The Eye of Madness || TSE Dominion of AG-8 Hex

[Vestille Thumahra]

​

​

It was to happen eventually. Even conquest had it’s limits.

Yet the Sith would not be satisfied even as their enemies, the League of Voss, had been all but silenced-- Their presence within the Galaxy turned to dust and left to scatter in the winds of war. The Dark Side stood unopposed as the likes of the First Order and the Sith Empire took it upon themselves to expand their borders and subjugate new planets and their peoples under their banners; swatting aside all opposition as if it were nothing but a footnote and minor bump in their road to ultimate domination. To many within their borders, they had already won-- The rest of the Galaxy there to either be consumed by expansionist projects or bartered with as per reward of their war with the Light Side.

Upon the edge of the galaxy, no matter how dark one’s soul was-- This was different. Beyond the borders of the galaxy itself stretched a void as endless as the eye could see, a place where even the Dark Side of the Force felt shadowed by its abyssal presence. Yet despite the chilling warnings that plucked the hairs on one’s neck or the twisting of one’s stomach, it was here that the Sith Empire sought to bring their conquest next; to do what many would see as impossible, perhaps even insane. The Sith sought to colonize the very border with the abyss-- Perhaps even tame it.

Things went awry rather quickly-- Like a curse that spread across the work crews, one disaster upon another was beset upon those tasked with the establishment of a space station, designed with the purpose of listening post in mind. There had been reports of voices being heard through the audio equipment, rogue blips witnessed upon the radar-- Some tales going as far as spectral figures floating past the observation ports. It was no surprise that these tales were discarded as a sense of paranoia, perhaps even madness of looking into the abyss that lay beyond the station itself. Yet work continued as the eyes of the Sith Empire focus on its ceaseless project of expansion, workers consistently being swapped out and replaced as the strain of their deadlines came ever closer. As all seemed fine for a time, as the station was completed and deemed operational by the project’s overseers, the crew was sent out to begin their ‘tour of duty’ maintaining and operating the station-- It was a simple task, a quiet posting that by all rights should have been nothing else other than a success.

Alas, that has changed.

The first alarm bells started to ring when the first cargo vessel delivering supplies was reported to have never arrived; when a patrol was sent to follow in the footsteps of the convoy, their report came up null. Then it happened again-- Even with the armed escort that travelled with the cargo vessel; no distress signals, no transmissions, nothing. It was as if they had simply vanished without a trace-- Some speculations suggested pirates, some more unstable suggested that they had defected, hoping that being posted so far out would have granted them a passage to escape. Yet it was what followed after that left the overseers speechless.

The station itself had gone dark.

With everything they had devised on the brink and fearing the worst, this matter has been brought before the Emperor himself; a request to gather volunteers to salvage what little of their operation still existed; the search for answers was on. It remained to be seen, however, if they would like what they found.

---

---

Objective I: Investigate the Listening Station
The rather sizable station built to observe the abyss beyond has been all but silent-- It’s possible that there is simply a communications error that has been yet to be rectified but… The overseers are worried nonetheless. Board the station, investigate and assess the situation-- It is hopeful thinking by the heads of the project that if the worst has happened, at least some of it is salvageable.

Objective II: Locate the missing vessels
The cargo ships and their escorts have not been found and, should the station still be active, it is likely that they’ll need the food supplies amongst other things to keep themselves independently operating. Follow the footsteps of the cargo vessels and their escorts and try to locate them and their cargo-- Preferably finding answers along the way.

Objective III: BYOO

 

[Sar-Ka-Roi]

Aboard the Velox-class Fast Frigate, Silooth

There was a comfort isolating one's self with their belongings, surrounding by creature comforts and without the noisy distractions of the outside. Not to say that the saurian individual pacing around his quarters hated hanging out with other people, in fact, he was exceptionally dexterous when it came to navigating the waters of social interaction. But there was only so much one could stomach before they craved the tranquility of their own abode.

And thus that is where Sar-Ka-Roi found himself, preening his Imperial uniform as the shimmering lights of hyperspace pulsated just outside the small glasteel viewport on the far wall. In several minutes they'd revert back to realspace on the farthest edge of the Empire's frontiers on a search and recovery mission, something that had been requested by the Emperor himself.

They and several other frigates spread out over a vast area of nothingness.

It was a far cry from the relatively bustling sector he and his crew had previously patrolled, but one did not decline a decree from the Emperor. And SarKa was a far cry from someone who doesn't take his place in the Empire seriously.

 

[Vestille Thumahra]

Vestille Thumahra | DRIZOTH​

---

---

​

---

Edge of the Galaxy​

Objective I :: Investigate the Listening Station, CONSUME WHAT REMAINS​

Oh yes, this would do quite nicely.

Since liberating himself from the confines of the Sith Empire, slaughtering a good number of once trusted and respected men under the command of the vessel it sat snugly within, Drizoth was admittedly at a loss-- A war that he had fought for control over Vestille's body had been won and he now had his prize-- A vessel worthy of carrying out the goals that the demon had longed for since its conception centuries ago; a fine sword worthy of the touch of one so tainted and vile, a bloodthirsty roar scratched at the back of the vessel's throat. The taster of what was to come had already been presented to him with the slaughter of those in proximity of his vessel whilst it slept and the doorway holding unknown horrors gladly took its soul and provided the empty space for Drizoth to occupy but that was not enough, it didn't even come close. Whilst the Galaxy to some held values of one meaning or another, to the possessive entity that took hold of the once great General of the Sith Empire, it was nothing more than a feasting grounds, those that inhabited its space destined to be slain and consumed for its own misbegotten gains-- None were to survive.

Yet, the metamorphosis was not complete, not yet. The vessel had not been reshaped into his own image and molded into the true conductor of power that the demon sought it to be. And that's when the opportunity arose to find said source of power. An observational station, located at the edge of the galaxy-- Silent and with people fearing the worst, it was a flame that would draw the moths into certain annihilation; it was perfect, the starting place for the first stroke of the sword to carve a bloody swathe out of those he saw was nothing more than food, an asset to consume and grow stronger, to reach the heights that his aspirations had been set to by countless years of waiting and hungering. He traveled alone within the transport that his vessel had favored, taking nothing but himself and the sword, making no stops or diversions to places elsewhere, ignoring all hails that came to him-- The one that those sought to speak with was alive but elsewhere, trapped for eternity whilst the demon that he had fought tirelessly against in the internal struggle of man against beast wore his skin and sought to leave its mark upon the Galaxy.

The transport arrived within the general vicinity of the station, the eerie emergency lighting lighting up various viewports-- Something was amiss, he could taste it, yet the direct nature of the unnatural flavor upon his senses would need more investigation.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

Location: Velox-class fast frigate, Silooth
Nearby: [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"]

These disappearances worried her.

How long had it been since Black Star? A year? When Joycelyn closed her eyes, she could still see how bone and viscous matter scattered from the heads of the walking dead. Or the howling of the dark, dead things of Mirial. A shudder went down her spine, but the fear was brought under control by a slow exhale. She did not expel her emotions like the Jedi attempted to. Instead, she simply gathered them for later, of leashing the hound in her heart.

In front of her, a line of candles burned and extended their warmth to her skin. The fire was her connection to the Goddess, Vahl. By breathing it in, she deepened the connection. She was the goddess of fire and destruction; She brought her people the dark side of the Force and bound it to their blood. Now it ran through their veins.

With another exhale, Joycelyn opened her eyes and looked at the idol of Vahl.

"Mother Vahl, give me your wrath."

As the ship reversed out of hyperspace, Joycelyn emerged from her cabin. She was armoured in her black metal raiment, helmet retracted to show her head. The silvery staff carried by the handmaiden behind her. They headed to the bridge for briefing.

 

[Jamie Lysle]

Location: Velox-class fast frigate, Silooth
Allies: [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"], [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"]

The young Bastionite tugged at the collar of her uniform, trying anything to loosen the chokehold that she felt around her neck. She could get away with her collar undone at the academy, though unfortunately rules were far more strict when one was actually serving on a frigate. Resigned to her fate of discomfort, the pilot finished fixing up her hair properly before exiting her small cabin on the frigate into the brightly lit hallway.

As a new member of the crew Alex didn't get one of the nicer rooms with a good portside window, instead leaving her with a sinking feeling of claustrophobia. And this uniform certainly didn't help with that at all.

So she casually marched down the hallways of the frigate, hoping to find some window or other opening so that she could see to the vast expanse that lay outside the cramped durasteel hallways. Alex had heard that the vessel was headed out to the fringes of known space, some issues going on about a distant listening station. That was all the girl knew coming out here, she was smart enough to not ask questions above her rank. But still, the odd whisperings did leave a bad feeling in her gut.

Right now, however, all she wanted to do was get a few outside of the ship. Alex avoided the bridge of the frigate, a simple pilot had no place going there, so instead she decided to go to the mess hall. There was a quaint little sitting place where all the crew went to get their Zambrano Caf that had a glasteel viewport beside the seats. Alex didn't drink caf and the window would surely be smaller than the viewport on the bridge, but it would do for now.

The Bastionite swung herself into a chair beside some other crew members having a tense conversation, placing herself right beside the viewport with a grin on her face. As she looked out of the viewport Alex could tell why their chatter had an anxious tone to it. Unlike the lively skies above Bastion, the view from this little section of the ship gave a feeling of smallness to the pilot. The view was almost completely empty, only a few sparse stars and debris floating around in the blackness of the edge of space. Her smirk quickly disappeared as she began to feel queasy from the sight, a sense of ominousness coming from the thought of what they were heading towards. Alex's excitedness to get a view of the edge of space left as fast as her smile did, deciding to turn away from the view before she became sick from this feeling.

Pushing the chair away as she turned to walk back down the hallways, she gave an awkward nod to the other seated crew members who returned the gesture with a similar anxious one of their own. She wasn't headed anywhere specifically, just needing to escape from that nothingness that lingered outside. The pit in Alex's stomach not leaving as she wandered down the hallways, her head staring down at the floor as her imagination ran wild with what was waiting for them out here at the end of space.

 

[The Amalgam]

Arrived in: Corrupted Flesh (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/137631-the-corrupted-flesh-x-70b-phantom-class-yacht/)

Wearing: Resistance Epidermis (http://starwarsrp.net/topic/137623-resistance-epidermis/)

Armed with: Skin Shears (Purple Double Bladed Lightsaber)

Objective: Meditate on the Void. Commune with The Unholy Spirit.


The Amalgam meditated in the simple chamber interconnected to her room, trying to center herself in the Dark Side...

...and failing.

For weeks now, since returning to active service in the darkness, a question had burned within the vile shapeshifter:

Why did she hate Uri Udinia so much?

On the surface, it was simple to understand...Uri held back, didn't give in to her primal instincts totally, or the most selfish of her desires, both of which irritated the Shi'ido...Uri could be so much more than a mere killer if she only had the guts to make the leap. The Amalgam would make her.

There was also the fact Uri had let her power in the Force slide. The Amalgam had been both shocked and disgusted by how much weaker she was, and vowed to fix that as soon as she had broken Uri's will sufficiently for her to be trainable in the way of the dark.

She'd remake Uri with The Bogan. Make her pure...make her beautiful...

But she still didn't understand why the hatred was so personal. And she had put it off as long as possible, doing jobs for The Saaraishash to make ends meet. But the green gaze of the bounty hunter haunted her mind whenever she closed her eyes. She could put off her questions only so long.

She must know why she hated Uri. And why she could not remember why she hated Uri.

And so her recently upgraded ship had brought her to the edge of the Galaxy, to a great and powerful nothing that gave even the Dark Side pause. She was here in secret. Here to get as close as possible to the void.

There was an old hideout used by the line of witches that had resulted in The Amalgam. Hidden in a nearby field of asteroids. An elaborate ritual space, for communing with one's own inner darkness, because this chamber was not helping.

With a sigh, the currently beautiful shapeshifter rose from the engraved floor of the chamber, the symbol of Bogan all around her and hit the switch that slid the small, square chamber of black stone open and into her bedroom...covered, as always, by photos of Uri Udinia, the largest in the middle the the wall right from the door. The ex-shadow's name scribbled inbetween the photos.

She was already wearing her resistance epidermis, her double bladed lightsaber on her bed. She wasn't taking any of her other weapons. She would not need them.

The ship alarm pinged as it came out of hyperspace. The Shi'ido went to the cockpit and steered her ship--carefully--through the field of rock. Finally, the ship detected a faint signal from one of the great floating rocks, and she steered closer, relying on the Force to guide her through the deadly field, until she saw an old rusted looking docking bay built into the rock itself. She pulled in, gently working the controls.

She exited the ship soon after the docking bay field turned on. The Amalgam felt the familiar touch of the darkness and smiled...the bay was covered in frescoes of her matron spirit, the Brain Demon, an emaciated, purple skinned, faceless Togrutan-looking...thing being worshipped by women in white garb.

What had she been, before The Brain Demon's wisdom? Lesser was the answer. A mere thief and vagrant with no higher aspirations beyond keeping a roof over her head and feeding herself. The Brain Demon had talked to her, carressed her in her sleep, shared its insane nature and expanded them both.

Here, the Amalgam knew, as she headed deeper into this strange facility, she would find wisdom. Wisdom to guide Uri...

And possibly, find some way to stop hating her quite so intensely. She knew the difference between hatred that was needed and vigorous, and hatred that debillitated. This hatred for Uri was the latter...unhealthy and beginning to cloud her judgement.

"Unholy Spirit, guide me..." The Amalgam rasped as she walked through a hangar carved from stone, statues of The Brain Demon pointing to the ritual chamber beyond...

"Help me find the wisdom to guide Uri..." she rasped again, desperately trying to push back Uri's green gaze from her mind as she walked, with some trepidation, to the void-kissed chamber...

 

[Sar-Ka-Roi]

Everything was in place.

Pilot's uniform was fit snugly over his saurian body, and combat harness was firmly tightened with blaster pistol loaded and holstered. His helmet held in the crook of his left arm, the Tiss'shar departed the pilot's barracks and made his way down to the mess hall. There he'd partake of some grilled Nerf that had been prepared for the crew of the Silooth, the server proudly declaring that this particular batch of salted meats had been delivered from the excessively patriotic world of Oorn Tchis. The same world where the famed Imperial officer Scipio Alta hailed from, a man known far and wide across the Empire for his harrowing exploits on the field of battle and his dogged persistence in achieving victory for the Emperor's glory.

Hell, there was even a poster of the man plastered on the wall behind the serving line.

SarKa accepted his tray of food and meandered over to plant his bottom down in one of the seats, though he had to set his tray down first as he finagled his behind into a comfortable position. Unlike what many would assume of his species, SarKa detested uncooked food. You just couldn't achieve the same flavor by eating it raw, and the seasonings and spices they managed to splash onto the sizzling meat were simply divine.

And he devoured it with gusto before placing his tray in the designated area and making his way up towards the bridge but was delayed when he accidentally bumped into a young woman he hadn't noticed because he was shining the visor of his helmet as he walked.

"Pardon me, uh." His slitted eyes scanned her uniform for a designation. "Pilot, I didn't see you there."

[member="Alexa Morgyn"]​

 

[Kraden Dros]

Nothingness.

That was the only thing Kraden could use to describe this place, it stank of a simple nothingness that made what remained of his hair stand up straight. The cyborg was simply unnerved and he radiated a simple impatience as he paced: waiting for the vessel to board the station. The heavy metal boots of his armor clanked against the ground as he grew all the more irritated, a splitting pain running through his head as he grunted. The spirit within his head did that sometimes, simple and spiteful pains:

Or growing pains. The Acolyte thought to himself as he all the more restlessly paced. He needed to fight. Needed to kill. Needed to prove himself. The quest for all that threatened to consume him at any given moment, and all this damnable nothingness gave him no help! But he couldn't just stay here...he needed to move, yes. Do that, distract himself...soothe his nerves. And so he wandered the halls, given nothing but wayward glances from crew members after seeing the brutish and scarred Sith practically storming his way through the ship.

 

[Jamie Lysle]

Location: Velox-class fast frigate, Silooth
Allies: [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"], [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"]

Lithe fingers aimlessly fiddled with the buttons on Alex's uniform, hardly realizing that she had been toying with them until she managed to snap the collar loose. Her mind was still wandering around outside, the sickness in her feeling not going away as to what could be so far out on the edges of space. Like any child of the Outer Rim, the Bastionite had been raised on stories of monsters than flitted around in the open blackness. Her grandfather Dwyer even swearing that he once came across a starweird, it's frail form lingering out in the nothingness.

The ridiculousness of that story used to make Alexa laugh as a young girl, but remembering it now only managed to twist her gut harder. As she was wondering what type of monsters she would come across as she left Bastion, the redhead was quickly pulled back to reality and had her question answered as she bumped hard into something in front of her.

"ohmygosh I'm so sor-"

The apology rambled out of her mouth faster than she could control, before the realization of what she had bumped into began to settle in. Her gaze had first run along the floor to ensure that she hadn't dropped anything the person was holding, before she began apologizing profusely. Then Alex's vision raised to see the person she was apologizing too.

Unfortunately it wasn't a person.

The Bastionite's face widened with shock, as she almost fell back out of pure terror. Even with her overacting mind dreaming up monsters, even she wasn't convinced she would just bump into one. A fully sized raptor stood right in front of the poor young girl, looming horrifyingly over her. She might have screamed if her voice hadn't been caught in her throat.

Then it began to talk.

Very politely.

As the beast began to address her in a formal manner, Alex's horrified expression bumbled it's way into a look of confusion and suspicion. She had assumed that the dress up festivals had ended on most world's, her brow furrowing as she stared at the raptor in front of her. The Bastionite took a second to properly fix her posture, before taking an even longer while to timidly address the creature in front of her.

"Oh it's my fault really, I - ummm," The words once again lost as she continued peering at the creature. "I also wasn't keeping an eye on where I was going."

"My name is Cadet Morgyn," She managed to get that through at least, though there was a vacancy in her words. "My first mission off Bastion so I hope you'll forgive me if I was lost wandering the halls."

 

[The Amalgam]

Post: 2

Objective 3: BYOO (Commune with The Unholy Spirit, Obtain wisdom)

The Amalgam ventured through the ancient base of The Brain Demon Cult. Her lightsaber staff gripped tightly in her hand as she walked, observing the various reliefs depicting both torture and the magical inscriptions for the rituals that could be applied to them. But what interested her the most was a small steel basin, depressed into an inscribed floor at the end of her path. Doors to many other sections of the base lay beyond the basin in a semi-circle, the path to it lit by torches.

It had been a while since she had done this properly. She saw the ritual knife resting on a stone stand, clear and sharp and straight, with a white jade hilt. She took it, and got into a lotus position, cutting her palm with it, dripping alien blood into the basin.

"Unholy Spirit," the Amalgam intoned. "I seek your guidance..."

The basin caught purple fire, flaring upward. The Amalgam stiffened, purple eyes rolling up into her head as the emaciated Brain Demon appeared in the flames.

The Brain Demon had never manifested in front of her master, The Congregation. Only her, only the person that had turned into the Amalgam had been visited in her sleep, providing strength. The means to be patient. To be powerful. To endure. And now she needed it again.

She did not hate the Brain Demon. That was the closest anything ever got to being a friend.

She was sometimes disquieted by that fact.

The Togrutan like creature with no face observed her in the flames.

AhhhhLeejunmyoldfriend.Sogoodofyoutodropin.

Uri knew only the violent, crazed side of the way it enlightened through suffering. When you worked with it, it could actually be quite reasonable.

"I know I am to bring Uri Udinia to your service. I know I am to perfect her. But I still do not understand why I hate her so fervantly. So passionately."

The Brain Demon regarded her in the flames. Its frame seemed slightly more filled out than usual. Contact with Uri had strengthened it. But more was needed. Always more.

I'mafraiditwilldoyounogoodifIsimplyexplainit.

"What's so hard about a straight answer?" The Shi'ido asked, twitching in her meditative state.

Becauseonlywithinwillyouquestionbeanswered.

The door directly ahead of her opened with a creak.

Attheendyouwillbegintheprocessofansweringyourquestion.

This was obviously not satisfactory to The Amalgam, who was released from her trance with a huff. But to press the Brain Demon for answers would do no good when it had already decided how to answer. The flames containing the hideous creature's image vanished along with the creature.

Was she actually nervous? She was not keen on fear. She rarely felt it. But it was always sharp when she did.

The Amalgam descended a staircase, feeling the tendrils of the dark side slacken around her. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong. She felt it. The hated presence of the light.

She entered a dueling chamber, cube shaped, its walls covered in unholy writ, its surface golden bronze.

One corner was wreathed in shadow. And she heard footsteps. Then breathing. Her grip on her blade tightened. The Ashla was here. Sapping her will.

What stepped out of the shadows made her go still, and she knew instantly her time asleep in another form had been costly. It had given rise to something hideous.

What stepped out of the shadows was her, or, at least, a her twisted by The Light. She was clad in an all green version of the Amalgam's own combat suit, her staff gold and white, her eyes green like her suit.

"No...it was false. All my deeds as another were false the Amalgam hissed in quiet panic.

"But they have born fruit all the same..." her ashla-fied reflection said calmly, voice empty of The Amalgam's usual cold malice. "Did you think you could remain asleep so long, dreaming while your false self went about its mission you unknowingly gave it, and not have some of what your false self did seep into your spirit? Did it never occur to you at some point it might have become somewhat real?"

"My dedication to The Bogan is absolute..." The Amalgam snarled, activating both purple blades.

"Yet here I stand..." Her reflection replied with a calm smile. "And I am here to end your selfish plans for Uri. I will approach her, and work to undo some of the horrible suffering she's been through. Guide her the way she should be guided--"

"NEVER!" the Amalgam snapped, speeding forward with a spin aimed at her reflection's head.

Soft blue blades erupted from the reflection's staff and hissed and spat against the purple one crashing into it...

 

[Evaelyn Zambrano]

ABOARD THE VELOX-CLASS FAST FRIGATE SILOOTH
[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"] | [member="Alexa Morgyn"] [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"]

The metal doors slid open with a familiar woosh. That was about the only thing about the situation that felt familiar to Evaelyn. One version of the events was the cadet pilot seeking an audience with the Major of the Sith-Imperial Legion, quite possibly the highest ranked officer on the ship. The other, more familiar depiction, completely ignored rank and protocol. It was simply one sister hanging out with the other. It still was that, but it felt... Weird.

"Any news? I take it you know way more than I would" There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. Not towards her sister, but rather from the fact that she wasn't kept in the loop. It didn't fail to register on Evaelyn how bizarre it was that she even cared about being kept in the loop. But her name counted for nothing. The black sheep would start at the bottom of the ladder. If she was worthy of her name, she would climb and prove herself. Tough luck, princess.

The new flight suit felt unfamiliar, and because of that also uncomfortable. She wasn't used to keeping to a uniform. Normally she'd tell whoever ordered her into one to shove it, but given the eerie circumstances, she wanted to be ready to hop into her TIE fighter on a moments notice. Her TIE fighter. Everything was upside down, and the blue-haired rebel was having a hard time making sense of it all.

"You've been through this too right?" Evaelyn laughed, shaking her head. Who would've thought they'd be standing on a frigate of the Sith Empire, sent on a mission, and actually intending to pull it off. But at least they were united again. That felt good. That alone was the glue that kept Evaelyn in her place, and kept her from hopping onto the first escape pod she could find. "What was life like for Private Joycelyn?"

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

ABOARD THE HERESIARCH-CLASS COMMAND BATTLECRUISER, THE JUDICATOR
@Open invitation for anyone to come hang out on the ship
[member="Curtis Learchin"] | [member="Thyne"]

The new flagship of Darth Pyrrhus moved swiftly through the blue hue of hyperspace. What awaited them on the edges of space was unknown, but The Judicator charged unafraid into the vast, cold darkness. Its commander had two missions in mind, and in truth he did not know which of them he would complete.

Reports were scarce and vague. Ships had gone missing, unarmed envoys and armed escorts alike.Recently their destination had gone cold as well. Something was very wrong, that much was clear.

The two outcomes Pyrrhus predicted were; either they would come out of hyperspace at the space station, in which case they would proceed to investigate why communications had seized. The alternative was that they never reached their destination, much like the missing ships. Personally Pyrrhus hoped for the latter. He wanted to learn how their ships had vanished, as well as recover them if at all possible.

The Togruta stood at the center of the bridge, clad in black with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Fingernails dug into his skin, nearly drawing blood. The frustration was still evident on him after the recent failure. The tree sap from Munto Codru's holy tree had done nothing to alleviate his suffering.

At first he had actually felt improvement. Most of his symptoms decreased in intensity, some disappearing completely. But on the third day they all came back with a vengeance. The relapse had knocked him out for two whole weeks. It felt like a severe allergic reaction, which not only brought back all the symptoms, but added new ones ontop of them as well.

He was better now, being able to stand up straight and go through with daily tasks, but he was far from being at his best. The way the air burned in his lungs prevented him from forgetting that.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

Location: Velox-class fast frigate, Silooth
Nearby: [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"] [member="Evaelyn Zambrano"] [member="Alexa Morgyn"]

On her way out, Joycelyn found herself seized in her path as the doors to her quarters opened and the familiar face of her sister stood before her, all dressed up in the garments of a pilot for the Imperial Armada. Their father would be proud; their mother would look to it with more favour than Joycelyn's appointment to the Legion anyhow. Moreover, Joycelyn was proud to see her sister and know that she would fight on the same battlefield, albeit in an entirely different squadron.

"Nothing that will ease your mind, sister."

Honestly, she had the same briefing as the rest when it came to the history of this place and the purpose of their visit. Any connection she made to another case was in her own mind. The only things she knew that others did not pertained to troop formations and strategy.

With a gesture of her head, making plates of metal slide over each other smoothly, she gestured for Evaelyn to truly enter. Pythia, the handmaiden now mostly in the service of Joycelyn, smiled and nodded to Evaelyn before kneeling down to wait, spear in hand.

"Honestly?" "A part of me misses it, not knowing, not having all the details." A smile played over her lips as she thought back to some escort missions of her past. She was a noble, and she was often charged with protecting other nobles. For that reason, she had taken said nobles on the wildest rides into enemy territory she could. "Playing it by ear and getting into trouble."

She shook her head.

"The more power I gain, the further away from the front line I am." She looked down at the floor, thoughts streaming past her eyes "Even though, that is where I am truly most at home."

"There, or fighting a smuggler in some derelict cantina over the spoils of our last bounty."

 

[Eshre]

Eshre​

---

---

​

---

Aboard the Velox-class fast frigate, Silooth​

Objective III :: Join The Flock​

​

​

A lot had transpired over the past months; perhaps even too much.

Confracta had gone about its business, establishing the groundwork for the bridge into the galactic society as its own sovereign entity. The Second Triumvirate stood taller than ever, at least by the accounts of the peoples of the Cerevessians and Ifradelians but for the Illasians? This was merely the beginning, a footnote in their legacy among the stars and the superpowers that made even the strongest upon their planet look like fleas in comparison. As their neighbors went about their own exploits and the Second Triumvirate set its agendas and goals, the third point in the triangle of leadership sought to utilize its militant zeal to its advantage. Through the mouths of outsiders, the Illasians soon learned that the balance beyond their homeworld was destabilized; chaos ruled, war a daily occurrence and the monolithic titans that ruled over countless planets sought advantages over their rivals. It all fell into place at that very moment, what with the Illasian's closest thing to a King becoming involved in diplomatic talks between his people and the Emperor of the Sith Empire; a matter of prosperity and a shot at glory for the warrior caste. The Illasians would have their technology and trade and the Empire would have its zealous warriors; among them? Stood their King, Eshre-- The Sword of the Citadels, serving just as any other of his people did.

It was a message, a statement that even with his position the member of the Golden Caste wasn't above throwing himself into the thick of it alongside his kin-- Even more so with how revered Eshre was among his people. Yet the action had a much simpler reasoning behind the politics; Eshre had desired a fight. It was clear that war would not come to Confracta any time soon, even if it did the invaders would be fought with everything that the planet had at its disposal. With the materials and technology of the Sith Empire at the backs of the Illasians? It was unlikely that their home, the Citadel, would ever come under threat-- For any who dared invade or attempt occupation on the mountainous regions isolated to the South would find themselves assailed by the relentless defense of man, woman and child united by a singular motive. Yes, for the trials that he and his people had to endure, the roads they traveled, his people sat upon the cusp of greatness, a military power that was young in the eyes of the rest of the galaxy but one that was not to be underestimated-- A unified war effort and sheer devotion to contribution to the state amid snow, ice and a world recovering from the plague made for a strong people indeed-- Eshre would be a liar if he wasn't proud to lead them onward through time; even if it meant that he alongside many others had to go so far away to prove as such.

The traveling was perhaps the hardest part of it all-- Sons leaving parents, husbands leaving wives, lover leaving lover; even if it was all for the greater good of the state, such feeling could not be suppressed, for war was an act of uncertainty, not knowing if one would ever return home the same; physically or mentally. Yet the days that followed soon eased the pains that remained in the hearts of the departed as they made the journey across the galaxy into Sith Empire space. From there, it was training in Sith-Imperial doctrine and the greater education of a far more developed nation. Like immigrants, the Illasians would have to learn everything from the ground up-- Galactic Basic, Imperial Law, Imperial traditions; the curriculum was seemingly endless for both the basics and the combat training they would be ran through day after day. For the departed, this was more than just a chance to gain personal glory to pour into the society which waited for them back home, it also allowed old xenophobic roots to be dug up and healed; the views of the outsiders had been hostile, at first, the memories of what had brought the Gulag plague to their planet and decimated all of which they had called their homeland to the brink of extinction. Yet as they remained among those which they once found aversion to, they found the inklings of companionship. They would become the rats to the fleas that consisted of the Imperial way of life, their transport to ride upon the backs of as they returned home to be spread among those that remained on their homeworld. It would be a slow process, no doubt, yet a promising future lay ahead for both the Illasians and the Sith, should their agreements hold.

Several weeks had passed, Eshre had now been assigned to one of many Sith Fighter squadrons; Raptor Squadron, a recently formed team of pilots from all different parts of the Empire brought into a singular package. As the Illasian walked along within the frigate that he had been assigned to, his attention was brought solely to his holocommunicator, yet another call from the Golden Caste back home, giving their weekly reports on the events of the Aristocracy whilst their de facto King was away as part of a manpower treaty. The Sword of the Citadels, the one that had brought his people together to assist their brother and sister nations during the reemergence from the Gulag Plague, would not have gotten as far as he had if he had simply brushed his people aside in favor of other matters-- Yet even now, half way across the galaxy fighting for a galactic superpower, the warrior King still found time to keep up with matters from back home and offer his counsel, or direct orders as the need arised. A prideful step followed the last as he continued his conversation, all in a language that many, if not all, did not understand-- The Old Tongue was a language that Confractians held dear, seeing Galactic Basic as a rather alien language at that; the feeling was no doubt mutual. Yet as time would go on, it was hoped by Eshre that the language barrier would become less prominent-- He knew enough basic to get by, in any event, having been the first to have opened the door with the Sith Empire to agreements and treaties in the first place.

What the King didn't know, however, was his fellow pilots-- Thus he made his way to the mess hall, hoping to make amends to this error and make friends with those that he would call his wingmen. To some, seeing an avian flying a spacecraft would have been downright ironic.

 

[The Amalgam]

Post: 3

Objective: 3 (Commune with The Unholy Spirit, gain wisdom, fight own lightside reflection)


Well, this was a new experience.

A deeply, deeply unpleasant experience.

The Amalgam savagely attacked her green suited reflection, purple blades cracking towards her flesh, but the Reflection of her met the frenzied assault with an impassive, Jedi-Like calm with a lightsaber-staff that emitted soft blue blades that cunningly intercepted every strike and stab, only retreating when she had to. It wasn't Niman. It was Form Three. Kenobi's form. The Style that crippled Darth Vader.

The Amalgam really knew she should suck it up and get to studying it eventually. Form three wasn't just for pacifists these days. Many respectable Dark Side followers used Soresu, or incorporated it in their style. But that stink of pacifism remained to The Amalgam, and facing that which was the embodiment of everything she opposed manifested as her own personal reflection was an unforgivable abberation of nature.

The Reflection warded off a number of attacks, the alarm in her opponent increasing. Her defensive strategy was even better than the Amalgam's own.

The Shi'ido jumped back, letting loose a barrage of purple electricity from her hands.

The Reflection breathed, calmly holding out her hand just as the bolts reached her, the electricity doing nothing but disappearing into the center of her palm.

The Amalgam frowned, then her face twisted into a snarl as she dodged a barrage of green lightning. Electric Judgement.

"Still think all who use The Light are weak and deluded, Leejun?"

"That is not my name..." The shapeshifter snarled. Her purple eyes went molten gold and tried to use the power of Deadly Sight to simply cook her opponent into submission.

Still holding out her hand, a bright light emitted from her hand, and the Amalgam snarled, thrashing in pain as she was blinded and caught fire on the arm, her connection to the Force severely disrupted, almost dropping to one knee, fighting to stay conscious, desperately trying to summon the corruption of her own spirit to fend off The Force Light from ruining her any further.

"An evangelist of The Dark, yet you crumple at a ball of light due to the sheer weight of your supposed 'gifts'. What has this dedication done save poison your spirit, Leejun?"

"MY NAME IS NOT LEEJUN!" The Amalgam shouted in hatred.

She struggled to her feet, calling on the darkness of her spirit to burn away the effects of Ashla on her flesh.

"Yes it is." The Reflection stated bluntly, her face twisting in pity and empathy, which the Amalgam found hateful and unnatural, for these expressions were on a face like her own.

"It is the name of your true self. You've only forgotten--"

The Reflection outright blocked savage, heavy strikes aimed at her skull. Blue and purple grinded against each other.

"What has decades of murder and treachery gained you? You're alone!" The Reflection exclaimed, neither figure willing or able to budge during a saber lock. "A miserable, scheming monster in the shadows, who goes to sleep in another to win the trust of others, only to cruelly reveal yourself and slay them when their guard is down and you wake up!"

The Amalgam's face twisted in vicious fury. She could not call on her Force Rage. It would be too risky after such intense exposure to the Ashla. She split her staff into and attacked with a new frenzy at sheer maximum speed, fighting to keep going.

The Reflection lazily, almost contemptuously, brushed aside her attacks, nicking the Amalgam on the thigh with a quick flick. The Shi'ido pulled back, trying to figure out a new strategy.

"But it was different this time, wasn't it, Leejun?" The Reflection asked, guarding against further assault. "You were asleep too long. Far too long. Why was that, Leejun? Why sleep so long in another identity and not wake up?"

"Something was wrong. The...the persona was too strong. I couldn't wake up...no matter how hard I tried. My memory was full of holes when I finally did..." The Amalgam answered, in spite of it all.

Her supposed "Great Discovery" in alchemy had finally backfired on her, trapping her in her own subconscious while a false self she had created for infiltration did the lifting...for nearly three decades. She'd been so confused by just the new time period, never mind the fact that Uri's gaze had haunted her since she truly gained consciousness. But after she had oriented, Uri's green stare from the back of her head became her one, true obsession. She had to know everything about her, for The Brain Demon commanded she play a part into their schemes. But she would have stalked Uri even if The Brain Demon had not commanded it so.

The gaze of Uri in her mind, always watching, always staring into The Amalgam's soul, had threatened to drive the Shi'ido crazy. Truly, deeply crazy.

"Perhaps because you had found a reason to stay asleep...a certain someone, whose eyes are the only thing in the universe you value..." the Reflection posited.

"I despise Uri Udinia--"

"No you don't. You kill what you despise. You always kill what you despise, Leejun. And surely you are familiar enough with your own emotions to recognize the difference between hate and anger. If you truly hated her, Uri Udinia would have been dead months ago, tortured and killed like all the others you betrayed. Never mind what that emaciated freak wants. You don't hate her...but you ARE angry..." The Reflection stated bluntly.

The Amalgam went stock still, thoughts of attacking this aberration almost entirely gone from her mind. She searched herself, really took a moment to self examine, eyes uncertain suddenly.

With a cold chill in her back, she realized The Reflection was right. She didn't hate Uri..."

A cold sneer crossed the Amalgam's face as she stared at her green suited reflection.

"Okay, you walking lie. I'll bite. Let's suppose, for the sake of argument, you're a hundred percent right. If I don't hate Uri, and I'm simply angry at her...why?"

The Reflection tilted her head, her dark green eyes glistening in amusement.

"I never said it was her you were angry at. Its yourself you are angry at..."

"Why?" The Shi'ido snarled.

The Reflection's answer was not one The Amalgam was expecting.

"Because you secretly consider her your daughter, even though it is not so...and you are angry because you know she could never consider you a mother...not as you are, possibly not even if you truly made a stab at trying to change..."

A scream of fury from The Amalgam brought the Reflection's blade up to stop a swipe that would have decapitated her.

"Well..." The Reflection chuckled as they grinded in another saber-lock. "That got under your skin quickly..."

 

[Sar-Ka-Roi]

The reaction wasn't wholly unexpected.

In his earliest days, he distinctly remembered the feeling of fear and surprise aimed his way by other members of the Empire, but that faded away as more and more people became used to his presence the shock faded. He wasn't offended or anything like that, he understood that his saurian appearance was vastly different from the typical humanoid body structure possessed by the majority of the Empire's military personnel.

He surmised that this poor startled individual must be relatively new to the fighter corps.

"Lieutenant Sar-Ka-Roi, though everyone calls me Lieutenant SarKa. You're in good hands for your first mission, Cadet Morgyn. Cutting your teeth on a search and rescue mission isn't a terrible way to start your career in the military. Come on, we'll be wanted on the bridge for mission debriefing before we launch."

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"] | [member="Evaelyn Zambrano"] | [member="Alexa Morgyn"] | [member="Eshre"]​

 

[Jamie Lysle]

Location: Velox-class fast frigate, Silooth
Nearby: [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"], [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"], [member="Evaelyn Zambrano"], [member="Eshre"]

"Oh," Alex's focus snapped back as the reptile mention the debriefing, pulling her from the one-two punch of discombobulation that was a talking raptor and the vast expanse of nothingness outside. "You're right of course."

"Lieutenant!"

The final words were adding after a slightly awkward pause, but did straighten her back as was fitting to addressing a superior. Alex could still hardly believe that she would work alongside a dinosaur, her mind wandering about how he could even fit into a starship. It was an odd feeling, but one that the girl supposed she would have to get used to.

The pilot followed closely beside her superior, having admittedly gotten herself twisted around the layout of the ship with her wandering. Her hands stayed properly folded behind her back, though her eyes were a bit let disciplined as she examined the raptor she was following. There were so many things she was curious about but any time the Bastionite thought of opening her mouth, a hint of nervousness at the possibility of coming off as rude to the first thin... person that she came across.

"I'm very sorry, lieutenant." Alex squeaked out nervously. "I hope I don't come of as presumptive, but I was just wondering what planet you're from? I've never been to far out of the Sartinaynian System, so I haven't met many... different types of people."

 

[Sar-Ka-Roi]

Ah, so that was it.

A girl from the crown jewel of the Empire that had known no people but her own for as long as she could remember, not too uncommon in this neck of the galaxy. "I hail from the planet Tiss'sharl in the Xappyh Sector, a world that joined the Sith Empire willingly and with pride." He didn't deign to mention the attempted assassination attempt on the Sith Emperor during his initial visit to the planet, nor the induction of martial law that was placed upon the Tiss'shar for several months following. In the end, the world had ultimately submitted to the Empire willingly after those deemed traitorous had been excised from the planetary government, replaced with those who were fervent Imperialists through and through.

"My people, the Tiss'shar, have proliferated throughout the Empire's military and civil bureaucracy, though it is very uncommon to see us travel beyond the borders of our sector. Then again, one of our own was accepted as an apprentice to the Sith Emperor himself! Oh, what a pride she has become!" Lieutenant SarKa continued to meander on about his people and their pride for the Empire for some time before they reached the hall leading to the command bridge.

"Well, here we are Cadet. Time to see what kind of trouble we'll be wading into today."

[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"] | [member="Evaelyn Zambrano"] | [member="Alexa Morgyn"] | [member="Eshre"]​

 

[Evaelyn Zambrano]

ABOARD THE VELOX-CLASS FAST FRIGATE SILOOTH
[member="Joycelyn Zambrano"] | [member="Alexa Morgyn"] [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"] [member="Eshre"]

Evaelyn accepted Joycelyn's answer with a light chuckle. "Mystery then" she muttered. Seemed like this mission, and what awaited them would remain unknown until it all sprung into their face. It didn't matter much, she supposed. Evaelyn was used to taking punches. It was a nice way to get a read of what sort of power her enemy was packing, and how to pay it back in kind.

"That sounds like us, yeah" Evaelyn admitted. Not knowing everything, but jumping it, blades swinging and guns blazing. There was something liberating about being able to go at problems like that, head first, without the responsibilities that came with being a commander.

"I know how you feel" And she did. It felt like the twins were born on the front lines, and got more and more edgy the further away from it that they ventured.

Talking about beating up smugglers and brawling in bars reminded her of Balosar. But suppose that was classified. Not that it mattered too much with Joyce though. She trusted her with her life.

"I don't reckon they'll take me off the frontlines anytime soon. Teach me a lesson or something, I gather. Suits me fine though. Sucks to be the enemy fighters" she chuckled again. "I know you're army now, but what do you think? Sith navy in good shape? I mean they're not all Vahla pilots, so they can't be that good. But a close second maybe?" she jabbed.

 

[Jamie Lysle]

Location: Velox-class fast frigate, Silooth
Nearby: [member="Sar-Ka-Roi"], [member="Evaelyn Zambrano"], [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

Alex nodded along the raptor as she followed him along to the bridge, her awkwardly straight face giving way to a small smile as the creature began to talk with pride about where he was from. She had always found joy in watching someone talk passionately about something, even if that someone was a talking dinosaur.

"That sounds fantastic," chiming in after her fellow pilot had finished extolling his planet. "It's good to hear that you guys transitioned so well. I was excited when I heard that my home would become the capital, even though I wasn't too sure about the Sith."

The Bastionite's younger years during her planet's transition into the seat of the Sith Empire had flown by fast and she could hardly even recall the changes. Life became much simpler over night is all she knew, her father's role in the situation and her grandfather's legacy had gotten her into the Imperial Academy easily. Once there she was able to pass easily, the skills in flying that her grandpappy gave her made the courses nothing new to the redhead.

The nostalgic gleam in her eyes disappeared as her companion told her that they had arrived, contorting her face to get a more stern look in her eyes. Her experiences with Sith had told Alex that they preferred order to put it lightly.

"I hope not too much," She muttered with one final smirk to the raptor beside her. "I'd hate to be fighting space creatures on my first mission."