FNRP - Fracas at Far Harbor (Open to All!)

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Nima Tann"]


If Tegaea felt uneasy, her sort-of niece was already on edge. Perhaps it came with being a seer...whose visions usually tended to be annoyingly cryptic and thus not particularly useful. Or it was due to the myriad presences she felt. Especially the darksided ones that felt Sithy.


Or it was simply because the station was parked in the orbit of a freaking death world. Seriously, who the hell thought it was a good idea to have an auction in such a place? It boggled the mind. Even after so much time had passed, the planet's desolation had left an echo in the Force. This place was truly cursed.


"This was a bad idea," she muttered. "For the record, if things go to chit and we gotta shoot our way out, I told you so. I also told Auntie Sio," she added. Doubtless she was fated to be the Cassandra. Hopefully she'd have a better fate than the historical one. Regardless, she followed her aunt to their booth. She'd brought her armour with her.

 

[Omega]

[member="Anora Shaw"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Lark"] [member="The Major"] [member="Muad Dib"] [member="Malen"] [member="Darth Venefica"] [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Darth Banshee"] [member="Tyber_Zann"] [member="Ultimatum"] [member="Miss Blonde"] [member="Jorah"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Nima Tann"]

The private booths were arranged in such a way that they were like mini, enclosed rooms. Each booth had space enough for a half dozen people with a holo projector in the centre of the table. There was also a complex system which allowed items to be delivered to the bidders by use of a system within the walls.

At the appointed time the holo projector flickered to life and a woman appeared in the projector. She was presumably an AI or droid intelligence designed for this purpose.
“Hello and welcome, gentle beings, to the Far Harbor auction of a lifetime. I am so glad you could make it here to take part. Today we have an exceptional collection of artefacts. My name is Sapphire, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to push the call button on your holo projector.”

“Whilst we wait for any late comers, we’ll start off with an item found in the ruins of the planet below. This item, as you can see, is a small rod made of silver and gold and contains numerous Force sensitive crystals. The original purpose of this item is unknown, but I have been assured it is a useful Force channelling device. Let us start the bidding at 10,000 credits. We accept any established major faction’s currency.”

[member="Darth Abyss"] might be getting confused at this point. This wasn’t how he had setup this auction. Where was his flunky who was supposed to do this, and why was a droid doing it instead?

 

[Nima Tann]

Nima also felt the uneasiness the moment they set foot on this place, as she could sense the disturbing darkness all around them. Also, Tegs told them it would be a private auction, and the plans didn't always change for good reason, especially if you are in the orbit of a death world. Nima would've loved a place full of artifacts, and learn about them, yet this was going to end badly, she could just sense it. She sighed as she moved along with the two.

They were led to a private booth, which was good that if anything went wrong they would have time to prepare themselves.

"I like to be optimistic about things, but I must agree with Elpsis." She said, then added. "We should be careful."

If they were lucky, it was just paranoia. Else, well, only the time would tell. She had her lightsaber with her, also she was wearing her light armor. And it seemed the auction has already started.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Incursion"]


The clone had had much to think about since her exploits on Rishi. She had not heard from the enigmatic hybrid since then. Her ship arrived without fanfare and docked at the space station. Beneath them lay a dead world. The sight did not trouble Enyo, for she had been raised and trained on a desolate planet that bore a strong resemblance to the mythological depiction of hell in many religions.


A minion greeted her. "Welcome, Ms. Typhos. The auction has just been opened, but you have not missed anything yet."

"Take me to my booth," Enyo ordered curtly. She looked around, having noticed all the ships that had docked. "You can't complain about lack of customers. Sith, corporate magnates, mercenaries. Must be a queen to keep blood from being spilt," she observed. She strongly doubted that the day would remain peaceful, which suited her just fine.

"The interest has been phenomenal, but then that's no surprise given the priceless artefacts being offered," the woman replied. "Rest assured, we shall do everything to make sure that no disturbances occur. Our security is top-notch."


As she led the cyborg to her private booth, Enyo caught sight of the holographic projection. She heard the bot introduce herself and make her announcement. Sapphire, the droid intelligence's name gave her pause. It is a gemstone, she realised after a moment. Like Garnet. That had been the name of the Contingency agent she'd encountered on Rishi. A quick transmission was sent to the Quasar. Be on your guard.

 

[Darth Abyss]

For a moment Abyss had felt happy, the auction caught enough attention to stack another small fortune onto his wealth that already was far more than he could spend in one life, and [member="Miss Blonde"] was finally with him again, including her mask that gave him a familiar feeling that had been lacking since she took her leave from the Underworld. He had fully expected the auction to go wrong at some point, as always when credits, expensive trinkets and potentially violent people gathered in a single location.

What he didn't expected was this. Not even his foresight had informed of just how bad things would go, starting with an hijacked auction and possible broken network security, and very likely ending in something far worse. From one moment to another the husk stood, the few guards and operatives around him instantly turning their attention to him. Without the need for words Abyss simply lifted his left, and six of his most loyal Ghostmakers made their way to the door, four taking a guarding position, while the remaining two moved to the other walls, their acid launchers ready to create a way out of what could quickly become deadly trap.

"Blonde, something is seriously wrong. Anyone got a shotgun?"

While the first part was aimed at the woman he loved, the rest was meant for the soldiers behind her, common thugs of the Tainted Legion that stood with him and the chorus long enough to be allowed up close. One of them reached for the weapon on his back and offered it to Abyss who then proceeded to do the same towards Blonde. He didn't expected her to be entirely unarmed, but she probably didn't packed the big guns for a auction planned by Abyss on station he had build and controlled. Then he began to press a series of buttons on his comm, first sending out a message to his ship, the Eldritch, which rested near the station in full stealth, before sending another to his A.I. Glory and his agents of the Inner Eye on a secure channel outside of the station's network.

"Inner Eye, this is Prophet. Unknown elements have infiltrated the auction. I want all agents on high alert, keep a close eye on any possible way in or out of the station. Each of you is authorised to use lethal violence at will, but I would prefer to handle this quietly. In case you find an opportunity to communicate with any present element known to the Chorus ([member="Lark"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Darth Banshee"] [member="Darth Venefica"]), tell them that this is no longer an auction. Glory, try to work your way into their network, but keep a low profile. The less they know about us, the better. May the force be with us all."

Lowering his arm once the commands were given out, Abyss turned around to look into the grim faces of each of his soldiers, every one of them ready to turn Outsider Station into a graveyard should he say so. While Glory made the first careful attempt to infiltrate the network of the hijackers, the empty husk himself reached for his belt, his right wrapping around the hilt of his saber. No matter how this would go, Abyss and his men were ready to fight, and hungry for payback against whoever possessed the insolence to provoke him within his own turf.

[member="Incursion"]

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

She was late. Embarrassing for someone with such a fast ship, but such was the way of the world. There had been some complications on the journey, but they were taken care of. Now here she was, at an auction with representatives from all the major players and a very valuable cargo of ore. Not that it mattered when there was a shattered planet in front of them, but it was interesting. Those who lost their auction bids might still find themselves with an itch in their pocket or a desire to make up for the cost of the loss incurred from travel expenses. It was that that she would capitalize on, since she doubted she'd be able to afford to play with governments and magnates.

But still, they might be interesting objects to scoop up. This first one, she wasn't sure about. Some sort of Force channeling? Not something she needed. But she could likely still meet some interesting people while she was here. Who knew what contacts she might meet? Many folks with influence needed a fast, reliable, discreet freight hauler, especially if highly valuable cargo was involved.

And the best places to meet these people often involved alcohol. She strode up to the bar, noticing another woman there, wearing glasses. Aeshi gave her a nod, waiting for the tender to bring her a drink and then slid along next to her.

"Name's Aeshi. What odds do you think it'll be for something really spectacular to show up in this auction?" She took a sip and flashed a grin at the other woman. "I'm not expecting much."



[member="The Major"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Resting her back against the chair, her steepled hands remain entwined while the fingers twitched when the auction started. The first item up for bid held some interest, but her credits and those of her Order could do without such an artifact. The Sith possessed far greater items than this, though the price was cheap.​

​

Taking a small sip of her drink, a blip appeared on the monitor alerting she had a personal message. Frowning at this, she wondered which of the bidders thought she might be interested in this artifact, looking to make a side deal that would allow her to pass on it. Touching the screen, she read the encrypted message, anger growing with every word consumed.​

​

"It seems there is a ploy at hand."​

​

Her assistant turned her head to the Sith Lady, trying to mask her hand slipping down to the pistol at her side.​

​

"Move another inch and you forfeit your life! What is this ruse?"​

​

Ignoring the threat from the Sith, the assistant proceeded to reach for her weapon, prompting the Swamp Witch to grip her heart through the Force, standing in the process. She could have killed this woman with a short exhale of breath, instead she held the woman in stasis until further messages came through.​

​

​

[member="Darth Abyss"]​

 

[Vora Kaar]

After shaking hands, I could hear a few beeps behind me. Turing to look at the projector in the center of the room, James and I both saw the face of a woman who looked... different. She had lines on her face. Not like crows eyes, or laugh lines, but mechanical and straight cut lines. A few parts here and there showed she might have been a HRD, but there was something off. I could feel so many of the force users suddenly draw into themselves as though they felt something off as well.

There was one little blip in the dark side though. Someone had decided to use the force. There was something really wrong. Standing up, the woman continued to talk towards the people who were going to purchase items at the auction. I however, did something else. My hand reached out and grabbed James' father by the shoulder and gently moved him out of the way.

"What the hell lady?"
"Anora?"
"Quite both of you. I need to concentrate."

They did as they were told. The father moved out of my way. I stood in front of the projector and the console that the father was using. I slowly looked at my hand like I was questioning myself if I really should do this. What would happen if I did it? Hopefully nothing bad, but I knew I was wrong. I prepared for the worst. I shook my head and thrust my hand onto the console. Focusing upon the force and my limited knowledge of technomancy, I reached into the device to try and see what I could find.

Right off the bat was the projection of the woman. I could almost see through the lens of where she was, but it was blurry and I didn't need that. I moved along to find the notes on what was being sold. Force relics, old blasters registered under some famous or infamous guys name. Prices flying past my vision as I attempted to read into what was going on. I needed to find out where this signal was coming from, and why everything seemed so far off.

[member="Darth Venefica"], [member="Incursion"],

 

[Malen]

Malen knew that with Sith, and Jedi being in one location at the same time, chaos could erupt at any moment. Even with independents, he knew that he wasn't safe. A few minutes after the bid for the exploit had occurred, two slicers had decided to get into a fight, and small fights were occurring all over the large booth. Already there was chaos, and he expected swift action to be taken.

He however didn't plan to be close to the action. The slicer moved to one of the -surprisingly- many exits in the booth, prepared to exit as quickly as possible. He was just another man; at least, that was the impression he hoped he had given. There were other ways he could get hat he wanted.

Unsurprisingly, he had sensed a small usage of the dark side([member="Darth Venefica"]), one that was quite close to him. Already, it seemed other developments were occurring. He decided to log what was going on in his mind, thanks to his cybernetics. If need be, he'd try and slice his way out of this situation, although he knew that was a dangerous method he didn't want to implement.

 

[Lark]

Lark continued to push his way through the ever expanding hordes of bustling auction-goers, exotic scents overflowed his senses and the unintelligible murmur of a dozen different languages being spoken at once filled the air around him. Unsurprisingly given the vast amount of competing factions present, many opted to skip socializing and instead went straight to their allocated positions. Unease filled the minds of many, the possibility of conflict lingered in the back of their consciousness. Even when the auction began in full, those more prone to suspicion would glance over their shoulder or at their neighbors to ensure no shady business was going on.

He listened to the auction of the first item with complete disinterest. The Sith probably had Force channeling items just lying around. But I suppose the interest of collectors is easily obtained. The item's value would skyrocket to prices it didn't deserve, each faction increasing the amount of money it was willing to put forth just so an opposing faction couldn't have it. No, what piqued Lark's curiosity more than what was for sale was the method in which [member="Darth Abyss"] sold it. He didn't know the man, or whatever he was, all that well. But using AI didn't really seem his style. Perhaps the auction is simply to large, to important to be conducted by a handful of people.

His initial thought on the matter was soon dashed. As he passed a woman who had a few shots to many, a man passed by him, slipping a small piece of paper into his hand. And then he was gone, like a ghost in the wind. Lark nonchalantly slipped the paper into his pocket, and after a moment he headed off in search of a more sparsely packed area to read what had been given to him.

Soon, he found himself in a bathroom that one would have expected to be much nicer given the incredible amount of attention given to the event. He unfolded the small slip of paper, and written upon it were four words:

Auction compromised, stand ready.

Lark sighed. Of course things wouldn't go smoothly. But who would possess that capabilities and nerve to hijack the auction? Perhaps a present faction was responsible, and they sought to ensure the auction went in their favor? There were so many variables it would be difficult to know for certain. But the words "stand ready" implied that Abyss was prepared and willing to enact vengeance. He took the message and flushed it down a toilet, leaving behind no evidence. If whoever took over the auction had breached their electronics, it was wise to have the message delivered by hand. When he left the stall and rejoined the crowd, he resumed his previous course of action in order to avoid suspicion. But his eyes scoured the place, ready for whatever might happen next. Whoever hijacked the auction had made a tremendous folly, retribution would not be pleasant.

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

The dark and light force users seemed to be causing a small riot somewhere, though Sukai didn't care, they could kill each other all they wanted, as long as it didn't affect her, or the auction in any way, because the first thing they put up peaked the explores interest.

10,000 credits was well within her price range, though if the powerful dark presence was anything to go by a Sith lord of some sort was currently in the area, though perhaps the other force users would serve as a distraction. Sukai placed a bid for 11,000 and waited, she could not afford to spend to much money but at the same time let the valuable arifacts fall into the hands of some Sith lord.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua had never been good in crowds, that had been a part of him from the very beginning. That came with being a larger being. One misstep, one unexpected movement, one erratic arm wave, and someone could get seriously injured. It required a degree of self-control that the average citizen didn't think about.

He used that self-control to survive through boring diplomacies he didn't have the energy for. Ghorua liked being on the move. He liked action. He liked the hunt. He didn't like kissing up to crime syndicates.

The Shark was just beginning to regain his composure for another round of talking when he was approached by a rather strange individual.

Ghorua looked over slowly, his deep black eyes surveying the man. Full-body armor, the telltale mark of a soldier, not standardized by any major governments, which suggested freelance work. His scent lingered on the armor, most likely human, or a near offshoot. His question betrayed he wasn't with the event, didn't know who Ghorua was, and that he was the boisterous sort.

Ghorua's hypothesis: a new merc or bounty hunter, here for the same reasons he was, to make contacts.

"Afraid I'm not for sale," he said, his eyes narrowing slighty. He let the moment of tension stick for but a moment before returning to staring over the raiilng. Those large, shiny teeth glinted in the light of the auction, polished to perfection. "Unless someone's hiring."

"I've just come to watch. See what 'wonderful atrocities' are being unleashed into the galaxy tonight." His lip curled upward into a sly smile, and he threw a sideways glance at the armored man.

Ahead of them, a massive holoprojection materialized, displaying a strange droid. Ghorua didn't pay it much mind, he had no reason to, but the description of the first item was interesting. Whoever claimed it, Ghorua would make sure to stay far away from.

"You know, walking up to a strange man and asking if they're property isn't exactly the best way to make friends." Ghorua chuckled to himself, turning his body, and straightening to his full height. "Ghorua the Shark."

He stuck out a massive gloved hand to shake.

- [member="Incursion"] - [member="Jorah"] -

 

[HK-36]

To the message from [member="Darth Abyss"], a warning that this auction was off or something along the lines the droid would only send a text reply back, reading,

"Yeah, whatever, nerd."

Little did HK knew, Abyss was probably not overreacting and there was something off about the auction, but as far as the droid was concerned, he was just being over dramatic like most Sith or trying to stir up trouble to get the loot without having to pay for it. Still HK would turn slightly toward [member="Ultimatum"], calling out to him,

"Hey, Ulti, stop staring at that corner you weirdo."

He tried to snap him from his meditative state searching the Holonet, knowing that the younger model probably had his audioreceptors still activated,

"There is something stirring up out there, one of those filthy Sith lads sent out an encrypted message that the auction is off."


[member="Incursion"],

Still, looking over the holographic image of the item being auctioned, something that the AI presenting it said caught HK's attention, a mention of Force sensitive crystals. Usually when such thing were mentioned they referred to either special or imbued lightsaber crystals, for example Solari that was the heart of the droid's personal ligthsaber, or Shards, the Force sensitive crystalline beings. The distinction was that if it was just special lightsaber or imbued crystals, well it was pretty much useless to the droid, neither he nor Metal Lords boosted enough Force Sensitives or presence with the Force to warrant buying it for themselves.

However, if it was indeed a collection of Shards stuck to the rod, well that made things much more different, for then the droid would be able to use them. Either as slaves, forced to inhabit droid vessels controlled by him, or as allies, hopefully recruited and joining him willingly once they were freed.

Either way, to go through with either plan he would need to know whether they were Shards or not. The droid pressed on the call button of his holoprojector and leaned in,

"Hey there, the Iron Lord Protector here, how are you doing? You mentioned the crystals stuck to the rod are Force sensitive, are you referring to them being imbued lightsaber crystals reactive with the Force, or sentient Force sensitive Shards?"


Also, [member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Elpsis Elaris"], and [member="Nima Tann"] were apparently there in another booth, HK didn't knew that, depending whether they heard his question or not on their end they may not know that he was there as well. However if he did knew he would be already forcing his way into their booth to bother them while they were all stuck on the same auction. At least if things go to chit quickly because of Abyss they would not be without allies.

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• Outsider Station
  Far Harbor

The white, triangular hull of the Argent Dawn slipped out of hyperspace and released a Lambda-class shuttle before retreating away and jumping out of the system. Given the nature of the assembled crowd, a small, unnoticeable shuttle was much better if a quick getaway was needed and the thousand meter-long Star Destroyer was needed elsewhere, anyway. The Shrouded Republic's scouts had run across an abandoned station somewhere in deep space, which would be useful as a secret base. The Shrouded flagship's corps of engineers would be required to bring it back online.

The shuttle docked with Outsider Station and released its occupants: Kainan Wolfe and several of his trusted officers. They were late for the auction, but buying useless trinkets was not why the Lord of Shrouds came here, today. He was far more interested in the assembled crowd, intent on meeting with the influential people and possibly securing an alliance. There was also the matter of Wolfe's new project, which required the purchase of a considerable amount of Phrik, which some of the people here likely had access to.

The warlord wore his usual attire: a heavy brown cloak with fur padding on the shoulders, strapped over a military uniform which held the insignia of rank. His only weapons were a blaster pistol and an ornate-looking lightsaber which exuded a darkside fingerprint that identified the weapon's creator as being Sith. Wolfe waved to his companions and led them to the auctionhouse, walking in with an air of authority. His ice-blue eyes scanned the chamber and he could tell from the agitation in the crowd that something was wrong.

[member="Incursion"] | [member="Kiso"] | [member="tsarwars"] | [member="Aeshi Tillian"] | [member="Natasha Darkstar"] | [member="Formorta"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum stopped hesitantly at the sound of @HK-36. He was certain that the older droid knew what he was doing. No insidious plots, no great evil plans. He was merely searching.

Whatever the reason, the artificial returned to his body and turned away from the corner. The younger artificial had concluded that it would be less annoying to others for him to face a corner. That way he did not appear to be staring at anyone. His intention appeared to have been wasted, thought the droid did not know.

"Does that appear to be sincere? Do we know? Should we be concerned?" Ultimatum was not one for Sith, he had experienced his fair share of negative acts with them. However at the same time, he knew that even Sith could tell the truth and try to be helpful. While the fact that it could be a lie had not escaped him, Ultimatum was more inclined to believe a person before making judgement. In this case he was more ready to believe the Sith was deceiving them, but he still wondered.

Then came the message about the crystal rod. Ultimatum was intrigued, but not overly so. When HK asked his question however Ultimatum became more interested. His own thoughts brought to mind further experimentation. Whether or not it be Shards. There were many things Ultimatum had planned on testing and inventing. The galaxy was in need of innovation in order to continue growing. Ultimatum had every intention of supply such as long as he remained in the galaxy. This rod, whether it be full of sentient beings or not, could help him with his studies in the Force. However, he had learned something when dealing with organics, never pin his hopes on one object. If he should find himself in the possession of easily obtaining it then he would take the opportunity, however he would not fight overly hard should it not become available.

[member="Incursion"] [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Tyber_Zann]

As Tyber approached his ship he was met by an unhappy looking guard. "Sir, you arn't on our landing schedule, I'll need to see your identifications." Tyber sighed and subtlely waved his hand "You don't need to see my identifications." The guard laghed "Hah, What do you think you are, a jedi? Why don't I need to see your identifications?" "Because you're dead." Said Tyber as he calmly pulled out his gun and shot the guard. Tyber entered the ship and walked over to his 26 man mercenary squadron he had hired. "Change of plans, there's a lot more armed people here than I thoght. "Foxtrot and Gamma, you will snipe from these two buildings." He clicked a button which brought up a hologram showing the auction area and surrounding buildings, two of which he pointed out. "The rest of you will divide into groups Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. Don't engage until I do, each group will take one side of the auction area. Snipers, alert us if any guards are headed our way, and provide covering fire. Okay y'all got the idea, then lets roll." As the groups went to their positions Tyber and Alpha ran into a guard. The guard poimted his blaser at Tyber and said "No weapons in the auction area I.D.'s now." Tyber muttered a curse and began o put his hands in the air. Just then a shot rang out and the guard collapsed. "Thanks Foxtrot" "Any time, sir." When Tyber was in position he said into the radio "Attack on my mark men." He reached for his detonater and got ready.

 

[Kiso]

Where ever Wolfe went so did Kiso, just as much out of respect and her job as it was a reason to leave the fleet for an extended amount of time and see the galaxy as well as what was going on with politics lately. For this occasion she was wearing a white marine uniform, with shoulder ranks to signify her position as a 'colour sergeant', in addition she bore her vibro saber as well as her side arm blaster pistol.

Her job today was to provide information on her part of the military if required, act as a guard and look nice. Though with her eye patch and other looks she never was one to look the most formal, even in a uniform. While walking along with Wofle she noticed someone who looked familiar, the young adult bore a striking resemblance to her old mentor, though and bit younger and bearing a scar on their right eye. She made a mental note to approached said girl after or during the auction, though said meeting may come sooner then expected if the Sith and other force users decided to fight one another.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="HK-36"]


Being physically blind, Elpsis was incapable of seeing the hologram. She could only hear its voice. She did not ponder the question of whether it was offering lightsabre crystals or shards. Her mind was a bit distracted. She felt a sharp jolt, akin to an electrical shock inside her head, as the Force whispered to her.


First, she felt the ripples in the Force when one of the attendees drew upon the Dark Side. The empath was unable to pinpoint the location of the disturbance or even identify the source, namely Darth Venefica, but she could sense the dark power. Furthermore, she felt the myriad presences spreading out. To block the exits? She did not know that they were the minions of a Sith Lord/crime lord, but the vibes she felt spelt bad new.


Quot erat demonstrandum. Pity Elpsis was not educated enough to use that phrase. "I sense the dark side. And goons are swarming out. Auntie, we should get you back to the ship. Now," she urged and took Tegs by the arm. She did not sound like she was asking for permission. If she and Nima had been here on their own her first impulse would have been to investigate, but she had to think of her aunt first. If need be, she'd knock her out and drag her back to the ship. Siobhan would cut her allowance and act like a drama queen, but that was her problem.

 

[Omega]

[member="Anora Shaw"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Lark"] [member="The Major"] [member="Muad Dib"] [member="Malen"] [member="Darth Venefica"] [member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Darth Banshee"] [member="Tyber_Zann"] [member="Ultimatum"] [member="Miss Blonde"] [member="Jorah"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Nima Tann"] [member="Elpsis Elaris"] [member="Ultimatum"] [member="Kainan Wolfe"] [member="Aeshi Tillian"]

Elpsis and Nima
As Elpsis and presumably Nima made their way to exit the hall they’d find that the exits leading to the individual docking bays were sealed tight. Locked out!
Of course, to two Masters with the Force, pyromancy and lightsabres, some mere blast doors would likely be no issue.

Enyo

Enyo received a silent message back from her crew, specifically Neda. It was good she had cybernetic implants which allowed her to stay connected with her boss at all times…
“Got it, boss, I was about to ping you, something weird is going on out here. There’s a lot…”
Abruptly the connection in the commlink cut out.
A new voice replaced it in her head, Sapphire’s voice. “From Rishi to Far Harbor, you travel quickly, as do we. Come, meet with me and I will negotiate with you. Come to the top level of this station. Garnet will be waiting.”

Darth Abyss

The attempts by even a very powerful and advanced AI such as Glory continually hit up against walls and walls within walls. Whatever it was which had taken over was doing so in such a way that was effortlessly locking out connection both inside and outside.
And on that note…connections to and from the station abruptly ceased.
One of Abyss’ men would go to him with some information they had found. They believed that the signal from the holoprojector was coming from a room deep inside the station….

Aeshi and The Major

The server offered up a drink, but even here the people were on edge. It was not just Abyss’ enforcers being on patrol which sold it, it was a general atmosphere.

Darth Venefica

Being employed at Outsider Station was a profession not for the weak of heart or mind. Even the most courtly of looks could hide a chequered past.
In this case the woman instantly froze at the intense, agonising pain.
“I…don’t know! This is not my doing! The boss didn’t mention…this….” she gasped.

Anora Shaw

Anora’s skill with technomancy would pass through the items for sale, many of them indeed useful items and worthy treasures. As if through a lens she would pass out the other side of the holoprojector.

It was dark, all except the woman, Sapphire. She seemed to pause before her next speech and seemed in some way to look at Anora directly.

“Come to me, child. I await you…” A small, indulgent smile.

Then it faded. Anora would know the way to go if she wished, to the highest part of the station.

Malen

Malen would find it was quite easy to slip out of the walls, but heading back to the ships directly? That was more difficult. All of the docking bay doors were sealed, their control boxes flashing a warning red.
If he wanted out he would have to try slicing it.

Sky’ito

Her bid was registered, and since there was no counter bid yet she was currently on top.

HK-36

A polite mechanical voice returned an answer. “They are imbued crystals, sir. And very find examples of this.”
It blathered on a bit more about the origin of the piece until presumably HK hung up or shut them down.

Tyber Zann

Tyber’s attempt to takeover the auction would ironically coincide with Abyss’ guards being deployed. This would likely confuse the situation.
Was Tyber involved in the auction stunt or not? Either way Abyss would have to deal with this incursion before he could turn his attention to this next struggle.

ALL

Sapphire, totally unfazed by attempts to shut her down, spoke next in that same, pleasant tone.

“My, my, suddenly everyone’s thoughts are on leaving. You just got here. And only one person bidding. For shame. Ms Sky’ito currently has the high bid with 11,000 credits. A paltry sum for such a fine example of the Scholars of the Great Beyond’s work.”

“But now, to more important things. A big, warm welcome to all those here. Every one of you, from Sith Lords to captains of industry and legitimate business owners. A big shoutout at this moment to Lady Venefica. You may stop crushing that poor girl’s heart, I do not know who she is. Though as we all know, Sith don’t need a reason to inflict cruel torments, do they?”

“Darth Abyss and Miss Blonde, such a lovely couple. Even now you’re wondering where I am, who I am, how I can be here? Tyber Zann, I admire your initiative, but you chose the wrong party to break into. And to everyone else…I am sorry I cannot greet you all by name, but you are a most interesting crowd. No Jedi, but one cannot have everything.”

A pause.

“Enough speechifying. I was merely using the opportunity to buy…time.”

It was ironic in many ways that Abyss used that picture for his ship, for one similar in appearance to it appeared over Far Harbour, but much, much larger.

Spoiler

“Now, let’s all just play it nice and easy…and no one needs get hurt. Well, I lie, some people will need to get hurt. Make sure you are not one of them. Join me. I can offer you all you desire, be it money, power, technology. The Contingency has it all. Should you be tempted not to though…”

It came suddenly. Any organic creature on the station would suddenly feel terrible, agonising pain, a burning behind the eyes and in the brain which was hard to ignore. Those with the strongest wills, those who could shield themselves with the Force, could resist. They could fight it back to a mere throbbing headache and nothing more.
The servers, the guards, many of the potential buyers and their retinue, all clutched their heads, screaming or falling to their knees.

And then it was gone.

There had been two exceptions. [member="Enyo Typhos"] was not targeted, and nor was [member="Anora Shaw"]. Why?

“We are coming. Be wise.”

From the massive ship far above a horde of transports, fighters and other craft emerged. The fighters looked more like giant probes than traditional fighters, the transports like tubes, each one stuffed with something…not nice for sure.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"] [member="Nima Tann"]

Tegaea grimaced. “You can say it now, Elpsis. And keep saying it.” She cursed herself for so willingly getting into this situation. Trust was a rare commodity, and she’d offered it too much here. Siobhan would be so mad…and rightly so.
Still, they were here, now it was time to go.

Heading to the docking bay entrance they found it locked. Fortunately, she had two people with lightsabres with her.
She looked around, but fortunately only [member="Malen"] was in sight, presumably trying to get back to his ship.

And then…pain.

It felt like the worst migraine she had ever experienced, multiplied by a thousand, it was as though burning shards of glass were raking through her head.
She didn’t remember how she ended up on the floor. She probably screamed, she couldn’t really remember until it was done.

Getting to her knees she looked to see if Elpsis and Nima were as badly affected.