Invasion The Other Side of Peace | GA Invasion of TSE's Ziost/Tiss'sharl

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Boardrooms, Tiss'shari
Objective: To negotiate and obtain information.
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
TSE and Allies: Telis Taharin-Zambrano | Alli Vern
GA and NIO: Aerarii Tithe | Brama Tagge | Gat Tambor | The Executive | Enlil | Otto Shule | Marlon Sularen

[ In the Web of Intrigue ] ​

When Telis looked at her for another moment, Ingrid gave him a telling look and nodded at him barely unnoticed. Both the gaze and the movement were much deeper than was usual between two diplomats or allies. On the part of the woman, this look was what few had received from her. It is much more than a friendship or a superficial trust. And this time didn't even try to be discreet, she wanted others to see this. Though still mourning her love, Adrian, with all her heart; it didn’t bother her if anyone could see or think that they might - or rather certainly - be lovers with Telis.

Waited for the end of the anthem, of course, as she had previously listened to Telis's words and then Tithe wordlessly, only spoke after that. Before that, took another stolen look at Telis, then turned her full attention to Tithe.

"Congratulations on your new promotion, I hope our rebels have already congratulated you, Vice Chancellor Tithe! If not, well, they don't have that much courtesy, I apologize on their behalf too!"

There was only a hint of mockery in her voice, not much. The Empress thought seriously about the beginning, it was still in her cold and military tone, only mockery appeared at the rebellious part. After that, turned mainly to the delegation, as they had to be persuaded. Lately, she has also had the opportunity to practice this at home.

"Nice words, just a pity that every single word is a lie. Such a person is trying to convince you who is negotiating with terrorists and wants to pay them off against a legitimate state. There is an insidious mocking behind the beautiful words. Now they promise everything, but it will only happen as long as they do what they want. As soon as you have a different idea, they will take revenge in a tyrannical way because only they can do it, they can’t do anything else. If something isn’t the way they like it, they try to keep it quiet in every way. Using even the dirtiest methods. After all, let’s look at who GA is allying with?"

Looked around at those present, this time with just a hidden glance in Telis's direction to see what the man thought of it, then glanced at the League leaders again.

"With traitors! Even the Vice Chancellor is also a traitor who cowardly deserted from TSE when his life was in danger. GA trusts such people, places such people at the center of power, setting a bad example for the entire galaxy. How can individuals and states who have once betrayed someone be trusted, the very existence of the NIO is based on betrayal. If you think they won’t do it to you, you’re making a huge mistake. They only need you until they achieve what they want. What will happen next? You are very far from everything, neither GA nor NIO has power in this place. How could they keep anything from what they are promised now?"

Paused again, leaving the opportunity for others to speak if they wanted, and then resumed.

"The Sith Empire may have made mistakes in the past, but now there is a new leadership, a new Empress, a new Dark Lord of the Sith, not to mention that the entire state leadership has also been transformed into a stronger system. One that is much more open to subordinates. Now it’s the time to tell what you want, Lord Aagenti will not pretend not to hear your request, he is here to find the best solution for you and the Sith Empire. Your case is in the best place in his hands." in the end she even looked at the said man and sent a promising smile in his direction, one that only Adrian and Tubrok had seen before.

 

[Kisaku Oroken]

​

ALLIES: Auteme Lucien Dooku
OPPOSITION: Darth Carnifex

[MOOD]​

Kisaku was frozen. He felt Auteme's crushing wave of fear and despair heighten his own and it was like a dam breaking, flooding a river that already flowed strong. It swept over the embankments of his discipline and his resolve, crushing them beneath the weight of this perceived reality. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be a Jedi. The realization overpowered him, a moment of dark epiphany within the fear.

What brought him this far wasn't bravery. It wasn't a desire to effect positive change in the world. He was no one's savior.

He had never grown out of being the child that yearned for praise and admiration. His quest to feel venerated, loved, had blinded him to the realities of the path he lay on. He was nothing but a tin soldier. Hollow inside. Vain, vapid. Worthless.

As Auteme's voice reached him, he let out a soft whimper. Incapable of speech as he came to understand reality, he took a step on trembling legs back. Hot tears wet the blindfold on his face. Her words echoed again and again. Run. It was all he could do, yet his legs wouldn't carry him even as he tried.

Ahead, as his vision swam, his connection to the force fading with his mind in disarray, he felt Lucien's hand pat him on the shoulder. Heard his words. He would see him do the same. Run.

Lucien did what Kisaku wasn't capable of. He charged forwards to protect Auteme. His duty, yet an impossible task.

He took another step backwards. Run. Accept that you don't belong here.

His vision faded completely. His connection to Auteme, to Lucien, to the force -- winked out of being. His grasp over the many threads that wove the tapestry that interconnected all things slipped through his fingers.


As his world was swallowed in darkness, he felt pain course through him. His feet left the ground as he was propelled through the air.

And then nothing. His saber clattered to the ground in the corridor behind him.

 

[Zark San Tekka]

SORZUS ACADEMY
Equipment: Jedi Armor, Comlink, Star Compass, Crossguard Saber, Glie-44
Allies: Galactic Alliance
Dagon Kaze Creuat Takui Mrurh'en'lase | Hel Jend-Ro Quill Aaran Tafo Okkeus Dainlei
Enemies: The Sith Empire
Karina Lowe (engaging) Laertia Io Aeric Kaze Lark Darth Daiara Darth Strosius Alina Tremiru

Time slows down. He can feel the moments between seconds. Each of his senses heighten. It was the Force. Flowing around him. Flowing through him. It was like lightning and Master San Tekka was just a conduit. Connection with Asmundr Varobalder seemed almost instinctive, as if noticing a feeling that was already there rather than making a conscious choice. Their battle calm reinforced one another.

His aura brightened into a beacon in the Force radiating that positive energy across the link Strike Team Windu shared.

Double vision. Hail of plasma bolts. He brings up his lightsaber to deflect and the particle munition explodes, rippling across the blade and causing the crossguard hilt's power source to detonate taking the Jedi's hand along with it in a cloud of gore. Only none of it has happened yet. Zark's eyes widen at the precognitive warning and he raises his off hand instead.

Meters away from their target first one bolt freezes in mid air. Then another. Then a third. His mind holds the stasis field above him like a medieval warrior's shield embedded with arrows. Only it will not last. He is running for the Great Hall. Running for cover. Another bolt slows suddenly to a crawl. Then another. Each one requiring his complete focus. His concentration slips.

Two bolts pierce the field. They are slowed but do not stop. Both strike true. Zark grimaces in more pain. Deep scorch marks in his armor smoke with burnt flesh underneath. Crossing the threshold is a temporary reprieve. With their target now obscured the Sith-Imperials outside would be forced to reposition. That bought him a little time. He drew upon the Jedi battle meld's deep wellspring and began mending his own wounds, manipulating the Force's balance to accelerate his body's natural healing process.

"Strike Team Windu has breached the Academy grounds," he relayed to the Galactic Alliance battlenet via comlink, "Some resistance. Red sabers are contained for now-"

He intercepted an acolyte's incoming blade with his own. Innocence and circumstance burned within the young Sith's corrupted spirit. This was not about revenge for the Jedi Master. It was about victory over an enemy of peace itself. Double vision. When he strikes, he does not strike to kill. Master San Tekka would only take a life if there was no other choice. Instead he leaves the dark apprentice maimed and neutralized.

"Knight Rhis!" Zark called out, spotting the nautolan crusader, "Secure the ground level. Dagon is cut off. I'm going to see if I can find another way up."

Of course he knew that ascending the tower structure would bring him closer to the Sith-Imperial special forces teams that must already be hunting for them.

 

[Ripley Kühn]

:// Faintly, I'll go //:
:// POST I | NEW ADASTA //:
:// ALLIES: GA | Allyson Locke //:
:// ENEMIES: TSE | OPEN //:
:// EQUIPMENT: ARMOR | LIGHTSABER | HOLOLINK | SLICER GEAR //:​

​

She followed the correllian, frowning. Mucking through sewer water sounded like an awful time, but no other avenues had presented themselves, especially with troopers crawling through the streets. ​

“No, I think the sewers are probably our best bet.”​

Allyson’s offer made her raise an eyebrow. She wasn’t sure what questions she was referring to, though given the woman’s attitude for work, she thought it had to do with the mission. She shook her head with a smile.​

“This ain’t my first rodeo, just my first with SIA.”​

Pushing forward, the door of the warehouse creaked open as she pulled it back. Ripley’s head poked out. Glancing back and forth, the marching could be heard in the distance, yet the company must have taken a turn as they were nowhere in sight. Her mind probed the force. Life signs filled the city, denser farther out. No one seemed in the immediate vicinity. The zeltron motioned to her fellow to join her before stepping into the street. The manhole had been conveniently a few meters away. Ripley lifted the cover, the rough iron grating against her soft skin. She dropped it before jumping into the hole. She allowed the force to surround her, softening the fall, allowing her to land in a crouch. She waited for her partner to land next to her before starting the journey. ​

“So…” Ripley started, considering the offer once more. “I do, I guess, have some questions. But they’re more like, in personal nature?” ​

Ripley gulped as she broached the subject. With the reflection of herself she saw in Allyson, she needed answers, but feared them just the same. ​

“I won’t lie. I’ve seen the files from the Agency. I’ve heard Ryv’s story. Both infuriated me to no end. The sith, they... They have taken a lot from me. They’ve taken a lot from others. That’s why I’m here. Despite how much I detest this, being away from home, being a soldier of some sort, the Empire needs to fall. After that, the rest of the Sith too, I think. That kind of darkness can’t be allowed to flourish. I’m not sure I’ll ever know peace, we’ll” she specified, in reference to the order. “Ever know peace. You defecting, and what you did to… to him, to the alliance as a whole, it obviously puts a bad taste in my mouth. Yet, you don’t seem like I thought you would. So, I guess I want to hear your side?”​

Cobalt eyes found Allyson as she awaited a response. Anxiety grew with every passing moment, curiosity seeming to stalk the cat. Splashes of their feet in the putrid liquid were the only thing to distract from her own apprehension.​

 

[Raz Asai'il]

Objective: Cleansing Fire
Location: Sorzus Academy
Enemies: Open
Allies: Sith Empire
Raz moves quietly through the halls of the Sorzus academy, avoiding detection and concealing his presence with the force and gathering as many civilian students as he could, concealing them as well as he weaves through the halls and corridors and obscure rooms. He supposed it was ironic. When he had stood in front of the council for admission to the Jedi order, some had objected because they worried his sith heritage would make him too sympathetic to dark side practitioners and perhaps call his loyalty into question when the time came. And now he supposed he was proving them right in a way. The order believed themselves infallible by sheer virtue of being Jedi, that wielding the light side of the force alone somehow made them incapable of cruelty or injustice. The travesties transcribed on his skin in shining gold were proof that they were wrong.
Raz was a pacifist, but he was also a man of conviction and action. He could not stand by and allow the wholesale destruction of thousands of lives simply because the Jedi decided they were not worth saving. And so he moved. It was exceptionally difficult convincing sith students to trust a hidden Jedi, even a sith hybrid Jedi, but that became significantly easier once the invasion began. He led the trembling and fearful scholars through the halls as quietly as possible, hoping to get them to an exit and lead them to a transport he had hidden far from the academy that could take them to safety. Raz was more disgusted with his own order with every student he found cowering in a closet or behind a desk or podium. That they would have the sheer audacity to create this fear and terror, to enter a civilian establishment with weapons drawn and still call themselves Jedi, horrified but did not surprise him. Hypocrisy seemed to be the one ideal this new order clung to, along with self righteous pride. As they round the corner, he senses a patrol and gestures the students hurriedly into a classroom, watching from a corner as enemies pass by and stop. Knowing they would come towards him, he turns to double back when he senses another patrol coming from the opposite direction. Ducking into the classroom he had ushered the students into, he sighs to himself, quieting them and telling them to hide as best they can. They were trapped, and it was only a matter of time before they were found...

 

[Djorn Bline]

D I A M O N D _ S N A K E
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
ZIOST | REDEEMER | ABOVE NEW ADASTA
ARMOR | PISTOL | KNIFE

HOLIER THAN THOU
​

That demeanor coming from Loske was a surprise to Djorn, but one he welcomed and was impressed by it. He had studied Jedi before and still did. He understood their tenets and the general values they adhered to despite whatever order they belonged. Typically, they all sought to be something benevolent and pure; have the moral high ground and resisted the idea of doing something that was evil. Something that resonated loudly within Loske, and Snake expected her to be appalled by associating herself in this interrogation.

But like Eldaah, he underestimated her capabilities and how far she’d push her limits in this war. War truly showed people another side of them that they couldn’t possibly fathom with. Djorn knew that; he experienced it himself. Any and all innocence was tainted from the horrors of war.

And yet here he still was as a soldier. Fighting for a mission that was bigger than himself. The same could be said about Loske.

“Like your ilk, you seem to underestimate your enemies, Eldaah. Typical, and a trait that always leads the downfall of a Sith just like your Empire. Loske is more than capable than you could imagine.” He stared down at the Sith with a glare, standing by Loske as he boasted the Jedi.

“And maybe you’re right about my techniques. They’re crude, but effective. Which is sure making you look sloppy; fortunately, I’ll make you look more than an amateur piece of art.” Snake retorted back to his suspect, unsheathing his knife with intents to use it. Sure, threats could be counterproductive until they had merit to it, and he was going to back up his threats. If she was conditioned to feel pain, then it wouldn’t hurt her if he...

SWISH
​

And the blade in his hand impaled Eldaah’s right arm, releasing its grip and giving a smirk to the Sith Knight.

“Keep up that attitude and you’ll lose more than just blood.” If he really wanted to, he could easily activate the vibrogenerator of the knife and leave a gnarly gape in Eldaah’s wound. But he wasn’t at that point, not yet at least.

A deep sigh exhaled from his nostrils as he returned his focus to Loske. He wouldn’t doubt her decision of going through this, no doubt another Jedi would. The two had worked several assignments together and she always came through with her tasks. He was confident she’d come through with this as well. Nothing wrong could happen to them.

“If she’s close to Raaf, then I’m sure she would spend her time in laboratories with their demented sithspawn. All I can think of is Sith Temples with a zeal dedication to alchemy and experimentation. They don’t call Raaf the Lady of Secrets for nothing. I’m sure she has something vile on Ziost we can’t see. Think that’s good enough to start?”

ALLIES | GA | NJO | Loske Treicolt
ENEMIES | TSE | Eldaah Aderyn

 

[Aelys]

ZIOST | ADASTA'KUN
Equipment: Saberstaff, New Jedi Order Jacket
Engaging: Calin Harr
Connected: Asmundr Varobalder

​

Much of the way had been silent.

Mostly civilians, and their hateful gazes. It was these people that thought the Sith would protect them, while simultaneously unleashing unchained beasts, ill-conceived with magickz and science in some laboratory. Let loose, their lethality tested on the people that saw the Sith as their saviours. They didn't know it. Or if they did, they acted like they didn't. Let themselves be brainwashed... Aelys could do nothing for them.

He was not the gifted speaker that his Master was.

Thankfully, the amount of people he came across lessened the closer he got to the pyramid shaped Citadel. Sloped exterior, it was multiple stories high. A presence of dread lingered. But his faith in those that trusted him remained steadfast. Trust for the team that descended upon Adasta'kun with him. Alone, he strode into the darkness.

From the corner of his eye, a flicker. Down the hall! As the presence of light entered further into the temple, the beings of darkness within made their moves to trap him within. Surrounding him. Aelys relished it. The challenge, the fight that lay ahead. He rushed after the shadow that he had seen scurry around the corner. His saberstaff, already in his hand bursting to life in its tell tale hiss.

Aelys was sure to move quick. The Force enhancing him beyond the natural. His cold gaze flickering across the hallway, every nook and cranny as he went through his own threat analysis. Door, door, window... Person. Sith. Blasters, he rushed, his saberstaff rotating in front of him, a spinning wheel of azure plasma that'd shield him from the blaster bolts as he closed in.

 

[Aeric Kaze]

SORZUS SITH ACADEMY
ALLIES: THE SITH EMPIRE
ENEMIES: THE NEW JEDI ORDER
NOTICE: Dagon Kaze

​

After those initial words fell from his mouth, Aeric remained silent.

No words needed to be spoken. The depths of the disbelief, betrayal, pain, surprise, all of it. It was deafening. Louder than any words that could be spoken.

He huffed, both of his hands raising to pull his hood from his features. Slowly turning, he faced off with Dagon. Finally giving him a proper look up and down without the hindrance of the cloak. It's hood remained on his shoulders, and he moved, stroding from side to side as he paced, the edge of the room barely more than a metre behind him.

There had been times in the past when he thought of how their reunion would be.

His mission complete, their fathers slayer dead, forgotten. He'd have peace. They would both have peace. No longer haunted by the ghosts of the past, of the dead that called from the afterlife that sought retribution. Aeric had wanted it so much so, but fate had decided to pit them against each other here.

Brother and brother.

The Force was cruel. No Light, no Dark. Just a cruel entity that haunted their lives.

Cold radiated from him on a level that only the Force could envision. It didn't warm his heart pleasurably. It heated it.

Burned it.

Dagon shook, barely able to stand from the looks of it. His hand lowered, reaching for the saber that rested on his hilt. Aeric's lips twisted, the thin line they formed faintly curving upwards whilst he slowly shook his head. Do it. His hand tightened over the saber in his own hand, his thumb brushing across the ignition button. Threatening to bring the crimson blade back to life. To stoke the fires that burned hot in his depths.

To take another life.

Another Jedi's life.

His brothers.

Finally, he spoke again. The quivering, the shaking. The stuttering. It all forced the rage to boil over, his mouth the exhaust port for the flames that would've otherwise burned his insides out.

"What? You're going to cry? You came here to kill Sith, didn't you?" The Jedi had turned his studious brother into an emotional coward. He had become... Weak.

Aeric stepped forwards. The move was light, effortless. The love he held for his brother buried beneath torturous years of pain. Training, learning... Battle, like their father before them. And his brother sought to threaten him? To make demands of him? The flowing black robes that adorned his body shrouding enough of his body to conceal much of the hilt that he clung to.

"You came to kill me."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

ERASE ME
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
[VIBES] | [DRIP]

---

---

Radiance sparked off the collision of blade and gauntlet that followed his open defiance against the Sith. Even as the darkness proliferating around the former Dark Lord threatened to reduce his psyche into instability and fear, he clinged onto the words that had brought him hope, when none was left. "I won't let you win." Luc gritted his teeth, cutting at the Sith's defenses to no avail. He could feel the fear enveloping both Auteme and Kisaku to his rear. He hoped his efforts would have been enough to guide the two into action as well. Luc didn't care if that meant choosing fleeing over fighting. Given the enemy they now faced, Luc preferred their flight over the potential for either one of them to get hurt.

Luc couldn't afford to look back-- even when every fiber of his being called out for him to give the pair something reassuring to cling onto. It worked in the past; his nonchalant method of putting the minds of his comrades at ease. But with the surrounding darkness that enveloped them all, Luc knew that his efforts would only be in vain. The aura surrounding Carnifex seeded doubt alongside the fear, festering negativity into the minds of the Jedi around him. Even worse, it drowning out the Light that previously kept the trio protected from the darkness. A fact which hurt his allies more than it did himself, given his previous run-ins with the current Dark Lord and his corrupted circle.

Even within his own beating chest, his heart shuttered with each clash of his weapon against the Sith Emperor himself. It shuttered down his appendages with each passing strike that reached the Sith's guard, threatening to take over with the slightest weakness in his psyche.

He could feel it creeping up on him. The fear permeated deeper within his mind as their final clash led to his enemy casting his gaze down onto the defiant Jedi. The dismissive eyes of the Sith Emperor were a slight as much as they were a tool of forcing the Jedi into submission. His efforts had been for nothing, is what he could read from them. He'd toyed with Lucien as one did with a child who knew no better. It enraged him, even as his mind urged his body to not continue his futile efforts. To stop fighting back, and accept the whims of fate for what they were. The thoughts took center stage within his mind, even as he pressed the weapon down into the Sith's grip with all his might, attempting to cut through the man's guard to no avail.

A barrage of negative thoughts filled his mind with doubt, clouding his mind with flashbacks to his failures on Korriban and Dantooine. The Sith made his efforts feel pathetic; he was useless in the face of an enemy that even his brother Rurik Fel didn't balk at nonchalantly in defiance. Lucien's eyes broke from the deathly gaze he threw the Emperor's way, following the hand which delivered the tendrils of lightning towards his allies at the rear. His eyes widened as the tendrils jolted past his peripheral, tracing through the air until finally reaching its intended target at the rear.

Luc deactivated his lightsaber's blade, throwing himself backwards and spinning at the heel in order to track the unconscious Padawan with his own eyes. A hand outstretched towards him, reaching out through the force and latching the man's form to bring his momentum to a halt. He traced his arm across the air, shunting the unconscious Jedi down the hall and presumably out of the Sith's list of targets. He shifted in reverse once he was safe, activating his lightsaber just a moment before he brought the blade down upon Carnifex once again.

"Snap out of it, Auteme." His thoughts bounced to Auteme's mind telepathically. The words came through clearly, even as he doubled his efforts on battering down the Dark Lord's guard with renewed vigor. "Kisaku needs you to be strong. I need you."


Auteme | Kisaku Oroken | Darth Carnifex
​

​

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Ziost, Warehouse near the Command Center //:
//: Team Vos //: Ripley Kühn //:
//: Enemies //: Darth Vulcanus //:

​

Nodding, the mission continued, and as much as the sewer route sounded like a great idea. Allyson's own thoughts mirrored the Zeltron's - sewers were gross in every which way. Footsteps lightened, and the Corellian quickly shifted from sight, a natural instinct of working in the shadows for this long. She continued to follow behind Ripley, her own mind doing a quick survey of the land, looking for cybernetics and other technology while assuming her partner had the organics covered. They fell into the hole, not making a sound. Coming back into view, Allyson brushed back loose strands of her hair and adjusted the pack on her back. ​

She raised both her eyebrows as she hesitated; if the woman had a credit for every time someone brought it up searching for answers - she'd be quite rich and probably able to retire and buy out Coruscant. Alas, her answers came without a price tag. Sewage sloshed around them as they continued to walk. Allyson took a point at this moment, the schematics of the underground network loading up quickly on the cybernetic eye's HUD. The thing was more useful than she had initially given it credit; her face showed a small bit of recognition as she mused at what other things it could do. ​

The moment of silence allowed her to break the gaze from Ripley; as many times as she had told this story, it never got more comfortable. She didn't like the outcome of it all, and in the end, after all the sacrifice she failed, miserably. "Nothing went the way it was planned for that mission." Allyson started, it was true. Nothing went according to what was planned. Her infiltration, the interaction with Ryv, Loske chasing her across the galaxy, and her failure to assassinate the Former Emperor. "The Sith took a lot from me as well; I don't tell many people about it - I don't even think I ever told Ryv." She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought about how to even start this. ​

"I'm going, to be honest, I didn't plan on coming home. The plan and what I was paid for was going to be the last mission I ever did. I have a knack for picking up suicide missions." It was a lie, she remembered the first time she was recruited by the first Alliance's intelligence branch. The plucky Corellian was fresh out of flight school, but they saw something in her. ​

"Deniable Assets. I'm sure you know what that is, right? Since I was seventeen, since my first day as a Shadow - it's what I was told. I'm a deniable asset. I do the job, I get to come home - maybe." Her head tilted as she held up her fist, silently telling Reply to wait. Another quick scan of the area and things were clean. Taking a left turn, the water sludge started to rise, and Allyson made a gagging face, but she continued her story - her uncomfortable feelings seeping into the tale. ​

"Assassinate Carnifex at any cost. That was the mission, infiltrate the Sith Empire - take him out. I made mistakes, but any sacrifice for the mission, even my personal relationship. I did care about him, but--" She cut herself off and shook her head, no reason to go down that road now. "I attached myself to the Lord Inquisitor; she was my gateway to the upper echelon of the Empire network. Through her, I became acquainted with Taeli Raaf; it was more of a reacquaintance though - the woman knew me, I worked for her before when she was masquerading in the Alliance." A deep hatred burned inside of the Corellian, remembering the woman's betrayal and how it was the reason she had to shift gears and reveal her identity. "Doing what I do, taking on different personas, constantly day in and day out - I lost my way, Taeli took advantage of that, and while I hate admitting it, I really lost my way." ​

Sewage water began to lower as they moved down the more narrow tunnel of the sewers. "Almost through the gross part" Allyson nodded as she cursed under her breath in Olys Coreselli. The water rose up as she squeezed through the tight passage sideways. Her arms up, she laced her fingers behind her head as she held her breath for a moment. Allyson felt her lungs tightened while feeling the strain of the stone walls around her. Unfortunately, the water rose up towards Allyson's chin riding just under the tip. She lifted her chin up slightly and then soon squeezed herself out from the end. The water flowed behind her, and she felt the urge to scream from the disgust she felt. ​

"Okay, Force - I hate sewers." Allyson took a breath for a moment and then continued the story. "What happened with Ryv wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to use a fight to cover up who I was loyal to. If the Sith thought I defected, they would let me in closer. The closer I got to Carnifex, the easier I could kill him. So," Allyson paused as they started again, "I needed everyone to think I defected, including my closest friends. I broke promises and made enemies all for the mission to end the terror of the Sith. I didn't think I would come home, so if everyone thought I was a defector - they wouldn't be sad or feel like they let me down because I went in alone. You know them; they'd feel guilty. It was better they hated me than to feel sad." ​

Allyson smiled faintly, "Of course Loske was too stubborn to let it go, let it happen. I broke all my force bonds with everyone except my padawan and Loske. So she stopped me on Bastion, foiled my plans, nearly killed me, but saved my life in the end." Allyson shrugged as she pointed up. "Seems like our journey is close to being over," She climbed the ladder and paused at the mechanism that was keeping it locked; it was wired to explode, and she began to disarm it through the Force. "Anyways, no one trusts me, despite my end of the story - which is fine. I karked up pretty bad, but deniable asset - I'm meant to die."​

 

[Laertia Io]

"And I thought I was fethed up..." Laertia muttered quietly in the roar of battle as Mrurh'en'lase | Hel screamed about tearing and mutilation, strongly enough that although neither one of them heard it, it caused BFG Division by Mick Gordon to play loudly OOC for a few moments.

She had given herself to fury after a few moments hesitation. The regulators were constantly shutting on and off, greeting Laertia with flashes of pain as a migraine started.

A Force scream tore from Hel's throat. The shielding systems, having the highest rating possible against this attack, still barely withstood it, though there was a loud painful ringing that remained in her ears as she intercepted Hel's blade, a clever twist-parrying deflecting the orange blade. Her Lightsaber, SynthBreaker, had a high chance of breaking even Synth blades, to say nothing of non synths, and had no chance of breaking itself. It might well be the deciding factor as time wore on.

Laertia refrained from counter-attacking, knowing instinctively her own actions had caused this reaction. She was turning someone to the Dark and she wasn't even trying to. But these Jedi had to be stopped before they fethed up the compact.

Her mutated bronze and green gaze observed Hel. Young like many she had cut down today. Bile rose in her throat at this. It was awful. It wasn't right.

"You are broadcasting your downfall to all your peers in the Force..." she said to Hel. "Are you sure you wish to be cut down like this? Dying as what you hate?"

Laertia didn't understand why she she was even trying to stop a Padawan from falling when she fully intended to kill her unless she withdrew. That was the thing none of them understood: if they had withdrawn, she would not have pursued.

Laertia half hoped the girl would see reason and flee, but she knew it would not be that easy.

"I will not encourage your hatred. For my end of it, this isn't personal. But I will not follow a suicide order that demands we fight Sith and Bryn'adul at the same time. It would cost too much against such a merciless enemy. All they have to do is sit back and watch us kill each other, then kill the winner. What's so hard about that for the NJO to understand? 'Your' Jedi force these battles now, even as our borders flood with refugees, providing terrible strains on resources. All these Jedi dead, for what? Why could they not have been sacrificed elsewhere, against the enemy creating Force Wounds with every society they destroy? I don't want to do this, but the NJO'S only other option they were giving was for me to stay out of it while Ryv gets to indulge in his short sighted crusades, leaving people like you to die at my hands for no reason other than his need to fight evil and be a hero. I may have been the one swinging the blade, but he was the one coaxing them to be cut down."

Laertia wasn't sure where she was going with this dialogue. Was she trying to turn Hel to her side? Laertia was so messed up in the head mentally that though she genuinely asked the question on the inside, she couldn't reconcile all the contradictory answers she got back.

"I have something to fight for, other than my anger. I fight to preserve 'every' world not yet destroyed by the Bryn'adul, even if I must fight my own peers who will not see reason. Can you say your motives are so well intentioned?"

 

[Gat Tambor]

X X I I : T H E _ G A L A X Y
DIRECTOR
TRADE FEDERATION
IN PERFECTLY LEGAL SERVICE TO THE GA

---

---

---

I'M ABOUT TO GO DUMB​

All the stars were here. And the festivities were due to begin. Gat nodded to the arrival of the rest. Some friends, some rivals. He caught a glance of the AvCorp executive adjusting his tie in the reflection of Gat's pressure suit. A slight? On a miniscule scale one might comprehend it as such. To Gat? it was another man of talent and resourcefulness making use of resources available to him. The benefit of Gat being confined to his atmospheric suit is that he never tangled with such difficulties of minor appearance adjustments. Once he was fixed in, he was set.

He sat in the meeting with quiet observation painting his expression initially. There was Telis Taharin's arrival, for which the over shift in appearance left the Skakoan narrowing his eyes before offering a faint shake of the head. Then came the explanation of Aerarii Tithe. It was when he uttered those two words 'Free Market' that he could feel a shiver run down his spine and the nonexistent hairs rise on the back of his neck.

The Dream.

A market free of wasteful mismanagement, bloated stagnancy and redundant regulations. A market, nay, a Galaxy of absolutely free men and women. Worth as much as they can make for themselves. This was ideal.

While the New Imperial Order or the Galactic Alliance were still a stones throw and a half away from Gat's ideal system, they had proven infrastructures that worked.

Then, Ingrid L'lerim spoke up.

Gat listened, arching a brow.

Then, he spoke up.

"ERRRERERRERRURRERRER- before anything, if I may formally introduce myself as Director Gat Tambor, of the Trade Federation." Even if it was well expected to know who he was, it was still courtesy.

"Now, your grace." He paused for a moment, lifting a finger as if finding difficult of where to start.

"When did anyone ask? You come into this meeting at which we are operating at a...cordial, professional decorum and proceed to yell about gripes which seem overtly personal. You think the people of Tiss'sharl care about your rhetoric? You think they are comforted by their leadership, the people who rule over their system being accompanied by such visibly deranged such as yourself? I also mourn the death of AMCO , he was one of the brightest luminaries of our era but I'm afraid it will not continue to justify these outbursts, your grace."

"And after all, it is all deeply ironic coming from the Sith side of the table, that a government which operates on a doctrine dictated by a religious code which has, as literature and common rhetoric suggests, all but encourage deceit and betrayal. You mention that the Sith have changed hands? Abandoning the...missing? Kaine Zambrano in favor of the-" Gat tambor looks from side to side, raising his arms in a shrug.

"Missing? Joycelyn Zambrano or was it- Braxus Zamb- oh-, interesting...they claim to be more trusting in their subordinates and yet- the highest echelons of authority in the Sith Empire are occupied by a dynastic ruling class. I'm afraid, since the Tiss'sharl are not blood Zambranos, they will find a much lower ceiling and lesser preferential treatment compared to those born of Panatha or adherent to the Dark Creed." He iterates.

"What the Galactic Alliance, my colleagues here present, is not to place trust in the Chancellor, the Sovereign Imperator or any other foreign power. But to place trust in yourselves, in the Tiss'sharl and their potential for innovation, their potential to contribute to the Galactic economy. Not to be shackled at the behest of a people who see you as you are, pawns to be used, because under their regime, they own you. In a Free Market, you own yourselves and your merit is in service to those who value it the highest not to...this." He gestures vaguely to the opposite side of the table.

"Before we begin making any more accusations, Lady Ingrid. Do please at least refrain from the current volume you have been operating at. It is distasteful and outright disrespect to my audial receptors." Gat suggests.

He came barreling in with his own silver tongued rhetoric. He waited eagerly for the response.

THE TRADE FEDERATION
FT. THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE
Aerarii Tithe | Brama Tagge | Enlil | The Executive | Marlon Sularen | Otto Shule

THE SITH EMPIRE
Ingrid L'lerim | Telis Taharin-Zambrano | Alli Vern​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

BENEATH THE ACADEMY OF SITH ARTS

Opposition: Alina Tremiru Darth Strosius
Ally: Okkeus Dainlei​

It seems that she did not fall for his painfully flawed and obvious bluff. Not that he was really expecting anything else. Fortunate as it would be for the Acolyte to lead him to the control room. Things were rarely that easy for the overqualified Padawan. Pursing his lips, his gaze travelled down the corridor to where he could hear someone approaching. Mentally, he began to size up his situation.

From here, even with the miasma of darkness that permeated the academy, he could tell the difference in power between him and the two acolytes. Had he been in top form. He would have been fine with taking his chances. Simply walking away and letting the pair pursue as he attempted to find the control room. But right now, in his current state, he would be somewhat harder pressed to resolve the engagement in a way he would prefer if the two Sith came at him with full force.

"I've been your guest for a few days now. I'd hate to overstay my welcome." He said, lifting his blade so it rested over his shoulder. "But I can be convinced." He said, letting the offer hang in the air for a minute. Hoping it would at the very least catch Alina's attention before he continued.

"I'm a fairly decent value target for capture. Friend of some important Jedi. Veteran of Kintan, Mandalore, Bastion and a dozen other battles. Got a few Sith to my name as well." He said, eyes never leaving Alina. "I'm probably worth more than a lot of prisoners here."

"So here's my deal. You hit the release to let them all out of their cells. Once I've guaranteed they'll get out of here safe. I surrender to you. We can even say you captured me after I set everyone free." He gave the slightest shrug, a loose grin on his lips.

"We both win this way. So what do you say?"

 

[Elena Lowe]

​

Private Karina Lowe - Sorzus Sith Academy, Ziost
Objective: Do as you’re told
Equipment: Flight Suit ~ Judicator Battle Rifle ~ Particle Pistol ~ Power Mace
Allies: TSE - Darth Daiara - Darth Strosius - Alina Tremiru
Enemies: GA - Strike Team Windu ( Zark San Tekka - Dagon Kaze - Creuat - Takui - Mrurh'en'lase | Hel ) Jend-Ro Quill

​

Sniper_Trap

The squad rained down fire on the Jedi, who blocked them diligently with his use of the Force. Karina was impressed at the man’s ability, but she noted with grim satisfaction that a bolt or two had still struck true, leaving the armour smoking and cracked. Still, despite their fire the man was able to make the run into the academy proper, and a slew of curses came from the mouths of the Legionnaires as he slipped out of view.

Rising from her prone position Karina craned her neck. Captain Mue barked an order but Karina was already moving, scrabbling across the steep slope of the roof towards a narrow skylight looking down into the room below. Around her she was aware of one or two of her squadmates moving around her, beginning to climb up the rooftops, sending loose stone tiles skittering down the slope to shatter on the ground below.

Karina hauled herself up to the skylight, whipping around her rifle and smashing at the glass with the butt. Cracks spindled outwards with each smack, and on the third strike it shattered, sending glass crashing down to the floor. She stuck the blaster through the gap, catching sight of the white lightsaber wheeling through the dim. Tense, she fired a few shots at his retreating figure, but he was moving too quickly, and there was no time to take aim. The shots impacted harmlessly into the floor with a shower of debris as the Jedi slipped out of sight again.

“Lowe, get up here now!” Came the voice of Tamper, and Karina whipped her head around to see she’d been left behind. The squad was now steadily climbing up the rooftop towards a tower structure at the centre of the academy. Karina grunted and hefted her rifle, beginning to climb after the group, her muscles aching as she traversed the steep slopes. The squad was ascending quickly, and Karina had to climb even faster to catch up. By the time they had reached the tower she was gasping for air, her muscles shaking.

She stumbled forward as the roof levelled out and she leant against the side of the tower, which continued for a floor or two above. Within seconds though, Captain Mue had grabbed her and shoved her roughly forward, through the narrow service door that connected the rooftops to the rest of the academy.

“Take point.” He growled.

Her ocular sensors adjusted to the dim far quicker than any organic eye, and she quickly navigated to the stairs leading down to the ground floor. Leaving her rifle on her back, Karina pulled her sidearm, carefully peering into the gloom as she rounded each landing, her squad following behind. Her whole body was tensed, wary of the Jedi that might be lurking behind each darkened corner.

 

[Enlil]

The King gestured toward Tithe as Tambor finished speaking and brought his cheek to rest in the other hand. "It is as the Vice-Chancellor says," he told them, "if it is war you seek, that you believe fills your coffers, then you need look no further than the Sith. The New Imperials will gladly bring it to your doorstep time and again. Our men will visit death and destruction on your people and fill your cup to overflowing with the blood of Sith and Tiss'sharl alike."

He let the horrific implications of his words settle in, both with the Sith delegation and with the Tiss'sharl alike. Before they could speak on that point, however, he moved his open palm toward the League representatives.

"That is the logical conclusion to this war economy that your Sith friends have imposed on you. It is the way all of this ends on the path that you have chosen. However, the Tiss’sharl are shrewd and have the will to survive. The Alliance has opened a door for you to end this folly, and should you come to their table, the Imperium will gladly meet you there."

He took a moment to redirect their attention toward a hologram, which he activated in front of him from a datapad. "My own world, Ketaris, has seen a resurgence of education with the revitalization of its University. The New Order has given me freedom to construct a brighter future for its people, and in the midst of this great war, I have pushed for a Renaissance of Knowledge and Cultural Exchange. Where does your money go now, respected counsel? Does it profit your people? Or do you send your children to die on foreign and uncaring soil?

No Tiss'sharl father should have to bury his son, ever again. Your monies should go where you wish, and no place else. Freedom-" he paused, looking from one life the next, "and prosperity are your right."

​

LOCATION: League Chambers, Tiss'sharl
OBJECTIVE: Operation Chokehold
ALLIES: Aerarii Tithe | Brama Tagge | Gat Tambor | The Executive | Otto Shule | Marlon Sularen | GA & NIO
ENEMIES: Telis Taharin-Zambrano | Ingrid L'lerim | Alli Vern | TSE & EE
POST: II

 

[Takui]

He brought his blade up suddenly, filled with realization that something was amiss. Taku felt it before he saw it, and his body responded entirely on instinct. The Force had taken root and blossomed inside of the Padawan since that fateful moment on Deneba; now in the heart of enemy territory, faced with an adherent of darkness Taku struggled to keep up with himself.

This Sith had not even introduced himself. Instead, their lightsabers exchanged greetings. War this what war felt like? Real, existential conflict?

His eyes lingered beyond the Sith, on the box. Taku could feel it in the Force, calling out. Ziost was suffering. Ziost itself was telling him: if that box were opened, it would be free at last.

He looked slowly to the man crossing blades with him. "Looks like you Sith really are all the same," he said. "All that talk about freedom, but the moment anyone or anything else wants to be free, you stand in the way."

Taku pressed back into the man, all of his body defying the newcomer. He pushed the lightsaber toward one side, seeking to shunt the Sith's weapon away. That box had to be opened. Nothing else mattered.

Lark

 

[Romi Jade]

Location: Ruins of Hâsk
Allies: GA
Enemies: Enyo Typhos & TSE

"Cote?" She hadn't heard him say anything, in fact the space behind her felt vast suddenly. She turned around...and saw no one. Hopping down a step -- "Mish?" Perplexed. It seemed the fog had been creeping up the walkway...and suddenly she felt disconnected from the group.

Curious

Under her breath, "They were right here..." -- whatever trickery permeated this unholy foundation was strong indeed. But she was no stranger to such magicks of the Sith...the type woven into the space around you. The idea of losing your sense of awareness or being hit with a sense of forgetfulness; if she'd learned anything from Taeli...it was how to identify spells and incantations. However, she'd have to be sure...

Maybe they got separated

But the effects would subside when she'd cleanse this place.

-----

She moved about the labyrinthine with the tracings of a conduit worm, and the deeper she descended, the darker and danker became the surroundings. She floated into darker levels, where fetid water dripped from cracked foundation, and the only light was that which found its way down through gaps in the old structure.

Walking into some sort of hexagonal shape with thick columns, she stopped to scan the several exits. Moments before she could hear the echoes of engagement but they seemed deeper...and nothing happened on her side thus far.

Still no sign of them

She shut her eyes -- envisioning the outcome she wanted and wiping her slate clean of any presuppositions. Darksiders drew power from raw emotions and feelings such as anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, fear, aggression, megalomania, and unrestrained passion.

She was going to infringe her presence and will on the surrounding area - using her abilities simultaneously to weaken and demoralize the Dark sides grip on the place with a highly concentrated flare of metaphysical energy; but it'd take a bit of concentration in such a saturated place.

 

[Marlon Sularen]

Location | League Chamber , Tiss'shari
Objective | Operation Chokehold
Tags [TSE+Allies] | Telis Taharin-Zambrano | Alli Vern | Ingrid L'lerim
Tags [GA+NIO] | Aerarii Tithe | Brama Tagge | Gat Tambor | The Executive | Enlil | Otto Shule

Sularen watched as the rest of the delegates arrived and Vice-Chancellor Tithe officially began the talks bringing forth the Galactic Alliance's Offer to the Table , a Free and Unregulated Market , free from any interference from Governments like the Sith Empire. However upon just after Tithe's Statement , Empress Ingrid L'lerim quickly responded calling out both the Galactic Alliance and New Imperial Delegation and attempted to discredit their respective governments.

It was very ironic especially given that she tried to call out the NIO rebellion as being built on treason and betrayal when the Eternal Empire stabbed the TSE behind the back briefly allying itself with the New Imperials before even betraying them once more. Then came Gat Tambor who quickly shut down Ingrid's statement , but nevertheless it was clear that the Sith weren't giving up Tiss'sharl that easy let alone allow the Alliance sweep them in a fair fight. If they were going to fight dirty and try to call out the GA and NIO , Sularen would respond in kind.

"I'd like to comment on the statement of the Eternal Empress to address the current situation" Sularen began. "To begin , i am Marlon Sularen , Chief Executive of SularenCo and Lord-Imperator of the Deep Core World of Byss , a recent victim of the Eternal Empress' outbursts." Sularen then paused for a bit and continued. "Mrs.L'lerim-Vandiir claims we are a bad example to the Galaxy , yet the Sith Empire has subjugated countless worlds by force and committed numerous atrocities in the process."

"You see there is a difference between us and the Sith Empire. We gave you a choice , the Sith didn't. When the Sith first came to Tiss'sharl did they bring a simple delegation to negotiate your entry into their Empire. No , when the Sith came , they brought a Fleet , had members of the Tiss'sharl League murdered and replaced with those Loyal to them and forced the Tiss'sharl League to follow their agenda and Tiss'sharl isn't the only Corporatist World within Sith Space to suffer such a fate. Other regions like the Corporate Sector faced a similar takeover along with other prominent worlds such as Ringovinda."

"You see the Sith don't care about you , they only care about themselves about their agenda. When you will be of no use to them they will betray you and get rid of you accordingly. However we , the Alliance DO care about you. Not because we wish to use you for our own agenda but rather because we believe that you deserve an opportunity to reach your full potential without interference from the Sith."

"Now , Empress L'erim-Vandiir has also stated that the Empire has new leadership and i will say it now. New Leadership does not mean anything as long as it's agenda remains the same as the previous one and what is this Agenda. It is simple , Crush all Opposition , Restore the previous status of their Empire and become the Dominant Power in the Galaxy. The Sith are only interested in your Planet because it can help them in their goals. To them you are nothing more but pawns to be used for their ambitions and they will make sure that one way or another this planet remains under the rule of the Sith and adheres to their Agenda."

"We have opened the door to new opportunities for Tiss'sharl. We are not here to force you to take a side in this conflict. We are not here to force you to pledge allegiance to either the New Imperial Order or the Galactic Alliance. We are here to convince you to leave the Sith and ensure that you are free to make your own decisions at your own will without being told what to do by some Totalitarian Theocratic Dictatorship. Whether you chose to take this opportunity to regain your freedom is your choice and yours alone and being the good people we are we will respect the decisions made by your people unlike the Sith here who will definitely demand your loyalty to their Empire whether you want it or not."

 

[Krau Rook]

OPERATION STONEFIST

t h e _ d a r ' t s i s

THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE
104th MARINE BATTALION 'WOLFPACK'
STRIKE TEAM 'SKYWALKER'

oh lazarus

The men that made up the Wolfpack were an enigma to Krau. Not because of the armor the secluded them within their own sense of self, nor for the fact that they were boisterous with their own displays of personality, but because, in the same vein as Maynard, Krau simply hadn’t been given the time to get to properly know them. If he wanted to, he could prod outwards with the Force, reach inside of them and see what there was to see, but that was foul and vulgar to the Mando. Something like that, even just to sate a curiosity, wasn’t something he would ever willingly be a part of. As they stood, they were nameless, faceless soldiers that made up Maynard’s rank and file. Even as Krau watched the back and forth that his master had with them, he felt little to no true connection. Nothing to crack through that layer and plunge deeper into understanding. They were men of combat, brethren-in-arms that Krau had no experience with.

They were bodies in the room, moving past him like ghosts and mounting their bikes.

It all seemed like a dream at first, being such a small part of movement on a grand scale as two forces of conflict came to meet in a pitched battle. Something that would decide the future of people as far as the otherside of the Rim, the Unknown Regions, even Firefist. When the Galactic Alliance moved, even the atoms of the Galaxy itself felt it. He had come to understand, if not accept that concept at it’s core value.

In the old texts, there was always a separation of patriotism and the Jedi Code, your loyalty to the Order, your People, and your Country.

Now of days, theory shattered at practice.

The Mandalorian brought himself over to the jousting speeder, letting his hand settle on the durasteel sheel. Dancing across the paintjob, done up to match the rest of the Wolfpack, he spared a glance over at his master before slinging himself over into the seat. Shifting himself back and forth before he found some sense of comfort.

Relax your muscles, he told himself.

You’ll tear something on the field tensed up like this.

The Field. The open pitched combat he was about to engage in.

It felt like a fairytale being told to him.

Some conflict he could forget about, not something he had to pilot himself through.

The shuddering of the gunship doors opening, the green light flickering.

<“Vencuyani mhi.”> He whispered to himself as the light of Ziost, ancestral home itself, flooded the gunship.

Repulserlifts kicked off, sending the Wolfpack and Jedi burning off into the open air.

Time to make war.

// ALLIES : GA | NJO | Ryv | Aelys | Captain Raith | Bayaz | Leon Gallo | Maynard Treicolt \\

// ENEMIES : TSE | OPEN \\

​

 

[Eldaah Aderyn]

​

A humorless smile formed as Loske asked if she was going to give permission to enter her mind and said she shouldn't question the limits of what a Jedi was ready to do. She would know the answer to the first, and Felucia had revealed the second. There was nothing different about these New Jedi Order members than the last version of that Order. They were still the same zealots, still jumping the same ethical and moral hoops to justify using as brutal tactics as their enemies used. Purging was what they wanted, but when you went that route, that line between light and dark became perilously thin. It was how her Master had tipped so many in the old GA to join Operation Eclipse.

And she seemed to have successfully gotten a rise out of Djorn, and then the knife came out and she internally sighed. That sigh escaped her lips as a gasp as he impaled his knife through her right arm, growling that she would lose more than blood if she kept goading him. Red dripped along the length of the knife, falling onto the chair and floor to puddle with the water from earlier.

"No wonder you could never ascend past Fordyce," she remarked in response to him. Her attention turned to the Jedi in the room. "So Jedi Treicolt, these are your allies in your campaign against us. Every bit as brutal as us, and yet you and the Alliance took the Faustian Bargain. Then again, it seems you also have no issues with using or condoning such methods. Agreeing to violate my mind by force, allowing a prisoner to be tortured... I thought the Jedi were supposed to be a more civilized and humane power than the Sith."

She leaned her head back against the restraint's head support. A scoff escaped her.

"You, Maynard, and the rest... you just play at being Jedi. All you're missing is the red sabers and the black robes and you would be us. By all means, continue as you will. I offer you this warning however. Forcing your way into my mind... will forever change you."

And she would say no more out loud

Loske Treicolt
Djorn Bline