Faction Turmoil on Corvus (The Fallen Order)

[T'zarna Khab]

Turmoil on Corvus
Crusade of The Fallen

The Fallen Order had recently finished their mission to Ossus, researching the hidden lore of The Great Jedi Library. While the holocrons are being decoded, and the data deciphered, other targets of opportunity have revealed themselves. Planets near The Auril Sector had become a hotbed of political tensions. With different Imperial remnant states vying for dominance.

Other powers in the region saw the tensions as an opportunity to rise up. Small Jedi-backed rebel bands began harassing governments in the region, bombing transport hubs and ambushing supply units to weaken the hold on their homes. Insolence such as this cannot be allowed to stand.

Intelligence units of The Order have tracked recent attacks back to the planet of Corvus, a planet valuable to our allies. Its mines supply countless worlds with necessary resources. Should we wipe the world clean of dissent, it would no doubt give future rebellions pause.

More importantly, service to the planet of Corvus could prove our worth to other Darksiders. Especially the corporate leaders of Corvus, who could grant us great wealth in return for service. With a union between their Empire and our Order, our rule over the Auril Sector would be one step closer to completion.

Joining our Dark Crusade of Corvus will be an army of our cultists, who we have recruited from nearby systems. While they were not by any means an elite group, their equipment and training is more than sufficient to augment their master’s forces. Clad in black and gold armor, their hordes march in lock-step alongside The Fallen Order. Armed with blades and blasters, they are a collective that moves as one focused unit. As terrifying as they are loyal to their leaders.

The major objective is to make an example of these Jedi and their rebels, and teach them the error of their ways. How they are brought to heel is irrelevant, only that they are subdued. If they become violent, then slaughter them! For The Fallen, until all are one!​

 

[Phyress Vaelor]

The forests of Corvus reminded her of another world. Not because they were the same. Because they weren't. The distinction mattered.

Phyress Vaelor stood motionless upon a moss-covered ridge overlooking the endless canopy below. The ancient trees stretched toward a gray sky, their branches weaving together like grasping fingers. Mist drifted through the undergrowth. Somewhere in the distance wildlife cried out before falling abruptly silent.

Most would have called the world peaceful. Phyress knew better. Nothing in the Force was ever truly quiet. Her dark robes stirred gently in the breeze as she closed her eyes. Beneath her skin, faint bioluminescent markings pulsed once, then faded. They reacted to the currents around her as naturally as breath. A lingering gift from the Nightsisters who had stolen her life and forged something new from the remains.

The forest spoke. Not in words. In impressions. Fear. Confusion. Violence. Something had disturbed the balance here. She inhaled slowly. The scent of damp earth filled her lungs. Beneath it lingered another smell. Smoke. Blaster residue. Blood. Fresh enough.

Her amber eyes opened. "So that is why we're here." The words were barely more than a whisper. Corvus carried scars. Not ancient ones like Ossus. Not forgotten ones buried beneath centuries of dust and myth. Recent wounds. Still bleeding.

Phyress began descending the ridge in silence. Each step was deliberate. Controlled. The same discipline that had once defined Uvara Nyshara still remained beneath everything the galaxy had done to her. The Jedi had taught restraint. The Nightsisters had taught survival. She had learned to keep both.

Ahead, she could sense the others of the Fallen Order spreading across the terrain. Some moved with purpose. Others with curiosity. A few with hunger. She felt no need to join them immediately. Crowds obscured truth. The Force did not.

A flicker brushed against her awareness. Not distant. Not animal. A mind. Frightened. Running. Phyress stopped. Her head tilted slightly. The sensation vanished as quickly as it appeared. Interesting.

Her hand drifted to the orange-bladed lightsaber at her hip. Not a threat. Not yet. But something was unfolding in these forests. Something that had set the Force itself on edge.

The former Jedi turned her gaze deeper into the wilderness. A faint smile touched her lips. Predatory. Patient. "Show me."

And with that, Phyress Vaelor disappeared into the trees, following the disturbance wherever it might lead.

• Location: The Blackwood Expanse, Corvus
• Objective: Investigate the Source of the Disturbance
• Company: T'zarna Khab | OPEN

 

[Elyndrella]

Location: Blackwood Expanse, Corvus
Mission Objective:

• Investigate the source of the disturbance.

Tag: T'zarna Khab Phyress Vaelor

There were threats moving in the midst of the hive. A disturbance had slowed the progress of the Dark Crusade of Corvus. Reports which Elyndrella had read earlier in the day had indicated that there were trained enemy Force wielders active within the vast, dark forests of the Blackwood Expanse. Accounts of the enemy Force wielders had been mixed, but all held a common denominator in describing pale, sightless figures who wielded blades of fire whilst dancing among the shadows of the ancient trees.

To Elyndrella, they could not be anything but the Jedi.

However, before a true hunt could begin, there first needed to be an investigation into the nature of the threat. And that necessitated an expedition into the depths of the Blackwood Expanse.

Elyndrella floated gracefully onto the moss-covered ridge just behind Phyress, her sharp, photoreactive Quendeshi eyes easily piercing through the gloom of the undergrowth. Ahead and below, the cultists and Dark Jedi of the Fallen Order spread out across the terrain. All the while, Elyndrella fell silent as Phyress extended her senses outward; The Gorathi’s bioluminescent markings pulsed, then dimmed.

Elyndrella fixed Phyress with a wide-eyed stare, her head cocked slightly to the side as she searched the witch’s expression for any clues regarding what she might have felt.

Her amber eyes opened. "So that is why we're here." The words were barely more than a whisper. Corvus carried scars. Not ancient ones like Ossus. Not forgotten ones buried beneath centuries of dust and myth. Recent wounds. Still bleeding.

“What is it?” Elyndrella's question came soft and lilting, breaking the hush as Phyress started her way down the ridge. The Quendesh moved to follow her, but rather than climbing, she chose to float down from the elevated perch, letting herself be guided, but not controlled by gravity in the process.

“Is it the Jedi? Where are they?” She asked in an airy, excited tone, her small feet brushing the forest floor as she did. Without waiting for an answer, she fell into step behind Phyress, following the witch into the depths of the forest!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Assimilation Shroud
  
  • Arms
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Forearm Vibroblade Mk. II - R Wrist
• Unity Halo
• FAE/MDE-01-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Thermal Explosive (4)

 

[Kali'ka]

​

Tag: T'zarna Khab Phyress Vaelor Elyndrella

The air along the forest floor didn't stir, it clung with a smothering dampness. Raven black hair hung limp, strands sticking to her face. Kali'ka had abandoned her robes for some relief, bundling them at her back. But the skin beneath her leathers remained clammy with sweat. Only her bared arms and part of her chest, bronze skin covered in ink, enjoyed the faintest relief as her movement created a smidge of cooling evaporation.

She was one of the small number of Dark Jedi tasked to scout unguarded, and unhindered, by the armored cultists. Others, her comrades, she knew were out there, Phyress and Elyndrella the nearest, from her calculations. Kali'ka tread through the underbrush, pausing to brush her hands across the craggy bark of an ancient tree, or caress the gritty, mossy surface of a rock outcropping. With each touch, she seduced from the landscape the secrets they held, the things that had transpired around them.

The fallen jedi's mind was teased with images and impressions. Wildlife engrossed in survival, and procreation, the toppling of a dead tree no longer able to stand. And shadows. No dark shadows caused by failing light, but pale ones, sentient, with all-white eyes. They never seemed to stop moving. And they carried a familiar object. The metalic hilt that could only be one thing.

The images were fresh, thier direction betrayed as tree by tree, rock by rock, even by the carcass of a dead animal, the shadows' path was revealed. Kali'ka's pace quickened, sensing her sisters' awareness ripple in the Darkness.

 

[T'zarna Khab]

Turmoil on Corvus
Crusade of The Fallen

Many of the scouts had already made their first kills for the day a small skirmish with the rebel vanguard. It was a precursor to the violence the day promised for later. Many of the rebels were wearing basic clothing, sometimes augmented with armor from a forgotten Alliance. The surprise and force augmentation of the Dark Jedi made the first skirmish child's play. But it was not the sport many craved, that hunt would come later.

Kali'ka would soon gain sight of a small group of soldiers sitting around a campsite. It was not quite clear what they were doing at first, until they moved tarps and camouflage netting away. They were distributing weapons to local workers, but not run of the mill basters, rather these were modern military-grade weapons! Automatic blasters, mortars, rockets, all the like meant to assist them in their defense of Corvus.

With Phyress Vaelor and Elyndrella there was a whisp of The Force was unmistakable, a Jedi was close. They moved deftly through the underbrush, though there was a sense that perhaps the hunters were the ones being led into the snare. It was not an incorrect notion to have in mind...

Ahead of the two, they could sense the presence of the light, bright as day in the background of The Dark Side, a single Jedi sitting alone. She was a tall Korun woman with short, frizzy hair. Her eyes opened as a breeze blew past the two Dark Jedi. She scowled with a seriousness that befitted her history as a hardened warrior.

"You're still able to leave, I'd consider turning back now. This planet isn't your home, there's no sense in dying here," Master Kessara said as she stood from the meditation circle. It was something she did as a matter of course, knowing The Fallen Order wouldn't turn back now. She drew her blue lightsaber with a flourish, exhaling softly before continuing. "Come then."

Both parties would soon clash with their targets, the battle was going to set in motion the fate of Corvus for years to come. Subjugation or Liberation, that was what hung in the balance over the flames of war.​

 

[Phyress Vaelor]

The disturbance became clearer with every step. Phyress moved through the Blackwood Expanse with measured confidence, amber eyes scanning the undergrowth while her awareness stretched far beyond what sight could provide. The forest whispered around her. Fear. Anticipation. Violence waiting to be born.

Elyndrella's voice broke the silence. "What is it? Is it the Jedi?"

Phyress hummed softly. "Not only Jedi." The answer came without explanation at first. There were too many signatures moving through the forest. Some bright. Some dim. Some hidden. The Force around them felt unsettled, disturbed by more than a single presence.

Her glowing markings pulsed faintly beneath her skin. "There is something else ahead. Strange. Displaced." Whether it was a person, an object, or merely a ripple left behind by another Force wielder, she could not yet determine.

"We continue." There was no hesitation in her voice. The hunt had already begun. As they pressed deeper into the trees, another familiar presence brushed against her senses from the east. A faint smile touched her lips.

Kali'ka.

The Fallen Jedi moved parallel to their path, tracking the same quarry through her own methods. Typical. Different routes. Same destination. Between Kali'ka, Elyndrella, the Hive-Mother, and herself, Phyress doubted there was much in these woods capable of truly threatening them.

Then the light appeared. Bright. Defiant. Waiting. Phyress slowed. Her eyes narrowed as the Korun woman rose from her meditation circle. A Jedi. Not hiding. Not fleeing. Waiting.

The witch felt a flicker of annoyance. Had her mist failed to reveal this one? Or had she simply underestimated how well the Jedi concealed herself?

Perhaps this was the quarry T'zarna sought. Perhaps not. The warning earned nothing more than a quiet exhale from Phyress. "This planet is not yours either."

Her gaze never left the Jedi. The blue blade ignited. Predictable. Yet something about the encounter felt wrong. Too convenient. Too exposed. A lure.

The realization came moments before she felt it. Others. Closing. Moving through the forest beyond sight. Watching. Waiting. The true threat had not yet shown itself.

Phyress reached into the Force. Not words. Intent. A silent suggestion flowing outward toward both Elyndrella and Kali'ka.

<Barrier.>
<Containment.>
<Hold the line.>

The message carried images rather than commands. Interlocking positions. A narrowing corridor. No avenue of escape. Then another thought.

<T'zarna.>
<Space.>

The Hive-Mother did not need assistance defeating a single Jedi. She needed room to work. Phyress slid one foot back, her hand settling lightly upon the hilt at her waist as she watched the Korun warrior. The Jedi was not the center of this trap. Merely the bait. And somewhere in the shadows beyond her, something else was preparing to strike.

"Do not overcommit," she warned quietly to her sisters. Her orange blade snapped to life. "If they wanted us here..." The forest suddenly felt very still. "...let us see why."

• Location: The Blackwood Expanse, Corvus
• Objective: Investigate the Source of the Disturbance
• Company: T'zarna Khab | OPEN
• Dialogue key: ”Spoken word” - <Force Telepathy>

 

[Elyndrella]

Location: Blackwood Expanse - Corvus
Mission Objective:

• Investigate the source of the disturbance.

Tag: T'zarna Khab Phyress Vaelor Kali'ka

Elyndrella felt a wisp of the Light Side shifting in her vicinity, its grotesque radiance brushing against her senses like a repulsive odor. An enemy was near. However, whether or not they were the enemy they sought, remained yet to be seen. Still, even with her somewhat deficient metaphysical senses, the Fallen Zeison Sha felt the Light Side’s repulsive glow, nearly causing her to flinch away in disgust.

She steeled her nerves and pressed on after the witch, taking note of Kali'ka moving alongside their path in the process.

Not even a moment later, a small clearing with a meditation circle inscribed at its center opened up before the two Fallen. A brown-skinned woman clad in the vestments of a Jedi rose to meet them. She was tall, with a powerful build and short, curly hair that shifted lightly in the breeze. Her features were set in a hard scowl which read to Elyndrella as a blend of contempt and hard-won combat expertise.

She knew immediately that even if this Jedi was not the true enemy they were after, she would still be a dangerous, capable foe.

The witch spoke after the Jedi’s demand. Then, Elyndrella added her own words.

“This planet will belong to all of us, once the Fallen Order has taken it. Unity will be achieved, Jedi,” she spoke in a tone that was soft and girlish, yet flowing with a melodic certainty that sliced through the air as a blade wrapped in silk. All the while, her discblade floated into her waiting grasp, primed to strike at a moment’s notice.

“With, or without you!”

Elyndrella attacked without further preamble, her discblade ripping through the air at blinding velocity while the Fallen Zeison Sha hovered with her feet lingering just a few centimeters above the ground. She felt the witch’s telepathic suggestions settle within her mind, clarifying her responsibility: contain the fight, end the threat, and avoid overcommitting.

For something else might yet stir in the shadows nearby, which she dared not ignore!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Assimilation Shroud
  
  • Arms
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Forearm Vibroblade Mk. II - R Wrist
• Unity Halo
• FAE/MDE-01-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Thermal Explosive (4)