Dark Shadows (Invite/GA)

[Aerion Ivelisse]

A snarky comment from one of the other Padawans on the ship with him.

Just what he needed.

He cleared his throat as he angled the ship for the southern hemisphere. But his answer he figured was enough. "It's not a Stealth-X." But he could fly anything, nevertheless, just nowhere near as well as he could with the Stealth-X. There was an amused look on his face as they stabilized once they broke through the lower atmosphere and began passing through the clouds. The Jedi Padawan shot a look over his head as he said, "We're going straight there. Pretty fast." He turned his head back.

"I wonder if I can land this."

Taking off and flying were different matters entirely. He didn't have the patience, not for a ship of this size.

Far above head, but quite clearly in view of the Heavy Battle Droids and the facility below, he circled numerous times. He seemed clueless to the defenses of the structure, appearing to only be focusing on which switch to flip for the landing gear, the process he was going to do it, and a lot of other pointless information.

Tummy rumbling and stuff.

I should just shove this thing through the front door. How's that for a landing?

[member="Lucius Varad"], [member="Callia Rodez"], [member="Tegan Katarn"]

 

[Kenrath]

[member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Galen Adina"] [member="Kith Verloren"] [member="Darth Shadow"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]


Armis narrowed in on the frequency he had heard a response from.

"Southern Hemisphere acknowledge ETA to Installation..........................."

He looked over at the pilot giving the man a nod when the answer was given.

"..................... 30 minutes."

Armis started into the landing checklist when he heard the broadcast turning back to the pilot.

"Looks like a warm welcome is out of the question." "You okay with a little action?"

The pilot took a deep breath before shrugging and muttering something about nobody living forever.

 

[Audren Sykes]

The trip was uneventful. The Sephi managed to sleep for a solid amount of the time, and spent the rest looking over the data he could find on Ilum. Which, if he understood things right, he had a bit more of than most normal people would, simply because he was a Jedi and Ilum was historically a Jedi world. Never having actually visited the world, he would need all the information he could get to try and suss out what was odd compared to normal. He already knew the planet was a cold one, it was the other information he needed.

The alert to drop from hyperspace was a welcome one, he was started to go cross-eyed. He'd covered the basics and gotten into the minutiae, but there was little enough there. Most interesting to him was that Ilum had recently been the site of a spat between Jedi and Mandalorians, one that had seen a number of Jedi killed. Approximately thirty of them. He had to wonder if this feeling was a continuation of that event, if the Mandalorians were up to something again. The drop from hyperspace and a quick sensor sweep showed no ships in orbit.

The approach to the atmospheric envelope itself was long and boring enough for him to automate. He used the time to change into the gear that would allow him to survive on the ice planet, relying on the holoprojector in the small cabin to mirror the cockpit display. It was thanks to that repeater display that he saw the lone structure. That brought up a frown...the records hadn't shown any such structures there. Portions of the Crystal Caves, yes, but no structure like that.

Audren's ship slid into the atmosphere thousands of kilometers away from the structure, then made its way through the atmosphere. About a kilometer from the structure, he set it down in a small valley. It was big enough for two or three of the ships, but his was the only one there, and shortly after landing he covered the vessel with a camouflage net that effectively hid it below a snowdrift. He made his way along the ground from there, pausing at the first glimpse of the structure and bringing a pair of macrobinoculars to his eyes in order to better understand the approach. As the armor was set to a snow pattern as well, he'd be rather difficult to spot visually as he gathered information.

[member="Darth Shadow"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"] | [member="Galen Adina"] | [member="Armis Vindex"] | [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] | [member="Lucius Varad"]

 

[Roth Tillian]

Roth looked up from his quick nap as an alert quietly blared through the cockpit of the fighter. Reversion was in two minutes. He rolled his neck, wincing at the tightness, but smiling as it loosened the muscles. He studied the scanners. They were up and running with the jammers on. If anyone else was in the vicinity, which he doubted, they would be hard pressed to get word back. Of course, it was certainly possible, but not likely. Not with the quality of the Knights.

But a darkness lurked here, a cancer that gnawed at the fabric of reality. It made Roth shudder as he reached out with the Force. It was disturbing that such a shadow had grown so large without being detected, but then, it was a well chosen planet. Far outside of normal space, and far from galactic politics. It was a world hardly worth noticing, one among millions. That was the problem with keeping Darkness at bay. No matter how hard one tried, the galaxy was simply too large to keep all its corners clean and free from cobwebs.

He took a drink of water, feeling slightly more revitalized.

"Reversion..." He said into the comms, "In three, two, one... now!"

He cut the hyperdrive and the stars slowed from streaks to normal. The other fighters followed suit, drifting there in the dark. Nothing from the system was visible yet, except for the star, but it was still a long way off yet. A dark splotch stood against its bright light. Roxuli. It was their target, but they couldn't just do a fly-by.

"Knights Two and Three, with me," Roth said after a moment, "Rest of you circle the system. See if you can get any readings, make your way inwards. Special note to freight traffic and military presence." With no noise in the void, the rest of the squadron dispersed, peeling off to see what the fence looked like around this yard. "Rest of us are doing micro-jumps." He looked over to the ship computers and pulled them up, focusing on the sensor redoubts. They were set to record. If there was truly as much traffic as was claimed, a few more reversions and jumps would hardly be noticed.

He plotted a quick set of coordinates to spiral around the system, stopping short of the gravity well amidst what charts labeled as a debris field. Risky, but the Force would guide them. When they reverted for just long enough to allow for the computer to realign for the new coordinates, the sensors would run at maximum and record their findings. Then off to the next destination. He took a deep breath, leaning back against his seat and let the Force flow into him. He was calm now, despite the shadow he was about to dive into. Then he pushed the hyperdrive forward, shooting forward. Then it was over, and they were closer to the planet.

He checked the scanners. There were Sith patrols off in the distance, and immense amounts of freighter traffic. Then another jump and another reversion.

Kark.

More patrols and more freighters. Even with the jammers running, it would be difficult to evade detection at this point. But then they were gone again at another jump. An alarm sounded on the console and he glanced at it. These micro jumps were straining the ship's systems. He cancelled the next one and pushed the throttle, leading the ship what would be considered up, away from the stellar disc. It wasn't much, but it might help him a little bit until the hyperdrive was fully operational again. His two wingmates had made the next jump already.

He was alone in enemy space. This was where he belonged.

 

[Renthcol]

[member="Darth Shadow"]

Roxuli


Colton turned to his co-pilot, a disappointed look in his eye. And said his heavy accent “Whelp so much the element of surprise, jams it’s transmissions fur ball.” The Wookie left a soft roar, and reached up switched on the jammier Colton charged the main guns, and slammed the throttle as the freighter came striking of the debris field guns blazing, the crimson bolts heading for the lone fighter dorsal and ventral quad cannon firing 180 degree sweeping motion.

 

[Galen Adina]

[member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Armis Vindex"] [member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Darth Shadow"]

As he neared the Ice planet, Galen could feel the perversion that was emanating from the planet that the Jedi Master had mentioned. He had never been to the planet himself, but he could tell something was off. Galen led his ship downwards, using the large mountains that littered the surface of the planet to cover his tracks. The sun blinked in and out of view between the mountains, as he looked for an area that could be properly warmed by the celestial body's glow. He couldn't risk leaving the medical supplies in an area that could freeze in the darkness of Ilum, whereas the Sun would keep the craft illuminated and heated.

Surprise took Galen as his ship's radar gave off a beep, reactionarily driving his craft downwards. The signal was large, or rather multiple small signals. The large mountainous terrain guarded him from being spotted physically, but he turned of all but the necessary electronics to ensure that they wouldn't detect him although it was entirely possible that he had been spotted by an attentive guard.

Galen landed his ship in an illuminated valley that lay between two mountains, about five kilometres away from where he had spotted the unknown signal. He sat in his chair as he pondered what it could be. It was unlikely to be other Jedi, they never travelled to planet's with such large vehicles and neither the Republic or Alliance would establish a base here. As he searched for an answer, he again felt the corruption emanating from the direction of the base and that told him all he needed to know. It was an agent of the Dark Side, whether the First Order or the One Sith he didn't know, but the vile putrescence of the force he felt told him that they were not allies.

Galen let out a loud sigh as he bolted from his seat and quickly made his way over to the control panels to reactivate some of the features he had turned off to avoid detection. A base that size would have decent trouble finding his signal between these mountains, but he didn't want to risk turning on all the vehicles components. Instead he only turned on the machines that kept the medical components he had brought with him running, his radar, a caf brewing pot, and the heating system.

Galen hesitated as he neared the emergency signal button. If he pressed it, his allies would presumably be tuned into it and make their way towards his position. However if the enemy base happened upon his signal, he would presumably be beset upon by the enemy's air superiority and be captured. He sighed as his hand lowered from the button, instead he lifted the scarf around his neck to cover his face and made his way outside of the craft. He slammed another button on the way out and the ships wings folded violently against the wind, to lower against the ground. The wings smashed into the ice below and stabilised the vehicle, while the rest of the craft lowered to the ground. The ramp became a doorway instead as he stepped outside into the bitter coldness of Ilum. The ship had transformed into a small cabin, that allowed for more controlled work with the medical supplies as he wouldn't have to worry of any tremors disrupting him.

Galen looked upwards to the sky, the sun peeking out between clouds. He closed his eyes and attempted to use the natural force that the planet was famous for and attempted to resonate himself with the light and create a force signal for the other Jedi. He hoped that they would come with information of the base, or perhaps knowledge even better than that.

 

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Naamah Aesham"] [member="Galen Adina"] [member="Bolvar Mayne"] [member="Julius Sedaire"] [member="Kira Vaal"] [member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Logen Brunner"] [member="Tegan Katarn"] [member="Meeristali Peradun"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Astarii Saren"] [member="Moira Skaldi"] [member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Callia Rodez"] [member="Captain Colton Renfroe"]


To Naamah

“You what?!” the freighter captain demanded. He started forward, but the blasters of his ‘partners’ came up, and he subsided.
“You’ve made your delivery, now leave,” the Sergeant ordered gruffly. “I suggest you don’t mention any of this.” He handed over a small container. “Additional compensation for the accident. Now clear out.”

When the pilot had stormed off the Sergeant rounded on Naamah.
“TN-1612, I appreciate your fervour but bring this to me next time, am I understood? When we return to base this will be investigated further. Now, get strapped in.”
He stormed off, leaving just one trooper to partner Naamah.
“You don’t take prisoners, hey One-Two?” he asked in a bit of awe. “Come on, better get on board before Sarge comes back.”
[member="Kith Verloren"]
http://i.imgur.com/yOesGdr.png
Darth Sicarii

The Sith Lord stopped, turned, and then nodded. There was logic there…and a fair bit of menace. It did not do to argue with the Lady.

Not unless you wanted a shortened life.

“As you wish, Lady.”

For Jedi

The droids continued their patrols through the snowy wastes. Temporarily there was a lapse in security for the high place.

If the Jedi wished to assemble and plan, now was the time.

For GA Pilots/Intel

Roth’s presence did not go unnoticed. Turning from where he was examining Colton’s hiding place, the Sith pilot moved forward to the attack.

An alarm was sent. Roth was facing two Sith fighters, one close and one further away. If he wanted to maintain secrecy he would have to deal with them quickly.

 

[Naamah Aesham]

[member="Darth Shadow"]


Stormtrooper helmets were convenient because they effectively obscured your facial expression. This, along with the modulator that gave your voice a mechanical quality, hid your emotions very well. It helped that she barely felt anything inside anyway. Thus 'TN-1612' remained completely stoic during the scene. "Yes, sir. I apologise, sir," she spoke obediently before the Sergeant stormed off, leaving her alone with a fellow stormtrooper.


For the time being, she had to play the role of a moderately overzealous, fascist goon with just a hint of sadism. It was one she could play well. All hail the Glorious Leader! Whoever that was. "Well, let's just say I didn't sign up for tea and crumpets. People gotta realise we'll stomp them if they mess with us."


Anyhow, she followed her fellow silver-clad fascist legionnaire to their ship, which had docked at the cargo hauler. Soon they would be off. What could possibly go wrong on this quest? Probably a great many things. Her Force Signature would be nullified, enough to fool anyone who wasn't a Master or a specialised mentalist.

 

[Roth Tillian]

[member="Darth Shadow"]

"Feth," Roth hissed, leaning over to reach into the console, opening a panel to reveal the controls. He'd pushed the ship too hard this time and he was paying for it with two Sith fighters en route. Fortunately, his jammer was still active so the message wouldn't get through, but they could still get out of range. Alarms continued to blaze through the cockpit until he managed to get them shut off. No hyperdrive jumps coming up in the near future, anyways, especially not with two fighters coming in.

A recon fighter was not his first option for a solo dogfight against two patrol ships, but it would work. He took a deep breath and settled himself in the Force, wrapping its presence around him and his fighter like a cloak, stretching out his mind until, in essence, he became the fighter. His limbs became its hull and his mind became its controls. Not that he was physically connected to the fighter in such a manner. He had eight concussion missiles, but those were overkill for two snub-fighters. He could handle those with guns, easily enough.

But first, a distraction. Roth reached out with the Force, finding the two pilots, and crafted an image. He was careful and deliberate about the details, but nothing too extravagant, or close enough to notice errors. He could feel the strain on his body as he struggled with it. The squadron typically worked as a team on illusions of this size, but they were too far away now. As far as the pilots were concerned, an Alliance corvette had just dropped out of hyperspace in range and was powering up.

It wouldn't last long, so he acted. Roth shoved the thottle fully open, sending the fighter jerking forward, pushing him back in the seat, despite security precautions, and the ship shuddered under the power.

"Knight One, sitrep," came over the comms and Roth grunted.

"Engaged with two bogies. Continue with mission. I'll rendezvous when clear."

He tilted the controls, sending the ship in a spin. The illusion would have dissipated by this point, he guess, but it would have thrown them off. He felt it, actually, as the challenge dropped and he focused completely on flying. Dogfights were a dance for him, and his hands seemed to play the controls like an instrument, until he caught a glimpse of the first fighter in his sights and he squeezed the trigger. Lasers blazed outward, tracing his projected path of the first fighter. The other had started a beeline to escape jammer range.

That was more important. Roth pulled off from the duel and pushed the ship to maximum, trying to line up shots on the second fighter. It would take some time, with the other fighter likely after him, but he'd have to chance it. If that fighter got out of jammer range...

Well, Roth didn't want to think about it.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Shadow"] [member="Galen Adina"] [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Armis Vindex"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]

Taeli had landed her ship far enough away from the facility to not attract attention, keeping the cloak activated just in case. She could feel one of the Padawans trying to call out to others, making himself a beacon... but if there were any dark siders in the facility, they would sense him too. Putting on some thermal gear, she descended the ramp of her ship. She would keep her presence tiny, microscopic, and start her short trek through the snow and ice to the facility. All the while, her mind eas whirling and coming to an uncomfortable thought.

Whoever was running this facility, they had to be here for one reason... and she couldn't figure out why they might be here to harvest crystals... unless... An image of events on Lothal came to mind, when the First Order and Knights of Ren had tried to steal a large kyber crystal. She and a few others had stopped the theft, and that crystal was safe at the New Jedi Order temple there... but something like that could be going on and that was concerning to her. Force crystals could create powerful weapons if adapted right. The answers lay inside the installation.

She crested a small rise, and saw the two security droids patrolling the perimeter of the facility. Keeping it low-key, little footprint... smart move. Hmm, how to get past those droids... she gave it a moment of thought before deciding to wrap the Force around her like a cloak, hiding her from sight. Force Cloak was a trying ability, but after years of using it, the strain was tolerable while she slowly made her way around the droids and towards the entrance to the facility.

 

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Naamah Aesham"] [member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Taeli Raaf"]

Naamah
The troopers were rapidly taken back to the bulk carrier and from there on to a transport heading back into space.
This time though they were meeting another Sith convoy, and this one seemed much more important than the others. A tight escort of ships formed around it.

The Sergeant paced down the row of seats, but said nothing more to TN-1612. Random murder was clearly not something the Sith bothered about much unless it was one of their own.

“When you get on board report to your assigned stations. This is being taken to Station C, so keep a button on any talk.”

Naamah would not know her assigned station, but she could likely muddle along just fine.

Taeli

The facility entrance was watched over by more droids, but no living creatures in sight. Cameras and other sensors scanned the entrance, and if they spotted the brief spike in heat they made no outward sign.

Inside the facility was all the trappings of a mine; noise, machinery and piles of spoil. Inside there were some humans, engineers and foreman in thick fur coats who directed the droids.

The spoil was probably of interest to Taeli. Amidst the usual rock and ice were shards of crystal. This crystal hummed faintly with the Force…the crystal caves were being mined. That definitely was a Bad Thing if the Sith were involved!

Roth
One fighter tried to engage, but the other broke and fled the scene, trying to get away.
With Roth after him though he couldn’t get away, and no matter how much he jinked and dodged he was being gained on.

Finally, the thought seemed to occur to the pilots that the X-Wing could only chase one of them. At some sort of command the one broke off the attack, the other continued to flee. The Jedi would have to choose which one to go after….

 

[Naamah Aesham]

[member="Darth Shadow"]


Thusly, Naamah ended up on the large transport vessel. "Yes, Sarge," TN-1612 said obediently. That's what was expected in any military, but especially if you were part of a corps of jackbooted, white plastoid-clad stormtroopers who were supposed to help make the Sith Empire great again.


Naamah did not know her assigned station, but she could fake it and muddle her way through. And if she got called out on it she could blame her poor direction on her helmet because, seriously, it was impossible to see clearly in it.


So she made her way out of the boarding area, following a bunch of other troopers. Various options presented themselves to the Clawdite: Stay put and see what happened, try to find out what made this transport and its cargo so important, attempt to sabotage or heist the ship. Option three was right out because she was hopelessly outnumbered and not feeling suicidal.


She had to be economical, and would probably have to change her shape at some point. She kept her eyes alert, observing movements around her. "I swear it, this chit is tedious. Here we are, playing glorified security cops and scaring low-life smugglers," one stormtrooper grumbled, keeping his voice down.


"Yeah, but it's all for a higher cause, isn't it?" Naamah interjected, then felt like pushing her luck a bit. "Omega's worth it."


The stormtrooper gave her a look. "You're so uptight and proper, TN-1612. But you're right: Omega's gonna take the Galaxy by the storm. No clue what it is, but the Sith will rise again." There was a trace of smugness in his tone.


As they passed a corridor, Naamah stopped, feeling something pull at her through the Force. She could see droids moving sealed canisters. That by itself was nothing out of the ordinary, but she could feel a faint trace of the Force emanating from them. Two elite stormtroopers clad in ultrachrome armour appeared to receive the cargo. "Nothing to see here. This is a restricted area. Move along," one of them spoke coldly. His voice sounded barely human.


"Uh, sorry, sir," Naamah said hastily. "We got a bit lost," she quickly turned away and departed.


Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two officers, speaking in hushed whispers. "...Latest projections indicate that upon incorporation the shipment will yield an increase in efficiency of 27.3%...Wise to forego slave labourers in favour of droids," Then the blast door was closed and sealed shut.

 

[Darth Caecus]

[member="Darth Shadow"]

Darth Molior shed her grey cloak as she stepped down from the dias. She wore the wrapped leggings and belted tunic of a sith apprentice from a by-gone age. The fabric, once black, had long faded to a soft grey. A lightsaber hilt hung on each hip, both also ancient- one a featureless silver cylinder, the other a shorter, slightly curved and ornate. The second more resembled a Jedi's off hand saber, and it clashed with the otherwise spartan appearance of the Sith Master. But she would never be without it.

"I will visit Omega," she said softly. "While we await news."

There was no invitation. But Darth Sicarii knew from past experience there would not be. If he did not have other duties, she would not object to his presence. But neither did she seek it.

 

[Kenrath]

[member="Darth Shadow"] [member="Galen Adina"] [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]

Armis began getting his equipment together as the ship exited hyperspace................well what little equipment he carried. He had always traveled light............mostly because he owned very little................even the leather armor and blaster were issued to him rather than owned by him. The only thing he had of any true value was the sword.

"Ok so to the south we go." "Time to see how fast this thing will go." "If need be just drop into a hover and I will jump out." "Once I am on the ground bug out..............no need to recklessly risk you and the ship if this goes south."

Armis hit the same comm frequency he had used earlier.

"All Jedi forces..............................coming in hot from the north." "ETA 10 minutes."

 

[Aerion Ivelisse]

Aerion sighed.

He was going to make it simple.

It was Ilum right? It was cold outside. Definitely didn't want to be out in the cold for longer than he had to.

"Sit down," he directed to [member="Lucius Varad"]. It wasn't a question, plain and simple, it was an order, but it was up to him as to whether he answered or not. Either way, the ship was coming in for a landing. Right outside of the Sith facility. The repulsors kicked in, and of course there were droids outside by the entrance that [member="Taeli Raaf"] was heading to, of course she'd see him, but he didn't know where she was. Or that she was even there for that matter. Regardless, he landed nearly fifty metres away from the facility.

He made sure to angle the guns at the entrance and opened fire.

It's cold.

At least he didn't shove his ship through the building.

He walked outside, cloak and all that he needed to be warm and combat ready as he started off to the ruined entrance. In no way shape or form was Aerion Ivelisse ever subtle.

[member="Darth Shadow"], [member="Armis Vindex"], [member="Galen Adina"], [member="Audren Sykes"].

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Aerion Ivelisse"] [member="Armis Vindex"] [member="Kith Verloren"] [member="Naamah Aesham"] [member="Darth Shadow"] [member="Roth Tillian"] [member="Galen Adina"] [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Lucius Varad"]

As she neared the entrance, Taeli could hear the whine of a ship getting nearer and nearer... you had to be karking kidding. Looking up, she could see the profile of an Alliance fighter heading straight towards the facility, land only fifty meters away and opened fire on the main door. Debris flew outward, the laser cannons shattering the doors... and alerting every single person inside they were under attack. The exact thing she didn't want to happen.

Through the Force, she sensed two Force Sensitives that felt like Padawans and she groaned internally. Of course it would be Padawans... and ones not very well trained in being subtle. The two security droids were turning to attack the new arrivals, their heavy cannons being brought to bear against the man who emerged from the ship. Kark it all, she thought, dropping her Force Cloak. To everyone present, it would appear she had appeared out of the very snow swirling around them in the wind. A lightsaber hilt flew into her hand from her belt, both purple colored blades igniting and starting to spin.

With a touch of the Force, she sent her lightsaber spinning through the air, dispatching both droids by taking them out through the arms and legs. Her lightsaber returned to her hand, the blades coming to a halt as she scowled at the Padawans.

"Too flashy, and now everyone inside knows we are here," she said, scolding the Padawan before turning on her heel and striding through the ruined entrance. All hell was breaking loose inside, alarms blaring and more droids rushing towards the disturbance. She didn't have time for this now, time was crucial to make sure whatever was being done in this facility could not be covered up. She battered away blaster bolts back into the security droids, emerald lightning leaving her free hand to strike down several more.

 

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Naamah Aesham"]
[member="Aerion Ivelisse"] [member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Armis Vindex"]
[member="Kith Verloren"]

When Naamah had looked into the container area there had been crates…a lot of crates. The Force emanation from them had combined been noticeable.

As they progressed through the void and made the jump to hyperspace, they were accompanied by many other transports, all carrying the goods collected.

Fortunately for Naamah her armour had a datapad with her orders and bunk details; room 16. Unfortunately for Naamah she would be sharing it with three other female troopers. TN-1608, 1619 and 1643. Due to their close numbers they probably knew ‘1612’ quite well.

The shifter would thus have the choice to try and bluff them for the journey into hyperspace or try and explore more.

“Hey, I better get back to bunk and tuck in. See you on the other side,” the anonymous trooper she had been talking with said and made his own way away.


Ilum

If the Padawans had wanted to get the attention of every Sith on Ilum…mission accomplished.

Within seconds the klaxons were blaring and droids and soldiers were assembling. Primarily it was droids, heavy models equipped for battle with blasters and grenades. Here and there was a Sith soldier with heavy repeaters or missile launchers.

The engineers and other non-combatants had fled deeper inside. Before the Jedi were at least a dozen combat droids lining up to attack, spreading into a semi-circle to direct as much fire as possible from all angles.

Darth Sicarii

The Sith Lord followed Kith. They were in space, a metal station, and it was a vast installation. Crew of all sorts hurriedly bowed or got out of the way of the Sith Lords as they progressed.

Finally they came to a last, most imposing, blast door.

An aide appeared to address them. “My Lords, the transport Rancor with the convoy of other supplies, has left Roxuli. They will be here within two standard days.”
Sicarii nodded. When they were alone he looked at Kith.
“That will be the second last we require. Ilum says they have acquired the piece we need to complete the Omega.”

 

[Naamah Aesham]

[member="Darth Shadow"]

Once again Naamah Aesham/TN-1612 faced a choice. Presumably her choices would actually matter. So far she hadn't encountered an annoying hologram who offered her a red-green-blue ending. Here's a spoiler: Naamah would press the red button!


She could sit tight, have girl talk with her fellow femtroopers and try to bluff them during the trip through hyperspace. Or she could take a chance and explore a bit more. The second option presented heavy risks, but at the same time her cover would not last forever. Ergo, it was best to find out as much as she could. What was certain was that she needed a new disguise, since a common grunt would have insufficient access.


As chance would have it, she did not need to look long. "TN-1612, Commissar Heydrich would like to see you," a stormtrooper told her in a moderately imperious tone while she was making her way down the corridor.


"Uh, I was about to make my way to the bunk. I've been ordered to stand down," the faux stormtrooper said, feigning tiredness. She wondered whether this was going to be that kind of meeting. You never knew with fascists.


"The Commissar is not a man you should keep waiting," the trooper insisted.


"Of course, I'll go to him right away."


So she was brought to Commissar Heydrich office. The man was seated behind a desk and reading some datapads. Occasionally, he said something to his two male bodyguards, though he did not bother acknowledge their irrelevant replies.


"Hmm. Commissar Kaltenbrunner's security measures are lackluster. We must be vigilant against spies and traitors. When I get back to Base, I will formally request that he be relieved of duty and court martialed. I'm not surprised since his 2IC is a Chiss. Do you like Chiss?"


"No, sir," one minion replied.


"Nor do I. Bunch of overrated, scheming blue skins. Only pure blooded, human Imperials can make the Sith great again." Heydrich looked up when TN-1612 entered the room. He smiled crookedly. The man was tall, broad-shouldered and had short-cropped blonde hair and blue eyes. In other words, he was the very model of the New Imperial Man. He used too much cologne.


"Well, well, TN-1612 is here. I heard about your zeal. We need motivated go-getters like that. There's too many wreckers and sloths in this organisation. Too much alien blood. You two, get out. You have your orders." The two goons departed.


The faux stormtrooper was now alone with the fascist officer and saluted. "TN-1612 reporting as ordered, sir. I'm at your disposal," she spoke submissively. Could you be any less of a stereotype? she wondered. No, this writer is in a humorous mode.


Heydrich grinned. "So formal? That's not normally like you, dear. You know you have nothing to fear from me. Take that helmet off. I want to see your face."


"Sorry, sir. Your presence is just so...overwhelmning. You work so hard. Not enough people appreciate you" Slowly she removed her helmet, and he circled her like a predator. Or just a holovid cliche. His hand traced across her blonde hair, then cupped her cheek.


"You're a lot more submissive than last time. Good. I don't enjoy hurting a lady." Taking the initiative, she kissed him and he reciprocated. His kiss was sloppy and clumsy, all hunger and undeserved entitlement.


He grabbed her hair so roughly it hurt. He was so caught up in the moment that he did not see her hand reach for a syringe hidden in her utility belt. Until she jabbed it into his throat. He struggled and tried to pull the offending needle out, but the Force flowed through her and she rammed it into his flesh.


"You...queen," he tried to choke her, then crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes.


"Firstly, you're a disgusting pig. Secondly, you're a terrible kisser," Naamah said quietly. She had a limited window of opportunity. Time to change faces - and gender. That uniform did not look comfortable. Maybe there'd be useful info in his office.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Ahead, near the entrance to the facility, droids patrolled. It was clear they couldn't spot him this far out, otherwise they'd already been engaged. Yet somehow he needed to figure out how to slip by them and get inside, figure out exactly what was going on here. To figure out the full extent of the droids and their pattern, the Sephi needed to move closer. This he did at a slow but steady pace, trusting the Force to alert him were something to come up.

As it happened, it wasn't the Force that alerted him.

As he closed to thirty meters of the entrance, a squawk came from his comlink and a voice poured through: someone coming in hot from the north, ten minutes out. Thankfully, the comlink was a headset and not a wrist- or belt-worn system, it was very likely such devices would have alerted the droids to his presence. Not that it mattered, whoever was inside had probably heard the transmission as well, at least if they were listening for broadcasts like any covert facility should be. The transmission was foolish. But it wasn't the most foolish action seen on the part of the Jedi, not by a long shot.

Some distance to one side, a ship abruptly dropped from its flight to a landing facing the entrance. The mounted guns made short work of the doors and put several holes in the facility to boot, announcing the pilots presence in an inimitable way. Maybe they should be grateful the fool didn't try to fly right through the building...best not to tempt fate by considering the option. Those on board the vessel felt less than fully trained, and while he was no expert he'd wager that they were Padawans. Ahead, another Jedi seemed to appear from thin air. Her purple blade flashed through a throw, eliminating the two droids on guard duty, and she spoke a couple words at the man who'd stepped off the ship. As she turned, Audren recognized her as Taeli Raaf, Jedi Master of some repute.

The female master headed inside, and Audren moved quickly to join her. Alarms were blaring, and blaster bolts could be heard from inside. The distinct whine of a lightsaber returning those bolts could also be heard, then a roar of static of unknown origin. It was a matter of seconds before Audren himself crossed the ruined threshold, lightsaber and particle-beam pistol in hand. That static sound was caused by the electricity flowing from Taeli's free hand - Lightning thrown by a Jedi? Even with the impressive display of the other Master, more soldiers were gathering.

Bolts fired from his gun dropped a soldier - flesh and blood - bringing a missile launcher to bear, then the Sephi's Force presence flared to life. Simultaneous with the expansion of his senses, the orange-bladed lightsaber extended with the traditional snap-hiss of the Jedi weapon, and he too began to return incoming bolts back at the fighters. Yet he moved to the side, intent on moving down the line and eliminating the cross-fire that was so deadly to defend against.

[member="Darth Shadow"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"] | [member="Galen Adina"] | [member="Armis Vindex"] | [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] | [member="Lucius Varad"]

 

[Darth Caecus]

[member="Darth Shadow"]

Darth Molior listened in silence to the report, nodding ever so slightly in response. She knew she unsettled the aide- she unsettled many of the crew of the sprawling space station- but she appreciated (in a vague sort of way) that he as least kept that disquiet under control.

If there was anything she appreciated, it was self-control.

And that was the crux of how they had ended up here, wasn't it?

That and perhaps one other thing.....

"The items from Ilum. They are required to shorten the recharge time, yes?"