Dominion Through the Vines | Dominion of Ajara + Aris [Diarchy]

[Zara Saga]

Zara's eyes lit up the second Reign dismissed diplomacy. Her posture shifted, shoulders back, chin raised, like a hound finally let off the leash. The thick jungle heat was suddenly a little more bearable, now that bloodshed was officially sanctioned.

"No diplomacy?" she echoed, grinning like a kid promised fireworks. "Finally. I was starting to think you brought me out here to sweat to death and talk about my feelings."

She fell into step beside him, her gait light, almost bouncing, as if eager to taste the chaos ahead. And then, like a jungle ghost, another figure emerged from the treeline. Zara tilted her head, watching as he approached and bowed, formal, respectful... boring. Her lips curved into a smirk, one brow arching with amusement.

"Well, who's this?" she asked, eyes darting over Ryu with an appraising glint. "Is this your pet, Reign? Do I get to feed him or does he just live on discipline and gravitas?"

She didn't wait for an answer, because the whole thing was clearly a joke, and one she delivered with just enough charm to get away with it.

As Reign turned and made his crack about the mosquitos and Nocturne, Zara snorted.

"Relax. You're not dying out here. Not on my watch," she said, patting his shoulder with mock solemnity. "You might not even get to do much. You're getting old, Reign. Can't have you keeling over from the effort while I'm still getting warmed up."

Then she tossed a wink at Ryu.

"Try to keep up, rookie."

Diarch Reign | Ryu Jung​

 

[Tertius C. Nargath]

obj 1: Get me some gas
TAG: Maldor Sancetti | Diarch Rellik | Damos Vakaro

As soon as one of the ensigns aboard the cruiser's bridge relayed the message that Diarch Rellik had allowed for the communications between them to be patched through, Tertius made a calm nod towards his Centurion; Livicus, who as soon as he noticed this nod, stood up straight as an arrow and activated the holonet transeiver and the subroutines to make sure the signals would be picked up by the Vault and sent through to Rellik's location.

"Honored Exarch, I Livicus Comnenus, Centurion of the Valkan Guards greet you, " The tall, fully armored man made a nod as he then proceeded to remove his helmet, revealing a hardened face with the scars and the wisdom of age embedded within his stern expression. "We have only limited information on the situation regarding the surface, but there is speculation that there should be a communications' station somewhere on the ground, if you could have someone reactivate the signals of that place, our scans and those of the DSN Vault should be capable of giving the Diarchy forces present a better view on the situation on the ground."

For a moment the man held his breath and turned towards the Marquis to give out his own orders...'orders' to a Diarch no less.

"Rellik, you heard the man...we'd need a better view of the situation down there," The Marquis shrugged his shoulders, making it clear that while he was in name the commander of the Valkan Guards, he himself acknowledged to not be the most capable soldier or commander to begin with. "It should be simpler to contact those of the Diarchy who are already on the surface when you have passed the atmosphere... if you could make sure that the signals of the surface can be pinpointed more accurately, we wouldn't have to send down any troops and men blindly."

[/div

 

[Lyssara Thrynn]

I don't summon the Force it's already here. It always lingers around me like a shadow waiting. So I drop into it, graceless, without ceremony. I think of nothing. Or maybe too much. Same result. I just let through what's needed. Nothing more. The holocron reacts. A click soft at first, then another, deeper. The edges tremble, hesitate, then begin to unfold. Slowly. A red light seeps out like a wound opening between the seams. I remain still. Silent. No comment. No glance at Maldor. He knows what I'm doing. And I can start to hear what it's whispering. It's easy for me to open a holocron

I just let the Force flow into it, and watch the mechanism respond. It's open. What I see inside... I like it a lot less. How did he get this? Rellik's father Diarch Rellik's father is present in this holocron? It offers knowledge about immortality, and essence transfer? Fine. I take it all in. Absorb everything. I close my eyes briefly, shutting out the world around me as the vision pulls me in completely. When I open them again, my gaze has changed. Hardened. Not in a good way. I turn toward Maldor Sancetti .

"Who gave you this?"

My brow tightens I take this seriously now. I remember they were out chasing mysteries with Rellik, before I blacked out on that damned bridge. My thoughts flicker to Her .

For now, I keep the holocron open, resting in my hand.

"Well. The holocron contains teachings on immortality and essence transfer. My master, Diarch Rellik , spoke to me of these techniques."

Still holding it in my open palm, I'll decide later whether I share the full formulas or not. Now that this touches something sensitive to the Diarchy, I'm watching closely. Honestly, I'm starting to think this holocron belongs in the hands of the one it was meant for.



I give a small nod at his invitation, without saying a word. I still don't know what exactly he's after here, or what I truly represent in his plans, but now isn't the time to ask questions. He's right about one thing: this place is heavy. Something happened here… and maybe the Force remembers.

I kneel slowly beside him, adjusting my gas mask carefully to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Once I'm settled, I close my eyes.

I let the sounds of the platform fade away, my steady filtered breathing becoming my only focus. I anchor myself, just like Rellik taught me. I let go of the restlessness, the distracting thoughts, the bitterness even that old grudge I still carry like dead weight.

I reach out with my senses.

'Okay, let's do this together Maldor Sancetti "

I don't try to control anything. I don't force it. I just listen.

The Force is here turbulent, disturbed, but present. It stirs beneath the surface, as if it had witnessed… or suffered. I feel fragments, echoes, an invisible weight clinging to the very structure of the ruined metal.

Something ancient. Something broken.

I don't say anything. I just open my mind and let the Force speak. I listen up the communication about rellik in my comlink, and i take this in consideration!

 

[Maldor Sancetti]

Objective 1 - On a Gas Platform
_________________________________________

​

"We are here to discover what has caused this," he explained, "not any traditional weapons or enemies. Something different has ruined these platforms. I thought perhaps the force could show us, or let us feel what has happened here. But your strength in the Force may exceed my own, or have a different focus."

A message came- the Diarch was on overwatch. That actually made him feel safer. Between the other Diarchal forces and Yol Kan on the Blastboat, they should be well covered.

Maldor was surprised when Lyssara produced the holocron. Had she unlocked it?

It seemed she had. But what a moment to reveal it.

In answer to her question, he said, "My former Master took me on an archaeological expedition to a dangerous region of space. We retrieved that from a hidden world. I opened it, once. Began learning its fringe teachings. But the Guardian of the Holocron- the personality imbued into it to protect its secrets- it shut me out. Determined I was not devoted enough to the philosophy of the Sith.

But none of that will help us here. If the Force whispers nothing to us of this calamity, then the investigation must become more mundane.

Perhaps some of the equipment here was connected to vid sensors. Perhaps there is a recording of what transpired."

He was tempted to take the Holocron, but he would not do so until it was offered. No matter the nation, Sith teachings were dangerous roads to tread, and he did not want her to think he'd been overcome by the allure of the Sith.

Instead, he stood and began walking towards some of the destroyed machinery on the surface of the platform. Something still worked, here. Else the platform would have fallen. But did enough of it work to provide them the answers they sought?


Lyssara Thrynn Diarch Rellik Damos Vakaro Merion Oreno Tertius C. Nargath

 

[Lyssara Thrynn]

"Okay, i understood the problem with that's holocron why he reject you, well.. We can talk to it together later with a good tea!"

Eventually, I decide to sit down and reorient my focus toward the mission at hand. We're here to investigate this place not to chase personal emotions or fall into distractions. Everything in its time. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and I intend to uncover the truth behind who did what, and why.

I let myself sink fully into the Force. Steady. Controlled. I extend my awareness outward, reaching into the environment, but also toward Maldor's mind not forcefully, but calmly, to allow for smoother collaboration. We'll find more if we search together, rather than separately.

Maybe the Force will speak more clearly this way. My aura narrows, sharpens. I push deeper, trying to detect what feels wrong the fracture in the air, the residue of something that shouldn't be here. My master's transmission lingers in my thoughts. It unsettles me, just slightly. I don't like uncertainty. I don't like shadows behind shadows. I sincerely hope this isn't a trap.

But speculation won't help. Focus might.

The Force must show us what lingers here and if it refuses, then I'll help Maldor dig through it the hard way.

 

[Merion Oreno]

As more and more angles of investigation unfolded around the ruined gas platform — scanners, probe droids scouts on foot, many trained in the Force — Merion came to an unexpected realization. While they might find an answer still, the answer might actually be elsewhere.

He moved from station-keeping and, probe droids in tow, began to inscribe wider and wider loops around the platform, through opaque clouds, hordes of beldons, beautiful floating creatures of every kind. Out here, down here, being a death cultist felt kind of small.

He kept on turning his loops but made almost a meditation of it. The clouds down here were like nothing he'd seen before.

 

[Nyva Shei]

[Aboard the Ragnarok]

She really left me in command of the Ragnarok? While she's having fun on the surface with the others, I get to take her seat, steal her place! Anyway, she's not here to see it, and even if she did see me, the worst I'd get is a little electric shock. Totally worth it. My legs are stretched out, my arms on the armrests, I'm sipping a nice glass of wine after all, there's no reason she should be the only one drinking.

"Mistress? How's it going down there...? ...

Why she dont reply to me?"
"Ada : It has to go through a tunnel, communication is one-way."
"Oh shut up ada, let me believe in my mistress!"

I press on my comlink and spam her with notifications, but oddly she's not answering. The queen probably muted my calls, which means she doesn't want to be disturbed right now. Oh well. Might as well have some fun aboard the Ragnarok. I feel like a queen in the command seat. No doubt I'm getting tipsy and loving it. Being a bridge captain is awesome! Sure, with my trident I could already do a lot, but this is different this is her seat. It's worth all the credits in the world.

I'm keeping an eye on the radar screens, listening to Rellik's communications apparently there's some movement. I stay alert, but there's no way I'm firing an antimatter bomb while the Mistress is down there absolutely not! And without a direct order from her, I can't do anything anyway. Plus, she cut off the comlink. That queen.

So, in the meantime, I'm basically on standby. Other than watching the radar screens, I'm not doing much else.

 

[Diarch Reign]

​

Location: Ajan Kloss
Tags: Zara Saga Ryu Jung

---

The Diarch smiled as he walked, from talking to him one would not know the terrible power he could bring to bear. He seemed kind, fatherly to most, yet if you knew him, truly knew him. You would know that he carried death in his stride.

“OLD? I’m in the prime of my life. I just hope your bite is a strong as your bark young one”

He said this with a smile, but anyone attuned to the force would be able to feel that he was building up to something. He was drawing power to himself, the chill of the dark side seeping from him.

As they came close to the fortress, he was stopped by a shout.

“Halt! Take one step closer and it’s the last thing you’ll do!”

It was almost as if Reign couldn’t help himself. A smirk on his lips he took the step. No sooner than his foot hit the ground did the red bolt fly. However, it seemed to just disappear into his hand.

He chuckled slightly, and turned to his companions

“I want no survivors. These fools deserve oblivion”

With that he turned back to the fortress and in what seemed to bend reality around him, he launched forth a huge ball of force destruction. Where once there was a durasteel wall and sentries, there existed only a dust in the wind, some the color of steel, others the shimmering pink red of blood.

And with that, The Diarch stepped forward.

 

[Diarch Rellik]

"Honored Exarch, I Livicus Comnenus, Centurion of the Valkan Guards greet you…"

Rellik listened without comment, eyes narrowing as Livicus outlined their intelligence theory. A communications station. Possibly still active. Possibly buried beneath the wreck or in one of the still-floating towers lost deeper in the cloud.

When the Marquis himself added his casual endorsement the Diarch replied.

"I will do my best to see it done. Your suggestion is noted and valid. A relay tower may still be broadcasting on emergency reserve. If so, it would explain the partial sensor garbling.""

He adjusted course. The ship now glided along the platform's underside nearer the jagged break that exposed the sub-deck levels, where emergency systems might still flicker.

Stabilizers flared once to hold position. Rellik opened the lower hatch and extended the docking umbilical, locking onto a fractured maintenance ring still embedded in the structure's belly. Pressure equalized with a hiss, and moments later, his boots found durasteel. The Diarch was masked and in a spacer uniform. Un-common territory for the man. Yet, he proceeded inward.

The sub-deck corridor was a ghost of what it had once been. Exposed wires dangled from the ceiling like torn veins. Something had passed through here recently. But no bodies remained. Perhaps a ship with a strong ramming bow. He moved calmly, ignoring the debris, the flicker of blown lights, the low groan of the platform shifting above.

Then, there. A partially intact console, slanted sideways where the floor had buckled. Emergency power blinked softly from its side panel, still tethered to a backup reactor buried deeper in the rig.

He placed a palm on the interface node. The ancient coding language of the refinery system scrolled across a dim holoscreen. He bypassed safety protocols with a manual override code he possessed then began rerouting the signal beacon back to active broadcast.

The console whined. A low pulse echoed into the surrounding cloud. Static came at first then a lock. Something was out there. But it wasn't a distress ping. A new frequency bled through the speakers. Low. Guttural. Layered over itself in waves. Like a creature calling through miles of storm.

He simply leaned closer to the console and adjusted the gain letting the sound fill the hollow wreck around him.

Then, quietly, he activated his comm.

"This is Rellik. The relay is online… but it's broadcasting something else. It sounds, like an animal."

Damos Vakaro Tertius C. Nargath Maldor Sancetti Lyssara Thrynn Nyva Shei

 

[Lyssara Thrynn]

As we meditate, a piece of information comes to my awareness. I sense that something is hiding very, very close. It's concealed in the Force, and unfortunately, I can't precisely locate where it is, as if something is hiding on the surface.

I know this feeling well; it's something that hides, lurks, almost as if this thing is seeking to track. Maybe us?

Turning to my compatriot, I flash him a small smile to indicate that I've found something suspicious. He understands that we are not alone.

"There is indeed a signature in the Force that is hiding. I can't say precisely where, but we must redouble our vigilance. Moreover, the communication with my master indicates that we should be on our guard."

Once the Force localization is complete, I straighten up. I put the holocron back in my pocket; we'll come back to it later anyway. For now, I focus on the mission and stand ready to receive Maldor's orders. Maldor Sancetti

 

[Zara Saga]

Zara's smile rose, slow and deliberate, like a tide pulling a helpless swimmer under.

"Prime of your life, huh? Sure, grandpa," she murmured, a snicker catching in her throat. Her eyes, however, practically burned as the cold caress of the Dark Side brushed against her senses. She could feel it; thick, ancient, and heavy, coiling like a storm cloud preparing to strike with a grudge. It sent a thrill coursing through her, making the hairs on her arms prickle with a delicious anticipation.

When the sentry's warning finally sliced through the trees, Zara didn't so much as twitch. She just watched Reign step forward, a figure of dark, grieving power. And when the blaster bolt vanished into his palm, and the wall behind it exploded outwards in a roaring storm of debris, Zara's grin stretched wide, utterly wicked.

"There it is," she whispered, her eyes shining with both admiration and something far more predatory. "Grandpa's angry."

She skipped forward, genuinely skipped, into the unfolding carnage, her lightsabers snapping to life with a familiar hiss. Two yellow blades flared, bright as twin suns piercing the mist. The jungle had held its breath for a heartbeat after Reign's blast, but now the outpost shrieked back to chaotic life.

Blaster fire erupted, frantic and panicked, peppering the clearing. Zara spun into the fray, a laugh bubbling up from her chest. One saber twirled gracefully to deflect an incoming bolt, while the other slashed across a trooper's chest with the speed of a lightning strike.

A second trooper lunged, desperation etched on his face, wielding a stun baton with a loud yell. Zara ducked under the wild swing, expertly sliced his knee out from under him, and finished him cleanly with a precise stab through the chest.

The third tried to run. Adorable. She hurled a saber into his back, watching him crumple face-first into the mud, then recalled the blade to her hand with a casual flick of her wrist.

"Hope you boys packed your wills," she called out, backflipping onto a shattered crate and landing in a low crouch, her blades held high. "Because today's a really bad day to be average."

Then, with another burst of energy, she launched herself back down into the heart of the fight, yellow light flashing like pure, unadulterated laughter in the jungle gloom.

Diarch Reign | Ryu Jung​

 

[Damos Vakaro]

Objective 1: Mind the Gas

Tags: Merion Oreno Maldor Sancetti Diarch Rellik Lyssara Thrynn

Damos was busy contemplating on the bridge of the patrol ship. He had been thinking of how to approach whatever this was. Surely with members of the Diarchy High Council participating in this operation, their combined might and intellect could guarantee them a victory on whatever was impeding the Diarchy's operations. Then again, it was important to leave room for error. If all the high ranking Diarchy officials herded, it would only make them a bigger target. A dangerous precedent.

Damos eventually collected himself and put himself on comms with his allies.

"This is Councilor Vakaro to all Diarchy signatures in the area. We're going to find the source of the disturbance and provide updates as we make our way. I'm going to assume whatever is out here took out our refinery. It would be easier if we split so that the anomaly doesn't take us out all at once if hostile." Damos was going through this entire operation with nothing but assumptions, but it's not like he could wait for the Network to get an analysis done on their current situation. They had to do this fast. "We'll be on open comms and provide updates as we travel through the planet's atmosphere. Damos out."

Sitting in the command chair, overlooking his crew, he started to bark orders. "Take us back beyond the beldon herd. We're going to find what's lying here. If we can, let's stalk the anomaly until we can get all allied signatures in atmosphere to converge on the anomaly. Keep weapon systems powered down until I say otherwise."

With orders delivered, the patrol ship continued its course through the blood red atmosphere.

There was silence as ship made its journey. Damos in the meanwhile was meditating to prepare and find the beast that was lurking in Ajara's atmosphere. His hatred for it will give him the insight he needed to take on the beast. His hatred wasn't attached to anything except itself. There was no presence except the low humming of the engine and beeps of the ship's internal systems.

The minutes started to pass and Damos finally felt it. A looming presence in the dense clouds and then the heart rate of the crewman on sensors.

"Sir! Unidentified life signature detected on the bow!"

There was no way they were going to see what it looked like, but they didn't have to. Damos could sense the being's urge for blood. The source of the urge was irrelevant as Damos had to act fast. "Fire a concussion missile!" Damos commanded.

"But sir! We have nothing to lock onto!" The weapons officer panicked.

"I said fire, lieutenant!"

A missile had launched from the ship and disappeared into the clouds and almost instantly, a roar can be heard.

"The signature is pulling out of sensor range sir."

Seemed like Damos wasn't going to be able to take this thing on alone.

"This Councilor Vakaro to all Diarch forces. We've just encountered a hostile life from in the planet's atmosphere. Conventional weapons work, but I can't take this thing on my own. Chancellor Maldor Sancetti if you can recover any footage of what we're dealing with. It'll make our job a lot easier."

 

[Diarch Rellik]

The sound had stopped.

Whatever the beacon had caught… it was gone. Rellik being a hunter of many creatures along the galaxy thought that perhaps the creature had gone quiet for a moment. That could mean it had left, or it was watching, stalking.

Rellik stood in silence a moment longer, letting the low amber glow of the console dim into standby. Then, without urgency, he turned and made his way back to his shuttle.

Vakaro's message came through clearly in his ear. At first as Rellik climbed into his shuttle and sealed the cockpit around him he was in no hurry. Than as the report came in of a beast that Damos was directly engaged in he picked up the pace. Banking hard upward through the storm he needed to return to the Vault.

He opened the groups comms channel. "This is Rellik. I am on my way back to the Flotilla, Tertius C. Nargath - Are you able to support until we reach Damos? They should already be in motion but its hard to see everything happening in the gas."

As he breached the storm's upper band and broke into open atmosphere, the DSD-Vault came into view. Rellik was not a great pilot but he was going as fast as he could to reach the ships hanger.

Lyssara Thrynn Tertius C. Nargath Maldor Sancetti Damos Vakaro Merion Oreno Nyva Shei

 

[Maldor Sancetti]

Objective 1 - On a Gas Platform
_________________________________________​

Maldor nodded to Lyssara. Whatever this was, it was elusive. Perhaps it even had some talent within the force, able to shield its nature.

One need not be a force practitioner to achieve such a feat. Some animals had force talents, achieved by evolution and instinct rather than a will to influence the Force. Just as a chameleon bat could change its color, some beasts could hide themselves within the force to conceal from predators... or clandestinely approach prey.

"Here, help me with this." he said reaching a data hub.

He activated his comlink, responding to Vakaro even as he gave instructions to Lyssara.

"These data hubs on the platform have a buffer where they temporarily hold data until it can be stored in the core. But something damaged those data lines over there. So whatever is in the buffer might still contain an image the security cameras captured since they never had the opportunity to upload their contents.

If we can get one of the buffers to the ship, we might get some more information on the cause of this."

The buffer was a large unit, though. 120 kilograms. It would take both of them to lift it out of here and carry it to the blastboat. Perhaps then, from the blastboat cockpit, they could play the data directly on the cockpit monitors.

They could finally see the face of the enemy.



Lyssara Thrynn Lyssara Thrynn Tertius C. Nargath Maldor Sancetti Damos Vakaro Merion Oreno Nyva Shei Diarch Rellik

 

[Ryu Jung]

Objective II: Welcome to the Jungle

Diarch Reign Zara Saga
​

Then she tossed a wink at Ryu.

"Try to keep up, rookie."​

Ryu became noticeably flustered from Zara's remark to him. He was not a rookie, he was an apprentice to one of the most powerful force users in the galaxy. He chose not to dignify her comment with a response as this was no time to be petty.
​

"Enemy outpost 1.2 klicks from LZ. Ryu, I'll be leading the assault directly, rendezvous on my beacon as soon as you are done with the scouts."

Ryu bowed "I won't let you down master." And with that, he dashed away to clear the auxiliaries to clear a way for his master and the main force to continue their forward assault. He went on his wrist comm to speak to the other recon squads. He cursed as he forgot to check in with them after completing his mission. He knew his executive officer could handle things without him, although to leave everything to him was a major faux pas.

Just as Ryu made it back into the operation zone and used the force to guide to where he would find more hostiles. "...Commander Jung. Come in." The captain was urging for Ryu on comms.

"Go ahead captain."

"The enemy patrols are beginning to thin out. Advise that we regroup and-"

From the abrupt silence, the captain was cut off. Ryu could sense a disturbance when comms came back on.

"Commander Jung! This is Lieutenant Thekran! The captain's down!" The sound of a blaster zooming past could be heard. "W-We're surrounded! We need immediate support!"

Ryu's heart started to beat faster as he dashed to find his squad. He could eventually hear the sound of blaster fire, and he followed it until he could see the silhouettes of his squad through the thick jungle. Just as he was going to dash to them, he ignited his lightsaber and took a stance to block a blaster bolt that flew at him from his left. He reached out with his hand and pulled a trooper from the foliage, snapping his neck in less than a second.

As his squad was surrounded, Ryu jumped into the fray, deflecting blaster bolts as they came at them. Just as he could sense the rogue imperials reload their blasters, Ryu jumped into action. The troopers were blended into the vegetation, but Ryu was able to intercept them as they camped.

Like a flash, Ryu did away with each of the troopers that surrounded his squad until the fighting had eventually died down.

Ryu powered down his lightsaber and approached his troops. "Status, lieutenant."

"2 KIA. 3 Wounded, but I think we get them some bacta and they'll be okay. Before he got killed, the captain was looking to regroup after clearing out the sentries. But it seemed like we missed this group. What are your orders sir?" The lieutenant asked.
​

With that he turned back to the fortress and in what seemed to bend reality around him, he launched forth a huge ball of force destruction. Where once there was a durasteel wall and sentries, there existed only a dust in the wind, some the color of steel, others the shimmering pink red of blood.





​

The echo of force destruction could be heard from their location. Ryu barked orders to get all his troops back together and rendezvous with his master and Zara Saga.

He had just arrived just as the carnage had started. "Sorry I'm late master." He said igniting his lightsaber, standing beside his master. "We just need to push to the outpost's command center and we can get those star charts. I'll lead the charge!" Without letting the Diarch get a word in, Ryu dashed at the shocked imperials in a fury. The command center was a small building within the center of the outpost. Diarchy troops flooded in as the rogue imperials failed to close the gap.

With messy but powerful strikes, Ryu slashed his through stormtroopers to the building in the center. They were close to achieving victory.

​

 

[Diarch Reign]

​

Location: Ajan Kloss | Imperial Outpost
Tags: Zara Saga Ryu Jung

---

And they were off, really making Reign bristle at the "grandpa" comment as the two younger force users leapt into the fray.
No matter, The Diarch still advanced, a monument of shadow and death as he moved.

There was not much left for him to do at the moment, Zara's initial savagery and Ryu's follow up had cleared most of the remaining enemies from his path. However, there were a few brave souls who wished to try and take out the monster that had obliterated what they thought was their impenetrable fortress.

As he rounded a corner, blood-orange lightsaber glowing in the dark, he came right into a potential "ambush". The Diarch smiled, a smile he had not let loose in quite some time as he leapt forward. He cut down the first two stormtroopers before they had a chance to open fire. The remaining four however, had time to gather themselves and let loose a flurry of blaster bolts.

Holding his blade with one hand, he batted bolts back, and absorbed the others with his open palm. As he approached, he used the force to call one of the troopers to him. Holding him by the throat in front of him as a shield as he advanced upon the others.

Once in range, he dropped the riddled trooper and unleashed havoc on the two directly in front of him, leaving arms and heads in his wake. The final soldier, an officer by the looks of him, tried to run. But Reign grasped him in the force and choked the life from him, lifting him off the ground with his power.

As it ended, a small sigh could be heard escaping Reign's lips.

"I had hoped for more"

 

[Zara Saga]

​

Zara spun her sabers one last time, their yellow light painting wild shadows across the carnage, before deactivating them with a hiss. She stood amidst the ruin, a fine sheen of sweat on her skin and her braid slightly loosened, yet somehow looking utterly unbothered by the recent fight. Her lack of physical distress, however, only highlighted the disappointment clearly etched on her face.

Her boots squelched lazily through mud stained with blood and grime as she paced back towards Reign and Ryu. Her eyes swept over the bodies, the shattered remains of the outpost, and finally landed on the Diarch himself, who still radiated that oppressive, effortless power.

"Is… is this it?" she asked, waving a dismissive hand at the carnage, her voice as dry as the bones littering the jungle floor. "This was the terrifying Imperial outpost choking the Ghost Nebula? This?" She gestured to a nearby severed trooper helmet as if it had personally insulted her. "I was expecting something dramatic. Maybe a dark side relic. A few force-abominations. Anything that didn't die in under a minute." She huffed, resting one hand on her hip as her gaze flicked between Reign and Ryu. "I swear, if this whole operation was just a cardio session in disguise, I'm filing a complaint with Logistics."

Zara gave Reign a teasing smile, flicking her wrist as if brushing dust from her shoulder. "At least you got a warm-up. Looked cute back there. Very 'ancient terror.'" She glanced sideways at Ryu, her eyes sparkling. "And you, well, congrats. You're officially less useless than I expected. Barely."

Diarch Reign | Ryu Jung​

 

[Ryu Jung]

Objective II: Welcome to the Jungle

Diarch Reign Zara Saga

The dust had settled faster than anticipated. The three force users had cleared out the main area faster than anticipated. Intelligence from the Network said that there was at least a division worth of stormtrooper stationed here at the most. Which would make sense. But where were they? The outpost became eerily quiet. Only the sounds of the jungle filled the air and the barking of Diarch troops patrolling whatever was left of the grounds. A few vehicle bays and a few other buildings, but they were cleared out with ease. 'Where were the rest of them?' But this was no time to give into fear. "Master!" Ryu shouted to Diarch Reign "We have won the day I shall, get my troops to clear out central command and we would've succeeded likely our easiest mission."

Ryu's troops were already at the blast doors. They were wide, had a similar design to the shield generator base on Endor back in the days of the Galactic Empire. It was used to simulate room-clearing operations. He was eager to run his way in but saw them trying to get the front door open. One of his troops were at the control panel attempting to slice his way in.

"What's the hold up, corporal?" Ryu asked impatiently.

"Sorry commander, imps are using a software that's pretty foreign. Could be they got a new security system installed."


"Why would they do so for their entire base? This is just a remote outpost." Ryu didn't know what answer to expect and the corporal didn't know how to respond to that either.

"Wish I could tell you sir." There was a pervading silence that filled the air once again. Ryu was sensing a disturbance in the force. None of this made sense. The imps stationed here were said to be savages. Assimilated into the planet's wild culture, but the worse they faced were the sentries outside. The stormtroopers here didn't even but that much of a fright or show any sign of assimilation. That or... maybe they already did and they killed first and didn't ask questions. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. Ryu was anxious to get going but the door hadn't been sliced yet.

"Step aside, corporal. We'll do this the old-fashioned way."

The trooper did as he was told, and Ryu ignited his lightsaber before sticking it into the center of the blast doors. The doors were thick, too thick to be holding a star chart. Not only that, but Ryu had to put in more effort to cut a hole in the door thanks to the heavy material. But there was no point in turning back when they were one step closer to fulfilling their mission. Eventually, Ryu was able to cut a hole large enough for two people at a time to fit in. The metal was melting at the outline that Ryu cut. He was sweating before he turned to his squad.

"I'm going in first to clear the way. Prepare for room clearing maneuvers and enter when I give the signal."

A chorus of confirmations arose from his squad. Ryu took a few steps back and a deep breath before pushing the outline with the force and putting a hole in the wall. He jumped in, there was a hallway connecting the entrance to the command center. He proceeded with a cautious advance to the control room. But he couldn't sense anyone.

"Execute." Ryu said on comms.

His troops rushed into the building and down the hall into the command center. Ryu followed behind and they all searched the room but there was no sign of hostiles. Not even a trace. This had to have been a mistake. "Corporal. Download the star chart and let's get out of here."

"Roger."

Ryu turned off his lightsaber. Something in the force was eating away at him.

"Um, sir?"

"What is it corporal?"

"The star chart's not on here. Just a message."

"What's it say?"

"Turn back."

Ryu scoffed. "We don't have time for idle threats. Everyone look around try to find a secret terminal. Anything. If they want us to turn back they know we're getting close to finding what we need"

The troops scanned the room, looking at walls and outside viewports. They even went into the adjacent bunks and an office. Ryu felt a disturbance coming from the walls. There was more to this base than what they were getting and it seemed like it was in the walls. Ryu inched closer. It was cold and spacious. Almost like it was left waiting for something or its presence was just there, simply existing in an abyss.

BLZZZT

A blaster could be heard coming from the office.

"Hostile!" Shouted one of the troops. Stray blaster bolts and screams came from the room. The trooper who encountered the hostile peaked his blaster around the corner and fired into the room. Suddenly it went silent and the trooper walked into the office. "Room clear!"

Ryu rushed over with a couple of his men and saw an imperial officer with blaster bolts in his chest. His body was slumped against the wall. Looking at the desk beside the body, a terminal was still on. The apprentice walked over to inspect it. Seemed like the officer left an audio log. Ryu played it back.

"The intruders have breached the perimeter. They don't know what they have awoken. We've had reports of them setting up on Ajara's atmosphere and have made attempts to contact us... They shouldn't have come here. Our siblings in the rest of the Ghost Nebula will have to contend with disturbance as they contend with the Star Masters. The intruders probably think they can kill it, but they don't know what's at stake. I can't say too much as I can hear them outside. But I can promise you. You are not prepared for what you have awoken. We have paid the price for being blind and now you will be no different. Turn back. There is nothing for you here."​

Ryu scoffed once again. "We don't have time for this. Move aside." Ryu walked over to the corpse and cut the wrist of the officer. Now he had a detached hand they brought back into the command center where he went back to the wall where he felt the disturbance in the force. It called to him again almost as if it was begging for him to turn away. But he approached it anyway. He placed the hand on a section of the wall.

"Biosignature Accepted. Welcome back, Sibling Karalan." A feminine automated voice said before the walls screeched open. Ryu pulled out his lightsaber and his troops had pointed their weapons to the wall that was parting to give way for a freight elevator.

Ryu immediately went on his comms. "Master Diarch Reign . Archon Zara Saga . We need you here."​