Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Pretty. Pretty. Shiny. Shiny.

There was something that Isley wanted.

Maybe it was because he had gotten a taste and became addicted. Maybe this was simply a means of reparations for how the Confederacy had ousted him. Whichever the case, the Dar'manda hungered for something that was born by Druckenwellian hands. Now, there were several avenues that could lead to the successful acquisition of this prize. He could very well dive into the past or future, as [member="Ember Rekali"] had shown him. Or, he could go through the "legal" channels and throw some credits at the right people. Yet Isley had gotten a taste of the drug...and now he wanted more.

So, he showed up.

There were very few people who had access to the former-Foreman's personal vessel. Even fewer could board it, ascend it, and make their way to where [member="Darth Vulkan"] laid his head. But Isley had several tricks up his sleeve that made such things possible. Chief amongst them was a bachelor's degree in Mentalism. Isley didn't knock. He didn't wait either. The door to the ArmaTech CEO's quarters was promptly opened and the Dar'manda slid a box over to the man inside. Within it was a Gauntlet. A damn good one.

"We need to talk, vod." he said, grinning.
 
Living on Concordia and Bothawui was difficult, especially as the homes were both relatively far apart. Luckily, the Founder of ArmaTech had handed the reigns of his mega-corporation off to a lackey that could easily be controlled and monitored, but didn't have that "Owned By A Sith Lord" stigma that Draco had. Another thing was being a former-Foreman of the Techno Union, in which the Executive Council had at one point allowed him to become Techno Emperor, filling the position of Foreman, highest tiered company on the Executive Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Union's Military, Archon of the Obsidian Order, and the sole provider of the Union's war machine in its waning months. All at the same time. Why had they done this? He was the biggest dog in the yard, so the Union had let him rule it for as long as he had desired.

When he felt the familiar presence of Isley Verd, known to him as Dagora, he roused from his sleep and adorned himself with a spacer's outfit. It was handy and quicker to put on than full armor. His ship, the Ori'Drahr, an Alor-class hanging in Alderaan's orbit wasn't somewhere he expected to sense the man.

He looked at the box, and he could sense the power within it.

"I'd say you are correct, vod. What is it you need?"

[member="Isley Verd"]
[member="Ember Rekali"]
 
"I'd say need is the wrong word for this conversation my friend." he began.

Out of respect for his comrade, Isley ceased his intrusion at the doorway. He simply rested his back along the frame of the CEO's quarters and averted his gaze when the man got dressed. Once that bit of business was concluded, the Dar'manda folded his arms and began to fill in the details.

"When the Union actually stood for something, it fought valiantly in the Dark Harvest disaster. It even bullied exceptional components from the Sith Empire to combine with its own spoils. From that was born the Serenity. From that was born what I want."

He paused, jutting his chin in the direction of the box.

"It's no Work of Kressh, but it'll serve you well. Consider this my way of requesting access that only the 'Techno Emperor' can provide."

[member="Darth Vulkan"]
 
Draco looked at the box and then back to Isley. "Well, I haven't been the Emperor of the Union in several weeks. My last act was pulling a sizeable part of the fleet and mothballing it in an uninhabited system off of Concord Dawn. If its ships you want from their yards, I can give you the coordinates, up to date pass codes to get in system without drawing too much attention. And the few members left of the Obsidian Order is fairly loyal to me, seeing as I had my clan occupy the tower and maintain the Citadel's security. They are still there acting like good little Unionites if you need something from them." Yeah, Draco had removed and replaced a lot of stuff from the Techno Union into private assets, moved a large portion of his elites into jobs with the Obsidian Order, and seen to a reformatting of the Union's defenses. Bothawui was still protected by an ArmaTech Fleet for the most part.

"I never walked aboard the Serenity though. I'd have to dig through records to find where my predecessors stationed it. Not impossible. Marek was the last Foreman before me, but I don't think he would have moved it around too much if he could help it. If memory serves he left a lot of the military and naval aspects to you, Gerion, and Irys."

Then there was what Draco could provide. "If you need to go in hot and heavy to grab it... well... I have some ships and munitions that can put almost eight hundred mandos on board within a minute of re-entry. Might make a bit of a mess of the hull, but eight hundred beskar boys aren't something to joke about. Plus if you can reorient the ships fast enough you could send another eleven hundred at it in drop pods with plasma Jets." It was almost like Draco had designed a ship to jump and board bigger ships. But, that couldn't possibly be planned and pre-meditated.

[member="Isley Verd"]
 
The Dar'manda shook his head

"Their ships are already mine." he said simply. "The famed Druckenwell Shipyards...an old company by the name of Stargo Enterprises footed the bill. Its engineers. Its staff. And most importantly, its designs. All mine."

He gave a slight wave of his hand.

"That said, I share the same pitfall. I've never been aboard the Serenity, but I do recall which worlds were regarded as priority during the good old days...I'm uncertain if they've changed since Geonosis. However, if I had to guess, it would be Roon would it not? Or at least, the Roon System."

Then came planning. They could go in guns blazing...or perhaps they could try a much more tame route. Something quick. Subtle, even.

"If you're willing, I would like you to firstly confirm my estimation. If what I seek is in the neighborhood of Roon. From there, I would like your help in acquiring the vessel...but let our operation be a little more on the subtle side. I would like to board the ship, take over the bridge, and simply fly it home."

And Draco, being the one man who would understand the path he walked, deserved the reason "why." So after a pause, Isley continued.

"I bled for them. The Confederacy. I cut a swath through Hutt Space in their name. I shouldered the Templars when that inept Mason was crowned Archon. I created the Dread Guard. I did so much for that karking nation...and did not ask for anything in return. Did I seize the mantle of Foreman? No. I let democracy decide. I made myself a home. I let myself be happy. Marry. Start a family."

"Yet when push came to shove, who was it that they crucified? Whose home was razed to the ground? Whose...Whose daughter was killed? Mine. So I will take from them this weapon. I will take from them the Serenity. And may the old gods help any who stand in my way."


[member="Darth Vulkan"]
 
"My friend," Draco said, looking at the Mandalorian in front of him, "I don't need to be convinced to fight by your side. My axe is yours if you call upon it and do not demand I besmirch my honor in your aid. This action would not. And so what I command can be called upon." The why and the how were out of the way, all they needed was the when and the who. They would need a couple of allies in this endeavor to take such a large ship. "I too tried these things, the honorable path of starting a family. I would like to be given the opportunity to try again, with someone worthy, with someone I can trust." The tales of the Lost. Between the three of them, Ember had lost three children, Isley one, and Draco his own. Five lost to the galaxy long before their fathers could grow old and watch their grandchildren.

"I can scout the system without suspicion for us, I can also take a hyperspace beacon with me allowing the vessels you need to put men aboard it to jump in right where they need to be place." He patted the Mandalorians shoulder. "I stand with you old friend. I only ask that you stand with me when the time comes to take Alderaan." If he was going to get a second chance at life, it would be Alderaan he would do it on, but that was a story for another time.

He also had access codes, transponder signals, and all clear signals. They might be able to hit the system and no one notice until the Serenity was making its way out of the system, and by then there would be no stopping her.

[member="Isley Verd"]
 
The other Mandalorian left his presence, leaving the warrior alone with the gift of the Gauntlet of Hod Ha'ran. Draco could feel its presence in the box, the power. He hadn't ever longed for it, but he knew of its capabilities. It was able to do things much like he was, but on a different level. Not only could it increase his power, it could absorb the power others sent against him. And the thing wasn't exactly overly heavy compared to other gauntlets out in the galaxy these days.

The Mandalorian looked at his own gauntlets, the minor alchemy done to them completely unregistered. They helped a lot, and were very defensive, but it was the Light Shields in them that made them beneficial. Any acolyte could do what he had done to those. On the other hand, the rest of his armor was very well made, his helmet he considered a master piece. But not so with his gauntlets. Not like this artifact that sat before him.

Something would have to be done about that before the raid on the Union. Something soon. The Mandalorian stirred and tapped his fingers on the desk. "Ensign, set a course of Yavin." Yavin had a nexus of Force Energy, and most importantly, it didn't have just a Dark Side nexus.
 
Yavin wasn't bad, jungles and the like. So long as one avoided the Piranha Beetles, one was normally okay out in the jungle, and with Draco focusing on Force Imbuing his own gauntlets, he wasn't likely to be disturbed, not by the denizens, not for using Yavin for its Force Power. They probably wouldn't mind given the decidedly neutral aspects he intended to imbue into his gauntlets, but one could never say for certain. Regardless, Draco had much to learn about the Gauntlet of Hod Ha'ran before her could do his own work.

The Mandalorian warrior sat, legs crossed on the ground, focusing all of his will and senses into the gauntlet, studying every molecule of the powerful artifact. He would need to know everything about it if he was going to attempt a replication of even a fraction of its capabilities. The Crystal seemed to be the focal point of power, flowing with Dark Side energy. Draco wasn't exactly Dark Side, but he wasn't light either. It made things easier, but this crystal wasn't of great use to him permanently. Perhaps in short duration or specific tasks.

The rest of the gauntlet seemed fairly straightforward. It was designed to amplify the wearer's abilities, refine their control over the Force, absorb energy, and release it in powerful blasts of Dark Side energy. It was things like this that made Draco realize how far he truly had to go before he could be called an Alchemist Master. No compared to this he was little more than an ambitious novice.
 
Draco glanced through the notes that he had obtained and taken, from holocrons like the Holocron of Naga Sadow, the Adas Holocron, and the Dark Holocron, looking back at the gauntlet on the stone tablet he was using like a work bench. His mind was spinning, doing his best to figure out what he would do to his own armor so that it worked the way he wanted.

Mostly he just wanted it to work like a focusing crystal, enhancing his endurance when using his newly found powers, not truly increasing his ability to use it. His own physical maximum was already more than it should be given his extensive high gravity training.

"Alright, so, I suppose focusing on enhancing my strength while Imbuing them will be best." It seemed the most logical given his knowledge of alchemy and Force imbuement. Drawing energy from the Qixoni crystal, he enhanced his powers as best he could and began.
 
As the Mandalorian warrior worked, he noticed his reserves of energy were draining quickly, trying to empower his gauntlets and reinforce his body to drive it beyond its limits being incredibly taxing on his aura. The more he pressed on, the more he was forced to draw on outside sources, tugging on the intricate web of Force Energy around him, draw power from the planet itself, and pull upon the power of the Qixoni crystal in the gauntlet. That he was loath to do, but was forced to in order to complete his mission.

Only the combined power of the Mandalorian Force Master, the crystal, and the nexus of Force energy bound into the Moon of Yavin was able to grant him the endurance, the fortitude to complete the project. After several long hours of work, and a number of rests, Draco sat cross-legged again, looking at his own pair of gauntlets on his hands and the Gauntlet of Hod Ha'ran in his lap. All his experience told him he owed the other Mandalorian a little more than he would like to admit. Isley might not be one for teaching, but his work was exquisite, better than Draco could do, and yet, Isley wasn't even the greatest according the proud man himself.

Nevertheless, Draco had his simple gauntlets, made one step greater. Perhaps later Draco would work on remaking the Glove of Darth Vader and the Gauntlet of Hod Ha'ran himself, but for now he lacked those abilities. More work with Ostanes, more lessons under the savant.
 

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