Populate In the Emperor's Long Shadow (Silver Jedi Concord Populate of Wayland)

[Silver Strand]

Objective One: Mingle at the Benefit Gala

One of the old Mount Tantiss facilities has been requisitioned to host a benefit gala for the world following the Sith's devastating return to the world. It has been particularly troubling to many within the Silver Jedi Concord that even after this cataclysmic event, criminals and other looters have continued to descend upon the world in search for unclaimed Sith vaults and the potential treasures hidden within. While some wealthy benefactors, politicians, corporate magnates, Jedi, soldiers, and others are simply mingling for fun or to celebrate the expulsion of the Sith from the world by drinking, dancing, or simply enjoying other's company. More somber and diplomatic characters quietly gather away from the dance floor to collaborate on how to rebuild and protect the world.

Objective Two: A Rude Awakening

While the gala facility was thought to have been fully explored and dangerous items removed, that has not actually been the case. Ever the clever man, the ancient and late Emperor Palpatine actually included a subterannean chamber in this storehouse that has not been discovered by the Silver Jedi or their allies. And something inside of it is awakening. A number of Jedi have felt a disturbance in the lower levels, and with their allies, are moving to investigate this disturbance before whatever it is will find the gala attendees in the upper levels.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

JUST SHADOW THINGS

Objective: Search

Equipment: Under-Armor, Clothes-The look, The Mask, Just in Case Cloak, Scope- on belt, Wrist Device, Slicing/Gaming Tool, The Encoil, Zerek Stowaway Node, ICE/iBorg Clarion Personal Translator
Weapons: Four Zenji Needles, Pair of Blue Lightsabers, Hard Light Weapon, Pair of Shock Whips
Ship: Sanguine Tempest
Tags: Open​

The feeling of something dangerous had been an ill wind upon what was supposed to be glorious event above. Phalsi had taken leave when the whispering hint of some strange something had stirred her rather dismal sense within the force.

And if made her notice, then it was something worth looking into.

Her footsteps were barely registering against the floor as she walked, arms swinging back and forth as she examined the corridors beneath the levels above. A frown crossed her features as she noted the number of times she had passed by this spot in the hallway, staring along the wall and getting an odd sense to stare at a portion.

Her steps shortened before coming to a halt on the spot that tugged at her. Her mouth screwed up a bit as she glanced back and forth down the hall before tapping into the force a little. A deep inhale had her blowing out a sharp whistling sound that while low, was definitely noticeable in the hallway.

The wind that followed the exhale was inhuman, a great reversed vacuum of a gust as the wind pressed against the wall in vain hope of finding escape. There was an even sharper note that came from the section as she broke the whistle and pressed against the section before waffling briefly and running her hands along the entire area.

A soft latch gave her satisfaction as a whispering hiss announced the slow opening of a section of the wall. Her head bobbed back and forth as she waited patiently for the doorway to open completely before putting on her mask and opting for night vision in the darkened section that greeted her.

"Into the thick of it I suppose." She shrugged before crossing the dark threshold.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Where once the planet of Wayland had been shrouded in mystery and spoken of only in whispers by those few who knew, now it caried a storyied history. There were too many systems in the known galaxy for it to be a household name but it was on star maps and more than a few types of scholars at least had some tangential knowledge. Come to think of it, Audren was pretty sure at least one holofilm had featured the planet; obviously a popular one since he didn't remember the name. Activity had cycled back up again: people were still finding new rooms and artifacts despite all those powers that had gone over the planet before. A significant fight with Sith had apparently taken place here not too long ago.

That fight hadn't been one Audren had participated in, or even known about until after the fact. Upon arrival he'd handed over what supplies he had and headed in to the Mount Tantiss facility. The fighting was done but the place still needed to be mapped and droids could only see so much. Before long the volunteers had charted out a map of the place and were proceeding to inventory what remained within. Government officials had arrived not long after and what could only be described as a working social had begun. Celebrations from those who had fought and survived - or just wanted to party - led to drinking and dancing while others used the gathering to collaborate. No doubt many of the discussions were around how to rebuild the planet, but the skeptic in him kept bringing up the options for "personal enrichment". Not his area of responsibility though.

A few of them had realized that drunken visitors wandering around place that had held - or might still hold - Sith artifacts was probably not the best idea. Some had stationed themselves at the obvious points of entry to turn away those that didn't have reason to be there while others patrolled the tunnels themselves for those who would inevitably slip past. The Sephi was one of those patrollers, and was part of a subset sensing an unease in the deeper levels. To keep themselves from growing too complacent the teams would switch their sectors every few walkthroughs.

The Jedi was on the third and final pass through this particular section. Three hallways from the turbolift he came across something that he hadn't seen in the other to patrols: an open section of the wall leading to a darkened tunnel. Frowning, he pulled out his datapad and double-checked the schematics...yep, definitely wasn't supposed to be an opening here. Especially not one that carried the miasma of darkness through the Force. From his utility belt came a stylus that placed marks on the floor and walls surrounding the missing section, and as he played artist he was sending out an alert over the comm channel used by the patrolers.

"This is Sykes. New opening at my location, floor and wall are marked. Get some people here, it doesn't feel right. I'm heading in."

Going in himself probably wasn't the best idea. He was no spelunker, no historian or archivist to preserve the scene. However, he was also aware that sections didn't just open without reason here. Someone or something had triggered this change and he didn't know which was worse. Heck, if it was someone then he didn't know if they were heading in or coming out, and either one could be bad. Choosing to forego the glowrod at his belt, the elfin Master blinked four times in rapid succession to activate the thin lens he wore in each eye. This brought up a multi-spectral overlay; it did fuzz occasionally but the devices were still in testing phases, and he supplemented it with his Force senses too.

Equipment: Comlink | Glowrod | Datapad | Pistol | Baton | Lightsaber | Clothing

Phalsi Drynchen​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Caltin Vanagor​

Darth Ophidia was never one to be accused of sentimentality.

Not even the cradle of her own rebirth would be spared the cleansing, not when the Jedi had arrived on Wayland. The laboratory was simply too risky. The information had to be kept secret and safe in the hands of the Sith. No doubt, they would be coming to claim and explore what she, and others, had left behind in the ruins of Wayland.

This was how she had survived for so long.

Leave the past behind, kill it if you must. Burn it all, and let the cinders light your way.

She kicked a canister over and let the liquid spill out over the lab. The walls were already dripping, and the fumes filled the air with a noxious scent. It would burn well, as per design. She turned, leaving the dimly lit room behind until she reached the threshold. Her fingers flicked, sending a spark of blue energy crackling across the room, and it ignited.

The resulting wave of hot air pulled her robes taught to her skin, and pushed the hood back from her bare scalp. Freshly tattooed skin was laid bare, with black twin tendrils framing her scalp, mouth, and cheeks. A lightning shaped discolouration tainted her ashen skin, a scar that had marked her very essence to the point that it even scarred her stolen body. Most telling were her eyes.

Embers set in dark sclera of the reborn dead.

The firelight framed the dark pillar of her rejuvinated form, and danced in the reflections of her unblinking eyes as she watched the cradle burn. Smoke pillared up through the vents, pumping air through and fanning the flames to greater heat. It spat and crackled, consuming all in its path.

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Objective 2 - A Rude Awakening
Allies: Audren Sykes Phalsi Drynchen
Equipment: In signature

Celebrations tended to be mildly interesting to Travot. People often their guard down, revealing pieces of themselves rarely seen every day, especially in dangerous occupations, which a Jedi tended to be. Still, he had begun to feel that he had seen it all over the years when it came to different festivals, whether it was a bunch of old soldiers regaling tales of past glories or children marking another year of growth.

But celebrations in ex-Sith facilities were another beast altogether.

Not only were people's guards down, but there was a potential to run into something or someone that they shouldn't. Travot had questioned the choice of venue initially based on those grounds alone. But he understood the symbolism behind it, as well as the simple practicality that many of the world's cities had been devastated by the Sith's departure. Crumbling rooms and barren landscape might dramatically reinforce the reality that many Waylanders faced, but it wouldn't exactly be the draw that wealthy benefactors might want. But the old glories of the Sith were something that might - a show of the Jedi's strength and a glimpse of why the planet seemed to be attracting the trouble it was.

Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that despite the multiple sweeps of the building that they were missing something insidious. He wouldn't be half surprised a drunken party goer would stumble into some long-planted trap in a distant corridor while looking for the refresher station. Yet it turned out he would not have to actually wait that long. His wrist comlink crackled.

"This is Sykes. New opening at my location, floor and wall are marked. Get some people here, it doesn't feel right. I'm heading in."

Travot frowned as he brought his comlink to his mouth as he quickly broke into a quick walk, "This is Travot, moving to your location now. Anyone else find anything unusual?"

 

[Ura Iolar]

Objective 1:

Ura looked around, staying in the clearer area around the Gala. Since she finally learned about Balru she'd been taking on more light duty jobs. It didn't really bother her too much either. She could focus more on her training, and helping get Balru ready for the future. Today was a simple one though. Help figure out how to rebuild a world. Or at least watch and listen while everyone else did.

This planet was hurt?

That's a good way to put it. And hopefully they can help. Ura would respond to the question in her mind. She just hoped the young presence wouldn't get too bored.

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

IT'S ALWAYS DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN...​

Location: Wayland

Spoiler: Lightsabers

"ELOAH" (Secondary - Long Handle)

"CONSERVATOR" (Primary - Long Handle)

Spoiler: GEAR

Comm-link, Rebreather, Custom Robes, Battle Armor,Toraynor-Henkan(mind crystal added) Advanced Jedi Utility Belt

Spoiler: STARSHIP/COMPANIONS

Starship: Starlight Sentinel, (Jedi Interceptor in the landing bay, Dilorian, and Bike both in the cargo bay, the late Karki Eusith's Armor, Shield, Temple Guard Lightsaber mounted on the wall)
Companion: Astromech R01R - "Roller", Pilot droid Mu51c - "Music", "Aricsias" Wookiee Clan (pops in and out of posts)

Tag: Darth Ophidia / OPEN TO INTERACTION

The gathering was needed. It was an important event to ease the hearts and minds of the people and show that the Silver Concord and the Jedi as a whole were there if the populace needed them. Scores of locals and attendees were dressed to the nines, and chatting away about what they do, what they have for finances and investments, whatever. What many of them could not understand was that this was a gathering of all, not just the fiscally well-to-do. There were more than enough sour faces and confused looks when not all of those gathered had their own ships or luxury lifestyles. Caltin was not enjoying himself here, but that snippet made him smile. It was only right that those affected the most would be invited and not as "publicity stunts".

It wasn't that Caltin did not want to be around people, he did, he wanted to be here for those affected by the Sith and their endless plans and grabs for power. However, there was something in the Force that was trying to pull him away. Something was clouding the entire event, and rather than cause a scene, Caltin pulled off his jacket, put it on his chair, and subtly made his way out, headed towards his ship. "Roller" was waiting for him with Conservator, just in case.

... YET THE DAWN ALWAYS COMES.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

JUST SHADOW THINGS

Objective: Search

Equipment: Under-Armor, Clothes-The look, The Mask, Just in Case Cloak, Scope- on belt, Wrist Device, Slicing/Gaming Tool, The Encoil, Zerek Stowaway Node, ICE/iBorg Clarion Personal Translator
Weapons: Four Zenji Needles, Pair of Blue Lightsabers, Hard Light Weapon, Pair of Shock Whips
Ship: Sanguine Tempest
Tags: Audren Sykes Travot Ravenna​

The alert sent out was missed by Phalsi. She had been a party goer first before coming down this way, even playing a bit of cat and mouse with the patrols for practice as her Mistryl handler suggested at every opportunity. It didn't hurt she was also practicing as a Jedi Shadow either, though she was far more suited to a lazy lifestyle that didn't involve spelunking through abandoned sith holdouts usually.

The Mystril Shadow kept a cautious pace as she moved forward. Having moved along well before others had arrived and being out of range of her masks sensor by just enough. Not sensing those arriving behind her, her steps took her deeper into the strange space.

The hall it had opened into seemed to stretch on forever before opening into a connecting area that led off into separate corridors. Leading off into eight different directions, she stood between them all in the center and twirled to capture the sight of each one. A brow twitched at the sight, forcing her to pause and play straws with herself as to her first pick.

"And lucky number seven it is." Came the mumbled words as she took a moment to examine the entry ways. She drew a line on the wall, her vision barely able to see she had drawn in the dust as she moved and marked each doorway as she had decided they were numbered.

"We are going on a trip, in a secret sith-spit pit." She continued to sing for her own amusement as she put a star by the doorway marked number seven before further pushing into the labyrinth.

 

[Gir Quee]

Objective One

"Oh, he looks interesting," pointed out Sariya.

Admiral Quee briefly turned his eyes to the person that his bodyguard was pointing to. In a hall full of visiting dignitaries and powerful people from hundreds of worlds within the Concord, they were bound to see someone interesting, whether it was Hapan royalty, wookiee chieftains, or people from a world he'd never heard of. He was going to guess that it'd be that last option, and given Sariya's background, probably someone from one of the Core Worlds.

But it was not.

Instead, she was pointing at a familiar face that was approaching them. Dav Hannser, while not someone he particularly trusted in personal matters, was the sort of person who liked to schmooze with people, and he was good at it. Yet that was almost precisely why Gir didn't want to see him here. The "honest merchant" flashed a knowing smile at them.

Gir spared a brief glance at Sariya, "You know, for a second, I thought you were being serious."

"I was. He's always up to something interesting. What do you think he's doing this time? Trying to get a job moving weapons here?"

"Certainly plausible..."

"Gir," smiled Dav, "or should I call you Admiral Quee? Or President Quee?"

"Gir is fine, Dav. This isn't holo-recorded or any kind of formal event."

"Can I borrow Sariya from you for a moment?"

The admiral blinked. He had been surprised many times before, but not like this. A knowing want to finally get some revenge on his sometimes all too playful bodyguard welled up in him. He could already feel her silver eyes bear down on him - she was reading him like a book. He could almost feel the sense of dread as well. But he ignored her, and instead met Dav's gaze.

"As long as you bring her back in one piece, and in fifteen minutes at the latest."

"I can work with that. Come Miss Fenn, I require your services for a few minutes..."

She shot him a half-wounded glance before following in step with the man. He would likely pay for it later, but that the game the two played. Somewhat satisfied with that bit of social maneuvering, he turned around and did find his gaze on someone interesting - Ura Iolar . Yurbians were rare in the galaxy, even more so after the attack on their world. With no immediate social obligations, he decided to approach the jedi.

"I can't help but notice that you also seem to be alone at the moment," started Gir, "are you expecting to meet with someone?"

 

[Audren Sykes]

Even with the enhancing technology in his eyes he was hard-pressed to find anything interesting about the hallway other than its length. The walls themselves seemed nearly-featureless, all he really could see were the cracks between blocks of whatever building material this was. Rushing quickly down the hall was out of the question; in a Sith storehouse that was inviting dismemberment or death. Most beings guarded their secrets diligently and the Sith were perhaps the most ruthless in that subject matter.

After a time the hallway deposited Audren in a central chamber ringed with doorways. Or at least he assumed they were doorways since all he saw were blocks of deeper darkness within the semi-darkness afforded by the lenses. He frowned as he brought the datapad up - the screen was at its lowest possible brightness to avoid blinding him - and examined the location tracking he'd started before entering the corridor. Still within the outer bounds of the known complex but not on the map proper. He pointed the end of the datapad at each of the doorways in turn and had the handheld computer plot the directions against the charted areas, then examined the results. And frowned some more. Assuming everything stayed level - which was very much an assumption - this door could only go twenty meters before coming out into a known room, that door could go thirty before intersecting a hallway, those two would cross the complex boundary in seventy-five and ninety meters, and so on. What he would have given to have a couple of the mapping droids with him.

Life by nature was a chain of choices, and he had several to make here. The most obvious was whether to stay and wait for others like Travot to arrive or pick one of the eight doorways and continue on. There were others however, such as leaving his glowrod to give those who were presumably coming a better view or marking towards the doorways. He opted to keep going and not leave his glowrod since he might need it further in; those following should be able to provide their own. For an instant he thought he heard a distant voice with a tune but discounted it as his imagination...nobody would be singing down here.

With eight different doors to choose from the Sephi had to just pick one at random. As he closed with it the lenses picked up a difference in the wall next to the opening: someone had drawn what looked like the number three at eye level. A closer examination revealed that it had been drawn in the dust and the tip of one finger showed that there was no dust on the number itself, indicating it was recent. Instead of continuing into the chosen doorway he moved to the next one, where he saw a two. Then a one, eight, seven, six, five, four, and finally back at three. In addition to the number, door seven also had a star on it. Someone else had been here recently and had probably gone in door seven. Unless that was a false marker that they used for a mental reminder, even the simplest mental gymnastics could take a door to either side or immediately opposite. Too many options. Shaking his head, he moved around the doors and used his marker to duplicate the numbers...and the star. In the darkness the ink left a faint glow. He then returned to door three and started in after marking his initials under the number.

One of the first things the Jedi noticed was that the floor began to slope down. It wasn't a steep slope but was enough for the unwary to quicken their step. In response Audren slowed himself even before he caught the twinge of danger through the Force. He took another step, then felt the next raising his leg higher than normal as an autonomous response to what he sensed in the Force. He set it back down and crouched to take a look. At first he couldn't see anything, but when he risked some light from the glowrod - at the lowest intensity - he caught the glint of a fine wire around shin level. At first it seemed too thin to be of any direct danger, but he traced it without touching and at both walls it just seemed to be tied off, so it wasn't likely tied to a booby trap, it was the trap. Guessing that others would eventually head down this tunnel and without a visual cue of the danger, the Master opted to simply disarm the trap. He closed his eyes and unhooked his lightsaber, and with a quick slash the length of wire flashed and evaporated. It had apparently transferred the energy from the brief contact with the blade throughout the length and hadn't been rated for it. A touch of his fingers opened the comm channel again.

"Traps found, stay alert."

With senses on higher alert, the Sephi continued on down the tunnel.

Equipment: Comlink | Glowrod | Datapad | Pistol | Baton | Lightsaber | Clothing

Phalsi Drynchen | Travot Ravenna​

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Objective 2 - A Rude Awakening
Allies: Audren Sykes Phalsi Drynchen
Equipment: In signature

Not one who particularly liked to run, Travot managed a brisk walk that quickly got him to where Audrey had previously called in the opening. He briefly hesitated at the opening, noting that the jedi master was not present. He could think of any number of reasons for that - pursuing a suspect or escaping a danger were the most obvious ones, yet he didn't feel an immediate, life-threatening sort of danger...yet. The big man closed his eyes and began to deep breath as he meditated on the currents of the Force. He could feel the presence of both Audrey and Phalsi up ahead, neither appeared to be harmed yet. But he could feel several other darker presences. Two of them resolved themselves into actual faces, one of a man with red eyes and blonde hair, and another man with almost whitish skin and dark tattoos on the face. Both seemed to steep their thoughts deep on events that Travot recognized as being from the first Galactic Civil War, back when Emperor Palpatine reigned. Both seemed to be searching for that man's presence, even though Travot sensed that they could feel his presence among them.

Travot frowned as he stepped forward into the gap. He drew his own saber and tapped its activation stud, casting a cool blue light on his surroundings. He quickly took note that someone had marked at least one of the chambers with a number. But rather than choosing a number at random, he tried to monitor the feelings of those nearby, quickly honing in on a sense of rage and frustration behind one of the doors. He almost tapped a button to open the door, but felt an uneasiness as his finger neared it. Audrey mentioned that he had found a trap. Is this one of those? It wouldn't surprise the man if it were - it could electrocute him or trigger some other sort of booby trap. He decided to simply thrust his saber's blade into the panel, and hopefully short-circuit the door in the process. He did so. Sparks sprung out of the console, but the door did not move. Instead, he saw a pair of bright red plasma blades begin to carve their way through the door from the other side. He blinked.

That has to be a sith...

Travot quickly assumed a classic Soresu defensive stance, pointing his right forward and tilting his body just to the side as he brought his lightsaber up in a vertical guard. Barely had he managed that when the door fell down to reveal a towering figure in dark cloth. He looked Travot up and down and sneered.

"The jedi are once more, it would appear. Finally seeking out your death? Or trying to find my master's secrets? I suppose it matters not, you shall die like all of your kind before me always has..."

 

[Edep Kre]

Objective One: Mingle at the Benefit Gala

The Bothan had arrived a few days before coming in from an assignment, so joining in the festivities, in theory, sounded like a great idea. Several of his compatriates had said the same thing.

It felt the slightest bit strange to be partaking in a Gala like this. Not that Edep hadn't ever been to a party or function of this kind or size. But usually, for him to be mingling at a party was to mean he was on an assignment. But this was very different, today he was here to relax, socialize, and celebrate with his friends and colleges. At the moment, he was making his way about the room, a drink in his hand. He would have liked to dance, as he was half decent himself, but the music didn't fit the dancing mood for him. What was playing now felt too slow for his tastes, so he was occupying his time by making the rounds, saying hello to familiar faces, introducing himself to others.

There was something strange going on, he had an inkling of it through the Force. But for whatever reason, he couldn't put a finger on exactly what or where the disturbance was occurring. He was certain others in the room felt it, but was equally certain someone else was investigating it.

As he made his way about the room, the Jedi would adjust his clothing. One of the cons of having non-standard Jedi like his was that they had a habit of getting out of sorts when moving around a place with a large number of people. The Bothan cleaned up well, his hair and beard was groomed and maintained, his shirt and jacket had been thoroughly cleaned through and through, to the point that the golden color cloth weaved into it had a nice shine to it. His saber at his side was polished, it's golden accents having even more shine than the accents on his clothes. And the emerald green kyber crystal around his neck provided a nice soft glow that only made his emerald green eyes glow more fiercely. All in all, the Bothan was a handsome one, by his people's and Galatic standards.

As he wandered the gala, Edep's mind also wandered. He really did wonder if there was any other purpose to the party other hand celebration and relaxation if there was one he had no notion of it, which would annoy him if he came to know about an ulterior purpose. Putting that aside for now he would make his way over to a drinks station pouring himself another glass of Corellian ale. Sipping at it gently he would look back to the partygoers, Jedi and others alike. He was reminded again by the strangeness of it all, he was not used to attending parties hosted and populated like so.

He'd look down at the crystal dangling from his neck, taking his free hand to gently grasp it between his two fingers as he thought. He wondered what its previous owner, his former master and friend Halt, would think of something like this... He'd chuckle a bit to himself, knowing Halt he would figure the human would enjoy a Silver Gala like this far more than Edep. His amusement encouraged him a bit, this was good. This was a turning point for him and the Silver Concord as a whole. He wished Halt was here to see it, and he also wish he could simply talk to the man again. Their banter would make enjoying the party that much easier for the Bothan.

"But when on Naboo, I suppose," he would say to himself before drinking down a few more sips of his drink. With that, he would push himself from the drinks table and make his way back into the crowd.

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura would soon hear the Admiral, with Balru getting a little spook and showing slightly in the Force. Ura would nod a little to Gir as she started to speak in her usual monotone, with her emotions being portrayed almost fully through the Force and body language.

"Oh. Admiral. Not really, no. The Order has me on light duty for a while, so I guess I'm supposed to talk to people.... They really picked a horrible Padawan for this." She would seem to laugh a little at her own joke before continuing. "But what brings you to the Gala?"

Gir Quee

 

[Gir Quee]

"Oh. Admiral. Not really, no. The Order has me on light duty for a while, so I guess I'm supposed to talk to people.... They really picked a horrible Padawan for this. But what brings you to the Gala?"

A slow, subdued smile creased his face as he recalled on old Academy instructor's advice: Lying to a Jedi is usually not the greatest idea. Still, part of him wanted to simply give a plain, white lie. One that wouldn't require a whole lot of social effort or talking but suffice to satisfy simple social niceties. But it wouldn't be very genuine of him, and he figured that even the lowest Force sensitive would have little difficulty in deciphering the littlest of his deceptions. Given that Ura Iolar seemed to communicate largely through the Force itself, he guessed she probably could so without even trying.

"I'm not entirely sure myself," admitted the blonde man, briefly glancing around the crowd, "part of me thought that I might bump into the right people to help better this world - run into the right people who knew how to defend its interests or have some unorthodox solution to this whole mess. Wayland seems to be a lightning rod for raider's attentions right now, and I really doubt that with the legends and rumors that seem to be cropping up everywhere on the HoloNet that we're going to see the end of these raids and looting soon. The obvious military solutions are to raise up a patrol-focused fleet and to build up some forts to protect key points on the world, but they don't really address the core root of the issue, even if they'll stop the less motivated raiders. I have to wonder if there's some more appropriate cultural or diplomatic solution to this mess out there..."

Gir reached for a glass from a passing serving droid and accidentally bumped into Edep Kre in the process. The man offered a polite smile to the jedi and briefly glanced downwards for a moment at the spilt Tihaar. He eyed the bothan's unusually intricate clothing as his gaze came back upwards to meet the bothan's eyes.

"My apologies for that, I don't think we've met before," said the man from Hast, proferring an outstretched hand, "I am Admiral Quee, and this is Padawan Iolar, if I'm saying that correctly. That's an interesting necklace you have there, looks like Adegan crystal, am I right? Looks far too nice to be a synthetic crystal..."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Caltin Vanagor​

Smoke rose in thick plumes and was sucked out through the narrow ventilation systems, only for the other side to suck in more air and further fan the flames into an inferno. Even at a distance, the black pillars of burning laboratory would soon be visible.

The Sith Lord stopped where her droid had been decapitated and spared a glance.

Sentimentality?

No, it was an inconvenience at most. The droid was useful first and foremost. While its missing head was often scrubbed, it still contained information she had deemed critical for her own survival and success. Now, it was in the hands of a Jedi. This was a precarious situation, and one she would need to rectify swiftly. The remaining chassis, however, was simply a liability. She would have another built for him if she could get his head back. Another spark, and another blanket of flame spread as she put the past behind her. No cradle of hers would ever fall into the hands of the Jedi. All they would find would be ash, soot, and broken glass.

She passed through the reinforced doors, and clean walls made way for rough hewn and natural rock.

Above, the stalactites hanged like a toothy maw, waiting to drop down on any unsuspecting visitor. She had always thought this placed looked like the mouth of one of the giant deep-water fish she had seen in a Nabooan encyclopedia once: Blind eyes, dark scales, and teeth that just seemed too long. Yet, those creatures lived and ate, as the dark side of the Force would have them do.

They killed without a second thought.

The Sith turned and lowered herself to her knees. The warm glow of the spreading inferno coloured her ashen face with oranges and reds, blues and greens, even purples sparking from the chemical fires.

 

[Edep Kre]

Edep was simply wandering, glass in hand before he felt himself get bumped in the shoulder. Edep would turn around and spot the culprit. He wasn't annoyed, just curious who wanted his attention or who had fumbled around after one too many drinks. Seeing the man before him he quickly surmised it was simply an accident and nothing more.

He would smile and nod his head, taking the human's hand and gently shaking it in greeting. "Nothing to apologize for, it's a party after all. A pleasure to meet you, Admiral," he would say before nodding to the Padawan, "Iolar," he would greet in turn. "I'm Edep Kre, Jedi Knight. But you can just call me Edep." He would look down at the necklace around his neck and give a gentle chuckle. Funny, he was just thinking about the necklace and the crystal's prior owner.

"It's the real thing," he would say with a gentle nod of his head. Taking his free hand up to his chest and palming the crystal in his hand. Using the force to unclip the fastenings to the crystal. In the case that he needed a second saber, it wouldn't take him long to drop Halt's crystal into his saber... which Edep usually had on him, tucked away into his clothing. He would hold the crystal up in his palm, between him and the Admiral before gently lifting it from his hand via the Force so it was floating a few inches up so his new conversation partners could get a better look at it. "It's not customary, I'll tell you that, but it belonged to a very good friend of mine. My former master actually, left me in it in his will... which I was surprised he had."

Edep wasn't against being open about certain things. It opened doors that could be used later, even though the Jedi doubted the Admiral would be someone he would require someday but it was always good to have friends in the military, the Padawan, on the other hand, was likely someone he would meet again, would be nice to maybe know a bit better. Since his friend's death, Edep had been closed off to closer relationships other than college and compatriot, so this opening up was a bit of a first for him, at least in a while. Maybe it was the first time someone had asked about the crystal at his neck?

 

[Gir Quee]

Gir blinked Edep Kre 's revelation. He had fought alongside many Jedi over the years. While all were different, most seemed far more ascetic in both their personal relationships and material wealth than the average citizen. Though thinking on the subject more, the Silver Jedi Order was more lenient in these matters compared to many of the older Jedi traditions. He had come to think that that had been a fault of the Old Republic's Jedi Order - expecting their Jedi to be too impersonal and objective, not fully recognizing that the Jedi had most sentient's wants and desires that had to be fulfilled to some degree, even if that meant a possible brush with a dark side of the Force. He briefly eyed the crystal again before turning his gaze back to meet Edep's eyes.

"I've heard that the relationship between Master and Padawan is very close," said the man softly, "almost like that between parent and child. Given how personal a lightsaber and its crystal is to most Jedi, and thinking about your fate even after his own death, it would seem that the two of you were quite close. Kind of a legacy of his...have you ever considered putting the crystal in your own lightsaber?"

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

“Doubt is a part of searching. The same as faith.” - Gayle Forman​

Walking along the outside of the facility, Caltin felt like he was making more of a scene than he was when he walked out. However, he was being guided; he was being directed, pulled, dragged kicking, and screaming around looking for something. Whatever he was being pulled to was definitely underneath the gala. This was why he was spending the better part of the past hour looking for some kind of entrance or opening.

That opening was unexpected, but he had found it. Caltin knew he was in the right place because the stench of the Dark Side was everywhere. It was so childish in the way whoever was here was acting. He could sense the desperation as if trying to get out of there before he found them. What did they think he was going to do? Lay claim to whatever they were putting together or planning?

One way to find out.

So without further thought; the big guy made his way through the outer door and inward. He was going to find something, but the question is what?

tag: Darth Ophidia

 

[Edep Kre]

The Jedi would lower the stone and let it slip back into place on the necklace, nodding a bit at his words. "In my experience, it was how a younger brother sees an elder one. But yes, it is a very close bond you come to share with one another," he would say with a gentle sigh. He would put a hand on the hilt of his saber, nodding a bit to the question Gir had proposed. "Several times. But I actually have Halt's saber. And intend to practice in Jar'Kai at some point," he would explain, he then realized he wasn't talking to someone who would offhand know what that word meant, "Jar'Kai is the use of two blades," he would clarify.

Edep would reach into the front of his robes before pulling out what looked to be a simple piece of furnished metal, "I actually keep it on me, as a precaution. On the off chance I have my own saber taken, broken, or otherwise. I do have a backup. And if I keep it disassembled, the average person would just assume it's some odd trinkets or something of the like." He would then tuck it back away.

"Now, less about me, and more about you Admiral Quee," he would say with a pleasant smile on his face. "What brings you here? You do know this is a Jedi gala, right?" he would joke with a gentle smirk before taking a sip from his glass. "Looking to pull a Jedi or two to fix a problem for you?" he would continue, still smirking just a bit.

Gir Quee

 

[Cassus Hex]

Objective One: Mingle at the Benefit Gala

Reyla looked around the crowd, standing in the corner she tried not to be noticed, though it was hard considering she was glowing, literally. Reyla was a Jedi Master of the Silver Jedi Concord, her age was unknown, even to her. She was believed to be immortal, until killed in combat, and thus her skill was immeasurable. Though being immortal was a sad life to live, everyone around her died, her friends, her master, and everyone she cared about. Her people were mortal enemies to the Maelibi, the Demons. Reyla and her people had taken refuge one of the largest out of a thousand moons of Lego, Millius Prime. She missed her home and her people, but the Silver Jedi Concord were her new family, and she would not let it go.

She was dressed in regular clothing, trying to look inconspicuous. She wasn't a fan of galas, but while she was here she might as well "mingle amongst the crowd. She looked around for the most interesting group of people, spotting the Admiral, Reyla walked towards the group as people stopped to gape at her in awe. She was not a commonly seen species, the so called "Angel" species, or Diathim. She was soon stopped by a young man who looked around his 30's, "Well hello, care to dance?" She smiled, and replied, "No thank you." Then she moved around the man, and toward the strange group leaving a disappointed man behind. "Greetings, how are you all enjoying the gala." She inquired.