Dark Nebula [A Lords of the Fringe Mission]

[Ashin Varanin]

Now people started to fill up the place, which meant that things could get underway. Except for the minor problem of Vazela. Doppelganger, or Force Phantom -- one of the two, though the latter was something of a lost art. Nothing to see here, move along.

"Fether turned himself in," she said, eating eggs. "And now he wants us to bust him out? I think not. Not like any of us would be allowed within a parsec of his trial. Oh, we could do it, but with every promise the Republic breaks to us instead of vice versa, another Padawan or Knight smartens up, and that's one less we're going to have to fight. So this is a pretty clear-cut case of Vazela getting himself in too deep. Someone with actual authority should order his ship's crew to report in and get back to Fringe space for safety's sake."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer reached over and snatched the final flat cake that was on the plate in front of Alen. She rolled it up carefully and then bit into it, of course nearly choking as Ashin spoke about the doppleganger or something else that Vazela used to project himself this far into the galaxy. She shrugged and made a mental note to send the ship back towards Fringe space since she somewhat remained casual with the Republic mostly to keep tabs with things. Continuing to eat and allowing Ashin to finish, she turned towards the woman and nodded. "Why he was in the Temple in the first place was beyond me." Spencer chuckled and took another bite. "Seems a bit obsessed with you, Ashin my dear. I agree though, he's gone off and turned himself in - needs to learn how to get out of it on his own."

She finished up the flat cake and sipped down a glass of hot chocolate.

 

[Aran Finn]

Alen smiled as [member="Kitt Solo"] stole some of his caf and pretended not to notice. Then Ashin started speaking with Spencer, and Alen grew very confused. Looking from Ashin, to Spencer, then back to Ashin, the organiser of this little jaunt into the Tingel Arm raised one eyebrow sky high.

"Wait ... who and what are you talking about?" A filthy look at Spencer, who had just stolen the last bit of food, and then back at Ashin. "Actually, hold that, I don't care."

Getting to his feet and grumbling about stupid Force Visions and the lack of food in his stomach, Na'Varro prepared to make his little speech.

[member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Spencer Jacobs"]

 

[Antera]

"I'm sorry, I feel like I just missed something here. Is that just me, or..." the chiss glanced slowly between Ashin and Spencer for a moment, before sparing a quick glance to the rest of the table to confirm her suspicion that she was not, in fact, crazy. Her half finished meal was momentarily forgotten.

 

[Ilias Nytrau]

Sleep had been a bit elusive for the first two hours, fitful when she managed it for the next three, until she fell into a dead slumber for the following five. Ten hours she had, and only five of them were useful, but the reason was hardly surprising: Sel hadn't slept anywhere other than the Mitternacht outside of a fair handful of times for the past several years. The hum of Eclipse Prime's engines was vastly different in power and rhythm compared to that of her own vessel and it had thrown her off. Five hours was still doable, but it was by no means optimal... and it was the least of her concerns. She was in the company of other people again, working with others for the first time in six years, and the entire prospect made her more than a tad uneasy. She didn't trust these people, plain and simple Trust of regularity and proximity had lead to her being backstabbed twice, metaphorically, but not literally. She was still alive, after all.

Absolute trust, in the end, was going to take time... if it happened at all. Caution and a heavy dose of faith in the inherent goodness of humanity (a double-edged sword with selfishness, as she was well aware) were the order of the day, and the prospects offered by taking up this venture were entirely too good to pass up. The order for this morning, however, was a large plate of nuna eggs, bacon, a passable-looking fruit cup, a sticky bun, a cup of caf - two cream, two sugar, and a seat close enough to listen in on the banter but far enough away to not be easily drawn in. Whether she was late or not was ultimately irrelevant, given the distinct feeling that she hadn't yet missed anything of particular import. That was her timing, as she settled into a seat, and quietly placed her plate on the table, and held her mug of caf between both her hands, sipping gently as it was hot, and watching those that were familiar with each other interact. Studying them...

...at least until the older, scruffier man got up. Her chin lifted as she watched after this one, who looked as if he had something to say...

Spoiler

[member="Antera"] [member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Spencer Jacobs"] [member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Dak Canton"] [member="Nickolas Imura"] [member="Alaric Grimsby"] [member="Kitt Solo"] [member="Chrysothemis"] [member="Lucien Cordel"]

 

[Arage Bao]

At last Jared Ovmar took the scene. iFruit engaged, and his ears plugged he danced into the cantina while blearing the lyrics of a popular old old vintage song. Did he care that he has making an ass out of himself? Noooooope. Music too good, gotta dance and gotta sing.

“I have got to break free from your lies!”

His eyes went immediately for the little cupcakes everyone had seemed to miss, dancing and walking over there he grabbed a couple of them and then jumped onto a seat next to Spencer.

His hand pointed to Ashin, as if to stipulate the next line in his lyric.

“You are so self-satisfied!”

Then he grabbed one of the muffins, and jumped on the table. Carefully avoiding all the food and plates that were already on there. His muffin was used as a microphone, and then he went off.

“I don’t neeeeeed youuuuu, I have got to break free. God knows! God knows I got to breaaaaaaaaaak freeeeeee.”

And then the song was finished. His eyes opened and it was almost as if he just noticed where he was. Jared coughed softly, and then slipped back onto his seat.

“Sup.”​

​

​

Spoiler

[member="Lucianus Adair"] [member="Dak Canton"] [member="Nickolas Imura"] [member="Kitt Solo"] @Chrysothemis @Selinica Miriya Cailis @Antera @Alen Na'Varro [member="Spencer Jacobs"] [member="Ashin Varanin"]

​

 

[Matreya]

Late per the norm, Daemos strode into the room, the tentacle like suckers that existed inside his cheeks slowly retreated. Of course, the Pilot whom had his energy taken had given it entirely of his own accord - that was one thing he had never done, draining a man was an honor. Never take to much, and never do it without consent. That was the code he lived by.

However, that wasnt to say a piece of bacon didnt float to his hand over the heads of those in line. Munching on the little piece of heaven, he spotted Spencer Jacobs and Ashin Varanin eating their breakfasts, while Alen looked grumpier then usual. The rest ofthe people he didnt know, and even those few he didnt know personally.

Sitting silently, the man reclined against the wall nearest the group, "Sorry Im late guys, what have I missed?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"][member="Selinica Miriya Cailis"][member=antera][member=alen Na'Varro][member="Spencer Jacobs"][member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Garza]

I watched as the people talked about some of the things that were taking place. One about some man who turned himself in, and another where people kept taking food from one another. I shook my head and continued to eat as though nothing was happening.

Suddenly a man, clearly a man who was generally like the way he was acting now, Listening to some old song that I had not heard of before. It was clearly blasting as fromthe sounds in his ear, but when he started to dance around as though he were on stage, I shook my head as he watched. Only to shake my head and speak when he was done.

"You know, they were paid to sing that song for a reason. You however were not for the same."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Matreya]

Damien chuckled at the young lad as he watched Jared dancing, "That is true. Name's Daemon, Damien. Call me Daemos." Something about the kid peaked his attention and left him gazing at the young man with a half cocked eyebrow. He seemed different, yet somehow similar to someone he knew.

Giving the predicament more thought, he began racking his mind for people this lad could be like. None like his family, his master and brother apprentices were to unique, while his Czar brethren were all to serious to be related to a joking kid. Hmm, maybe he would figure it -

Morna Imura. The look on the kids face, it was damn near the same. Once upon a time, he had fought beside Morna - a single battle - before he was to go in search of his Master. Last he heard, Imura had actually claimed the Master rank. Probably in regards to his flame abilities, that man could create fire like none other.

[member="Nickolas Imura"]

 

[Aran Finn]

​

Alen tried very, very hard to ignore Ovmar's antics ... very, very hard. This mission was no joke. The sooner the less serious members of the party realised that this would be no cakewalk, the sooner they'd want to get off the ship. And to be honest, Na'Varro would pay them to go. With what they'd be up against, peacocks like the Lord of the Fringe would be a liability. Top tier mentalists or no, the Arbiter was beginning to wonder if he'd invited the right people along for this mission ... well, now was the time to spill the beans. Banging his head on the table in frustration, Na'Varro's fuse was drastically shortening. That nightmare had really taken it out of him.

"Alright!" Na'Varro roared, voice cutting through the busy sound of the mess hall like a knife. "Gather round, children. It's story time."

The Dark Jedi Master brought up a holoprojection of a seventeen kilometre-long Super Star Destroyer. The one they'd be visiting was a derelict ... this one was still intact. A planning schematic he'd managed to scrounge up.

"This is the Finality, former flagship of my first Master's Master. A Force Vampyre who lived for over a thousand years, and a powerful darksider. He was a mentalist without equal in his time ... he was known as the Dragon of Rannon, for those of my sect were not known by their given names. He trained many apprentices, but it was his last three who carried his legacy. I served as an apprentice under two of them ... I guess you could call this Dragon a grandfather to me. I served faithfully, mostly ... but eight hundred years ago, I fell through a wormhole ... and when I returned to my old home, all of my kin were gone. The Dragon, the Wolf, the Reaver and Invictus ... all passed to the nether of the Force, leaving only Strider. That ... is me.-

-I came to the Fringe and found an ideal worth fighting for. I found strength here, and I found freedom ... the Fringe is now my family, my kin. I'm here to make that family stronger. So today I will return to the Finality , with my new family, and claim what has been left to me. Inside the derelict, the Dragon stored all of his accumulated possessions. Schematics, holocrons, Force amulets, starship designs ... over a thousand years worth of collecting and inventing. Those resources are ours now ... but we still have yet to collect them. And that's the hard part.-

-The Finality has been hidden inside a nebula ... For those of you who are unaware, navigating a nebula inside a starship is nigh impossible. I believe I may be the only being living who has managed it ... thankfully, it was this nebula that I navigated. However, unless something has drastically changed in eight hundred years, the nebula is guarded by a dread beast. A massive creature that exists in the maw of space that possesses a frightening level of mental power. Even my own Master was overcome by it, and quickly, and only quick action saved him. It should take the rest of you to bring him down while I navigate the nebula. Once inside the derelict, expect traps around every corner and an actual army of battle droids standing between us and the loot. And then there is the derelict itself ... the last time I entered, with Invictus and another apprentice to support me, I noticed a huge amount of Dark Side power emanating from it. It was elusive ... and it did not strike us then. I can only hope it does not do so once more. This mission is no joke. Some of you may not make it back. But those who do will grow in power and experience, not to mention the material possessions we will gain.-

- We will arrive in thirty minutes. Take that time to prepare yourselves for what comes. Good luck."

With that, Alen had successfully killed the playful mood. Taking a seat next to Kitt, he winked reassuringly before stealing a nuna egg off her plate. He had done this before. He would do it again. And this time, they'd take the maw beast down.

Spoiler

[member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Spencer Jacobs"] [member="Lucien Cordel"] [member="Jared Ovmar"] [member="Kitt Solo"] [member="Lucianus Adair"] [member="Antera"] [member="Lord Daemos"] [member="Nickolas Imura"] [member="Alaric Grimsby"] [member="Dak Canton"] [member="Selinica Miriya Cailis"] [member="Chrysothemis"] [member="Anders Sivas"]

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien shook his head, was he the only one with any grasp of etiquette. He kept himself to himself, He needed to retain friends to maintain power and announcing that he believed they were all classless anarchists was like only to make him look aloof and snobbish ... not often good qualities for making friends. Before he knew it the organised of this little field trip rose and explained the story of were they were going. I was almost as if it had been torn directly out of the stories his mother used to read him ... but this was real.

It was then that Lucien felt an unfamiliar emotion ... regret. Lucien missed his mother, he had been a fool ... Perhaps he still was. Such emotions had no please on the eve of oblivion so he masked his emotion and gritted his teeth. He had half an hour with which to prepare. He rose "I ought to prepare" He said before turning and walking from the hall.

Once Lucien was gone from sight Nickolas would feel a light tug in his mind then he would hear Lucien's voice "Mr. [member="Nickolas Imura"], This is your first Public mission as my apprentice. This is quite the occasion ... ensure you rise to it and I will see that you are adequately rewarded, however disappoint me and I will ruin you" almost immediately after Lucien realised how grumpy he sounded ... It was this place he was sure.

 

[Matreya]

Moving slowly from the seat previously held, Damien stepped neared to the originator of his mission, "Mr. Na'Varro, may I introduce myself formally. Damien Daemon, call me Northstar. Can I have a word?" Usually Damien did not speak with such a tone, however it was something he quite needed to speak about with the man. A beast of such regard, bearing the title of guard for such a treasure, they needed to take it.

Having silently begun his own Biological Alchemy, thanks to the "Knotters of Entrails" scroll bequeathed to him upon the death of Zaiden James, such a beast could be something immensly important on the scale Damien looked upon. Spend weeks, months, years, decades if required to break every portion of the beasts make up... Then create something entirely new.

If he got Na'Varro on his side, it was quite possible the Master could ascertain the aid of other Masters. With that, they could capture it. He knew it, the Force whispered of it. Even if it had not, his gut instict told him this would be a worthy cause.

[member="Alen Na'Varro"]

 

[Garza]

I looked to the rather grumpy man as he told his story. It was not scary, rather it was awe inspiring. A man that could obtain that much power, and still be almost taken down by such a being. I listened intently and with much intrest. The idea of the irked that could have been there was mesmerizing.

As some odmthe people were going to leave, I walked up to my master as he spoke to me. Saying that if I did well, then I would be greatly rewarded. But if I should fail, I would feel the consequences. Nodding to him, I kept a straight face. "Yes my Lord."

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

 

[Marcus Tritum]

I grunted. Nobody fessed up to jacking the flatcakes so I meandered down the line and loaded up my plate with eggs n bantha bacon and gravy n biscuits n sausage n... all the good things one needs to keep healthy, see? I sat down at a table near [member="Alen Na'Varro"] and [member="Kitt Solo"] and started shoveling food down. Pulling out the flask at my side I unscrewed the top and washed it down with some, uh, 'water'. The 'water' burned down my throat before filling my belly with a much needed warmth. My nerves relaxed a little. Being around Force Users did that.

Alen got up and gave a speech.

I kept eating.

When he sat down I grunted, mouth full of food, "Goo' speeackh," and took another swig of my... 'water'. I wouldn't be of much use if they wanted to attack some giant fugly that used mental powers. I mean, as an Epicanthix I was genetically immune, but I couldn't do much in the way of offense. So I just kept eatin'.

 

[Matreya]

Shrugging, Damien gave up attempting to converse with the Master. Instead, he moved towards a viewport where he crossed his arms and meditated on the future. The beast he sought was near, meaning they would reach the Nebula soon enough, with that they would be able to return home just as quickly if they were lucky - which usually it seemed Daemos was not.

Reaching into his coat, Daemos drew forth a bottle of Corellian Ale. Popping the cork from the bottle, he turned it upside down for a second. Each air bubble that rose to the top within, came faster then the last. Soon enough the bottle held nothing more to give, and so over his shoulder and into a nearby trash dispenser it went.

Covering his mouth to stifle a belch, Daemos turned and leaned against the wall of the ship. His gaze burned intensely, and he thought of many different things in a truly short burst of time. One thing caught his attention however, Spencer was here.

Looking over his shoulder he called out, "Mrs Jacobs, Mrs Varanin, how are the two of you? Any updates for the class?" Damien had yet to meet Ashin, however knew of her through reputation. Jacobs though, she taught his friend, and they had indeed met once upon a time - though even he barely recalled it.

Reaching to the soft of his lower spine, where an intricate hilt could be felt. Pulling it and the accompanying blade free of the sheath, he began to clean his nails with the massive 13" long Shadow Dagger.

[member="Spencer Jacobs"] @ashin varani

 

[Kitt Solo]

[member="Alen Na'Varro"] [member="Dak Canton"]

She managed to swallow the bite of pastry but between the grim emotions coming off Alen in waves AND the way Canton was shoveling food in his mouth, her appetite was gone. She remained unusually quiet next to Na'Varro, pushing food aimlessly around the plate with the three-pronged fork. She may not be digesting food anymore but she was digesting everything Alen had said: force vampires, his kin...

The emotions around the room from the others were beginning to weigh heavier on the empath than normal. The routine buzz was starting to feel like the beginnings of a migraine. She pushed her plate to Na'Varro. "Saved you some nerf bacon. I've...gotta get some air. I mean, get some stuff ready."

Standing abruptly, she excused herself and headed for the hallway.

 

[Marcus Tritum]

Kitt's departure caused me to cease shoveling food into my mouth and look up at her backside as she left, then I looked at Alen. I'm not too quick on the uptake, but I'm not stupid either. Somethin' was goin' on between the two of them. Drama, can't get enough of it. I grunted irritably and took another swig of my flask'. Mmmm be-... water. I licked my lips and looked over at Alen again. The grizzled guy had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Probably why he'd gotten a bunch of hair flecked with grey.

I looked back at Kitt, who was still headed toward the door. A huge sigh escaped my lips and I burped a little and stood up. I didn't really want to get involved. Just wanted to eat, but I felt bad, damnit.

I found her in the hallway, away from the crowd. Screwing the lid onto my flask I walked a little faster so that we walked side-by-side.

"What's eatin' you?" I rasped.

[member="Kitt Solo"]

 

[Aran Finn]

Alen smiled softly and let Kitt go. She needed some time to herself, and crowding her wouldn't make things any better. He had more to worry about as well ... these people on his flagship, all heading towards the gates of hell and a beast of the darkness that was supremely strong mentally. If they all rallied around each other the beast could be slain, and he needed to make sure that they did that. He was a natural leader, but there was only so much he could do. Alen Na'Varro had run out of miracles ... all he had left was discipline, strength, and the men and women at his back. Without another word to anyone, the bearded man stalked off to the bridge to brood. And wait. When they popped out of hyperspace, he hoped the others could keep the thing off his back. Or they would all surely perish, either by sheer mental power or a missed turn inside the nebula.

*** Thirty minutes later ***​

​

The Eclipse Prime shuddered as it came out of hyperspace right at the edge of the nebula, and Alen nodded. Perfect jump ... he still had it. At the controls, he went still as the Dark Side flooded through him ... memories of Invictus, of Drako, of Killian, of his father fueled the fire of his rage. It was like white water flushing through the inside of his mind and body, a raging torrent of barely contained emotion. His senses were heightened now ... it was not fear that gripped him, it was the increased concentration of deep rage. He was in the moment, in the zone. The Imperial-II class Star Destroyer crept into the nebula, and Na'Varro guided the craft with his Force sense alone. He guided the craft with his rage.

It was five minutes into his instinctive navigation that he first felt his mind touched ... Alen knew enough about mental defenses not to touch back, but nevertheless, it happened all at once. It was an all-consuming assault on his mind; Na'Varro fought hard, but he was no mentalist ... and as he slipped, so did the Star Destroyer, listing towards a stream of dark energy. The ship shuddered as it was slammed ... the beast had grown, it was gargantuan now. The Dark Jedi Master fought hard against it, but it was only seconds before his eyes glazed over. The man had lost control entirely.

The other fifteen would need to fight hard before it was too late, and they all perished.

Spoiler

[member="Kitt Solo"] [member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Spencer Jacobs"] [member="Lucianus Adair"] [member="Selinica Miriya Cailis"] [member="Dak Canton"] [member="Lord Daemos"] [member="Antera"] [member="Lucien Cordel"] [member="Jared Ovmar"] [member="Nickolas Imura"] [member="Alaric Grimsby"] [member="Chrysothemis"] [member="Anders Sivas"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Ashin was no mental specialist either; Spencer had always filled that role for her, though she'd been the one to teach Spencer the basics of little things like mass mind control. It was anyone's guess whether she could have withstood the influence that overcame Alen, but one thing was for sure: She had been on the outside looking in for some of the galaxy's greatest and most terrifying displays of mentalism. She knew what she was feeling from Alen and the monster that consumed him. A thrill of genuine fear ran through her, and excitement for the challenge. In older days she would have employed the Force Phantom technique of Darth Vectivus to send her eyes far out and see what there was to see, but as a Lightsider that skill was lost to her, and she couldn't quite regret it.

Doing her best to still her mind, she reached out to find the beast. She found it almost at once.

Spencer -- I found it. Connection made. Hit it through me, use me however you need.

[member="Spencer Jacobs"]

 

[Matreya]

Instantly Daemos hurled up a mental shield, and suffered but not as much as others would. His potential lay with mentalism, and having his mind assaulted on a literal day to day basis helped with defenses. Turning towards his allies, he growled through clenched teeth, "Spencer, maybe we can hit it together. I may be a knight, but crippling anothers mind is a forte even if dwarfed in power next to yourself."

A bout of dizziness hit the man, and he stumbled a little but held his footing. There were many targets, some with similar strengths, while others were weaker and thus would be more optimum victims. Nausea rushed through him, accompanying a deep pain in his brain - all signs of a powerful internal battle.

Reaching towards his spine he gripped both Kusarigama that lay there. Drawing them free he let himself drop to his knees. Concentrating a small portion of his energy towards the Dantari crystals within, he sensed an immediate return flux, and thus opened a larger funnel. So on and so forth. It was impossible for the man to draw all of the power expended by the beast, but he drew quite a bit.

Fully empowered mental defenses locked down, and he took a small reprieve. The continuos hammering was still there, batting against his consciousness, but by utilizing the expended power as well he was able to stop the majority of signs of battle.

"With my Kama, I can use the beasts energies to power our attacks." Daemos spoke, less harshly, through his teeth once more.

[member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Spencer Jacobs"]