“To sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there’s the rub” [First Order Dominion of Vassek]

[Dissero]

"You are Lord Dissero, the owner of this castle, I presume?

"Aye," came the Lord's reply, hiding the amusement he felt at being referred to as a Lord again. How long had it been? Since Rudrig, if he recalled correctly. Back during the days of Empress Desmius when the galaxy cowered beneath the heel of The Sith Empire. Lord of Rudrig, Master of Vaults. Might've been a Lord while seated upon the High Council within the Fringe Confederacy, but that hadn't truly lasted long enough to make any major mark upon history. His seat, that is, not the Fringe.

"I am Greifen Ren, and behind me stands my Disciple, Kriel. We represent the Knights of Ren and the First Order."

"We have come to discuss the First Order's subjugation of the planet of Vassek. As the owner of this estate, we assumed you would be...interested, in the details, Lord Dissero."

Knight's of...what? It didn't matter. Dissero took another sip from his mug, cringing visibly at the taste of good caff going cold.

"Indeed?" the man took a candid look around as though this news was somehow new, smiling easily, "Very well. Let's discuss it in my study. Caff? Tea? ...uh...with a straw?" he eyed the Apprentice's mask as he turned to punch in the security code, minor doorway sliding open with a happy hiss, surely there were breathing holes in that thing on his face.

[member="Verie Lacroix"]
[member="Greifen Ren"]
[member="Kriel Firin"]

 

[Verie Lacroix]

Normally, Verie Lacroix would have put up a fight of some kind when she was relegated to remain there. Something along the lines of like hell I'm going to wait here while you go meet these Darth Vader-looking sons-of-nerf-herders, it could be dangerous, we're twice as strong together -- yada, yada, yada. But she was pregnant, and with that came some added responsibility. Responsibility to keep herself safe -- although if these two helmeted clowns could take down [member="Dissero"], it was unlikely that Verie would have been able to do much with them, except possibly escape.

But if Mero was dead, she could think of no reason why she would want to escape.

So, instead of arguing, she inclined her head and murmured, "Yes dear," and glanced at Mahet before settling cross-legged on the floor in front of the security monitors. "Can we keep an eye on them?" she asked when she watched [member="Dissero"] turn to the study. She reached for the control and flipped through the camera views. Is there any part of this place that isn't wired? she asked herself.

[member="Greifen Ren"] | [member="Kriel Firin"]

 

[Kenrath]

Objective 1: Diplomacy in action.
Location: Shuttle to the planet below
Allies: First Order
Enemies: None at the moment
Posts: 2/20

Just as Viktor was about to start the briefing an aide came in and whispered something in his ear causing Viktor to frown. He quickly dropped a stack of briefings on the table in front of the first Trooper in line.

"Something has come up and I need to depart immediately." "Please pass these along....you can read them on the way to the ground."

Viktor quickly made his way to the shuttle it already prepped for take off. As he walked he spoke to the aide.

"What happened?" "That was not the plan for the operation.........who jumped the gun?"

The aide shook his head saying he didn't know.

"Idiots..where are the Governors.........please tell me they are already on board or on the surface?"

When the aide shook his head Viktor growled.

"This is going to go over well...it is almost like they want to wipe out the entire planet."

 

[Greifen Ren]

Objective: Misc.
Allies: [member="Kriel Firin"]
Non-Belligerent: [member="Dissero"] [member="Verie Lacroix"]
Posts: 4/20

Greifen caught the curious look of surprise on Dissero's face as he announced the First Order's intentions for the planet. Surely he had heard, or at least felt, what was happening on Vassek, unless this man truly was cloistered in his castle with no outside contact to speak of. If that was the case, then all the better for the First Order. Dissero would be far less of a wild card if he simply remained self-exiled in the palace he'd carved out for himself, and the First Order's job would be that much easier. But Greifen couldn't tell what this Lord's game was. He evidently had a sense of humor, as seen by his next comment. But Greifen Ren didn't like jokes. Especially when dealing with people whose intentions were difficult to assess. They only made him more wary.

"Just water, thank you," Greifen responded politely to Dissero's gesture. At least simple formalities were not lost on him. He would let Kriel decide for himself what he would like to drink. Greifen had forbidden him from drinking anything besides water since his training began, so he imagined that Kriel would not turn down the tea easily.

As they approached the study, Greifen sat in one of the chairs opposite Dissero. The man kept a clean enough house, although Greifen sensed that he was not alone. How could he be, in a massive construction such as this?

"I will not take up much of your time, Lord Dissero," Greifen said. "And I will be up front with you. The First Order has every intention of subjugating Vassek and collectivizing its resources for our purposes. However, to be frank, what you do here in your castle, on this moon, is of little concern to us. We, the Knights of Ren, are confident that a sign of mutual respect between followers of the Dark Side can be reached between us. We wish not to disturb you or your estate, and we wish that same courtesy extended in return."

 

[Colton Renth]

Objective 3: Intelligence
Allies: Larry Cheswa
Enemies: all who Oppose us.
Post: 1+1 /20

After Colrenth shuttle touched, he took a moment to review the customs and langue of the locals, as put on his civilian grab, armed with a: DC-19 "Stealth" carbine, M-300 Elite Stealth Interceptor, Personal cloaking device, 2 high-powered vibrodaggers, slicer kit, and 3 viper class Imperial probe droids for advance scouting. He check his gear one last before heading to city’s main command and control facility, he was ambush a worker or guard and use their credentials to gain access, once inside the sabotage their communication’s array, and wreaking havoc, chaos and confusion among the vassek military and police, as the ground forces made their assault. As his probes scouted along about 10-20 meters ahead of him as he made his through the winding and narrow forest paths the ran from the clearing his shuttle had landed to the outskirts of the city, once in the city it would and easy enough for his blend in and vanish to make his way to his objective.

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

Objective: 6
Post: 2
Allies: The First Order, Knights of Ren
Enemies: Everyone else

While Arthan had held the villagers back with the power of the Force, the squad of stormtroopers created a line formation beside him with their blasters at the ready in case things got gnarly and the barrier fell.

As if fate was not with them today, a group of MagnaGuards were walking from the village, it seemed that a worried villager had woken the near-millennium old guardians to defend them from the threat that was Arthan.

The villagers moved aside as the MagnaGuards made their way through the crowd. They looked exactly like one from the Clone Wars, head covered in wraps and a cape going from their necks to their feet.

The MagnaGuards also had numerous scratches located on their chassis, from previous battles that spanned the timeline, from now to 22 BBY. They of course knew that their leader was long dead, but that would not stop them from completing their final orders, too kill any Force User that crossed them.

Arthan grabbed his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it with a sinister hiss, he lowered his hand and let the barrier drop. Instead of the villagers running forward and attacking, they made ample space for the honor guard of droids and the First Order detachment to fight.

The droids themselves activated their electrostaffs, spinning them with a deadly whirring sound as the ends crackled with purple electricity. "Keep your men at bay Sergeant, these are deadly warriors and I want no casualties, this is my fight." He said to the Sergeant, who nodded.

Arthan rushed forward, the battle had began.

[member="OK-3103"] [member="Greifen Ren"] [member="Evangeline Ovmar"] [member="Larry Cheswa"] [member="Viktor Alexander"] [member="Elaine Thul"]

 

[Miles Cormin]

Objective: 2
Post: 2
Allies: All First Order, [member="Larry Cheswa"] [member="OK-3103"]
Enemies: All hostile

Miles was growing rather impatient. His unit milled around nearby, possessing no orders. Miles hated it. He needed to do something. Finally he could take the waiting no more and lifted a hand to his helmet. His voice was clear and commanding as he spoke through his comm on an open First Order channel.

"This is trooper RV-4456 speaking to whoever is in charge," he said, "I am requesting permission to take a scout team to investigate the enemy defenses."

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Location: In Orbit
Objective 6
Allies: [member="Arthan Corvax"]
Enemies: TBD

Silver-green eyes gazed absently from beneath the typical veil of darkness provided by the hood of Cameron's dark blue and gray cloak. While it was not an abnormal thing for Cameron to be pensive, this was...far different. He cared about the progress of general operations in the system only in a very...casual manner. There were several layers of military leadership responsible for supervising the many combat-oriented objectives of the First Order.

In fact - Cameron would generally not be personally present for a relatively simple expansion of the First Order's territory. Still - as was the case with Karfeddion, the Sith Lord went where needed. Directives derived specifically from the Supreme Leader only passed through Cameron's hands when so required by the Archmaster anyways.

So. Why come to Vassek? On the surface, he had made it clear that he would deal with the minor cult still owing some age-old fervor to General Grievous. The deeper truth was that he was here to ensure a certain...interaction...occurred without incident. [member="Dissero"], Cameron's brother-in-law, was innately important to him mostly because of how close he was with Esmae. In truth, Cameron did not dislike the man, but he wouldn't exactly call him a friend.

He wouldn't call anyone other than his partner in life a friend, actually.

"Lord Ren."

Cameron had chosen the name Ciardha Ren. It mattered little to him. If someone needed to know who he was, exactly, they either already knew or would be told. Otherwise, the generic reference of 'Lord Ren' would certainly suffice. In the end of the day, upholding the traditions of the Knights of Ren would serve his long-term purpose and those of the First Order, despite his...personal feelings. Without moving his gaze from the view of the planet below, Cameron replied to the vessel's Captain. "Yes, Captain?"

"Your transport and detachment of troops have been prepared."

"Very well." Turning from the viewport, the large Sith swept past the uniformed Captain on his way to the hangar bay. Another of their Order was already on the ground, and the Sith Lord sensed that the young man was, perhaps, about to be in over his head.

Whether he recognized it or not.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Verie Lacroix"] | [member="Dissero"] | [member="Greifen Ren"] | [member="Kriel Firin"]
--

"What?" Cerita shouted over the steady hum of the machinery. Filtration appliances currently in the process of purifying the soil samples from its decontamination, the machinery produced a lot of noise sadly, which made it a challenge to make out her Master’s voice. But eventually she got it - visitors to their house.

A frown appeared and disappeared just as quickly. Very well then, the decontamination process would have to wait for another time. With a thump she shut down the machine. It would positively ruin the current batch, but that was the prize of doing business.

Sometimes you just had to write something off. Sunk cost fallacy and all, better to prevent that then to walk face first into it.

Or at least that was what her teacher had taught her at the management course. Cerita wasn’t entirely sure if it fitted in this situation…. but it was nice to put things into that particular mindset, made it easier to learn and study for the inevitable exams.

Machines turned off Cerita walked out of her experiments room. They had broken through the wall that separated her regular room and the room besides it: she had been running out of space where to put her running projects.

Downstairs had always been an option, but Sarova was an alchemist who liked to sleep close to her projects.

It wasn’t weird at all.

Whilst Dissero was getting warm and friendly with their visitors his apprentice was still busy making herself presentable. Wouldn’t do to waltz into a meeting wearing clothes that were splattered with oil stains and ingrained in dirt.

It would probably take a while.

 

[OK-3103]

Objective 2: Troops on the ground
Post: 4+3=2/20
Allies: [member="Miles Cormin"] [member="Larry Cheswa"]
Enemies: None confirmed

It seems he was the ranking officer on the ground. As such, he was suddenly at the centre of things – being asked to approve this and confirm that. He was glad he’d spent so long reading the briefing and suddenly had a new-found appreciation of the work that officers did. They fought and they made decisions. Not ones that affected the life of one or two troopers, but tens and even hundreds.

“Trooper RV-4456, you are cleared to scout the enemy situation.”

And with that he took his own men and headed for his designated drop-ship. “Sergeant, no time for a pre-brief, I’ll share intel as we deploy.”

 

[Miles Cormin]

Objective: 2
Allies:[member="OK-3103"] [member="Larry Cheswa"], all First Order
Enemies: Any an all hostile, [member="Elaine Thul"]

"Copy that sir, I'm moving out," Miles said. Gathering up a small unit of about nine other troopers, Miles obtained transportation and flew in the direction of the enemy positions. Having the the shuttle drop them far out of the estimated range of the enemy guns and hopefully their scanners, Miles led his unit into to a concealed vantage point where they had a clear view of the enemy below. Miles pulled out a pair of macrobinoculars and observed the enemy defenses.

"Sir, this is trooper RV-4456 checking in," he said, "Enemy is evacuating civilians, repeat they are evacuating civilians. They have several heavy guns as well as some automatic weapons. They are dug in with a sizable force. This is going to be one heck of a nut to crack. Orders?"

 

[Kriel Firin]

Objective x: Do our own thing
Post: 4+4=20
Allies: [member="Greifen Ren"]
Enemies: None confirmed
Other: [member="Dissero"]

He was an apprentice - but it didn't make him an idiot. His personal silence was actually a positive right now. It meant it was his Master as opposed to himself that was subject to the focus on this man's full interest. No doubt he was a figure of fun - with his helmet firmly in place - but it was symbolic and he wasn't about to remove it to accommodate others. Nor had he come round for a cup of tea and a chat.

So her remained silent when the offer of a drink cam - a small shake of the head indicating he would decline the offer. And then he listened to his Master once more. He was learning - from both men. And whereas his Master sat, Kriel remained standing, alongside the chair, his stance impassive. Unthreatening yet alert.

And the offer was on the table. It was simple and neutral. You leave us alone and we'll leave you alone. Why would the resident of the castle refuse? Under his mask, Kriel's lip curled. In truth, he'd probably demand something additional. If for no other reason than to see how far he could push it. But then, it wasn't his castle and he was just the Disciple.

 

[Larry Cheswa]

Objective 3: Shaken, Not Stirred.
Post: 2/20
Allies: [member="Miles Cormin"] [member="Colrenth Renfrew"]
Enemies: [member="Elaine Thul"]
Lord Only Knows What Side Their On: [member="Dissero"] [member="Verie Lacroix"][member="Cerita Sarova"]

I walk over to my speeder bike, which is also a relic from my past, and message the other recons, "This is LRY-267 Larry Cheswa, if I don't come back, tell Sibar he gets my collectible figurines." Then I speed off to the enemy encampment. When I get there I write down what I see on my built in holopad, approximately seven heavy artillery cannons, one-hundred and sixty infantry, and a couple more unidentifiable objects. We are completely able to stomp this so called 'army' out. "And now press send." And it is sent to whoever is in charge.

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

Objective: 6
Post: 3
Allies: The First Order, Knights of Ren, [member="Cameron Centurion"]
Enemies: Everyone else

Arthan had rushed at the six MagnaGuards but stopped short of them, entering his Niman form, while it was a rather toned down style, Niman lacked advantage and disadvantage at the same time.

The MagnaGuards themselves raised their electrostaffs, they had been personally trained by General Grievous to dispatch any and all threats especially Force users.

But he wasn't no ordinary Force user, he wasn't a Jedi nor Sith. He was a Disciple of Beyond, and would one day become a Knight of Ren. And that is why he needed to survive.

The droids were the first ones to attack, with three of them making swift moves towards him and then began to swing their staffs at Arthan, He deflected a few of them before getting shocked, it wasn't lethal but it was painful.

If he wasn't able to take on half of these MagnaGuards without getting hit, he would need some help, but he did not know if anyone else was assigned to take on the Cult mission, especially one that could take on the droids.

Arthan decided to play his hand and started using the Force to his advantage, firstly by crushing the leg of one of the droids, causing it to fall over. He then slashed it which caused the droid to deactivate before being struck by an electrostaff again.

 

[Colton Renth]

Objective 3
Post: 2+2/20
Allies: Miles Cormin Colrenth Renfrew
Enemies: Elaine Thul
Lord Only Knows What Side Their On: Dissero Verie LacroixCerita Sarova

Colrenth had made to hike to the outskirts of the city, and began to long track through the maze of back allies, open markets, and cowered winding street, all the while, avoiding the civilian police force and military patrols in the area. He finally arrived at abounded ware house not far from the command and control, he sent his probe droid away in either direction from the CNC center, and found a good perch on the roof of the ware from here he could do surveillance and learn the patrol pattern, guard schedules, he would gather the information he need and then he would strike with surgical precession.

 

[Kenrath]

Objective 1: Diplomacy in action.
Location: Landing Pad
Allies: First Order
Enemies: None at the moment
Posts: 3/20

Viktor descended the Ramp once the Shuttle landed on the Pad for the Government building. He had sent word ahead they he would be coming and that all he wanted was to talk. He was sure to be met by a guard detail but he didn't mind. As a matter of fact he would have been concerned if he hadn't been.

Once he got to the bottom of the Ramp he smiled giving the guard Captain a nod.

"My name is Viktor and I came here representing the First order." "If you would be so kind as to escort me to your leaders." "I wish to speak to them."

Viktor allowed the guards to search him and his group for hidden weapons. With all of the First Order troops on the ground Viktor was not worried about his safety.

 

[Evangeline Ovmar]

Objective: 5 - Scavenger Hunt
Post: 2/20
Allies:
Enemies:

It was a decent distance away, but the lander's pilot was well trained. The terrain was broken and jagged, but he'd found a level area closer than the rest to set the ship down in. It wasn't a pretty landing, but it was functional which satisfied Ovmar. It was a small hike, but even with the thinner air here on the moon, it wasn't unbearable.

The base of the shattered mountain was strewn with gravel and chunks of rock varying in size, some the size of a human head while others towered upon the landscape. It was as if a giant had smashed their first into the earth in a fit of rage, crushing nearly everything and flinging stones far and wide. Mixed in with the rubble were bits and pieces of metal, rusted from exposure and brittle with age. Ovmar took in the landscape for a moment and frowned before turning to the squad's sergeant.

"Fan out and search the area. This base is supposed to have had an extensive layout, especially one of this size. We're looking for an entrance or exposed tunnel. It may be partially buried which means we may need to use explosives to clear the pathway."

The sergeant simply acknowledged the order and turned to his men. Ovmar turned back to scanning the landscape, her eyes trying to find any irregularities in the already irregular terrain.

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Objective 5: Scavenger hunt
Post: 1:20
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Unknown


I gripped my aging mask with both hands, feeling some sort of pull from the Force in the direction of a run-down base, or building. Judging by the hands of time's perfect handiwork, one would be hard pressed to find anyone that could agree on what that derelict building once was. But that was not my concern, making guesses about some infrastructure I had no desire to inhabit longer than I needed to. No, it was the stench of the Lightside that surrounded the building, and it was the defunct aspect of the Force trying to call out to me. "You are years to late, old friend," I spat. My fall to the Darkside had been as graceful and perfect as they came, and the term salvation, or perhaps it is redemption, held no meaning to me. What the Darkside offered me, the Light could never grant; nor would it because compared to the nature of the Darkside, the Light was still an infant wetting itself waiting on those that worshiped it to come and change it's soiled garments.

"But you still hold some secrets deep in your belly, old friend," my voice, mechanized through my mask, echoed all around me while I dropped my hands to my side. Yes, secrets that I desire to have. Secrets that will aid in the growing strength of the Knights of Ren. "Prepare yourself, I am more than ready to shed away your sanity."

Throwing caution to the four corners of the galaxy, I strolled headlong toward the building as if I was it's Master returning home from a long hiatus. Behind me, I could hear the well trained footfalls of the Stormtroopers assigned to aid me. I didn't have any sort of emotional attachment to these white-clad warriors other than they and I shared one common ground. We both wore masks to cover our features. However, that was where the similarities ended. Underneath their white helmets they could be anyone; a lover, a friend, a father. For me, what laid under my mask was a monster; a victim of a horrific tragedy that was beyond my abilities to prevent. Their masks were designed to install fear into the rebellious masses, just like mine, but again that was where that similarity ended. I needed my mask and it's abilities to sustain my life.

I stopped abruptly, shooting a glance over my shoulder at the halting troopers. Oh how I hate you all!

 

[Dissero]

"I will not take up much of your time, Lord Dissero," Greifen said. "And I will be up front with you. The First Order has every intention of subjugating Vassek and collectivizing its resources for our purposes. However, to be frank, what you do here in your castle, on this moon, is of little concern to us. We, the Knights of Ren, are confident that a sign of mutual respect between followers of the Dark Side can be reached between us. We wish not to disturb you or your estate, and we wish that same courtesy extended in return."

His study was what amounted to the remnants of Grievous' trophy room - renovated and made new again. The trophies sat in new glass cases, the antiquated appeal of historical relics framed by the new, the modern. Dissero set a glass of water down on the table and calmly cleared away notes of a current alchemy project; sketches of a device that closely resembled a holocron.

"I see," said the man as he carefully stowed books back on their appropriate shelves, voice level, "and what exactly is the nature of my new neighbor, your Knights of Ren?"


~~~~

There were very few parts of the castle complex that were not monitored, Verie would find out. For as long as she had lived here now, there had been little reason for her to attend to the screens within the Security chamber.

Mahet stood by, dark beady eyes narrowed on the same monitor as Dissero and their guests came into view.

"We were expecting them to arrive in force," he hissed quietly, "Faenrovon has been on guard for weeks, watching the outer perimeter. We had a full escape route planned in the event of an incursion. Curiouss that they should only send two Knights. Perhaps the old Sith Empire records are not so easily attained."

[member="Verie Lacroix"]
[member="Greifen Ren"]

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Objective 5: Scavenger hunt
Post: 2:20
Allies: Unknown
Enemies: Unknown


I have always been a 'lead by example' kinda guy, or 'first one in, last one out' when it came to doing what needed to be done. There were very few lessons that my Father taught me that stuck with me over the years, but one such lesson had always been act first or risk losing it all. In the past, I had always been the first to spring into action, but the orders given to me and the small band of white warriors was to allow them to sweep the building first. Naturally I was upset at first at playing clean-up role. But common sense came into play and I realized that I was far more important than these stormtroopers. Afterall, they were a dime a dozen and I was, afterall, unique and one of a kind. So I stood back, with my hilt firmly in my hand, while they rushed into the building where the Light Side haunted it daily.

I knew there was something of value inside here, well, to me anyway not so much for the troopers. They may be hardened warriors but they were not the brightest bunch. Some of them, yes, but not all. I knew they weren't cloned troopers, despite some in the Order lobbying for such a cause, but handpicked individuals blessed with being a part of something far greater than the galaxy could imagine. Besides, if one of them found something I deemed worthy, I would take it; by force if necessary. However, if there was something of importance here I doubted it very much they would understand it.

I stood outside, impatiently, as the troopers ran the gauntlet waving their blaster rifles in front of them, seeking out something to shoot. When the sounds of blaster fire failed to spur me into action, I returned my weapon to my belt and strolled inside; feeling the immense energy of the Light Side. Something that once belonged to the Jedi, or an individual Jedi, had been left behind; waiting for me to pillage it. Perhaps if it was worthy enough, I would keep it for myself rather than turning it over to the First Order.

"The building is secure, sir," one of the numbered name soldiers said to me the moment I stepped inside. "Take half the troops and form a defensive perimeter around the building outside," I said taking in the sights of the building. "Have the remaining forces inside stand at the ready," I added quickly whilst passing by him.

It was time to begin the hunt. "Okay, show me what you have," I said mockingly to the building. To my surprise, an ethereal laughter that echoed throughout the building answered me. As a child, my Mother use to tell me ghost stories and I have heard about Force Ghosts from the instructors back at the Citadel, but I never put much stock in such nonsense. Now, standing there feeling the tension radiating off the troops inside with me, I began to re-evaluate my beliefs.