Public Blood and Sand [Geonosis Arena - Open]

[Darth Carnifex]

The black banners fluttered and twirled in the hot arid breeze, their shadow cast long across the sandy arena floor. Thousands had flooded the arena in preparation for the reopening of the Barahunde, the spiritual festival of the Geonosians replete with gladiatorial matches, battles against captured beasts, and executions of the condemned. It had been many, many decades since the last Barahunde, with the Confederacy of Independent Systems outlawing the practice of slavery and ritual execution when they made Geonosis the seat of their government. Even from the highest pulpits of the arena, the remnants of their settlements could be seen in the far distance.

But all that was the past, and the Geonosians sought to look towards the future. After having been abandoned following the Confederacy's dissolution, Geonosis floundered as the routes of trade shifted to more populated regions of space. Golbah City had suffered a great flight of people after that, with most of the city virtually abandoned as the city's prominence faded. Now the Geonosians had risen from their underground hives, set on fully reclaiming the surface of their world for their people again. Fortunately for them, a generous benefactor emerged to speed along their revitalization.

Darth Carnifex watched from the massive spire on the northern end of the arena, where the vaunted nobility of the Geonosians were seated beside Him. The new Archduke of Geonosis was at His right, and the representative of what remained of the Human settlers was at His left. He'd brokered a deal between the two, allowing for the meager Human population to remain on Geonosis so long as they acknowledged and paid fealty to the resurgent native Archduke. In return, Golbah City would not be stripped down for it's materials, and the Dark Lord would transfer a portion of His loyal fiefdom to the city to repopulate it.

As a celebration, the first Barahunde in a generation was to be held. The Dark Lord had supplied much of the captives and beasts to be used in the games, all of which were held below the arena. Lady Raaf had allowed Carnifex to choose several of her own menagerie for the fights, all of which were held under tight lock and key until the time came for them to be released. For now, however, the opening ceremony began. The Archduke walked out into view and spoke in his native tongue, the clicks and trills bouncing off the walls of the arena as his voice was amplified.

It was a short ceremony, the eagerness of the crowd incapable of enduring a long, elaborate spectacle. Truthfully, there needn't be one. The Archduke returned to his spot, and the Dark Lord watched as the gates were opened and the prisoners forced out into the baking sands. They were a motley assortment, found from all over the galaxy. Jedi, smugglers, Imperials, and various slaves torn from dozens of homeworlds. All had been apprehended by the Dark Lord's hunters, and had been brought here for one reason and one reason only.

To die.

Open to anyone, whether spectator or participant.​

 

[Lodd Grimmin]

BLOOD AND SAND

Darth Carnifex [Indirectly for now]​

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere." The Trade Federation Minister sighed in frustration, brushing off the sand particles from his hat and robes. He hesitantly settled into a seat beside the archduke's podium, with a crowd of senate aides and scribes trailing behind him.

His insect-like eyes scanned the arena below, knowing it would soon be teeming with gladiators, slaves, and monstrous beasts from across the galaxy - all courtesy of the Dark Lord of the Sith and Twice-Emperor, Darth Carnifex.

The Senate had recently passed the Equal Rights Act - to insure equality for all citizens within its borders, although such legislation meant little when you could ignore it instead by having the right connections in the right places.

It would not be a shocker to see the representative of the Trade Federation amongst the Geonosians Hives, having served alongside them during the Clone Wars against the Galactic Republic. The Federation had maneuvered themselves as a key economic player within the galaxy, and entangled themselves with the Sith Kainite Branch in order to extract more wealth from the Sith Worlds and the Corporate Sector underneath the nose of Castor Crane.

 

[Alicia Drey]

Tags: Lodd Grimmin Darth Carnifex
Location: The Initium

Flashing, strobing lights of hyperspace gave way to the ink black canvas of space as the Initium emerged above Geonosis. Immediately the stygium generators on board the ship engaged resulting in it cloaking and becoming invisible. As an added measure Darth Ayra reached over and engaged the PDF system on board the ship too. This created a dampening field around the ship to ward off scanners. All precautionary measures to ensure that the Sith Lord was not detected by the traffic coming and going from Geonosis as the Barahunde was set to be hosted on the planet surface.

They had once been allies, at least by way of proxy. Ayra remembered only sharing the same room as Carnifex while the One Sith had convened several times in the 840s to plan the next invasion and subsequent annexation of star systems aligned to the Galactic Republic. He had played a more prominent role than she had. One by one the worlds fell and so too did the Republic. The last time that she remembered seeing Carnifex before the One Sith collapsed (by way of in-fighting) was on the same day she had stabbed Onrai in the back while Pandeima and others made a bid to become the new Dark Lord of the Sith.

Of course their shared history together was far more personal than Ayra would give it credit. Ella Nova had been a Knight of the Republic who Carnifex had defeated and subsequently captured by the end of the One Sith-Republic war. He had interrogated her inside the Black Pyramid for months and the methods of interrogation were, unfortunately, too graphic for this writer to go into detail. Suffice to say, by the time Ayra had arranged for the Sun Guards of Sojourn to break the Jedi Knight out of prison it would have been a relief, to say the least, had she not been subject to a fate far worse than death at the hands of another former One Sith.

Although she had grown older, and the appearance changed to fit Darth Ayra's chosen aesthetic, the face of Ella Nova reflected itself in the viewing port as the Initium begun to break orbit. She had grown used too the reflection in the intervening years since the Essence Transfer ritual had been completed. In a way Nova had accomplished what Ayra had not. She had saved Ayra's life and it had only cost her her own. There was an irony somewhere in that. Didn't it say somewhere in the Jedi code about sacrifice to save others?

Ayra engaged the auto-pilot so that she could pull up telemetry of Geonosis that she had taken with her for the trip. Golbah City appeared as a holographic representation via a map Ayra had pulled up on the viewing port. As the Initium cleared the clouds and emerged above the desert plains she triangulated a landing zone some kilometres away from the city. Taking back control of the ship Ayra flew it towards the landing site and engaged the landing gears. After landing she disengaged the cloak and PDF generators to conserve power while trusting the logic that if nobody knew she was here then no-one was looking for her.

The landing ramp to the Initium opened and Darth Ayra emerged in her red tunic. There, she activated the Probe droids that she had brought with her from Lianna and watched as they made their way to the city begin reconnaissance.

 

[Zachariah Conway]

Location: Geonosis
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tags: Revna | Darth Strosius ​

Zachairah leant back in his chair.

Geonosis was a planet he had never explored. Brunas Drace had never had a reason to visit the historical location and thus had never taken Zachariah out that. Since freeing himself from Brunas' captivity, he hadn't ever had a reason to head out to Geonosis so he hadn't bothered. He'd kept himself to Zaathru and Jutrand, with a brief pit stop on Eliad.

The Archduke of Geonosis spoke in his clicks and noises that meant absolutely nothing to the young Sith and he watched as the Geonosians around the arena all responded with cheers and clicks of their own. The speech had been brief and the young Sith made an assumption that it was some form of welcoming speech. A protocol droid to translate would have been useful.

Honestly, the young boy wasn't sure how to feel about what he was watching. He chose to believe that everyone in the arena had committed some form of offence but he doubted that was the case. It brought back memories of the times that Brunas would chain him up, have him running laps or doing the menial daily tasks that he didn't want to do.

There had been debates within himself if he was actually going to attend or not. He'd become fairly comfortable to his life on Jutrand and his training regime and he was thoroughly enjoying the book that he had borrowed from his grandfather. On the other hand, he hadn't yet come across many people outside of his own circle. Srina Talon had agreed to mentor him but she was also his grandmother so that didn't count. His grandfather, whilst high ranking most definitely didn't count. The only other person he'd really come across was Darth Malum of House Marr in their arranged tutoring session.

This was his excuse to network, branch out and meet others who claimed to serve the darkside. This was his opportunity to cross paths with others who he hadn't before, meet others who may be able to offer knowledge that no-one else he'd crossed could. Everyone had something to teach, either a new way to manipulate the force or a new bit of knowledge he could use.

He'd been thinking a lot about his conversation with his grandfather. He'd been reliving a lot of the questions that he'd been asked and thinking on them. He did however pull himself out of that thought quite quickly. This wasn't the time to be thinking about philosophy, it was time to watch some criminals (definitely potential slaves) fight some beasts to death.

The thought of them being slaves and the thought of death both sent a shiver down his spine.

 

[Domina Prime]

Darth Carnifex
Alicia Drey | Lodd Grimmin | Zachariah Conway

​

There was a scorching radiance blazing a scar upon the earth now as from the shadowed shade of the Arena azure eyes flashed like icy embers. Steady, scrutinizing eyes shifting upon the sands as an impatient tap of a claw rattled audibly against the arm of her seat from the spectator stands.

In some miracle, luck, or perhaps fate she had been convinced to accompany The God-King Darth Carnifex . A dark lord whom Dominas relationship was...complicated to say the least. Especially since receiving the news of their true relation, the Xeno still finding it hard to believe that she was related to such a man. But let there be no confusion, sweet observer. A particular fascination with this planet had lied nurtured under Dimas oppressive seams for years. She may not have understood her relation to the god-king as his estranged daughter but the signs of their bond were certainly there; The insatiable thirst for somatic superiority! The Obsession with all things that shimmer, shine, captivate and delight.

The beautiful, the powerful, the superficial husk to which her eyes long to ravage and azure claws ache to purge from the pearly bone! To render tissues and paint her own canvas of grisly disfigurement! Though such drastic pleasures are tempered beneath her simple desire to covet, to substantiate herself over they who wear the weight of gods and make them crawl upon the floor in quiescent conquest. Subservience. Sweet slavery of the unworthy and the crowning of true champions in eyes of Prime, overvalued liberty pilfered. Everything of corporeal splendor must be owned and cultivated!

Domina was certainly a bizarre daughter in more ways than one, but at least Carnifex in one way or another could see himself in her which was more than what most parents could say about their lost children.

This planet? Just another stepping stone on the starpath she was on. The world itself Domina cared extremely little for since in her mind it shared far to many similarities with another hot, dry and lame rock known as Tatooine. Another scorched chunk of dirt floating in space that had very little in terms of genetic variety in their Fauna or Flora. But what Tatooine lacked Geonosis at least made up with it's incredibly diverse and complex hivemind that had been driven underground due to...political squabbles.

Still, The Archduke proceeded to address the people. His native tongue evoking a mild reaction from Domina, a fellow hive lifeform as the teeth lining the sides of her jaws chittered and hissed audibly like some kind of prehistoric creature. That massive tail curling at her legs as the gates finally swung open. Allowing a collection of frazzled and panicking individuals to swarm out into the dunes of the arena as Domina leaned in from her seat as if to inspect the players of the game.

More importantly however, The Prime paid extra attention to the hiveborn of the Geonosians, curious to see what they'd employ against the chosen champions of the arena.

"Don't disappoint. This one has high expectations~" She murmured from behind her mask. Lifting a leg and hooking it over her knee as her curiosity of the Hivemind overwhelmed her instincts. Her desire to assimilate worthy lifeforms overriding her at the moment and for once forcing her to behave rather than causing a commotion as she was usually known for.

Make no mistake, sweet audience of mine. The Geonosian Hive Collective possessed Domina Primes undivided attention. And that certainly can't be a good thing, could it?

 

[Trayze Tesar]

CURRENT MISSION - MANDATORY FUN DAY
Immediate Goals -
1: Stand there
2: Look Pretty
3: Stand there while looking pretty
4: Enjoy the free entertainment

BLUFOR - Darth Strosius

OPFOR - ENEMIES ALL AROUND

TARGETING ACTION(S) - OPEN FOR INTERACTION || Saryn Zambrano || Zachariah Conway || Darth Carnifex starring as himself.

---

Trayze was absolutely, positively, and mind-numbingly tense. This, of course, was what the opposite of company issued holidays, or "mandatory fun days" that uniformed folks like him would snidely murmur in hushed tones away from their boss' ears.

Of course, rather than going on a vacation day to do literally anything else, the Kiffar was "cordially invited" to join his boss, and more importantly, their husband on a "sporting venue of combat". In practical terms, Darth Carnifex was having a show, and due to being low on the totem pole, he was politely requested to come.

Being near the Butcher King and his sycophants made his skin crawl; It was like being in a room full of nexus, and a pool full of sharks, with vultures flying overhead, and the corpse-swarmers buzzing straight at you. To say nothing of how utterly obnoxious being in an arena was. Oh sure, Trayze understood the diplomatic rationale that the Butcher King was here, Archduke of Geonosis and Human settler representatives at his side, but in his experience, if you've seen one pit fight you've seen them all.

There was a silver lining, of course, someone who his lordly cousin had recently tutored would also be in the venue - One Zachariah Conway . The boy proved knowledgeable, at least enough to pique the interest of his brainiac of a cousin. Trayze knew, but even now held reservations, on the growing conspiracy and the rising star that was House Marr. How much was he contributing to the Sith Order, to the good of the people, and how much was he taking? Was he shadowing the boy because he felt indebted to his cousin, or did he in his heart of hearts, seek a successor, or a pawn for his own ambitions?

Self-loathing and navel gazing would wait: for now, he was in the enemy camp - the camp of those who believed simply because they had the Force they were automatically better than everyone around them. For now, he would approach the seat next to the young apprentice, and clear his throat. "Zachariah Conway?" he would begin. "My name is Trayze Tear, I am an associate of Darth Malum of House Marr . May I sit with you?"

 

[Diodoros]

Geonosis

Diodoros felt himself wanting… no, needing to get into the area. Piracy was still fun and all but it didn’t have the same thrill as the gladiatorial combat he came to cherish so much. Standing among the loud crowds of insectoid-ish natives and humans Diodoros respectfully stood in the back so that he wouldn’t earn the ire of those around him needing to bend themselves to gaze around his brawny mass.

He wore his cherished, fuzzy overcoat draped over his wide shoulders. The article of clothing also acts as a potent reminder for his years spent as a celebrated athlete in Hutt Space with his old friend. He would’ve love to do some performances in and around the Core Worlds. But those folks always fancied themselves as too good for that kind of entertainment. Diodoros figured that working for the Sith would see him finally leave the remote reaches of the Outer Rim. But it seemed as though the new campaigns against this region were keeping him in.

The golden man had in his hands a large glass jug full of booze that he occasionally took a swig from. However, as he watched various combatants be shuffled out into the arena and listened to the announcer explain some of them his eyes narrowed. Once he learned that there were captured Imperials down there he clenched his fist harshly. Causing the glass jug in his hand to shatter and ruin his drink as it splashed across the feet.

Seeing imperials here in the area and not being allowed to participate in their deaths filled Diodoros with anger. “It should’ve been me, not them… it’s not fair.” He muttered to himself as he let out a huff. The golden brute looked away from the area. Turning his back on the violence that would unfold. He was eager to see how those unconditioned new to the pressure of gladiatorial combat might prove themselves, but now he could do without. If he couldn’t be the one to crush imperial goose steppers with his own boot, then he wanted not to be part of this. Knowing full well that merely witnessing their demise would not be enough for him…​

 

[Revna]

Tags: Darth Strosius // Zachariah Conway // Trayze Tesar (tagging you since you are right there in the group lol) // Open!


Revna was surprised when Darth Strosius told her they would be going to an event being held on Geonosis, some sort of traditional gladiatorial event that hadn’t been held in a long time. His reasons for going were a mystery to the young woman, until she discovered that a certain Sith Lord by the name of Darth Carnifex would be there.

And she was well aware of just how much her Mentor hated him and certainly wanted to see his head detached from his shoulders. It made her wonder the real reason behind her Lord’s desire to attend the event. And why bring her along?

Cultural exposure, perhaps?

She pondered on this after they had landed and made their way to the stadium and the stands. It was packed; the event seemed to be very popular and eagerly anticipated and the buzz of the crowd was a bit infectious, and even Revna started to feel a bit of excitement for the coming event.

She and her Mentor weaved their way through the crowd, reaching the steps that would guide them both into the stands, and Revna paused briefly to look and see what seats were available, finding a row that still had some seats left and quickly made her way down, squeezing past some spectators to sit beside a young man, leaving a seat open for her Mentor.

Revna took a moment to glance at the youth beside her, taking in his appearance and presence. Dark curly hair, tanned skin, and from what she could tell, green eyes and dressed in darker attire with a cloak. He appeared to be the same height as the Sith Lord who was on the other side of her. He had a book with him, and she idly wondered if he planned on reading it instead of watching whatever was going on down in the ring. She could sense the Force within the young man, and the unmistakable chill presence of the Dark side. Another Sith, perhaps?

She turned her gaze to the arena before her, and listened as the Archduke gave a speech, but unfortunately it was in a language she didn’t understand, so she ignored it for the most part and turned her eyes instead to those seated around her, carefully observing the many different individuals present, studying them and even stretching out her senses to listen in on their surface thoughts and emotions, before her partially golden, partially stormy blue eyes moved to the arena once more as she observed individuals being brought in.

There were sentient beings as well as beasts present; a true gladiatorial event. The small Sith woman’s eyes narrowed as she studied the individuals down below; something seemed…off about them, but she couldn’t quite place it. Some were definitely acting as if they didn’t want to be in that ring. Had...some of these people been forced to do this?

Suddenly, her excitement drained away and she felt a rise of apprehension within her. What…was she about to see here? She turned her wary gaze to the masked Sith Lord beside her, with a look that said: ‘Why the feth are we here watching this?’

But, knowing her Mentor…he - they - were here for a reason. There was always a lesson behind everything he did, everything he showed her, everything he subjected her to. Maybe that was part of why she was sitting in the stands, overlooking an arena that was to be the death trap of who knew how many willing or unwilling lives this day. It made her want to do something about it…but she knew that would be foolish and unwise.

She glanced once more at the young man beside her, and her gaze flicked to his book, absentmindedly wondering what it could be about. Her gaze lifted to see another man approach and introduce himself to the young man, and she was quick to catch names that were spoken...Zachariah, Trayze, and of course she recognized the name of Darth Malum of House Marr . Such a small world, even in the midst of such a large galaxy.

Revna pulled her gaze away from the two men, feigning ignorance to their conversation, but she listened in anyways. Maybe she could learn something valuable or useful from this conversation?

…and if not then maybe listening to their conversation would provide some sort of entertainment for her instead of watching people be butchered for another’s cruel sense of amusement.

 

[Sula Skirata]

A cattle prod snapped into her side, finding a soft spot between her plates and adding to what she was certain was a hangover. She had her armour, her helmet clipped at her belt, but her rippers were gone, as was her knife. There were somethings built into the armour that they couldn't remove, though it wasn't for lack of trying. her mismatched armour was covered in scratches where they had tried to pry sections of it open.

The last thing she remembered was talking...no arguing with a geonosian scientist...they'd been discussing something...feth... why couldn't she remember what happened. She winced against the light, pausing and donning her helmet, granting her some relief.

The cattle prod found her side again.

Sula...snapped.

She snagged the prod with lightening speed, yanking its wielder towards her, and towards the gauntleted fist that doubled him over, relinquishing the grip on his weapon. A knee snapped her to his face as she grabbed the back of his neck and threw him into the arena ahead of her. the cattle prod now in her hand, hit the back of his knee as he tried to stand, then his kidney, then she spun it on end and used the handle like a club, cracking it hard across his skull. He dropped unmoving to the sand and Sula stepped over him.

"I was trying to think."

She told him. Not that he could hear her anymore.

With the immediate problem resolved, she could focus on the bigger problem at hand.

Thousands of spectators reflected in her T-visor, as she turned slowly on the spot to take the scene in. her eyes coming to settle on the beasts, as her grip tightened on the cattle prod.

"Shit."

 

[Vo Pandyn]

"Zzzzz" The large armored Pandyn said as a team quite literally rolled him out onto the sand a dropped a vibro spear on his rotund form.

"ZzzzzzzzzzZZZZzzzzzz" he continued behind his T-shaped visor as puffs of sand gusted away from his helmet filters with each long bellows like breath.

A beast roared.

A Pandalorian snored.

A nerd snapped.

A Pandalorian snorted..

"Noodles?"

 

[Commodore Helix]

Location: In the upper stands.
Tags: Open​

Helix found such events distasteful, in truth. They appealed to a sense of sadism he didn't have. Sadism was a function of an organic brain, serving some sort of social function above his paygrade. He was a warrior, not a sociologist.

He didn't have any moral issue with the suffering of others, in and of itself. He'd done far worse things to his enemies than anything going on below in the already blood-spattered arena. Only that when he inflicted it, it tended to have a purpose. Extracting information, sending a message. Something of practical use. Not amusement.

Perhaps this did have a practical use, and he simply wasn't looking hard enough, or thinking big enough. He had been a little surprised to receive an invitation here from the Big Kainite himself, Darth Carnifex . Perhaps the dark one had seen his battle with the reborn clone armies on Dagobah, and been favorably impressed. More likely, his name had simply come up on a list of Sith associates, and some flunky responsible for organizing the event had tossed his name into the hat.

He was far from an expert on his biggest clients' various internal divisions. In fact, he'd only recently learned that there were internal divisions, at least ones more organized than 'every man for himself'. Based on what he'd heard from Strosius, he was wary of Carnifex's intentions in throwing this event. It could be a simple flouting of power and money. Or it could be a way to see who accepted the invitations, and who thought they could get away with saying no.

Helix could, in theory, get away with saying no. He didn't directly answer to the Kainites, or anyone else except on a task-by-task basis of his choosing. In practice, he was a semi-independent wing of the Order as it was. He balanced very, very carefully on that knifepoint edge of being technically separate, but practically just one of many other organizations that had fallen under the Order's shadowy umbrella. Or at least, it was useful to have them think he had. Saying no would probably be seen as a little uncharitable. Being uncharitable to a powerful Sith Lord would at best lead to loss of possible future contracts, and at worst to serious bodily harm. So here he was.

Helix was seated as high in the stands as he could reasonably manage, away from all the rabble, and he'd brought holo-disguised bodyguards to ensure the insectoid natives didn't come too close. He disliked Geonosian culture and its fixation with petty theatricality and brute schadenfreude. He'd disliked it over nine hundred years ago when he'd first fought here, and he disliked it now.

Occasionally, in the time since, they'd been clients, or targets as the whims of the almighty credit demanded. Nothing had changed, though. He remembered seeing gladiatorial bouts like these all throughout his visits, even when spaced apart by the endlessly-passing years.

He cast his gaze around the crowd, the spectacle of some luckless slave getting rent limb from limb by an alien horror failing to hold his attention. He spotted Darth Strosius and Revna many rows below him, standing out like a sore thumb amidst a sea of insectoids. Well, at least there were some sane individuals in attendance. He couldn't imagine what they were doing here. Likely planning something against the event's host, or maybe they'd been 'gently' invited as he had. No concern of his, though. Not unless they made it so.

His bodyguards were getting twitchy as the crowd grew excited. This was going to be a long evening. He doubted he was welcome in the luxury box with the event's host, so he made his own, his droids brusquely ejecting anyone who dared sit within twenty feet of him. As such, he had room to settle in and relax, his metal hands tapping irritably on the stone benchwork. He was dimly aware of the Geonosians' dictator whirring and clicking his way through some grand oration or another. He understood Geonosian, and many, many other languages besides (nearly all of them, by his reckoning), but he couldn't be bothered to listen. His attention was on seeing what other interesting guests might be here, and how long it was until somebody tried something. One didn't get this many hated rivals all in one place without something interesting happening.

 

[Darth Strosius]

​

Revna / Zachariah Conway / Trayze Tesar

Darth Strosius was actually fairly fond of arenas. The roar of the crowd, the thrill of combat, the open battlefield, it was quite the exhilarating experience for the combatants. As for the audience he had never been a spectator before himself, not until today. Although he did wish that it would be under better circumstances. When he had first caught wind of Kainite activity in the Outer Rim, and during his own expansion in the region no less, he knew what had to be done. He had to handle such matters personally.

And thus he found himself on Geonosis, sitting as a member of the arena's audience and doing his best not to immediately rush for the tower that the Dark Lord of the Kainate sat in. Revna's presence at his side thankfully kept him grounded and levelheaded, as he didn't wish to endanger the life of the young Acolyte, but also gave him the perfect excuse for being there. After all what sort of Sith would he be if he never took his apprentices to see a little bit of bloodsports here and there? There were certainly no ulterior motives for his presence here at all. Definitely not.

"Oh look, they're throwing a collection of starved and injured captives into the fray. How typical." The Sith scowled underneath his mask, glaring at the arena before his gaze slowly drifted back up to the spire. He did enjoy arena fights but only if they were relatively fair and even, just seeing combatants die for no reason only disgusted him. This was meant to be a spectacle not a slaughter. Kainites might enjoy such displays but no true Sith would stomach the sight nor the conduct.

He glanced at the Acolyte to his side for a moment and noticed her wary gaze as he shifted in his seat slightly. "This is the barbarity that the Sith Order's leadership displays Acolyte, repulsive and vile just like those who would lord over us all." As disturbing as this would be for her, it would at the very least provide her with the incentive needed to understand why he did what he did. He had a lifetimes worth of grievances with the powers that be but she didn't, not until today at least. A valuable lesson that would serve her well in the days to come.

The masked man paid little heed to the pair that sat next to them, letting their conversation fade into the background noise of the audience as his gaze flickered around the arena. He was plotting a path to the spire but couldn't see any obvious entrances from his current position. More than likely there was some alternative route inside it, possibly involving an underground path or tunnels of some sort given what little information he knew regarding Geonosian architecture. He just had to find that route.

 

[Zachariah Conway]

Location: Geonosis
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tags: Darth Strosius | Revna | Trayze Tesar ​

The young Sith acolyte sat on the edge of his chair.

Out of no-where, he'd gone from being sat relatively alone to being surrounded. He hadn't paid much attention when the girl had sat next to him. She was cute enough, sure. Shorter than he was, and clearly much older with mid length black hair and an interesting scar over her eye. She hadn't addressed him so short of his observations he hadn't paid much attention.

Nor did he pay much attention when the male approached her and joined her. Zachariah assumed it was her master or at least her mentor despite the fact the male appeared younger than his associate did, roughly the same age as Zachariah was and about the same height as well. Zachariah could almost feel the darkness radiating from the male, the power he held almost dripping from him in the force. He was dressed much more simply in a set of cool looking black robes. Zachariah noted his associate's simpler style of dress.

However the third man had addressed him. A Kiffar, with long black dreadlocks and an olive tan. He was slightly shorter than Zachariah, but otherwise was a typical Kiffar as far as he could tell. This Kiffar showed little connection to the other two, having approached from the opposite side. This third male had addressed him by name, clearly knowing who he was despite the fact that Zachariah had never once ever laid eyes on the man. Then the third male mentioned the name of Darth Malum of House Marr , the Sith Knight who had been tutoring Zachariah in the ways of the force.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Lord Tesar?" he spoke, gesturing to the seat besides him. "I see you too have had the honour of crossing Lord Malum. An interesting male, with a lot to teach" he continued, speaking highly of the male whom had tutored him previous on Jutrand. "Someone who may yet go places in this Order, of that I am certain"

Even whilst talking with the male however, he couldn't help his ear being drawn to a conversation between the party to his right side. The cute girl and the younger male were speaking, and Zachariah overheard the disgust at the fact those fighting were definitely potential slaves. He then overheard something that interested him even more.

"Excuse me a moment, Lord Tesar" he spoke, hopefully not cutting the male off mid sentance. He span on his seat, now facing the male and female duo who had taken up seats to his right. He'd heard the male's comment about the barbarity of the leadership of the Sith Order. "Correct me if I'm wrong my Lord, you mention barbarity but what barbarity do you speak of?" he started, thinking back to the conversations he had been engaging in with his grandfather.

"Through experience, I can say I've never witnessed such an act at the hands of the leadership of the Order" he spoke before pausing for a moment. "Those that I have dealt with personally have always shown the utmost respect and decency"

 

[Kebii'kara Solus]

---

/hr]
CURRENT QUEST - An Arena...?
Immediate Goals -
1: Wake up...
1.1: Take stock of inventory.
2: Survive
2.1: Escape
FRIEND(s) - Where are they...?

FOE(s) - ENEMY UNKNOWN

TARGETING ACTION(S) - OPEN || Vo Pandyn, Sula Skirata & Darth Carnifex as himself

---

Eyes fluttered awake as she realized where she was - dressed in the beskar'gam she definitely didn't sleep in, despite stereotypes, because of the cold sweat that began to cling to her skin beneath the armor. Geonosian chittering, the sensation of thousands beyond, so dark, she felt herself hyperventilating.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

One of the Geonosians, why didn't they enlist in protocol droids, she couldn't understand a word they said as another electroprod forced her to spasm. But the Lasat broke her chains, and gave into the flurry of panic, and the Force followed suit. The dozen or so Geonosians, found themselves lifted, their limbs and organs pressed by invisible claws as the Lasat would rip her binds open, the adrenaline accentuating her training under House Solus and by Matthew of Valendale . But it was because of the latter she breathed, she assessed.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

The area stunk of darkness like a mass-grave, and rather than honoring the solidarity in the Manda, this grave was open, festering of pestus and miasma. It clung to her, its tendrils coiling and caressing thoughts within her mind. A dozen dozen singularities orbiting around a super-black hole that she had only heard of, cursed of, but dreaded to meet.

The Threat to the Empire and the Alliance. Ashla's Adversary. The Twice-born Tyrant. The Warmaster of Korriban. Dha'naast. Skanah Aru'e.

Darth Carnifex .

Breathe in. Breathe out.

She trained to face the darkness of the Sith, the shadow that loomed in the distance from Kalinda Station, or in Imperial Space. Yet to be here, now, under the gaze, by accident or intent, terrified her.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

She remembered the words of her teachers, that bravery was not the absence of fear, but the acting in spite of it - and that light wasn't the absence of darkness, but what we do in it. She would lower the Geonosians, she would meekly apologize, and she would comply. Onto the sandy arena, a lumbering, beskar-clad Lasat took the field, surveying under the jeering cheers of the Geonosians, the half-apathetic purview of the various Dar'Jetti in the stands... and there were others like her.

Force sensitive, yes, but more immediately she registered three Mandalorians on the field. One, more spherical than soldier if she was to be honest, and one bearing the marks of Clan Skirata. Friends! Or at the very least, fellow captors.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

With the Force, she spoke low, allowing her words to whisk through the thrumming din of the crowd and to the beskar-clad combatants. She spoke in Mandalorian, a tongue she had not spoken often since her departure from her family in Clan Solus, but still a part of her.

"<<Hello? Can you hear me? I am Kebii'kara of House Solus, the Lasat.>>"

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

TAGS: OPEN	Sula Skirata Kebii'kara Solus Domina Prime Darth Carnifex
LOCATION	ARENA GROUNDS

EQUIPMENT

• Personal Armor
• Grav-gauntlets
• JT-13 Jetpack
  • Strillir-Class Missile
• The Golden Gun
• KS-8 Slugthrower
  • Void-touched slug(s)
• Vizsla dueling Kal
• EL-DET-4 Grenade

This may have been the second time in galactic history that a Kamino-contracted Mandalorian had entered the great Arena of Geonosis.

Indeed, only a woman crazy as Tae'l Vizsla would enter this place willingly, but she was being paid handsomely. The Kaminoans who created her kind- the "Revival series strand-casts"- were a similarly rising power as Geonosis, long controlled by outsiders including the reconstituted CIS had built Golbah City here as they had built their own facilities on Kamino. The Bayal Laboratory where she was born intended to revive the cloning business in their own way, with their own corporate authority that sold small units or individual clones to multiple buyers, reasoning that if the wider galaxy bought them rather than one side, they would turn a profit without being seen as a large enough threat to be wiped out again like they had in the waning days of the Clone Wars for which their planet was known.

Only, they needed people to see what their clones were capable of.

CC-117 or "Tae'l" as her donors named her, was one of their finest commandos. Upon learning of her work in the bounty hunter's guild, she was contacted with a job offer too enticing to refuse: Demonstrate her abilities on film at the upcoming Arena games, and she would have a place among the mandalorian trainers of Kamino in addition to the largest stack of credits she had ever seen.

Tae'l hated the Kaminoans for growing slaves by another name. She hated the Butcher King who would host these games, but she loved the money, she loved what it could do for the girl in her care now. And by Kad'harangir, she loved a good fight. The wretched chip they planted in her skull had seen to that, even long after it's removal.



She entered the arena from the Executioner's gate opposite from the prisoners, unknowing of whom she'd be fighting. What she did know however, was that Darth Carnifex would no doubt hate seeing an armed Mandalorian in his arena. She was smugly satisfied with that at least, and planned to make a show of it.

She did not step out of the arena, rather she flew up and out of the gates with a flash and roar of rocket jets, holding The Golden Gun aloft so that it would gleam in the harsh sunlight as she screamed toward the dark lord's tower-

"NI MANDO'AD. BALYC NI PARJII." I am Mandalorian. And so I am victorious.

Then she descended, looking for her first target.

 

[Annika Starfire]

​

Location: Geonosian Arena
Objective: Watch the show
Tags: OPEN
Gear: in bio
Wearing: this

Annika stood in small front row section that she had been given access to as part of managing the social media presence of this event, four devices were lines up in front of her and her eyes scanned the different channels that each was hooked up to, watching out for any potential hiccups. This was going so well and her share of the advertisement revenue to the geonosians alone alone was going to nearly double her monthly income.

She watched as four geomosians struggled valiantly against a large fanged creature, looking at the playguide it was a Nexu, it was kind of cute in a "probably bites" kind of way. Annika put her fingers in her mouth and whistled with the crowd as the first Geonosian went down in a shower of chitin and gore. This was so much fun! She rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous Sith, doing what she did best and got to watch a brilliant spectacle, what could be better. She smirked turned her back to the event and took a series of selfies, a couple for the channel, and a couple for Rayth . As she processed the images and looked up across the stands she tried to see which Sith she recognised, it was always good to try and catch someone's eye, connections were important in her growing quest for power, everyone had a lesson to teach. She rested her hip on the railing and lit up a cigarra, the Nexu was on top of another geonosian but the distraction had allowed the remaining two to mount it and plunge a spear into its spine.

"BOOOOOOO!" she called out with a laugh as the nexu twitched and went down. But then laughed as the geonosians in the crowd went wild and three of the for devices started to erupt in notifications, each ping was a fraction of a credit for both her and for Darth Carnifex es coffers. The last device was less active but was tuned to the off worlders, she expected to get more more use out of that once the non-geonosian gladiators began to show off their skills.

​

 

[Kaiah Nihl]

​

Location: Geonosis | Golbah City Arena | The Barahunde
Objective: Survive
Status: Regaining Consciousness
Equipment: Slave Rags Labelled 'Traitor'
Tags: Open

​

The sand mixed with her blood.

Kaiah was lying face-down, having been thrown from the gates into the arena. She wiped her bloody nose and rubbed the sand out of her eyes. A groan escaped her lips, but she forced herself to rise. It wasn't easy, her legs were unsteady and the world seemed to spin around her.

She looked around the arena, dumbfounded. The participants, the crowds, the heat – it was all too much for her pounding head. Slowly but surely the lucidity started to creep back in, accompanied by a profound sense of dread. She remembered the guards mentioning an arena. They'd drugged her just enough to prevent her from causing trouble during her journey from the cell.

Not that she could cause any trouble now. It felt like she was moving through molasses or as if the area was deep underwater. It would explain why her breath was caught in her throat. Her brain was moving slowly too, though a small part in the back of her mind had already started to panic.

She recognized her garb, the meagre prisoner attire that marked her as a slave. She didn't need a mirror to know that the word 'TRAITOR' was painted across her back in blood-red ink. She felt it burning into her, under the gaze of the Sith above her.

Her jailer had given her sandals, but she discarded them. If she was to survive this, she needed to feel the ground beneath her feet. The sand was hot, yet she found it soothing. The fog in her mind was clearing now; the blood was once again flowing into her legs.

With a deep breath, she started walking further into the arena.

 

[Arla Rodarch]

Geonosis
Arena

​

Blood on the sands, sweat in the air, and the screams, shouts, cries and clicks of thousands of spectators. The Geonosian arena was packed and rocking with the great games going on far below on the sand of the stadium. Arla hadn't come for the entertainment, or to be the entertainment. The Dark Lord was here. That was why she had come. Shed watched from on high as the captives and the gladiators performed for the amusement of the ArchDuke and the Sith.

Arla recognized Sula Skirata far below, and amended her plan. Her friend looked like she could do with some weapons. She'd deal with that first. Quickly Arla activated her jetpack and flew up and out over the sand, high above. "VOD!" She called, before dropping two weapons to the sand. A mandalorian Ripper pistol, and a Relby-v10 mortar gun. Sula wouldn't be fighting unarmed now.

Amping the jetpack to full power, Arla then rocketed skyward, almost directly upward riding on jets of flame. Higher and higher she rose into the Geonosian sky before adjusting her trajectory, and coming in to land upon the Spire. She recognized the Archduke, and the unmistakeable figure of Darth Carnifex himself. She held her calm reserve, and didn't draw weapons as she landed. She didn't scream, or charge in. She walked calmly, in control. She was hyper focused on the enemy of her people.

Two meters tall, clad in her beskar'gam, Arla cut what she expected to the Geonosians, at least, would be an imposing figure. Shotguns and sidearms holstered along the sheathed blades, accoutrements of launchers for darts, and her collection of poisons were all where they should be. From behind her buy'ce and the T-visor, Arla stared at the man responsible for devastating Manda'yaim.

"Smells like Sithspit around here." Said the Journeyman Protector to the Dark Lord and his Archduke host. Heads turned her way. Arla ignored them. She was looking at Darth Carnifex .

Kaiah Nihl Annika Starfire Tae'l Vizsla Kebii'kara Solus Zachariah Conway Darth Strosius Commodore Helix Revna Diodoros Trayze Tesar Domina Prime Alicia Drey Lodd Grimmin

Vo Pandyn Sula Skirata

 

[Alicia Drey]

Tags: Kaiah Nihl Annika Starfire Tae'l Vizsla Kebii'kara Solus Zachariah Conway Darth Strosius Commodore Helix Revna Diodoros Trayze Tesar Domina Prime Lodd Grimmin Vo Pandyn Sula Skirata Arla Rodarch

As the Barahunde commenced Darth Ayra watched on as the probe droids disappeared into the horizon. When they could no longer been seen by the naked eye, Ayra turned back into the Initium and retracted the landing ramp. She then found herself in the pilots seat. Fingers went to work across the dashboard and within a minute Ayra was watching the perspectives of each droid displayed in front of her via the viewing port at the front of the ship.

Each droid had been programmed to gather intelligence. Not only did they record what their cameras saw, but so too did they record any audio files. They were on the look out for anyone or anything that were of interest to Darth Ayra. Of course, they could not know what their Master was thinking, so they traversed the city of Golbah carefully, eager to avoid detection or attract attention to their mission, and took the time to display things of interest to Ayra until she saw something that caught her eye.

She had traversed across the Galaxy on a lonely journey to Geonosis to gather intel about the Sith in this region of space. While Ayra had done well to find a place within the ranks of the New Sith Order- an organisation headed by the self-proclaimed Sith'ari Darth Solipsis'- the members of that organisation were apart of the Dark Empire: a faction that had recently revealed itself on Carlac, and which was made up of several Imperial Remnants recruited by Ignacious Korvan and other, dark-side aligned entities such as the former Brotherhood of Maw; an organisation of former Imperial Knights or Dark Jedi that were called the Dark Side Elite; and the monstrous Knights of Ren.

It was curious to Darth Ayra that these Sith had not aligned themselves to Solipsis. What was the reason for the apparent fraction in the ranks of the Sith? Were they in a state of civil war? Had Solipsis not made efforts to recruit them into the Dark Empire? Why were they separated when they clearly had a common cause in the destruction of the Galactic Alliance?

To begin with answering these questions, and more, Ayra would begin with the Barahunde by learning who filled the ranks of the Sith Order? Names, faces, identities, and more were on the cards. As the probe droids continued through the streets of Golbah to the arena where the fighting was taking place Ayra sat at the helm of the Initium to record them all.

It was the beginning of an extensive intelligence operation that she was set to conduct, and all admissible to the entities that she served within the Dark Empire, and more recently the Empire of the Lost, where she had infiltrated and climbed up through the ranks of the New Imperial Security Bureau to the position of Staff Director: the head of the organisation which controlled the Imperial Intelligence Networks, and assets across the Empire.

After all, it was the directive of the NSO to gather intelligence for their Master, and if questions were asked by the Moff Council on Lianna Ayra could simply point out that she was a spy, and that this was the job.

 

[Tarnan Tolo]

Lodd Grimmin | Others observing with Darth Carnifex |

The air shimmered with the heat of Geonosis, the sun mercilessly beating down upon the arena, amplifying the tension and excitement within the crowd. Tarnan could feel the sweat prickling at his brow, trickling down his spine, a constant reminder of the unforgiving climate of this harsh planet.

In the distance, the roar of the crowd swelled like a tidal wave, punctuated by the clash of metal against metal and the occasional triumphant cry of a gladiator. It was a cacophony of violence and entertainment, a spectacle that drew in spectators from across the galaxy, hungry for the thrill of combat and the allure of danger. It was a melting pot of species and civilizations, each bringing their own customs and traditions to the blood-soaked sands of the arena.

Tarnan Tolo, in his ornate robes, stood just off to the right of the Minister, nodding his head quietly, preferring to watch intently over speaking carelessly. He had learned to listen during his tenure at Sterdo Industries, working for the impossibly dangerous Hester Shedo. To some, she was a fearful entity, culpable for crimes against the wider Galaxy. To him, she was a mentor and a brilliant one at that; he had learned all he needed to know about profiteering from disaster, which would serve him well in his new employ.

The heat of the day was cooled by the covered position, so close to the Archduke's retinue. Serving as attaché for the day, Tarnan kept close to the ear of the Minister to ensure he was informed of any pertinent information. Tolo was deeply involved in the intelligence game within the sprawling network of Federation members and took great comfort in providing it succinctly to his superiors.

He was quietly displeased about being on Geonosis, if he had been pressed to answer. He preferred the comfort of his private offices on Fondor, close to the Roble Shipyards that had also served as an important part of his early career. He thought a little of Alban and smiled inwardly.

“Excellency-,” he whispered to his left towards the Minister’s shoulder.

“To what end does this serve our business interests? Blood sports are all very well but…”

He gestured to the arena.

“I am yet to see the commercial benefit.”

He looked around at the countless assembled dignitaries.

“But I am sure it will become evident.”

Beneath the surface of the spectacle, there was an undercurrent of intrigue and deception, a shadowy world of politics and power plays that lurked behind the façade of entertainment. Tarnan knew that in the world of galactic diplomacy, even something as seemingly innocuous as a gladiator match could be a stage for covert machinations and hidden agendas.

He sighed deeply, frustrated by the closeness of the other guests.

In this brutal world of blood sports and backstabbing, only the cunning and the ruthless would emerge victorious.

It was hot.