Here Be Dragons [ORC Dominion of Drexel]

[Rakaan Horne]

DREXEL

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ORBIT, SMUGGLING VESSEL

The cacophony of violence ceased to exist, instead replaced with the soft tread of footsteps against a durasteel flooring, and the stretching of leather that came with movement. Sinister expressions lay openly on the Pirates' faces, directing each other through the use of hand signals. It seemed only two remained of that skirmish, and they knew one of this crew remained; somewhere, he was hiding- whether with an ambush or not. A pistol and a shotgun. Might kill Kole if he isn't careful.

​A doorway's rim is in which Harper hid, stashing himself just on the other side so he can't be seen at moments notice. Heavy, yet quiet breaths took hold, repeating on a never-ending cycle of frustration, adrenaline, and a will to survive. The steps got closer, and he held his breath. A barrel stuck out from the doorway, and that was it. Harper rushed towards, snatching a hold of the blaster with both hands as he ripped it from the caught off-guard pirate's grip.

The other set of footsteps was rapidly drawing near.

Kole cracked the bloodthirsty killer over the head with the butt of the weapon, causing him to stumble over. It was at that moment the Rodian's skull collided with a piece of furniture, knocking him out as he lay sprawled out across the floor. To Kole? He may as well be dead. He twisted with aggression, facing the other doorway just in time to pull the trigger and fill the Weequay full of holes.

Harper then leaned back into the wall, slumping down, sitting against the wall with a vacant stare. Zoned out.

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[Ria Misrani]

Drexel​

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Out to Sea!​

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The Blue Scourge noticed [member="Kaia Starchaser"], "grab'er!"

"Not today!" Ria shouted as she fired off another shot into the pier, the wooden planks already weakened by the first shot collapsed into the water below. "C'mon!" She urged the brunette and gestured to the ship ahead, just as she grabbed back onto the rope and swung out. Falling into the vessel, arse into barrel Ria cursed, "y'know this landing thing was a lot easier as a cat." Ria shifted right and then left before throwing the barrel into the deck. When it splintered apart she scrambled to her feet and headed for the more modern controls. Sails out and solar engines activated the wooden vessel began to turn away from the broken pier, Ria looked behind her as Blue Scourge ordered his men into the larger wooden vessel.

"You've got to be kidding me."

 

[Saffron]

In Orbit of Drexel
Arceneau Trade Company Frigate

"Miss Saffron," Bee Three's alarmed voice came washing over the young blonde's head. Turning, she caught sight of the frantic protocol droid. Maintaining a quiet smile, the young woman calmly spoke to her assistant.

"What is it?"

"We have a nearby vessel within our scans." unknowingly, the smuggling vessel [member="Kole Harper"] had slumped in could potentially cross the merchant frigate's path.

"Is it an Outer Rim Vessel?" it could very well be. That or a pirate.

"We should flee at once!"

A sigh came from the young woman.

"Simply hail them. If it is the Outer Rim, then they will respond back."

"And if it isn't!!?"

"Well, then, I reckon we'll have a head start." the scans of the planet would continue with the drones, but that didn't require the frigate to maintain their current orbit.

 

[Joza Perl]

Location: Drexel’s surface
Objective: Wet t-shirt contest
With: [member="Vaudin Miir"]
Post: #3

Joza made a face.

“My name is Joza.” She corrected. “Or Perl.” Would it be weird to have her husband call her by her surname? She’d done a lot weirder.

The ship began to shudder and shake after coming in range of the pirate’s jammers. “Wh—“ She grabbed onto the seat for stability’s sake. “What was that?”

--

Luckily [member="Janick Beauchamp"] had taken care of the pirates so they wouldn’t have to worry about being raided. Unluckily, they’d crashed onto the surface of the planet. Which was basically just a giant ocean. A giant ocean with angry sea dragons roaming around it.

“Miir.” She groaned, head still woozy from the impact. A serpentine silhouette swam past one of the viewports.

“I don’t like this.”

No kidding.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Objective 1: Pirates

"What's happening?" Villanova asked, while realizing [member="Joza Perl"] was crashing alongside one [member="Vaudin Miir"].

"Looks like the jammers claimed one last victim before giving out"

Vaudin and Joza had the dubious distinction of being the last one to be crashed; now that the jammers no longer worked, the anger from these sea-dragons these two faced was, in fact, natural. Angry perhaps because of the sheer number of ship wrecks that are around their planet, and that perhaps salvaging those wrecks could go a long way into helping them welcome the ORC into their world. Or otherwise taking these wrecks out of their turf, because it's a sign of off-world interference in their affairs to the dragons' eyes. Or that's how Janick perceived the anger from the region on the surface they were flying over. The closest thing to an engagement of that nature is Ancora, my very first engagement at the head of the Verdict's fighter complement, with Dokkalfarsed being a rather close complement, she thought, but Ancora and Dokkalfarsed were much larger engagements than Drexel was. Yet the salvaging aspect was more like what she experienced on Alakaha, and the crash reminded her of the mirror-Ruination's reverse thruster crashing to the surface of the planet in that engagement.

Spoiler

Attack craft:

11 Alakaha elite fighters

 

[Rakaan Horne]

DREXEL

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ORBIT, SMUGGLING VESSEL

It was a troubling lifestyle a criminal led, and no matter who you were you got your hands dirty. Kole's hands may as well be black as coal and drenched in the blood of another. You got use to it, though. The things that didn't make sense just became another detail that didn't matter. A certain tranquility in forced obliviousness. It might of been the case for many, if not most, but for Harper? The significantly terrible acts ate away at him. Stealing from a monster? Not an issue. Killing a bad man? It had to be done. His blind fury and unquenchable desire to hurt those around him? That ticked a box he didn't want touched. Makes him question his own humanity, and how hard that fall from grace affected him. Perhaps a little too much. It seemed that was the case, now more than ever.

The stench of burned flesh wafted throughout the smuggler's vessel. It snapped Harper back to reality, peering towards a dead man full of holes, the smoking barrel of the weapon that did it, and then the grunts and groans that came from a man waking back up. The Android pulled himself onto his feet, reaching back behind him with his right hand to grab ahold of the RB-03 Blaster Pistol that soon found itself pointed at the Rodian. Both triggers were pulled, and two blaster bolts tore through the man- putting him to rest. Deep breathes, Kole, deep breaths. They were Pirates. Scum. It was either him or you, a man like that wasn't going to offer mercy.

What to do with these bodies? Take them back with you, prove the legitimacy of your story to these 'employers' of yours, or rid the vessel of their awful presence. A cargo-carrying, repulsorlift wielding tray is where Harper placed each and every corpse. The smell would surely linger, but not as bad as this. Two ships, conjoined to be one, 'Shadow Town Spice' and these Pirates. Suppose these Pirates figured they can show their dominance by coming to them, but look where they got them? Dead. Each body found itself in the boarding piece that joined the two vessels, and then? Kole's right palm slid over a large button, detaching as the bodies drifted in the endless void, possibly visible to Saffron and her Droid companion. Whatever went down here wasn't pleasant.

The man took note of another vessel not too far from his own, and he knew he had to leave. Enough of the Outer Rim Coalition was present , and they were the only law here. All too much spice and illegal weaponry to hide, and so he kept quiet. Ignoring a hail, and warming up that hyperdrive.

One thought, 'Run'.

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[member="Saffron"]

 

[Vaudin Miir]

Vaudin looked over at the unlucky woman that had become his wife and bit back a witty response. It actually had more bite than wit but in either case it wasn't worth it this time at present. He would save it for later.

"Alright, Perl." He said as he watched the blue planet get bigger, "How about you call me-."

His ship began to shudder. The systems began to flicker and shut down.

"Kark." Was his best means of articulating what he felt.

The ship lost control and he worked at the controls to seal the cockpit and keep the shields on until they hit in an effort to keep them from dying.

The ship hit and Banthas aren't great swimmers. Vaudin looked at thr shape as it passed his viewport and hoped they had time to get out.

"Yeah, me either." He said as he fought his harness off. "How's your swimming?"


[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Objective 3: Find a legacy.
Allies: [member="Sortz"]

If Daro disliked her constant disagreements with him he didn't show it. In fact, more often than not the old man tried to push and prod her into speaking up, using that voice of hers. Mixed success on that one, but a working process couldn't be knocked. Sometimes it surprised him how tender and soft Sortz was from within, but he could feel from her potential.

Potential to be strong, fierce, powerful.

Sometimes scary -- he was just a man after all -- but often interesting to an idiot like him. So, Daro prodded and pushed, watching her reactions and daring her to push back against him.

Didn't always work, but it worked enough for him to be satisfied.

Once they were both on the platform Daro punched a few buttons on his digi-pad and the Delilah spun away, cloaking once more. Tarsi looked at the sky for a bit, before he refocused on the platform. It was rust, grime, old, but there was a stairwell. It led down and before them a bulkdoor. Reinforced and Daro could see the pocketmarks of water and decay.

It seemed to be resistant against water penetration as well.

No keyhole, no obvious keypad, no casing to rewire. "Hrm." Daro blinked and the red of his cyborg-eye appeared as he started scanning the walls. "There, hidden panel, might need to put your back into that one tho."

Bolts were still good- new behind the rusted plating.

 

[Joza Perl]

Location: Drexel’s surface
Objective: Wet t-shirt contest
With: [member="Vaudin Miir"]
Post: #4

“Not bad.” She grunted back, wrestling the safety harness off of her person. Right now she found it annoying, but it had done its jobs and kept her from being ragdolled too bad around the cockpit.

“Used to go cliff jumping back on Zeltros.” It was a favored pastime of Zeltron youth. Said youth lived for the high of adventure and almost dying, apparently.

Usually there weren’t sea monsters involved.

“Don’t tell me you sink like a rock.” She looked over at him, voice dying as she heard the crrrkk of something sounding like it was under pressure. One of the viewports that had been damaged in the crash gave way, spilling water into the cockpit.

“Oh, oh kark no.” Joza groaned louder this time. “Where’s like, your escape hatch or something?”

Her next words were going to be something akin to 'If we survive this, I want a divorce.' but that was a little mean, even for her.

Plus that was a lot of paperwork.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Objective 1: Pirates

"Post the salvage request, now that the pirates are captured"

"All right, but I have to make a full stop first"

Griet knew, just like anyone else, that it was a bad idea to be typing in a datapad at the same time one was at the controls of such a craft. With that said, Janick also went to a stop, safely trying to read whatever Griet was putting out. At this point, she knew what would be there for salvaging in this area of the planet, just that she may be wondering whether or not Griet could be lying if she was, in fact, saying that the salvaging was requested by the dragons living in the surface waters. In fact, why wouldn't they? Starship wrecks left unchecked on an ocean planet could threaten their ecosystem and she had to do something about those, and, even though it's Wild Space, this usually meant that salvagers would be the one thing the ORC had going. But Griet knew better than to just market the environmental benefits - that was more of what's in it for the sea-dragons than the salvagers, and the salvagers were key here. So, to Griet it was more important to state the benefits to the salvagers than to the locals. With that said, they were allowed that level of freedom because there was little bureaucracy in the way.

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Wanted: Salvagers

The Outer Rim Coalition is looking for salvagers willing to brave the waters of Drexel, rife with sea-dragons, for a cleanup operation, due to the hazards they pose to the local ecosystem; diamonds in the rough await you today! Supplies limited so don't hesitate!

Griet van Vliet
ORC Navy

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Spoiler

Attack craft:

11 Alakaha elite fighters

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Location: Orbit of Drexel, aboard a ship.

He left the armor behind for this mission. At least the full kit. Now that [member="Aerin Akun Mereel"] was back, he would never hide who he was again. But there was no need for full armor and gear this time. It wasn't trust that caused this level of ease. It was just the knowledge that his life was such that, he was content to live it without constant fear and paranoia. Fitted over his chest was his breastplate and his pauldrons over his shoulders.

The paint on the armor had been freshened, a few marks and scars left as reminders, and lapping powder to polish the plates to a dull sheen of bronze and white, the black gleaming darkly in unison. The force-crystal sword was belted to his waist, a tattered bit of red, gold, and black cloth wrapped around the handle to hide that it was in fact force-crystal. A singular DE-10 was strapped to his right thigh, ready to go.

Otherwise, he was dressed in the plains drifter gear common for many backwater folks of Concord Dawn. A cigarra rested in the corner of his mouth, slowly wreathing his head in smoke. And a hat, with various fauna teeth banded to a bit of trandoshan hide. Seeing Ember as his escort sent him to the conference room, and he sat down a battered bag of brown leather and bronzium tooling and furniture. Nodding, he cracked a snarl that served as a casual smile.

"Good to see you made it kid... I was hoping you'd take the request seriously...."

Opening the bag, he slid a wrapped object across the table towards the Jedi...

"Go ahead, check it out, tell me if you know what that is..."

[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Sortz]

Objective 3: Find a legacy.
Allies: [member="Daro Tarsi"]

Sortz eyed where he indicated. She couldn't see what he saw, but she trusted that it was there. Scanning for a moment, she ran her nail along the edge of the seam. There was no real purchase there to get her fingers in to pull it open, so she stepped back and

WHAM

Punched right at the edge of the seam.

She inspected again, nodding in satisfaction- the plating had buckled slightly, just enough for her to wedge a grip in there and pull. Like some mechanical fruit, she peeled back the skin, giving Daro a view down into the red lit darkness. With a grunt and a heave, she bent the metal enough to make it stay. The hole was plenty big enough for Daro, but Sortz had to duck and shimmy to get in behind him.

"Surprised there's still emergency lights running," she commented once they were heading down, her voice echoing unpleasantly in the stairwell.

 

[Saffron]

In Orbit of Drexel
Arceneau Trade Company Frigate

There was no missing the floating bodies. Or the fact that their hail had been ignored. Bee Three was the first to give a cry of distress.

"Ma'dam, I do believe those are --"

Saffron brought a hand up, intending to silence the droid. Her pallor had blanched, blood draining from her face. It could very well be a pirate ship.

"They are engaging their hyperdrive!"

"Leave them." if they were not responding to the hail and instead looking to leave, then they had no quarrel. Her expression grim, Saffron took a steadying breath. They had come here intending to potentially find a paradise for the Southern Systems Business Bazaar, a place where patrons could enjoy the view.

However, this was not the kind she wished for any to see.

"Put some distance between us. Let them be."

 

[Zef Halo]

The man came dressed in an attire befitting a fringer that had gone through the toughest ordeal but nothing out of the ordinary for any other spacer born and bred in this wild side of the Galaxy. But the Force said something completely different. Similar to their last meeting on the planet of Utapau, his senses touching Ijaat's resulted in the feeling of a raging torrent.

The Jedi Knight did not remember whether he'd ever before felt such a presence. It naturally prerequisites a certain sense of wariness when felt.

"Good to see you too." Ember nodded with a brief smile on his face. He remained thankful for the man and [member="Orn Pharr"]'s intervention during the invasion of the Mandalorians. It may have very well saved not only the Jedi and Mishel's lives but that of many others that day.

With a cigarra in his mouth producing thick smoke, Ember barely made out the bag in which Ijaat's hand fell and materialized a cloaked object. He tumbled it down the table and as the cloth unfolded the object, the Jedi gasped silently.

The Varanin Holocron!!

He forced himself calmness attempting hard to wave away the wave of feelings suddenly erupting.

"This.." Ember cleared his throat hearing that his words were barely audible at first. "The- How?" He squinted. Impossible. Ember locked surprised eyes with Ijaat. He'd only heard rumors, legends and myths about this. Nothing more. The contents of it remained a complete mystery. How? He'd been part of the New Jedi Order before estranging himself due to the Order straying off the path of the Jedi, in his eyes that is.

"I..." He still did not touch it. "This really exists, then? I have so many questions." Ember rubbed his forehead not sure where to begin with.

"What- How can I help?" He said the most Jedi thing he possibly could as he looked up at Ijaat still confused and baffled.


[member="Ijaat Mereel"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Calmness came as Ember had a minor freak out. And then mirth at his reaction and offer to help. Clenching the cigarra, he nodded and thought back. A hooded form, hinting at usefulness to come. He always assumed it was usefulness to the woman he now knew as Ashin. That and her cause of the Ke'dem. But now he wondered if she hadn't saw more beyond the fight against the Dark in him. She was a deep and mysterious woman. And her mind was as twisted and subtle as any other womans, complicated by the astounding powers she possessed.

Clearing his throat, he took the cigarra in hand, blew a smoke ring to air out his lungs, and nodded at the young Jedi.

"It is. Let's just say the Empress and I have a business partnership, and that holocron was part of it. I've learned all I care to learn from it. Some of the things in there are dangerous, but the Keeper can decide that. The philosophical bits. Other parts... Those would benefit someone who is truly trying to be a Jedi, like yourself. A Jedi like the old stories is a rare breed indeed, and if you can pull it off, i'll give all I can to help. You strike me as the type to mean it when you say you are such. Not just claiming a title. Starting with that... And teaching you to fight, if you reckon you want to learn. I've studied under the best your Order and every tradition of swordsmen I could find that would teach me..."

[member="Ember Farseer"]

 

[Zef Halo]

Ember stood there listening keenly to Ijaat while still not grasping the legendary holocron before him. The man offered him not only the holocron but training in the way of the blade. All because he believed him to truly represent the Jedi? If he was a kid, he would've blushed. Instead determination brewed up with him, determination instilled by the man's astounding confidence and wisdom.

"I think I will need every help there is to protect the holocron from falling in the wrong hands." The Jedi nodded. "I am not renown for my bladework." He admitted.

"My skills are predominantly narrowed to Soresu, it seems to come more naturally to me." Or so Ember thought. "It is a defensive form focused-" He stopped himself mid-sentence. There was no need to explain.

"But you already know what is, I am sure."

"Where can I find you?"


[member="Ijaat Mereel"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

"I know Soresu... Shii-cho... A few more bits of others.. I know the dueling cadences of Adumar, the polearm uses of Eshan, the sword and polearm techniques of Thyrsus, and of course the techniques of a beskad . What I will teach you doesn't have a name. Doesn't require a genius to do. Less forms, and more how to think in combat and react and strike. The how is up to you, and your natural talents and movements, to be honest. But I can show you some of the lightsaber too."

Patting his hip, a twist of his hand pulled a crossguard saber made of an oddly patterned steel that seem to give off ripples in the air as asphalt would in the sun. With a smile, he ignited the blade and spun it, bright purple humming loudly before extinguishing.

"I can also show you a few tricks I've picked up in building these things. And you'll quite like the library where I live. It's an old Mandalorian Order's based. Pre-cursors to the Mandalorian Knights and True Mandalorians. In between lessons, we'll see you learn to defend yourself. Though, customers and visitors who come by may not be who you wish they would. I don't follow your dogma, and to me the Dark Side is just another venue, albeit dangerous. If you can abide peacefully, we'll train you up and see you outfitted. I like your style, even more than your calling..."

Clipping the saber back to his belt in the hidden leather cylinder for it, he nodded to the holocron as he lit another cigarra in the most stereotypical tough guy way, off the grit of his armor, hands shielding the stubby smoke until it was puffing merrily. His face had never shifted from stony and expectant, but in the Force there was an edge of calm over the danger. It was high past time he take students and pass on what those like Marasun and [member="Aerin Akun Mereel"] 's father had taught him. It was a debt owed to the future.

"Guess I should also mention, my wife may be there. She is of a darker persuasion. Argue philosophy with her at your own risk."

[member="Ember Farseer"]