Darth Kruor
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Post by Darth Kruor on Aug 31, 2015 21:51:42 GMT -8
Kruor watched as the torchstick sailed over his head and skittered down the pathway ahead before bursting to life, illuminating the majority of what the Sith could now see was a relatively expansive opening in the mining shaft. It took mere seconds for the corrupted miners to rouse themselves and fall upon the group in a moblike fashion - several of the creatures tripped and fell over each other, clawing through ranks to get to the trio in an effort to satiate their bloodlust as quickly as possible. Kruor felt his companions ready themselves for battle and felt their senses begin to sharpen and swell with an almost statically charged energy.
Having barely gotten over the excitement of the last miner he'd dispatched, Kruor was the quickest to act. Reactivating his lightsaber, the Sith bounded toward the miners in a flourishing leap, somersaulting in the air to take the miners by surprise. As he was coming to land, the Sith lashed out with his blue-green blade, clearing a space to safely land by dispatching one of the unsuspecting miners. The others around him had barely enough time to react - the momentum from their charge kept most of them barreling toward Kruor's companions. The ones who did stop, however, fell prey to Kruor's quickly growing bloodlust.
One miner turned just in time to face the lightsaber blade as it sunk effortlessly into its chest. The miner screamed for a half-second before the blade was sent upward, slicing through the creature's sternum, neck, and finally head with no effort. Its glowing body fell to the floor, dead entirely. Kruor spun quickly to face another pair of miners who were beginning to lunge. Subtly motioning with his left hand, the Sith raised a miner from the ground, watching him struggle and spasm chaotically as he was held suspended in the air. The other miner all but ran into the path of Kruor's blade - a flick of his wrist dispatched this one as well.
Kruor cocked his head in the direction of his master after the miner had fallen - reaching out with the Force, he pricked Archais' mind to key him in on his next move. Surely his companions were already engaged with more of the miners. In the span of a second or two, the disguised Kissai deactivated his lightsaber and tossed the hilt in the direction of his master before raising his now empty hand to bring all of his energy to bear on the still suspended miner. With both hands, the Sith sent the humanoid barreling into a small group of miners, bringing them all to ground.
He stood unarmed but ready, arms outstretched and feet planted firmly on the rock below. This was a traditional stance for fighting unarmed in both melee and Force-assisted combat. The miners continued to bear down on the trio with a vengeance.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2015 22:22:09 GMT -8
From the moment that he had watched the apprentice execute his prey, he wondered how Jedi could be so skilled in close arms combat. Especially one that was merely a padawan. Then again, nothing should surprise him these days. He had little time to think as he dispatched the one that had come at him. He swung his saber in an arc, removing the miner's torso from his legs and watching as it fell to the ground. The other two were dead and they moved deeper.
What Altus was not expecting was the utter flood of miners to come upon them with deadly intent. Obviously, the apprentice had his hands full and his master seemed to be handling himself well enough with the Force. IT was an impressive display indeed. He watched as they coordinated perfectly and for a moment wished that he could have a master to fight with. That idea was soon forgotten in the midst of the fray as Altus brought his blade into a Jar Kai stance and drew his lightwhip alongside it. It ignited in a thrum of more silver-white and he spun into the foray of demons.
His whip caught along the throat of one of the miners and its tassels lodged in his skin before Altus swiftly exectuted it by remoing its head from its body. He spun and the lightsaber caught another of the miners at its leg, causing it to fall from the lack of its limb before he slammed the whip down as a flail to keep it down then impaled it through the back of its neck with his saber. He moved deeper and spun the whip and saber in tandem. Bringing the miners in, catching them and executing them. He had no time to use force powers. Not yet. His hands weren't free.
But the Force didn't need a hand to direct it. He looked at the ever growing tide and with his mind, projected rock from the walls at it, battering them with debris from the mine to push them back. His focus was deterred by another of the charging undead and he launched his lightsaber in an arc, decapitating the miner while he pointed his hand and launched two more behind it backwards into the dark. He caught the blade as it landed in his hand and he moved deeper into the blackness, lit only by his gleaming silver-white blades.
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Kel Sentriss
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Post by Kel Sentriss on Sept 1, 2015 11:13:33 GMT -8
He, Kruor and Dux had effectively split into singular engagements against the tide. He watched as Kruor launched himself first into the fray, eliminating a handful of the miners wth practiced moves and economy of combat. A conservative form, well-suited for battle against multiple opponents. Altus, meanwhile, had ignited a lightwhip of all weapons - an archaic weapon, and an unorthodox one - and lit with deadly intensity into the horde.
That left Archais facing a good dozen of the rest that had emerged from the back cavern, shielded from the initial blindness the torchstick had inflicted upon the earliest victims. He still did have his lightsaber, but igniting its red blade would certainly arouse the Jedi's attention to their true identity. His knife and blaster, similarly, would be dangerous weapons in close quarters but against so many foes it would prove risky. What was more, his array of Force powers were decidedly outside the practice of a Padawan, by and large. Oh, a few could be used subtly to dispatch an opponent, but when surrounded by a half-score of vicious half-animals, precise employ of the Force became problematic in the least.
That was when he felt a tug at his mind, a sweep of mental fingers across his awareness, and with a tight grin he stepped forth into the fray. With his left hand he sheathed his knife, and as the nearest of the miners drew to within striking distance, Kruor's tossed lightsaber landed neatly into Archais's waiting grasp, its green blade heralding death for the ones who affronted him.
Kel had long been one of the galaxy's foremost practitioners of Juyo, refining his technique with some of the greatest warriors of the galaxy. Sure, some had not known his true identity as a Sith Lord and most suspected he was dead now, but that knowledge, honed to a fine edge, had made him one of the galaxy's most lethal single combatants. His form had been built around use of his Sith blade, its heavy edge giving him a decided advantage against lightsaber wielders who failed to take the blade's mass and momentum into account (usually with unfortunate consequences on their part) and although he more typically favored a double-blade, his expertise with a single blade was still formidable. All the same, the ferocity of Juyo was used to employ strength, and its was with a twirl of his wrist and the loose sliding of the lightsaber's grip toward his back fingers that he transitioned to his second-most practiced lightsaber form, Makashi.
The first miner swung, and Archais ducked his head as he brought his lightsaber up in the flourish. It sliced through the miner's ribcage, and the Sith Lord spun in a half-circle to execute a second cut that went through both armpits of the miner, leaving his chestless torso standing upright for a moment before it collapsed. He'd already moved on to the second one, who had leaped from some distance with hands outreached. Time slowed as Archais employed the Force, pushing his physical limits, and he speared the creature straight through the mouth and pulled the blade down to open a rift in its body from head to groin, moving his feet forward as he came low beneath the now-dead projectile. It sailed back and collided with the beheaded torso he'd dispatched earlier.
The third and fourth came together, near the far wall, and Archais matched their brisk pace and at the last second propelled himself into a jump that brought his feet to the wall and jumped a second time to take him in an arc over the pair. Three quick slashes encompassed all the time it took him to land behind the miners, and one stood with the top part of his cranium removed while the other barely had time to register the deep rent in his left shoulder. A second wound appeared when the lightsaber speared through his cranium, and the two fell as one to the ground, limp.
A fifth came at him while the blade was reversed toward the fourth, and Archais employed one of those sublte Force powers now, channeling the Force into the hilt of the lightsaber in an application of Force Weapon. He then made a simple thrust with the un-lit end of the hilt, and where it connected it propelled the miner back, shattering his ribcage and forcing a roar choked with blood from the miner's foul mouth. The body flew some distance and collided against the wall with bone-shattering force.
Seven remained, whatever animal part of their brain still function leaving them wondering if they'd bitten off more than they cared with this one that had just killed five of their number in barely as many seconds. He gave a mirthless laugh and started forward again.
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Darth Kruor
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Post by Darth Kruor on Sept 2, 2015 17:41:21 GMT -8
Kruor relished in the rush of combat - behind his position, he heard Altus and his Master dispatching miners. The light of their sabers bounced off the walls of the cavern, creating a spectacle of silver and blue-green light to compliment the sputtering torch stick in the center of the cavern. It didn't take long for the momentarily lull on Kruor's end of the battlefield to give way as the miners he'd sent hurtling to the ground earlier were making moves toward him.
The corrupted must have retained some semblance of intelligence - these six appeared to be moving more cautiously than their comrades. Six of them began to close in on Kruor, spacing themselves out to form a half-circle. Kruor, taken by surprise, reacted quickly. He backed himself against the wall until he felt the heel of his boot collide with the stone behind him. With only seconds before he miners would pounce, the Sith's goggled eyes darted around for anything he could use to turn the tide of battle. He found it.
The first two miners leaped toward Kruor, screeching out intelligible warcries as they began to close the distance. Almost instantly, a large stone that had been dislodged from Altus' earlier attacks collided with one of the miners - who, in turn, collided with the humanoid charging with him. The debris must have instantly shattered the first's body. Impacting the solid stone wall would have dispatched the second.
Whatever strategy the miners had been planning was evidently thwarted - the other four came charging at Kruor with lightning speed. Unarmed combat was not Kruor's specialty, but his master's training had accounted for almost every possibility in combat. These were near-mindless drones, after all. As the miners closed in, Kruor mentally prepared himself for his reaction. Using the Force to augment his physical abilities and guide his body through the air, the Sith propped himself up against the back of the cave wall, waiting until there was just enough space between the miners and himself to launch his body from the wall, just barely barreling over the four miners. Kruor landed several feet behind the miners who had little time to react. As soon as his feet were firmly planted, the Kissai spun around, using his left foot as a pivot. Kruor raised his arms and sent a carefully controlled blast of Force energy into the backs off all four miners. The walls of the mine audibly cracked and shook as they made impact with the walls - the miner's bones were crushed from the force of the collision.
Quite a bit of dust and pebbles were stirred from the shaking mineshaft - for a moment, the battlefield suffered a sprinkling of mostly harmless debris. The tunnel probably couldn't handle much more abuse. Kruor made note of this as his head cocked to the direction of the other two, hoping they'd made quick work of the rest of the corrupted miners. If not, he was ready to jump back into the fray of combat.
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Kel Sentriss
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Post by Kel Sentriss on Sept 2, 2015 20:27:29 GMT -8
There was no stopping him now; Archais was held in the grip of the dark side, the same grip that had strangled whatever sanity the miners had before being drawn to this place. He could feel murderous intent coursing through him like lightning, seeking always the path of least resistance, and it was only too cathartic to deal death to the hapless miners whose forms had been rendered to little more than animal instinct and pure, blind rage.
The seven that faced him down blinked in confusion, perhaps some aspect of their plight made clear through the red haze the nexus exuded. Archais, though, felt no fear. He was a predator now, and a predator had only one reaction to a display of fear. He loosened his grip on the borrowed lightsaber a moment, then firmed it up with the top held tightly to his thumb in a classic Juyo grip, made to emphasize power and raw, unadulterated violence. He took a step toward the miners, then another, and by the third he was accelerating to a sprint as he hurled the lightsaber away from him, spinning a nearly-solid disk of green as he drew his knife with his left hand and set upon the miners.
What fear had penetrated the miners' diseased minds had clearly evaporated as their quarry drew in, and it was only too eagerly that Archais met their charge. The first launched itself in an uncontrolled full-body tackle, which he met by solidifying his leading foot with the Force, anchoring himslf, and channeling the entirety of his momentum into an elbow jab that connected squarely with the creature's forehead. There was a sickening crunch, and the broken body simply collapsed to the ground without another sound. Two of his compatriots had flanked to either side and now approached from the left and right, Archais caught dead to rights, but hardly at a disadvantage. He spun on his planted foot and delivered a roundhouse kick to the right one, connecting with its chest and launching it backward. The bounceback from the landed kick sent him into a graceful backflip, aided with the Force, that sent him over the top of the left attacker and in prime position to plant his knife squarely, deeply into its neck and punctuated by a hot gout of corrupted blood. He landed behind it, and lashed out with a simple Force push that sent it into the space he had just occupied-
-and straight into his returning lightsaber which had just shorn through his airborne friend, slicing the wounded one from neck to opposite groin and leaving the halves to fall apart.
He caught the lightsaber cleanly, turning its blade down in a dueling salute. Four remained, and now all four rushed him in some manner of last ditch assault. Archais opened himself to the currents of the dark side, not projecting but rather playing hte part of the leaf on the winds of the typhoon. This was no more than footwork, ensuring that he never actually ceased walking forward as his blade did the work of turning the walking corpses into so much meat and gore.
He angled his step forward as the lead shambler tumbled by, his lightsaber shearing effortlessly through neck tissue and spinal column in a lightning-fast beheading. His left hand caught the wrist of the second as it lashed at him, and he pulled it across his front with Force-enhanced strength that sent the meat of the creature's body across his blade as it flashed down-then-up, first cutting it off at the thighs then back through to its right shoulder and head. The third somehow came airborne again, and Archais's upstroke brought him to neatly stab the hilt of his lightsaber into the creature's throat then follow up with a vicious left hook that sent the creature flying across the room with its jaw nearly ripped from its hinges. Finally, the fourth came low, and a quick kick to the face was followed by Archais's left hand locking its throat in a crushing grip as he turned in a half-circle and brought it down to dash its head to the cave floor, leaving little more than a red smear on the rock and a pile of bodies where there had been foes to threaten him.
Exhaling, he felt his throes in the dark side abate and with sudden clarity realized that he'd let himself fall victim to the dark side's temptation. He slowed his breathing, and at last his feet came to a halt as he closed his eyes and let his lightsaber retract into its hilt. The cave seemed eerily silent around him, and he said aloud simply:
"Finished."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2015 2:36:48 GMT -8
The battle had lasted far longer than Altus could have anticipated. The flood of miner upon miner had brought himself and the two other Jedi quite the amount of grief in the last little while. He wondered how long he could keep up fighting them off. His lightsaber flailed, his whip caught onto the arm or the torso of the lunging assailant. Soon, everyone was a pile of dead, well, deader bodies. They had finally finished off the remainder of the chaotic swarm and Altus found that he could think. He lifted his lightsaber and used it as a light as he moved deeper into the mine. They had mentioned a darkside presence. He wasn't sure that it was. It was definitely powerful, to be sure, whatever it was. It thrummed and radiated like a current of untapped energy in the Force. He went deeper, almost forgetting about his fellow Jedi as he was drawn like a moth to the flame.
Cavern after cavern, tunnel after tunnel. He made twists until he was deep in the darkness of the mine. He lifted his lightsaber and the silver-white light illuminated it: a massive piece of crystallized fragment of Alderaan itself. It was a piece of Alderaan. The shard was enormous, taking up the entire cavern room. It filled it up and it had its own presence. It was greater than anything he had ever imagined or seen before. He felt an immediate connection to it and as he reached out, he felt the power flow off of it. It radiated like heat from a massive oven. He felt drawn towards it and stared at it with large brown eyes. He couldn't take his eyes away from it. The kinship he felt. Something stirred inside of him and the seeds of something were planted within him. Little did he know but this was to be the catalyst to one of the most catastrophic and incredible chain of events in a very long time.
The Shard of Alderaan sat there and he glanced back to see if his Jedi companions were coming. They had to know what they had found. That the source of all of this must have been the Shard. He knew it inherently to be the last remaining piece of his home. His heritage was found in this. They had to return it to New Alderaan or perhaps to someplace that could keep it safe. The Jedi Archives might be able to house it with all its other potent Sith artifacts. He had a feeling in his gut that if the Sith got their hands on this, it could be catastrophic. But he also knew that if, it fell into the hands of the Sith, he would not be able to restrain himself from being with that order.
By the Force. If this is ever discovered by the Sith, we are all done for.
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Kel Sentriss
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Post by Kel Sentriss on Sept 5, 2015 14:29:19 GMT -8
Archais composed himself following the melee with the miners and with a nod of his head tossed the lightsaber back to Kruor. He re-sheathed his knife, making sure it was ready to be drawn again if needed. He had a feeling it would be.
Rising to his feet, he followed Dux through the cavern, eyes always ahead and watching for any spark of recognition on the part of the Jedi. Something had driven the miners in this shaft to become animals and turn murder upon one another, and if that something could be used to his own advantage then it was imperative that the secret not leave this cave.
They'd walked for an indeterminate amount of time, following Dux as the latter used his lightsaber like a flare, always casting its glow ahead and making every shadow look as though it was another miner ready to lunge for them. The anxiety was palpable, but that was perhaps spurred on by the every-increasing tides of the dark side that twisted the air as they went deeper. It was almost noticeably colder now, and the subliminal desire to turn violence upon the Jedi was getting harder and harder to resist. Twice his mask almost slip, but a herculean effort kept his bloody thoughts at bay as the dark pulled at his discipline.
At last, they arrived, and what he saw amazed him.
A crystal, though enormous in size. Its surface was dark, and as he cast his gaze over it he could've sworn he'd seen shadows dancing across its surface. It was an evil violet in color, the depths of it threatening to swallow him and driving his mind to madness. That must have been the fate of the miners - they'd unearthed this monstrosity, and had lacked the will to resist its pull. It had driven sane thought from their minds, and left them as little more than mindless husks. That explained the 'disappearances' as well as the ferocity of the creatures they'd fought earlier. Now what he needed to understand was his nature.
He watched as Altus moved close to it, and found himself on-edge as the Jedi reached a hand to it. There was an unmistakable spark of recognition there, and clearly he knew something about it. Too soon to kill him, then, for if the crystal in some way registered with him then he was a critical piece in its employ as a weapon. He put on his best curious Jedi voice and spoke aloud as he took a casual step closer.
"Knight Dux? Do you...do you know what this is? It feels off, somehow."
As Dux was occupied with the crystal, he gave a series os silent hand-gestures to Kruor in the Imperium's speech informative protocols that conveyed a message:
Flank. Do not engage. Be ready at my signal.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2015 22:08:21 GMT -8
Dux didn't quite know what he had found. The power, the connection. It all made some form of sense if you connected it. The amount of souls that had died in the great purge that was the Death Star's laser beam had been catastrophic. The death had been felt as a ripple through the entire Force. As one old man, it was as if millions of voices cried out and were silenced. This was the summit of great power and responsibility and the Jedi were lucky that they had found it first. He turned to his Jedi companions with wide eyes. "I..." He knew what it was. He knew that it was the culmination of his old homeworld in one giant piece of crystallized Force. "It's a piece... no... it's a shard of the planet Alderaan. Crystallized. I don't know how... but... I do feel an affinity with it." He glanced back towards it - a glance that swiftly turned into a longing gaze. Something about it just captured him. It was like all of his childhood memories of Alderaan were captured right there. it wasn't just power. It felt like something else.
It felt like home.
His hand touched the crystal and immediately a surge of power went through him. His eyes widened as the dark side permeated his being for a moment and it was in that instant that he thought he felt his old demon stir up. Tenebrae was buried deep in his psyche and it was possible that the monster might one day return but that darkness wasn't the one that touched him. This was a corruption of his very soul that began. He wished to possess this crystal. It was a slow corruption that touched at his very innermost being. He yanked his hand away forcefully as if it was metal and stuck to a powerful magnet.
"This must be kept away from the Sith." He breathed. "If they were ever to come upon this artifact, Kenobi knows what could happen." His hand slid to his lightsaber again as if on a defensive reflex. He turned back to the apprentice and Master. "I am but a Jedi Knight and have no say in this matter. But I must report this to the Council. I must tell them that an artifact of great power has been discovered. That my people have a chance to find redemption in this artifact. If this were used for good, for the Light, then perhaps the catastrophic events that befell my beloved people of Alderaan would be rectified." His eyes glowed with a passionate fire as he spoke. But even as he weaved tales of the Light, of Ashla, Bogan had begun to reach within him.
If the Sith were to look closer at him, they would notice a slight change in countenance after touching the shard. Altus was changing and perhaps it was not for the better. At least, not in the eyes of a Jedi. But that would not be the case in this instance. The glowing purple crystal seemed to respond to his touch, pulsing faster as it almost reached out for him. He was not corrupted like the miners. He was stronger. He was a Force user, a Knight and an adept at keeping his mind from breaking. Perhaps, this crystal required someone to channel it. Become it's vessel of power.
Altus wanted nothing more but he could not make that want known. He could not fall to that temptation.
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Kel Sentriss
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Post by Kel Sentriss on Sept 5, 2015 22:21:31 GMT -8
Archais approached the crystal with something like wonder in his eyes, and not all of it was an act. As he drew near, he could palpably feel its power reaching to him, waiting to be taken, used. He wondered if the Jedi felt it as well, but didn't spare to glance his way. This was...pure power, a catalyst that could propel Archais and those who followed him to the heights of the galaxy, perhaps beyond.
He could become a god, or something similar. He needed this, and he needed the Jedi to be none the wiser.
Killing the Jedi was his first thought, but no...Altus clearly felt some connection with the crystal. He cared little for the semantic reasons behind this connection, but it could very well be that only Altus could truly tap its power. Already Archais could feel that the shard, as the Jedi had called it, was coursing its power through him, though it felt almost restrained. Perhaps the Jedi was the key to unlocking that strength; if this was so, then it was imperative that Altus be subverted to their cause. This would need to be done carefully, and in stages.
Now was the time for that first stage.
"Incredible. I feel that you're correct, Knight Dux," he said, letting a note of wonder creep into his voice. "This crystal...if it is what you say it is, then think of the good it could do. Cities could be erected in days, entire harvests prompted to grow in hours. It feels like we could even give the Force to someone not touched by it."
He turned to Altus then, letting the barest dash of the Force seep into his voice as he gestured to the Jedi. The gesture was a natural motion of his speaking, or so it seemed, and the Force impression of the words could easily have been attributed to the surrounding atmosphere, pervaded as it was. Put together, they completed a small Force suggestion that would only serve to add weight to his next words.
"It could even be used to prevent what happened to Alderaan from ever happening again."
These words in particular rung with Archais as well, as he too had once been a survivor of a planet laid to waste. When he spoke these words, he spoke from what heart he had left - his goals truly were security, and order. The difference was that he understood that the galaxy must be broken first, the Jedi light extinguished, and himself given leadership of worlds, and whole systems. Only then could the reparations be made.
Not to mention his reckoning had. He let the words hang, and then spoke once more.
"It is clear that this place has some impact on you. Master Garl and I shall remain with the shard to ensure its safety, and see to the rest of the miners. Perhaps they can be healed now that we know the root cause of their madness. But you are correct that the Sith must not learn the existence of this crystal - your report to the council must be made with all due haste. Go; we shall remain, and wait."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2015 0:25:35 GMT -8
From all that Archais said, the words that he finished with Force influence hung in Altus' head.
"It could even be used to prevent what happened to Alderaan from ever happening again." That thought echoed in his head over and over and he stared at the white-haired "apprentice", not really hearing the rest of what he said. Prevent another Death Star. That kind of mass power could bring peace to the galaxy. Finally wipe out the Sith. But no. Right now, he didn't want to prevent Alderaan's demise. He wanted to touch the crystal. He wanted to learn its secrets. He would rather spend hours on this Force-forsaken rock then fly back.
But Altus had to follow Jedi protocol. He was Jedi, first and foremost. So he made the decision that he hated to make. "I will find the Jedi. I will head to Yavin IV and hail the Jedi and make my report. If there is no answer there, I will contact Coruscant. But there must be action. The Jedi cannot stand idly by while an artifact of this power and magnitude lays dormant for anyone to find." He bowed. "I will leave you, Jedi. Please guard it and keep it safe. I trust you will keep scavengers from this place. May the Force be with you." With that, Altus headed towards his X-Wing. He had to make it to the Jedi in time. The Sith could discover this place at any point and he did not dare to think what would happen if that were the case. He cringed before he made his way away from the deepness of the tunnel.
He felt its call and he had to will himself away. The Force had to be served, not the piece of rock sitting buried in its dark, untouched cavern.
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Darth Kruor
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Post by Darth Kruor on Sept 8, 2015 13:39:13 GMT -8
Kruor had patiently waited as the trio approached the large crystalline object. He could feel energy pulsating from its core, akin to the ebbing and flowing of a massive reservoir of water. The Jedi seemed especially drawn to the object - Kruor could also see that Archais was taking a keen interest. Whatever the Jedi initially said was muffled as Kruor let the energy emanating from the rock wash over him, dulling all his senses in favor of pure, hypnotic pleasure. The Force was strong here. Especially strong. Whatever this crystal was, Kruor could sense that currents of Force energy tuned and directed - if the energy was visible to the naked eye, the Kissai could imagine a thousand-thousand tendrils swaying and probing from the crystal's surface.
The prick of his Master's presence brought Kruor abruptly back into the moment. He glanced over at Archais just in time to confirm the hand signals that were subtly being directed at him. With an affirmative nudge of his head, Kruor appeared to pace the expanse of the cavern, making his way to flank the mesmerized Jedi. From this position, Kruor resisted the urge to fall back into the trance of the crystal while watching Altus' movements.
Kruor watched and listened as the Jedi Knight and Sith Lord exchanged conversation concerning the artifact. With the subtlety and tact that he was known for, Archais bid the Knight to take leave of the mining station and report the crystal's existence to the Jedi Council. This was a tricky maneuver. While it would allow the pair of Sith to take the crystal for themselves, it would also alert the Jedi Council to both the existence of the artifact and the fact that two rogue Force Sensitives were now in possession of it. If he had the opportunity to deliberate with his master, Kruor would have argued for the simplicity of just killing the Jedi immediately. He did not get such an opportunity, however, and watched as the Jedi quickly took his leave, nodding in farewell as Altus passed him.
Kruor waited a few moments until he was sure that the faintest echoes of footsteps were no longer audible. Then, the Kissai removed the faux breathing apparatus from his head, exposing a crimson face pockmarked with beads of sweat and dust. He approached the crystal and his master, reaching out toward the artifact with his hand as if he was testing the heat of a fire. In this case, the fire happened to span an entire planet's worth of flammable material. Kruor's voice cracked as he spoke - partially due to under-use in the past few hours and partially due to the magnitude of the energy that was flooding his mind.
"Could this really be a piece of Alderaan? The power... it's as if... an entire planet's worth of energy..."
Kruor paused, looking toward his master with wide, unblinking eyes.
"Is it possible, my lord?"
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Kel Sentriss
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Post by Kel Sentriss on Sept 8, 2015 17:56:49 GMT -8
Archais listened to Altus's words with a hard look in his eyes, trying to give the impression of empathy. He nodded as the Jedi spoke of finding the Jedi, and took careful note of the locations mentioned - Yavin, Coruscant - for future reference. At that, he bowed in traditional Jedi fashion to Altus and gave the time-honored "may the Force be with you" as the Jedi departed.
As soon as the Jedi vanished from his Force senses, though, Archais dropped all pretenses of his apprentice role, his eyes almost subliminally reverting to their usual daggered gaze and his mouth almost visibly turning from a venerated smile to his perpetual sneer. The Jedi fool had no idea what they'd found, and although the last thing he wished was the Jedi to be aware that such an artifact existed - in truth, that he himself existed, and planned to use it - it was a necessary thing. He spoke his rationale aloud as he turned to Kruor and placed a hand on the crystal.
"Whether it is a piece of the planet, I do not know. The energy within, though...it feels almost familiar. It is the dark side incarnate, full of anger, fear. You felt it's pull too, yes?"
He turned his head down, thinking at light-speed. This changed things. Oh, this changed things.
"The Force bends to our will, Kruor. It can't be an accident that we were guided to this artifact on the cusp of our offensive against the Jedi. We have been recognized as the rightful heirs to the throne of the galaxy, and with this as our weapon we will be unstoppable. There is much to do, but one thing is certain: that Jedi is connected to this. He must be kept alive until we can ascertain the nature of this and exploit that to our desires. Make a note of the name Altus Dux - he may be a valuable asset to subvert later. I've already planted that seed."
He turned away then, dialing commands furiously into his wrist communicator.
"I'm signalling Ferris on a secure channel. We'll need the Dysnomia to properly excavate this and from there we'll need to find a secure location for it until such time as we can begin to employ its power in our actions. If my suspicions are correct, then this crystal represents the combined Force aptitude of Alderaan's lost billions. The Jedi have tales of the Valley of the Jedi, the mass grave of two thousands Force Jedi, and how its latent power nearly made one man a god. With this much infinitely more, nothing could stop us from at last strangling this galaxy."
With a few emphatic taps, Archais finished his message to Ferris and turned to face Kruor with a cold smile, one utterly devoid of humanity.
"Is it possible, you ask? Soon, Kruor, nothing will be impossible. With this discovery we begin our ascension to ultimate power."
He turned from Kruor then, turning his gaze back up the shaft they'd come down, and raised a fist as his eyes gleamed with predatory menace.
"Now, we can't have the mine adminsitration reporting the appearance of a supposedly-destroyed warship. Let's pay them a visit."
He punctuated his statement by ejecting his hidden wrist-blade. It had thirsted for Jedi blood, and now it would get its fill as Archais led Kruor back to their next victims.
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Kel Sentriss
The Vegemite Enclave
Soon.
Posts: 174
Affiliation: The Second Imperium
Traffic Light: Orange
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Post by Kel Sentriss on Sept 8, 2015 18:09:49 GMT -8
Some hours later, the Dysnomia arrived in the Alderaan system and made its ghostly way to the asteroid-turned-mine. They were greeted by radio silence form the administration, just as Archais's report had said they would be. Inside they would find little but the scattered remains of the former administators, a grisly scene that would doubtless raise no shortage of questions when the Jedi inevitably arrived. An excavation team replete with heavy equipment made their way down the mineshaft guided by Archais and Kruor, and work began to unearth the shard and return it to the ship. On two occassions an excavation crewmember was attacked by a feral miner that they'd missed in their first go-through, but otherwise the work was largely uneventful.
That is, except for the occassion when the crystal was finally removed from its resting place and placed on the large pneumatic sled that would carry it to the surface. An engineer had tried to chisel off a small sample, and the crystal's brittle nature had resulted in a second finger-sized piece breaking off and falling beneath the sled, hidden from view. Archais and Kruor were long gone to the ship, and no Force-sensitives remained in the excavation crew that would detect any latent Force energy the shard would leave. It lay forgottem, pressed into the vehicle's trail but otherwise intact.
The work took some twelve hours, and when the shard was finally loaded aboard the ship it departed, set for parts unknown and ordered to keep moving until contacted again. Meanwhile, Archais and Kruor departed on a separate shuttle, bound for Korriban and the first phase of their newly-minted campaign.
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Alaric Lamar
Member
Posts: 124
Affiliation: The Galactic Republic
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Post by Alaric Lamar on Aug 18, 2016 15:09:06 GMT -8
It had been several years since Alaric and the crew of the Republic warship 'Defiance' had been freed from hibernation by an ancient Sith Lord. In that time the crew struggled to come to terms with a galaxy who had left them behind and the horrifying revelation that all that they had known was long since passed. It was perhaps that the galaxy was so similar, that there was still the ever present cancer of the darkside and the same petty conflict and great tragedies, that caused Alaric to change. Initially they had returned the galaxy excitedly, hoping to rejoin the fight, but they soon reliazed that the fight to preserve civilization was all but lost... The Republic had dissolved, in its place a last desperate alliance of jedi and galactic citizenry who would not go quietly into the dark. Opposing them was the newest iteration of the sith empire and they were begrudgingly effective. This conflict played out against a backdrop of chaos, anarchy paranoia and isolationism as individual systems sought to protect themselves as there was no Republic to unify them and fear and greed had divided them. Now Alaric, separated from his peers, on a mission of his own travelled to the World of New Alderaan.
New Alderaan w was the most important of the so-called "Ash Worlds" a small pocket of clustered planetary systems in the Outer Rim, before even Alaric's time, the Ash Worlds were devestated by war with the Hutts and were disregarded until they finally faded from memory until they were rediscovered centuries later by the first Galactic Empire. Since then it had been recolonized by the refugees of Alderaan, a planet destroyed by a Sith superweapon. They have lived there in relative secrecy and peace, eschewing contact with the outside and developing on their own. The people of New Alderaan know the cost of galactic conflict...
A Nebulon-B Escort Frigate cruises towards the planet's gravity well where Alaric hopes to find a people unwilling to accept an atrocity like that which destroyed their first home...
"No, we don't have a landing permit." Said Rolf Thane into the comm system at his station. Rolf, like many crew on the Nebulon-B Frigate was one of the surviving crewmen of the Defiance. The dark skinned man frowned, obviously irritated by the response and quickly replied. "We are friends of Efram Antilles and..."
He didn't have the chance to finish as the viewports flashed as lasers impacted against the ship's shields, immediately activating the warning claxons. "Well, so much for a warm welcome." Said Alaric dryly. The middle-aged jedi had expected the cold shoulder, not open hostility. He had believed that his contact within New Alderaan's government, Efram Antilles, a man sympathetic to Alaric's mission would have been able to give them clearance with the orbital defenses who were now presently firing on his ship.
"Sir? Orders?" Said the New Bwa'tau, another Defiance Veteran and captain of the ship. The New Alderaan orbital defenses were so far only firing lasers and light turbolasers which meant that they were trying to dissuade or bully, not kill. The Bothan captain stroked the furs on his beard, confident that the ship's enhanced shielding units could keep them protected for now.
Alaric looked expectantly towards Rolf, almost willing the man to succeed, he had come too far and taken too much time to navigate his ship into the Ash Worlds and be rebuffed at the door of the crown jewel. After some more exchanges and the occasional obscenity issued by Rolf the ship's shields stopped lighting up like a fireworks display as the orbital defenses stopped firing. "We're not to deviate from our present course Sir, and we are only allowed to take 1 shuttle down to the planet's surface."
The jedi let out a sigh of relief. Quickly gathering himself he ordered that a shuttle and ground-crew be prepared before he excused himself from the bridge to prepare for the tests on the planet surface.
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Alaric Lamar
Member
Posts: 124
Affiliation: The Galactic Republic
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Post by Alaric Lamar on Aug 19, 2016 8:27:07 GMT -8
There was a slight shudder as the turbolift was slowed by the magnetic stabilizers. A musical ping preceded the opening of the doors revealing the hangar bay of the Nebulon B-Frigate. Two mechanics ran past the doorway and all around the hangar there was a flurry of activity. Alaric was adorned in his red jedi robes of the old republic era, they differed from the contemporary robes in their bright color and reinforced fiberweave as well as foregoing the billowing robe and hood. The older jedi uniforms were more militant and that suited Alaric and his mission. He walked briskly across the hangar floor, trading salutes and friendly nods towards the crew he passed. The jedi's destination was a Sheathipede class shuttle. It looked like a beetle but was fairly well armed, shielded and was a ship design that was neutral and easy for independent parties to come across.
As he approached the shuttle, his ground team rose to their feet and lined up at attention. The ground team consisted of 6 troopers and 2 pilots. They were armored in the orange and black armor of the Old Republic military, however they carried black-market modified OK-98 Blaster Carbines. "Gentlemen, thank you for volunteering for this mission. As you know the people of New Alderaan are isolationist and unfriendly, you will not respond to insult or retaliate in anyway unless your life is at risk. There are many below, who are bitterly opposed to our mission here and will do what they can to sabotage it. Alright, lets get on with it." Said Alaric as he walked past the men and made his way up the boarding ramp.
Moments later the shuttle rose, retracted its landing claws and slowly drifted out of the hangar. The shuttle then raced towards the planet surface.
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Arden Brandwyn
Member
Back again, let's try and go out with a bang this time
Posts: 82
Affiliation: Council of the Unified Force (CUF)
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Post by Arden Brandwyn on Mar 17, 2023 2:39:23 GMT -8
An Alliance Class Star Unifier- The Watchman
Staff:
Admiral Elliot Davison, Commanding
Commander Sulaiman Saliba, First Officer
Captain Jaxon Walder, Security
Agent Enza Trevisano, Intel
Armament:
Dual Heavy Turbolaser x130
Turbolaser Canons x260
Heavy Ion cannon Turrets x 100
Long Range Turbolaser x20
Proton torpedo launchers x 50
Assault concussion missile x40
Heavy Mass Driver Cannons x10
Tractor beam x20
(Modified with a Crystal Gravitational Trap)
Drops out of hyperspace, followed by the rest of Fleet Himura
Armament:
Dual Heavy Turbolaser x130
Turbolaser Canons x260
Heavy Ion cannon Turrets x 100
Long Range Turbolaser x20
Proton torpedo launchers x 50
Assault concussion missile x40
Heavy Mass Driver Cannons x10
Tractor beam x20
(Modified with a Crystal Gravitational Trap)
Independence Class Battleship - The Orbalisk
Armament:
Dual Heavy Turbolaser batteries x 50
Heavy Ion cannon Turrets x 30
Proton torpedo launchers x15
Assault concussion missile x15
AMDCx 10
Point defense Lasers x50
Gravity mine x30
Independence Class Battleship - The Challenger
Armament:
Dual Heavy Turbolaser batteries x 50
Heavy Ion cannon Turrets x 30
Proton torpedo launchers x15
Assault concussion missile x15
AMDCx 10
Point defense Lasers x50
Gravity mine x30
Independence Class Battleship - The Mychi
Armament:
Dual Heavy Turbolaser batteries x 50
Heavy Ion cannon Turrets x 30
Proton torpedo launchers x15
Assault concussion missile x15
AMDCx 10
Point defense Lasers x50
Gravity mine x30
Independence Class Battleship - The Peacemaker
Armament:
Dual Heavy Turbolaser batteries x 50
Heavy Ion cannon Turrets x 30
Proton torpedo launchers x15
Assault concussion missile x15
AMDCx 10
Point defense Lasers x50
Gravity mine x30
Independence Class Battleship - The Peacekeeper
Armament:
Dual Heavy Turbolaser batteries x 50
Heavy Ion cannon Turrets x 30
Proton torpedo launchers x15
Assault concussion missile x15
AMDCx 10
Point defense Lasers x50
Gravity mine x30
Elite Class Cruiser - The Defender
Armament:
Turbolaser Cannons x 50
Medium Ion cannon Turrets x15
Proton torpedo launchers x4
Assault concussion missile x4
Mass Driver Cannons x 6
Elite Class Cruiser - The Eclipse
Armament:
Turbolaser Cannons x 50
Medium Ion cannon Turrets x15
Proton torpedo launchers x4
Assault concussion missile x4
Mass Driver Cannons x 6
Elite Class Cruiser - The Denzo
Armament:
Turbolaser Cannons x 50
Medium Ion cannon Turrets x15
Proton torpedo launchers x4
Assault concussion missile x4
Mass Driver Cannons x 6
Elite Class Cruiser -The Drallig
Armament:
Turbolaser Cannons x 50
Medium Ion cannon Turrets x15
Proton torpedo launchers x4
Assault concussion missile x4
Mass Driver Cannons x 6
Katana Class Scout - The Stealth
Armament:
(All weapons concealed under hull)
Turbolaser Cannons x 6
Jedi shadow bomb launchers x6
AMDC x 1
of the CUF, transmitting the personal access codes of one Jedi Master Arden Brandwyn. The ship enters a geo-synchronous orbit and waits for a response. Aboard the ship Arden sits in his command seat, hoping Alana gets the message and joins them...
A courier vessel arrives in the hangar and a droid emerges with a package for Arden, it gets delivered to him on the bridge and everyone there can see him open it and retrieve two lightsabers and a note, he reads the note, places it back in the box and walks it over to the desk where his tea was. He attaches his sabers to his belt and returns to his seat.
"Alright Everybody, this adventure is just getting started. Let's go see the Jedi on their new planet."
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