Minds in the Gutter [Paecian Empire]

[Malok]

Raxus Prime.

Over the course of history, this particular world have become home to heaps upon heaps upon heaps of garbage. In fact, some would dare say that it was the Coruscant of trash. Despite its sordid nature, Raxus Prime was oftentime frequented by a wide variety of individuals. Some hailed from prestigious nations. Some were little more than the average brigand. Regardless of origin, those who came to Raxus Prime had one thought in common: "One man's junk was another man's treasure."

Such was the mindset of those hailing from the Paecian Empire. With a glorious resurgence into the Galaxy at the forefront of their aspirations, the White Empress had ordered an expeditionary venture to be taken. A congregation of her subjects would brave the trash-infested world in the hopes of salvaging anything remotely useful to the cause. While, at a glance, this mission may have "stunk", it did possess the potential to bear great fruit. As such, Darth Metus personally volunteered to lead this journey into the dumpster.

Standing at the helm of his personal vessel, the Dread Spear, he began the mission by addressing his compatriots over the comm. "This is Darth Metus." he began, "In just a few minutes, we will be arriving in Raxus Prime's orbit. Our mission is to find anything that could be of potential use to the Empire's resurgence. All hands are to rendezvous at the coordinates provided. Breathing apparatuses are recommended...it smells atrocious down there." With that said, the Cruiser dropped out of Hyperspace before coming to a halt within the planet's orbit. The Sith Lord turned over command of his vessel to the helmsman, Captain Richard Ross, before descending down to the hangar.

He stepped onto a Dropship and made his way down. Moments later, the vessel crunched down upon what seemed to be a mountain of mangled starship components. This was gonna be interesting.

Spoiler

[member="Ailyn Cyar'ika"] | @Arctic | [member="Astra Zeen"] | [member="Cor Rone"] | [member="Cordelia Seija"] | [member="Darth Arcis"] | [member="Darth Ferus"] | [member="Darth Kentarch"] | [member="Edison Bulkhead"] | [member="Count Morcus"] | [member="Eris Malreaux"] | [member="Feral Sapith (K'sara)"] | [member="Jarek Deram"] | [member="Kit"] | [member="Kronos"] | [member="Lilith Engelis"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] | [member="Marker"] | @NCX-001 | [member="Nyxie"] | [member="Odysseus"] | [member="Serian Loria"] | [member="Shadowheart"] | [member="Slade Zambrano"] | [member="Talia Mark"] | [member="Tara Kenja"] | [member="Tyuk Asha"] | [member="Vladkione Dawnpierce"]

 

[Taa Nul]

The Count had quickly answered the call of Darth Metus, upon hearing of the opportunity that had arisen for the Paecian Empire. He'd long been meaning to establish a salvage operation upon the world of Raxus Prime, and with luck, he might discover some ancient and very valuable technology nestled within the vast scrap mountains of the planet. Arriving with a small fleet of three Lucrehulks, he contacted Metus via comm channel. ''So, this is where all droids go to die.....with a bit of effort, we'll likely find SOMETHING worth while in the scrap piles there. The deeper you go, the more ancient the technology gets, as far as I've been told. I'll deploy my forces to the surface to begin salvage operations immediately. Droids won't suffer any problems with poisonous gas or other chemical hazards, so our work should proceed quickly enough.'', he said with a tone of confidence.

Garbing himself in a functional, yet lightweight hazard suit, the Count boarded one of his Shuttles, which soon took off and flew down towards the surface, following AND being followed by a long procession of large landing craft, shuttles and fighter/bomber squadrons, along with two small frigates that'd accompanied his fleet. Said frigates were carrying a prefabricated base to establish on the planet to co-ordinate their operations on the planet. When the task force arrived near the peak of a large junk mountain, the frigates deployed a swarm of construction droids equipped with jetpacks to begin stabilizing the mountain and deploying the prefabricated base as quickly as time and safety would allow.

Ailyn Cyar'ika | @Arctic | Astra Zeen | Cor Rone | Cordelia Seija | Darth Arcis | Darth Ferus | Darth Kentarch | Edison Bulkhead | Count Morcus | Eris Malreaux | Feral Sapith (K'sara) | Jarek Deram | Kit | Kronos | Lilith Engelis | Lisa Ticon | Marker | @NCX-001 | Nyxie | Odysseus | Serian Loria | Shadowheart | Slade Zambrano | Talia Mark | Tara Kenja | Tyuk Asha | Vladkione Dawnpierce

 

[K'sara]

K'sara, rather well adept in the ways of machinery and building things, sat in the hangar bay working on the crappy snubs that the imperial troops used. She heard mention of Raxus Prime and squealed in excitement. It was nothing the troopers heard before, as they thought no one should be that excited over trash. To her, this wasn't a trash heap, it was a technological gold mine. Finally, she would be able to get everything she needed for a custom model of the ARC-170 Republic Heavy Starfighter. "Don't just stand there! Get back to work!" She yelled at the crew that worked with her and got back to work herself, drooling over the thought of having her dream ship. The crew shot back to work quickly, knowing she could use Grip on them at any moment. It happened last week, and someone got an instant promotion. Everyone knew she was a firecracker. Hell, she was one of the few redheads that fit the description of a kwee-kunee peedunky (translation in context: Queen b****). Maybe it was her being a combination of the child of a long forgotten Mandalorian, and a Twi'lek Sith Lord. Whatever the case, none of the plebeians wanted to twist her chain.

She smiled as the work was finished, and finally she could relax for a moment. Her self built X3 astromech droid wheeled over and chimed. He wanted a quick check up. She took a moment to play doctor and adjusted a few bolts and refitted the circuitry, and the droid ran as good as new. "Hey buddy, soon you'll be able to fly with me. I'm making an fighter after this." The droid chirped with a chipper series of beeps and woops, signaling that it was pleased to hear the news.

 

[Edison Bulkhead]

This was nothing like what Edison wanted to be doing. A planet full of dead metal. Lifeless, like the droid that rolled alongside her. But her master had ordered her to accompany him, and that's what she'd do.

"Hey, buckethead," she said to the R5. "Lead me to the hazard suits."

The droid sputtered a noise that the young woman would have sworn was a raspberry being blown in her direction, and rolled on.

"Yeah?" snapped Edison. "Well right back at you, shorty! I hope you fall into a water tank and die!"

Something bumped into Edison from behind. "What?" she barked, spinning around. A black and orange R2 unit wheeled backwards slowly, beeping. "What, you know where the hazard suits are?"

The droid toodled a reply.

"Well, show me!"

The dome on the droid's head swerved left and right.

Edison sighed. "Look, you...okay. Hey. Will you please show me where the hazard suits are?"

The droid chirped happily and began rolling down the corridor of the drop ship once more.

"I miss rancor," muttered Edison, falling in behind the droid.

 

[Slot 8]

If there was anything Talia loved more than her staff Fenny, it was reunions. In this case, it was a reunion with good ol' Raxus Prime. She slipped the little air mask on her face, hooking the oxygen recycler to her belt before she exited the dropship she had arrived in.​

​

She stood on a peice of metal (no doubt from a ship's hull), putting her hands on her hips. Her peircing blue eyes scanned the expanse of garbage around her.​

​

"Yep. This junk heap hasn't changed a bit. I'm pretty sure it's gotten junkier, if that's even possible..."​

​

Her voice was distorted because of her mask, only adding to the amusement in her tone.​

​

[member="Darth Metus"]​

[member="Feral Sapith (K'sara)"]​

[member="Edison Bulkhead"]​

[member="Count Morcus"]​

 

[Armand Temi]

Perla had been contacting some of her old clan mates on Dathomir in order to find a lead on a Master who could grow her dark side Force powers. It didn't have to be a Nightsister and of course she couldn't go back to Dathomir anyway.

She had been exiled from her home-planet due to unsavory circumstances that she would rather not linger on at this time. Since the age of seven, I've not fit in with the Great Canyon clan and never will, she thought. When she finally was exiled after her teenage years, it wasn't a complete surprise.

Eventually her search had yielded results and she was pointed in the direction of a Sith Lord named [member="Darth Metus"]. She was to meet him on the planet Raxus Prime to join in on a type of salvaging mission. She booked transport to the planet and then took a Dropship to the rendezvous point. Perla frowned when she saw what a dirty wasteland of debris, refineries and scrap metal the planet appeared to be. While she knew the air was breathable, through the thick yellow smog it was difficult to even see the sun much less feel its rays on her skin. She pulled a wide scarf from out of her bag and layered it over her head and neck. If she needed to she could use the scarf as protection from any toxic fumes in the atmosphere.

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Malok]

Having been reared and cultivated by Mandalorian hands, Darth Metus was always glad to be wearing his armor. Not only did it offer him protection from a wide variety of threats, but its helm had a rather handy filtration system installed. Now, what did that mean for the Sith Lord today? It guaranteed that the funk of Raxus Prime did not seep into his nostrils...although the smell would definitely corrupt his attire along the way. With this assurance in mind, Darth Metus stepped down from his Dropship and moved forward a few, tentative steps. He made sure to place his footsteps carefully, for the ground was not exactly the definition of stable.

As he moved, the voice of [member="Count Morcus"] sounded about the open channel. The content of his message was excellent: automatons were being dispatched to begin salvage operations. This freed the Sith Lord to do some hands-on digging himself whilst the brunt of the salvage was handled. "Excellent. Proceed as planned. I'll be taking the Apprentices and a small party of Droids with me. Hopefully we can find something of use as well." With that said, the Sith Lord came to a halt at the base of what appeared to be a mound of scrap metal. There, he addressed the students over the comm.

"This is Darth Metus. All Apprentices rendezvous with me. We're moving out together."

He did not anticipate that it would take long for them to arrive, and so he busied himself with selecting a heading. Turning, he looked past the landing zone of dropships, past the small horde of droids, and locked onto something in the distance. It was a rather imposing "structure" that had been caked with grime and piled with excess metal. However, judging from its shape and angle, Darth Metus had an idea of what it was. A capital ship. A crashed one. This could prove useful indeed.

But first, he needed to play the waiting game.

[member="Edison Bulkhead"] | [member="Talia Mark"] | [member="Feral Sapith (K'sara)"] | @Perla Pijo

 

[Edison Bulkhead]

Adjusting the breathing mask on the hazard suit, Edison rolled her shoulders and stretched out her arms in an effort to get comfortable. She felt smothered in the garb, but resigned herself to her fate and exited the dropship.

From behind, she heard the telltale whir of servos. Glancing down, she saw the same black and orange R2-Q5 that had led her to the suits a short while ago.

"What are you, my guardian droid now?" she asked with a smirk. "Say one polite thing to you and you'll follow me anywhere? What if I don't want you tagging along?"

The droid tootled merrily and descended the ramp.

"Great, just great," replied the witch, following with a shake of her head.

The R2 rolled up to join its fellow droids alongside Darth Metus, and Edison followed suit.

"Ready to go, Master," she said, following his gaze to the large structure that loomed in the distance.

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Perla made her way up the landing strip, her head still swathed in fabric from the black and white patterned scarf which whipped around in the dusty wind. Perla had no idea what to expect from her new Master. She identified the Sith Lord from his height and his particular dress - a suit of Mandalorian armor.

In addition to the scarf, she wore a simple black tunic of leather with utilitarian black plants and boots. She was armed with a pistol and a slaver's whip. She approached the Sith Lord confidently.

"Are you Darth Metus?" she asked. "I'm your new apprentice, Perla."

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[K'sara]

Out of her excitement, Sapith ran to her bunking and stuck her finger inside of the lock in her footlocker, allowing it to take a small sample of her blood. After a couple clicks, it unlocked and she changed into her robes and placed on her mask, which distorted her voice to sound like a male, her robes had a metal plating on it that would flatten her chest and make her seem like a short, slender male. Due to a mission in the past, her hair was shortened, a lot, almost to where she looked butch. It was the perfect disguise. The only person she knew that would be brave enough to take her mask off casually, while she was healthy, was [member="Talia Mark"], who happened to be nearby their whereabouts. Unless removed, she would seem like a natural male, otherwise, her plush lips and small nose would give her gender away.

She then realized she might find something else she's wanted badly, and smiled. "I'll finally be able to find that weapon I've wanted. Thank the force."

 

[K'sara]

She made her way to the hangar and took a starfighter down to the planet surface. Once there, she went in search for specific materials, for making the ARC-170, but she started seeing parts that she could use to make a personalized lightsaber. Plasteel, Cortosis, even pieces of tungstoid and polyfibe. To her surprise, she would even find a Telgorn Jolt Cell Mark I. It was a fairly uncommon energy cell due to its cruelty, meaning the Cell itself created electrical emissions that added to the damage of the energy. She jumped on the opportunity and gathered the items, altered them, and placed them together to test their fit. then she would dismantle her current staff and transfer her components, allowing her to create the unique lightsaber she would use from now on as her primary.

 

[Malok]

Playing the waiting game always paid off...eventually...and Darth Metus soon found his patience rewarded. Only a few moments after he had spoken, his apprentices began to muster around him. First to arrive was [member="Edison Bulkhead"], a woman who hailed from Dathomir's Spiderclan. She strolled forth...flanked by a beeping droid...before coming to a halt a few paces off. The Sith Lord afforded her a brief nod of acknowledgement before returning his attention to the hulking behemoth in the distance.

Although the Force was currently...malfunctioning...as of late, Darth Metus was beginning to get a distinct feel from this vessel. The sensation could only be described as simultaneously familiar and foreign. If the Force were functioning properly, the Sith wagered that he would be able to get a better read on the ruin...but all the more reason to investigate.

Shortly thereafter, a second apprentice made her presence known. She was an unfamiliar face, but the Sith Lord knew her by name. Another "witch". Another seeking tutelage. Another mind to mold and empower. With both women present, Darth Metus turned to face them. Typically he would utilize the art of telepathy to communicate, as was his signature, but there was no telling what the Force would do these days. He could not risk any damage being wreaked upon the minds of his apprentices, after all. Instead, he verbally addressed them.

"Welcome to the Junk Yard, Edison. Perla." he began, motioning to the fabulous landscape around them. "I have decided that we are going there." He then indicated the downed, capital ship in the distance before turning on his heel. A bold step forward was taken, resulting in a sickening splash upon something rotten...He would need to toss out that boot...Regardless, he pressed forward without hesitation. Of course, he fully expected his students to follow along and to keep pace. That was the plan, after all.

The journey itself would take a few minutes, at least by his rough estimation. As such, Darth Metus decided to pass the time with a small shred of instruction. "Can either of you tell me the significance of incantations and gestures when performing magick?" he asked. What better way to begin a lesson than with a question.

[ [member="Edison Bulkhead"] | [member="Perla Pirjo"] ]

 

[Taa Nul]

The junk piles of Raxus Prime would quake slightly as one of the Count's massive Lucrehulk's descended into a low altitude above the mountains of metal and broken droids. Shuttles and Vulture Droids poured out of it's hangar bays, the shuttles deploying battle droids to the surface below to deal with any scavenger resistance while the fighters flew overhead and patrolled the skies.

The Count himself arrived via shuttle, dressed in a sleek black enviro-suit to protect himself from the hazardous toxins and other poisons in the air. Gazing around the junk-filled landscape, he also made his way towards the rusted capital ship in the distance, soon rendezvousing with Darth Metus en-route. ''Tell me, what are we looking for specifically in this cesspool of a planet?''

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Edison Bulkhead]

Can either of you tell me the significance of incantations and gestures when performing magick?" he asked. What better way to begin a lesson than with a question.

Edison didn't know, not really, but she did know how to train animals, and one of the things she'd learned was how hand signals and tone of voice were used to get a creature's attention and show intent. By repetitive use of words, tone, and gesture, an animal could be taught to obey certain commands.

"Master," she offered walking several steps behind Metus and trying to avoid the worst of the myriad mysterious puddles and sharp, jutting edges that lay on the ground, "I believe that incantations and gestures are used to focus awareness and build muscle memory. If I know that moving my hands and body in a certain pattern combined with specific words and use of the Force can create a specific effect, it'd just be a matter of learning and using the form."

"Your pardon, sir," she added to the old man who'd fallen in alongside her master.

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[K'sara]

K'sara had made contact with the party that had a Sith Lord, an old man, and a young witch. She was able to see like few others were, after all she was blind. Although she were half Twi'lek, she was able to see like a Miraluka. This gave her an advantage in combat, and heightened hearing. Half a moment prior to making contact with the company, K'sara had tripped over a magnaguard electrostaff. She felt the rod and accidentally hit a switch and heard the weapon buzz to life. She was satisfied. She heard footsteps, and asked. "Who goes there?" The electrostaff flicked off with a quick twist and pull of K'sara's hand.

[member="Count Morcus"] [member="Edison Bulkhead"] [member="Darth Metus"]