Private Light The Torch | [SJC] [GA] [NIO]

[Konrad Harrsk]

K A I S E R
IMPERIAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE GROUP
SECOND HYPERSPACE WAR

Don't make the same mistake twice. A lesson as old as time. It echoed through the halls of the space station brimming with Antarian Rangers, Alliance Soldiers, and Stormtroopers, and it echoed across the galaxy. The Bryn'adul plague had been a wake-up call, shaking foundations and dogmas alike, beckoning the need for evolution. Now, another scourge rises from the Unknown Regions, a harbinger of the apocalypse who seeks to do to the galaxy what it had done to Csilla; the Chiss homeworld had only been the start.

Don't make the same twice.

Strike first.

---

---

I L U M
SPACE STATION IN ORBIT

Steel sabatons clanked upon the metal floor heralding a tempest in the form of two stormtroopers. Lieutenant Harrsk and Lieutenant Valaar of the 501st Legion strode in both hurry and reluctance to the war room; hurry to get this over with and reluctance to be far from their troubled Empire. Carlac had dared to oppose the Imperator's will and the blind fool Halketh had to be taught a lesson. The Maw, nay, the galaxy could wait. Imperial lives came first.

Everyone else was expendable.

Second class.

Both lieutenants shared little to no words between each other, there was no love lost, but what they shared was their contempt for being sent here to assist the blind - those who refuse to see the light of the Iron Sun, those who spoke of the Imperial as a scourge no different than the Maw.

The doors slid open and both Imperials entered, and with Harrsk - an air of hostility. Donned in a mixture of pieces of Stormtrooper armor and camo - an indication of what the Total War against the Sith had cost - the two officers threw glares at each of the representatives.

"What th-- they send priests to plot war??" growled Konrad.

SJC: Kiara Ayres, Kadan Scipora
GA: Auteme , Okkeus Dainlei
NIO: Aemilio Valaar

 

[Kiara Ayres]

​

The war on the Western front had been gaining traction and with their own successes in their endeavours against the Bryn'adul, the Concord had the means to initiate a war with the Brotherhood of the Maw. For some, the trust they had in the Concord's capabilities had begun to reestablish itself as they proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with when facing their enemies in the East. Now they had the opportunity to once again show the galaxy that the Jedi were still the defenders of the Light, peace and justice, as they claimed to be.

The Jedi sat with her fellow diplomat and Padawan, Kadan Scipora , who she had invited not least for experience but also for support. While they had allies here, a different flavour of Jedi, there were still representatives from the New Imperial Order whose presence was becoming regrettably familiar due to the ongoing war. They were not the easiest to deal with at the best of times and the uneasy relationship they shared was awkward, to say the least.

Kiara leaned in close to her Padawan and held a hand up to his ear to cover her mouth from view as she whispered to him. "Try not to antagonise the Imperials too much." She pulled back, a wry smile on her lips indicating a lack of seriousness.

On cue, the Stormtroopers graced the other representatives with their presence and made a ridiculing remark for good measure. "I'm glad we could have this meeting." She spoke up, ignoring the comment. Not always a wise move with the Imperials but you had to pick your fights and today she hoped they could try and fight for the same side. "We need to discuss the handling of the Maw. As major powers in the galaxy, we are responsible and if we sit by we are passive."

Kadan Scipora Aemilio Valaar Konrad Harrsk Auteme Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

It hadn’t seemed that long ago when the young Knight was on that old, ratty space station, talking about how he would he taking a break from the fighting.

The Sith Empire had been defeated, and for a few seconds it seemed like there was peace. Well, those seconds had passed, and he was faced with the true reality of the galaxy: Evil never rests. This new evil, the ‘Brotherhood of the Maw’, had somehow appeared from the Unknown Regions. It didn’t take long for their name to be known.

What happened at Csilla shook everyone. Military powers from across the galaxy began to prepare for an attack in a moments notice. And that is why he was here today, not taking a rest from the fighting, but rather plunging right back into it.

“As you may have noticed, priests have already been aiding you in war.”

For the time that he had spent as an Imperial Knight, there was very few interactions that he had with the Order’s stormtroopers. But the ones that he did have were…difficult, to say the least.

Besides, he had been apart of many wars in his short lifetime, fighting for all three groups that were here today. That was probably why he was selected to come. His background has been so vast that he was more than likely the best choice. Lucky him.

“Master Ayers is right. We can’t just let some creatures that go bump in the night come and destroy a planet. Those things aren’t supposed to happen. And now, we need to prepare for them to strike again.”

He had heard about one of the new Masters within the Silver Jedi Concord. While it had been a while since he fought alongside those Jedi, he still had good friends within that order.

Whether they would all have to bite back their insults and bickering, or let it all out right now, one thing was for sure between the three orders: the Maw must be stopped.

Konrad Harrsk | Aemilio Valaar | Kiara Ayres | Kadan Scipora | Auteme

 

[Ripley Kühn]

C O U N S E L
Okkeus Dainlei | Kiara Ayres | Konrad Harrsk | Aemilio Valaar | Kadan Scipora ​

The zeltron leaned back in the chair, the nonchalance a sharp contrast to the girl who had shown up to Coruscant years ago, quaking but vowing to fight evil where evil may arise. Wise eyes watched as words were seemingly spoken on cue. She leaned forward as Okkeus finished, willing herself to have a spine. To not shy away from the words that needed to be said. War was gruesome, but necessary- the most tangible of lessons of her youthful tradgedies.

"Your head is in the right place, Knight Dainlei." She offered her younger. "But we cannot allow them to strike again. We must act first, and not provide a moment's respite for the heathens."

She offered a moment of silence as she considered the value of her own experiences, and how they'd aid the council.

"They feed on chaos, driven by unbridled confidence. If we allow them the time to persuade the followers an encroachment on Alliance or Imperial space is feasible, its actual probability heightens." Her nose wrinkled as she recalled her time in such congregations. "They are not invulnerable, though. If we strike out and deny likely raiding spots, or shift their focus to a front instead of these raids, their supply lines would collapse."​

 

[Aemilio Valaar]

V O I D W A L K ER
IMPERIAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE GROUP
SECOND HYPERSPACE WAR
Konrad Harrsk - Kiara Ayres - Kadan Scipora - Ripley Kühn - Okkeus Dainlei

​

It was fitting that he had been assigned to IMPMAG, Aemilio reflected. There always seemed to be another assignment that was sending him away from Imperial Space. First, it was the Ashlan Purists, then it was to their Silver cousins not long after and now here, Alliance Space, though thankfully, not so far from the borders of the Order. Still, he had thought that with Carlac's challenge, he'd be in preparation to put down an insurrection. Not... Placeholding for his superiors so that they may crush the rebels without him.

"Jedi," he greeted pleasantly, otherwise ignoring Konrad. Had he expected to come face to face with Generals and Admirals? "Lieutenant Konrad Harrsk," raising his arm and jerking his thumb in the direction of the COMPNOR rat. "Lieutenant Aemilio Valaar," he'd introduce.

Moments later, he was seated.

The Lieutenant made no effort to cut in between the groups of Jedi each taking a turn to speak. One counseling that it was their responsibility funnily enough, yet had never been heard of fighting the Maw. Then there was the Alliance Jedi. Two of them. The first, also speaking of some form of owed allegiance to the rest of the galaxy. And then the zeltron spoke, and he recalled that it was the Coreward Jedi who were the more militant of the two. How could he have forgotten when they, alongside the New Order was being dubbed monsters, and child killers? Oh, I'd like to meet some of those Jedi.

Aemilio bobbed his head slowly as he took an understanding to the Zeltrons plan of attack.

"It is all well and good to draw attention to a front, but these... Zealots do not fight conventionally. They do not know fear, and they welcome pain as if it is an old friend. They'd want to grind us down in a conventional war, to keep us feeding bodies while they strike somewhere we don't expect. Instead, a direct strike at their heartland to kill these beasts, like we did the Sith Empire months ago should be the plan of attack."

 

[Kadan Scipora]

.​

LIGHT THE TORCH​

Tags: Konrad Harrsk Aemilio Valaar Kiara Ayres Ripley Kühn Okkeus Dainlei Auteme​

​

He disliked it when Kiara dragged him to diplomatic conferences. Yes, it was for experience, but more often or not he was playing the role of a dignified secretary. Get that paper, hold the pens, don't forget to upload the documents to the...what the hell was it again? Holo-Cloud? Whatever, the point was, he felt that it mostly came from the fact she had no idea what to do with him regarding his training. His abilities were on par with most of the jedi knights already, and yet, he remained a firm padawan. His fingers stroked the freshly trimmed beard, listening to the other voices that spoke up around him. He knew her intentions, the Order would need future leaders, and being one of the more visible faces, it would do well for the padawan to make connections and become familiar with the lay of the galactic landscape. She leaned over to whisper to him, the advice prompted a small grin to spring up on his face, though it was hidden behind his hand. "No promises." Was his quiet retort, though his words were laced with humor. No, he wouldn't be stepping on toes this day.​

​

Priest or no, there were worse things he could conjure forth for the prissy Imperial at the table. Alas, such 'sick burns' were better left to Aayla, when Kadan said them they weren't taken with as much humor as his partner.​

​

Csilla was still fresh in his mind, as well as the engagement of Maw forces. He and Aayla had seen their destructive capabilities first hand. To say they were dangerous was an understatement. Then there was the matter of the Sith, and the fragmentation of their Empire. No doubt there would be Sith cultists looking to spring up across innocent worlds, after all, their kind craved the power base and attention that they had grown so accustomed to. "If I may, being only a mere padawan, I share the sentiment," He looked to Kiara, his lips tightening as he could only wonder what manner of dealings his master had within the council; not that he was privy to council politics. His eyes looked back to the rest of those gathered, going to continue the thought. "The Maw have already made their first move, destruction of Csilla is merely the opening play I fear. Take into account the destruction of the Sith Empire, and I fear that those within the Sith ranks may clamor to unite under a familiar banner." His thoughts went to Felucia, and how the planet held a minor token force of Sith. How many other planets held similar forces? How long could it be before Sith warlords flocked to the Maw when their power base was threatened? Perhaps it was a nonsensical thought. "Then I hear of these Ashen Crusaders, and I fear they only complicate the matter further. Their intentions remain unknown, and I think them unable to see anything in a nuanced fashion." Kadan's hands came together for a moment, before he realized how foolish the motion appeared. "Forgive me of my ignorance, but could something akin to an expeditionary force be put forth to contain their influence for the time being? Then we could perhaps strike them with full force once we better understand their capabilities." He was probably talking a bit more than his master would have liked, but he felt that they needed to at least put ideas out there. He had grown tired of the same holopad thumping backdoor politics he had witnessed before. Everyone was willing to agree, but never willing to put forth the effort.​

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

K A I S E R
IMPERIAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE GROUP
SECOND HYPERSPACE WAR

"A preemptive strike?" he arched an eyebrow as a wicked smirk crossed his face and he glanced to his comrade, "Would you believe this, Aemillio? The Jedi won't be taking a nap of a decade this time." the Sith Empire had survived long enough, too long enough that it took its own deserters to take it apart.

"I've seen it all." he added, then before anyone else could interject he continued, "Surprisingly, I agree with you that we do need to strike first before the plague festers."

Konrad stepped up to the war table illuminating different holoprojections and leaned on it, his eyes examining the intel projected before they shuffled between each one of the gathered.

"There is no nuance, padawan...guy." he wasn't certain how to refer to the bearded man. Only the Imperials had given name to their faces so far. "Every Sith must be put under the knife and anyone willing to do it, like the Crusaders, are a welcome addition." cannon fodder, preserve Imperial lives.

He turned his attention to the Zeltron in their midst. They hired Jedi from brothels? The Imperial brushed away the thought, "They'll always find new spots to raid, so we'll be throwing resources at a game of whack-a-mole. The Alliance are free to do so; after all the Sith never reached your borders." he shrugged with his shoulders then continued, "But instead - a strike at a depot world, a place where they take their plunder and redistribute it; the heart of their supply lines. Does your intel have anything about a location like that?"

SJC: Kiara Ayres, Kadan Scipora
GA: Ripley Kühn , Okkeus Dainlei
NIO: Aemilio Valaar

 

[Kiara Ayres]

​

With all else taken into consideration, she attempted to consolidate the thoughts that had gone around the group, ignoring the Lieutenant's remarks once again. The attitude of the Imperials was rather grating and while years in diplomacy had afforded her much patience, she wasn't sure how her younger counterpart would fare in his relative inexperience.

​

When Kadan raised the issue of the Crusaders, she offered a glance in his direction but nothing more. In time, the Concord would need to evaluate their relationship with the other faction but for now they were as tolerable as the Imperials which was enough in the current climate of the galaxy. It was an issue that would need an internal discussion before it reached the galactic stage.

"We do." She replied to the Imperial Lieutenant Konrad Harrsk , briefly holding up a datastick to show the others before inserting it into the holoprojection table. "The Silver Shadows gained what little info they could." She explained.

​

At the press of a button, a hologram of the Shi'do world of Lao-Mon appeared before them. "Lao-Mon seems like a viable target. It is rich in natural resources and we have reason to believe it is valuable for their slave trade."

With another press of a button, several images from the planet's surface appeared, including some of a settlement with a slave presence. "We attack at the heart of their supply lines." She repeated the words of the Imperial in agreement.

Kadan Scipora Aemilio Valaar Konrad Harrsk Ripley Kühn Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Strategically, their forces striking first would make the most sense.

Unfortunately for them, the Maw tended to hide and stay in the shadows, only coming out to cause destruction. Who knows what the alliance’s intelligence agency has gathered, but as far as he knew, most of this was going in blind.

Turning towards Lieutenant Harrsk, he frustratedly stared down the man. Commenting about the Sith never reaching the Alliance’s boarders was uncalled for. Maybe this man had been out of the scene for a while, but it seemed in almost every major battle the Imperials had there was a least some sort of Alliance support. But they weren’t here to get into a meaningless argument. They were here to stop the new threat in the galaxy.

“I think Padawan Scipora and Master Ayers are onto something. A force like them is unlikely to have any backing by outside powers, so all of their supplies must be internal.”

Yes, it has to be the only way. That is why they had stayed hidden in the shadows for so long. No outside force was backing them for their destructive movement.

But hitting their supply lines could have some negative outcomes, especially with slaves there. A coordinated strike would need to be made to take out the Maw soldiers, but make sure those slaves are freed.

It was a difficult situation that needed lots of time to plan. Unfortunately, their time was running out.

Ripley Kühn | Konrad Harrsk | Aemilio Valaar | Kadan Scipora | Kiara Ayres

 

[Ripley Kühn]

C O U N S E L
Okkeus Dainlei | Kiara Ayres | Konrad Harrsk | Aemilio Valaar | Kadan Scipora ​

Ripley listened to the echoing agreements and considered. There was a place like that; she had been there. The intelligence gathered hadn't been enough to stop, nor even foresee, the assault on Chiss space, but now it offered a potential to cripple the savage war machine. The force works in mysterious ways, she thought to herself with a grimace.

"Goshen War Camp." The Jedi stated. "In the jungles of Lao-mon."

She leaned down, reaching for the satchel at her side, and pulled a datapad from within. With a few flicks of a deft finger, a projection appeared, detailing the layout of the camp, rebuilt from memory. Pointing to the east, she continued.

"Processing facility. Alloys mined from the planet are prepared for transport here." Her finger moved across the projection, to the west. "Training for war beasts is conducted here. The central keep is here, offering intel to plans."

Her finger hovered as she hesitated. It seemed too dark a suggestion, wholly wrong- she had been with those people. She knew many were indoctrinated by force- she had sat amongst them, shared their stories, knew the truth. Yet... it was a necessary evil, she knew. Gesturing to the outer region of the camp, she spoke, voice wavering ever so slightly.

"The resource that matters most to them. Their recruits."​

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

K A I S E R
IMPERIAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE GROUP
SECOND HYPERSPACE WAR

Konrad glanced at each Jedi, unable to understand why they all suddenly looked so somber. Cold feet? Why? Their intel was invaluable, it pinpointed the core of the Maw's logistical operations. The heart that pumped the blood of the warmachine.

He pursed his lips, blinked once, twice, then, "You look like you've seen a ghost." he remarked then simply stated, "It is decided then - we glass the camp and go home." the Imperial shrugged nonchalantly.

Can I go now?

SJC: Kiara Ayres, Kadan Scipora
GA: Okkeus Dainlei , Ripley Kühn
NIO: Aemilio Valaar

 

[Aemilio Valaar]

V O I D W A L K ER
IMPERIAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE GROUP
SECOND HYPERSPACE WAR
Konrad Harrsk Ripley Kühn Kiara Ayres Okkeus Dainlei Kadan Scipora

There were no lives of any importance after Imperial ones. It was a sentiment that he was confident both he and Konrad shared in.

Casting a sidelong glance at the Lieutenant to share a look, Aemilio looked back out to the Jedi, just as Konrad spoke the uplifting words.

It was a rather simplistic plan. No need to scavenge anything after, it would all be dust. They were marauders, savages, and worst of all, zealots. They were chaotic beings that celebrated death and pain.

Still, the Jedi seemed uncertain.

"Is there an issue with this idea? If the rumours are true, neither of you are strangers to war crimes." A hand raised casually to brush through twisted locks. "Luckily, no one of worth will blink twice, and the families back home will be glad for it."