Dominion Jewel of the Empire | EE Dominion of Zakuul

[Kahlil Noble]

Equipment: Taozin Amulet, Lightsaber
Objective: Calm
Tags: Eskk Jannik

Already those words had inspired the kind of anger Kahlil was trying to diffuse. The tall figure grimaced as his gaze turned to Eskk. Sabers were already out. Hate was already felt. He took a breath, to calm himself. This could still be salvaged. It didn't have to end in warfare. He kept his hands by his side as he faced the figure fully. "Fighting now will only lead in pointless death and hate. We don't need to fight." While it sounded like he was talking about the tensions rising, he was directly addressing his likely to be assailant.

"Please. I don't want to hurt you."

 

[Eskk Jannik]

"Well that's too bad," Eskk stated trying to feign disappointment. "I want to feed on your brains, and I was hoping for a challenge." Eskk ignited his purple lightsaber in his right hand. It hummed to life.

"This man," Eskk stated, "would have you go silently into the night. Ruthlessly crushed under the boots of Imperial tyranny. I say neigh! Rise up zakuullians. Fight for what is precious to you. There is no greater purpose than this." Eskk realized his actions could be seen as treasonous, but Eskk felt he was benefiting the Empire in the long run. They had the boots on the ground to handle an uprising right now. So, if there was to be such a rebellion, why not coax it into action now when the Imperial forces were ready for it, rather than allow them to be caught slipping.

"Come, I will show you how!" Eskk began to approach the Jedi. It was at a slow pace in the beginning but as he got closer the pace quickened. As Eskk came within striking distance he lashed out trying to cut the Jedi across the midsection with his lightsaber.

 

[Darth Strosius]

LOCATION: Marshland, Zakuul
EQUIPMENT: Lightsaber, Oxygen Tank, Rebreather
TAGS: Alina Tremiru
-------------------------------

The masked man merely cast his fellow acolyte a glance at her remark, resisting the urge to roll his eye. He wasn't all that worried about his skin anyhow, plus he didn't want to risk something living in said mud.

"I suppose that physical exercise is a rather important part of being a proper Sith. Still, couldn't they have made it a bit more convenient to retrieve their relics?" Alisteri supposed that they needed too keep such things out of the hands of heathens and heretics alike, but still. The least that they could do was leave some sort of decent road.

It was the first time that he had been in conditions such as this, with all this water and life around him. The humidity was awful too, heat he could handle but he moisture just compounded it all into an awful mixture of unbearable environment and a cacophony of life. He did not much care for it. "Why do people live here?" He mutter under his breath as he felt water splash up his leg. Again.

"Ugh, I can see why you chose shorts for this outing."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Location: Marshland, Zakuul
Equipment: Lightsaber, Oxygen Tank, Rebreather
Tags: Darth Strosius

"If it was convenient, then it'd already have been stolen by some Jedi or other non Sith." Such things did not belong in the hands of those unwilling to follow the Code. Deeper through the swamp they went, to where the waters started to reach their knees and the light of the sun above was replaced by the deep shadows of the tall trees around. Alina had no problem wading through this. Her training has kept her in pretty good condition, far better than that of her fellow acolytes. She had to be.

It was the only way she could keep up.

"People don't live here. They live in the cities above. This place isn't a place to live. It's probably why a Sith decided to hide something here." There was a light laugh from her as she grinned back to Darth Strosius to watch him struggle a bit. "Like I told ya. Should try changing to suit the environment. Save yourself some trouble. Or at least get an environmental suit or something."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

​

Equipment: Taozin Amulet, Lightsaber
Objective: Survive
Tags: Eskk Jannik

Feed on his brains..? Well, if that wasn't enough of a threat, Eskk decided to turn to the crowd. Yeah, there was few things that could get people to fight better than to defend their homes. Already Kahlil could see the people he had sent home returning. It wouldn't be long until the powder keg went off and full on war erupted in the streets.

And there was nothing Kahlil could do about it.

The Jedi gritted his teeth for a moment as he watched the brain eater start to walk towards him. The saber on his hip flew to his hand, the bright blue blade igniting midflight. No, there still had to be hope. If he could immobilize this threat, he might be able to stop it before it was too late. But stopping it quickly wasn't something he could do with a saber. No, his preferred fighting style was defensive, almost purely so.

Almost.

The Force swelled around him, once more being pulled to his will. The blue in his blade began to glow even brighter. Whiter. He stepped back, seeming to retreat but really strengthen his stance. When the purple blade swung, his own was brought down to catch it. Contact. A flash of light. A flash of Light. The Force Light he imbued into his weapon radiated outwards in a powerful surge. Bright like a beacon. Blinding to those of the Dark.

All around those who had begun to regather arms paused and turned their attention to this duel. With the light came peace. Calm. Kahlil pushed the blade back as he took another neutral stance, staring down Eskk.

"I will ask one more time. Stand down. We do not have to fight."

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Objective: incite the turbulent masses, defeat Kahlil Zombrano.

Tags: Kahlil Noble

Are you karking serious, Eskk thought to himself as he stumbled away several steps and was blinded. He focused all his energy on his hearing. He was listening for the Jedi to come with a counter attack. No such attack came.

Instead of being calmed, Eskk was filled with even more rage. This new rage was fueled by the sheer disdain he had for such powers. As well as disgust he had for the man's rampant cowardice.

He blinked away the light in his eyes. "See how this man uses his tricks to create temporary weakness within his enemy, then uses that temporary weakness to try to control them with commands?" Eskk asked the crowd rhetorically framing his actions. "He and his ilk are the embodiment of the imperials. Peace is weakness and weakness is what they want you to exhibit. That way they can crush you under boot heel. Will you be crushed under boot heel?"

Eskk reached out with the force, grabbing the man by the throat and constricting it as he lifted him into the air. "This is strength," he said to the crowd as he choked the Jedi. "The strength to stop the false narrative. As well as the strength to drive away the invaders!" As he said the word invaders Eskk used a force push to throw the man away from the crowd.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Location: Lower Levels
Objective: Repel the Imperial invaders
Equipment: Standard rebreather, lightsaber
Tags: No one atm

Ultranauts had begun making their imposing presence known, even while diplomatic negotiations were ongoing. Adelle stood in the middle of the street, among the locals that wanted nothing to do with the Eternal Empire. The cruelty and brutality of the Ultranauts and the Empire's military might at Bakuura played over and over again in the back of her mind. The familiar weight of her lightsaber at her hip gave some comfort. She would not let this place be a repeat of that nightmare.

The troops formed an orderly wall of black armor on the other side, reflective goggles staring unnaturally. They did not raise their weapons but Adelle knew that they only waited for an order. Some of the armed locals behind her began to back up but others took their places. Each side waiting, tense with anticipation. Waiting for a spark to ignite this fuel tank of a stand-off.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Objective: 1

"I swear it. I had no word that you or the Empire were coming. And I am not looking for Chaos or bloodshed." Lori couldn't help but feel set up. Not by Ingrid L'lerim or the Eternal Empire, for the Empress seemed just as surprised. But instead she felt set up by the current Zakuul government.

She glanced up at Curtis Learchin as he tried to bait Subject 73 Red . But that didn't seem to do much. Lori hoped that he'd retake his seat.

And then Red spoke, attacking herself, her family and others with his words. She clenched her jaw as she stared at him, her hands gathering bits of her dress as she balled them into fists.

"The Sith is also a legitimate government. Would you work for them too? Legitimacy doesn't automatically make them in the right. Not when they slaughter and murder people. Not when they oppress populations and imprision those that don't want their freedoms taken from them."

Lori looked to the representative and did her best to keep her emotions in check, however difficult it was. "My mother was a brave woman that put everyone's needs in front of her own. She wasn't selfish. She had suffered greatly in the hands of the Sith, abolished the monarchy after the Sith occupation of Commenor was over and it was some nerfherder that put her in jail for it. You know nothing of my family, for if you did then you'd KNOW that my Dad would not have allowed us to be in the battle that he was in when he died. My family have save countless lives." Lori took a breath, knowing what evidence was to be presented, for she had heard it already. "There is some doctored footage, cut and edited to make it look like I killed innocents when it was their hired goons that did so. It's all propaganda created to discredit me and the Rebels. But it's all a lie."

 

[Curtis Learchin]

​

Location: Palace, Zakuul
Equipment: Suit, Rebel's Fury
Tags: Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Subject 73 Red | Open

Curtis could care less who the man was, to him, he was an enemy. His muscles ached to strike out at the redheaded fool, but he showed restraint and instead retook his seat next to Lori.

And then Red spewed his lies, the lies of the Eternal Empire. The urge to Force Choke the man was almost unbearable, but he knew that that would do nothing to help the situation. Listening to Lori's reply, he felt calmer, and also had a better idea for what information he should use against the Eternal Empire in this scenario.

"Perhaps the honourable representative would be more interested to know that the Eternal Empire have a tendency to replace those they do not trust with loyal duplicates. They did it to me, what's to stop them from doing the same to any number of you?" His words carried personal weight, his eyes fixed on the Empress, "Zakuul is known to be a proud society, would you throw that all away to align yourselves with an Empire who will crush your souls and drain your resources?" A series of mumblings came from a few members of the congregation, and a smirk emerged on Curtis' face.

 

[Darth Strosius]

LOCATION: Marshland, Zakuul
EQUIPMENT: Lightsaber, Oxygen Tank, Rebreather
TAGS: Alina Tremiru
-------------------------------

"....Fair point..." Keeping potentially dangerous or valuable information or artifacts of any kind away from those who weren't worthy of them had to be a priority for sure, especially in times such as these. Whatever Sith had decided to place the holocron in this swamp was a mastermind in his eyes; no sane or random person would wander in here for no reason.

At this rate they would need to start swimming before the even-"Ah! Why is so fething cold?!"

Alisteri couldn't help but shoot Alina Tremiru a small glare as he repressed the urge to shiver from the water now lapping at his knees. "Although that would be far down on my list of future purchases, I appreciate the advice." He replied after a moment, preoccuppied with making sure his boots didn't get lost somewhere under the water.

"How much farther until we reach the holocron? Or somewhere dry at least?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Location: Marshland, Zakuul
Equipment: Lightsaber, Oxygen Tank, Rebreather
Tags: Darth Strosius

There was another laugh from Alina as she flashed another grin at her Acolyte friend. Even behind his mask she could feel his glare. Not too surprising, given how cold it'd gotten. Her laughter died off as she stared farther out into the swamp. It was getting cold. Dark. Her eyes narrowed. "We're close." No sooner did she say that as something moved close by. Something big, under the water. The young acolyte stopped as once murky water had turned almost pitch black.

There was no more ground there. Just a hole, under the water.

"Now we dive down and search for this brightest light." The rebreather was put in her mouth as she readied the oxygen tank as well. Hopefully she wouldn't need it, but if it went too deep she'd need the air. Perhaps she should of invested in a mask like Alisteri though. Must be way easier for him. There was a crack as she activated a glow tube and hooked it on her waist. Now or never. She gave the other a single nod, then disappeared below the surface.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Equipment: Taozin Amulet, Lightsaber
Objective: Survive
Tags: Eskk Jannik

Oh. Damn. The grimace Kahlil had only worsened as he listened to Eskk. He was good. Too good. Being able to take what Kahlil had done for a non lethal end and twist it into cowardice. He couldn't even retort to it. The crowd was already reverting back. Worse still, he was playing on the fact Kahlil wouldn't strike. Using the fact that as a Jedi he simply couldn't bring himself to try and attack while the brain eater rallied the crowd behind him. The most he could do was steel himself, lifting his saber and clearing his mind.

Worry, doubt. These emotions clouded his mind. He needed to get rid of the-

The pressure around his throat paused all that. Kahlil's eyes widened as he was lifted, one of his hands gripping at the invisible force compressing his airway. Useless, he knew, but the human body's instinct took over. Then he was thrown. He crashed into nearby crates, landing behind them as they piled up and over. A groan escaped the man as he pushed himself back up. He took a breath as he did. This being did not care, and would fight until he couldn't most likely.

His saber once more began to glow, though not white. A golden energy formed around it. Brighter. It wasn't a flash of light like before, but the truest expression of the Light side of the Force. The Light that could purge darkness from anything around it, including dark sided force users. The Jedi Knight brought his saber up, his silver eyes focused on Eskk.

"Then I will stop you."

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Objective: feed on the Jedi.

Tags: Kahlil Noble


Eskk looked upon the golden glowing blade not knowing what the effect of such an ability was. He assumed it had something to do with blinding him, again. That seemed to be a favorite trick of the lightsiders. Perhaps, it was their only trick, Eskk mused.

Eskk had no intention of approaching the man just to be blinded and left open to a counter attack. He positioned himself between the Jedi and the crowd as he nobly declared, "your tricks will influence these people no longer!"

His true intent was simply to have the crowd at his back for what he did next. Eskk reattached his inactivated lightsaber to his belt and exchanged it for his DL44 Blaster Pistol. Now armed with one lightsaber and one pistol, he began firing at the man.

The blaster pistol went "Whomp" with each shot. Eskk aimed the shots all over. He'd aim two or three towards the man's head and upper body. Then fire the next two at his legs, then fire a few at his midsection. Eskk expected him to block the blaster bolts, the idea was to make him expend some energy. To wear him down. Eskk was also betting on the fact that the Jedi would not purposefully redirect the bolts back at him, due to the fact that he was standing in front of the crowd.

 

[Darth Strosius]

LOCATION: Marshland, Zakuul
EQUIPMENT: Lightsaber, Oxygen Tank, Rebreather
TAGS: Alina Tremiru
------------------------------------

The masked acolyte watched the water around them carefully as they continued, watching for any signs of movement as his hand rested on his lighsaber. The last thing that he wanted was for some awful creature to come out of nowhere and try to eat one of them. He didn't catch the movement of the water at first however, not noticing until Alina Tremiru had stopped in front of him.

"Oh...well we found it."

He glanced at the other acolyte warily as she spoke, returning the nod and watching as she went below the water's surface. Alisteri's gaze swept over the area around them once more to check for signs of movement, making sure all of his gear was ready for the journey down as he did so. "Fortune favors the bold I suppose." He muttered to himself as his gaze turned back to the new hole in the ground.

After a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly dipped below the water and began following after Alina again.

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

Objective: Provide Clarity
Location: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Tags: Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Curtis Learchin | Subject 73 Red | Open

::May I also point out that beginning arguments on a planet like Zakuul with presumptions of eugenics is neither biologically nor morally sound?::

The voice that piped up in the silence following Learchin's rebuttal was smooth, androgynous, and surprisingly perky. It also was not piping up from a living throat; rather, from the the comlink on Loreena Arenais' side of the table.

::It would seem to me,:: it continued cheerfully, ::that such fascist, inaccurate leanings as the dominance of bloodlines do not bode well for making a good impression. Particularly on a planet used to being in charge of its own management...Miss Arenais, can everyone hear me? I am afraid I do not have full control of the volume settings on your end.::

The comm descended into a few seconds of static before piping up again, this time slightly louder. ::There we go. My greetings to the Zakuul Representative Delegation, and of course to our Imperial guests. Madame Empress, I am pleased to see you in good health. Have you been eating well?::

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch; The Night Queen, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Palace, Zakuul
Equipment: Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | Shield talisman | Taozin amulet || Empyrean gland
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Curtis Learchin | Subject 73 Red | LE-03 (Leigh) | Open

It seemed worthwhile for Ingrid to bring Red with her because the man could speak well. She wondered how the rebels would defend themselves after the man's words, especially that the local envoy had asked them to do the same. There were serious allegations, yes. And they really attacked a legitimate state and even killed civilian scientists. But she hasn't said it out loud yet. She glanced at Lori, her surprise seemed sincere. Nor did they know that the rebels would be here. Why did the locals do this? That was a great question.

”On the other hand, it is not a forgery where the Rebels, inciting the inhabitants of a planet, attack the envoys of the Eternal Empire, most of whom are unarmed. Nor is it a lie, Miss Arenais, that your rebellious friends killed scientists at a civilian astrological research station to send a message to the Empire.”

As always, she spoke completely coldly. She was able to show the unadulterated holo-records. These were made even when she was the director of Blackwatch. In neither case was manipulation required.

”Says those who sent spies to the highest circles of the Empire, to the imperial court. Some of the plans of the captured rebels were to kill the Emperor and the Empress. One was also there on the Emperor's ship and the assassination was a success. Now he serves me from beyond the grave and told me some very interesting things. You are wrong, we rebuilt Busoll II, the same thing will happen to Bakura soon, where we will create new colonies to forget the horrors that Darth Tacitus committed. Bursoll II was rebuilt by the HPI and House L’lerim at cost. In Bakura, I can use Imperial resources in addition to my own resources. Yes, we’ll rebuild Bakura. Maybe I look like the previous emperor?”

” Empress L’lerim has been financially supporting Zakuul for years, coming to visit regularly to be with the children, with the orphans. The HPI Corporation and the lady both personally sacrificed large sums to make Zakuul city and the planet in its old light again after the destruction of Darth Tacitus and the First Order.” intervened the local envoy.

The voice was a surprise, Ingrid didn't expect that, although this was not visible on the woman at all. As always, she was perfectly in control of her emotions and body language. Meal… last time Vidalu Na'an was the one to poke her with this. Months ago, the day the Emperor's disappearance was announced. Since then, Ingrid has been very different too, and her eating habits have become very different. In part, it helped her accept this, as AMCO found her current state even more attractive than the old one, and didn’t bother Tubrok either.

”Welcome! Who are you I don't think I heard your introduction.”

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Equipment: Taozin Amulet, Lightsaber
Objective: Survive
Tags: Eskk Jannik

That little.. His gun fire was the tipping point. The sound of the blaster going off brought silence to the plaza as locals and eternals stared at one another. Then the shouting. Then the pushing. The violence. It quickly escalated. Another blaster joined Eskk's. Then it was full on chaos. Kahlil could do nothing but watch. This madman had just damned so many to death so needlessly and recklessly. All to eat the Jedi's brain? How selfish could one be?

The young man weaved through the shots with ease. Aiming them at different places on his body made it far too easy for the Soresu user. Being in the eye of the storm, quite literally. The shots he could turn and twist his body to evade he did just that with. The ones he couldn't? His saber swung around to deflect them harmlessly as he could. Into walls, mostly. Though that would still cause some damage. There was no way to win this.

No way to stop the violence. He took a breath to calm himself once more. He needed to keep this madman from harming anyone else in his mad quest for the Jedi. And with him hiding behind crowds..

Kahlil ran. Without a second though he rushed for one of the alleys to get out of view of his assailant, but never far enough to actually loose him. The last thing he wanted was Eskk to try and find different prey. Just lure him to a place with no other people. That's all. That should be easy. Maybe. Hopefully.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Location: Marshland, Zakuul
Equipment: Lightsaber, Oxygen Tank, Rebreather
Tags: Darth Strosius

The deeper they went, the darker it got. The worse it felt. Alina was certain now as she continued to swim down. She could see the far walls of this hole. Purposely cut. And how cold it was feeling. It wasn't the water's natural temperature. Something dark was here. And it wasn't from the holocron they were searching for. She paused her decent, floating in the water as her gaze turned to look around. Movement. Close to the wall. No, clinging to the wall. The dark shape from before.

She pulled out her saber and lit it. She'd prepared her weapon to be usable underwater, if a bit harder to control. The added red glow shimmered off of a single, large eye. That blinked. Frantically Alina swam back just as the creature reached out. Slimy black tentacles slowly writhed outwards to capture both Acolytes, though Alina sliced through one. That proved to be a terrible idea. From the severed appendage an inky black cloud erupted, choking out their light and leaving them in pure darkness. Panic settled into her heart as even the red blade of her saber could not be seen.

Then she felt it. One of the tendrils wrapped around her leg, sending a jolt of pain ripping through her body. Acidic? She swiped her blade down to cut through it and felt the grip slacken, but the ink only got worse. This was bad. Really, really bad.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Objective: hunt the Jedi

Tags: Kahlil Noble

Now his prey was running. It always came to this. Eskk understood, they felt the need to do everything they could to survive him. Even though it typically only ended in his prey dying tired, Eskk respected them for trying. It would be a lot less fun if they didnt try.

Eskk holstered his pistol and took off after the Jedi. He ran only fast enough to keep pace. He couldve ran faster, but the chase was his favorite part and he didnt want it to be over too soon.

As the Jedi ran, Eskk reached out with the force. With a little pull here and there, he sent random objects like crates directly into the jedi's path. The objective was to slow him down and to make him use more energy than Eskk did.

He knew eventually it would come to a point when there was no more running to be done. Then, he was sure the Jedi would fight. He relished the idea, but until then he had to prepare by making the Jedi do as much as he could to wear him down.

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

Objective: Provide Clarity
Location: N/A
Equipment: N/A
Tags: Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Curtis Learchin | Subject 73 Red | Open


::Oh, I do not believe that will be necessary for you, Ma'am. We have, after all, been in opposition for quite some time.::

The voice from the comlink dropped a shade, some of its preternatural sharpening to ice for a brief moment. When it redirected its focus, however, said cheer returned in force.

::However, I believe the delegation might not be familiar with my work. The Voice of Abbaji, at your service. I estimated that some context would be necessary given the claims of our Imperial guests. For example, while they mention the rebuilding of Bakura alongside that of Bursoll, they wholly neglect the fact that the Empire burnt Bakura to cinders to begin with. They even murdered every member of its leadership, simply for wishing to negotiate the terms of their surrender. For them, rebuilding is not an act of charity. Is merely the process used to turn a graveyard into fuel for the military machine.

Would you like me to provide video? I have several that are quite compelling::