Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2022 13:02:10 GMT -8
~Progressing inwards to the left most arm, the pair of ships moved a ways into the hangars, following directions to an open landing zone. Their arrival was already relayed to the docking teams and a team was already approaching to begin unloading the supplies. As the ship landed, Lenoka moved from the cockpit to the boarding ramp, descending it the moment it was down. None of the crew remained behind as the security within the hangars by the Jinn Cabal ensured all who came here at least had a piece of mind that others wouldn't try to rip them off and steal their ships. As the crew split up to enjoy their time here, Lenoka and Zec made their way for a specific location.
Reaching a small bar, the duo entered, taking a look around. It certainly wasn't flashy as some nightclubs that were present, nor very elegant. And it wasn't meant to be any of those things. Considering the individual who ran it, it was a place of business. Looking around, her eyes found the man who held charge here, sitting up a level enjoying his drink while chatting with another man. She gave a smirk before heading that way. Always doing business it seemed.
Just before they reached the larger booth they sat at, the person the man was talking to got up and moved further in. Stepping to the side, the man passed before putting a hand on her hip.~
"Well, keeping busy, I see, Commander Heart."
~Looking up from his drink, his eyes fixed upon the Pantoran before rolling his eyes.~
"If I've told you once, I'll told you a hundred times. Don't bring that Commander stuff to me. I may have joined up with your crew and leading the transport teams, but that doesn't mean you can go around calling me by that title. Almost makes me not want to drink" He then motioned for the pair to take a seat. "Business keeps coming, that's for sure. If it isn't us taking on a transport job, its the bar keeping patrons coming in. Knowing their is a place where one can drink and do business tends to attract a crowd. Quieter and you know you can look around for prospects instead of finding them in the regular joints. And knowing others can run their businesses here for free makes it easier to pull them in. Still, we do get most of the business. From the ships I lead now to being able to call on the others for additional protection, many know who to count on."
~The two took a seat as a server brought drinks around.~
"I'm glad to know you've been making effective use of your position. We may be pirates, but to run the organization I've built, we must always be finding income from all locations. Its why I let each team to do as they please to keep the credits flowing. So long as everyone remembers who is in charge and come when I call, everyone is free to do as they wish. I'm just fortunate to have located you and that you agreed to join. So a toast to our growing success."
~Lifting her glass the trio toasted the growth of the Consortium. From there other business and casual conversation continued on.~ |
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Darth Akrak
Blackguard Imperium
Preparing for a raid.
Posts: 85 
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium
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Post by Darth Akrak on Aug 23, 2022 15:26:19 GMT -8
DemonsgateThe Necrosis emerged from hyperspace, followed by the ships that had formerly been for a raiding fleet. Having replaced his losses after the failed raid, Akrak had been sent on an assignment for the Sith'ari. An assignment to which he had decidedly not pursued. Rather than continue to be the Zabrak's errand boy, Akrak stole some encrypted files. Most of them had been useless. But one of them had indicated locations of several vaults that the Sith'ari had intended to build. While most had been abandoned before they had even begun construction, one Vault had been completed. On Exocron, Akrak had raided the Sith'ari's vault, stealing relics, artifacts and holocrons. Nothing overly special. But a scroll containing the location of one of the Sith'ari's hidden cloning facilities had been recovered. Which presented Akrak with an opportunity. Either cripple the Sith'ari's plans for the clones, or utilize them and turn them against him. He hadn't decided which idea was better. Upon arriving in orbit over a world known as Demonsgate, Akrak issued orders."Commander, bring us close. Var Attrah, you have the helm in my absence. Mitra, come. It's time to see what the Sith'ari has planned for his clones..."Beneath his helm, he grinned. If he turned these clones to suit his needs, he'd be able to challenge the Sith'ari and potentially claim the throne of the Imperium. Which was a very tempting prospect. Very tempting indeed...but nothing was set in stone until he and his soon to be apprentice explored the facility and discovered the fate of these clones...with Mitra in tow, Akrak departed the bridge and the two made their way down to the hangar bay. Not long after, the two Sith would be riding in a shuttle down to the planet's surface...
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Darth Akrak
Blackguard Imperium
Preparing for a raid.
Posts: 85
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium
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Post by Darth Akrak on Aug 23, 2022 16:07:13 GMT -8
Landing outside the facility, which was built into the base of a volcano, was fairly nondescript. The entrance looked to be an older Imperial prefab building. Disembarking the shuttle, Akrak and Mitra strode to the doors. Hissing open, the interior of the building was massive. Utilizing a natural cave behind the prefab, the blackened rock had been carved away enough to accommodate a laboratory. Lava flows decorated the room, as the rest of the equipment had been placed around them. It was hot, but surprisingly not as hot as one expected. Though it did little to bother Akrak. Continuing forward, he scanned the interior. Several of the cloning tanks had been destroyed. Either crushed under falling debris, or melted to slag by a new lava flow. But one did remain. Approaching the cylindrical tank, Akrak looked over the specimen inside. A Zabrak male, covered in identical red and black tribal tattoos as the Sith'ari was. This particular clone, however, had both hands replaced, as well as his torso, from the waist down. Instead, he was outfitted with incredibly high end looking cybernetics. Without taking his eyes off the clone's body, which was curled up in the fetal position, Akrak spoke to Mitra.
"Activate the cylinder."
Moments later, after Mirta found a working console, electrical pulses were sent through the electrodes attached to the clone's body and the fluid began to drain from the tank. As the body unfurled from the fetal position, Akrak was completely and totally unprepared for what happened next...
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Kurōn
Member
Reborn Again!
Posts: 83
Affiliation: Unknown
Traffic Light: Red
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Post by Kurōn on Aug 23, 2022 17:16:57 GMT -8
Flashes of light, memories and visions danced within the mind of the slumbering clone. Intense anger and pain, the sense of loss, of triumph. Everything swirled within his mind, though it didn't feel like his own thoughts. The exact moment in which he began to exist and differentiate himself from the foreign memories was unclear. But he was here now. Though everything felt strange. Like this wasn't his body. Like it was meant to be elsewhere. It nagged at the back of his mind. He was supposed to be a powerful and feared being. Hated and respected, all at once. I am the Sith'ari! No, that didn't seem right? That was the other presence within, the suppressed one. He was the dominant one. This was all his, not the other's. My name is Viox Savage and I am the Black Emperor! Again? No. That couldn't have been true. Who ever or whatever the Black Emperor was, it wasn't him. Am I Xander? No. That name brought immense anger and hatred. We are not him. I am not him. I am...me...? Is that right? Whatever he was, he wasn't any of those things. Names and faces flashed through his mind. Vladimir? No. That is the brother to him. Venom? No. Former pupil. Vasari? No. Another pupil. Larissa? No. Sadness and a great sense of loss accompanies that name. We loved that one. Or, he did. I do not. Everything was a mess. Nothing made complete sense as he was bombarded with names, faces, memories associated with them. Great battles were fought, right before his eyes, though he never moved. It was strange, but some of it actually made sense. I want to conquer! I want to attain the unattainable. I crave power! Those things seemed true. At least to him. And the other one seemed to agree. There was also these strange whispers, associated with the other one. Familiar yet very foreign at the same time. Who or what were they? They were unimportant. Or were they? He cannot function without them anymore. But I can. They do not hold sway over my mind like his. Then there was a gnawing, draining sensation. Blackness, but all consuming. It hungered for him. But he would not go. Perhaps the other would, but he would not. The void beyond the black was empty. Barren. Desolate. No, that was not his purpose. The other's purpose may have laid beyond, but not his. What is my purpose? I cannot answer that, for I do not know. The other one seemed to have a great purpose. But I am not him and he is not me. I shall find a purpose.Who said that? Not me. I do not know if I can. Something prevents me from...speaking? Everything was jumbled. Twisted. Finding the right words was difficult. And then a jolt coursed through him. What was that? It...hurt. And then another, and another. Becoming more constant. It felt as though he was waking up. The other one in here wants out, but I have control, he does not. As the electricity coursed through him, everything began to wake up. Muscles moved, involuntarily at first, though with some guidance, he moved them. Eyes opened. Everything was blurry. Distorted. Hands clenched and unclenched. Hearts began beating faster. Anger coursed through him...Feeling a strange sensation flow through him, all he knew was that it needed to be expelled away from him. With one almighty push, there was a loud crash. And the sound of a voice could be heard. His voice, not the other one. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, he lunged forward and impacted with something solid and cold. It was armor. Swinging wildly, his fists connected with something solid. And pain shot through him. Letting out an angry roar, he pushed with the strange sensation again. There was a loud crash as something fell. Breathing heavily, taking in the sweltering heat, an audible SNAP-HISS was heard. A lightsaber. Still partially blinded from the tank's liquid, he hunched down, preparing to strike again. The buzzing hum whizzed past his left ear, and the extreme heat with it. Reaching out and grabbing something cold and solid, he twisted and pushed. A surprised "Oof" was heard and the buzzing of the lightsaber stopped. It was hot and his hearts were racing. Quickly rubbing his eyes and shaking his head to clear his vision, it finally cleared. Dark, lava scorched rock and brilliant orange streams greeted his eyes. Looking around, an armored being was on the ground several feet in front of him, and the other was laying on the ground several feet off to his right. Neither moved. Slowing his breathing, and his beating hearts, he looked around. Aside from the tank he had just emerged from, plus several others that were buried, the room they were in was nothing more than a cave."Where am I?"His throat burned and his voice cracked, but the words escaped his lips. A familiar sound, yet foreign to his own ears. Whatever, that wasn't important right now. Relaxing a little, he looked around again, trying to clear his head and think. Before he could, a holographic image appeared before him.I am Viox Savage, Sith'ari to the Blackguard Imperium and leader of the Zabrak clan, Clan Savage. I have prepared this as a contingency that is unexpected, but not unforeseen...as planned, I have created multiple clones of myself. Something to contain my essence, given the rapidly decaying state of my current body and mind. It is a temporary solution, but an effective one. It staves off the rot from within and the accompanying madness, for a time. If you are hearing this, you have awoken earlier than anticipated. You will be disoriented and confused. While I cannot predict the possibilities of why you are awake ahead of schedule, I will do my best to guide you.Watching the way the skeletal looking man moved and spoke, he listened. A clone? Woken up before schedule? What was all this? But before any of the questions that were left swirling in his mind could be voiced or answered, the image continued to speak.I have integrated a shard of my A.I's matrix into this message, making it a sort of interactive guide. While it is incapable of interacting with the environment around it, it is capable of interacting with my physiology. And it is capable of limited verbal interactions. But before I get to that, whatever the reason you are awake, I would suspect that my foreseen demise has finally transpired. Either I am dead or soon will be. Despite this, you can assume my mantle. And I am willing to help you attain it, so long as you follow my instructions. Located to the left of the cloning cylinder, is a small chest. Inside it are clothes and a lightsaber. Take them.Rather than question it, he turned and moved over to the chest. Opening it revealed a tunic and cloak, as well as a double-bladed lightsaber hilt. Disregarding the tunic, he donned the belt from the tunic and and cloak. Grabbing the saber hilt, he clipped it to his belt. Turning back to the hologram, he spoke."What next?"Without missing a beat, the hologram continued speaking.Remove this projector from its cradle and take it with you. It will prove useful.Without hesitation, he stepped towards the projector and picked it up. The image wavered and shrank down to a much smaller size.Upon interaction with the projector, it has analyzed your DNA. You will now be able to interact with this image. It's capabilities are limited to direct interaction with you and you alone. It cannot interact with the environment. Think of it as a...virtual intelligence. Now. I would imagine that whatever dangers are lurking near by have not been dealt with accordingly. Proceed outside and take whatever ship you can find. Don't worry, you'll know how to pilot it.Letting out a sigh, he glanced around once more. The bigger armored being as beginning to move. It was time to go. Rather than arguing with a holo, he did as told and proceeded outside. As the doors parted, a shuttle was revealed. Climbing up the ramp, he moved to the cockpit. The controls were surprisingly familiar. With little difficulty, the shuttle was powered up and rose up off the ground. Tossing the holo projector onto the copilot's seat, he piloted the craft skyward.Once you are in orbit, proceed to these coordinates.The image of a skeletal man in loose fitting robes was replaced with a set of coordinates. Wasting no time, he input them into the navicomputer as the shuttle cleared the planet's atmosphere. Moments later, it disappeared into hyperspace...
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Darth Akrak
Blackguard Imperium
Preparing for a raid.
Posts: 85
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium
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Post by Darth Akrak on Aug 28, 2022 14:01:37 GMT -8
One moment, the cylinder containing a clone of the Zabrak Sith'ari was being activated, the next, he was being tossed to the ground by a significant telekinetic push. A surprise, certainly, given his sheer size and weight. Though being a clone of the Sith'ari might have contributed to this clone's natural strength. Landing heavily, crashing through a console and empty cylinder, Akrak hit the floor hard and was rendered unconscious. Faelare, on the other hand, watched her mentor get tossed across the room by a blinded being. Drawing her saber hilt, she ignited the blade and charged forward, not reading the opponent's reaction beforehand. Swinging out, at an upward slash, from hip to shoulder, her blade just missed the clone. Before she could react, however, he had already reached out and grabbed her wrist. Using his momentum and weight to counter hers, she was tossed over his shoulder and onto the ground hard...and that was that. Unconscious.*
*However long it had been, Akrak began to regain consciousness. Rolling over onto his side and pushing himself up to his feet, he scanned the room. The clone was gone. Faelare was on the other side of the room, beginning to stir herself. How had a clone taken both of them out so easily? He hadn't been expecting trouble, that much was certain. And he was made at himself for letting his guard down. That would be the last time he did that. His own arrogance and pride couldn't cost him like that in the future.
"Let's go, Faelare. We're done here."
He motioned to his pupil as she clambered to her feet and retrieved her saber hilt. Walking through the exit doors, Akrak was hardly surprised to see his shuttle was missing. Though that did little to ease his mood. Opening a comm channel with his ship in orbit, he spoke.
Var Attrah, send another shuttle down to the surface...obviously it wasn't me, if I'm requesting another one...no. Out.
Turning to Faelare as he joined him, he scoffed at her.
"Not a word of this to anyone. We were caught off guard by a devious foe. Nothing more."
The student merely nodded in agreement.
"What have we set free upon the galaxy, though...an ally or an enemy...?"
Gritting his teeth beneath his helmet, he couldn't help but wonder the same. Viox Savage was a devious and masterful manipulator. And one who care little for collateral damage. If his clone was even remotely like him, all they'd have to do was follow the trail of bodies to find him...though they needed to know where he went in the first place, in order to pick up a trail...
"Until we find him, it doesn't matter. He'll either ally with us or serve as a useful distraction..."
Replied Akrak to his student, stepping towards the shuttle as it arrived and landed. Climbing on board, with Fae in tow, the two Sith would be back on board the ship in short order. And then they'd be on their way. There was no reason to linger here.
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Post by Esthh Krazhmir on Jan 23, 2023 19:24:11 GMT -8
Engebo V – A world in the Outer Rim that was at one time strip mined and abandoned, later being colonized for the purposes of nerf ranching.
A pair of Matalok cruisers dropped out of hyperspace and moved into a low stationary orbit above the planet below. It was a nondescript planet. Scars from strip mining could be seen from orbit in the shape of strange and unnatural formations. The planet however did not have the typical brown or red of exposed dirt, some of rock, but the planet’s plant life seemed to have taken over and at least covered the bare dirt.
Esthh stared at the planet for a moment before looking again at the sensor readings of the matalok, finding lots of plant life, but no animal life, at least not in large herbivorous herds that might be expected from a planet without sentient life.
“What are we looking for here sir?”
“A creature that burrows through the ground and eats all animal life. It is called a Skekfish."
The captain looks at the readings.
“I don’t see any indication of animal life here. If it eats all animal life it certainly has done a good job. How could a creature that needs animal life to survive...survive if it eats everything...hibernation perhaps?”
Esthh nodded.
“That is what I am hoping. Otherwise it could be a long wait...a wait for nothing. Lets head down and start looking. Maybe the bones of the...long dead will reveal something.”
The mataloks dropped lower into the atmosphere to land.
On the surface warriors spread out and began searching, finding little. Esthh found himself kneeling on one knee to examine weathered bones partially covered in the dirt, sunk down over time, barely visible for the swaying grasses. The bones looked to be of a species called nerf, a grazing animal kept for food and other useful things like milk or hide. The bones showed peculiar markings however. Almost perfectly cylindrical holes, or crescents near the edges of the bones, not large, but certainly not natural to the animal. It was difficult to tell exactly what it was that had caused the damage. The creatures might have been here...and might not have. It was an indication in the positive. He stood.
“Continue searching.”
Later Esthh found himself in the matalok in the shapers area of the ship. He conversed with the lead shaper as he bid his vambraces to pull back, allowing his shapers appendages to reach out from his forearms.
“What progress?”
The shaper bowed to him.
“We have stable embryos for lobel, and the growing germ of beldon, developing eggs of gralloc, conduit worms, exogorth, and stone mites. We are beginning to enhance and isolate the features of each. It will take a number of modifications to achieve the goals set forth.”
“Understood. I know it may take time and large numbers of generations to achieve the goals. Are the goals possible. That is my question.”
He reached out and tasted the samples carefully, his mind drinking in the information
The shaper nodded. “We believe so. We have been creating genetic maps and stages in order to create the possible integrations. We will know more after each stage is reached what our next steps will be. Isolating and beginning enhancement, rapidly forced evolution will show us what we can achieve and improve upon. We believe we are on the right track however.”
“Excellent. What other resources do you need?”
“Time is the biggest thing and...more space. Some of these creatures grow quite large, and others dangerous.”
“I will see what can be done. Varonat may be the best place to continue on a larger scale. I will have grashals grown to suit the purpose.”
“Thank you commander.”
Esthh nodded and looked over the notes that had been made before heading to his quarters.
Esthh awoke to his communication creature jarring him awake.
“What is it?”
::We have found the creatures sir, we are being attacked. We have six warriors down already! They are coming out of the ground in formation, flying...or at least propelled.::
“Do what you can.” The officer’s light visage acknowledged and dissolved.
Esthh leapt up and ran for the cargo hold shouting orders, grabbing a pair of dovin basals on his way out of the ship. The scene that greeted him was of minor chaos. Burnished small torpedo shapes leapt out of the ground in small formations towards knots of soldiers to had shifted back to back slicing at their miniature attackers with their amphistaffs, the small creatures moving almost as fast as thud bugs, merely blurs flashing out of the ground. The animals tactics was startlingly affective and screams of the wounded could be heard at the sudden unexpected pain as the burnished creatures seemed to burrow through their bodies with almost no loss in velocity. Others glanced off of vonduun crab armor.
He tossed one of the dovin basals at one of the knots of soldiers and knelt with his, quickly provoking the creature into wakefulness. The timing was in no part perfect, fate or accidental he looked up to see six of the creatures in front of moving slowly through air right in front of him. He stepped back and pulled his amphistaff, slashing through the first creature as its head started to move out of the inhibition field. The fight started to shift quickly as inhibition fields went up and the creatures speed was lost to the inhibition fields. It didn’t go without losses though as warriors were hit from the side or behind, but the attacks began to dwindle. As more dovin basals were deployed the tide turned faster and faster. Finally Esthh and the other warriors found themselves standing, well mostly standing, amid black blood sprayed ground and parts of dead and dying creatures. The warriors that had been hit where the armor had not protected them, and even the armor hadnt always worked when a skekfish had hit squarely enough, showed incredibly clean cuts from them, leaving round or crescent shaped injuries that looked identical to the damage on the old bones.
The commanding warrior came over to him.
“What happened?”
The warrior addressed him.
“They came out of nowhere sir. The first warning we had was them bursting out of the air at us in groups. They were so fast!”
Esthh looked around. “Well there isnt much to do now. Help the shapers collect samples and get the wounded into the ship. After tha-”
“They are in the ship!”
Esthh whirled around as a burnished metal color came flashing out of the ship and back into the soil. A neat almost spherical hole neatly carved out of the yorik coral hull.
“Evacuate!” Esthh growled as he grabbed half a metallic fish and rushed to the ship, leaving the dovin basal on the ground. The warriors and shapers turned into a pandemonium as everyone grabbed what they could, wounded, weapons, bits of skekfish, and ran for the ship.
Esthh sprinted into the ship screaming into his comm creature, “Get the ships off the ground! Start tracing damage and get rid of those things!”
By the time he got the to the bridge the mataloks were a hundred meters off the ground and climbing and the captain and warriors were tracing damage and where the skekfish had struck and moved through the ship.
“Report!”
The captain looked in his direction, his eyes hidden by the cognition hood.
“We are tracking 16 traces through the ship. The damage is mostly straight line and run through the most organic portions of the ship. There is extensive damage to some symbiots. All repairable. It appears that most of the creatures have left the ship, inhibitor fields are being set up to contain the stragglers.”
Esthh pulled a cognition hood on and called up the damage. It was impressive. The skekfish had punched through some of the thickest portions of yorik coral on the ship. The systems involved were critical, but nothing that couldn’t heal. It seemed too that the ships were out of leaping height now. He turned his mind to the important question…how had this happened? There was nothing that could be detected before, but the warrior on the ground had said they came out of the ground...but where had they come from… He ordered the ship to do a density check of the ground, highly detailed around where the ships had landed. He had his answer. Small traces in the soil started to create lines in the soil, disturbed and not packed as dense...traces that ran in parallelish lines...burrowing paths, like the tracks of worms. He ordered the biots to trace the lines back out of its current area. Quickly he had his answer. There had been bones that had been half buried, and the lines originated there, tracing back several other directions all to similar locations. Nests. It had to be nests. Eggs laid and then abandoned until a new food source once again appeared. A boom and bust circadian rhythm. He wondered...he expanded the search hoping to find more nests, but the biots were unable to locate for certain any nests. Even terrain mapping and density mapping came up with nothing. He pulled off the cognition hood and headed for the shaper quarters.
He walked the hallway, the ships holding position a kilometer off the surface until the ships could be made space ready. The damage that these creatures had created was fantastic. It could potentially have cost him the ship, ships. Very nearly his entire force. He had never imagined that such creatures would have such a damaging effect in such a short time. He stepped through the portal and up to the head shaper who nodded to him. A skekfish in two pieces lay on the examining polyp in front of him.
“Prepare the tracking beetles. Give them the sent. I will deliver you nests of eggs.” [span style="color:#ffcc01;"]He gestured to the specimen in front of him. [/span]“What have you learned?”[/font]
The Shaper gestured to the skekfish in front of him.
“It has microscopic bladed scales and very fine musculature that oscillates at high but variable pitch. The animal essentially swims through solid matter, even apparently...yorik coral. A most disturbing proposition, but also promising. Soil or rock does not seem to matter as the creature seems to be capable of shifting its oscillating rhythm harmonics to match the material resonance and essentially shake it apart in order to swim through it. It is a mix of silicone and carbon and needs both in order to live. I imagine that is why it so violently attacks carbon based life forms. It has no eyes or other sensory organs externally per say, it seems to navigate and detect vibration, but this is only a guess until I have time to do a detailed analysis. These specimens seem to be adults, if young.” He turned back to Esthh. “I will have a detailed examination for you in an hour and the tracking beetles will be ready to be released.”
Esthh nodded. “Good I will have hibernation pods prepared for the eggs so that you can work on them at your leisure and discover all of the secrets. I would prefer some extra safety protocols for this creature.”
The shaper nodded.
“As would I. Everything will be in readiness in an hour.”
The shaper was as good as his word and in three hours warriors had gone down to dig up the clusters of eggs, filling the hibernation pods with dirt and material from the nests that the tracking beetles had clustered at, after they had been infused with the skekfish’s scent. They didn’t tarry long, they were given a 1 hour time frame, which calculating the time that they had landed against the time they had been attacked, should give between 12 and 23 hours of safety cushion. There were no other further events, but Esthh did have the sensors pointed at the dig sites to see what happened. It happened 24 hours after the warriors had touched down. Young but adult skekfish lines scattered away from the nest from eggs that had slipped through the warriors tools.
Esthh watched a few moments longer before giving the order to depart. The yorik coral had filled in and sealed, and the injured biots had been healed by the shapers. The mataloks moved into space and then when they were far enough away, leapt to hyperspace.
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Viox Savage
Blackguard Imperium
"You want the same as me. My redemption, eternal ascension. Setting me free."
Posts: 2,938
Affiliation: Sith Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Viox Savage on Feb 13, 2023 16:21:41 GMT -8
SumpIt had finally happened. The Blackguard Imperium had collapsed. Abdicating the Throne had created the chaos intended. Through the infighting, Viox's escape, and the conflict against the then Jen'ari, Darth Znalost, the Imperium could not maintain its spanning infrastructure and ultimately collapsed on itself. Without a strong leader, there was no way to maintain the loyalty and obedience the Sith'ari had managed. Squabbles and death resulted in a severely fractured nation splintered into smaller factions. The Imperium's core, consisting of Sullust, Clak'dor VII, and Eraidu, remained largely intact, though it was ruled by whatever remaining military leaders were left. Mustafar, as far as it was known, was abandoned. And all outlying territories that had remained were left to fend for themselves. Everything that he had built came crashing down. It has turned to ash without a competent leader. Exactly as it had been designed to do, and now he was here. He was hiding out in the toxic world of Sump. From owning it all to barely being able to defend his hidey-hole, he had been reduced to this. Not that it mattered. No, his resurgence would come. And it would be glorious. But things had to change. Starting with releasing the Elders from within his mind...
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Viox Savage
Blackguard Imperium
"You want the same as me. My redemption, eternal ascension. Setting me free."
Posts: 2,938
Affiliation: Sith Order
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Viox Savage on Feb 13, 2023 19:48:22 GMT -8
SumpDefeat was never easy to swallow. And this time was no different for the mighty Zabrak. The abdication of his throne over the Blackguard Imperium had been less than ideally executed, thanks to the ambitious nature of his followers. Power had always been the goal. But there were those who had been much more cunning than he had anticipated. And everything had careened sideways from there. Now he was left here, hiding in some noxious swamp, while those who would have killed him without hesitation roamed freely. Unpunished for their transgressions against him. But that would change. Oh yes, it would. He was still alive. He had Natalia with him and the loyalty of the Anzat people. He also had those few devout followers who wouldn't ever abandon him. Though their number was much fewer now, after all was said and done. Regardless, he would rebuild. It was all part of his grand designs. However, this time, he wasn't going to compromise his beliefs and ideals to humor those around him. He was Sith. And his biggest mistake was believing in the Rule of Unity and imposing it on the Imperium. Like cancerous rot, it ate away at his empire from within. The weak were rewarded with living, while the strong stagnated due to a lack of challenge. All life was a struggle. Survival of the fittest. And he had failed to understand that concept deeply enough to keep his empire together when it counted. Lessons had been learned. Errors would be corrected, and his resurgence would be a glorious event. But there was a time and place for everything. He needed to be more capable of leading or commanding as he had, not in his current state. But he could still manipulate. And with the power of the dark side at his disposal, he would never truly die.
Floating in a sensory deprivation tank, with nothing more than the Force and his beating hearts to sustain him, he meditated. The voices in his skull were silent for the time being. His mind was his own. However, that would only last for a while. Since his departure from the Blackguard and the death of Darth Znalost, they had become increasingly unstable to the point that the celestial-like power they granted him had become more of a liability than an advantage. He could barely keep his Force abilities in check anymore. His mind was decaying rapidly, and his physical body...well, it had practically wasted way to nothing. Once an example of his species' peak physical prowess, he was just worn skin clinging to a skeleton. He resembled a walking corpse more than an actual living being. His fight to escape Mustafar had taken its toll on him. Sapping his life force from his body, combined with the cloned body he currently occupied, it had not been sufficient enough to contain his essence. However, that was of little consequence to him now. His physical presence was useless to him until he discarded the Elders. And rid them he would. One more essence transfer and he would be well enough to travel to carry out his tasks. Soon, Viox Savage would return...
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Vaughan Emrys
Member
Posts: 86
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA) - Republic of Haven
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Post by Vaughan Emrys on Mar 12, 2023 3:46:59 GMT -8
Cegul Sector - Cegul SystemVaughan stood behind the pilot seat as the half dozen UT-60D U-Wing Starfighters dropped from hyperspace at the edge of the Cegul System. The co-pilot began running scans across the system, expanding out from the ships current position. Vaughan's gaze swept the seemingly empty void as the co-pilot called out the readings Close range, clear... Mid Range, clear... Long Range... We've got something on the scanner... He smiled as he pulled himself up between the seats, as it trying to see the object out in the distance Get a fix on the target and take us in closer... Affirmatives went out as the orders were relayed to the other U-Wings in the formation and the pilots got a target lock. Out this far, there was only one thing the sensors could be picking up. The Galactic Republic in the days of the Clone Wars had set up 20 Haven-class Medical Stations across the galaxy to serve as hospitals, one per Sector Army. Since then, a few had been destroyed, others decommissioned, but some sat in obscurity. The Night Hammer Sector's Station had fallen into that last category, or so it seemed.
Truth be told, they only knew about it's possible location due to a data file hidden in the archives in the Anoth Base. It was unlikely others had not found the file, but there was nothing else in the Cegul System that should be showing up on scans. Even still, the crews activated the shields on their ships and approached the target location cautiously. After about 30 mins of sublight travel, something came into view in the distance. Sensor scans quickly confirmed that they had in fact found the Medical Station. Vaughan got on the comms system then All teams, prep for landing. Scans have not picked up any organic life forms or major signs of activity from the reactor. No hazardous leaks seem apparent, but be careful all the same. Life support systems may be functioning, but rebreathers on just in case. We'll check conditions once we land. Vaughan out! The U-wings split off and surrounded the Station then, before heading into different Hangar Bays and touched down after passing through the shield. Vaughan slipped a mask on as he headed back into the troop bay while the co-pilot ran an atmospheric check Looks clear, no hazardous materials detected and air quality seems good. Opening doors! Vaughan gave a nod as the doors slid open and he disembarked first with the small fireteam spilling out after him. He activated his local comms then Lets get to the command bridge and power this place up properly... Keep your heads on a swivel, this could be an ambush...
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Post by Esthh Krazhmir on Mar 12, 2023 18:16:41 GMT -8
Khar Delba.
A matalok drops out of hyperspace and holds back from the planet. Esthh observed the planet below with the matalok’s senses. It was a cold world, a dangerous world. Long ago there were very powerful Sith there. The Sith had been long gone for thousands of years...supposedly. There were rumors that a Sith actually ruled the Galactic Empire. There were lots of Sith in the galaxy, if there were any here they might take offense at Esthh and his people being here, and if not, they might object to what they were doing. All of the creatures they were after on this planet, were already well documented for their existence, and all were used for war by a more esoteric brand of Sith that eschewed technology and preferred biologicals wherever possible...within reason. Esthh ordered the matalok into the atmosphere.
The matalok settled into the atmosphere and hovered at the top of a ridge line that lead into two valleys, one off of either side, down into green slopes below. The coralskippers fanned out beginning their search. It didn’t take long for upland coralskippers to report contact with several herds of Sith War Behemoths. Large four legged creatures with a flat armor around their heads and a number of horns. The creatures were in small herds, two herds had two creatures and another had four. The coraskippers were ordered to bring down the creatures, using their dovin basals to slip up next to them, and then bring them to the ground by increasing the gravity. Shapers were flown out immediately by transport to begin taking samples and dissecting beasts as they saw fit. A smaller one was slaughtered, not just for the shapers, but also its bits were taken into the valleys and used as bait. The shapers marked the beasts that had been checked so they could be seen from the air, and then returned to the matalok. The coralskippers continued on searching.
Esthh had tried to pick areas of planets that were coming out of their cold phases of their lunar cycle, if they had one, specifically for the possibility of finding young, not just allowing for the possibility of more animals to capture, but easier to transport and impress.
The bait proved useful in attracting Sith War Birds looking for a meal, and the coralskippers pounced once again, chasing the swift creatures through the low scrub from above as they grabbed at them with their capture tentacles. After the birds were sampled they were turned loose, and it didn’t take long for one of them to lead them back to a nest of nestlings. The coralskippers pounced again and neutralized the parent as the shapers examined the babies and took one back to the matalok before before the coralskippers released the parent. Marking locations and noting what was around the coralskippers searched for more nests, and after a week of searching they found two nests that still had eggs, and parents attending them. The coralskippers helped kill the parents and the eggs were gathered by the shapers to be hatched under their supervision and food was prepared that they would need, thanks to previous samples.
Coralskippers continued to sample the behemoths and warbirds as they continued sampling other local life. One that was found in the warmer areas was Sith War Rhinos. They seemed to mostly be beasts of burdens and mounts, not unlike the warbirds and behemoths, but they were the easiest to sample safely. Not only were they physically smaller but they were also found in larger numbers, it seemed they would often be prey for the Sith Warbirds.
With the samples that he was after obtained. Esthh recalled all his forces and the matalok headed back into space, and jumped to hyperspace.
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A matalok made a series of jumps to a series of planets, taking samples of plants. Bronzewood trees, Brylark tree with their woods as strong as metal, Ch’hala trees from Cularin with their multi colored pressure sensitive bark, Panopticon willows, and Claw vines.
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Asteroid Belt.
The matalok dropped out of hyperspace near an asteroid belt in a system that was listed as having Miner’s Horrors, large space borne creatures that ate asteroids for their metal content, and viewed most spacecraft as an easy meal, making them hazards to most of this galaxies ships. Esthh ordered the release of a small block of meleenium to attract the creatures and settled in to wait. It took several days, the asteroid field wasnt a small area, but as the block of metal moved through space the asteroid field, just above the plain, it made it obvious when a miner’s horror leapt up in plain sight. The matalok swooped in, intercepting the creature before it could grab the metal, wrapping it up in its arrest tentacles. The creature was torn apart, not without some effort on the part of the matalok, tough things, though they would need to be to eat rocks and spit dust out the other side. The shapers learned some things about the creatures and the matalok kept hunting.
After two weeks of hunting they had enough samples that the Shapers were certain that they could replicate the creature as they didn’t leave any alive. The matalok then jumped to hyperspace.
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Unnamed Planet.
A matalok dropped out of hyperspace and moved towards the planet, holding up in high orbit. The planet below was green and mountainous, heavy in plant life. Heavy in another thing, Gorog. Massive apelike creatures, he had seen one, and had dna from one, now it was time for more. From the dna that had been obtained and the information on the gorog, the planet had been found, and an sedative had been been devised and loaded into some infection worms deliberately grown large and armed onto the coralskippers, sent out to search the planet for the gorog. Onboard the the matalok there was a hold half filled with a sedative jelly, ready to begin growing more when it was injected into a fast growing space capable husk. They had been used in slave capture ships, though for these specimens their was the need for much larger requirements. Gnulliths had been needed for the beings typically harvested. In this case Esthh had grown a gnullith to size, several of them, he was always hoping for extra samples. Aside from samples that he intended to collect, enough for himself or shapers to recreate the massive beasts, he had a need of a live adult, it was going to make him rich...well rich enough at least to smooth things over with other beings from this galaxy where it was needed.
It didn’t take long really for the coralskippers to find a gorog and hit it with what was essentially a giant tranquilizer dart, and then wait for the sedative to take its effects. What Esthh expected, was for the gorog to be few and far between, part of it being just being the simple fact that the beasts had to consume huge amounts of food. Finding the beasts when a coralskipper drew near wasnt difficult at all, the biots onboard the coraskippers had little trouble distinguishing the massive beasts from everything else that was on the surface. The next coralskipper found one nearly 500 kilometers distant and repeated the performance. The shapers went to work hours later when the gorog finally dozed off to sleep and several close flybys and pokes with an arrest tentacle proved the beasts to be out. The matalok was required to roll the massive creature over as the sac creature was planted and fed, starting to envelope the slumbering beast. The beast was a medium sized male but it was plenty big for Esthh’s purposes and the shapers and warriors worked to move the massive gnullith into position until it was able to sense what it was supposed to do. The large star shaped creature instinctively sought the lungs of the massive beast, snaking its tendrils down the animals throat and into its lungs where it would obtain its necessary gasses. Shapers inserted probes to monitor the drug levels in the beast until the sack creature could grow and fold over the beast enough to start emptying the clear red jelly that would keep the beast subdued for its trip.
Transports were sent with shapers to gather samples from the other gorog that was sedated, and then sent looking for a third that another coralskipper had found and knocked down.
It took three days to find the real prizes. Cubs. Small cubs. The monstrosities only seemed to have one cub at a time, and those may or may not make it to adulthood as the large bulls seemed to take a dislike to young, perhaps as competition, perhaps different sires. Who knew at this point. He was certain that the shapers would answer the question at some point. There were five cubs that were found all with their mothers who had to sedated. The smaller creatures clung to their mothers as the shapers frantically calculated smaller doses for the small but still powerful cubs. Blast boulders were dispatched to bring back the unconscious creatures with the cubs slung underneath. Shapers began synthesizing food for the small creatures for when they woke up. That would be some time as they were carefully put into hibernation, and into cocoons that were grown for such purposes. They were small enough to fit inside the holds, the adult male, that one would have to be pulled through space. Esthh was pleased that there were all five female cubs. They took samples from all the males that they had knocked down, and they would use...samples...that they had gathered and were in the process of preserving, cryogenically and other, in order to artificially inseminate the females when they became mature. It never hurt to have backups. Shapers had also performed surgery...on a massive scale, to collect and preserve eggs from the adult females for safe storage. Growing a living gorog from scratch would take a lot more resources, but having the ability...yes that could come in handy at some point.
They waited on planet, the coralskippers on high alert and constantly patrolling, until the sack creature grew completely around the still sleeping adult male and the stasis jelly had grown to fill up the sack. The matalok lifted off and grabbed the load and started moving for space, as the matalok grew closer to vacuum the biot hardened its outer case, protecting its charge inside. The matalok moved to the edge of the system and drew its cargo in close, then jumped to hyperspace.
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Post by Esthh Krazhmir on Mar 13, 2023 16:36:55 GMT -8
Unnnamed Planet.
A matalok dropped out of hyperspace and moved towards the planet with its coralskippers zipping out in front of it, down into the atmosphere as they searched for their prey.
The world was full of life, a mix of marsh, grasslands, and dense forests intertwined. Herd beasts, aquatic life, and avian were rich and abundant. The perfect living conditions for their prey. Another alpha predator, a Tyrant Rancor. Esthh didn’t expect this hunt to be any more difficult than others. Biot scans were quite simple, and looking for large hungry predators from the air was fairly easy. The beasts were afraid of nothing and constantly looking for food. He wanted not just one that the Hutt wanted, but three, just to dangle it over the Hutt’s head, extra credits. His pilots too, now knew what they were doing and what they were looking for. Indeed it took them half the time of previous hunts. The coralskippers pounced by squadrons, moving in and tripping up the massive beasts with arrest tentacles before their fellows could move in and pin the creature to the ground with their dovin basals. Shapers in transports soon showed up to administer sedatives and once they had taken their effect, the warriors picked up the beasts and settled them into stasis cocoons and gnuliths for their trip through space. They were just a bit large for the hold on the matalok, and Esthh didn’t want one getting lose onboard. With their three prizes, even though this was an industrial level hunt, a culling if you will. The matalok took up its cargo and pulled them in tight, and jumped to hyperspace.
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Vaughan Emrys
Member
Posts: 86
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA) - Republic of Haven
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Post by Vaughan Emrys on Mar 15, 2023 16:16:25 GMT -8
Cegul Sector - Cegul SystemVaughan lead his group through the now abandoned hallways of the Medical Station, listening as the leaders of the other teams reported in from their own landing and approaches. Whereas his team was headed directly for the Command Center of the Station, the other teams were running sweeps of the station not only to assess damage accrued from years of neglect, but to check for any stowaways. The last thing Vaughan wanted, or needed, was to tow the station back to Anoth and have some pirate or criminal gang pop out and call in reinforcements to turn their fledgling Republic into a Slave colony.
No, that would not happen. His commandos would clear the station or they would not bring it back, no chances would be taken that were not strictly necessary.
He kept his sword raised as he moved through the initial medical wing and travelled toward the first central hub. Between a rough map and the signs which pointed off in different directions, it wasn't too difficult to navigate the station even in such a derelict state. Torches were the only real light source by which the darkened hallways were lit. In truth, it was quite the disturbing scene to witness as the shadows cast by the abandoned furniture played upon the walls. But these hallways would not remain dark and empty for long if all went well.
Taking a turn at the central hub, Vaughan and his team headed along the arm leading into the central pillar of the Medical Station. At the base of it was the main reactor, which was seemingly still humming away and providing shielding and an atmosphere. Vaughan was no engineer, but he'd heard that most reactor technology could power things almost indefinitely. Capacitors and systems could get overloaded and shorted out, but the Reactor would not die like an engine with traditional fuel. Which was good, because they had little enough fuel as was to go between the ships that did need them.
As they arrived to the command centre, two soldiers moved up ahead and got to work with tools to pry open the doors. It was a nice reprieve in which Vaughan could catch up on the progress of the Station sweep teams. So far several sections appear to have been compromised and automated safety measures kicked in to block them off. Otherwise the rest of the state of the Station seemed to be the same with furniture and equipment strewn about. Several areas appear to have been looted of their equipment at some point in the past. In short, there would be a great deal of work to do to restore the Haven-class to its former glory. But it was not impossible to achieve.
The screeching sound of metal upon metal rung out in the hallway as the doors were finally forced open. Vaughan pushed himself off the seat he had taken and strode into the Command Centre first, heading for the main control pod. After a few moments of examination, he was able to intuit what each thing did. His hand grasped a lever which he raised up to it's utmost position. Causing a increasingly louder hum to emanate from somewhere down below. A few more switches flipped later and lights across the station flickered on and screens started coming to life. One of his team headed for the security station and started calling up feeds and confirming visual read on the various teams. Other members checked in on other consoles started noting down anything of concern. Logs would be reviewed to make sure there were no surprises. But for the moment, Vaughan felt confident Good work so far everyone, we're almost done here... Once we confirm the sweeps are completed, we'll call in the Gungnir and get this station back to Anoth...
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Post by Esthh Krazhmir on Mar 23, 2023 8:50:07 GMT -8
A Yuuzhan Vong transport dropped out of hyperspace from Dathomir, shifted to a vector at 150 degrees, and jumped to its final destination.
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Post by Esthh Krazhmir on Mar 23, 2023 8:54:36 GMT -8
A pair of mataloks drop out of hyperspace, and turn 150 degrees towards Dathomir, just a short jump away, and vanish into hyperspace towards the planet.
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Lucien Malvern
The Jedi Order - Ossus Jedi Conclave
Posts: 240
Affiliation: Jedi Lords/Ossus Jedi
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Post by Lucien Malvern on Apr 28, 2023 19:44:48 GMT -8
Endor At a predetermined zone, the Orion-class Battleship would situate itself within proximity to an asteroid field. It was in a relatively uninhabited part of the Outer Rim's edge, manned by its skeleton crew of droids. The StealthX squadron kept to the shadows of the asteroid belt, keeping an eye on the drifting battleship and awaiting those who sought its delivery.
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Endor on Apr 30, 2023 18:19:49 GMT -8
Brilliant bands of blue transformed into a streaking star line as a squadron of RZ-1 A-wing interceptors emerged from hyperspace, escorting the GR-75 medium transport 'Porkins', carrying rebel agent Drenlin Vortek and a skeleton crew to man the Orion-class Battleship. Each arrow-head shaped snubfighter circled the larger capital vessel, tribal markings adorning their hulls, with bloody stormtrooper heads symbolizing the number of kills each had earned. After boarding the Orion, Drenlin made his way to the bridge with the command crew and took control. He seated himself in the captains chair and ordered the crew to take her out into hyperspace.
Endor wanted the vessel ready for some distress call mission. Drenlin didn't have the details, but it sounded urgent. Something about Bakura.
Once the A-wing squadron was aboard, the newly christened Lily Thorn leapt to lightspeed, streaking towards Wild Space.
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 337 
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Darth Sirona on May 31, 2023 21:10:26 GMT -8
After some time of traveling, the XoXaan and Lore Hunter, the personal vessels of Darth Sirona dropped out of hyperspace in an empty part of space. Well off any major hyperspace lanes, and outside of any planetary systems. It was here in the void that Sirona did much of her work; the chances of someone stumbling upon the pair of ships in deep space was astronomical. Elarinya would find that she was denied access to the Lab and bridge of the XoXaan if she tried to gain access. Sirona it seemed, while generous in helping her stranded fellow Sith, did not entirely trust the woman. Sirona herself, had not left her cabin for the entire trip from Dathomir. She was hard at work incorporating her notes and journals into her newly minted Holocron.
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Post by Elarinya on Jun 4, 2023 16:18:45 GMT -8
Almost as soon as Sirona had concluded their conversation and headed to her lab back on Dathomir, Elarinya had forfeited the First Mates cabin back to whomever had originally had it. All her belongings had either been on the Amarth - which was currently in whereabouts unknown - or the Duath when it had crashed and burned. o that end, she had taken to using the Guruthos cockpit as storage for her MESA Suit and cuddling up with Ymir on the bed of hay during time indicated for sleeping. Contrary to her hosts expectations and concerns, Ela didn't spend much time anywhere but the Hangar bay. Using a small holoprojector to study the mechanical manual and designs of the Elduath-class, she got to work to try and make the small handful of repairs needed to get it back up and running.
The work, which she did not rush, gave her time to think and consider her options. She could try and find the remnants of her fleet, assuming they made it to the rendezvous point. But the question was: could she really face them all after the defeat that Dromund Kaas had been? Probably not. Besides, Domina Lysa would likely have moved the fleet on for repairs or to avoid discovery. Which meant trying to track them down would be a nigh impossible task, especially considering her datapad was destroyed with the Duath. Thus that option was crossed off the list.
There was also no Sith Conclave to return to, given the end it had suffered. Perhaps some other organization existed out there amongst the stars, but she had heard nothing before to indicate another group she might join. But even then, she wasn't sure she was committed to the creed of the Sith Order. There was the Dark Jedi that she had heard rumours about upon Ambria. Perhaps something to investigate.
Or perhaps she could try and stay with Sirona. The Historian had managed to keep on going once the Conclave had fallen apart. It would be a good way to remain in the shadows and out of Quantum's sight, for a time anyway.
For now, Ela wrapped up the current lot of repairs she had been working on and sat with her back against Ymir. She listened to the Uvak's breathing, using it to help her focus her mind as she tried to meditate, hoping the Force might show her the answers she sought
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 337
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Darth Sirona on Jun 4, 2023 17:10:55 GMT -8
Sirona was roused from her focus when a ding came at her cabin door and an EG droid, programed to interrupt Siorna's work if she had missed three meals while working. Her focus broken, she sealed the holocron and sat it on her bed. She rose and accepted the food tray and ate alone in her room as usual when she had a subject or project eating up all her attention. But this time, after she had eaten she no longer went right back to work. The historian left her room and made her way, first to the quarters she had assigned to Elarinya before being directed to the hanger. She entered the hanger, hands clasped behind her back and approached the meditating Sith. The woman studied her guests, both of them, letting Elarinya finish her thoughts before speaking.
Ehem... Did... Did you have anywhere to go? Sirona quickly corrected, what I mean is, are you trying to get anywhere? Any fleet to regroup with? Sirona may have initially not been fond of the manor of reunion she had had with the woman, but their was still a kinship for former Sith Conclave members, at least to the Echani.
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Post by Elarinya on Jun 4, 2023 20:34:40 GMT -8
She wasn't sure how long she had sat in meditation for, but it had not been long enough as she was pulled back by a nearby presence. She still had no solid answers to the questions she had entered her meditation in as her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted by the sight of Sirona standing over her with arms clasped behind her back. It was difficult not to feel a little flustered waking up to such a sight, but she cleared her throat with a small cough and powered through. Sirona's own little awkwardness made her feel a little more comfortable though
Honestly... I wish I knew myself. I think some of my fleet managed to escape, but...
She let out a sigh. The truth of the matter was that she had been in such a rush to escape herself that she'd not had a chance to check if any of her fleet had survived. It hadn't occurred to her before that no one else had survived. She dropped her gaze to the floor as she processed the idea that everything and everyone else was gone, destroyed by her own foolishness and eagerness to try and take Valefor down
My punishment, I suppose, for trying to defy them...
She lifted her gaze back up to Sirona, trying to force a smile she didn't feel
Well, I still have Ymir, so that's something...
She reached a hand out and placed it on the Uvak's side, giving her mount's side a rub
I suppose you can drop us off wherever you want, just preferably not in First Order or Jedi territory...
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