There Be Monsters | CIS Dominion of Monastery

[Queen Bots™]

​

Monastery called for aid and the Confederacy answered.​

Just like so many of their recently acquired member worlds, their presence was requested, rather than forced. Word spread, as it often did, of droid armies and a benevolent Vicelord that had taken to using his considerable reach to solve problems versus creating more. Rainforests flooded the naked eye as far as it could see, blocking the view of the Crystal Valley, and nearly obscuring the sight of Sanctuary, the home of the Order of the Sacred Lotus. There were a variety of small towns built in swells of circular formations around the Temple, seamlessly blending nature, with modern conveniences.

To some, Monastery was considered peaceful, while others regarded it as dreadfully dull. It was for this reason that there was a mixed opinion among Confederate forces. A select few were curious about the healing methods of the Sacred Lotus, but others, for the most part, could not figure out why [member="Darth Metus"] had brought so many to such a dismal little planet. As always, the Vicelord had his reasons but chose to keep his own counsel.

The CIS traveled with members of their Storm Fleet, wisely choosing to move in a defensive formation along the Reena Trade Route, over striking out on their own. Their recent skirmishes had placed targets on their backs, and the eyes of their enemies were always watching, always waiting for a chance to strike when they saw an opening. To be fair, the Confederacy was watching just as closely, but they wouldn’t take unnecessary gambles. Not yet.

“This is the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Ferocity, requesting permission to land at Cessna starport along with all CIS craft. Standby for landing codes.”​

Cessna was the long-standing city where the leaders of Monastery resided and performed their day to day operations. It was the current capital and located rather close to the Sanctuary, likely, a deliberate effort to show unity. The pilot droid that handled the operations of the assault frigate, the Ferocity, negotiated seamlessly with the human voice on the other end of the transmission. The broke through the symbolic ring that surrounded the planet without any real difficulty and soon found themselves breaking through the exosphere.

It would not be long before they landed in the seemingly quiet, exceedingly tolerant mid rim world.

From afar, the humble homes, and dome-topped buildings seemed as if they were at peace. It was not the busy landscape of Coruscant, but, seemed rather quaint. Rows of MagnaGuard left the Ferocity once it docked, standing at attention, with their electro staffs poised. It was quiet, as the saying goes, much too quiet. It was not a polite and well-dressed delegation that greeted them.

It was soldiers, wrapped fully in pale armor, and carrying extremely large guns. The starport was devoid of any real life, only leaves blowing, with flickering holograms advertising incoming and outgoing traffic. It was extremely eerie. This place should have been bustling, teeming with life, but it wasn’t. The man in charge stepped forward, greeting the lot of them, with an extremely terse expression.

​

“It’s almost nightfall—we need to get off the streets. Confeds, gather your men, and your supplies. We have a caravan of transports waiting. Monastery would welcome you, but, we need to get the hell out of here. No swoops.”​

The loyal Monastery troops began to spread out and form a perimeter, despite their determination, sending a sprawling sense of fear through the area.

Nearly a complete lunar cycle prior, something unnatural had taken place without the wilds of Monastery, and the end result were creatures of nightmare. Nightshrikes, twice the size they normally were, would prey upon the cities and tear children right out of the arms of their parents. Saber Cats, also exceedingly large, would stalk the shadows, break into homes, and slaughter entire families for what felt like sport. It was beyond terrifying. Few places were safe, and the people retreated to underground bunkers beneath Cessna City Hall, while the military tried their best to protect them.

Civilians in the smaller cities, who couldn’t travel, who couldn’t make it in a day were as good as dead.

Anyone that stayed out after the sun went down was as good as dead.

It was with this petrifying, and near debilitating realization, that the Order of the Sacred Lotus suggested to the leaders of Monastery that they call the CIS for aid. Never had there been a time before, when they were burying more people, than they were able to save. They had the skill, but not enough hands, or weapons to be everywhere at once.

The Confederacy did. Terms could be discussed later. For now, the CIS was ready, and able to do what was necessary.

​

O B J E C T I V E S ​

Spoiler

Objective 1: CIS and OSL will focus on protecting the people in the capital city of Cessna. The Nightshrike and Saber Cats seem smarter than average, and are attempting to break into the underground bunkers.

Objective 2: CIS and OSL that are medically trained will operate a triage unit from the relative safety of the Sanctuary. For some reason, the mutated beasts don’t seem to venture there, preferring to pray on the cities and villages below.

Objective 3: CIS and OSL will respond to distress calls in the villages and cities being attacked outside of Cessna.

Objective 4: CIS and OSL will discover the source of the mutation and destroy it. Be it chemical, magical, or otherwise.

Objective 5: If there is a route that you'd like to take during this Dominion that doesn't line up exactly with the above please feel free. Enjoy yourselves and have fun!

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L O C A T I O N S

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Villages of Monastery [UPDATED 3/3/18-There are some great subbed cities/villages that we didn't know about. Have fun!] :

Spoiler

City of Vitalii
City of Leonasa
City of Maurius

The Sanctuary [Order of the Sacred Lotus]:

Spoiler

Nightshrike and Saber Cat:

Spoiler

Both of these animals are being changed and influenced by something unknown. It will be discovered in Objective #4. They are reproducing rapidly, and they are highly aggressive, and dangerous. They seem to be smarter and are almost always twice the size of their normal counterparts. Some, are much, much bigger. {Nightshrike Wiki and Saber Cat Wiki}

Capital City of Cessna:

Spoiler

Tags:

Spoiler

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[BX-25233]

BX-25233 was one of the first droids to get to the surface of Monastery with the simple job of being pest control. BX-25233 made sure to read up on the beasts he would be killing and wondered how anyone could be having so much trouble dealing with the creatures, surely a vibroblade or blaster would be enough to take care of them without needing to waste CIS time and resources. Once BX-25233 exited his shuttle with a couple of other commando droids with him he would see a rather large shadow shadow go past them heading towards a unknown location and that is when BX-25233 heard the screams of civilians.

BX-25233 ran to the location of the screaming where he saw beasts way bigger than the information he was provided with told him, Cats as big as the horses of endor and bats that looked like they could lift up hutts. The creatures were attacking one of the civilian shelter bunkers barely being held back by the Monastery guards. The ground was littered with the remains of those unlucky to be able to get into the shelter in time and BX-25233 even saw on if the bat creatures pick up one of the guards with its talons and shred him to pieces with its fangs. While BX-25233 believed he could possibly kill most of these beasts by himself as he was not made by weak flesh he knew that he wouldn't kill the beasts in time to save the civilians and decided to call for back up.

"This is Captain of Fireteam Deus Volt Unit BX-25233 requesting immediate backup at location Civilian Bunker 2-B. Multiple extremely large hostiles are attack said location, Multiple civilian casualties with local authorities barely keeping the hostiles at bay"

BX-25233 then instructed his forces to engage the beasts to help by time for any other CIS forces to get to his location. Once BX-25233's commando droids started firing some of the beasts turned their attention away from the bunker and towards the commando droids but worse of all somehow the commando droids failed to notice that there were beasts heading the their flanks simply due to the droids underestimating the intelligence of the beasts and their numbers.

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Cessna Starport [En Route to Capital Building Civilian Bunker 2-B]
Post: 1

Srina always traveled on the Ferocity, as for all intents and purposes, it was her home away from home. Sometimes Darth Metus joined in on these excursions and sometimes he monitored their progression from the relative comfort of the assault frigate. It felt a little unusual, not to have [member="Aryn Teth"] nearby, but she had come to terms long ago that his duties to the Alliance would always take precedence. It was the very same for her, in that she took her commitments to the Confederacy very seriously, and rarely seemed willing to bend.

That being said, there was also her frequent companion in the form of her doppelganger, [member="Rin Talon"], whom of which she was uncertain would leave the Ferocity either. Yet, Srina had given her the choice, so time would tell. The lovely white-haired apprentice seemed none the worse for wear after their stint on Haseria, though, she had taken a much needed sabbatical at Sinner’s Well. She felt well rested, but like most of their visits to newly pledged member worlds, she found herself filled with a sense of unease.

Much like Katanos VII the spaceport in Cessna was barren. The Echani kept her eyes peeled, and nearly, drew her saber when the sounds of men in heavy armor met her ears. She would know the noise of someone carrying some sort of ordinance anywhere. Still, they had been invited, so she waited. Whatever it was that was plaguing this peaceful world seemed terrifying. Fear oozed out of their pores, thick, and black as tar. “You heard him…”, Srina called out to any Confederates that could hear her. “Get what you need and let’s head to the caravan. Leave your speeders behind.”

Srina didn’t know why the uniformed man had insisted on no swoops, or speeder bikes, but she didn’t want to test it until they knew exactly what they were dealing with. Her Master had mentioned something to her about angry cats and large bats but she’d seemed assumed that he was pulling her leg. Perhaps, her assumption would soon be corrected.

The slender woman let the hood of her Starfire Protocol remain down, carrying just enough gear to survive, but not enough to weight her down. The Magnaguards moved as she did, swinging purple staffs, made of phrik. They made the soldiers even more nervous. Honestly, Srina could hardly blame them. Anyone who looked into the photoreceptors of one of these droids would know, that there was no soul, no life, and no hope. MagnaGuard were made for killing. Nothing more, nothing less.

Once out of the spaceport Srina noticed that as far as the eye could see, there was broken glass and boarded up windows. The city itself seemed rather circular, designed for simple efficiency, over being aesthetically pleasing. “Where is everyone?”, she questioned the soldier that had come to collect them, curiosity making her focus intently on a dark spray of something on a far-off wall. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought it was blood. “What happens after nightfall?”

The soldier looked at her, turning his gaze to all of the Confederacy, his expression pressed into a thin line. “The citizens are hiding in the place we’re about to go. Night is when the Shrikes n’ Cats come out, ma’am. They’re not right. Not what we’re used to.”

“They’re hungry. Smarter.”

Srina paused, a frown crossing her features, but she got into the transport vehicle regardless. There was no way, even if she remained, that she was she planning to become lunch for a flying rat and oversized Loth Cat. The young woman pressed the correct frequency on her comm, and called for the rest of the Confederate forces that had joined them. “Attention all CIS personnel…We are moving out in 10. Once we get a good idea of what we’re working with we’ll split up to deal with the problem.”

Darth Metus had mentioned that medical would need help, that general protection would be an issue, and that there was something…Off about the ecosystem. It did not bode well.

Speaking of, a transmission came through from one of their BX Droids, though, for the life of her Srina couldn't figure out how he'd wandered away so far so fast. It was a good thing he did though.

---

"This is Captain of Fireteam Deus Volt Unit BX-25233 requesting immediate backup at location Civilian Bunker 2-B. Multiple extremely large hostiles are attack said location, Multiple civilian casualties with local authorities barely keeping the hostiles at bay"

---

---

Srina tapped the driver on the shoulder and ordered him to take her, and anyone else ready to go, to Civilian Bunker 2-B. "[member="BX-25233"] we're on our way."

 

[Nora Lithos]

Post: I
[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

---

“So they called in the Confederacy for that?” Nora spoke through a prolonged sigh before she turned to look at the statesman that had arrived to explain the situation. “I can see the point, sir, and it was a good call...”

“But?” He carefully asked and perked her brow at the girl.

“But this complicates things for us.” Nora said and frowned. “The CIS is a military power, and we’re supposed to be an unbiased and neutral force.”

“It was the easiest and probably also the best solution that we could find.” The statesman sneered and got rather defensive as his nose swayed towards the ceiling. “The Confederacy has the manpower that you lack, Lithos.”

“Yes, I am well-aware of that, Mister Davos.” Nora said and offered him a smile. “I am not saying it’s the wrong decision. If anything I think you might have made the right one, but I am just saying that for the Sacred Lotus it could potentially risk everything that we stand for depending on what kind of demands they make of your people.”

The silver-haired young woman turned away from the man to look out of window again and at the ships that had touched ground on the other side of the distance that kept Sanctuary separate from Cessna. Her lips thinned and her brows furrowed in contemplation. She hadn’t had the chance to read up on the Confederacy. Between putting out one fire and then the other there really hadn’t been the time for it. With her eyes closed she let in a deep breath and then exhaled before turning back to face the man again.

“Well, our grounds are still open for use no matter who’s coming our way.” The girl spoke with a slight nod. “Tell the governor that the Sacred Lotus stands as ready as ever to help heal the wounded. And that he still doesn't have to worry about it. We're not going anywhere.”

The man smiled at her joke, nodded and bid his farewell with a swift exit. Nora collapsed into the embrace of her chair and quickly began to rub at the bridge of her nose and eyebrows. The picture frame on her desk with the image of her parents came into view, their smiles peered into the heart of her soul with her father’s glance uttering the same advice he had uttered before they went back home after they had visited her in the hospital:

“Trouble is strength waiting to be built.”

The girl sighed.

“I know, dad.” She whispered under her breath. “I know.”

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Kurenai Yumi

---

Objective: Few brief for the mission (possibility that objective 3 may tie into 4)
Location: Cessna Starport --> forward defenses
Allies: Non atm
Post: 1

Night slowly approached over the city, one that once held beauty and peace, a place that one could not feel fear about, but alas that thinking was replaced by oppressing atmosphere. Worry, angst those emotions radiating off people and soldier's a like as the darkness slowly approached. She along with other like [member="Srina Talon"] and the commando droid [member="BX-25233"] had already made land fall, wasting no time getting ready for the impending doom that would fall upon the town in a matter of hours...maybe minutes if they were not fast enough.

It seemed though many where not fast enough to get out, of that was what she had gathered, small amounts of Intel talking about a distress call form a nearby village, possible people left behind or maybe more. Regardless the currently defending troops of the OLS where not up to the task, scared for their own lives, wanting to protect their families and city, orders to defend and not move. It was smart, herself not really one to waste people's lives and put others at risk is all it meant was saving one person, even if there were some who saw it as unethical.

With the usual stoic and calm deminor Kurenai followed the Echani VicLord as she conversed with the local garrison, her own senses reaching out into the night, this threat, it was unnatural, the question, was it an accident or deliberate. "Roger that Talon, though I have gotten words of a beacon in a nearby location, I would ask that myself and anyone else who volunteers investigates this, maybe survivors or something else of importance". If need be she would go alone, would not be the first time the woman had undertaken a stealth mission of thing nature, one filled to the brim with danger, but it never hurt to have back up.

Opening up a com line she got a message to all present CIS military forces, "what already? how did not the OSL set up defenses? should there not be an alarm of sorts? are not the bunkers in underneath city hall"? It did not matter now was time to act, Kurenai sprinting towards the droid last known location, using force speed to make her body fly as fast as a speeder, a thing that the OLS did not want them bringing, a rather odd request. In but a few minutes she rounded the corner a deafening shriek filling the air, the woman's yellow gaze falling on a giant bat like creature, the BX commandos engaging the monster of a target.

'Just one for now, probably a straggler from the main group, easy to fix... hopefully", quickly advancing Kurenai unholstered her LMG blaster, taking a knelled position, lining up the sights with the large bat head, breathing in before letting rip. In that instant a loud *ratatata* sound could be heard as the LMG spouted out bolt after bolt in quick succession, aim almost dead on each time, the red lazers charging towards the flying creature.

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Location: Sanctuary
Objective: 2
Ally: [member="Nora Lithos"]
Post 1

---

"We're here."

It had been too long since Nylea had been home. Following that fateful day where Hazel turned her back to the Sacred Lotus and sent a lightsaber through the gut of [member='Nora Lithos'], she had quietly taken her leave from the planet and wandered the galaxy in an attempt to make sense of it all and find the strength to keep on moving. Hazel in a way was her rolemodel, someone she looked up to, yet even she had been unable to fight her inner demons and cracked. It had scared the echani and it was that fear that had caused her to run. But now, she had returned to the place where she belonged.

"I've got a lot of apologizing to do."

The journey had been an eventful one. From meeting the Queen of Naboo, to witnessing a terrorist attack on Zeltros and subsequently providing aid to the wounded, to being captured by a Sith who had attempted to lure her to the Dark side once more. During her captivity she had realized running was not what would give her the answers, and after she had regained her freedom she contacted Karl, Lotus Jedi and friend, to bring her home.

"No, there's no need to apologize to anyone. You needed to process things on your own, everybody understands that."

The small shuttle carrying Nylea and Karl landed near Sanctuary, and when the woman looked out of the window pane it was like all of her pain and fatigue disappeared for a moment. A smile crept into her facial features as the boarding ramp slowly began to lower, letting in the familiar air of Monastery.

"Welcome home."

"I missed this place."

Like an eager child she quickly made her way down the ramp and basked in the sunlight for a moment, the peacefulness that hung in the Force easing her mind after it had been troubled for so long. It was for only a moment however, for the echani had something that needed to be done. "Thank you, Karl," she said as she turned towards him, "if you don't mind, I shouldn't keep Nora waiting." The nod that was given in response was all she needed and the two went different ways, with Nylea heading towards where she was told Nora would be.

The walk was a short one, and when the echani had made it to the door she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She had run away while Nora was recovering, when she needed help the most, something she still felt guilty over. She needed to set things right.

A gentle knock on the door.
The door slowly opened, revealing the worse-for-wear figure of Nylea.

"I, uh... Hey."

 

[Er'in Tenel]

​

Objective: Kitties! Bats! Everything a girl wants! (Sort of 3, 4 & 5)​

Location: Concord, 10 kilometers SW of the city.​

​

Er'in was in full agreement with the Vicelords decision to come to the aid of the Order of the Scared Lotus, she... was interested in their techniques, their methods. They would obviously never be hers, but the Sith had an odd chartiable streak that rendered her remarkably well disposed towards their attitude. And only a fool would deny the beauty of what had been built here, or the planet itself. It was worth saving.

Then she'd had dreams, troubling dreams, dreams of aggression, of primal blood and anger - deeply unusual, and she would want to find the cause, without a doubt - as would the others. But there were others to do that. No. What Er'in wanted was to preserve some of these creatures in their enhanced state.

To that end, she'd brought an armed transport freighter and a small army of well armed droids to set down outside of the perimeter - near the small village of Concord, which had not yet been attacked, but... well... it would be, she could feel the forces massing below. Pinpricks of fire and light in a peaceful world. A lot of pinpricks - and they could see her.

Twenty minutes to sundown. Then this floating box would be torn out of the sky. She could tell. Well, they couldn't get back to the spaceport and into cover now.

"Srina, Er'in. I'm in position ten kilometers southwest, half a kilometer from Concord. Something is... very... different, out here. This is one of the next attack locations, or more. I'm sure of it. I feel it. We're setting down before we become a flying tomb. Send people to evacuate Concord on the ground, we'll act as bait and... collect samples. I'll send any data back to whatever team you get setup."

She turned to the droid behind her.

"Set the ship down in that clearing. Standard dispersion pattern, 360 degree perimeter - and hurry it up."

The droid nodded.

"Roger-roger."

She turned towards her bodyguard of Magnaguard and the two sisters.

"And you - go help them, secure the line and try not to lose any limbs. You're expensive."

The Magnaguard saluted, the two assassin droids lazily uncoiled from the walls, she really should memory-wipe them, but she was beginning to like thier personalities. They'd somehow mirror imprinted on her and reminded her a lot of Hapan lifeguards.

"Yes, mi'lady."

The transport descended into the dark clearing even as the sun sank lower in the sky. This was a gamble, but several Sith had been telling her to trust her instincts for a while now - so she trusted her instincts. Here.

[member="Nora Lithos"] [member="Srina Talon"] [member="BX-25233"] [member="Kurenai Yumi"] [member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Location: On my way to Civilian Bunker 2-B
Objective: Save [member="BX-25233"]
Posts: 1

Scherezade twisted and turned in her bed aboard the Crimson Shadow. Her body still hurt in various places, a result of the lightning she'd been hit by not to recently. Her healing process was slower than she liked, and there was still the issue of her Jart tattoo that had been hurt in the process and that she had most definitely not told Kat about because there were enough things to worry about anyway.

Still, the two had arrived on Monastery before most of the Confederacy. That was a huge plus when traveling in private and not as part of some big useless fleet. Yeah, she was slightly bitter about what had happened on Haseria. But it'd pass. She was young, and young people moved on faster than older people. Most of the time.

She was staring at the ceiling when the call came.

"This is Captain of Fireteam Deus Volt Unit BX-25233 requesting immediate backup at location Civilian Bunker 2-B. Multiple extremely large hostiles are attack said location, Multiple civilian casualties with local authorities barely keeping the hostiles at bay."​

Ah ha! Something to do!

She jumped out of bed, ignoring the discomforts her body tried to signal to her that she had. Her dagger, claimed by Katrine while Scherezade was still writhing on the floor of that stupid temple, was stabbed into her belt, and her brand new shiny lightsaber was right next to it. Armed. Properly armed. And with more Force Powers and Spells to boot.

"On my way!" she half screamed into the comm.

Speeders were a no go here, so she had to rely on her legs, as per usual. Well then. Using the Force to enhance her speed, Scherezade broke into a run, making her way to the bunker.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

death to double posts

 

[Darth Ayra]

Objective 1: Exterminate and Prosper
1/20

The Sun Guards of Sojourn were formally in the employ of Darth Ayra, a reputable Sith Lord who had acted under the disguise of Alicia Drey for much of the 830s and 840s, until succumbing to an unknown affliction that had resulted in her death. Since the demise of the Sith, the Sun Guards had roamed system to system, acting as mercenaries for hire. Their latest stint was the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a loose alliance made up star systems that wanted nothing to do with the other galactic factions that vied for control of the galaxy.

Their latest job had taken them to Monastery, a world that the Confederacy had taken an interest in. Through lending aid to the populace of Monastery, it seemed that the leaders of the CIS had begun their lure to make the world and it's people a new member state. The Sun Guards did not care for the politics. It was bad business to have your own ideas. All that was required of them was to begin the extermination of the native Nightshrike and Saber Cats, who had become a menace in recent months.

A drop ship descended from the skies, dropping the Sun Guards dead center in the woods. Rocked and loaded, they begun to hunt down their new prey.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Location:
Post: 1
Team Tag: Open to whoever wants to join Kat for this mission.

The Monastery felt vibrant and alive, filled with life and yet there was a darkness within it that was undeniable. Her ship had come to land before the rest of them had arrived, with Scherezade still inside. There was a part of Katrine that was upset with Pebble with what had happened on Haseria and yet, on some level, she had regarded it as her fault since she had only mentioned her Uncle Isley to her and haven't thought to point him out, especially on Tatooine when they had both had a mission to focus on.

Katrine chose not to dwell on the past, it was a lesson for her as much as it had been for Scherezade though she somehow imagined, they took different things from it. She thought about needing to teach Pebble difference between friend or foe, whether they were Mandalorian or not. Yet today was not the day for it, she realized as she inhaled a deep breath, letting her Force Sense spread out.

Humans and animals, fear and terror, it all came together.

Beyond it though, there was something else, catching her attention more than the terror that made the people hide at night because of which they'd been called. The pull had been strong enough for her feet to start moving on her own, breaking into a run soon through the forests as her focus remained on her surroundings, knowing full well lot of the terrors lurked in the corners, eager to attack humans. Katrine Van-Derveld was not a human though, even if she looked like one most of the time and if necessary, she would shed herself of the human skin but for now, she chose not to, running from the Crimson Shadow as fast as her human form could let her.

When she stopped, it was because she'd heard [member="BX-25233"] through her communicator, listening as he'd requested immediate backup. A part of her had wanted to go but something had still been calling her forward. [member="Srina Talon"]'s voice came next through the device, calling CIS personnel., followed by several responses, including a screaming [member="Scherezade deWinter"] which made her pull the device away from her ears because the metallic sound arrival had only made it worse on her sensitive ears. "Ceta here. I'm investigating something. I'll join you later," Katrine responded finally before she tucked her device away and continued running, letting the Force guide her as she'd made her turns. Then she'd felt the nearing presence coming in her direction and instantly leaped into the air, catching herself against the tree as she waited. The creature that passed was winged, smelling the air to find where its prey went. Katrine waited for a moment, letting it pass by some feet. She'd come to her but it was a good chance for her to observe the Nightshrike, using the Force to studying the creature as it had passed. Other than being bigger than what she'd read up on them, there were other differences, deeper ones. For one, it shouldn't have been out right now in the first place but she'd obviously somehow awaken it as she'd passed.

Reaching out stronger with the Force now, Kat focused on tapping into her emotions through her Animal Friendship to calm the creature though she hadn't intended on doing it, the action seemed almost natural to do to something as dangerous like the altered Nightshrike.

 

[Nora Lithos]

Interacting with: [member="Nylea Apollodor"]
Post: 2

---

The seat of her padded wooden chair creaked as Nora leaned forward against the surface of her desk. She felt her breath rush against the palms of her hands. Her eyes were forced open by the friction of her own skin and before she gave herself the chance let on another sigh she let them fall onto the surface of her desk. The last few days had been a disaster and she wasn’t quite sure how to fix it. In that regard, perhaps reaching out to the Confederacy was a good decision, but the cost of such an alliance was still something that was worth pondering. It was her duty as a member of the Sacred Lotus’ leadership to keep the organisation from veering too far in any one direction.

Her eyes peered down at the message on her terminal asking for updates on the other cities. There was nothing yet, at least nothing they hadn’t been aware of for the last few days which was either a good thing or beyond horrible. Nora kept her hopes up for the former to be true but readied herself for the latter just in case. Had she felt the force, had she known a way to reach them without reaching them she would have used it, but as it was she didn’t have that opportunity open to her.

Just then someone knocked on her door. Surprised eyes looked up from the desk at whoever stepped inside. The initial shock was quickly changed for joy as Nora slid herself over her desk to rush up to her friend. Arms wrapped around Nylea with a tight squeeze.

“You’re back!” Nora squealed and gave Nylea’s entire body a good shake. “Oh I’ve missed you.”

And then she let her go. Blank eyes wandered up and down along Nylea’s frame to get a better look.

“You look like crap.” Nora spoke with a grin. “What happened? Where did you go?”

 

[Ravenfire]

Location:
Post: 1
Team Tag: [member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]
Rex landed shortly after the others, but that hadn't matter because he saw one of them heading in a separate direction. Feeling her begin to touch the force as she was moving Rex could tell she was trying to figure out what was going on here. I can either be on the front lines destroying these beast or I can help her and stop the problem before it gets worse. Continuing to follow her until she broke out into a run straight into the woods, she is either mad or on to something. Either way I would feel terrible if anything happened.

Following her in he continues until he is almost on top of her, "My Apologies" is all he can say before the radio sounds sounds like the CIS is giving it their all and trying to stop the beasts from killing people. He doesn't know any of the people on the other end, but then the woman in front of him talks on it herself, ahh so her name is Ceta.

Then she starts running off again in an effort to keep up, Rex nearly runs into the Nightshrike that she was calming pulling himself behind a tree across from her he watches as she calms the beast, it amazes him that anyone is still able to do such a thing. Perhaps he wasn't need here after all but he no longer knew where he was and thus he was forced to help Ceta in finding whatever had dragged her out here.

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Location: Sanctuary
Objective: 2
With: [member="Nora Lithos"]
Post 2

---

---

She had disappeared when Nora needed help the most, did this without a single message but a quickly scribbled note left in her quarters. What was the reaction Nylea got when she showed up again out of nowhere? A hug and a 'welcome back'. It left her to wonder why she deserved such a thing, but it failed to add up. In the end she decided to simply accept the fact everyone seemed to be so understanding, and figured there had to at the very least some reason for it, even if she could not see it herself. She was simply glad to be back home and perhaps that was all that really mattered at that moment.

Overcoming the initial shock that came with the arkanian flying at her and greeting her with a hug, Nylea returned the motion and let out out a scoff. "I missed you too, Nora." At that moment it felt like a lot of weight was lifted off her shoulders, her worries about how her friend had handled everything that had happened no longer occupying her mind. She was doing well, in fact. "I am so sorry for disappearing like that. Not just on you, but everyone. It was wrong of me, especially after what happened." Her head lowered slightly, stopping when it began to lightly touch Nora's shoulder. "I was a mess."

When the two created some distance inbetween them again Nylea took a good breath, only now realizing how tight the hug was and how it drove the air out of her lungs. She then chuckled, conceding that she indeed did not look all that fantastic. "It is a long story. I visited different planets, met all kinds of people, some were friendly and others not so much, and one of them was the queen of Naboo. There was also that time on Zeltros where I worked together with someone to provide first aid after a terrorist attack. But the reason I am looking like this is something that I only just managed to get away from." The rambly tone settled down into something much more grounded as she began to recall the events that led up to her returning.

"I was on Honoghr, trying to help the people there however I could. The planet became close to a wasteland after a planet-wide disaster some time ago, and it has still not recovered. In a moment of solitude I was approached by a Sith who at first attempted to learn about the Dark side from her, but when I declined she attacked me, took me prisoner, and brought me to Malachor V. I was there for... it felt like years, it was awful." Talking about it clearly hurt her mentally, as if the fears she had felt during that time came back to haunt her. "When I got out, I contacted Karl as soon as I could, and now I'm here. It has not even been a day since I got off that planet."

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Kurenai Yumi

---

Objective: Either 3 or 4[member="Rex Taff"] and [member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]
Location: Cessna Starport --> forward defenses
Allies: Non atm
Post: 2

Slowly but surely the CIS reinforcement where pushing the stray bat like creature away from the bunker, but it would be a shortly lived victory unless they dealt with the real threat, where these beasts came from and why? It was a question that if solved may save hundreds of people and ammunition, but would undoubtedly not be an easy task to undertake. Opening a com line, she contacted her student and subordinate [member="Rex Taff"], "Rex come in Rex, what is your current position"?

A few moments ago, she had heard com chatter about Katine going to investigate something, probably having the same idea about solving this problem through means other than a heap of dead people and animals. Sure, she was at times a ruthless killing machine that would fight half an army off by herself but on the flip side could be very caring and motherly, an odd combination but what else could one do when goring up as a solider.

Reaching out with the force Kurenai started advancing in the general of the Chiss, a distance shriek of another flying bat echoing down the streets, perhaps drawn by the gun fire of smell of the dead that littered the streets. The winged beast rounding the corner, looking, hunting for prey, a feeling she could well relate to, only that her own hunger did not lead to such violence, her method of feeding being, much, much subtler then these... things. Ducking behind an abandoned speeder the Dark Jedi master once again felt her surroundings, both the Chiss and witch not being far away, only with a huge blood thirsty beast between the individuals, not the best situation.

 

[Maple Harte]

Objective: 3

In vicinity of: [member="Kurenai Yumi"]


Monestary had been a ways off. She had actually been originally planning to head here for other reasons.

Ursula Sandraven's ship, The Scarlet Phantom, had been seen passing through the system by an old contact, Siva, who had forwarded the sighting to her in her location on Ryloth. She was still living out of her ship for the most part. She could still feel traces of Veronika's presence on the Silent Erika, which made it feel less lonely.

There had been no nightmare's about...it...in weeks, and in a way that was worse, not knowing when it would show itself. Like it savored her paranoia.

It had been during trip preperations that she had been contacted by a military representative: Her presence was requested for assistance to the CIS on the very planet she had been heading towards anyway. She was being offered an incentive for pay this time, one she did not expect: If she fought and made it back, she would be awarded a vessel.

They had sent her the specs. A Ventress-Class Light Cruiser, brand new. She'd have to find a new crew to pilot it, but if there was anything she had learned at all since entering the Confederacy, it was that there were no shortage of people willing to work on a fast ship. Plus, it would give her greater firepower. The irony of someone who used to kill Sith being awarded a vessel named after an infamous slayer of Jedi was not one she ignored though. Asajj probably managed a chuckle from oblivion every time this situation occurred.

They had even given her pick of assignments. She had decided to assist the villages, and what she saw from above was not pleasant.

It was night but the place looked like it was in full lockdown, or about to be. She set down the Silent Erika, its black chromium body glistening silently in blackness as she set the ship down in a small patch close to the town borders. Grabbing her cane, which she slung over her shoulder into a special sleeve fitted onto her jacket, she then grabbed her rifle, heading out of the Erika to join the party. Her com picked up a garbled transmission from a woman but she was getting a lot of static for some reason

Her Force Sense went alert as she approached the town, hearing snarling all around her but distantly. She then heard a shrieking and snarling close by followed by gunfire. She sprinted, running around a corner, saw an ugly creature being shot at the hands of...

Maple tensed as she felt darkness from the woman. It wasn't like Veronika's darkness either. This was...much darker than that. The beast she was shooting at was huge though. Maple heard more snarling behind her and wheeled around, saw another bat like creature and aimed her rifle, only to watch as it started to zig zag. Little bastard had been shot at before it seemed. She eventually anticipated a dodge and fired off two shots, one that hit it right in the eye. Pure parlor shot. The thing roared once and charged harder. She shot out its knee, and it stumbled, but still kept coming towards her.

She blinked and she was at Mimban, in a duel with one of her old comrades. It had been going on for hours...

No, she thought, snapping back to reality half a second later. The beast was closer. She fired, hit its other eye, and the beast finally collapsed but the thing was tough though. It breathed a bit more than stopped. She heard more snarling. Saw three more bat things coming, flying in. She didn't know what else to call them. She wasn't exactly on a safari, like she had been since the dawn of the universe.

She tore herself away from the false reality with great effort. On some days it was harder than most, and shot another one in the eye, her eyes having long been comfortable firing in many conditions, including night fall. Her rifle was semi-auto, more of a blaster rifle with good range and a scope compared to a true, dedicated sniper rifle, and it was actually rather average in damage but as Ursula had told her, one could have the best rifle in the galaxy, and it would not matter if they could not shoot straight. Maple could make a bolt from this gun go wherever she wanted.

"More monsters coming!" She called out to the black haired woman with curves to die for, only to realize she had moved down the street already, hiding behind a speeder. The snarl of more bats made her open fire at their eyes, though they dodged and twisted in their flight patterns to avoid her bolts. They were not stupid, whatever they were.

One more hit the ground, shot in the eye, but the last one got too close she hit and she almost got her ribcage cracked as she barely avoided it as it skidded to the ground, shot through the eye. That worked on a remarkably high number of creatures but it had barely worked.

A roar in the streets alerted her. The one the dark haired woman had been hiding from was charging right at her. It was too close.

Maple force leapt out of instinct and fear out of its grasp. "Little help here! She called out as she landed. It was one thing if they were at a distance. It was another if they were this close and snarly.



OOC. Sorry didnt know [member="Kurenai Yumi"] was posting at the same time i was

 

[Maple Harte]

Deleted repeat post

 

[Daxton Bane]

Objective 4 The Cure
Location: Cessna Starport
Allies: Non atm
Post: 1

Daxton opened his eyes as his ship landed, his meditation with the Force ended as he donned his helmet. A new world await outside the blast doors of his ship. Should his intelligence be correct, there was something causing the mutation of the local fauna and this was something he was planning to acquire for his own purposes.

If the rumors were true, whatever it was causing an increase in the creatures natural aggression and intelligence. The potential yeild could boost his own genetics research by leaps and bounds. There was no way he could pass on this opportunity.

This time thought he decided to wear a much lighter version of his battle armor, one designed for speed and agility, than protection. He would need to light on his tes if he were to get the source of the mutation. All he brought along for protection were his lightsabers, as they should be adequate for the job on hand.

A Red Raven frigate was waiting in low orbit for his signal with several recovery crews on standby. Once he located they would descend and help him acquire it for his own studies.

Locking his helmet in place, he opened the blast door and strode froward. Time for the Harbringer to go to work again....

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: North East Area of Cessna [Civilian Bunker 2-B]
Post: 2

‘Master, when you get done powdering your nose, I could use a little assistance.’

The telepathic connection that she had with [member="Darth Metus"] was strong, to the point where his nightmares woke her, and he suddenly understood the Echani language. It was clear that Cessna was a lovely city, organized in pale colors, with greenery sprawling out to make it feel almost homey and welcoming during the day. As night fell, it seemed to have the opposite effect. There was an eerie sense of death in the air. People, sentient beings, had died here en masse. Recently.

She was a little concerned about the presence of [member="Scherezade deWinter"], considering the words spoken on their last adventure, but Srina was willing to look past it. In the end, Darth Metus had not died, and Katrine had explained her reaction. For the most part it was understandable. It simply couldn’t happen again. “Be careful.”, she responded plainly to [member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]. She was the most powerful of the Mandragora. Her words were warranted, but likely, unnecessary.

It didn’t take long for the hover-transport to catch up to @BX-25233. When it did, the driver halted suddenly, and they came face to face with what was terrorizing Monastery. Bats. Giant, fanged beasts, with wicked talons that extended longer than her forearm.

“Stay back ma’am. We’ll try and hold them off.”, the soldier warned her, grabbing his gun, and his gear as he moved to get out of the vehicle. The pale-skinned woman frowned, ears honing in on the screaming cries of terrified people, twined with high pitched screeching and the furious flapping of over oversized wings. “It take most of a clip just to make one back down.”

“We’re here to help you—Remember?”, the apprentice countered gently, swinging her door open, before dropping to the ground. Srina let her hood remain down and moved with purpose, spotting not only the BX Captain that had alerted them to the attack but the presence of Nightshrikes swooping in from the flank. “Incoming! Turn some of your infantry forty-five degrees to the left.”

Srina was also not alone. MagnaGuards jumped into the fray nearest to the bunker and began to stand guard while the rest of the citizens of Cessna tried to escape. The bunker would need fortifying. They were a little on the older side, it seemed, and the parts left to disrepair would not protect them very well. This attack was too strange, and too fast, to be a result of actual evolution. She heard [member="Kurenai Yumi"] though her comm and dared to respond. Though, it seemed that the elder woman was closer than she’d thought. “Investigate that beacon if you can [member="Kurenai Yumi"]. Take some of the MagnaGuard with you if you need reinforcements. It seems that defenses were set up, but, they’ve already been overrun. If there are any civilians near a bunker we just need to give them time to get inside and seal it off.”

The Echani was left wondering who had it out for Monastery—and why?

The Sith Apprentice drew her arm back, and just like on Haseria, her moonlit silver eyes flared to hellish gold. There was a glow in them that did not belong. Corrupted, dangerous. Within her grasp darkness took form, shape, and created a nigh-invisible spear. The white-haired woman pulled back and launched it at the nearest Nightshrike. It hit dead center, and the over-sized rat began to struggle, wings flapping uselessly, blood flowing like water. It was a shame that she may never have the chance to show [member="Mirvak"] the same courtesy.

Her legs took her forward, as the beast was still not dead, and she pulled her lightsaber from her belt. Brilliant white light filled the darkness, lighting her way, and she jumped as high as she could with a boost from the Force. She drove her blade upward, severing one of the wings, and as she fell she realigned her blade to stick it in the side like a wild hog. From there, she made a wide sweep, and the cutting power of her saber brought swift execution. One down. Silver eyes scanned the area. There were a lot more to go.

Her comms went off yet again, and she paused, only for a moment to answer. The sound of wings moving through the air made her duck, more than once, in order to avoid the razor sharp claws that would follow. [member="Er’in Tenel"]. She listened as she moved, swinging her saber to ward off any of the Shrike’s that felt brave, and breathlessly responded. “We’ve already encountered Nightshrike’s. They just keep coming in Cessna. If you can get the data to [member="Katrine Van-Derveld"] she might be able to put it to use. I’ll have transports sent out immediately.”

“Keep in contact. Be safe.”

No, she did not tell the young Hapan to be smart. She deliberately told her to be safe. She held intelligence in spades, but, the Echani remembered Rodia. Brilliant, but impatient.

Though her expression was calm, unfeeling, the little apprentice was growing rather unnerved by coordinating while trying to keep from getting shredded by the Shrikes. Soon enough, there would be droid units arriving to evac the people of Concord in some of their transport ships. The wounded would be taken to Sanctuary. The rest would be shuttled to the main bunker located beneath Cessna. It was most heavily defended. Eventually, her hand rose in the air, and sent a telekinetic blast in the air, intent on knocking back any of the bats in her vicinity.

Oddly enough, she had learned that trick from an enemy.

Just when she was about to summon another Darkshear for the Nightshrike’s, something big, furry, and feral slid through the corners of her vision. It wasn’t attacking. More than anything it seemed to be watching. A glimpse of a giant purple cat caused her to breathe in deeply, before it disappeared behind a building, clearly looking for an opening. “There are Nightshrike’s aplenty and at least one Saber Cat on the loose near Civilian Bunker 2-B. It’s on the northeast side of Cessna. Approach with caution.”

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

Location: Monastery - Airspace Over Vitalii
Objective: Lie, Cheat, Steal, Kill, etc.
Allies: N/A

Heisting was a difficult business, but every once in a while an opportunity came along that made it a lot easier. Like an animal apocalypse. Vulnerability to a sudden animal uprising was one of the many cons of living in a society that was only partially modernized. Apparently the time Vitalii had spent being ruled over by a bunch of hippie-flower-power Light Side people had not done a whole lot to make it more defensible against wildlife. Everyone was dead or holed up underground, which led the Helix Syndicate to make an educated guess that the people who would usually be in charge of guarding the gargantuan main warehouse of the Materium Patronae corporation would also be dead or gone.

Backwater or not, Monastery got a decent amount of traffic from freighters jumping along minor hyperlanes connecting Tarsunt to the lower end of the Corellian Run. The warehouses usually weren't empty with that kind of regular commerce. And now that everyone was hiding from bats and cats, that meant a lot of unsecured goods would be up for grabs. The Helix Syndicate did its due diligence in seeing if anything of value would be laying around, identifying several cargo containers in particular deep in Materium's main warehouse in Vitalii. It wouldn't be long until the Confederacy or someone else stepped in to clean up this mess, so the Syndicate would have to act quickly. That meant doing more with less.

A single unmarked MAAT flew lazy circles over Vitalii, scoping out the surrounding city before making its final approach towards the warehouse.