Moves for Protection

[Corey's OOC]

There really wasn’t much he could do right now. Life for the Abrion System Alliance was going pretty decently, the Technate was working out, had a cool fancy name, and his job description was trimmed up a little. There was an assistant for him, so that was fun, actually, a whole gaggle. If he didn’t swing by Hypori for a week or three, the system wasn’t going to crash and burn. That was nice.

And with that, there was so much else [member="Salem Norongachi"] was having done. He moved the Knights Commander position to his apprentice, which was well earned, Raziel was doing quite a bit of work with Intelligence and things felt like they were looking up. Getting rid of the Confederacy and the last pillars there and moving forward.

Still, some things needed to be protected. The Holocrons of Roon, for example. He knew that his boss, the one person he answered to, was in contact with an acquaintance of his, a [member="Darth Janus"]. And the latter man had a plan, one to safeguard the holocrons, maybe in a vault he could swim in and Marek wanted to be there to observe the deal as it went through. The Master in the Knights Obsidian and hopeful Sith was waiting at the docking bay, he wasn’t going to move anything until there was a bigger sense of security and another person who definitely wanted to keep the holocrons safe nearby. He had his pistol and lightsaber on his hips, and was being as patient as he could.

It was nice to not be in a hurry.

And to not having people contacting him, but that could be because his comlink was still in his ship.

Oops.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

Before very long, a large freighter descended into the hangar and landed with a resounding thud. It was a very thickly armored freighter, one which also included redundant shields and reinforced engines. Janus was not a man who liked to take chances. He had purchased the single most heavily defended freighter he could find. In addition, that freighter would be docked into a large Confederate battleship for hyperspace transport to Hypori. From there, it would be moved via stealth transport to an even more secure location within Tionese space.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. The boarding ramp descended, and out stepped Gerion Ardik, Viceroy of Hypori. As per usual he was flanked by MagnaGuards. Instead of the usual two, there were six, and four of them had heavy weapons instead of electrostaves. Again, one could never be too cautious. There was only one man waiting for him in the hangar, whom he recognized as a collaborator of Tion and the Foreman of the Techno Union.

"You must be Mr. Starchaser." Gerion said. He wasn't quite sure if Marek was aware that he was Darth Janus, who was, in fact, the deposed and disgraced Tyrin Ardik. He refrained from introducing himself as a result.

 

[Corey's OOC]

He got word of the ship’s arrival and instead of leaning non-chalantly on a crate of supplies the Foreman-now-Overseer stood to attention. He was familiar with Gerion Ardik in name, and as the Viceroy of the world he was using as the headquarters of his Techno Union Technate… thing. He knew there was something else about this man, but he was having a hard time placing it.

With the six MagnaDroids, Marek knew that these holocrons were important. And going to be well cared for. He was sure that Salem was making a smart choice with this man as the guardian, and for that, Marek was willing to help out. Still, someone from Hypori should be greeted by one of the same, right?

Of course.

“That I am, Mr. Ardik, welcome to Roon. When you’re ready, I’ve been tasked with escorting you down to the vaults.” The whole liability claim thing. Watching someone move important things. It was [member="Darth Janus"], wasn’t it? He couldn’t be sure, but he felt he recognized him from events around Tion.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

Gerion turned briefly, signaling to the landed freighter. A more innocuous droid descended from the ship, pushing a large, reinforced container on a repulsor-lift equipped cart. The container was empty at this moment, but with any luck it would be filled with the three most important holocrons in the possession of the... Whatever the new Abrionian Force Sect was called. Gerion had a hard time keeping up with names.

"Lead on, good sir."

The Confederacy had already mucked up when it lost one holocron and a set of powerful relics. To Jedi, no less. He would not be permitting Abrion to make the same mistake. Not if he could help it.

 

[Corey's OOC]

[member="Darth Janus"]

Well, at least he brought supplies. Marek looked over at the droid and the case. Using his new Q55 MultiTool, Marek took a quick scan of the crate, just for posterity sake, and was hoping he wasn’t offending the Umbaran. It was just a CYA move on his part. The Abrion Sector was not going to be mirroring the Confederacy’s failures, he was going to do what he could to make sure of that.

“This way,” Marek motioned with his hand towards the turbo lift that was now opening. The Force was fun that way.

“So, I’ve been told that we’ll be able to access these holocrons, where are you keeping them?” If he could know, it was more of small talk now that they were in the lift, away form any bugs.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

"Officially, the paperwork will state that they are in a vault on Hypori." Janus explained as they moved along, droid escort marching in rhythm behind them.

He was not at all incensed by the scanning of the crate. It simply meant that the man was being careful. Regarding what, Gerion could not be sure. At least someone took their job seriously enough that they bothered. Unlike the Confederacy, which had allowed priceless relics to be pilfered by Jedi mongrels. How that had managed to avoid sparking an international incident was beyond Gerion.

"This knowledge will be intentionally leaked. In reality, I intend to store them within Tionese space. I am sure you are familiar with the up and coming orbital project. Fake holocrons will be constructed and stored on Hypori, the real ones will be safe elsewhere."

The purpose of the leak was simple enough. It would divert attention from where they would really be held. Gerion also intended to capture, humiliate, and jail the next hair-brained lunatic who attempted to steal precious knowledge from those who had the actual capacity to use it.

 

[Corey's OOC]

So, this was the man he thought it was. As they walked along, Marek nodded. A double blind was smart. Moving them from the Roon Headquarters was good, having fakes on Hypori, one of the most heavily defended worlds in the Sector was even better. Plus, having Marek and [member="Darth Janus"] associated with the latter world was another reason to maybe steer clear, not to mention the Santhe fleet.

And bringing them to Tion, that was security in and of itself. Now that Marek wasn’t oppressed by the concepts and thoughts of Isley Verd on how things could be run, he was given a lot more leeway and ability to run things properly. That was in no small part thanks to [member="Salem Norongachi"]. And it really helped the whole of the Sector Authority handle things better.

“Yes, I’m quite familiar with that project. It’ll definitely be the best place to keep these, so we don’t lose them to anyone.” Jedi, opposing factions, that sort of thing. Tion was gaining traction and backing, it was the best move.

“Besides, some will think they’re on Roon still, others will believe they’ve been moved, it’ll be nice to leave a few trails for the relics.” Because Marek didn’t spend all that much time looking at Holocrons, yet. Who knew where the future would bring him?

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

Janus nodded as they continued on. "There can never be too many false trails to leave around."

"Naturally, to keep up appearances, we will need to grant access to the holocrons if someone among Abrion requests it. Should you and the rest of your rank approve of their perusing the devices, we will transport the real one temporarily to the Hypori vault before transferring it back to the station."

While he certainly didn't like being forced to keep the Knights Obsidian in the loop with regards to the holocrons' contents, it was a necessity. Janus was not particularly optimistic in regards to Abrion's continued existence. Their collapse would free up a lot of worlds for something new and more interesting to take form. Otherwise, Abrion was just the broken shell of an autocracy carved out by one man's loathsome vision. It was little more than the flies buzzing around the corpse. They would eventually leave when the corpse decomposed enough. Then they would scatter and go elsewhere.

 

[Corey's OOC]

That made sense. While Marek was in the business of staying alive, most times sometimes he forgot about keeping relics safe. Though he was getting better with swapping his ships for Tion missions compared to System Authority and Technate work.

Marek was still invested in his position with the System Authority. It gave him purpose and a way to ensure a chunk of the South Systems were being watched and exploited cared for. Some place he didn't have to watch his back. Between here and Tion, really. At least he was out of the hair of the likes of [member="Darth Janus"]. And hopefully in the good graces.

"To be honest. I don't know if they'll even be missed. Adding them to the collection is a good idea. Have a dedicated ship for that one time their requested, or just stall with appointments?" He'd do the latter, of course.

Was it feeling dusty down here?

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

"Likely not. The Nova holocron holds precious little value to individuals. The Dark holocron is also generally overlooked for content."

Gerion continued to speak with Marek even as they boarded the large, armored landspeeder that would take them to the Knights Obsidian headquarters. It was a tight fit, seven droids, two people, and a hovercart. They managed to get in comfortably enough, though. Before long, they were off at a moderate enough speed. He suspected it would be a short drive. Roon had been rather underpopulated prior to becoming Abrion's new capital planet.

Strapping his seatbelt, because safety first, Gerion resumed. "You would know more about how much they would be missed, I believe. I'm not sure how well publicized the holocrons were to the other Knights or whether they were encouraged to use them. As for making them available upon request, they will just have to wait. There is no information located on either holocron that would be useful in an emergency. Besides, it helps to learn patience."

 

[Corey's OOC]

[member="Darth Janus"]

Was it speaking for Marek, or the Knights as a whole, that he couldn’t remember just what Holocrons were stored in the former Templar stronghold? He wasn’t sure, but it very well could be the latter. For knowledge, the Starchaser was the type to learn by doing, and sitting in and activating holocrons wasn’t exactly his style.

The fact that the Techno Union hadn’t produced any clown cars yet was starting to become a troublesome development with Marek. He was going to have to get on his engineers to design something, probably for troop insertion, even if Sasha was trying to sell more and more of her products, for a large team. Something above fire-teams, of course.

“You’re probably safe with the assumption of them not being needed, or used much. I’m sure we’ll have to dust them off before you take them.” Or, even worse, no dust, meaning no one had visited them since the power-grabs of the former Confederacy. She was a dying animal, and Marek was doing his part to try to keep her afloat. And that meant ensuring its safety, and protecting the relics of the state. “And yes, I suppose it does.”

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

Gerion nodded. He was generally right about these things. Though that wasn't to imply they would get any more or less use among the Tionese elite. This was all mostly about the prestige of an all-encompassing holocron collection. Nothing more, nothing less. Glory to Tion, shame to just about everyone else. After a lengthy drive, the armored vehicle slowed to a halt outside the Templar complex.

"Ah, good. We're here."

The back of the vehicle opened up, allowing the droids, the hovercar, and two men to pile out.

"Lead the way. I'm not terribly familiar with the layout of this place."

 

[Corey's OOC]

The holocrons were relics. The Knights Obsidian, and even the Templar, focused more on learning by doing, and the Holocrons weren’t all that much help in that form of a learning experience. For Marek, having them safe, and knowing where they were going, how to get them, was just what he needed. As the vehicle slowed, he nodded.

“Aye.” Simple. Following the droids and the hovercart, Marek nodded. “This way.” He approached the building, they entered the atrium and made their way to the cargo lift. The droids being accompanied by Foreman Overseer, was not something new. Approaching the controls of the lift, he ran his hand down the console until he was under it and pressed the flat black screen, activating the lift to head to the most bottom level.

Should the temple be attacked, the Holocrons would be buried. This was the one idea Marek had after the Templar were chased out and were keeping these in a Tower. This was much more secure.

And... right, small talk?

[member="Darth Janus"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

The group entered the atrium, a lavish and expansive place. A shame it seemed mostly deserted. It was likely that the Knights Obsidian were too busy beating up Templar holdouts or terrorizing the Protectorate to lounge around this place. The absence of more Obsidian Knights was fine by Gerion. The less that were privy to the exact circumstances of the move, the better. They crossed the abandoned floors silently, footsteps echoing through the chamber.

They eventually arrived at a turbolift. Gerion and automated company waited patiently while Marek called it up towards them. When the doors slid open, they stepped inside. Once again crammed into a small space were seven droids, a hover cart, and two adult men. Clearly this was to be a theme of the evening. Once the door's shut and the lift began its descent, Gerion spoke again.

"I certainly hope there are more security measures in place than this."

 

[Corey's OOC]

It was a bit of a concern for Marek, the quiet nature of the temples on Roon. Most of the Knights were out on Rhoujen sponsored training trips. And that meant it was learn by doing. Something he could appreciate. However, leaving the place this empty? He was going to have to sell droids to the Knights Obsidian for protection. One or two of the new HYDRA units per floor, give them each a squad of clankers... That would do nicely. Or getting some attractive Knights to at least reception each floor. That would mix up the 7 droids, a box and 2 men dynamic here.

"I do believe that we have left a few locks and automated cannons to defend the vaults. I regret that I've not been down here in.... months?" But he was a busy Corellian.

"So, be ready. Just in case." That Marek forgot the combinations...

[member="Darth Janus"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

"Understandable."

Gerion sympathized. Being that he was the foreman of the Techno Union and had Tionese obligations, it was hardly as if Gerion could expect Marek to have time to tour useless Templar installations. There were other things infinitely more important to do. However, these holocrons were important for a variety of reasons, and so they would need to be moved out of this dingy old place with inadequate defenses.

His gaze flickered suspiciously over to Marek when the foreman said to be ready 'just in case.' Surely there was no way the Templars-Obsidian Knights-Whatever had installed other defenses without notifying their member base? Gerion did not vocalize these concerns, but merely looked back to the doors just as they slid open.

 

[Corey's OOC]

Really, the faster Marek could get out of the Roon Temple the better. It still had the feeling of the Templar, and while Marek sometimes preferred that, it gave him the ability to be who he wanted and do what he wanted in service to the Force users of the state, he preferred the Knights in their own regard. They came across much more as Force users that were only here to do the soldier work, with the Force.

But still, he had so much else on his plate. Sith training, and his Tionese obligations, that it didn’t even really register to him, what the Knights were doing at any time. And with the Templar messages of love and learning, and not of defense and fighting, there was a lot to be desired.

“Honestly, with the former leader on his crazy time, I’m not sure what could be down here. Extra defenses, who knows? And without a log, I’m not even sure others had come down.” Since the time of Verd. But Marek was trying to speed this trip along. He wanted these artifacts safe, and really, this whole 2 men and a gaggle of droids thing was going to get old.

How many jokes could come out of that?

[member="Darth Janus"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

Gerion supposed he shouldn't be surprised there was no record of the going's-on of this place. He had always suspected the Templar-Obsidian bureaucracy was a malformed, incompetent mess. Especially if Verd was the culprit behind all this nonsensical item hording. Never mind the fact that the reason Gerion was here was to do some item hording of his own. That was none of anyone else's miserable business.

"Well, Verd was scarcely an imaginative man." Gerion declared as he exited the turbolift. His droid retinue followed obediently. "I doubt we will encounter anything too creative."

 

[Corey's OOC]

He was forgetting that there was a team who raided the vaults of Isley Verd. Still, that didn’t mean others weren’t protecting secrets in the depths of the former Templar temple. Had Salem or Atretes gotten down this far? Surely there were so many other concepts and issues that needed tending to before this was handled. He wasn’t going to fault the leaders, but that was because he was in his position for a lot longer than the others. It made things easier to manage, the experience.

And truthfully, his change was a lot more gradual.

“That is true.” He said, as they stepped off the lift. “I know the first bit is the door, getting the stone slabs pushed in just right. Then I remember some sort of identification process.” Hopefully it wasn’t password protected. Something like ‘which wife is your favorite.’

Was it his sister?

[member="Darth Janus"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Marek Starchaser"]

"A door and an electronic lock." Gerion echoed. "Just as unimaginative as I suspected."

At the mention of these meager defenses, Gerion began to stride more purposefully forward. This was child's play. He stopped just short of the massive blast door, gazing upwards at it. He scrutinized it for a few moments, noting the identification scanner nearby. A face scanner or something of the sort. If he were a brute of a man, destroying the door and triggering an alarm would be the primary option, and that would take time and effort. It was also a complete waste of time and require absolutely no finesse.

Fortunately, Gerion was all about finesse.

"Did I ever tell you I have the Telos Holocron?" Gerion asked, stretching out his awareness.

Before long, he could see into the internal structure of the electronics that comprised the blast door and the scanner. Gerion needed no passwords now, no slicing equipment. He could gaze into the very fiber of the electronics' being and then command it to do as he wanted. Like so!

With a benign gesture, Gerion commanded the doors to rumble open. They did so promptly, gears turning loudly as the reinforced doors shifted and slid to either side. Child's play. Thankfully it was not a conventional, primitive, or magnetic lock. That would have required creativity on the part of Isley.

"Lots of neat tricks to be learned there. Unfortunately, I get few opportunities to show them off, so I have to take them where I can."