Along Came A Spider...

[WolfMortum]

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Raider Class Assault Cruiser,​

Outer Rim Territories.​

[member="Silas Mantis"] | [member="Karsan Calnov"] | [member=Amanda Kryze] | [member="Dacian Jeth"]​

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Veiere Arenais stood at the front of the Bridge, staring out into the abyss, his concentration elsewhere completely as his thoughts ran home to his Wife and his Family. [member="Lady Kay"] had not heard from him in some time and it was curious that she herself had not tried to reach out; granted he had been venturing from world to world never truly in one place for too long, his only reliable sanctuary the hidden and isolated world of Rannon for which the Dark Jedi Temple resided upon and saw to the training and sanctuary of other Dark Jedi, those that would be hunted down like Sith and extinguished if the Jedi Order had their way. Regardless, it was coming time that Veiere move to check in on things back home on Commenor; and perhaps he would as soon as this next item of business was done and out of the way.

He had reached out to [member="Brennan Cabrol"] and broken their silence in order to extend his reach across the Galaxy and seek to draw in upon the notice of others. It hadn't taken long before word had reached him of some wishing to join the ranks of the Dark Jedi Order, most were alike them, Force Practitioners seeking asylum from war and wishing to practice their dark arts within a place of security and hiding; this time however, Veiere was meeting with a small group of former Republic Soldiers, curious as that seemed. He too had fought within the Republic against the Sith Empire and the Mandalorian Clan's before it had finally lost control of Yutan and her surrounding worlds. Deneba, Kashyyyk and Mimban, the sights of cataclysm that he had been present upon, the first great battles he had taken up into following his leave of Exile...

Behind the figure draped in black, his gaze crossed his shoulder to glance back to the crew upon the bridge, all of them working diligently to prepare the Praetor IV for guests before moving to jump to hyperspace and their return trip home. Awaiting these troopers, Veiere remained stoic, his mind roaming the possible encounters that he might find in his wish to see his family once again. By now the incident on Deneba had become wide-spread, the Systems Alliance well aware that they had suffered an attack to one of their worlds. Veiere's frustration palpable in the fact that some of the Jedi had survived and been allowed to escape. The Objective had been won however, the Galaxy knew that the Systems Alliance had been victimized and weren't to look upon in fault for any of the further actions that Veiere would take against others in the days to come. A play upon the diseased game of politics, a necessary evil to act upon in order to protect Commenor from the guilt of his actions ahead of time.

 

[Matt the Radar Tech]

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There had been a lot of time for Dacian to think. Too much, even. The events on Deneba had been circulating in the young man's mind for days, replaying over and over, his subconscious forcing the issue. He wondered if the attack had been the right course of action, or if things should have been different. There had been so much death, so much rage and hate, and Dacian couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he had traded one dark master for another. The reasoning for attacking Deneba had been fairly simple, with Master Arenais seeking his closure, to undo his past mistakes, which Dacian understood; but the manner in which he did it, how so many young Jedi had perished to lightsaber and Stormtroopers... that had troubled the young Padawan - or was it Apprentice? - down to his core.

Standing silently on the bridge of the raider-class assault cruiser, Praetor IV, not far from the bearded visage of his master, Dacian frowned. He tried to avoid staring, not sure if he was prepared for the conversations to follow the first mission Dacian had attended with the Order. He thought back to Cassius, how both youths had been so clearly opposite sides of the same coin, and the events that had resulted in Cassius' escape... and truth be told, Dacian wasn't certain if he would have stopped his opponent, had he been in a position to do so.

My ears are still ringing from those damned sonic grenades, Dacian thought, curling his lip in annoyance as he reached up to poke a finger in his left ear.

Movement from Master Arenais caused Dacian to resume his rigid stance, his arm dropping back to his side. Most of the young man's reactions were from constant drilling from his old Sith masters, endless demands and punishments for stepping out of line, speaking out of turn, or just being present when one of them was in a bad mood. It had been an abysmal life, one filled with torture and pain and a never-ending cycle of hatred. That had been the reason for Dacian's desertion, his not being able to live with himself knowing what he was becoming, and what he was going to have to do - all in the name of being a Sith.

So now, finally settled in another Order, with teachers who claimed to walk a more middle path in the Force, Dacian wasn't sure if he was recognizing the same patterns, or just being paranoid given his past. It was disconcerting, not knowing. But, unlike the Sith, Dacian had a little more freedom and opportunities to voice his opinions or concerns; and so far Master Arenais had proven he was willing to humor the youth, at the very least.

"Did you achieve what you set out to, master?" Dacian asked, filling the electronic-humming ambience of silence. "On Deneba. Did you find what you needed?"

[member="Veiere Arenais"], [member="Silas Mantis"], [member="Karsan Calnov"], [member="Amanda Kryze"]​

 

[Silas Mantis]

It was his first meeting with the man himself, [member="Veiere Arenais"]. Keeping cover would be paramount, even if Arenais admired Mandalorian culture, the Empire needed to maintain deniability for the sake of security. Thaddeus Sayne was a name with Mandalorian roots though, dar'manda roots. He could still be familiar with the culture without compromising himself or his comrades which would be beneficial.

All the same he was nervous.

Leading the charge of the final battle in the Civil War? That was easy, anything he'd done before felt so easy compared to what he was doing now. If he died there, then it would be because he was bested as a warrior, he controlled his fate among the chaos of war, but here he felt powerless. He had to quiet his nerves, silence the worrisome thoughts in his head, or he'd be doomed.

When Thaddeus entered the bridge, his mind was as calm as brook, softly flowing through the forest. His helmet was clipped to his side, arms folded neatly behind his back, eyes front. The galaxy saw Mandalorians so often a savages, never taking note of how rigidly discipline was forced into them, that discipline along with a few pointers from [member="Karsan Calnov"] left his impression of an auretii soldier spot on.

"Reporting, sir." He didn't salute, the man's order wasn't yet an official army and no official salute was in place that he knew of, and the Mantis wouldn't bother to disrespect him with the formalities of a dead Republic, it wouldn't be a good start to their relationship. He took quick note of [member="Dacian Jeth"], the boy was barely older than Silas had been when he'd left Ordo to find his brother and been thrust into a life of war.

He wondered if the boy's story was much the same.

[member="Amanda Kyrze"]

 

[WolfMortum]

Turning away from the blanketing stars glowing among the abyss just beyond of the transparisteel view-port, Veiere turned to glance to his apprentice, silent for but a moment before nodding faintly in acknowledgement and confirmation. "I believe so, yes" he answered the younger man, his expression flattening momentarily as he could feel the lads uncertainty; he was wise to question such things. "You're right to be harboring doubts about the ordeal, Dacian" Veiere went so far as to assure him of his feelings being justified in case there was any doubt on the matter, "Deneba was a personal matter I needed to be wrapped up before the Order on Rannon is to move forward with any true strength. It accomplished a number of objectives, alienating myself publicly with the former governing power I served to protect while too announcing ourselves to the rest of the Galaxy. A pre-emptive strike and warning so to speak".

Veiere's gaze shifted once again as [member="Silas Mantis"] came into view flanked by an escort of two Troopers and an Officer of the Bridge, protocol by the crew's standards though Veiere dismissed them quickly with a wave not caring to hear their introduction where the man standing before him was all too capable of speaking for himself. Both Veiere and [member="Dacian Jeth"] were greeted with a rather blunt yet formal greeting, the man not going the distance to offer a salute though his general posture and attire whispered of military background or some sort of training in warfare. "Dacian...-Meet Thaddeus Sayne..." Veiere turned to glance to his student before turning to look to the former republic soldier and lowering his head in a brief bow of respect, very Jedi-like and to be honest, a little tiresome though the gesture was best to get things off to a positive start and break the ice so to speak. "This here is my Apprentice..." Veiere soon gestured to the boy at his side, studying the former soldier closely; "I expect you two may well work together in the future should you find a liking in what I have to offer".

"Word travels quickly in our Galaxy and I've heard feedback that you and your men are trained and specialize in ground combat, am I not mistaken?".

[member="Silas Mantis"] | [member="Dacian Jeth"]​

 

[Silas Mantis]

"That's correct sir, RSFU for six years before the fall." The lie spilled out as easily as anything else, true it meant 'Thaddeus' had been quite young when he'd made special forces, but Silas had heard of younger so it worked.

"It's an honor to meet you face to face, both of you." The soldier replied unflinchingly, looking down to the two men with genuine respect. [member="Veiere Arenais"]' ambitions were bold, and to follow him like [member="Dacian Jeth"] took courage, or at the very least loyalty, and as a warrior he could respect that.

He'd done his research, he knew what he was getting into, he'd seen the reports from the Jedi Temple, Arenais wasn't to be underestimated. Mantis had expected to be folded into his rank and file, nothing remarkable, but the dar'jetti seemed to have other things in mind for the Epicanthix and his small team. As much as he wanted to turn his head to [member="Karsan Calnov"] and raise an eyebrow, he knew far better than to do so, or than to expect the ex-Black Blade to break his rigid discipline.

"If I may, what is it you have in mind for us, sir?" He inquired, his thoughts never once betraying anything other than legitimate curiosity. The group were kitted out for heavy combat, their fabricated records marked them as shock troopers of the most dangerous variety. Silas wondered just how many Jedi Temples the man in front of him wanted leveled.

He suspected the answer was all of them.

 

[Matt the Radar Tech]

There was some relief as the young man listened to his master. At least there had been a less sinister reason, and a purpose, so as to make a statement. Having been with the Sith, Dacian knew all about statements and proclamations of power or alignment. That's why he had been cautiously optimistic in the belief that Master Arenais hadn't just become a Sith by another name with the events on Deneba.As it was, Dacian was able to calm some of the disquiet in him following his master's explanation, and felt some small measure of pride at having guessed the truth of it - or at least managed to get close. He hadn't considered the political angle, really, but that wasn't a surprise when Dacian was still learning about the man he was learning from.

"I'm glad you achieved your ends, master."

The conversation ended when another man appeared, Thaddeus Sayne. Dacian bowed his head, showing his respect to the new arrival.

"And you, too, Thaddeus." Dacian replied, feeling odd at being greeted so formally. Usually he was ignored or offered little more than a glance in the past. And while he didn't understand what the abbreviation stood for, judging by the man's manner and stance, he was military. Perhaps. Dacian didn't dwell on it, instead falling into line and standing quietly as the pair began to speak.

[member="Veiere Arenais"], [member="Silas Mantis"]​

 

[WolfMortum]

"Nothing concrete as of yet" Veiere responded thoughtfully in answer of [member="Silas Mantis"]' curiosity for their future obligations to the Dark Jedi Order; "I have a deal of personal pursuits you could assist me with yet for the Order as a whole, we are due to build upon our military capacity, our numbers and firepower for which may come to benefit you in time should you choose to take on work with my Organization", by no means would their contracted missions keep them from working alongside others to Veiere's mind.

"The nature of these assignments will depend upon your skill set and your crew's availability to my people. You can take on private contracts with us and otherwise go about your business finding so interference...-Or you could commit the entirety of your career to our cause and be assigned priority operations; all of which depends upon whether my peers and I feel you are a good fit for our World" of all he said, he promised little and left the man's prospective future open to interpretation. The future remained unclear around this soldier and Veiere did not jump so blindly as to trust someone upon first impressions. How his words would be received, how Silas would consider his options and Veiere's offer and what attitude he was given in response would all account to the Dark Jedi Master's end-game perceptions of the man, yet this was all insignificant compared to the skills that Silas could offer them and in this, Veiere did have something specific in mind as a stepping stone to future work.

"How would you fare in a matter of reconnaissance and subterfuge?" Veiere questioned the soldier, his head tilting ever so slightly as he wondered what his team's credentials were and how they might have served the Republic long ago; why Republic soldiers would want to support an organization such as his.

[member="Dacian Jeth"] | [member="Silas Mantis"]​

 

[Silas Mantis]

​"Respectfully, we've been through the loop with mercenary work sir, we're here to fight the fight that needs to be fought." The covert Mandalorian's voice had a strength to it, a deep rooted belief. Rather than say it outright, he let his tone and body language tell the story. The clenched fists and heavy eyes told a story of a man who'd lost everything to the Sith in wars fought because of the actions of Jedi, of someone searching for a way to bring the existing order to its knees.

He looked to be a man ready to tear the world apart for a cause he believed in.

Thaddeus Sayne was not here for contract work.

Taking a second to consider [member="Veiere Arenais"]' question of their field of expertise, a small smirk twisted at the corner of Silas' lips. "We're highly proficient, just point and tell us what you need done, and what you need to know." He could've tacked on a subtle 'and who you want us to kill', but it seemed implicit enough that he didn't need to make a note of it. The group were at the Dark Jedi's disposal, to do whatever he saw fit.

[member="Dacian Jeth"]