Campaign [TIC] The Silence | Discordant Frequencies

[Voice of the Empire]

​

Anomalous signals from Vlemoth Port, a strategic trading hub and manufacturing world along a vital corridor of the Imperial Confederation, trigger alarms across multiple sectors. Within hours, the planet goes dark. What follows is silence, interrupted only by phantom sensor pings and garbled transmissions.

No ships leave, no ships that arrive are heard from again.

OBJECTIVE 1

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A cluster of vessels of unknown origin, with an appearance that reminds all of the living vessels of the Yuuzhan Vong, has taken up residence in high orbit above Vlemoth Station. They appear to be unmoving, possibly even unmanned. With their living chemistry, reading them with scanners proves almost impossible. Do they have shields? Are they armed? Life form scans are useless as each ship is a life form. What do they want? Why are they here?

Board or destroy the vessels, if you can. Approach may bring surprising outcomes.

[Note: Please allow an initial DM response to the first contact, whether aggressive or verbal, with the ships. After that, you may continue as you wish with no DM responses.]

OBJECTIVE 2

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Sanshur Flats has gone offline. The once bustling manufacturing center, a key part of the Confederations military output, is now a dark maze of silence and corrupted systems. Streets are empty. The sky is empty. Nary the sound of even a Tooka breaks the silence of the city.

Where have the people gone? Why is it so silent? Early forces sent in report silence and then sudden conflicts with individuals with a visible neural implant. Others go completely missing after reporting areas of the city where their technology suddenly ceases to function.

Secure the city at all costs.

OBJECTIVE 3

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A meeting of Moffs and several members of COMECI was set to take place on Vlemoth Port only one day after the loss of contact with the world. When the world went dark, several members of the Moff council and COMECI suddenly fell ill, descending into an unexplained stupor that left them standing, sitting, or lying in place with blank expressions, motionless eyes, and no response to any form of stimuli.

Now someone within Vlemoth Station is attempting to utilize the Force to implant false memories in those still capable of functioning, and trigger them to act against their fellows without having to do any of the dirty work themselves. Those still capable of resisting must work together not only to survive and escape Vlemoth Station, but the uncover the root cause of the illness that struck the others, and the person behind the manipulations.

​

 

[Devang Talstan]

SANSHUR FLATS LANDING AREA ----- OBJECTIVE TWO
Devang donned in his armor, sitting in an Imperial transport with helmet in one hand and an Imperial Datapad in the other, a crease etched onto his forehead from worry. SANSHUR FLATS, a city he'd frequented many times to escape the tranquility of his rural home, now lay shrouded in an eerie silence, its once bustling streets now devoid of life. Reports of strange occurrences had been filtering in, speaking of conflicts with individuals sporting neural implants and mysterious disappearances in areas where technology has for some unknow reason, ceased to function.


Lost in his thoughts, Devang mulled over the uncertainties that awaited him on the surface. As he pondered the impending mission, a sudden crackle over the com channel shattered the silence, "WARNING ALL TROOPS PREPARE FOR LANDING T-MINUS 5 MINUTES." In an instant, his expression hardened, all distractions fading away as he steeled himself for the unknown.


LANDING The Imperial Transport descended smoothly, touching down with a reverberating thump in the main courtyard of Sanshur Flats. The ramp lowered, and with the imperial officer's urgent commands ringing in his ears, Devang joined the ranks of his comrades as they disembarked, eyes scanning the desolate surroundings with vigilance and determination. The once vibrant city now lay before them, a silent enigma waiting to be unraveled, and Devang stood ready to secure the city at all costs, his training and resolve preparing him for the challenges that lay ahead in the darkness of Sanshur Flats.

 

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: Vlemoth Station
OBJECTIVE: Observe the strange ships, attempt to gain information
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Selrik Lorcas | Marlon Sularen | Pel Grennin | open

Though not officially part of The Imperial Confederation's Navy, it would be hard to deny the Lord of Hunger access to the events that transpired within and nearby the Imperial Confederation's territory, especially when it concerns things that needed a scientific or corporate approach. Even if there had still not been any concensus on a proper scientific bureau to be erected within the Imperial structure, Credius was certain that any proper exploits, certainly in this hour of the Confederation's ascension to power, would be perfect as a cornerstone and a foundation of such a division within the organisation.

Sure, he knew that there would be some serious pushback from the hardliners from mainly the Risen Empire, perhaps even from the ISA as well, but as long as he would have the ability to count on Marlon Sularen 's support, there should be little wrong with him showing some initiative.

The Gluttoneria, the massive battlecruiser he utilized as his main base of operations at this point, had maintained its cloaking, even after its rough traverse through the still somewhat unstable hyperlanes in the aftermath of the Sundering Dawn. What he could see from the bridge's view and what the holographic rendering on the center of the bridge revealed were to the Lord of Hunger's surprise quite different. Through his own eyes, he could see ships, motionless and seemingly devoid of any activity, while his holographic rendering seemed to be having trouble with the shapes and sizes of what he could see with his eyes.

"Either things aren't what they seem...or perhaps our last maintainance run had not been properly done," The Monster tapped his fingers on the edge of the large holographic display, before slowly allowing the sharp electrum tips of his gauntlets to slide through the enlarged holowall image of what appeared to be the closest vessel. "Are the scans still giving a negative?"

"They are, Milord," One of the onboard ensigns responded, nodding their head and gritting their teeth in disappointment. "Neither the electronics nor the database scan have given us anything, the gravity sensors seem to have issues as well, though we aren't detecting any gravity well projectors besides our own...which aren't activated."

"Perhaps we need to use the Bloodhound scanner and the bioscanners, test for lifeforms... anything that could give us some sort of clue what these vessels are is better than knowing nothing..." Turning his attention to the navigational crew, Credius' words were short and tempered. "Bring us closer, maintain cloaking, Prime the ARD if necessary, but do not engage for now."​

 

[Augustus Von Strauss]

Location: Vlemoth Port, Sanshur Flats
Objective: II - BlackGlass Rising
Equipment:

Spoiler

Veers-Pattern Imperial Tactical Armor - Officer Spec
G-12 Blaster Carbine
IG-14 Blaster Pistol
[2] NZ TDT-1 EMP Grenade-IED

With: 1 Company [144] spread out over the area | Only controlling 2 squads [18] of Stormtroopers

Augustus's Stork landed safely outside the area of the Sanshur Flats. This was his first command as a Commandant for the Imperial Confederation. He steadied himself as the side ramps lowered from the large transport. The mechanisms' groaning ceased as the ramp hit the ground. He heard multiple sergeants yell to move out. He had brought an entire company to sweep the Flats, but would only be in direct control of two squads.

From an outside perspective, it seemed that Augustus, like his father, didn't like to micromanage; he was going to let the NCOs and COs command their troops as they always had. However, inside, Augustus was evaluating his new troop to see if changes were necessary. So far, so good.

He looked toward one of the lieutenants, "Call the next stork down. Reinforce this position as an FOB, then have the fresh troops relieve you. Keep a constant eye on the city. Keep me updated on any changes." He walked forward between two squads. "First and Third squads! Let's move out, keep blasters on stun unless lethal force is required. We are to clear every building in sectors four and five. Keep your EMP grenades handy, reports have said that individuals have been spotted wearing some sort of neural implants."

His troop began to move out in perfect rhythm. He followed behind, watching the streets as they reached the first set of buildings. Breaching in tandem, Augustus heard the sergeants of each squad count down before entry.

It was only a few minutes before each set of breachers checked back in: nothing. Augustus didn't even have to say anything before his troopers started to move on to the next set. He looked down at his command comlink and pressed a few buttons, transferring him, not to a lieutenant, but to a trooper.

"Trooper Talstan. This is Commandant Von Strauss. Do not worry, I'm not contacting you out of error. Usually, when I speak to lieutenants, they embellish." He slowed down as they reached the next set of buildings, beginning to catch his breath. "How is your search faring?"

Tags: Devang Talstan | Any others that join OBJ 2

 

[Nolle Tron]

Objective: COMECI meeting, discover economic viability of the local sector
Location: Vlemoth Station
Entourage: Prystill Oasay, Theelin assistant
Tags: Voice of the Empire | OPEN
Dialogue Key: "Galactic Basic" | <<Theelin>>

Vlemoth Port was no fancy destination, but at least Nolle was being put to use. And it was her first time leaving the Tion Cluster. And Vlemoth needed a good COMECI economic assessment in order to make sure they were properly assimilated into the Confederation. While there was no promise of excitement, Nolle knew that she would be challenged and that was enough.

For her assistant Prystill, there would be few distractions Nolle hoped. The Theelin had done a lot to make Nolle see the galaxy in more than black and red marks on a ledger, but Prystill wanted to learn about how things ran and this was the first real assignment by the COMECI for the Prefect from Amarin.

Even before the arrival, Nolle wasn't very upbeat about the prospects of Vlemoth Port or the whole Auril Sector for that matter. She wondered what appeal to the Empress was. That really didn't matter now. Nolle's job was to meet with Moffs and make it work.

Now it seemed there was something else happening on the station. Nolle was oblivious to it, but Prystill was hearing rumors. Nolle thought Prystill would end up a better politician if she buckled down. On the other hand Nolle needed to open up to possibilities perhaps they could both be great learning from each other.

 

[Selrik Lorcas]

OBJECTIVE: Figure It Out
LOCATION: Vlemoth Station
​

It was supposed to be a simple discussion between Moffs and members of COMECI. In fact, it had started out that way. Everything was going well, the conversation was productive, albeit curt. There wasn't enough time in the day to deal with everything that the citizenry of the various member worlds wanted, nor was he of a mind to give it to them. He did what he had to, of course, to keep the Empress happy, and he made every effort to keep the member worlds happy because quelling uprisings wasn't something he particularly wanted to do, but he would much rather be orchestrating efforts to deal with known dissidents and planning operations against enemies of the Empire.

However, as things were going well, something had to give. Seemingly at random, and nearly all at once, numerous individuals around them suddenly fell, for lack of a better word, ill. Three out of his four Sentinels were standing where they had been, but their weapons had clattered to the floor, and their bodies were slumped.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked as he stood and moved closer to them, inspecting each. "What are you doing?"

The fourth Sentinel still had his wits about him and was now on alert, moving closer to Selrik and raising his weapon nearer his shoulder, indicative of a readiness to use it at a moment's notice.

"Sir!"

Selrik turned to look and noticed that other people within the meeting hall were experiencing similar issues to what his three Sentinels were. Some members of the COMECI party that were already present within the space had slumped into their chairs, a few had lain down on the floor, and others were looking around in a state of confusion. While he was also confused about what was going on, he recognized that this was not a random occurrence and was definitely the result of a coordinated effort.

"Receiving report of anomalous signal relay. Silence after. Unable to communicate with our transport or any other Confederation personnel."

"Damnit," Selrik said as he reached to his waist and drew his pistol. "I don't know what this is exactly, but someone is doing something and I'm willing to bet the blasted Force is involved."

He looked around the room.

"Anyone able to function come to me, immediately. Leave the incapacitated where they are. We need to move."

OUTFIT: Moff Standard | GEAR: Blaster Pistol | COMPANIONS: Imperial Sentinels x4
TAGS: Nolle Tron | Open​

 

[Devang Talstan]

As Devang stepped off the Imperial Transport onto the silent ground of Sanshur Flats, a sense of foreboding hung heavy in the air, the once bustling courtyard now lay eerily quiet, devoid of the usual signs of life and activity.

The task at hand was clear - to establish a secure base for researchers and provide security amidst the unsettling stillness that gripped the city. With a determined focus, Devang moved swiftly, coordinating with his fellow operatives to set up a temporary command center at the heart of the courtyard.

Large crates were unloaded from the transport, containing essential supplies and equipment needed to fortify their position and establish a strategic foothold in the city. The clang of metal echoed through the courtyard as barricades were erected, forming a perimeter to safeguard their position from any potential threats lurking in the shadows.

Devang's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, alert for any signs of movement or anomalies that could pose a danger to their mission and as the base took shape, communication lines were established, linking the operatives to the central command and ensuring seamless coordination among the team. Screens flickered to life, displaying maps of the city and real-time feeds from surveillance drones, providing crucial intel on the mysterious occurrences that had plagued Sanshur Flats.

Suddenly, as the base was more or less complete the Imperial HoloComm crackled to life

"Trooper Talstan. This is Commandant Von Strauss. Do not worry, I'm not contacting you out of error. Usually, when I speak to lieutenants, they embellish." He slowed down as they reached the next set of buildings, beginning to catch his breath. "How is your search faring?"

"Commandant!" Devang turns to stare at the Holocom in muted surprise, a quick salute rising to his head,

"Its a pleasure sir, the search is quiet so far... which may worry me more, where is everyone sir? Its as if the entire city has been scooped up and disappeared, i've been to this city many a time and i've never seen anything like it.

We've establish a preliminary base camp with working communications, and live maps constantly updated with drones and even they havent found anything, Its just all very odd, And what of you sir? any noteworthy updates?"

 

[Nolle Tron]

Objective: COMECI meeting, discover economic viability of the local sector
Location: Vlemoth Station
Entourage: Prystill Oasay, Theelin assistant
Tags: Voice of the Empire | OPEN
Dialogue Key: "Galactic Basic" | <<Theelin>>

The doorway hissed open and Prystill walked through. She nodded her head to Nolle in a manner that was much more formal than normal without others present. "Prefect Tron. There has been a disturbance on the station. Security has been affected. I have received instructions on where you should be to remain safe."

"Pry?" Nolle questioned with a tilted head. The meeting was to begin soon. Nolle very much hoped it would continue as planned despite the interruption. <<You are not usually like this. You have seen security breakdowns before. What is up?>> the Prefect questioned in Theelin as was normal for the duo to converse in.

The assistant paused for a moment as if confused. "This just feels a little different. Please Prefect let's follow the directions."

Still feeling doubt, Nolle gave a nod and allowed Prystill to lead the way. Immediately outside the doorway Nolle noted a duo of incapacitated guards. There was bustling movement throughout the corridor as Prystill led in the opposite direction of the meeting.

Nolle paused a moment when a security officer who looked to be ok passed. "Do you know where the Grand Moff is? Is the meeting still on?" Nolle asked.

Prystill grabbed Nolle's hand and pulled. "No time we will find the rest of the Imperials when we can."

Nolle grumbled. "Get word to the Grand Moff to find me when we can resume the meetings."

 

[Augustus Von Strauss]

Location: Vlemoth Port, Sanshur Flats
Objective: II - BlackGlass Rising
Equipment:

Spoiler

Veers-Pattern Imperial Tactical Armor - Officer Spec
G-12 Blaster Carbine
IG-14 Blaster Pistol
[2] NZ TDT-1 EMP Grenade-IED

With: 1 Company [144] spread out over the area | Only controlling 2 squads [18] of Stormtroopers

He listened carefully as the trooper delivered his report, eyes scanning the buildings ahead. Through the dark windows, the flashlights of his squads flickered briefly before vanishing again. Building by building, they moved with methodical precision. After several minutes, both squads returned to the street below: nothing.

"Nothing in my sector either. It's eerily quiet," Augustus said, stepping toward the next set of structures. He watched as the troopers stacked at the doors, then breached. Kicks slamming them open with mechanical rhythm. "We've cleared about half the buildings on this street in Sector Four. Task two drones for a recon sweep ahead and..."

He was cut off by a shout from above. "Sir! I think you'd better come see this!"

"Trooper," he ordered, "divert those drones to our position and route the feed to my datapad. Keep them overhead if possible. If not, well, I've fought in the dark before. Over and out."

He moved swiftly, one squad holding the street and first floor while he ascended. By the third floor, a sergeant waited, gesturing silently toward a small, worn apartment.

Inside the modest living room, four civilians: a couple and two children, sat frozen before a holovid projector playing nothing but static. A combat medic knelt near the children, helmet off, running his scanner.

"Sir," the medic began, glancing at his datapad, "both kids have stable vitals. They're not... whoa..." He trailed off as all four civilians turned their heads simultaneously to stare at him with blank, lifeless expressions. He swallowed hard. "They're not injured, as far as I can tell. But they all have identical neural implants on the right side of their heads. And… they blink. In perfect sync. Every time."

Standing, the medic slid his helmet back on. "Do you want me to signal for a rescue team?"

"No. You did well, Corporal," Augustus replied. "Contact the FOB. Have them dispatch a transport squad for these civilians."

A sudden uproar from the street below caught his attention. He moved to the window. Outside, one of his troopers was shouting at a growing crowd of civilians; thirty, forty... no, at least fifty of them closing in. Each bore the same telltale implant.

"Soldier!" Augustus called down. "Set your blasters to stun! If they pass that speeder..."

The scrape of furniture behind him interrupted the command. He turned. The four civilians were standing now, no longer staring blankly but with eerie focus, especially the man Augustus assumed was the father, who now followed his every movement with uncanny precision.

More shouting echoed from below. He didn't dare break eye contact.

Slowly, he raised his carbine. The other soldiers did the same. "Sir," he warned, voice calm but firm, "return to your seat. Now."

The man took a step forward.

From downstairs, the crack of stun bolts rang out. And then, without warning, the four civilians lunged.

Tags: Devang Talstan | Others who join OBJ2

 

[Selrik Lorcas]

OBJECTIVE: Find the Problem
LOCATION: Vlemoth Station
​

The few people still capable of functioning left those they'd been tending to, or attempting to tend to, and approached him because he'd ordered them to do so. He began by distributing them around the room such that they could watch the doors, and distributing secondary firearms to the few he thought would be able to make use of them. The disabled Sentinels didn't need their weapons at the moment. They couldn't even move to use them. If someone was out there causing this, it was likely they intended to attack and finish the job. Selrik had no intention of allowing members of COMECI and the other Moff's present to be harmed.

"Nobody leaves this room unless I order it," he said, taking complete charge of the room.

A notice pinged on his communicator indicating that someone else was within the station but had, as of yet, been unaffected. Short range must have still been working on their communicators because he wasn't getting anything from outside of the station.

"Prefect Tron arrived late. Fortunate for them in this case. Normally they should be chastised for it." He tapped a button to send a short-range transmission. "Prefect Tron this is Grand Moff Selrik Lorcas. Arm yourself, immediately. Someone in the station is utilizing a pathogen, or the Force, to place people into a lethargic state. It's up to find them and dispatch them at this point. I can't get a signal to anyone outside the station."

He turned his gaze to his remaining Sentinel. "White, out the door and left. Let's see if we can figure this out."

The sentinel didn't say a word, didn't question the command, just brought his weapon up to his shoulder and moved to the nearest door, swept the outside and stepped through. Selrik followed after him. He held his blaster in one hand, up and ready, and watched their rear to an extent, but mostly he tried to keep time with the Sentinel. If there was anything ahead of them to deal with, White was going to be the one to handle it for the most part. He was just along because he felt safer with him than he did remaining in the room with a bunch of people with little weapons training.

They were more liable to shoot him than whoever was responsible for this and that just wasn't acceptable.

OUTFIT: Moff Standard | GEAR: Blaster Pistol | COMPANIONS: Imperial Sentinels x4
TAGS: Nolle Tron ​

 

[Nolle Tron]

Objective: COMECI meeting, discover economic viability of the local sector
Location: Vlemoth Station
Entourage: Prystill Oasay, Theelin assistant
Tags: Selrik Lorcas | OPEN
Dialogue Key: "Galactic Basic" | <<Theelin>>

Nolle was quite happy to hear the Grand Moff's voice over her comm. The corridor that Prystill was leading her through was a thing of chaos. The Near-Duros businesswoman turned politician saw evidence of the reported interruption of station life all over.

Though she always carried a small holdout blaster in case of emergency, Nolle's eyes shifted over the afflicted to see if there was a more useful weapon easy for the taking. "Arm yourself? What is he thinking? You aren't a warrior," Prystill protested.

"I am a servant to the Imperial way," Nolle answered proudly. The statement that she was not a warrior was fact. But she would take up arms to defend her way of life, and she had received minor training in handling a blaster.

<<Pry you need to relax. There is no imminent threat. We will be fine. Lead on,>> Nolle continued in Theelin, hoping it would comfort her aid.

The Theelin paused for a moment as if she were trying to decipher what was being said in her native language. Finally she nodded and continued walking. "We or almost there."

Nolle saw a security guard passed out, or damn close to it. His blaster was laying at his side. "I will be right behind you,"[/font] the Prefect advised as she slowly took the blaster.

"I am giving all my attention to this. It may be more than the lethargy. My aid is acting quite odd. Trying to get me to follow her away from you. I am going to see where this leads," Nolle stated in a low volume over the comm.