Tomb Raiders, Mostly Proportionate (Levantine Sanctum Dominion of Tash-Taral)

[Jorus Merrill]

The microcorvette blockade runner Bullet Time had been, among other things, designed for getting through the Oort shell that surrounded the planet Tash-Taral and its entire star system. The dense sphere of comets spelled death or trouble for virtually any ship that tried entering the forgotten system. It had taken some doing, but he'd found a couple safe routes; safe, at least, for the small ships that came and went every few years or decades. Tash-Taral, and its main town of New Dreshdae, got very little stellar traffic.

He touched the comm, connecting him both to the passengers on his own ship and to the other small ships following him in.

"Freakin' Tash-Taral. Think the forgotten lovechild of Korriban and Tatooine, and you've got a pretty good idea of the mess we're facing. Backwater dustball with a few thousand half-buried temples and tombs. Tons upon tons of tuk'ata and every tomb beast you can imagine. Lots of these tuk'ata are sentient, bipedal -- I hear they're even starting to trade with the townsfolk.

"Anyways, ignore my rambling. This place is remote, but people can get here if they really try, and there's probably some things as should get locked down. Bad things. Each one of you has been issued a Korriban Compass. It'll lead you to something hefty. Deal with it, or call in if it's too much, and I'll be there. Tread lightly. No need to piss off the locals. We can make this a pretty good little bolthole if we play nice, and we can lock down some things that need it."

The Bullet Time wove between comet fragments. "Alright, hold tight. Soon as we're through the shell to the outer system, I'll send coordinates for a microjump insystem to the planet." He switched channels to [member="Livia Maddox"] (a transfer from the Fringe, a good bit of seniority under her belt) and her Ackbar-class. Her orders were to sweep the system for potential threats and set up some minor defenses, mainly satellite-based. The shell's unnatural density unnerved him, and at a guess it would be unnerving her navigator too. "Captain Maddox, this is Captain Merrill. I've cleared you a route through the comet fragments if you take it slow. Proceed according to your judgment. I've got the insystem to wrangle, but if you need support, let me know."

[member="Jericho"] [member="Chloe Blake"] [member="Ilias Nytrau"] @whoever

 

[Chloe Blake]

The Aurora Hawk
[member="Jorus Merrill"]

"Steady girl... steady." Chloe Blake, Warden of the Sky and surfer alongside Oswaft would wait for the incoming nav points required for the microjump. A job was a job, and in this case, Chloe had no qualms at taking a chance at comet diving at Tash Taral.

The place held enough mythos as the Moons of Iego itself.

"Everyone hold on tight, " she'd say, nerves a tingling and her adrenaline pumping high. All in all, the chances of death were pretty high -- but oh the mind races at the thought of what lay at the end of this trail. She'd start this new gig by offering her services for hire, and with her credentials and years worth of testemony, she was about to embark on a new business venture.

Go figure, her doing her own business? She was still trying to figure out a good name for it.

She'd quickly input coordinates, nodding to the voice in the box before she'd relay, [ Copy that, Bullet Time. This is the Aurora Hawk coming in behind you. ]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Chloe Blake"]

He left the speakers on broadband so he could hear the whole flotilla -- some tramp freighters and a handful of Alndys-class exploration corvettes, and didn't that make him nostalgic for his wife on Q-27 -- but switched the transmitter so he could talk solely to Chloe. His voice shifted a little, away from the diction he'd used with Maddox.

"Hey there, Aurora Hawk. Glad you could make it. Know what, take point if you like -- I found a couple good courses through, but my gut says the one we're using could take some refinement. How 'bout you show us them private Oswaft contractor moves?"

 

[Velok the Younger]

Tash-Taral was home to an assortment of hardscrabble villages and a lot of sand. Rave, as it happened, owned a patch of that sand, and a few odds and ends that resided therein. Her tuk'ata uplift project was centered here as much as on the secret world of Kelsier, at Fort Elsa. Tash-Taral had its equivalent to Fort Elsa, an uplift facility surrounded by a prefab village (for those qo'saarai tuk'ata who wanted to learn the way of the galaxy) and a massive patch of ancestral land (for those qo'saarai tuk'ata who wanted to live traditionally). The vessel she'd brought here was a Niathal-class shuttle, Mon Cal-built and nestled into a crevice between tombs and tuk'ata town. Its sensors, too weak to reach the outer edge of the system, would ping her at her location in the field once the Sanctum's ships drew near.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Among the flotilla of exploration craft -- Alndys-class corvettes and personal ships galore -- was one of the former, the Aletheia, commanded by Iara Beorht. Like Maddox and Merrill, she had a good bit of naval command experience, well over a decade in one form or another. Like Merrill, this time around anyway, she was working with a corvette-sized ship. The Alndys-class suited her well enough, a good exploration vessel with solid long-range sensor capabilities. She'd been in command of the Aletheia for close to a year.

 

[Chloe Blake]

AURORA HAWK
[member="Jorus Merrill"]


One crooked grin would transfer in her voice. [ Copy that, Bullet Time. Time to stretch my wings a bit here. ] Now if there was anything that would prompt the Warden another shiver of excitement it was this one.

Navigating through the inky black was in her blood, and it had taken years to get to the level that she was now. There was always room for improvement, her time with the Oswaft certainly taught her that. They made navigating through space as if it were a mere swim through a vast open sea, ever so graceful.

That bit of knowledge combined with the gut instincts provided by the Force and years of skill would come in handy now. This was not going to be a walk in the park by all means. Not with the trails of debris from those comet tails.

"Alright, old girl. Let's see what we got." she'd say to the heavily modified YZ-1200 she called home. Over her nav computer, she'd gather some details. Aye, the over all course was good... but there were places she could potentially use to cut off some time with negligible risk.

[ Taking point.] So she did, thrusters kicking with just enough omph to have the Aurora move on past Bullet Time.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Chloe Blake"]

He listened to his gut before following -- not because he didn't trust her instincts, but because it was his responsibility to know for sure before leading the rest of the flotilla in. For a confusing moment he felt only emptiness, no answer at all, maybe a result of the dark side's strength on Tash-Taral, maybe the result of distraction. Then his instincts kicked in, and he knew her course was sound.

The Bullet Time roared after the Aurora Hawk, and he commed the rest of the flotilla.

"All ships, I've given Captain Blake the lead. Let's see where she takes us."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Another member of the flotilla was sort of an impromptu addition, the Washburn-class freighter that Jethro Merrill (estranged cousin) called home. He wasn't, all things considered, supposed to be here. He'd sort of gotten lost coming out of Filth, made a wrong turn at Tabaqui, and wound up tagging along with some people who looked like they knew where they were headed. Levantine patrollers were loose-knit enough that nobody knew all the ships or all the faces, and he'd recognized the Aurora Hawk. You just didn't forget a ship that ugly helmed by a chiquita that downright pulchritudinous.

So yeah, between staying lost in the deep black and joining some random migration of tramp freighters, with what looked like a few local corvettes' worth of escort, you picked the option that'd keep you alive and give you the option of maybe running into that hot blonde from Polis Massa.

He just hoped they didn't want him to shoot anything. He'd done some engine work, but the Washburn didn't actually have any guns.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Acknowledged, Captain Merrill." Iara clicked off her comm. "Helm, match vectors with the Bullet Time and Aurora Hawk. Adjust at your discretion."

The Aletheia slipped and rolled through dense comets. This far outsystem, they lacked distinct tails. Some natural or artificial process had not only crammed the outsystem with the thickest Oort cloud she'd ever heard of, but also slammed many of the millions of comets into each other, producing nasty debris fields.

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Tiland sat in one of the ships, eyes closed and resting his forehead on his staff. He could feel the Dark Side on this planet, and the danger, strong and beckoning. Honestly, it felt like home. Anzat. He'd tried to avoid planets such as that, but he'd have to face it eventually. Might as well get used to it here. Worst came to worst, they could maroon him on the planet where the harm he could accomplish would be limited.

The idea wasn't appealing, but if it were to become necessary, he would do it. He'd head for the deep catacombs and lose himself in their dark maze until death came to him. Hopefully it would be relatively quick so he wouldn't harm too many.

But for now, he sat quietly waiting to reach the surface, examining the Korriban compass.

 

[Livia Maddox]

"Helm take us point two-two-zero-five, Tactical report."

"Gunners on hand, Captain. We're working with Ops on scanning horizons as per orders Ma'am. So far the sky is clear of potential living threats. If a celestial body gets too close, we've got it locked."

"See that you don't scuff the paint on my new ship, please." Captain Maddox sat back in her Command chair and sipped her mug of hot tea. [member="Ilias Nytrau"] had been right. This tea was amazing! The tea alone had beaten out many of the supplements the Naboo Ex-Pat had been imbibing in the Lords of the Fringe. Glancing out to the skies around her, something unsettled the Captain. Unable to put her finger on it, she pushed the thought aside and dubbed it 'new ship jitters'. This crew hadn't the history with their new Captain, they hadn't bled together, they didn't band together as a band of rebels battling Sith Lords on Chandaar, nor as lonely wanderers following a long-dead King of Royal Houses of Echani and Chandaari to the depths of Tythe and Nelvaan. Having not been there during the Crisis of Nelvaan, nor the disaster at Druckenwell, the crew's senior officers didn't get the chance to see Livia's fall from proud Handmaiden Emeritus to a hobbled, leg-crushed Glitterstim and Ryll addict pulled deeper into her addictions by the unscrupulous denizens of the Fringe. Although not all had been underhanded dealers, the largest stay of Livia's downfall had been her Admiral himself. Manu Xextos would not let the Lady fall. He'd healed her physical addictions as a parting gift and sent her on her way with his dearest living friend.

The friend had been Ilias Nytrau and her new berth had been the Sanctum.

Tabula Rasa, Sikke Vahan be thy name. As [member="Jorus Merrill"] 's communique broke through, Livia put down her tea and waved her hand at her Comm officer. "Open the secure channel, Lieutenant."

"Channel open, Ma'am."

"Thank you." Livia nodded, daring to give the young officer a tight and tiny smile. It was more than the crew of the Vi'Nu had gotten, after the gambit which cost Livia the use of her left leg. "Captain Merrill, on behalf of my mystified Helmsman I give you a world of thanks. I've had to bring an Ensign up from the lower decks to wipe the poor bastard's brow, but all together he's relieved for your coordinates and pathways. How you do that I'll never know. Wish I did. Tactical is reporting no bogies, but they're itching to clear a few celestial bodies if you catch my drift. My Science and Engineering Departments are readying the satellites, once we've made orbit we'll get to work. I'll keep you posted, Sir. Maddox out."

She sliced her finger through the air and the Comm officer clicked off the channel. "Right. Helm, how many stiff drinks will I be buying you when you complete this route without hiccups?"

"A bottle'd be nice, Cap."

"Whiskey or Wine?"

He grit his teeth and shifted the course to follow Jorus' route, white knuckled as a comet drifted by within metres of the hull. "Whiskey! Whiskeywhiskeywhiskey!" He mumbled.

Livia broke out in a snort and shook her head. "Ensign Trelew, get me the Quartermaster."

 

[Nephesh Raivah]

Finding herself ready for this adventure that was on the way. She heard stories upon which her master spoken upon these kind of trips. This would be her first one with which she would partake in. Finding her clothing more of the right choice this time. Learning much in the last few weeks upon how to be more of a what one would call "normal". After all there was more then just learning the force it was learning a whole new way of life.

Looking at her Master [member="Jericho"] with her hand on her hips. Some of her personality still showed through once in a while. "Well, i'm going to see the one running things to see where we are all at.", as she waiting to see if he was coming with her.

After seeing him give his approval, finding herself wondering the very big ship, this one had more sq. feet then her family Mannor back on Sereno. That was for a different time. As she took herself with out even having this one be so much as being shy. As she made her way up to the bridge. Knowing that a ship like this it would be a very long time for now she would stick to handing the little things.

Spotting the Commander of the this most meretricious ship, that she had park her master ship, after all they was going the same way why not save the fuel for another trip.

"How that case of wine, enjoying it yet,", as she give a smile upon her lips as she spotted [member="Livia Maddox"] it was after all a small price to pay.

[member="Tiland Kortun"]

 

[Chloe Blake]

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Livia Maddox"] [member="Tiland Kortun"] @Ia'raklane Beorht [member="Jethro Merrill"]

Was it gut instinct? The Force? A combination of the two amped up with skill? You betcha! When you were flying through these types of treacherous skies, while the Force certainly would help, it was experience that would ensure that this convoy wouldn’t come to unnecessary harm.

[ This is Chloe Blake of the Aurora Hawk, stay close. Ain’t that long from here to dirt-side, but as pretty as those comets look, best not go reaching out to touch ‘em.] her voice would say with notable warm humor.

With that, she would lead the convoy. With as much going on, things were likely to get interesting as they made their way through.

 

[Deagan Hunt]

"Roger that Aurora," came Deagan's drawl, his iconic half grin pasted across his swarthy face basking in the glow of the piloting console. He'd taken up to joining up for this mission for some extra credits, might as well get something shiny out of it too.

Either way, the Aurora Hawk wasn't the only YZ-1200 tossed into this mix. The Valkyrie was heavily modified, previously outfitted for the Rebel Alliance of old as a private military assault craft. Since then, the Zeltron Captain who'd gone AWOL had done some pretty heavy modifying.

And he was looking to get the creds to do more.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

It was funny how Aeron was starting to do more and more independent jobs outside of Protectorate territory. Contracts with Firemane had expanded her reach, and now a days she spent more time in the TIngal Arm than boots on Fondor.

Either way, credits were credits, and the experience enough was good for the telekinetic specialist. It would pave the way for her to test her skills and learned advanced methods.

Who knew what else would come of it. Standing as part of security in on of the ships, the Icarii would check her weapons so she'd be ready for whatever would come.

 

[Mirax]

Mirax sat in one of Arceneau Trade Company's Pathfinder transports, one of the many scouting and expedition groups of salvagers, surveyors, and hyperlane charters in conjunction with Mara Tibx & fuels and Browncoat Industrial.

The Felacatian had recently hired on, most of her work having been done round Ceto. The job with ATC had broadened her horizons, and now she was here, in a frigate headded for some mystical Tash Taral.

At least there was hazard pay involved.

 

[Ezekiel Dashiell]

Right!

"Now where would that swarthy faced cousin of mine be?" ironic coming from the scruffy faced scoundrel of the black sheep of the Dashiell family.

This part of the family was known for getting into trouble, none more than Ezekiel himself. Now, he'd normally wouldn't be in a convoy set with a heavy risk of death, but he was low on cash...

Then he heard that his cousin had opened up a resort. What a great time for a family reunion!

"Blood is, afterall," he'd say, rubbing his scruffy jaw with a notable smirk, " thicker than water."

 

[Livia Maddox]

[member="Chloe Blake"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | @Nephesh Raivah


"Understood, Aurora Hawk. Sikke Vahan will be drifting off your course onto our defence run in 0.2 parsecs. Make sure none of the convoy follows us, or they'll get quite the unexpected ride. Captain Maddox out." Maddox had the message sent to Chloe then let the helmsman take charge over the length of distance until they broke away.

Had this been the Vi'Nu, Nephesh wouldn't have made the Bridge. Had the good Captain Maddox not made the trek to the Levantine Sanctum, Nephesh would have been shunted away by Echani Security Officers silently plying their trade. As it was, Livia brought nothing with her but the clothing on her back and in so doing had found a wealth of salvation.

Nephesh would find herself spotting Captain Maddox at her Command chair, seated with her left leg poised out and mostly straight, her right tucked behind the left's ankle. Back straight, eyes on the officers of her ship, the Captain was propriety and business. She set down her teacup and hazarded a small smile for Nephesh. It couldn't hurt much, could it?

Having a friend.

"Delightful, my dear. I opened a bottle last night at the Captain's Table. My Senior Officers and I enjoyed it thoroughly, the vintage is fantastic for a Cab Sav. Must have been a dry year. I've put most of the case down for another year or so, it'll be liquid sunshine by then. The Quarters we sequestered for your Master and yourself are adequate, I trust?"

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Chloe Blake"]

The Bullet Time could, if pressed, outrace just about any ship around, and as the familiar desire to see new space burned through Jorus' veins, it was all he could do not to surge ahead of the Hawk. He'd discovered this system, but coming and going a couple of times didn't make the place any less new. But he stuck to the Hawk's wake as Chloe wove her way through the Oort shell, and watched his sensors for clear skies and potential hazards.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

The Levantine Sanctum Alndys-class exploration corvette Aletheia -- an egregious mouthful, but one which contributed to post length and word count in pleasing and necessary ways -- followed the Aurora Hawk and the Bullet Time alongside the rest of the flotilla. Though not quite capable of the freighters' speed, the Aletheia kept the pace of the flotilla in general, its few capital guns crushing errant debris into clouds of snow -- superheated ice, to water, to ice again, but this time dissociated.