Public &nbsp; Caldera Crisis - Primo Victoria (Galidraan)

Lily Rhodes · Feb 27, 2024

Lily didn't want to be a fighter. She had always known that. As much as Mr. Bloodborns words may have meant to be some form of encouragement, all they did is serve to make her heart heavy, because Iskendyr was right. There was no way she could avoid becoming a fighter in some respects.

The undead thinned and stopped coming for them, as he completed his task. The only sound now, the distant mechanical clunking of the engibes decoupling.

"Lead the way." She replied, falling in behind him as he led them to the eacape pods. Desperate to get out, to get some semblance of quiet.

Kurayami Bloodborn · Feb 27, 2024

THE CALDERA CRISIS

Loadout: Katarn MK III Night Ops armor, Single bladed lightsaber, DC-17m in blaster configuration with plenty of extra ammo, Modified SE-44c heavy blaster pistols as detailed in first post

Iskendyr commented on what he had told Lily about fighting, and he had meant it. Then an offhanded comment about the code and a hitch, well that was just fantastic. Maybe not entirely unexpected, but not welcome by any stretch of the imagination. The last bit about not being able to afford to be a fighter in some respect rang all too true unfortunately. The Corellian was going to say something but his train of thought was derailed by the sound of engines jettisoning. Good for the kid he got it.

Then came the scowl from a very unhappy ghost. Apparently she already had plans to do that and he had just announced them out loud...oops. Something told him though that it wasn't happening today though, so his help might be needed to get her out of there later. Though what was most interesting is that the undead stopped.

"I got no clue what she has planned, but if she says get to a pod I ain't stickin' around to find out. R6, I'll be floating in an escape pod nearby, go ahead and launch. Pick up the pod with my vitals onboard, don't concern yourself if there are others as well. We got room for guests."

He holstered the pistols once more and drew the DC-17m just as a precaution. "You got the lead Iskendyr. I'm keeping watch just in case, but hopefully nothing will be needed. Let's get to the pods and get out of here." Kurayami fell in behind Lily, keepin a close eye on his HUD for any anomalies and praying that nothing popped up.

Lily Rhodes

Iskendyr Yvarro · Feb 27, 2024

While Iskendyr, Lily and Kurayami ran toward the escape pods. Fiolette had gone back to the Netherworld, and there in the Chaos-forsaken realm in which she had been trapped for the past several decades. She approached the very thing that would get her out. Built from what she could remember of her old flagship, the Warspite. This vessel, built from what she could recover within the Nether was her Hellspite. One would assume that it would take legions of entities to man the ship, but this was not the case, this ship was tied to Fiolette herself. It's essence was the old Admiral herself, and as she took to the bridge, the Hellspite began to pick up speed eager to break open the viel between the Chaos-forsake Netherrealm she had been trapped in, and the world of the living.

All the while the escape pod, should have jettinsoned itself from the ship, but it hadn't. Alarms wailed, klaxons warned of a malfuction, something had jammed its couplings. Iskendyr's eyes went wide with panic as he could hear more of the undead coming toward them. "Not today, not today, not today," he muttered to himself and focused on the Force and the mechanisms that held the escape pod hostage. Utilizing his magnokinesis he manipulated them. The sounds of metal crunching, and way the durasteel buckled under his command. When the final mooring had been released the escape pod fell from the ship and into the void.

Just as the hellship, broke through the very black sea of space its forward bow meeting with the SSD's stern pushing its rear away from Galidraan. An eerie glow of a tractor beam latched onto the SSD and pulled the large vessel along, and the Hellspite dragged the Academy back into the Netherrealm of which Fiolette belonged.

Iskendyr wasn't entirely sure what happened, he looked out the viewport to see two ships left, the Pilgrim's Rest and presumably, Mr. Bloodborn's ship, and then he rushed to the other end of the escape pod. There, the Hellspite emerged once more, and this time he could see that it was nothing like any ship that could have been constructed in this realm. His mouth was open, and he watched as the Hellspite manuevered with Bloodborn's ship. Then in moments, it returned to the forsaken lands of whence it had come. "No one's ever going to believe me," Iskendyr managed to say in disbelief.

Lily Rhodes · Feb 28, 2024

Lily had her hand on each of them as the pod failed, ready to teleport them but Iskendyr caught her off guard with his display of power the sound of metal crunching as the pod finally detached and she relaxed as the pod fell away rolling into the void and granting them a grand view of the display that followed. Lily couldn't make head nor tails of it, how a ship appeared...a ship like no other, wreathed in something so dark it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

And then it was gone, taking the Tavlar along with it.

Lily's mouth hung open like Iskey's. Silence following his statement.

She closed her mouth and look at Kurayami.

"What the fuck just happened?"

Kurayami Bloodborn · Feb 29, 2024

THE CALDERA CRISIS

Loadout: Katarn MK III Night Ops armor, Single bladed lightsaber, DC-17m in blaster configuration with plenty of extra ammo, Modified SE-44c heavy blaster pistols as detailed in first post

As the trio made their way to the pods Kurayami could feel Fiolette depart. Given the way she had looked last he had seen he that may not be a good thing that he could no longer sense her onboard the Tavlar though it was something he tried not to dwell on as they all piled into the escape pod. Once in the hatch sealed behind them, and someone hit the button...there was noise and then nothing. Not the normal feeling of nothing though they weren't drifting the pod hadn't jettisoned correctly well that was definitely not good.

He felt the weight of Lily's hand on his shoulder and her draw on his reserves as she prepared to teleport them out of the pod. He was forming a mental image of the interior of his ship, just inside the loading ramp where they could safely be dropped as a group without too much embarrassment after the fact. This was interrupted by the sounds of metal crunching and at last the pod finally drifting free of its moorings and into the void beyond, it was an impressive use of the Force but there was no time to comment on it.

Moments after they were set adrift, what looked to be another SSD appeared at the stern of the academy ship, nudging it away from the planet with its own bown before latching onto the Tavlar with an oddly ethereal tractor beam. Both ships disappeared completely, no lifeforms or signature in the Force could be felt from either, just ripples left from the two behemoths.

In the meantime, R6 had brought the 'Screamin Demon' close enough to form a temporary seal with the pod by, well he wasn't entirely sure how the little droid did it. Creative little bugger, had to give him that. He was about to thank the droid when the Hellspite returned and maneuvered next to the ship for a moment before disappearing back to the Nether. "I'll tell ya something kid, it don't matter if anyone believes you. Just like when I tell people I have gone to the Netherworld and returned? Makes people look at ya a bit funny, but if you know when to use it, it's a great story to keep people wondering as to if you are just crazy or what. Don't tell it too often and let them add to it, aggrandize it through retelling. Trust me, fun way to get drinks for free when you are of age. Oh and by the way, R6 got us temporarily hooked up with my ship, so if you two want to get some food, water, and get cleaned up, feel free to come onboard. Welcome to take a nap in separate rooms as well. My home is your home."

Lily Rhodes

Iskendyr Yvarro · Mar 1, 2024

Iskendyr boarded

Kurayami Bloodborn 's ship, still shaken up by what had just occurred no matter how much Bloodborn seemed to tell him that such occurrences were more frequent than infrequent. He gave

Lily Rhodes a glance, "I'm not..."

Before he could answer a single question, someone joined them, someone he least expected. Rather, he should have expected given what he had just seen. Turning to look over his shoulder, there she stood, dressed in a leather jacket, a pair of trousers, she looked at him, then at Lily and Mr. Bloodborn. "I... uh, um... hello?"

Fiolette Yvarro · Mar 1, 2024

Fiolette had boarded Kurayami's ship, her connection with the Nether and its Chaos-forsaken realms fading by the second. She could hear the sounds of conversations as she approached. Bloodborn, the Scoundrel and Iskendyr. As the door opened, it revealed the three of them collecting themselves from what should have been a cataclysmic disaster. "Hello, indeed, young man." Then a look toward

Kurayami Bloodborn and, "Mr. Bloodborn, how pleasant to see you. This time among the living."

She closed the distance between herself and the Scoundrel, "and you. I don't believe we've had the pleasure, Fiolette F-," she paused and gave a small, somewhat malicious smile, "well, most know me as Fiolette Yvarro, a pleasure." She wasn't entirely sure what her great grandson saw in the woman who practically had Sith blood running through her veins, but she supposed being attracted to Sith seemed to be something of a familial trait.

Lily Rhodes · Mar 3, 2024

Lily followed them both onboard, numb from head to toe. She needed to sit, to sleep, maybe to eat...and she needed her ship back. Her eyes lifted to Iskendyr as he started to speak, interupted my the arrival of his grandmother.

Well, Lily could only assume it was her, based on the fact that she felt the same as the ghost that had been helping them.

She almost took a step back when Fiolette closed the gap between them, Lily had never been good under a spotlight, and this spotlight was judging everything about her. She swallowed her nerves. "Lily Rhodes." She replied her voice surprisingly cool. She took confidence in that, the desire to retreat into a shadowy corner lessened. She should have said something like 'pleasure to meet you' but Lily wasn't in the habit of lying.

Well, not about that, anyway.

"Pretty impressive thing, to bamf yourself back from the dead. I was under the impression that something like that comes with a price."

Kurayami Bloodborn · Mar 3, 2024

It seemed they had an unexpected expected guest...or something like that. The way that Iskendyr looked around at everyone was telling as Kurayami shook his head and took a deep breath before removing his helmet and hooking it to his belt. He reached into the left side of his utility belt and grabbed a flask taking a long swig from it before capping it and putting it back. For now he just watched the interactions silently. When she did address him the ever present smirk would be plastered on his features and if one looked closely enough there would be a softness in his eyes upon seeing his old friend returned once more. "Fiolette Yvarro. Damn good to see you back in the world of the living ma'am, pretty sure I still owe ya a few drinks."

With that said his demeanor faded back to its normal hard to read neutral expression as he watched Fiolette approach Lily. The two of them talking caused him to quirk an eyebrow at the seeming confidence the young woman spoke with, though he had to fight the urge to facepalm when she mentioned Fiolette escaping from the Netherworld. This was going to be fun to hear at least.

Fiolette Yvarro |

Fiolette Yvarro · Mar 3, 2024

Fiolette grinned in the way a cat might do so where their prey was concerned, "not everyone aboard the military academy was undead." She remarked with a cool, almost cold undertone, "isn't that right, Lily... did you say Rhodes is it? Mhmm, do tell me, Lily if Rhodes is your true name. You can speak truthfully, or I can speak it for you." Fiolette looked over at her grandson and could see the emotions on his face. "I wouldn't fret too much dear, it seems as if being attracted to Sith seems to run in the family."

"Now, if you're done playing around, I believe there's something of a crisis on our hands. First, you should see to your ship, there's a bunch of unruly teen boys who are scared out of their wits. My suggestion would be to escort them down to Galidraan, where they can call for help." Fiolette walked past Lily and inspected the area. "I see your taste in decor hasn't changed a bit, Kurayami."

"I suppose that's for the best," and a look toward Iskendyr, "you can stop gawking and start acting like the Yvarro you are."

Iskendyr Yvarro · Mar 3, 2024

Honestly, his nerves were already shot, but Iskendyr felt worse having watched his great grandmother and his crush exchange words. Then, she called Lily, Marr. "What, wait, wait, what's she on about?" The young man looked at Lily then his great grandmother, and back to Lily. Something wasn't exactly right, and the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. He must have been staring for far too long when his grandmother spoke to him. He simply couldn't bring himself to look at Lily and simply decided to busy himself with cleaning. "Right, so, we should, should probably get to Pilgrim's Rest." He was going to try and not think about the implications that were being thrown about.

Lily Rhodes · Mar 4, 2024

Lily's eyes flashed with anger. "I am not a sith." She spat back at her, feeling Iskey's eyes on her. She had every intention of telling him, but not like this. The arrogance of the woman, the way she placed herself above them all, threw out accusations when she'd just sacrificed living souls for her own selfish gain.

"Oh fuck you, you know nothing. All you have is a karking name. You don't know the whole truth, you just know whats convenient for you, because that's what will cause the most damage, right? Force forbid that your grandson show interest in anyone as lowly as me."

She wasn't going anywhere, not yet.

Fight or flight and Lily had chosen fight. There was no way she was going to let anyone speak down to her.

Kurayami Bloodborn · Mar 5, 2024

Lily was quick to fire back at Fiolette with her own retort while Iskendyr busied himself with cleaning. "R6, dump the extra weight. We don't need the escape pod anymore. What? Of course I know that we could salvage the unburned fuel from it and- just listen to me you waddling scrapheap! Dump the frakking thing so we can close the ramp and stop relying on the shielding to keep a seal around the damned thing. Not like there's any coaxium on those, so we wouldn't get much even if we siphoned off the fuel. Just go give it a little 'boop' and send it off. Either you do it or I'm putting you in there and pushing you out with it. Insubordinate and churlish." Turning his attention back to the others as the droid beeped, none to happy with its assignment, Kurayami considered how to handle what was going on best.

Fishing the flask out of his belt once more he took another long swig before extending it towards Fiolette. "So she's related to a Sith, huh? Well that's a fun little factoid ain't it? Listen, both of you kids. Ain't nothin wrong with that. Lily, if you are related to one so frakking what? At least you know you got living family out there. Me? Since Corellia was split in two I been on my own. Hell even before that, but no one of my last name has shown up anywhere since then. Besides, that doesn't make you inherently bad. Doesn't make you inherently Dark Sided. You set your path. Despite that, pep talk is over and I am going to give you an important piece of advice right now. Do not piss off the woman who just put together a Super Star Destroyer in the Netherworld, took another to the Nether, then pulled herself out in less than an hour. Bad idea." He took another sip from the flask, tilting it towards Fiolette again nodding to her to emphasize the point that if she wanted some she was welcome to it.

Lily Rhodes · Mar 10, 2024

Lily's blood was boiling. "Oh yeah, some karking family I have." she snapped "So ashamed of the fact I didn't display the trait of a "True Marr" that the left me on the doorstep of a lower level Coruscanti orphanage, hoping I might die. But I didn't, I survived. Alone. I have always been alone. So thank you, for the well intended life lesson, but I figured that out myself. As for her, I don't give a crap who she is, if I don't fight for me who will?"

She looked finally at Iskendyr, taking half a step towards him. "I didn't know, when we met. I found out at Faldos...Mal...my...the sith I ran into there broke my back, he could have killed me but he didn't and then... I wanted to call you... to tell you but I couldn't even wrap my own head around it. I took an opportunity to learn to teleport and to travel in the force and yes, its a power that has the ability to corrupt if used too much, or to travel too far but it was a risk worth taking to get to you."

She took another full step towards him a lump in her throat. She needed him to believe her, she needed him to know she was not what his grandmother said, she began to chew her lip, blinking hard to keep the angry tears at bay. she would not give her the satisfaction.

Fiolette Yvarro · Mar 10, 2024

Fiolette scoffed, she couldn't help but smile at the way young Lily seemed to bite. The tenacious way she seemed to feel the need to defend herself, and there within it she saw it. The very same motivations she once had, the very need to be free. It was a mirror, a fractured mirror at that, but nonetheless it was there. The older woman approached the younger and carefully looked at her, her gaze would have felt unsettling the way the azure shifted focusing on the blonde scoundrel. "Once upon a time, there was a young woman," she began and then took her gaze away from Lily and turned to Kurayami then Iskendyr. She paced around Lily slowly, "a young woman who had been given an education, when many women did not receive one beyond the genteelly of motherhood and being a wife."

"She was forced into a marriage, forced to have a child she did not want," Fiolette continued as she paced around Lily, "she soon found the strength to be rid of her burdens. Firstly, she sought out a lawyer for divorce. Her family's name attached to the scandalous case, when she was awarded her divorce. She sought custody of her child, strike two, you see where she is from. Women were nothing more than the property to their husbands and fathers." Fiolette laughed a little, but the laughter was filled with sadness, and perhaps anger. "When she won her child, having dragged her family's name through the muck and mire once more. She found herself, suddenly exiled, and without money, without home, and very much alone in the galaxy."

"She had a child to feed, and she knew that getting by on scraps would not due." Fiolette's finger wagged in a tsk-tsk motion as she came to a rest in front of Lily. "That woman, joined the One Sith, and she'd eventually earn not just her freedom, but build her wealth, craft a career some might be envious of, and others would consider scandalous but then... scandals she knew."

"You and I are no different from one another, Lily." Fiolette stated plainly, "and that," she continued as the tone in her voice shifted, "is what makes you dangerous."

"I know what it is to want to be acknowledged for your own merits, the yearning to build for yourself what had not been given to you, to be your own person," such were the early ambitions, of Fiolette herself, "you may deny it now, but I know the mirror in which I gaze into, but I wonder if you understand just how darkly the mirror reflects." It was to say, Lily and Fiolette's stories were parallel, and no matter the fractures, the mirrors reflected.

"Iskendyr, will make his own choices, but understand that I'll ensure he is not broken by betrayal or empty promises." Because that is exactly what Fiolette had built herself upon, and she knew how easy it could be to manipulate someone like Iskendyr. "Mr. Bloodborn, as mentioned, let us ensure we arrive at Pilgrim's Rest. Ms. Lily will transfer to her ship, we'll take the young men from her ship, she will go her own separate way."

Iskendyr by that point had been gone from the area, content to not listen to either of the women in his life go at one another.

Kurayami Bloodborn · Mar 13, 2024

"Ah how cute. She is trying to pull on the heart strings with a sob story. You have been alone, and so have I. I may seem young, but I am far older than you would think and it was entirely well intentioned, but it was also a warning. You are right in that you are the one who needs to fight for yourself, but you also need to know when to back down from a fight. Rich coming from me, I know." He took a long swig from the flask before continuing. "You did have shit luck when it comes to family and their treatment of you, yes. The big question though is are you going to let that define you Lily?

As far as the teleportation is concerned, you used it out of fear and thus tapped into the dark side, yes. It is not inherently dark sided, in and of itself though. Now we have one more small issue to take care of. The link I opened has yet to be closed, I am not sure what you know of Force bonds or their possible effects, so let me know if you feel anything when this is severed." Closing his eyes, he focused on slowly severing the link, making sure to close it completely, the process was quick, much like a lightsaber slicing through an unarmored opponent, cauterizing any damage done. If she felt anything it would have been short lived but may have been intense. "Apologies if you felt anything, I hope that it was not too severe if you did. However if you did feel something sharp, stabbing, and perhaps even worse from the severing of that link...then let me warn you of what awaits you in a truly deep relationship with another who is deeply attuned to the Force. Both of you. The formation of a bond is not always conscious, it is usually unconscious in nature and it will only deepen in time until the two are able to fight and even sense the most minute things about each other as if they were a single being. Think of getting hit with a blaster bolt, or even worse, the death of your literal other half. I lost my connection to the Force for decades after from the feelings of her torment. It took visits to multiple nexuses to finally regain a semblance of a connection, and after that many more years of training to regain even a small amount of what I was once capable of." He left it on that happy not and turned to Fiolette when she addressed him.

"Yes ma'am I'll go set course for the Pilgrim's Rest so we can get this show on the road."

Fiolette Yvarro |

Lily Rhodes · Mar 17, 2024

Lily's eyes tracked Fiolette as she stalked round her, like a wolf circling prey. Lily was so used to passing unnoticed to being a wallflower that the way Fiolette was studied her, like a bug under a magnifying glass, made her shift uneasily. She might have asked why she was telling the story, choosing instead to stay silent, to pick her moment. she was blinking hard against the tears, resisting the desperate urge to look for Iskey, to seek his support. How could she, when all of this was news to him?

Fiolette had ripped off a band aid Lily had wanted to take off with him slowly. To discuss it with him without accusations. She'd ruined all of it. the lump in her throat was burning, and she was blinking rapidly to stop the tears from falling as Kurayami joined the assault, her eyes finding a spot on the floor to stare at. It wasn't until he started to talk about force bonds that she lifted her gaze to look at him. She closed her eyes as he did, paying close attention to it, to the action he took, to the twinge that ran through her as he severed it. "I felt it." her voice was quiet, diminished.

His words made her think of another, one she had unconsciously bonded with.

Velok Brokentusk was her friend, probably the only person in the galaxy she actually considered family. He had sensed her pain, her emotional turmoil when Malum had set her in a hospital bed, when he revealed the truth of her heritage. She reached through that bond, seeking comfort, seeking reassurance.

Velok... Where are you?

She brushed away an escapee tear that escaped as Kurayami moved off, shifting her gaze finally back to Fiolette, the defiance was there still, driven by and underlying need to prove her wrong. "I'm nothing like you." she said quietly. "Raising your child aside, what you do now, what I reckon you've been doing since that child grew up, based on what you just did to drag your own hide from the Netherworld, is be selfish, is chase power. That is not and will never be who I am."

Fiolette Yvarro · Mar 17, 2024

Fiolette let out a laugh, with a malicious tone, "oh, you sweet child." The condescending echoes of her words flowed easily, "do you think that when I started out that my quest was for power?" She laughed with some credulousness, "what began as a simple need to establish myself in a failing order grew into needing to provide for my family. Grew into loving the man who would father three of my children, while raising my son as his own. Power was... " Fiolette's eyes glazed over for a moment she let show a smile, tinged with sadness and regret, "power was an afterthought and I had not considered its consequences until it was far too late. Such a fate that I wish to keep my great grandson from."

"We never aim to hurt the ones we love, Lily. It become a byproduct out of our very need to assert ourselves into this galaxy, to prove that we are worthy of being here. To make something of ourselves, to leave behind something worth remembering, for better or worse. I do not want Iskendyr to fall prey to the whims and manipulations of someone who has yet to figure out what she is capable of." Fiolette looked over at Kurayami and realized he meant for her to withdraw her fangs. "You will, in time, young lady figure out what you are capable of. You have just scratched the surface of it, however; understand that with every good intention, there are consequences and that the road to the Chaos-forsaken realm of which I have escaped... is paved with them."

Fio took a deep breath and exhaled, a nod toward Bloodborn as they moved across the void closer to Pilgrim's Rest. She disappeared into the galley of the ship to comfort Iskendyr.