order was a job only made possible by the cooperation of vast numbers of people and it made Kian proud to know they did their jobs so well.

"Impressive." Inspector Drea said, though Kian had to note that her voice didn't seem as impressed as she lead on. "Shall we?" She asked, eager to move beyond the balcony.
 
"Wow." Inspector Drea said and Kian was pleased to note that her voice told the truth of her surprise. Kian had been disappointed with her lack of enthusiasm for the beauty of the cooperation that was the main hall, so he had decided he would take a detour from the tour and show the inspector the meditation rooms on the top floor. They were meant to inspire thought and calmness and as such they had a fantastic view.

Displayed above them was a transparasteel view-port that allowed those meditating in this room to glance out into the magnificence of space. Additionally, if they so chose, those meditating could enter in a scenery at the console and view anything they liked on the transparasteel above them. Kian often preferred the beauty of open space, though he on occasion plugged in visuals of Ossus or Dorin.

"I'm glad you are impressed." Kian said walking over and punched in a few commands at the console. With that the scene above them faded from the vacuum of space into the beautiful rolling hills of Naboo. "This is a place for reflection and peace. The Jedi Shadows need this given the work we do." Kian said, knowing how important it was that they keep themselves from getting too close to the edge.
 
"I've gone over the financial records." Inspector Drea said as they made their way back toward where the inspection needed to continue. "I have to say that despite my fears, the Admiral has been doing a good job of keeping the Gnost Dural within budget." She said, and Kian was surprised to have good news in that regard. "Of course, I still feel that this ships upkeep is too costly....but I've been overruled on that regard." She said and Kian nodded his head in acknowledgement. He could understand her, and others, dislike of the Jedi with regards to this. They spent a great deal of money and it wasn't always apparent that the investment was worth it. Kian knew better, he'd seen firsthand the good work the Jedi do, but he average person may not. To too many politicians, the Jedi were just a government program that cost too much money.

"I understand your concern." Kian said acknowledging her fears. "But I assure you, the Shadows spend only what is necessary. Much of our work is not seen...and if you haven't heard of our deeds then we have done our job well." Kian said, knowing it would likely not make her feel better but wishing to acknowledge her concerns none-the-less.

"I suppose." Inspector Drea said, but didn't sound convinced.
 
Command Center

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Kian and Inspector Drea walked into one of several command centers throughout the ship. Each room was dedicated to a different task. Some were meant to gather and decode enemy transmissions, other such rooms were meant to gather intelligence on specific targets of the Shadows. This room was the main command center. It was the largest and each technician in this room were meant to take the information coming in from the other rooms and Republic Intelligence and put it into perspective. This was where missions dossiers were made and sent out to be taken care of.

"This room is the most secure on the ship." Kian said to Inspector Drea after they had gone through a number of security protocols to get inside. "And as you can see," Kian said pointing to three YVH-2 Droids that stood guard in the room. "We intend for it to be very hard to breech."

"Have you ever had any security breeches aboard the vessel?" She asked and began to make notes in her datapad.

"We have had attempts at security breeches...but those were remote not on the vessel and they never made it past our firewalls." Kian said. "There have also been security breeches in regards to employees loss lips, but those too were shut down before any harm was done." Kian said shrugging. "We watch out people closely."
 
Command Deck

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"Inspector Drea, glad you could make it." Admiral Arena said smiling and extending a hand. She was a small framed woman, standing at only 5'0" tall and 100 pounds at most. But Kian had learned long ago not to underestimate her. She was the second Admiral to take command of the Gnost Dural. The first, a surly Bothan, had retired and was replaced by the young female Admiral. Many of the staff had been doubtful of her qualifications, given her age and, Kian was sure, doubts with regards of her gender. But she had quickly quieted all those comments by taking over with a passion and a skill that was far superior to the first Admiral. Kian very much admired the woman.

"Admiral." Inspector Drea said saluting. "Master Karr has been giving me quite the tour." She said smiling.

"Yes, Kian thank you for taking charge of this inspection." She said patting Kian on the shoulder. Kian simply bowed his head but said nothing. "So tell me, how is my ship doing?" The Admiral asked getting right down to business.

"The inspection has not raised any red flags." The inspector said. "My report will, of course, reiterate my concerns over expenditure, but I nothing else that I have to raise an issue with."

"Very good." The admiral said, smiling brightly. "Now....lets talk about these finances." The admiral said grabbing the inspector gently from the arm and leading her toward the view-port. Kian took this as his dismisal and he smiled beneath his mask as he turned to leave. He knew what would happen now. The Admiral would try and wittle down the resolve of the inspector to get a better inspection submitted. Perhaps she would succeed, perhaps she would not.
 
Breath in.

Breath out.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Kian settled his mind, relaxed his muscles, and allowed the force to flow through him freely. He was surprised with how on edge he had been throughout the entire inspection. Kian had faced enemies and dangerous, as many Jedi have, but he had never experienced the stress of having to justify the operations of the vessel that was the home to the Jedi Shadows. He sincerely hoped that the Admiral would be available next time the inspection was due.

That thought was quickly pushed aside by the sudden rustle of feet and the sound of giggling as a group of younglings rushed into the mediation room.

"Master Karr!" They yelled and one of them rushed forward tackling him back onto the mat. Within a few moments, Kian's worries and concerns were gone.
 
"The inspection went well." The Admiral said and waived Kian forward. She had requested his presence on the bridge a few hours later. "The Inspector has agreed to forgo her comments on the budget as long as I promise to come in under on the next report.....so we need to do a bit of cutting." She said shrugging apologetically.

"I have to say Admiral," Kian said stepping alongside her and glancing out the view-port, "I sincerely do not want to do that again." Kian said laughing and the sound came out of his mask in bursts of static.

"That bad huh?" The Admiral said laughing as well. "Yes, the inspections are a dreadful thing....but they are necessary." The Admiral said clasping her hands behind her back. "The Republic can only function if their ships and corps are meeting their standards."

"I agree." Kian said conceding the point.

"We are good for another year or so....but we need to go over these numbers and cut away some of the costs." She said handing Kian a datapad.

"Well.....this is going to take a while isn't it." Kian said shaking his head and sighing.

"Yes, why don't we go get some stim caf in the mess hall and settle down somewhere." The admiral said turning to Kian and smiling warmly.

"Sounds good." Kian said and they left the bridge with their heads hung high.
 

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