Faction Run Through the Jungle | Imperial Knights

[Hans Rennagen]

RUN THROUGH THE JUNGLE
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
IMPERIAL KNIGHTS
Rurik Fel | Saaveina | Paz Koon | Djonas Val | Fisk Kamer | Moldau Keith

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Ajan Kloss, 0800hrs Local Time

Every member of the New Imperial Armed Forces faces their share of combat against the Sith. The Stormtroopers lead great charges and surmount obstacles that might seem impossible to lesser soldiers. The Imperial Navy forms the backbone of any invasion, clearing the path forward to victory.

The Imperial Knights however have a much more personal relationship with the Sith. They are the elite Sith-killers of the NIO, who time and again face the worst horrors the Sith can create in their desperation, who feel the sting of crimson blades, who know that they can be seduced by the Dark Side if they let their guards slip down. Most Imperial Knight training regimes stress unit cohesion through the Praetorian styles of lightsaber combat developed in the Fel Empire. Their strength is in unity, in lending their blade to a brother or sister in arms when they are called to.

But the strength of the many is nothing without the strength of the one. Every individual must possess indomitable willpower to fight the forces of evil. They must know that even when they are alone, beset on all sides by the enemy, that they can remain vigilant and emerge victorious.

On the moon of Ajan Kloss, sparsely inhabited and densely forested, Imperial Knights are dropped into the thick jungles one by one. They are alone, armed with training sabers, stun pistols, a day's worth of rations, and the Force. Not only must they survive against the untamed wilderness, but also against each other. Especially against each other. For the day, comrades are to be treated as enemies, until there is only one Knight left standing. In time, this exercise will turn a Knight’s mind and body into a fortress, one that their existential enemies will break themselves upon when the Force Corps returns to the heat of battle.

The sun is now rising just high enough to break through the thick canopy. The morning air is warm and muggy, and the temperature will only increase. The Knights have arrived at their drop zones, and the battle has begun. It is up to them to find their opponents, and try not to be found by others.

May the best Knight win...

 

[Larro Paeb]

Objective: Prove Worthiness
Tags: Hans Rennagen

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The training saber felt odd in the young Knight’s hand.

When the New Imperial Order had claimed Mandalore as part of their domain, they had found Kar and his connection to the force. It wasn’t the strongest or the best by any means, but he was a warrior. And right now, the galaxy needed more of those.

Heat radiated off of his Beskar armor. The bright white coloring of his armor more than likely wouldn’t help him in this competition, but he refused to remove it. This was the way.

Climbing up one of the nearby trees, he looked out upon the vast forest. None of the other Knights were in his line a sight, but he learned that didn’t really mean anything. Anyone could hide anywhere.

Awkwardly, he reached his hand out and into the air. The force was still a newer concept to him, but nevertheless he still tried to use it.

Focusing on a branch about twenty yards out, he snapped it in half, watching as it crashed to the dirt-covered bottom. If this worked, then he hoped a Knight would be drawn out of hiding, thinking someone is nearby.

Then again, he could just be playing with twigs in a forest.

 

[Isaiah Dax]

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Isaiah was not alone, the force was strong with him and he was ready and he was still easing into his new life with the New Imperial Order. When he defected from the Sith Empire he had wanted to abandon the feudal caste that he was born into. He still had doubts about the New Imperials, and this zealous campaign against the Sith Empire was no different than the Sith wishing for control and domination to satisfy the wants and needs of their philosophy. But what they offered him was a new way of life. He didn't want to live in a caste system, his talents and aptitude towards the force made him more valuable than that.

When Isaiah was brought to perform this exercise, all he knew was that he had to trust in the force and his anger and hatred. But this was seen as a weakness to the order if anything, the Force was a weapon to enforce the will of Imperator and order in the galaxy. It wasn't meant to fuel the inherent destructive will of the Sith or Jedi. And maybe that's what Isaiah felt that's what the force should be used for. As a master of the force, putting an end to the self-destructive entity that was the Sith Empire to truly free the Sith of their destructive ways.

But was Isaiah bound to loyalty to the Order as a Sith who held onto the teachings he was given at birth? That's what this exercise would prove. Imperial Knights were trained Sith killers, and Isaiah had to use this exercise to prove that he wasn't Sith. He was something stronger. The dark side of the force would serve him well in this ordeal, but he had to abandon his Sith teachings if we was going to survive amongst the Order. His crimson blade would not serve him justice, a reminder of his past and what he left behind. It was time for him to prove that he had left the Sith behind and would dedicate his power to what the Force should be used for.

So he sat on the jungle floor, meditating and calling upon the force for strength. The dark side beckoned him and it was all he needed.