Fulcrum: In Scientia Autem Sectando

[Mr. OOC]

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Travel through time, and one will come across mention of a great many things. One such being the Library of Xer. In ages past, the world of Criton's Point was quarantined. The reasons were long since lost, though the forces of the Pentastar Alignment and the Velcar Free Commerce Zone still maintained a quarantine of the planet in some fashion. It is believed, by some, that they relished the worlds riches for themselves and did not wish to share. But beliefs are only theories that have never been proven, and therefore they mean little, except as something to explore.

This library, however, was known to draw those who were strong in the Force. The main reason? The tree within the library that was growing under the nourishment of the Force. It was indeed a mystery. Scientists and others had been working for countless years to unearth the mysteries of the library. Most interesting of all: the possibility that the contents of the library might provide certain unique information on planets.

It was for this latter reason that The Lambent Shadow was coursing through hyperspace towards the quarantined world. She didn't have support ships in tow with her, but it didn't seem likely that it would be necessary. Probes of the system had indicated that the ships protecting the world were rather old, and not much in the way of warships. The captain of the vessel was situated within the command throne, catching all data from throughout the ship as they approached system that was home to the library.

"Ten seconds. Weapons are primed."

Leos was within the confines of the ship. Not the bridge, but he could still hear what the captain had to say. He was knelt down within the confines of his sphere, auditory senses the only ones currently active. The rest of him was deep within meditation. As the ship exited hyperspace, he created the illusion that there were more ships along with them. It would confuse the defensive vessels, and their fire, when it was drawn, would be absorbed by the creations of the Force as they appeared, further lending credence to their validity.

"Hails received. Ignoring per directive. Shields are operational."

The ship progressed further, and he was aware, through his creations, of their advance. He maneuvered two of the vessels in front of the dreadnought, as though they were acting as a shield. The incoming fire hit them soundly, and they fired in return, making small impacts on the enemy's shield. They wouldn't do the same damage as the larger vessel would, but it was all about convincing your foe of something, not about winning with the illusions. As the Reformation-class opened fire on the enemy vessels, their doom was sealed. No matter what they attempted to do, who they attempted to fight, they would not withstand the might of the dreadnought.

"Victory is assured, but I've detected an outgoing distress call."

Leos just smiled in response, and pressed the assault.

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Knowledge. Knowledge is currency. Knowledge is power. Power is victory, and victory is freedom. Antherion took this all to heart. The Sith's mind was more than open - it was hungry, it was insatiable, devouring every tome and text and holocron that came past its event horizon in his quest to restore himself to his true, worthy power, the power that was his eternal inheritance.

Antherion was not a formal associate of [member="Ignus"], but he was a part of an Order of very proficient spies... and in spite of the fact that his connections were a bit, shall we say, uprooted, he had a good way of keeping his ear to the ground, of seeping into the right place at the right time. Compounding that, the power of the Force filtered through from the Library of Xer, promising hints of knowledge and significance, baring subtle threads of destiny that might intertwine, and it was all too sweet to miss.

So he waited. His ship, a clean, modest transportation shuttle kept back from the blaze of missile fire and the glow and roaring thrum of the turbolasers, and he waited for failure to overwhelm the library's outmatched defenses.

"This is transport vessel Lady's Grace replying to your distress call. We are carrying medical supplies and have space for evacuation." Landing was quick, easy, and rushed through without any documentation. However, his landing was not in any way quiet - his outcropping was going to be given a welcoming party - he pursed his lips, briefly weighing how to handle it.

"Thank the stars you arrived, we're - "

He opted to fire the light blasters the ship was equipped with at the two workers who were preparing to inspect his ship and get started on distributing aid. They were... inferior weapons, honestly, but they were enough for a pair of Critonians. Slipping out of the cockpit, leaning on his walking-stick, and humming softly as he inhaled the smoke of the heroes' destroyed carcasses, he readied for his fellow's forces to make landfall - he would join the entourage with simple gladness.

 

[Mr. OOC]

"Enemy forces destroyed, sir, with the exception a few that made a hasty retreat to the planet."

Leos breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the illusions, revealing the fact that it was really only one ship that was within the system after all. They'd all been so confused by the smaller ships, firing on them, and the one real ship had made short work of them with barely any trouble whatsoever. That was how it was supposed to work. It was his first test of the Sphere post-installation, and it had worked exactly as he had hoped that it would. He was quite satisfied with it. The ability it had to amplify his connection to the Force and allow him to project it across great distance was rather astounding. It was no wonder ancient Sith had taken to utilizing it.

Standing, he moved out of the sphere, and walked down the hall, quickly flanked by two of the Vermillion Guard as he approached the bridge. Stepping into its open expanse, he looked out the viewport and studied the world before him. It didn't appear to be anything different or special, but he could feel the ebb and flow of the Force from it much stronger than the average planet. Suffice to say, he knew it was a place of power.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to a streaking vessel running to the planet.

"I did detect one small vessel exiting hyperspace and making for the planet. It's origins are unknown, but it's not a threat to us."

Leos made a slight scoffing noise. Not a threat? Anything could be a threat, even a small vessel. Though as he reached out towards the ship before it disappeared into the atmosphere around the world, he only felt one single presence, one of darkness. Another Sith, perhaps? It wasn't impossible that someone was tracking his movements. They'd be stupid to do so and get caught, however. Though he wasn't like all of the other Sith, he was still a Sith Lord and prone to killing those that presented themselves as problematic to his efforts. Just as he'd told Teynara a long time ago, people were likely going to have to die before the galaxy could be saved from itself.

"Proceed to orbit, Captain. Have the guard ready itself on my RAL."

"Yes, sir."

The Lambent Shadow glided at its typical pace through space, approaching the world that grew steadily larger before them. No one said anything, though there were only four individuals present on the bridge anyway. As they drew close enough that he knew they would be moving into orbit, he turned and left the bridge with the two members of his Guard in tow. They descended to the hangar and boarded a waiting RAL. Once they were given the go ahead, the craft lifted and exited the hangar, descending towards the planet. Given what had been said about some of the enemy vessels descending to the planet, it was undoubtedly the case that they would face opposition on the ground. His Vermillion Guard would take care of it.

The ship descended a bit away from where the Library itself was. Incidentally, they made note of where the other vessel that had previously been noted descending had landed. It, too, was also near to the library. Someone else was, undoubtedly, attempting to take advantage of his destruction of the worlds blockade. Curious. With the Guard moving around him, he left the landing craft and walked with them in the direction of the library. Several moved in front of him, a couple beside, and more behind. A processional of armored men in crimson, and one loan green-skinned sith in typical robes.

|[member="Antherion"]|​

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Some people like to think that the future is always in motion. Antherion wasn't one of them - the future, all to often, was a starkly small selection of possibilities, narrowed down to a vanishing few. The present was where things moved - everything was flowing, shifting, changing. Here was where the future was made, here was where it was set in stone. So instead, he reached out for that - out with his perception, with what currently was his most powerful aspect in the Force.

...interesting. Very interesting indeed. His arrival had not gone unnoticed. Good, good, this was to be expected - a Dark Lord could be expected to take note of his motions. That being said, the Sith had done little to shroud his dramatic arrival, and Antherion furrowed his brow, a brief moment of concentration offering a flash of insight -

- a library - a tree - guardsmen robed in crimson - blood -

- as soon as it had come, the flicker of precognitive intuition passed. It mattered little if he was noticed, he did not care. He would do as he had several times now: Appear before the Dark Lord, bow, offer his services, and their paths would intermingle before they parted ways. Such was the life of an itinerant Sith, seeking to regain his power.

By now, it was likely that his "aid" was raising more questions, drawing more attention. People had died, and others would be on the lookout for him. He kept pace, leaning on his walking stick, maintaining his concentration. He was growing more and more accustomed to acting in the Force, but that didn't mean that he could hold his own entirely. Best to rendezvous with the other and establish his intent swiftly.

That is, if he wasn't just killed for crossing paths with him. He had forgotten that that was a distinct possibility.

| [member="Ignus"] |

 

[Mr. OOC]

"Scanners are detecting an approaching figure, sir," one of the lead guards said.

"I'm aware."

"Should we intercept?"

"No. Let him come to me."

The guards continued marching and he continued walking. There was no reason to intercept the approaching apprentice as far as he could tell. Leos was not afraid of what the man could be doing. He was not afraid of who he was or his strength in the Force. The only thing that could prove a bother was if he found out the deepest nature of his visit to the world. That was something that could not be allowed to happen. Lifting a hand, he motioned for his contingent of soldiers to stop. They all did without a word, even the ones at the front who could not have possibly seen his hand signal. Such was the nature of the armor that he'd had created for them.

"Not one of you is to mention who you work for unless it's to say me, and you're to refer to me only as Ignus."

"Understood, sir."

He motioned again and they started moving once more towards the library. Ahead of them the man came into view, approaching them from the side. Leos turned his unarmored gaze towards him appraisingly, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked. No, he didn't know this young Sith that was coming his way. It was someone he'd never seen before in his life. So, why was he suddenly on Criton's Point at the very same time as he was? That was a curious notion. Of course there was the chance that the man had just been in the area and detected the outgoing distress signal. Possible. Leos couldn't discount possibilities.

When the man drew nearer, some of the guard made an obvious show of shifting their weapons in his direction, but he lifted a hand to stop the column yet again, stepping forward through the lines of crimson clad soldiers, to stand before the apprentice that approached.

"Speak your name and reason for being here."

|[member="Antherion"]|​

 

[Ras'kala'han]

As Antherion made his way to the Dark Lord, he did his best to hide his obvious decrepitude, but the best he could muster was to appear to bear his burden without pain, with dignity. Given that he felt a fair ache in his legs, and anything but dignified to be leaning on a walking stick on a good day, it was as decent a lie as any to start out with. His face was serene, likewise, peaceful - that was also a lie.

The man was imposing - not that he was physically remarkable, despite his obvious fitness. Rather, he exuded a forceful presence - his gaze was like looking into twin windows into a fire to Antherion, his voice rang in his ears like a sword striking steel, hard and clear. This one would have been considered impure blood in Antherion's time, a pretender to Korriban's glorious heritage. No... this was the will of a true Sith. It was all he could do not to fall to his knees, not to bow.

"Antherion." He nodded, a sign of deference and respect of his power, and an acknowledgement of the fact that his life was in the hands of another. Then, he met the man's gaze and held eye contact as he spoke, his body aching as he held it straight against its natural urge to crumple to the ground at let its atrophied muscles rest. "This planet holds knowledge... there is something of power here, I can feel it calling out to be taken, like with a voice. You seem to be in the process of laying claim to it or part of it, so far be it from me to steal from my senior and superior."

He made a blithe gesture. "We arrived at the same time. Coincidence, or will of the Force, I feel like I might be of use to you... Perhaps, if I can do so, you will permit me search this place for any answers as to some self-healing that I need to do; I've been rather incomplete of late. If not, I'll help you anyways, and my payment can be the memories we make. Regardless, I am at your service."

Almost all of it was true. There was only one, important lie: Antherion didn't believe in coincidence, and he didn't follow the will of the Force. He was here by his design - a lesser design, though, one that could become a part of this man's designs smoothly and seamlessly, without disturbing whatever the Mirialian had set in motion.

All that mattered now was whether his offer would be accepted.

| [member="Ignus"] |

 

[Mr. OOC]

Curious sort to say the least. Leos studied him as he would a lesser being, and yet this imposing figure that he cut was not meant to imply that he thought himself better. The attitude was merely what was expected, and so he obliged. That, and he did not know whom it was he faced, and any unknown variable could pose a potential threat to his efforts. To believe otherwise was to invite danger and disaster. Ever one to be thinking of the various outcomes of each scenario, he would not bring himself to believe that this man was not a threat. Though he spoke of being there for his own purposes, and that might be true, it was no coincidence that this Antherion had arrived when he did.

"The whole place is a beacon of Force energy. The library is the center of it."

He indicated the building in the distance that he had been heading towards.

"Do your searching, but do not interfere with my own. I assure you, what I seek is gravely more important than what you do."

Had he known that the man was looking for a way to help heal himself, he would still have said the same. Antherion was inconsequential to what Leos was aiming to do, and what he aimed to do was essential to the future survival of the Reformation, the galaxy, and the Sith. He'd come in search of knowledge on world-building. As this was the oldest library that he knew to exist, he'd determined it to be the most likely starting point. Now, having given the young Sith permission to go about his business, he turned and moved back into his column of Vermillion Guard, and they started on their way once again, passing two large guarding statues soon enough.

The library loomed closer, and he felt certain he would find something of assistance there.

|[member="Antherion"]|​

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Antherion was unused to dismissal. It chafed with him. That being said, one emotion was stronger than his bruised ego - one emotion was, in fact, the only one in him that could be stronger than his bruised ego. Curiosity. What was 'gravely more important than what he could do'? The question burned inside him, and he began to get a grasp of what his purpose was here.

"Then I'll serve you by staying out of your way, my lord." He had no intent in following [member="Ignus"] like a buzzing fly, as flies had an unsettling tendency to be swatted. If he wanted his questions answered, he had a rough idea of what he needed to do.

Walking, propped up by his cane, he moved past the columns of Vermilion Guard, keeping his gaze fixed ahead, causing no trouble. He traced a reverse of Ignus's bloody path through the library, his eyes dancing over the carnage that had been so easily inflicted on the library's frail defenses, combing for survivors.

He found none. Convenient in some ways, bothersome in others. He needed to be subtle, here - look for a security center, datacenter, and stay out of way of the senior Sith's destructive parade of soldiers. He needed to get a snapshot of whatever current catalog of books in the library existed, before any tampering could be done. He had to embrace the possibility that it could already have been inflicted early - that being said, the odds were slim, since the Mirialian was as much a seeker as he was.

Once he knew what texts were held in the library, it would be clear whether what he needed was here... and his second purpose could also be fulfilled.

 

[Eugen Aker]

Since Midvinter, Arisa had been hard at work tracking Sith movements across the in anticipation of the next attack in Silver Space. She had dedicated data centers running full time scouring the net for specific patterns based off of recorded history of Sith activities.

A distress signal from Criton's Point would be flagged by the system. Why? Over the course of its history, the planet had been a hotbed of activity because of the allure of Xer's Library to Force Sensitives of all creeds. Given the backwater Outer Rim planet had nothing else of material value, it could be assumed that the assailants were there for the Library.

Still in Silver Space, the Watchman herself wasn't able to immediately investigate the commotion on her own, but the area was within Bastion's sphere of influence, who she knew weren't exactly crazy about the Sith after the fall of the Imperial Remnant in the area. She got in contact with local authorities on Bastion, where she learned they had also caught the distress signal and were in the process of deploying a patrol. She filled them in on her hunch about possible Sith actors at play, but she required them to confirm it for her before she would move in to take action. As of this moment, the attack was being treated like a standard raid.

A little farther out, Kiribian patrols operated all along and around the northern leg of Hydian way, there to keep Kiribi's most important trade route secure. She used her authority as an ISAF commander to divert one of them toward the Myto sector, feeling better with the idea of having some of her own in the area to conduct reconnaissance. It would be a while until they reached the sector, so for now it was all on Bastion's patrol to investigate.

(Note: A single frigate or light cruiser from Bastion will be in system upon my next post to investigate the scene. At this time, neither Bastion or Arisa know the identity of the attackers.)

[member="Antherion"] [member="Ignus"]

 

[Mr. OOC]

The younger sith wandered along with him, and when they entered the library itself, he went his own separate way after the guard dispatched with the remaining survivors on the ground. It was quite easy. The armor his guard were wearing was more than capable of handling the small arms fire throne at it. None of his men had more than a small scratch here or there when it was said and done, but they certainly left a mess behind. A frustration, but necessary. Had these people not fought, Leos likely would have allowed them to live and leave in peace. He didn't kill without cause. But, they'd chosen to fight and ultimately they had paid the price for it.

"Guard the entrance. You won't be needed further inside, Captain Tarz."

"Understood, sir."

That distress signal that had gotten out was likely to cause issue, but for the time being it wasn't of concern. Given the lack of survivors he was confident that his ships captain would be able to take care of things in space. If the need arose.

Which left him to his own devices. He wandered through the library first to the tree. He'd wanted to see it ever since learning about it. Upon approaching, he reached out a hand to touch it gently, smiling at the overwhelming sense of power that he felt emanating from it. It satisfied his curiosity on the matter quite efficiently and freed him to move back inside to look through the archives themselves. Given the age of the place, most of the data within was cataloged on flimsi. Archaic, but he was actually somewhat a collector of such artifacts, and so he found it quite appealing, and knew he would grow fond of the place the longer he spent there. He started way in the back, perusing through the titles in search of anything that might be related to his goal, and anything else that tickled his fancy.

It was going to be a long day at the library, but at least it would be enjoyable.

| [member="Antherion"] | [member="Arisa Yune"] |​

 

[Ras'kala'han]

The young Sith brought a fist down on the old, hardwood desk, failing utterly at making any sort of impressive noise, despite the force of the impact kicking up a small cloud of dust. He was having a less enjoyable time at the library than some. One part of this was just Antherion's own personal philosophy: Knowledge was not something beautiful, or worth pursuing for its own sake, but rather a means to the end that he sought. Knowledge was power, but his love was for power, not knowledge. Libraries were convenient tools for cementing this superiority over others in small ways and large... except for this one.

"This technology was archaic when I was first learning to read!" That was some several thousand years ago, before an unpleasant bout of carbonite freezing. "Do they have no master catalog?"

More intense research revealed that there was, indeed, a master catalog of books - that is to say, exactly what he needed. The only problem was that it was several floors down - if he wanted to find his way to it, he would be hard-pressed to avoid the Vermilion Guard that now swarmed the area.

If he wanted to find out what this mysterious Lord was up to, gain some leverage, he needed that catalog before anyone tampered with it. Otherwise, the best he could hope for is a tibit of healing lore... and there were some promising texts, especially by a certain Chodo Habat, that already seemed to evaluate the idea of restoring connection to the Force.

Pursing his lips, Antherion began marking a path, as quick as his withered legs could, to the location of the master card catalog. As he blasted a locked door of its hinges with a burst of telekinetic energy, giving way to a descending spiral staircase, he realized that for once, all he could do was hope for the best. It wasn't a good feeling.

| [member="Ignus"] | [member="Arisa Yune"] |

 

[Mr. OOC]

A master catalogue. That would have been useful. Leos, though, was too locked into what he was doing to precisely care about flipping through a catalog when he could simply wander, finger grazing against each spine as he read the title of the book. It was far more satisfying. With a stack of books in his arms he wandered through the library and out to the center where the tree was again. If he was going to sit and entangle himself in such reading, he figured it would be more enjoyable to do so where the scenery was pleasant. Plus the feeling of the Force ebbing and flowing in that spot was quite intoxicating in a calming fashion. He enjoyed it.

While Antherion descended into the library, Leos descended into a book on planetary theory. It was ancient, but the concepts held within weren't exactly misleading. What he was particularly interested in were the mitigating factors that led to a planets creation. Specifically he focused on how stars tended to melt away gaseous matter near to them, leaving barren rocks closer to a star, and pushed the gases away, leaving more gas on planets further from the star. Ultimately, the heavier metals which were harder to burn wound up forming the planets on the interior, and were not as present on planets on the exterior of a system. Moving away from a star brought more gas and less solids. Hence the happy medium livable zone.

That made sense.

All of his reading, if one were to take note, was focused on planets. It would leave plenty open to speculation, of course, but either way, he only ever paused to look up when a Guard appeared to tell them that outer system chatter had indicated that other ships were likely responding to the distress signal that had been broadcast when they entered the system. Not surprising. Somewhere out there someone was likely to come looking, even if it was just the Pentastar's themselves. Not that he was worried. Regardless, the big Reformation-class up in space would serve as a decent deterrent to most vessels. They might as well come to visit. Would be entertaining.

Little did he know he would lament thinking that later on.

| [member="Antherion"] | [member="Arisa Yune"] |​

 

[Priscilla Utorna]

She wasn't the one who had even signaled the distress signal. Nor was she particularly interested in why it was being sounded, the staff in this facility were by no means equipped to fight anybody, they instead, left that up tot he guardsmen who were usually reliable in their work. So she sat in the medical bay, with an associate of hers, whom was a female Kaminoan, old and called Moira.

She was actually in the process of treating an endangered avian species who's origins were not known, brightly coloured with speckles of black but a rainbow tail perching out the end, no doubt just a strain of an already discovered creature that just needed to be categorized. Although it wasn't her field of expertise, she was contracted to assist with the preservation of local wild-life in the area.

"Heidi, do you not think we should at least go and see what is happening in the library?" she said with a croaked voice, her age beginning to show.

She turned to her and smiled.

"Alright, but you're buying me my next coffee when it's just another false alarm."

She removed the stethoscope from the bird and gently placed it back inside the cage as they made their way up to the arranged assembly point outside of the building.

"Do you believe this is really a false alarm? What would they want to steal from here?"

As they continued walking, they heard the faint ruffling of books, most likely a librarian re-arranging books for the upcoming intake of staff; but that was not the case, as they exited the doors which whirred open from Moira placing her 'STAFF CARD' on top of the electronic reader. They did however spot two individuals, [member="Antherion"] and [member="Ignus"] but one descended down a staircase out of their immediate sight. They actually took a detour, seeing the man surrounded in books, it was a common sight in this library; especially with so much reading material to choose from.

"Are you having trouble finding a book you want?" she said to the Mirialan

"I know this place like the back of my hand!" the two began to walk over and greet him, unknown to them that he was an intruder.

"I'm really sorry about Moira here, she's gone a bit loopy after the distress call. But anyway, if you need help finding something, just ask her, she's been stationed here for a while now. I've only been here for roughly a week or so."

The two were clearly not force sensitive, they had no idea the intention of this man as they inquired further, but Heidi could swear she heard the quiet tapping of blaster bolts in the background. 'Must be my ears playing tricks on me' she said to herself.

I [member="Ignus"] I [member="Antherion"] I [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Mr. OOC]

He'd simply been enjoying his reading when he became aware that other presences were approaching. A light frown creased his face as he noted that these presences were not approaching from the entrance to the library, but from deeper within the facility itself. He'd been sure that Captain Tarz had said they cleared the facility. If the man was mistaken, then there was far more to the simple research installation than he'd believed to be the case. Still, within the serenity of the tree room he couldn't be bothered to get up and go see what this was all about. Given that they were coming towards him anyway, he figured he'd probably find out soon enough.
And he was right.

It wasn't long before two women entered the chamber and approached him. They began speaking right away, almost as if his presence there was to be expected. So they'd likely come from further in where they'd been isolated away from what was going on around them. That was the only sensible explanation for what was going on here. Tarz hadn't found them because he'd not gotten into some places, likely due to card key access or some other form of identification. Rather than admitting that their slicer wasn't up to the task, something he'd deal with later, he'd chosen to omit the details of the situation, something he would also deal with later. For now, however, he had two individuals intruding on his solitude, so he grabbed his commlink.

"Captain, come to the tree room."

It wasn't but a few moments later, during which he didn't say a word to the two women, that the Captain and two others appeared in the door. When they spotted the two women, they trained their rifles on them.

"Did you not search this facility, Captain?"

"We did, sir, but-"

"But there were rooms you couldn't get into and Ensign Oliver wasn't up to the task. He's to be disposed of later."

"Yes, sir."

He lifted his gaze and looked at the two women, still holding a book in his lap.

"This facility is now under my control. Who are you and what were your roles here?"

| [member="Antherion"] | [member="Heidi Ziegler"] |​

 

[Priscilla Utorna]

She gave a worried look Moira as they both raised their hands to show their innocence.

"Uh we'-.."

She was interrupted by the Kaminoan.

"We're animal research specialists, contracted out to find a cure for a disease ravaging the local population of avian species." with a serious tone behind her voice, she had dealt with situations like this before and knew from his authoritarian attitude, he didn't follow intergalactic law. At least in regards to civilians.

She coughed mildly, placing a hand to her mouth to cover it. "Yes we.. mean you no harm, we came from the staff quarters underground." Both of them had a visible card labeling them as medical staff, along with their full names; "HEIDI ZIEGLER" and "MOIRA SUNGHO"

In her head, she wanted this to be over. Whether that be a rescue party from the Galactic alliance, or even to be deported off of the planet, it was better than dealing with confrontations like these. Executing a man for not getting access to a door? This man must be looking for something specific, specific enough for him to take lives over it. She gave a nudge to her companion and nodded, as if to communicate something while talking to the man.

"As uh.. Mo-.. Dr Sungho said, if you need her to find a book for you.. she can help you with that; in exchange for us being allowed to leave unharmed, along with our research."

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Antherion smiled as he found what he had sought - the library's catalog. He had wrapped himself in as best a nondetection spell as he could manage, yet it turned out to be all for naught - he had taken a winding series of side passages, prolonging his route to avoid crossing paths with [member="Ignus"] or any of his swarming Vermilion Guard. He traced his hands over it, feeling the smooth patches of metal and plastic indentations of the flimsi. This would be his key to figuring out the secrets of the the Mirialian who valued this planet to such a degree that, rather than opt for a stealthy infiltration, brought the full might of his military fist down on a library.

He pushed it into a nearby computer terminal, and watched the door with a finger held steady pointed at it, burning with a curious, green flame, as he waited for the copy to be made. When no one burst through, he sighed, and the spark of deadly energy, the 'flung spear', flickered out into nothingness.

He considered erasing his access logs, but this machine seemed to be too primitive to allow for erasing access logs. He was lucky that, at the very least, it kept thorough records of the most valuable items. His smile widened, he replaced the object after rubbing it against his sleeve, hobbling as quickly as he could outwards, towards his ship.

He may be like a buzzing fly to the powers that haunted this place, but that was to his liking for now. When he returned, several weeks later, to reference it against any texts that have been erased, were accessed at the time, or missing, he would be able to assemble a fuzzy picture of what the next move he made should be.

In the end, all knowledge would be his, and he would be complete once more.

| [member="Heidi Ziegler"] |

 

[Mr. OOC]

"Captain. Take their access card and go search the rest of the facility."

One of the crimson clad stepped forward, holding out his hand for the two women to give it to him. His other hand remained firmly on the grip to the weapon he held, indicating that he could still lift it and end their lives in a hot second if they so much as thought about crossing him. It would be clear to the two women that this situation was for more severe than any they'd likely found themselves in since arriving on the world. How they'd managed to get hired on to do the research they were doing was irrelevant, but they were there, and with them there, they were a potential hindrance to his quest in the place.

"I don't need help finding books. Unless you know where to find books about making planets, which I doubt."

He turned his gaze back to the book in his lap that was still open. Mentally, he erected a barrier of the Force between him and the two women such that if they were dumb enough to try and assault him they wouldn't get more than a few feet away, and that was only if the Guard didn't shoot them first.

"You two are the last individuals likely alive on this planet aside from us, so if you don't want to be the last to die here, I'd suggest using caution when speaking to me from now on. I don't like being interrupted unless you have good reason to do so."

| [member="Antherion"] | [member="Heidi Ziegler"] |​

 

[Priscilla Utorna]

"Ma-.. making planets?" the Kaminoan spoke in response, "I can't say this is the sort of library you would find such... devices in."

The women really had no intent in attempting to assault him, it was clear they weren't visibly armed, and both had no grasp of the force to even understand he had just placed a physical barrier between them. Before she spoke, the elder looked at her with a concerning gaze, showing her clear distrust in this man.

"Making a planet you say?" it... intrigued her. Providing space for people to live in, people to expand their communities, to further their growth. "If you wouldn't mind me asking, are you looking for any potential assistants?" It was something she had never done before, although not many could say that they could.

"I've always been interested in inventions, and I'm sure you have no evil intentions in doing this" she laughed nervously. "At least I hope not."

[member="Ignus"] I [member="Antherion"]

 

[Mr. OOC]

He turned his eyes away from the Kaminoan. That one was useless. He'd already determined that much. The other one, though, she had potential. She showed a bit of interest in the endeavor, and he settled his eyes on her. They'd said they had something to do with research on the local birds. That likely meant they were interested in fauna of all kinds. He didn't really have anyone working with him on that and he would need someone capable of teaching his people how to handle animal relocation. If she could do that, then she had some value to him. He pondered it and then looked at the Guard nearby.

"Take the Kaminoan away. The other can stay."

The man nodded and reached to grab her while Leos turned his attention back to Heidi.

"Can you teach my people about animal relocation if I bring them down to talk to you?"

He tapped fingers against his book as he looked at her, waiting for her to speak up. Though he'd given her the option to stay, it did not mean that such an option was going to remain viable for her forever. Either she spoke up and offered to help him, or he'd have her taken away as well. This whole effort was time sensitive, as he expected people to be coming to explore the distress signal soon enough. If they didn't he would be absolutely amazed.

[member="Heidi Ziegler"] [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Priscilla Utorna]

Hopefully she prayed, the her friend would be okay. Obviously, this was a much bigger endeavor, one in the name of science.

"Animal relocation? If you mean across countries, that's easy. If you mean across planets, then you'll need a lot more than what these books could ever provide for you. Colony ships... artificial habitats, possibly even creating habitats. It's not an easy undertaking, but if that's what you're looking for,I would be willing to assist you. In saying that, it would take several years, my field isn't really to do with celestial bodies, more, the study of biological species."

She turned her head looking to the left, pausing, then looking down towards the book.

"I imagine it wouldn't be an issue if you had bucket loads of wealth, but with all due respect, the results won't be effective long term. You would need the planet to be, well, hand crafted, and I'm sure you know that just isn't something we can do, yet, I'm sure if you hired enough good scientist-.. I'm rambling on. I apologize. Anyway, if you knew what you were attempting to create, I would make an artificial habitat similar to it and see how the animals respond, probably best you have someone on standby in case the reaction is a little... aggressive."

[member="Ignus"]