Dominion Shifting Tides | Dominion of Devaron

[Spirit of Temperance]

Shifting Tides​

Devaron, a planet finding itself between the Galactic Alliance and Royal Naboo Republic after the recent celestial convergence has sent a group of ambassadors to the Senate to help re-establish their placement in the Alliance, yet with changes in the placement of the Galaxy and recent events in the Galactic Scene also may mean a change in loyalty and allegiance. After all, Devaron is a matriarchal government, similar to Hapes. Whilst they aren’t as extreme as the Consortium, members of the Government are concerned of a repeat of Hapes.

Alongside this, the Devaronian Government has opened their doors to visitors from the Galaxy to discuss new trade deals alongside alliances with their new neighbouring worlds. They want to prove that they can continue to contribute to the defense and protection of the Alliance, no matter where they are in the Galaxy.

Can the Alliance confirm the membership of Devaron in their territory once again, or will negotiations falter?

Objective 1 - Reforged Alliances (Senators/Politicians)
​

The ambassadors of Devaron stood in the halls of the Senate Building on Fondor, ready to make their case and requests to the members of the Alliance. The ambassadors had a simple list of requests. Promises that they would not have to change their government system, that they would be allowed to keep their capital punishment and that the Alliance would come to their aid if they were invaded. It is up to those in the Senate to decide if the Devaronian requests would be accepted or denied, though ultimately the Devaronians may not have a choice in the matter.

Objective 2 - A Test of Strength (GADF)

Devaron wants to prove to the Galaxy that it can still hold its own, even if it’s position in the Galaxy has shifted and they believe the GADF can help prove exactly that. For that, they have proposed the idea of having a war game between themselves and the Alliance, out in the wilderness of Devaron itself. With Devaronians from all over the Galaxy returning to their homeworld to take part in these war-games, it will be a sight to behold as the Devaronian people show their might and use the knowledge of their homeworld to their advantage! Members of the GADF who happen to be Devaronians are also given the choice as to if they want to participate as a member of the Defence Force or on the side of Devaron.

Objective 3 - A Buyer's Market (Merchants, Entrepreneurs, Investors) ​

With the doors to Devaron being open, so are the doors to potential trade deals! Previously agreed deals may have been made null and void by the celestial convergence. With the rearrangement of Devaron’s location in the Galaxy, various trade routes will need to be changed. The bright minds of the Devaronians, well known for the development of different types of technology, are a treasure trove waiting for the right people to negotiate some form of deal. Those looking for skilled workers would also be able to find plenty of Devaronians eager to explore and see the Galaxy, as long as they have the right sponsor.

Objective 4 - Temple Clear Out (Jedi)

With the Grandmaster’s call to expand their reach beyond the Core, it was obvious that the Eedit temple would be on the cards for the Jedi to work from. Though the Temple appears to have some unwanted inhabitants that would need to be cleared out. Reports state a group of criminals that had escaped from a nearby prison had settled up in the Temple for security…only to run into trouble in the form of the Quarra. It appears that in the years that the Temple has been abandoned, a pack of Quarra have settled in the nearby forests. So it is a battle on two fronts, with the Jedi having to clear out the criminals from the Temple, where there are sure to be some criminals who will listen to reason, whilst also helping to deal with the threat of the Quarra in the jungles.

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Eedit Temple, Outer Precincts
Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: OPEN

Zaiya stood at the edge of the atrium, one arm raised, sunlight filtering through cracks in the ancient stone above her. The jungle's breath drifted in thick and damp, laced with the scent of moss and something more metallic beneath. Her bracer and the dozen of bangles she wore on her wrists gave a small jingle, before one in particular blinked once before the mapping droids zipped free, scattering like startled insects. They blinked blue and gold as they floated off to scan the ruins ahead.

Domxite was perched on her shoulder, giving off the subtle vibrations she'd come to associate with protective concern and anticipation. She was feeling it too. Beneath the growing and increasingly practiced Jedi control the Lovalla teen had been working on, little sparks of teal joy shimmered at her collarbones; she liked puzzles, even if this one came with criminals and carnivores.

A flicker of grey danced across her cheek as one of the droids pinged the lower west corridor. Movement. Not Quarra -- too deliberate. She touched the side of her head, activating her comm. "Contact. Human signatures, small cluster, not running. They might talk."

 

[Jin Kimura]

Objective 4 - Temple Clear Out
Weapons: Lightsabers & Sidearm
Gear: Jumpsuit w/ Utility Belt
Assets:
Tags: Zaiya Ceti OPEN

It was almost time. His fellow Jedi would be here soon, though the young Padawan wasn't sure how many exactly. Not that it mattered. He had been posing as a smuggler to this small group of escaped prisoners turned artifact looters lately. His goal was recovering all the looted items they took from this ancient temple and secretly conveying them back to Tython.

Now that the Jedi were ready to once more reclaim this temple and the possibility of Devaron joining the Alliance well, it was perfect timing. The con could end soon and he would be able to say he helped restore this place through his due diligence of keeping its precious artifacts safe from the likes of these scum.

Speaking of scum, a group of them approached Jin as he waited in the western corridor. Usually he'd be coming to secure their latest finds, which was also true, though today he was trying to pull as many of their attention spans as he could to allow other Jedi a safe approach.

Hopefully he was successful. As they came within visual range, Jin quickly turned on that mask of his and beamed a bright, savvy smuggler smile.

"Afternoon boys, how is the haul this time?"​

 

[Nos Voros]

Objective 1 - Reforged Alliances (Senators/Politicians)
​

Objective: Security Detail: Devaronian Ambassadors
Outfit: Senate Commando Armor [X]
Full Kit Deployment:

Spoiler: Full Kit

* Legion Combat Engineer Multi-Tool

• 4 X Combat/Utility Knife-Model 01
• 2 X Vibroblade-Model 01
• Cortosis Vibroblade
• Legion Combat Pistol Mark I with Whisper-class Suppressor Series
• Legion Crew Personal Protection Weapon Mark I
• Combat Scattergun-Model 01
• 3 X Modular Hand Grenade-Model 01
• 3 X Anti-Armor Grenade-Model 01

* GAHA-32 Lionheart Commando Armor

• Combat Blaster Rifle-Model 01 with Tactical Accessories Series and Underbarrel Grenade Launcher-Model 01 (20 X Launchable Grenade Series)
• 4x blaster cartridges
• 2x stun grenades
• Ascension Pistol
• Fusion Lantern
• Datapad
• Garrote
• 3x stimpacks
• 3x bland survival bars
• 128oz Canteen of water.

Spoiler: Rubrus Squad

Squad Leader: Captain Nos Voros (Zeltron male)
Fire Team Alpha — GAHA-32 Lionheart Commando Armor
Team Leader: Lieutenant Karis Vonn (Human female, Corellian)

• AT-FL9 Flechette Launcher
• A sharp tactician with experience in counter-assassination operations.

Medic: Sergeant Lorne Vesik (Mirialan male)

• Former Judicial Forces combat medic,
• GAGL 56 Snarl Grenade Launcher
• specializing in battlefield triage and trauma care.

Machine Gunner: Corporal Bex Jarn (Besalisk male)

• Heavy weapons expert.
• AT-RB07 Heavy Repeating Blaster
• Strong but surprisingly fast for his size, excels at defensive holds and breaching operations.

Rifleman: Private Tash Renn (Human male, Chandrilan)

• A precise and disciplined soldier.
• BHSR-1 Service Rifle
• Prefers coordinated maneuvers and works best in tight formations.

---

Fire Team Bravo — GAHA-32 Lionheart Commando Armor
Team Leader 2: Sergeant Jil Torvan (Togruta female)

• Former planetary security officer with expertise in urban combat.
• GARBR-5 Beak repeating blaster
• Skilled in squad coordination.

Marksman: Corporal Rann Kyber (Nautolan male)

• Expert sharpshooter.
• GABB-15 Talon II Blaster Carbine
• Specializes in eliminating priority targets at long range.

Heavy Weapons: Private Drax Molgar (Zabrak male)

• Specializes in explosives and heavy ordinance.
• ML-04E-GA Rocket Launcher
• Often deployed against armored threats or for breaching enemy positions.

Rifleman: Private Cass Deren (Duros male)

• Agile and quick-thinking.
• BHSR-1 Service Rifle
• Often acts as the squad's point man, scouting ahead for danger.

"Nothing fancy for today's deployment - standard security detail. Bravo Team, you're on external duty, Alpha, you're patrolling the interior. I'll be alongside the VIPs. Soundoff every 15, redirect SSF to investigate anything minor - we can't be wasting any one of checking out anything under an orange-level risk. Got it?"

At the salute and confirmation, both groups of Senate Commandos split into their four-man fireteams per the Captain's orders.

Not a few hours later, the envoys arrived. Nos waited for them at the shuttle landing pad, escorting them and any others who typically greeted visitors mostly wordlessly to the Senate floor, checking each commando's biometrics and his immediate surroundings.

There will be no second Hapes crisis. Even if Nos himself had to take the fall, never again would he be so complacent that the chancellor himself was in danger.

Because negotiations were here, on Fondor, in the heart of the Alliance, that duty was transferred to the protection of the Devaronian ambassadors - from his own people if necessary. It hardly seemed to be a threat at this juncture. Nos hoped it never would be the case.

He remained in the shadow of the ambassadors - unspeaking, unobtrusive, and unnoticed unless he was needed.

Guarding Objective 1
Watching @YOU​

 

[Connel Vanagor]

Get out of our House!
Devaron
Objective 4

Connel was already here.

Already inside.

It’s funny how that works, a Jedi Shadow trained in Special Forces tactics added to his own. He used all of his skills to bypass security checkpoints, to cloak himself from others, from situations. He was not able to freely move about without them knowing, make no mistake. These criminals, thugs, Ne'er Do Wells, whatever you wish to call them were professionals and he knew it. So he simply fell back on his training and observed. Inside the Temple in a “safe” place that changed every few minutes in case someone caught his trail, he watched, and took everything in.

This was all about “intel” gathering. What Connel hoped for was Valery Noble still holding his Mobile "Bodycam" Datapad that he had forgotten to get back to her on Belkadan. If she had it, it would be buzzing right now, and all she would have to do is press the green button and she would see everything he was seeing.

He wasn’t some “trump” card, he did not have all of the answers, but right now, he was looking at the way in which they could follow. A way they could get into undetected and get a leg up. The Grandmaster did not need the help to be sure, she had probably forgotten more about life than he would ever learn, but it was a good help for others who might be around her.

Valery Noble • TAGS​

 

[Vera Noble]

Devaron

​

Tag: Kaelos Vryn

​

The jungle was alive with noise. Birdsong, insects, the distant rustle of leaves shifting in humid wind — all layered over the soft crunch of boots on undergrowth. Vera ducked beneath a low branch as they moved deeper into the wilds of Devaron, her gloved fingers still loosely laced with Kaelos' hand.

She hadn't let go since they'd left the Temple's outer perimeter.

"The others can handle the criminals," she said, glancing back at him with a sly smile. "We'll catch up if things get bad. I just…" her voice trailed as she turned forward again, brushing aside a fern, "...needed a break from all that." The truth was easier to admit here, where the vines grew too thick for anyone else to overhear.

She didn't want to face the Temple yet. Not the guilt lingering in those old halls, or the memories of what the Jedi left behind. Not with him. Not when she could have a few quiet moments like this. With him beside her. Vera was never shy. But this was different. The words she wanted to say caught on her tongue like thorns. The weight of it sat in her chest, warm and heavy.

Kaelos Vryn .

He'd always been steady, sharp in a fight, calm when things frayed. And lately, he'd been the one constant she kept finding herself orbiting — again and again. Like gravity had quietly decided where she belonged, and just hadn't told her yet. She slowed her pace, just enough to pull him closer as the sound of the temple faded behind them.

"Hey uh... there's something I wanted to talk about..." she began, as they crossed into the dangerous jungles together.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Somewhere between the edge of the jungle and the outer wall of the Temple, Valery blinked at the device in her hand. It had buzzed. Repeatedly. She turned it over once. Then again. Frowned. There was definitely a green button on the screen now, pulsing softly like it was inviting her to do something obvious.

"Alright," she muttered to herself, brow furrowed. "How hard can it be?"

She pressed it. The image blinked to life… upside down.

"Stars—" Valery squinted at the display, where a jittery, sideways view of the Temple interior appeared. Connel's boots were at the top of the screen. Everything else was a dizzying mess of ceiling and floor. She flipped it. The picture flipped with her. "Oh come on." She growled under her breath and turned it again, this time holding it out at arm's length like the distance might change the angle.

Finally, she hit the side twice, and the auto-orient stabilized.

"...There we go."

She tapped her comm.

<Connel? I've got eyes on your feed. I'm heading your way.> With a flick of her wrist, she tucked the device back into her belt and started forward, saber not yet drawn, but her steps already light and purposeful through the trees.

Connel Vanagor ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

Objective: Temple

Jin Kimura Connel Vanagor

Her bracer and the dozen of bangles she wore on her wrists gave a small jingle, before one in particular blinked once before the mapping droids zipped free, scattering like startled insects. They blinked blue and gold as they floated off to scan the ruins ahead.

"Those are... Smaller than mine..."

Makko stood with a pair of probe droids lingering behind him. He was clearly suffering with tech envy.

"Contact. Human signatures, small cluster, not running. They might talk."

"Got any clever tech to crack their comms and see what they're about?" Makko asked.

He wasn't taking the lead unless they were ambushed by predators.

 

[Gress D'ran]

Homecoming
Tag: Koyi Freetaa
Loadout:

Spoiler

Tiger 1 ~ Horned Hellstomper
Tiger 2 ~ Fireball
Tiger 3 ~ Perception Check
Tiger 4 ~ Divine Intervention
Tiger 5 ~ (Command Tiger) ~ Golem
Puma 1 ~ Brass Ring
Puma 2 ~ Ice Cream Truck
Puma 3 ~ Short Bus
Puma 4 ~ First Student
Puma 5 ~ Frizzle's Cadets

Deveron had always been home. A place Gress didn't visit often enough. Normally, he'd be behind the console of his Sphinx, but today was a special occasion.

"FALL IN LINE, MEN!"

That was the man who had organized all this, much to Gress's own chagrin.

The senior leader of Devaron's Planetary Defense Force. The eldest Devaronian in the GADF, and the man who Gress had aspired to succeed in legacy.

Brigadier General Hux D'ran. The hardest ass you'll ever meet, and his father.

"I have chosen my best men to man these vehicles. The top brass has told me that you were involved in an incident on Corellia. None of that here! I want to prove that my men can whip your men's butts fair and square! In command of the walkers on our side will be none other than my baby boy! The hero of Devaron! You will be expected to best him!"

The man who's horns stood nearly an extra foot of height taller marched like a predator playing with his foot in front of the chosen GADF soldiers. These were the remnants of what had been dubbed by the locals as "The Battle of Maclunkee Creek.", a ragtag group of graduates that would have been court martialed for their rowdy behavior, but were instead given leeway by Gress's command.

What Gress didn't expect was his father to pull rank, and use them as canon fodder for his own ego.

I mean...

For the pride of the Devaron System. Sure. Let's go with that.

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Devaron
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: Lightsaber | Jedi Jumpsuit | Utility Belt
​

​

Warmth.

Her fingers interlaced with his, the warmth of her hand against his calming and reassuring. Their grasp had been interwoven since they'd left the temple, Vera leading the way into the dense overgrowth of the Devaron forests. Vines tickled the back of his neck the deeper into the depths they got.

Vera spoke finally, her sly smile causing the young Kiffar to break his own grin. Vera had mentioned that the others could handle the criminals, which made the young Jedi assume that she'd planned an adventure for just them. It was a reminder of how they'd become friends after all.

Just friends.

Totally.

Kaelos definitely didn't think about her more than just friends did. He definitely didn't already have the conversation with Valery Noble about how he felt about Vera. He definitely hadn't been ignoring it, knowing that Vera definitely didn't feel the same.

"Hey uh... there's something I wanted to talk about..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"That sounds ominious" he said with a slight smirk, noting Vera's serious nature as he did. His face changed in response, more serious yet still relaxed. He squeezed her hand softly, reassuringly. "You know you can talk to me anything Vera, yeah? What's going on? Should I be worried?"

 

[Vera Noble]

Devaron

​

Tag: Kaelos Vryn

​

Vera blinked. Then blinked again. She hadn't meant to say it like that. Or ask it like that. Or even think it like that until it was already tumbling out of her mouth. "I—uh." She paused mid-step, turning so fast her boot scuffed against a root and nearly sent her stumbling. Her hand squeezed his to steady herself — and also because letting go now felt more terrifying than anything in this jungle.

She looked up at him, cheeks already burning red. The sun overhead had nothing on the heat in her face.

"Are you—" she began, then stopped. Took a breath. Tried again. "Are you my boyfriend?"

Her eyes went huge.

"Wait. No. I mean. I don't mean — like— I do mean, but not like, already, unless you thought we were, in which case — uh..." She broke off, running a hand through her hair with a laugh that was half panicked and half trying-not-to-run-into-a-tree.

And then, quieter.

"Do you… want to be?"

The air between them buzzed louder than the insects now. She tried to smile, to play it cool — but her voice cracked a little at the end, and her free hand twisted nervously into the edge of her jacket.

"I mean, you don't have to. It's just, you're… kind of my favorite person. And I think about you a lot. Like, a lot a lot. And Dad already kind of knows, which is super embarrassing and scary but also not the point, and—"

She covered her face with both hands.

"...Okay, yeah, this was smoother in my head."

​

 

[Connel Vanagor]

Get out of our House!
Devaron
Objective 4

Tone is everything, and Master Noble’s tone said it all.

His view that she saw made her dizzy.

Gonna have to work on that.

Chuckling to himself, he just happened to turn and see a patrol coming his way. He did not know how far out she was, but had no doubt that the Grandmaster would have issue if she walked in on this. He was the one who had issue with the possibility as it (to him) spoke to his focus.

That made sense in your head, didn’t it?

Man, you sound like your dad! Anyway, Vanagor took a moment to scan their gear, they had comm-links, so he could scan the frequency and hack in. The question is would he need to take them down? All they had to do was turn right…

… of course they did.

oof urg guh

In almost a blur, Connel jumped out, chopped the one on the right in the throat, and jabbed the other square under the chin, knocking him out. The one, grasping his throat now had to deal with the Shadow having him in a chokehold, putting the Morellian to sleep. Val may have just walked in on this, she may have watched the whole thing and wanted to see how he would handle it. He didn’t know. He had a patrol to hide. Hey there…

Valery Noble • Makko Vyres​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Devaron
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: Lightsaber | Jedi Jumpsuit | Utility Belt
​

​

His brain broke.

Kaelos had remained silent whilst Vera Noble had spoken, he just let the words fall out of her mouth. Part of it was that he didn't want to interupt her, he didn't want to stop her when she was being so open and honest. The other part of it was that he genuinely didn't know what to say.

In his head, he'd entirely built up a situation in which he never told her how he felt because he'd just assumed she didn't feel the same way back. Now she was stood in front of him, holding his hand and pouring her heart out about how she felt about him.

It took him a second or two to figure out how to breathe again and then he pulled the blushing red Noble child into his chest, into a close hug. He let out a soft chuckle a few moments later, very gently stroking Vera's hair with a smile.

"How did you know? Are you a mind reader?" he asked with a chuckle, his tone jokey yet serious. He didn't know how else to react, his only option was humour. He held Vera for just a few more moments before he stepped back, his face flush red.

"I like you... a lot. Enough that your mum knows" he admitted honestly, his calm demeanour a complete lie. Inside he was absolutely bricking it. "Which again.... isn't the point" he added with a chuckle. "I didn't tell you... I didn't expect you to feel the same.... feel how I felt..."

He was bright red, his eyes locked on his...

Girlfriend?

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Devaron Jungles
Objective: 4 - Hunt some Quarra
Tags: Drystan Creed

Reina was itching to be in the Temple. To be dealing with the criminals taking refuge in there. But that was exactly why she held herself back from it. Violence wasn't the only solution against them, and she was sure that whoever else was dealing with the criminals would be more capable than her. Of course, that didn't stop her fingers from twitching for her lightsaber.

She had to focus on the lessons she had been getting from her master, Issar Rae’Velis . There hadn't been many lessons, but she had at least somewhat learned to reflect on herself. To mediate the flame that burned inside of her so that she wouldn't risk burning anyone around her. Breathing exercises. That was what she had to focus on. The flow of the air in and out of her lungs as she kept crouched in the jungle of Devaron. A small crease wrinkling her nose as she looked over the trees.

Why is it always trees...or mountains...or rocks? Why can't it be lakes? Or oceans? Kark, I'd even take a swimming pool over all of this.
All of this was out of Reina's comfort zone, but that's why she was doing it. The place she'd feel the most free would be in the Temple, fighting away but as she had previously established to herself, that was a bad idea. It would only encourage the worse parts of herself. So instead, she laid down in the mud of Devaron, doing her best to stay hidden. Right now, she was just following the lead of Drystan Creed . Reina had spent so much of her youth following orders from other people, so you might have thought she felt right at home...but she didn't. It meant trusting a stranger. But so be it. She just kept at the ready, waiting to watch and learn how Drystan operated.
​

 

[Razh Sho]

Objective: 4, Temple Clear out
Tags: Zaiya Ceti Jin Kimura​

Razh Sho moved like memory through the corridors—quiet, intentional, unseen until he chose otherwise. He'd separated from the others at the first sign of branching pathways, trusting Padawan Ceti's instincts to lead her own flank. The ruin spoke to him not through words, but through pressure—weight in the walls, tension beneath the stone. Places like this remembered. And they whispered to those who knew how to listen.

He moved along the edges of a collapsed passageway, boots treading between stray moss and rusted fragments of forgotten purpose. The Force pulsed faintly ahead—several presences gathered in proximity. None of them frightened. None running.

But one…

One was dimmed. Blurred at the edges. Not clouded by fear or malice—but hidden, on purpose.

A familiar shape in the current. Familiar in its restraint.

Razh exhaled quietly, his breath slow. His gloved hand did not go to his saber—not yet.

He stepped into the shadow of a broken archway and peered toward the lower west corridor, where the echo of voices reached him.

"Afternoon boys, how is the haul this time?"

The voice rang out casual, chipper, crafted, like a mask carved with expert hands. But beneath it, Razh sensed the tension coiled behind the words, the awareness of placement, the pressure of performance. He studied the speaker: a young man, standing with easy confidence, shoulder turned just enough to disguise the slight shift of his balance. Not prey. Not scavenger. Jin Kimura.

Razh didn't move yet. He merely watched, one hand now resting behind his back, the other poised lightly at his belt.

A con, then. Calculated infiltration. Effective.
And now, the moment of divergence.

Razh's gaze swept the looters—armor mismatched, hands too close to weapons, eyes darting like dogs who'd grown used to chasing their leash. He stepped forward just enough to make himself visible around the edge of the archway. Not a sudden movement. Merely present. The blue glow of his saber remained absent. But his presence in the Force unfurled like the weight of silence in a courtroom.

He said nothing.
He didn't have to.

The look he gave Jin was slight, precise—a single, measured nod that said:

"I see you."
"Continue."
"I am here."

Then he turned his eyes toward the criminals. No fear. No threat. Only the unblinking stillness of a Jedi Master waiting for the lie to end.

 

[Koyi Freetaa]

Objective 2 - A Test of Strength
​

Tags: Gress D'ran

Spoiler: Forces

• GATE-13 MAD STOMP
• GATE-13 NOISE COMPLAINT
• GATE-13 ELBOW GREASE
• GATE-13 JANK TANK
• GATE-13 JUNKYARD KING

• PUMA-2 BOOMBUS
• PUMA-2 RATTLEBUG
• PUMA-2 DENTBOX
• PUMA-2 SCRAPRIDER
• PUMA-2 PEWLORD

Sgt. Freetaa had been pulled out of barracks at about frakking zero dark thirty to have her and her crew of misfits from the infamous "The Battle of Maclunkee Creek" incident loaded up to be shipped out somewhere. Her concern only grew as en route, more vehicles with more familiar faces from the same incident. It was like someone had handpicked every screw up from Koyi's first unofficial command to make up her first official one.

Now, three days later, standing at attention with a captain's rank bar temporarily pinned on her armour, Acting Captain Koyi Freetaa knew she was in for a difficult situation. That bastard, General D'ran had handpicked them to give his son, Colonel D'ran, an easy win. She didn't have any anger toward the Colonel, Koyi had heard he actually exerted some influence to ensure that incident didn't kill their careers. But she wasn't going to let this be a foregone conclusion like the General implied, and at least this time the company she'd be wrangling didn't have an average BAC high enough to kill a Hutt. A unit of misfits and mess-ups didn't have great odds against an elite unit, not one led by the commander of the Hellstompers, but even a hard-fought loss would look good on her record.

"COMPANY! A-TEN-SHUN!" Koyi shouted as the General finished his speech, and an act of perfect synchronization that she'd only seen in this group slamming down their first empty mug at the start of a night of hard drinking, boots hit permacrete in a satisfying thump as everyone snapped from parade rest to attention.

Koyi turned to look at Gress and saluted, saying. "May the best unit win, Colonel."

Even though the acting captain kept a polite and respectful tone, the look in her eye said that she had no intentions of giving Gress the fair fight his father wanted.

 

[Drystan Creed]

DEVARON

Drystan rolled out of a bush in front of Reina, landing on his back against the muddy jungle floor. He lay there for a moment, sprawled perpendicular to the standing Padawan, eyes up at the canopy above.

"You see any signs of them yet?" he asked, before kicking up into a standing position with ease.

Despite the peculiar entrance, his outfit was even more eccentric—an amalgamation of foliage and fabric draped around him. Fake jungle leaves were sewn across a cloak wrapped tightly around his form, designed for maximum camouflage.

He paused to let Reina respond before continuing.

"Nothing on my end. They could still be a ways out. We should keep moving."

As he spoke, a plan began to form in his mind. Perhaps clearing out these Quarra could be done far more efficiently than expected.

"Remind me—do we know how these beasts socialize? Are they solo hunters, pack-based, or is there some other kind of structure to their behavior?"

To Drystan, this operation was more than an animal control mission. It was an opportunity to grow his own ability to lead and guide others. He had a few things he wanted to investigate at the temple, but this mission felt like the better proving ground. Teaching, learning, adapting—it was all part of the process.

Reina Daival

 

[Vera Noble]

Devaron

​

Tag: Kaelos Vryn

​

Vera let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a groan as he pulled her into the hug — arms wrapping tight around him, her face burying briefly into his chest. "You told my mom?" she mumbled, voice muffled against his jacket. "Ugh, Kaelos..." She leaned back just enough to look up at him, eyes narrowing in playful betrayal. "Dad might be scary, but at least he doesn't tease as much."

But the grin was already tugging at her lips, the red in her cheeks still burning but now softened by how warm everything felt. Like her whole chest was full of fizzy light. He liked her. He liked her back. And he wasn't running — not even close.

Vera shook her head, hands sliding down to take his again.

"Okay," she said, cheeks still pink. "Well. Since we're apparently sharing embarrassing facts today..." She bit her lip, then smiled. "I already talked to them about it." Her brows lifted just slightly, teasing again. "About you. And having dinner."

There was a beat. Then, very softly, "I want you to come over. Sit down with them. Be… my boyfriend, for real. If you want to." She squeezed his hands gently, eyes shining.

"What do you say? My Dad is great at cooking."

​

 

[Judah Lesan]

Wearing: This
Tag: OPEN

The forest had swallowed the ancient temple.

Thick roots snaked over toppled stone and weathered statues, ivy clung to every surface like forgotten memories. The Eedit Temple had once stood as a quiet beacon, stoic, unflinching in its dedication to peace in a chaotic age. But that was centuries ago, before the wars, before the abandonment, before the Quarra.

Now, it pulsed with something darker.

Judah Lesan crouched beside the carcass of a twisted droid, its chassis torn apart with a force no plasma blade could explain. Its servos still clicked faintly, twitching in the dirt. The Jedi’s gloved fingers traced the edge of a gash. No weapon had done this, teeth had.

The Grandmaster's call had been clear. Eedit was to be reclaimed. The Outer Rim push was real, and this long-lost temple perched on a jungle moon and tangled in mystery was too strategic to ignore. The reports hadn't done justice to what was waiting for them out here.

Then there was the Quarra,semi-sentient predators, rumored to have adapted Force sensitivity. In packs, they were coordinated, intelligent. One Jedi Knight had already been mauled in the underbrush during an early scouting run. She was lucky to survive.

Judah moved like a shadow through the tree line. The Force whispered of motion ahead that was erratic, untrained, and panicked.

Not Quarra.

He found the first group of criminals holed up in the temple’s outer sanctum, cradling stolen blasters and makeshift grenades like lifelines. None of them looked older than thirty. Most were gaunt and scared. They were prisoners once, survivors now.

“Don’t shoot,” Judah said calmly, stepping from behind a cracked pillar, lightsaber hilt still at his side.

They turned on him instantly. One blaster fired. A snap-hiss and the bolt was deflected into the ceiling.

“Let’s try that again,” Judah said, his voice even. “You’ve been living in a haunted temple surrounded by monsters. How long do you think you’ll last without help?”

Tension snapped like dry wood. A few dropped their weapons. One, a woman with a cybernetic eye, stared him down harder than the others.

“You Jedi types gonna haul us back to the cages?” she asked.

“Depends,” Judah said. “Help me clear the jungle. Earn your freedom.”

Another rumble echoed through the trees. A low, warbling howl that made the skin on Judah’s neck crawl. The Quarra were on the move.

By midday, Judah had a small group of “reformed” prisoners at his back. He didn’t trust them. Not fully. But they knew the terrain, they could shoot, and they wanted to live. That was enough.

The battle in the jungle was not a skirmish. It was a hunt.

Quarra burst from the treetops and brush like spectral wolves, eyes glowing faintly, their movement unnaturally precise. Judah moved like a blade between his allies, his lightsaber cutting arcs of green through the dark. Every strike was deliberate, efficient. This was no war. It was survival.

And somewhere in the fight, Judah felt it. A ripple in the Force.

Not from the Quarra.

From beneath the temple. Something ancient stirred.

Judah stood on the temple steps as the Grandmaster’s communique buzzed through on his wrist. He didn’t answer yet.

Instead, he looked back into the jungle, toward the source of that ripple.

“Something's still down there,” he murmured.

This was only the beginning.