Public The First Step

[Darth Malrren]

Eclipse Station

The ancient Lambda-Class shuttle settled down on deck H hangar fourty three of Elcipse Station. Old and rusted struts creaking like the screech of a barghest, resounding through the bay loud enough that it made some attendance shiver. An attendant moved over towards the ship, his fingers clutching a data slate. His large Durosian eyes sparkling like the distant stars as he waited for whoever came down the ramp.

His scream was the first to echo out from the Hangar.

It was a sound that carried down the halls of the station.

Drowned out only when his ragged corpse hit the ground, and those who had called him a coworker began to join his ranks. Alarm klaxons began to blare just a few short seconds later, red lights flooding hangar bay fourty three with constant nuisance. Blast doors began to seal themselves shut almost immediately. Security Droids sprang to life, and a stream of security announcements began to flow between screeching alarms.

Somewhere on the station guards who had only ever faced petty criminals began to arm themselves.

Cameras flickered, searching. The pale light of blue screens casting over the faces of security Guards as they searched for the right view. Seconds passed, panic flowing until they found what they searched for. A figure drawn in a black cloak, two horns trailing from his head. His face was adorned with a red mask, though it was clear he looked up at the camera. His arm swung, and the holo-feed cut as something cut through the transmitter.

Seconds later a bright red lightsaber blade stabbed into the first of a dozen bulkheads. Carving a perfect circle to serve as a gate into the station beyond.

 

[Shoda Teshima]

"Will someone tell me what the &$@* is going on?!"

The alarms were blaring on the station as he gave a long, distinctive groan in his cot. It has been now been over a year since he had been "denounced" by those in charge in the old Empire. What was more, it has been less than a month since the entire Empire itself started to collapse in this sector that once shared also with the Ashlan Crusade. Sitting up from the cot, his cybernetic like eyes scanned the room around him and slowly sat up as the alarms blared even louder.

Walking out, he slung his rather large trench coat over his body and scanned the area around him, all the while someone had ran directly into him, a Duros as he ran quickly past, the cyborg shouting back towards the Duros, whom dropped his blaster pistol in an effort to keep moving.

"Wait! What the hell is going on?!"

"It ain't worth it! The pay ain't worth Sith!"

The word Sith seemed to echo into his mind for a moment. The blaring of lights still glowing, the loud whine of the alarm...so much was going on in a short period of time. Giving a bit of a long sigh, he started to move forward to find others as the entire station shook for a moment...escape pods. The Sith Empire was still a recent memory in this area and for good reason, so many have been awakening in the past sixty to eighty years that it has been a resurgence beyond reckoning. Leaning down to grab the blaster pistol, he checked the power supply and started to move forward, investigating the sounds.

With his own Cybernetic Body twisting a bit, he prepared himself as he went around the corner and kept checking for this..."Sith".

Darth Malrren

 

[Zefgahld Qojex]

Darth Malrren Shoda Teshima

(While I don't have much in the way of context, I hope you guys don't mind my joining in...)

One act of kindness, no matter how small, can often lead to outcomes most unexpected...

It was a brief task of merely supervising a small team of newly-hired technicians struggling to troubleshoot the station's aged Holonet infolinks and their virus-laden astromech, of all things, that would change Zefgahld's life in a rather drastic manner.

The demure and shy Amaran had been returning from the room she had been sharing with her Godfather, clad in casual wear for the evening: a loose tan tunic fitted over her boyish torso, punctuated rather oddly by the thick silver-white fur that jutted out along her sternum thickly, hidden beneath the oiled nerf leather of an odd maroon Duros-made duster, almost a size too large for the lithe vulpinoid in question, with snug-fitting dark blue breeches hugging her athletic and toned, petite legs, accentuating as well as hiding her feminine curves; she was jostling and weaving swiftly, yet politely through a crowd of aliens for the nearest restaurant, merely wanting to eat and be alone with her reading datapad. Suddenly, the passing mob had been hailed by two rather confused-looking station technicians seeking a fellow computer-savvy type and, behind them, a smoking, powered-down protocol droid in an open maintenance room. While the older technician had besot aid, his younger assistant, a shy and blushing and bespectacled Gamorrean with albinism and endearing pink eyes, had complimented the Amaran woman's icy eyes as she stepped forward, ears lowered, and waved in greeting, and had left her embarrassed and eager to get the ordeal over with even despite her agreeing to help him and his coworker!

The albino Gamorrean, one Felm, and Tmaaj-Iu-Narv, aged Cerean who, despite the beginnings of senility, was a cheerful advisor with a joyous smile, had good-naturedly laughed at and playfully jostled the fiery little topknot that Zefgahld had tied back for the sake of ease, tomboy that she was. The minutes had passed as the aliens made small talk and Zefgahld shyly introduced herself, and before long, a few jokes had passed, and, rolling his eyes at the Amaran even as he clapped her shoulder, the aged Cerean asked the Amaran to consider the droid's coding displayed on the screen before them. The three watched the screen as the Gamorrean had explained the problem and, after a failed routine command, even as Zefgahld had settled into a chair to look at and advise Felm, watched as his pudgy, ghostlike digits danced over the keyboard before their three furrowed brows and their analytical stares dissected the code on the screen. Fingering the nosepiece of her rounded reading glasses, Zef grunted and leaned her torso backwards, wincing visibly as the ever-constant pain of her injury - sustained back home on Coruscant - flared along the base of her spine and made her muscles tense and gray-furred tail shiver.

Tmaaj began to speak once more, "Well, I suggest-"

The alarms began at that very moment...

Cursing and wincing as she got to her feet, her exposed footclaws clicked on the metal flooring as the Amaran made her way to the door, giving the sweet Gamorrean a friendly salute with a pointer and middle finger, a bang of scarlet hair falling over one eye. A hand removed her rounded reading glasses, replacing them into an inside pocket along the length her too-large, odd coat. The gray fur along the back of her neck stood on end as the cries and confused shouts of dismay and fear assailed the young woman, her triangular ears folding down as her head shifted outside the open blast door. Grunting in determination and brushing a stray string off of her coat, the Amaran fixed her newfound acquaintances with a sad smile.

"I'm a former Security Officer, as well..." She blushed again at the porcine alien, even as she waved companionably at the polite, if forgetful Cerean - the minutes with them had been funny and rife with kindness. She gave the Gamorrean a left-sided smile, "Sorry, but I've got to go see what's wrong, if anything, and try to calm everyone down... Someone's gotta be moral in this Galaxy, after all..."

Stepping outside of the blast door, the Amaran turned her athletic form back to the two, her coat billowing behind her briefly. "Lock the door behind you and keep your heads low, of course, if there is real trouble."

Turning back around to face the hastening walking of the murmuring, nervous and apprehensive civilians, the Amaran's large ears lifted, her nostrils flaring as, even as she began to take a step, a tall man with eccentric-colored eyes stepped around the corner,, bumping into the vulpinoid's side and startling her at the same time. Flinching as she caught herself, tail flaring, her blue-white eyes locked on the man's blaster pistol, even as she apprehensively looked him up and down, thin, gray hands raising cautiously.

"You with Security, Bright Eyes? I'm an officer, though not from here... Need help?"

Shoda Teshima

(I SUCK at beginnings, but I hope that's decent enough...)

 

[Darth Malrren]

Malrren stalked forward, the sound of his boots striking an almost song like rhythm as he continued to move down Eclipse Stations everlasting hallways.

In the distance, through long echoes he could hear the screaming of civilians. Those caught in the panic of chaos, many who had little to no idea of what was even going on. They ran in any way they could, clogging up corridors and dragging securities progress towards the intruder. Their first confrontation coming seconds later than they should have.

Droids, intrepid and steadfast in their task were the first to meet the Sith.

Their warnings blared down the center of the corridor, echoing out once, then twice before they opened fire.

Blaster bolts soared down the hall, the bright red of a lightsaber blade sending them flying back down the hall mere seconds later. The droids called out across the radio, signalling the Sith's location on the upper levels even as they were rent apart. Quick flicks of a lightsaber cutting them into quick pieces. The Sith continuing on his singular path.

He made no move towards the terrorized citizens, nor seemed abated by the droids now entering his path.

Malrren continued forward, seemingly, moving steadily through the station. His lightsaber blade flickering through the walls every now and again, creating clouds of sparks as he severed power couplings and sent Eclipse station into darkness.

 

[Shoda Teshima]

It was a double take, he had no true way to explain what he was looking at, nor understand the species he saw. This was new...large ears but nothing indicating "Sith" all over this...person. The security question required some special thought, looking to the side then shrugged, looking back.

"Kindof...Sith is on station, people need to leave befo-"

Then the station would hit a major section of power, each light starting to go out one by one, each light flickering out into total darkness. The bright eyes of the Cyborg however peered into the darkness, the noise becoming an echo as the lightsaber noise was close. Breathing in very slowly, the blaster of he had acquired, he pulled a handle to overcharge the blaster.

"Listen to me carefully...I am going to buy time. Find whoever you can, get them the hell off this station. Don't...let this thing find you."

It was a bit of a serious tone as his eyes flash towards the sentient creature, the eyes of a person that had seen more things that he had cared to admit. Turning, he would head down the hallway towards the noise of the lightsaber and aiming haphazardly into the hallway where the glow was, fire the blaster repeatedly on charged mode till it was depleted, making a lot of noise on purpose to get the Siths attention. Shouting out between the blaster bolts, he was thinking that much of a death wish.

"HEY! CHUCKLE SPAWN!"

When the blaster ran out, he threw it hard as he could down the corridor with a clatter right into the Siths view. Flicking both arms back, he let the trench coat fall off quickly and both of his forearms began to open up. Turning, only the bright white eyes of the Human be revealed but then, revealing the large blades built within the arms, the Lightfoil Blades that were inside them would activate a twin pair of violent and crackling yellow as it filled the hallway opposite of the others glowing blade.

"I thought the Empire killed all of you out here! The hell you doing on this station?!"

Maybe not the brightest idea to mention most are dead out here, but he needed a way to distract even for a moment...he can stand his own though the skill may be beyond his own fighting ability. Though with the ability to dampen the force with the Void Stones, he may have a chance...at this range, this Sith was bound to feel it.


Darth Malrren Zefgahld Qojex

 

[Zefgahld Qojex]

Darth Malrren Shoda Teshima

The lanky vulpinoid regarded the cybernetic-laced human with his odd-looking, faintly-glowing eyes with a look of stoic calm, tempered by the faintest of frowns tugging down at one side of her mouth at the corner of her short little gray-furred muzzle, a large triangular ear twitching off to catch faint sounds coming from the direction Bright Eyes had pointed in. A furred hand shifted into the confines of her loose duster, producing an intricate, blue-forged Model 434 heavy blaster, the dull blue of the modified metal engraved with the exotic glow of several black pearls lining the weapon's top sides.

Blushing, the vulpinoid avoided the human's gaze, her impressive ears folding down in embarrassment. "Ironically, despite being a former Security Officer..." She brushed two gray fingers lovingly over the pearl lining along the weapon's top, "...my Godfather insisted I smuggle this in... We managed." By now, the last few commoners in their section had filed out along the blast door towards the north, directly away from the sounds of blasters flaring and the obscure hum of what could only be a lightsaber. Glancing up when the man didn't respond, she discovered that he had left, her gaze catching the door obscuring the combat closing swiftly even as she tried to sight the man's path.

Delivering a few firm knocks to the very door that she had emerged from before bumping into the human, the Amaran smiled calmly and with amicable, if eccentric warmth towards the albino Gamorrean and the lanky, aged and somewhat confused-looking Cerean man, their pink and orange eyes, respectively, laced with confusion as the warily shifted out of the door, hastily glancing about for any signs of danger. The lights above began to flicker into nothingness, leaving the Felm, Amaaj and Zef visible to one another only by their featureless, shadowy outlines. Beyond another door and faintly echoing with combat's harsh and distinct screams and the scream of security weapons, the sound caused the heavyset, sweet-natured Gamorrean's hand to reach, sweat-laced and shyly, to protectively grasp at the Amaran's own.

Though she hadn't known him long, Felm was a sweet and brave kid, and Amaaj's rare kindness deserved to share morality and grace with the wider Galaxy for years to come.

It was with both of them in mind that Zefgahld gestured towards the northern doors, her voiced tinged with worry. "Head along the northern section through those doors, lock them if you can, and join the civilians..." Swallowing nervously, the lithe alien raised her pistol upwards, flicking off the safety and sauntering with determined resolve even as she continued, "If I see you after this, I'll try again to help you with your droid."

With her duster billowing behind her, the Amaran's ears swiveled atop her head, her gray-furred form darting into the deep dark that had consumed the human who had run in ahead of her... Blanching in shock at the sight of the man around the corner, who now sported exotic, glowing durasteel blades, of all things, that had emerged from detached cybernetic "flesh" sleeves to form an exotic and glaive-like weapon. Apparently, this guy wasn't just know for his bright eyes...

Sidling up a healthy distance away from the cyborg-thing to one side of her, she smiled left-sidedly at him and nodded warmly, "Taken care of, and I'm damned if I leave you to do this alone..."

Casting her glance towards the audible hum of the Galaxy's most well-known exotic weapon, the Amaran's blue-and-pearl pistol raised, a thin finger resting on the weapon's trigger as she aimed for the center of the - Togruta's, she could now tell - mass.

"Alright, Stripes, you can either surrender, or make a choice: Guts or nuts?" The humor in the Amaran's voice faltered, a hard edge replacing it as her frosted blue-white eyes narrowed on their target, "Blade down. NOW! Doubtless more Security is on their way.. Think you can take us all on?..."

(Famous last words...)

 

[Darth Malrren]

Malrren paused.

He stood in the middle of one of the grand halls now cast in darkness. The sound around him dulled by the sparking of now shorn power conduits and the cast of broken durasteel falling to the ground somewhere behind him. His head cocked slowly to the side, as if shifting. Not listening, no, something else.

The Sith's head snapped up.

Fingers flickered out, and the yawning call of bending steel durasteel rang out as Malrren tore a piece from the wall. It flickered into place before him, catching blaster bolt after blaster bolt. The metal burning bright and giving off a sickening acrid smile by the time the cyborg called out. His voice echoing over the sparks casting from the wall.

Steel shifted in the air, Malrren's mask showing itself to the two newcomers. For a moment he simply stared, his head cocking to the side as they continued to speak. His lekku shifted slightly as his mask shifted, a mixture of curiosity and simple attentiveness on display as the Sith seemed to listen to his would be foes.

For a few seconds he lingered in that hallway, as though debating on what to do. Then slowly he took a single step forward. The lightsaber flickering and turning in his hand, catching the edges of the floor.

There was a pause.

A moment.

Malrren felt something pluck. Like a single string upon an instrument. His head turned again, slowly shifting forward as though he were trying to see some detail.

Then without pause or hesitation his lightsaber suddenly cut upwards. The steel flickered and melted away, a vent falling down with a loud clatter. Thundering onto the floor of the hallway and obscuring vision of the SIth as he leaped upward. Throwing himself into the vent and quickly darting through it's length.

Zefgahld Qojex Shoda Teshima

 

[Laphisto]

Darth Malrren Zefgahld Qojex Shoda Teshima

Laphisto was on the other side of the station when things went awol, his ship was docked outside at the refueling bay, and he was busy with maintenance and repair and purchasing new supplies when the alarms went off. The red lighting didn't faze him much. It's not like he could see much anyways. As those around the docking bay began stirring in confusion and fear, the first wave of runners began to show, screaming about an attack.

At first, he didn't mind it and just calmly continued to load his ship, but when the security began questioning those who arrived with talk of a red-bladed maniac. The moment he heard those words, he would frown, grabbing at his communicator and grumbling, taking several steps toward the direction of the chaos. Pulling his arm up, he would tap at the comlink " Tia, send out first and second squadron from the ship, secure the hanger and work with the local security force."

Pushing forwards, he continued to follow the direction of the commotion, getting closer and closer. Meanwhile, in the hangar, several men would push out of the docking tube between them and the Drak'iv Assault Frigate that was docked at the station. Roughly eighteen soldiers were adorned in LO-56A armor with various rifle types in their hands. The one thing equipment-wise that every soldier had was a sword. as the soldiers began helping the local security force.

Walking down the hallway, with a flash of blue running over his eyes, he would begin using his forcesight. he would grumble, being run into by those trying to flee from the attacker. Causing him to grunt with a slight growl before huffing. He saw the outline of the force user before he even got close enough to be seen. Oddly enough, he saw two other signatures, which caused him to grumble. Surely these two knew they were outmatched? Grabbing the hilt at his waist, which appeared to be more akin to a broken Vibrosword, he would ignite his Broad Saber. The blue hue of the blade illuminated the hallway behind the two facing off against the sith.

Rushing out into the open hallway, he held his blade up, preparing to battle the would-be sith.

 

[Shoda Teshima]

The other got here? But what? There was a bit of confusion yet he kept staring down at the would been Sith...till the person jumped up into the vents. Realizing the game had changed, he turned as he yelled out, his arms still extended as he turned his vision into sonar.

"He is in the walls, he is in the &$(@*&!$ WALLS!

There was almost nothing he can do but wait, hearing the sounds of another one as he glanced towards the new comer.

"And now the apprentice?! LOVELY!"

Laphisto Darth Malrren Zefgahld Qojex

 

[Zefgahld Qojex]

Darth Malrren Shoda Teshima Laphisto

The vulpinoid's prominent triangular ears folded downwards - the klaxons were one thing, but the shouting of the cybernetic man was simply overwhelming, if only by a little bit. As if on cue, the soft and multifarious thunderings of many pairs of booted feet echoed around the two, the whoosh of receding blast doors heralding the arrival of the station's guards with their distinctive dark brown clothing and their oddly thick gunmetal gray helmets, pauldrons and gloves garbing a wide swathe of species, perhaps two dozen, at this point, from across the Galaxy, forehead-lamps glinting and bringing weak light to the hallway that made the two squint...

Though she was far from a natural leader, the Amaran relayed the information, a thin hand gesturing towards the fallen, sizzling grate beneath the wall as the guards' varied lamps shone upon the scene.

"There!" her slightly raspy voice carried forth to the clamoring, confused and half-awake, somewhat inept guards, an ear swiveling towards the vent itself, as though expecting a sound that might herald the intruder's aggressive return at any moment... "TOGRUTA, he's masked and he fled into the ventilation system! Let's split up!"

With her gray, black-tipped tail flaring in anticipation, the Amaran patted the ugly human with the distended cybernetic arms, inclining her head towards the direction the sounds had carried off in initially, the guards cursing, loading their blasters and complaining audibly as a section of them - perhaps a dozen - filed around the two.

The Amaran gritted her teeth, knowing a wholesale slaughter awaited them, even despite their superior numbers. The station groaned, the halls becoming bathed in an eerie dark blue light as the technicians somewhere in the station got the auxiliary power running, illuminating all in a bizarre, if calm, unnatural light that served its purpose well enough.

Patting a hand on the ugly human's shoulder again, Zefgahld sighed in resignation.

"I'll cover you... Let's go!"