And a Star To Steer Her By [TSE Dom of Littora, AH-13 Hex]

[Ao Xian]

Littora IV​

​

Neither over looked nor under valued, the Sith Empire had been carefully wooing the corporations that ran the Littora System for some time. While it was certainly possible to have simply come in with fleets and soldiers, the Empire recognized in this world one that would benefit them far more if brought into the fold by their own volition, rather than by Force. The risk of losing the infrastructure and work force that made it valuable meant that it was worth it to take their time.

The patience paid off- The richest and most influential companies on Littora IV invited the Empire in. A mutually beneficial arrangement with the Empire protecting the system and setting up a fleet base, while materials were traded to support the very fleets that would be protecting them. Becoming a protectorate of the Sith Empire offered a clear benefit with very little draw back. They would continue to self govern, paying their taxes and following Imperial Law. But life, by and large, would continue as it had for the last fifty years on the ocean jewel, only with the added bonus of a bigger brother, watching out.

Objective 1: The Open Invitation
The largest and wealthiest of the floating cities, Farshore, has extended an invitation to the Sith Empire to join them for the Aurora Festival. Join in to explore the city, festival culture, and enjoy some low key socializing with your fellow TSE Members.

Spoiler

One of the most important cultural and tourist events is the twice yearly passage of the center of the Walking Seas over the North and South poles. The Aurora Festival is a week long carnival- it coincides with many companies shutting down for at least part of it (or offering alternating halves off to all employees). While the poles are not frozen, they are significantly colder than other parts of the planet, and the festival is focused on hot foods from seasonal street vendor carts, open air textile and clothing markets featuring the best of the local fashions (with a special eye on cold weather styles), dance and (usually) moderate drinking (a traditional beverage made from warm mulled wine with a sprinkle of sea salt can be bought at almost any corner). The festival culminates on the seventh ‘night’ where viewing glasses are made available to see the Ultraviolet light shows in the atmosphere. While native species can see using the UV spectrum, the immigrated sentients cannot, and it isn’t until the glasses go on that the full array of beauty of Littora’s Aurora can be seen.

Objective 2: Let's Talk Business
Littora IV is a business oriented world, the corporations largely focused on mining, mining technology, and aquatic technology. Use this thread as a Major Faction contract- Create ties with Littorian businesses on behalf of TSE or come up with your own spin on it to get your MF contract! Don't need one? Feel free to recruit/train personnel, find investors, or other Tier up requirements you may have!

Objective 3: Littora System FleetCom
With the instability of Littora IV's surface, the Armada has decided to set up a Lonena-Class Deep Space Station in the Littora System, rather than something based on the planet itself. Come oversee the final stages, run training exercises or otherwise expand on Imperial Armada lore and build toward ranking up your Fleeter.

Objective 4: Scary Fauna
Littora is home to some interesting (and frankly terrifying) fauna. An expedition to collect samples for study has been sent out to the Intertidal Zone. Collect a Protea (or two), several Floodflower Worms, and/or make up your own interesting flora/fauna that can be used to expand on the lore for this planet!

Spoiler

The Intertidal Zones: The coastlines, like the seas and lands, are ever shifting, following the pull of the moon. They are the most dangerous areas on Littora, despite their clinical label. To an outsider, the most obvious threat would be the high waves and unstable currents, making the waters and immediate shoreline perilous to navigate. To those familiar with the perils of these areas however, the most dangerous aspect lies in the fauna. The most dangerous animals of Littora don’t exist in the depths of the ocean, they lurk right at the shore. This is the place where beings are most vulnerable, caught between the land and the sea, and several predatory species call these moving zones their home, preying on animals caught on the wrong side of the waves.

Floodflower Worms
Not all denizens of this earth are mobile and some native fauna, much like the flora, has opted to simply weather out the long droughts between the passings of the walking ocean. Perhaps the most numerous species of these dormant inhabitants are the Floodflower Worms. Their bodies are long and limbless with a thick bulk at the bottom end, and range from as small as five centimeters long all the way up to five meters. Depending on the water-cycle, their bodies will be dry and grey or fat and pink; their mouths are circular, four petal-like flaps filled with long, pointed teeth for grabbing and swallowing prey. Floodflower Worms burrow into the earth, forming a tunnel to the surface and a deep pit in which they hibernate through the dry periods. They keep a water reservoir in one of their many connected stomachs, allowing them to track the movement of the walking ocean and accurately predict when it is coming. When the next tide finally approaches, the worms will burrow up from their nests and open their mouths wide to catch all the water and food they can in their toothy maws. This phenomenon, as well as their plantlike appearance, has given rise to their traditional name. The worms and their flowering is a highly accurate way of predicting an incoming tide for those not familiar with the planetary cycles. The worms feed off anything that comes within their grasp- while they are perfectly content to scavenge dead flesh, they with actively turn toward movement, seeking out living prey. When the ocean has passed and the drought sets in, the worms are swollen and pink as they slip back into their dark nests to sleep. But be wary, anywhere the mud is wet, there may be a Floodflower Worm and it may still be waiting for unwary prey.

Protea/Sun Jellies
Protea are semi-sentient, shape shifting monsters that inhabit the Intertidal zone. More than anything else, they are what make this area of Littora so dangerous, and why most people avoid the place where the land and sea meet (with the exception of the Boat People, who are largely considered brave but crazy by other Littorians). While their natural shape resembles most closely an enormous, tentacle-less jelly fish (when seen in the open ocean they are called Sun Jellies and considered harmless), the people of Littora have not made the connection between the Sun Jellies and the highly variable monsters that roam the Intertidal Zone. No in depth study of the creatures has been done, and the assumption that they are indeed different animals is a fair one. Protea are strictly carnivorous- filter feeding zooplankton as Sun Jellies, while actively hunting prey when they have taken form and haunt the coasts- though they are not above scavenging dead flesh. While amphibious like most things, they cannot leave the water for long, and will wait in the surf to ambush the unwary from the water’s edge. The need for greater concentration of nutrients in quantity is required for their reproductive cycle, needing the higher caloric intake from larger creatures before the Protea can travel to their spawning grounds to breed.

Objective 5: BYOO
As always, if you have something else you'd like to explore, feel free and enjoy!

 

[Eye of Solomon]

"Ayuh, make sure you don't bust any of these crates. These are very valuable to me, very valuable! They're worth more than the lot of you put together, so I better not see a single scratch!"

The slurred, heavily accented voice was just barely audible over the sound of heavy machinery and grunts of exertion that dominated the loading dock. Though Farshore wasn't exactly his preferred place of transaction, there was a sense of beauty to the way the moonlight glimmered over the gently lapping waves.

Hiding the beasts and monsters that may be lurking in the depths.

Doviculous shuddered, taking another long drag of his cigarra to calm his thalassophobia. He deeply missed the firm, solid skyscrapers of Nar Shaddaa. At least there you didn't run the risk of getting dragged down into the dark depths of some alien ocean, you just ran the risk of falling to your death several kilometers down. There was some comfort in that at least you'd die instantly on hitting the ground, instead of getting torn apart while water filled your lungs.

Another drag finished off his cigarra, which he discarded by flicking it off into the water to let it suffer what his anxiety was playing in his mind.

Back to the old grind, the Devaronian thought, as he continued to observe the dock workers moving crates of cargo from a docked starship onto the grilled metal deck. It wouldn't be long before the red-skinned alien's contact arrived to take the rest of this whole bloody job off of his hands.

Then Doviculous could head back to the comfort of Nar Shaddaa, and bury his fears in the ample cleavage of some Twi'lek.

That'll be good.

[member="Zef Halo"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

Dock 17's large doors slid open revealing the grizzled old scoundrel followed by an army of little worker droids all carrying repulsorlift devices. Zef surely wasn't carrying all these stuff on his own in 851ABY. A large holster strapped on his hip held his particle beam revolver safely. He donned a white, or ex-white, shirt with various spots of engine oil befitting the shirt of a man whose best friend was his ship and definitely in contrast to the luxurious, touched to a microscopic detail city of Farshore.

Unbeknownst to the smuggler, his contact also shared the dislike of the place. Too fancy, too faux, too...deceptive. And too freaking expensive.

Zef gave a glance around to the shipment being unloaded before locking eyes with the Devaronian employer.

"Price has gone up by a third." He declared nonchalantly. "Sith-Imperials just showed up." There was a tone of irritation in the smuggler's voice. You could slip off easily from places like Littora, usually. Big, bad governments that had something Imperial in their naming were a different story. Prices went up, though, due to the risk so wasn't all that bad.

The ex-Mandalorian kept his calm glare locked at the horned man's single eye.

[member="Eye of Solomon"]​

 

[Six-O]

Objective 4: Hunt, Capture, Sell, Survive.
Allies: [member="Matsu Xiangu"] | Xoorurm | "Vinto" Zyyc Vonux | Buutog "Grouch" Kipavii
Post: 1

There was an unnerving nature about this World, something the huddled Organics seemed to feel, but the Droid could not. The waves substantial, the flagging tides traumatic. Vigor of this nature was something worth witnessing, something enduring. YVHa-60 theorized that it was the fragile nature of the flesh, the cognizance of observing just how frail, brief, and meaningless they were - how elementary their power truly was.

Sometime Earlier. . . . .​

They'd arrived first, [member="Matsu Xiangu"] and the Droid YVHa-60 at the city of Farshore. There they had bid disproportionate sums to embed their stake in a small claim to Mining Rights, greasing hands and signing Contracts before Matsu was unleashed upon the Fashion Districts. She always did have a keen eye for fabric and style.

By the time The Sith Empire had arrived, The Haruspex and The Droid had taken leave for the Floating Boat City with a Crew of 2700. Most of them young, fresh, unpracticed TSE-Space natives and recruits. Living their lives and exploring what there was to offer in this massive Galaxy. Such were the freedoms offered to every citizen of the Sith, no matter what certain Silver and Alliance Factions may have claimed.

They held up residence in the Boat City for a Littorian Fortnight before setting sail, cutting waves and conquering the tide in a newly minted Factory Ship. Sponsored by The Sith Empire, Contracted, Funded entirely. Using the opportunity to dredge their preferred Contacts in some of the Wealth, Matsu and Six had imported three frequent collaborators with them.

Xoorurm, better known as the Butcher Beast of Belovia. A mammoth sized specimen of the Gigoran species. "Vinto" Zyyc Vonux, the yellow skinned Rodian. And diminutive, but fierce, Buutog "Grouch" Kipavii a Talpini native to Maena that had previously helped YVHa-60 and Matsu extinguish a number of rivals in the ongoing feuds in the New City.

This was what they started with, now to tell the horrors of what transpired. . .​

 

[Darth Athora]

Objective III

Zahori, yet again, found herself as the oversee of the construction of a stronghold for the Sith Empire. However, instead of a military listening station planetside, it was a space station. A Lonena-class. As the highest ranking officer on board, Zahori was running the operation from within the space station itself. From deep within the core, Zahori was able to see all of the operations occurring throughout the space station as it's construction neared it's final stages.

"Get Commander Mahrvi on the line." Zahori commanded just before a hologram of a human officer appeared before her.

"Yes, Admiral?"

"Commander, are you tracking on the current splinter operation?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Keep me posted on the secure channel. The operation mustn't be revealed. The Admiralty would have my head for using our assets for personal gain."

The operation in question was one being handled by the Shadow Fist. Their mission? Seize and capture a caravan of freighters carrying precious materials Zahori requires for her Azgalor project.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Location: Farshore
Objective: Enjoy the Festival and do some business I guess?

All bundled up against the cold, beneath the moon light while the water lapped softly against the edge of the floating city, Cass had to admit to being, well....

Sort of charmed by Farshore.

The clean lines, the general wealth, the chill in the air and the sound of the sea. It surprised her, but pleasantly so.

She and [member="Itash Mecetti"] walked along the main thoroughfare, arm in arm, taking in the sights of the Aurora Festival. Ostensibly, she was here to speak with someone about procuring rights to take samples- oh, not for the Sith Empire, but for GenPals, which was entirely outside the agreement already established. And since Cass was interested in a different sort of creature compared to the researchers for the Empire, well, it required a different discussion entirely.

So it surprised her to realize that she would have been perfectly content to have come purely for the locale and almost regretted having set up the meeting here and now.

Almost.

"How long until we'll be able to see the lights, Tash?"

 

[Itash Mecetti]

Location: Farshore
Objective: Enjoy himself.
[member="Cassandra Paige"]

For once Itash Mecetti had no true business to attend to.

Oh, obviously Didact was conducting operations within the Littora system, but for once it didn't mean that Tash had to be there personally. Odd and pleasant in equal terms. A year ago Tash wouldn't have figured himself a businessman and equally wouldn't have considered a stroll with a woman as the hightime of a week. In truth Itash wasn't sure what it meant- both for him, for her and for the both of them. "Mm," He looked down at his time-piece before squinting at the sky a bit.

"I'd say about another twenty to thirty minutes?"

It wasn't very busy here.

Some people strolling past, but most had gathered at the center of the city to attend the festivities. They had opted against it this time around. Because those festivities always brought airs with them and appearances, sometimes... exhausting?

Yes, that was the word.

"You look lovely." Tash murmured as they came to a stop at a corner of the thoroughfare. The ocean was clear, the moon shone bright, it made her eyes... radiate.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Objective 4: Collect and Research Specimens

This was a fascinating world, she thought, as her collection team setup their current position. A moving ocean, constantly shifting. A galactic oddity, and one that she was glad to have caught sight of as her ships entered atmosphere. While it was interesting, and eventually she could see her company establishing itself here in partnership with one of the native corporations, she was here for an entirely different reason. The trip to the planet, she had been reading up the admittedly limited details on the native fauna.

Of particular interest to the Lady of Secrets was the Protea species and the Sun Jellies species. Both sounded like something that could be quite useful for... new experiments. Upon arriving, her sweeping team had located several specimens of Sun Jellies and scooped a few up for study at a specially designed research platform. She had then proceeded to the Intertidal Zone to see if they could locate a few of these Protea on the hunt, and she had lost a man to some sort of creature within a patch of mud. A Floodflower worm, and an impressive specimen. At least four meters... once they extracted it from its pit.

"Absolutely fascinating," she muttered, running a scanner over its body while it was processed for moving.

"My Lady, we have located a Protea specimen approaching," a voice on her comlink informed her. "Wait, a second one is emerging from the water."

Excellent. Most excellent.

 

[Vaylin]

Objective 4: Hunt.
Allies: [member="Six-O"] | [member="Matsu Xiangu"] | Followers of Dust

Years ago hunting had been a past time for Vaylin, something to occupy herself during her days stuck on Dxun. But over time it had grown boring, forced to hunt down the same beasts over and over again. There was a distinct lack of variance, the Canooks, Bomas, Maalraas' and so on all followed tradition paths in their hunting patterns. Something Vaylin had learned fairly quickly, making her nightly hunts trivial in comparison.

But Littora? That promised something special. Even the landscape itself was fascinating, a sea that shifted according to the moon? To say the least, Vaylin was fascinated with the planet as a whole.

She had arrived at the city of Farshore with a small group of the Followers of Dust. Typically used as reconnaissance and infiltration, the Zabrak saw them as a useful group to utilize on a planet containing creatures that had yet to be fully investigated. If the Sith Empire were going to bring the planet under their banner, they'd need information on how to combat the native beasts.

Vaylin had spoken with the native Littorians, hearing tall tales of the "Boat People." A group that was supposedly insane enough to brave the shores were the dangerous Protea stalked. Information was gathered, but it nothing more than verbal fact (and fiction a lot of the time). Vaylin knew they needed active experience with these creatures to discern how they could be fought.

It was what eventually led the Zabrak and her small group to join a Factory Ship that was due to set sail the Walking Seas. Given it as being sponsored by the Sith Empire, they had no issue joining the crew before the had departed. But what interested was the ones who were leading the expedition.

A Xiangu and a droid.

The Zabrak had yet to speak with the woman in question, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was any relation to the other Xiangu she had met a long while ago.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Location: Farshore
Objective: Enjoy the Festival and do some business I guess?

That would explain why her contact had been adamant about the timing it would seem. No one on Farshore would want to miss the light show, they had been told. It meant that they had an hour without interruption before she had to make her meeting and-

His words as they paused before crossing brought her back out of the turning organizing currently happening and back to the moment. It wasn't..... usually like this. Oh, his compliments were always genuine, but they were also part of the game, and they both knew it. Something in his tone was..... different this time and it caught her attention.

Still paused on the corner, Cass's eyes shifted from where they had been gazing out at nothing in particular over a glimpse of the water to Itash. It wasn't the compliment, it was the tone. And the way he was looking at her that gave her pause. Again, different.

She didn't know what to do with it.

"Mmm well thank you," she murmured in return, smiling slightly. She opted for 'situation normal.' Which mean, the game. "You went all out yourself, it only seemed fair to make sure I looked as good as you did."

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

OBJECTIVE 4: Hunt, capture, sell, survive.
ALLIES: [member="Six-O"] | [member="Vaylin"] | Xoorum | Vinto Zyyc Vonux | Buutog "Grouch" Kipavii
POST: 1

There was an efficiency to the Factory Ship, weeks in to the trip, that hadn’t been readily apparent when it first set off. That Littorian fortnite wasn’t quick to let go of those who had partaken, sluggish and blurry-eyed. But as land drew distant so did its vices and soon, work took hold of all those contracted.

Most worlds, save for those that boasted sentient aquatic species, didn’t know much about their oceans. Endless bounty, mysterious prizes. Littora was no exception.

Valuable boxer shrimp were carefully harvested on one side of the ship only lest they explode in fear - a natural response, but one that would quickly set the expedition back indefinitely. Diamond seals, skins prized for their sparkling pattern, were hauled aboard. Perhaps most impressive were the whales pulled aboard, amber barnacles opening and closing at the transfer from frigid salt-water to air. The barnacles themselves made exotic jewelry coveted in the Core worlds (though Matsu found them rather inelegant). But it was the whales - massive and full of oil made in to luxury soaps, fat and meat used in food, fertilizer, cosmetics…

All vanity, really. Luxury.

If someone had asked Matsu she might have said she found it distasteful but the way of the world, but as was the natural assumption where Sith were concerned...those who found each day worse than the last simply assumed she was perfectly fine with it all. Thus rose the Rodians.

Not at first. The 40th day one finally spoke up to a few of his friends - this excess was appalling, stomach-churning. Those friends spoke to some of their own and eventually this group of dissenters was 800 strong. Of course, they were still severely outnumbered. Careful. Anger simmering every time they chummed the water to draw bullsharks whose fins would catch absurd credits on Atrisia.

This poaching would end.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

Location: Farshore
Objective: Enjoy himself.
[member="Cassandra Paige"]

...and back to the game they went.

There were many reasons why one such as Itash would shift his game.

For one he was slowly beginning to actually... like Cassandra outside of the enjoyment of their game. They had much in common, after all, and didn't every person (no matter how horrible they were) crave for understanding in at least some ways? But there was more to it than that and that shouldn't surprise anyone who was intimately aware of Tash's motivations. (not many of those granted)

He enjoyed pushing Cassandra out of her comfort zone.

This certainly accomplished that. "Mm, you have outdone yourself then," He pulled her hand up, the one he always took, kissing one knuckle after another while pulling her closer to him.

"I want to take you on a vacation. Just you and me. A beach, warm ocean, nights like these every day."

Head tilted.

"What do you think?"

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

Location: Littora Intertidal Zone
Objective: Hunt and Collect Specimen
Allies: [member="Farah"]

Jorryn let out a sigh as the ramp opened up in front of her, verbalizing her annoyance at being sent down to accompany the science mission as part of her duties instead of celebrating the festival in one of the floating cities above them. Her amber eyes stared upwards, jumping from city to city, wondering which ones she would have celebrated at if she weren't stuck down in the mud.

She did raise her eyebrows as Jorryn wondered if she could make it in time if she finished whatever duty she had down here quickly enough.

The smell of dampness that typically followed rain was the first thing that caught Jorryn's attention, the wormy smell caused the Acolyte to press her gloved hand against her nose in an attempt to block it out.

There were no rain clouds however, this smell and damp earth had been left by the massive ocean that was crawling further away from the ship she had been carried down in. It was the first phenomena of it's type that the Echani had seen, unknowingly lowering her hand as she stared in wonderance as the massive body of water carried itself away.

As her boots finally met the wet earth, Jorryn began surveying around for any prey they could collect. Unfortunately there were no behemoths wandering the planet, presumably the crawling oceans carried most of the life forms with it.

Thankfully this is were the science team was to come in. The mobile lab had been set up in the ship for any containment needs, but the tools that the men and women of the Empire brought down were designed to help bring the creepy crawlys out of their hiding holes. Jorryn's duty was simply to dispatch whatever poor animal managed to find itself in front of her, or take them alive if at all possible.

Jorryn faced back towards the entrance of the ship as she watched the last of the equipment begin to unload, waiting for the chief scientist to come down and begin instructing her crew. The pair hadn't managed to meet on the ride their as Jorryn mostly spent the time doing a concoction of sulking and meditating, but the Acolyte had heard it was a Zeltron woman.

And so Jorryn waited to either see a bright pink girl climb down the ramp or feel the drugging sensation that came with most of their kind, preferably the former.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Location: Farshore
Objective: Enjoy the Festival and do some business I guess?

Her cybernetic hand- if she offered the other of course he took it, but when he acted of his own volition?

It was always that one.

After growing used to them, Cass was not self conscious of the cybernetics. In part due to Tash, oddly enough. In almost all ways they were superior to the originals after all, and he had, from the very first, gone out of his way to reassure that they did not change a single iota about the way he viewed her.

Though, if he had, they probably wouldn't still be here like this.

"Warmer than this night though, yes?" She teased, stepping up against him and smiling.

He'd mentioned this once before, but that was before..... before so much. She hadn't been interested in carving out that time then, not with the level of effort it would have taken. But in some ways things had slowly, inch by inch, even with the games they played, grown easier between them.

Still lies. Probably always lies. But they'd both seen behind the veil and it was easier to not have to pretend in every breath that they were things they were not.

"Mmm, let's," she agreed finally. "Just us. No GenPals. No Didact. Promise?"

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

Location: Farshore
Objective: Enjoy himself.
[member="Cassandra Paige"]

Rather than let her stop Tash pulled her against him and leaned down to kiss her.

Deep, full, there was a search there but it was less... hard than usually.

If it was by design or simply the way of the moment was anyone's question. Only once Itash took what he needed from her, would he break the kiss, leaning brow against brow and humming softly. "Promise. Just you, me and a large island we will rent to ourselves." Murmuring softly, but there was Tash again. The offer of wild and great and big gifts freely and easily.

He had never been stingy with his money.

His hand curled tighter around her waist, keeping her close rather than letting her slip away though.

"We could pick a Core-world... or maybe go more exotic." The musing came after a moment of silence. "Preference?" Most definitely somewhere warmer though, because this - while not frigid - wasn't entirely pleasing either.

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Objective: 4
Post: 1

From the middle of the transport shuttle where the lone figure sat staring out the tinted glass, the eyes of Darth Venefica watched with fascination at the passing waves of the ocean. The colour of the water held a caustic hue in her opinion, but it wasn't the ocean or the inhabitants that haunted the undersea that drew her to the planet; but the possibility of scientific pursuits that waded on the shores where ocean and land stretched out to greet one another. She studied what she could surrounding the Intertidal Zones, focusing on the creatures that turned the coastlines into personal hunting grounds. The unstudied beasts had captured her heart, and they deserved to be studied and treated fairly as all predators should. She knew predators all to well, having fought and killed the most deadliest kinds on her home planet of Dagobah; both as child and adult. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she found herself returning to her place of birth to test her will and psyche against those monsters from time to time.​

​

But did these coastline abominations hold the same ferocity as dragonsnakes? Or bogwings? Or pikobis? She wasn't here for combat, but to collect samples, alive or dead, to study. It's not whats on the surface of creatures that could be utilized for future designs, but what was hidden deep inside their physical make-up that could bring forth a terror far worse than staring into the eyes of a starving and salivating animal; whose view of you was that of satisfying that nagging rumble in acidic filled stomachs. ​

​

Or perhaps if these creatures possessed no useful applications after being dissected upon cold slabs of steel; a slight cast of alchemy could transform them into something beautiful, and hauntingly dangerous, when spliced with genes of other sentient beings. Her two daughters, Agrona and Andarta, were birthed from her twisted mind; whose appearances could only be appreciated by a Mother's love.​

​

Turning her head from the window, she rose to her feet feeling the shuttle change it's trajectory into a downward motion in unison. Wrapping her 'living' robe around her simple frame, she headed toward the shuttle's rear; where her handpicked science team waited with both eagerness and inquisitive minds. The team had been made to run a gauntlet until they collectively satisfied the Sith Lady's need for perfected preparation. When dealing with scientific expeditions , it only took one mishap to unravel weeks of preparation and work. Specimens could be compromised. Tainted. Infected. Or simply fall into minimal ruin by careless hands or overzealous minds. ​

​

Entering the shuttle's loading and unloading dock, she stared at her team feeling the shuttle touch down. No words needed to be said as the landing ramp extended to the planet's surface; prompting the team to react swiftly unloading the equipment. Drawing the robe's hood over her head, her bare feet slapped against the cold metallic ramp as she descended to the surface; smiling at all the prospects that now laid within her reach. ​

 

[Delaney Wilder]

[member="Zef Halo"] [member="Eye of Solomon"]

After the former Mandalorian and his little army of droids came a second sentient organic strolling into the busy warehouse.

Jack wasn't too happy about all this.

Gorram Sith Empire wasn't exactly what he had signed up for, but here they were. Singh had been hired by Halo a few days back. His usual partner got sick with the sniffles and had to cancel, but a gun was a gun and Jack had a sawed-off bloodstripe cannon hanging off his belt.

Some guns were better than others as far as he was concerned.

"Ya gonna ask 'im for his boots too?" Jack mumbled while looking the Devaronian up and down a bit. He smelled wrong, Darkside. It was his zeltron blood that gave him the tip. Too much anger and hate in the blood that radiated out.

It was giving Singh a headache.

But that was the job for ya.

 

[Farah]

Location: Littora Intertidal Zone
Objective: 4
Allies: [member="Jorryn Fordyce"]
Post: #1

While Jorryn had been preparing for this mission with a form of sulky meditation that Farah wouldn’t understand (mostly because she was wired on a mix of caf and DriveX 90% of the time), a certain doctor was prepping in her own nerdtastic way: research.

Said doctor liked to know what she was getting into, mainly because her last experience with leaf collecting left her clotheslined into a tree by a sentient vine. The whole experience had been a 6/10.

She disembarked from the ship in an envirosuit, a prototype made from a mesh of her own concoction. The fabric on this one was lighter, less restrictive and more form fitting. Most importantly, it did not squeak. Farah liked to test many of her inventions on her own at some point—usually more finalized products, not first batches or initial trials. She was particular, not stupid.

As her boots made contact with the sandy shore, she took their surroundings in. Grey sky. Grey waters. Grey…mist. Not the prettiest place. Why couldn’t the Sith extend their reaches to a beach resort once in a while?

She really needed a vacation.

As her HUD ran the numbers on their surroundings, Farah turned to the other Acolyte who’d been appointed alongside her for this task.

“You must be Acolyte Fordyce.” Her voice was slightly modulated behind the helmet. “I am Dr. Zambrano. Hello.”

Farah was not the best at greetings. They usually consisted of grunts as she passed by the few colleagues she could stand and who could stand her in the halls of CoreGen. Still, she made an odd effort.

“Have you encou—what do you think you’re doing?” Her attention to a young man who’d been setting up an analytical machine. Said young man looked startled and a bit terrified.

“Have you not checked the tide charts I circulated earlier, idiot? The sea will wash that away in just a few hours if you put it there.” She grunted. “Set it up further away near the rest of the microlab.”

 

[Eye of Solomon]

Doviculous had lit another cigarra by the time [member="Zef Halo"] strolled on in, the Devaronian gangster pocketing the ornate torch in his coat pocket as he flashed the Corellian smuggler an all too toothy grin; the cigarra gripped tightly between serrated teeth.

"You're killing me, Halo baybee." The Devaronian drew out the last syllable for emphasis, his dark eyes glinting with devious mirth. "But you're in luck, I'm feelin' generous this fine afternoon."

He barked a couple more orders to his droogs in Huttese, who cowered like a beaten dog and scrambled off to carry those orders out like their lives depended on it.

Which it probably did.

"I wouldn't worry too much about them there Sith-Imperials. That Aurora Festival's got 'em all distracted, they ain't gonna be lookin' for no grizzled shebs like yourself, ey?" He didn't need to let the ex-Mandalorian know that he just so happened to be on the payroll of the Sith Emperor, little details like that tended to muck up what was an otherwise cordial business relationship. Doviculous lightly tapped his cigarra over the blue-black waters of the dock, a scattering of ashes cascading down to sizzle and die against the surface.

The mention of asking for his boots as payment drew a chuckle from the devilish thug, "Last no good son of a akk dog who tried to abscond with these here boots ended up with his tongue pulled out through his neck, not a pretty sight I can tell you that."

[member="Jackson Singh"]​

 

[Six-O]

Objective 4: Hunt, Capture, Sell, Survive.
Allies: Matsu Xiangu | Xoorurm | "Vinto" Zyyc Vonux | Buutog "Grouch" Kipavii
Post: 2


It was unnatural, such decimation.

Woven in perennial twilight, they pillaged the Walking Sea. Dusk in, dusk out, Sun Sailer Whales were hauled from beneath the current and waves that battered the hulls of this horrible Ship. At first they were kept alive, shuttled off as living specimens for Maena and the Sith from the aft decks, later they were ruthlessly slaughtered, and packed in ice before their final journey. So too did the Giant Turtles met similar fates, Great Glass Crabs also.

In the gloam of the 60th Eve, a grand celebration appeared, compensation for work that transcended even the stiffest projection. What vice had been left behind at the Floating Boat City unfurled like fire in fields as dry men were allowed to get burnt. Four days of excess raged wildly below, as nightmarish storms lashed the decks above.

The Ship also took on a name in those wild nights. No longer known by it's technical class, Factory Ship.

No,

now she was known as the F. S. Witch of the Waves.

It could be considered laughable in some way, that [member="Matsu Xiangu"] held such disdain for flattery and worship. She did not expect heads to bow as she entered a room, subjects to kneel, slaves to serve her. It was a testament to her character. It was true power.

YVHa-60 would often perpend if that's not what drove it's Matsu to hold Maena in such regard, the New City, at least. A place where none bowed. A place where a simple flea-ridden pile of filth and flesh was just as likely to feel the blade across their throat as Emperors and Titans and Dark Lords.

The machine, at least, found it charming in that way.

Lazy drift, they let Haliae's hand shepherd them.

They'd been following the Tide for 77 Days now, routine had set in, things were running almost casual at this point. Friendships forged, groups conducting their tasks well oiled, nearly flawless. None of them even suspected the treachery that had quietly simmered in to a full boil. Perhaps they should have?

Perhaps questions should have been asked at the sight of Rodians speaking in the whisper of their native Lattorian dialect. Perhaps Zyyc should have been used more effectively. Perhaps the Force-Users should have been more keen. Perhaps the Droid should have been attached to monitoring Crew.

The Mutiny began in the middle of the 78th Day.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"], [member="Vaylin"], YVHa-60 and all of their closest companions were out in the heavy chop, massive chains stretched from the tall hull of the F.S. Witch of the Waves, connecting the ferry crafts to their Mother Vessel to insure they weren't lost to the current. Miles worth of the metal tethers were loosened from their knots, sagging low beneath the surf, dozens of Tugs deployed chasing down gigantic Reef Back Frogs.

They'd tailed them this far, transmitting a booming frequency in to the water that disoriented the beasts and bewildered them until finally they surfaced. Matsu's Tug bolted in, Vaylin's splitting off so they could storm the creature from opposite sides. YVHa-60 and Xoorurm stood at the prow, hellish looking hooks clung in both hands of the monsters. Zyyc maneuvered the vessel like lightning along the side of the Frogs surfacing body, Buutog manning the harpoon gun on the rear, ready to fire the 2.8 Meter Spike in to the flank of the animal at Matsu's command!

All around them Crews took to similar task, the bounty was rich, and all were drunk, the lust of profit in their eyes.

If only they knew what was transpiring back on the Ship.. . .