Faction The Long Silence-Sith Order

[Darth Revellian]

Forward Observation Assessment Station AX-23, located near the borders of the Silver Jedi Concord. Created months ago by operatives within the Sith Order, on direct deployment by the Worm Emperor, AX-23 is part of a network of stations intended to gather information and tactical data on the Silver Jedi Concord. It was just one of several dozen such outposts, spread out across much of the Outer Rim.

With their new focus on rebuilding their strength in the shadows, the Sith Order has placed high priority on information acquisition and analysis. Legions of servants and soldiers have been dedicated to this endeavor, and nearly a third of all available Sith Order resources are committed to the galaxy spanning observation station network.

What made this station of particular importance, however, was its silence.

Three days ago, all contact with AX-23 was lost, and all attempts by the Sith Order to contact the station have thus far failed. The risk of discovery of the station by the Jedi or other external forces demanded that after three days of failed communication, the station’s long range self-destruct be activated. Such attempts failed.

Determined to get to the bottom of this situation, and to secure the information the station holds, or destroy it if necessary, the Sith Order has gathered an expeditionary force. Made up of various elements drawn from the Mandates and independent organizations of the Sith Order, this task force has made the slow, quiet approach to AX-23.

They have finally arrived.

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AX-23 hung silently in the dark void of space. Located deep in the empty expanse of space between star systems, the space station was located in a prime location to be both unseen, and all seeing itself. Normally crewed by a force of over three hundred Sith Order personnel, AX-23 was a small colony located within the Outer Rim, one of dozens built in secret by the Sith Order. Only a single vessel knew its specific location, a supply craft scheduled to arrive every month to ensure the stations continued existence. That vessel drifted near the station, physically undamaged, but with not outward signs of life.

AX-23 was in worse shape. Scorched blaster marks pocketed the station in nearly unrecognizable patterns, though the structural integrity of the station remained intact. Life support was fully online across the station, though no life signs were detected. All escape pods were still connected to the station, and the single cargo hangar on the side of the station remained opened, but shielded. The station and cargo vessel await those who have come to discover the fate of their comrades.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Aboard the Acerbitas
876 ABY

"... further, no life signs have been detected. The station appears to be, at present, fully operational - and elemental chromatography have not indicated the presence of any toxic gas. Life Support systems are indicating breathable atmosphere, but are only accessible through emergency short wave channels. All long range communication devices have been disabled."​

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The Sith Officer read from the datapad as Sith surrounded the table - listening to the report.​

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"So far, no signs of Jedi activity have been noticed. It is the opinion of the Frumentarii we are still unknown as Jedi channels have not increased in activity aligning with the fall of the station."​

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Maliphant rubbed at his chin in thought - curious as to what exactly could be the cause. The Jedi may take prisoners - but it'd be a hard sell to ask them to do so without raising the alarm across their protected space. New Imperials or Maw - would've destroyed the observation post and been fine sifting through wreckage. Enclave would've damaged more - they weren't so careful about damage around the area of operation.​

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"Thank you, Captain Vex - We will take it from here.", he offered.​

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The man nodded, turned on his heel, and exited the room.​

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"Well - thoughts?", Maliphant asked.​

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Spoiler: Initial Tag List

DO NOT TAG EVERYONE IN THIS LIST UNLESS THEY REPLY.​

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Venn Kolis // Arcturus Dinn // Darth Carnifex // Darth Prazutis // Darth Moirai // Telis Taharin-Zambrano // Darth Malcharion // Firrerreo // Darth Insatious // Cadere // Del // Darth Angonous // Sicarius Hekate // Mordecai Zambrano // Taeli Raaf // Khamesi Aivar // Braxton Creewile // First Sister // Darth Strosius // Darth Ophidia // Rure Vukot​

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[The Titan of Dro'th]

Shrouded in Darkness, kneeling with great saber hilt in his lap - the Titan of Dro'th waited. The station had long since been cleared of opposition, the bait laid thick - and all that awaited them was great and turbulent darkness. Yet for the moment, he was nothing - not in the Force, not in their eyes, not in the great power of their sensors. The Titan was one with the darkness, a statue who's life was held on the tenuous balance of his heartbeat - thudding once a minute.​

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Even there, though, he was massive. A mask of a human skull shrouded his face, horns poked from his helmet, and every portion of his skin was covered in metal plates. He was isolated from the world in his physical form - but more than that, his mind was long seperated from the light of the Ashla. The Bogan spoked through him, pushed his sword to greater speeds - and it would do so to test the false icons that would stride aboard this station.​

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Shrouded in darkness, the Titan of Dro'th slumbered, waiting, hungry and angry.​

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Well something took it out." Alisteri noted, breaking the silence in the small boarding shuttle as his gaze ran over the blast marked hull of the station. At the very least it had been attacked and the communications were disabled, that much was obvious given that they apparently hadn't heard from said station in some time. The whole situation was still odd to him though. Not to mention some other ship just drifting about without a scratch on it.

Without any outward scratches anyway.

"This can't be the work of the Jedi or the Maw, they'd probably just blow the whole thing up. The damage doesn't seem to match any New Imperial or Alliance battle doctrines either, too irregular." He idly paced in a small back and forth pattern as he spoke, drawing a confused look from the shuttle's pilot as he noted the damage. "And I highly doubt pirates could disable an entire secret Sith space station and leave it this intact in the process. Unless they had some sort of EMP perhaps..." There was another moment or two of silence as the Acolyte silently pondered the state of the station before the pilot cleared his throat and spoke up.

"So what exactly do you think did this then?" The masked man shrugged and turned to head from the cockpit back to where the rest of the boarding party was sitting. "Not a clue."

 

[Darth Schol]

"And there would be our guests." The robed figure looked out of one of the many windows dotting the AX-23 station at the gathered fleet of ships. His arms crossed behind his back, he inclined his head as he idly counted all that he could see. Unsurprisingly the full force of the Sith hadn't been gathered for this occasion, but it still disappointed him.

A sinister yet curious aura masked the figure just as the darkness of the station did, but he would keep said aura concealed until the time was right. Until it was too late for them to flee.

Darth Schol clicked his tongue as he turned from the window and shook his head. "Next time we will have to dangle a more juicy piece of bait. Perhaps one of their Lords, that should get them up in arms." He mused as he stepped away from the viewport. "Always have to make a good first impression." The figure muttered with a small laugh as he retreated further into the station to lie in wait. It would ruin the surprise if he were to be spotted in a window of all things.

And what was the fun of all the preparation if their surprise was ruined?

The Titan of Dro'th

 

[Braxton Creewile]

Creewile sat with the boarding party silently. He wasn't one to speak up very often, which often annoyed his peers in whatever setting he was in. He listened to his associates speak and took in their words.

Not the Imperials, not the Alliance, not pirates...

He couldn't help but entertain the notion of an inside operation. A betrayal? It seemed like a desperate idea, especially within such a tight-knit order. Unless maybe it was something supernatural, but Braxton didn't like to think those kinds of things existed, even though he knew in sections of this broad galaxy, they did.

The blaster patterns on the outside of the station wouldn't line up with an inside job anyways, unless there were multiple components to this attack, with men on the inside and out.

"Interesting..." he accidentally said aloud in response to his own thought. He sat back, thinking himself made to look like a fool.

 

[Darth Revellian]

They had come, just as he had expected. In their ships, united together in a simple mission to discover the fate of their comrades. It was progressing just as had been planned, every aspect of the current puzzle falling into place as their benefactor had assured it would. Darth Revellian would have smiled if he was not under as much mental strain as he was.

Seated on board his flagship, unseen by the Sith Order forces arriving in the system, Revellian had his eyes closed against the dull aching in his head. Every second was spent in an ocean of agony and pleasure, two rival forces battling in his mind as he extended his will across those who had been brought here to complete their part of the plan. For everything to work out as planned, their presence had to be kept secret, unseen, and given the foe they faced, undetected through the Force.

Shielding ones self from the Force was a difficult task, but it could be done. To create a wall that prevented others from sensing ones own connection to the Force was a talent dating back centuries, if not far longer. In practice, the complex ability often only shrouded a single individual or small group. Currently, Revellian had extended his will to shield hundreds. Many of his followers did not have the personal strength needed to create the shielding themselves, and so, for the plan to work, Revellian had to do it himself.

Turning his head to the side, sweat dripping from his brow, Revellian spoke a single word to the nearest naval officer.

"Begin."

That is when the screaming began, over every terminal on the station, the ruined transport ship, and became a background noise for those listening on board the Sith Order vessels. The screaming began, and did not end.

 

[Xzinn Dronnol]

Xzinn listened to Alisteri as he paced back and forth. He shook his head as he addressed the masked man from his seated position. "Probably not EMP. If they'd done that the station wouldn't be operational, right? Would've fried all the systems."

The Falleen man furrowed his brow, considering the station's condition. He could hardly speak to the specifics NIO or GA tactics or how they might assault a Sith space station. Even so, nothing about this situation made sense to him. It had been attacked and silenced, but its operational capacity hadn't been diminished at all. Communication disrupted, but life support still intact. And what of the derelict supply vessel, floating nearby apparently undamaged?

Something about viewing the station made him uneasy. He couldn't sense anything particular from it, raw and undeveloped though his senses were, but his instinct continued to nag at him, warning him of danger.

"An inside job, maybe," Xzinn suggested to the others with a shrug. "Or spies? I'm not sure, but something about this doesn't sit right with me. It feels like walking into an ambush."

He trailed off, allowing that thought to linger in the air for a just a moment. Xzinn opened his mouth to speak again, but almost as if on cue he was interrupted by sudden, piercing screaming. It was tough being right all the time.

Xzinn grimaced. "What the– someone shut that up!"