Dominion The Swirling Depths | CIS & The Enclave

[Siv Dragr]

I N V E S T I G A T E

Objective: Investigate the Hypergate
Tag: Jhira Mereel | Talohn Atar | Leea Pandac | Kale Onara | Vanya Aklin | Alex Eldar | Madlad

The first to approach him was an entirely new helmet, and Siv did not recall seeing her Oya'karir Light Gunship drop out of realspace back at the blockade checkpoint. Yet she wore the armor and insignia of a Mandalorian, and sure enough she spoke like one, introducing herself as Alex Eldar, a foundling and apparently associate of part-time friend, part-time rival Vren Rook. "That's what we're trying to find out," Siv grunted in his usual brief manner. The netherworld, if that was really where they were going, was no place to send a foundling; Rook had to have a great deal of confidence in this young Mandalorian's capabilities if he were to send her here.

He nodded to Jhira Mereel as the young warrior sauntered up. Unlike the newcomer, he had a good measure of Jhira's abilities after the skirmish on Abrion Major -- if anything, he could throw Eldar at Mereel to have the latter keep an eye on the former. It wouldn't do good to lose his friend's protegee in an alternate dimension.

The next two that walked up were familiar, even if they were a bit of a surprise. The first was Leea Pandac, adopted daughter of veteran fighter Talohn Atar; the second, the mad and aptly-named droid of Atar, 'Madlad.' Leea greeted the small group politely, while Madlad offered its own assessment of their group and extended its robotic hand for a handshake. Siv shook it uneasily, perturbed by the single glowing ocular module that flashed from green to red as it mused in an almost wistful manner on the nature of their destination. He found himself glad to be able to shift his attention when the last of their party, Kale Onara -- another veteran fighter -- walked up. Siv nodded a greeting, but he noticed that even the usually-amiable Mandalorian seemed to be on edge today. They all were, or at least those who were smart enough to fear what could potentially lay ahead of them were.

But they would have no choice but to press on, regardless of their fears.

They walked through the station, passing organic Confederate soldiers and droids alike. The living beings gave the Mandalorians wary glares, obviously distrustful of the beskar-clad warriors but not bold enough to do anything more than stare. Stare was all the droids did, albeit blank and emotionless. No doubt the Confederacy's droids registered the presence of the Mandalorians, but Siv didn't know whether their programming allowed them to feel emotion or if their droid minds were nothing but logic and orders derived from a high command. Out of instinct, his hand drifted towards his blaster pistol strapped at his side, but he reminded himself that he was among allies. Even if the Confederacy's soldiers distrusted them, they were not their enemies.

At last, the team made it to the gate itself, a station inside a station. A sort of airlock, or containment cell, separated the outside station from the chamber that housed the portal itself. They were ushered inside by an operator in a sealed room, only visible through a wall of reinforced transparisteel almost a half-meter thick. A massive blast door closed behind them as they entered the room, and Siv could hear loud locking mechanisms sealing the door shut. There was a moment of silence before the door on the other side slowly slid open, to reveal a chamber all black except for luminescent strips all pointing towards the focal point of the chamber: the portal itself.

It glowed brightly, unnatural. The light grew and contracted, never staying still, never quite one shape or color, shimmering a kaleidoscope of hues. A circular ring encased it, metal plating giving way to circuits, wiring and all normal vestiges of technology, yet they were all completely unfamiliar to Siv. He walked up until he was a step away from the bright light, reflecting a million colors off of his beskar helmet. Taking a deep breath, Siv took one last look at his companions, drew his blaster, and stepped into the portal as the light enveloped him.

​

His senses were overloaded. His mind seemed to meld and stretch across eons of time and unfathomable quantities of space. He saw stars, solar systems, galaxies, universes pass through in the blink of an eye. Then the void rushed up to greet his mind, and all fell silent and dark.

- - -​

And then he was on his knees, his left hand resting on soft red dirt, the portal humming and shining behind him. When he looked up, there was no black chamber, but a sky red as blood. There were trees all about, with bark dark like onyx and leaves that shimmered with a bright violet coloring, unlike anything he had ever seen. Wherever he was, they had left the galaxy he'd known -- of that much, he was sure.

Siv Dragr stood up warily, his blaster pistol held loosely in his right hand as he took better stock of his surroundings and waited for his companions to emerge from the portal behind him, likely embarking on the same psychedelic journey he'd undertaken through that portal. If anything, he could safely say he didn't look forward to reliving the experience on the return trip.

And that was presuming there would be a return trip.
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[Jhira Mereel]

POLITICAL REGION: CIS SPACE
LOCATION: Outside of a Nether Realm Stargate, at the CIS 513th Attack Line’s Blockade.
Objective: survive diplomacy, investigate the Stargate
TAGS: [OPEN] [ Alex Eldar ] [ Vanya Aklin ]


[ Leea Pandac ] The Mirilian with giant shotgun succinctly introduced herself and her droid companion, indicating they had come from Talohn Atar. The Mandalorian with a House. Who was hopefully very far away letting Mia investigate his ship from stern to stem.

[ Madlad ] The droid now … he moved as if his joints were flesh and blood, not metal and oil. Disturbing, when added to his flawless proportions and the too-realistic plucking at his cloak. Worse was how much of the Droid was Beskar, as if some half-mad being had simply drained Manda from a Mandalorian, and MadLad was what was left. The voice was haunting, far too alive for Jhira’s comfort. She’d heard many tales of the Ghost in the Machine, but never before encountered what left like the shade of a Mandalorian, shaped into a Droid.

Both unwilling to create bad blood between teammates while on mission, and constitutionally unable to reveal the discomfort the droid provoked by rejecting the proffered handshake, Jhira steeled herself to accept the greeting. Living so constantly within her Iron Skin, there was no such thing as ‘casual contact’ for Jhira. So to have the creature whose hand she shook be a droid that looked like it had walked out of the very hell they were entering bothered her on many levels, despite her own armored gauntlet.

[ Kale Onara ] Kale’s distinctive black and gold Beskar had a new trim today - grenades. Lots of them. Jhira could only approve. When it doubt, a grenade was the answer. His unique rifle that that made Cryoban look a child’s toy held pride of place in his arsenal. Given the tense silence, Jhira contended herself with a nod of greeting, and following Siv through this strange station.

[ Siv Dragr ] There was a perverse sort of pride, in the notion that an entire army of Confederate soldiers were made so very uncomfortable by a single Fire Team of Mandalorians. Siv’s hand drifting near his weapons in response to the institutionalized hatred left Jhira warily on guard. Just how often did things turn violent, between the Enclave and the CIS?

Each footfall brought her closer to the rift in reality; to life, death and the incompressible vista beyond. The readouts from her HUD were so utterly normal, at first, that Jhira rebooted them. Just to be sure. But no; the security shields and elaborate countermeasures meant to restrain whatever was in there, also blinded her from out here.

The sound of blast doors sealing behind her sent her pulse jumping, and her armor responded with a soft surge of power.

Just in case.

The portal shone before her, mesmerizing, seductive, promising her everything and nothing. Who or what lay therein? Not, she reminded herself sharply, her family. Neither husband nor parents nor siblings. They were safe with the Manda of her Clan.

Oh, but how a traitorous part of her hoped they might touch her one last time, as light coalesced in a kaleidoscope of colors, prisming over the gleaming Beskar. Somehow, Siv found the courage to walk towards that deadly, hypnotic light. Without conscious thought, her chin lifted and she gave him a grave salute as he looked over at them a final time, then stepped though the portal.

He vanished. Utterly. It was hard not to rush forward, but Jhira knew the drill. Like any jump-gate or unknown portal, you couldn’t pass too closely together. Silently, she watched her timer drop down to zero and the strange emanations of the Portal steady. Drawing her own sidearm, but keeping it low at her side, Jhira walked cautiously up to and though the portal.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\​

Light blinded her, deafened her, pierced her. Her form blurred, stretched as shadow and light warred. This time, it wasn’t her HUD that crashed. It was her soul. Voices cried out to her, from across the cosmos, shouting warning or threat or entreaty. Wider and wider her soul stretched, far beyond the thin confines of her flesh. A violent solar wind tore through her, sending the bleeding sparks of life-stuff swirling out into infinity. A tearing pain and profound peace swept over her, and she surrendered to the pain and glory, reaching out for those presences who called to her through bonds of blood, oath or love. She touched the living, the dead, the not-yet-born, for time had no meaning, and distance was but a clever Illusion. Straining, Jhira reached out to those fading life-sparks that called her own, yearning to hear the whispered truths and profound meaning that seemed only an instant away. Desperately she sought out those living sparks, fighting the inevitable passage. Too long, she lingered there, before a shrieking bolt of nether energy slammed into her, and darkness swallowed her mind.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\​

Jhira hit hard, prone on her stomach, a cloud of red dirt shrouding her. The jarring contact with something real solid shocking her back into herself. Training screamed at her to leap to her feet, but Jhira spent a stunned second or two frozen, her aching body something alien and strange, the armor heavy and confining after such strange freedom. Her body hurt, deeply, which was odd; she had not felt her body in there, at all. Carefully, she forced herself o her feet, the magnetic tether on her Rim blaster settling it back at her hip with no effort from her. Aware others were due, she took a few steps cautious steps clear of the strange portal, to form up with Siv.

Speaking just then was beyond her; she had no desire to discuss what had just happened, and wasn’t certain she fully recalled Basic at the moment, anyway. The world around her pulsed in alien colors; at first she thought it was shock, still. Red sand drifted over her armor, slowly sifting down to join its kin. Bewildered, Jhira reached out an armored hand to capture a falling, amethyst leaf. Carefully, she slipped into a sealed sample jar. She didn’t even know if anything from here could go back. Or would be allowed. But she’d been expecting a scientific exploration, so why waste the sampling containers? More out of curiosity than true expectation of success, she tasked her sensors with analyzing the world around her.

 

[Jhira Mereel]

POLITICAL REGION: CIS SPACE
LOCATION: Outside CIS 513th Attack Line’s Blockade of the Nethergate.
Objective: Meet Talohn of House Verd. Investigate the Crimson Wolf and the Echoy’la Sun.
TAGS: [OPEN] [ Talohn Atar ] [ Verin Oldo ]

Mia chewed her lip, and watched the sensors as her Aunt vanished into space. A single person was so very small, that with all that exquisite naval tonnage radiating power and electronics, it was a miracle she’d been able to pick her up even briefly.

Coasting to rendezvous with the Crimson Wolf, Mia keyed up the Ship’s COMM, sending her own message off before Uncle Jherel decided to overrule her Aunt.

He was a lot less fun.

SHIP’S COM to The Al’raja.: ⌁ Crimson Wolf, this is Mia Mereel of the Echoy’la Sun. What’s your pleasure, Talohn-of-House-Verd. Shall you dock with us, or would you like me to skim across to you in one of our shuttles? Also, would you like to bring chips or soda? We’ve a prime auto chef aboard! ⌁

Behind her, Jherel scowled powerfully but couldn’t quite conceal a choked laugh that made it through the Comlink along with his agonized, “Mia!” As the COMM cut out.

She spun her chair around, and grinned at her Uncle. “Look, I’m going to head down to the hangar; don’t worry, I’ll get his COMM, whatever he decides. And Jherel … don’t worry so much. We’ve got a huge armada between us and any trouble.”

Mia’s Fleuéline Weave kimono-style long jerkin - complete with her Iron Heart - wrapped about her, the soft synth-leather appearance elegant against the custom woven -Nanosilk flight suit. Hidden in the luxurious folds of fabric were complex microcircuitry that allowed it form into a full, vacuum sealed light armor, without making her feel like she lived in a fishbowl. Black leather magnetic combat boots were rendered elegant only through extreme styling, and golden jewelry at her wrists hid both a complex wrist computer and the ends of her black gloves.

Whether she was stepping out of her shuttle, or out of the boarding tube, she’d greet him with a delighted, “How did you get so many aft weapons in? Oh, hi I’m Mia Mereel and this is my friend, Beetle.” The small BB8 droid beeped cheerfully, and pulled a small wagon of random-seeming supplies and snacks, with their special request balanced precariously on top.



Gear:

Spoiler

GEAR

Miscellaneous
Slicing Kit
Bio Scanner
ECM biomedical Back Pack (in the Fleueline Weave to match the leather look of her armor)
Microthrust Computer Spike (3)

Armor:
Fleuéline Weave kimono-style long jerkin - complete with her Iron Heart. Appearance is of a fine black leather.
A custom woven-Nanosilk flight suit. The woven skill is strong enough to count as light armor yet lovely enough not to look it, with an unparalleled flexibility and a strength most organic silks could only dream of. She has carefully installed micro-circuitry all along the garment, to allow her cybnertics control the shape of it. Thus she never trips or snags upon everything, and it is tricky to grab hold of in melee combat. At will, the silk-and-leather combination garment fold completely around her, creating a vacuumed sealed armor.
An elegant fold at the neck holds her rebreather until it is needed, and a cloth-like Flexicris mask and hood are hidden in the extra fold of cloth at her back which allows for breathing. Though she only has about 15 minutes of air on board, she can hook into either tanks, air supplies from a ship or vehicle, or a more sophisticated rebreather for more time. She has dual-breathing lines, in case she needs to share air with another, and an encrypted COM. There is no HUD display or Tac assist system, and it is not powered armor in the traditional sense, only capable of wrapping around her in a sudden emergency.


Cybernetics:
Skill chip system - single slot.
Molecular Memory storage
NaviSystem for local/planetary purposes not hyper jumps
Remote Hacking - limited range, LOS and within the power parameters of her sensors.


Eye:
Optic capacitor (for a sudden Flash attack)
Sensor Suite with dampening
HUD
Holorecorder


Hand and arm:
Stun Capacitor
Scomp Link
Slicing Unit

Weapons:
Stun Staff
CS-33 Firespray Stun rifle

 

[Leea Pandac]

Objective: Traverse Inexplicable Gateway

Away Team Allies: Jhira Mereel Madlad Kale Onara Siv Dragr

Awaiting Ally: Talohn Atar

Defense Fleet Ally(?): Verin Oldo



Walking through the station brought to Leea's mind a massive ship, albeit one that didn't travel very far. The various crew members seemed to shoot questioning or uncertain glances in the away team's direction, and the young pilot wondered if that was a sign of the relationship between the Confederacy and the Mandalorians, or the perceptions of this portal and anyone insane enough to pass through it. Wearing the slightly over-large beskar helm, Leea wondered if she would appear the part of just another young, crazy Mando on some hunt for glory.

Maybe I am crazy, or stupid. Where will we go? What if the portal just pops out somewhere in the galaxy... like Sith space. Or just open space. Would they have already tested for that? Leea's mind raced with uncertain thoughts. She could feel the anxiety worming its way through her mind, churning her stomach unpleasantly. She tried to focus her brain on the steps; the heavy armour made every footfall reverberate and feel like a great shockwave passing up into her skull. Then it came to her, the furtive glimpses, the rather drained appearance of those who watched the group pass by. Some were curious, others stood in sullen silence, all were at once watching and yet seeking to avoid a direct exchange with the away party. People stepped quickly out of their path, some even left the hallways at their approach. It was as if they bore some dread omen, some obvious curse. These were the looks, the actions, of those watching the condemned. This away team, Leea realized, may as well be walking to their execution, based on the people around them.

As the minutes passed, and they travelled further into the station, revealing defensive structures and countermeasures, Pandac felt the tension grow. One of the turrets, its oversized barrel pointing ahead of them, seemed to stand a silent vigil, and it made Leea shiver to imagine what sort of monstrosity that particular weapon would be intended to contain or defeat. The young soldier wanted to speak, to break the palpable stress and concern that surrounded the group like a fog. Yet every time she opened her mouth to utter some word of encouragement, or summon forth the beginning note of some chant or song, she found her voice choked and her mouth would clamp shut with the faintest thud. Good thing I've got this helmet I guess. The others won't see that.

-------

At last, the team stood before the gateway. Leea found no word to truly describe the evershifting and chaotic structure. Indeed, she felt like her mind could not fully comprehend it. Whenever she took her eyes off it, even for a moment, the Mirialan wondered if it really existed or if this oddity had been nought by a trick of the mind. Yet always, her gaze returned to it, and there it stood.

"...Beautiful, in its own twisted way..." Madlad's words rung decidedly true to the Mirialan as she gazed upon the strange and not slightly alluring portal. If this be a road to hell, then it is paved with beauty. Fitting. For a moment, she simply watched, entranced by the fluttering colours and shapes. What words may have been found before, died even before they reached her lips, the mind too confounded to think straight.

As the first of the team stepped up, Leea found herself somewhat disturbed by the way he blocked even just a portion of the portal. The light seemed to be broken and more unnatural, and then, he disappeared. The gateway continued, unchanging in its endless chaos. The next person moved swiftly, and Leea found her mind blank, unemotional as this one too disappeared. No flash, no sudden light or warping of reality, rather the person had disappeared as a hologram had been cut short.

Come.

She found herself walking, almost unwilling now, towards the light. Her legs moved of their own accord, until she stood a mere few inches from the swirling surface. Her brain seemed to awaken at last, just enough to feel horror and terror at what had to happen next. Leea's voice returned and she had to stop herself from crying out in fear. Instead, she reminded herself of why she was going, her breathing slowed as she closed her eyes and allowed her senses to open. The Mirialan focused on the necklace looped under her armour, a ground of reality in this madness. Forcing out her bated breath, Leea sighed, "See you on the other side." Her head moved mechanically before she practically threw herself into the portal.

------

What followed, Leea could not ever hope to explain afterwards. The world disappeared as she experienced... something... At first, she felt heat, as if the armour she bore were melting under some unnatural flame. Yet, her eyes could see nothing. That was until the world around her exploded forth in brilliant light. At first, it was a single great blaze, bursting as a newborn star, its dazzling corona shivering in the immaterium. Its colour was completely alien, yet seemed familiar. Other stars bore themselves into glorious light, each a different shade and spectrum than the last, until the traveller's vision was so filled that it threatened to overwhelm the mind.

Then the lights drew together, the final sun turning and shifting to the colour of pitch, its crown a gleaming cornucopia of every colour. As Leea stared into the void, she felt a sudden and great tearing pain. There was a sensation of a knife being driven into her very being and dragged roughly through every fibre. Leea tried to call out, but felt no words come to her. It seemed an eternity, during which the great sun sat vacantly, as a great eye watching in bemused interest at an insect being tortured. Then at last the agony subsided. But rather than feeling relief, Leea felt as if something was missing in her. Even as she racked her brain to focus and think enough to begin to understand and try to consider what was occurring, her sight caught on a figure floating through her view. In the far distance, like a mere speck of white in the blackness of the sun, the body moved with unwavering velocity away, until it disappeared into the blackness of the star. As if to answer the unasked question, a number of voices opined from nonexistence.

She awakes? A shrill, almost scared tone filled the void.

In response, a certain and more thoughtful voice spoke, Soon.

Does she see yet? A third, more confident, almost blase being queried.

No, but wait! The second voice seemed startled.

A host of voices, of all manner of timbres and tones, asked the same question, in various forms. What is it? Has something happened?

Look! There it goes. A childish giggle sounded, Looks like she'll awake soon.

Why did she go, doesn't she know?

No. She can't. Shh.

There was a long pause, before the second voice concluded, She hears.

A warm voice purred, and in a few moments, the entire cacophony of others repeated, Awake!

------

Leea felt her headache horribly, eyes flicking open. She had expected to stare into the face of some demon or other monster out of a nightmare. Instead, she was almost shocked by the normality of what lay above her. The pilot was stretched out on a patch of open dirt, staring into the bloody sky.

Willing her head to turn, Pandac felt as if she were moving through molasses, pain echoing every movement. She found her vision lock onto a tree, though it seemed oddly misshaded, as if Monari had decided to take a holopen to the colour scheme of reality. Finally, she found her arms, surprisingly still attached to her body, and ordered them to push her up. It seemed every muscle in her body needed specific commands to enact this most basic of operations. Step by step, she brought herself to a sitting position. She tapped the comm on her wrist, preparing to speak before she realized how hoarse her throat was. Tapping the comm off, she coughed in her helm, until her voice gave some promise of returning.

With another activation, she projected to the rest of the team, "Pandac here, everyone good?" Turning the comm off transmit, she called out, only mildly louder than a conversational tone, "Madlad? You there? Give me a hand with this thing." She realized she wasn't wearing the pack of equipment she had been sent with. Leea searched around her immediate vicinity and gave a sigh of relief when her eyes, at last, fell upon the backpack, with her rifle suspiciously placed. Yet her mind did not register this oddity and instead, she focused on the task at hand. Setting up the comms relay.

If she had been in a more sound state of mind, Leea may have questioned the ability of a communication relay to operate in hell. Both as an actual means of communication and as a potential beacon for the team to work off of, she may have been uncertain about the ability to transmit through whatever hellish medium existed in this dimension. But at this point, her mind was trying to compete with the whispers. Rather than being the tiny and inane things that they had been on the outside, coaxing her towards the portal, these voices were slightly louder and somewhat more comprehensible. She pulled the first conductor from the pack and began following the muscle memory she had learned from years of working on similar equipment.

 

[Madlad]

The droid chuckles slightly as the two cautiously shook it's hand. They were brave, and had spines. Perhaps they would be enough to survive the pits of hell itself. Perhaps. After it's twisted statement about the portal before them, it watches as the others step into the portal. Madlad itself is.....unsure. What happens to a droid going through a portal? The machine simply shrugged. There was only one way to find out. With that, it walks into the portal at a casual pace, steadfast in it's decision.

Darkness, that is all it saw. All it could comprehend as whatever programming it had lost comprehension of everything. What was left made the droid feel as if it were drifting through an abyss, yet it was as if it were drifting in a direction, heeding a call as a pinging signal became more and more clear in the distance. Ding ding ding. Each ping got louder and louder, like a metal detector on a beach of trash. Soon enough, the droid could once again feel it's mind light up, thoughts returning as all it's internal lights once again spring to life. An effeminate voice states the words, "connection established." Those very same words show up in it's hud, written in ancient sith. Suddenly, there's a ring as the ocular receptors once again fill with power, allowing the droid to once again have vision.

The droid's reaction to being hurled through the void was very different to those around it. It seemed to just...land on the ground. It doesn't even tumble down. The only sign is it's knees bending slightly from the impact as it stands there completely unfazed. It's single lens scans the environment, swiveling in a full circle for any nearby lifeforms before it settles back into it's normal spot. It paises a moment to look at it's hands, moving all it's digits to confirm that everything is functioning properly. Just at that moment, Leea asks for help. Metal footsteps echo across the strange landscape as it makes it's way over to Leea, gently grabbing her arm and using that strength it had to slowly lift her to her feet so that she can retrieve her items. The lens cap on it's eye closes a little as it spots the unnaturally placed rifle. It would keep that noted, but it could have been a coincidence of physics.

"I will set up the comms, Leea. Take that rifle scope, scan our perimeter. My thermals have limited range. We want to make sure there aren't any hell creatures further out. I don't even know if thermals work on them. We are in a sea of unknowns, and it will swallow us if we aren't careful." It's gaze swivels to the rest of those present. "I'd suggest you all do the same. Regain your senses, every second brings a new possibility of danger." The droid, once again showing off the strength those hydraulic limbs lend it, simply lifts the base of the comms relay with one arm, placing it on the ground before it begins extending the antennas and screwing them in. It then starts turning some knobs, tuning the signal the best that it can. With the droids deep knowhow of tech, the comms relay is finished relatively soon.

With that done, the droid stands up to it's full height once more and draws it's pistol. It pulls the slide back to check if the bullets are still loaded properly, and nods to itself before letting go of the slide, causing a metal ding as it goes back into place. "I am the sturdiest of us. I shall take the front, unless anyone has a differing idea."

Leea Pandac Jhira Mereel Siv Dragr The Quartermaster Vanya Aklin Alex Eldar

 

[Talohn Atar]

"I'm landing at the station, you can hop on there." The cathar responds to Mia over comms as his ship goes in to dock.

Mia would arrive shortly after the rest go through the portal. Talohn doesn't notice her at first, his expression wracked with worry as he stares at the ethereal light before him that is the entrance to hell itself. He jumps a little as she speaks, orange colored eyes darting in her direction as his pupils dilate into slits momentarily, making him eerily similar to some sort of humanoid jungle predator. He shuts his eyes, shaking his head before opening them once again, pupils normal once more. Well, normal for a cathar. "Ah! Sorry." He chuckles nervously, the chuckle itself revealing sharp incisors, rows of teeth meant to sink in and hold. He could probably rip an arm off with those. What a strange race, so human looking yet so monstrous at the same time. Like two sides of a coin. He points at her with a sharp fingernail. "You're from Jhira's ship, right? I do some tweaking here an there on the ship. Though the ability to fit all the weapons was already in the ship's specs for the original design. Freebird does good work."

The cathar turns about to head inside, gesturing for her to follow. It's well lit within the ship, with a sleek and appealing design in the hallways. Similar to the internal architecture on kamino, though more gray than plain white. The ramp leads up into an entrance room, which has various racks on the walls containing environmental gear, gas masks, radiation suits, water gear. All the stuff needed for atypical environments. At the end of the room is a door, which Talohn makes his way through to arrive at the central area of the ship, the middle of it all. It seems the central area where all the rooms connect has been turned into a sort of livingroom/kitchen area, with the kitchen occupying the right side and the living room occupying the left. The kitchen is fully equipped, taking advantage of the spacious room with counters, storage cabinets, a sink, a large fridge, even an island in the middle with a cutting board surface.

The living room is nice as well, with cushioned that lean back with the use of a button, a booth in the corner with a holographic table for Dejarik. and a projector on the ceiling that places images onto a white screen on the wall for entertainment. There's even a small bar up against the wall, stocked with various wines and meads. Between the livingroom and the kitchen, there's a large terrarium serving as a garden for the vegetables and spices they use in their food, Overall, the Cathar has tried his best to make the ship a homely place for he and his kid. "This is where I spend most of my down time. Though, I take it you want to see the more mechanical stuff?" He raises a brow. "Oh yea, I made some bantha steak fries earlier today." He gestures to a plate sitting on the island. "Help yourself it you're hungry."

Jhira Mereel

 

[Kale Onara]

Though no one could see it under his helmet, Kale smirked slightly in a bit of warrior pride as they received those wary expressions from the surrounding Confederate soldiers though he did his best to keep his pride in check as he watched them carefully making sure none of them got the idea of doing anything stupid like going for a weapon as he and his fellow vod walked through the station and into the gate room. That smirk quickly vanished though as he got his first real look at this portal that everyone was disturbed by. Now that Kale was in close proximity to the anomaly, he truly understood why.

For his own satisfaction, Kale took some scans of the gateway and the portal as everyone got ready to enter the gate to see what was on the other side. Turns out gazing into the portal itself was a bad idea. The way it moved, writhed, changed shape and color seemed to mess with his vision a bit. He did a last minute check of his systems as others went through the portal. The portal seemed to cause some sort of primal fear in his very soul but he hadn't let fear conquer him yet and he'd be Kowakian Monkey Lizard before he'd let fear keep him from accompanying his fellow vod into the unknown.

When it was his turn, Kale walked determined into the portal and both the gear and the man were immediately overloaded with sensation input. He felt like his body was twisting around on all three axes. All of his sensor systems immediately overloaded and shut down. He saw things that he could describe such as planets, places, people, events. Then there were things he encountered that defied any possible description. Kale could see snippets of anything and everything before finally either he passed out or fell into a void inside this place...

When his eyes opened next, he found himself laying flat on some sort of red sand. Running on pure instinct, Kale drew one of his blasters and began scanning the area for immediate threats. Finding none on his initial sweep, Kale found the Brumal Dawn laying nearby. He holstered his blaster and grabbed on to it like it was a life preserver. In the span of a few seconds, he did an operational check on the weapon and began a second sweep. On his second sweep, he noticed his fellow vod were nearby also seeming to recover from the most intense ride Kale had ever experienced in his life. Still finding no immediate threats, Kale got to his feet and cradled his weapon. His systems finally finished rebooting at this point and Kale began doing scans and taking samples as he could while looking at the strangest landscape ever encountered. Though it was meant to be just a thought, Kale spoke out loud, "Where are we?"

 

[Mia Mereel]

POLITICAL REGION: CIS SPACE
LOCATION: Outside CIS 513th Attack Line’s Blockade of the Nethergate.
Objective: Meet Talohn of House Verd. Investigate the Crimson Wolf; perhaps tour the station.
TAGS: [OPEN] [ Talohn Atar ] [ Verin Oldo ]

Hearing the stubborn Mando insist upon being at the one place neither the CIS nor her Aunt wanted him, Mia just shook her head. But the her ship had too many civilians on board to rest so close to danger. A shuttle would have to do. And she’d bring her medical gear, to make it all official, right?

A few minutes of chat with a Naval Comm officer (because Mia just wasn’t able to wait silently while he queried his data base to determine her clearance) got her a very temporary Visitor’s ID, and an offer to tour the not-quite-as-classified parts of the station later.

Though Mia had a feeling that if High Marshall Verin Oldo got wind of it, it’d be a short tour, indeed.

And probably end in the brig, both for her and the COMM officer.

But if Talohn Attar of House Verd was sooooo very stubborn that he’d kept his House affiliation after everything that had happened, then well … she wasn’t going to be able to convince him to retreat to the other side of the Fleet.

Minutes later, Mia was being greeted by a cat!! A cat! He was staring towards the heart of the station as if his heart would break, and in her enthusiasm she hadn’t checked her cheerful greeting to reflect his worry. He jumped like … well … a cat. He was just beautiful and fierce, and Mia’s smile widened to a full grin. “Oh,no! I am the one to apologize. I get excited; I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Why you are just amazing, aren’t you? I think … a Cathair? No, Cathar! Well met; I do apologize that I have not learned your language yet.” Though clearly she would need to, now!

“Freebird made her, hmm? I shall have to look them up. I love an innovative design.” Her hand reached out, black gloves gentle as they touched the hull of his ship.

His claw was like a weapon, when he pointed it at Mia, and enquire about her aunt. While she regarded both it and him with cheerful respect, she could no more imagine a Mandalorian meaning her ill than a Sith meaning her to do her a good turn. “I am from her ship, indeed. Jhira is my Aunt; we live on board, now.” A shadow passed over face, but she said no more. Many, many people were without a place to call home. And oh, but it was a home. Or as close to one as most Mandos were going to get, these days. The interior was beautiful, comfortably and practically arranged.

Curious, black gloved fingers trailed along the curved walls, as she toured the living room area, though she courteously avoided touching any actual items. Gesturing in delight, she exclaimed, “Oh, a kitchen garden! Such a good idea. And just think? We get free oxygen out of it.”

The kitchen caught Mia’s gaze and she regarded it in approval. “We’ve a very fine Autochef onboard, can make anything. But … it’s not like real cooking. No wonder you didn’t need me to bring anything.”

Perching right near the wonderful island, Mia accepted the invitation to sample his cooking. The first Bantha Fry was devoured with a look of bliss and a hum of pleasure; she snuck a few more before she could help herself. “Just wonderful! Thank you.”

Eyeing him to be sure she wasn’t over stepping, she nabbed a few more before asking, “So who do you have, over there?“ Meaning, heading into the Nether.

“I hate the waiting, too. But from what Aunt Jhira said, they have a really good team. She really trusts the Traat’aliit’alor (Squad leader) Siv Dragr . ”

Anther pause, just a touch awkward.

“And what do you know about the him and his Karjr?”

All Mia really knew was just how much her Aunt respected them.

 

[Vanya Aklin]

P E N S I V E

​

Tag: Siv Dragr | Jhira Mereel | Kale Onara | Leea Pandac | Alex Eldar | Madlad
Objective: Within the Netherworld

It was beneath that blood-red sky that reminded her so much of home that memories of a tortured past came to a halt. The Nightmother turned slowly to look over a shoulder in the direction of what was felt rather than what was seen. The moment when realities shifted and warped, when galaxies bent beyond the horizon, stretched so thin only to ricochet back into place, was impossible to miss.

​

The moment of solitude was at an end. Heels crunched against the soft red dirt, movements stirring a plume of dust as the woman traversed the landscape in search of those that were arriving. Each of their arrivals was like a sonic scream tearing through the Force. Or perhaps she was imagining it. It was hard to know for certain. The Nether was a strange place and there was potential for each person to experience something different. But if she had felt their arrival, other horrifying creatures would have also.

Vanya made no effort to conceal herself - she wanted them to see her. She walked across the landscape with an unmistakable familiarity, her footsteps precise and unwavering despite the terrain and height of heels worn. At the top of a ridge she had seen them and as she began to approach, more memories, this time of visions gifted by the goddess, flashed across her mind.

A group of beskar-clad warriors.

Even at this distance, she recognized small details: things in real life that mirrored what had happened in the visions and she knew these were the people she had been sent to meet. Vanya had no misconceptions that her approach would go unnoticed. These were highly trained individuals, after all. And as awe-inspiring as the Nether was, it was a strange place that tended to set people on edge.

Her steps halted when she was still a distance away to allow them time to recognize she was not yet a threat. Tattooed arms crossed against her chest, obsidian eyes narrowing and taking in the group. The Nightmother did not know a single person that had come through that portal. But visions of Vahl had shown her this moment. Their meeting. Their introduction.

What came next was where the mystery began.​

 

[Alex Eldar]

TAG: Siv Dragr | Kale Onara | Madlad | Talohn Atar | Jhira Mereel | Mia Mereel | Leea Pandac | Vanya Aklin
ARMOUR: X

AIN'T NO GRAVE​

No chit, shabuir.

Lex scowled behind her buy'ce at Siv Dragr 's stupid answer, but kept her mouth shut. Whoever this guy was, he better hope she uses her Kals on whatever is out there rather than on him.

She was greeted by another that introduced herself as Jhira Mereel . Lex nodded in her direction.
"Well met, yeah." she answered. The original subject of her murderous fantasies had put her in a mood. Mostly because she couldn't make good on them.

Rook would kill her if she did.

So she followed along with the group as they moved through the station. The glances they got did catch her attention, causing her hand to wander to her holster, just in case. Weren't these guys supposed to be happy that some beskar-clad warriors were doing their job for them?

Cowering bloody Confederates.

All thoughts of murder, however, flew out of her mind as they were ushered inside a very odd room and the giant blast door clicked shut behind them. Looking at the swirling vortex in front of them, made her squirm in her beskar'gam. She was a tech-head. Why the feth did Rook send her to this thing?

And then The Shabuir stepped into it.

Followed by the others without question.

"Ah hell."

With a sigh she stepped through the gaping maw as well...

Reality completely disappeared.

The colours tasted like a mixture between Jogan fruit and Ne'tra gal.

Someone was shaking her head back and forth.

A floating rock laughed at her.

Was someone screaming?

A growl drowned out everything.

Alex's knees hit solid ground. Sweat beaded her forehead and she tore her helmet from her head. Her stomach lurched, causing her to retch while her hands fisted the red dirt. She has a body again?

Dry heaving, she then finally lifted a shaky hand and wiped her face with the back of the glove. Struggling to her feet, her other hand immediately reached for a pistol. While looking around with wide eyes, she bent down to pick up her helmet.
"The kark is this place?" she asked in awe as she put the helmet back on.

Her vision had just adjusted when she caught sight of the figure of Vanya Aklin walking up to them. Already on edge, the verpine pistol was drawn and pointed along with a Kal faster than she could blink. No way she would die in this crazy town.

 

[Siv Dragr]

I N V E S T I G A T E​

Objective: Investigate the Hypergate
Tag: Jhira Mereel | Talohn Atar | Leea Pandac | Kale Onara | Vanya Aklin | Alex Eldar | Madlad

One by one Siv's fellows stumbled from the hypergate behind him, all visibly disoriented; if he had to guess, they had just undergone the same psychedelic experience he had. There was a crackle of the comm -- Pandac's voice came through, more static than actual words, but Siv could recognize the voice. "Where are we?" He heard Onara murmuring, and similar utterances of bewilderment were given by some, but most simply remained silent, like Siv. Whatever this place was, it was dangerous. He didn't need a Sith's magics to sense it; every atom of this reality breathed death.

Only the droid seemed to be unperturbed. Its mechanical voice whirred unnaturally as it strode forward confidently, declaring that it would take the vanguard as the self-proclaim strongest among the group. Siv hesistated to challenge that assumption; he didn't need a half-insane killer droid added to the number of lethalities of this unknown plane.

About to suggest that they make a better plan than 'move forward,' he heard the sounds of feet stepping lightly on ground. Something was coming towards them, a silhouette against the dark red. In an instant, Siv's arm with its loosely held pistol was upright and trained directly on the figure, an audible clack ringing through the silence as he flicked the safety switch off without a heartbeat passing. But he didn't fire -- he had better control than that, at least.

The figure passed out of shadow, the red ambient light dappling on her through the loose canopy of scarlet trees. It was a woman, Siv saw, tatooed and dressed in clothing that he'd more expect to see in a red district than in an alternate reality. Still, though the figure was not that of a nightmare, his blaster pistol did not lower. "That's far enough," he warned, training the pistol on the woman's chest. "Who are you?" He'd at least like to get some answers out of the mysterious stranger, and he found himself wondering whether the droid called 'Madlad' would give him the chance to, before it showed the group why it'd been given that name.

 

[Jhira Mereel]

POLITICAL REGION: CIS SPACE
LOCATION: Outside of a Nether Realm Stargate, at the CIS 513th Attack Line’s Blockade.
Objective: survive diplomacy, investigate the Stargate
TAGS:

[ Leea Pandac ] A staticky, garbled message reached Jhira over the COMMS; a request for either a sit-rep or to sound off by the numbers, Jhira wasn’t sure which. But she, too, would like to know that everyone was still combat ready in this strange place. Her diagnostic’s query finally began lighting up … mostly in the red.

Not good feeling, when in powered armor. Leea, professional and disciplined, turned at once to setting up a COMM station for them here.

More red lights flickered and shimmered, and her HUD fluctuated once more. A faint, delicate surge of power sent odd, random sensations through her Cybernetics but it didn’t seem to get passed the ‘noise’ filter and affect her armor.

So far. Steeling her voice professional calm, Jhira answered at last.

COMM to Away Team: ⌁ Jhira here. My COMM and HUD are unreliable; Jet Pack off line. Armor and most weapons systems check out. ⌁ So far, anyway. But she found herself really, really wishing she was a hulking brute with an axe. That system worked everywhere. She reached over, and loosed her Beskad in its sheath.

[ Madlad ] The droid landed lightly, easily, as if it were any other Null-Gee to Gravity insertion. So easily, that it simply took over the COMM station from Leea, asking her to take up a scouting role using only the lenses in Leea’s scope. Simple tech, if it wasn’t tied into her HUD.

Even as others arrived, it finished the assembly and then promptly offered to take point.

Jhira wasn’t going to argue; let them shoot at the droid first. If they dared.

[ Kale Onara ] Kale came through with his reflexes intact; he rolled and acquired his deadly Brumal Dawn before running his own systems check. Like Jhira, he occupied himself taking samples and studying his surroundings. As had had happened upon more than one occasion, he spoke the thought uppermost on her mind.

Where are we?

If it was hell, there were too few mythosaurs and volcanoes; if heaven, too few feasts and rainbows. And if the Manda … where were her loved ones?

[ Vanya Aklin ] Jhira’s collection of tree-buds, flowers and a cutting was frozen by an odd reading upon her HUD. Static, distortion … she looked up, and was convinced at first it was some sort of hallucination. But data error or not, her reflexes were ingrained. Samples went tumbling to the red-dusted earth at her feet, and her blaster leveled at the intruder.

Tattooed danced across the aparition’s folded arms. Black, black eyes - darker than Jhira’s own - narrowed and studied them. High heals, in this sand? That alone told Jhira this creature was some sort of Force user. From her garb, calmness and the night-dark eyes, Jhira deduced she was far from human, however fancy her apparel.

[ Alex Eldar ] The Gate flared, and the Foundling was all but spat out. A moment of fear struck Jhira, when the youngster broke the seal upon her helmet in this unknown place. The quiet retching was a lonely sound, but no one dropped their aim from the intruder to assist her. Good discipline, on this team.

Jhira flickered through COMM channels, selecting a private frequency upon which to murmur a few words of advice to the Foundling. COMM to Alex: ⌁ Buy'ce bat, verd. ⌁ Helmet on, warrior. She’d said. There were others here with a gun leveled upon the new comer - but Alex Eldar had only the one head.

Not the sort of lesson best learned the hard way.

[ Siv Dragr ] The Traat'aliit alorir had been the first to respond to the threat, and his lethal intent could not have been more clear than by the echoing clank as his safety snapped off. The intruder’s beauty did not seem to phase him, and Jhira relaxed a touch. Beauty was a deadly weapon, in any arena - though to be fair, she’d never seen Siv react to it at all.

Steady, still, silent, Jhira awaited an answer from the strange being who had met them here.

Whereever here was.

 

[Leea Pandac]

Location: What fresh Hell is this?
Objective: Survive alien environ

Away Team Allies: Jhira Mereel Madlad Kale Onara Siv Dragr Alex Eldar
Hell-spawn(?): Vanya Aklin
Awaiting Allies: Talohn Atar , Mia Mereel
Defense Fleet Ally(?): Verin Oldo

"Thanks Madlad." Leea was impressed at the droid's seeming calm. Perhaps she had expected the droid to react more to the travels. Hadn't it seen the... whatever that was? The others seem to have seen or experienced something. The others looked like, well, hell. They showed clear signs of the passage through the portal. Indeed, one, in particular, would be quite obviously impacted.

Taking the robot's sound advice, she shouldered her rifle, and her eyes began darting to catch where each of her companions focused their attention. They were in the open, which Leea knew meant that there was a lot of ground to cover and it could be too easy to focus most of their attention in a single direction, exposing their flanks to any attack of opportunity. Finding a direction that seemed to be left vacant from the others' gazes, the pilot kept her sight moving, searching to and fro for a potential threat.

The sound of talking, especially the sound directed at a new arrival seemed to be walking this strange world. Leea was almost surprised that the other Mandalorians were trying to communicate with something from this place, it seemed like anything that lived here would be aggressive or at least dangerous. Pandac was curious, curious to see what this person may look like, but she knew better than to allow herself even a momentary distraction in this strange place. Nonetheless, the Mirialan steeled herself, in case she had to whip around and join in a firefight. She spoke over the comms, speaking slowly and clearly now that she understood there was interference, "Everything alright over there? Threat?"

 

[Vanya Aklin]

A M U S E D

​

Tag: Siv Dragr | Jhira Mereel | Kale Onara | Leea Pandac | Alex Eldar | Madlad
Objective: Within the Netherworld

Amusement flickered across her face, a brief and dangerous smile, as one-by-one weapons were trained on her. There were countless things that could be said in response; warnings to curb their hubris, laughter at their naivety, or a barrier raised in defence. But nothing was said, and nothing was done.

“I am not known by one name.” The words were spoken with calm indifference, not betraying the emotions felt as the command was given by the apparent leader [ Siv Dragr ]. “I was anointed in fire as the Chosen of Vahl, bathed in blood I was named a Nightsister of the Coven."

There was more she was known by: pyromancer, voodoo mambo, teacher, mother, mistress, but none of those had mattered at that moment. "You may call me Vanya, Nightmother of the Solanaceae." There was an assumption that these gathered warriors had heard of the sect of witches given both fell beneath the Confederacy's banner.

Obsidian eyes looked at each of them when steps finally ceased, and a moment was taken to observe the gleam of beskar and how it laid upon their frames. "If I was a threat," her voice raised slightly while attention shifted to [ Leea Pandac ]. "You would have known long before introductions were made."

The warning was clear - do not underestimate me.

This group was out of their element in this world, whereas the Nightmother had been here before and knew what lurked beyond the horizon, and what tortures would befall mind and body. Her attention shifted again, this time to [ Kale Onara }. "You are in the Netherworld. Trust nothing that you hear, and nothing that you see, and you might survive the experience."

Survival was all one could hope - this place would leave scars that ran deep.

"Now if you're done ogling the landscape, I suggest that we move along. If I felt your arrival, others did as well, and I don't intend to be here when they come to investigate."
​

 

[Madlad]

While Leea used her scope, she would notice Talohn's helmet automatically activating thermal vision and various overlays to improve her use of the weapon. That chrome dome was for much more than head protection. It would help her perform to her fullest. Trajectory calculations, even ricochet calculations. The functions were no joke. While the rest were busy, the droid had temporarily holstered it's pistol once again for the moment. It seems to have taken one of those glowing leaves off of the ground and was scanning it with everything it could, to observe the strange readings, many of which made no sense to a mind made of metal. Madlad emits a grunt, tossing the leaf aside. This was truly an otherworldly place, for better or worse.

Just as it casted the leaf aside, Leea and the others reacted to the presence of...something. Madlad instantly turns about, the cap of that single eye lens lowering as if to imitate squinting. Drawing the pistol once again, it's metallic footsteps ring ever so slightly as it walks to position itself in between Leea and whatever had shown up. The typically yellow lens suddenly turns blue as a holographic cone can be seen in the air, drifting up and down the form of the new arrival. "Organic subject, detecting potent midichlorian count. Force user." Another scan takes place. "Elegant yet dark palleted attire. My conclusion? A dark side force user of some sort. Likely of heightened rank, powerful enough to not care about armor." It's voice box emits a sigh. "Proceeding with caution."

The droid's suspicions begin to be confirmed as it makes it's way to the front of the group by Jhira and Siv. She goes on about a lot of things, but one word sticks out. Nightsister. It triggered old databanks. Very old databanks. "Nightmother, a leader of nightsisters. Similar to the coven on Dothomir during the clone wars, yes? Are you of Dothomir as well then? I do not know of the Solanaceae. Nor do I know much of the nightsisters, only some records left in my brain from salvaged databanks." It knows of night sisters? Covens? The clone wars? What the hell kind of droid did Talohn have in his possession?

"I can confirm, Nightmothers are not to be underestimated. No amount of gunfire can help against the ability to teleport. Sith sorcery is a mysterious thing." It warns Jhira and Siv, just in case they're thinking of opening fire. "She seems to have been here a while...." The droid goes silent for a moment before suddenly pointing at Vanya. "You aid us, and we will get you out. That is what you wish, yes? To leave this realm. To once again have comforts such as decent food, clean clothes, and various other average comforts?" It reaches into it's bag to pull out a water bottle. Talohn had sent Madlad with extra rations for the others just in case things went bad. "Here." It tosses the bottle lightly so that it rolls on the ground to stop before the nightmother. No need to startle her with a sudden approach. "There may be water here, but it is not as clean as that water. Do we have an accord?"

Siv Dragr Jhira Mereel Kale Onara Leea Pandac Alex Eldar

 

[Kale Onara]

Kale swung his weapon to bring it to bear on the newcomer. He had it trained on her within half a second but blinked when it he saw that it appeared to be a very hot female. The woman seemed to radiate danger but his instinct told him to hold fire. His trigger finger never moved from where it was along the trigger guard as he listened to what she had to say.

Netherworld...? Does that mean we are dead...?

Kale ran a quick diagnostic scan on himself and the others around them. All of the organics read like they were alive. They exuded heat, they had vital signs, all indications of life were there. Even the droid Madlad's power sources were registering, so it was unlikely they were dead in his mind. He made the choice to believe that they were still alive until there was evidence to the contrary. He tried to scan the woman but something jammed his scanner and he nothing but bounce back from her.

Kale heard the word Nightmother. As in the Nightsisters? He had heard rumors about a sect of Witches called the Nightsisters out of Dathomir but it was his understanding they had been wiped out by General Grevious and the droid army during the Clone Wars. He supposed that is wasn't out of the realm of possibility that there were survivors unless they were all indeed dead and they had encountered one of the dead Nightsisters as well. Until he got some solid concrete answers, Kale would only trust his fellow vod and his own instincts. When the mysterious woman mentioned something about others coming, Kale did a quick scan around. No one else showed up on his scans but one thing was for certain, "We do need to move. We're far too exposed here if we're attacked." He said voicing his opinion of the current tactical situation. He didn't know how reliable their scanners were in this place but besides his own eyes, it was what he had to work with right now.