Dressed to Kill - SJO Dominion of the Umbara Hex

[Rath Exigo]

[-SOUNDTRACK: SWORD OF THE STARS-]​

Post #1​

Objective: Void Wings​

Ship: T-77 Strike Interceptor​

Attn: [member="Allyson Locke"] | [member="Aubrey King"]​

​

• CNS Absolution
  Overseer-class Interdictor Carrier

In the wake of the events on Winter, the Shrouded Republic had invested much time and effort into tracking down anyone who was so much as suspected of having ties with the Dark Hand. The enigmatic nation's retribution for the attempted coup, was brutal and merciless and now, its attention had turned to a group of pirates known as the Void Wings. Whether or not they truly did supply the rebellion with weapons, it did not matter. They would be brought in for questioning. And then they would pay for the rest of their crimes.

Only recently having learned the location of this group, the Shrouded Republic sent in its elite fighter squadron to apprehend them. Aboard the CNS Absolution, an Overseer-class Interdictor Carrier which would serve as the squadron's mothership for this mission, Rath Exigo, lieutenant-commander in the Confederate navy and commander of the Shrouded Republic's infamous Reaper Squadron, ran a final pre-flight check, making sure all of the multitude of systems built into the sleek, triangular frame of his stealth fighter were operating within normal parameters.

The carrier dropped out of hyperspace, streaks of light collapsing to reveal a nebula. "Attention, Void Wings. This is the CNS Absolution. Lower your shields and surrender. Resistance is futile," a message was sent out on all frequencies as the vessel's gravity well generators came online with a whir that could be felt reverberating throughout the entire ship, an ominous hum that meant the pirates would now be barred from escaping to hyperspace. Then the signal came. "Reaper Squadron, this is Absolution actual. You are green for launch."

The sleek, black interceptors left the embrace of their carrier in a wedge formation, accelerating towards their query as additional information came in from their mothership "Reaper Squadron, this is the Absolution. It appears the pirates are currently engaging Silver Jedi starfighters. Keep in that in mind and avoid friendly fire."

The Anubian growled, hackles raised under his flight suit. The Silver Jedi had been an enemy of the Shrouded Republic and he did not enjoy having to work with them, but a mission was a mission. "Copy that, Absolution. Attention, Reapers, this is Reaper One. We shall provide assistance if we can, however our mission to capture the pirates takes priority. Mark your targets and go comm silent. Weapons free. Break and engage."

The eight stealth fighters broke formation, fanning out like deadly claws and descended upon their prey, firing in short bursts in order to minimize the risk of enemy sensors pinpointing their locations. Exigo's eyes scanned the battlespace, his attention drawn to a single X-Wing being pursued by enemy fighters. Deactivating his interceptor's fly-by-wire systems, he took manual control of the advanced fighter's directional thrusters, hand flitting rapidly between controls as he fired them in a rapid sequence which allowed him to pull an incredibly sharp turn. Pushing the acceleration to maximum, he dived down upon the enemy formation, picking out two surprised pirates and squeezing the trigger the instant he had a target lock on the first one.

Green laser bolts spewed from his fighter's rapid-fire cannons, chasing after the first pirate just as Exigo launched a proton torpedo at the second one. Pulling hard on the stick, he then angled his fighter out of his dive, taking advantage of the pirates' confusion to fall out of his dive right behind their formation. Two additional short bursts from his laser cannons illuminated the nebula as he fired at a third pirate. "Huh. Like blasting mynocks," the Anubian muttered under his breath.

​

 

[Anastasia Verd]

Objective: BYOO
Location: Local Scivenry
Wearing: This
Post: 2
Tags: [member="Darth Metus"] [member="Srina Talon"]

She was quiet in her voice, yet Dad was there to draw attention to them to the staff, requesting the same order for himself as well. She said nothing, looking forward still until her attention had been taken by one of the books opening before she'd been nudged. Anastasia turned and looked at him before she looked at the book. Demia, her grandmother. He'd never heard her or seen her even but she was said to be beautiful.

Did she get her good looks from her side of her family? Anastasia thought of her Mother. Do I? She wondered as she glanced at the information. "Not Mom?" Anastasia wondered out loud as she looked to him. In her mind, she was a combination of both. Her curled hair hid the connection between her and Phoebe Draclau further but she had seen her face in the mirror many times as the monster straightened out her hair, it would make the frightened girl remember her Mom, wonder why she hadn't been saved by her parents.

Their order was served quickly, Ana reaching out for one of the cups and looking at the mallow on top with a quiet sigh. Just drink your hot chocolate, she told herself. That tale was for a whole other time. Now, she just wanted to enjoy her drink and find out more about who they were because she was completely behind on the history lessons when the monster didn't care to know, leaving a whole empty space in her mind.

Ana followed her Dad as they made their way to the booth where Srina Talon was already seated. How does Vi'dreya history concern her? Anastasia wondered to herself as she sat across from her Dad, hearing his comment, which made her look around, spotting two little metallic creatures moving quickly, knowing she'd seen them before, though watching them now, Ana found herself not feeling anything towards something so small. Dad gave it ten minutes before the fire alarms, correcting himself to say five minutes. Ana just brought her cup to her mouth and sipped the warm liquid, wondering just how useful those little things were to the favored apprentice.

 

[Zak Dymo]

Bring Your Own Objective Presents​

​

[ Atoa ] [ Arctic Plains ] [ Post 3 ]​

[ Superbear Cape ]​

How much do you love a complete stranger?

The girl was running. Afraid. Alone. Chased across a frozen tundra by shadows she dared not look back at.

Kiriko had no idea who she was. How she got there. He merely saw her plight. It was unfolding right before his eyes. His choice to make was what he was going to do about it?

People thought that tuggles were cute. They would forget that tuggles were wild animals. Carnivores. Pack hunters. They were on the move now, running down the girl.

The small white bear slid across the glacial plain, shards of ice flying out from under his claws as the small Beorni body-checked a tuggle. A tuggle was pretty lightweight for their size.

Beorni, by comparison, were not lightweight. Kiriko slammed into the side of the wild tuggle and the weasel-like xenomorph was knocked off its feet. In the meantime, the cub's paws were digging into the cold earth, as the youngling grabbed traction and barrelled forward.

Charging across the snow, the young Beorni put his head down as he ran right underneath the girl. The stranger was knocked backward, landing on the cub's back as the Beorni dug in and kept charging forward.

If he'd had an open road, he might have been able to keep going.

The mountain coming up ahead didn't give him that option.

Skidding to a halt, the Beorni's head looked left, right, and up. Neither direction gave him anything other than a sheer face with which to try and climb.

In the Force, nothing is impossible.

The cub's round ears shot upward, in a flash, the cub had turned and put five claws across the bared muzzle of a tuggle. But even as the one was knocked down, four more were encroaching upon the small Beorni. And soon Kiriko realized that he had backed himself into a corner.

Left. Right. Up.

There seemed no where to go.

Trust the Force.

A low growl could be heard. The sound spread as other tuggles began to echo the noise. Fangs gleamed in the arctic light, as the first of the predators began to press forward.

What would the real Kiriko have done?

What would the hero of Thyferra have done for a total stranger?

The cub closed his eyes. The round ears flattened out as the boy let go his conscious mind and connected, however fleeting, however briefly, with the Force.

And then he jumped.

The red cape unfurled outward, as the boy's felt Namie's ethereal hand guiding him still further upward.

Kiriko didn't know who he was named for. He'd heard stories of the Beorni that had gone to Thyferra, but that was it. Stories. But what he learned, as he opened his eyes, was that a boy could become a hero simply by loving a stranger. And that love could even give a Beorni wings enough to fly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX3coWDnTrU​

 

[Varindar Asyt]

Location: Ghost Nebula
Objective: Void Wings
Allies: SJ [member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Aubrey King"] @Kuraymi Bloodborn [member="Audren Sykes"]
Enemies: Pirates

"Poodoo: our friendlies are already engaged in battle"

"Enemy flagship detected: time to jump on their aft"

She could feel the presence of more than one group, but if at least one of those groups had mag-pulse missiles capable of provoking firepower kills, and the Faradrim was also making a jump towards another pirate group, then it was time for her to jump on the enemy flagship's aft. Much as she wanted to do on Barataria but couldn't fire at anything before the Mandos stood down. With a fully-powered bomblet generator, she would need to maintain safe distance even aft; sensors registered the enemy flagship as an ex-GA ship, which was called the ANS Antiquary in Alliance service. With bomblet generators having a blast radius of 150m, she has to keep at least that distance from the enemy flagship; Varindar would then have her squadron drop such heavy ordnance on the flanks and aft, penetrating the hull and even damaging some systems, causing some feedback loops and, from there, firepower kills, although the enemy flagship isn't destroyed by any means. Yet maintaining distance was key to avoiding the pirate ship's flak cannons.

"One more pass and the enemy flagship is toast!"

Spoiler: Craft

8 Chiloon-IIIs in endurance configuration

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Objective: BYOO (banking)
Loction: Atoa

"Wesa understand itsa new market for usen. How much business do yousa think yousa can get, in da duey or dee next years?"

"Two or three years? Does that have an impact on repayment schedules?"

Understandably, many of the clients that answered the call for loans, ripe, juicy loans were clients that wanted a second chance in the debt markets. But microlending to get a business (re-)established was usually a tricky area for a moneylender: sometimes it would be better to extend credit for longer periods since it was well-known that new businesses often needed some times to stabilize their cash flows. Asking them to repay too quickly, to the point of some clients feeling that they were basically being called on their loans, would be sometimes tantamount to commercial suicide. And yet the Aleena was made to feel that long-range forecasts, ranging up to three years. Which is usually the longest one can safely forecast in a small-time service business such as the Aleena's, although heavy industries can forecast for much longer - usually the longest range of a practical business forecast in an industry tends to depend on the capital intensity of an industry. The Aleena flashed him a forecast with monthly projections of revenue, with much of the expenses being fixed and the main variable expenses being labor and parts for hardware issues.

 

[Roona Osmari]

Objective: Wedding, protection detail.
Location: Umbara - Security room, briefing
Nearby: [member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Charlie"] | [member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

Sergeant Osmari stood at the entrance, dressed in a sleek black gown – looking the part of a wedding guest. Her hair was tied into an updo; she had painted liner onto her lids and finished off her look with a red lipstick. But beneath this uncharacteristically fancy exterior, she was armed. There was a small pistol strapped to her thigh, and a cleverly disguised wrist-blaster hanging around her wrist.

A faint smile touched her face as she heard Valkren’s voice in her earpiece.

She knew that he might well feel like a monkey in his suit, but she would bet that he looked handsome as ever. Secretly, she’d come to like the way he looked in civilian formal dress… even if she’d only seen him like that once before. And as if on cue, he made mention of the ball on Kashyyyk.

“I know,” She answered in her cool tone, but added: “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”

Indeed she had many fond memories of that night, fuzzy as they were. But this wasn’t the time to reminisce; there was work to be done. Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings outside… she didn’t like the choice of venue. There were multiple points of entry aside from the main doors that saw the flow of guests, many of which were arriving and mingling in the hall. The room for the ceremony seemed fairly secure, from what she’d glimpsed. But, the reception space… it was large and there were many tall windows in the room.

No doubt, she would receive additional details once the briefing started. So, she ducked inside and made her way to join the others. Pausing in the doorway, she spotted Valkren near the console. A smile appeared and she linked arms with him. It was an action that she would not have been able to do in most circumstances, but tonight was different. They were both undercover, so why not play the part of a couple? Even though, the reality was much the same… not that anyone knew it yet.

“I’m not sure I like this wedding,” She wrinkled her nose, “It’s too… stuffy. But,” Roona paused, giving him another look. “You look good.”

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Objective: BYOO (banking)
Loction: Atoa

"Yousa plan on payen for utilities and rent at Coruscant prices because yousa have a conservative forecast of expenses..."

He carefully examined the forecast to make sure his assumptions were actually making any sense. But, as far as he could tell, there were much, much less computer repair technicians available on this iceberg than on even post-GA Coruscant, even on a per-capita basis, so the Gungan was more than happy to process his loan application, while being aware that repaying on a three-year schedule, while giving some breathing room in the short run, in the long run, the business was paying more over the loan's lifespan. Then again, new businesses are riskier in the early days and he had to treat the business as such, despite the client's experience in that industry. Before he could cash in the origination fee, and the Aleena would get a check for the amount of the loan, he had one final disclosure to make to the client. However, was he interested more in the short-run expenses or the long-run expenses? That was the main question the Gungan had on his mind before the Aleena would be strapped with a 50% higher EMI because the term was for two years rather than for three.

"Itsa better to lend for dee years dan duey years in yoursa case. Oh and yousa not payen any early repayment fees if yoursa business taken off"

 

[Srina Talon]

Objective 4: BYOO
Wearing: This
Location: Umbara - [Local Scrivenry] - Tea Shop (Booth)

​

The rabbit-droids that [member="Rex Taff"] had created for her toddled off, muttering to themselves as if she couldn’t hear most of it. As usual, Srina let it go. In no way, shape, or form did she want to encourage either of the BNI-units to get behind the wheel of a speeder. They could barely handle running through the halls of the Well on Ryloth without crashing into something. More than once, she had been forced to keep Etrigan or Thorne from devouring them, or from tearing their little durasteel chassis apart. As if dragons weren’t enough of a deterrent they seemed to love crawling beneath the skin of the only actual threat to their continued existence. The Vicelord.

His snoring, apparently, got on their collective nerves and made their circuits flip.

The slender woman didn’t look up from the holo she was scrolling through as [member="Darth Metus"] made his commentary. He would feel a flicker of amusement trickle through their Force Bond but outwardly the aristocratic Apprentice remained as ice. It was beyond her, how he could deal with warring nations regularly, but two small droids continually drove him up the wall. “They will be fine, Master.”

“—And if for some reason they do manage to trigger the alarm I’m fairly certain this facility utilizes waterless fire suppression. I highly doubt they would take the risk of losing all the knowledge stored here.”

Most of the holos were no doubt water resistant, but the older, more ancient tomes? No. They could barely withstand being handled as is. Water would destroy them entirely. So, they might be covered in a thin layer of gas, but otherwise, they’d be perfectly fine. @Anastasia Vi’dreya remained silent once returning to the booth. Srina thought nothing of it. The dark-haired spawn of her Master was merely one of many, and by this point, she was well used to the blank expression of dislike or disdain from the Verd/Vi’dreya clan. Perhaps she was too pale for their tastes, or, they felt her might inadequate.

Srina no longer had the strength within to care or to be bothered by it. The only one that didn’t seem to mind her presence was Amaya and the most reasonable child of them all didn’t linger long in Confederate space. Pausing, when she came across a digitized photograph, she slid the active holo between both of her companions. The name did not ring a bell, however, the last name matched. “Is this a relation of yours? She seems to be.”

The gem on her Holo-Comm flashed dimly and she waved her hand over her wrist. Briefly, she studied the data from the Ghost Nebula, and noted with a certain level of satisfaction that [member="Rath Exigo"] had arrived on behalf of the Shrouded Republic. Good. The information slid away when she moved her hand in the opposite direction. She would have to thank [member="Adron Malvern"] for the unit she wore on her wrist. It had been most helpful, and far more user-friendly, than the typical HUD.

Silver eyes flickered toward the entrance of the Archives. There hadn’t been any crash, or, any explosions so she could only assume that the bunny-droids were acting accordingly.

For now.

 

[Pandora]

Objective: The Black Wedding (Umbara)
Location: Security Room

[Security Detail - Present Time]

The door to the security room slid open, Colonel Jettah (Security Chief) entered the room with a small entourage. Most of them were elite guardsmen of the Rootai, the top caste Umbara, considered royalty. Perhaps the Silvers within the room may find their appearance unsettling, the guardsmen's sleek black armor reminiscent of Sith warriors, their bodies radiating with a dark aura.

All the Umbarans in the room stiffened, those not occupied with work at a station immediately standing to attention. Among those who had followed Jettah inside was none other than Minister Farani herself, appearing to glide along the floor in a grey dress of intricate patterns, the long train almost reaching back to the door. The dress seemed to shift around her with each step like the fabric was alive.

The guardsmen lined up against the wall, leaving Farani and Jettah in full few of all those assembled in the room. Typical of many Umbarans, Farani possessed a thin sharp face, almost gaunt. Her expression was dour, looking like she was on the verge of bursting into tears.

She scanned the room with milky blue eyes, though her gaze lingering on one female Ranger (Roona) for just a few moments longer than the others.

"Before the ceremony commences, I wanted to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the Silver Order," she explained, syrupy voice possessing a haunting quality. "Your presence today is greatly appreciated, though it's unfortunate that such precautions were required. The need for change is a...difficult thing for some of my peers to accept. Together, I hope we can usher in a new great age for Umbara."
She clasped her hands together and nodded toward Jettah, indicating that she was done.

"Yes. So far so good. There was a small incident with some protestors (the Conservatives), but otherwise, it's been quiet. I think our resident conspirators are more adverse to direct action that may put offworlders in the crossfire."

He broke away from Farani for one of the stations, manipulating the holo display with a few gestures to bring up a full-color projection of a massive multi-story, ballroom.

"The patrols out on the floors are currently adequate, but I'd like to supplement the guardsmen in the upper levels with some of your people, Colonel Valkren."

Subtlely, Jettah was hinting that he didn't trust the Umbaran security. Other Rootai would be present for the occasion, which meant they had their own units they wanted to integrate into the tactical plans being paranoid royals. Not all liked Farani, so that left a lot of unknown variables to exploit.

---------------------​

[Assassins - Days Ago]


Slowly, but surely, the safe house filled with all sorts of cutthroats that had accepted the job through the invisible market. However, there was no handler there to meet them, only a black spherical droid hovering over a table lined with a row of black boxes.

When the droid had confirmed the arrival of all the assassins through the safehouse's surveillance system, it whirred to life, its monocle glowing crimson.

"Your presence here means that you have accepted the assignment. As we speak, exactly 50% of your pay is being wired to your selected accounts. The rest will only be delivered upon completion of the assignment. Attempts to abort or sabotage the assignment will result in severe penalties."

Their mystery employer had called them in to kill a prominent noble, so they had zero qualms hunting down any of the assassins that crossed them.

"Your target for this assignment is Minister Myyse Farani, in three days time during her wedding at the Lavar palace. My employer would like an...example made of Farani, so use what methods you like to take her out. Anyone who tries to interfere with your mission is fair game, but leave bystanders untouched if you can help it, nonlethal takedowns at worst."

"Each parcel before me contains a full body camouflage kit, clothing, and identification to get you past security checks. Each of you will be posing as VIP guests or support staff. More detailed files of your alias have been provided in the parcel as well."

"When the lights go dark, it will be time to move."

The droid had nothing more to say, so it went dark, crimson monocle shuttering off as it resumed hovering in standby mode. The assassins were then left to study and prepare for a wedding that no one would soon forget.

(For people on the floor, you're good to notice anything odd going on with other people on the floor - the assassins are already among you. <3)

[member="Charlie"] [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] [member="Roona Osmari"] [member="Alyisa Mithel"] [member="Siala Brennus"] [member="Matsu Ike"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Wenwynig"]

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Objective: BYOO (banking)
Loction: Atoa

"Before yousa can consider da loan taken out, yousa have to sign da loan agreement"

Ugohr thus prints the loan agreement, in two copies so that one side know, in writing, the terms and conditions attached to the loan being taken out and what obligations each side of the deal have. The Gungan knew that it was going to be a long day, but he was happy to get one more client to get his life back on track after what happened on Coruscant. The agreement was not that long: only a list of rather straightforward terms and conditions in plain language. No origination fee, no early repayment fee, just monthly payments for three years after the grace period, with a three-month grace period during which the interest would be capitalized because there was no asset being pledged as collateral. It took only about 20 minutes to get the loan paperwork done and registered into the loan system since IGR has access to a technology that allowed near-instant credit checks to be made, saving money to both the bank and the clients. And same went with opening a bank account: the client would thus also go to the new-accounts officer to get the new bank account open at the same time that he was going to that temporary bank branch until a more permanent one can be built on Atoa.

 

[Wenwynig]

Location: Main floor, disguised as waiter
Allies: None
Objective: Maintain disguise till opportunity arises.

It was not the way Wenwynig worked. Dressed in clothes. Symbosysia were a species that did not wear clothes. It was a hindrence and didn't stop others noticing the very unique look of their kind. However, it was required to gain entrance and close the distance between himself and the target. He went for a less imposing look, his claws were more like human hands, his unusually long, sharp teeth were stunted and dull, even his eyes were a softer look. All attempts to transform himself into a less bloodthirsty variant of his kind, it didn't stop him hating every moment that he was there, serving drinks.

This disguise however, allowed him to better assess the crowd and sercuity. Plenty of Umbarans working as sercuity with a handful of seemingly talented Silver Jedi folk and their allies. They were easy to distinguish between the Umbarans. Once his target stepped into the public eye, he noticed several assassins had abruptly stopped serving to study their target. He moved further away from the target, still offering drinks. There was no reason a real waiter would pause their job, anyone who did would be suspicious. Wenwynig suspected there were amateurs on their first kill when he arrived, however, he knew what he needed to do. Pausing he neared several important guests and paid little attention to their stares and many questions, offering basic polite replies when pushed.

This wedding could not move faster. He needed to get back to his comforts.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Objective: Wedding
Location: Umbara
Allies: Free drinks

Bringing the flute of champagne up for a sip, her gaze shifted to the side to find the tall frame of a man now at her side. He’d just addressed her like they knew each other, perhaps even like they were friends. Unfortunately for him, the compliments he’d given would fall on deaf ears.

“I’m sorry,” She started, lowering her glass slightly. “Do I know you?”

Turning slightly to face him, she scanned his face with her blue eyes. There were brown eyes, a strong jawline, and some facial hair – she still didn’t recognize him. The Echani woman traveled quite a lot; there were many gatherings on many different worlds. Faces and names came and went. Shrugging, she figured that it didn’t matter much.

Finally taking a long sip of her drink, she held up a finger to the man with braided hair. “Nevermind. I’m terrible with names.” Siala accepted the fact that she had probably met this man before, his name simply eluded her. Her attention momentarily shifted as another party guest entered, wearing quite an elaborate (but atrocious) looking hat. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she looked back to the tall fellow.

“Will you refresh my memory?” She asked, brows lofting impatiently.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

Objective: Black Wedding
Location: Elsywere
Allies: Alcohol
Enemies: Political weddings

Nobles coming off as snooty? Dearest me, such a new thing! He'd never encountered this before in his entire life! From the tone of voice as she asked who he was, to the impatient loft as she almost demanded that he refreshed her! Oh, such irregularity, his poor heart couldn't take it! He might just die from the shock of it all! But to be serious, he simply smiled at her remarks, pouring himself a drink at the table nearby. Maybe a bit of alcohol could take the edge off this stupid wedding for him.

"But my dearest! Dost thou not remember me?" The Jedi would inquire, his expression a mockery of shock as he would place a hand on his heart. "My heart has swam with naught but thoughts of your radiant beauty, your sweet and voluptuous red lips, your eyes such an incredible color of blue that I just might faint in thinking I may never gaze upon them again if my dear, sweet love were not to remember me! Do you not remember our long walks on the beach, hands held tight, fingers caressing ones another's palms while in a sweet-"

A snort stopped him then, and he found himself chuckling. "Chit, can't do it" He cracked, indicating he'd been jesting, putting on a performance more or less for the sake of humor. All in good fun, right? It was almost a shame he couldn't keep it up a bit longer without cracking up. "In all seriousness, I'm with the party that our gracious host was just talking about" He spoke as he would raise his glass in a greeting toast. "Josh, you might call me. Alas, while I know who you are, my lady, as I've been to a few gatherings... In the grand scheme of the great game, my standing pales in comparison to your family. To the game of politics and noble birth... I guess you could say I am merely a swordsman."

Shrugging his shoulders, he would take a drink. Being popular with nobility in areas such as Hapes was already more close to the "Game" than he wanted to be. He didn't envy her one bit. "I actually believe we've spoken before at a gathering, but haven't been properly introduced. I've only recently begun attending these sorts of events again, so... Figured I'd see how things are going with some familiar faces."

"Was also curious as to why a woman of your stature and features has arrived without a plus one. Quite unusual" He teased lightly with a small smile. "Catches attention, that."

He tilted his head to look past her a moment when a guest entered with a rather... Peculiar hat. "If I had to wear a hat like that in public, I'd sooner you kill me" slipped out accidentally in a breaking of the formal tone he'd been taking up until this point. Whoops!

[member="Siala Brennus"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Location: Main Chamber
Allies: Yuroic Xeraic | [member="Minerva Vessia"] | [member="Katarine Ryiah"] | Dajara Boshtet | Sigrid Forsberg
Objective: Ghost busters!

Jedi Xeraic’s voice echoed throughout the chamber, but no answer came. Stumbling backwards, the Priestess felt her back press against the wall of the cave. Suddenly gripped with an overwhelming fear, she felt her breaths grow shallow. This was not her own fear, she knew that. It was that of some unknown entity or entities, but it bombarded her mind all the same – freezing her on the spot where she stood.

The Witch woman on the outside was quite right, an attack was coming. A screaming howl would fill the mine and then burst forth the entrance, as if to warn those outside to stay out.

Sensing the bright aura of [member="Dajara Boshtet"], a swirling darkness would begin to reach out to snuff it out. Inky tendrils would form in the air, seeking to ensnare the Jedi woman. If she did not fight this dark influence, she would be rendered unconscious in a matter of moments.

As for Jedi [member="Yuroic Xeraic"], a blast of telekinetic energy would attempt to hit him square in the chest. And, as if that wasn’t enough, a vision was granted – a battlefield. There were civilians running as fast as their legs could take them, but it was no use. They were shot down by white-clad troopers, their bodies soon covered by layers of snow. This expanse had once been home to a massacre, the drilling had disturbed those that had already been put to uneasy rest. The screams would echo in his mind.

[member="Sigrid Forsberg"] would find herself the target of an apparition, the ghostly image of a cloaked specter. It had glowing eyes and seemed to be made of smoke. Its hollow eyes locked on the soldier woman, and its form soon rushed towards her – cutting through the cold air on its way.

 

[WelshGuy]

Location: Mines
Allies: [member="Suna Gallia"] | [member="Dajara Boshtet"] | [member="Sigrid Forsberg"] | [member="Minerva Vessia"] | [member="Katarine Ryiah"]
Objective: I ain't afraid of no ghost!

The first thing Yuroic noticed after the electronics started to fail was the priestess backing herself against the wall. A sense of dread filled the room, however, Yuroic attempted to reach out to the woman to offer comfort. Then a blast hit his chest, there was little Yuroic could do to block it, he hadn't seen where it came from or who had created the Force Push. Sent flying back, Yuroic somersaulted in the air and ensured he landed on his feet and hands, as graceful as a cat. Ready to see who struck him, he was then hit with a vision. Staring helplessly as the civilians were slaughtered by white-clad soldiers. Soldiers he was sure he had seen in holoclips from that era, the old Empire. The first Galactic Empire and their stormtroopers.

"Death. There was so much death here. Priestess, these spirits, I think they were people murdered by the old Galactic Empire. The mining woke them, they need to be helped to move on. Show them how your people have recovered." Yuroic shouted out, still blinded by the vision, he could accept their anger and fear. The dread they were giving off, it was the dread they felt when they died. These spirits didn't need to be destroyed, they needed to be understood and helped to move forward.

"Everyone, don't harm these spirits, we need to show we are here to help. I believe them to be innocent civilians slaughtered by members of the Galactic Empire, they need help in moving on." Yuroic informed the others in the chamber. Worried that if they fought the spirits then there would be no chance in saving them.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Objective: 3 - Void Wings
Location: Ghost Nebula, onboard the Nephilim corvette Faradrim
Post: 3

The Faradrim dropped out of hyperspace exactly where planned and bled speed to a near stop. Had they been attacking, the ship would have used the speed from the hyperspace jump as an augmentation rather than shedding it, but the sensors - not to mention the stealth systems - tended to work better at lower speeds. Much to the crew's surprise, there was already someone new there, an X-Wing style starfighter that was already shooting at the pirates. Part of the unaligned forces, if the logo on the fighter's s-foils was any indication. Almost as quickly as they could focus on the confrontation it was over, with three fighters blossoming into explosions due to the laser cannon fire.

To be on the safe side, Audren checked again - the fourth time - to make sure the recorders were all running.

Not long after that, a cruiser decanted from hyperspace and began launching fighters. Simultaneously, a comm signal was broadcast calling for the Void Wings to surrender and identifying itself as the CNS Absolution. The name was new to the Sephi, he'd not heard of the vessel being attached to any of the battle groups in a formal or informal manner. Like the initial X-wing, these pilots appeared exceptionally skilled with one of the fighters taking out three others in quick succession.

Unexpectedly, the pilot announced that they were in a gravity field. While that was an excellent tactic to utterly destroy an enemy force, such destruction was not immediately desirable in this case. Rather, they wanted to use this group, to scare them into running back to the safety of their home base. It was a fine line between not having a strong enough force to stand against the enemy - such as a single starfighter - and having too much. Then again, hitting them hard here and now would provide more time to actually find the central nest, even if it made it more difficult as well.

"Sensors, status?"

"Seventy-three percent complete. Transponders locked, vessel profiles being built. Hotelier group reports they are assaulting the enemy flagship."

Audren bit back a sharp comment. It wasn't the officer's fault, it wasn't fair to take it out on him. Not to mention that he was busy. Pitting eight fighters against a battle group's flagship wasn't exactly the most brilliant idea: what the big ships lost in maneuverability and speed they made up with firepower...and flagships were rarely alone. Their friends typically weren't happy if the pride of the fleet was damaged. Plus, those fighters were supposed to be escorting refugee vessels, meaning those ships were now exposed. A dangerous game.

"Identification scans completed. Backup commencing. Be aware, some pirate vessels retreating. Highlighted."

The scans were comprehensive. Not only did they include transponder information, which would be switched out in minutes, but they also included spectral analysis of engine emissions, power profiles, weapon and shield information, and more. It no longer mattered which name the ship flew under; it would have to have a complete overhaul to register as a different vessel. And with the HSI buoys in place, they might well be able to suss out locations.

"Helm, plot an intercept course towards one of those escaping ships. Lay in and execute, maximum burn. Master Sykes, please arm the missiles in launcher two. Be prepared to target and fire on my mark. Have the guns ready as well."

A small grin crossed Audren's face as he turned back to his console. He understood where the captain's thought process was going and approved entirely.

[member="Varindar Asyt"] | [member="Allyson Locke"] | [member="Aubrey King"] | [member="Tanaski Yumi"] | [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"] | [member="Rath Exigo"] | [member="Aryn Teth"]​

 

[Tanaski Yumi]

Objective: The Ghost Wings
Location: Ghost Nebula
Allies: [member="Varindar Asyt"] [member="Aubrey King"] [member="Allyson Locke"]
Ship: Modern Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor

"Copy Hotel Oscar Mike, I'll run screening and keep those enemy freighters off your tail, let me know when the bombs have been dropped and I'll high tail it out of the area okay".

Perhaps it would have been beneficial to fly a bomber, but Tana enjoyed the quick feel and nimble ways of Jedi made star fighters, their reaction time and over all handling still being superior even to this day. At Varindar and the other bombers made an attack on the enemy flag ship Tana would stick to the side, keeping close tabs on the armed freighters coming in, soon pealing off to attack the makeshift warships. Performing a quick loop and aileron roll the Padawan flier soon found himself staring down the side of a pirate freighter, his quick movements catching the ships crew off guard, but not for long, himself able to sense the members onboard scrambling for the anti-star fighter weapons.

With quick succession Tana fired of the ships main laser cannons, hopping to weaken the freighters shielding before letting off the main missiles, an explosion resonating from the rear end of the ship, knocking it out of the fight. "One enemy down, what's the deal on you and Hotel? cut the snakes head off"? If there was one thing he knew about pirates they did not stick around for a fight once their leader was gone, a proper ranking military was no per say something bandits used all that often.

 

[Varindar Asyt]

Objective: Void Wings
Location: Ghost Nebula
Allies: [member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Aubrey King"] [member="Rath Exigo"] [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]
Enemies: Pirates

"Bombs away; Hotelier is pulling away"

Some of the pirate escorts, armed freighters, were shot down in quick order from multiple directions. Which made the 20 second cooldown more palatable to them, especially since the firepower kills endured by the pirate flagship on the aft arc and on the broadsides made it so that most of the bombers got out of it unscathed. Yet there was an unlucky pilot that got hit on the starboard lower engine, and decided, just as another pilot had on Barataria, to turn around and, once the collision course is established, shunt all the power to the bomblet generator and it was flying into the hull breach already formed in the initial pass. Plus the explosives lining the hull of the craft, thanks to ERA being applied to it, and there were enough explosives to fill several proton bombs, only served to make the explosion bigger than what a full-power bomblet generator could provide on its own. With the end result that, when the fighter collided against the upper decks of the hull breach, at attack speed, the enemy flagship began to burst from the inside, with a reactor breach killing it in a glorious explosion. Then again the pirates were taking heavy losses all over the place, so they felt they had very little choice but to retreat. Phew: at least the convoy made it to safety, she thought, while the convoy was making its jump to Kashyyyk, with perhaps some hits to their respective shields but no real hull damage.

Spoiler: Craft

7 Chiloon-IIIs in endurance configuration

 

[Aubrey King]

Location: Ghost Nebula
Objective: Save the bacon.
Allies: SJO, CIS
Enemies: Pirates

"The Ghost Nebula is a big place," she reminded her. "So it wouldn't be strange if we didn't bump into anything during our circuit. You should enjoy the quiet while it lasts."

It looked like Allyson had just jinxed them, because, on the next jump, it went from zero to DEFCON as they stumbled upon a pack of hostile ships. It was easy to tell - she could hear all sorts of pings in her helmet signifying enemy targeting sensors locking onto her fighter.

Allyson reacted first, reversing thrust to boost away from the flotilla while breaking formation. She had no choice but to flip her Cuervo and follow, immediately activating her Screamer, and setting her underslung chaff gun to intercept mode.

"Onyx 02, back on me!" she ordered, her tone unusually authoritative. "We need to jump and regroup!"

Her orders came too late, as she detected Allyson's fighter suffered several direct hits from missiles, but the Cuervo remained intact, indicating that the Corellian had been struck with something meant to disable rather than destroy. Meanwhile, Aubrey's quick thinking with her jammer saved her from missile locks. However, several enemy fighters were quickly closing in.

In this situation, she would have made an emergency jump against such overwhelming forces, but Allyson had been hit, and she couldn't risk leaving her alone. Gritting her teeth, she released her entire payload of countermeasure flares to send the pirate fighters into disarray as she flipped yet again with vernier thrusters to go back. She would cover Allyson while she covered.

"Evasive maneuvers, then jump when you can. The rest of Onyx squadron back on me!"

Just as she centered her sights on the pirate fighters and began prioritizing targets, her console bleeped to indicate additional reversions. However, their IFF transponders didn't read as Silvers or the ISAF, but the Confederacy. One heavy cruiser and its own pack of starfighters.

Aubrey felt just a smidgen of relief with CIS reinforcements on the scene, but nasty pirates were out there trying to kill her.

Between the surprise of the homing countermeasure flares, and the sudden appearance of the Confederacy, the pirates lost what little bearing they had, all now maneuvering erratically with no sense of unity. The distracted pirates then became easy pickings for Aubrey as she kept to the outside of the swarm of pirate fighters, turning a pair beat up Headhunters into slag with her powerful main cannon. All the while, she flitted about like a leaf tumbling through the wind, making her difficult to hit.

She received an alert of another set of reversions as she struck at her third fighter. It was Onyx Unlike their Confederate counterparts, the Silver fighters just started shooting without a friendly warning, using metadata from Allyson and Aubrey's fighters to immediately snap onto targets.

While starting out as a clusterfrack, the odds were now tilting into Aubrey's favor as she had backup.

[member="Varindar Asyt"] | [member="Allyson Locke"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Tanaski Yumi"] | [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"] | [member="Rath Exigo"] | [member="Aryn Teth"]​

 

[Rath Exigo]

​

Post #2​

Objective: Void Wings​

Ship: T-77 Strike Interceptor​

Attn: [member="Allyson Locke"] | [member="Aubrey King"] | [member="Varindar Asyt"] | [member="Tanaski Yumi"] | [member="Audren Sykes"] | [member="Aryn Teth"]​

​

• Reaper Squadron
  Ghost Nebula

The sleek black triangles had been developed in the wake of the Second Battle of Nibelungen. They were sleek, deadly starfighters designed to counter ships such as Stealth-Xes and Stealth-Es, outfitted with state of the art technology and flown by some of the best pilots the Shrouded Republic and Ancient Eye could produce. And of the three squadrons that had been issued these deadly new weapons, Reaper Squadron was by far the best. The old, beat-up Z-95's and Uglies that the pirates used, stood no chance against them.

The sleek stealth interceptors danced their deadly circles around the pirates, stripping targets apart with deadly, ruthless efficiency, while the Absolution began to exchange fire with the larger pirate vessels, green turbolaser bolts sailing across the void to borrow into the shields of a pair of enemy corvettes. And then, more Jedi starfighters arrived, sealing the pirates' fate.

Exigo unleashed another deadly salvo against one of the starfighters in front of him. By now, the pirates had noticed his presence and were trying to shake him off. The Anubian smirked. Hand flying over his starfighter's complicated controls, he fired his bird's directional thrusters in quick succession, even as his laser cannons barked, stripping apart what looked to be a cobbled-together combination of a TIE fighter's cockpit and a pair of Z-95 S-foils.

Flipping a toggle on his flight stick, he launched a torpedo at another Z-95, which never stood a chance to dodge it. Unlike the comms of his unlikely Jedi allies, his comms were silent. The pilots of Reaper Squadron hunted alone, in silence, not required to make any reports unless they took damage that they could not handle. So far, none of them did.

With the grouping of pirates in front of him diminishing fast, Exigo allowed himself the split second required to order his astromech to open a channel to the Silvers' starfighters, knowing that he would reveal the identity of his squadron as the former elite force of the Ancient Eye, but not caring about how it might hurt their precious little feelings to learn that they were now fighting alongside an old enemy. He had a job to do.

"Silver Jedi starfighters, this is Reaper One. We request that you refrain from destroying all of the pirate ships. We need to bring back at least a few of them for questioning," the Anubian spoke, aware of the bad taste lingering in his tone, a trace of the bile he felt rising at having to stand beside these Jedi who, not long ago, had been his mortal enemies.

​

 

[Gianna Aegis]

Location: Atoa Mines - Main Chamber
Objective: Aid the SJO Within [Quell the Spirits]
Tags: [member="Sigrid Forsberg"] [member="Yuroic Xeraic"] [member="Suna Gallia"] [member="Katarine Ryiah"] [member="Minerva Vessia"]

​

The Jedi Knight went where she felt she was needed.

Sometimes it took her across the galaxy. Sometimes, she wound up in her own backyard. Today was not one of those days. In all honesty, she was searching for a friend, one that first introduced her to the escapades of the Silver Jedi. He was gone. Missing. More accurately, she simply could not find him, and that would not do. The charismatic woman knew he wasn’t dead, at the very least, but with the sudden void of power in the verse she felt obligated to ensure he knew what he was walking into.

More importantly than that her neck of the woods needed someone like him. Strong, brave, intelligent. His connection to the Force was tangible, but, she couldn’t put into words what was happening to it.

Nevertheless, she found herself drawn to Umbara on her way back to Naboo. She didn’t dare stay away for long, not after what had happened to Coruscant and several other systems, but she also didn’t want her friend left out in the cold. Her freighter landed not far from a mining facility near Atoa. She saw another ship present, but it remained unmanned, and without anyone watching it. Interesting.

Pale fingers were cold, chilled by something other than the weather as she made her approach, and she brought them to her lips to let her breath warm them. It didn’t really help. A cadre of footprints let her way initially and she found the entrance without much difficulty. There was something there, something howling, breathing in the Force that could not be missed. Gianna sighed softly. Why did her adventures always involve caves? Bottomless, black, bleak little holes in the ground.

Places, of course, that were likely filled with spiders. The generally optimistic woman couldn’t tolerate the creeping little monsters.

Nevertheless, she proceeded onward, following the feeling of life burning ahead, almost swallowed by a sense of fear. A sound ripped through the air, a cry, that echoed through the mine and added urgency to her step. The Force-Sensitive woman caught the tail end of a vision of people dying in a bloody battle and her gentle heart fell still as the pieces of the puzzle folded into place. She entered a main chamber, just behind two dark-haired women [[member="Minerva Vessia"] and [member="Katarine Ryiah"]], and tried to acclimate to the growing dark. Not just from the cave, not quite, there was a thread also extending from some of the living.

They didn’t seem bothered by it, so the Jedi did not falter, and raised her hands briefly to show she meant no harm. It seemed that some of the group had already been attacked. Gianna couldn’t tell if anyone was seriously hurt or not, but it would only get worse if they didn’t act decisively. “Just a traveling Jedi, also, here to help. I was in the area for other reasons but I’ve felt things like this before.”

The flame-haired female would let them make their own deductions. If they were worth their mettle they would be able to feel her alignment, bright, and unhidden. It would be a bright star in the dimness of the mine, warm, and welcoming. The immediate darkness beside her would seem gentler. Less harsh. “For what it’s worth I think your friend is right Priestess. They aren’t vengeful. Not truly.”, green eyes flickered, listening, to something that others might not hear. She did not only see pain. She heard it—felt the confusion. There was no need for an exorcism. Just closure. “Their fight is over. They must be shown that it is their time to let go and rest.”

Her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to still her heart. Compassion had always been her greatest strength, and in this, she felt it no different. Her mind cleared, of all thought, all distraction and she sought to mentally buffer the allies in the chamber through the Force. To give them hope, strength, and to reduce the weight of the malcontent of the spirits.

Perhaps this small barrier of comfort would allow succor for the people who had been attacked, and, a good headspace for the Priestess to bring the ghosts peace.