Gates of Hell: Naboo

[Rickhardt Netherbane]

Location: Naboo star system enroute to planetary orbit.
Time: 0400 hours Galactic Standard time, 0543 local time.
Primary Objective: Find and Secure Naboo Netherworld Gate.
Secondary Objective: Locate Information on missing War Bands in the Nether...


Stars moved slowly passed in the portholes as the large ship moved through space. It's massive frame, dull from time and wear, groaned as the ship made it's steady progress. The echos of foot falls rang through the empty corridors as the Supreme High Marshall made his way through the ship. These same corridors had once rang out with voices and people, brothers and sisters dedicated to the Gods, and filled with their holy fire. Gone, so many gone. All, lost in the Nether storms, separated and presumed dead. He hated the order to move on. He prayed to the Gods that they would reunite one and all, butthis was not the galaxy He had left when they set out on their great crusade, and he could only bend his knees in obedience to the will of the Gods. His feet fell heavier as he passed the training deck and he settled his eyes on the few neophytes that had survived the decade long battle across the Nether plains had been raised to full protectors long ago now and the few Aspirants they haf left were still in need of Consecration.

He walked in to see the Protectors that were not at post being drilled by a Veteran Sergeant. Their bodies in full armor as they followed the training they lived by. The Sergeant called a halt to the activities and commanded the men to attention as he declared Supreme High Marshall on deck. It was more than formality. It was symbolic of the respect for the rank and as such respect for the Gods that had created it. The God-king of Order and The God-queen of change had set their hands out upon them eons ago and in their wisdom had created Rickhardt and his siblings before the Gods of Hate and Malevolence had murdered their mortal bodies in a vain attempt to weaken them. Foolish.

"The Gods preserve." Rickhardt said returning the salutes.

"THE GODS PRESERVE!" Came their response.

"Continue Sergeant, I shall observe if I may." Rickhardt said as he removed his helm and stuffed it under one huge arm.

"As you command, Supreme High Marshall." The Sergeant replied before the hum of power swords filled the room amd the Protectors began sparing in choreographed motions back and forth.

They were like his children, all 1000 modeled after his own genetics as the Gods had decreed when they themselves had made his siblings and he. They were his progeny as surely as he and his Siblings were children of the Gods. He steped forward and adjusted a Protector's ppsture and proclaimed the Sergeant as doing an excellent job before he moved on. He still needed to pray before they made it to the world their Pathfinder had lead them too based on one of the the holy visions bestowed upon the Master of Sanctity.

His mind roiled like storm clouds as he thought about the strange things they had seen and heard while navigating away from the Galaxies denizens. Worlds, systems, governments were all far different now than when they had left and the only answer the War council could come up with was they had been cast through time whilst battling the fell beings of the Nether. He hoped his siblings were likewise cast astray and not worse. He hoped and prayed that each day.

Finally his feet found their way to the Altar Sanctificus that stood before the Sarcophagii Divine that housed the holy remains of their Twin Gods, "May they be ever praised.". He moved inside the large chamber and dropped to his knees with a huge crash before setting his helm aside and pressing his forehead to the deck before the Altar. Only a single Acolyte, who was there to wash the holy Sarcophagii, bore witness as Rickhardt waited on hands and knees before the Altar.

"I, Rickhardt Voidborn, so named Netherbane, bow before your most holy presences to once more pledge myself unto you before battle. Oh, most holy ones I swear once more to suffer not the unclean to live, To uphold the honour of You my most Holy Gods. I swear abhor the Nether-witch and destroy the Nether-witch, and to accept any challenge, no matter the odds, as You Yourselves exemplified. I pledge my sword and my life to You and beg you let me remain your humble slave for another mission. In Your names I pray, So let it be."

"So let it be." The Acolyte echoed before saluting and returning to his work.

The large being rose and donned his helm before backing out of the room and moving toward the Bridge. His mind calmed, his heart focused and his body ready to once more give of itself for the Gods' will.

He moved onto the bridge and was greeted with Attention on deck and Salutes before he returned the salute, hand crashing soundly against his chest plate above his hearts, before they returned to their duties.

"Report High Marshall Sicarious." Rickhardt said firmly, his deep voice rumbled up from the depths of his chest.

"Supreme High Marshall." The slightly smaller man said with another salute, "We are 50 minutes from our destination and the location Master of Sanctity Protus described."

"Excellent, Brother." Rickhardt said as he moved toward the Tactical Displays of the planet on their sensors. The planet displayed in greens and blues with vectors highlighted to land as near the site of the unholy gate to the realms of the evil Nether gods. "Then I give yoi command of The King's Justice and go to lead the Scouting Party myself. Stay in constant Comm contact. Catalogue everything for the annals in case it is needed later. Beware, the planet's inhabitants, keep your distance after we drop we need not risk everyone before the gate is closed. The chances that the world has fallen to the Nether is high. Stay vigilant."

"As you command, Supreme High Marshall, and may the Gods guide you." Sicarious said as he placed a hand up on his commander's shoulder.

"And you Sicarious." Rickhardt said mirroring the motion before he moved Aft to make ready the drop pods.

The ship moved slowly above the planet and prepared for the long distance drop of the pods. Their would be 4 pods dropping, a full hundred Protectoris Aeterna, and they would find the Nether-gate and Secure it until such a time as they could close it for good. His holy sword strapped to his back and his power rifle in hand he entered the first pod with his men. The countdown had went to seconds after each warrior had been sent to renew their vows and pray before deployment.

3...

He took a breath.

2...

He closed his eyes.

1...

He opened his eyes and exhaled as the pods were jettisoned from the dorsal bomb bay doors and tumbled toward the world in the distance. They sped through space as other ships could be seen as lights in the distance from the lone porthole. It was hard to imagine how many came to a world so likely corrupted by evil. Perhaps, the evil had spread farther than even he had feared.

Finally the propulsion systems engaged and navigated them to a large mountian range. The mountains of a living world unlike anything he had seen in his life. His homeworld had been barren and ice covered before he was sent out into the stars on his crusade. The pods decelerated quickly as they neared the ground but they still landed with a crash before the pod folded open and they could fan out and form a tight perimeter.

The other pods came quickly after the first and landed in a spread out line across the mountain but within a mile or two of eachother. An excellent drop from that range. Step one would have to be regroup. Step two would be to fi d the gate, push any nether-spawn back in and then seal it or post men to defend it indefinitely. He hoped for the former but any thing to protect the galaxy from this evil was worth the cost.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

For once Itash had nothing to do with the catastrophic amount of shet currently speeding towards the world he was on.

Usually he would have done something somewhere to cause such an astronomical dearth of luck causing the Galaxy to simply bounce back. More often than not he would have already moved on by then.

Not today.

Didact Defense Solutions had been hired by a Naboo nobleman. Who could have guessed that befriending the Baron would have unlocked a vast network of bored, rich nobles who were doing this and that throughout the Galaxy? This one, Lord Toona, had been contracted by the Crown to investigate the Netherworld Rift that had been made all those years ago.

Tash didn't know anything about that noise.

He was just here as additional security.

"You try to step on through yet?" Two Thyrsians were huddled up next to one another. Tash stopped for a moment, instead listening to what they were saying about the rift now. "Scary stuff, innit?"

"Ya joke? I am keeping my distance." One of them shuddered. "Gotta shove me in there, I ain't stepping through voluntarily." Then both of them noticed Tash and immediately saluted. Straightening up, freezing in place. They were the picture of military grandeur. If not for the fact that one of them had a cigarette clenched between his teeth. That didn't bother Tash all that much, truth to be told. As long as they pulled their weight if something happened... would be fine. DDS was only here as reinforcements.

Most of the people involved were Naboo.

That's just how it goes, when ya a contractor.

"I heard this one guy lost his arm pushing it through the rift. Don't want that now do we?" Point made Tash walked past them and stepped outside. Cold air, fresh, but he didn't mind. Eyes squinted towards the sky.

What were those lights growing brighter?

He had been feeling his luck whining the entire day... was this it?

[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"]

 

[Rosaria Allanias Gunn]

[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"] [member="Itash Mecetti"]

Location: Otherside of the Nether Gate
Time: Millennia In the Far Future Timeline
Primary Objective: Find High Marshall Rickhardt
----------------------------------------------------------------------


"Lady Gunn, we still can't engage our sensors!" an astrogation officer yelled out to his commander, continuing, "The Nether Storms keep obstructing our field of detection. We are flying blind."

Lady Rosaria Allanias Rickhardt Gunn, Chapter Captain of the Protectoris Aeterna's Sons of Teth Chapter, bent her lips into a frown. Her armored fingers curled into a fist. The Nether Storm that burst forth from the tears in reality had broken their fleet scattering it asunder. And now, they were all gone. Including her adoptive father and master, High Marshall Rickhardt Netherbane. With her one surviving lilac eye, Rosaria watched the nether storms erupt into existence in bolts of flourescent lightening all around them. The storm pressed on the hull of her cruiser, causing it to rattle in mechanic echoes.

Millennia ago the Nether Gates the emerged had mysteriously grown uncontrollable and ravaged the galaxy to the point of extinction. It would periodically tear open fabrics of photonic dead-zones only to have supernova out of existence. The storms around the core worlds was massive and stretched across the galactic core. Ships caught in these catastrophic phenomena seldom survived the incursion. In the back of her mind, Rosaria feared the worst. But, her spirit forbade any melancholic descent into premature despair. She turned about and pointed to the astrogation officer commanding him, “Get us clear of this storm. I will be in my meditation sphere!”

Leaving the bridge of her cruiser she passed through a repulsorlift elevator exiting to a large chamber with a vaulted ceiling. Unlike her High Marshall, she was a Master of Serenity, a Force Master trained in the esoteric lost arts of the ancient orders that once called themselves Jedi. He herself wielded a lightsaber in battle. Its black steel hilt buckled to the thigh armor. Reaching the center of the chamber she bent the knee and sunk her mind into the Force. Somehow, desperately, she wished to try and feel his presence.

The Force was a chaotic mess, the nether storms warped its flow and call to her. Rosaria closed her eyes. She had to fall deeper. The sensations of the chamber around her fell away. Her mind and soul were now unbound to her body. It floated in the ether of the Force and called out into the Force. But, the spectral aura she as looking for was not to be found. Rosaria bit her lip and squinted her eyes. Frustration boiled and her concentration broke. Her consciousness fell back into her body and she broke her eyes open. Angered she bashed the floor in front of her, dented the steel floor with her powered fist.

“Damn it all!” she cried. She stood up and rubbed her eyes. “Where have you gone High Marshall?” she whispered.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"] | [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"]

Tash squinted at those stars in the sky.

They grew brighter and approached faster, but for the moment the truth was still obscured by the winds and sky.

Lies.

It made him smile. Caution would have to be exercised for this particular situation, his mind tapped four of his Thyrsians and made them move to the sensory equipment. It would be best to take every precaution and for it to turn out to be nothing. Because if this did turn into something? Then at the very least Didact Defense Solutions had done anything in their power to stop it or at least track it. "Problem, Lord Mecetti." One of the Thyrsians approached, he stepped up next to Tash and watched the skies himself.

"Problem?"

"Yessir. Sensory equipment is out- might be a minute or five, before we can get an engineer here to take a look." Itash sighed and shook his head. He really did miss the days where he was just a useless exiled noble spending his brother's stipend royally and living on debt.

This... this wasn't pleasant.

Head tilted, but it was more satisfying truth to be told. "Get the engineer here- no sense in ringing the alarms before we got an idea what's out there." Well, that wasn't the real reason he put it off.

Part of him was curious what would happen.

 

[STaCLO]

The bored droid sat in the bridge of his cold, airless ship. Drifting along in the void of space thinking, or rather calculating on his next course of action. The ship was in a low orbit around Naboo. SN had just finished a contract on the planet and figured that there was no other business he'd be interested in. While quietly thinking to himself in the completely lifeless ship one of the pilot droids spoke out. It was an old B-1 model. "Commander Sir, our sensors are down. Something seems to be interfering with them."

"Huh..." SN looked over at the other droid. "Hmmm, one sec." He told it before getting up.

"Roger Roger..." It replied, SN walked over to the window view of the bridge. Looking around, worried that there was someone planning to screw with them. But he saw nothing but stars, space, and the beautiful planet below.

"Go on the intercoms and tell the other droids to get ready and into position. We're not in danger yet, but just to be prepared." SN said as he turned to look back at the co-pilot.

"Roger Roger" It repeated before getting on the intercoms. "Attention all droids in battle positions, this is not a drill. Observe your surroundings, and don't fire unless fired upon." It ordered, now the they could at least be somewhat ready, their ship was like a sitting duck. Soon a voice came on the intercom.

"Sir, there seems to be a large ship behind us. Possibly a capital ship flying over Naboo." After that SN rushed to the back of the ship where the rear gunner was. There he could see the other much larger ship, below it were several small lights descending on the planet. From how things looked, it wasn't good.

 

[Rickhardt Netherbane]

“Form a column.” Rickhardt bellowed his deep voice sounding out like thunder in the mountains, “Standard Bearer to the front. Vigilant Brothers, we march toward Death or Glory!”
“OORAH!” Came their thundering reply.

The protectors turned to and waited for the order as the Chaplain walked to the front to help guide them to the gate. Their armor glistened in the rising sun as they began to march. The standard raised high as they marched the human skull and crux flying in the Naboo mountain winds. Rickhardt’s mind was clear and focused as they moved, boots crunching rock and plants alike as they marched in perfect unison. One hundred men strong, drilled for years in the art of war and tempered in battle against the forces of the Nether.

They followed the valley up and up as they followed the force user who had proven himself time and again against the temptations of the Dark Gods. They slowed as the sensor operator moved forward and showed the sensors to the Supreme High Marshall.

“Life signs ahead.” He said as Rickhardt nodded and raised a hand to signal the column to move into battle lines. They knew the routine. Ten men acrossed. Twenty meter spread with a thirty pace gap to avoid losses from artillery. A standard battle formation that had worked in more engagements then they could remember.

They moved with weapons drawn, Rickhardt’s huge blade shining in the sun and the others with their rifles and others with flamers and heavy weapons. The crested the first rise ten huge being across, men and women indistinguishable in their heavy armor. The Chaplain pointed toward a small outpost and nodded to Rickhardt that it was for certain the gate.

The shimmer of the gate rippled as if in response to their presence and Rickhardt quickened his pace. It was time for war once again. The battle was imminent and the Servants of the true God’s would close this gate or die and join their Gods in Elysium.




[member="Itash Mecetti"] [member="SN-1411"] [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"] | [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"] | [member="SN-1411"]

The lights in the sky had disappeared behind the horizon and that had put Itash at ease.

At least his outwardly exterior was easing, but inside of him the tide was rising. While the dangerous had seemed to pass his luck simply would not stop whining. With a sigh his mind brushed against that of his men through the connection they all shared.

His Words.

Bound by his Lie.

Now the Thyrsians slowly moved away from their positions, instead moving deeper into the facility to meet Itash at the face of the nether rift. About three dozen of his own men - not all of them, but they were only the reinforcement to the Naboo forces stationed here. Tash had not bothered to check how many those were- most definitely more than he had brought with him on this operation though. "I wonder why they don't just close these things."

Tash mused out-loud, but was only met with silence.

Typical.

Talk and talk when he wasn't around but the moment their commander came 'round it was stony grim silence. "Either way. I have a bad feeling here, so we are going to-" Then the alarms started to sound as the men at the walls finally noticed the approach of the shimmering army rushing towards them.

There would be a warning first.

Typical Naboo.

Two warnings.

Three?

No, at three they would be forced to fire, but at that point this foreign army would already have passed at least half of the field separating them from this facility. Half the time wasted, where they could have broken their formations and their approach in superior firepower. What a waste. "Sir?" One of the Thyrsians piped up- their comms were going off, but Tash was thinking. Those walls wouldn't hold. They weren't made to stand against a charging army.

Critters, maybe some criminals?

But those alarms told a different story.

Sitting on those walls was a death sentence with the attack vectors they provided. "We pull back- No, we are not abandoning this mission. You two, secure Lord Toona and get him out." Head tilted to release pressure. "The rest is with me."

 

[Rickhardt Netherbane]

The column came to a halt with military precision as they neared the fortifications. The walls were tubular durasteel and rivet blast-plates that shown in the morning light over the mountains. The ground was far greener than he would have expected this close to a Nether gate and though the fortification was in no way a beacon of architectural beauty it lacked the tell tale signs of Nether cult worship or the pervading taint he knew all to well. The large man looked across the battlements and noticed the beings assembled on the walls. They were small, relatively speaking, and humanoid in form, their uniforms unlike any he had seen before and seemed wholly out of place for cultist who often preferred to emulate their fell masters.

"Technicate, forward." He said over his shoulder as he rested his heavy sword against his plate clad shoulder.

"Sir!" the big soldier said as he stepped forward wearing a heavy sensor pack and tools. Rickhardt remembered the young man well, he had helped them greatly on the field of blades and earned himself much honor in the process. He had barely been an aspirant when Rickhardt had found him among the rubble of Bastion, his entire company lost to the depraved servants of the Nether.

"Technicate Mereel, do we have a reading of which of the gates this is and what world we are on?" The Supreme High Marshall asked calmly as he returned his eyes to the Fort. "I don't recognize the construction or the uniforms."

"According to our records and the coordinates of the Astronavigators, we are without a doubt on the world of Gungara." The Technicate responded with the same determined professionalism that his men had come to personify.

"I remember Gungara." Rickhardt said his deep voice growing distant, "They were among the first to suffer the wrath of the Nether beast, It did not look like this when we retreated."

"Aye, Sir." The man said not wanting to contradict or question his superior.

"Curious." Rickhardt said. He trusted his men and it wasn't like them to present information without being certain of the truth of it. Something was wrong here, something he didn't understand yet but he would. Of that he was certain.

Rickhardt made a half turn to his men and sheathed his massive blade before he brought his helmet near his second in command.

"Take two thirds of the men and maneuver back before our full numbers are seen from their positions and move to flank them. I want three flanks to divide their attention. Maintain contact and wait for my signal."

Rickhardt moved forward and took his small unit that had already come over the rise and continued forward a few paces before a warning was issued over a loud speaker system.

"HALT!" The voice obviously human said in low basic common to the traders and merchants of the galaxy as a trade tongue. "YOU ARE TRESSPASSING ON PROPERTY OF THE NABOO MILITARY. LOWER YOUR WEAPONS AND REMOVE YOURSELVES FROM THE PREMISES OR YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON."

Rickhardt cocked his head to one side briefly as if he had just heard that flimsiplast was better than duraplate as armor. There was indeed something very wrong with this. There was no such thing as 'Naaboo'. Perhaps a new Nether god he had not encountered or a lesser beast with great aspirations.

"Loud comm forward." He said before the man with the large comm pack stepped up and held the comm mic out to his commander. "I am Supreme High Marshall Rickhardt Netherbane of the Protectoris Aeterna. You stand in the way of the closure and or destruction of a Nether gate and as such will either surrender access of the gate to us or we will take it by force. If you stand with the Disgusting Nether gods, we will scour you from the galaxy. You have thirty minutes to offer surrender."

He handed the mic back to the comm soldier and unslung his heavy rifle from his shoulder.

"Standard bearer, plant the standard." The large man said as he waited, "Prepare to target their guards and watch for attempts at assault. spread the line and prepare to take cover. Heavy weapons units to the front."

And so it began.



[member="Itash Mecetti"] [member="SN-1411"] [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"]

"I am Supreme High Marshall Rickhardt Netherbane of the Protectoris Aeterna. You stand in the way of the closure and or destruction of a Nether gate and as such will either surrender access of the gate to us or we will take it by force. If you stand with the Disgusting Nether gods, we will scour you from the galaxy. You have thirty minutes to offer surrender."

Tash tilted his head as he heard that voice boom over the fields and relay its message to the Naboo encampment.

"...is this guy joking?" One of the Thyrsians asked another one. "The feth is the Protectoris Aeterna?"

Nothing.

It didn't exist as far as Itash was aware of, but then again... the Galaxy was a large place. They still discovered new systems every day. Most of them uninhabited by advanced civilizations, while others... hmm. He blinked and suddenly Tash was looking through the eyes of one of his Words. He had left a couple at the walls for now with express orders to withdraw once the attack commenced.

The Thyrsian at the wall was looking down, then up, gauging the distance.

But for now the defenders did not attack yet- Naboo was pacifist, after all. They'd try to negotiate first.

"There is no such thing as the Protectoris Aeterna!" One of them shouted back through the relay. "Are you Sith? Your tricks won't work here. This is sovereign Naboo ground, do not make us call for the planetary guard."

 

[Rosaria Allanias Gunn]

...MEANWHILE MILLENNIA IN THE FUTURE...

Rosaria's brooding was interrupted by a holoprojector lens rising from a socket in the floor. The grainy image of a bridge officer vibrated into existence. Rosaria walked up to the hologram and gestured for the image to report.

"Lady Gunn, we have exited the Nether Storm." said the bridge officer. "And? Any sign of the High Marshall's trail?" Rosaria immediately replied.

The bridge officer looked down with a despondent shake of his head. Rosaria took in a deep breath and folded her armoured arms together. This was strange, not even a single particle reading of where the High Marshall's ship could have gone. If it had gone down, the space around them would be flooded with reactor and hyperdrive radiation. Perhaps his ship had jumped to lightspeed, but, there was no hyperspace corona radiation to detect. It was as if he had just, vanished.

"My Lady, there...there is more." the bridge officer hesitantly continued. Rosaria leaned closer, perhaps there was some ray of hope, "Is there something else?"

"Yes, but, it does not address the High Marshall's disappearance." said the bridge officer, before his imaged showed him pressing some bridge deck panelling monitors. Secondary holograms appeared hovering in front of his.

​

​

"We have a Priority Alarm Call from Gungara." he continued. "Gungara?" Rosaria repeated.

"Yes my Lady. The Order Vigilant that is garrisoned there has requested Protectoris Aeterna Forces." said the bridge officer manipulating the data in the hologram to highlight the old core world known as Gungara and to zoom in on its location in the southern quadrant of the core. "What is the nature of their alarm?" Rosaria asked, but, was fully aware of what the answer would be. Her search for her High Marshall, and adoptive father, would have to wait. "Nether Gate Invasion, my lady, the gate is entering unstable Force and Space fluctuations." the bridge officer replied in a solemn tone. Rosaria nodded, so be it. There was only one reason for the Protectoris Aeterna to be called to action - an incursion from the Nether Gates. It was her order that dealt with the very worst that is expelled from the black chaos of the Nether Gates.

"Very well, set course for Gungara, and alert the Order Vigilants. The Sons of Teth will answer their call. Assemble the Battle Brothers and Sisters in the main hangar and have the Chaplains begin Force Rites." Rosaria commanded the bridge officer. There was no time to mourn or worry, the young girl that had been saved by Rickhardt all those years ago, a young girl searching for a family she lost disappeared and the Angel of Teth - a battle hardened Force Master, and Chapter Captain of the Sons of Teth emerged to the surface of Rosaria's mind. Ending the hologram feed, Rosaria turned to leave her meditation chamber.

[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"] [member="Itash Mecetti"]


[member="Seydon Gunn"] [member="Rosa Gunn"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Itash Mecetti"] [member="Rickhardt Netherbane"]

Mass armed standoffs weren't normal on Naboo. Surprise, right? Drop pod incursions weren't either, especially in remote mountain ranges away from anything of tactical or strategic significance. Sure, this range had an odd reputation, but that usually meant nothing.

But someone had seen fit to plop a dreadnought in orbit and deploy serious ground forces of unknown type. Something about these mountains, then, was going to be a headache.

Naboo traffic control fighters were up there guiding ships around the newcomer and sending diplomatic hails. Down here, someone in Her Majesty's Office had requested a Jedi Knight. Lanter's mandate was to listen, learn, and mediate.

The cold wasn't too bad, not for a kid from Hoth. He wore only a knit cap and his normal Jedi robes, the action-oriented kind. As his speeder came to a halt between the fortified walls and the armored advance party, he snugged that cap a little tighter. He hopped out, shin-deep in snow, and put a small voicecaster disc to his mouth.

"HELLO AND WELCOME TO NABOO. I'M LANTER KELLS, A JEDI KNIGHT. HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY?"

 

[Rickhardt Netherbane]

"Sith?!" a veteran sergeant said with obvious disdain. “Supreme High Marshall, these may not be cultist but they are certainly fools. The Sith are a myth. Boogeymen, from bedtime stories. Next thing they’ll say is that they’re Jedi come to spread the light.”

“Silence in the ranks.” Rickhardt said in a paternal tone that in no way sounded as much a reprimand as much as it sounded like a father scolding a child for being silly at the dinner table. “There is more to this than their foolishness. If this is Gungara, and this the site of the gate, then where is the wreckage? The fires from the ground? No, there is something strange here, we may be under an illusion spell. Be vigilant.”

Rickhardt held his hand out for the mic and was given it by the comm trooper who must have been anticipating the command. He paused mic in his huge armored hand as a speeder roared into position between a portion of his advance party and the armored fortress. The small being put something in his mouth and declared himself a Jedi Knight, a legendary force of light in a galaxy that had been swallowed by chaos and war long before the crisis of the Nether-god’s assault.

Rickhardt rolled his shoulders and thought about the myriad factors that were in play. There was no rational answer to this, and as such, something highly irrational had to be the answer. That or these beings were trying to play them for fools. He had to be certain. Their was too little goodness left in the galaxy to cast aside morals. He knew what he had to do. He knelt.

“Mother and Father, twin Gods, your son approaches you now with a humble heart to beg you to revel to him your will in this matter.” He began as those in hearing of him bowed their heads until the whole line was silent. “We seek only to do your will and fulfill the duty you in your wisdom and glory laid upon us. Guide us now in our hour of uncertainty. So let it be.”

“So let it be.” The soldiers replied in unison.

Rickhardt rose to his full height and held the mic in front of his helmet for a moment without speaking as he considered, as he listened to his heart and hoped the will of his Gods would be manifest to him.

“I am Rickhardt Voidborn the Netherbane, defender of Taris, Supreme High Marshall of the Protectoris Aeterna, and Lord Commander General of the Taris Grey Templars. I request parley with Jedi Knight Lanter Kells to discuss terms.”

He handed the mic back and nodded to the comm trooper to return to the ranks before he handed his heavy rifle to his second in command.

“If this is a trick.” He whispered through his helmet to the High Marshall, “Leave nothing standing and close the gate. Order the ship to prepare for orbital strike if we fail.”

He stepped forward his eyes focused on the small man from behind the slit in his helmet. He kept his massive vibro sword sheathed over his shoulder but if this being was what he claimed he doubted he would need it, if he was false, he would die. However, he felt the hand of his Father and Mother in this, of that he was certain.


[member="SN-1411"] [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"] [member="Itash Mecetti"] [member="Lanter Kells"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"] [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"] [member="Itash Mecetti"]

None of those proper nouns meant anything to Kells. He'd heard of Taris, but only in the sense of 'a planet, far away, used to be important, isn't now.' He tucked the voice projector into his utility belt and trudged through the snow toward the men in armor.

The closer he got, the more his sense of scale felt off. Voidborn had to be eight feet tall, not including the huge crest on his helmet. And what was that armor? Something that could make Kells' lightsaber less of a deterrent?

Then again, this man didn't appear to be the kind who understood the word 'dererrent' at all. Kells reached out and caught hints of determination and confusion, but nothing of the Dark Side.

'Marshall Voidborn," he said, extending his hand to shake, "I'm Kells. Her Majesty's Office has asked me to find out what's going on out here. What's your business on Naboo?"

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Lanter Kells"] | [member="Rickhardt Netherbane"] | [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"]

The entry of a Jedi was unexpected, but welcome in this situation.

Tash didn't think much of them.

But right now this one was making sure Lord Toona, the Naboo noble in charge of the facility, would get away. If these people weren't a danger? That's fine, Toona would pick up his dignity and wander back in. But if this turned into a bloodbath? His employer would at least still be able to pay him. It didn't stop his trajectory though, it would be best to continue to assume this was going to turn bad.

"Patch me through to the Jedi." Tash relayed over to one of his and it wouldn't be long, before Kells would hear Itash's crisp voice clipping through his comms. The Thyrsians moved as one.

Pulling back further from the lines and making sure they wouldn't be spotted easily.

They'd only scout for now, make sure everyone got advance warning, if these strange forces suddenly started an attack. "This is Lord Mecetti, my men were contracted to serve as additional security for that facility behind you." Calm, to the point. "We are currently scouting out the right flank and rear of this army, if we notice anything, you will have advance warning."

 

[Rosaria Allanias Gunn]

...MEANWHILE STILL, MILLENNIA IN THE FUTURE...

Exiting to the hangar of the cruiser, Rosaria was greeted by the mass of the Sons of Teth Chapter knelt in prayer as force sensitive adepts called Force Chaplains passed about them. The Force Chaplains would raise their hands and use the force to invade the individual battle brothers and sister's minds with battle meditations. Rosaria marched to her second-in-command, Tethoth. He had a tall build with a mop of dirty blonde hair and green eyes. She had met him as a child and they had grown together inside the Protectoris Aeterna. Tethoth meet Rosaria and bowed his head.

"They are ready my lady." Tethoth said. "We should be passing through sublight soon."

"Let us hope we are not too late." Rosaria replied. "The Force speaks ill omens to me. With the High Marshall's disappearance and now this."

Tethoth watched with worried eyes. He could see his Chapter Captain's resolve chipping away. It was never the zeal of fighting the Nether Gates and all there abhorrent creations that fired Rosaria's soul. It was Rickhardt. And now devoid of his guiding hand, Rosaria seemed lost to Tethoth. For a moment, Tethoth ceased to be Second-in-Command of the Sons of Teth and became the boy who had always followed the young girl he meet during those savage days on Teth. Tethoth rested an armored hand on Rosaria's shoulder.

"The High Marshall is a mighty man, he would not perish so easily." he said. Rosaria said nothing. She only turned her head to glare at Tethoth. The Tethian boy recoiled and looked away. Rosaria shrugged off his hand and approached the chaplains, dismissing them to the side of the formation. Rosaria moved to the front of the Chapter gathered and delivered to them their debriefing.

"Gungara has been assaulted by the demonic forces of the Nether Gates. An incursion is building and the Nether Storms grow worse around the core." Rosaria's voice boomed down to her soldiers. "When we descend onto Gungara we will land at the Vigilant Tower in Old Theed. Form which we will move to the Gate and begin the counter-attack."

"Sons and Daughters of Teth, you are the purifying light that will scorch the abyss that spat form those accursed gates! Keep this in mind as you fullfill your duty!"

---------------------------------------------​

​

The cruiser exited sublight hyperspace over Gungara. Once it was known as Naboo, before the Nether Gate erupted a Nether Plague that ravaged the planet into a primitive existence. Now only the Gungan indigenous peoples remain hidden in their submerged bio-domes. Much of the lore of this world was lost, only the Force Masters and Holo-Librarians - such as Rosaria herself - know of Gungara's ancient past.

Rosaria watched as a holo-image of Gungara flickered above the entire Chapter. Tethoth's eyes widened. "Gods above, what is that?"

"That, is a Nether Plague." Rosaria growled. In the image of Gungara, half of the planet's atmosphere was a warped purple murky cyclone that obscured the surface. The Nether Gate had produced an incursion of unimaginable scale on the planet. Rosaria pondered if such heightened Nether Gate activity was linked to the massive Nether Storms ripping a part reality and had taken the High Marshall. Whatever was going on, she would find out.

Rosaria raised her hand and commanded her soldiers. "Sons of Teth, move out!" she bellowed.


[member="Rickhardt Netherbane"] [member="Itash Mecetti"] [member="Lanter Kells"]


[member="Seydon Gunn"] [member="Rosa Gunn"]

 

[Rickhardt Netherbane]

He walked forward calmly with his long determined strides. He could feel the tension in the air like standing to close to a live power cable. His mind slowly picked at the knot of the circumstances and tried to unravel the bonds that seemed to keep the mystery of the situation from view as he regarded the small young man from behind his visor. It had been many years since he had met a living being that was not one of his own company. At least not one that was not immediately hostile. Nothing about this place was adding up. He knew the gate was here. His sensor technicians had been trained for years to be able to detect the signatures of the Netherworld, and yet, these people were not daemons nor spirits. How came they to this place? And why did they not fear to face his people and have that fell gate at their backs? Far too many oddities for his taste. He needed information, no battle plan should be made on half truths and speculation. They needed facts, and he hoped the young man could provide some.

Stepped close to the man and reached up with both hands to remove his helmet. The large polished duraplate was a heavy thing and made more to save his life from blast and daemon psychic attacks than comfort. He rolled his neck with an audible pop as the tension left in full retreat. He clipped the helmet to his waist as he looked down at the smaller man and thought for a moment about his extended hand. It was a gesture of peace. The extended hand of another was not something one slapped away or shirked until they declared themselves an enemy. Rickardt pulled off the heavy lobstered steel gauntlet and reached forward to grasp the man’s forearm with a big heavy hand.

“We are well met, Lanter Kells Jedi Knight.” The large general said his deep voice holding a hint of skepticism as to the truth of this man’s claim. “You speak of a sovereign and the men in this fortification speak of royal Naaboo. Please explain this to me. Our charts show that this is the planet Gungara, How came these people here?”

He watched the man closely. He was no great telepath or precog but he did know when a man was ill at ease during deceit and thus far he could see no signs…in any of them. This was curious. A small buzz in his ear drew his thoughts as his men reported being in position and he turned his head to the side.

“All hold positions.” He said before he turned his pale green eyes back to the smaller man. He could sense something in the air still. That electric sensation now spreading from the mental to the physical. His skin prickled beneath his plate armor. He feared they were running out of time.



[member="Lanter Kells"] [member="Itash Mecetti"] [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"]

 

[STaCLO]

In the mean time SN had brought his ship a little more closer then the much larger one over the planet. As far as the droid could tell the ship looked like nothing he'd seen before. Perhaps it's a new model of capital ship? SN thought to himself, but then again what was it doing here? It sure didn't look like a Naboo ship, all shiny and smooth. As the hammerhead corvette turned to face it they got a better view.

Slowly they approached the ship's position, not trying to be fast or threatening. By then all the smaller lights had descended onto the planet below, they were too slow to be some kind of bombardment. So they must've been drop ships. In a low orbit SN had the ship over Naboo closer to where the lights fell to. Hanging around in case things seemed to get out of hand. Where if conflict broke out he'd need to see if either side would like his help.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@SN-1411 @Rickhardt Netherbane [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"] [member="Itash Mecetti"]

At Mecetti's message, Kells glanced back to the walls and nodded once.

Up close, shaking Kells' hand, the Netherbane was a tank. At least he'd taken off the helmet and the gauntlet - which showed as much trust as the handshake, if not more. Kells' eyes tightened. No deceit, no malice, just confusion and ironclad determination, as if Voidborn expected to be attacked at any moment.

"This is Naboo," said Kells. "Always has been." It would take an awful lot of foolishness to go to the wrong planet, and Voidborn didn't strike him as a fool. Vividly, he remembered getting caught up in Akala's visions as a boy. Maybe that kind of experience, the sort that didn't line up with preconceptions, was at work here.

"Let's take it step by step." Slowly, he pulled out a datapad and called up a holoprojection of Naboo from his mission brief. "This is Naboo, population a few billion, mostly Gungans with a strong Human minority. You're in the Gallo Mountains, not much around short of some nice hiking trails and this spot where a few people came in and out of the Netherworld during the first Akala Crisis. You remember." Pretty much everyone in the universe did, though this wasn't one of the better-known rifts. Pretty minor, all things considered, according to the files on Mecetti's employer.

 

[Rickhardt Netherbane]

He stood calmly as he took in the information. It mattered little what the world was named, and Rickhardt had faith that this was all part of a greater plan. He watched the image and looked to the young man's face while he spoke. He could see no lies behind the man's eyes. He nodded to himself. They knew of the Netherworld. They called it a crisis and spoke of a being that came through and caused it. He had never heard of the creature, this Akala, but the names Daemons gave to their victims meant very little. True names had power in the Nether, and Rickhardt suspected that this name was false, or the being was a fool.

"I'm afraid, this is not the galaxy I remember." He said simply as his mind drew conclusions about what had happened, "When I left Taris, the galaxy was at war. We were leading a crusade, the Nether gates had been rent open and the armies of evil poured through, this world was among the first to fall and where we intended to push back. I am sure that this seems far fetched but it is what is. One our way here we passed through a nebula and when we finally navigated out out fleet was gone lost as if it never was, and so we continued here alone. Our mission was to close this gate, Lanter Kells, Jedi Knight. If we do not...it will bring only ruin."

He looked up suddenly as a deep sense of dread washed over him. It was as if the eyes of darkness were staring into his very soul. He shuddered visibly in his armor as a howling scream echoed from the fortification.

"We're too late." He said as he pulled his sword from his back and stepped passed the man to look at the fortress.

From the gate the first wave of Nether beings began to pour through. Starweirds, the least dangerous of Kyroltep's armies began assaulting the the inhabitants.

"We must push them back!" The big man yelled over the howling of the creatures. "Or all will be lost."



[member="Itash Mecetti"] [member="Rosaria Allanias Gunn"] [member="SN-1411"] [member="Lanter Kells"]