Eyes in the Desert [TSE Dominion of Navrozh]

[Jacob Crawford]

​

Navrozh​

Now that the campaign for the Sith Worlds was complete, the Sith Empire returned its attention to bolstering their existing borders. Navrozh was a relatively unknown planet, often overlooked as a useless planet amongst more prominent ones.

A desert planet left untouched over the years, even the Gulag Plague had barely changed much. However with a recent investigation of the neighbouring planets, the Sith Empire were alerted to a prominent feature Navrozh now had.

The various jungle oasis’ located amongst the vast desert dunes, have become breeding grounds for both Ysalamiri and Vornskr. Research into the matter have highlighted an individual; one ‘Trukar Velek’, as the person responsible for their introduction to the planet.

Years ago Trukar arrived on the planet with what remained of his crew. They built two things, a settlement and breeding laboratory located in one of the largest oasis. Although both have since been abandoned after Velek’s passing. The scouts sent planetside have since reported back with various notes and journals located within a nearby shipwreck. It is believed the crew used it as shelter for the most of the time, deliberately avoiding both the laboratory and settlement after individual incidents forced them to abandon both locations.

Now the Sith Empire has sent its forces to take the planet, to unravel a mystery and secure footholds across the surface.

Objective 1: Secure the Breeding Laboratory
The Empire’s main focus is securing the breeding lab located deep in the main oasis. It’s unknown just how far Velek’s crew got in their endeavour, but it is believed that whatever they had locked up has most likely broken free of their confinement.

Caution has been advised due to the dense jungle that surrounds the lab. All manner of creatures are lurking in darkness, and not just the ones Trukar brought to the planet.

The objective starts just outside of the Main Oasis, at a camp set up for planetary operations. A group will need to band together to push across the terrain, that at this point is no doubt infested with wild creatures.

Objective 2: Search for the Survivor
The original crew was twenty-one strong, but only seven managed to survive their operation on Myrkr and arrive on Navrozh. It is believed that none of the crew lived, having perished not long after Velek had.

And for the most part that has been true. Reports have indicated that several bodies have been discovered. Four of which are suspected to have died within the year. While another two; located on the shipwreck, were found dead in the same room. Most likely killed by the other, minds muddled with paranoia and insanity.

But there is no sign of the seventh, no body to be found nor any sign they had perished any other way. The only lead the Empire has, is a defunct SOS signal located within a small abandoned settlement.

The objective is to discover whether this lost crew member still lives. If not, then it’s imperative to find any information left behind. Be cautious though, as there is an unusual chill settling throughout the settlement. There will be things hidden within, waiting for some unsuspecting fool. From stalking creatures, to deadly traps waiting to ensnare someone.

Objective 3: Infrastructure
Scouts have reports two separate oasis’ that are brimming with life, one with Ysalamiri and another for the Vornskr. The Empire’s goal is to have this planet to breed more of these creatures, and for that they need infrastructure.

The objective is to arrive at both areas and cull the creatures’ numbers to a reasonable level. Enough that it will allow workers the safety to begin construction of new buildings.

Objective 4: Dragon Hunting
There have been sparse reports of Krayt Dragon sightings across Navrozh. Such beasts can provide both a benefit and a hindrance to the Sith Empire’s efforts on the planet. If you’re up for some hunting or taming, then head towards one of the few reported sightings.

Objective 5: BYOO
Got something else in mind for your character? Then feel free to bring your own objective.

 

[Zef Halo]

Obj 2

The afternoon sun scorched the land before them as Stiletto Two disembarked from the dropship. Moving in, at a slow pace, the soldiers spread out in a wide perimeter to cover as much area as possible as they approached the abandoned settlement. No signs of life appeared on their scanners.

Nonetheless, behind them, the dropship’s heavy repeating gun observed as overwatch.

:: Oddly silent, LT. :: Dev’s troubled voice came through.

:: Scared of ghosts, Dev, heh. :: Nava jabbed.

:: This is not a joke, Nava. I’ve heard of tales about an Ark, a starship, maiden voyage. Took an issue in departing, diverted back to land but disappeared into a fog. My uncle used to tell me this story. ::

:: Probably to shut your mouth and sleep. :: Tusk’s husky voice came in barking and laughing at the same time.

:: You’ll see. Moment we see any signs of ghosts forget about me having your back. ::

:: You’ve had our back before? That’s interesting. Should I remind you of Thy- ::

:: A’ight, children. Zip it. We movin’ in. :: Scipio decisively interrupted the chatter. :: Keep your eyes on any signs on your scanners. ::

Confirmations returned and the platoon dove deeper into the small settlement approaching the SOS station at the edge of the settlement.

:: Gettin’ something on my heat- ::

:: Me too ::

:: I see it. ::

:: It’s- ::

:: AAAAAAAAAAAAA- ::

Lots of static followed as a large beast mangled one of the soldiers to death in the blink of an eye. Immediately fire erupted upon the massive monster.

 

[Vaylin]

Objective 1: Secure the Breeding Laboratory

Vaylin muttered to herself quietly, watching as the camp was still being set up. The Sith Empire had arrived on Navrozh with specific goals in mind, the first of which was securing the main laboratory located deep within one of the oasis. Time wasn’t going to be wasted however, as the Sith intended to get the group moving as soon as possible.

Their toughest challenge would be navigating the dense jungle, it surrounded the lab’s perimeter and were no doubt infested with whatever creatures were now loose.

The Zabrak had been given the lead specifically because of her experience traversing jungles. Sure, it wasn’t the exact same terrain as Dxun, or the same creatures either - but the years were all the same.

Experience was experience.

Vaylin jumped up onto a nearby crate, slamming her foot down to garner attention.

“All right folks, we ain’t going to waste time here. Grab what equipment you need now, we’re moving out in five.”

She hopped back down, not sparing much of a glance before she walked towards the camp’s edge, sitting not too far away from where the oasis’ jungle started. The Zabrak was dressed in her usual armour, with her twin sabers hanging on her belt.

To say the least, Vaylin was ready to get things underway.

 

[Amaliya Darrena]

Navrozh
Objective Two

Commander Darrena tried to get an idea of what was going on down below, in her TIE. Rather than an Interceptor, she had sprung for a fighter as Blue Leader. The surface below was rather hot looking, as far as she could see. Gross. She sure was glad to be in the air, rather that down there. Behind her, the new Blue Squadron flew in formation. A very loose formation, but still a formation, for sure. It would do, for now.

The objective was simple. Find a survivor. As a sole survivior herself, Amaliya sympathized quite a bit. So, there she was, flying escort for Stiletto. Speaking of Stiletto and [member="Scipio Alta"], they were under attack, it seemed. Oh, dear.

"Stiletto Two, this is Blue Leader. Get the thing in the open, and we will make a strafing run on it, over."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Your excellency, I assure you that my walkers will put to rest any doubts you or your cabinet have in regards to their destructive capability."

"That remains to be seen, Voivode. Luckily I have provided you and your engineers the perfect testing ground for this new metal monstrosity." And that he had, the Dark Lord stood upon a mobile observation deck several hundred meters after the dusty plains of Navrozh. Below them were arrayed three of the new All Terrain Siege Platforms designed and built by the Neimoidian Voivode Aushrekiv Chifriox and his team, opposite of which was a gargantuan fortress of reinforced sandstone and towering turbolaser emplacements. At places the walls of this fortress were triple, nay, quadruple reinforced by meter long slabs of Ditanium and layered shielding.

To many the assault of the fortress would take many moons, perhaps even a month or longer, before the current weapons of the Sith Empire were able to breach its walls.

Voivode Chifriox boasted to the contrary.

"You may begin the demonstration." Voivode Chifriox nodded and pointed his cane towards one of his servants, "Activate the droids." The other Neimoidian nodded and pressed a series of buttons on the control console, activating the fortress' defenders; an army of battle droids that had been designed after the ancient B1s employed by the Trade Federation and later the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars.

They would face the Empire's fury this day.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Vornskr Oasis
GenPals Business
[member="Itash Mecetti"]

It had come in through the grape vine. Cass didn't care much, one way or the other about the Sith Empire, truth be told. But when she had found out that they were going to be culling Vornskr (and yslamiri but she had only said an exasperated fine to a pair of GenPal scientists to get them to shut up) on Navrozh, she had sent a very politely worded request, offering to see to those efforts in part through GenPals.... if they could also take several samples for their own use.

The response had been surprisingly positive, and saved her a trip to Myrkr.

Cass preferred to stay out of Mandalorian territory if she could avoid it.

It brought her here today. Dressed in impeccable white 'bush' clothing (all these pockets who needed this many pockets?), she was already starting to sweat and they hadn't been off the ship for more than twenty minutes. The Oasis smelled like stagnant water and Vornskr musk, and somewhere not far off the overbearing BOOM of a weapons test was making it incredibly difficult to tract down the now terrified animals.

Cass hated everything about it.

Well, almost everything.

"Must they set off those cannons every three minutes?" She asked Itash, exasperated tone less manufactured than usual.

"Surely they have figured out that they work and how big of a hole they make in the sand by now."

 

[Niysha]

Objective 2: Conduct an independent archaeological dig
Potential Complications: Why oh why are there Sith on this planet?!

Hours Ago:
Another lead!

Niysha had buried her head in secret after secret for years. Sometimes these were ancient ruins with dusty tablets, or broken temples reduced to rubble. Other times they were simply mysteries that no one had had the willpower and mental fortitude to solve. A few weeks had passed since she'd first heard tale of the ill-fated Twin Sunset exploratory vessel and its unfortunate captain Trukar Velek, and in that time Niysha had made significant progress. She'd found the planet the ship had been last seen heading to, its coordinates, and even substantial evidence regarding the purpose of that trip. No mention yet of what had become of it.

When she approached the planet in a hired freighter, the captain's long-range sensors had picked up a little, dying SOS beacon, and she'd gathered herself to go search it down. According to the freighter's scanners, it was coming from what looked to be an abandoned village... and that was about as far as they got before the ship went on red alert. Klaxons everywhere. The small crew tore about, trying to ready the ship for departure.

Don't panic. "What's going on?" the Miraluka managed to ask with a steady voice and only minimum trembling.

"Long-range sensors just picked up a Sith fleet dropping out of hyperspace at the edge of the system. In a few minutes this whole planet will be crawling in psychos with red flashlights." The Sullustan man at the controls shouted over the din.

Sith. Oh joy. Don't panic. The Sith being here was an X factor. Niysha had worked with them enough to know that they were unpredictable at best, but at worst the entire planet was going to be devoured in a swarm of zealots and shock troopers soon enough. She could handle this. Sith weren't as dangerous to other Sith, after all, and she could whip out a quick greeting in the holy tongue and flick on a red flashlight of her own as a sort of introduction.

"I'm not leaving," she eventually decided, trying to sound resolute. "I don't expect you to stay with me. You've got a speeder or two in your cargo bay, right? How much for one?"

...

For two hours, possibly longer, Niysha had been attempting to maneuver a crappy speeder bike across sand dunes and towards what looked (on the bike's sensors - her Sight didn't reach far enough) to be an oasis village. The nav marker had been her only guide, and now that she was close enough to finally start Seeing the outlines of a bunch of abandoned huts and overgrown streets, she was almost ecstatic. Maybe not to be meeting Sith, but definitely to be seeing other sentient life. Or any life. Too much time in a desert was far too similar to too much time on a ship. All dead air, like being stuck in a void.

Just as her bike half-skidded to a stop, Niysha tried not to stumble on the dismount and wandered up to one of the huts towards the edge of the town. She heard three things. First, blaster fire. Second, the screams of humans (or human-adjacent whatevers). And last, the snarling, hungry howls of a bunch of beasties. Shaking her head, Niysha calmed her mind and focused her Sight into the village. It was...wild. Too wild to properly See more than a few meters. No life near her, though. She moved on in.

Until, of course, she heard the unmistakable scream of a TIE.

[member="Scipio Alta"] [member="Amaliya Darrena"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

Vornskr Oasis
GenPals Business
[member="Cassandra Paige"]

Didact Defense Solutions was here in force.

They had agreed towards a mutually beneficial relationship- the corporate sort, of course. The rest was still very much in flux. Today DDS would formally provide the security for GenPals business on Navrozh and if that went well? Well, they would discuss further contracts in her office. Perhaps this time the office discussion would be more productive for business ends. They'd see. Tash wasn't yet sure what he'd feel like doing on that particular day after all.

"Apparently not." Tash squinted towards the horizon.

Every boom caused a light shudder through the ground to form. They were far away enough that their ears wouldn't blow without plugs, but close enough that it was still annoying. "But the Sith have always been quite enamored with their little destructive pet projects." You'd think that Tash was more inclined towards them. Darkside, Sith, they went hand in hand, no? But no, they were haughty and arrogant. Somehow following an outdated code that had been proven useless centuries ago made them superior to everyone else.

Stupid.

He stepped on closer.

Hip brushing hip.

Watching as those GenPals scientists were studying the cages for the vornskrs. "What do you think of this Empire popping up right next to our little Corporate Sector?"

 

[Onrai]

Objective 3

I hate these things.

Already, Vanessa could feel the presence of the ysalamiri pressing at the edge of her powers. She knew that once within the bubble, she would be effectively helpless - as would the other Force users who were participating in the cleansing. "Alright, men..." She spoke to the troopers, looking at them with a smile on her face. "We're going to do this the easy way. We're dealing with lounge lizards who just sit on their trees, leeching the nutrients out of them. We don't want to kill them - I have future use for them - but we are going to immobilize them. I don't think they'll really care, to be honest - we have nutrient frames set up for them, so they'll be just fine in transit."

Stepping into the bubble with some troopers, they found the first Ysalamiri sitting on a tree. it looked at them, neither fearful nor aggressive - it just honestly didn't seem to care about their presence at all. "Good." Vanessa smiled as she reached to her waist. "A little bit of sedative and the lounge lizard will be lounging in the clouds long enough for us to move it to the frame." A small injector was stored there as she picked it up, looking at the needle for but a moment before injecting the creature.

"Sleep tight - I have a lot of work to do with you."

 

[Vereshin]

Objective: #5
Location: Sith outpost
Allies: [member="Leira Rhys"]

Vereshin portended beyond the bridge of a Sith outpost nestled within the desert of Navrozh. With a black handkerchief in his hand, he dabbed his neck and forehead, repressing nausea amidst the heat. Having been born on Ziost, he was easily accustomed to frozen worlds. The heat treated him unkindly. He kept an eye on the holo-screen of his pocket watch, which functioned as an organizer and communicator and set it aside with his notebook. He regretted being unable to wear his preferred coat in the heat and settled on a light, black tunic over a grey shirt. He wore light, black trousers inside lace-up boots which ended at his knee. Behind him, Leira Rhys practiced with her vibrosword.

"Leira..." Vereshin called to her as he rested a hand inside his pocket. "Our task is to clear the abandoned settlement of archaeologists and workers who have lost their minds to the desert in order to make way for Sith rule." He spoke to Leira while turning around to allow her to hear properly. Vereshin heightened his senses through mathematics, continuing equations in his head and compacting his feelings, feeding them into his reach and extending his will in the Force. He fed his essence into Leira and allowed her an extra boost while practicing her acrobatics.

The task was not one which Vereshin could complete on his own, especially amidst the heat. The settlement was overrun by researchers and workers, none of them combatants, making it a suitable test for Leira to heighten her combat prowess. Vereshin procured a large flask of water carried in a leather case and fastened to a shoulder strap. He handed the carry case to Leira, silently ordering her to carry the water for both of them while they journeyed through the desert. He reached for his pocket watch and flipped open the holo-screen, reading the coordinates and committing the numbers to memory before concealing the watch inside his trouser pocket.

"When you are ready to leave, take my hand." Vereshin waited for Leira to gather her things, the water flask included and extended his hand for her to take. He wrapped his skeletal fingers around her own and held her close, ignoring the discomfort both of them might feel upon being contacted physically. Collecting the space of both individuals, he dispersed the mass of their forms and apparated both of them into black energy. The energy formed into a swarm of bats. They flapped their wings and shrieked as they soared over the desert, appearing to have come from a cave to those who knew no wiser.

The bats gathered and formed into smoke which swirled above a rocky outcrop only a short distance away from the intended destination. The opaque darkness encircled a shaded area and reformed into Leira and Vi, who landed on their feet beneath the shelter. Vereshin giggled slightly while anticipating the shock of the girl, who had been unconscious when Vereshin apparated both of them previously. He smiled and brushed down his clothes and waited for Leira to gather her senses.

 

[Cle-Var-Ri]

A high-pitched whine of sorts made up the acolyte's yawn as she leaned against the observation deck's railing. A Neimoidian was unfortunate enough to be standing rather close below the Tiss'Sharl, the sudden noise giving the poor servant quite the fright to which Cle-Var-Ri simply responded with a growl. These demonstrations were always such a bore, leaving the reptile irritable and with way too much energy to spare. What was so good about these tests, anyway? Nothing beat the sensation of taking an enemy down on one's own, or at least leaving something left to feast on later.

And yet here she was, watching this demonstration, trying not to nod off in the process.

"Is there nothing better to do here?" She hissed, talons scraping against the floor. At first, the scraping was unintentional, just something to emphasize her boredom. It seemed that poor Neimoidian wasn't a fan of it, however, and thus came the urge to continue making that noise, just for him. And the acolyte wasn't one to disappoint.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

OBJECTIVE TWO
ABANDONED VILLAGE, NAVROZH

---

---

Scipio would lie if he said he'd seen anything as big as this howling menace. To an ignorant man like Scipio, the monster was nothing more than a scary piece of hide and bones that needed to be put down before it put down more of his men.

Slugthrower barrels erupted into fire as they aimed at the thick hide of the beast. For those who had some sort of extended common knowledge, the beast had the agility and overall looks of a vornskr. The size, the tail and occasional signs of a krayt dragon.

:: What the KARK is this?! ::

:: Move, move. Move the feth away from it. Use your karkin' jets. ::

The small repulsorlift jets were something most were forgetting as they were using for the first time a new line of armor designed for airborne troops. While the 42nd were used of using repulsor to land they still had to adapt to being able to use repulsor thrusters as part of their gear which gave them excellent mobility. Quite reminiscent of the jet troopers of old.

"Stiletto Two, this is Blue Leader. Get the thing in the open, and we will make a strafing run on it, over."

:: More hostile targets coming out of the fethin' wilds 'round the village!! :: Someone reported through the comms interrupting Scipio's thoughts of reply.

Blue Leader.

Again.

Their lone survivor, LT Darrena, if he remembered the name correctly was encountered by Scipio during the burning of Thyferra where he had a medic give her immediate attention. She had cajones to come back as the leader of the famed Blue Squadron. Scipio would give her that.

:: Blue...static....der. A...static...repeat... knowledged....static...at will....repeat....fire....static.::

He focused once again on the battle. Scipio had given the plan to Blue Squadron, now he had to give it to his platoon.

:: Blue Squadron's gonn' be bombin' this immediate area. Watch y'alls target locators for our birdies. We gonn' use them karkin' jets the way they supposed to be used. ::

:: Karkin' hell, LT. You are not serious are you? :: Nava's voice came through.

:: Hell yes, he is.:: Dev dreadfully replied. :: Keep the fething beasts pinned down till the birdies go low and fethin' jump back and away from the massacre. ::

:: I...I can't. Scipio, are you out of your fethin' mind. That's a karkin' big risk. Could wipe us out better than the beasts can. ::

:: 's that an owwbjection to my direc order, solja? ::

Silence.

:: No, Sir. Delivering orders and preparin' to execute. ::

:: Good, Sergeant. :: Scipio stated coldly before opening a comm to Cap'n Darrena. :: Be. Fethin'. Precise. Girl. ::

He knew what he was putting at stake. Always the risky, high odds, big margins gambler.

Meanwhile, through the whole mess off fauna vs. Sith-Imperial Legionnaires of the 42nd Airborne, the silhouette of an unknown woman in the village ([member="Niysha"]) was unseen by the Sith. Her proximity to the battlefield and the potential strafing run would throw her into a risky, life-threatening situation.

How good could those 'eyes' see in the dark?

[member="Amaliya Darrena"]

 

[Leira Rhys]

Twirling the double-bladed vibrosword by her side, she took a step and lunged forward jabbing sharply into empty space. Beads of sweat gathered around her forehead near the beginning of her blonde hair which was pulled back into a high ponytail. It was miserably hot and arid in the desert of Navrozh. Leira, unlike her master, was extremely accustomed to extreme temperatures. Alazir had been humid and hot in the summers and miserably cold in the winters. She did strenuous practicing despite the climate preparing for a mission she was not told the details of. Her skills in the Makashi form were beginning to somewhat come together though she was far from mastery. The hilt of her double-bladed lightsaber, or saber staff, was hooked to her hip with a belt she had been given.

Vereshin commanded her attention. Leira turned off her vibrosword and made eye contact with him listening to what he said. Leira was unsure about what he was describing exactly included. She assumed it wouldn't be a combat mission; For that she was relieved. If the desert dwellers had lost their minds as he had described it would be unnecessary. Leira hated the idea of taking more lives. The incident that had happened not too long ago with her roasting someone alive at the Foster home was stuck in her mind. It roused her from her sleep at night, made her ill. It was inevitable, though. Vereshin had taken her as his combat pawn and the very title implied bloodshed. Hell, being a Sith implied bloodshed which is why she had begun to detest her place in life as a Sith Acolyte. The actions of the faction were violent and despicable. She wished she could purge the Force from her body to make her ineligible for being what she was.

Her shoulders shuddered as she felt the boost of power run up her spine giving her a sense of energy that made her want to move. It inspired thoughts of combat and violence. Leira ran her nails across her skin subtly, trying to distract herself, to remind herself these feelings weren't her own. Slinging the water jug over her shoulder she suppressed an irritated eye roll in annoyance that he couldn't carry the water himself. Reluctantly she grasped his outstretched hand and cringed as he pulled her to his chest. It was an intimate exchange that she was sure he didn't enjoy either. The two of them dispersed into a mass of bats and flew to their destination.

The flight ended and as they regained their human forms Leira stumbled for a few seconds and bent over, feeling waves of nausea work their way through her body. Covering her mouth with her hands she regained her composure and saw Vi giggling. She wanted to punch him in the jaw and knock a couple of his teeth out but decided against it.

"Glad you think that's funny," Leira said with slight sarcasm. She prepared for him to give instructions or chastise her for being snarky.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Vornskr Oasis
GenPals Business
[member="Itash Mecetti"]

She adjusted her wide brimmed hat against the slowly creeping angle of the sun. When his hip met hers she didn't step away because this was the game, but part of her really wished that he wouldn't now. She was hot, irritated, and would really much rather be back on the ship and done with all of this. Instead she glanced up at him from beneath the brim of her hat with a coy smile.

He had approached her about offering security to GenPals. Truthfully, she didn't see a serious need for that. Sure they needed some regular security guards but a professional company? That certainly seemed like overkill.

Her mind flashed to that first meeting and she looked away from him, keeping the mixed reactions to it from her face.

In the end, she'd agreed to a trial run. This outing and an agreement to revisit.

Of course, she'd probably say yes. Let him think she had been swayed, impressed. It was a small price to pay to put him a little into her debt in its own way.

She watched as the science crews moved and adjusted, only to have to do it again the next time the not nearly distant enough weapons went off.

"I don't think much of it to be honest," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "All news I have heard has them very friendly to business."

She paused, a small smirk flickering over her face. She leaned in, breath against his ear, but not so close it looked like giggling school children.

"I have a surprising number of customers in Sith space," she confided quietly. "Standard and custom orders. You would be surprised the names that appear on some of our account receivable."

 

[Itash Mecetti]

Vornskr Oasis
GenPals Business
[member="Cassandra Paige"]

His mind went to the possibilities... and the opportunities.

Technically the Corporate Sector was neutral now.

It meant that they could practically do anything without a morally self-righteous organization like the Silver Jedi Order breathing down their neck, but that didn't make them immune to outside pressure. There were tons of groups internal and external that were pressuring the Sector Authority into loosening restrictions, adding more regulations and giving the employees more freedom. Without a powerful government at their back... it was difficult sometimes to withstand that kind of pressure.

Tash assumed.

None of them were official signatories to the Authority... yet. The organization was opaque and difficult to penetrate, unless you knew someone from the inside. Or were working from a position of overwhelming strength, he supposed.

The brush of her breath against his ear made him tilt his head- ostensibly to listen closer, but in truth there was a measure of surprise too. After all, her heart had been clear there. She wasn't in the game right now or at least her heart wasn't. "Mm, sounds like you might be well-positioned for the future then, Miss Paige." Tash complimented and retorted smoothly in return. Right now Itash was spreading his bet around and making connections within the noble world.

Everyone knew everyone- a few good jobs would set his reputation for some time to come. Then? Then he could wonder about this Sith Empire and the trouble in the Corporate Sector.

He hummed softly as information trickled back down to him through the mutual link he shared with all his men.

"My men attached to your exploration crew have reported back- they captured half a dozen preliminary specimens." He informed her while stretching a bit. This heat was unbearable, the sweat already gathering slowly at his temples and starting to trickle bead by bead. If this was how Wyman always felt... well. "Apparently they are all in a good state." Oh, Tash had an ear-piece. But that was just for show really. It made sure that nobody really knew the details and wouldn't be able to plan for them.

Easier that way.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

OBJECTIVE: 4
Greater Krayt Dragon Hunt

"My Lord! We have a sighting, ten clicks, North, North-East, a big one!"

The camp quickly became a bustle as the Mirialan's words cut through the buzz of conversation from exchanged information. The Rattataki Sith Lord turned sharply to look at the Mirialan as she spoke, a wicked smile spreading on her lips.

"Excellent Lieuntenant!" She picked up the helmet "Give me those grid coordinates, send further sightings through the com." "Yessir!"

Darth Ophidia put the helm on her head and turned to Zhelen, her fellbeast. It looked at her, shifting its wings around. As she started on a run towards him, the psuedo-dragon extended the strong portion of one of its wings towards her so she could climb on top of him and access the saddle. Ophidia was quick about it, landing herself in the saddle with two quick jumps and fastening two of the most rudimentary straps.

"Lance!"

A long metal rod was thrown to her. One end turned into an abrupt point, made to break through shells and armour, the other was weighted for counterbalance and shielded the hand. She leaned it across Zhelen's back and made sure the thrown projectiles were properly fastened.

"Zhelen, shah!"

The black beast spread its wings with a tremendous roar and flapped its wings while kicking off. In the warm wind, the air gathered quickly under the fellbeast and Zhelen climbed quickly in altitude.

The hunt was on.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The gargantuan walkers rumbled forward, their six powerful legs crushing anything beneath the wide foot pads to dust. Already the droids manning the fortress' towering walls began to fight back against the encroaching invaders, stationary turbolaser mounts opening fire to little avail as the blasts dissipated against the walker's protective deflector shielding. That was one of the newest innovations straight from the mind of the Voivode, as all of the smaller walkers relied on armor plating or plain mobility for defense. The Siege Platform was so massive and so slow it required layered protection of reinforced armor plating and a dedicated shield generator that wreathed the entire walker in a defensive field.

"As you can see, milord. These walkers will revolutionize the art of war, no longer will the Empire waste hundreds of manpower attempting to take one measly fort. Now they can be toppled in but a few scant hours."

The Siege Platforms opened fire on the first series of ramparts, which disappeared under a hail of laser fire and concussive explosions. When the smoke cleared all that remained was smoldering rubble and the blasted carcasses of the battle droids that had been caught in the blast.

"They are certainly powerful." His apprentice seemed less than impressed with the display, actively occupying her mind by putting another Neimoidian on edge by scraping her talons across the durasteel floor.

"My apologies, apprentice. Next time I'll be sure to give you a front row seat to something more bloody."

[member="Cle-Var-Ri"]​

 

[Amaliya Darrena]

Navrozh
Objective Two

Whelp, it would seem they had clearance from the ground to commit to their bombing run. Whoop-dee-doo. Not that she had been asking permission, anyway, they were just ground-troops. The Empire had plenty of those guys, no one would miss a few if they got blown up to take out a giant. . . whatever that thing was.

Commander Darrena sighed, and took a moment to rub at her forehead. She shouldn't be so callous. This was the company that had come and saved her at Thy- No. No, now was not the time to think about that place. The fires roared in her mind, but she pushed them away. For now. She had no doubt they'd come back in her sleep to burn at her skin.

"Precise is exactly my game, Stiletto."

Alright. The TIEs screamed as they came down, and Blue Leader targeted the beast. She squeezed the triggers of her laser cannons, a strafing run committing from her actions, eleven fighters following behind her. Twelve salvos of green death coming down.

She smirked as she pulled up, moving to turn around.

"Strafing run done, Stiletto. Let me know if you need another ass-saving, would ya?"

[member="Scipio Alta"], [member="Niysha"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

OBJECTIVE: 4
Greater Krayt Dragon Hunt

Zhelen's wings carried them high into the warm, desert air.

Air rushed past Darth Ophidia as she sat astride the black beast; wind tugged on her clothes and raked her skin as the horizon expanded beneath her. The desert stretched out in every direction like a vast, wrinkled blanket of sand, stabbed by jutting rocks in the distance before melting with the end of the sky. It was a breathtaking view.

The HUD in Darth Ophidia's helmet highlighted the sighting and direction of the beast she was hunting, based on information transmitted through base-camp. Through their mental link, she urged Zhelen to circle around the Krayt Dragon's estimated position so they could approach from the North, thus avoiding their shadow giving them away. The fellbeast listened perfectly, and in their flight, the Rattataki could make out the path their prey had made in the sand, a long line in the unbroken sand.

Then she saw it: It was no mere Canyon Krayt, this was a Greater Krayt Dragon, and an old one at that.

Over one hhundred meters long, ten massive legs carrying its bulk through the sand, with a long, barbed tail trailing behind like a banner. The dragon's head was crowned with rows of majestic horns, showing its power and virility. Its white scales made it merge with the dunes at first like an uncomfortable reflection in the sand, but when she was aware of it, it looked more like a torch - A challenge to the world.

How apt that the Sith hunted a beast so brazen in its power.

"Target in sight,"

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Vornskr Oasis
GenPals Business
[member="Itash Mecetti"]

"Mm, sounds like you might be well-positioned for the future then, Miss Paige."

She smiled slightly despite the myriad discomforts. That was her secret. No matter what, that was the goal. To be well positioned for the future. It was why she did everything she did. She didn't say it of course, but it fed the barest trace of smug at the corner of her mouth.

It was why, despite the desire to not play this game with him here in this moment, she continued. Because the momentary annoyance, the discomfort, was worth the potential end result.

His next statement however did turn her attention fully to the business at hand. Confirming with her own people that was accurate (and secretly a little annoyed that he'd been informed faster by his people than she had been by hers) she nodded.

"Well that's the first part," she said crisply. "Everything we need. Now for our end of the bargain."

She nodded to one of her people who moved off. Tranquilizers and nets were swapped for far less benign equipment. While they had their half dozen specimens, they had agreed to complete the cull desired by the Empire for that consideration. A thirty to forty percent reduction in population.

"I've had quite enough of this sun," she said finally, glancing over at him. "Would you can to return with me to the ship?"