Operation Infinity | CIS Dominion of Cularin (V, 39)

[Ascendant Muse]

A Calamity has gripped the Confederacy of Independent Systems.​

It is no secret that the greatest strength of the nation is her autonomous horde. While others need to sacrifice their sons and daughters in the name of expansion, the Confederacy only has to expend credits and metal. Thus, her people are safe and free from the lash of warfare. Yet. In recent history, the worst case scenario has come alive. The greatest might of the Confederacy has been infected. A corruption, which has been dubbed the Calamity Virus, has nearly corrupted all of the autonomous horde. Core programs have been rendered inert. Friendly assets now turn against their allies. Droids meant to protect and serve now fire upon those who they are meant to preserve.

And in the wake of this corruption-fueled Rebellion, the Confederacy is gripped by Chaos.

In her most dire hour, the greatest minds of the nation have banded together in order to find a solution. It would not do to simply wage an uphill war against an unending horde - something had to be done to rid their armies of the corruption permanently. Surprisingly enough, the hope for the Confederacy came not from her member worlds, but from a neighbor who had just begun the process of assimilation. Cularin, a relatively untouched world amidst a system of asteroids, reported her troubled neighbor a potential boon. They explained the very nature of the world they called home - that it was alive with the Force and terrifying phenomena occurred quite frequently. And once such occurrence was the subtaneous emergence of a warship.

The behemoth was unlike any other that the natives had seen, and it's arrival was violent. It screeched through the heavens and plowed into the sprawling forests of the world, scattering flame and debris for miles. The natives, having lived under the occupation of several nations in recent history, did not recognize the vessel in the slightest. But their rudimentary scans revealed two truths. One, the vessel was several thousand years old. And Two, a tremendous power was nestled within the carcass of the ship. They theorized that it was an artificial intelligence unlike any they had seen, for all attempts at exploring the remains were met with slammed doors or automated defenses.

However. The greatest minds saw this intelligence as the key to victory. If they could harness this power, they could put its full potential into synthesizing a cure for the Calamity Virus. They could end this threat once and for all. Thus, an expedition was formed out of what assets the Confederate Defense Force could spare. A modest cadre of capital ships now reverted into realspace above Cularin, intent on making the slumbering power their own. But as the earliest scouts began to set foot upon the planet, the Phenomenal nature of the world made its known once again. Manifesting first as an azure wave that swept across the horizon and even into orbit, Cularin bared its teeth against the foreigners.

The wave washed over every man and every woman who now descended upon the distant world. And they would feel no pain. They would know no wound. But they would now look upon a reflection of themselves. Spontaneously Ripped from Time itself. Some find themselves gazing upon younger, more innocent selves. Others found themselves staring at an inevitable future. What quickly became apparent...was that if this tangible "version" of one's self came to harm, that harm would fall upon them as well. If the past perished, so too did the present. If the future perished, so too would the present in the same manner.

But the expedition had to move forward despite this terrifying reality. The fate of the entire Confederacy depended upon it.

S/O to [member="Scherezade deWinter"] for the amazing graphics!

Spoiler: Objectives

As revealed by the first wave, the most intact portion of the ancient vessel is also the most difficult to access. The artificial intelligence is seemingly feeding on an emergency power source, and therefore has armed its automated defenses and slammed every airlock closed. The expedition will have to be creative in order to gain entry and to secure the Precursor AI.

The primary staging area for the operation has been dubbed Camp Dauntless by the first wave of scouts. It is here that many burdened with younger or supremely elderly versions of themselves have come in order to get a handle on the situation. Some are opting to use this time to get to know themselves a little better...whilst others are wracking their brains for a way to send themselves back to where they belong. In either case, Camp Dauntless stands to receive any expedition member who is wounded or otherwise burdened by their temporal reflection.

Cularin has proven herself to be a fickle mistress, touched with the Force. Her sprawling forests and boundless depths are yours to explore! What will you discover upon the distant world?

Spoiler: Tag

[member="A'Runda"]
[member="Aiden"]
[member="Akabane"]
[member="Alexandrite"]
[member="Alora Fae"]
[member="Alwine Lechner"]
[member="Amarant deWinter"]
[member="Amaya Cardei"]
[member="Amethyst Atreides"]
[member="Amethyst Sovereign"]
[member="Andi Americus"]
[member="Anya Malvern"]
[member="Arabella Darkhold"]
[member="Archim Calixis"]
[member="Ari Zanareth"]
[member="Arlox"]
[member="Aston Jacobs"]
[member="Aya Clarke"]
[member="Azmodan"]
[member="Betty Americus"]
[member="Braan Kell"]
[member="Bandit Six"]
[member="Caid Centurion"]
[member="Callisa Asran"]
[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]
[member="Carith Thelcar"]
[member="Chikako Liona"]
[member="Cim Salro"]
[member="Corvus Dravere"]
[member="Daisy Americus"]
[member="Damsy Callat"]
[member="Danger Arceneau"]
[member="Daniel Americus"]
[member="Dalton Kenway"]
[member="Darth Tacitus"]
[member="Darth Zurvan"]
[member="Daxton Bane"]
[member="Derek Dib"]
[member="Dhakarta"]
[member="Dianah Vi'Dreya"]
[member="Drauchir"]
[member="Erin Tenel"]
[member="Fawn Alzi"]
[member="Gerwald Lechner"]
[member="Gray Venasir"]
[member="Isarn Apis"]
[member="Ithiel Verd"]
[member="Jade Isara"]
[member="Jamie Pyne"]
[member="Jennifer Blanchard"]
[member="Jorco Czeku"]
[member="Jorge"]
[member="Jyoti Nooran"]
[member="Kalee Bladesworn"]
[member="Kaptan Americus"]
[member="Karlie Lynn Destat"]
[member="Kasca Fen"]
[member="Katria Vekarr"]
[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]
[member="Kayla Wylen"]
[member="Kilia"]
[member="Kingsley"]
[member="Kip Ridel"]
[member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]
[member="Kurenai Yumi"]
[member="Kwelin Orlov"]
[member="Kyber"]
[member="Kyrinov"]
[member="Kyle Naktis"]
[member="Lady Psyona"]
[member="Lefwen Claskier"]
[member="Lirka Ka"]
[member="Luna Terrik"]
[member="Luna Vega"]
[member="Lyla Quinn"]
[member="Maple Harte"]
[member="Marek Starchaser"]
[member="Minerva Vessia"]
[member="Muad Dib"]
[member="Natasha Darkstar"]
[member="Nine Lives"]
[member="Osintrium"]
[member="Petra Cavataio"]
[member="Qaarssk Roark"]
[member="Razelle Breuner"]
[member="Roy Americus"]
[member="Rylan Kordel"]
[member="Samantha Jade"]
[member="Scherezade deWinter"]
[member="Shalita Vi'dreya"]
[member="Sola Marr"]
[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]
[member="Srina Talon"]
[member="Tex Americus"]
[member="Teyla Ee'everwest"]
[member="Thalira Kiing"]
[member="Tmoxin Temi"]
[member="Traveler"]
[member="Treiades Rhoujen"]
[member="Varick Lechner"]
[member="Veronika Fleischer"]
[member="VildarnTentoria"]
[member="Vyra Silara"]
[member="Xenro"]
[member="Zephyr Carrick"]
[member="Zhai'ellev"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Location: Planets surface
Objective: Heal ‘self’ inflicted gunshot wound
Equipment: In signature
Post: 1

The new robot virus had been such a troublesome matter, such risks like this being the main reason why human crews still existed and why full solace automation was not employed. Droid were just too easy to drive wild and the CIS had been put at the end of just that risking all the progress they had made. Fortunately unlike their predecessors this confederate still maintained a strong and deadly organic strike force, once again Kurenai joining in on another rim world exploration for answers. Only problem, this place came with its own fair share or hurdles, ones that even she had not experienced before.

Kurenai gazed upon the person standing in front of her, hand classped over a gunshot wound in her leg slowly oozing out drops of crimson liquid. Her assalent, a female soilder from the looks, decked out in worn armor, seeming to be a little miss matched and coupled from a battlefield but practical never the lest. A wrist mounted gun like one found on a B2 pointed at Kurenai, smoke flowing from the barrel due to the discharge not a few seconds ago.

A dark force signature emanating from them, a battlefile slung over their shoulder and a saber hilt identical to her own hanging on the side. They had the look of a tried and tested fighter one who had seen many battles but still with much to learn which begged the question why had Kurenai been so easily wounded by them? Simple because the person who had shot her was herself, all but a younger version, most likely when she was only 300 years old, with the appearance of a late teen as opposed to her more mature 20ish appeal. The younger version having a more straight and refined hair style unlike Kurenai current one with half of her fringe hanging over her right eye, but even with these changes the two looked identical.

“Who in the force are you, and why do you look exactly like me”? Came a mirror sounding voice, a small hint of worry but also anger leaking from the words. “What planet is this? Are you some kind of illusion? Answer meaaagh wha-“? Looking down the younger version of herself felt a searing pain as she too now experienced a wound like the one she inflicted, their eyes going wide with confusion of the whole situation. ‘Why was I such an idiot back then’.

Spoiler

Image reference
Current Kurenai-see character bio, first image on right
Young Kurenai (aka Sarah)-fifth image in bio on right

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Location: Cularin Jungle​

Objective: Scouting​

Tags:​

​

This world reminded Cardinal of his own homeoworld. A lush terror that The Force held a firm grip over. The entirety of the jungle that surrounded him screamed that only those who were meant to survive would. In only the past few hours Cardinal had met with a score of ravenous predators that sought to make him their next meal. Why did he always seem to end up on worlds that wanted to eat him? He didn't pay much attention to the thought and merely continued his trek through the wooded path in front of him. This really was a strange world, even for him. The blue pulse that surged over the planet's surface had been the strangest event yet, of course it did not seem to have any noticeable effects.

The only thing that set the hairs on the back of Cardinal’s neck was the feeling of a second presence. Something that had been stalking him with little mind to attack, merely observe. However this presence was wild in nature, too wild to even be compared to the planet’s natives. No, this being was savage. Every so often Cardinal could see the shadows around him shift, or a tree limb quiver from just narrowly being avoided. He was fast, that much was certain. However he did not have good discipline over his body and movements, which made Cardinal believe he was young.

From beneath his helmet his HUD had a momentary alert that lasted no longer than the time it took the Dominus Prime to notice it. The small red blip in the edge of his screen had been a sentient life form notification, this was what caused Cardinal's hand to fall to the hilt of his Greatsword. As his fingers curled around the ebony hilt his eyes closed and he opened himself to the Force. No sooner than his eyes had closed did a deep thumping sound begin to echo around him.

“Ayayay Tua Ka!” A voice called out in rhythmic shouting.

“Ayayay Tua Ka!” The voice called out again but this time Cardinal's eyes would spring open. There was a silence for a shallow moment before that thumping would resume and the older man would pause, stunned into silence.

“What is-”

“Ayayay Tua Ka!” Again the voice called out, this time it felt as if it had closed the distance and was right on top of the Dominus Prime. He lowered the cowl to his cloak and began to look around, almost confused.

“That war call…” He muttered, his hand beginning to loosen it's grip around the hilt of his sword. His arm would have fallen from over his shoulder if a being did not burst through the overgrowth surrounding him, wielding a spear made of stone and wood. The tip of the spear seemed to be dipped into some form of poison and one thing wa certain, The Force surrounded this item.

Cardinal was unable to see the man's face as it was covered with a wooden mask that hung down over his bare chest. Before the spear could make contact with Cardinal’s torso he would slap the face of the blade away, stepping back to avoid the poisoned tip.

“Tua!” His opponent called out while quickly allowing the momentum from Cardinal's parry to spin him into a kick for the Dominus' head. Cardinal brought his arm up to deflect the kick but was surprised when the boy fell short and planted his foot on the ground, his torso bent awkwardly as he returned to Cardinal, aiming the spear for his head. Strafing to the side Cardinal narrowly avoided the blade once again, however the form used against him was becoming more and more familiar.

“Tua…” The man called out, lowering himself to the ground like some animal preparing to pounce on it's prey. The spear, the stance, that word Tua…. All of it was similar, no all of it was something Cardinal had once employed himself. As the savage man moved into a full sprint he closed the distance between Cardinal, bringing his spear to bare against the armored man's skull. “Tu-.”

“M'Tokala!” Cardinal shouted, causing the savage man to freeze in his place, his spear lingering a few inches from Cardinal. The man and Cardinal stood in a silence that threatened to consume the forest, until finally a thick accent in shattered basic spilled from under the mask.

“How you know my name?” The younger man demanded, a voice of agitation and confusion erupting as his free hand went to his mask. He lifted the wooden mask over the crown of his head to reveal an all too familiar, yet youthful face. It had a series of markings over it that hid some features, but the truth behind that was unmistakable.

“Because it used to by my name.” Cardinal responded, tapping a button on his gauntlet. His helmet would dematerialize back into it's host around his neck. He would stand there, allowing his thick braids to flow down over his shoulder while his crimson eyes peered at the boy. It was those eyes, the silently corrupted eyes of their blood like that made it obvious. Cardinal was staring at a young version of himself.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Location: Cularin Jungle
Objective: Survey this Evil Ship thing & not die

Allyson sat by the ship that brought them to this planet. Rumors were that the Confederacy was dealing with something that was specifically right up her alley. Creepy AI taking over the machines of the faction and the area, yeah sounded about right. Allyson shook her head a few times, trying to get a grip on things, ever since they had arrived planet side an odd buzzing echoed in her mind. It was as if someone had reached in and shoved a buzzer into what felt like the deepest part of her brain.

Times like this made her thank her luck that she hadn’t gotten any cybernetics, despite her contemplation of them. Rolling her shoulders back she loaded up her gear and adjusted the power suit she was wearing. At least if whatever was buzzing around the area, she would be able to fend it off before it hacked into her suit.

Finally, after everything was cleared and ready, Allyson looked around for her partner. She wasn’t going to be going at this alone, so she called out, “You ready to go?” A hand played with the grip of the shatter pistol she carried, while she waited for a response.

 

[Taffy]

There was no answer, only the sound of soft squeaking in the background. The squeaking then grew louder, until the small form of the female Corellian was completely overshadowed.

"Master Locke, reporting as ordered!"

Right behind her was the rotund form of Taffy, standing at attention. He would have regrouped on the Goddess sooner, had it not been for an emergency reboot. A short while earlier, a strange ecological disturbance had nearly compromised his systems, requiring a soft reset. All in all, it took only a matter of moments, his tachyonic processors blindly fast. Following the reboot, a whole 12 seconds, like an eternity for the avatar, was devoted to intense diagnostic scans. Nothing was found to be amiss on the hardware front, while pyrowalls were holding, no sort of attacks detected by the opposing AGI in the area. However, that was all sure to change once Taffy as his master finally made contact. Then his real prowess would be put on display.

Taffy's head began from side to side, taking in its surroundings.

"I am picking up on a number of electromagnetic anomalies within the area, which are affecting my onboard chronometers. I'm switching to celestial navigation and remote guidance to compensate. I detect our target vessel approximately 2.75 kilometers southwest of our current position. I also detect active scanning, presumably to track any potential intruders."

Despite its wrecked state, the alien warship had proven to be quite formidable, already wiping out the first waves of recovery teams before them.

"How do we proceed? Shall I activate my ECM suite?"

[member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Location: Cularin Jungle
Objective: Survey this Evil Ship thing & not die

Allyson hid her face as she chuckled at the squeaking of the droid’s body as it moved towards her. It was a hilarious sound especially after knowing where the AI came from that powered the big marshmallow. Allyson looked on the droid’s face as it went through a small reboot, she could feel it through the force just like another person. Oddly enough she found more comfort with the mechanical aspect of the Force. Musing and waiting, she looked at her watch and then a map that was roughly generated from their landing.

“Celestial navigation is probably your best bet good choice Taffy.” Allyson sighed softly as she listened to the rest of the droid’s summary of the situation. An index finger scratched lightly at her cheek as she thought trying to figure out what to do next. That ship had destroyed the first contact, so what chance did she have?

“ECM, I think we’re okay for now. Don’t activate. Um, you think we can get through the scan?” There was an even better question, as Allyson started to head out. “Come on Taffy, lets get moving towards the ship. What’s the radius of the scan and can you sense anyone else around us?” A part of her wondered if the droid’s squeaky body was going to call attention to them, it was going to be hard to transport him around.

“Uh how fast can you move [member="Taffy"]? Well how fast can you move without squeaking?”

 

[Taffy]

"Even just walking I can move faster than the average human can run at their top speed," Taffy reported.

To highlight his point, he circled her several times at a rapid pace, bouncing over the jungle floor with each step. His movement was so fast that it was sure to cause her hair to blow around from the breeze he kicked up. His squeaking was especially loud.

He landed right before her at attention once more, belly level with her head.

"You told me not to activate my countermeasures, but they include an electro-optic shroud and sound dampeners that will suppress the squeaking by 98.45% - in common vernacular you may call this 'stealth'. Shall I activate countermeasures then?"

[member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Location: Cularin Jungle
Objective: Survey this Evil Ship thing & not die

The marshmallow moved quickly, and she laughed. The AI and the droid were something else and felt the wind bow against her face. Arms crossed she listened to his explanation of his functions especially the ECM. Nodding, Allyson figured until they were in any real threat the ECM wasn’t’ needed. Waving her hand, she motioned for the droid to stop doing what he was doing.

This was until something felt odd. Raising an eyebrow, Allyson looked over in the direction of the warship. As she looked, she remembered the little display from Taffy. The ship was consistently doing a scan for danger and she face palmed. “Taffy…” Allyson looked back towards the sky and watched as streaks of what she could only assume were missiles.

“Taffy! I think its time for that ECM to be activated.”

[member="Taffy"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Location: Planets surface
Objective: Argue with self
Equipment: In signature
Post: 2

The younger version of herself (Sarah) continued to stare in confusion, eyes darting between Kurenai, mainly the bulllet wound on her leg and the identical wound on her own. “This, this is not natural, I know you did lot have a weapon drawn nor did I sense any danger, how did I get this wound in my leg”? Her voice seeming to have calmed a little bit still showing signs of agrivation and caution. “Sarah calm down and lower your weapon before you do somthing you can regenerate from, any damage done to me effects you understand, that is why there is a hole in your legs well was a hole”.

Both of them having healed from the small encounter, but now instead of slugs Sarah was shooting questions at Kurenai in rapid succession. “How do you know my name? Or that I can regenerate and why does shooting you effect me, you some sort of magic user? Seeing into my mind”? It was good to see herself was carful and prudent in nature but also was really annoying, no wonder she had so much trouble making friends back then. “It is because I am you Sarah, just an older more wise and not as rash version, I am not sure why you are here or how but it has something to do with this planet”. “Besides if I was a magic users you would have felt it, that and no magic can make you suddenly vanish from existance and appear on a whole nother planet”.

The teenager looking woman stared at Kuerneia for what felt like forever before lowering her weapon, letting out a small sigh, “...how old now”? Her voice now somber and stale, “885, it’s been hell to get here, there is plenty more crap to go through but I can say it is worth it... but that is not what matters we have to regroup with the others and sort this mess out, if anyone asks your 18 and I’m 42, got that”. “42? Really how in the froce does anyone believe that? You don’t look a day older than 30”. Kurenai turned around giving a coy smile, “You would be surprised by how dumb people are these days, but being Atrisan helps, so does Sasori products”. “Sasori? What’s that”.

Suddenly her smile faded, that would be a problem, her younger self would have no knowledge of the current time, she would not know anything about what happened in the last 500 years. “This will be problematic, just for the time being let me do the talking okay”? Sarah gave a small nod, able to understand the issue before the two started to make haste towards the nearest force signature.

( [member="Allyson Locke"], [member="Taffy"] or [member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"], who ever would like to join in)

 

[Alwine Daye]

Wearing: Obsidian type Strike Armor | "Executor" Boot Exclusive
Wielding: Obsidian Knight Sword
Location: Camp Dauntless
Tags: TBD

Alwine was… Not entirely certain why she was here. As other members of the Knights Obsidian went ahead to course through the jungles the planet had to offer, her own orders had been to remain behind. She was pretty chit at healing the wounded though, but she supposed perhaps sooner or later there was a danger of something infiltrating the camp. At least, so she hoped. Sitting around doing nothing was boring and left too much space for thoughts to crowd and gather.

Even the rounds she was assigned to do, she was assigned to do alone. No other Knights around her. She kept walking, not pausing for a moment, waiting for the second in which her thoughts finally switched off. But it was not to be.

Coming to an abrupt pause in her path, Alwine stared. In front of her stood a little girl, wearing a clean brown smock, blonde wisps of it coming out of the cap she wore, and a white apron covering part of her front. The girl looked at her, her big brown eyes… She knew that look. She knew that angle of the chin, that had been calculated over many nights until she discovered the highest point she could hold it at without being beaten. That glint in the eyes of an animal that could not be tamed but was still imprisoned, wary.

Had she truly already been that way at such a tender age?

Alwine knew she should have been freaked out at the sight of her younger self. But she was not.

"Raise your chin, lotha uss," she said with a gentle smile to herself, "Ud'phuul naut pholor Stewjon jala velendev."

The little girl nodded, and rose her chin. Alwine took the last few steps towards her, removing that stupid cap. How she had hated the cap her entire life. She hated having hair that reached below her rump as well, but she would not cut a girl's hair without the girl asking for it.

"Did you ask to be here?" older Alwine asked. Little Alwine shook her head, remaining quiet. "You are safe with me, nonetheless. Do you know who I am?" the little Alwine nodded, "then know that you must ensure. You find a way off Stewjon when you are nineteen, though it does feel like it would take forever."

---

Lotha uss - Little one
Ud'phuul naut pholor Stewjon jala velendev - We are not on Stewjon any longer.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Location: Cularin Jungle
Objective: Scouting
Tags: [member="Kurenai Yumi"]

It was a shame Cardinal did not have the time to entertain his younger self. The two were like night and day and Cardinal would have liked to bridge that gap, however he did not have the time to do such a thing. He did not even have the luxury of wondering just how a perfect image of his younger self had just popped up in the middle of this jungle. The Force flowed oddly around this world so it's no surprise that such a thing would happen, yet it was still a distracting thing to deal with.

"Tunaenda Owapi." That same voice called out from behind him. Cardinal glanced back to see the boy had placed that wooden mask back over his face but was chasing after his older self earnestly.

"One of my soldiers is nearby. I am going to regroup with her before pressing on." He returned his cowl over his helmet, keeping his hands firmly clamped on his weapon as he did.

"What is a soldier?" The boy asked, this time his voice dripped with pure curiosity.

"A Shujaa." Cardinal corrected, realizing that the term soldiers did not have a direct translation in his native tongue. As the language was very simple and rarely diversified there were only a few words that had similar meaning but contrasting sound. Cardinal stopped when he saw an extremely large tree that had overgrown a large boulder. This had been a meeting point for a team of the Knight's. One that [member="Kurenai Yumi"] would have learned about in her own briefing before being deployed to the world. Tapping the side of his helmet, he let his comm line open up to her frequency.

"Knight Yumi, I've made it to the rendezvous point. Make your way here but be careful. I am still not sure as to what all this world holds." Looking back to the small boy Cardinal realized he would have to merely explain that when the Knight arrived. He watched his younger self walk over to the tree and begin to climb it with some degree of talent. It had been years since Cardinal could climb a tree like that, in his years he had gotten much bigger and many branches would not support him with his armor on.


**
"Where do we go?"

"A Warrior."

 

[Lirka Ka]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Violence had been the overarching theme of Lirka's life for almost all of her existence, this "calamity virus" was no different. She tore droids apart without mercy, her guardians had proved truly impressive. Yet even as they reaped a bounty worthy of any cantina across the bounty, they were not invincible: they all bore scars and where there had once been five? Now down to four, Ankre had been his name: an attentive soul, solemn as every other of the Honor Guard. For his blade was the calculated one...and those calculations meant little when he was shredded by a tank. An aura of utter devotion, and an unquenchable thirst for vengeance lingered in the air: for even in their brief time together Lirka had grown attached to her little group of Honor Guard. It reminded her of times past, back when things were maybe just a little simpler: and she showed this, as the Sephi made her way through this ancient vessel more than just her metal boots clicked against the metal: a broken piece of armor neigh bigger than her palm, runes carved into it with an artists grace. A reminder, a motivation, maybe she was just growing sentimental...sentimental for when things were easier, that life-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"The life you abandoned."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Bold. Few dared speak to Lirka in such a tone, especially after she had proven to be moodier than usual. But it strange more than anything else, something that could see into her thoughts. A force cultist? Spinning on her heels, red hair flying she turned to face whoever this person might be[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Who dares!?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Snarling Lirka turned to look at...herself?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Purity looked back at her, eyes as blue and striking as diamonds...her eyes, no malice within them: they were filled with hope, true compassion, filled with [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]naivety. [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]Her hair, a black that never quite matched her eyes (red matched them even less so) was left long, a swirling dress made by the finest artisans of Thustra adorned her figure. Her old self stunk of wealth, of royalty, not hatred and battle wounds that never truly would heal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]I [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]dare, you look back on a life you abandoned. A world you left to [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]burn [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]when the Mandalorians came, stole our home, and where were you? Laying drunk in some cantina where the booze ran free and cheap? Slaughtering for nothing but the thrill? Or lounging among the skulls and blood of Choah? Disgraceful.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Even in her youth, Lirka was always a hothead: none of it seemed out of place, a conviction so strong: yet to be broken into nothingness, left to dust and dreams.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“A life we weren’t meant to live!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“A life you ran away from like a coward.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]A life I knew I wasn’t made for!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Lirka had gotten mad now, swinging one of her gauntlets at the aspiration: she hit nothing but air, the girl was behind her then: shaking her head in nothing but contempt and disappointment:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Look at you, you’re an animal, scum. A tool, [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]you think you control your life? You control nothing, you rule nothing, you are a hound, you are no better than a dime a dozen mercenary: you were then and you are now: and to think, we could’ve made a difference in this Galaxy for the better! All you leave is a trail of bodies, despair, carnage![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Each word felt like she was being stabbed, her armor protected her nothing as she could feel a burning within her...it felt real. Like knives pierced through her skin, as if each insult opened up another scar. A new voice appeared, older…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Across the Galaxy time and time again, looking for what? A thrill? We always were just a hedonistic brat, weren’t we?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Lirka went to look at an older version of the young princess, where there had once been long flowing hair there remained only small remnants: cut short and the dress replaced with what one would expected from the denizens of scum, a vest, a knife kept close...when she hunted for purpose. But did that hunt ever end?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Because a pit was going to just come and appear for us, wasn’t it!? Now be quiet you little runts!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Yes, yes, be quiet: always be quiet, you push away what you never want to know. Like our gifts, no?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]A wicked grin appeared across the face of the much younger Sephi, where once there was purity now there was a hint of pure wickedness: the Dark Side, eyes that had tasted the sweetness of the first kill...all the more like herself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“The tools of cultists and weakings!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“The tools of those that are stronger than you’ll ever [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]be, and that scares us: isn’t that write? You’re just a scared little girl, because you know as well as we all do: your bravado is [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]worthless[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt], poor poor Ankre learned that didn’t he? You are not the enfailable warrior queen, you are just another Underworld rat who got too big for her boots! What queen lets her “ever loyal subjects” be slaughtered? Torn apart, but where my manners “Tia Cel”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The young woman responded with a spiteful laugh, Lirka had heard enough. Snarling like an animal she ignited her Klaive, swing a vicious arc downwards to hit not but air again: her weapon easily slicing through the floor and leaving itself embedded in the ancient ship.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Such a temper! It got us so far, didn’t it? Gave us so much sweet sweet violence.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Lirka wasted no time with returning the jest, heaving the two meter tall blade out of the ground with a grunt: and as if it weighed nothing swung it through her younger self: as if the apparition would truly care about the weapon, though somewhere deep in Lirka’s mind she knew she had to beat these...things. These falsehoods. So amusing, so violently she swung and fought against herself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Kill everything that upsets us! Brush off what proves us wrong! Like any proper hound should!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The apparition laughed as it melted and warped away into simple nothingness: but another voice came soon after, oozing with nothing but the disappoint she had become all too familiar with.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“And just like any good hound, even when you taste success you abandon it on a whim for little more than a childish hunt for violent hedonism.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The next Lirka oozed of fame, of violence, a pit fighter champion that may have reached Galactic levels. Another life abandoned on the whim of boredom before entering off into service as a mercenary and her training on Anzat: so much lost to the win, a career that had spanned decades. And on that whim everything she had gained during it was lost just as fast.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Blood, wine, and everything we desired was at our fingertips: and at what cost? Violence. To slaughter for the crowds to see, to meet and kill the most exotic creatures in the Galaxy! Experience true fame! Embrace the sweetest of rewards. But that’s boring, isn’t it? Becoming a subservient rat was so much more appealing.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Disappointment turned to anger as the last part was practically spat out against what Lirka had become: it all felt like a hundred, neigh, a thousand daggers were piercing into her flesh as her mind burned. And soon it became the trend as more and more appearing, droning on in unison: visions of fame, success, what could’ve been and what things had been.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]A thousand failures. A thousand faults. A thousand piercing blades. Lirka would have none of it! Screaming out she went into a crazed slashing with her blade, but she found little energy so quickly...she grew weaker, weaker, and weaker: her rage simmered, before turning into a burning inferno within her as these vile apparitions droned on. Uncaring and unrelenting, Lirka felt like she was being drowned under the weight of raw [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]failure[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]But the Dark Side fed on anguish, the hatred and wrath that burned in her soul. And like a volcano ready to burst it built up more and more, and then it was all let out in one violent cry: a Force Scream unlike any she had unleashed before, throwing her head back at roaring to the Galaxy. Crushing machinery around in her in this raw bout of the Dark Side. Machinery crunched, pipes burst, it felt as though Lirka’s very being screamed with her. And in a sense, it did.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]And once it was done? She was left in simple debris and darkness, no sight of the dozens of apparitions that had so violently assaulted her mind. No wounds on her body, and not even a lick of pain coursing through her body.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]The force worked in strange ways. [/SIZE]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

​

Location: Camp Dauntless [ [member="Alwine Lechner"] ]
Boo Heavenshield: Jedi Lightsaber | Amphistaff
Boo Chiyo: Sith Lightsaber

[ who am i supposed to be? ]​

​

If he could handle the logistics of managing supplies on board [member="Coren Starchaser"]'s Event Horizon, then he could handle getting people re-stocked or equipped for jungle excursions.

Particularly now that there were two of him. The Confederates and refugees passing through Camp Dauntless doubtless thought that the pair of Pantorans were identical twins.

The young Heavenshield wore black. The weapon of a Jedi Knight hung at his side, radiating with the natural energy of a kyber crystal recovered from among the ancient ruins of Rhen Var. The lightsaber seemed more a symbolic icon than it was a weapon. He was, after all, a Heavenshield. That made him Jedi by association, if nothing else. And the aura of the Dark Side of the Force radiating from the blue-skinned youngling was nothing it not an indicator that there was nothing Jedi about him. Adding to that perception, a Yuuzhan Vong biot draped and coiled about the child's slight form. A constant companion since the mission to Sernpidal.

His reflection wore white, bearing the lightsaber of a Sith acolyte. A utilitarian device that had been destroyed during the mission to Elrood, some time ago. The spectre of himself appeared as he had when he had first escaped the One Sith and found salvation, both physical and spiritual, in the Primeval. Judging by his reaction, this version of himself had not yet encountered the Yuuzhan Vong. That meant that this was more likely Boo around the time of the murder of Asaak Tey on Bastion.

Outwardly, the pair were indistinguishable from one another. A strange thing, indeed, because there was at least a twenty year gap between the day when Boo Chiyo had served the Golden Banners of the Host Lord and today.

But the youngling in white lacked the unnatural presence of the boy in black, which was where the differences began to emerge. Compared to the boy in black, the one in white seemed naive. The boy in white thought like a child. The boy in black was a predator. A terentatek in bantha's clothing, presence exuding corruption with the Dark Side poison running through his veins like venom.

The two boys conversed back and forth, their language peppered with the pidgin of Old Huttese that was a common tongue for the Primeval.

Strange to think that each was a foil for the other.

Boo Heavenshield. A boy with a family. To his younger self, whose life had been a struggle to raise himself from out of the Coruscant Undercity, such a thing was magnificent to consider. It was hope for a good end, seeing only the family and none of the scars and wounds it had cost him.

Boo Chiyo. To the corrupted Sithspawn, it was intimidating to be so palpably reminded of the time before the incident at Dromund Kass. When he'd been free of the Dark Side. When he'd been something substantially more human.

On the plus side, the fact that there were two of him gave the young Heavenshield someone his own age to play with. A fact that he'd learned not to take for granted.

Part of him wondered what [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] would say if presented with two Boos?

It might very well be what finally broke whatever remained of the man's sanity, much as it had Azi -- who was one very confused snake over the fact that she was seeing double. Particularly as the other Boo was skittish and unfamiliar with her.

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Location: Planets surface
Objective: Talk with [member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]
Equipment: In signature
Post: 3

(Young Kurenai)
(Current Kurenai)

The sudden beep from her comlik caused the two indentical looking women to couch down, mostly on instict then anything else, "you still use that old thing? I swear it should be long dead by now", her younger version mocked. "If you treat things with care and keep constant maintenance you would be surpised by how long they last, anyways let me take this call". Placing a finger to her ear both of the women listened in to the message [member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"] sent out. "Roger that moving out, ETX 5 minutes".

"Since when if you last name Yumi? to many people picking up on your original one or you just wanted to change things up", Sarah asked with a cocked head, "no, I just got married is all, Yumi is my husbands last name". "Wait wait wait wait, you are married now? like married married?" Sarah asked with a shcoked expression. "Yep wedding and everything, have 4 children now, another one on the way soon", she replied with a stoic tone of voice, she knew that her younger self was going to act like this. "C-ch-CHILDREN? what the hell happened to hiding yourself and not letting the fact you are a vampire one of the most hated and deadly creatures in the galaxy come to light, are you telling me that people now know about that". Sarah had moved forwards grappling Kurenai by the collar and though seemingly younger was still quite strong.

In repsonse Kurenai backhanded Sarah, laving a red mark on her pale cheek, "calm down and shut up, only very few people know, I've managed to convince them I am human for the time being, but to be honest Sarah we can't keep doing this". "Living the way we have over the last hundreds years has been exhausting, the moment I had married there were so many new things I got to experience, besides I now know what I am, who my parents were I come from". Sarah stare at Kurenai, stunned for a few moments before letting go of her, taking a small step back, "if you say so, who am I to argue with myself... I would ask more questions but to be honest, I'd rather find out for myself, so what next"?

"Next we meet up with my commanding officer and try and figure out what the fuck is going on here, and again is anyone asks, Abigail is our actual name, getting you to remember and respond to Kurenai will be to hard, if people ask, then we tell them the truth". Sarah gave a small nod before the two soldiers made haste towards the tree, in but a few minutes the pair spotting two figures, one being the unmistakable Dominus, the other most likely a younger version of himself.

Landing Kurenai wasted no time snapping a quick salute, Sarah following suit, "Knight Yumi here, ready and awaiting orders sir".

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Location: Cularin Jungle​

Objective: Meet with Kurenai​

Tags: [member="Kurenai Yumi"]​

​

As expected it only took a moment for Kurenai to respond to Cardinal's summons. Once he released the comm pad on the side of his helmet, M'Tokala tossed a small rock down towards Cardinal, striking the side of his helmet.

"Hey, why do you wear that thing?" The younger man called out from his place in the tree. Cardinal realized that he had never seen armor as a boy and certainly not a set as advanced as what he wore now. The Master-Obsidian Strike Armor was an impressive attire to be seen by someone as primitive as M'Tokala. The boy peered at Cardinal searchingly while the older man returned the gaze from behind the soulless faceplate of his helmet.

"The armor is designed to protect me and help me in a fight." He explained, before tapping the side of the tree softly. "Get out of the tree. You're vulnerable at that position." The boy made an unfriendly sound that resembled a mix between a hiss and a scoff before dropping down from the branch he had been sitting in. "So why am I here?" His barefeet slapped against the surface beneath them while he asked the question that had been running through Cardinal's mind. Silence came in response as Cardinal actually had no clue what was going on. "The Force brought you here." Was all he could muster in response, however before the boy could begin the thousand questions that were sure to follow Cardinal held up a hand in a motion of silence.

M'Tokala crossed his arms at the gesture before returning one of his own that meant something a bit more explicit. Once Kurenai broke through the foliage that surrounded the clearing Cardinal exhaled at what he saw. A small woman stood at her side and seemed to even resemble her. So Cardinal had not been the only person effected by this odd phenomenon after all. At least it would save him the trouble of explaining his double standing beside him.

"Well, looks like we'll be having some company for this trip." Cardinal glanced down to the boy, gesturing to the woman before them. "Look, we can't get you back where you came from by standing here playing a game of questions. I can imagine what may have something to do with this. Scout ahead, North. You'll know what you're looking for when you see it."

M'Tokala stared up at the man before nodding silently. He glanced back to the two women before pull his mask back on and turning into the forrest. Almost immediately he disappeared from sight into the thick before them. Turning back to Kurrenai Cardinal gestured towards the path his younger self has taken. "Let's move." He turned down the path himself and as they began making their way through the jungle the man kept a steady pace. "I sensed a pulse in The Force but I never imagined this was what would come from it. They aren't just illusions or visions. They're actually here, like they've been shifted out of time."

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Location: Planets surface
Objective: Talk with [member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]
Equipment: In signature
Post: 4

(Young Kurenai)
(Current Kurenai)

Upon reaching closer proximity to Cardinal both Kuernai and Sarah spotted the strange teenager next to him, both concluding that he must have been a younger and slightly childish by his action and over all mannerisms. "Company, I assume you mean our younger counterparts, at least it gives us some extra fire power if something else somehow made it's way here, like a rancor baby and it's grown up self from the future". Though she could not fully gauge how strong Cardinal's younger self was one could easily tell they were a decent fighter. Along with knowing how many wars Sarah had been through already and with both herself and Cardinal's actual skills the small squad would be quite the force to deal with.

Keeping to the side both women observed the Knight leader as he discussed their next plan, mainly directing his attention to is younger self, a fact that probably would never become normal no matter how long they stayed around for. The two raising an eye brow at the sudden disappearance of Carindals double, seemed in his youth the man was quite the stealth operative of sorts, interesting to know.

Starting their trek she listened intently to the worlds of the Sith lord, c0cking an eyebrow at the latter mention of their doubles being real, "yes I am quite aware, considering the fact I more or less shot myself", she remarked, looking back to Sarah. "Thought that is not all, as soon as I suffered that gun shot my counterpart also became damaged in the exact same way, almost identical, it would appears that any physical harm that comes to us or them is reflected to the other". "I suggest that you keep close tabs on your younger self Cardinal, least die from some other unexpected way if anythin lethal should befall our new scout".

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Camp Dauntless
Near: [member="Alwine Lechner"] | [member="Boo Heavenshield"] | [member="Boo"] Chiyo

Silver clashed with silver. Almond shaped pools ran deep with distrust whilst she looked upon a small child that could have been any of the females in her family. Echani were woefully unoriginal with their genetic makeup. All the children looked nearly identical to their parents. A family unit could easily be identified simply by the cut of their jaw. The shade of their eyes. Height. More than that, traditions, hairstyles, and even the stances they used in combat were also identifiers.

Srina knew herself. She couldn’t follow the eyes that stared so defiantly back toward her. The fire in her had yet to truly become ice. She couldn’t quite tell how old this strange version of herself was. Eight? Ten? Either way, it was long before her training in Larinkáoi. “How old are you?”

The question was met with silence. That was more familiar. She could feel the young mind pressing against her own, angry, and without a care that they were essentially arguing with themselves.

“Old enough.”

“That is not what I asked.”

“You don’t just look like Mother—You sound like Mother.”

Srina found the urge to suck the air between her teeth to avoid responding in a way that would be unbecoming of her station. The Exarch of the Confederacy would not be unseated or moved by a pint-sized version of herself. This simply would not happen. Rather than respond, the taller woman stared, and stared, until the child broke beneath the weight of it. “Eight—”

“—And a half.”

“You will remain in this tent. You know what happens when you get hurt.”, the elder version of Srina emotionlessly scolded there other. There was a bright red mark either of their cheeks where ‘Rini’ had punched her, rather solidly, when she wasn’t looking. Rini didn’t like to be told what to do any more than Srina did. Only, the younger had none of the elder woman’s restraint.

The Exarch didn’t give her younger self a chance to respond and walked briskly away from the scenario. It was quickly growing troublesome and she had no idea how to get the smaller copy of herself back where she belonged. Why couldn’t she behave?

Srina never remembered being such a willful bratty child.

“I can fight. You know I can. Why do I have to stay behind while you figure things out? Srina? Srina? SRINA?”

“Lower the decibels Rin.”

[SIZE=11pt]Srina was slowly deciding that she was not cut out to deal with children. Not even when it was a version of herself. Her niece, [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]whom[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] had passed, was one of the few tots she had the capacity to care for. Aela had been sweet. Smart. Rini was smart. In a way that made Srina want to feed her dish soap. As distracted as she was by the constant nagging she almost walked into a pair of identical twins. They looked…Different. Felt, different. Like yin and yang. "I will pay both of you two to keep this child out of trouble.” And far, far away from her. [[member="Boo Heavenshield"] | [member="Boo"] Chiyo][/SIZE]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

​

Location: Camp Dauntless [ [member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"] ]
Boo Heavenshield: Jedi Lightsaber | Amphistaff
Boo Chiyo: Sith Lightsaber

[ who am i supposed to be? ]​

​

The pair of Boos were running through the camp.

To be completely honest, neither paid any attention or had even noticed the lady. Even when they nearly collided, the pair of Pantorans seemed ready to just duck around and continue onward. Instead, it was Azi -- the amphistaff coiled around the one boy -- who looked up in acknowledgement of the woman's presence.

Mew.

As the curious biot took note of the lady, the snake-like weapon reared up. As it did, it's coils tugged against the one Boo's neck. Skidding to a stop, the boy reached up to pull the snake back down. Which was the first time that he realized there was someone standing there.

The second Boo, realizing the first had stopped, was jogging back toward them.

[SIZE=11pt]"I will pay both of you two to keep this child out of trouble."[/SIZE]

The snake-laiden boy's head went back slightly. That seemed a very odd salutation. "Uh... hi?" the young Heavenshield chirped. No, he wasn't certain.

The other Boo interjected himself between the two. "He means 'yes'," the other boy supplied. Visions of credits were dancing in his eyes.

Pulling the amphistaff from off of his shoulders, the young Heavenshield tossed the snake like a lasso to hook the other Boo and yank him out of the way. Stepping back in front, the boy asked, "Wait, what child?"

That was probably an important detail in all of this.

 

[Bestion Darklighter]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Location: [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]On the fringes of [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Camp Dauntless[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Objective: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Maintain perimeter infrastructure[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Wearing:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Orange Space Suit[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] with tool belt and rapelling gear.[/SIZE]

​

[SIZE=10.5pt]Few things stopped the heart in sheer awe more than the sunset of binary white dwarves on a world of lush greenery. With sheens of blue and purple glistening against the treetops and cliffsides, the landscape left Bestion Darklighter more breathless from the view than the uphill hike he had undergone to see it. His eyes fixated outward, just past the orderly expanse of hardwood and foliage, where the ghostly bodies of Rennokk and Tilnes loomed over a jagged monolith. And though he wore an environmental suit that shielded him from the elements, the world before him left him feeling completely exposed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]A strange sensation had washed over him as he stood over the edge of a cliff and stared unblinkingly at the forest below. A sensation, he felt, that was both exceedingly natural and uncomfortably unnatural at the same time. It was as if he had become, for the first time, aware that he existed within a pool of water and that he could feel the water shifting with every move. But the water didn’t just surround him. It was him, and he was it. His sense of individuality was both shattered and reinforced in a way that was as confusing as it was enlightening. He felt…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“I feel…” Bestion muttered to himself, letting the end of the sentence hang. Or, at least, he imagined it was to himself. The cliff had a way of amplifying even the slightest of sounds and his voice carried on in whispy echoes. Fortunately, Bestion had a companion who did not hesitate to make Bestion aware of this fact.[/SIZE]

​

[SIZE=10.5pt]"Yeah, yeah, less feeling, more doing, doughboy." Scoffed the sharp tongue of a scout named Lem. He was a thin sort of man who, unlike Bestion, felt no need to be encumbered with the trappings of an environmental suit on what seemed to be a perfectly habitable planet. While he was equipped with the same hiking and rappelling gear, Lem was comfortable wearing an olive drab jumpsuit and a standard helmet over his tufts of thin blonde hair. His short stature and bone-thin structure made him light and quick. A proper formed scout, Bestion noted, and an attitude befitting a man who knows it.[/SIZE]

​

[SIZE=10.5pt]He knelt and dug a metal spike into the ground, giving the top of it a firm kick until he heard the expected gassy pop and metal clang. Satisfied, he drew a rope through a loop at the top of the spike. “We have twenty minutes before the next landing crew comes in. You’re going to have to haul ass once we’re down there. Can you handle it?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Bestion gave a confident nod and drive his own spike into the ground. He made a failed attempt to wiggle it, nodded once more with satisfaction, then attached the harness. Paying little regard to the scout, Bestion walked backward, keeping the tension on his rope and testing the fastenings several more times before his feet reached the edge of the cliff[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Lem, meanwhile, had already managed to begin his descent. He called up to Bestion with a booming echo that satisfied the needs of a man who liked to hear the sound of his own voice. “I don’t think I made myself clear. Hauling ass is a phrase commonly used to indicate the need to move quickly.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Fortunately, for Bestion, the roll of his eyes was one of the few things not echoed on the cliffside. He leaned back over the edge and pushed off, feeling his weight drop off into near free-fall. Once again, the water shifted around him, carrying him gently down until his feet made a firm but graceful contact with the rocky wall in front of him.[/SIZE]

​

[SIZE=10.5pt]"Not bad, big man, not bad." The voice of Lem spoke in Bestion's helmet. Why he had switched to coms was anyone's guess. "Fifty feet to go. Don't look down." He taunted out a laugh.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]It was only fitting that what would have been an otherwise peaceful and relaxing job had to be ruined by a loudmouthed egoist, but Bestion attempted to make the best out of things. He let himself swing again, this time soaring past Lem before gracefully landing beneath him. Two more leaps and Bestion found himself hanging just over a ledge.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]This time, it was Lem’s turn to soar past. With a grunt, he took a big swing away from the wall and overshot Bestion, disconnecting his harness from the rope with a primal howl and landing hard on the ledge.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]“Woooooooo!” The man’s voice echoed as he stood up from the landing, raising his arms in the air. “See that, big man? [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]That’s[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] what a [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]pro[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] looks like!” He dusted himself off, proudly, then looked back over his shoulder at an opening. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Looks like we got ourselves a cave here.” He said over the coms again. “You hang out there and do your thing. I’m gonna have a look around.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Bestion glared down, befuddled. “But the droids…”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Don’t you worry about the droids, big man.” He spat out the phrase “big man” mockingly, “If they wanted to use you as target practice, they would have already. If something’s gonna kill us, it’ll probably be in that cave.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Suit yourself.” Bestion grumbled back, and immediately got to work. He began to chisel away at the rocky wall in front of him. The mission was simple. Install beacons at the wall to better assist landing computers. He also had some repeaters to help boost signals transmitted from Camp Dauntless.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Twenty minutes was a short amount of time for the task. While he grumbled at Lem’s condescension, it was true that he was the one delaying the task. The hike had exhausted him and now, with the weird watery sensations distracting him, he was having a harder time keeping precise. All the meanwhile, he could feel a coldness over his shoulder. Not a breeze, but a chill nevertheless. Though every time he looked back, all he could see was the stillness of the darkening jungle behind him and the jagged tower housed within.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Bestion had been so uncharacteristically distracted that he hadn’t noticed the radio silence from Lem, or the time that had passed since he last saw the man galavanting about. He had just finished installing the first beacon when the break in radio silence startled him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Hey,” said Lem’s voice in a quieter, hushed tone. “I need you to get down here right now.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Bestion cleared his throat, covering his startled breathing. “What is it? Is it droids?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“No,” Lem said, solemnly. “Something much weirder.”[/SIZE]

​

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Location: Camp Dauntless​

Allies: [member="Srina Talon"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"] | [member="Boo Heavenshield"]​

Post: 1​

Tmoxin knew something was terribly wrong, the moment her luxury vessel, The Sovereign Stingray landed on the makeshift landing pad near the Confederacy camp. The redheaded Dark Jedi had the strangest revelations all at once, which hit her with such force that nausea gripped her, and she steadied herself for a few moments before she was able to debark.

And once she did set foot upon the ground of Curalin, she caught sight of her reflection in the gleaming ship’s hull, a pale visage, eyes anxious, mouth tense. Breathing in the air, Tmoxin wondered if the planet had some kind of gas which caused a kind of minor mental psychosis.

She was nineteen when her ambition felt this strong, and her fear of the Force kept her up at night, courtesy of her mother’s dogma whispered to her often, Ni’Korish tenants that the both the Jedi and the Sith were one of the biggest threats to the galaxy.

Feeling a bit overwrought, the Hapan began settling into camp. If the conditions were too “wild” for her taste, she assumed that she’d been sleeping on the Stingray, but oddly enough the near-human had this unexpected urge to embrace the mission, to not complain and most of all to be a good soldier the way she did when she’d served the Hapan Queen as one of her bodyguards so very long ago.

Brewing a pot of stimcaf on an open fire, she waited for her companions to return. The only one that she personally knew was Srina Talon, one of Metus’s prized apprentices and under normal circumstances, the Hapan would be looking forward to reconnecting with the girl. On Curalin?

She felt that unpredictable mix of dread and fierce aspiration - both of which could be harnessed to help the Confederacy’s mission, yet Tmoxin felt herself powerless to act upon it. Maybe the stimcaf would help her come to her senses.