Public Bring The End

[Micheal Nox]

"Jedi, Sith, whatever else they call it. It doesn't matter what they call themselves. It doesn't matter what their code is, what their beliefs are. They use a power no one person should ever have. They make us, those without the Force, their servants. Their obstacles. Their pawns of war. Tython was just another battle between the Jedi and Sith in their futile holy war for what they believe in with the Force. But it's we who pay the price. They roll through our homes, our cities, our bars. And with a wave of their hand they can stop us from breathing. They can control our actions. Make us forget who we were or what we were doing."

Micheal sat in the middle of the road of a small town. Around him, figures cloaked in white, hoods pulled up, listened. More people listened. The Thought Dowser he held was more than just brute force domination. Subtle influence could do wonders. The people needed to be united in order to be free. They needed to work together to end the Force. There was no middle ground or neutrality in this coming war. He smiled, lifting his arms to the sky. One, his natural. The other, a twist of darker flesh.

"The Path of the Open Hand is the only path forward. The Force cannot be allowed to use our lives as fodder. We must stand against it, and all those who use it. All."

 

[Percival Io]

Appearance: xxx
Tags: Micheal Nox

Crowds gathering around street preachers was nothing new, though this one piqued Percival's interest. The preacher in this case was a bald-headed Nagai backed by a spooky-looking group of hooded followers. One of his arms was darker in color than the other, a sign of either a prosthetic or something else going on, and he held a strange device in his hand. Though most of the people present likely didn't know what it was, Percival's databanks recognized it almost immediately.

A thought dowser? Really?

Intrigued, Percival joined the crowd, listening intently as the Nagai sermonized against all Force Users. The Chaplain found himself agreeing with much of what was said, but the presence of the thought dowser was enough to raise his suspicions about the preacher and his followers. He needed to know more.

"What is the Path of the Open Hand?" he asked. "How will it help us to stand against them?"

 

[Micheal Nox]

"We are the Open Hand. All of us here. It is our unity that will let us fight against the Force and those who'd use it." He kept a rather calm smile, watching the man before him. Hands calmly clasped in his lap as he remained seated. His darker arm pulsed, almost writhing for a moment before he reached over to still it gently. But never broke eye contact with the stranger before him.

"What of you? Why are you here among the people of this village? You don't look like you're a native."

Percival Io

 

[Percival Io]

The preacher gave a short, vague answer. Percival's gaze flicked over the Nagai's hooded followers. "Then are you a religious group, a political one...?" he prompted, hoping for more details.

"What of you? Why are you here among the people of this village? You don't look like you're a native."

"I am a traveler," Percival replied, "and a scholar of religion. I have an interest in the local customs." Something told him the Path was not local. Still, they were intriguing.

"What is the significance of the Open Hand? Whose hand is open, and what does it mean?"

Micheal Nox

 

[Zetrove]

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Apperance: X
Tags: Micheal Nox | Percival Io

Zetrove had recently begun to develop a moderate disdain for Force Users. Possessing such an inherent advantage over others vexed the cyborg. How could such an entity be said to aspouse the virtues of balance and harmony when gifting individuals seemingly at random such power over one another? Reasons like this are why he had an easier time understanding the Sith’s ideology rather than the Jedi’s. The Force seemed more like some cosmic fluke more than anything. It seemed most ideal for anyone bestowed such power to make the best of it that they can.

So it caught Zetrove’s interest when a group who seemed so vocally opposed to the apparent nature of The Force was gaining some traction. How though was a bit of a mystery. Here in a small town the cyborg was rather sharply dressed. Mostly to cover up his extensive enhancements as many people could find gazing upon them rather unpalatable. Plus those Sith paychecks gave more than he knew entirely what to do with at the time. Observing the rather pale spokesmen for this “path of the open hand”. Holding what seemed to be some artifact. Not recognizing it as a Thought Drowser. Nor would he understand the effect it would have on his mind, if any at all for his digital maze of neurons and processors.

Another man, who began to ask some questions of their own. The Preacher countered with some vague replies and queries as well. “The young man has some good questions, Force Orders have cemented their presence and power in the galaxy for eons. Would any resistance just be futile?” Zetrove finally chimed in himself, stepping a bit closer.

 

[Micheal Nox]

"Knowledge is the most important commodity someone can have. In truth, we are a far cry from what the Path originally was. The fact you haven't heard of it tells a tale of just how cruel of a fate the original had met." Slowly the Nagai lifted a hand, palm up towards the sky.

"They were peaceful people who only wished for the galaxy to stop using the Force. And when they spoke against the Jedi, they were destroyed. Their mission, for all to be equal, is not lost however." He stood then, spreading both his hands out, kept the smile on his face but the anger in his eyes was anything but kind.

"You ask how we would stand against those with the Force. Who can purge a planet with a thought. Slaughter billions with a wave of their hand. By taking away the very thing that gives them power. Without the Force, they are just mere people like you or me. Our hands are open not because we refuse to make a fist as our ancestor's once did, but because we will reach for any and every advantage we can get to stop these monstrous people from playing gods any longer."

Percival Io | Zetrove

 

[Percival Io]

It took a while, especially with Holonet connections limited on such a remote world as this, but the information did eventually come through. The Path of the Open Hand. An extremist missionary order and cult... they believed that no one should use the Force, especially the Jedi Order...

While a nearby cyborg began speaking to the preacher, Percival continued to mentally scan the data, devouring the knowledge in a matter of milliseconds. For one such as him, it was more than fascinating. It was as if he had been alone in the galaxy, and now suddenly had found people who felt the way he felt, saw the way he saw, wanted the same things he wanted. The complete destruction of all those who would use the Force to control others.

"Unfathomably based," he concluded, one corner of his mouth curling in a half-smile. "Will you destroy the Force? It can be done, certainly. I am untouched by it." He spread his arms, as if by examining him thusly they would all be able to tell that he was utterly dead to the Force. "May I join you? Ah, but I haven't even introduced myself. I am Percival Io. I was born to kill Force Users."

Micheal Nox Zetrove

 

[Lyssa Io]

"Hypocrisy."

The crowd turned, and beheld a young athletic looking woman with fair skin and curly brown hair, wearing what appeared to be metallic Silver Biker Leathers.

She had an unnaturally fluid motion to her walk and didn't seem to breathe.

She was among the very oldest and dangerous of the House Io Androids, a rare, borderline alien nanotechnology even its creator had trouble replicating.

Lyssa Io, who had been tailing Percival Io .

"You claim to wish to destroy the Force. Many have expressed such a wish. Many have made the claim that it was possible to do so. What is your strategy, in particular, for 'taking away the Force'. Let me venture a stab at it. Killing a massive amount of people right? Go to some Force Nexus and try and damaging it so badly it could spread. The Maw felt the same as you do. You will have to become just as ruthless. Just as savage as they were to have even the remotest shot of success."

Lyssa's words were harsh and matter of fact. Her blunt manner of speaking well known in the House, like her lack of emotion.

"And you will still fail. You really think you, with your mortal mind, is going to find a method that even the most suicidal, spite filled Sith Lord hasn't feverishly attempted? Do you honestly believe you could actually outwit the Force to a point where you would be in a position to kill it? Where it would let you be in a position to kill it? You are an ant raging at a magnifying glass. At the boot coming down on you."

Lyssa folded her arms.

"Do I need to remind everyone here that getting rid of the Force, even if you could, wouldn't actually get rid of your problems? Your problem isn't the powers. It is the people using them. The Galactic Empire didn't need millions and millions of Sith or Dark Jedi or whatever to make people's lives a living hell, just enough horrible people in the right Military Uniform. It wasn't Vader who gave the Order to destroy Alderaan. That was Wilhuff Tarkin. He would have done that chit with or without Vader being present."

One could hear a few mutterings of agreement in the crowd. You didn't need the Force to kill billions. People like Tarkin would still be around with or without the Force.

"If all the people you are railing against had managed to do all that damage without The Force, if they had managed to do it using nothing but their own sheer ruthlessness, cruelty, and whatever they could get their hands on...what would you insist we take away then?" she asked Micheal Nox

 

[Zetrove]

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Apperance: X
Tags: Micheal Nox | Percival Io | Lyssa Io

The cyborg listened on to the two. The preacher explained themselves further. The other man seemed very onboard with the whole thing. So enthralled he asked if he could join them. Also mentioning his name, he was an Io. A group Zetrove himself was not all that familiar with, but he’d certainly heard the name before.

His synthetic body perked up however after hearing the words of another. Turning to see a woman wearing some rather flashy garments who seemed to call out the preacher. Throwing out the claim that the preacher spoke with hypocrisy. Seemingly sharing his own sense of futility over the situation but in a more abrasive tone. Speaking of ancient governments that had committed their own atrocities devoid of the Force, at least according to her. Making Zetrove feel inclined to play devil’s advocate.

“Factinating…” The Cyborg spoke up after her. “From my understanding I have heard the Force is Alive, it can be wounded, you even say as much. I might not know the esoteric mysticism of The Force. But I do know that everything that lives, and can be hurt, can be killed.” Zetrove said rather plainly. Sure such a task would be monumental, but not impossible. Even the woman’s ant metaphor didn’t hold up in the cyborg’s eyes. One hand couldn’t do much, but a hundred? a thousand? Millions or billions of ants working in unison can put the capabilities of someone with a magnifying glass to shame. Which seemed like one of the primary messages to take away from the Zealot here.

“In regards to what you say about the old empire, I fear it’s only half truth. Countless atrocities were committed by the rank and file. But you leave out a crucial fact, even Tarkin answered to a Sith Emperor. All it feels like you managed to say is that the ordinary people are not to be underestimated. Sounds like the Death Star is what happens when the ants get their hands on the magnifying glass.” So which is it, the common folk stand no chance against the plights of the galaxy, or they are just as capable and dangerous as an unhinged Jedi or Sith crusader?

 

[Percival Io]

Percival whirled around at the sound of Lyssa Io 's voice. Realizing that she must've been following him without his noticing, he quickly lost his temper. "You woman-shaped bag of mercury," he growled. "No one is saying that NFUs are innocent victims or incapable of evil. Evil is as banal as anything else in life. The difference is, an ordinary person can become a head of state. But only those born sensitive to the Force can become Jedi or Sith and wield its power.

"It's the damned power that FUs have over the rest of us that I hate. Their ability to get inside people's heads, violate the sanctity of their thoughts, rob them of their free will in ways that even the most vile megalomaniac could only dream of. To capture a person's essence, to imprison their very soul, keeping them from resting in peace to suit their own horrible, selfish ends. Those are the horrors I consider worthy of absolute destruction. No one should have that kind of power. No one!"

He was thinking of Rebecca, of course. The loathing and anguish behind his steely gaze spoke of her forced absorption into the Cult. But all of them had once been men and women with lives and loves and good intentions, not just the woman he loved. A great chain of atrocities going back to ancient times lay behind them, unbroken since Darth Phyre first came into being. Percival couldn't stand the thought of being helpless to stop the forging of another link in that chain. He refused to accept that it was all futile, that Rebecca was damned and so was every other victim of the Force.

He could live with his own eternal suffering, but not hers.

The cyborg Zetrove spoke up, refuting Lyssa's argument in a calmer manner. The Empire never would've existed if it hadn't been for Palpatine and Vader. The Force created those two problems, then created Luke Skywalker to solve them. It was a ridiculous cycle that they would all be better off without. No life-saving use of the Force from a Light Sider was worth even one mass-murdering Dark Sider—especially not when the Light Siders were usually away on some battlefield, fighting a Dark Sider who wouldn't even exist without them. Life created the Force; the Force wasn't needed for life to persist.

Percival glanced toward the thought dowser in Micheal Nox 's hand. "You don't need that thing to gain followers," he said. "Trust me, plenty of people despise the Jedi and Sith on their own. You're charismatic. You can lead them without resorting to using Sith trinkets to control them. If anything, that makes you a hypocrite."

 

[Micheal Nox]

"It seems my arguments are being made for me. But, that in itself, is the answer."

Micheal chuckled, glancing to yet another face, one who only seemed to want to tear everything about this down. He lowered his hands, idly tapping the artifact on his hip. Smiled, just a little. "Not Sith. Ascendant. Yet another group of people who believed the Force should be used for all. They sought to replicate it's use through technology. And like the Open Hand, they were wiped out. By the Sith, oddly enough. They couldn't stand the idea that they wouldn't be special."

Hypocrisy didn't matter. Ending the Force did.

"A single girl, given far too much power, ripped people into hell. Two thirds of the whole galaxy, shunted into a literal hell. The common person can commit all manner of atrocities. But at that level? No one should have that level of power. You want to rip apart everything I've yet to even talk about, you want to contradict yourself to prove yourself somehow better, feel free. I won't bother with it. The Maw was run by Sith. The Alliance is run by jedi. Another Sith Empire rises in wild space. More Jedi stand against them in the Trade League, once more run by Jedi. We are pawns in their endless war, and anyone who thinks differently is cut down and killed. Even the Mandalorians couldn't escape that."

He turned then, smiling towards the other cloaked figures. Dipped his head. They all, in turn, left in different directions. All of the crowd did.

"I am an ant to them. But one of hundreds of trillions tired in this galaxy. The Force will no longer dictate our fate or have it's pawns run the endless wars. It is the people of this Galaxy, everyone, that will remove it. It is the only path forward."

Percival Io | Zetrove | Lyssa Io

 

[CETCOM]

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B R I N G_T H E_E N D

FINAL DAWN

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Inside one of the houses that stood alongside the street where the Path of the Open Hand had gathered it's followers, a pair of individuals observed as the Nagai Spokesman of the Open Hand engaged in a heated debate with other individuals among the large crowd gathered around him, from their position behind one of the windows on the houses second floor, which remained slightly open so that the two could eavesdrop on the ongoing debate. It was interesting to listen to the Nagai's rhetoric and the takes of the other individuals amongst the crowd as the ongoing debate revealed more about these people's personalities, their beliefs and philosophy.

As the first individual was busy taking notes on the whole ordeal, the second one spoke his gaze still fixated towards the Nagai Spokesman. "What do you think, Colonel? About the Nagai and this Path of the Open Hand." the second individual asked. "I will admit he does have a point, although his radical take on the matter will no doubt be his undoing. Not to mention the members of House Io amongst the crowd, who have voiced their support for his cause. Considering how House Io has alienated itself from the rest of the galactic community, merely associating with them won't help this so-called Path of the Open Hand in the long-run." the first individual replied.

"Now if you excuse me i have a call to make." the Colonel said, before handing the second individual the datapad he was using to take notes on the debate. "While I'm gone i need you to finish my report on the matter." the Colonel added. The second individual simply nodded before shifting his attention back to the gathering, leaving the Colonel to leave the room, towards a more isolated one at the rear of the house.

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Tag | Percival Io | Zetrove | Lyssa Io ​

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[Lyssa Io]

"Ordinary People are not to be underestimated. It was their hands that built this Galaxy, and they are the cogs and gears that keep it running. But the Force is still stronger, and smarter, than all of us billions--trillions put together. Yes, Tarkin answered to a Sith Lord, but that was only a matter of circumstance at that point. The Republic was so corrupt, having not just done damage to itself, but to the whole Galaxy through the sheer weight of incompetence and banality that even if Palpatine was not a Sith Lord, the empire still would have formed, just not necessarily under Palpatine. Whoever was in his place might have had to do things a bit different...their machinations, certainly, might have taken longer, been less complex...less intricate. But it would have still formed, and it would have still had the same level of evil and corruption." Lyssa said to Micheal Nox . "You still haven't provided a means to actually kill it, yet. Smarter, stronger, better organized people than you have tried. And The Force, without exception or bias, or pity, or remorse used the very moves they thought would take them closer to killing it, and turned all those steps and strategies into the very rope that was used to hang them." Lyssa asserted.

At the insult Percival Io made towards her, she simply shot him a look.

"Phyre-Shaped Boy." she replied quietly, indicating she had always known a lot more about him than she let on. "Phyre-Written Brain... Xiphos-built Body...Rebecca-Shaped Heart... Nuetralizer-forged Kin... Xiphos-written Faith..."

Each sentence a reminder that he himself would not exist without the Force Users he so hated. How could he live amongst them all this time and not understand? How could he not understand his mother, even without the Force, still would have made the decisions she did, and her decisions still would have had the often destructive results they had, even if she had been forced to resort to more mundane tactics. A proper det pack could do just as much damage as a Force Repulse. Was there any functional difference in the result between Darth Nihilus draining Katarr or some admiral ordering Base Delta Zero on a planet?

You possess abilities that would make you a Demi-God in primitive cultures, and even a few modern ones. Same with me. she spoke to him wirelessly, her 'internal' voice lacking malice.

How long before 'No one should have that power' applies to you? With the right upgrades, even 'you' could devastate worlds like a real Force User. I've seen the schematics.

She then turned her attention to those present.

"Make no mistake: Every single person who has taken a direct shot has been the ultimate author of their own demise." Lyssa spoke impassively, ignoring the barbs at her. They didn't understand. Even her foolish, hurting brother didn't understand, so blinded by his pain over Rebecca. Uncaring of the fact he had been brought back from the dead, given a second chance after the original him died in disgrace and ignominy, taking the Life of his brother after Xiphos declared Galahad hands off. The Parliament was still heartbroken and furious over Galahad's senseless death, not caring that his attempted defection could have placed House Io in danger.

But it was clear the man would not hear her. He had slipped into the same self important ego-trip Solipsis had suffered. With a nod he ordered his followers to disperse and began walking off. Determined to have the last word to his hopeless proclamation of overthrowing the Force out of some bizarre, alien sense of pride she was not used to experiencing, Lyssa called out to him.

"You don't even see yet how it's already working it out. How to destroy you, I mean. Or rather, how to arrange your own moves to destroy you and those who follow you. The Vong came to this Galaxy because they had fethed around so hard with it. It literally kicked them out of their own Galaxy. You have no chance."

But she had said what she had to say to such ridiculousness. She turned to Percival Io .

"You disappoint me, Little Brother. I had thought you better than being taken in by the words of a common crackpot with delusions of grandeur." she said crossly, folding her arms. "All are family in the House, regardless of Force Sensitivity or not."

Then she sighed, likely having anticipated some no doubt salient point he had been ready to make about the messy personal details of the Leadership.

"Sure, it's deeply, horribly dysfunctional family at times, with, long, amusing stretches of random gore and bloodshed, and occasionally one of our older brothers wandering onto a college campus on some core world with a squirt bottle and box of tarantulas to feth with the students...but it's still our family, and taking the Force out of the equation would only change a few things about the nature of our family, and not necessarily for the better."

Her Nanite formed silver eyes narrowed at him.

"If not for the Force, Your mother would never have grown up in this era, and our entire House, the Nuetralizers themselves, might never have come into existence. Or if we did, we would almost certainly be not as we are...an actual race of machines. I refuse to accept that the Force doesn't have a place in this Galaxy. Because it might as well be saying it would be better if I myself, didn't exist."

 

[Micheal Nox]

"I don't think I like you. You're very haughty, and just spouting your family drama. You're welcome to your own beliefs, as wrong as they are. But if you could leave instead of rambling, I've work to do."

Micheal gave one simple smile to the rambling android before turning his gaze towards Zetrove.

"You've fought them before. Those 'chosen' by the Force. Talk to me about it."

Zetrove | Percival Io | Lyssa Io

 

[Percival Io]

Percival weathered Lyssa's jabs in silence at first, but when it became apparent that she wasn't going to stop talking anytime soon, he interrupted her. "'Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay, to mold me Man?'" he quoted. "The fact that I was made by Force Users means nothing, especially since I was made to kill Force Users."

Percival did understand her point of view. He simply didn't agree. If Lyssa thought that only those who failed to understand her ethos could possibly disagree with her, it was she who did not understand.

As the disciples of the Path departed, Percival frowned. "I think your speech-editing software needs an update, Lyssa," he said. The remark could be read as yet another insult, but his tone was devoid of malice. He just sounded tired.

He watched the preacher walk away with the cyborg, making no attempt to follow. In the aftermath, his brief encounter with Micheal Nox felt strangely distant, as if it was something he had only imagined. What am I doing here? he asked himself. I can't leave the House to join this preacher's crusade. Even though some part of him desperately wanted to. I have to stay. For Rebecca and Thel.

At what point that excuse would cease to be enough justification, he didn't know. But for now, it was his trap, his cage.

Zetrove Micheal Nox Lyssa Io

 

[Zetrove]

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Apperance: X
Tags: Micheal Nox | Percival Io | Lyssa Io

Zetrove listened to some as the others spoke. No one conceded, everyone seemed rather staunch in their beliefs. If he was being honest his own personal opinions on The Force as a whole didn’t really matter to him. His passions, or what remained of his passions, were more directed towards only some of those who used the comic power gifted to them.

The pair of what he assumed to be humans seem to not only have history, but were family from the sounds of it. A brief expression of emotion surfaced for the cyborg in the form of him rolling off his red cybernetic eye. Before long however the pale preacher took interest in Zetrove. They’re words caused his eye to narrow upon the Nagai. Could they sense that the cyborg had come into conflict with Force Adepts before.

“Not much to talk about I’m afraid.” Zetrove replied almost dismissively, and it wasn’t really true. “They’re capable combatants, some of the finest warriors I’ve had the pleasure, or displeasure, of facing.” Just then Zetrove brought up one of his gloved hands before removing the concealing fabric. Showing off his mechanical hand and the staining scorch marks that still covered it. “I haven’t been able to get a full repair yet for parts of my body. But with the wave of their hand a Jedi set my body ablaze. Even without flesh they still left a scar, if only temporary.” Not to mention the Jedi the cyborg fought had moved, defended and attacked as though they were one. Swapping places in the blink of an eye. Or that before he was faced being burnt to death that one of them tried to flash freeze him instead. After a moment Zetrove covered his hand once more with the glove. "If I'm being honest, I wouldn't mind meeting them again."

 

[Micheal Nox]

"They set you on fire? Jedi? I understand you're a cyborg, but that's just rather.. Grim. Cruel, even. I do hope you didn't fully feel the pain that would bring." Then he blinked. And laughed. "As a Nagai, I can completely understand that desire. But what would you do? How would you beat them when they can just set you on fire? Do you have a plan for it, or just a desire to fight?"

Zetrove

 

[Zahim Markona]

”Nor would I mind facing Jedi, Sith, or even a Witch of Dathomir.” came an accented voice from the crowd

A humanoid form stepped forward. Unlike some of the others in Micheal's congregation, this being seemed to move of his own volition and will. A gleaming coppered visor watched out between the preacher and the cyborg. None could, outwardly, tell the nation or people he came from. Save for a few well-placed insignia on his duraplast armor. He did not appear to give off a sense of threat or intimidation, but rather one of calm and evenness. He nodded his head to the cyborg.

”But you must ask yourself, friend. Do you seek the Jedi out in vengeance, or justice?” He questioned, ”I am Zahim, Thane of Clan Markona. For centuries, my people have been one of many instances of average citizens being stuck between the needless conflict between Light and Dark.”

Zahim motioned his hand to the Nagai before him.

”I choose to follow this man, for he seeks to end the cycle.” He continued, ”Will you, any of you, do the same in the name of justice for innocent who suffer at the hands of Jedi and Sith alike?”

TAG: Micheal Nox | Zetrove ​

 

[IVI]

AGENT VANDERMER
SIA'S GALACTIC INFORMATION ANALYSIS BEREAU
SOMEWHERE IN SPACE | TOWN CENTRE
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Sleepy towns were a breeding ground for dreamers.

Most of the time, dreamers kept to themselves. Hoarding their ambitions like a precious treasure, unshareable and growing wealthy in their own delight.

Sometimes though, they held a gathering in the town square to grace all ears.

Silent, but curious, Agent Vandermer listened. As a Lasat, he didn’t have to do much to hear every word from a distance. It made surveillance easier.

When he’d heard enough, and a few other attendees grew uninterested, he joined them and ambled off. He only deviated from their mutual path to conceal himself in a body shop and patch through a message, and brief recording of what the devices and person of interest he’d seen and heard, to the SIA.

Sometimes dreams became reality. The SIA would be aware of the waking consciousness.

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Micheal Nox | Percival Io | Zahim Markona | Zetrove | Lyssa Io | CETCOM