Faction Orientation | GA | Task Force Null

[IVI]

TASK FORCE NULL
SIA in THE ERA OF RECLAMATION
CORUSCANT | CLOSED LOCATION

No coordinates had been shared with the recruits — instead, transportation had been offered in lieu of location-sharing. One by one, each agent was delivered to the hangar.

Inside, the hangar wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Its structure was remarkably unremarkable. A durasteel cathedral with vaulted ceilings and paneled walls stretching upward and outward in an ecstasy of forced perspectives. Long planes extended through smaller doors, forcing perspective to a manufactured horizon. They were looking at about a tenth of whatever the actual size of the structure was.

On either side of the exit, within the hangar, were two parked Reconnaissance Vessels. New ships unseen and unused by members of the Defense Force. Today was their reveal, and depending on the team’s desires, their Christening. Along the back wall, were rows of weapons and armour. Some distinctly marked for agents, some less unassigned. Each had an insignia on it that payed a subtle homage to their original name, the Ysalamir.

In the centre, between the parked ships and wall of technologies, was The Director’s glowing blue silhouette.

The hologram greeted them when everyone arrived.

“Welcome agents.”

A pause until attention was secured. Just like the crate they’d secured from Lohopa.

“Congratulations on becoming an official squadron within Special Operations.

You’re here because, in the words of your progenitor, ‘We can’t let Jedi have all the fun.’” She flashed a grin, which, for as rare as it was, seemed to fit M alarmingly well. The comradic reference was out of character but seemed so naturally charismatic that it seemed believable that M might have felt the same as Tiric Sar'andor .

“And that fun is coming soon. You’re about to be very busy as The Alliance gears up for the campaign to Close The Corridor. I want you to use this time to become familiar with one another and your assets.

A few things to recognize before I leave you all in the capable hands of Agent Borra — many of your weapons are using a technology that will give you an advantage beyond your basic wits and experience when contesting with Force Users — by disabling their connection to The Force and levelling out the playing fields. This is unique to your Task Fore and must remain within the jurisdiction of the SIA and only be used by the agents you see here today.”

Her holographic arms swept out from in front of her, gesturing to either side of the hangar. “These two ships are exclusively available to your team. They are registered within the manifest, but remain unnamed. We’ll leave that honour to those who will be flying and maintaining them. When you’ve decided on a title for them, your request will be submitted before any maiden journey.”

Her hands clasped tightly together in front of her, and she dipped her chin in salutations.

“One final note before I leave you to your many devices — while you are now an official team within the Agency, your operations are confidential. Your mission directives and licensings come exclusively through me and my directive office. Your channels of communication, or questions, go through Deputy Chief Borra.”

She nodded her finality.

“Welcome to Task Force Null, agents. Please, get acquainted.”

​

---

TRANSMISSION RECIPIENTS: Dominik Borra | Cordé Sabo | Verin | Rowan Corde | Driver | Lyrrin | Samuel Exel | Mara Kellarov | Lorian Arrlandi

​

 

[Lorian Arrlandi]

Location: Coruscant, Unknown location.
Objective: Get oriented as a new recruit in the Task Force Null.
Tag: || Dominik Borra || Cordé Sabo || Verin || Rowan Corde || Driver || Lyrrin || Samuel Exel || Mara Kellarov || ​

Lorian was in normal citizen clothes, enjoying the peace of Coruscant's early morning air. Well, he didn't enjoy it for long, a T-47 parked behind him, and the driver in it just said "Hey mate! Get to your apartment and suit up, you'll need to follow me." Lorian turned back, looking at the driver. "And why... 'Mate?' If you're a beggar, I don't have any credits on me." The said driver chuckled, got out of his vehicle, approached Lorian, and then said "I'm no beggar, I'm here for the SIA, now get in proper clothes and come with me, you'll get transported by me."

When the individual pronounced the letters S-I-A, Lorian's blood ran cold. He looked the driver dead in the eyes, trying to see if he was lying, once he knew that he wasn't lying, Lorian quietly got back to his apartment, changed himself into proper clothes, and took a WESTAR-34 with him, because no one is honest enough.

Lorian was transported by the same T-47 air speeder, they were fast enough for him, but those drivers didn't specify where he needed to go, they only specified that it was on the SIA's order, and damn, you don't want to mess with the SIA. He was a recruit, so he shouldn't miss any appointments or deny any orders, that is obvious when you're a former Royal Naboo Security Forces.

Lorian finally arrived at the place, it was a hangar, a thick hangar. Something really surprising about this hanger is that it's empty, it's just a normal hangar, which isn't that big. Bet it could have five hundred metric tons of durasteel hidden and wouldn't be half full. Lorian thought, chuckling as he entered the place.

It looked like he was the first recruit to come, and he didn't mind. Because Lorian knew that the other agents from Lohopa II were coming to the hangar, it must be some sort of 'Hey there, you're in Task Force Null, welcome to the team!' thingy. Maybe the same sort of appointments he did when he was appointed Lance Corporal for the RNSF, not so long ago.

 

[Lyrrin]

TASK FORCE NULL​

Tags: tomanytags

​

Lyrrin looked side to side as M finished her introduction of the general secrecy and equipment that the task force would have access to. It was all rather impressive. Formerly being part of the VEIL Division he had heard whispers from both friend and foe that a secretive SpecDiv units existed beyond the knowledge of the run-of-the-mill SIA agents but until now he had chalked it up to being a kernel of truth but overblown. Lyrrin's eyes went to the two specialized ships then to the group of operatives that had been assembled. He did not recognize any of them.

"Lyrrin." he introduced himself to Lorian Arrlandi first since he seemed the nearest to him "VEIL Division, Senior Agent, IVI 's favorite even if she doesn't say so. I'm pretty awesome but that's coming from Jedi Master Valery Noble , not me, Hero of the Alliance and all that - heard of her? She's okay." he was clearly arrogant and quite haughty but if Lorian knew anything about Farghuls that was kind of the norm "And you are?" he gave the man a once over... the most judgmental once over to ever exist.

 

[Lorian Arrlandi]

TASK FORCE NULL​

Tags: tomanytags

​

Lyrrin looked side to side as M finished her introduction of the general secrecy and equipment that the task force would have access to. It was all rather impressive. Formerly being part of the VEIL Division he had heard whispers from both friend and foe that a secretive SpecDiv units existed beyond the knowledge of the run-of-the-mill SIA agents but until now he had chalked it up to being a kernel of truth but overblown. Lyrrin's eyes went to the two specialized ships then to the group of operatives that had been assembled. He did not recognize any of them.

"Lyrrin." he introduced himself to Lorian Arrlandi first since he seemed the nearest to him "VEIL Division, Senior Agent, IVI 's favorite even if she doesn't say so. I'm pretty awesome but that's coming from Jedi Master Valery Noble , not me, Hero of the Alliance and all that - heard of her? She's okay." he was clearly arrogant and quite haughty but if Lorian knew anything about Farghuls that was kind of the norm "And you are?" he gave the man a once over... the most judgmental once over to ever exist.

Tag: || Dominik Borra || Cordé Sabo || Verin || Rowan Corde || Driver || Lyrrin || Samuel Exel ||
Mara Kellarov ||​

Lorian listened to Lyrinn being the most arrogant sentient life-form, after Lyrrin finished his speech, he simply answered "Cool, but really, I don't care." Which was just something to make the arrogant angry, because everyone wants to make arrogant people angry, right?

Anyways, Lorian was just listening on how "We can't let Jedi have all the fun." and our various equipment, depending on who we are. He then quickly looked at the indicated ships. Oh boy, that's a nice ship. Well, looks like Lorian is an official Operative-recruit-ish, now?

The Hologram disappeared, and as it did, Lorian managed to see a set of equipment with a paper written "L. Arrlandi" on it. It was supposedly for him, it had a E5 Carbine, a DC-19 Stealth Carbine, two WESTAR-34s, a Sinrinch Optical Dephaser and a Stealth Field Enhancer. "Looks like I won't be the driver."

 

[Samuel Exel]

CORUSCANT | CLOSED LOCATION
Tag: || Dominik Borra || Cordé Sabo || Verin || Rowan Corde || Driver || Lyrrin || Mara Kellarov ||

A series of events had led him here, stemming from a first encounter with a particular Valery Noble on Denon. When he went looking for a contract, he most certainly found one. Or was it more accurate to say that it was found for him? It was difficult to tell. In the end, it mattered little. A contract was a contract, especially if it was one of the rare ones that did not compromise whatever sense of code the Hunter held.

He was already prepared when the transport came, for he was expected. Obligations vaguely laid out ahead of time, the offer of payment promised. Bristling with armor and armaments, the individual merely gave a nod to the driver as he stepped in, shouldering his Carbine to bring it along with the rest of the weaponry on his person. Just because he was invited did not mean he was going unprepared.

Arrival. He was not the first, nor the last to arrive. He adjusted himself as he stepped out, booted footfalls audible against the metallic floor of the hangar. Unlike a majority of the other folk, ‘Gorian,’ as he was referred to under his Bounty Hunter alias, had never served within the Galactic Alliance prior. He was not an agent, reassigned to work within this task force, some soldier of unique prowess from the Defense Force. He was a Mercenary, paid to be here for a set of skills and interest in the subject. The row of weapons and armor were glanced at, but he had little need for such things when he had all of such equipment himself. Perhaps he’ll take a look later.

Clad in his sleek, Mandalorian-esque armor, he briskly made his way forward and came to a halt off to the side. He spoke little (if at all) to his newfound squad mates for the moment, disinterested in bickering. He only knew one other individual here, of which he had noticed was in a rather unique position he did not expect. In the meanwhile, his head tilted some as he listened along to M’s introduction through the hologram. Technology, specialized and experimental to deal with Force Sensitives, intrigued him greatly. It was all rather discrete, and discretion was something of a preferred trait in his clients as of late. If he could procure himself such equipment through this contract, it was already looking as good as he had hoped. Samuel always had an acute distaste for their ilk, and it would seem the newly-dubbed Task Force Null would specialize in dealing with the particularly insane and destructive ones, in contrast to the rare few that actually were using their abilities properly. And frankly, that was fine by him - it was part of the reason he signed up.

 

[Dominik Borra]

Dominik stood in line with the other new members of Task Force Null, watching and listening to M's message to them all. She made sure to recognize his official rank to the others, who would most likely be 'Special Agent' at best. That is if there were GA systems that recognized their credentials at all. He stepped forward, wearing his Armored Suit. Like the rest of those lined up here, he was carrying weapons on him. Though on him his clothes cleverly hid any of them from being seen on noticed.

He stepped out infront of them all as Lorian Arrlandi and Lyrrin began talking. It had been a long, long time since he had been leading a team. And that team had been at each other's throats. Trained soldiers from their pre-teen years, competitive and elite and prepared. He wasn't sure if it said anything that he was the only one left standing. Was it that he was the best and meant to lead, or did it say that he lead people to their deaths? No, it wasn't his actions that got them killed. The Sith drove him out and tried to kill him, his own team sent to hunt him. It was by their own choices they all were gone now. He took a breath as he faced the group, remembering some old faces. Then he pushed them out of the way and looked at the new ones.

"I'm Deputy Chief Dominik Borra." He started out, his voice echoing over the empty hangar. His hands hung at his sides, calmly. "The Callsign that was assigned to me in this Task Force's prototype stage was "Guns Galore", or "GG". As we reform I'm fine with changing that, and your preferred callsign for me and your peers can be talked about. I'm not some hardass military officer, I'm just the guy who knows more about what you are about to get yourselves into than anyone else." He didn't stand like a drill sergeant or with the posture of a formal commanding officer. He stood confidently, shoulders back and relaxed and spoke matter-of-factly.

"I want to make you all aware of something IVI didn't say. You aren't the elite. You aren't the best of the best. That's not what makes this team." He looked down the line slowly. "Not yet anyway. You're here because The Jedi can't have all the fun fighting Force Users like Sith, The Imperial Knights, and Maw Acolytes. And frankly, they can't fight them all. You are here to fight those very same people. You're here because you've shown promise and aptitude. If any of you have taken down a Sith Acolyte or survived an angry Sith Lord, that's a promising rookie career here. I'll be level with you, something you won't get much in the SIA. I was trained by The One Sith's Assassins years back, since I was a boy. I sparred hand-to-hand with their deadliest in order to understand how they move and think and feel the Force. Fighting them is as much a mind game as a physical one. Often times more so. And fighting them head-on is, despite what meatgrinders the SIA and M will throw us into, the worst way to fight them. It's asking to get killed. Fancy devices and gear can help level the field, but if you are arrogant, if you think you are better than them, if you think you've won before they are burned at funeral pyres, then they already have you, and you will lose. And loss in these fights is your life. And with what the Maw is cooking up, possibly more than your life.

"Another reason you are here is that you aren't sensitive to The Force. That gives us a distinct disadvantage. We can't feel their presence, their alignment, how powerful they are or when they are about to strike. But that gives us a direct advantage back. They can't feel us, not if you shield your thoughts right. They expect normal soldiers, and for you to fight like one. You won't if it comes to it. I'll teach you how to fight them if you let me. If you don't learn, I won't have to worry about you for long. You either will leave now, in which case I'm sure IVI will be very happy to let you walk with knowledge of this top-secret Task Force intact, or you leave in a bag later down the road. These are dangerous, elite people you are here to combat. You slip up out there or in here," He pointed to his own head, "You die.

"Any questions?"

 

[Cordé Sabo]

______________________________________________________________
D U L C E T
TASK FORCE NULL | LOCATION UNIDENTIFIED
______________________________________________________________
​

Once or twice, Cordé glanced to see what the reactions of others were. If anyone was flinching, or looking a little more yellow-bellied than when they’d first walked into the metal auditorium.

There were no tells, only stoic indifference.

You slip up out there or in here, You die.
Any questions?"

That seemed as good a time as any to introduce her role to the team. Even if the deputy chief’s welcome still gripped the air tightly. The intensity of their roles and expectations were sharp as knives.

“Er, before you die, hopefully, you see me.” Cordé lifted a hand for both salutations and interjection. “I’m Null's medic, Cordé. Hi.”

______________________________________________________________
Driver | Verin | Dominik Borra | Lorian Arrlandi | Lyrrin | Mara Kellarov | Rowan Corde | Samuel Exel
______________________________________________________________​

 

[Lorian Arrlandi]

Tag: || Dominik Borra || Cordé Sabo || Verin || Rowan Corde || Driver || Lyrrin || Samuel Exel ||
Mara Kellarov ||​

Lorian listened to Cordé, and as she said,

"Er, before you die, hopefully, you see me."

Lorian smiled, took his Optical Dephaser, said "Oh no, no, you won't see me." as he ignited his dephaser, making him disappear to human eye.

He was kinda proud of what he did, Lorian didn't see one of these in years. It must be an upgraded model. And the DC-19, it was specially designed for stealth missions! He was feeling lucky, and scared that these officers knew what was his speciality..

 

[Lyrrin]

TASK FORCE NULL

​

Lyrrin sneered as Lorian Arrlandi gave his retort "Ah, one of those types. Very telling." the Farghul looked to the Deputy Chief Dominik Borra as he spoke. The agent didn't have a disdain for authority figures though his expression was one of intense scrutiny. Lyrrin had never heard of or been on a mission that included this Deputy Chief. Something that wasn't particularly rare given the size of the SIA but it did affect his confidence in the man none the less. It didn't help that he had been previously in league with the One Sith. Lyrrin folded his arms as he continued to look the man over. What had IVI been thinking to put this guy in charge?

As the time for questions opened up the Farghul's eyes slid over towards the woman ( Cordé Sabo ) who spoke up and introduced herself as the taskforce's medic. Briefly Lyrrin kept his silence and then returned his attention to the Deputy Chief "Its unlike the Sith to train people like us to kill them. Goes against their control type deal. You know, the whole reason the 2nd Sith-Imperial Civil War happened? Led to the Sith Emperor being dethroned and the Tingle Arm being taken by the Imperials. I question the effectiveness of your training... how many Sith have you actually killed? Or Jedi for that matter?" it was a pointed question to be sure "Since we're being candid and there are thinly veiled threats of death being made, Deputy Chief."

 

[Dominik Borra]

Dominik also noted Lorian Arrlandi 's response to Cordé Sabo . By showing off. His cybernetic eye could see him through thermal imaging, however. But maybe that was to be expected, people wanting to show off what they got. "Lorian, if you get shot you better hope she can see you. If you try anything untoward with that dephaser I'll shoot you myself and let her patch you up however she sees fit. Everyone, Corde Sabo is your medic. Play nice, you'll be under her scalpel at some point." He didn't like showing animosity towards Lorian, it would only spell contention later on. But he did not want any problems coming up because Lorian went invisible. They had a lot of female members, he needed to let them all know what could happen is such a thing occurred.

His eyes moved to Lyrrin and his question. Right, he touched on the iceberg but didn't go deep enough. "First off, my veiled threats of death aren't of me killing you. It's simply the situation you find yourselves in. Whatever protocol M has for any of you leaving is not known to me. Making mistakes fighting Force Users normally means you die. It's the situation and I'm being upfront about that. Again, I was trained as a young boy. Worked with the Sith Assassins until I tried to get out. They fought me on it, I won. Cost an arm and an eye to do it," He tapped his left arm and his right eye, "but I got out. I hate Sith and darksiders equally. I tend to shoot them on sight. And they didn't train people like you. You have history and talents and paths already in your head, ambitions. They trained children to be weapons. I was one of those." He took a breath, remembering the boys who had cornered him in the bathroom.

"The Sith encouraged us to fight one another, to be competitive. Not in sparring matches, I mean to kill one another. Two older boys cornered me in a bathroom once. You can probably guess how that turned out. I will not be asking or encouraging anything of the like from you. In-fighting or disputes can be handled in the ring, but you try anything dirty and you are gone." He made sure to look everyone in the eye at that. "As for my body count..." He had to think for a moment. "Jedi and rogue Sith were my primary targets back then. Killed sixteen in total solo, usually from afar. Sniping, bombs, tampering with their hyperspace drives. As a team we killed a lot more. In-person I have fought four Jedi and won, two Knights of Ren killed," Phantom sensations of his gun clicking on empty as his skull felt like it was about to pop whispered to him, "one Mawite Priest beaten back, and I'd have to sit down to think of the number of Sith and their Acolytes. It was a lot and I had a grenade launcher. Trying to find info on any of this aside from maybe that Mawite Priest is not going to do you luck though, a lot of black tape and covered tracks. Does that answer your question, Lyrrin ?"

 

[Mara Kellarov]

Lorian Arrlandi | Lyrrin | Samuel Exel | Dominik Borra | Cordé Sabo

At some point the transport that had been carrying Mara arrived at the undisclosed location. She quietly slipped into the hangar just before M began to speak her piece. It was an interesting contrast for her, working as part of a squadron. Her previous career in SIA had been more of a solo operation. Going undercover, reporting back to her superiors. Trying to not get killed whenever she crossed paths with Sith or Dark Jedi.

Now here she was, one part of a freshly assembled team.

Mara watched as the Director’s hologram flickered away, leaving Deputy Chief Borra to take charge. She leaned against a crate that atop it rested her new equipment. The contents made it clear as day what the Director had brought her out of retirement for.

At least she’d get to continue where she left off.

The agent remained quiet as she listened to Borra speak. She was curious about him, another oldtimer in this field of work like herself. Mara had tried to query for information, but it had been all tight-lipped. Why was he specifically chosen to be their leader?

His words provided the answer, namely in the form of his history of being trained under Sith assassins. Specifically within the One Sith of old. Mara had encountered a number of them over the years, primarily during the time when they popped up within the Sith Brotherhood; eventually the Sith Empire.

Corde introduced herself, but Mara’s attention swiftly turned towards Lorian when he suddenly disappeared.

“Neat bit of tech, but it won’t stop a Force user from reading your thoughts, or anticipating your movements.” She finally chimed into the conversation, raising her hand in a small wave. “My name’s Mara, I’m Null’s demolition expert.”

The brunette listened to the back and forth between Borra and Lyrrin. Her brow rising in surprise at the latter’s words, was that really what he took from the Chief’s words? Dominik was speaking nothing but common sense, the same stuff she had been told when she first became an agent. You were being thrown into a handicap situation, the only thing backing you up being skill and tech. They did not have mystic powers to fight against other mystic powers.

Mara opted to remain quiet, watching as the conversation unfolded.

 

[Verin]

Lorian Arrlandi | Lyrrin | Samuel Exel | Dominik Borra | Cordé Sabo | Mara Kellarov

Verin was sitting in the back.

Because she was smoking and didn't want IVI to notice this. Something about the woman made her think of her mother. Not in a good way, in the naggy constantly observing way, you couldn't hide the contraband without feeling watched. It was enough to make you want to change your name, face and room number.

Smoke blew out between grimaced teeth.

This place was really turning into a who's who of authority issues.

"Verin." She called out in one of the awkward lulls. "Engineer, pilot, slicer, that's also the gradient of competency I got. You want something fixed, I am ya guy. Ya want a ship to fly in a relatively straight line, can do that too. Slicing..." Verin waggled her hand. "Haven't done it in a while, but can pick it back up in a pinch, if we have a need for it on the field."

More smoke came in. Less came out as Verin watched the group one by one.

"Dun' wanna steal ya thunder, cap'." It was 'Chief' or 'Deputy Chief' actually, but Verin either didn't remember or care. "-but might be fun to do a team building exercise or something? Names and occupations are all good an' chit, but if ya wanna trust someone with yar life in the field... best to know what they made of, eh?"

The cigarette butt flicked to the side and got crushed under her heel.

"Unless we wanna continue talking ourselves up, 'course, then I got plenty of war time stories where I am shiny as feth."

 

[Elena Lowe]

TASK FORCE NULL
IVI | Dominik Borra | Lorian Arrlandi | Samuel Exel | Lyrrin | Cordé Sabo | Mara Kellarov | Verin
​

-

Elena’s career in the GADF had not been going well. Since refusing her promotions to the Starfighter Corps after the battle of Adrathorpe, Elena and her squad had been returned, dishonourably and with considerable anger, to basic training, where together they had scraped through, graduating after months of punishment from her superiors and rejection from her fellow trainees.

When finally she had finished, Elena had allowed herself some hope that her life was finally beginning. It wasn’t. She was assigned to Balmorra Systems Command, away from her friends, away from the frontline where she had spent so much time as a cadet. Her 18th birthday came and went, and Elena’s secret of faking her age and entering the defence forces at 16 had lost its lustre. She was now just a young woman, wasting her time maintaining radios in an underground warehouse.

That was until she got the letter. Elena didn’t know how it had happened, she suspected Madelyn Lowe had pulled some strings to get her name on the list of potential recruits, but as far as she knew, her testing had stood for itself, and she had made it.Maybe it was like Dominik Borra had said, she had faced Sith as a simple cadet, she had promise, and she had shown aptitude, even if it was overlooked. Finally, after years, she was going to be somebody.

“Hi everyone, So great to meet you.” Elena said brightly. “I’m Elena, I’m running…” Elena peered into her crate of neatly stacked equipment, her brow furrowing slightly. “-Communications and SIGINT.”

Elena puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips. She was positively thrilled to be there, even with the old grudges and egos that seemed to be grappling amongst the assembled agents. She looked around the room- it looked like she was the youngest present by a big margin- Awesome!

She couldn’t wait to dive into her box and check out the tech she’d been supplied, but she refrained, instead drumming her fingers on the edge of the crate while she made a show of listening to the conversation around her.

"So um... What's next?"

 

[Tiric Sar'andor]

-

TASK FORCE NULL
THE EPILOGUE

IVI | Dominik Borra | Verin | Lyrrin | Elena Lowe | Mara Kellarov | Lorian Arrlandi | Cordé Sabo | Driver | Samuel Exel
​

Hadn't taken very long to get here. Excellent location, very discreet, out-of-the-way. There was a part of him that missed it, dearly, that missed his friends, dearly. But the transfer papers were already filed, and he was due to ship out to take command of his new unit in the heat of the war. The frontlines. The thick of it. Tiric couldn't scratch the itch that had been left when he resigned his commission all those years ago, but now that it finally was, the second thoughts plagued his every movement. For a moment, he let himself bask in the crisp, early morning light that peeked through in all the places you wouldn't expect it.

The feeling of leaving something you helped to create, was a bittersweet one, that left a lasting taste in his mouth. He strolled casually along, keep his hood up, out of sight, out of mind, a mantra he'd stuck to religiously. He appreciated M, doing this for him. Like the solitary prisoner's last meal before they're lead out into the light of the courtyard. Parting was such sweet sorrow. A small crowd had assembled within the hangar, and he took a moment to marvel and the equipment that had managed to be procured. He was impressed, more with the ships than the new recruits.

Shinies, as they might've been called in days gone by. They would learn soon enough. Letting the proceedings go on, he took position, leaning on the wall and watching intently. Attempting to catch the ye of Dominik Borra , he flashed a toothy grin and a reassuring nod. The man was leader material, and he was sure he hadn't been the only one to spot it. And Cordé Sabo , he couldn't imagine being more proud. Perhaps he was experiencing the deja vu, all new parents felt. Only yesterday they were learning how to walk, now they were doing the thirty yard dash.

A hand instinctively went to the bushy blonde beard that he had managed to grow over his hiatus training at the Galactic Outdoor Survival School. He scratched it, approaching the group, but still keeping his distance, inspecting all of them, a casual yet inquisitive disposition written all across him. Tiric's clothes matched his attitude, casual in every sense of the word, with a workman's aesthetic going on somewhere. He stopped himself getting any closer. He was here to watch, nothing more.

 

[Dominik Borra]

He caught Tiric Sar'andor 's eye as he slunk in the back, watching. The man was going off to other positions, but he like it better when he was watching Tiric's back. Leading was a whole other game.

A few people introduced themselves, including their youngest member, Elena Lowe . His cybernetic eye told him a few physical aspects of her, but her age listed didn't match what was expected of her body. Things were just off. Maybe she had a stunted growth or she got put on ice for a couple of years. Who knew with this galaxy. He'd need to look deeper into her. However, it was likely that other members of this Task Force may not take the word of a young lady too seriously. And in her position, they needed to.

"Like Elena said, she's running communications. She'll be our eyes in the sky and keep her crosshairs ready. She'll be important to listen to. Same goes for your explosives expert, don't touch anything she says not to, and listen to the pilot when she tells you to do something when on her boat. The more we listen and respect each other's specialties the faster we get done with missions and safer we all are." He felt like he was explaining some incredibly basic ground rules, but reviewing it was better than not reviewing it.

"Dun' wanna steal ya thunder, cap'. But might be fun to do a team building exercise or something? Names and occupations are all good an' chit, but if ya wanna trust someone with yar life in the field... best to know what they made of, eh?"

"Unless we wanna continue talking ourselves up, 'course, then I got plenty of war time stories where I am shiny as feth."

He smiled at Verin's enthusiasm. She would be someone easy to get along with. "Exercise sounds good. We have a training area we are allotted, battle droids to practice against. We can run scenarios and different team makeups."

 

[Samuel Exel]

CORUSCANT | CLOSED LOCATION
Tag: || Dominik Borra || Cordé Sabo || Verin || Lyrrin || Mara Kellarov || Lorian Arrlandi ||

His arms were crossed across the chestplate, as he evaluated the rest of the members of the Task Force from the side of the room he idled at.

He was, frankly, annoyed when Lyrrin questioned Dominik. It was a fair question, but nonetheless, Lyrrin did not even bother to hide the haughty air that seemingly reeked from the Farghul. For the moment, it was not his problem. It was more-so the fact Samuel trusted the Chief Deputy, or at least to the extent one could without having interacted with them much as of yet. He was half-tempted to make this apparent, but he decided it best to not draw attention to such a fact. When Dominik gave a rebuttal to Lyrrin, the Mercenary listened intently, making sure to note the background for later. Perhaps ask for advice - being trained from a young age, Dominik certainly held more experience than himself.

One by one, the rest of the squad told of their roles. He listened to each, from the Pilot, to the Medic, to the bright-eyed individual who would be running Communications. Age, too, was not really deemed an issue - experience, sure, but one can learn over time. He just hoped they wouldn’t be making mistakes in the middle of the field, but with such a role, it would be a bit hard to. Frankly, she looked agreeable enough, and that meant easy-to-work with. Verin’s casualness, seemingly direct nature was noted, and appreciated as well. Thus, it eventually became his turn.

“I am Gorian,” Came the deep, modulated voice from the armored individual. “I am a Mercenary. A Bounty Hunter. Whatever sort of title you may wish to give to such a profession. My skills vary, so I will leave it up to the discretion of my employers, and by proxy, the Deputy Chief, as to where I am needed on the field.” He was not so pretentious as to tout his own greatness, or brag of how much experience he had. They would see for themselves how he performs on the field, and make their own judgements as they will. He cared little for any negative or distrustful opinions about him, so long as they did not interfere with his performance in this contract. “The Pointman of such operations is the typical choice for most of my employers.” Came his own suggestion. He was clad in armor, shielding, and bristling with armaments befitting a small squadron of its own. It’d be unlikely he’d fit anywhere except towards the front unless otherwise needed.

“I have fought Forcies before. Turned in a couple for credits, dead and alive. I am unused to working in a squad, but I expect it’ll expedite the process. I do not want to be dragging bodies back from the field. I will mitigate what I can.” His words were blunt, and direct. Not exactly the most diplomatic nor elegant, but this was a military setting. In a way, it was a vague assurance he would keep others from harm, but it could’ve come off as a tad disparaging to others.

“I welcome the opportunity for whatever exercise is deemed necessary, if it will ease doubts.” Came his next statement, upon Verin ‘s proposal for a team-building exercise, and Dominik’s subsequent agreement with such.

 

[Verin]

Lorian Arrlandi | Lyrrin | Samuel Exel | Dominik Borra | Cordé Sabo | Mara Kellarov | Elena Lowe | Tiric Sar'andor

The boss seemed to like the idea.

That was great.

She smiled at his suggestions. "Well, I was thinking more like a drinking contest to see who drops under the table first, but..." Then Verin shrugged a little. "Suppose actual training will be more useful and less painful the next morning." Darn shame however. If there was one thing that the engineer enjoyed was drinking on the company dime.

M couldn't very well NOT pay for their drinks if it was a team exercise, right?

"Anyway, if we want to do combat scenarios..." Smile turned to grin. "Why not use the simulator? Shiny as feth thing, I doubt SIA will deny us access since we are their brightest and bravest."

New piece of tech, that simulator.

Strap yourself into the chair, close your eyes for a nap and wake up in a virtual simulated environment. Die as often as you'd like, but you will be right back on the field in a split second. That ought to help them train alright. "Maybe Lyrrin can get some of that pent-up frustration out by virtually shooting you a few times too, chief."

Mischievous glint there as she looked from one to the other.

That was one way of solving inter-personal grievances.

 

[Lyrrin]

TASK FORCE NULL

​

Lyrrin looked Dominik Borra over as he explained his past to the Farghul agent. It was enlightening for certain and did some level of assuaging of his skepticism of the former citizen of the Sith. Though the history of the Galaxy was rife with betrayals and long cons... it could not be totally ruled out, in Lyrrin's mind, that Borra was one such manipulations biding his time "Yes." Lyrrin nodded "That does answer my question."

When Mara Kellarov introduced herself as the Demolitions Expert of the task force, Lyrrin gave her a somewhat restrained look of skepticism. Though he said nothing in return and only offered her an acknowledging stare. Then the very same went to Verin , another face that was a complete stranger to him. So many strangers, where had they all been during Operation Heartseeker? Had M really been that hands-on with Valery, Kalie, and himself that they operated in near isolation of other agents? Elena Lowe introduced herself next as the SIGNIT expert. A field that Lyrrin had some experience with during his long stint with the VEIL Division in the agency. So he could respect that kind of experience even though, like all the others, Lyrrin gave her a judgmental look. He really was clearly the most charismatic among them.

Then there was the bounty hunter Samuel Exel , beholden only to credits and as untrustworthy as they came - aside from perhaps Jedi. Lyrrin's incredulity was truly now boundless. A mercenary? He'd have to leave a strongly worded note with M. Perhaps something along the lines of calling her a banthahead. Maybe. Maybe he'd order rare flowers for her life day present then charge it to her personal account?

Lyrrin slid his eyes over to Verin when she made her joke, which he knew was a joke but acted as if it was a very serious statement "That's a fantastic suggestion. Perhaps you aren't the worst idea IVI has had." perhaps now they'd all know that Lyrrin had been mentally tallying them up in summary judgement while they introduced themselves. And now Verin was not at the bottom! Congratulations Verin!

 

[Lorian Arrlandi]

Location: Coruscant, Unknown location.
Objective: Get oriented as a new recruit in the Task Force Null.
Tag: || Dominik Borra || Cordé Sabo || Verin || Rowan Corde || Driver || Lyrrin || Samuel Exel || Mara Kellarov || ​

Lorian would simply listen to his leader, re-appearing one or two meters behind Lyrrin and saying "I'm in for either exercises, it could be fun drinking and blasting droids." Lorian would then quickly examine this warehouse.

He would be listening to Samuel Exel , a bounty hunter could add some spices to the Task Force, that's for sure. And then, there's Verin , demolitions expert. Well, they say, when breaking their necks don't work, just explode their Kriffing face.

Ah yes, then there's Lyrrin , does anyone really like her? "I'm pretty awesome but that's coming from Jedi Master Valery Noble , not me, Hero of the Alliance and all that - heard of her? She's okay." That kind of persons, make Lorian irritated, always to brag their accomplishments. Lorian, at least, never said that he was one of the Naboo royal guards.

Lorian would then sigh, trying to abstract the fact that this person was irritating. Who knows, could be a great asset in our team? Or will it?

 

[Cordé Sabo]

______________________________________________________________
D U L C E T
CORUSCANT | UNDISCLOSED SIA LOCATION
______________________________________________________________
​

One after the other, the faces gave themselves names, and names had specialties. Demolitions, slicing, mechanic, communications and a mercenary. The skills and experiences of each plotted along a diverse spectrum, and Cordé felt herself slip into a blip of undue self awareness.

Her experiences against Sith had been comparatively less than the others in attendance, and she was grateful the launched interrogation on the Deputy Chief hadn’t turned on her. Her track record could use some improving. More experience, for sure.

Therefore, she was heavily in favour of the idea of a virtual simulation under the heavy dosage of a consciousness-altering cocktail. For two reasons.

One — most of her training against Sith, or Force Users in general, had been in simulations one way or another.

Two — The casualties or injuries she’d have to inevitably deal with post-exercise were effectively reduced to zero.

“Let’s do it.”

The technology that would give them access to the entirely simulated experience was behind closed doors, down the hallway. The door was clearly marked, and opened readily to a large circular room ringed with individual doorways. In each stall was a large slanted chair and perceivably nothing else.

Sliding her gaze along the room, taking stock of all the information she’d been trained to take, Cordé inventoried the doors surrounding the centre. The number of doors almost matched the number of Nullers. Almost. There were two extra, and one seemed closed.

The booths were entirely discreet from one another. Each about a shoulder’s width apart, and when it was occupied, it looked made of durasteel. When empty, glasteel. Inside, it was entirely personalised. The atmosphere and privacy conditions could be controlled by the person settling in for the ride. An ergonomic design choice at first, but, Cordé thought, probably a good safety mechanism for when hotheads came out of the training simulations and needed a moment to reacquaint themselves with reality when out of the chair. Especially if trainees were shooting at one another and their sense of reality blurred.

Before entering her private enclosure, Cordé slunk next to Verin and tugged her wrist: “You were smart to smoke before doing this.” For some reason, the medic’s nerves were buzzing. A cigarra would have been calming.

Then, it was into the chair. She felt it fold around her, welcoming her to be comfortable. The door to the pod shut, the lights dimmed, and she heard a brief hissing sound. Next, she felt an intense prick above and below her ears, and then nothing.

Then nothing turned into everything.

She wasn’t expecting to feel as much as she felt, let alone anything. The heaviness of the air, the soft dampness from the lifting mist. Her balance came readily, her awareness, less so.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the proving grounds. Slowly, the blackest black she’d ever seen started to fade away and the light adjusted to the first hint of dawn turning off the dimmest stars. The air smelled like burnt cinnamon and sounded like birdsong.

<Eerie.> Cordé heard herself say, and felt her jaw move. Her voice sounded like she was speaking through a modulator.

WELCOME, TASK FORCE NULL.

THERE ARE NO ENHANCEMENTS TO YOUR PERFORMANCE. THIS IS AS REAL A SIMULATION AS POSSIBLE — INCLUDING THE FULL SENSORY EXPERIENCE. THERE WILL BE PAIN.

Time and death were the only differences between this immersive realm and the one they left behind.

YOUR TEAM DESIGNATIONS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO YOU. ANYONE NOT ON YOUR TEAM LIKELY HAS A COUNTER OBJECTIVE.

BOTH TEAMS WILL ENCOUNTER HOSTILES. HOW YOU CHOOSE TO ENGAGE THE HOSTILES, THE OTHER TEAM, AND YOUR OWN TEAM, IS SUBJECT TO EVALUATION.

OUT OF THIS SIMULATOR, YOU ARE ONE TEAM.

IN HERE, YOU’LL FIND OUT.

And then, it sounded as if the robotic announcer's voice was smiling. ENJOY LEARNING ONE ANOTHER’S INTIMACIES.

Cordé felt a buzz against her skull, and when she reached to touch the sensation, she realised she was wearing armour with an outfitted HUD. The mission’s objective scrawled across her eyes.

» SEARCH AND DESTROY
»» THREE AND A HALF CLICKS FROM YOUR LOCATION IS A SITH TOMB WITH AN ARTEFACT THE SIA HAS IDENTIFIED TO BE DESTROYED. THE LAST TEAM TO THE CHECKPOINT WILL BE ELIMINATED.

»» »» BEWARE OF DARKSIDE CULTISTS HUNTING THE ARTEFACT. THEY WILL USE IT FOR A RITUAL TO REVIVE THEIR GODDESS OF DESTRUCTION. HOSTILE. IF THIS HAPPENS, BOTH TEAMS ARE ELIMINATED.
»» »» »» SEVENTY MINUTES UNTIL JEDI TEAMS ARRIVE TO CONFISCATE SITH ARTEFACTS THAT THE SIA MUST DESTROY. IF THIS HAPPENS, BOTH TEAMS ARE ELIMINATED.

______________________________________________________________
MENACE 1 Verin | MENACE 2 Samuel Exel | MENACE 3 Lyrrin | MENACE 4 Mara Kellarov | MENACE 5: Elena Lowe
THUNDER 1 Dominik Borra | THUNDER 2 Driver | THUNDER 3 Cordé Sabo | THUNDER 4 Lorian Arrlandi
ANTAG: Tiric Sar'andor | Pyke Lazar
______________________________________________________________​