The Next World [SSC v. Matsu Xiangu]

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=28pt]Dromund Kaas[/SIZE]

The massive ship dropped out of hyperspace above the blue-hued planet, the distant glare of lightning in one of its seemingly endless storms catching the Sith Lady’s gaze as the craft continued its barrelling trajectory downwards.

“They are well aware of our arrival, Lady Xiangu,” the man to her left piped up, dressed in the crisp and perfect fashion of a bygone era. The plexisteel of her metal fingers tapped together behind her back as she considered his statement.

“That’s quite alright, Ensign. Surprise was never my intention.” She could feel him stiffen as she turned on her heel and passed him by. “Bring us down wherever you can in the jungle nearest to the old citadel as possible.” She didn’t need to be looking at him to feel him nod, nor impress what might happen if he failed. Silence followed her as she walked out of the ship’s bridge, feeling palpable relief from the men and women once she was physically out of the control center.

______________​

Deep below she walked the dark hallways between the ship’s hangars, alone and quiet save for the insistent humming pulse of space right outside. Atmosphere made the song more insistent but she still had time for one more moment with them…

Stopping in front of a large durasteel door keeping one of the hangars isolated, she stood in the silence she loved so well. A heartbeat, two heartbeats, thr-- SLAM! Writhing and rotten, a fleck of its innards sticking to the port window, one of her undead screamed in hunger and agony. There was nothing but the most basic thought there, a primal awareness awakened by her sorcery. It knew nothing but insatiable, unnatural starvation and would do anything to sate it. Stepping forward to press herself against the door, she put a hand against the glass, up against its bony answer to her reach.

“Shhh…” she cooed, smiling gently as it threw itself harder against the door. She could hear its teeth snapping together. “It will be okay. Today you feed. There’s so many down on the planet waiting to be shown the Way.” She felt the ever-so-subtle rocking of the ship as it banked above the jungle, searching for a place to land. Something deeper in the hangar - massive, enraged - let out a howling roar. She smiled.

______________​

From the surface of the planet Matsu’s ship might first have seemed just another part of the storms, bright lights in the sky. But once it breeched the dense cloud cover, it’s dark outlines were as monstrous as the creatures it contained.

Rules N' Thangs

Spoiler

1. There are no objectives posted, but please clearly label your location, current allies/enemies, and current mission or goal so everyone knows what’s going on! You can do whatever you feel is necessary to protect Dromund Kaas from Matsu, including going after her, but her and Valiens have a date so don’t crash that. <3

2. All Undead NPC’s are disposable and controllable by all players. They can be of any species or creature type. Do what you will with them, but be careful - I’ll be looking out for ways to mess with you.

3. Please see the Undead’s skill-set here. They are extremely fast & capable of climbing/leaping/etc. So, not The Walking Dead but more like World War Z - hellbent on catching you and eating you, whatever it takes with the added ability of vomiting acid. The brain must be destroyed, or they should be dismembered to the point where they cannot continue to chase you or grab your ankles while they’re immobilized on the ground.

4. There is no time requirement between posts as long as it’s reasonable - this should be fun and relaxing for all!

5. If you have questions or would like to see something specific happen in your part of the world in regards to zambambos or teamwork, please use the OOC thread found here.

6. HAVE FUN!

 

[Dune Rhur]

Kaas City, Early Morning

It was sometime before dawn as Dune Rhur sat before a terminal in his quarters. Outside, the perpetual storm blackened the skies and made it impossible to distinguish night from day. Only the chrono gave some indication as he worked though, as a Bith, it didn't matter. Sleep was a thing he didn't need.

In the adjoining room, his apprentice [member="Joza Perl"] did need sleep. Perhaps she was though the conditions here made it a challenge to sleep for some. His eyes left the screen for a moment as he looked at the door before returning to the crawl of text. A translation from the old Sith tongue, it was a copy of the bits and pieces left after thousands of years. It spoke of alchemy, twisting nature itself and shaping living things into weapons.

Unfortunately, it seemed mainly a recounting of deeds and accomplishments. Boasting too on the part of whatever Kissai priest or priests wrote it. Some description was made though it was very general. the Bith frowned, wishing for more facts and less gloating. Why, he wondered, did the Dark Side seem to require such nonsense.

Around him, the room was dimly lit and sparsely furnished. Once, it had been some kind of housing for many minor functionaries. Now, it quartered visitors such as himself from Voss. He'd intentionally given the slightly larger room to Joza as she had need of a bed.

Making some notes on a passage, Dune looked up from his work as he felt the disturbance. His eyes went to the windows and the blackness was temporarily lit by a flash of lightning. Nothing seemed to be wrong and but the feeling wouldn't go away. With a frown, he tried to go back to his notes on the passage regarding rakghoul.

The Bith sighed as he put down his data pad, pushing back his chair and rising to his feet. He drew back the curtains fully before the window as he studied the sky. Danger, the Force said insistently. Dune couldn't say what but something was coming....

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Jenson Koraz]

Hostile:[member="Matsu Xiangu"]
Allied:[member="Dune Rhur"]
Setting: The Jungles of Dromund Kaas, Early Morning
Objective: Finding peace, for now

Jenson Koraz trudged through Dromund Kaas's thick jungles, a water-resistant cloak pulled tightly around him. Since he had landed on the former home of the Sith Empire, he had seen nothing but darkness, rain, and lightning. The storms were perpetual. Yet, they did not penetrate to his core. Jenson still clung tightly to the peace within himself. Though he had not brushed with the darkness since his coming to the Coalition, he still feared it. The lightsaber that banged against his leg as he walked was an all-too-constant reminder of just how much the Jedi had to result to violence to keep peace in the galaxy.

Jenson had come to Dromund Kaas to test himself. According to legend, the Dark Side permeated the very earth of this world. If Jenson could come here and retain his peace, then he could retain it everywhere. However, even he had avoided the Dark Temple. It was said that the very worst of Sith spirits hid there. Jenson was close to the light, close to the living Force, but he knew that as soon as he walked in the flood of darkness would be so great it may very well kill him. So he consented to roaming the jungles, avoiding the occasional wild beast, thinking and meditating. He was just starting to return to Kaas City after a full day and night in the jungle.

As he headed for the city and a warm cozy bed, something stirred in the Living Force. Jenson felt cold, but, he didn't sense the Dark Side, or the Force at all for that matter. There was definitely something evil nearby, yet it didn't feel like a creature, or a Sith. And, as he stopped walking and thought on it, Jenson realized that it was not the presence of the Force that stirred him, it was evil itself. Somewhere, nearby, maybe even right above him, there was a massive cold spot, a maelstrom of pure evil. Yet, Jenson didn't sense life, Force or otherwise. It was as if the maelstrom was pushing life itself away from it. That was it, it was a maelstrom not just of evil, but of pure death. But, that didn't make sense. How could he sense death as he did life? The only way was that something was living on the power of death. But, that was impossible; wasn't it?

Whatever the situation, Jenson felt himself shiver. He continued walking back towards the city, his pace now much more hurried.

 

[Jericho]

Outside Kaas City, Early morning
Objective: Investigate presence, tail.

A wounded beast staggered along the path through the harsh jungles far blow the skyscrapers of Kaas City; its skin tattered and blood stained the area around it's mouth. A fresh kill with flesh stuck to its fingers from some unfortunate animal that had been torn apart and devoured by the great beast. It seemed like a child born in the wild and had been forced to kill or be killed. Some of it was true but it was by the hands of men that if became a beast destined for an ill fate and a seemingly unsteady future.

A blood thirsty demon for some, a child who just needed some love... the humans could keep guessing all day but It never submitted to anyone. It tried to kill whoever approached and made sure it didn't become friends with anyone. It had grown up believing that kindness never existed, it didn't know the words like 'love', 'family' or even 'after life'. Their meanings had faded a long time ago and left a monster who was confused and lost and only wished to taste blood.

It was a beast after all its armor like skin plate strong enough block even lightsabers the mammoth sized beast let out mighty howl. A flash of lightning revealing it to be an akk wolf. The blood ridden beast panted and growled before turning instantly after hearing heavy steps in the swamp ground. The beast sniff the air and was familiar to the smell and the sound of movement, the mighty beast went from a monster like killing machine to that of a puppy and bowing its head submitted itself to its owner.

Jericho stood tall and raised out a hand to pet his akk dog lightly on the its head signifying it did a good job catching the intended prey. After doing so the warrior felt an enormous dark presence arrive on the planet and near the great city. The warrior raised his head and let out a heavy breath. He looked the his akk dog and tapped it three times on the head, the beast, from its training, knew it meant to go back to the temple. While the warrior cracked his knuckles and turned on his sentinel grade stealth enhancers and headed over towards the direction of the dark energy.

Before long he found his way to the old citadel where he witnessed something extraordinary. Went to the highest jungle tree and with his sight enhanced with the force he could see something stir within the clouds had he not felt the presence, he wouldn't of even noticed the ship blended with the dark clouds. He reached up his wrist to open a com channel but the storm was interfering with it he couldn't get a strong enough signal from how far out he was. But he would at least try. "This is Council Member Jericho. Unidentified ship spotted, but hostile presence felt. All Jedi steel yourself."

....

"Th- is....Coun....Mem...Jeri....Ship...Presence...Jedi"

Jericho sighed and could only hope that his message would go through. For now he could only tail and if possible keep whatever comes out of the ship at bay. The warrior closed his eyes and thought of all the battles he has been in and prepped his heavy armor and light the darkness around him orange and purple. He could feel that there was going to be a long fight and the thought excited him. With another breath he kept his presence unknown as best as he could and tailed the hovering ship.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K53WLrpmZA8

Location: Silver Sanctum Temple, Voss
Allies/Enemies: None as yet

He had a bad feeling about this.

Ever since bringing in the corrupt Jedi Padawan Summer from Lorrd with [member="Coci Heavenshield"] for selling out the Silver Sanctum to those willing to pay for secrets, he had been thinking on the name she had dropped - [member="Matsu Xiangu"].

Standing at the window looking over the front of the Temple grounds 3 stories up, Connor had his arms folded and gently stroked his beard with one hand as he tried to piece together this dangerous puzzle forming in his mind. His eyes fixed on nothing as he looked outwards. Light streamed in around him but he was oblivious to the warmth it brought to the planet.

The fact Summer had mentioned the Sith Lord's name was a concern because Matsu Xiangu was insane. From imploding a small moon for fun and experimenting with Sith Magic to implanting it in Connor's brain-stem, he had his fair share of experience with that sorceress. But the fact she may be aware of where the Sanctum operated? Their outposts and resources? Their leaders and Masters? That was the worrying factor.

She wouldn't strike like a snake, waiting patiently for the right time to sneak in for the kill. No, that would be too boring. She would simply knock down anything in her way like a lumbering Rancor and cause as much pain and misery in pursuit of her own perverse strength. The whole Sanctum was effectively at risk, and while a few knew of what could happen, many more did not. There was no gain in spreading fear among the Padawans and Knights who would be nothing but chew toys for her.

Connor swallowed and continued to feel that unease, as if a mighty shadow was looming over Sanctum space and there would be little he could do to stop it before it was too late.

 

[Aldera Antilles]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Jenson Koraz"] [member="Jericho"] [member="Connor Harrison"]

Aldera Antilles sat cross-legged on the floor of her quarters, practicing the breathing exercises and meditation which had become a daily routine since her return from Ilum two weeks previously.

The intercom chirped.

"Statement: We are approaching Dromund Kaas, Mistress."

"Thank-you, 4-D7."

Arising effortlessly, the tall Human female fluidly navigated the corridors of her ship, the Legacy, and entered the cockpit as the ancient Sith world loomed ahead. Even from space, the planet's intense electrical storms were visible, lighting the world's cloud cover from within.

Why was I drawn here? Aldy wondered. What would The Force have me do? Why did it lead me here?

"Steady as she goes, 4-D7. We wouldn't want to wake Kori," she said, looking back toward the young Gwaii Cat who was napping atop a nearby console. Who says that Gwaii Cats aren't technically adept?

Aldy chuckled.

"Query: What are we doing here, Mistress? Why don't we turn back?"

"I don't know, 4-D7. I wish I did. You know how I love a mystery, though."

"Witty Sarcasm: Really, Mistress? I hadn't noticed."

As the Legacy entered the planet's atmosphere, Aldy checked the sensors.

"It looks as though there is a solid patch of ground for us to land upon ... thata way!"

"Query: 'Thata way', Mistress? Would you please be more specific?"

Aldy gave a stern look to 4-D7.

"Affirmation: Ah! 'The Look'! Why ... I *do* believe I see a place to land just up ahead. Correcting course, Mistress."

The light corvette fired its repulsors and came to a relatively smooth landing, the wet ground slightly giving way to the ship's weight.

"Once I'm outside and away from the ship, raise shields, monitor the sensors ... and stay tuned to my comm frequency in case we need to make a hasty departure."

"Statement: As you desire, Mistress!"

As Aldy began to walk down the lowered gantry, her senses were assaulted by the sheer magnitude of ambient Dark Side energies, powerful emotions -- negative emotions. A hand went up to her temple as her head ached. Taking a few cleansing breaths, she began to feel better.

Not as bad as it would have been a couple of weeks ago, Aldy thought. At least I didn't stumble ... this time.

Checking the charge on her stun blaster, she repositioned it in its holster, then continued down the ramp, testing the ground before taking her first step on to it.

Scanning the area, her senses sharpened through The Force, Aldy suddenly realized that she was ... alone.

I have a really bad feeling about this, Aldy said out loud. There's not a sound out here. Nothing. Where are all of the denizens? Where are the Vine Cats and Gundarks? Not even a Sleen! It's as if some great predator has come into their midst and they're afraid of it!

She headed down a winding trail.

 

[Joza Perl]

Allies: [member="Dune Rhur"]|[member="Jenson Koraz"]
Location: Kaas City

Sleep didn’t come easily to the young Zeltron, having spent the early hours of the morning in and out of a fitful slumber. Maybe it was the continually dreary weather on Dromund Kaas that gave her such difficulties…it was hard for her to relax when things seemed so naturally foreboding. Even after only being here for a short time, Joza had quickly determined that she didn’t like the planet. Voss was far more soothing and easier on her mind.

Alas, a Jedi couldn’t spend all their days in peace, could they? At least not a Padawan in training. As much as she held a distaste for extreme environments, she begrudgingly accepted that it was necessary for her to expand her view of other worlds.

Stirring once again, Joza flipped over onto her stomach and tried to get more comfortable in the small bed. It seemed that the harder she tried to relax, the further she was from sleep. Shifting again onto her side, she let out a low sigh of frustration and fell into silence, the dull sound of thunder rumbling distantly against the outer wall of the room. Shortly after, a knot formed in her stomach and her eyes opened. Something was urging her into action.

Deciding that a good sleep wouldn’t be happening anyway, Joza threw on a set of clean robes, smoothing some of the wrinkles from them. Stretching the fatigue from her body, she clipped her saber to her waist and headed to the adjoining room to speak with her Master. As far as she knew, the Bith had been working on interpreting some sort of dark sided text. When she saw him staring out the window, the knot in her stomach tightened further. She felt the unrest roll off of him, and then the ominous warning of the Force.

She was about to speak when the com crackled to life, nearly startling the lethargic Zeltron. Her eyes narrowed at she stared at the device on her wrist, trying to make out the garbled words. “…Jericho?” She wondered aloud, having eventually recognized the voice but unable to decipher the message. Still, it only added to her worry as she turned towards Dune. “We should investigate. Something’s wrong.”

 

[Aldera Antilles]

This is most disconcerting, Aldy thought as she switched on her commlink.

"4-D7, please check the sensors and tell me if there is any life in my vicinity."

"Statement: Checking sensors, Mistress."

Long moments passed.

"Affirmation: Your area is teeming with myriad life signs, Mistress. However, they seem to be ... in hiding! The Maker only knows why, but your current heading will take you directly to Kaas City without being assailed by any critter which flyeth, creepeth, or crawleth!"

"How droll, 4-D7. Thanks for the intel. Please keep me apprised if that situation changes. I'm going to check on a bit of statuary near here. I think it might be 'The Colossus'. Antilles out."

 

[Aldera Antilles]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Jenson Koraz"] [member="Jericho"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="George O Rourke"]

Location: 'The Colossus' statue in the wilds outside Kaas City.
Allies/Enemies: 4-D7 (and Kori!)/The Walking Dead

Aldy stood in front of a massive statue of a robed figure holding a holocron in his hand.

Amazing that it took so long to finish this statue, Aldy thought.

While the intrepid archaeologist admired the workmanship and history behind the statue, the wind shifted and Aldy's sense of smell was overwhelmed by the rank stench of decay. She had just enough time to unholster her blaster and level it at the first wave of undead which sprang out of the overgrown area.

I should've taken a speeder directly to the city, but ... NO! ... I decided to do a bit of site-seeing, Aldy chided herself. Too late for self-recrimination now.

Aldy fired at the revenants, hitting each squarely in the head ... to no effect!

You can't stun the walking dead! Too bad they won't let you dial-up the power!

Crouching down, then leaping up with preternatural speed, Aldy rose into the air, did a backward somersault, and landed in the outstretched hand of The Colossus -- even as several of the zombies took swipes toward her.

WOW! That ... worked?!

From her high vantage point, she could see a second and third wave coming to join the first, which was starting to climb the statue.

"4-D7! DO YOU READ ME, 4-D7?" Aldy shouted into her commlink. "I'VE GOT A BIT OF A ... SITUATION HERE! I NEED YOU TO BRING THE SHIP AROUND AND BLAST THESE GUYS TO BITS!"

Really smooth, Kid! Not very Jedi-like, though!

"Statement: Rescue mode engaged, Mistress."

Aldy adjusted the energy level on her blaster and fired down at the monstrosities, which were closing the distance more quickly than she would have thought.

Each of Aldy's shots hit their mark, blowing heads apart like over-ripe melons, but still more took their place. Then Aldy realized that some of the zombies were etching the stone when they exploded.

Acid?! This just keeps getting better and better! Okay, this is no time to lose it or you're going to lose ... big time! Concentrate! Let your two weeks of Jedi training count for something! Let go of your apprehension. That's not you anymore, it's the darkness of this planet itself. C'mon! You can do it! Do it for Mom and Dad!

There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is The Force.

Armed with renewed confidence, Aldy felt a wave of calmness wash over her, then each shot not only reached its target, but also the target behind it.

Trust to The Force! I have to trust to The Force!

Suddenly, there was a great flash of lightning and peal of thunder. Aldy barely had time to cover her eyes with her arm. Then everything was quiet again. When Aldy uncovered her eyes, there was a giant blast crater where the undead had been only moments before. The few who had held on during the concussion were easily destroyed by the last of Aldy's shots.

Power pack's ... empty?! Hoo, boy!

The Legacy hovered over the bubbling acidic pool.

"Nice of you to join me," Aldy said into her commlink. "Now, get me off of here!"

 

[George O Rourke]

Allies: SSC
Enemies: Unsure of yet.
Location: Kaas City.

George had been tasked with patrolling Kaas City as his rotation came. It wasn't at all thrilling and being in such a dark environment left George always watching over his shoulder and checking his surroundings. Something always made him feel as if he was being watched, or was about to be attacked. But he knew somewhere it was all a dark trick.

Alas it was a dark and gloomy morning in Kaas city. George was up early walking around and patrolling the dark city. Something that was usually uneventful. It was quite and the people seemed to be affected by this dark reminiscence as they too seemed quite gloomy as well. George wearing his usual Jedi robes with both lightsabers attached to his belt walked through the city somewhat bored. However with the silence throughout the morning it was a quite relief to hear something through his coms. Although the only problem was he could barely understand it. Jeri... Ship... Presence? What did it all mean. George used the force to search out for Jericho's location as with him being on world along with the message it seemed he would be the best to start.

 

[Jenson Koraz]

Location: Approaching Kaas City
Objective: To Know
Allies: [member="George O Rourke"] [member="Aldera Antilles"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Jericho"] [member="Dune Rhur"]
Enemies: [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Jenson was just approaching the gates of Kaas City when he his comm chirped with a message from Master Jericho. Jenson couldn't make out the whole thing, but he caught the words "ship" and "presence". He put the communicator to his mouth, hoping that his proximity to the city and clearer air would give him a better signal.

"This is Padawan Koraz to all Coalition," he said, "I have sensed the same presence as Master Jericho. It feels like death and evil. I suggest we go on high alert and secure the city."

 

[Dune Rhur]

Kaas City

The Bith's frown deepend when [member="Jericho"] sent his fragmented message. Magnetic interference from the lightning storm, he thought with mild irritation. He turned to [member="Joza Perl"] as she spoke and nodded. "Let's go."

A short time later, Master and apprentice came upon the Nautolan [member="George O Rourke"] in the street. "Whatever it is," he said without preamble "It's making no attempt at stealth."

Bith and Nautolan alike turned their heads as they felt another presence. Fortunately it was [member="Jenson Koraz"] quickly making his way into the city proper. The Force told him this, his eyes being near-sighted as in all Bith.

[member="Aldera Antilles"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

OOC: Easier to have us all meet up now, right?

 

[George O Rourke]

Allies: [member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Jenson Koraz"] | [member="Joza Perl"]
Enemies: [member="Matsu Xiangu"]
Location: City Centre

As George came through the city centre on his way to Jericho he was caught up with more Jedi of the Sanctum. "Who needs stealth when you have a planet engulfed in could, easy to hide in there long enough." George replied to the Bith that he had just ran into, it was clear in his voice he didn't like the planet a whole lot. The darkside energies made George a little more angry than usual. However following him was a somewhat familiar face. Joza, a Padawan George had met on the grounds of Voss was the Bith Knights Padawan, it was good to make the matches. As Joza followed her master George shot her a nice glance with a slight nod in acknowledgement.

"I've got a location for Jericho, its deep in the woods, we'll need to hurry." George spoke to the team as he pointed into the forest. The thunderstorm above them released cracks of lightning all around, the gloom got even worse as the rain began to pour. However this was more helpful to the Nautolan than a hindrance as water was a Nautolans best friend.

 

[Aldera Antilles]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Jenson Koraz"] [member="Jericho"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="George O Rourke"]

Back inside the Legacy, her mind calmer, Aldy felt the strong presence of [member="Dune Rhur"], as well as the familiar presences of several members of the SSC.

"What are Master Rhur and the others doing here, I wonder?"

"Statement: I am not certain, Mistress," 4-D7 said. "Perhaps you should ask them."

"Great idea, Coppertop! Set course for .... " Aldy concentrated for a moment. "Over there! That wooded area! That's where they seem to be headed. I'll be right back. I'm heading to the Armory."

"Query: Are you certain that is the proper course of action, Mistress? I know of your aversion to ... shall we say ... random violence?"

"What choice do I have, 4-D7? Whomever released those abominations is at war with Life itself!"

"Statement: I understand, Mistress. I shall power-up the big guns ... just in case!"

Aldy nodded somberly to 4-D7, then left the cockpit.

A few minutes later, she came back with two heavy blaster pistols in a double quick-draw holster and four extra power packs.

 

[Ikki Ike]

Location: Kaas City
Allies: Silver Sanctum
Enemies: Walking Dead

There was a lot going on it seemed as she stood there. The petite padawan staying quiet and small when others were running around and she slid her hands down to her belt. THe two cybernetic fingers she had lost from Felicity biting them off of her hand in their knock down drag out fight. Here on the planet she was looking over what they had going on while she couldn't sense it but she put her gloves on letting her protective outfit gleam in the shadows and bowed her head. Moving to follow the other jedi quickly and quietly as her lighter frame let her move after [member="Aldera Antilles"] [member="George O Rourke"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Location: On board her ship
Allies: None
Enemies: Nightmares

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw5MYv-5xZE

Here the darkness reigned eternal. There was no sun, no dawn; just the perpetual gloom of night. The only illumination came from jagged forks of lightning, carving a wicked path through angry clouds. In their savage wake thunder shredded the sky, unleashing a torrent of hard, cold rain.

The storm was coming, and there was no escape.

Sorel’s eyes snapped open, the despair of her nightmare wrenching her awake for the third night in a row. She lay still and quiet, turning her focus inward to ease the pounding of her heart as she silently recited the opening line of the Jedi mantra.

'There is no emotion; there is peace.'

A sense of calm settled over her, washing away the irrational terror of her dream. Yet she knew better than to merely dismiss it. The storm that haunted her each time she closed her eyes was more than just a nightmare. Conjured up from the deepest corners of her mind, the storm had meaning. But try as she might, she couldn’t figure out what this vision was trying to tell her.

Was it a warning? A long-forgotten memory? A vision of the future? Or perhaps all three?

But she recognised the rain now, and the planet. A terrible world of thunder and lightning, shrouded in what felt like perpetual rainfall. She’d been there before and knew she had to return. Perhaps she had seen something then? She couldn’t remember what it was, or where it was, but she feared it on a deep, primal level. Somehow she knew that whatever the terrible vision was telling her, it was a threat far greater than anything she had faced thus far.

The storm was most certainly coming, and there was no escape because she was going to meet it – head on. It was the only way.

Spoiler

My posting will be erratic over the next week, so I'm going to go solo on this one, so I don't hold anyone up

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Dromund Kaas
Dark Temple

Dromund Kaas. A blasted darkside wasteland, once the jewel in the crown of the Sith Empire. Kaas City had been mostly ruins ever since the Mandalorians got their revenge on the aforementioned Empire by lobbing a couple asteroids on the planet. Now, after a bizarre and somewhat comical alien invasion had been thwarted, an ostensibly more benevolent empire, the Silver Sanctum Coalition, had assumed direct control, hoping to bring relief and hope to the starving, impoverished population that had soldiered on in the struggle for survival.


The Dark Side still permeated the planet. Standing high up inside a chamber of the Dark Temple, Siobhan looked down upon the ruins of Kaas City and the thick jungles that spread across the planet. Outside, a great storm raged, blackening the sky. Lightning struck, thunder roared loudly. Just another day on this benighted world. A measure of hope might have returned to the survivors of the great cataclysm, but Kaas would always be a darkside world.


Then again, maybe the Coalition would do the unthinkable and actually give the planet paved roads. Even better if this meant you could travel to the city without taking a detour through a jungle infested with beasts that wanted to eat you. The chamber she was in was on the higher levels of the Temple. Presumably in the old days it had only been accessible to Vitiate and his most devout servants. The black stone walls still stood, but much of the paint had faded, the floor was covered in dust and cobwebs had accumulated on the ceiling.


A statue of the insane Emperor no longer looked particularly imposing since the head was lying on the ground a couple metres away. Intricate hieroglyphs and arcane symbols had been inscribed upon a black stone pillar. Presumably something dramatic and self-congratulatory such as 'Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair'. Siobhan's Sithese was too rusty to attempt a translation and, in any case, she wasn't that geeky. She left that sort of thing to [member="Phylis Alince"] and Ms. Tanaka, Firemane's token evil teammate.


'Why do you shackle yourself? You could be far greater without these sanctimonious fools. The Jedi should bend.'


"Why do you insist on being so cliched?" she wondered aloud when she heard a voice from the ether. She knew all about not listening to random voices that suddenly spoke into her head. The powerful artefacts Vitiate had once stored in the reliquary had long vanished. Only ghosts of the past and the ambient darkside energies of the Kaas nexus remained.


"They are only holding you back. One day the fools will try to take Tygara from you. They will realise they are nurturing a dragon inside their borders. They will force their archaic, ignorant Code on your people. You know this to be true."


"I know it to be true that I'm already bored. Find something more original," Siobhan said dismissively in a most haughty tone, brushing off the words of the random spirit as if they were buzzing insects. She cared little for Jedi. She took a swig at her flask, savouring the whiskey. A few she called friends, the rest she tolerated. She'd rejected their Code more than a decade ago. "Vitiate's really sucked at interior decoration. Then again, he was a manling," she commented randomly, looking around.


So far her visit to the Dark Temple had been fairly uneventful. However, she liked the view. From her lofty vantage point, she could look down upon much of the planet, think of herself as mistress of all she surveyed. Well, it would be a better view if it wasn't so bloody dark. So little light, only the all-embracing gloom of the night. Illumination was provided by the jagged lances of lightning that struck through the clouds to the earth. Rainfall descended upon the planet in a storm. The Countess didn't mind the dark. She kind of had a working relationship with it.


A cold, ethereal hand touched her shoulder, chilling her slightly. The voice of the siren whispered into her ear. She had taken the shape of an alluring Eldorai woman, dark-haired, buxom and beautiful. "Oh, he did. Men, you know what they're like. But he almost became a god. Wouldn't you to like to live forever? Eternal youth, eternal beauty, power. You and your family could live like gods. The Eldorai would get the goddess they deserve. You already have all the pieces to..."


Images of power and glory flooded against the dam that protected her mind like a massive tidal wave. Of the Eldorai bending to her and no longer building temples to glorify Ashira, but Kerrigan. Of her basking in their worship, being treated like a higher being, as she deserved. Well, she'd enjoy being venerated. Siobhan took the time to inspect her fingernails. Naturally her nail polish was perfect. Or at least she thought so.


"Sounds fun. Just ignores the fine print of none of these immortality schemes never working out. Oh, and I don't need a random spirit in a temple created by a lunatic to help me achieve that," Siobhan snarked, sounding bored. Then she felt a disturbance, like the stab of an icy knife. Whatever it was, it came from the jungle.


"As much as I enjoyed the fawning about my undeniable greatness, I believe we'll have to cut this chat short. I prefer my groupies corporeal," Yellowish-orange tendrils of Force Drain leapt from her power towards the spirit. The shape screamed in agony as she sucked the power out of it. Yummy.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Location: Dromund Kaas
Allies: None
Enemies: The darkness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts

Sorel raised the hood of her cloak as she stepped off her ship, a sense of deja vu ever present. She was unsure where her dreams ended and her memories began right now. She raised her eyes to the cutting wind and pelting rain. Storms were all too common here on Dromund Kaas; dark clouds perpetually blocked out the sun, rendering time meaningless. The only natural illumination came from the frequent bursts of lightning arcing across the sky, but the glow from the spaceport provided more than enough light to see where she was going.

Last time she was here, she learned that the powerful electrical storms were a physical manifestation of the dark side power that engulfed the entire planet — a power that had brought the Sith back here well over a millennium before. And she suspected they'd be back. Sooner or later. It was like a flame to a moth, they would come, regardless of the odds.

A burst of lightning split the sky, momentarily illuminating the massive citadel that loomed over Kaas City. Built by slaves and devoted followers, the citadel served as both palace and fortress, an unassailable meeting place for the Emperor and the twelve handpicked Sith Lords who made up his Dark Council. And she'd explored it with her friend Orihime. She smiled at the memory, oblivious to the rain that had soaked her cloak and was now finding a route inside – rain always did that.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

LOCATION: Disembarking ship, decent way outside Kaas City.
ENEMIES: All ya'll. (But I'm trying to show you the Way, can't you see!? )
ZOMBIE ACTIVITY: Not currently targeting anyone specific. Fanning out - some to Citadel, some towards old Colossus, some deeper in to jungle.

Spoiler

In future, these will be including directly in the post so it's easy to track what the zombies are doing in regards to your character specifically.

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Jenson Koraz"] [member="Jericho"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Aldera Antilles"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="George O Rourke"] [member="Ikki Ike"] [member="Sorel Crieff"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Nima Tann"]

The deep, staccato drumming sound of the ship finding the jungle floor prompted a thrill in the pit of her stomach - a rare, welcome feeling these days.

“See? You will feed,” she murmured again, moving slowly over to the master lock mechanism that would open all the hangar doors. Matsu stood idly as the massive doors began to roll upwards all around her, rotten arms shoving their way underneath to pull themselves from the dark holds before they even had room to squeeze themselves through. As the waves of undead swam out like high tide they left their Creator alone, gnashing teeth and throwing themselves against the exit as they were drawn to the flash of lightning out of the small port windows. In their hunger they managed to climb on each other’s backs to reach the light, digging fingers in to rotten carcasses, ribs like footholds of twisted ladders.

For a moment she simply closed her eyes and listened to their screaming. A symphony.

When bliss passed she stalked forward through their ranks, the artificial nerve endings in her metal arms picking up the dry-dead feeling of the brush of rotten skin.

“Lower the hangar doors, Ensign,” she called over her commlink, coming to a stop at the hinge as the doors roared to life and floated downwards to allow her hordes an exit on to the jungle floor.

The smell of ozone hit her, the atmosphere charged with the latest round of storms. Her undead swarmed around her and down the massive ramp to start their headlong sprint through the jungle. They fanned out in all directions - some towards the old Citadel, others towards the half-ruined statues of long-dead Sith lords, and still others deeper in to the wilderness towards old ruins - a howling cacophony of death with only one goal. As a manifestation of her connection to them she could feel what passed for hope in them, the promise of a meal if only they could move fast enough to get their hands on it. The planet pulsed with the return of a darkness that had been receding in the Jedi’s presence. She had never called Dromund Kaas home. But for the moment it would do.

“Ensign,” she called one last time over her commlink, before she forgot about such human trappings and moved with her creations. “Guard this vessel with your life, because if you allow it to be captured you will surely lose it anyway.”

She ignored whatever his response was as one of her the Undead came to stand by her side. Less mindless than the rest, he took his time, remaining by her side. Wrapping a hand around his upper arm, she smiled pleasantly as her children took to what would almost surely be their end that day. But such was the circle. Such was the Way.

The ship shook with the sudden movement of the more gigantic creatures she’d brought along rising from their perches. The piercing shriek of an Acklay nearly deafened her as it came tick-tick-ticking around the corner over the metal floor, sprinting by her and out in to the misting rain. More - different, hulking, hungry - came after it, but she had to smile again as the Acklay bowled over a tree in its indifference to anything but the hunt.

“It’s going to be a beautiful day,” she said to the silent creature beside her, patting its arm before unsheathing her lightsaber in a brilliant red glow and sprinting down the ramp to run with her creations.

 

[Nima Tann]

Location: Near Dromund Kaas, in a shuttle
Allies: Ice
Enemies: Space sickness, or none at the moment.

Dromund Kaas. Another planet with the increasing dark aura that the Silver Sanctum took over recently. She was thinking about coming here for investigation very soon for artifacts, but the reason why she was here today wasn't that sadly. This morning the datapads never shut up, the Jedi that stayed in Dromund Kaas for the recovery of the planet sent a couple of distress signals about a dark energy growing in the area, and according to their information, it wasn't the ordinary darkness that the planet offered. She had her mission to go see what all this was about, indeed, as a Master of the Sanctum, so now she was here, in a shuttle in the infinite space just above the planet, with her loyal companion, Ice. She started to bring him more to the missions recently, since Ice was a mutated wolf and needed action in his life. Else if he couldn't spend the energy, he would be awake all day, and as a result wouldn't let Nima sleep as well. So, she looked at him, and smiled to his cute face. He was excited, and it would be read clearly from his expression. "Eager now, are we?" She said smiling. The wolf answered by barking happily and wagging his tail. "Well we don't know anything about this situation, so be careful okay? I have a bad feeling about this." Despite of him being a wolf, she always thought that he understood what she said clearly. Maybe it was an effect of him being mutated, maybe he was intelligent enough to understand the language. As an answer, Ice moved towards her and wanted to be pet. "I know." She said, then continued. "But you'll be extra careful, alright? If you let something happen to you, you won't get your favorite meal at dinner today." She said as a joke. As she knew that he understood her, she started to understand him too. So, the cute wolf looked like he was frowning, and let out a disappointed growl. "That's the deal then." She said, petting his head. Then she sighed. As this little conversation finished, she realized the shuttle almost arrived to Dromund Kaas. As they continued to move closer to the planet she started to feel more and more about the dark energy growing. The Jedi weren't false, there was something going on here indeed.