The Sable Count
The Dark Jedi Order
You may think me evil. But I am not. I am efficient,
Posts: 344 
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by The Sable Count on Sept 6, 2019 5:02:11 GMT -8
As one of the starfighters next to him suddenly erupted into a ball of fire, Aderon jerked his head upward, surprised, only to see red lasers blasting out of the four wings of two X-Wings. Initially surprised for a moment or two, he quickly regained his senses and, maxing the throttle of the ship, he began to race towards tie asteroid field, veering off from the asteroid they had been looking for. He would have to make a mental note to come back for it later, but right now there were more pressing issues, like the three X-Wings pursuing him from behind. As the other Rogue-Class followed closely behind him, dodging intermittent laser fire from the pursuing craft, Aderon quickly shut down the long range scanners and forward floodlights, directing the energy instead to the thrusters of the craft. He would have to outrun his pursuers.
Breathing in, he called to mind his training, and his connection to the Force. He was effectively flying blind, so he would have to use all of his senses to prevent being dashed to pieces on one of the asteroids. Furthermore, he also had to lose those fighters that were on him, in order to circle back and destroy them from behind. Reaching out with the Force, he could almost feel out the asteroid field, each individual rock calling out to him it’s presence, rather quickly, he realised he was surrounded by a whirling mess of debris. However, he had the advantage of his force sensitivity while the others did not. They may have gotten the jump on him, but he would be damned if he died this day, to a bunch of flyboys in old starfighters.
“Follow my lead.”
Yes, sir.
Pulling the control systems as far back as they could go, he pushed his fighter into a steep climb, his wingman pitching up after him, just off his five. Veering and pitching through two asteroids who were colliding together, he looked back. One of the X-Wings had overshot, and was looping around to rejoin the two fighters who made the initial attack run, while the other two had continued in their pursuit. The soundproof cockpit thankfully muffled the engines as they struggled to keep up with a complex set of maneuvers through the asteroid belt intended to lose the enemy fighters. Aderon knew he was pushing the fighter to its limits, and he would likely have to acquire some other ship that could keep up with his spaceborne acrobatics.
The lead X-Wing flew right through the small gap between the asteroids seconds before they sealed up behind him. A bold move. This was likely the most dangerous of the pilots, and Aderon would have to make him his first target. Lightly twisting the flight controls while simultaneously stalling out the engines, the pilot of the other ship overshot, flying ahead of him, while Aderon’s fighter looped behind him. His wingman had unfortunately gotten distracted by two other fighters, and he could see the ship dancing in and out of a mess of red laser fire, it’s extremely rapidly firing heavy laser cannons, cutting swathes through the asteroids as the magnaguard attempted to pin down his pursuers. Aderon himself had begun linking up a shot to destroy the ship he was pursuing. Twisting a small control on the dashboard to adjust the rangefinder, he flipped a switch to put his weapons into the ARMED position. Taking a deep breath, he waited for his target to line up with the target on his gunsight. The small blip was flying erratically to avoid being hit, but he was clearly beginning to get in over his depth. It would just be a few moments before...
Suddely another X-Wing approached him from above, lasers firing. The shields on his craft thankfully held, and so he angled his fighter upwards. He was so close that he could see the enemy pilot in his cockpit. However, that was only for an instant before the red cannon fire of his craft sliced through the shields of the other X-Wing, piercing the Hyperdrive of the craft and causing a bright explosion, briefly blinding him. Looking around, he noticed that his wingman had apparently shot down one of his pursuers, but was now apparently in over his head, the other X-Wing beginning to score hits against the Rogue Class. He had lost the leader, so he figured he may as well bail his wingman out. Activating the proton missiles on his craft, he let loose a single one, as the thermal signature of the X-Wing crossed his reticle. Hopefully it would be enough to destroy the pursuing ship.
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The Sable Count
The Dark Jedi Order
You may think me evil. But I am not. I am efficient,
Posts: 344
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by The Sable Count on Sept 7, 2019 10:31:30 GMT -8
The fighter lightly shuddered as the proton missile was deployed from its rack, and began arcing towards its target. Unfortunately, Aderon did not have the time to look after his wingman, as he was at this point in the thick of the asteroid field. Dodging from left to right, his ship was shaken by a hail of thousands of small asteroids, as they impacted against the shields of his ship. He could see that two X-Wings were still on his tail, and were relentless in their pursuit of the Phantom. As he once again twisted the controls to the left, his fighter banked steeply, before nearly impacting with another asteroid that drifted into his flight path. Thankfully, due to his Force-enhanced reflexes, he was able to put his fighter into a steep climb, spinning over the top of the asteroid. One of the X-Wings impacted with the rock but the other was far enough to swing around it without impact.
Putting his fighter into a light spin, he began to thread his way through the large asteroids around the edge of the field. The X-Wing had seemingly joined up with the squad leader, and were pursuing him through the debris, laser cannon fire raking behind him. As he fired off a short burst to break apart an asteroid obscuring his path forward, he noticed a bright flash off to his side. His missile seemed to have finally found its mark, freeing up his wingman, who now seemed to be making pace for his pursuers at an impressive speed, dodging asteroids left and right, like a banshee.
"Form up. Get them off me, and stay on the wingman. I'll take the leader."
Yes, sir. Moving to intercept.
Suddenly, one of the laser cannon shots seemed to find its mark on Aderon's fighter, knocking out the shield of the craft. Luckily, he was outside the center of the field, so it was unlikely that he would encounter any pieces of debris that would destroy his engines. Then, suddenly, as if on cue, his wingman looped around, a solid stream of red slicing through the wingman of the Guardian squad leader. The squad leader seemed to be distracted by this, and so fired the engines on his fighter, breaking off pursuit of Aderon. That was all the opportunity the Dark Jedi needed.
Swinging his fighter around, he slightly adjusted the rangefinder of the craft, twisting a small knob on the handle of his fighter's controls, before continuing to spin around a few medium sized hulks of rock. By now, the squad leader was hot on the heels of Aderon's wingman, and it showed. The Rogue-Class Starfighter was trying desperately not to be hit, so much so that it was constantly firing its lasers, in an attempt to not impact with an asteroid. Aderon offered support by pursuing the squad leader, firing off a few small bursts of laser fire, cutting into the shield of the other craft, disabling the shields of it, which did cause the other pilot to stir slightly in his assault, clearly looking back over his shoulder. However, it was ultimately to no avail, as he regained his focus, before firing a final set of four crimson bolts, finally disabling the other fighter, which spun out and crashed into an asteroid. As a building white flash marked the end of that ship, Aderon silently cursed his luck, before continued his pursuit of the squad leader. It was just him versus the Count, and there were no shields, so any hits were guaranteed to be fatal.
Edging forward the throttle of his fighter, Aderon began to reprime his missile systems. Simultaneously, he continued his pursuit of his opponent, who was skillfully dodging the various asteroid fields. It would take a pilot strong with the Force, or one who was extremely talented, in order to make such maneuvers without impacting something, so Aderon was admittedly impressed by this. A light on his control panel winked green, indicating that the missiles were once again ready to fire. His finger hovering over the launch button, he began focusing on his targeting display, the transparent glass in front of him marked with various green marks to represent the area around his fighter. This was admittedly risky, but the Intrepid had not arrived yet, so he could not depend of fire support from the ship. Hence, he would have to make do with this.
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The Sable Count
The Dark Jedi Order
You may think me evil. But I am not. I am efficient,
Posts: 344
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by The Sable Count on Sept 7, 2019 20:46:12 GMT -8
As he continued his high speed pursuit of the X-Wing through the debris field, Aderon focused in, bringing to his mind the Force. Yet, now matter how much he called upon the Dark Side, he could seemingly not move in unison with his ship, at least not enough to catch the enemy fighter. And so, he’d had to rely on fancy flying, which was admittedly not one of his stronger suits. Feeling his gloves stretch against the controls of his fighter, Aderon gripped them tighter and tighter, as he began leaning forward, focusing in on the white blob moving across his field of vision that was his opponent’s ship.
Breathing in, he began trying to focus, to finally get this guy into the sights of his missile. As he reached out to feel the opposing pilot, he could feel an all-too-familiar Darkness within the heart of his opponent, fueling his movements, his attacks, his spins, everything. Focusing in on himself, Aderon could slowly feel his mind clearing away, as if his annoyance towards the opposing pilot was almost melting away into a clear, driven, focused plan of action. He subconsciously found himself breathing in, his eyes shut. Allowing the Force to guide him through the asteroid field.
And suddenly, for a brief moment, he was painfully aware of everything. His hands straining against the leather of his glove, the wailing of his fighter as it attempted to keep up with his increasing demands. He could feel every nearby asteroid, every small little speck of dust.
Breathing in, he found himself leaning back into his seat, easing the throttle controls back and gently lifting his fighter higher, and higher. He wasn’t sure why he was doing it, but he had surrendered himself to the mercy of the Force at this point. And he could feel a certain clarity, a clarity he hadn’t felt for quite some time. It was all rather familiar and yet unfamiliar. Like something he had been missing, but he didn’t know was missing. Once again, he wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe some work of the Force playing against, or for, him. He just couldn’t tell.
And suddenly, the fighter was right there.
Pulling back on the controls while holding the missile trigger down caused the fighter to shudder for a moment, as it released all the remaining missiles from the craft, bearing down on the X-Wing. He could see the face of his opponent as his cockpit flashed in front of the Phantom’s cockpit. It was twisted with a mixture of shock and anger as to how he had been defeated. That, of course, only lasted an instant, before his ship was enveloped in a pink ball of flame. Had he looked back, he would have seen an Aderon who appeared to almost be at peace.
This, unfortunately, only lasted a moment or two, before Aderon was suddenly jolted out of his transfixsion. Breathing deeply, he could feel the world seemingly slipping away around him, as the stars twinkling in the cockpit of his ship morphed with the flashing lights on his instrument panel. The last thing he seemed to see was some visage of an old man, before he slipped out of consciousness.
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The Sable Count
The Dark Jedi Order
You may think me evil. But I am not. I am efficient,
Posts: 344
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by The Sable Count on Sept 7, 2019 22:36:36 GMT -8
Aderon’s eyelids fluttered briefly as he awoke to bright beams of yellow sunlight streaming into his eyes. His vision fuzzy, he continued to lie there, partially blinded by the sunlight, until he recovered enough to see that he was beneath a massive chandelier, suspended from an admittedly rather elaborate ceiling. Sitting up from the soft cushions he lay on, Aderon looked to his left, noticing a small bedside table with a pink flower on it, along with a book, a reading lamp, and a glass of wine. Looking further into the room, he saw a dresser and a mirror. Turning to his right, he noticed a large window on this side of the room, where the light was streaming in from. The rays of light were seemingly highlighted by tiny particles of dust floating in the air. Gingerly getting out of the plush, fourposter bed, Aderon slowly walked over to the window. He was met with a beautiful view of a lake stretched out before him, and on the other side of the lake, a city had been laid out on the shore of the glistening, unbroken, aquamarine surface of the water, as several birds seemed to congregate above the lake, flitting about.
He was back on Serenno.
As he walked over to his closet, he noticed a set of clothes had already been laid out for him, the brown folds of the items perfectly creased and pressed. Stepping into the bathroom, Aderon stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash over him, relaxing his muscles, and washing the slight and rather odd smell of a starship from him. After a while, he stepped out before drying himself out, the material of the towel feeling as soft as ever.
Changing into the set of clothes he had found laid out, Aderon lifted his arm to adjust the sleeve of his shirt. It was certainly very comfortable, and felt very similar to the clothes he used to wear, back when he was leader of Serenno. It was all really very strange, but he wasn’t going to complain about it. After all, good fortune was good fortune.
After a little while of just fitting the clothes, Aderon realized that he did not have his lightsaber with him. It was no trouble really, as it was likely he had left it in his study again. He really would have to be more careful leaving things like that around; you never knew who would find it, and he’d rather not that one of his droids find it and accidentally impale itself with it. He chuckled a bit at the thought of a B1 Battle Droid attempting to figure out what his lightsaber was, endlessly toying with the chromium weapon before accidentally destroying itself by activating the blade while it was facing the wrong direction. Deciding he had had enough of this simple distraction, he then walked over to the nightstand.
Re-examining the items on it closely, he noticed the book was called; “Poggle; A History of the Confederacy of Independent Systems’ relations with the Geonosian Race.” The name was probably made by some history professor who wanted his trade to sound more interesting to a wider audience. However, this was not a problem for Aderon, who merely chuckled a bit at the uncivil nature of the author. He then decided that, since the glass of wine was evidently fresh, he would drink it now before heading out. It would probably do him wonders.
Picking up the glass, Aderon briefly inhaled the aroma of the wine, taking in the rich scent of the fermented grapes. This was likely an Alderaanian wine; one of Aderon’s favorites. Taking a sip of the wine, however, he suddenly recoiled before dropping the glass to the floor. The taste of the substance was revolting at best, tasting rotten, and strongly of coconut. Immediately, he sensed something off about the room. Picking up the book from the table, he began to page through it, only to discover that the pages disintegrated as soon as he touched them. Slightly curious, Aderon began to page faster and faster, the pages vanishing just as quickly. The faster he went, however, he began to notice a pattern to what he was seeing. Increasing his speed further, he could make out what appeared to be a series of letters in Aurabesh. “Why did you leave a home unfinished?”
Then, he suddenly stopped, realizing that the message was repeating. Tossing the book to the floor, he began to look around the room to find the source of the disturbance he felt. Looking everywhere he could, he could not find anything. Suddenly, however, the room went dark, as the sunlight streaming through the windows was replaced with black and red. Running up to it, he saw the city across the lake in flames, the skies crossed with red fire and black smoke as Munificent-Class Frigates dueled with Imperial Star Destroyers, laser fire ripping the ships apart. Starfighters criss-crossed overheard, and he noticed a frigate bearing down towards the castle. He would have to escape if he wanted to avoid death.
Continuing to look around, Aderon began looking for any sort of anomaly in the room. Everything seemed to be undisturbed, save for the things he had dropped. However, as he spun around for one last check, he noticed something. The mirror. It didn’t show a reflection. Turning back to the window, he noticed the frigate was now much closer. He rubbed the surface of the mirror to get rid of the apparent condensation on it, but it would not budge. Continuing to furiously rub it, he saw nothing happen. Turning back to the window, he saw that the star frigate was so close that he could see the droids on the bridge panicking. In a fit of rage, he threw the book from the floor at the mirror, shattering it instantly.
Suddenly, he could feel himself elsewhere, as if he had closed his eyes and opened them elsewhere. He was sitting on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea.
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The Sable Count
The Dark Jedi Order
You may think me evil. But I am not. I am efficient,
Posts: 344
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by The Sable Count on Sept 8, 2019 9:40:40 GMT -8
Admittedly slightly dazed, Aderon took in his surroundings. The smell of the sea was strong here, as massive waves crashed against the shore of the small island he was sitting on. Green grass seemed to cover the ground, that is where the ground was not covered in tough rock. He saw a number of small seabirds huddled on some of the rocks higher up, seemingly seeking shelter from the waves below. The skies were grey, with a storm apparently brewing in the clouds above; he’d have to get to shelter quickly, lest he wind up soaked.
Standing up from his current position, he turned around and began heading off the small ledge. A rock stood in the middle of the outcrop, evidently designed for someone to sit on. Slowly walking forward, he could feel a powerful presence in the Force, as if the island itself was calling out to him, reaching out, asking him to accept it. Evidently this place was strong in the Force. Yet it did not appear to be strong in any particulars aspect of it. Rather, it seemed to be completely neutral. Balanced. Pure. Furthermore, the presence on the island almost seemed to be old and pained. Haunting. As though it once had great power, but was now a mere shadow of its former self.
Brushing aside such thoughts, he continued forward, the light of the sun shining on his face.
The outcrop seemed to terminate at the entrance to a cave, oddly shaped for it to have been a natural formation. Carefully entering, Aderon, out of an abundance of caution, placed one hand on his lightsaber. He was not going to be surprised if something attacked him in this chamber. The presence seemed to grow stronger as he stepped farther and farther into the circular room, and so, once again out of an abundance of caution, he stepped away from the center, deigning to investigate it in a moment.
The entire chamber was a large circle, with a rather high ceiling. The faint dripping of water could be heard. Running his hand across the rough stone walls of the chamber, Aderon was initially startled by the texture and form of the stone. It was rough, yet smooth. Almost as though a craftsman had designed it. The form of the rock as well seemed to be intelligently designed as well, yet it had been produced by nature. It almost reminded him of something his friend Standash Thul had said about the Alderaanian way of design. That they allowed the natural materials to show their beauty in their own way. Ironically, he had internally scoffed when she first said that, yet here he was, witnessing it with his own eyes.
After circling the perimeter of the room, he quickly discerned that the only thing left to do was to investigate the center of the cave. A hole in the ceiling let in a ray of light hat illuminated a small raised object at this point in the room. Walking forward, he could feel the calming, yet unsettling presence of the island creeping up on him. His boots making a staccato clicking on the floor, he slowly ascended the very gentle incline of the room, crossing some line patterns drawn into it, until he eventually arrived at the raised object, which was what appeared to be a naturally formed perfect circle. There was some water in it, and be figured it must have been there because of the rain. Even so, he peered over the side of the pool, and was shocked by what he saw.
A swirling, intertwining pattern of white and black tiles seemed to make up the base of this pool, perfectly balanced and interconnected. Placed by man. However, that was not what surprised him. He had seen this diagram before. In a Holocron about the history of the Jedi, he had seen whatever this was, under text labeling it as “the first Jedi Temple.” It described how this was the location of the founding of the Jedi Order, and how it was now a place that was perfectly in harmony with the Force. He could feel a connection.
Suddenly, as he blinked, he found himself elsewhere. He was in another cave, but this one was different. Sharp, black rocks protruded from the walls. He was underground, and he felt hot.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2019 17:13:49 GMT -8
As the Froz Patrol Unit made their way through the realm of hyperspace, Soraya and the three other pilots stationed with her upon the Ardent finished unpacking and made their way to the hangars. They wanted to get a glimpse of the Z-95s and begin getting a feel for them. They had the time so now was as good a time as any to get fully acquainted with them.
Entering the smaller hanger, the four fighters were certainly tightly packed by normal standards. There was just enough free room to move about and go about the daily tasks, as well as getting the ships in and out during launch. They began to scatter, almost choosing which ship was theirs as they began walking around and inspecting their craft. It was part of the training to completely examine their ship, to know it inside and out. The more one knew, the better off they were. There was flying a starfighter, and then there was being one with the starfighter.
Soraya moved around the ship, taking in its features: the twin engines, two laser cannons, and the recessed proton torpedo launchers. Not the most heavily armed, to be sure, but capable nonetheless. These were models used long ago during the final years of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. And now, they found new purpose within the Coalition. What had once been painted in crimson was now blue in color to line up with the faction's scheme. It made her smile a bit as she climbed up into the cockpit and began looking about the controls and handled the stick. It had a nice, tight feel to it, though she had yet to know how it'd respond. No doubt that once they got them established in one of their patrol sectors, they'd be running routine drills to get them not only familiar with the ship but flying with each other. The academy made sure to get cadets accustomed to flying in formation and working as a team, but each new group one joined brought about new challenges with personalities and the like. She only hoped that they would mesh well.
After an hour or so, the group called it quits and retired to the room, deciding the spend some time interacting with each other before they arrived.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2019 0:40:42 GMT -8
The alarm began resounding throughout the entire ship as it called all personnel to battle stations. Soraya sat on her bed as she worked her final boot on. With that in place, she zipped up her flight suit, hooked up the componets in the front and tore out of the room with the other pilots, helmet under her arm.
Their pace was quick as they passed the swarms of people making their way to their designated areas. It didn't take long to reach the hangar and their ships, which were already being prepped by the crews. Splitting away, Soraya got to her ship and handed of her helmet as she climbed the ladder. Plopping down into the cockpit, her hands moved down the console, fingers flipping switch after switch. She heard the building whine of the turbines as the engines found life any the lights of her systems began flashing as they booted up. As she finished, the one tasked with tending to her craft had climbed the ladder and handed off the helmet before descending once more. Putting it in place, she shut the canopy and lifted off the ground once the ladder was clear. Following her crew out, they blasted out in front of the Ardent.
Just moments before, the othe team had cleared the Alligent and were starting to form up. Falling into position, she took her place on the left side of the formation and at the final point of the pyramid setup they ran. As she settled into her place, she heard their captain come over the comns.
This is Garuda One. All ships, report in.
She listened as one by one each member reported, awaiting her turn, as it did, she called out over the channel. Garuda Six, standing by. As the final two reported in, Charon spoke once more.
Alright, looking good team. Quick response to the alert and in formation in record time. Keep this pace up every time and any drop the enemy gets on us will be short lived. Since we are out here, let's start going over some manuevers so that we are synced up with each other. It had been their first drill since arriving in the system surrounding Froz. It had been a few days just to relax and grt to know each other so that working together would be easier. But it was time to get themselves rolling and prepped for any attacks. That meant sudden drills and training runs.
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Post by Yesui Naeemah on Aug 15, 2020 21:38:15 GMT -8
Yesui sat on the ledge of a window, looking out at the blue swirl of hyperspace. It had been a long six months, but this prolonged trip across the galaxy was nothing compared to the build up to it. Her home world of Cathar had found itself in an increasingly precarious position. On all sides, it seemed, powerful empires were rising up and swallowing weaker systems. Wanting to maintain their independence, the Cathar government couldn't simply join one side or the other, they had to find other ways to resist. And this trip was one such measure. Yesui's father, Nodon, had come to the ruling council with an idea. He would stage a mutiny on the ship he commanded and flee the Cathar space. At least that is what it would officially be. He and a band of volunteers would make their way to one of the only bastions of democracy left in the galaxy and would offer their services. This would do two things: give the Cathar an active role in the inevitable wars to come, and it would show the Corellian Coalition who's side Cathar was on. Both while maintaining neutrality in the eyes of the encircling threats. If this plan worked, there was the possibility of more such "mutinies" in the Cathar defensive fleet.
But all Yesui knew was that her father suddenly had started acting strange. He was selling off house hold items, closing long standing accounts, and being surprisingly attentive to her. Yesui feared the worst, that he was dying, like her mother had. One night, not knowing it was only two weeks from the day Nodon would be leaving, Yesui confronted him about what was happening. She was months away from turning 18 and demanded to be treated as an adult, that she just needed to know what was happening. Nodon sat down with Yesui and tried to explain that it was something he couldn't talk about, but that only flared Yesui's frayed emotions. After a heated argument, Yesui went to her room and sulked. Later though, she snuck into her fathers room and accessed his personal datapad. It was easy, she had learned how to guess his passwords at a young age to access his credits to buy all kinds of wonderful things... mostly candy. But their before her eyes, she found what was really happening. Yesui made a quick decision and added a fake name to the list of Volunteers. Now she was going with him.
Over the next two weeks she surreptitiously began emulating her father; selling things, closing accounts, and buying her own equipment. Soon she was herself ready for this adventure. The two weeks drug by. It seemed the day of the departure would never end. But when it did, she slipped out the back door as her father pretended to leave for another day of work. They arrived at the place Hard Light was docked. The teen doing everything to avoid notice of her father, as he and his new officers started taking role call. Before long, the 1,600 volunteers were aboard with their equipment. The staged mutiny went off without incident and after a short mock space battle, the ship was away. They were officially all traitors to the Cathar people. For most of the Volunteers, this was a solemn moment, but for Yesui it was a terrifying moment. It seemed her fake identity had been assigned to be Nodon's personal aid. But, she soon realized, the ship couldn't turn back to drop her off, it would blow the whole cover. So she reported for duty with a smirk on her face that melted away when she say her father wore one of his own. He had known about her little forgery all along, and had had a change of heart and wanted her to come if she wanted to, but it had to be her choice. He even relieved he had bought a fighter for her, since she had been a star pilot in her flight simulators and schools. Yesui and her father embraced and went about making preparations for the coming weeks together.
That was days ago, now she just waited in her off time. The mood on the ship had picked back up, thankfully. And it would be within the day that they would arrive at the boarder of Coalition space. At the thought of it Yesui seemed to hold her breath. So much would happen then. Not to mention she may get to actually see Corellia, the legendary home of so many of the galaxy's most famous and infamous personalities. Sitting by the window watching the galaxy go by, a young Cathar began her adventure.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,036
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Nov 23, 2020 8:02:40 GMT -8
 Alsakan - Core Worlds
Alsakan was a world not unlike the much more well known Coruscant; an ecumenopolis world, that was to say, covered in one big city. The huge population and massive trade of the Core had made it a rich world too. Kaine knew Alsakan very well and had always found it a fantastic place to do business.
A single red fightercraft exits hyperspace and descends through the traffic to the world's surface. A pre-arranged clearance allows the fighter to ignore port speed limits and designated flight lanes, saving hours in transit to the planet below. Aboard is Kaine Australis along with the head of Clan Australis's intelligence section, a Twi'lek HRD with an AI that could compete with anything in today's galaxy containing the artificial personality of his former Twi'lek chief, Cerani.
The droid had offered to pilot several times, knowing full well Kaine was not the expert pilot he wished he was, but the Mandalorian refused, mostly out of stubbornness. And he hadn't crashed them yet. His landing left a little to be desired, but it wasn't catastrophic either. The fighter crunched down harder than necessary, and clipped a stanchion on the rotation into the bay, but otherwise, they landed safely.
A group of well dressed locals were waiting on the landing field to greet the Australis Alor. The leader of the group was an advisor to the planetary governor. Kaine's initial offer of significant investment in good governance; slang for large bribes, had gotten the attention of corrupt politicians, as he had known it would. The Core was the Core, and it didn't change. On the way in, he'd leveraged his significant personal wealth into securing loans from the Corporate Sector, allowing him to access a pool of credits to secure holdings on the not inexpensive world of Alsakan. The major purchases were a colossal underground storehouse, and a luxury casino complex, which he planned to utilize as a galactic renowned meeting place.
This routine was old hat to Kaine Australis, having mastered the art of parlaying credits into influence and political power into security for the Mando'ade; through expansion and diaspora. The more they spread out, the harder it would be for aruetiise to destroy them. It was the way of rebellions across the galaxy, and the reason they worked that way was because it was a sound strategic approach. Kaine took a wholistic approach, ensuring that credits were put to work in some fashion, whether building assets, wealth, or purchasing hardware and infrastructure.
Kaine let Cerani; he thought of the droid as his former Twi'lek companion, it was easier for him that way, take the lead with the locals. They seemed a little put off, that human-centric Core attitude visible in the dark, but mollified by her attractive visage and clear intelligence. She was a formidable individual, as much as the real Cerani had been, in what seemed another life.
Once they reached a luxuriously appointed private lounge in the spaceport, Kaine removed his helmet and spoke for the first time.
Gentlebeings. He made a show of pressing a button on his forearm's datapad, activating a scrambler that would interfere with monitoring devices. He noted a couple of disappointed looks on the faces of the local rulers. Tough osik, aruetii. Kaine thought.
Let's cut through the poodoo, shall we? Kaine went on before any of them could object. It was easier to just drop things on these types all at once.
I can make you all considerably wealthy in exchange for your cooperation in certain personal matters. We all know you're interested or we wouldn't be here.
With that said, all that was left was haggling over the price, which was surprisingly low. Kaine had come prepared to pay whatever was required, but the sums demanded weren't excessive. Several more hours of discussions, broken up by a splendid meal of nerf steaks and a spicy hubba soup, filled the evening. By the time the meeting broke up, they had shared drinks, and sealed the bargain.
Clan Australis would have a new home, nice and close to the Core, quiet, and with space and time to do their work. Alsakan had new residents, and they all wore beskar, though on a planet this size with this many beings, who would notice?
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,036
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Nov 25, 2020 0:12:05 GMT -8
Alsakan - Alsakan Heights Casino
 With the securing of local political support and the purchase of infrastructure suitable to he and his allies' purposes, Kaine Australis was ready to continue with the expansion on the world of Alsakan, in the Core Worlds. A world similar to Coruscant and yet somewhat lesser in prestige and recognition, though comparable in economy and population. A perfect ground for Clan Australis to do its work quietly. The presence of trillions of beings made finding the relatively small Mando presence onworld nigh impossible for their enemies.Kaine entered the Casino with a nod to the door security, who he'd personally vetted upon taking a controlling interest in the casino and entertainment complex. T he casino's already formidable security had been enhanced and expanded to military standards, with an added security force of Clan Australis supercommandos positioned within the complex, though kept from public eye. They were only there to deal with real trouble, not the usual riffraff casinos attracted.
Positioned on the upper floors of one of Alsakan's tallest spacescrapers, the view from each floor was vast and expansive, through floor to ceiling transparisteel viewports which provided clear views during daytime, and the lit up vista of Alsakan's topside by night.
Kaine found his way to an unoccupied upper balcony that overlooked the gaming floor and Alsakan both, and accepted a mug of ale from a server. This, he decided, would be an excellent place to do business.
By now, the underground storehouses would be well under construction, their fitout turning them into bunker complexes that would allow the Vegemite Enclave to preposition forces in the Core unnoticed by any other galactic power. |
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Post by Captain Xakic Kannue on Apr 9, 2021 19:35:48 GMT -8
A bulk freighter rolled into hyperspace and was off*
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Post by Captain Xakic Kannue on Apr 9, 2021 20:46:52 GMT -8
*Kannue was happy. And that was saying a lot. Could talk about that all day but the ship's in the main here. And it was happy too. So along they moved. Suddenly he howled* -Kannue- "Swing that sucker in here boys!" And they did just that, breaking into Couruscant orbit*
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Reyn Australis
The Mandalorian Assembly
Workin
Posts: 58
Affiliation: Clan Australis
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Post by Reyn Australis on Apr 25, 2021 22:34:58 GMT -8
On the Core World of Commenor, on an ornate balcony, far above a city plaza, two figures, a male and female, stood together, watching a military parade of some skill and size take place beneath them. The forces were those of the Duke, the male on the balcony above. Standing with him, less impressed by the display, was the Lady Marit, the Baroness Australis, also of Commenor. She held a hand to her hair to keep it from being blown out of place as a deafening roar quickly came over the plaza; courtesy of the two squadrons of gleaming TIE fighters of House Rodan, the Duke's personal army.
Tones dripping with condescention, the Duke waved an arm imperiously across the plaza, taking in his display of military might. And ego, Marit might have added, had courtesy not prevented her from speaking her mind. As you can see, Baroness, my House is a force to be reckoned with. He didn't add that her own household was far from militarized, comprising only a handful of estate guards, and no military formations. He didn't need to. Marit suppressed a sigh, and forced polite tones.
The debate had been ongoing on Commenor for the past few months. House Rodan wanted to extend its stewardship, which included control of planetary affairs and the right to select Commenor's representative to the Galactic Senate. The other houses wished to keep the rotation system that had served to keep peace between the nobility for centuries. Now, House Rodan was beginning to rattle its saber.
They do make an impressive display, Your Grace.
Rodan turned from the balcony. They can do more than parade, as you well know, Baroness. She made an effort not to show she was affronted by his brusque tone and veiled threat. His eyes were on her, and she did not like the look in them.
Are you making a threat? Marit asked, as if she was asking if the Duke would like tea. The Duke shook his head, but spoke harshly. The time for threats is past. As of right now, you may consider yourself under arrest, Baroness. House Australis will sign my treaty and support House Rodan when the time comes. Now Marit did let the sigh escape her.
You do seem to have thought this through, Duke Rodan.
Courtesies be damned, some real Australis anger arose in Marit, enough that she slipped and didn't use the correct form of address. She didn't care. This chakaar presumed to threaten her here in her own home, and to take her prisoner? With great practice and experience in diplomatic matters, she won the short internal battle for control, and resumed her mask of impassivity, and became House Australis once more, the Baroness she very much still was. Eyes blazing in defiance, she met the Duke's eyes.
She was an Australis, and that meant she was never truly alone. Clan Intelligence kept an eye, and an ear on things. Duke Rodan couldn't know it, but his words had already reached other ears. High above, a single fightercraft heeled over from its joyflight, and dropped towards Commenor's city below.
Have you really thought this through?
A different roar began to split the sky. Both of them looked away from one another to see what it was. The TIEs of House Rodan were flying in a tight formation, eight trios in V formations, passing directly over the plaza below, an impressive display of precision formation flying. A red streak came down from out of the sun, leveled out, and shot between the TIEs, going the opposite direction, in a blur of high speed flight. The red-painted craft, Marit saw, had been inverted as it made its high speed pass between the TIEs. She smiled.
The Duke's comm crackled. ::Your Grace, there's another fighter up here.:: The Duke growled back in irritation. Shoot it down, Captain. Twin clicks confirmed the order. You're going to lose a pilot. He growled at Marit. She smiled sweetly.
Would your Grace care to lay a wager on that statement?
He grunted and ignored her, looking up to the sky. She knew who was up there, and what they were flying, and to be honest, she wouldn't have given two credits for House Rodan's side's chances. They were about to find out. The TIEs split into wingpairs and broke formation, spreading out to engage the single enemy fighter.
They could both hear the calls of the pilots over Rodan's commlink.
::Claw Three, i've got lock. Firing::
::Claw Five, i'm hit! Ejecting!::
::Damn, missed! Where did he go?::
::Six is hit! Bailing out!::
The pilots' calls continued to get more and more alarmed, as one by one, they were shot from the sky. Marit noted that each had been able to eject safely. No doubt her brother was showing some mercy on the hopelessly outmatched fliers from House Rodan. Duke Rodan cursed and growled into the comm.
::This is the Duke. I want that fighter killed!::
::This is Claw Lead, he wants the same for us, sir. I've lost six fighters already!:: A pause. ::Make that seven. Permission to withdraw?::
The Duke cursed the pilots, the enemy pilot, the Baroness, and the entire galaxy too, as he saw himself thwarted in public. The pilots took his lack of refusal for approval, and the TIEs fled the area, heading east towards the House Rodan estates. The red fighter, showing mercy, didn't pursue, but flew a couple of banking loops over the city, as if marking his prize. Marit suppressed a smile, keeping her calm reserve. The Duke whirled on her, a blaster pistol now in his hand.
You will be coming with me, Baroness. She sighed. The red fighter flew overhead, though neither was watching it just now. A figure dropped away from the craft and fell towards the pair standing atop the balcony. A thump behind the Duke made him begin a turn, but a sharp blade appearing before his neck caused him to halt that motion. A red-clad arm gripping the sword held it steady. A voice spoke from behind the Duke.
Allo, Dukey. You'll want to drop that blaster. The Duke, sensibly, let it fall to the floor. Reyn withdrew the sword, and shoved the Duke back away from his sister. He didn't put the blade away, but held it loosely. Clad head to toe in crimson, his face covered beneath mask and helmet, Reyn nodded to his sister. She nodded back.
Now, Duke Rodan. She smiled. We will discuss a new treaty.
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Kay'li Raganella
The Jedi Order
Posts: 191
Affiliation: All living things
Traffic Light: Orange
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Post by Kay'li Raganella on Aug 5, 2021 20:53:38 GMT -8
[Aboard the YT-1930 freighter Daystar, in Hyperspace along the Corellian Run] I shrug slightly as I turn back to my console, sending the nav computer's course for double checking by the R3 astromech unit who's yellow markings stood out against the grey bulkhead at the rear of the cockpit. In truth I'm not sure. The only one I saw seemed to come out of a rift from a void. Perhaps they're being pulled out of an alternate reality, a different point of space, or they might not come from anywhere and are simply being created and the rift is just the sorcerer's gestating chamber. Unfortunately there wasn't much time to study it, and even my knowledge of sith alchemy isn't infinite. I emphasize the part about my knowledge, implying that I have a large store of it on hand, which is technically true. What I did with forging is in some ways based off similar principles and to avoid going down that same path I'd made a study of sith alchemy and likely knew more about it's principles and practices than anyone who wasn't a practicing alchemist.... and in truth I might even have a greater working knowledge than some of those, however that wasn't something that Raja needed to fully understand at the moment. Responding to a few whistles from my droid I lay in the course and launch the freighter into hyperspace with a casual act of telekinesis that belies the serious nature of faster than light travel. "But Master, are they real creatures, then? Can we touch them, or hurt them, or feel them in the Force?" His master's apparent knowledge of Sith alchemy was lost on the boy, at least at the moment, as he did not know enough Jedi Masters to know that such knowledge was unusual or even forbidden. He was curious about the origins of these monsters, but more practically, he was curious about how to fight them. If they were from an alternate reality, they might not obey the typical laws of nature. "I mean, how do we fight them? Or at least defend ourselves?" The ship had jumped to lightspeed as he was talking, and the blue-brown swirls of hyperspace splashed against the cockpit, but the youngster seemed not to even notice. Instead, he was staring intently at the deck, his mind racing. He'd practically been raised in deep space, so this was all very routine. What wasn't routine was this talk of monsters. He thought he'd left those stories behind when he came 'home' from the Unknown Regions. But these monsters seemed to be very different than what his parents had uncovered at the edge of the galaxy. These were abominations created by Sith sorcerers, rather than a sentient species of force-hunters. |
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Mike Frantz
Member
That Guy
Posts: 721
Affiliation: The Jedi Order
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Post by Mike Frantz on Aug 7, 2021 18:33:20 GMT -8
It has been long a long time since I'd had an apprentice this young, and I can't help but smile at his inquisitive nature. In truth they are good questions that should be asked, though there are many who would not have thought to ask them. Perhaps Raja will be able to live up to his name even under my tutelage. While his questions are good I can't help but shudder internally as he asks how we can fight them. Though my smile doesn't fade images flash through my mind of the first encounter with this cult and it's monsters. Flashes of warped gungans falling to our strikes as a shadow rips itself into our reality. The frustration of being unable to banish it back to wherever it had come from and the elation we felt when we had discovered that even a creature like that would still feel the bite of a lightsaber. Yes Raja, they are real, and they can be hurt by conventional means, though their nature makes them far harder to kill than many other things I've ran across. They can be felt with the force, and in truth it's hard to ignore their presence, it's like a dark stain across the pattern of ages, something corrupt and unnatural. It can feel oppressive if you aren't prepared for it, however it does mean they can be easy to locate if you are near them. All things being equal however the best way to defeat them is to stop the ritual before it complete, interrupting the sorcerer's working will prevent the summoning altogether. Thankfully each of these rituals require a lot of time and power which gives us time to respond.
My ice blue eyes harden for a moment as I focus on my new apprentice, my relaxed manner straightening up as I underline the seriousness of my next words. I can not stress this enough however, you aren't to get close enough to what's going on to have to defend yourself. If anything happens to me you are to return to the ship as quickly as possible and return to Corellia and let the masters there know what happened, this is more dangerous of a first mission than I'd prefer to take any apprentice on much a new apprentice, however you can learn a lot from a distance and I have a feeling this won't be the last time we encounter this cult so I want you to be on the lookout, but from as safe a distance as can be managed, do you understand? In truth I think the earlier warnings are enough to keep the boy out of trouble however I wasn't about to take it on faith alone, I didn't want his curiosity to get the better of him, not out there.
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Post by Captain Xakic Kannue on Aug 14, 2021 13:19:59 GMT -8
Ripping into hyperspace recklessly Kannu maneuvered the ship with world class skill. The ship shot away from the planet to parts unknown. Well that's a half faced lie; both men knew exactly where they were going and why
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Twi'leck Triplet Dubh
Member
Pog mo thoin
Posts: 415 
Affiliation: Óglaigh na Iarndóideanna – Warriors of the Iron Fists
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Twi'leck Triplet Dubh on Aug 25, 2021 19:58:20 GMT -8
And so it seemed that they The Twi'leck Three, had flown forever. And indeed they had moved many, many, many, miles, kilometers, parsecs - however you wished to calculate distance betwixt the place where you are coming from and where you are going. But now the reached the end of the journey. Now what lie in store for them they did not know. Taking a sharp turn the Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft slipped effortlessly off the hyperspace lane
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Twi'leck Triplet Dubh
Member
Pog mo thoin
Posts: 415
Affiliation: Óglaigh na Iarndóideanna – Warriors of the Iron Fists
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Twi'leck Triplet Dubh on Aug 27, 2021 12:48:59 GMT -8
Spiraling hyperspace Gid piloted the vessel. When it neared the way that she wished to go Gid punched the accelerator and the ship shot rapidly down the hyperspace highway
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Twi'leck Triplet Dubh
Member
Pog mo thoin
Posts: 415
Affiliation: Óglaigh na Iarndóideanna – Warriors of the Iron Fists
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Twi'leck Triplet Dubh on Sept 4, 2021 15:45:38 GMT -8
Peeling in from Couruscant orbit a Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft fell onto the hyperspace highway sailing smoothly into deep space
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Kay'li Raganella
The Jedi Order
Posts: 191
Affiliation: All living things
Traffic Light: Orange
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Post by Kay'li Raganella on Sept 5, 2021 18:31:38 GMT -8
It has been long a long time since I'd had an apprentice this young, and I can't help but smile at his inquisitive nature. In truth they are good questions that should be asked, though there are many who would not have thought to ask them. Perhaps Raja will be able to live up to his name even under my tutelage. While his questions are good I can't help but shudder internally as he asks how we can fight them. Though my smile doesn't fade images flash through my mind of the first encounter with this cult and it's monsters. Flashes of warped gungans falling to our strikes as a shadow rips itself into our reality. The frustration of being unable to banish it back to wherever it had come from and the elation we felt when we had discovered that even a creature like that would still feel the bite of a lightsaber. Yes Raja, they are real, and they can be hurt by conventional means, though their nature makes them far harder to kill than many other things I've ran across. They can be felt with the force, and in truth it's hard to ignore their presence, it's like a dark stain across the pattern of ages, something corrupt and unnatural. It can feel oppressive if you aren't prepared for it, however it does mean they can be easy to locate if you are near them. All things being equal however the best way to defeat them is to stop the ritual before it complete, interrupting the sorcerer's working will prevent the summoning altogether. Thankfully each of these rituals require a lot of time and power which gives us time to respond. My ice blue eyes harden for a moment as I focus on my new apprentice, my relaxed manner straightening up as I underline the seriousness of my next words. I can not stress this enough however, you aren't to get close enough to what's going on to have to defend yourself. If anything happens to me you are to return to the ship as quickly as possible and return to Corellia and let the masters there know what happened, this is more dangerous of a first mission than I'd prefer to take any apprentice on much a new apprentice, however you can learn a lot from a distance and I have a feeling this won't be the last time we encounter this cult so I want you to be on the lookout, but from as safe a distance as can be managed, do you understand? In truth I think the earlier warnings are enough to keep the boy out of trouble however I wasn't about to take it on faith alone, I didn't want his curiosity to get the better of him, not out there. "Yes, Master, I understand." The boy replied, looking up from the deck plates to make eye contact for a moment. He'd been given similar commands previously, and there was no argument on his behalf. He knew what could happen if he disobeyed. "I just want to be prepared." His voice grew distant as he turned to gaze out into the nothingness of hyperspace. "It wouldn't be the first time ...." His voice trailed off as a sickening memory flashed into his mind, and he shuddered.In his mind's eye, he could see himself, frozen to the ground among a pile of burning tree stumps, a Hirudinean hunter wrestling with his father, and his mother screaming at him to run. Instead, he squeezed the trigger again, and another blaster bolt sizzled through the air, wildly missing his intended target. The enraged leechling squealed and spun toward his hiding place. Then, out of nowhere, there was the roar of a jetpack, and two strong, beskar-clad arms grabbed him tightly and plucked him out of danger. As the scene faded from sight, he could hear the snap-hiss of a lightsaber as his father took advantage of the quarter-second of distraction to regain an advantage. The scolding -- short and sweet, but equally unforgettable -- had come later. |
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