Trial Runs [Khaleel]

[Boethiah]

Scars marked the battlegrounds of Wayland, here the Primeval took the world from the Mandalorians not too long ago.

A fortress of infamy still stood, once steely--now it's scorched black from the fires of war.

Within its walls, beyond the smell of death and the remnants of war lied secrets and weapons, the very things which the Mandalorians relied on in their struggle. And although all seemed empty, elsewhere scientists, technicians, and soldiers were working on a project to discover the weaknesses of their enemies. One such aspect of thsi project was studying their greatest weapon, the Yslamiri; lizards whose biology allows them to negate the force around them.

Certainly the Primeval had many witches, Sith, and Dark Jedi within their ranks. As long as that fact remained true, these creatures would be their enemy's chosen weapon.

A holocall went out to a starship in orbit, alerting its master that they have permission to land.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

A lone shuttle detached itself from the ship after receiving the clearance necessary to land on Wayland. The planet had been added to the Primeval collective a few weeks ago now and it was still very much restricted when it came to clearance - a fact Khal knew to be true considering his people had been trying to smuggle through the fleets and operatives on the world for quite some time now.

It was a game he played with [member="Anja Aj'Rou"]. Both were useful to each other, both sometimes needed each other’s aid… and both were quite adamant not to show that need until there was no other option left to them.

So they would continue to play this game. Her poking around in his business, trying to figure out how far his reach actually reached within her domain and him trying to circumvent her control without pushing too many boundaries. But every once in awhile they were both left pleasantly surprised and today was no different in this regard with a message received by Khal from Anja.

Aid was needed, and for once Khaleel Malvern - the elusive Crime Lord - was willing to come and see what had to be done.

It didn’t hurt the case that it was on Wayland. The phrik on this world was still relatively… unspoiled, not like other planets out there and there was so much more out there for the enterprising individuals.

The shuttle would eventually land nearby the site of battle, and as Khal stepped out of the shuttle and started to approach Anja’s location? He could practically feel as he entered the field generated by the Ysalamiri - it was as if the Force itself was ripped away from him in that very instance.

Not pleasant, not at all.

Denying the immediate thought of treachery Khal kept on walking. He simply ignored the burning sensation in his chest and mind (where are you?), and finally ended his walk when Anja came into view.

“You asked for me, oh Hostlord?”

 

[Boethiah]

The countless specimen that the Mandalorians left behind were a difficult matter, trying to remove them was nearly impossible.

"This is what nearly lost us our battle," she gazed towards the reptilian creatures. They had no comprehension of their ability, and certainly not why the Mandalorians would utilize them as such in battle. But nonetheless their power had nearly lost the Primeval their war. So it was no surprise that they'd be quick to correct the problem.

War was about evolution, and evolution of tactics came first. If these lizards were a problem then they'd have to be dealt with. The question was how? How do you stop something like this... Getting in close to killing them is difficult. Gasses are impractical and besides that, their cages were likely contained to protect them from such agents. So what they needed was something so scientifically advanced that it went beyond the the point of usual defenses. Whether or not such a countermeasure was possible was irrelevant. They'd try no matter what.

Anja knew Khaleel would try to get something out in return, but she also knew that he saw the danger these creatures posed. Not only to the Primeval, but in the wrong hands what did their gift mean to the galaxy as a whole?

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

“They love their toys, the Mandalorians.” Khal remarked as he came closer and took a look at the reptiles.

They were curious, no inherent aggressiveness and yet they contained an ability that could shake empires if handled right. In this Anja’s wager was quite correct, he would certainly try to get as much out of this as possible, but he saw the threat of the ysalamiri for himself.

He could feel it.

What if one of these things would suddenly pop up during on of the missions he personally attended? What if the Force was suddenly taken away from him while he was manipulating it, it didn’t spell a lot of good options for him, certainly.

“What have your scientists considered already?”

The usual tactic was to get close and start trampling the target. They were fragile creatures - inside the frame was no padding to speak off, it was quite easy in the heat of battle to make one wrong move and lose your valuable defense. At least that was the theory of it… and yet some Mandalorians were able to use jetpacks, roll around the place and generally make a mockery out of the laws of physics without killing their pets.

Maybe gasses? Most likely the frames were isolated against that already, and if they weren’t? They could be real quickly, it was definitely not a permanent solution to the problem.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

For zealots, the Primeval had their own way of thinking outside of the box. Perhaps due to their isolation, they lucked out by having to rely entire on their own minds to develop weapons of war.

"Gasses were deemed too impractical. One suggestion was rather bold... If we could figure out how their brains are engineered, it is possible to create a signal that only affects them. A signal to force their bodies into a state of cardiac arrest." If gasses sounded impractical, then this idea sounded insane. But if it could be done, it wasn't something easily defended against. In fact it would likely be impossible for the enemy to even know what happened.

Of course, in words, it sounded like a particularly fearsome countermeasure, but so far that was all it was; words.

Until a prototype could be made, until they could confirm the possibilities, that idea would have to be taken with a grain of salt. Yet the Primeval would not hesitate to exhaust resources just to see if it was possible. No red tape to hold them down, no laws requiring them to proceed with caution. In essence, Primeval scientists had free reign to experiment and decide for themselves what may or may not work. Only time would tell what the results were and what countermeasures would be possible to produce.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In a Galaxy where men were jumping around in monk robes with plasma sticks.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In a Galaxy where those same men could use an unseen energy field to accomplish unbelievable and sometimes unspeakable feats.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In a Galaxy where space ships the size of small [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]cities[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] roamed the empty void of outer space.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In a Galaxy where guns could shoot bullets, lasers, plasma, sonic waves, atomic radiation and a plethora of other, different ammunition.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In a Galaxy like that… does it really sound so weird to have a sonic device that was synchronized to a particular vibration that would be able to terminate the threat of lizards who somehow could conjure up a field that annihilated the Force within its reach?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Khal did not think so, instead he simply nodded at the suggestion and considered the implications of such a device. In one fell swoop it could eliminate the threat that represented the ysalamiri - back in the day it was a way to keep the Force Masters in check to a degree, but the ysalamiri of today was not the ysalamiri of the past. With lunatics cloning it in mass, establishing breeding farms and generally doing things that nobody ever even [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]thought[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] of?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It was a threat that could not be ignored lightly anymore.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Being able to nullify the threat the ysalamiri represents… a worthy effort.” Khal finally replied softly, musing to himself at the same time. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“I have assets that could aid you. Scientists who aren’t very caught up with things like [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]morality[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] and ethical experimentation.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Anja Aj'Rou"][/SIZE]

 

[Boethiah]

She had hoped Khaleel would be heading down similar avenues elsewhere, he was always on the cutting edge and someone who knew very well the necessity of such projects. Certainly there are some who might question whether or not such a project was even ethical; yet that wasn't a question the Primeval ever asked.

In the end, if something was a problem, any solution was worth pursuing. That is their nature, a nature of science and necessity. Although, his thoughts were more than correct. They presented a threat that went beyond anything they even cared about. Should these creatures adapt further, it could threaten the very fabric of the force itself. What if they evolved in such a way where they eventually were able to feed off of it? Or worse, those who used it.

Some might think it crazy to suggest such possibilities in the future... Yet what if someone took that gene and applied it to supersoldiers? Now that was a scary thought.

So rather than face the possibilities of what might be, Anja aimed to eliminate those possibilities before they ever had a chance to be explored.

"We'll utilize them--this issue is too important to consider anything less."

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Khal had put some assets into working on this particular problem. Not a lot and it wasn’t [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]very[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] far advanced, mostly because he didn’t have a lot of issues encountering ysalamiri in his daily operations. His syndicate wasn’t really that heavy in terms of players utilizing the Force, it was pretty much him on the top and… a few with some little knacks on the side - and nobody really knew him to start with.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]But just as Anja had anticipated, he was a man who liked to be ready for anything. The priority hadn’t been very high on the list, but it had been [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]there[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px], which meant that they would have at least some kind of framework to start it off with.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Instead of having to begin the project with a few assumptions and desires.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Agreed.” the Underlord nodded his affirmation, and took another look at the miri. They were kinda… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]cute[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] in their own way, but they were also a threat.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]And threats had to be eliminated, one way or another.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“We will set up a neutral site where we can combine forces without stumbling over each other’s operation. Deep Space Station outside of any known travel routes to ensure maximum privacy and efficiency in operations.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Anja Aj'Rou"][/SIZE]

 

[Boethiah]

Once this project was underway, it was only a matter of time until they successfully developed a 'winning' product. To subdue these nasty creatures was a task of engineering, to understand the nature behind their ability was too difficult. So rather they'd discover a way to get rid of the nasty things all together. "That is a sound plan, Khaleel. I will direct resources and personnel as necessary, let us hope our efforts lead to success." Those lasts words were truly meant.

If they didn't succeed, it would be wasted effort, but the effort itself was worthwhile. Even if they didn't get what they set out to achieve, they'd still have precious research on these specimen that would provide value in other areas of research. That was assuming there was anything to gain at all, but to assume otherwise was called ignorance.

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Khal nodded once more, before turning around and walking away from the scene. It was imperative that this was handled [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]well[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px], which meant that he would have to handle it himself, coordinate the entire effort from his ship - which would allow him to contact all the various cells that were currently operating in Wild Space. There were a fair bunch of them, most of which had backgrounds that could benefit the investigation into the ysalamiri: scientists with degrees in biology, physics and other types of specialists that could be of service. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The travel back to the ship wasn’t that difficult, he had made sure that his ship wasn’t parked too far away, tapping a few buttons on the mobile device attached to his wrist a platform opened itself in the back of the corvette, allowing entry.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Passing a few droids, some engineers and guards doing their work, Khal finally arrived at his destination. The communications hub that could be considered the nerve centre of his operations across the Galaxy.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.6667px]Heavily encrypted, of course. Gotta be safe with slicers about.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The Underlord initialized the systems, provided the necessary passwords, key phrases, touches and other tests that ensured it was his identity before logging into the network. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It was time to reroute operations.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Anja Aj'Rou"][/SIZE]