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

[Aster Rose Baelor]

>>> 01 <<<
>>> Objective 4 <<<
>>> Location: Noris <<<

Aster's gloved hands trembled as she accompanied prominent members of the Chiss Ascendancy to the planet of Noris to reclaim what had been lost during the Swarm War. Everything will be ok, she repeated in her mind like a mantra in an attempt to brush aside her anxiety the filled her when she was around Chiss - an affliction she had developed as a result of her kidnapping at the hands of rebel Chiss and one she must rid herself of.

"Hello," Aster greeted the Chiss nobles with practised composure and a polite smile as she gave the small group a graceful curtsey. "The Iron Empire stands behind the Chiss Ascendancy in the reclaimination of Noris," she spoke confronting her fear as she stared into one's pupiless red eyes - eyes that made an appearance in many of her nightmares.

"Good day, Princess Baelor," one of the nobles returned her greeting and offered her his hand. "The Ascendancy are thankful for the Iron Empire's support in our efforts," he spoke cordially returning Aster's polite smile with one of his own.

Unaccustomed to her proper title, Aster cringed as the Chiss addressed her by her proper title then took his hand in her's and shook it. "Instead of watching the soldiers perform their duties, shall we talk over some tea? I hear its Capitol has been liberated by now?"

"It would be our pleasure. Shall we take our tea at the one of the former Ruling Family's home? I hear it was once quite a beautiful place," he replied, maintaining his smile and directed Aster and her entourage to a waiting speeder.

"If that is your recommendation," Aster nodded and followed.

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Ilum - Ilum Caves
The Looking-Glass: regard before you reflect

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Objective 3 & 4.

[7]

The last thing Théo saw was Kaili nod when the chamber seemed to shift, the air thickened with black ice dust kicked up from the surface of the cave, it was raining it as a result of the explosions bites of ice and rock cracked away from the ceiling. The shifting of his vision between reality and dream-like state made him question his own sanity but deep within his core he knew what this was. His chest heaved with the determination to focus, to keep his mind cantered on keeping Kaili safe.

It was easier said than done, the dead wanted to be set free, no ..they demanded it of him.

A blinding flash of light seared his mind’s eye causing more pain both physically as well as the assault on his emotions. His arm raised to block the light, shade it from burning his vision rendering blind if not. But he could not take his gaze away from it and then the floor beneath his feet dropped away and he was falling. There was no sound only an eerie silence and as he fell he watched the deadly white light fade but out of it tumbled bodies of children, broken, ripped, dead. Only moments before his body would hit the ground did Théo snap out of his revere. Only moments before if he had hit, would he have actually died.

Around him rained pieces of metal hot and glowing for intense heat of a ship explosion. “Why are you doing this?”, he asked them on hands and knees and with barely any breath to do so, “It was not me that did this”.

We want to be remembered, we want to be remembered, they replied over and over again, We want the galaxy never to forget.

“Kaili!?”, he called for her, now that the shadows of the dead had gone just for a moment although their words lingered and seeped into the walls of the ice there to remain for eternity. Théo looked around for her, light bleeding in from the outer chamber enough to provide to find her pressed to the ground. He crawled toward her and coming to her side he could see she was alright, at least physically so. She was sobbing and speaking words he did not have a mind to hear, they mattered little to him in this moment as he arms reached under her back and legs and he stood with Kaili in his arms. He said nothing to her as he took her through a narrow passage way into the next chamber away from the all the ‘noise’.

It is beautiful here, crisp cold air filled his lungs and he could have sworn there was a scent of forest pine, like home. He remained standing there chest heaving with Kaili, he closed his eyes to settle his mind and breath, eventually he lowered her to the ground supporting her if she could not stand.

And behind them .. the narrow passage way closed as if there never there…

 

[Kaili Talith]

The sound of blood droplets patted against the floor in a constant rhythm like a rainfall of agony. The blue blade lowered towards Kaili’s face until she found herself at the vision’s mercy. Terrified eyes glanced into cold and calculated spite. Between her breaths Kaili felt the images of the vision’s reality flash before her in a half-entrancing imagery of pain and suffering. It didn’t make things any better to know that she deep down had a very good idea of what it all meant. The only thing the girl didn’t quite grasp was the reason it was an image of herself.

The ceiling inched closer for a moment as arms reached under her back and legs to sweep her away from the vision. It turned its saber off and set its gaze on the two people as they made their way out of the chamber. Kaili felt her breath come back to her along with control of her body. By the time her feet touched ground again she felt her nerves still and her shakes calmed. Eyes closed to let a deep breath in and a slow exhale out. Once they opened they set on the new chamber they were in. It smelled of salty seas here, like her home on Borleias. A vague sound of winds through palms swept through the room and provided a much needed moment of calm in the face of the panic she had felt mere seconds ago.

Kaili tried to stand on her own but quickly found her hand latching onto Theo’s shoulder for stability. She sucked in air through her teeth in surprise of her legs’ weakness. She couldn’t stand on her own.

“Sorry.” She whispered under her breath. “Still shaken, it seems.”

Eyes looked back at the hallways they had come from. It wasn’t there. Lips thinned. That was never a good thing.

“Thank you for carrying me out.” Kaili managed to look Theo in the eyes again. “I don’t know what would have happened if I stayed.”

The images of burning death had been burnt into her memories. She remembered the vision in her dream and its metallic henchmen, the way people fled from it and cowered. She fell into a blank stare again before she shook it off.

“Did you see anything?” She inhaled more of the salty air. “The woman with the lightsaber? The sounds of death and fire? Explosions?”

​

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

[9]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Ilum - Ilum Caves
The Sound of Silence

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Objective 3 & 4.

[8]

He helped Kaili regain her legs through support and lead her over to a rock ledge on which both of them could sit and have some respite from the events that had overwhelmed them both. He leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands to rub to remove the visions from his mind. “No need to apologise I promised I would watch your back”, he managed a smile. “I did not see the woman you speak of, but I saw everything else”, he turned to look at her once more and still visibly shaken he sat back placing his arm around her shoulders rubbing her arm briskly to try and encourage warmth to her limbs. “Well, we can’t stay here”, he looked toward where the passage had once been and thumped his hands on his knees, after uttering the biggest understatement.

Eventually he stood up to investigate the chamber, trying to see a way out, “I have seen this before”, the closed chamber in which the tested need to find an avenue out. He kept on his search, “Who was this woman you speak of?, the one in your .. visions”. There was nothing, so far in his search the chamber remained closed to them and all around them there was nothing but frozen walls of ice and crystals. The light was dull, barely enough to see anything and growing dimmer by the moment, where the source of light was coming from in the first place was unique as they are cut off from the outer chamber, it was like what light was left was soaking into the very walls and they would soon be in total darkness.

Théo took hold of his saber hilt and ignited the white blade of Belawir with the familiar hum. And the white light blazon upon the ice and crystals, the light of danced within their facets. It was a most beautiful sight, one to marvel at if the circumstance had been different. “The key to unlock this chamber is you”.

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Objective: 4 – BYOO
Location: Ilum – Iron Pantheon, Medical Quarters
Post: 5

A couple of hours had passed, time that Valae had spent in the company of a medic. She had been given the basics of triaging wounded, focusing on removal from the battle field and subsequent treatment. It was strange to think of real people in terms of categories, but the more she thought about it… things did made sense. When it came to grouping the wounded into these categories, she had learned that it went something like this:

There were those that would live, regardless of treatment. Next, there were those that would not live, regardless of the treatment received. Finally, there were those that would likely have a positive outcome with immediate care.

She now understood that under the most pressing circumstances, this process would need to be completed very quickly. Of course, in addition to her eyes, she would have the force to help during this procedure. Her medic companion had stepped away, leaving the Jedi healer to practice wrapping bandages. Valae stepped in front of a mirror and slapped a piece of gauze against her forehead. Quickly, she began to bandage her own head, using her reflection to help guide the placement. Sure, it was a bit silly… but book learnin’ always had made her a bit restless.

As Valae narrowed her eyes to inspect her work, she caught movement in the background. Turning around, she saw that her patient was beginning to stir. She hustled to his bedside. The brunette waited in hopeful anticipation.

 

[Kaili Talith]

The strength in the blonde’s legs eventually returned and she let go of Theo’s shoulder. How would one explain that they saw a vision of their own potential future and/or concurrent self stand before them threatening to take their life? Kaili tried to think of a way to explain her vision to Theodor but found her jaw hang agape with little to no words coming forth at all. A snapping exhale forced her to give up and shake her head in defeat. His hands rubbed against her arms for warmth. Kaili looked at the man as he helped her out. By the look in his eyes it grew all the more obvious that he too had seen something. She wasn’t alone in having been shook.

Through that his help was appreciated. She’d hope he knew that, and when the lightsaber came out to offer them a light source in the growing darkness she did her best to focus in the force. She had always been a hand-to-hand combatant, practicing rifles and how to kick and punch her opponent into submission. Always a believer in a vague form of pacifism, Kaili hadn’t ever felt the need for a lightsaber. Truth be told, the further they got in the trial the more she felt as if the same principle still held true. Mara had told her from the start that both blasters and lightsabers were death waiting to happen aboard ships and Kaili had always known better than to doubt someone who had a whole hyperlane named in their honor.

Which wasn’t to mention that it was her master too. It went with saying. As Theo made it known that the ancient solution to their current problem was something within them Kaili gave him a look that reeked of both surprise.

“Yeah, well, for someone who was just threatened with death by their own self, I sure hope not.” She tried to laugh it up, lighten the mood a bit. “I saw myself, or someone who claimed to be me, spread death and terror. If that’s the key we’re screwed.”

Kaili let a deep inhale pass through her system.

“I have no saber, so, I will follow your lead.” Kaili nodded at Theo and then looked in the direction they were supposed to head. “I think that’s the way. That’s what my gut says.”

Well, the force really. No matter, Kaili followed Theodred along within the caverns trying to find the right time to ask her question. It hung there between them and she knew that he could feel the way she tried to bring herself to ask one of the most simplest questions in the galaxy.

“... How are you doing?” The words popped from her mouth against her own better judgment. “You looked distressed back there.” Her thumb pointed over her shoulder. Head turned back to look only to find a flat wall covering the path they had taken as if nothing had ever been there, or as if the walls followed them when they weren’t looking. She didn’t stop walking, there was no point. “... Wherever… There…. Was.”

“Something is messing with us here.” Kaili blinked as she turned back to look at Theo.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]
[10]​

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

Location: Schesa
Objective: Do my own thing
Post 5/15

The Anzat had put out a call to purchase shielding systems for his company, however it would actually be a front for the Iron Empire. He had however ordered for his own shielding system to be brought in here, the triple redundancy offering the future fortress good protection against the enemies of the Iron Empire.

Krayzen also use some of the defenses in other fortresses within the Iron Realm. Despite his opposition to it, it ultimately would benefit the Iron Empire, and that was what the Anzat cared for the most: protecting what had been built during his absence, and when he had returned during is exile.

"Have the shielding systems be deployed in different phases. 3 of them at key parts of the base, and 2 that overlap the entire base in general. We'll divide the base into sectors, and we'll have my shielding system cover each one. " he stated.

Krayzen had more work to do.

 

[Isamu Baelor]

Post Count: [1/27]
Location: Ilum Space
Objective: 4
Allies: Iron Empire, [member="Oros"]
Enemies: None

From beyond the glistening stars, a lone Galactic Alliance vessel emerged. Carrying a delegation from the triumvirate, it approached the Iron Imperial world of Ilum: home of the Iron Legion.

Above the icy planet, the Iron Fleet lumbered. Swathes of Iron Imperial vessels, hailing from both the Royal Fleet and Ilum’s Defense Force, littered the blue marble.

Among them soared the Fenrir, flagship of the Royal Fleet. The mighty warship hailed the approaching vessel.

“Galactic Alliance vessel: this is the Fenrir, flagship of the Royal Fleet.” Its Captain announced. “You will submit to a scan of your vessel. Thereupon, you will be escorted to the planet’s surface.” He said, his words stern. “This is non-negotiable.”

Birthed from the belly of the hulking ship, a trio of Iron Wrath Fighters approached the diplomatic vessel. Diligent in their duty, they scanned the ship, probing it for any secrets it may hold.

“You are cleared to proceed.”

The Iron Wrath Fighters maneuvered into an escort formation. Together, they led the delegation to the surface below. To the Iron Legion’s Fortress Monastery: the Iron Pantheon.

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Ilum - Ilum Caves
The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind ..

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Objective 3 & 4.

[9]

Visions can give a glimpse into the future or they could be complete bunkum, he did not know this young girl well enough to know which was the case at present. Nor had he been privy to her visions to give her any of his own insight regarding them. But by the sounds of it, the caves had indeed begun testing her mettle both physically as well as mentally. And so far she was holding up well as could be expected. "You saw something or rather someone spreading death and destruction but you were laying on the floor .. so it was not you", It was as simple as that, at least to him as his more practical side given to him from his mother came to the surface. Yet a smile graced his lips at their being screwed, that was highly possible at this point in their venture into the caves and so he followed the young girl through the breaks in the rock surface they had to push forward else they would become a permanent fixture.

"I am alright, got a pounding headache but will get through this". Was there something else messing with them apart from the dislocated souls of the dead Jedi? Anything was possible, probable. The white light of his saber only provide enough light to secure true footing and turn of direction along their new path only meters in front of them, it was not enough though. Théo pulled the light side of the force to him, calling it in order to sending searching tendrils outward to give clear guidance with each step. There was no dangers ahead under foot, the cave sound in that regard and ahead they would find a new chamber but what was in it was yet to be discovered.

He could them still trapped in the outer chamber, their whispering song lingering within his mind and he would never escape them until they are sent into the next realm. It was time to call them. And as they entered the edge of the new chamber which opened out into the biggest he had seen, Théo stood and summon the broken souls of Ilum. He stood, lowing her saber until the point of his blade was only an inch from the surface of the cave floor and sent out the light side as a beckon. It only took moments before the summon was answered and for the unnatural wind to enter the chamber around them both. The radiant light, coming form him grew as the children of death entered. "I will need your help Kaili", did she have the ability to use the light side of the force?

 

[Kaili Talith]

It was not that Kaili was unable to use the lighter side of the force as much as, well, she hadn’t really done it much over the last few years. Her practice had always been in the field of mechanical constructs and the control of such things. Mechu Deru was considered by many an inherently dark sided aspect of the force, but Kaili had been raised to see past such taboo. It was a tool, same as any other tool. What mattered was the person behind it and as far as that went, Kaili was one of the best practitioners she had ever come across. She had dedicated a majority of her life to it, become entrenched within its practice almost as soon as she could walk. Her mother and father as well as her extended family had all granted her the best education a child could ask for when it came to the force, but that didn’t mean she would remember all of it.

Maybe in the end she wasn’t broadcasting a presence as dark or light as she had suspected. It wouldn’t have been all that hard to believe that she had a great but clouded ‘aura,’ but as far as mindsets and lessons went Kaili would never deny that she held onto the lessons that her mother had imprinted upon her as a child. Although it was made in wide strokes Kaili’s own personal code of honor reverberated a lot more around the way of the Jedi than anything and was more than likely the reason she had set herself up with a vow of pacifism. At least pacifism to the degree in which she would allow herself to attack in self-defense, but only if struck at first. In the end it was still highly doubtful that anyone would catch her in their robes or anything even remotely close to the associated burlap. So, while a great deal of her modus operandi did indeed resonate with the Jedi as if they had almost been torn straight from the Jedi Handbook it didn’t mean that she had ever strived to be one of them. No, she merely liked their ideals. Be nice, be good, and never do onto others anything you wouldn’t want to be done onto you.

In short, it was Wheaton’s law. Whoever that was.

“Well, a headache is manageable…” Kaili felt her lips distort in a tensed lopsided frown by the side of her mouth. “As for light, we’ll see.”

“Not that I am some kind of soul devouring, child murdering, malady spreading Sith Lord, but I certainly haven’t practiced what my mother passed on from my childhood.” Kaili sighed and took a deep breath. “We will see how this goes.” Her arm raised and she focused herself on the force along with the lessons that her mother had gone through with her. After a small while a faint light would spread from her hand. Parts of it burned but not to any greater degree. It was like putting your hand above a boiling cauldron or around a lukewarm cup of tea. Manageable, but not enjoyable under prolonged exposure.

She had no idea what they were doing, but at this point she had no intention of doubting Theo. He had proven himself able.

​

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

[11]​

 

[Zeradias Mant]

"Gentlemen.", he began, his eyes peering around the room, each met with a scarlet stare from the Chiss officials. The prime minister was the only one he knew, but he was the only one that he needed to know. He would come to be acquainted with the others in time, they would no doubt come to serve essential functions in the prime minister's cabinet.

"We're gathered today not only to discuss how the Iron Empire's interest in Ornfra, but also it's investment. More chiefly however, the transition from the interim government to a more permanent one."

Leaning back into his seat, he raised his hand, in which one of his aids placed a holopad. Scrolling through his notes, the glow of the text reflected in his analyzing eyes. With the slightest smile, he looked again at the Chiss around the table.

"Fortunately, that requires less work than you might have envisioned. The Crown is pleased with the interim government's performance since it's annexation of the system and has seen fit to allow each of you to remain in your current positions in a permanent capacity, barring exigent circumstances."

The room remained somewhat quiet, with smiles and whispers of congratulations going around the room.

"Now, full autonomy over government is on the cards, so long as certain conditions are met, which have already been agreed upon with your prime minister and the cabinet's consent. The empire would like to assist in the reinforcement of Ornfra's infrastructure, and has encouraged the private sector to consider investing in the system. One of our generals has agreed to expand his business venture to the system, which is sure to increase employment, economic stability, as well as solidify the empire's interest in the system."

What he didn't mention is that it would also expand the Iron Empire's influence, though the nuances of public and intergovernmental affairs deemed it a poor choice to include that among the reasons for expansion.

"The CEO, Krayzen Dratos, will work with your finance minister about the finer points of that expansion."

Now that that had been taken care of, the table was open for discussion, though he had hoped the wouldn't be much, if any at all. But that was cut short by a raised hand and a timid voice.

"Actually..."

[member="Krayzen Dratos"]​

​

[ 4 ]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Ilum - Ilum Caves Chamber
To Sleep, perchance to dream.. for in that sleep of death what dreams may come.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Objective 3 & 4.

[10]

The truth of the matter was that Théo had no clue as to what he was doing either. How does one release souls to enter the next realm? That is even if they want to go. He believed they did, after all they had been connecting with him for months now but there would be fear always, the step into the beyond the unknown as they were trapped just before the gates of release. He believed they did not want to stay to 'relive' the horror of the past for eternity. Small tiny balls of light floated in the air around Kaili and himself they had come to them attracted to the summon of the lightside, no visions of torment followed them not even a sound but this wailing unnatural wind.

Strangely, he felt a sense of play from them as children want to do. He could almost swear he heard the sound of children giggling with mischief and he opened his eyes to see some of the tiny balls of light dancing in Kaili's hair. Will 'o the wisps of white, blue and yellow. He told himself to be patient, the answer will present itself. How many times had he heard that phrase when attending classes on Voss in the Academy? bored to the core with his boyish mind on nothing but escaping the mundane four walls of the classroom. Peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony, force ...

Did the living grow to understand this? maybe the dead did. Maybe the dead .. Jedi.

Moments slowly passed and Théo entered a state of meditation deeply, in his mind the words of the Jedi Code formed and in his mind he said them over and again. There is no emotion, there is peace .. there is no death, there is the force .. until eventually his voice opened and the words of the Jedi Code entered the chamber.

"The gates of release .. open them". He demanded of the cave still unaware he was speak aloud and his blue force aura grew outward fueled with force of the light and touched the walls of the chamber. He was aware of Kaili close by, he felt her presence in the force and her strength there adding to the pull. The sound of cracking ice split the air, a fearful noise that would send shivers through any hardened soul, thundered through the chamber. The tear in the ice streaked downward like lightning strike, large chunks fell to the floor frozen in Ages that did not recognise Time and through the crack seeping colours so brilliant and the likes he had never seen, piercing his blue eyes.


The gates of release opened.

 

[Eugen Aker]

Objective: Sharb
2/37

The Silver party would take some time getting down to the surface after confirmation with the IE flotilla, Arisa making sure everyone in her group started out the day with a healthy snack of homemade granola bars and sports drinks. Warfighters couldn't operate at peak condition without proper nutrition and hydration.

As it was about a platoon sized group, they would all take a single Atlas Dropship down, escorted by a flight of planetary bombers. After a long descent through the atmosphere, the Atlas would land beside the IE shuttles already planetside, while the bombers circled high above providing top cover.

Now on the ground, she would catch up to the IE party with all the Jedi (including Kiran the exchange student), and a single fire team of Rangers led by Calderon. The rest of the platoon was instructed to sit back inside the Atlas with the whole ship locked down.

Approaching the village, the Grandmaster could feel the whole place gripped by fear and frustration. She and her IE counterparts would have to tread carefully here, they could make for easy targets for venting as foreigners upon this land.

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

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

Location: Schesa
Objective: Do my own thing
Post 6/15

Even with centuries of experience, there were always brief displays of incompetence. For Krayzen, it was that he had forgotten he was going to have a meeting with one of the finance minister. "Oh kark!" he stated, realizing his mistake. He ran as fast as he could to the comm room, the Dark-sider enhanced by his cybernetics. Even then, he was somewhat late

"I apologize." he stated, looking at [member="Zeradias Mant"]. He hadn't seeing the man in a while, but he was more than ready to be able to lead the meeting, as he would delegate the construction of the fortress to his skilled assistants.

"Drakos Systems will be looking at the construction of a shipyard here in the near future." he stated. "Furthermore, I have architects,and civil engineers that would like to construct a city here." Krayzen said. "We, the Iron Empire, look to help the financial transformation of this planet. Other infastructure projects include the construction of a spaceport, universities, etc." Krayzen said.

"Any objections?"

 

[Talos Rygat]

Location: Sharb
Objective: Investigate the missing villagers
Allies: [member="Arisa Yune"] [member="Caelag Vass"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Kiran Arlos"] [member="Jerit Kolomor"] [member="Vitha Sat-thuron"]
(4)

As the party of Iron Imperials and Silver Jedi made their way Toni the village by way of the locals speeders, Talos had his Archons focusing on the Force for any signs that could aid them in garnering a pass to assist with the disappearances. His first thought was cultists, then some creature of the night, then a murder spree. Or maybe just a cover up by the Council of Elders who where doing something highly immoral or disreputable.

Once the caravan reached the village, two dozen Chiss guards were there to greet them. Some more welcoming than others. They may be Chiss, but they weren't on Csila any longer. Their old isolationist ways had worn off for the most part. The captain of the guard was one such welcoming soul, while the look of his lieutenants gave a very unwelcome vibe.

"We are emissaries from the Iron Empire and Silver Jedi Order. We come as friends to aid the search for your missing family members." Talos spoke loud enough for the townspeople who'd gathered to see the visitors to hear. Hoping to appeal to them rather than the soldiers.

"We know who you are Outsiders. And we did not invite you." Beyond the crowd, an ancient Chiss, by his appearance, one of the Council members. His tone full of disgust and hate.

"Please Horri'onoru'purou, they come to help. To find your son, all of us have lost someone recently and it's no longer possible to find them without help." Another spoke out from the crowd, this time a middle aged man, holding his daughter tight to his waist, clearly her young eyes had recently wept.

"Silence, you are not a member of the Council anymore. You quite when your wife disappeared. Your words no longer hold power, Cask'otetu'oamog."

The tension amongst the crowd was palpable. Even the guard seemed split by these events of late. This wasn't a Council, it was a committee with this ancient one being the head, by power grab or otherwise. Some seemed to hate the Elder, while others sympathized with the old ways.

Talos took pause as the scene played out, shoulders became restless in the crowd and it almost felt as if they would be soon part of a civil war.....

 

[Kaili Talith]

Energy began to surround her and Kaili couldn’t help but open her eyes to look in marvel. The sound of children’s laughter filled the cavern and she closed her eyes in an attempt to go back to focusing on the light she was bringing from her hands. Part of her doubted in the end that Theodor had needed the help, but she tried regardless. The burn began to still more and more the further she focused on it and for a moment she wanted to break off into even further marvel at it. She hadn’t ever considered the peace of mind that was practicing the force, at least not outside of droids, but this place was certainly something else.

Unable to keep herself from breaking off from Theo she felt her eyes open to the orbs of light again. They had multiplied as more and more of them started to come over with a strange sense of curiosity to them. She held back the urge to reach out and touch them as they played in her hair. There was an innocence in the air that she didn’t want to disrupt. She remained standing by Theo’s side offering mental support in case he needed it. Only, it grew all the more apparent that he didn’t.

Did he just start to glow?

Yes, yes he did. He started to glow.

Kaili blinked and took an instinctive step away to look at him. Hand raised to offer him more of the support that he had called for in order to help him with what he was trying to do. He spoke and with it the walls began to crack. Kaili’s focus was broken and she stumbled back in a brief moment of panic. A crack ran through the wall starting at the top before ending at the bottom. Piece after piece of ice and rock followed in its wake until finally a bright light filled the room

“What the f-...” Kaili stopped herself. Eyes squinted and a hand moved up to cover them from the blinding lights. “What is going on?”

“The light, the… Other lights.”

“I have no idea what we’re playing with here, Theodor…”

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

[12]​

 

[Eugen Aker]

Objective: Sharb
3/37

At the entrance of the town, she confirmed that they were indeed dealing with Chiss. This would definitely make for an interesting interaction, as there were many Chiss who were not fans of the Iron Empire, even after the work they had done removing the then waning influence of the One Sith. For the more conservative, xenophobic members of the race, a foreigner was still a foreigner, unwelcome in a position of power no matter how benevolent their cause.

She could feel it now as they passed the guard detail, the disdain she felt from some of them almost palpable. It was a good thing she had decided to bring only the one fireteam with her, to ensure it didn't look like she and the others weren't trying to walk in and lord over the place. Arisa herself was dressed fairly casually in her trademark bomber jacket, khakis and boots, all with the intent to appear non-threatening.

The shade only became worse as they traveled deeper into the town for the ruling body of the town, led right into the crowd that looked to on the verge of becoming an angry mob as they bickered among themselves. Some welcomed outside assistance that had answered their distress calls, but others wanted nothing to do with the IE and SJO. It appeared the one leading the latter group was an elderly Chiss that had been referred to as "Horri'onoru'purou" (say that five times fast!). If Arisa and company were going to help this group, they would have to bring him on board or mitigate his influence somehow.

Her IE counterparts appeared to just want to sit back as arguments continued flying, but Arisa stepped forward, believing they needed to inject themselves into the conversation to sway the group in their favor. Before she would utter a single word, the Jedi Master would radiate with a calming aura of Light Side energies to help make the crowd more amenable to civil discourse. Unfortunately, it may leave her Darker counterparts reeling just a bit depending on the extremity of their alignments.

"My name is Arisa Yune, Grandmaster of the Silver Jedi Order." Her words would ring clearly through the crowd, carried right to their ears by the Force. "A few days ago, there was a distress called received by both the Iron Empire and myself, so we came here to investigate and see how we may help you all. You have my word that we are only here to help deal with the issue at hand and to deliver some medical supplies and foodstuffs as needed. Afterwards, we will be happy to leave your town in peace. If this doesn't work for you, then I'm fine leaving now so that we may avoid unecessary hostilities."

Now playing a game of words, she had just thrown the ball in into the Conservatives' court. In the short term, they may get their way and lead the push to send the IE and SJO packing, but eventually, lose all support as they appeared completely ineffectual at solving the problems that currently plagued the town. The record of the Iron Empire and Silver Jedi was just about unimpeachable, as they had proven to be friends of the Chiss time and time again, and so it would be hard to reject them without coming off as unreasonable. Politicians, no matter their stances, were all still motivated by the threat of losing their power and prestige. She trusted they would eventually see the light she made it clear that this wasn't an attempt at a power grab.

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

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Objective: 4 – BYOO
Location: Ilum – Iron Pantheon, Medical Quarters
Post: 6

The young man’s eyes flickered open, and Valae’s smiling face would be the first thing he saw. Slowly, he sat up in the small bed, his hand rose to touch the side of his head. Though the wound had been closed, the memory of his fall was still there. Perplexed, his questioning gaze focused on the brunette that knelt as his bedside.

“What happened?” He asked, groggily.

“You were injured during patrol,” Valae replied, “I was told that you had fallen off a ridge. You had a nasty cut on the side of your head, but I patched you up.”

The young man nodded, taking in this information. As he looked at Valae, his eyes narrowed slightly and he pointed a finger at the bandage wrapped around her head.

“Did you get hurt too?”

“Oh! No, no… nothing like that.” Valae chuckled sheepishly, “You see, I was just practicing.”

The soldier’s eyes lit up with recognition, and he offered a smile.

“There was word that the Praetor had found a new healer; I take it that’s you.”

“Indeed, that’s me.” Valae nodded, grinning as she reached up to remove the wrappings.

The fire in the hearth was still glowing, but the heat was waning. Stepping away from the patient’s bedside, she placed a couple logs on the fire and prodded it with a metal stake until it blazed once more. Walking back over, Valae made sure that her patient was comfortable and advised him to rest for a while. As his wound had been healed, she wouldn’t need to keep him cooped up for long.

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Post: 02
Objective: 4
Location: Noris

Aster's heart raced as she exited the airspeeder in the company of a couple influential members of the Chiss Ascendancy. Still new to the political world, she had little experience interacting with promient members of society outside of her uncle and so, it was only natural for her to be nervous.

"Welcome Princess Baelor to the home of the former ruling family of Noris," a member of Chiss nobility gestured at delipidated mansion. "This building was once a sight to behold and host to many events but regretfully, it seems time had been unkind to it," there was a tinge of sadness to her voice as she spoke.

"In that case, as another sign of goodwill to the Chiss, the Iron Empire will see to that the building is restored upon the liberation of Noris," Aster spoke with false confidence - a skill she had only fully mastered recently.

"Come, let me show you around the building," the Chiss geatured at Aster to follow. "This building has a rich history that should be shared."

"Okay," the blonde teenager said and followed the Chiss.

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Ilum - Ilum Caves Chamber
Lambent Flames - Light the way home, the weather is bad.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Objective 3 & 4.

[11]

It was not Theo doing this, all he had hoped to do was provide a means by which the trapped souls of the children could find some solace in death. What was happening was out of his control, and he could not break connection for if he did the moment, the opportunity would be lost to them. But he could not do this alone, all his power his energy was required to maintain this slither of hope, this inch wide crack in the rock face. It would not open any further, he was not strong enough for that and would take many powerful Jedi or force users to do it, but the small fissure would be enough if he could hold. He was weakening however, already the amount of energy used was draining him and Kaili had to be quick.

He could hear her, deep in the recesses of his mind, her words found him and he too was just as nonplussed and had little idea of it. "You have to get them to go", he whispered with urgency, "I can't hold much longer". He did not draw on her strength, this action would deplete her and so he called to the Ilum cave, the light side present for ions that had tested and provided the gift of knowledge of Self to so many that passed through its walls. It was never only the gathering that would face this, Kaili's was yet to come and this event was unexpected, at least the magnitude of it.

He readied to allow himself to be taken into the depths of the light side and the chamber seemed to close in on him, the walls falling around him before swirling outward time and again. This was in his mind's eye, to the point he almost collapsed from the vision of it, but he held fast he had too for her sake .. this was her part to play and as much as they needed him to help them to join the force, they needed her equally. The moving on...

Theo could feel his body begin to weaken further, his legs felt like lead the conduit between his body and the light side a heavy burden to take which would have him on his knees. The icy floor he did not feel, nor the cold biting air and he could hear nothing save the beating of his own heart which sounded like the drums of war .. or was it explosions, light flashes? was it them? .. and then nothing as everything went black.