Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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God's Eye (Kaeshana)

[SIZE=10.5pt]In[/SIZE] open space between the borders of the First Order and the Galactic Alliance (Janara Hex), a single stealth destroyer would revert from hyperspace. From its small hangar would emerge a quartet of Sowa, replacing its usual complement of transports. They would make some space between themselves and the destroyer before jumping into hyperspace under their own power, each one set on separate course for a different corner of the First Order. Mission complete, the stealth destroyer would egress to fulfill another tasking.

One of the Sowa would be destined for the Asur system - Kaeshana - the infamous site of a battle that would spark the FO/GA war. Since then, Kaeshana had seen steady progress under the control of the First Order, that much was undeniable. Though with that positive news of restoration came whispers of disturbing events. Eerie new constructions proceeded by the mysterious disappearance of several [SIZE=10.5pt]Eldorai[/SIZE] from local communities.

These developments would eventually reach the ears of the Tygarans and the Silver Order from a few distressed [SIZE=10.5pt]Eldorai[/SIZE] who had managed to slip away from the occupied planet as they had regained access to space travel, feeling their cries fall upon deaf ears at home.

Maybe it was nothing, but having been witness to the barbarism of the First Order herself, and then educated on their inner workings by an FO defector now imprisoned on Voss, she believed their stories at least warranted investigation. Aside from the Silver Assembly, and the highest echelons of the KSU government, no one would be privy to these series of operations. It was better that way to ensure their success.


Very soon, the Sowa would pass from open space into First Order territory, which would mark the first test for the new platforms. Their proprietary hyperdrive systems had been constructed to mask their presence through all phases of hyperspace travel, from entry to transit to reversion. It was suspected that that First Order, much like the Silver Order, maintained their own network of monitoring stations against the incursions of their space. Outside of their primary mission, the operation would serve as a much-needed exercise to tweak the Sowa's systems as needed.
 
A cheap freighter with an unimpeachable telesponder touched down at a port on Kaeshana. Fees and licenses paid, cargo inspected, flight history verifies, the ship couldn't get much cleaner. It helped that, for once, Jorus Merrill (Jor Quentin today) wasn't smuggling anything. A local firm’s droids got to work unloading the innocuous cargo. Jorus unpacked a swoop and left the ship in the capable claws of a Trandoshan associate.

He'd been to Kaeshana once or twice before the war necessitated radiation deflection badges. Memory refused to line up: damage and rebuilding obscured the landmarks and routes he knew. A navigation unit whirred away on his instrument panel. Maybe it would figure the place out, maybe not. In the meantime, he had only the Force and common sense to guide him.

They disagreed sometimes. Right now, for example, instinct prompted him westward, far from civilization. The swoop howled as it reached its impressive top speed. He hunkered down against the cold wind.
 
[member="Darth Carnifex"]

The swoop glided up scree and shed momentum. Jorus eased the vehicle over a ridge and coasted to a halt. The foothills’ dry nighttime cold gave little relief from hours of windchill. Jorus found a comfortable rock and replaced the chemical hot packs in his boots and gloves. As heat sank in, he ignored the pins and needles. A sharp and bifurcated spire punched up through the horizon - his landmark for the past hour. Electrobinocular filters outlined the structure’s base against night and the mountainside.

“Begin recording,” he murmured through numb lips, and circuitry hummed in the binoculars. “The structure is a single spire. Can't get a clear sense of scale, but it's at least twice the size of the Eldorai planetary defense base that used to be here. Doesn't look like it serves the same purpose, though. I'm seeing three equidistant dual anti-capital turrets; there's probably a fourth outside my line of sight. They're not full-scale planetary defense guns. The only other weapons I can spot look to be for ground defense. I wouldn't want to get too close to this place on foot or in a surface vehicle, or in a gunship or corvette. Starfighters or bigger capital ships would do better. Don't see any shield generators or big hangars, but they could easily be recessed or outside my line of sight. I'd imagine this place is heavily shielded in an emergency, or else a fighter squadron would tear it to shreds.”

The stone's chill percolated through his trousers. He cracked a couple of hot packs and sat on them.

“Isolated, middlin’ defended, definitely not designed to protect the hemisphere like the citadel was.” He fished out a crude compass, a piece of alchemy from his long-dead sister the witch. The needle trembled and zeroed in on the spire. “Korriban Compass says there's serious alchemy going on in that direction. No specifics. Architecture’s consistent with a Sith temple. Once the sun rises, I'm gonna see if there's any visible guards, traffic, activity. I'm currently ten klicks northeast of the structure. Going to pull back to a quiet spot, stash the swoop, and bed down for the rest of the night. End report one.”

He bounced the A/V recording outsystem with his comlink - encrypted, hypercomm, a decent little piece of gear - and set out for a safe place to crash.
 

Progflaw99

Well-Known Member
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting,
dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
~Edgar Allan Poe
It was in the darkness where she now felt at home, derailed from the intellectual teachings of the Jal Shey and cast into the almost cult-like following known as the Order of Ren - or at least known to her. The greater galaxy certainly had heard the whispers, perhaps even fought against the Knights of Ren on the field of battle though their true nature was unknown to many if not most. Unlike they, Anilah not only knew of the Order of Ren but also traveled a path not oft taken by those in the Supreme Leader's following, though to her it was less a path, and more a calling. Calling or no however, it mattered not in that moment, for she had been given a task - one she found strange and yet who was she to question the Supreme Leader's will? As long as the Force itself aligned with his bidding, she had no arguments and even then only insofar as an adviser.

Kaeshana was the last place she'd even imagined she'd be. Her eyes tracked from right to left as she scanned the sprawling landscape below. Closing her eyes the woman took a knee, fingers reaching for the soil at her feet. Dry, cracked, poisoned. She could feel the minor radiation escaping from the surface, the very air of the planet near poisonous if exposed for extended periods of time. There was no question about it, the First Order had brought progress to the barren world, desalination facilities, pre-fab housing and industrial constructs beginning to dot the countryside - and more prominent structures, the Spire of Eternal Night for one. Constructed by a Sith Lord by the name of Kaine Zambrano, its obsidian hulk loomed above the ground, shadows cast at strange angles in the light of day.

Invisible movements of the Force began emanating from the small lump of dirt held tightly in her fist. Voices. She could almost hear them - then suddenly they were gone. Snuffed out, silenced. There was little knowledge or wisdom to be gained from the barren earth, too long ago had the battle been, too weak were the echoes of the Force. Gently Anilah extended her fingers, the dry and inhospitable soil falling back to the earth as she rose to her feet and looked across the landscape before her.

She stood, a silent sentinel as she looked towards the tower of obsidian. Anilah had been compelled by Sieger himself, though his authority was to be used sparingly. The tower's tenants stood accused of crimes against nature, at least if Alliance propaganda was to be believed. It was no secret, the horrors that had passed at the hands of the elder Zambrano but one vital component the Alliance seemed to be missing was proof - something she had been dispatched to ensure was never acquired. It seemed strange to her, to send a mere disciple but perhaps that was a strength, an advantage she could use. Taking a short breath, she stepped off towards the tower.

A solitary figure against the barren landscape, Anilah wasn't like the rest of the Ren, at least not in her attire. Numerous strange totems adorned her body, some in necklace form, others in bracelets - even lashed to the tall dark staff she always carried with her. Bones carved with runes, symbols and pouches filled with mysterious concoctions. It was unlikely anyone would be foolish enough to harass her as she traveled but she knew all too well the chaos of the wild.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Arisa Yune"]​
 
[member="Anilah"]

After half a century of hard bunks and sleeping rough, Jorus powered through the morning’s ache. His entire camp - the thin pad, the foil blanket, the hot packs and rations and extra rad badges - bundled up in five minutes. An old Levantine Scanpack indicated no nearby danger across its many modes. Chewing on a protein bar, Jorus crept up a ridge to look down at the fortress, which stood about twelve klicks southwest of him. The spire looked to be made of stone, definitely not local, which soaked up the morning sun without yielding much detail. He switched the binocs to thermal and watched sunlight heat the black surface asymmetrically.

“Begin recording,” he murmured. “The structure’s black stone. I’m getting differential heating; some parts of it have more open space than others. Don’t have the gear to analyze that offhand. There’s a few visible sentries, but I’m not close enough to pick out detail on their armour or gear. All I can tell for sure is that they look stormtrooperish, which doesn’t narrow it down much.

“I’m seeing a loner, looks like they’re carrying a staff or spear. Staff plus big black alchemy castle equals Sith, or close enough. Maybe a couple klicks from the structure, maybe more. Range to me is about eight or nine. Loner’s heading toward the structure. Not sure how they got here - must be a ship or speeder in the hills. I’m gonna risk sending down a seeker. End report two.”

His pack disgorged an orb the size of two fists, armed with a couple of blaster nubs. Jorus set the weapons to stun and keyed the seeker to take a roundabout course, low-altitude, using crags and ridges to mask its approach. As the gray sphere vanished into the foothills, Jorus pulsed his second transmission offworld and settled down to watch the loner.
 

Thalera Isianthar
Kaeshana Surface, Fallan'Au City

Thalera walks forward with anvils of weight hanging over her shoulders, wearing her Grey gabardine uniform boots make a faint audible squeaking sound through the silence and sound of fluttering First Order flags. The stage is lined by Eldorai Troopers from the 26th United Isianthar Infantry Regiment; protecting their esteemed Governor-General, keenly watching over the crowd of Eldorai First Imperial citizens who had gathered here to hear the Governor's Speech. Clasping at the lectern finally her sanguine hair coloured head and eyes dip for a moment before lifting steadily to extol confidently her people in a greeting. "My People. Daughters and Sons of Kaeshana, for too long have we been a shattered nation." Crimson spheres sweep over the crowd, spotting a few agreeing nods from among them. "We were betrayed, shunned and scorned by those who fled to sanctuary, condemning us to death!" Thalera pauses and gestures to the crowd slowly, continuing to speak in her native tongue here with her own people.

"I asked for time....And that time was granted by you! The foundation of my resolve, the beat of my heart!" Thalera's arms steadily reach up and gesture to the gargantuan Star Destroyer FIV Ashira that lazily hangs above the city. "The Cataclysm cursed us, we thought our planet had poisoned and destroyed us! How wrong we were! In truth we have become more powerful than ever becoming strong and proud while the Tygarans and Arkans have become petty and weak!" Thalera's tongue hisses trailing off, arm sweeping in the direction of the Power Exoskeleton clad members of the 26th United Isianthar Infantry, no longer sporting their royal runes but bearing a single rust-colored lightning bolt in a circle flanked by three stripes. "With the time YOU have given me, I have rebuilt OUR homes, OUR temples and OUR pride! It is YOUR soldiers who march once again through OUR streets." Thalera's left fist shoots straight up into the air fiercely, holding it there for a long moment before steadily lowering it beside her thigh.

"It is by your strength! By your will alone that the Eldorai will rise up and take back what was stolen from us! WE shall be ignored no more!" Thalera clasps angrily at the air in front of her, as if seizing something while exclaiming her belief in the Eldorai people. "Our enemies who were among us have been 'Re-educated' and persuaded to join our righteous cause. Those who try to divide us, will hear our voice and together we will act as one and our wrath will fall upon the enemies of Ashira and her Order!" Thalera's arms give a wide berth to the crowd as she explains the word 'Order' to the echoing cheer of the modestly sized crowd. A few Eldorai even find themselves waving the old flags of their country and a few even dare to allow the Crimson Maw of the First Order to flutter proudly. Thalera goes to step away from the Lectern with a smile on her face.

[member="Mishel Zanteres"]
 
[member="Anilah"]

Jorus knew the seeker droid’s goal and approximate path. Otherwise, he'd never have spotted the full sphere as it bobbed through the crags.

“Seeker’s taking a low-visibility route as intended,” he said. He alternated looking between the seeker, the citadel, and the distant woman with the staff. “Another thing stands out about the structure. Looks like it's more set up for the occasional transport or shuttle than fighter squadrons or freighters. Whatever this place is for, I don't think it's about bulk contribution to the war effort. Might just be a private sanctuary, library, that kind of thing. It's got the right look. Could be Panathan - the Zambranos are pretty much the only public Darksiders lined up with the First Order. Still can't get much detail on those stormtroopers, but they might be Blackblades. Or could be this is something else entirely. Kaeshana has a long history with the Force. This place might be an academy.

“Seeker's getting close to the loner with the staff. Might have to move quickly. End report three.”

He toggled the necessary buttons and focused his binocs on the impending confrontation. Ideally, the drone would stun the feth out of the target, and Jorus could pick them up with his swoop. Speculation had its place, but answers, true or not, tended to be better.
 

Mishel Kryze

Guest
M
Fallan'Au

The city, the project was going well it seemed although even as Mishel walked through the restored portions of the old place. She could feel the tension, and you needn't be a force user to feel it either. The teenager swept her espresso brown hair to one shoulder. Using her hands to twist the dark tresses together. A set of soft hazel-green orbs took in the environment as she listened to the sound of the rushing water falls.

Above the city workers both Human and Eldorai worked to restore what was called phase two, or the long haul. Vendors were out in the markets with their wears and somewhere in the city a speech was being made and by the sounds of the people a rousing one at that. Mishel took in a breath and exhaled. The Ashiran Church caught her eye and she wondered if it was okay to go in. It was odd she thought while heading for the great temple where mass would soon be held. Never in her life did she think or feel that she'd be able to go to an Ashiran Church not on Tygara.

And yet here she was, and as she checked her watch the Tygaran noted it was not quite yet time for prayer. Mishel wore loose fitting clothes, a simple brown and white tunic with a pair of sandals. You couldn't see the dark tower from here, all you could see were the clouds and the ships that went in and out. Somewhere behind the mountains new colonies were being established just as older cities were being restored. The hums of atmospheric cleansers and water treatment plants were drowned nearly to a blip by the aforementioned water falls.

A small tavern rested somewhere between here and the small port. She wanted to wait things out, and sit in the church during mass. It'd been so long since she'd actually actively worshipped the Great Goddess. As she stepped inside the tavern a small smile emerged along her lips. Quietly the young woman took a seat by a window, and ordered a cup of tea from the holomenu, and watched the people walking by the tavern.

[member="Thalera Isianthar"]
 

Progflaw99

Well-Known Member
Her footsteps were careful, and though avoidance wasn't her intent, the small imprints she made were near indistinguishable as the wind send sand and debris shifting across where she'd traveled. Unfortunately for her, the wind and sand did little to hide her bio-signature or obscure her from view. The tower was much closer now, even here she could feel... something. A rattle of bones caught her attention as her staff pressed against something hard, firm. Looking down to where the staff had found purchase, a glint of sunlight reflected off something just beneath the irradiated soil. An eyebrow raised, a knee taken - once more she found herself reaching for the soil - no, not the soil but the object within.

Fingers grasped at it, the small object uprooted as Anilah pressed into the ground at the edges, dirt pushed aside. Then it was hers. As the girl brought the object towards her eye. The small object was about the size of a large marble, cloudy and murky white. A stone of some sort, but something else - Anilah felt an almost electrical shock as she grasped it between her fingers. Images flashed before her eyes, a necklace, a home, fire. And then it was gone, replaced by a nagging feeling at the edge of her consciousness. Narrowing her eyes, she scanned the landscape right to left starting at the tower. Nothing unusual that she could see, though in fairness this whole planet was strange, landscape near barren aside from dirt and debris. Radioactive hotspots lie scattered about the surface but the entire world felt like a dead zone, at least where the First Order had yet to begin active terraforming and that was slow going. Instead, several hydroponics centers had been erected, but getting anything to grow on the natural surface so far had been a lost cause.

Continuing to track from right to left, her eyes looked up towards the mountains, still nothing - but as she made her way full circle a small twitch of movement caused her to pause. *There.* A small blip, no larger than a fly appeared a distance away, but as she squinted, she could tell it was much larger than a fly - in fact it almost looked like it might have been a droid of some kind. Strange, the First Order didn't typically use drones or droids, perhaps a mercenary company? Glancing back over her shoulder, she looked to the tower. It was too far but she didn't have a choice. Turning heel, she made her move.


She ran.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]
 
The seeker droid accelerated, stun blasters firing happily. It wasn't the fastest thing in the world. On a straightaway, it might have caught up to [member="Anilah"] quickly, but the foothills weren't exactly simple ground. No fait accompli here.

For his part, Jorus moved along the ridge, careful not to silhouette himself against the sky. "Begin recording," he said, breathing hard. "I'm moving to keep line of sight on the person with the staff. My seeker droid is closing ground on her - I think it's a woman. She's running. If the seeker stuns her, I'll head down-" He scrambled over a boulder and slid down a field of scree. "...and, feth, and grab her with the swoop, ask some questions when she wakes up. If it doesn't work, I'll have to go to ground."

He came to a halt at the head of a deep crevice and brought the electrobinoculars to his eyes. Distant flickers of stun blasts resolved into a clearer and more immediate view.

"Got line of sight. Seeker's pursuing her - it's definitely a woman. Fingers crossed."
 
AAR EXCERPTS

...I lost contact with the seeker and its target. I had to assume the target remained conscious and alerted to an enemy presence. I returned to my swoop bike, gained distance through the mountains, and returned to the spaceport the following day for exfiltration...

...multispectral analysis of my macrobinocular recordings. The structure extends deep below the surface. Visible ventilation features suggest that the structure is home to a large number of beings, as well as metallurgical forges. The forges may coincide with the narrow fall of molten rock beginning one-third of the way up the visible portion of the structure, which reminds me of my sister’s descriptions of the Dark Forge of Aza’Zoth...

...the structure’s purpose remains unproven. However, given the structure’s isolation, architectural cues, and lack of proportional weapons, as well as the positive contact from the Korriban Compass, I feel comfortable in my analysis. The structure is almost certainly a Dark Side temple, academy, or alchemical laboratory. I suspect a laboratory for the following reasons: several indications of forging, consistent with sub-industrial metallurgical manufacture; a clear reading from the Korriban Compass, much stronger than a few objects could explain; extensive occupant capacity and subterranean chambers, disproportionate to the visible guard positions; a defensive setup more suited to preventing escape or infiltration than to repelling attack; a potential Panathan connection...

...recommend designating the location as a priority target. Since a significant fraction of alchemy involves innocent beings, I recommend extreme care in any further...

...Marshal Jorus Quentin Merrill

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Anilah"]
 

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