Phrikin Templars (Templar Order)

[Darth Ferus]

Once upon a time the Sith Assassins came to Gromas 16 under the leadership of Darth Ferus to collect the old dark trooper program and to gain some Phrik. Once again the Zabrak came to this forsaken world, though not for the Assassins. Instead, it was for the Templars, an old organization he was a member of, and now was trying to bring back from their slumber.

Outside the old facility he stood, gently setting a hand onto the hilt of his sword. It was unlikely the Assassins left it untrapped, and less likely that there wasn't some of the old dark troopers running again. It would be a fight to get to where the Phrik was being stored, that was for sure.

 

[Vaulkhar]

Beside the huge and imposing form of his king, Vaulkhar stood almost nonchalantly. His hands were clasped together behind his head as he casually leaned back against a pillar that kept aloft an outcropping of the building's roof. At his side hung his two sabers, at his back two blasters. He was garbed in his modified Sith Assassin gear simply because he found this endeavor entirely ironic. Here he came to slaughter who the Assassins' left behind to gather the materials needed to properly arm and armor the order he now served. It was positively hilarious to the young Zambrano, though he kept the humor he found in it locked away. His facial feature spoke of stoicism as he awaited the order's of Krest, along with the arrival of any other's the king may of contacted. He closed his blind eyes and focused upon the force as he waited, allowing his senses to spread outward beyond their normal reach, seeking to further his understanding of his surroundings and ensure the duo would not be ambushed by any left over troops within or patrolling the outskirts of the facility.

"We've got the go ahead to kill, right?"

[member="Krest"]

 

[WolfMortum]

"So very typical" Veiere commented as he moved to join the pair, slowly moving in stride until he found his position to the other side of the King of Iridonia; "Practice some restraint Vaulkhar...-Least I mistake you for your Father" the gaze of the Jedi Master moved first to gauge [member="Krest"]'s reaction before looking beyond the Zabrak to offer the younger man a cautioning eye. There was no shortage of irony in the fact that they found themselves working together, this Templar dream of the Iridonian placing Veiere in a most disconcerting position, working with the Son of the man whom had devastated Commenor.

Krest had proven himself useful in reuniting Veiere with a means of consistent and private communication with his wife, [member="Lady Kay"]. Telepathic, private and at share will. This however, did not ease the lack of trust that he held for one so willing to draw the blood of others. The way of the Sith, or rather the merciless, that much was true. "With so many other sources of Phrik in the Galaxy, you've come expecting a fight...-Is there something you've neglected to tell me, Krest" Veiere's attention turned to the Zabrak, his gaze however sweeping the land out in-front of them.

"These Templars of yours are so few in number...-There could have been less confrontational methods of acquiring the mineral you're after. I've contacts in the Mandalorian Empire for example..." Veiere held no wish to become embroiled in a fight that could well be avoided, though he had agreed to assist out of means to thank the pair of them for their efforts thus far with regards to Commenor. It would not be long till [member="Einon"] would find himself contacted, and through him, Veiere returned a far more stable connection to his wife. For now however, Krest deserved aid for what he had done and Veiere was not a man that took the help of others for granted.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Krest"] [member="Vaulkhar"] [member="Veiere Arenais"]

Gromas 16
The Ground


Where once she'd been a stalwart Jedi, so innocent and sweet, those days had passed.

​

Much too long passed.​

Now she'd heard the call of an organization similar to hers. She'd made a decisive action to merge the two interests. Her own Dark Templar, being but a shadow of what the former Templar Order was, under the old CIS, they were still formidable. They'd struck a blow at Dagobah, crippling communications, fled to Hapes and laid dormant, as they watched and waited, looking for the next slip up and chink in the Sith Empires Armor.

From orbit they'd launched, her behind the controls of her old StealthX. She felt alive again, and as they approached their location, they;d find her, and two of her Dark Templar Guards, decked out in power armor, waiting with arms crossed. Her own eyes fell upon them first, with no helm on.

"Greetings then Templars."

On each hip, magnetically holstered pistols. At her back a shorty shotgun. And in a holster at the small of her back laid her lightsaber, Seraph, the blade she'd taken so many times up against the dark tides.

"Well met. My name is Karren Trask."

Veire might have heard whispers of her.They'd tried to assist the Commenori during the Siege, only to melt away due to superior firepower, and the tactical situation being much to fluid to make any real progress...

​

And now let us see if these templar are worth the salt.​

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Only droids remain." The aged king responded to both [member="Veiere Arenais"] and [member="Vaulkhar"] , casting his glance to each of them. It certainly seemed like it would be a while before the pair would truly get along. "The Assassins abandoned this place when I commanded them to do so. We had gotten what we needed, and of course made sure others wouldn't know we were here. Perks of once being the Shadow of the Dark Lord hmm?" He laughed heartily at what was meant to be a joke, yet was completely truth.

"Once upon a time our arms and armor were made by Mandalorians. This time I think it's important we find our own sources." With that said he'd continue forward, right towards where [member="Karren Trask"] was despite her not being in sight yet. Once she and her two men finally were Krest bowed his head to her greeting, smiling wide.

"And I am Krest. Tell me, my friend, what brings the Dark Templars to such an abandoned facility?"

 

[RC 212]

[member="Krest"]

Gromas 16
The Ground

Karren gave a simple smile back.

"We heard there's some things afoot within your Order. Ours is based loosely on your Original Templars."

She frowned now.

"We hate the Sith. We heard you do too. We're here for war......."

 

[Vaulkhar]

"This shouldn't be an issue either way," Vaulkhar pushed off of the wall before moving to about as equidistant as he can get among those gathered. He listened to them speak as he dug around within his pack. Eventually he removed a small device and held it within a gloved hand. His gaze slipped from the Commenori king, past Krest, and settled on the supposed 'Dark Templar'. He found her words amusing to say the least, though he felt no need to share such information. No reason to rile up the allies. "I think everyone hates the Sith. As it turns out, being the biggest threat in the galaxy will put a target on your back," his gaze shifted back to Veiere. "And that threat alone is enough of a reason to kill every single Sith soldier we come across. However, a facility full of droids will at least hit their wallet a bit."

After he finished speaking, Vaulkhar clicked a small button on the side of the device he held. A holographic image of the very facility they stood at flickered to life before the group. It appeared the image moved in real time and contained all the information the party needed before them. Quick examination would reveal a few small notifications that popped up along the outskirts of the image, notifying movement of troops along with their number.

​

"Alright, this is the factory in real time," he paused before motioning towards the entirety of the image. "I will now review the objectives for our mission. First and foremost," he pointed at the large crates on the exterior of the building. "This houses our primary objective, the material known as Phrik. While this location holds the majority of the material, it is also the closest and most heavily guarded. If we are to extract the Phrik, expect a heavy fire fight," next his hand motioned towards the large, blinking, and beeping number 927. "Between a group of smugglers in the hills moving among the pipes and the droids of the facility, we are predicting about nine hundred and twenty seven personnel within and around the facility. If we are to take on these numbers alone, we'll be outnumbered. As such, I have marked on the holomap a secondary and tertiary objective which could ease the difficulty of this mission."

Vaulkhar's hand pointed towards the large four story front of the facility itself.

"Within the building there is a subbasement only accessible from an elevator on the top floor. The secondary objective would be reaching the elevator, descending under the facility itself to then shutdown the droids from their command center. I've been casing the factory for weeks and the only life forms I've found appear to be a Sith Lord and his apprentice who maintain the facilities defenses. It goes without saying, they must die for this objective to be met with success. Ideally before they can radio for help," Vaulkhar pointed towards the hills on the left portion of the map. "It is common for the smugglers to launch guerrilla attacks from the tree line, so it is unlikely they will radio for help unless we reveal ourselves to be who we are. Keep that in mind."

Next, the half breed motioned back towards the red, beeping 'Criminal Location' notification.

"The third and final objective would be to exterminate the Smuggler faction in the hills. From what I've gathered, they regularly supply seedier factions, the Sith included, with the Phrik they steal from this facility. If they deem themselves willing to deal with the devil, we shall send them to hell ourselves," Vaulkhar straightened and clicked off his device. "My droid is sending you all the information and this map. It updates every second, keep informed."

And with that he took a step back.

"Any questions?"

[member="Karren Trask"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[Garza]

"Yes, Do you believe us children?"

A question directed at the young man who stood as a likely apprentice to one of the other two men here. Karren Trask had walked up and shown herself to us. Ferus nearly let her in with our little group that had already formed today. I shook my head as the young man with us seemed to want to lead the entire operation. Yes, he showed his willingness to lead, and to be a leader, but it took more than information and the ability to speak to become one.

I stood along side the others mostly in silence except for my armor. The Templars had become my home. They sought to right the wrongs of the galaxy. Even if their leader was a former Sith Assassin, and had been under the thumb of some Dark Lord of the Sith. I was wary or all who crossed my path. However, much more so of this Krest due to his ties and his past. The Jedi I had more trust in simply due to their more peacekeeper nature, however, some jedi do fall.

The young man was naive to a point, but he would learn quickly. That was assured. Under who's wing? I know not.

"Should anyone wish to end this Sith lord and his pupil, I will be headed there."

[member="Vaulkhar"], [member="Karren Trask"], [member="Krest"], [member="Veiere Arenais"],​

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Now now." Krest spoke up from where he stood, peering over to [member="Zielius"] with a slight frown. "The boy was only making sure we're on the same page. You should be thankful for him to take such steps in giving us this information. Those who do the research get to call the shots after all." Well, they did now at least. Last minute rules were always the best. The Zabrak King nodded his head to [member="Vaulkhar"] in appreciation before motioning after the armored figure of Zielius.

"Take [member="Karren Trask"] and her two Dark Templars with you to help that one. Keep an eye out for the Assassins. It's likely the Sith Lord has some personal shadowy guards here and there that may or may not know we're already here." Simple orders. The Templars were more a military than a force order such as the Sith or Jedi after all. He cast a glance over his shoulder to [member="Veiere Arenais"] . "The King and I will talk to the smugglers. Under no circumstance are you to kill any smuggler you come across. They're smart enough to steal from the Assassins without getting caught, and those smarts could prove useful if convinced. It's likely they're afraid of those they sell to. If they turn out to be scum, we'll give the order to kill. But until then, treat them as you would civilians."

Which was as follows: Don't kill and assist where needed to help them evacuate. The elder gave a long glance as his apprentice, making sure to see how the boy would react to such orders. This wasn't the Sith anymore.

"Lastly, don't get killed."

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere listened to the group of them, and not great skepticism. The prospect of helping these people to take lives was not something he was comfortable with in the least; though there were always going to be noticeable distance between the integrity of a Jedi and those whom could be rather easily mistaken for being of the Sith. [member="Krest"] had supposedly walked away from the life of the Sith Empire, yet thus far Veiere was failing to see the reserve of a man Veiere had hoped would take life into consideration and care more for what was just and good, even when the consequences or proposed response of their actions had little effect on the greater Galaxy.

It would seem that they both still had plenty to discuss; Veiere's faith in the former Sith Lord was encouraged through that of [member="Lady Kay"]'s vote of confidence, yet she were not here and from the captivity of the Dark Lord's puppet council, anything to have her control over Commenor returned to her likely sounded better than the situation she had found herself in. Veiere on the other hand trusted action and that which he could experience over the words and claims of others, not one to follow upon the rumors of another but to prefer to see and judge for his own mind whether or not, the Zabrak in this case, was worthy of following and cooperating with in the bid to free his people.

While Veiere still had a great deal to undertake before Commenor could be freed, he was not prepared to encourage needless slaughter in order to succeed in his own endeavors. This Templar Order of Krest's had sounded good in theory, yet if they did not pull away from the demeanor and methods of the Sith, then Veiere's time with them would be short. He was not going to allow himself to be consumed by the Dark Side of the Force again, nor would he become the very kind of a man that he sought to remove from the throne of his own Kingdom.

For the time being, Veiere simply nodded to the Zabrak and remained silent. They would have words soon enough.

[member="Zielius"] | [member="Vaulkhar"] | [member="Karren Trask"]​

 

[Vaulkhar]

A wide smirk found a home on the half breed's lips at the words of Zielius. In that moment he recognized the man for what he was. Big sword, small brain. He turned away at the man's deceleration and settled his attention on Krest. There was no outward shift in the Prince's demeanor, he just maintained his confident smirk as he read the room, so to speak. Eventually however, he allowed it to drift away and dipped his head in a nod.

"Very well, my King," Vaulkhar raised his head once more before looking towards the facility. That left one objective: the Phrik. There was an army between him and the material itself, the very idea of taking the droids on alone seemed enjoyable, though it was suicide even for the most powerful of masters. Seven hundred plus droids tended to have too many blasters, angles, positions... the half breed could go on thinking about all the reasons he wasn't going to take on that objective alone but the time spent wouldn't be worth it. Instead he turned back towards Krest and cleared his throat. "I've an idea then," he raised his wrist and began to quickly type away at a small device adorning it. "I will sync up our com links... and.... alright, good."

A small beep went off in everyone's communications devices before he nodded.

"I will return to my ship and provide support when needed. From the air I should be able to maintain a vigil on the battlefield and ensure you lot are okay. I have several of my droids on board as well if we need an impromptu strike team," the half breed clicked a this device again and a helmet that seemed to expand from within the armor of his upper back slowly enclosed his head. The helmet itself was a crimson color, though every so often it would seem to shift in coloring for whatever reason allowing a hint of the man within. "I can likely direct you all through your objectives. This way the minor objectives can be completed without ever having to deal with the droids working above ground."

He clicked the side of his helmet and a small green light began to blink in and out beside where his ear would be. Vaulkhar appeared to be listening to something before he looked off towards the hills.

"I'll make my way to the ship and handle mission control."

With that, he moved towards the tree line, keeping low.

[member="Veiere Arenais"] | [member="Krest"] | [member="Zielius"] | [member="Karren Trask"]

 

[Garza]

As smug as they were. Typical.

Not all men came from the same crop. I knew not of this Prince and his life, however, the actions he took of "raising his nose to the air" as though he were better than I, only showed how arrogant he was. A shake of my head was all Krest would get from me. Krest did have a valid point of those who sought information, tend to be the messengers. "Don't shoot the Messenger" as they would say. Too bad it was a boy who decided to be such.

I righted myself and my gear. Listening to Krest further on taking Trask with me to seek out this Sith Lord and his Apprentices. I simply nodded my head. Once the communication links had all been established, I already set walking off to the direction of my objective. Having to access the top floor of the building for this mythed elevator down to the Subbasement. Foretold of the Master of the last Sith Assassins would be here. I prepared myself once more to fight a corrupted Master of the Force.

"Alright Templar Trask. Looks like you and your Dark Templars are with me."

Setting myself to move into position, I wanted to keep as much of this quiet. Enough to allow the element of surprise if we still had it. Krest and the Jedi would be speaking with the Smugglers, and surely they had a pipleline that would inform others that happened to be out doing their "duty." I would give some time for our Lord Templar to garner enough attention to clean out most of the smugglers and scoundrels. This would dramatically lower the chance of me having to come face to face with them, as well as potentially gain the gaze of the Sith hidden within.

"Lord Templar, Notify me when you make contact with them if you please."

The last words I would likely speak for some time.

[member="Vaulkhar"], [member="Krest"], [member="Veiere Arenais"], [member="Karren Trask"], ​

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest watched as the rest of the Templars left to their assigned goals. [member="Vaulkhar"] was smart to offer the overwatch, though it did take a strong piece off the board in the process. He'd have to be sure to bring in folks more suited for such a task. He pressed a button on his wrist as [member="Karren Trask"] and [member="Zielius"] stepped away, patching directly into the com Zielius had. "If you could, test them. They'd likely make good Templar's, but I'd rather be sure then just bring them in."

After that he cut the com and began walking with [member="Veiere Arenais"], being sure his com was off. "I do appreciate you coming. As you can tell, the Templars are mostly ex Sith and dark Jedi, though as a group we've never been dark. My hope is to start pulling them away from such a brutal path and show them there's something more." He paused, glancing down at his own hands. "Especially Vaulkhar. I know you don't trust the Zambrano name, but that boy is my son. The beast he still thinks is his father groomed him to be a bringer of death for so long I'm not sure he even knows what it's like to be anything but a soldier." Krest mumbled, idly scratching at his chin now. He hadn't helped with that.

He shook his head clear of the thoughts though, glancing back at the Commenor King. "Sorry, rambling. The smugglers should be just a bit aways from here. Far enough to keep from the watchful eye of the Sith. I'd really prefer to recruit them, but I'll settle with at least a cease fire so we can do our own things without getting in the way of the other. Thoughts?"

 

[WolfMortum]

"You are right, I do not trust him..." Veiere responded plainly as they began to set off in the direction of these Smugglers whom [member="Krest"] had identified. This mission was left completely in the hands of the Iridonian King, and Veiere knew only so much as what had been disclosed thus far due to his priorities in needing to maintain communication and awareness with all things happening on and around his Home-World. That said, he was there now for the time being to repay a debt that had not been asked of him.

"I have worked with Sith in the past, before my marriage to Kay entitled me to a position of leadership. Back when I was simply her advisor and protector, but also still held a strong and active connection to the Jedi Order" Veiere explained, seeking to prove that his bias wasn't based on that they were only Sith, but that actions spoke louder than words of promise and dreams of integrity. "Serving the light demands that a Jedi protects others in all that they do, yet the Sith have always had a choice. The Dark Side of the Force influences strength through power and emotion but does not demand them to be Killers, they choose that life for themselves..." Veiere himself had witnessed the struggle of maintaining his own composure in the shadow of the Dark Side's influence, he had then founded the Dark Jedi Temple on the World of Rannon, a place that today stood without use. They were times that had brought him shame, guilt and many a memory that he could not atone for. Decisions that he had made, having not the strength of conviction to stave off the lust for dominance over his personal weaknesses, insecurities and fears. Like those he spoke of however, he had chosen to act on his passions and during those times, take the lives of others, Jedi lives...-Actions that he would never forget, nor learn to forgive himself for; "There have been some, in my experience, that have shown me that those whom call themselves Sith, do not all share the same need to spill blood as does Vaulkhar's Father...".

Veiere soon waved a hand dismissively, "But I gave up the life of a Mentor and lecturer, long ago..." He added as he realized he was speaking on matters that applied less to his personal stance now as much as it did to his former life before him. "Kaine Zambrano is responsible for the death, enslavement and continued oppression of my Wife, my Home-World and the people still trapped there. The fact that his very Son walks before me is a direct reminder of everything that's happened...-Pray that I never find myself in a position where I'm forced to choose between his life and those of my people".

[member="Zielius"] | [member="Vaulkhar"] | [member="Karren Trask"]​

 

[Darth Ferus]

"I do hope a day like that won't arrive. It's.. Well. I'm not sure what I'd do." Which, he did know exactly what he'd do. [member="Vaulkhar"] was half of everything that mattered, on par with his own flesh and blood. He would do anything to protect the boy, but Krest wasn't sure [member="Veiere Arenais"] would care at this point. The King barely trusted the Iridonian as it was, and he wasn't about to put any pressure on their shaky relationship.

As they crested the ridge the camp of smugglers came into view. Camp was an understatement though. It looked more like a small town given the buildings and various ships around. "They certainly set up shop, huh. Got an idea on how to approach?"

 

[RC 212]

[member="Veiere Arenais"] [member="Krest"] [member="Zielius"]

Hunting the Assassins
Unknown Facility
Somewhere near the top level

Karren shot up an eyebrow at Vaulkar, and then nodded. As Zielius moved off, she moved with him, comrades flanking her every step. The servos where tuned down just a bit by a single thought to her neural band. Stealth was no longer her main element these days. She preferred to go in guns blazing and tank through enemy lines. Just the feeling of possibly snapping a Sith backbone, or pulverizing a skull with her fist made her smile.

Dark energy swirled about her, intoxicating.

Finally, time to get back into the fight....​

"Very well."

And as they reached that facility, she felt a similar presence to the one's she remembered so well above Yavin and at the battle of Mirial. Dark like molasses, sticky and virulent.

"Sith...." She spat.

Brown eyes peered back and forth from beneath furrowed brows. She reached down with a massive power fist and tore her Sawed off Shotgun free from the magnetic clamp on her outer left thigh. With one pump a high yield slug was locked into the chamber, hungry to shred.

CLICK CLACK​

"Shall I knock while you tip toe, or vice versa?" She asked, cocking her head to Vielius with a dark grin....