One Day I Wish to Have This Kind of Time [Sith Triumvirate Dominion of Chalacta]

[Spark Finn]

[member="Darth Orcus"]

Sith Lord Politeness. #SLP Converse-clad feet carried the blonde across the lounge where she plopped onto the couch. Datapad rested on the knees of her skinny-jeans. The couch was so deep, her feet dangled just above the ground.

Blue-eyes looked between Lord Orcus and the view port.

If she was worried, it didn't show.

"No drink for me. Thanks." #beingpolite. "But I should comm Lord Adekos. It looks like you have this pirate issue well under control and my services will no longer be necessary. Unless...you need something else. That is, if you trust me enough for something else?"

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

The crystal waters of a lagoon could not have been more transparent than the human's question. One glance and Orcus could spot the ulterior motives swimming around at the bottom.

Had Adekos really been taken in so easily? Well, all men had their vices.

Orcus raised a blubbery brow. "You may communicate with him if you wish, but I do indeed still require your services."

The deck suddenly shook as if from an earthquake. Tremors, both small and large.

"Those would be the cannons," he rumbled on, waving a flipper dismissively, "No doubt we've happened upon one of their vessels. Hauum. It shouldn't be long now. But where was I? Ah, yes, your services."

Black eyes regarded her thoughtful a moment longer. "I'll need your assistance with the entechment process. Your skills will be invaluable in making sure the operation runs... smoothly."

[member="Spark Finn"]

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Darth Orcus"]

She stiffened visibly, halfway done with dialing Adekos. Pale-face paled a whole lot more. Enough to make her look like a ghost. Maybe she was. She felt like one.

Thin-digits clutched the datapad to keep from shaking. Entechment made her ill and it made her not want to eat anything for the rest of her life. Including bbq chips. #bbqchips! That was saying a lot.

I'll work for you but I won't kill for you. That's my deal.

Those words had been spoken to Adekos not too long ago. The Sith Lord had scoffed. Of course. But there was an unspoken agreement. Now Lord Orcus was asking her to break this promise. Go against her morals. Do something that made her so disgusted she'd think about giving up the consumption of her favorite snack.

#thestrugglewasreal

But if she declined, she'd lose her freedom. Well, what freedom she actually had. She'd lose the opportunity to communicate with [member="Gabriel Sionoma"]. But that was all a maybe, wasn't it? Lord Orcus wasn't her master. Adekos was.

She stared at those fathomless black-eyes.

No, this wouldn't be a consequence-free day.

Finally, the technopath found her voice. How many people would she be walking away from by refusing this? It didn't matter. This was too personal. "I can't do that. I won't do that."

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

Ah yes, the sudden moment of frozen terror where all Orcus' suspicions crystalized into cold, hard truth. No facts to be had as yet, but what need had a Sith Lord of such material evidence when it sat right before him written in the expression in her heart, if not her face. She'd all but confessed.

Depths take you, Adekos, and your blind fool obsession. Now I must clean up your mess.

"But my dear, why ever not?"

The Herglic Sith continued to play along, though the sudden coldness in the black fathoms of his eyes told a different story. He knew. His eyes turned away, looking out the window.

"They are pirates, preying on the weak. Murdering. Selling captured merchants for slaves, or using them for," he glanced at her, "Amusement. They deserve justice and you would be acting upon the orders of the state. Entechment is no different from the electric chair, or a guillotine. Hauum. Besides, you wouldn't even be killing them. Consider it a... life sentence."

Would she see the truth in his words, or refuse them and hold to her foolish notions of righteousness? Someone needed to pass judgement, just as someone needed to carry it out. The act might seem wrong, but one does not belittle the lion who kills the hyena for eating its cub. Why should this prove any different? Alas, sometimes reality was a bitter pill to swallow, one he had taken long ago.

After all, Orcus preferred a nice bag of seasalt and vinegar.

[member="Spark Finn"]

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Darth Orcus"]

"Because," heart hammered against her ribs. Sticky-palms pressed into the fabric of jeans over her thighs. "I told Lord Adekos I would work for him as long as I didn't have to kill any-."

She stopped. Even the words sounded bitterly naive to her own ears. Blue-eyes glared at the herglic. He was playing her like last season's hologame. She stood. Suddenly feeling like she needed the extra few feet it would give her even though it was like a guppy standing up to a great white.

"What would you prefer if someone were to end your life, Lord Orcus? Your soul forever entrapped, fueling a machine, or something more final?"

#likethe9Corellianhells

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

"Why? Would you like to kill me?"

The giant rose to his feet to tower over the diminutive human. Where once he might have apologized for the discomfort his size caused others, now he employed it to his advantage. She sought to do what, intimidate him? He had already drank death's final cup to the dregs. Twice. And the Dark Lord had deigned to bring him back. Twice. Each time a more harrowing experience than the first.

Now the Dark Lord was gone. Perhaps this time, if he died - when he died - his soul would be troubled no more by those yet living.

"You fear me."

​Because we are not mad. Because we are sane, rationale. And you know it.

"I can feel it. Will the galaxy be better for it? If you believe it, then strike. Hauum."

[member="Spark Finn"]

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Darth Orcus"]

Neck craned back as she was dwarfed by the herglic's shadow. She shuffled a step back on instinct even though she knew better. #I'mnotprey

"No," she whispered. "Yes. Of course I'm scared of you. Most people - beings scare me." #plusyoureginormo Neck was still craned upward. For a moment, she pictured herself swinging a small, bony fist at his blubber. She just managed to keep the snort from escaping the tip of her freckled-nose.

Luckily, the situation was far too serious for snorts.

"A dichotomy exists between us. But you must know you're feared. By many. You thrive on that. But what I can't understand is your work with orphanages and charities mingled in with stories that follow you from the battlefield. Does a dichotomy exist within yourself? Or is the goodwill a front for publicity or control?"

#boldwordsforaskinnygirl

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

"Hauum."

The Herglic turned away from the woman to stare out the viewport, clasping overlarge flippers behind his back.

"You mistake artistry for pleasure. Fear is a tool. I would rather be loved, but if I cannot choose both then I choose fear. The pirates out there prey upon those with meek sensibilities. If my reputation were only one for being loved I would not be able to deter them. But the fear I will instill in them and their kind today will give all future marauders pause, make them think twice before preying upon my shipping lanes. It is a deterrent and like any weapon grows chipped and brittle with overuse."

He clacked his teeth together.

"My cause is just, my methods harsh. You may condemn me for them, but I only do what is necessary. I wage war to end war, just as I raise orphanages to save children from a lifetime of poverty and discontent - the breeding grounds for rebellion. I exist to preserve civilization. Without it we are nothing but savages."

[member="Spark Finn"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Objective: Something Completely Different
Location: Jordir, Commercial District
Company: Metanecron, Assorted Underworld Crooks

Posts: [04/20]

"No," Adekos said, voice devoid of any amusement. "No, I do not want to buy any death sticks."

What kind of mindless simian tried to peddle his inventory of fetid narcotics to a man in a mask? Someone under the influence. The Zeltron's eyes were bloodshot and unfocused. This was Adekos' real problem with criminals. No discipline, no sense of professionalism. And the ones who did give off some kind of sense of knowing what they were doing were usually insane masochists. They were difficult to deal with because at the end of the day, they had no idea how to operate properly. It was sickening. And being so close to Hutt Space, Adekos knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to deal with those types of miscreants directly. He had hoped the Black Sun Syndicate would take over those duties, but they were not a particularly... Active syndicate, it would seem.

They'd find someone else.

"Oh." Said the Zeltron, blinking several times, then squinting at his reflection in the mask. "Are you sure?"

Darth Adekos gave a heavy sigh. "Yes, I'm quite sure. Thank you."

If the criminals in Hutt Space were anything like this man, it would be an easy battle to bring some semblance of law to the sector. Somehow he doubted that would be the case. It was more likely that assorted nobodies would come crawling out of the woodwork strictly to oppose Triumvirate rule. The sort of people who were so desperate to show off their machismo that they would cross the galaxy in leaps and bounds to muck around in affairs that were none of their business. But that's just life for you.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Darth Orcus"]

She watched him, warily.

"A leader well respected is different than a leader feared." Words were spoken quietly, so quietly the herglic may or may not have heard them at all. But she didn't argue with him beyond that. She wasn't disagreeing that crime couldn't go unpunished.

"What if we gave them a choice?" She knew she wouldn't get out of this situation consequence free. Blue-eyes peeked behind the herglic's form out of the viewport. At this rate, there might not be any survivors left anyway. They were fighting back with all the guns they had.

#canonlyhopetherewontbe

"Labor camp for the rest of their lives, execution, or entechment?"

The slicer looked behind her shoulder. Muscles twitched in her legs. She could flee now. If she wanted to. It would take simple technometry to disable Lord Orcus' ship. White-current to disappear long enough to escape guards and board a shuttle. A second nudge of her powers to make the jump to hyperspace.

She could leave.

Forever.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

[member="Spark Finn"]

The Sith Lord turned away from the viewport, frowning curiously.

"Labor camp? Is an existence toiling away in some mine truly better than entechment, or even death? Do you know the doom which you place on their heads with those three options? Are you comfortable knowing you would be condemning them to a life of hard, grueling labor in harsh conditions?"

In truth, he had already planned on committing many of them to labor camp, letting most go free, enteching the leaders and then going back to business as usual.

Orcus released a breath of air from his spout.

The thundering cannons rocking the ship drew slowly to a close. Ion cannons for the most part, from the dreadnaught anyway. It mattered little how the small frigates of the pirates resisted. They were impossibly outmatched. The captain of the Storm's Eye would no doubt be issuing orders for boarding parties right now.

"Miss Finn," he began seriously, "I am not putting the whole of their crews to the sword. The ring leaders of this vile predation must be made into an example. What method better than entechment? It both benefits society and gets rid of those who we would otherwise waste money on keeping alive. Darkwater has a number of private prisons, but I'm not of a mood to pay for the continued existence of such cretins. "

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Darth Orcus"]

She remained quiet, wondering how many of the sith lord's questions were truly rhetorical. Speckled-gaze focused back on his pools of black. The rumbling of the deck beneath her converse shoes lessened. The Pirates, or those left, didn't have much time. And neither did she.

"And you would condemn those to an eternity of suffering long after their physical bodies have broken down?"

A residual puff of hot air wafted in front of her freckled-nose from his spout. #smelledlikeshrimp #nowIwantgrits #goudagrits

"Lord Orcus, you must certainly keep your reputation alive."

#badmammajamma

"You need others to spread the word of what will happen here today."

#madesense #logical

"But why are we debating?" Thin lips forced into a tight smile. "You and I both know choice for me is an illusion. I am contracted to work with the Sith Triumvirate."

#contracted #pastthepointofnoreturn

"Unless I've managed to change your mind, why don't we go ahead and move forward?"

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Crisis 2
Location: Temple of Illumination Interior
Forces: 56 Triumvirate Troopers
[7/20]

The fifty-six Triumvirate Troopers that were now inside of the Temple of Illumination split into four-man tactical units. As the fourteen independent units all addressed their specific sectors of responsibilities, chatter dropped almost to a standstill. In the place of verbal communication, hand signals were utilized to aid in the swift and silent execution of the small, highly-trained teams. They were aware of the fact that their foe had at least some ability to utilize the Force. This was technically a rescue mission anyways...some time was already of the essence.

With orders to capture as many of the Chalactan Adepts as possible, each team of four had a minimum of two personnel with their weapons set to stun. Though said individuals were sandwiched originally by team members with weapons set to a lethal setting, it didn't make much difference. As they approached rooms, Troopers silently setup on either side of closed doors to increase cross-coverage from the threshold. Open doors, however, were treated as active threats and rather immediately cleared once a simple squeeze of the soft armor that covered the elbow joint was received.

Less than twenty seconds after initiating their sweep, volleys of blaster fire followed by screams and the occasional affirmation of surrender could be heard throughout the Temple. It was only after an engagement had been prosecuted that a team leader would call for a head-count and number of adepts being restrained. Once that was complete, the room was marked rather simply with a chemical lighting device. There really wasn't anywhere for the adepts to run as countless forces already had the Temple surrounded. Further more, the overlap in team dispersion was specifically planned to provide follow-up units to mop up any issues encountered on the primary sweep.

For the most part, the Troopers executed their mission without major issue. Which in truth...merely meant that the stronger among the adepts were located in the same area of the Temple as the supposed hostage.

 

[Kira Corsai]

Objective: BYOO
Location: Jordir, Chalacta
Company: None so far.
Post: 2

After her siesta poolside, Kira wandered back to her rooms lost in thoughts and knowing that her comms had probably been blowing up all afternoon. It was one of those days where she needed to put everything aside and to consider the paths before her. She had been treading water for a while now, unable to force herself to commit to the things she knew she would end up doing anyway. She wanted a sign that there was something worthwhile beyond the horizon for her but then again...was there?

She felt less and less that the path she had tread over the years was one worthy of continuation. The solitude of being on the cruiser seeking through deep space on a wild hunt took her away from the game long enough that upon her return, she wasn't sure why she had been playing at all. She had some power, she was well enough off that she did not want for anything nor did she have to continually watch her back for those wishing to drive a knife in it.

So why did she feel so much like there was something missing?

The door clicked closed behind her and she glanced up to see Lorta sitting at the small table.

"Our meeting has been canceled. It seems the city is in some kind of lockdown because of a hostage crisis or something regarding the government leaders. Needless to say, we're not going anywhere."

Kira's expression was passive as she regarded the president of her company.

"Good to know." Kira headed into her bedroom and closed the door. The cool, air conditioned darkness was a welcome change to the blindingly bright daylight outside and she sank down on the edge of the downy comforter, staring at the floor.

After a minute, she reached for the remote and turned on the HNN, turning to see what the situation was unfolding beyond the walls of her luxury accommodations.

 

[Ameli Trahir]

Objective: Crisis #1 > #2 Find a new way to be useful
Location: Chalacta, on her way towards the Temple of Illumination
Company: [member="Ashmedai"]
Posts: 2/20

After accidentally stepping on a rock which nearly threw her off her feet, her little balancing act ended with her lightsaber hilt dropping to the ground. Drat. However looking around, no one seemed to notice. The blonde quickly slid down and picked it up. No one saw. She was still an undefeated professional. Headcanon. However, in examining the company in front of her, realisation started to dawn on her. Well this wasn't going anywhere. There were a lot of words but without any action to put meaning to them. Ameli was bored before, she was positively out of it at this point.

As her company seemed to simply stand there for a few moments, staring off into the distance, perhaps waiting to enjoy a romantic sunset together, Ameli gathered it was time to leave. It was a weird day when Ameli decided to go off and be useful, but that's what you get when the most entertaining thing you can think of in the present is to balance a lightsaber hilt on your fingertips.

The blonde slipped away, leaving her Triumvir with the company of his tacticians. Though the details of this whole operation were a slight blur to her, she had heard mention of this Temple of Illumination. Stuff went down over there, yeah? Good. She'd head that way. Maybe she'd get to stab something. Figuring no one would miss the speeder-bike, she hopped on it and raced away towards that location. Whether she'd show up in time to be helpful during the hostage situation was questionable. But at least she'd be present for any aftermath clean-up, or follow-up operations. Totally one-upping her boss. Yeah. Come at me.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Crisis 2
Location: Temple of Illumination Perimeter
Forces: Perimeter Forces and Air Support
[8/20]

"Checkmate 2 Actual, Guardian 3, you've got incoming from the northeast."

The Triumvirate Lieutenant grabbed a pair of microbinoculars and swiveled them in the general direction. "Checkmate 3 Actual copies, disposition?"

"Unknown. Appears to be single object moving at a relatively high rate of speed, close to the ground. Likely a speeder of some sort."

The Lieutenant arched a curious brow. "Checkmate 3 Actual copies, we'll monitor." Turning to his men, the Lieutenant issued a series of orders before relaying the situation to the others holding the perimeter. A single speeder bike they weren't super concerned about...unless it was packed with explosives or being used as a distraction tactic. As a result, weapons emplacements were trained in the direction of the approaching speeder.

------
Location: Temple of Illumination Interior

Ashmedai slipped casually through the corridors of the Temple of Illumination. While the Troopers went to work killing or capturing adepts located within other areas of the sprawling Temple, the Sith Lord's focus was on the source of strength inside the Temple. There was, obviously, no way to guarantee that the Prime Minister was co-located with the stronger, trained Chalactan Adepts, but it was at least a safe bet. From what he knew of the Adepts, they were probably trying to convince the man that the Path to Enlightenment did not include maintaining relations with the Triumvirate.

Fortunately, it wasn't really Cameron's job to muse about such things. The crimson blade of the large Sith Sword began to glow orange-hot. In the relative darkness of the Temple, silver-green eyes burned brightly, illuminating an eerie glow around his otherwise dark features. "I know you are there."

Purple-white tendrils of raw dark side power cascaded from his palm and down the length of the crimson blade.

"I can taste your weakness." No sooner had a Chalactan Adept vaulted from some hidden catwalk several meters above the Sith Lord's head than Cameron drove the tip of the alchemical blade into the ground with such force that the marble floor cracked and splintered in several directions. The instant his weapon made contact with the ground, the purple-white energy that had manifested around the blade and erupted and reached out to several other adepts still hidden in the darkness.

For his part, Cameron turned his attention to the one that thought the acrobatic routine was a smart one. Such things had their place, but it rarely worked out as an initial attack without some other form of distraction tactic. Otherwise, you were just a body flying through the air with relatively little control.

Raising his right hand, the Sith Lord constricted the Force around the adept's body, arresting him roughly a meter above his head. Drawing his left hand back, Cameron smiled thinly before shooting his free hand forward with the palm facing the arrested adept's body. At the same time, Cameron released his invisible hold of the adept and watched him go careening forcefully into the opposing wall. The sounds of the man screaming was quickly silenced by the sound of every bone in his upper body shattering from the force of the impact.

Grasping the worn leather hilt of his weapon once more, Cameron continued his progress as the purple-white tendrils retreated back up the length of the weapon, disappearing at his hand.

[member="Ameli Trahir"]

 

[Kira Corsai]

Objective: BYOO
Location: Jordir, Chalacta
Company: None so far.
Post: 3

Zealots had decided to prove their morally righteous position by kidnapping the Prime Minister. The news reports were somewhat sensationalist and after a couple minutes of reading the scrolling newsbar at the bottom of the footage from shaky, far off amateur cameras, Kira turned it off. This wasn't her circus but she was bored and more often than not lately, her boredom lead her into places that offered better rewards than anything she had pre-planned.

She stood up from the bed and pulled the door open, a sliver of light illuminated a mahogany eye in an aged face, a swell of sun kissed pink flesh, and the sheer chocolate wrap that covered the rest of it, until the expanse of bare legs took the light to the floor.

"You're free to return to your rooms, Lorta. I have no use for you this evening and based on the news reports, this is going to take some time to sort out."

The blonde did not reply, but she gathered her work and headed for the door of the suite. Kira locked the room behind the departure of the president of Corsai Merchant House, her private coms line in her hand already as she roused her second on the small device.

"Fela, gimme a report on the situation with the Prime Minister and monitor who is running what."

::Ma'am?::

"Something wrong with my request?"

::No, ma'am. Just...:: Silence on the line stretched out for a few seconds. ::Coming right up. Give me and Raven 5 minutes to prepare the report.::

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

"Tut tut, my dear hacktivist. I don't wish you to simply do the job because I tell you to, there is no joy in such a demand. No, I want to convince you."

Her sudden shift in demeanor, from contrarian and stubborn to complacent, so obvious. Did she think she could play against a sabacc gambler, overplay her hand, and expect to get away with it?

How wonderfully naive.

Those who simplified the world in such a manner as she often proved the easiest to convert once their predilections were shattered.

"Choice is never an illusion, you see. The power of the Dark Side allows you whatever path you wish. Only those without the power to resist are truly without options."

[member="Spark Finn"]

 

[Ameli Trahir]

Objective: Crisis #1 > #2 Find a new way to be useful
Location: Chalacta, on her way towards the Temple of Illumination
Company: [member="Ashmedai"]
Posts: 3/20

Ameli raced way, her long blonde hair flowing behind her in the wind. She was spotted approaching, though she was not aware of it. In her mind she was a Sith and had the right to traverse wherever the hell she damn well pleased. If an enemy had issue with that she would shank them. Simple. Of course, it was not an easy thing to tell which side Ameli was on. If only she had dressed in a traditional Sith outfit. Instead she was an all-white contrast. From a distance she probably looked more like a civilian than anything else.

Her pants were clear white and hugged her legs tightly. There was a horizontal zipper over pockets on either side of her hip on the front, though they were both closed and there was clearly nothing in them. Her jacket, also white, was a stylish creation with black lines and zippers, arranged in a compelling symmetry. The jacket was just short enough to leave a portion of her stomach bare. The only thing giving her away were the lightsaber hilts on either side of her hip, one straight and the other curved.

Considering what the soldiers saw, how they would respond to her approach was a thing of uncertainty. Would she run into some kind of border patrol? Would they send someone? Or would she just be observed from afar with caution, and either allowed to pass or get shot down from a distance? She didn't look like one of theirs, but she didn't look much like a traitor either. Perhaps running a facial scan they could find her in some database. Ameli didn't know how to follow protocol. She had kind of skipped out on classes detailing how the military operated.

Depending on the response to her approach she would either slow down in front of the temple, dismount and enter, or find herself hold up in some other way.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Darth Orcus"]

Blue-eyes beneath glass lenses widened in surprise. Then narrowed, slightly.

#calculating #alwayscalculating

"Convince me?" The blonde snorted. "That's like trying to convince a nexu to jump in the water and that they'll like it." Her bony shoulder-blades leaned back, into the cold wall by the entrance of the room. "You really believe that? That you have a choice with the darkside?"

It was like an alcoholic telling her that it was perfectly okay to take a healthy gulp of Corellian whiskey without losing control.

"I've used it before. Are you surprised by that?" Eyes shifted to the datapad she never stopped clutching. Her free hand began pecking along the screen.