Over the River and Through the Woods, to Galidraan the Shadows Go!

[Kian Karr]

Location: On the Dorin Run enroute to Galidraan
Objective 1: Investigate Reports of Darth Sevena’s presence
On board: Kian Karr - [member="Varus Shatterstar"] - [member="Roshki Belawiiks"] - [member="Veino Garn"]
Enemy: [member="Vehanv Kiva"]

Darth Sevena. She had become a bit of an obsession for Kian in the months since the Shadows encountered her and her Sith cult on Gyndine. He had searched for her and any remnants of her group since that encounter and recently reports had begun to trickle in about the presence of the cult on Galidraan. Kian had sent a Shadow to investigate and report back. Only one message made it back to him before the Shadow went silent. “Darth Sevena is here.”

Kian trusted his operative enough to give the report merit. That was why they were here. The Dorin Run was a Payday Class Freighter that Kian had picked up for use by the Jedi Shadows. Now it housed his team of Jedi as they made their way to Galidraan. Walking down the corridor, Kian entered the conference room and hit the intercomm.

“Meeting in the conference room.” Kian said, indicating to the others that they should join him there. They had a lot to discuss before they reached the planet. Kian entered in a few codes to the console before him and uploaded the dossier for the mission into the datapads on the table.

Kian trusted his people and had gotten into the habit of directing Shadows on their missions, but this was one he had to be on.

He had unfinished business with this Sith.

Location: Ruusan Jedi Academy
Objective 2: Stop the Thieves
On Ruusan: [member="Kana Truden"] - [member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Hephaestus"]
Enemy: [member="Darth Akron"]

Soli Baris strolled through the Academy on Ruusan, a datapad clutched in her hands. The young girl glanced around as she went, evaluating everyone as she went. She was practicing the skills Kian and the other Shadows were showing her. The evaluation of people was a vital skill for someone in her line of work…..the work of the Jedi Shadows.

Today, though, she was nothing more than a glorified delivery girl. At least that is how she viewed it. Turning a bend in the cooridor, Soli glanced around, wondering where she would find the two Jedi she was sent to deliver the datapad too. She hadn’t met [member="Corvus Raaf"] or [member="Kana Truden"] before but she had read up on all the work they had done with the Jedi, even the more secretive work they had done with the Jedi Shadows.

“The Jedi Archives.” Soli said to herself smiling, “that is where Kian said they’d likely be!” Walking into the Archives, Soli glanced around looking for the two Jedi. It didn’t take her long to find them.

“Master Raaf, Knight Truden!” Soli said bowing in greeting toward them. “I’ve come from Ossus with this file for you from Master Karr.” Soli said handing the datapad forward.

Corvus and Kana,

I’ve left Ossus with a team of Shadows. Darth Sevena has shown her hand. I can’t say more. Soli Baris can be trusted.

May the force be with you,
Kian.

 

[Veino Garn]

Veino glanced at the message. Brief and to the point. Interesting enough then. Lots left to be desired. Presumably though, that was the point of the meeting. So he stood from his small table where he had been engraving a small amulet. Nothing special. Nothing magical. Just a small wooden piece of jewelry. It was crude, to say the least, as he was rather new at carving. It was a challenging skill to learn, and even more difficult to master.

But now was not the time to meditate on the nature of wood carving. He had been tapped to assist in a Shadow mission, although he wasn't entirely sure why or how. His last tussle with the Dark Side had ended badly, and he still had a lumpy scar along his scalp from the bite wound. It looked like he'd find out. Pocketing the small brooch, he headed out and to the conference room, ambling through the hallways until he entered the room, eyeing [member="Kian Karr"] and the datapads around the table.

"This looks a bit like old classes," He murmured, a ghost of a smile lingering on his face as he took a seat. "I take it we'll wait for others to arrive?"

But there was a tension in the air. No, not the air. Emotionally? Perhaps. Veino cautiously lowered his emotional barriers, wincing slightly in anticipation, but not much slammed into his brain. Just the usual low level emotions found around Jedi. Even serenity is an emotion. But there was something else he couldn't quite identify. The smile vanished from his face as quickly as it appeared, and he leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table.

"Something's different about this, isn't it?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus sat in the Academy on Russan. Her role on Ossus meant she as appraising everything for how she could improve the facilities there.

She was there with Kana and a promising Padawan who’d designed and built her protocol droid named Hephaestus. And yes, it was the Padawan not the droid that went by that name. The Archives were decent enough but did not compare with what was on offer on Ossus. As she was about to take her seat at the table with the others, she was aware that a Padawan had managed to ‘sneak’ up on them, clutching a datapad. After bowing,. Corvus accepted the package and without so much as an explanation the girl was gone again.

Corvus handed the datapad over to her two companions. ”What does it say?”

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Hephaestus"] | [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian was a bit distracted, but he was drawn out of his thoughts by the arrival of Veino Garn. Kian smiled beneath his mask and bowed his head to Veino as he entered. Kian liked the Jedi and was glad to see he had signed up for the assignment. They had fought together on Alderaan briefly and Kian had come to respect the man's abilities and insights.

"Yes, they should be here soon." Kian said. Kian raised an eyebrow at the second comment. He had forgotten that Jedi Garn was practiced at empathy and was likely picking up the tension Kian felt. Kian was typically very good at keeping his emotions under control, but he was on edge with this mission.

"Yes, a bit." Kian said taking a seat across from Veino. "This Sith, she escaped us on Gyndine....I don't intend on letting that happen again." Kian said matter-of-factly. Ideally, they might be able to capture Darth Sevena and get a better glimpse at the extent and power of her cult. But they may also have to destroy her. Kian didn't like killing, but the Shadows were sworn to hunting down and routing out the darkside. This meant hunting the Sith....and, regretfully, killing them sometimes.

[member="Veino Garn"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"] | [member="Roshki Belawiiks"] | [member="Vehanv Kiva"] | [member="Darth Akron"] | [member="Hephaestus"]​

 

[Roshki Belawiiks]

Location: On the Dorin Run enroute to Galidraan
Objective 1: Investigate Reports of Darth Sevena’s presence
On board: [member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Varus Shatterstar"] - [member="Veino Garn"]
Enemy: [member="Vehanv Kiva"]


I walked swiftly towards the conference room, dodging passersby and the occasional droid. And while some onlookers might have assumed it was because I was in a desperate hurry to get where I needed, but it was quite the opposite. As with most of my things here, I didn't mind not being on time; as they say, better late than never, right?

No, I was moving fast in an attempt to ignore the itch on my arm. I knew I should have taken a dose much earlier, but I'd gotten distracted and didn't remember until Karr called, summoning some folks (aka yours truly) to some conference room. At that point, it was too late and I didn't dare to attempt to take another dose. Otherwise, even the younglings would have been able to pick out what I'd done. A smaller dose of AV might've been unnoticable (well, except for me being happier than my normal sunshiney self) but it wouldn't have been enough. Sigh.

As usual, I wore long, semi-loose sleeves and formfitting pants. I disliked the entire outfit, except for the boots. Now, those things were lubed! On my back, in the meantime, was a standard training saber that I'd snagged from one of the training rooms. I still sucked pretty badly at using it, but not enough where I should leave it behind. Besides, I might just gain some more practice with it. Or use it as my excuse.

Wait, when had I started planning ahead? I frowned at this. It could be nothing but an errant thought, but...what if -- dare I say it? -- I was actually starting to want to stay here. This worried me, but I didn't have time to think on it much more, as I'd reached my destination.

Scratching my arm in what I hoped was a nonchalant manner, I walked into the room, jerking my head in acknowledgement to the Kel Dor. " 'Sup, Double Kay? What're we doing now?" Ignoring the other fellow, I plopped down into a seat at the table and propped my feet up casually.

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus had been meditating in the small hanger at the rear of the ship alone since they'd departed. He had been there because he didn't know where else to be, and because he felt more and more like his privacy was invaluable the more he grew as a Jedi. That, however, had not been anyone else's fault but his own, realizing that when he'd returned to Ossus after getting good and lost on Corellia, he hadn't brought all of himself back.

The more he trained and the harder he fought the Sith, the quicker he was beginning to realize that there was little difference between he and his enemy. He'd realized all too quickly that he was growing strong and fillin with knowledge of the force, but if something didn't change he could very well become the enemy he fought.

...and he didn't want to be a monster.

When he'd heard Kian's voice over the comm, Varus glanced up from his meditation. He then pushed off of the crate he was sitting on and slowly found his way through the ship to the conference room. When he entered he noticed Veino for a Jedi he'd met on a few occasions, but he hadn't met the other before.

Typically that would queue Varus happy nature and send him into and overly friendly greeting that put some off and surprised others, but he did nothing the moment he saw her. He simply glanced in her direction, acknowledging her presence, and then found his way to a seat, taking it without a word.

 

[Kyla Foy]

This day, Hephaestus was not with Master Alince, but with Master Corvus Raaf another Jedi-Master who he had given in the passed a great translation protocol droid. It was hand made by himself. It was pretty boring within the room. He didn't like sitting near no droids to adjust or to not hear the machines within his training room. He got handed over a datapad given by a girl, "Hmm, let's see..." He said before reading it out loud but not that insanely hard,
Corvus and Kana,

I’ve left Ossus with a team of Shadows. Darth Sevena has shown her hand. I can't say more. Soli Baris can be trusted

May the force be with you,
Kian."

After hearing the word Darth, he was thinking for a moment, "Doesn't Darth mean it is a Sith..." He asked her, while thinking, "My super droids are not ready yet..I got the blueprints, but...let's just wait what she says.."

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kana Truden]

It was with a content smile that Kana left her quarters. Everything was shaping up for a good day and she would soon be on the ready to teach her students a thing or two about, well, all sorts of things. The pains of being a new teacher still stung but with the surfacing of a few very promising opportunities to connect with her students she couldn’t help but feel good. The first step outside her door was followed by a few others, but it wasn’t her own.

A young padawan approached her and handed her a message with a smile. So this was the Soli Baris that Kian had praise so? A warm smile was shot back to Soli as Kana began following her to the others. A smile that quickly faded as she reread the message. Maybe a good day would have been too much to ask for, as always. Darth Sevena, now that was stuff of ancient. If Kana remembered it right she had passed out during that operation.

“Great.” Kana muttered as she approached [member="Corvus Raaf"]. “This again, huh? Sith on Ossus. Good times.”

Except not really.

 

[Kian Karr]

Location: On The Dorin Run enroute to Galidraan
Objective 1: Investigate Reports of Darth Sevena’s presence
On board: Kian Karr - @Varus Shatterstarhttp://starwarsrp.net/user/5307-varus-shatterstar/ - @Roshki Belawiiks - @Veino Garn

Kian eyed his apprentices sternly for a moment. Roshki wasn't as late as usual, but didn't seem to care for endearing herself to the group with the ignoring of the Jedi Garn. But then again, that wasn't all that surprising with the young Jedi. She was a hard egg to crack, but Kian was confident he would worm his way.....he was good at that.

As for Varus, well he wasn't typically cool to people like he had just been. Varus was usually all charm and personality, but today he was quiet. Kian made note of the behavior of both his padawans, but said nothing. He couldn't worry about that now, they were on a mission and some things took priority. Kian turned toward Veino and waved a hand at Varus and Roshki.

"Jedi Garn, these are two of my apprentices, Roshki Belawiiks and Varus Shatterstar." Kian said and then turned his head toward them, tilting it slightly. "My rather rude apprentices." Kian said smiling beneath the mask.

Kian didn't wait for a reply, but activated the switch on the console and the windows to the conference room tinted and the holoprojecter activated, showing the planet of Galidraan.

"This is our destination, Galidraan." Kian said as the image of the planet began to slowly spin in front of them. "Jedi Luca, one of my more experienced Shadows, followed a lead on the Sith Cultists we faced on Gyndine to the planet." Kian pointed toward the datapads sitting before them. "Information on that mission, codenamed Mynock, is loaded into your datapads. The Sith Cult we encountered on Gyndine was lead by a Sith Lord named Darth Sevena. It was a report of her presence that Luca was following."

Kian stopped for a moment and looked through the group. "We lost contact with Luca several days ago."

"Roshki." Kian said turning toward his younger apprentice. "Why don't you tell us about Galidraan?" Kian said, in that voice he often used that made it clear it wasn't a question. Kian had to admit to himself as well that his apprentices weren't the only ones acting differently. He wasn't his usual joking, jovial self. He was worried about his agent and he was hellbent on catching Darth Sevena before she had an opportunity to get offworld.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Hephaestus"]

 

[Roshki Belawiiks]

Location: On the Dorin Run enroute to Galidraan
Objective 1: Investigate Reports of Darth Sevena’s presence
On board: [member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Varus Shatterstar"] - [member="Veino Garn"]
Enemy: [member="Vehanv Kiva"]

I twisted my head to look at the newcomer, some human fellow. He was kinda cute-looking by human standards -- tall, dark, and brooding. Too bad I wasn't human.

To be honest, I wasn't all that surprised when he snubbed me. Plenty of the other Padawans and Knights had apparently caught wind of my past, enough to completely distort the rumours out of proportions. Because of that, not many folks wanted to be near me. Sucked for them, though -- they didn't know what they were missing, with my charming personality and all. Besides, living where I did meant you had to have a tough skin, or you were nexu bait.

So, I just shrugged it off, grunting as Karr introduced the first Jedi, Garn, to myself and Mr. Quiet, aka Varus Shatterstar. Interesting name. "Nah, I'm not rude, Double Kay. Simply assuming my reputation precedes me." Giving the Kel Dor a winning smile, I focused my attention on picking at my nail polish. It was a black color, and I was bored with it, anyway.

Of course, my lack of attention was promptly noticed by Karr, who called me out. At the sound of my name, my head shot up and a scowl was on my face. "Like hell I'm going to--" I cut myself off, realising I really didn't have much of a choice. So, narrowing my eyes threateningly, I racked my mind for the planet name.

Galidraan, Galidraan... I knew I'd read it before, somewhere. As the official story goes, one of the Masters was fed up with my attitude and made me read the histories of all the planets discovered. The real truth was I did it of my own accord, when I was bored. But hey, no need to ruin my sterling rep I had.

Scratching my arm absently, I replied in a bored tone, "Galidraan's cold, innit? Got lots of snow and forests. Was with the Impies for a while there, too. Sufficient for you, Double Kay? If you want I could fetch you a datapad that isn't, ah, broken."

Hey, I had to get back at him for calling me out somehow.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian cast a look at Roshki and cocked his head. She liked to push things, he'd give her that.

"For now." Kian said turning to Varus and Veino. "I don't know why Darth Sevena and her cult would come to Galidraan. There doesn't seem to be any tactical reason for it." Kian had spent a great deal of time trying to figure out why the Sith had come there, but he still hadn't any clue as to their motives.

Galidraan was a beautiful world, he was told, but there didn't seem anything there of value to the cult. Nothing that would strengthen them. Nor was there much of an infrastructure to overtake as they had on Gyndine. Galidraan was run by a governor who oversaw the planet. They couldn't hope to infiltrate his royal court.

"The last recorded contact with Luca pointed to this region here." Kian said and the hologram of the planet zoomed in, focusing on a cluster of trees. Kian pressed a few buttons and the trees cleared, revealing a rocky alcove that feed into a cave.

"That cave is our destination." Kian said turning his attention from the hologram back to the party before him. "I'm not going to lie, they will have an advantage there. It is their hideout and they know we are looking for them.....especially if they found my agent."

"What are your thoughts?" Kian asked the group. He had his own ideas as to how they should proceed, but he liked to use meetings like this to hear the opinions of others. Many in the room came from all different walks of life and their unique perspectives might lead to a better way to proceed then what Kian had thought of.

[member="Roshki Belawiiks"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"] | [member="Veino Garn"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Vehanv Kiva"] | [member="Hephaestus"] | [member="Darth Akron"]

 

[Veino Garn]

Veino raised an eyebrow as the other two entered, the first referring to Kian as "double K." He had to stifle a burst of laughter at that. It was one of the funniest things he had seen since joining up with the Jedi, to be completely honest. It was a shame that Kel Dor facial expressions were so hard to read. His would have undoubtedly been priceless. But now was not the time for that.

They were both his apprentices then? The Jedi Order was getting scandalously liberal in this day and age. The Saarai-Kar would have a fit if she knew about it. But the Jedi were a little more lenient than she was. Or rather, much more lenient. If there was ever an Iron Lady, it would be her.

He quirked an eyebrow at the brief summary of their target planet. It was hardly of military caliber, that was for sure. But they were padawans, so they had time yet to learn. They even had datapads in front of them that could pull all sorts of easy information. They didn't have to resort to memory.

Then the true briefing began, and he leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table and using that hand to prop up his chin. Hooray. Another cult in a cave. Did they always hide in caves? Apparently. Those who loved darkness tended to dwell within it physically as well as spiritually. They spent too much time brooding alone, which young Shatterstar seemed to be doing at the moment, and they suffered for it.

"I think..." Veino began slowly, studying the area, "We'll need someone who can't be detected through the Force to scout the area beforehand." He moved his hand along the area, "And locate any other exits to the cave before even attempting get near the entrance. Be prepared for hazardous gases, just in case." He tapped his finger on his chin. "And perhaps evacuate the area of civilians, perhaps by claiming hazardous tectonic activity."

[member="Kian Karr"] [member="Roshki Belawiiks"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus looked at Kana and Hephaestus, a slightly vacant look on her face. "So...what's next?"

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Hephaestus"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus studied the others movements for a long time as he listen to them exchanging words. When Kian began to explain the plan to them his cobalt eyes shifted over to the Kel Dor who was showing them the compound that they would be infiltrating. He then shifted his eyes to Veino as he began looking over the map and making his suggestions based and how he thought they should approach.

There wasn't much that Varus felt the need to add, and so he sat back in his seat and crossed his large, muscled arms across his chest. He waited patiently until Kian glanced over to him. As his master looked over at him Varus shrugged and said, "When do we start?"

[member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Veino Garn"] - [member="Roshki Belawiiks"]

 

[Kian Karr]

((ooc: Vehanv is one of K.Grayson's alts so we might have to drag out the trip/arrival posts until she is back from her LOA))

Kian nodded with [member="Veino Garn"]'s assessment and then turned toward [member="Varus Shatterstar"].

"We already have! We will arrive on the planet in a few hours," Kian said smiling, "Until then, Varus and [member="Roshki Belawiiks"], why don't you make your way to the training room. It doesn't hurt to hone your skills before a mission." Kian said indicating to everyone that the meeting was adjourned.

The Dorin Run, a Payday Class Freighter, had been outfitted for Shadow duties. As such, the main hold was designed to function as a training room for any Jedi on board. It wasn't a particularly large training room, but it had all the necessities, such as training droids and training sabers. As a padawan, Kian had often found that training before a mission helped to alleviate any tension and anxiety that was often present.

Kian hung back, waiting for the apprentices to leave before Veino and he could talk in private.

 

[Roshki Belawiiks]

Location: On the Dorin Run enroute to Galidraan
Objective 1: Investigate Reports of Darth Sevena’s presence
On board: [member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Varus Shatterstar"] - [member="Veino Garn"]
Enemy: [member="Vehanv Kiva"]

When it was clear that Karr didn't want anymore things from me, I readjusted in my seat, bringing my knees up and resting my itchy arm in front of my mouth. The damned thing was still going, and fingernails weren't working, so maybe chewing on it will work. At the very least, the pain ought to distract me. There was no way I was going to be able to do my daily dose without the others finding out, and if they did things would not look well for me. I'd already decided that these folks would just as soon lock me up in some "rehab" than they would release me. Stupid Jedi and their uppity-tendencies.

In any case, I was still paying attention to what the Kel Dor was saying, even if my body language said otherwise. It seemed we had to go to some crummy cave surrounded by people who wanted to slit our throats. Ah, just like home. Alright, so maybe the similarities weren't that great, but some days the slums of Commenor could certainly beat a cave of crazies any day.

My black eyes darted to Garn and Mr. Quiet Man. Karr could probably handle himself in the situation coming (and no, that wasn't just bias; even if I didn't acknowledge him officially as my Master, I still respected his skills. Kind of.) but I wasn't so sure about the other two humans. Honestly, they both seemed like goody-goody pretty boys. It'd be interesting to see what they did.

Spitting out my sleeve fabric, I gave the Kel Dor a grudging look. I didn't want to train with Mr. Quiet Man. I wanted to sit somewhere and gently bang my head against the wall to keep me from going into withdrawal. "Double Kay, you should know by now that my skillset ain't the kind that can be honed in some sparring room." Even so, I unfurled my legs and stood up, stretching a bit before walking towards the door. I didn't bother to see if my fellow Padawan was following.

 

[Veino Garn]

Veino noticed the suggestion that the padawans leave and he stay, implying there was something else to be discussed with [member="Kian Karr"]. So he leaned back in his seat and waited for whatever the other Jedi wanted to discuss. What was it that he didn't want the padawans to hear? That was a strange way of communicating things. Almost unnerving knowing that half the team would be unaware of what else was going on. That was dangerous. Sometimes it got people killed. Hopefully they could avoid that this time around.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Roshki Belawiiks"]

 

[Kyla Foy]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] @[member='Kana Truden ']

When he heard Corvus Raaf, the Jedi master. He looked at her slightly confused, "Uhm, we go towards his location, ofcourse! If we look into the Jedi Database, we could see when all ships had left the planet and uhm, if it is a Shadow mission, it should somehow be either a small ship or maybe a cargo. If we look at those options we can see where he is heading to~" The young nerdy jedi said as he smiled towards the Knight and the Jedi master