From The Old Comes The New [TSE Dominion of Kushibah]

[Jacob Crawford]

​

Once, Kushibah was the home to the native Kushibans, who utilized the land to grow silkweed, harvest it, and create thread by combining it with their own fur. But that had been centuries ago, until the Gulag Plague arrived and decimated the planet and its populace.

In time it faded away, and new life sprung from the darkness it had left behind, but none of it was the same. Neither the Xinkra or the Kushibans were left untouched, both had been brought to near extinction with only a small percentage managing to survive uninfected and flee. Those that were left behind, led to further generations of mutation that eventually resulted in new twisted forms for both species.

The Kushibans - Once small and frightful, have now matched the three metre height of their former predators; the Xinkra. They are the complete opposites to their original form, now preferring brute force rather than a delicate hand.

The Xinkra - Still maintaining their imposing height, but have since adopted similar fur to the Kushibans. They are now more leaner, opting for speed and agility over strength. And while the Kushibans would smash through obstacles, the Xinkra will always climb over them.

Previous research has indicated that both species have been affected by the same mutation, a spreading phenomenon that is threatening what remains of the original Kushibans and Xinkra. Those that still remain, now reside on the furthest side of the planet, but it’s only a matter of time before the new wipe out the old.

For years, many have attempted to settle on the planet, for research or otherwise. But all attempts were met with immediate aggression from the natives. Outposts were assaulted and destroyed, leaving nothing but destruction and death in their wake. But with the Sith Empire’s continuing expansion, they have now set their eyes on the planet. The preliminary expansion effort resulted in setbacks as the more dominant race of Kushibans violently responded to diplomatic inroads, even the personal intervention of the Lord Inquisitor proved ineffective as dialogue broke down rather quickly.

The straw that broke it was the massacre at Outpost Aleph. Under the cover of night the Kushibans and Xinkras infiltrated the facility and slaughtered all personnel. The Empire abandoned all efforts at diplomacy soon after.

Utilizing their own experiences and old reports on previous excursions to Kushibah, the Empire has deployed two teams to the surface, in order to reduce the Kushibans and Xinkra’s numbers to a manageable level.

Objectives:

1. 
   Team A: Your goal is to arrive at the designated abandoned outpost, set up defences and prepare for the inevitable assault that will be heading your way. Intel gathered from the latest reports indicate a two hour window before the natives will arrive.
   
2. 
   Team B: Whilst the others are keeping the beasts occupied, your mission is to sneak into the massive and sprawling cave network to locate and eradicate the nests. The goal is to minimize their numbers enough, but not to the point of absolute extinction.
   
3. 
   Accompany Team B in order to investigate the creatures and their physiology. While there won’t be any traces of the Gulag Plague, there could still be something to gleam from them.
   
4. 
   A splinter force has been dispatched to the location of the original Kushibans and Xinkra’s sanctuary. Hurry to their defence and stop the attempt to exterminate the old.
   
5. 
   Make your own objective!
   

 

[Arage Bao]

Location: Kushibah.
Objective: Gain more allies.
Allies: Himself.

The Saaraishash was less than interested in Kushibah after the failed attempts of diplomacy. It was one thing to begin an expansion and elaboration by the way of words, but it was wholly another thing to continue that in the face of consistent adversity. The Lord Saarai had no doubt in his mind that the world wold fall in the face of the Empire's consistent pressure and as such the the Inquisitor's effort was elsewhere. It was this lack of focus that allowed the Muun to travel to the world for his own personal benefit for the moment.

See.

A majority of the species had been mutated by a remnant of the Plague or something entirely else, but that did not mean that the entirety of the world was taken over by the sickness.

In fact, there was a sizeable portion of the Xinkra that wished to abandon their former aggression in exchange for simple safety against the onslaught of the mutants that considered themselves so much more developed. Ardeth had little in the way of opinion between the two groups- except for the fact that one group wished to deal with him and the other was too arrogant to even consider it.

It was for this reason that the Muun found himself planetside waiting in the jungles of the world.

Soon enough the leaders would arrive for the actual negotiations.

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Jacob Crawford"] [member="Ardeth Zun"]
Objective 4 intended

Glacial blue eyes watched the small strange beings that were the survivors of whatever menace had altered the rest of the population. She stood watching as they went about their business with careful deliberation. They needed to hurry, they needed order. Their survival depended on that.

Her thick black hair sat in a high tail upon her otherwise shaved head and hung down her back as she moved among them. Her clothing was sparse only covering what was necessary but left the violet tatoos she had earned visible as a sign of her status. Her yorik coral lightsaber hung from the belt of her lion cloth like skirt and she flet its weight like a stone in need of movement.

She pointed at their walls and looked at the nearest Kushiban.

"You moost foortify thee wallss." She said, "Set poositions on thee walls."

They did not seem to understand the extremity of the situation and she lacked a way to force them to see their own plight.

 

[Gavin Coral]

Objectiveon't get killed by master, Objective1
Allies: [member="Darth Banshee"]
Gavin landed his ship on a large plateau a little over a square mile in area. He cleared off a few landing areas and got to work. Earlier he had drafted an idea for an outpost. Four walls, Each 1/4 of a miles long and one side against the cliff edge so forces would not be spread as thin. Three trenches on each side 100 yards from the base and 50 yards from each other. On the cliff side he would have some emergency ropes to let people down if the base fell. He doubted he would have to do much of the actual building s He was sure that Darth Banshee would come soon with an army of slaves. Still Gavin got to work on setting up barbed wire fences along the boreder of the main base.

 

[Arage Bao]

Location: Kushibah.
Objective: Gain more allies.
Allies: Himself.

It didn't take long for figures to emerge from the cacophony of jungle and forestation.

They were lean, large, claws sharp and picking through the packed jungle as if it was as easy as breathing to them. It had been a surprise to Ardeth when his contacts had discovered that a group of the Xinkra were actually sentient and looking for a way out of this mess. How they had gained their sentience was unknown at this point, but the Muun was eager to find out one way or another. They edged closer, cautiously, before resting as a group near the edge of the clearing.

One of them, the leader presumably, left them behind and approached closer to the Knight of the Sith.

"These are all that wish to join you, Vazzeth?" The Muun asked before glancing over to the pack of Xinkra. He could see a form of intelligence now- the eyes brighter and studying the world around them with self-reflection rather than mindless barbarism. They stayed close to each other, mumbling grunts and soft screeching between their fierce teeth to communicate, but stayed completely aware of what was happening around them. It was fear, Ardeth realized. Strange how the apex predator of a whole world could be turned into shakes and shivers by a new development in their eco-system.

"Yess, my Lord." The leader, Vazz, spoke while keeping his head bowed in submission. Pack culture was not difficult to pierce. Vazzeth had been the largest of them, strongest, most fierce, but even he could not stand against the mutated ones.

By submitting to a new Alpha they hoped that the pack would survive, maybe even thrive.

"Tell me, how did you gain your sentience? You were not born with it- correct?"

For a brief second Vazz froze up and that told the Muun that he was correct in his assumption. Something had happened, something... maybe recent? Had caused these Xinkra to find some form of sentience between all of them.

 

[Darth Banshee]

Allies: [member="Gavin Coral"]

Darth Banshee troop transports began to land, she was bringing troops to secure this planet once the sith empire taken control. Her apprentice was busy making their barracks, so her troops had a place to be billeted, as well as basic defensively place. Has she landed, her troops began to disembark, they where a mix of Sith Empire Infantry, Droids and Slaves. As they began sorting themselves out, some head out to scout the local area. The Slave troops had the bulk of grunt work to do, though a sith infantry was their to enforce their discipline. She went to look for her apprentice who was busy, he was getting the main base ready, and she soon found him.

Apprentice, I see you doing well with the design of the base. Now why don't you use the force to move the satellite dish into postion, into postion. She had shown him how to lift using the force, this was test of proficiency, as it need to take care to make sure it got onto the bolts.

 

[Syss Rembala]

Location: Landed, about to head to the cave system.
Objective: 2. Destroy the nests
Allies: Open.

Another day that woke giving her the task of serving the Empire, of expanding its borders through whatever little, forsaken planet that happened to graze their vicinity. She would have never chosen any differently, expansion was necessary, it was vital for them to achieve their ulterior purpose: sunk the galaxy into the most dense and beautiful shade of darkness, ensure that not even a inkling of clarity dared revile the reality that the Empire was creating. Playing a part on this gave the Acolyte a sense of belonging and purpose, an intent of protecting and fighting for this cause that could fuel even a dead man into life again. Maybe it was youth, or battle spirit. Or maybe it was just another twisted game schemed by her complex mind, pushing her to act on behalf of her obsession and fanaticism, putting the some of the most hidden aspects of her personality on display to stimulate the foremost wish on her conscience: victory for the Empire.

The light freighter descended into the atmosphere of Kushibah. Today they would not fight relentless bodies lacking sentience nor disembowel little Jedi, today monsters waited on the surface for them. The acolyte had read the reports, had listened carefully to her orders. Kusshibah was infested with mutated sentients turned into rabid, three meter tall walls of skin, muscle and bones that were threatening the remain of the Empire on the planet. This would not do. They needed to be eliminated. And there was no better way to eliminate something than starting at its very roots...Destroy the eggs, doom the adults, ensure the future, steady and sure decimation of the community. However, Syss adjudicated the reason to hopes of further research on the beasts, she was also ordered to leave enough alive as to not provoke the extinction of the Kushibans and the Xinkra.

Finally the ship made contact with solid ground, the pale hand of the Umbaran were gloving themselves into dark leather and adjusting the constraints of her forearm guards. She slicked her hair back as focus filled her mind and gave one final tug on her sash, making sure everything was in place. Syss had a very basic set of armor, nothing compared to the one her superiors could afford to wear but still better than none at all. She knew she would be facing opponents with much more strength than herself, so today she had dropped even more of the platings that usually protected her. Speed would be her ally today, the Force her guide to the extermination of vermin, plaguing the planet of the Sith.

The Umbaran stepped out of the starship, trooper squads trotting from here to there as they were getting organized to press on an attack on the outpost that had been decimated to death and ruins by the natives. However her destination was not the outpost, Syss was to head to the nesting caves of the monsters...and fulfill her given task to aid the cause of the great Empire.

 

[NightSister]

KUSHIBAH
Team B, Objective 2
[member="Syss Rembala"] | [member="Scipio Alta"]

She had never before fancied herself a monster-hunter, but Aria was hardly unhappy to be landing on Kushibah armed and looking for beasts. These were times of new chapters. And Aria was never one to turn down some good-old-fashioned eradication.

Armor (only of the lightest variety - more was excessive), check. Saberstaff, check. It was all she needed, really. The Force as an ally was an age old ideal she'd heard countless time from countless people and one she regarded with skepticism, but whilst she maintained her ability to tap into its depth Aria was comfortable being armed with little else. Enough battles told you what was important for victory.

The outstretching network of caves were shadowy and from the outside, nondescript. She supposed it was the ideal place for monsters to hide when they weren't causing trouble. Eyes watchful, Aria neared the outline of caves, dark hair pulled back and saber at her hip. She didn't know how far into the system the creatures they'd been sent to take care of would've nested (not that it made much difference - there wasn't much to be said about caves besides that they were dark and tended to house things that crawled). All the same, she was pleased enough that another Sith was arriving a distance off.

She preferred solitude, but cavehopping felt like a hobby for two.

"Hope you like the dark," was all the greeting Aria offered to the Umbaran before she ducked into the nesting caves, ready to begin searching for the beasts that had caused all this mess. "Aria. You are?"

 

[Zef Halo]

TEAM B, KUSHIBAH
STILETTO TWO-ONE
OPERATION: PEST CONTROL

Orders had come from high and above. Stiletto Two-One, the 1st Squad of 2nd Platoon of Stiletto Company, was tasked with eradicating the nests of monsters within the cave network. Intelligence supposedly knew the nests were exactly there. Sgt. Nava was temporary CO of Stiletto Two while Lt. Alta woud lead his squad into this rather commando-like ops dubbed Pest Control.

While his platoon were setting up positions in preparation for the assault on the abandoned outpost, Stiletto Two-One was already on foot at the maw of the cave.

Two Sith were already there and were making entry.

:: Cap'n, this is Sti- :: He attempted to contact his CO but was interrupted.

:: Yeah, there's gonna be Sith, Alta. :: Came in the Cap'n voice. Neutral as always.

:: Copy that. :: Scipio replied bluntly. He'd not been aware at the debrief.

The squad followed him behind him while he caught up with the Two Sith.

He felt it was unneeded for him to introduce himself. Perhaps it would be obvious to them the Legion troopers were here to support the mission of destroy any nest they might find.

[member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Syss Rembala"]​

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

KUSHIBAN
Location: Approuching cave system and fellow Sith.
Objective: Eradication of the pests (Objective 2 & 3).
Allies: [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Syss Rembala"] | [member="Scipio Alta"]



Evolution born from corruption and chaos rather than the slowly created necessities for survival that was bred into a species for generations was a fascinating concept for the Iridonian Sith. To evolve under such a heavy handed pollution of a species, especially under such a small time frame, was a curiosity and intrigue, a puzzle and a mystery to be explored. Perhaps it spoke of the Plague itself or, perhaps, it spoke of untapped potential within the Kushibans and Xinkra species. However, regardless of the purpose, it was unnatural, an artifical evolution imposed and introduced forcible, unnaturally and, yet, an evolution that was survived and was even beneficial - despite the fact that it had had to interfere with the cycles of growth that had already been introduced to the species eons prior. That fact, when coupled with the goals and ideal that was slowly beginning to come to form within the Iridonians mind, Lykos had chosen to separate himself from his isolation and join with the force of Sith being sent to eradicated the vermin that were this corrupted species: their corpses would provide excellent specimens for examination.

Approaching the yawning maws that were the openings to the cave systems that the vermin had made their nests within, Lykos instinctively drifted from shadow to shadow, his movement fluid and steady so as to to be rushed and attention catching - an instinct bred deeply within him, albeit one that had been initially buried in his bones and mind from hours of training. Still, even if he was not practicing such an instinct, it would have been near impossible for his approach to be recognised by the gathering force. After all, the instinct to weave his way through shadows was but one of the ingrained, trained and practiced instincts; a second was the practice of Cloaking himself within the Force thoroughly whenever he was not walking with someone or within a place that his subconscious had registered as being secure. As such, even as the light would try to find him from where it pierced through the flora it would fails, being twisted and bent around his form just as the sound he might have been making were.

Casting his gaze from body to body, Lykos examined each of the gathered Sith - recognising only Aria Vale from his brief overlook - before turning his attention to the caves themselves. While he was confident that he would not be rendered blind within them, his lone eye sensitive enough to light that just the faintest gleam would be enough to reveal something of worth, his sight, it currently seemed, would not be the sense that he relied upon the most in this situation. Instead, as he drifted closed to the caves and gathered group of Sith and soldiers, he began to channel and circulate the Force in such a way that he hearing began to steadily increase exponentially, the smallest shift in movement unfolding to begun detectable - something that would be even more prevalent within the cave.

Taking a step closer while preparing to reveal himself, Lykos stumbled over nothing as his vision swam. Clear and sharpened focus shifted to become hazy blurs of contrasting and overlapping colours. Snarling soundlessly, his body swaying side to side from the sudden upset to his equilibrium, Lykos allowed the Cloak that concealed his physical presence from view to drop as soon as he had righted himself and his vision returned. The damage to his sight was becoming more and more severe as time passed, the recent episode being the worst - not in how long lasting it was but in how jarring the change had actually been.

Stepping forwards, the group of gathered forces would be met with the appearance of a cloaked Sith, nothing visible of his form baring the single, glaring amber gaze that pierced through the shadows of the low-hanging cowl and the strands of ashen grey hair that escapes the cowl and fell down across his front in a tangled mess. Pausing for but a moment to nod his silent greetings to the group, Lykos immediately dove into the darkness on the heels of Aria, bared feet transitioning onto the sodden rock with little hassle and no sound.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Objective 1: Hold the fort.
Sub objective: Complete a roleplay through the eyes of an NPC accompanying your character.
NPC: Lt. Barlan Sucz.

Breath stuck high in the Mirialan’s chest on their way to Kushibah. Her knee bounced up and down with a chorus of squeaks from her shiny new boots and the joints of her seat. She looked up at the tall, black-cased droid as he came by with a tray of cups. She politely refused the drink, but the Sith Lord sitting opposite of Barlan gracefully took a cup from the metal tray.

In the shuttle, there were eight troopers of various experience and origin, – All had seen combat before – Barlan herself, the grey woman, the droid, and a young Chiss with two too many cybernetics - currently piloting. Barlan was supposed to lead the squad of eight troopers, while working under the directive of Lord Ophidia – Lady Ophidia? – No she was more a Lord than a lady.

The eyes unsettled the Mirialan.

Meanwhile, the droid and the Chiss kept control of the shuttle, working exclusively under the Sith Lord’s order. Everyone in contact with the bald woman seemed to report to her directly, except the troopers. They had direct orders to follow Barlan, who reported directly to Ophidia as well. It was all strange, from a military point of view.

Why did she never blink? Barlan considered asking, but refrained. Sith were weird, but they were powerful. She had seen them defend Mirial; she had seen what they fought against.

“ETA in five.” The Chiss said over the coms. The droid returned to the cockpit. “On your feet, boys and girls! Check your gear, check your brain, who are we?” “Satwasin!” they responded. “Don’t forget it.” - Confidently.

The words came out of her mouth before she could think about it. Was this her? She had never been a leader. Yet, here she stood; she was an agent now: Lt. Barlan Sucz of the Imperial Legion. First to command the Satwasin.

The Sith Lord smiled and rose to stand behind the rest of the troops. The cold of her presence brought a sudden sharpness to Barlan’s mind. They could do it.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Objective 1: Hold the fort
Sub objective: 1. Hang out with my buddy [member="Darth Ophidia"]. 2. Complete a roleplay through the eyes of an NPC accompanying your character.


A black transport ship swept down from the heavens. Stealthy and fast, it was one of many heading towards the abandoned outpost that would have to be fortified for the inevitable assault of the natives. Thick forests that were populated by many menaces would greet them.


For Neda Chazzak, second-in-command of the Eisenkrieger and chief henchwoman of Enyo Typhos, it was just another day at work. It brought back memories of the 'good old days', back in the OS Stormtrooper Corps.


The One Sith had been dicks, but they'd paid well and cut a bloody swathe across the Core. No empire that had arisen since their fall could match them. She'd tried her hand at civilian life after things went to hell on Coruscant, but she'd found it...lacking. Sure, war was hell, but nothing could compare to the thrill of battle. The great sin was not enjoying it, but pretending as if it was all boo-hoo terrible.


Having checked her kit, her eyes drifted towards the rest of the team aboard the shuttle. Her eyes fell upon the boss, of course. The Terminatrix was an enigma, though Neda liked to think she knew her better than most, but knew she was no confidante.


She looked stoic, to the point where one might be forgiven for thinking she was a statue made of phrik. Yet Neda knew Enyo was alert. She was no unconditional fan, but the hybrid had been level with her. Fighting her wars was more satisfying than breaking the legs of half-wits in Coruscant's ghettos. You got action, loot and structure.


Six other warriors had been crammed into the shuttle. They were all cyborgs, but one was a Geist. Once the Iktochi had been a Jedi Padawan, before the Iron Fist had descended upon the hidden Jedi enclave with fire and steel. Most Jedi had been slain, others captured, indoctrinated and upgraded.


Neda had her doubts, but kept them to herself. There was something in the eyes of the alien that was a bit disconcerting. "We estimate that we have two hours before the assault. I want our preparations to be done in an hour and a half. We're working with Sith, so play nice, but remember we're here as contractors, not minions." the Boss spoke without preamble.


She was not the type for motivational speeches. Neda could appreciate that. It was all businesslike and to the point. Furthermore, it was a purely electronic transmission, and thus broadcast to all Iron Fist soldiers. By now, the Zabrak was more used to communicating this way than via verbal communication.


"There are two entrances to the outpost. Both must be covered. We shall lay mines in the forest, and set up defensive emplacements. Lyshk, you're in charge of laying mine fields." There was a savage grin on the Trandoshan's face. He was the resident demolitions expert.


"If need be, the Quasar will bomb large clusters of savages from air. Laser designators will mark targets. Air strike requires authorisation from the Boss or myself," Neda continued. The Quasar was a small ship, but could carry out reasonably accurate precision strikes.


"Do you want them all dead...or should we take captives?" Neda's attention was drawn towards the Geist, who sported fancy ocular implants. She was new, and so she had broken verbal silence by using her lips as opposed to her brain implant. It was a minor sin. The same applied to the slight nervousness in her tone. She would learn.


The Boss' features remained impassive, though Neda was certain she could detect a chill to her dull monotone tone. "Priority is extermination, but capture some if possible. They can be...useful. While in the field, use electronic communication unless your implants are damaged."


"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."


"Do not apologise. Now move get a on." The Boss rose, and so did Neda. The shuttle touched down and the hatch opened. As one, the cyborgs began to move out, being soon joined by their comrades from other transports. Just another day in the Eisenkrieger corps.

 

[Arage Bao]

Location: Kushibah.
Objective: Gain more allies.
Allies: Himself.

For a while it seemed as if the Xinkra was not going to reply.

The silence stretched out, but Ardeth was a patient being and would not be dissuaded as swiftly as that. All the cards were in the hands of the Muun after all. If they wished to leave this place behind and not be threatened by their mutated cousins, they would have to do as he pleased. Eventually the beast sighed - or Ardeth assumed it was a sigh, it sounded as the rasping of metal against duracrete and was not too pleasant to the ears.

"We woke ssssix weekssss ago." The Xinkra began and the Muun noticed that as he spoke of it, his brothers and sisters behind him ceased their chatter completely and instead focused on what their former Alpha was saying.

Some grumbled or so Ardeth interpreted it.

But they remained quiet for the most part and let Vazz speak. "We numbered sssssixty. Now we number ssix and sssix and ssssix." A soft whine followed that for a moment, as they remembered their losses. The Muun did not interrupt and let them bath in their old grief. "We broke free and esssscaped." It was almost as if the Xinkra knew what the Muun would ask next.

"We do not know who made ussss like thissss."

Ardeth frowned, before nodding.

"You will show me where you escaped from." The tone brokered no chance of discussion. They would do as the Muun said and that was the end of it. The Xinkra seemed to know that as well, because he simply nodded after another moment of hesitation. Then he turned and beckoned for the Sith to follow him with a swing of his tail. It would be an interesting evening.

 

[Juliet Varos]

Kushibar Surface
Objective: Gather Silkweed, and A Kushiban
Allies: Perfection Itself.

"Are you certain this is a good idea?"
Valek Pryde was a very large man, around seven feet, and as he and his new employer stepped off the shuttle, he examined the wilderness with skepticism. His blaster cannon would tear this foliage up, but the briefing left him skeptical of the natives.
Juliet made a face as she stepped gingerly onto the planet's surface, having chosen very high purple boots for this.
"Of course I am. I need silkweed, and one of these local monkeys for that silk! I simply must have it."
Valek sighed, rubbing his head. Of course he had to get hired by the crazy fashion-obsessed Sith, and not one of the more sane ones. The Talravinian man kept his head on a swivel as Juliet led the way into the forest, his finger on his cannon's trigger.
"Do you know were you're going?"
"THere's bound to be silkweed somewhere on this planet. As long as we keep walking, we'll find some."
Another sigh. He was going to have to ask for a raise to deal with this chit.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Gordian Reach
Kushibah Orbit

Kushibah was one of those planets that Carnifex abhorred.

Limited technology, no cities, and a species that resembled rodents whose cognitive functions were dubious at best. However, the planet had been described in historical documents as lucrative in highly sought after and expensive textiles, and despite Carnifex's grumblings he had agreed to the planet's annexation by the Sith Empire. But when the Empire finally got around to sending a force to pacify the planet, what they found was not a world full of small benign furry creatures.

They found a world that had become irrevocably changed by the Gulag Plague.

Some of these mutated Kushibans and Xinkra were captured and transported to the Dark Lord's warship high in orbit. They were now being examined by the Empire's top genetic scientists, including the mysterious Doctor Vain. Carnifex himself was overseeing the experiments from behind a wall of transparisteel, one of his own mutant creations hunched at his side watching with a bestial gaze that hid a low cunning. A pair of broken spectacles was balanced precariously on the bridge of his nose, more for aesthetic than for practicality as the creature's eyesight was comparatively average as was his intelligence, a rare abnormality among his kind.

Carnifex had affectionately named him Zveris*.

*Sith for Beast​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Objective 1: Hold the fort
Sub objective: Complete a roleplay through the eyes of an NPC accompanying your character. Also, hi Enyo.
NPC: Lt. Barlan Sucz.
Tag: [member="Enyo Typhos"]

The ship landed and cleared. Doors opened and troops marched out in rank and file. The pull to accompany them was near magnetic as Barlan followed in step, knowing Lord Ophidia would follow some steps behind. She could feel the eyes at her back. She did not look over her shoulder. She fought very hard, not to look over her shoulder.

“Time is running, so should you. Get your lay of the land and make these fortifications work. If they fail, we die.”

“When it comes to it: Ronan, I want you high and I want you covering backs. Cal, you spot him. You two, anti-personnel turrets at that chokepoint. Ronan, keep their sixes tidy. Larra and Steve, left, clean-up duty. Bill grab that thumper, you and Kim stick to me. I will meet you on the right in 30. Go!”

The Satwasin moved quickly to their tasks. Seeing them spread, Barlan had to look back at the ship’s hangar. The Sith Lord was exchanging words with the Chiss, while the Chiss was staring at another troop being deployed. Their faces were serious, but there was an amusement on the purple lips of the ashen one. The blue one looked surly, but Barlan could tell she was closely inspecting the other troops. Perhaps she was interested in the cybernetics?

The Mirialan’s eyes trailed over to the other squad. My, there were a lot of cybernetics around. What was wrong with flesh? Well, flesh broke quicker than steel. Her eyes set on a red-haired one that looked very important, then trailed to the one that was obviously in command: Neda Chazzak.

Finding it Important to keep the relay of information between her master, Lord Ophidia, and her own troops, Lt. Barlan found it prudent to follow the coming exchange as the dark-clad Sith Lord made her way towards the cyborg army, the important redhead, and their very enthusiastic-looking commander.

Barlan put on her most authoritative face to mask her youth. It was not very effective.

“Who are these? The cyborgs”

She tried to ask the Sith Lord. The answer was not quite satisfactory.

“Demon of steel and hate; assets to our victory.”

Of course it would be cryptic. Barlan followed two steps behind Lord Ophidia.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Kushibah Orbit - The Blade of Fate
[member="Darth Carnifex"]

If she was honest, the planet below had never once crossed her thoughts. There was, in her original opinion, absolutely nothing of interest on Kushibah. Natives that existed at a primitive tech level at best, the natives themselves being little rodent-like creatures. Textiles were all well and good, but this world was no more an importance than a stepping stone for further expansion of the Sith Empire's borders.

That was until they arrived and saw what passed as the natives species now.

The alchemist and scientists in her had immediately been intrigued in what had occurred among the Kushiban and the Xinkra, but clearly some very drastic changes had taken place that no one had been aware of previously. Some of the population had remained the same, as far as they could tell from leftover records, but the world seemed to be overrun with these new... glorious specimens. The Dark Lord himself was overseeing the initial experiments, along with one of his entourage, masked and robed much like she was herself.

The timing also helped as she could give her report in person.

"Fascinating specimens, my Lord," she said as she entered the observation room, looking through the transparisteel at the creatures. "I admit some curiosity at what caused their mutations into the beasts before us. I've never heard of the Gulag being mutative in nature."

 

[Arage Bao]

Location: Kushibah.
Objective: Gain more allies.
Allies: Himself.

"How did you escape?" The Muun questioned impassively as they strode through the forest. It was interesting to watch the Xinkra move. Most of them disappeared, faded into the scenery of green and not even making so much as a squeak as they traversed the planes. While it impressed it also gave new consideration and concern to Ardeth, chief of which was how much fiercer and stronger the mutant Xinkra had to be. If these ones were truly threatened by them. But the few Xin that had remained with Vazz were the most interesting.

They still moved as non-sentient animals.

Hunched forward and utilizing all four limbs to climb over rocks, step over fallen trees and similar efforts. "We realizzzed we had more fingerssss now." The Sith looked up confused, before Vazz showed his hand by the way of example.

It had a thumb now and that allowed them to manipulate things far easier than the regular claws would have. "Odd that your creator did not foresee that when making all of you." The more the Muun thought about it the less it made sense to him. Wouldn't the first move be of any alchemist was ensure that their experiments couldn't simply walk out of their by themselves?

Especially if they had been the ones changing the physical nature of their experiments.

"We did not care, my Lord, we were freeee."

Part of the Muun wondered if this had been some kind of elaborate test by their creator. Ensure they could escape, just to see what could happen if they actually did do that.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Objective 3: Hold the fort
Complete a roleplay through the eyes of an NPC accompanying your character.
NPC: Neda Chazzak, Enyo's minion.
[member="Darth Ophidia"]


Landing in the remains of the outpost brought back memories of the old days. Neda remembered 'pacification operations' on Kashyyyk during the Republic-OS War. The Wookiees were tough bastards, and so a great many had not bent the knee when the Republic ran away. Neda could understand the sentiment.


Her company had taken heavy losses fighting insurgents - and the local wild life. They'd retaliated by resorting to tactics such as firebombing, taking - and at times executing - hostages from the tribal leaders' families and crucifying rebellious natives. Even so the fighting had been fierce. Unsurprisingly, it was awkward when the battlefield was filled with kilometre-high trees, your opponent knew the lay of the land and was strong enough to rip a grown man's arm off without any effort.


But they had a battle to prepare. "Set up defences," the Boss had ordered her and Neda obeyed. Orders were transmitted and the cyborgs set to work with machine efficiency. "Lyshk, you know the drill. Set up explosives and trip wire. Ragnar, you got the rotary cannon. Go with him and watch his back. Engineers, I want the turrets and the generator online. Squad two takes the southern entrance, squad one north, squad three is reserve. Grimm, deploy the wasps."


Naturally, they were not alone, for the Sith contingent had landed. Neda figured that the way the cyborgs acted might appear alien to some of the Sith. Certainly the grunts, for since the Eisenkrieger communicated purely via electronic means, you could not hear a word they said.


Her electronic eyes fell upon a Chiss woman. One who, judging by her augmentations, seemed to have recognised what the Boss would call the superiority of machinery over mere flesh. Or she'd just been maimed a lot. There was also a Mirialan, who wore the rank insignia of a Lieutenant. It was probably easy to get Mirialans to sign up for the Sith Empire after recent events on Mirial. Propaganda was easy when your enemy played into your hand.


The Sith that held her attention the longest was the dark robed, pale figure who strode towards them. Neda was as Force-sensitive as a plank, but even she could recognise the aura of power that surrounded the woman, whom she figured to be a Lord, given how the Sith contingent deferred to her as if on automatism. More space wizards, she thought to herself.


The Boss met the pale Lady with an expression of familiarity. At least as much as Neda coud tell. It was difficult to read Enyo at the best of times. But she believed she detected a hint of a feral smile on her lips. The Boss' long brown mane was tied into a severe ponytail to keep it from getting in the way. Her face was deceptively human. But the Zabrak henchwoman knew better.


"Darth Ophidia, a pleasure. Been a while since our last encounter." The two appeared to have prior history, but Neda was unaware of the details. Lady Typhos only told her what she needed to know. The Geist stuck close to the Boss, scrutinising the Sith. Perhaps, Neda supposed, part of her still remembered that her Jedi teachers had taught her it was her duty to fight the Dark Side. But those teachers were all dead.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord's molten eyes slowly traced a line from the restrained specimens to [member="Taeli Raaf"] as she entered the observation deck, with Zveris being slower to respond as his beady eyes remained fixated on the creatures beyond the transparisteel barrier.

"I'm fairly positive that no one has, Lady of Secrets." He could have referred to her by her true name as that information was well known to him, but old habits died hard.

The scientists were moving the beasts into position, various machinery with elongated metal apparatuses descending from the ceiling to encircle the subjects while medical technicians tapped away at control panels or at the datapads clutched in their hands. Of course, none of the beasts were sedated so the air was punctuated by their ferocious wails and snarls and all manner of bestial sounds. Some of the more cognitive ones attempted to bargain in broken Basic, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

"But once these trials have concluded we may well have the answer to this mystery, and perhaps a powerful new weapon to employ against the enemies of the Empire." He clasped his arms behind his back, lightly pacing as he observed the cutting of skin and muscle and the extraction of genetic data. "So tell me, Lady of Secrets, what have the Jedi been conspiring about?"