The Fall of Ciomia (Jedi Shadow mission)

[Gnost Karr]

Gnost listened intently as the Jedi before him spoke. He agreed with their assessments, it would have been useful had Kian left more information for Gnost. Usually there were encrypted communications that came through different channels, but for some reason with this mission, Kian had gone in relatively silent.

"The only communication I have is the one requesting assistance." Gnost said shrugging apologetically. "I'm not entirely sure why Master Karr did not communicate to us in another manner, in past missions he had." Gnost said running a hand over his anti-ox mask. "Perhaps he intended to send further instructions after his initial investigation and something went wrong....but that would be pure speculation."

"It does seem, however," Gnost continued, "that we are in agreement that the city should take precedent over Master Karr." Gnost understood with the decision and a part of him truly agreed with it. But still....Kian was his uncle and he was worried. Gnost ran his hands over the console in front of him, and a small dark chunk of rock floating in space came into view.

"This large asteroid is caught in the gravity of Ciomia and slowly moving toward the planet. This ship is set to come out of hyperspace behind it to help conceal us." Gnost said and then struck another button and a number of lines appeared on the screen descending from the ship to the surface. "The plan will be to take a number of drop ships on a steep descent straight at Theron, the capital city." Gnost had drawn up several scenarios depending on how those present wanted to proceed and had brought this up when it became clear that Theron would be their initial target. "The steep descent is necessary, as we want to land as quickly as possible to avoid the storms."

Realizing that he had just dictated the plan of the mission to a room full of Jedi that were far more esteemed and experienced than himself, Gnost gulped and his eyes went wide behind his goggles. Several years of working with the Shadows had put Gnost comfortable in a position of outlining missions to those they were working with....but those individuals were almost never experienced Jedi like the group before him.

"That is, of course," Gnost said hoping he hadn't offended anyone, "unless anyone here has other plans for our initial strike?"

[member="Jyoti Nooran"] | [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] | [member="Ehud"] | [member="Crona'Tas"] | [member="Lynette Lykova"] | [member="Hrajlmak'Natok"] | [member="Naramphra"] | [member="Celiana"] | [member="Allyson Locke"] | [member="Morteg"]​

 

[Lynette Lykova]

The blue hologram nodded it's stark white helm,

"If stealth insertion was the goal, well, then that'd be a damn fine plan."

Then the helmet shrugged.

"Anyway. I'll take my fighter out for a system scan and see who's roaming about. I'll ping the local star's Hyperspace Beacon and see what the traffic and signal-scatter has been like too. Hopefully get a better sense of things. Pirates or no pirates. I'll send your ship any relevant data as it comes in. Again. Probably just a comms issue. No biggie."

Lynette didn't believe this mission was anything more than it needed to be. Fix the Hypercomm, fix the problem. She'd have the whole thing wrapped up in an hour. No sweat.

"Ah. And those planetary storms will likely cut us off when you guys hit atmo. So I'll send the rest of the intel I find via the Force. ...God speed and good hunting ya'll. Force be with you."

​

* * *​

Lynette closed the channel to the Jedi delegation and nodded to the droid outside her cockpit window.

"Okay R2. You ready?"

~ "Dweet dweet" ~

"Nice. Dropping out of Lightspeed now."

Her tiny little blue Interceptor dropped out of Hyperspace nearer the central system star. As close to the moored H-beacon as she could get in Realspace. Then she cut engines and dropped a shroud.

"Alright R2. Run a scan for the local traffic net. Let's see if we can pull a public log of Republic IFFs."

~ "Dweet donk" ~

Lynette sighed and leaned back in her cockpit chair. Radar was clean.

~ "Deet deet" ~

"What do you mean, everything's fine?"

~ "Donk deep deep!" ~

"No problems with the beacon? The Hypercomms fine? What."

She leaned forward and looked down the data readout that her droid had just pulled from the Hyperspace network. Sure enough. No problems reported. Not even a hint of static.

"So. If the beacon is fine? Then why is the planet still dark?"

Her white helm turned to look over her shoulder. Peering out into the dark vacuum of space.

* * *​

​

The blue hologram of Lynette's trooper helm appeared once again before the Jedi assembly,

"Strange as it sounds. The Hyperspace beacon is fine. Comms are working just dandy. In fact, the traffic logs show steady incoming system traffic too. Seven ships tagged the beacon in the last week alone. But, here's the strange part. Thus far? Nobodies left the system either. Outbound ship requests have been zero for the past month. I hate to say it, but... Seems like once you land on the planet? You're stuck there. For good."

The helm turned and nodded to all present.

"Whatever is happening down there. It ain't broken Hypercomms and it ain't a simple pirate raid. System space is clean too. So, is it an occupation? Maybe. A biological outbreak? Doubtful. As they ain't broadcasting a distress or No-Fly zone either. It's just dead. Nothing that lands on that planet reports back. Zip, zero, nadda. It's all just, dead space."

Lynette shrugged again. Sadly. She was out of easy answers. Modern technology could only get you so far. Damn.

Well. It seemed planet-fall was there only option now. And that was starting to sound a lot like a one-way trip too.

Ugh.

Gross.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"] | [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] | [member="Ehud"] | [member="Crona'Tas"] | [member="Hrajlmak'Natok"] | [member="Naramphra"] | [member="Celiana"] | [member="Allyson Locke"] | [member="Morteg"] | [member="Kian Karr"]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Seer of the Bryn'adul? Kian had not had any run-ins with this group before nor had he remembered ever seeing any communications about them. Whatever this Ehud was, he was certainly a force user. Kian could feel him probing at his mind, nothing invasive, yet, but rather searching. As if testing the water with his toe before decided whether or not to jump in. Kian would prefer if the large Bryn'adul stayed out of his mind, but he wasn't sure that would remain an option for long.

"I will provide what I can." Kian said, being honest, "But will endure the pain if needed to protect what I can not provide." Kian wished he could say this would be his first time experiencing torture at the hands of an enemy, but he had experienced it once before. It was impossible not to break. No one was without a breaking point. All Kian could hope for was that he could hold out long enough. For the one advantage Kian had was time. Gnost would have gotten the signal by now, he would have rallied a force to come to Ciomia to investigate. His nephew was resourceful and dedicated.

Kian would have to talk, if for no other reason than to wait out the arrival of the others, but he would do his best to avoid providing anything useful. But Kian paused for a second at this thought. What kind of information did Ehud even want? He didn't sense malice from the man, but rather curiosity. Perhaps Kian's world was as unknown to him as the Bryn'adul's was to Kian.

"Perhaps a show of good faith?" Kian suggested jingling his arms. "I'm one man, in poor shape. I'd say you have the advantage here, why keep me chained?" Kian asked. One of the characteristics that Kian had tried to hone over the years and that he tried to teach to his fellow Shadows was to appear non-threatening. To appear unimpressive. A foe that underestimated was often a foe defeated. In Kian's current state, that wasn't hard to do. Kian was certain he couldn't break out of here on his own, but perhaps he could at least put himself in a position that would be beneficial when the time came for such thoughts.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"] | [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] | [member="Ehud"] | [member="Crona'Tas"] | [member="Lynette Lykova"] | [member="Hrajlmak'Natok"] | [member="Naramphra"] | [member="Celiana"] | [member="Allyson Locke"] | [member="Morteg"]​

 

[Celiana]

I'd accessed a feed of the briefing en route to The Temple. Lovely..... almost sentient wolves. Giant spiders that like to hunt things and laid out carpets of silk. Storms which fried electronics on ships....Come to Ciomia you can check in anytime you like but you can never leave! I hummed a song which suddenly came to mind, I'd reached the Silver Spacy Hangars and saw my ship off on an outdoor landing pad. The addition of my new Voodoo fighter was nice but odds were I'd need a way down to the surface of Ciomia. Looking over The Morrigan I realized something....there was in fact a platform up top which came up out of the meditation sphere I had aboard. If I needed, I could theoretically redirect lightning strikes....

Sighing I realized I'd probably need to freshen up the paint at the very least after this excursion. Leaving my speeder on the pad I strolled up the ramp of The Morrigan and thought.... City completely intact but nothing had left the system.... something or someone else was in stealthed orbit then. If nothing had left the system it was either they couldn't or they'd be shot down if they tried. Comm relays intact but no communications.... there was something not quite right about this whole situation. Triggering my call sign active The Silver Hangar would see callsign Voodoo leaving Kasshyyyk space. I'd see soon enough what was going on on Ciomia....

[member="Kian Karr"] ~ [member="Lynette Lykova"] ~ [member="Allyson Locke"] ~ [member="Ehud"] ~ [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] ~ [member="Crona'Tas"] ~[member="Hrajlmak'Natok"] ~[member="Naramphra"] ~[member="Morteg"]

 

[Ehud]

Good faith?

Ehud wasn't aware of that particular saying. Perhaps Karr meant a religious bond? Did he serve a deity? Ehud didn't believe that the Jedi served any higher power, but he could have missed that detail in his studies. He wasn't entirely sure how to do this ritual. Perhaps Karr would enlighten him?

"I will not release you from your bonds," Ehud said, smiling as if the suggestion were a funny joke. "You are a prisoner, until I receive what I require from you." Ehud hadn't considered what would happen to the Kel Dor should he receive everything he required. He pushed that thought aside, deeming it unimportant for now.

"I thank you for your cooperation," Ehud growled, leaning closer to his subject. His eyes began to sputter with golden light, before glowing with an intensity that hurt to look at.

And to Kian Karr, it would be as if the ground began to crack beneath them, revealing a black nothingness beneath. The very air began to claw itself apart, a pouring black morass seeping from the wounds in reality. It would be as if ten more seer's began to press into the Jedi's mind, each attempting to squeeze the life out of him. And all the while, Ehud's eyes burned with a golden glare.

Ehud activated his preparations in Karr's mind, and began his illusions. If Ehud had done everything properly, Karr would attack his own defenses, perceived as an outside threat. The illusion, of the cracked floor and tearing air, was a distraction, to confuse the mind further. All the while, he began a more subtle assault on Karr's mind, trying to slip past the occupied defenses.

All the while, Ehud began to feel Them. They were in the system, coming for Karr. There was no time for the subtlety or finesse Ehud would have preferred.

The time for violent choices had come.

[member="Celiana"] - [member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Lynette Lykova"] - [member="Gnost Karr"] - [member="Morteg"] - [member="Allyson Locke"] - [member="Jyoti Nooran"] - [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] - [member="Crona'Tas"] - [member="Hrajlmak'Natok"] - [member="Naramphra"]​

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She had lost her chance to find the Jedi. Or whatever he was. She didn't really care at this point. Yet again, she had failed - how many more times would she fail before she could finally retrieve the honor and respect she once had? Ah, well, perhaps she wasn't meant to be. Perhaps she had overestimated herself this entire time. With a growl, and a bunch against a tree, she sighed.

Finally, she had returned to the camp that [member="Ehud"] had made. She stayed quiet, perhaps even humbler than she usually was. Indeed, she preferred not to speak to the Seer. He was likely occupied with the Jedi, anyway.

So once she had returned, she placed her weapon down as she examined various datapads and plans along a large metal table. Preparations had to be made, especially if someone came for him. And force users could be... Hard to predict, in truth. Staring at the numbers, she gave a nod to herself mostly. It would likely be fine with their current defenses.

But for now, she tallied. And prepared. And figured out the best areas of defense. The 2 Rhivaks, 1 Brumak, 30 drones and 4 Zealots stayed close to Ehud. It would hopefully be enough.

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=9pt]Location: Cioma Spess[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Objective: Find the Lost Shadow [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Allies: [member="Kahlil Zambrano"] [member="Gnost Karr"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Lynette Lykova"] [member="Morteg"] [member="Celiana"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Enemies: @Crona’Tas @Harajlmak’Natok [member="Naramphra"] [member="Ehud"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]With: [member="Jyoti Nooran"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Then[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Allyson had nodded while the young padawan explained the plan. The Silvers had always been a group that provided their padawans with ample responsibilities. It was something she had seen to be nothing but positive for the young Jedi. It meant that when they were older, they would be well equipped for whatever the galaxy threw at them. So, it came to be as no surprise that [member="Gnost Karr"] someone who knew Kian would be giving the mission outline. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I have no issues with what you’ve proposed Padawan Karr. Seems you’ve done your research.” Allyson still felt awkward addressing people in the Jedi with their title and such. It was so rigid in her opinion. It was then time had passed and allowed for [member="Lynette Lykova"] to chime back in about the beacon. Allyson tilted her head as it didn’t make any sense for it to just be dead. The Technomancer stood from her seat and listened to the details. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“That’s fine, I’ll bring a few things with me and maybe when it’s time for us to get out I can convince our friend, to wake back up.” Looking towards Jyoti, she waved the Jedi Master letting her know it was time to leave. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Cioma shouldn’t be that difficult to get to quickly. We’ll just have to trust my gut on this.” With her own adventures, the Corellian had practiced her instinctive astrogation, which meant she was better at this whole pinpointing thing. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Quickly gearing up, the old clunker she called the Kraken came to life. The ship had seen better days, but it was running which was a good sign. Allyson still didn’t know how it was able to do what it did especially with the strain she put on it. The Corellian slipped into the pilot’s chair and strapped in pretty tightly. She looked over towards her copilot and did her best to smile. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Mm, hope you trust me oh…” she paused as she pointed towards the seat belts, “Might want to put those on – and no falling asleep this time – the copilot of the Kraken is a pretty involved position.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]A grin swept across her face, that dashing and charming Corellian grin of hers. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Now[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The Kraken shot out of hyperspace and hovered in the space of Ciomia (behind the asteroid Gnost had mentioned), Allyson leaned back in her seat and exhaled deeply. Pushing the ship and pinpointing the shortest route through hyperspace always wore her down a bit. She needed just a moment to recover and also thank the hyperspace gods that she had survived along with the ship. Unstrapping the safety harness, Allyson let herself nearly melt for a moment. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Always gives me a headache, wasn’t so bad right?” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]She sent word through to the others to let them know that they had arrived. Looking around, she knew that this may be a one-way trip down. Looking back towards her copilot and dearest friend she nodded, “So we drop when everyone else does, I guess. Time to prepare while everyone arrives.” [/SIZE]

 

[Hrajlmak'Natok]

If there was ever an uneventful Eish'ma, it was this one. The hunt for the Jedi had been no hunt, but rather a simple search. Discovered injured and unconscious among the rocks, the creature had put up a meagre fight before succumbing to his disadvantage. And yet the hunchback insisted he be kept alive. In the face of an easy battle and a worthy trophy, the creature was to be preserved and interrogated.

Interrogated

Hrajlmak was left perplexed, questioning the entire trip while they made their way back to camp with the creature. The Eish'ma was a ritual hunt. Unless of course, this was no Eish'ma, and the hunchback had simply gathered the warriors under that guise, but for something else. Once they returned to camp, Hrajlmak dismissed the majority of these thoughts as nothing more than paranoia. The Bryn'adul was going under many changes in recent months, things weren't quite as they once were.

Hrajlmak stood near the centre of camp, his staff of bones in hand. He had no interest in presiding over the Hunchback's interrogation. It was not within his nature and he simply did not bode well with it. Lost in contemplation, he was mostly unconscious to the presence. A slowly growing sense that there was something else near, drawing closer. A gentle breeze brought him out of his mind and focus snapped into place. A vague feeling of light. A small, almost indiscernible whisper. Hrajlmak took himself to the edges of the camp and stared into the surrounding trees. Darkness gripped the planet and a subtle wind rustled the loose plantlife. And then it dawned on him. The camp had been outfitted with a sizeable defence force. One Hrajlmak had not bonded to. But the Jedi was here, and he was alive.

Others were coming.

Hrajlmak's insatiable hunger for battle churned, and he could not help but grin.

(Crappy post cause I am in no state of focus lolol)

[member="Allyson Locke"] / [member="Naramphra"] / [member="Ehud"] / [member="Celiana"] / [member="Kian Karr"] / [member="Lynette Lykova"] / [member="Gnost Karr"] / [member="Morteg"] / [member="Jyoti Nooran"] / @Khalil Zambrano / [member="Crona'Tas"]​

 

[Crona'Tas]

[SIZE=11pt]Crona stood on the edge of the camp, staring into the open forest. cold, unmoving, waiting, and listening for anything, the slightest malfunction in his surroundings. They had captured a jedi, it was quicker than Crona first thought it would be. Usually it is quite a struggle when facing jedi, given there foul manipulation of the force they can be capable of things most consider… [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]unnatural. [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Either way they still captured the creature. In all honesty, Crona was angry. They had prohibited him from contact with the jedi. He knew it was because of his particular background. And he thought to himself, they were right to keep him from the jedi, it had been far too long since the Draeyde had eaten.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He still stood dead still upon the perimeter of the camp. Early he had sent two small swarms of draeyde out into the forest and one larger swarm to the destroyed city, primarily to find survivors of the city’s destruction, with orders to kill on sight, as to not call attention to the planet. Although Crona did not approve of such cowardice, he couldn’t argue, attention from the outside world would not serve to there advantage, especially if that attention originates from Jedi or Sith.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt] It was warm around Crona, as it was with most jungle planets. Not a pleasant warmth, mind you. It was a hot sweaty warmth, like a sauna or a room without an air conditioner. It bothered Crona. Not that it really affected him, but it did affect the draeyde, the little ones didn’t like the heat. It was one of the flaws crona found with the draeyde. Able to kill an entire army but can’t handle a little light or slight warmth, thought Crona jokingly, doing all he could to amuse himself, considering his dull surroundings. Perhaps one of these days Crona would be able to fix that problem. Until then he would use them to the best of his ability. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Until then.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Hrajlmak'Natok"] [member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Naramphra"] [member="Ehud"] [member="Celiana"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Lynette Lykova"] [member="Gnost Karr"][/SIZE]