Operation: Reclamation Swarm [Iron Empire Dominion of Ornfra Hex]

[Zeradias Mant]

IRON EMPIRE T3 DOMINION OF ORNFRA HEX​

​

Zeradias had failed previously, though not in the traditional sense of failure. With the company of his marines, the then-Rear Admiral Mant had led an incursion to the system to establish a diplomatic channel with the Ornfra system. However, his plans for a cooperative relationship dissipated with the assassination of the Governor of Ornfra, killed at the hands of an insurrectionist group member. Recalling that day was an easy task. After betraying the trust of a naive insurrectionist operative, Zeradias obtained access to the government's treasury, containing a vast amount of valuable material and currency. Though he walked away with a victory, it was still less than he had hoped for. He had returned to the desolate world to assist in the installation of a new governor, one who would work with the Crown and his appointed officials. Of particular interest though, was someone who would work for the smaller populace residing on system.

"Sir, we're jumping out of hyperspace now.", the navigation officer announced.

"Take us into orbit.", Odion ordered. The adjutant of the CNO, Odion was entrusted to be the grand admiral's right hand, and not only carried his authority, but his wholehearted trust. The men had commanded together for years and had come to share a nearly identical command philosophy. Zeradias held him in high regard, and Odion the same.

I will finish what you started.

​

Objective 1: Assist the people of Ornfra establish a new government
With a dead governor and a quelled insurrection, the people of Ornfra are eager to reestablish order in their once chaotic home. The Crown has recognized it's shortcomings in leaving the system prematurely and sent a delegation led by none other than the Chief of Naval Operations to assist in the reestablishment of a government.

Objective 2: Investigate the mysterious disappearances of local villagers on Sharb
A village of little more than 1,000 lies in peace on the surface of Sharb. However, their population dwindles as numerous persons have disappeared without explanation. A mysterious person or persons has sought to plunge the populace into disarray, and one of the villagers made an unsanctioned call to the Iron Empire in a plea for help. Answering the call, an party of Iron Imperials arrive, much to the elders' surprise. Though infinitely more powerful, the Iron Imperials must take a more humbling approach and convince the elders to allow them to assist in resolving their mysterious disappearances. Could more nefarious forces be at work?

Objective 3: Forge new relationships on Ilum
Having ratified a contract with the industrial giant Firemane Industries, the Iron Empire has indirect ties with their home faction, the Tygaran Alliance. Representatives from both Tygaran Alliance and their corporate counterparts have been invited to tour the newly completed Fort Typhos, which boasts an impressive array of the Firemane arsenal. Use this time to further strengthen the Iron Empire's relationship, as well as forge new ones.

Objective 4: Sandbox
Create your own objective and you do you!

[member="Arisa Yune"] | [member="Arutha"] | [member="Aster Rose Baelor"] | [member="Atheus"] | [member="Bato Golden"] | [member="Caelag Vass"] | [member="Emeline Thorn"] | [member="Estro Sabrino"] | [member="FN-1313"] | [member="Hazalar Saltesh"] | [member="Isaac Knight"] | [member="Isamu Baelor"] | [member="Jonas Vile"] | [member="Kimiko"] | [member="Krayzen Dratos"] | [member="Lyle Baelor"] | [member="Nolan Detta"] | [member="Ordan Vosk"] | [member="Savitor Draay"] | [member="Siva Mortini"] | [member="Talos Rygat"] | [member="Thaddeus Braken"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | @Titan | [member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Victor Bluarc"] | [member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Nick Snowbeard"]​

 

[Talos Rygat]

Location: Sharb
Objective 2: Investigate the mysterious disappearances of local villagers on Sharb
(1)

Aboard an Imperial Corvette, Talos stood on the bridge with the crew as it neared the planet Sharb. A Chiss colony, formerly, on the Path of Houses, had seen better days. Due to civil unrest and constant flux of power from one house to another, struggling to reclaim the planet as their own, this once prosperous world was now reduced to small city-states. Rumors had floated about the system of citizens disappearing from their homes without a trace. No clues or culprits to speak of, one civilian had placed a call to the Iron Empire pleading for aide.

Accompanying Talos were two of his Archons. The Sephi elders would be his escorts and give an extra set of hands should anything go wrong. The mission was simple, convince the Council of Elders on Sharb to allow the IE access to the investigation. They weren't exactly invited, but the call could not go unanswered. Talos was to meet with representatives from the council and speak to them, hopefully they'd see that the Empire was trustworthy enough to allow them into the search for the missing persons. As these thoughts of the mission parameters danced in his mind, the captain approached with news of their arrival to a geostationary position over Sharb.

"Perfect, Captain, as soon as We have word, descend to the surface and oOur dignitaries will disembark to visit the Council."

 

[Caelag Vass]

• Location: Sharb
• Objective 2: Investigate mysterious disappearances
• Objective 4: Prove worth to the Iron Empire Army
• Post: 1

Caelag's transport, a similar sized corvette to that taken by [member="Talos Rygat"], was quick to enter the system behind them, transmitting its ID to them to ease any immediate concerns. Caelag had insisted she be allowed to take up this objective once word of a distress call had reached the IE's ears. She was eager to prove her worth in what she hoped would be a non combat situation, as her capability as a fighter had already been vouched for by Princess Aster already. Even so, she had doubts it would be so simple, as people didn't just up and leave for no reason. That said, she was confident her platoon could handle any forces, should it come to that, and with Centurion Rygat and whatever force he would bring along it would be simple matters to attend to...

"Lieutenant, we have begun a geosynchronous orbit with Sharb."

She gave a curt nod and strapped her weapons in place, two knives and her two rifles, before nodding again to herself and taking a breath. "Excellent, make sure the platoon is equipped and as non-threatening as possible. Open up communications with Centurion Rygat's vessel, I will make my way to the docking bay shortly." The officer nodded and left to do just that, as she fastened her cloak about her neck. Fully dressed, she made her way to the bridge as communications were opened up.

"This is Lieutenant Vass reporting in. I have come to assist in whatever way my platoon can with both investigation and any potential threats we may encounter. We are awaiting your word on when to make our way to the planet, and will follow your lead in discussions. The majority of the platoon will remain aboard our landing vessel to prevent panic, if this can satisfy your potential concerns."

 

[Talos Rygat]

Location: Sharb
Objective 2
Allies: [member="Caelag Vass"]
(2)

As the Imperial corvette received contact from the companion vessel, Talos keyed the comms to reply. Waving the captain on to descend to the planets surface, Talos turned his hooded visage to the holoterminal.

"We are Centurian Rygat, descend upon these coordinates and rendezvous with Us. We are going to be meeting with the Council of Elders to request a sanction to operate an investigation upon the missing persons. Lieutenant Vass, you will accompany Us to the meeting. If and when we secure approval to operate, deploy your units to the surrounding city-states to inquire about the disappearances. We will do the same within the Council's city. Over."

Talos turned and moved to the cargo bay for deployment. The two Archons followed suit, silent and vigilant as their leader exited the bridge. Even being part of the Empire for a while now, Talos and his Legion always received sideways glances from anyone they passed. Being of strange origin and even stranger motives, the Legion of Talos was a bit off center when it came to social and military standards.

As the Imperial ship made landfall, Voss close behind, the ramp lowered and revealed the three mystics to the Sharb guards at the landing zone. Initially apprehensive about allowing such odd characters to speak with the Council, Talos handed his staff to the Archon on his right and approached hands in the air.

"We are Centurian Talos Rygat of the Iron Empire. We come to speak with the Council of Elders to appeal for allowance to aid in the disappearances. Our associate, Lieutenant [member="Caelag Vass"] is here to provide men in the event of approval. She will be your liaison to the Empire. I am here to coordinate with the Elders and seek retribution for those taken. We seek only peace and resolution to your problems."

Talos awaited the arrival of Lieutenant Vass. Her ship being close behind his own, he was sure by the time he'd finished speaking she'd be by his side. The young woman had promise. She was willing and able, with a determination most commanders desired. He was certain she'd do quite well on this mission. He held not doubts about her capabilities. Now to only have the Council be willing to approve their involvement with the cases and they'd be able to put her potential to the test.

 

[Eugen Aker]

Objective: Sharb
1/37

Right behind the small IE vessels came Arisa and company aboard the SSV Currid, one of a series of tough assault frigates optimized for terrestrial operations. Following reversion, she directed the ship to be parked at a Legrange point between the near side of Sharb's moon and the planet itself, where it would remain until she met with the locals alongside the Iron Empire.

On scanners, it appeared the IE was already deploying shuttles. Arisa issued a hail to the pair of IE corvettes on the scene to coordinate on what to do next on the surface, while also requesting a local datalink for more seamless information sharing so they could be on the same page during operations.

"Currid to IE vessels, this is General Yune checking in. I'm going to let you all take the lead here in connecting with the locals. I can offer direct military support, logistical aid, and ISR assets, but I'm going to wait to get the green light from them before deploying anything. I see you're already heading down to the surface, so I'll be joining you all with a small team. See you all planetside."

"Commander Grisham," she said, addressing the captain of the Currid. "I'd like you to begin monitoring the village and the surrounding area as I touch down, outwards of 100 kilometers. Transmit reports directly me anytime you detect any movement coming in and out of the village. You now have the bridge."

"Aye, ma'am," Grisham replied as Arisa slipped away from the CIC.

With this method, Arisa was hoping to determine if the disturbances the village was truly facing an external threat for starters. Setup to log future events, now she just needed to backtrack through some interviews with the locals, and see if any kind of pattern or profile to be discovered for analysis. Though first, it appeared that the Iron Empire was going to have to get through the hurdle of basic diplomacy. Fortunately for her Iron friends, she was around to provide assistance on that front as well. Diplomacy was her bread and butter.

"Vitha, Jerit, meet me in the hangars in ten," she called out to the Padawans over the Currid's intercomms. "Calderon, I'd also like you to come down with me. Please have a squad ready to join us."

She had brought the Padawan along to get them some more quality real world experience whilst they trained to become Jedi Knights. There was only so much that could be taught in the classroom. Other knowledge could only be gained through experience. Vitha especially needed this mission to help work on her interpersonal skills, and learn that all problems couldn't be solved with only the sword.

[member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"] [member="Talos Rygat"] [member="Caelag Vass"] [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"] [member="Kiran Arlos"]

 

[St0rmSlaSh]

The SSV Currid was an impressive ship no doubt thought Jerit. He was accompanying Grand Master [member="Arisa Yune"] , [member="Valkren Calderon"] , and a padawan whom Jerit did not know, [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"] . While on the bridge, Jerit heard the Grand Master communicating with someone of probable importance. He could not hear on the account of busy crew members talking.

Then Arisa was talking to someone else, this time on the bridge, who Jerit inferred to be the captain of the ship. After the conversation came to a close, Arisa spoke to him and Vitha. She requested them both to meet her in the hangars in 10. Valkren went with Yune due to a request of the Grand Master. After, Jerit stood in the bridge thinking how this mission was going to unfold. The team's objective was to discover a village with a capacity up to a little more than one thousand people.

Apparently the civilians were going missing because of an unknown reason. Jerit started to dwell on this, thinking of how it could be. People leaving the village without any trace? And no source was confirmed of the disappearances? Jerit felt bad for the people. What if they were gone? Never to return to their families. The boy hated thinking like that, but what if it was true? All Jerit could do know was meet the Grand Master back at the hangars and see what the plan could be and if there are any more details associated with the mission.....

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Don’t do this Kaili, there is too much anger in your heart.” The man had called over her shoulder. “I can’t tell you what to do-”

“You’re right, you can’t.” The girl stopped to turn around and face the man. His lips thinned and his brows furrowed at the interruption. He meant well, she knew that, but his words were falling on deaf ears. She wasn’t going to have it and he was aware of this. Over the course of the last few days it had been all she seemed to do; ask for advice only to dismiss it as soon as it was offered.

“This tool, this lightsaber, you know what it would mean. You know what it would let you do.” He tried again. Kaili turned around once more to stare him down.

“How many times will I sit by and let the galaxy take from me before I grow up, Master Kerr?” Her finger raised pointedly at the man standing before her throne. “How many more will I lose before I learn to take something back?”

“But a lightsaber-” Once more he failed

“A lightsaber is exactly what I need to stop the galaxy from taking away what is mine.” Kaili interrupted for the third time and the man’s nose would scrunch in clear disapproval of the rudeness it entailed. This child was a weird one, but it was his superior whether he liked it or not. It was his own order’s fault for prophesying her arrival, their own fault for letting the local populace know what it meant.

“This isn’t what Allyson would want.” He chided the girl who went pale, surprised and shocked at what she was hearing.

“Don’t you dare say that.” Her teeth gritted visibly. “Don’t you dare fething assume what she would have wanted.”

“She-” The man calmly tried to explain himself.

“She is gone!” Kaili’s voice broke with grief. “The Alliance almost killed her, the First Order was her executioner and now I’ve lost her, Master Kerr!”

The man showed visible cues of irritation and frustration. His nose scrunched, his lips pressed together and his stare screamed of disapproval. She turned on her heels and continued heading towards the door once more.

“I am going to Ilum, I am building that saber and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

“I figured that much.” The man retorted against his better judgment.

The girl stopped dead in her tracks. She was tempted to run right back and smack the subordination straight from his mind but she wouldn’t do it. She wanted to, but he was right. Allyson would not have wanted this at all, this was far from the Kaili that she had known and far from the Kaili that Kaili herself would have ever wanted her to see.

Her holopad sprung to life with the flick of her wrist.

“Henry, prep the ship. We’re going to Ilum.”

---

Objective 3-4:
Be on Ilum and stuff.

 

[Vitha Na'iv]

Vitha yawned and leaned against the shuttle as she waited for Arisa to arrived. Stomach full and rather bored she turned to face the entrance to the hanger. Crew and mechanics made their way in and out, sighing she leaned down and began picking at her talons with her beak. The lightsaber tied to her leg clacked against the hull of the shuttle. With any luck they could be on the ground soon and she'd be able to stretch her wings. Travel in space was rather boring and felt cramped even in the largest vessels. She needed room to fly, hunt, and get fresh meat rather then this preserved stuff they kept in cold storage.

[member="Arisa Yune"] [member="Talos Rygat"] [member="Caelag Vass"] [member="Zeradias Mant"]

 

[Caelag Vass]

• Location: Sharb
• Objective 2: Investigate mysterious disappearances
• Objective 4: Prove worth to the Iron Empire Army
• Post: 2

Caelag gave a nod to [member="Talos Rygat"] and his, their, words. She didn't wish to cause a surge of hostilities with the locals or Rygat after all. So she elected to follow his instructions, and further to take only two additional soldiers with her until they were cleared to assist in investigation. Naturally it was little more than a precaution, and she had strict instructions on behaving to minimize any sense of threat. When finally she landed on the planet, she had her weapons strapped to her, and her hands themselves were empty. Her soldiers carried their helmets instead of rifles, showing they meant no harm, as she stepped up in time to hear Talos introduce her as the IE liaison. Truly the being honored her in more ways than he realized.

She wasn't the one to receive communications from [member="Arisa Yune"], however. She was too busy planning out both the potential search patterns to utilize and the question of setting up relays to make their comlinks more useful for communication. With some planning they could easily boost their signals sufficiently to allow communication across the city states, which would be invaluable. Instead the transmission would be picked up by the corvette captains, who would relay the information to Talos, the unofficial leader of the mission.

Shifting slightly in place, the purple cloaked woman considered what would be needed of her by the chiss people. Perhaps it helped that both she and Talos were so distinctly not human, perhaps not. But she was confident her experiences on Noris as a school teacher to Chiss children. Such close experiences were sure to help her with understanding the way they wanted things done.

At least, that was the hope.

[member="Vitha Sat-thuron"] | [member="Jerit Kolomor"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Colonel Valkren Calderon was midst fitting his helmet on his head when he heard this order of the intercom. His visor illuminating a darkred at first, before becoming transparent as he spoke into his own team's comms system.

"Lieutenant Harris!" He said as he looked over his own kit and armor system, then to the multiple men of the 228th Special Operatives group that rested in the barracks of the assault frigate.

"Copy Sir?" One of the soldiers that sported the same armor as him with slightly different customizations to display rank moved to the front of the group, nodding. Valkren could see through the transparent visor at the middle-aged filter, confirming it was Harris. Lieutenant Kit Harris had been with the SJO as leadership for a platoon of rangers for a time, a much longer time than Valkren had been there atleast, and his age and stress-marks had shown it. The young colonel could sense some bad feelings about that, but yet, Harris was his go-to man for a combat ready platoon of rangers.

"I want you and your men with us on this one. We'll most likely be on standby in the hangar, but we'll learn more come time"

"Copy all, sir."

Valkren then nodded, his hand tapping along the grip of his assault rifle as he took one look down the line of men that had gathered in the barracks/quarters of the assault frigate. Lieutenant Harris was assuring each man was checking over one anothers' kits, giving everyone a second eye incase anything is wrong. They'd be prepared, but for what?

What exactly was going on with this missing villagers thing?

Colonel Calderon turned and led the platoon of thirty rangers toward the hangar to meet with the rest of his team.

[member="Jerit Kolomor"] | [member="Talos Rygat"] | [member="Caelag Vass"] | [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"] | [member="Kiran Arlos"] | [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

The ship was riddled with memories of her, of Allyson. Kaili dragged a hand through her hair to still the numbness that ensued as her mind began to register once more that Allyson wouldn’t pop up from behind a crate in order to welcome her, greet her, kiss her, and ask about her day. There was nothing. It was just Kaili and the echo of her footsteps. For each step she took it seemed as if the engines came to it with more and more life as the ramp closed behind her. She approached the security console at the opposite wall of the entrance. Fingers softly stroked against the protruding keys that made the security panel what it was. The doors swept open and she took her first step inside, right into the kitchen. It was already too much. The girl looked over at the cooking benches and their finely carved wooden decor and the way the thin durasteel sheets completed the countertop surface. It was where Allyson and her made it almost a competition to try and outdo the other lover’s attempts at cooking. Kaili swallowed air and looked at the painting above the booth in which they ate. It was a small picture of Corellia that Kaili had bought from a collector at an insane price just to have something for Allyson to remember where she came from aboard the ship.

Small traces of their life together littered the room. From the small details such as their disagreement on what angle the knife stand was supposed to face to the way the silverware was sorted into their appropriate sections within the cupboard. It was a mess. Spoons with forks, forks with knives and knives with both. A panicked exhale parted the blonde’s lips. She pushed it to her best ability out of her system, forced her lungs to empty in a faked simulation of a cry for help. There was the anti-anxiety injections, but at this point there was no doubt that the effects would triple by the time they wore off. Kaili would have to process this in the same manner that others did, but part of her kept telling her that now wasn’t it. The time to mourn was not now, it was something that she kept pushing until the next day and when that day came the cycled returned.

It was all a sick game. That was what Kaili told herself. She should have seen this coming somehow.

No, the girl needed to lie down and think. Henry was able to pilot the ship in her stead. As the designer of the ship Kaili had made sure of it. The doors to their bedroom swept open and the memories flooded her in an instant. The smells, the sights, the touch of lips, it was too much. Doors shut and Kaili took a panicked stepped backwards into a stumble. One after another her feet tried to catch her until it was too late. She toppled over and her cheek crashed against the wooden surface of the guest room. The room grew dark as eyes watered. She bit her lips to hold it back but found no solace in the act.

Tears began to pour as she thought of the ones she had cared for.

Maila.

The people on Atrisia.

Now Micah.

And Allyson.

They had all died, or been maimed, or both, and Kaili had been unable to help in anyway no matter how hard she had wished that she could have. Her body began to shake and shiver as her muscles tensed up tight. Petrified by grief she felt the world begin to slip from her mind. She didn’t fight it anymore, there was no use. She had learned that now.

By the time she regained a grip on her situation again, once she had woken up, she felt the ground shake. Clearances had been passed at the hands of Henry, her droid, while Kaili had passed out in the guest room. The shake had been the supports of the ship making its landing. It was a landing pad under the authority of the 'Iron Empire' it seemed, something Kaili had been widely unaware of at the time of route plotting.

She was in for a surprise, no doubt.

“We have touched down.” Henry’s little voice called through the comms.

Kaili swallowed air as she sat up to wipe away the dried up trails on her cheek.

“Good job, Henry.” She whimpered. “Keep her- Keep her safe.”

With another swipe at her cheek Kaili walked over to the cargo hold to get herself ready for the cold of Ilum

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Ilum - Iron Pantheon
The night is dark and full of terrors

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Objective 3 & 4.

[1]

​

Drawn up knees propped up elbows as Théo rested his head against the palms of his hands. He could feel the drips of sweat trailing down his cheeks coming from his mattered hair and vanishing within his beard, the nights had been increasingly restless of late. The sheets of his bed no better having been strewn to the floor in his tossing and turning and his head pounded causing his vision to blur, he felt like he had not slept in days. The residue of the images of his dreams seemed to form silhouettes in his mind each time he blink trying to clear his vision, the faceless children, darkened tunnels, flashes of what he would know as fire, blasters maybe or something more powerful, it was hard to tell. Screaming, fear, burning and death. He threw his legs over the edge of his bed and what was left of the sheet covering him fell away to join the rest of it on the floor, his body ached as he made his way to the shower in a hope to refresh the mind as well as the body.

He knew what it was now, he had heard them before.

The voices had returned.

As a child, Théo would hear voices in his head, most of the time it had been Nina his sister, as her only form of communication had been telepathy, but there were others which he did not understand, he could not comprehend them as the words would only be whispers or a jumbled collection of words. He did not tell anyone about them, not even his parents for he thought everyone heard voices. A child's mind open and receptive to such things if one had the talent. It was not until he entered to the Academy on Voss did he learn to quiet the voices and over time, block them entirely. Now it was second nature to him to do so.

...he had heard them before.

The day he came to Ilum, working in the forge when the Legion began construction on the Pantheon. The whispers like a gently song on the wind had called to him from the caves. Then, he had assumed it the caves themselves, always setting a test for Jedi that near it, such history dating back to beyond time, a history repeating and recently in their own life time, a history of terrors.

A chime on the control panel on the wall snapped Théo out of his revere, still wet from the shower with a towel the only thing hiding his modesty, he answered the call. Informed that a ship was approaching Ilum, and set to touch down in twenty minutes, he quickly dressed. Talith, I know that name. He had heard of it but yet to meet one.

Striding out across the ice field to the landing pad, he watched as the ship approached and set down. He kept his distance knowing that a sharp cloud of snow and ice would buffeted from the ships engines, melting it into pools of water. He pulled his black cloak around his body to keep out the biting cold from his bones, the cold is different here then that on Midvinter.

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Objective: 4 – BYOO
Location: Ilum – Iron Pantheon, Medical Quarters
Post: 1

Valae Kitra strolled through the medical ward, viewing the lines of empty beds with a sense of worry and anticipation. She did not want to imagine these beds filled with the ailing and wounded. However, it was something that she supposed she would need to prepare for. At the moment, there was only peace here… but she knew that it would this would not always be the case.

She had recently accepted an opportunity to work with the Iron Empire in order to establish a branch of healers within the Legion. And though the brunette often came and went, she was becoming an increasingly familiar sight here at the Iron Pantheon. Indeed, Valae was living a bit of a double life – in the sense that she was still devoted to the Silver Order as well. However, Valae would go wherever she was needed.

Today she would be working with the medical staff here to continue her own education. As a Knight, she was well-versed in the ways of force healing. But she had little experience when it came to triage and treatment of wounds in a way that involved traditional medicine. She was not a doctor, and she would never have that kind of know-how, but she figured that it would still be useful to have a basic foundation to build on.

It was bound to be an interesting day.

 

[Kiran Arlos]

"Not too shabby at all." Kiran muttered under his breath as he glanced around specific areas of the vessel he was on, it was a little time before Master Yune had even made the announcement and the young man found himself wandering around the vessel taking in the different areas and such. Kiran had seen several vessels that the Corelian shipyards before the planet was destroyed, and he had always found it fascinating. And to think then and now he would be flying in one of them, which is where his path had led him too, initiating himself with the Iron Empire and fighting for a cause that seemed worth enough to relieve his burden and guilt from damnation.

This was to be his first ever actual incursion or fight to be alongside the Empire on a more massive scale as they all had their specific jobs to do, and while Kiran hadn't been placed on one yet. He really only had one job right now.....

And that was to not screw anything up.

From what he gathered from sources was that there was villagers disappearing from Sharb. Anytime there was people missing it was always a bad things, he recalled a time while one Corellia there was a mass kidnapping spree going on, and it took the local forces quite some time before they finally solved the issue and caught the perpetrators. However some lives were lost in the process and that was always the tough part. Luckily with some force users leading the way perhaps this could get solved quickly and nothing too dark and nefarious would be at work.

After the announcement, the young man made his way towards the hangar and looked to meet up with the other force adepts.

[member="Jerit Kolomor"] [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Caelag Vass"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

The coolant caused the internals of her ship to hiss with delight. Kaili’s feet shuffled through the cold metallic tomb of memories that was her cargo hold all the way over to the lockers situated by the very ramp that would get her out of it. There had always been two of them here. One of them was hers and the other one was Allyson’s. One of them was pristine, and the other one had a crooked door. A careful hand placed itself along the handle to the one that seemed the least damaged, Kaili’s locker, and with a gentle tug she got it to open. The locker next to it creaked with the wind as its door swung back and forth ever so gently. Kaili couldn’t help but cuss, she had told Allyson so many times to stop slamming the door but the Corellian just refused listened. Possibly to tease, probably because it was how they had done it with the Rogues.

A heavy sigh puffed the blonde’s cheeks as she opened the locker door to Allyson’s locker in full. Eyes set on the door as it creaked open. The girl gave it a few turns back and forth to find the spot in which the door creaked the most. Quarterway through. Her head shook as eyes wandered over to the contents within. Her lower got sucked in between her teeth that threatened to pierce it. This was the jacket that Allyson had had the day they met, the jacket that she had worn every day since. Underneath it laid a pair of pants folded into a neat pile. Kaili reached in against her better judgment to grab them. The folds unfolded and as the pant leg whipped for those of her own pants she felt a small gasp part her lips once more.

It was Allyson’s bloodstripes. She had treasured these more than any other possession that Kaili could ever think of. It was her reward for what she had endured on Corellia as her planet burned, got torn apart. It was what Kaili had always admired her for beyond the way they hugged her legs and bottom in a way that felt just so incredibly right.

A thumb would gently stroke up and down along the fabrics of the pants before Kaili carefully folded the pants back into a pile and put it back where she had found them. Her heart started to feel heavy again. She had to get out of here. She had set off to Ilum for a reason and she’d be damned if she didn’t fulfill her own best wishes.

Kaili let her hand slump down and reach for the pouch of saber parts that she had placed by her own locker. The contents rattled with its metallic clangs to the rhythm of the loading ramp finishing its descent. Yet another deep breath filled Kaili’s lungs as she tried to calm herself down for the walk down the ramp. Yet as her eyes opened again mid-walk she found herself surprised at what she saw. This wasn’t the gates to the Ilum caves, was it? It seemed perhaps a little too... Organized for that.

The biting cold burnt against her cheeks and legs as she continued to walk the path before her. In the distance she could spot a man. She could not make out who it was, but she could see him there. Part of her started to worry about who he was, but at the same time what choice did she have? The ship had touched down and it was not going to go anywhere in a hurry anytime soon with this cold biting at its innards. No, she had little choice but to push onwards.

The underdressed shape of the Talith would slowly but steadily grow all the more clearer to whoever this man was. It didn’t take much to spot the problems in how she was dressed. She had a pair of sturdy boots and jacket, but her head, legs and even her hands were all left mainly uncovered. It reminded her of the importance of the force lessons she had gotten as a child when her parents had told her how to stave off cold.

She should have listened to them more.

“Hello,” Her shivering voice -- one part due to cold and one part due to grief -- called out to the stranger. She had no idea who it was or what had happened in the time between her collapse on the floor and now, much less the bruise starting to take shape by her temple. “Can I help you?”

“My droid might have mucked up my estimations? I was heading for the caves of Ilum, for crystals.”

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

[3]​

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

Location: Schesa
Objective: Do my own thing
Post 1/15

Krayzen had been happy at the development of the Iron Empire over the past few months. The Dark Knight had seen the Empire stabilized, the attempted assassination on his majesty's family establishing a new wave of reforms as to how to deal with such matters. Slowly, but surely, the Iron Empire were proving to be recognized as a galactic power in its' own right.

With the war between the Alliance, and the First Order, while the Dominion was occupied by the fighting between the Resurgent, and Sith Ascendancy, it provided a rare opportunity for the Empire to consolidate what planetary defenses, and the Anzat would continue the assigned task he had of building a fortress for the Iron Empire.

And here he was, on the planet of Schesa that had once served as a planet that served one of the Ruling Families. As he learned more about Chiss history, he found their story somewhat similar to his time in the Zeison Sha. Sitting in the major hyperspace route known as the Path of the Houses, as well as the hyperspace junction, the Way of Schesa, the planet was of strategic importance to the Iron Empire. That was why it deserved its own fortress, just like the one that had been constructed in Illum.

As he arrived on his own Star Destroyer, the Dark Knight wondered to himself who had actually been deployed to the planet. Other than his own troops, he was not aware of anyone else. More importantly however, the intelligence reports he had read found no enemies on the planet, making his job much more easier.

"I suppose it's time to begin." he said, as he landed on the planet with his own fighter. The Anzat was ready, as he prepared to begin his important task.

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Ilum - Iron Pantheon
To sleep, perchance to dream ..

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Objective 3 & 4.

[2]

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come ..
~William Shakespeare

A figure approached, the form of a girl. And as he stood waiting, a wind whipped around this feet toying at the hem of his cloak, upon it however, the words again although they are not obtainable in precise words, the essence of them clear enough. They wanted to dream, to be release to dream eternal. Who are they? This was burning in his mind, no amount of him trying to block them would work but Théo was commanded to listen. Death, to some is a final destination, to others it is only the start of a new journey into the unknown, even for Jedi or those that practice the use of the force, what lay beyond that? Some hold fear in death, those that find their lives incomplete or lacking in purpose never amounting to anything. Those that do hold purpose, fear failure of incompletion to never reach ambitions placed on themselves no matter what the purpose. Is there peace in death? probably not. At least not for those that choose a wretched life. Jedi or Sith, it is a wretched life.

A soft voice on the wind greeted him, by the timbre of her voice, she is cold. "I think it is I that can help you", he raised his voice to be heard over the wind. "The caves you seek are not far from here, over the snow dune", he pointed to his right into the white glare where there is no distinction between horizon and sky.

And why do people always insist on coming to Ilum under dressed, he had seen it time and again here and on Midvinter and each time it would bring a smile to his face. His hands raised and undid the clasp holding his cloak together and removed it from his shoulders as he moved forward toward the girl. "Here. Take this or you will freeze", he did not offer it but rather, placed his long black fur lined cloak around her shoulders. He would be fine in this clime, he has the force, he has his ancestry.

"I am Théodred Heavenshield, Praetor of the Iron Legion, at your service and if you would permit my Lady I would accompany you there as I have .. business there as well". He addressed her with a bow of a Jedi.

 

[Kaili Talith]

Death was always the final destination, no matter how many times people would try to cheat it. Kaili had seen it enough to believe it, felt it enough to know it. Death meant that all that remained was the memories, memories faded with those that held onto it, and with Allyson there was only so many that-

No, Kaili couldn’t think about it. The furry coat that was draped over her shoulders provided a warmth that she had not anticipated that her body would need. Coming from a planet of tropical beaches did have its advantages, but as far as cold went there was mainly downsides. She had other equipment in her ship that could have helped her just as much as the cloak would, but the idea of going back there was not one that she cherished all that much. The ship was too much something of a metallic catacomb of memories. There was too much history, too much to see and feel within it and in this very moment Kaili would much rather not feel it. In that regard she would slowly nod her head at ‘Praetor [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]’ as he offered, or rather asked, to come along.

It wasn’t in her rights to say as much as his own, he’d be the one with the lay of the land.

“Yeah, of course.” She tried to smile with little success before her eyes glanced into the blinding snow at the man’s indication. She had to admit that part of her wouldn’t have been able to foresee a Heavenshield of all people being this far away from the Silver Jedi. Yet she couldn’t really say she gave a damn either. The fact that she had grown up with stories of this man’s family and known them as a respectable sort were enough for her to grant him the trust he needed.

As for the Iron Empire, it wasn’t too long of a shot to assume that they would eventually expand in this direction. If anything it was the fact that she hadn’t heard or seen this installation on her maps before taking off that had thrown her off. Perhaps they had been outdated, or perhaps the Iron Empire wasn’t simply about to let the entire galaxy in on them having a base this close to an ancient Jedi ground.

Regardless, Kaili would move in the direction that Theo had pointed her towards. A few steps in couldn’t help but turn to give him another look. He was a bit taller than her, yet he didn’t tower above her. He waked with the posture of someone who commanded and received respect rather than someone who demanded it, and had eyes that were almost eerily blue unlike Kaili’s that were a bright shade of amber. It had caused her problems every now and then whenever she didn’t hide them behind a set of deep blue contacts, but not Allyson.

“I’m sorry, I don’t-” A shivering inhale forced her to pause for a moment in order to let herself take it all in again. Quick exhale. “I don’t want to offend you, but I have to admit that I am surprised to see a Heavenshield here.”

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

[4]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Objective: 4 – BYOO
Location: Ilum – Iron Pantheon, Medical Quarters
Post: 2

Valae walked over to the countertop and placed her palms flat against the cold surface. She let her chestnut eyes rest on each of the items that were lined neatly before her. There were gloves, an array of bacta bandages, medical adhesives, gauze and bottles of antiseptic solution. Her gaze flickered towards the clock, it was just about time for her lesson to begin, and yet her instructor for the day was not present.

Almost on cue, there was sound at the doorway. Turning a glance over her shoulder, Valae’s eyes grew wide to see that it was not a physician, but three men – two of them supporting the third.

Her eyes immediately found the blood that marked the man’s forehead. Quickly, she motioned for them to set the injured man on one of the hospital beds. Valae moved to his side, there was a shred of panic that made her insides feel jittery. Of course, she had not been expecting to be thrust into work so soon.

But injuries seemed to happen when you were least expecting them – a lesson she was learning quickly. She rolled her sleeves up and steeled her nerves, her eyes on the two soldiers that had brought their comrade in for aid.

“What happened?” She asked, listening as her attention began to shift to her patient.

 

[Zeradias Mant]

"Port Control, this is the ISV Absolution, requesting permission to dock."

If they wanted to, they could completely disregard port control and the authority of the provisional government. But that isn't what they sought. In fact, their mission required the opposite. They were to help transition the provisional government into a permanent one, and the best way to do this was through recognition and cooperation. Recognizing it legitimized it in the eyes of their liege government, and cooperation demonstrated it's willingness to work with the municipality rather than micromanage it's interests.

"Absolution, permission granted. Proceed to Dock 4-A", the static voice came through, quietly echoing through the bridge. While the crew landed the large star destroyer, Zeradias made preparations of his own. Moving to the hangar, he was met by a small protective detail of marines. After a brief exchange, they were ready. As the large ramp of the vessel lowered, four marines took point and posted at the bottom before the CNO made his decent.

When he reached the bottom and passed his marines, he was met by a lone Chiss who introduced himself with an extended hand.

"Welcome back to Ornfra, Admiral Mant.", he began. "I am Hren'emiz'lusa, the prime minister of the interim government."

With a brief nod of greeting, Zeradias embraced the man's hand as they shook. He was taken aback, that the head of state and only the head of state was there to welcome the representatives of the Crown. Was the government truly is such a state of disarray? Ornfra was in much more need of help than he had anticipated.

[ 2 ]​