Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse..... Just not yours. [TJO | REPUBLIC]

[Asmundr Varobalder]

Kenobi Class Praxeum​

After the conference hosted by [member="Rosa Gunn"] on Ansion with the leaders of the various political parties, Grandmaster Grayson had promised an investigation would occur into the deep core. With the rise of The Vong, there was a demand for a defence, and in the past, the Republic had built a weapon to smite the vong.

"Unless the Sith have gotten to Eclipse already, we may find there designs to a weapon that can substantially weaken any potential Vong fleets we have to face."

It was the very weapon they would need once more -- provided the plans were still in tact for development.

And so, tick tock. The race through time began with the brave souls who dared partake this mission. Eclipse had gone untouched for years.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello stood silently in the large briefing room, his eyes locked on a holographic projection of what information survived on Eclipse Station. The Jedi Master had done enough of his homework during his training to recall the facility, but he'd never ventured there. The rumors and circulated rumblings of a necessity to be prepared against a Vong threat once more in all honesty did not motivate him. The Jedi Master could not imagine the compendium of decisions that would lead to the resurgence of a failed effort. However, his mind immediately drifted to the Sith whenever he considered such a conundrum. They swept across the galaxy on practically a cyclical rate. Always the results were the same...the galaxy was thrown into a continued state of chaos. The conflict only ensured that neither side would ever truly win.

So, Marcello was here, present and willing, to do his part to aid in securing just a slightly longer life for those that deserved, those that were the true victims of the galaxy's constant state of war. They were the merchants, shopkeepers, academics, researchers, and children that he'd interacted with so routinely during his exile. They were the faces, lives he continuously threw himself on the fire to protect.

Inhaling heavily, the large Jedi Master could not help but laugh. "No matter how futile it sometimes may seem." There was something he had considered on more than one occasion. The Force always managed to balance itself out in the end. When the Living Force was done entertaining the posturing of those that claimed to truly know its nature, it would spawn another galactic epidemic that would effectively reduce all life to nothing. That was what the galaxy had to look forward to in all honesty. A beautiful peace in the wake of a destructive disease that brought even the most powerful of Republics and Empires to its knees in the blink of an eye.

Relative to the longevity of the galaxy, at least.

[member="Asmundr Varobalder"]

 

[Kiyron]

Kiyron stretched, grimacing, but shook it off. It was only pain. Not even as bad as others he had suffered before. An ache, no more. It wouldn't prove detrimental to this mission. Not severe enough. But he still had to keep his head in the game. Too much time in hospitals was making his edge begin to dull. That or old age. He wasn't entirely sure. He took a seat in the briefing room, and leaned back. This was going to be interesting.

He'd never heard of this Eclipse place before, and had only managed to find the barebones summary of the information in the Republic files. Did the Jedi have their own secret filing system? It wouldn't surprise him, to be honest. Probably had stuff scattered all over the place and they just waved their hand to find to right file. Well, obviously not. He doubted it worked that way. But still, it was a funny thought.

Back to business though.

 

[J.Reaper]

Reaper woke up when he got orders to get to the briefing room. he went up and started putting on his Phase II armor.
when he had put on the armor he looked at helmet looking at the visor having a small memory flash of the battle of geonosis.
he shook his head to focus on the moment rather then the past so he put on his helmet and picked up his rifle moving to the briefing room.
when he got there he saw some people already being there. he took a seat and wondered what eclipse was since he has never heard of it.
he put his rifle leaning on his knee so he could take of the helmet. he looked at his rifle while waiting for the briefing to begin and wondered what the mission would be.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus had read the published papers from the conference hosted by Rosa Gunn on Ansion with the leaders of the various political parties. They rarely told the whole truth but it gave her some sort of background.

In summary she was aware that there was a threat from The Vong and those assembled would play their part in seeking a solution to defend against their fleets. For Corvus, she hoped her flair for research and tenacity in cross-referencing and deciphering would be an asset to the group.

She looked around the room. It certainly wasn’t full! There was a Jedi Master she recognised by sight but not by name. The second person was…well she wasn’t sure what he was. A pilot perhaps? He was tanned, so perhaps not. A field operative maybe? The third member of the group was decked in armour, so no missing his calling for the Republic. And finally he took his helmet off so she could at least know it was a ‘he’ she was dealing with.

So, like the others she remained silent, watching the holographic projection of what information survived on Eclipse Station.

And then the silence was broken. The Master’s laughter at odds with the gravity of the situation – but then it certainly lifted the spirit of the room.

[member="Asmundr Varobalder"] | [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Kiyron "]| [member="J.Reaper"]

 

[Meeristali Peradun]

Not that it was to his knowledge (his prior acquaintance with Raff from Rhen Var being the exception), but he wasn't unique in his proclivity for looking into things ahead of time - research, in more words - and in this case, that was far from a bad thing. Having some idea of what you were getting into was never a bad thing, in his mind, and he always knew what he was getting himself into, aboard this praxeum. He'd been spending more time on it as of late than planetside on any world.

Fortunately, his presence hadn't been exclusively appended to the vessel, for as much as he had tirelessly trained his body to withstand and endure its issues with hyperspace, proximity with nature was still preferable over all things. His feline nature was quite insistent about the matter. He was at eight weeks with the rigors of hyperspace travel before the ability to control his change hazarded being impossible, and nobody in the order had yet had the 'pleasure' of learning the signs that such an event was coming - suffice to say, he became irritable.

That was putting it lightly.

Quietly, he had joined the others to view the holographic projection, with strange, exact timing to when the Master laughed, and picked up on Corvus' presence, the sight of her, and elected to drop himself into a seat right alongside the other padawan. He gave her a glance, orange eyes slipping sidelong over to her, before returning to the informational projection.

"Why am I not surprised that you're here?" he uttered, to Corvus, with light teasing. May as well lighten the mood a little more, for seriousness was one thing and could be beneficial, but too much tension could be a detriment. A serious one, even.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="J.Reaper"] | [member="Kiyron "]| [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Asmundr Varobalder"]​

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was pleased to see a familiar face join them. Plus she knew of Meeristali rather than know him. On their last mission they’d exchanged a few words but not had the chance to talk properly. She knew something about him being Felacatian – either someone said something or she had deduced, she wasn’t sure which. Probably a combination of both.

And she knew him to be something of a researcher too – and she enjoyed the company of those that sought knowledge.

“I could say the same.” She smiled as she said it, aware that to most other Padawans she was the bookish one and was used to the good-natured teasing. “How’s things?”


[member="Asmundr Varobalder"] | [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Kiyron"] | [member="J.Reaper"] | [member="Meeristali Peradun"]

 

[Marcello Matteo]

((OOC: Apologies for the delay folks))

Marcello briefly turned to glance at those that had assembled for the mission. While his face did not betray his emotions, he was not exactly super enthused by the turn-out. He recognized...none of those assembled, but that wasn't extremely unusual given his rather rogue nature in the very recent past. In fact, this was the first mission he'd taken the opportunity to officially lead for the Jedi Order. What a mission to start with...an expeditionary investigation to a Jedi Stronghold nobody had set foot in since...a super long time ago.

As his glacier-blue gaze fell on those assembled, the Jedi Master reached behind him to disengage the projection. There were some...decent specifics but not much. The vast majority of the details had been lost over the ages, and there was no telling if Eclipse Station was still in full integrity. Hell it was only hastily sealed against the vacuum of space during the days of the war with the Vong.

Clearing his throat to get the attention of those assembled, Marcello got straight to the point. "Small group. Good, we stay mobile and we don't get decisively engaged." Allowing his eyes to track over to the obvious soldiers, Marcello managed a thin smile. "I'm serious." Shifting back to a more collective gaze of the small audience, Marcello more or less got down to business. "Alright. I'm Jedi Master Marcello Matteo. Just call me Marcello...none of this Master Jedi, Master Matteo, or any other variation. I'm not big on formality, but I do expect everyone to do whatever job they're assigned without question, period. No time for second-guessing once we're planetside, so now is the time for any ideas. As I'm sure you're all aware, we have surprisingly little information on what to expect once we're actually inside Eclipse Station."

Reaching behind him once more, Marcello reactivated the holoprojection. "Eclipse is located inside an asteroid belt within the Deep Core. Eclipse Station is an old Jedi stronghold carved into the crust. It's only secured against the void of space by plastiform which is super...not the most effective thing in the world. So to my shoot-em-up brethren, let's stay off the trigger unless it's absolutely necessary." Marcello wouldn't micro-manage their individual rights to self-defense, but he expected trained soldiers to have the discipline not to shoot when they had other assets at their disposal. "Everyone will be wearing vacsuits before we make entry just in case something goes awry. This vessel will maintain a close geosync orbit over our position to tractor us in should we start drifting off into space. Full operational check on all gear, especially locator beacons, before we're skids down."

Pausing once more, the large Jedi Master clasped his hands behind the back of his brown leather flight jacket. "I don't know much about you all apart from official records, so we're going to knock that out now. Beginning with...you." Marcello motioned to [member="Meeristali Peradun"].

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="J.Reaper"] | [member="Kiyron"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened to the Master as he took charge. And he definitely took charge. She found this reassuring – there was nothing worse than not knowing what was expected of you. She’d take direct and slightly abrasive over inspirational but woolly any day. Not that Master Matteo lacked any charisma or leadership qualities.

She smiled inwardly when he mentioned title. He didn’t like to be called Master as he wasn’t big on formality? She liked to call Master’s Master as she was. This could be interesting. She respected the chain of command implicitly, but even if she wanted to – she would find it a challenge to avoid using the title.

The detail was as she’d expected and she was interested to see how the others reacted – but chose to keep her eyes front and centre when the Master was talking.

Corvus waited to hear what Meeristali had to say, slightly uncomfortable at having to describe herself to a group of strangers. She didn’t want to overplay her significance, so would take pointers from her fellow Padawan.

[member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Kiyron"] | [member="J.Reaper"] | [member="Meeristali Peradun"]

 

[Marcello Matteo]

((OOC: We're gonna move past the intro part of this... Presume everyone at least told each other their name or whatever particular nomenclature they prefer to be referred by...))

Marcello was where he often was on any ship - standing directly behind those tasked with piloting it through the stars. Having exited hyperspace just under two hours ago, the Praxeum was finally making a purposeful approach to Eclipse. A variety of sensor sweeps and a quick reconaissance lap around the immediate area of the asteroid field had not revealed any definitive anomalies.

The Force, however, told something of a different story. There was active on the planet below - that much was clear. At distance, Marcello was not precisely sure the disposition of said activity. The Force, naturally, existed in just about all things. The only reason the activity on the planet below had pulled the Jedi Master's attention and glacier-blue gaze was because it went far and above what could be perceived as normal activity. There was someone or something, potentially multiple, having a direct effect on the otherwise natural ebb and flow of the Force.

Reaching a hand up to gently rub his chin, he spoke a simple command. "Take us to Condition I."

There was a brief verbal response before the Captain standing somewhere near the rear of the bridge reached over and entered in a simple command on a console by his right knee. Unlike on most warships, there was no cacophony of klaxons and flashing lights. Not because the vessel didn't come outfitted as such but because Marcello couldn't stand the noise. Everyone on board knee what their destination was, and they'd been advised upon their exit from hyperspace. A simple visual cue would be enough...for now.

As the entire ship was bathed in a dim red lighting, Marcello inhaled slowly. "Indirect approach to the opposite side of the planet from the objective - low inclination approach to low orbit. We'll deploy the shuttles at that time."

"Understood, Master Matteo."

Marcello smirked as he turned to exit the bridge, "Have the others assemble in the hangar bay."

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Meeristali Peradun"] | [member="Kiyron "]| [member="J.Reaper"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

After the briefing Corvus decided to chill out until they were ready to disembark. Of course, we all have different ideas of forms of relaxation. For Corvus it was a few hours practicing Faalo's Cadences. Her trusty travelling box was showing signs of wear and tear but the candles and ball-bearings inside were protected from the bumps and knocks of being loaded and unloaded from one ship or another.

Relying on the Force, she telekinetically manipulated her lightsaber, performing complex sequences with the blade as a test of physical, mental and sensory control and precision. Two hours into the exercise she was interrupted by the lighting changing to a dim red colour. No klaxon sounded but Corvus realised this was clearly not good. Almost immediately there came a call to assemble in the hangar bay. She quickly tidied her things, wiped the sweat from her brow with a towel and - putting her cloak back on - made her way to the muster point.

[member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Kiyron"] | [member="J.Reaper"] | [member="Meeristali Peradun"]

 

[Meeristali Peradun]

OOC: Apologies for the wait, guys!

For the intervening time between the conclusion of the briefing and the muster, the Felacatian went to work out, but not in the average fashion for a Jedi for he had yet to build his lightsaber after acquiring a crystal at Rhen Var. There had been other matters commanding the brunt of his attention, namely the whereabouts of his younger cousin and only true family, that of [member="Avalore Eden"], and that of his Master, who was more absent than present, and now had seemed to have dropped off the galactic map entirely, much like the prior two individuals in his life.

For most people, it would be hard not to feel abandoned, but... he handled it in stride and continued on, gnawing at the thought that perhaps (to a certain degree) the Jedi of old were right - attachments might do more harm than good. But no matter that admission, it still left a sour taste in his mouth. Family meant too much. It was woven deep into him, in every fibre, soaked into his bones. Even if he himself wasn't yet ready to have a family of his own. Perhaps, someday. Perhaps. If ever.

Suffice to say, he had needs that were never going to go away, as a felinoid human. Biology simply too strong to ignore. It was what it was, and after a good lot of work applied to his muscular structure, he took a quick jaunt through the shower, thoroughly toweled himself off and re-clothed himself in the muted brown tones of his Jedi robes, before heading off to the muster point.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="J.Reaper"] | [member="Kiyron"]​

 

[Kiyron]

Kiyron had been going over his kit again. Riposte blaster. Neutralizer carbine. Dauntless combat blade. No combat explosives. Only small breaching charges. Given the vacuum, there was too much danger in combat-grade explosives. No long range either. There shouldn't be need for it, anyways. Not enough room in an asteroid to even really need a rifle. Hopefully that was the case anyways. Otherwise they could be in trouble. The lights flickered red. He didn't even pause. Just went straight to pulling on the vacsuit. It was unfortunate the Havoc armor wasn't equipped for longer periods of a vacuum. This vacsuit was not well suited for armor. But then, there should be enough Jedi around to keep any potential hazards from getting near him. Should be anyways. It certainly hadn't worked on Alderaan.

He strode past crewmembers, letting them make room for him. Vacsuits were bulky and difficult to be lithe in. That and a colonel's insignia. Moving even made the ache fade a little bit. He had ignored the slight digs and disapproval at being a soldier and being trigger happy. Jedi were different. They were so used to having lightsabers and Force powers to protect themselves they forgot what it was like to be unable tear weapons away with their mind, or throw things with a wave of a hand. They forgot what it was like to be a normal sentient being, vulnerable and scared. Not that they'd have to worry about him being trigger-happy. A sniper's training was to make every shot worth twenty, and only at the right time. It never left him, even when using other tools.

He stopped in the hangar bay and leaned against one of the shuttles, waiting for them.

 

[J.Reaper]

reaper checked his equipment, he had an rifle with thermal scope on it, two grenades, one combat knife that holstered on his arm and then a pistol on his right leg. he put his helmet back on, he didnt need a vacsuit since his phase II armor and helmet did so he was able to breath outside in space. he checked his hologram map to see if it worked fine. he then walked to the hanger bay holding his rifle then waited for new orders

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello arrived in the hangar mere moments behind the other individuals. He hadn't put on his vacsuit just yet, but there were plenty available in the hangar for those that required such. For now, the Jedi Master kept his comments simple and brief. "Initial scans did not register any unusual activity on the surface or really anywhere in the immediate vicinity. However...there is something or someone down there that scanners did not pick up. Force activity throughout this entire area seems to be...unusual. Keep it in mind. We're looking for information or materials that may or may not aid in a struggle against the Vong. Upon insertion, we'll secure the landing zone, breach the facility and clear our way to the control room."

Turning to face the soldiers, Marcello inclined his head slightly. "You two keep the room secure while we try to get the systems on line. That being said...no plan survives contact with the enemy so stay frosty. Questions?" If there weren't any, Marcello would make his way over to the vacsuits to outfit himself and then board the shuttle.

Once everyone was ready and onboard, the shuttle would lift off from the hangar deck as the Praxeum established itself into a low orbit.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Meeristali Peradun"] | [member="Kiyron "]| [member="J.Reaper"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened to the Master's briefing. As expected it was to the point - and therefore provoked no questions, So she donned a vacsuit and joined the others on the shuttle.

She'd had no direct experience with the Vong. She'd come across some of their output - the Voxyn - but had no real reference point for what she might encounter - other than the information sh'ed managed to gather from the holocrons in the library on Ossus.

More than any mission she'd been on in her short career as a Jedi, this was the least comfortable for her because of the unknown. So she meditated and connected to the Force until such times as she received new orders.

[member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="J.Reaper"] | @Kiyron | [member="Meeristali Peradun"]

 

[J.Reaper]

"Roger that sir" reaper said when he got the order from the jedi master, he then went in the shuttle and waited until the others got in. Meanwhile he waited he checked his gear then looked when the jedi master was getting his vacsuit on. the clone cracked his neck then waited.

 

[Meeristali Peradun]

Much like Corvus, he listened attentively to the short briefing given by Master Matteo, then went to outfit himself in a vacsuit... as much as it bothered him to tuck away his tail, it wasn't something he hadn't done before, and had mostly gotten past the slight physical balance issues it caused. Adaptation was a fact of life. It would leave him with an undercurrent of irritability, but he could still focus.

Unlike for the dark-haired knight, for him the unknown was nothing to fear - it was simply a matter of being highly aware of his surroundings, and very much applied to the task at hand. His senses would likely get some improving use here, and if it came to it, if at all necessary his blasters, lightsaber, or both would as well. All sealed up, he boarded the shuttle, and plunked himself in a seat near the only other person he really knew at all, doing his best not to bother her or break her focus, but instead watching her in her meditations, his elbows on his knees, and fingers laced together, waiting for what came next.

[member="J.Reaper"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Marcello Matteo"] | [member="Kiyron"]​

 

[J.Reaper]

reaper took a seat then he asked the jedi "sir are we ready to go or not?" he then put his rifle under his seat then he strapped himself up.

Marcello Matteo

 

[Marcello Matteo]

((OOC: My apologies everyone - been busy running protection details for the last week and a half))

Marcello's glacier-blue gaze shot to the armored trooper that clearly thought passive-aggressive was a good look on him for but a brief second. Shifting his gaze to the crew chief, Marcello settled into his own seat and pointed at the ceiling before putting on his communication headset attached to his seat.

The crew chief merely nodded with a thin smile before whispering something into his communication headset. The shuttle lifted off seconds later.

After a typical twenty-minute re-entry and approach to the facility, Marcello received word from the pilots that the scanners were clear. Quickly, Marcello whispered a simple command into the microphone of his communication headset. A couple seconds later, the pilots initiated a high-energy combat approach to the landing platform just in case things went sideways. Once the shuttle had touched down, Marcello pulled off his headset. Ordinarily...a large hangar door would open to permit the vessel access to the interior, but they didn't presently have the codes to do so and the station was...supposed to be unmanned. Coming to his feet, Marcello pulled on his helmet before motioning for the others to follow.

Once the pressure was equalized, the crew chief, wearing his own suit of armor, opened the side troop bay door.

Marcello jumped down to the durasteel surface first. He saw a panel near the steel hangar bay door and quickly made his way towards it, speaking into an earpiece communicator he'd place into his ear after taking off the shuttle's headset. "Give me two security positions on the hangar door." Trusting it would be done, Marcello stopped in front of the panel and pressed the activation button. Really...there shouldn't have been connected power, but the terminal sparked to life almost immediately. Not exactly great news.

Before the Jedi Master could do another thing, a surge of dark energy rippled through the Force and the doors began opening of their own accord. Once the doors had opened completely, they were met with a view of a completely dark hangar devoid of any personnel but containing a couple vessels that were definitely not around during the days of the New Jedi Order's fight against the Vong.

As quick as he could muster in his vacsuit, Marcello made his way over to the two soldiers. Pointing to [member="Meeristali Peradun"], [member="J.Reaper"], and [member="Kiyron "]Marcello gave quick instructions. "Advance down the right side of the room. [member="Corvus Raaf"] and I will advance down the left." Withdrawing his lightsaber, the Jedi Master set his feet to purpose immediately.