Mission The Great Hunt

[Taeli Raaf]

To all those that claim the title of hunter or dream of such aspirations:

In the spirit of Great Hunts in eras gone past, a new one emerges under the sponsorship of Darth Arcanix. Whereas hunts in the past were focused on a single target or goal, the one now called has a broader goal: the acquisition of specimens and specimen data of the galaxy's life. It matters little whether the target is sentient, semi-sentient, non-sentient, or even flora of a world; it merely needs to be a lifeform of some sort. Many can claim the rewards on offer from the Lady of Secrets, from the lowest citizen to the mightiest Masters, so long as they provide evidence of capture, but the greater prizes lie for those that capture increasingly rarer or unique lifeforms with the greatest prizes for something that the Mistress of Monsters has never seen or heard of before.

Bring the captured specimen or specimens to the world of Ziost, where they will be collected, and safe passage guaranteed under her authority for all hunters through the Holy Sith Worlds.

Taeli Raaf, Lady of Secrets
900 ABY

OCC Rules:

• You're welcome to post within this thread the hunt or capture as IC or provide evidence from a previous or future thread of a specimen you want to provide.
• Hunters are allowed to post more than once to claim rewards, but each one needs to be for a different capture. No claiming multiple rewards off one capture.
• Hunters are allowed to ally or steal specimens from each in threads, the only thing that matters to Taeli is the specimen. How it reaches her does not but do make sure to make it a collaborative thread if so.

Tiers

• Tier I - Unique or Extremely Rare Species or a species that Taeli Raaf has never heard of or seen before (Surprise me!)
• Tier II - Rare Species typically found only on one world or close neighboring world or appraised by Taeli as meeting certain criteria
• Tier III - Uncommon Species that are more regional, typically found on several scattered worlds or appraised by Taeli as meeting certain criteria
• Tier IV - Common Species found throughout the galaxy or appraised by Taeli as meeting certain criteria

Rewards

• Tier I - Credits of estimated value, Underworld Credits of estimated value, a favor from Taeli Raaf, a Unique submission or Creation developed for you
• Tier II - Credits of estimated value, Underworld Credits of estimated value, a favor from Taeli Raaf, or a Semi-Unique Submission or Creation of your choice or developed for you.
• Tier III - Credits of estimated value, Underworld Credits of estimated value, or a Limited/Minor-produced Submission or Creation of your choice or developed for you.
• Tier IV - Credits of estimated value, Underworld Credits of estimated value, Mass-produced Submission or Creation of your choice.

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

Taeli Raaf

Lady Arcanix-

In respect and continued appreciation for your work, this package includes small preserved samples of tissue, marrow, hide, claw, and tusk from two Lotek'k specimens. Each was killed by me and a large team of Masters of various allegiances in the 830s and 840s. These battles were fought in the Unknown Regions, one at the Spires of Hell and one at Osseriton.

​

The Lotek'k, of course, is a creature that some believe to be intrinsically eldritch or divine. It is native to some uncharted part of the deepest Unknown Regions, or may be extraplanar or extragalactic in origin. It is fully sapient, disinterested in dialogue, and generates a truly staggering mental pressure even on Masters. It stands approximately thirty meters tall. If you have not yet encountered one, you're missing out.

Best wishes,
Ashin Varanin

 

[Taeli Raaf]

When the package arrived for her, she could only stare at it and the message for several long moments. Behind her, her daughter chuckled at the look on her mother's face as she regarded the preserved samples and the message from a woman her mother held in the highest respect. For Taeli, there was only a long blank moment, and then muttering about the Force having a sense of humor.

A response would be composed to Pomojema immediately:

Lady Varanin -

I find myself torn by your incredibly generous gift. I have encountered members of these species twice myself, once during a long ago battle on Atrisia in the dying throes of the One Sith and again during experiments to recreate the Dread Masters' ritual on Asation to deal with some rebels led by the Graysons. In both encounters, they were formidable creatures, and for one like myself with boundless curiosity, they were a lesson in caution as their very nature drove thousands if not tens of thousands insane and tore open rifts to whatever home they call, be it extraplanar or some blessedly forgotten world in our own reality.

I have... resisted the urge to experiment with the species, as I am aware the specimen from Asation was taken by Braxus Zambrano and is held in a space station for his own research and an open invitation remains for my joining such and yet... it is on par with the Sickness in my opinion on the scale of folly and trying to control it. That being said, samples of a deceased member of the species and what could be gleaned from genetic therapies and alchemical introduction into existing species do interest me and meet my caution on the subject.

As always, and of course in recompense for these samples, I am at your service in whatever you might desire of me and my resources. You need only ask.

Best wishes,
Taeli Raaf

P.S. As always, the invitation for the students of the Pomojema to visit Valrar and the alchemy labs there or Amaltanna and the facilities and nations of sentient Sithspawn present there remains open.

Ashin Cardé Varanin

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

Lady Raaf-

As always, your judgment is appreciated.

Your mention of the Sickness is timely. A Central Isopter cultist aboard the Pomojema has recorded relevant and escalating visions.

I have reason to think you and I are of one mind about Drear's legacy.

Perhaps fifty years ago, I ordered a pair of vessels to tear a 4500-year-old ruin from Odacer-Faustin. I repurposed the stone, but everything recovered from inside was contained, sterilized wherever appropriate, and sealed away. Apart from comparison to samples I recovered at a valley of Murakami orchids on a planet called Orsonian, I have left most of that alone. I know my limits and the limits of the biological alchemists aboard my ship.

There are certain populations I would prefer to see protected from the Sickness if it is about to make itself known at scale. If you have options, I would be more than happy to collaborate. If those options would benefit from some of the materials I secured at Odacer-Faustin, that can be discussed.

Ashin

Taeli Raaf

 

[Taeli Raaf]

The decision was made quickly after she read the message, especially in light of the information she had obtained recently. She had told Kaine she would take steps to mitigate, and this would be one.

Lady Varanin -

It is heartening to know that it does indeed sound like we are of one mind when it comes to the Sickness and its derivatives.

Included in this message is the formulation for HESTIZO-201. There was a Blackwing outbreak on Atrisia some time ago, and concerned about such outbreaks spreading, whether it be by accident or by inexperienced hands or overconfident Sith and Dark Jedi from the Brotherhood of the Maw, I began research into creating a vaccine with one of the companies under my sway. To make sure it had a wider dispersion than I could achieve on my own, I partnered with Danger Arceneau and one of ATC's subsidiaries to provide it at very cheap cost to any that would want it under the codename Silverrain.

Between us, the formula needs updating and quickly. It has come to my attention that some members of the Sith Order and the Jedi Order recently fought a skirmish on Odacer-Faustin. The Sith were there on orders from Empyrean to retrieve samples of the Sickness so they could use it as a weapon against the Jedi. I vehemently disagree with this approach of attacking the Jedi. If it were up to me, the planet and any remaining data or samples for Drear's legacy would be glassed from orbit to be wiped away forever. Alas, that was not the case as some samples were obtained and spirited away. Even as the current Dark Councilor that oversee such projects, Empyrean knew what my reaction to such experiments would be and has sequestered this plan off from my interference.

I give you this warning and data so that we may head off such a disastrous scheme.

Taeli

Ashin Cardé Varanin

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

As a matter of basic respect for what Taeli Raaf was and had accomplished, one couldn't take her words or gifts at face value. An asterisk would always apply. But the information she offered was irreplaceable.

Skilled biological alchemists were not plentiful aboard the Pomojema. Their most senior instructor, the Stennes Shifter Lord Saavat Kishan, was a specialist in poisons, but had a broad enough skillset to assess HESTIZO-201/Silverrain, both the formula and the open market version, and compare them against the Odacer-Faustin samples. He also had prudence, deep reticence regarding the Sickness, and consummate skill in lab safety. He had a small lab on a sleepy moon that lacked a biosphere, suitable for hazardous matters like this. He'd also respond well to the challenge of playing catch-up.

Any engagement with the Sickness had existential risk attached. Losing him would be difficult.

---

Lady Raaf-

That certainly casts a new light on my associate's visions. I appreciate the position you're in and the resources you've provided.

This plan smells like the influence of the Worm. I'm assuming you've encountered that particular organism. If not, I'm happy to detail my past involvement. It may both disappoint and relieve you - as it does me - that I have no samples.

Ashin

 

[Taeli Raaf]

There were many in the galaxy that held various levels of her respect, and among those at the very top were Ashin and her wife Spencer. Such respect would create a level of forthrightness that others might not get from the Lady of Secrets, but Sith being Sith, prudence was always necessary.

Lady Varanin -

If facilities are required, the place we developed this first vaccine is located on Eol Sha over one of the many volcanoes there. I had determined that it should be modular and if the overseeing AI detected an outbreak while testing, or the subjects had run their course as we sought our cure, they could be disposed of quickly without risk of contamination. I open this facility to joint use if you're amendable.

I met the Worm once or twice, and during each of those encounters I had equated him as more an earthworm. Consuming the debris of failed Sith and making its knowledge available to the next in the line. Now, with such an uncontrolled scheme in the offing, perhaps they are more of a tapeworm. Eating away at each successive Sith it possesses until whatever it is comes to full fruition or its Sepulchral followers unleash their ultimate plan.

I am curious on your thoughts on the entity.

Taeli

Ashin Cardé Varanin

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

Lady Raaf-

For context, the Worm has no love for me; among the many oaths I've broken was one to serve him for a year.

People like you and I - and Kentarch, Ophidia, Xiangu, Valkner, so many other old names - are often most comfortable when ignored. The Worm cannot abide it. The more you ignore him, the more he fulminates, insecure as he is in the knowledge that all his component parts are dross. The single greatest thing that keeps him from being our peer...is his need to be our peer. But though I would never tell him to his faces, I respect his tenacity and endurance. Under the surface, his approach to immortality is innovative and unique in the same sense as the Sanguis ritual of Exegol. I hope he remains a...fixture of our ecosystem for decades more to come.

To be clear, I have no lens on the current Emperor or the nuances of his relationship with the Worm. I do not even know that the Worm is involved. This plan just feels like him.

Ashin

 

[Rolf Amsel]

- ♫ -​

Wild goose chase. Rumors. Nothing but tales of drunken spacers, long from home. Many years ago Rolf might have maintained that theory but he'd seen beyond the pale, seen things that mortals weren't meant to see, seen things that defied all logic - that spat in the face of the universe. And still I live. Times had changed and so had he. The gentle hum of his ship's engines echoed inside the small cargo vessel. Not his, of course, but leased under a false name in a backwater port. Nothing that would be traced to the once great, has-been. He doubted anyone still had their eyes open after all this time but he hadn't survived this long by being careless.

Vessel Registration: 216711-00486-24
Registered Entity: Calarand & Sons
Location of Registration: Dantooine
Flight Plan: Approved
​

The silence of space had at one time been a place of great solace for the man in the pilot's seat. Considering what he was hunting today it only put ice in his veins. To many it would have been a fools errand, a death sentence, folly. To Rolf it was no such certainty. Old, yes, but the years upon years of bio mechanical replacements and augmentations had extended his life - staving off the effects of time. Time was something he'd spent much of, as of late. That was the thing with hunting, that was the thing with casting a single line into the vastness of the black sea. There was no sure way to trap what he was after, at least not the same as merely setting a trap and waiting for it to work. No, this required fishing. Trip number 37 in as many galactic standard days. Each time the journey grew more tedious, difficult to fill the hours with anything to keep himself awake. Was this really worth it?

He didn't have time to continue that line of thinking, a gentle chirp from the console letting him know they'd arrived at their destination. And so we begin. Rolf reached for the controls, slowly spooling down the engines and engaging the thrusters to bring the vessel to a stop.

X: 0 | Y: 0 | Z: 0​

Good. His speed had bled off, counteracted by the ship's systems. Pushing the console to the side, he rose from the seat and reached into the overhead cabinet. His hand touched on several objects, a clatter and rustle of papers as he sought something else. Ah, there. Warm fingers wrapped around the broomhandle grip of a blaster pistol and brought it into his view. Satisfied that it was in good working order, Rolf tread towards the rear of the small cargo vessel with purpose. Electrical. Powerplant. Pressure Manifold. The man's eyes darted from component to component as he entered the small engineering bay which housed the most critical of the ship's systems. That will do. Taking a step back towards the entry he raised the blaster, leveling the barrel carefully at a particularly large conduit mounted on the bulkhead. Lining up the weapon's sights he gently squeezed the trigger tighter and tighter, isolating the movement to his finger. Slowly, smoothly, any ti...

SKRAAACK!

A brilliant flash erupted from the weapon, blaster bolt screaming into the conduit and sending a shower of sparks and smoke billowing forth where it was impacted. Alarms sounded, lights flickering at the system rapidly sought to bypass the sudden short. Coughing, Rolf lowered the blaster and squinted at the damage. That'll work. Tucking the blaster into his belt he moved to a wall panel, pressing a few buttons to silence the alarms. He was well aware of what had happened - in fact, it was part of his planning. Changing names wasn't just a method of keeping his true identity a secret but also a way to avoid the consequences of damaging not one, but many of his rentals. Eventually they'd catch on, but hopefully not before he found what he was looking for.

Calmly, as he'd done numerous times before, Rolf retrieved a toolbox from the cockpit before returning to where the reactor and the damaged conduit were. He had work to do and while the damage was intentional and localized, it was still going to be tedious work - hopefully not once again, for nothing.

-

OOC Note:
I will be continuing to post in this thread regarding my hunt.
I can either post separate posts or just continue to edit this one, whichever is cleaner for your purposes!

-
​

 

[Rolf Amsel]

- ♫ -​

A silent grimace stretched across Rolf's thin lips as he rubbed his index finger and thumb together. That was the trouble with wiring, especially when all the tiny bits split, it lead to more pokes and pricks than the man liked. It was inevitable. With the hum of the engines gone, the silence had been deafening, save for the music playing in Rolf's ears. It helped him focus. Red to red. White to white. Gentle flashes emanated from the conduit, the tool in his hands fusing the wires and cables back together. Green to green. Another cable fused together. A loud chortle rang in his ears, an alarm from the pilot's console. Fuck. What's that? Setting down the tool, he stood up just a little too fast, hitting his head on the low bulkhead above the conduit. Ouch. Rubbing the back of his head with one hand he made his way towards the cockpit. He could see the light blinking, a transmission. Who the hell is out here? Seriously? In the middle of... He shook his head in annoyance. This was going to be a problem.

:: ... Two Four, Are you in need of assistance? Please respond. ::

The voice was robotic, a carefully modulated tone easily identifiable as a droid despite the already tinny nature of the comm. Great. A droid. Rolf reached for the comm, then hesitated. What, was he going to tell a droid to kark off? Would that work? There was too many variables, too much outside of his control. It was uncomfortable. Reaching again for the comm, he keyed up.

"Hello? Hello? Are you there?" he waited. "Yes, I seem to have had a bit of engine trouble, but I've got it almost repaired now."

Sliding into the pilots seat his eyes flicked to a few screens around him. Distance. Speed. Time to arrival. Class. Analyzing the vessel in question was a task in and of itself, let alone trying to remain inconspicuous. Rolf had it well in hand however, already inputting several commands on the console in front of him.

:: Understood Two Four. Your position has been logged in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Braxant Run Merchant's Guild and will be reported to the closest Merchant Marine vessel. Estimates show an arrival time of two hours. Should you require assistance at that time, they will be able to assist. ::

That was unfortunate. It meant that his window had grown even smaller and he had plenty to do yet. Pressing a few buttons he powered down the small dual laser cannon system. We won't need that.. yet. "Understood, thank you for looking out," he replied. Fething droids. In fact, he'd probably saved the Braxtant Run Merchant's Guild time and money by not interfering with their flight path or timetable. What they didn't know is that they were going to be cutting into his when that vessel finally did show up. In that case, it was time to test the systems. Rising again from the cockpit, Rolf made his way to the port cargo bay. There wasn't anything special about it, at least, to the naked eye. The only peculiarity was its vast emptiness. No crates of cargo or large shipping containers filled the bay, merely a small workstation at the far port wall. Rolf headed towards it, powering on the lights. The stage was set.

Arriving at the work station, Rolf pressed a button on a rather strange looking device, a fuchsia crystalline shard radiating with light as a laser refracted across its surfaces. A quiet hum filled the air, another switch press sending the device whining in a high pitch tone - almost higher than Rolf could hear. Unfortunately, not quite. Reaching into one of the pockets on his jumpsuit, Rolf squeezed two small foam earplugs into shape before slipping them into his ears. That would save him some of the headache to come, certainly. Now, back to the reactor. Footsteps led Rolf back to his work, a few more cables reconnected and he was nearly ready to re-seal the conduit. Just one more bundle to go. Rolf had dragged out the rather straightforward repair for several hours at this point and he was beginning to suspect this effort, too, was a wash - and then he heard it. It started out as a shimmer, barely on the verge of his consciousness, a whine only just perceptible. Narrowing his eyes, he gasped. That wasn't from the port side, it was coming from... the Starboard cargo bay. Oh fuck.

Tools abandoned, Rolf jumped to his feet and scampered towards the starboard hold, eyes wide. This is it. There was no going back now, it was too late for second thoughts. Not that he would have had any, anyway.

-​

 

[Rolf Amsel]

- ♫ -​

Rolf's heavy booted feet sounded against the deck plating, his artificial heart racing as it pumped blood to the parts of his body that weren't fully cybernetic. Adrenaline coursed through his system, his typically metered breathing and controlled efforts reverting to his younger days, days where energy and intuition took precedence over the cold and calculating man he had become. I am still alive, somewhere beneath this veneer of a cold-blooded killer - or so it seems.

Thoughts became more difficult as he approached the starboard, the high-pitched whine slowly rising. Get it together, you fuck. His internal voice cut through the noise enough to send the man's hands into action. Reaching into the pockets of his flight suit he retrieved two small devices, placing them in his ears. Immediately the noise was cut in half, his eyes widening as he entered the Starboard cargo bay. There, in the doorway, he froze. It's real. He knew it was, it had to have been, but what he saw with his own eyes was still a shock to the well-traveled man.

SKRREEEEAAAAAAAHHHH!​

There in the center of the bay, suspended several feet in the air, was something few had ever seen. Ephemeral cloth hung from the thin and wiry form, elongated arms and legs stretched unnaturally long compared to typical human anatomy. Its face was a twisted and grotesque approximation of his own, eyes hollow and partially obscured by a mess of white hair that fell to shoulder length. Gaping wide, its mouth emanated a scream that cut through Rolf's earplugs completely. Fates...

Pressure erupted just behind Rolf's eyes, the piercing wail threatening to overwhelm him. No. Not Today. This is my chance. Clenching his jaw, he quickly withdrew the blaster, it would be ineffective against this creature of air and shadow but that didn't matter.

FZAAAT! ​

He fired, the bolt slamming harmlessly into the bulkhead, passing straight through the horrific apparition. The man hadn't waited, darting out into the corridor as fast as he could. Good thing too, the ghostly creature appeared to phase out for a moment and then re-appeared just where Rolf had been standing, elongated limbs slashing through the air in a wild swipe. Missed me. Lights in the corridor flickered as another shrill scream echoed inside the small freighter. This creature was powerful, dangerous, and if Rolf wasn't careful, lethal.

Rolf barreled forward, eyes fixed on the small workbench as he pushed with all his might against the deck plating, propelling himself forward. Then he felt it. His heart. His mind. His being. As if a cold chill had suddenly reached inside him and squeezed. Hard. The edges of his vision blurred, black tunnels forming as everything seemed to move in slow motion. He felt something cold brush against his back, a cool shock running from left to right. It had to be imagined, right? That's how this creature operated? Cold, ice cold... no... it.. burns? What on... Oh no, fuck. FUCK.

The pain, just as time, seemed to fade from a chill to an intense burn. He could feel the slick fabric of his tattered flight suit absorbing blood and his arm slowly reaching forward, tantalizingly close to a large breaker box mounted to the side of the bench. His heart beat slowly, painfully, as if it wasn't just his heart but his whole being filling with blood and then constricting. And then the sensation faded, his hand shooting forward and grasping the handle.

CHUNNNK​

A shimmer of light erupted from the upper and lower bulkheads in the space just behind Rolf, a violent buzz filling the air. Blinking hard several times as he steadied himself against the workbench, Rolf turned back and sighed. It's... done... A grimace stretched across his lips as he reached back and felt the wound, open flesh, torn muscle. Pain. It was going to be a problem if he didn't stop the bleeding. Carefully but quickly he reached for an emergency medical kit mounted on the wall, retrieving several large bacta patches. Taking a piece of fabric between his teeth he bit down, forcing himself to pull the damaged flight suit free of his bloody torso. He let out a pained growl, eyes staying focused intently on the creature now trapped in the shield projector. Loosely applying the patches he turned back to the kit, retrieving two small autoinjectors. Stims.

He couldn't risk this cargo getting into the wrong hands, he was going to have to deliver this one personally. Quick too, if he wanted to survive long enough to seek medical treatment. With a deep breath, he dragged himself past the shield, giving it a wide berth. Inside the creature thrashed about, its screams subdued by the small crystal device humming away on the workbench. It faded in, then out, one moment appearing in all its grisly glory, the next barely a shadow held inside the shield. If that thing gets out... I'm dead. Rolf pushed forward, reaching the reactor he'd been working on previously. Only one wire left to go. Now or never. With a subtle shake of his head, Rolf grasped one of the autoinjectors and jammed the needle into his thigh, medication shooting quickly into his system. With a rush of adrenaline, and a slight relief of pain, his eyes opened wide and a cold breath entered his lungs. Hurry.

A few moments later Rolf found himself gingerly lowering himself into the pilot's seat. Only a little bit farther to go. A few inputs later the thrusters and engines roared to life, course set. Ziost.

-​

 

[Rolf Amsel]

I M G
- ♫ -

"How can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping,
and all our thoughts are a dream; or whether we are awake,
and talking to one another in the waking state?"
- Plato​

Scenes flashed before Rolf's closed eyes, arms hanging limply from the armrests of the pilot's seat. Scenes from his life. Scenes of friends, comrades in arms, his rise to prominence in the military complex of the First Order, the fall of Dosuun. A woman, brown haired, short, infectious smile. Then darkness. Cold tendrils snaking across his mind's eye and into his very being. Darkness of the blackest void, colder than the nights on Hoth's windswept surface, colder than the sting of loss and failure. Colder than the depths of his blackened soul.

A chime sounded then, echoing in the vastness of void. Again, and again. Rolf knew that sound. An alarm clock? He could almost feel the sheets of his bed, smell the cool morning air through a half open window. Loch Weald? How... No. No. He was not on Dosuun. He was not in his bed at Loch Weald. That wasn't the sound of his alarm clock.

I'm alive.

Rolf's eyes snapped open, ears trying to determine the source of the muffled chime, heart skipping a beat as the memory of what had transpired previous flooded his waking mind. He was alive, that was good. An indication that perhaps his captured quarry was yet contained, it was certain he would be dead if that was not the case. Pressing a button on the console in front of him he leaned forward, a pained grimace stretching across his lips. Ah. Yes. The wound. Squinting at the display he saw a grainy image, the force field still intact, a flicker within indicating the creature was still there. That was a relief, his shoulder slumping as he reached up to his ears. I'd forgotten about those. A gentle tug and the earplugs came out, discarded as the alarm was muted with the flip of a switch above his head. We have arrived.

Gingerly, Rolf leaned forward and grabbed the headset slung over the screen and placed it over his ears. With the flip of a few more switches he pressed one of the cups, activating his transmitter.

:: Freight Vessel 216711-00486-24, Under authority of the Lady of Secrets, Taeli Raaf, I come bearing a specimen in response to the call. I await your instructions. ::
​

The transmission was sent, all that was left was to deliver. Taking a deep breath, Rolf rose. He would need to replace the bacta patches and clean himself up if it was going to be a face to face. It wasn't that he was afraid of the Sith, or that they had no honor, but what he knew was that they detested weakness. Coincidentally, so did he. A twitch at the corner of his lips betrayed the beginnings of a smile.

-
Package Details
-

Classification: Lifeform
Sentience: Inconclusive
Species: Starweird
Location of Capture: Near Dantooine
Status: Alive
Method of containment: Force Field
-


Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Lady Varanin -

You are right to say that I prefer my privacy and secrecy, as you yourself and the others you mention do. I've found being too much in the spotlight can interfere with one's research and studies, not to mention how time consuming it can be. Experiments do not run and oversee themselves after all. Still, on the subject of the Worm, you are right that he seeks relevance. I have some inklings into the symbiotic relationship Empyrean and the Worm share, a sort of sealing of the Worm within the Emperor's body, but I am not entirely sure of the full details and I doubt they would be readily shared for fear of what the information could do.

But I also agree this does have the sense of the Worm about it. I had never known Empyrean, in any of the forms he has taken over the years, to be needlessly reckless in his plans and wasteful of resources. It bears careful watching, at least.

- Taeli

Ashin Cardé Varanin

As she finished her latest message to Ashin, she looked up at the transport as it was directed to land by Ziost Control to the landing pad she was standing on that was connected to the Ziost Academy. A hunter had heeded her challenge, and from the specimen captured, it had earned them a face-to-face meeting indeed. She had worked with starweirds in the past, so while it was not a new and unknown creature to her, it was still a rare specimen and indicative of skill in actually capturing one of the ethereal monsters.

The first reward for this hunter would be actually meeting her and not one of her subordinates, the other reward she felt would comfortably fit a Tier II for her mission, so she was curious what he might with to claim as his prize.

Rolf Amsel

 

[Rolf Amsel]

Taeli Raaf
- -​

Switches flicked up and down, lights flickering across the control panel as instructions splayed across Rolf's console. He sent a confirmation of receipt and then rached over to his right, retrieving a small auto-injector. Stims. Just a little something to take the edge off. A quiet grunt, a gentle press of a button with his thumb, and the drugs shot straight into his thigh. The relief was almost immediate. Now, to buck up and finish this thing.

It had been an odd shift of fortune, an odd change of fate. Odd to the former military man, anyway. Once a cog in a machine, a machine driven by a megalomaniac who'd over promised and under produced. So much for meritocracy. An ideal he'd lost along the way.

The approach to the landing pad was gentle, an amusing dichotomy between the harsh surface of the planet below. A wide sweeping flight path guided the vessel towards a series of structures. It took Rolf only a moment to identify which was his target, the ship already beginning its descent. Satisfied that the auto-pilot would complete the landing without issue, Rolf rose from the pilot's seat and proceeded towards the ship's metallic bunks. A change of clothing. A weapon. Reaching into the nearby wall mounted locker, Rolf quickly changed attire. A black, form fitting undersuit followed up by basic armorweave - also black.

Retrieving his blaster pistol from where he'd set it on the bunk, Rolf tucked it into his belt and gave himself a once-over. Good enough, let's do this.

With a anticlimactic hiss of hydraulics, the boarding ramp lowered with a whine as Rolf stepped towards its end. The first thing to hit him was the cold, sharp pinpricks of sensation against his skin. Then, the chill of breathing in the air. He felt... Alive. So alive. Maintaining a neutral expression, Rolf tread towards a figure standing at the nape of the landing pad, the walkway leading towards one of the structures. Stopping a few meters short, he bowed in greeting, his eyes maintaining their gaze.

"It's in the port cargo bay," he said, nodding. "I imagine you're more familiar with these sorts of things but I'll offer a warning in any case. Bloody thing is tenacious." Rolf stepped closer and extended his hand with a small datacard. "Always looking for jobs, if the price is amenable. Keep or toss at your leisure of course." The datacard held contact information, no doubt a burner comm but one that would reach the man just about anywhere. A delicate bird was laser etched at the center, a single word identifying the man. Blackbird.