The Red Curtain [First Order Dominion of Quintas]

[Micah tol Powl]

"Inter Arma Enin Silent Legis" | Post 4 of 20​

FIRST ORDER IMPERIAL RESEARCH STATION
K L E V E
THE BLACK HOLE OF QUINTAS

Mikael Garibaldi's stateroom was small and spartan.

It contained all the usual pieces. A bunk that recessed back into the bulkhead when not in use. A desk. A chair. There was no refresher. That was provided for down the hall, to the left, with a communal refresher. Consolidating those helped with ensuring proper cleaning.

An artistic poster, representative of the Supreme Leader looming over the many faces of officers, stormtroopers, and pilots, dominated one bulkhead. In big, bold letters across the bottom were the words 'DUTY.' The only other image in the stateroom was a small portrait that the Pantoran assumed was of the man's family. So far, everything matched the man's service jacket. Born on Cloud City, to a well-to-do merchant family, educated in an Imperial Academy, joined the First Order military straight out of schooling. As an ensign, he'd served about a supply ship. His record had been spotless, earning him a promotion and assignment here.

That contrasted starkly with the picture of the man now coming to light.

The HUD within the helmet was alight, as myriad sensors poured over the desk and surfaces within the stateroom. Imperial Security had confiscated Resistance paraphernalia within the room. That was the basis for charging him with treason, though it remained unclear just what had tipped the Security Bureau off in the first place.

The place had already been swept for fingerprints.

Strangely enough, the crime scene techs seemed to have cleaned up after themselves. He could tell where surfaces had been swabbed, except whatever fingerprints may have been there at one time were now wiped clean.

Not exactly standard procedure.

Perhaps the Masters of Ren were on to something...

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: Approaching Quintas black hole
Objective: 3
Post: 2/20

"Remember, folks, there is a minimum safe distance at which we can approach a black hole: the slower the ship, the farther we need to be away from the black hole"

"I also recall that the size of the black hole is another major factor in how far we need to be from it to safely get out at maximum speed" the chief engineer told her.

"Jettison the cargo and about-face on my command"

"Roger" the copilot acknowledged.

For any good navicomputer these sorts of calculations are rather easy to program to do. The minimum safe distance is even rather straightforward to calculate for sentients with basic grasp of physics provided you know the maximum velocity a ship can achieve and the black hole's mass; Dunames can even derive the formula by herself - even though she was by no means a Force-computer (e.g. someone used by the Force to perform calculations). If mvm2/2 = GMm/rs, the ship mass can be simplified, leaving them with vm2/2 = GM/rs, vm2 = 2GM/rs and finally rs = 2GM/vm2. And, as per the chief engineer, the size of the black hole is proportional to its mass. From a similar calculation, but here vm being c, the size of a black hole is rbh = 2GM/c2. What does that mean: the safe distance is several orders of magnitude higher than the size of the black hole, and they both scale linearly with the mass of the black hole.

 

[Wolf]

Post 1

The black hole of Quintas loomed ominously over the minuscule TIE fighter that approached it. Space was distorted around the edges of the black disc, its empty depths menacing and foreboding. Wolfgang Krieger stared out from behind the transparisteel windows of the cockpit, his eyes transfixed with the natural phenomenon in front of him. No one had entered a black hole and lived to tell the tale, and though physicists could theorise what would happen to a person who entered it, no one really knew. And Wolf could see why no one knew, as every sense in his body was urging him to fly his antiquated TIE fighter away from the black hole, though Wolf reassured himself that with the hyperdrive fitted to his fighter he could make a quick escape if things became inconvenient.

Wolf was supposed to have landed at the FIS Kleve research station, but his curiosity had been piqued as he beheld the magnificent sight of the black hole. It was truly a testament to the colossal might of nature, a power that even the strongest of Sith Lords could not hope to harness through the Force. Get close enough, and nothing would stop you from being pulled into the black hole's depths, never to be seen again. Wolf could not resist the urge to get a little closer and see it for himself, before landing at the research station.

Wolf turned the engine off as he let the TIE fighter float in space, slowly gravitating towards the black hole in front of him. His eyes transfixed, his breathing slowed as he gazed upon its beauty and deadly power. Calming himself, he closed his eyes, calling upon the Dark Side to fill him and make him more aware of his surroundings. Here, in the emptiness of space, in the face of one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful force of nature, where better to train and meditate on the Dark Side of the Force? It certainly beat an isolated room somewhere back in the Citadel of Ren.

 

[Tanomas Graf]

Objective: II

Location: Imperial X-class Star Destroyer Abdicator

Allies: The First Order, [member="Valessia Brentioch"]
Post: 1/??

The Imperial X-class Star Destroyer Abdicator exited out of hyperspace near the FIS Kleve. The Abdicator was the first prototype IDX constructed and was still enduring a trial run, it looked exactly like the Imperial Star Destroyers of the Old Empire with a few minor adjustments. It had a dagger-shaped profile that eventually raised into the command tower that housed the bridge and its deflector shields. Not to mention the ship was the most powerful in the Navy at the moment, beaten in power and the ability to field starfighters only by its massive cousin the Resurgent-class.

Captain Graf had been excited when he was assigned the prototype due to his part in capturing the ISD template and for developing the class himself, other ships of the class were currently being constructed at Dosuun following the ongoing success of the Abdicator so far. Tanomas now stood on the bridge of the destroyer, having been ordered to provide temporary security to the FIS Kleve as a test of the IDX's performance in defense missions.

Tanomas ordered the comm operator to open a channel to the station, telling him to say "This is the FIV Abdicator, we are here to provide temporary security to the station, requesting patrol pattern, over.".

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"Inter Arma Enin Silent Legis" | Post 5 of 20​

FIRST ORDER IMPERIAL RESEARCH STATION
K L E V E
THE BLACK HOLE OF QUINTAS

"Lieutenant Mikael Garibaldi, of the crime of treason against the First Order, this military commission finds you... guilty."

The sound of the gavel striking the magistrate's bench echoed with a haunting ring. Once. Twice. Three times damned.

Shuffling the datapads on the justicar's desk, the magistrate handed off his files to the clerk. Then, turning his attention back to the shriveled, shrunken likeness of a once proud soldier, asked, "Is there anything you would like added to the record?"

His head low, shoulders bowed, Mikael Garibaldi stared down at his hands bound in shackles and chain. When he finally found strength enough to meet the magistrate's piercing, accuser's eye, he said only, "I came before this tribunal an innocent man. And an innocent man, I remain."

The magistrate scoffed under his breath.

"Very well, consider your words marked," the judge advocate offered in a hollow, perfunctory tone. "Sentencing will begin tomorrow at zero-eight-hundred hours."

The gavel struck. Once. Twice. Three times damned.

The stormtroopers came to take him back to the detention cell. As the door shut behind him, the man shuffled forward a few steps before he realized there was something out of place. A shadow that didn't quite belong.

It hadn't been there before.

Like the stuff of horror vids, that shadow soon detached itself from the wall. The man found himself looking at the pale reflection of his own likeness, as though seeing himself cast into purgatory, as the blank, mirrored faceplate of some small, gangly demon appeared from out of air and darkness.

He looked at the small figure and saw there the spectre of his own mortality. And, faced with that, lowered his head as he uttered, "Make it quick."

"That would be the easy way, wouldn't it?"

The comment, or perhaps the tone in which it had been uttered, confused the man. He looked up, perplexed as he found himself sharing his solitary cell with some companion that had appeared out of nowhere.

Perhaps in this mad, mad world in which he should find himself accused of treason, he had finally succumbed and let slip the last shreds of his own sanity.

"If someone wanted you dead, Leftenant, you'd be dead." the shadowy figure noted, not so much a conversational remark as it seemed to be him talking to himself, as though working the complexities of some mystery aloud even as he tried to piece them together like a puzzle in his mind. "This..? This is quite the show they're putting on."

Quite the show.

That his life, that his fate, would be so succinctly described as someone's entertainment was more than insulting. Bristling slightly, the defeated lieutenant nonetheless found his voice as he demanded, "What do you want?"

"To understand why you are here."

The man felt the wind knocked out of him, thrust back against the bulkhead behind him as though he'd just been tackled by some invisible opponent. A black gloved hand was outstretched toward him. A panic becoming visible in his eyes, as the reflection captured in the blank mask's mirror caught the tortured expressions of a man who now felt as though a hundred worms were trying to burrow into his brain.

"Tell me of the Resistance," the Knight of Ren uttered. A compelling order, though not barked in some authoritarian manner. In fact, Mikael Garibaldi could not even have been certain that it had been spoken at all, but the words echoed around in his head as though they'd been shouted from all directions around him.

"I..." the man offered, gasping for air as, for a moment, the pain almost become more than he could bear. "I have nothing to tell!"

And then it was gone.

As quickly as the pain had seized him, it evaporated away. The black gloved hand fell back against the Knight of Ren's side, as the man collapsed into a fetal ball upon the floor, gasping as he tried to catch his breath and recover his senses from the onslaught.

"I believe you."

 

[Wolf]

Post 2

Wolf called upon his emotions, letting the awe he felt in the face of the black hole to slowly transform into a hungry desperation for his own power. He felt his muscles twitch and yearn for action, he suddenly felt very cramped in his TIE fighter as his mind reached out with the Force. He had meditated a few times before now, and it came a bit more naturally to him, but it still required some effort to achieve as he summoned the Dark Side around him. He felt his emotions bubble beneath his skin, his heart beginning to pump faster as he felt power gather around him.

And now, to learn. One Force technique that seemed quite natural to many of the Knights of Ren was the simply ability to sense one's surroundings through the Force. Thus far Wolf had been able to push out with emotion and send things flying through the air with the Force, but calmly reaching out with his mind, not so much. He concentrated, willing his body to sense his surroundings. He was not entirely sure how this was to be achieved, but it did not take an awful lot of guessing to pin down the exact technique. His emotions were erratic as he felt determined anger rise within, and he wrestled for a few moments with them as he brought his emotions to a steady level. Rather than keeping his emotions simmering under the surface, he then began directing them outwards from himself. He felt tingles run down his hands and feet, and then leave him.

Tendrils of the Dark Side crawled out from him, searching their way around the small starfighter he encased himself in. The black hole provided much needed inspiration as it sucked in all matter into one deadly singularity. In the same way, Wolf's emotions, the tendrils of the Dark Side, crept around the starfighter, and he ushered the tendrils to pull themselves back in and tell him what they had found. He hesitated for a moment as he felt the TIE fighter creak. Was he damaging it? He could not tell, but did not have the time to worry about it as he began to feel the success of his first foray into sensing his surroundings. He could feel little sensations within him as the tendrils of the Dark Side brushed against physical objects. Was that the control stick? He opened one eye to confirm that it was indeed. Excellent. It was a basic probing of his immediate environment, and told him nothing that his eyes could not already see. It was easy to grasp however, and provided a good foundation to build on.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: Approaching Quintas black hole
Objective: 3
Post: 3/20

"Jettison cargo!"

"Cargo jettisoned, captain"

Now that the entire content of the cargo hold of the Tofolk of Dac is being dropped into space, with the initial velocity being that of the ship when the jettisoning sequence begins, the hazardous waste begin their run towards the black hole. Also, since the best-known ways to dispose of waste depend on its contents, for inert waste, but of non-biodegradable varieties, it may be better to dump the contents in an asteroid field, where salvagers can recycle the contents. For biodegradable waste, better use it in a biomass powerplant. That's why so many in FO-land called for separation between biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. But hazardous waste was, well, hazardous. A few seconds after jettisoning the hazardous waste previously carried onboard the Tofolk of Dac, while approaching the black hole at the previously-calculated vm the time was running out to about-face and bring the ship to safety, especially since it was a given that Tofolks weren't particularly zippy, even among corvettes.

"About-face, now!"

"There's truly nothing too dangerous for you when it comes to flying! Are you sure you're not some sort of Sith Ace or something?"

 

[Darth Veles]

Silent footsteps echoed through the enclosed hallways. Abandoning the room with the holocron sleeping inside his cloak, the amphibious man roamed the station’s corridors aimlessly. Despite no longer meditating, gears inside his head continued to spin, furiously plotting for the future; all concerning Sith and power. Veles understood a lone Sith following the Rule of Two stood little chance against the Dark Jedi army.

Extreme caution became a necessity in order to survive, overcome his opponents and gain enough power to face the galaxy. For all Veles’ wishes to help the First Order achieve eternal peace, all competitors in this race needed to go. He would not be dragged down by the incompetence of others again.

Simply striding through the station’s cold bowels had filled his body with energy. No longer bound by the meditation, the Dark Side made its presence known by desecrating the Mon Cal’s blood with its curse. Veles liked it. Perhaps the awakened power could be used in some productive way instead of going to waste?

In fact, the assassin felt good enough to have another dance for dominance with Vupua. Unlike their last duel, little more than a display of their skills and an artistic lightsaber performance, Veles craved a confrontation to determine their standing as master and apprentice. So far both desired to fill the master role while still trying to sneakily learn new techniques from the other in their deadly Sith game. What cards did the woman hide in her sleeve?

Ever since their first fight, Veles believed to wield an ace for every single trick she could pull on him – maybe except for the powerful technique to disrupt one’s connection to the Force. He had opted not to reveal many powers during the duel, hiding the vast majority of his arsenal under the thick veil of mystery. Did the same apply to Vupua? If so, to what extent? Underestimating the woman would have fatal consequences.

Silly Sith matters to most, yet absolutely crucial to the Banite duo’s fragile alliance.

More steps, without goal or direction.

Shaking his head, the Darth cast the thoughts aside. Overcomplicating his plots with even more possibilities only led to getting lost in his vile schemes.

 

[Valessia Brentioch]

"Allow me to rephrase," Cyone began as she escorted the two higher ups down a secure corridor, "we've construction a device that will mimick the singularity." She enters her passcode and slips her hand to the biometric security device. "And - that is why we only have one model that we've been working on," she takes a moment for pause, "and as far as ships using this engine... I wouldn't recommend it." Clearing her throat she smiled to both of them. "Our station was ordered to research and create, it is up to the Supreme Leader to use the device as he sees fit, however; in my - professional recommendation, it's safer here than - well, anywhere else."

She walks them into the labs where members of both the military, applied sciences and engineering are hard at work. "Again, our primary concern here is lessening destabilization." Cyone gestured toward the monstrous mock machine before them, it sat in the middle where various workers were studying, collecting data and working on numbers and holo-simulations. "This is the heart of Kleve, or at least why we're here, the then Captain Ovmar left her notes and personal logs on the matter and with those I've been working to figure out everything she knew, before leaving the project."

"And," she puts a finger to her temple, "in regards to your earlier question High Colonel, most likely - it would create another singularity in the area, but again - this is why we're here. To lessen the possibility of that happening, while still harnessing the energy. We want to do our best to avoid - well," Cyone cleared her throat. "Our final design calls for Phrik."

Something that the entire First Imperial Order seemed to be short on, "Phrik inner casting, so that this." She walks toward the enclosed model, "can withstand immense pressures, High Colonel, Field Marshal may I introduce you to Doctor Theodore West."

---

---

---

FIS Kleve - Flight Control Tower

Captain Rausgeber and Captain Graf had both arrived, and both were fielding ships that were - well, too large for Kleve. "Captain Rausgeber this is Tower Kleve-Two, we appreciate the effort - unfortunately you're going to have to continue on your previous route. Due to Kleve's location ships that large are not allowed near the station. We can shuttle you to and from, though." He then repeated this to Graf. "Captain Graf, this is Tower Kleve-Two, you'll need to take your ship and continue on your previous route, due to Kleve's location the ship is too large to be docked here. We can shuttle you here if you like."

He then checked his charts, "Captain Rausgeber, you may report to Keskin...." Then, "Captain Graf you may proceed on to Vasse-"

"Uh..." There was a moment or two delay, "Captain Graf, I have a favor to ask you - can you check in with this ship, are you seeing this? It's dumping something into the singularity - if this if this is waste it needs to be properly disposed of, as any waste put into the singularity may cause it to grow in mass and put the station in danger."

The guy said the same to Captain Rausgeber, "can you check with Star Tours? This is not a waste site, there are properly zoned waste sites elsewhere."

---

---

---

Objective: Quantumn Leap
Posts: 4 // ??
Tag: [member="Asharad Graush"] | [member="Ludolf Vaas"] | [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] | [member="Tanomas Graf"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"Inter Arma Enin Silent Legis" | Post 6 of 20​

FIRST ORDER IMPERIAL RESEARCH STATION
K L E V E
THE BLACK HOLE OF QUINTAS

Thus far, the pieces that were coming were not flattering to the notion of justice.

Mikael Garibaldi knew nothing about the Resistance. His stateroom had been wiped clean by the very same crime scene technicians who had produced the very evidence that had condemned an innocent to the gallows.

Interrogating one of the crime scene technicians would be messy. Such direct interference would almost certainly betray the presence of his investigation, and it was becoming clearer why the military wanted no interference from outside. If he pursued that lead, he'd have to dispose of the crime scene technician when he'd finished, which created its own sort of problems. Carrying out the interrogation without someone stumbling upon them was one, staging a murder so that it made for a convincing suicide was another.

Further complicating matters was the simple fact that the boy doubted he'd get anything useful out of the crime scene techs. They were almost certainly not the architects of this conspiracy, but rather merely soldiers caught in the crucible of following orders.

No, there had to be something he was missing.

If Mikael Garibaldi was not the one who'd attempted to transmit the plans for the singularity drive to the Resistance, then who was?

And what would the military have done with that individual?

 

[Tanomas Graf]

Objective: II

Location: Imperial X-class Star Destroyer Abdicator

Allies: The First Order, [member="Valessia Brentioch"], [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"]
People of Suspicion: [member="Dunames Lopez"]
Post: 2/??

Graf's eyes narrowed when his comm operator relayed their orders, who in their right mind would dump waste into a black hole? Especially near a station such as the Kleve where a single increase in the size of the black hole could endanger the entire station including the star destroyers surrounding it. "Lay in an intercept course for that cargo barge and pull it into the hangar with a tractor beam, have the other beams focused on the clumped group of cargo that they just dumped. Use the damn transports to pick it all up if you have to! No waste is going into the black hole on my watch!" The captain yelled at the bridge crew as they got to work.

The comm operator turned back to his console and opened a channel to the freighter; "Unidentified vessel, this is the FIV Abdicator, you are in a restricted area and are dumping cargo illegally. Power down your engines and prepare to be pulled in, any attempts to resist will be met with force. This is your only warning.". Graf walked over to a console under the viewports and contacted hangar control over the intercom "Hangar bay, launch a TIE Flight and have them train their weapons on the freighter's hyperdrive and disable it if they attempt to escape into hyperspace." He ordered and received an acknowledgement.

The massive engines of the star destroyer started up with a bright flash of blue as it maneuvered and propelled itself towards the cargo barge, preparing to capture it.

 

[Wolf]

Post 3

Feeling more confident, Wolf closed his eyes again to sense his surroundings. The tendrils of the Dark Side crept out from him again, this time going out to the inner sides of the TIE fighter, as Wolf felt his way around with the Force. His brows furrowed as he concentrated and tried to push the tendrils of the Force further. They snaked their way through the durasteel of the fighter, before settling on the engine that powered the device. Wolf's mouth opened in fascination as he could feel the grooves of the engine in his mind, as if his hand were running along it. Pressing in further, his mind then journeyed inside the engine itself, feeling the propulsion system and the various bits of circuity that operated the electronic control systems of the spacecraft.

Wolf opened his eyes, his breathing faster and heavier. This had been a successful foray with the Force to sense his surroundings, though the experience was tiring and Wolf would have to grow used to it over time. He stared again at the colossal figure of the black hole in front of him, this time larger than it was previously. His TIE fighter had drifted closer to the black hole, the gravitational pull of the phenomenon slowly drawing the starfighter in. Wolf could only gaze in awe at it once more, before deciding to continue with his private training in the rather cramped space of his TIE fighter.

Closing his eyes, his mind reached out to sense his surroundings once more. As he felt the tendrils of the Force feel the control stick, and the ignition switch, Wolf raised his hand towards them. Rather than a crude and forceful push as Wolf was used to administering, to operate his spacecraft without physically touching his controls would require delicate and careful interaction. Push too hard, and Wolf would risk damaging something. Though this antiquated TIE fighter had been through so many repairs over its long life that one more would not make much of a difference.

First would be the ignition switch. With a finger pointing in its general direction, he reached out with the Force towards it. Feeling it with his mind, he willed the switch to be pressed. He smiled with satisfaction as he felt the button push down. He was getting the hang of this. He felt the engines roar to life, the old starfighter frame groaning as the metal shook and reverberated. And now, to push the control stick forward. His hand still outstretched, he directed it towards the control stick, his mind pushing out towards it. His emotions bubbled up within him, and he willed them to push out towards the control stick, so that it would be gently pushed forward and the TIE fighter would move.

Wolf's eyes opened in shock as a wave of energy shot out from him with sudden force, his control of his emotions slipping for a second. The control stick was hit with a powerful blast of force, achieving the intended aim of pushing it forward, but far, far too much. So much so, the control stick was wrenched from the control panel, dislodging and clattering off the transparisteel window. The TIE fighter lurched forward and began accelerating. Wolf picked up the control stick and held it to his face, staring at it in shock. The TIE fighter shook as it was locked into maximum acceleration, hurtling forwards through space. Wolf stared out of the cockpit in horror as the black hole loomed ever closer, his small spacecraft careening towards it at deadly speed.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: Approaching Quintas black hole
Objective: 3
Post: 4/20

As she saw the waste unglamorously being sucked into the black hole, Dunames knew her role in the process was far from over. Dunames was simply relieved to make it back in one piece. But before she could commission a sublight navigational patch stating, OK, here's the size of the black hole, here's the maximum speed you could get out of the ship, once you approach the black hole at that distance, the ship would about-face in the pilot's stead, she still needs the operational procedure because that was a new area for Star Tours to engage in, to be used across the entire Star Tours network. Maersk Star Freight does more waste disposal than the other two among the Big Three, Bluth Company shying away from waste disposal, but Star Tours would soon engage in waste disposal. And Quintas would be there for the more hazardous uses. It was more eloquent than Hoth or even Jiroch-Reslia that there was nothing too dangerous, nothing too audacious for Star Tours to undertake. But measuring the black hole's size would be necessary for implementing any SOP that is black hole-specific.

"Mission accomplished, but the SOP must still be written for dumping hazardous waste in black holes"

"Why a SOP when you can just have the navicomputer programmed mostly to do just that?"

"Most Star Tours pilots are guys who live and die by their SOPs when they are on the bridge"

 

[Tanomas Graf]

Objective: II

Location: Imperial X-class Star Destroyer Abdicator

Allies: The First Order, [member="Valessia Brentioch"], [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"]
People of Suspicion: [member="Dunames Lopez"]
Post: 3/??

"Sir, the cargo ship is not responding to our warnings, they're continuing on their trajectory." The comm operator worriedly reported. Tanomas scowled and look out of the viewports once more, the little freighter was ignoring the gargantuan ship behind them "Tell gunnery to fire a warning shot across their bow in view of their bridge, activate the tractor beams as soon as we're in range, meanwhile I want a status report on our landers." Graf growled. The comm operator nodded and turned back to contact the AAL pilots while one of the turbolasers fired a single shot that nearly skimmed the shields of the barge.

"We're almost within range, captain, and the transports report that most if not all of the waste has been picked up, they're sweeping around for more then returning back to the ship." He relayed and the captain gave a curt nod. The massive star destroyer cast a shadow over the cargo barge and the high powered tractor beams activated with a loud but invisible whirring sound, capturing the freighter with an unbreakable grasp "We have them sir, dragging into the hangar now." The gunnery operator on the bridge reported.

"Good, our first catch of the day." The captan quipped, letting a smirk take over his face "Send a detachment of stormtroopers along with an officer down to meet it, board it and take the crew to the brig. Keep the TIEs around in case they try to escape." Graf commanded, still smirking at the thought of the justice they were about to hammer down.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"Inter Arma Enin Silent Legis" | Post 7 of 20​

FIRST ORDER IMPERIAL RESEARCH STATION
K L E V E
THE BLACK HOLE OF QUINTAS

The woman who'd greeted him in the hangar when he'd arrived was a human resources specialist. Lieutenant Solstice Draykon. She was the division officer who oversaw the personnel transfers and receipts section. She'd been stationed out here for less than one year. Initial reports, letters home, all indicated that she was settling in well. Yet, in the last seventy-two hours, she'd sent several transmissions inquiring about a transfer from Kleve.

She seemed quite desperate for it, in fact.

As for her work, it was all rather routine and administrivia. The last officer transferred had been a Lieutenant Zih Marcos. Wealthy, well-to-do family from Skye. Old money, in fact. Heirs to the Marcos Consortium, one of the leading distributors of shield generators in this part of the Outer Rim. And no small amount of rumors and half-believed lies about involvement in organized crime.

He was a probationary officer, commissioned out of the Imperial Academy just a few years before. His performance reports painted him as a competent officer, but stopped short of saying anything else. His history of assignments was devoid of any starship duty, an unusual thing for a junior officer from the academy.

Most interesting of all, he'd only been on board Kleve for seven months when he'd been recalled to an administrative filing job in the secretariat.

At a First Order base on Skye, of all places.

"This section is off-limits to unauthorized personnel."

At the point that she'd walked into her own office, the Pantoran had logged off the terminal. Seated, his feet propped up on the desk, the slight figure in the hauntingly blank, mirrored mask was holding up a sparkling geode that she used as a paperweight on her desk.

"I thought your superiors might appreciate an update on the progress of my research."

Taking his feet off the desk, the boy leaned forward as he rose from out of the chair. Setting the geode back on the corner of her work station, the boy walked out from behind the desk. Looking up, so that her reflection stared back at her, the small Ren explained, "Meditations upon the abyss are proceeding quite well. I expect my observations may be complete soon."

Human emotion was such a fascinating thing. He unnerved her. Fear turned to frustration. Frustration turned to anger. Anger turned to loathing.

Bristling, the woman coldly remarked, "I'm sure my superiors will be pleased that our station has been able to support your research." And, with that, she stepped aside with the clear indication that she expected him to leave her office.

He started to.

Then he stopped. Pausing, just shy of the doorway, the boy's voice asked, "I wonder if you could help me?"

When he had turned to look back, the lieutenant merely gave a noncommittal shrug.

"A friend. I thought he was stationed out here."

There was an uptick in her frustration. A palpable sense of a muted vitriol coloring her tone as she acerbically demanded, "Does your friend have a name?"

The boy tilted his head to one side, the silence turning the attitude of earlier into an awkwardness between them. And then, the slightest curiosity. Part of her was interested in who the boy was looking for. After all, that was information she could feed her superiors.

...perhaps information that could help her to help herself.

"Zih Marcos."

FEAR.

Delicate. Powerful. Fear. The reaction was instantaneous, her feelings betraying her the same moment he'd uttered the name aloud. "I..." she began, taken aback and off-step as she tried to stammer uncomfortably, squirming in her own skin beneath the glare of her own visage staring back at her. "I'm not familiar with any officer by that name," she managed finally.

A very poor lie.

One that confirmed more than the truth might have ever said.

"Indeed." With that, the black shrouded form of the small Ren quietly slipped from out of the office. As he made his way out in the corridor, the boy reached across to subtly tap the controls on his left gauntlet. As he did, the HUD across his helmet screen shifted as a comlink was opened to his ship.

"ArThree, slice into the Kleve main computer. Target your search on all records pertaining to a Zih Marcos," the Pantoran remarked, silencing the vocabulator so that his words stayed inside the helmet.

So an innocent man was condemned to another's fate, while a merchant prince was quietly taken away to house arrest.

He knew who the players were, he was just missing the play itself.

What was the connection between Marcos and Garibaldi?

Why would the military be protecting a traitor?

And did he have time to find the answers before his being here was an inconvenient truth?

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

"No worries, everyone always wants that first mark." Ishana led the young pilot toward where they would be staying, "welcome to the bunk, or the dorm whatever. This is where we're staying." It wasn't fancy, it was your run-of-the-mill dormitory. A long hall with four to a room, enlisted resided on the other side of the SFC's portion of the base, "you can stay with me, like I said only temp anyway, so." Walking into their room, she explained, "my bed's by that wall back there, there's a free one by the window there, and then these two here." She pointed to the ones closes to the door, "are taken by Pipes and Fish, you'll meet them later. This will be your closet," she walks in a little past the built-in bookshelf on the left, and on the right a tiny sink, that led into the latrine where one could see a lonely showerhead, and curtain. But facing forward she tapped on a door to her left behind said sink, "here, mine is on the end there."


Ishana thought on Sara's comments, "yeah, you know. I try not thinking about how close we are to that thing, helps me sleep at night, anyway, this it, home sweet home." For now anyway, "said you're gonna be on the 100th, eh?" She scratched the back of her head, "well when I was reinstated they mentioned something about element but we'll see, so Jones, right? Once you're settled I can show you around the place."

[member="Sara Lee Jones"]

Objective: Thirty Rock
Posts: 3 // ??

---

FIS Kleve was going to be home to more than just the singularity drive and all the squints that worked on it, now, it would be home to the new 334th FIIW and the 407th FIDW. Translation, the 334th First Imperial Interceptor Wing and the 407th First Imperial Defender Wing. Stormtroopers or the Marines, would also be stationed here. The Starfighters were working on finishing off the rest of their base, FISFO Hublin was going to be the new name, FIS Kleve will anchor the new installations. Camp Bragh was being built opposite of Hublin, the Navy didn't have a strong presence here - not yet, but given the sensitive nature of the work at Kleve. It was only a matter of time, really.

The Navy would have to keep ships small, but that really wasn't Ishana's job to worry about it. For now, her job was to get her training done, complete temporary duty here and head on toward the Concordia where she would be stationed, respectively.

​

Off we go into wild space yonder, climbing high into the stars. ​

Here they come zooming to meet our might, att'em TIE's give'r the guns. ​

Down we dive spouting our missiles from under. ​

Off we go with one heck'of a roar. We live for Seiger, hail our leader supreme! ​

Nothing can stop the Starfighter Corps! ​

Minds of men fashioned in his image!​

Sent high into the black of wild space​

Hands of men blasting the galaxy a-sunder​

How they lived Sieger only knew!​

Souls of men dreaming of planets to conquer​

Gave us TIE's to Fight!​

With scouts, defenders and interceptors galore.​

Nothing can stop the Starfighter Corps!​

 

[knight_of_fire98]

Location: Straight Outta Hyperspace
Objective: (3) Mysterious Distress Signal
Post: 2

(Starting a storyline, large scale of freedom so don't worry about keeping posts short. If we keep to progressive posts we can leave the thread starter enough room to do their two stories as well. But until they're ready, I want to give people an entry point to get involved in the domination.)

Silence. It is not an unfamiliar sound. In the vacuum of space with only the hubub of a starships crew and the humming of its engines to break the unending quiet of the void. You either grow comfortable with silence or do as much as you can to fill it. But every now and then, something dares to interupt the quiet. Something like the newly activated distress beacon in the third asteroid belt orbiting the black hole.

:"Freighter Seven Five One to all First Order Units! Our escort is down and we are being boarded by unknown assailants. Emergency Code Zero. I repeat, we are being boarded and have no hope of defending the vessel. All ships res-ARGH-AIEEEE": Blaster fire, then a scream through the speakers as footsteps approached the transmitter, growing louder as the distance between them and the transmitter decreased. Another blast, and a thump as something soft and fleshy fell against the control panel and wheezed its final breath.

Then a gruff voice.

:"Shut that damn transmitter down! We'll have another destroyer on us in the hour if this cargo checks out.":

And with a click back to silence. Until the signal repeated, allowing the bridge officers of each ship, the research station and any patrolling pilots to focus on hearing the foreboding message once more before the distress signal is permanently shut down.

Soon afterwards, a First Order channel would be opened by one of the nearby First Order vessels. :"Attention all nearby vessels. Freighter Seven Five One and its escort are unacceptably off schedule, and are completely off course. With the distress signal we recieved we can only assume the ship has been taken, and as the cargo it was carrying appears to be unlisted. We will need to identify what was taken and why it was targetted. Immediate scanning suggests the signal came from the largest celestial bodies in the third ring, ships are advised to stand by and prepare a boarding crew to investigate the asteroid with TIE fighter support.":

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Location: Approaching Quintas black hole
Objective: 3
Post: 5/20

"Power down the engines"

"Open a channel to Commodore [member="Tanomas Graf"]"

"Ouch, these were hazardous waste, Commodore, the only reason I could offer was the nature of the waste. The waste onboard wasn't your everyday waste: it was highly dangerous, toxic waste on a lot of levels, and confining it to black holes would ensure that the waste would not harm anyone again. I hope that you understand the risks of transporting such dangerous waste that the only way of safely disposing of it would be dumping it inside a black hole, because they are now under your possession"

The Tofolk of Dac was being tractored as the rest of the crew onboard the Star Destroyer picked up the waste... Assuming that the sensors on every ship Star Tours had under its possession was capable of detecting the size of a black hole in addition to its distance, the SOP Dunames and the bridge crew was talking about was not that big of a deal. But only the most intrepid pilots would even dare undertake hazardous waste flights by that logic. There were usually not that many - most pilots were simply rather tame in their approach to flying in comparison to the likes of Dunames et al. Why would anyone suspect Dunames of being a Sith Ace or some other such thing? Sith Aces in First Order service would be flying TIE/fo or similar craft. But there was one detail that would perhaps make a difference as to whether it could even be implemented at all. The ships' sensors. Dunames knew that many accidents could have been avoided or at least diminished if only sensors were working properly. And Dunames knew about the operational requirements of operating starships, but she needed to make sure everyone was on board for this.

"The entire implementation of that SOP depends on one thing: whether our sensors can detect the size of a black hole across all ships. Sure Tofolk on up can, but the most worrisome is the Neimoidian Yacht and the AT-AT barge, captain"

"Why would you suspect the Watchtower system from Ringovinda Systems to be unable to detect the size of navigational hazards on top of their distance? They are fitted by default on all Ringovinda StarYards ships"

"What constitutes a navigational hazard depends on the size of the ship"

"For smaller ships, even small asteroids can be navigational hazards, whereas that would not necessarily be the case to a larger ship. It's even more important on the smaller ship, despite them having a greater ability to evade them"

"Where does maintenance fit in this?"

"For ships designated as transporting hazardous waste, of which the Tofolk of Dac is the first one, the maintenance schedule is doubled"

 

[Sara Lee Jones]

She gave a smile as she was led to the bank and looked around, just like back at the academy....though, a bit less fancy for sure a d more meant to rest up and get back to duty, nothing that age couldn't handle"I think I'll take the window one, always felt some peace looking out amongst the space, guess that why I became a pilot hahaha"she said and followed her to the closest she was assigned to

She smiked as she sat her stuff down and looked bacj" yea been assigned to the 100th, something about showing exceptional skills or something" she said as she looked to her and mailed a she went and put her stuff up before walking back"alright I'm ready
[member="Ishana Pavanos"]
3
Post 3

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"Inter Arma Enin Silent Legis" | Post 8 of 20​

FIRST ORDER IMPERIAL RESEARCH STATION
K L E V E
THE BLACK HOLE OF QUINTAS

He took the long way around.

Venturing from out of Lieutenant Draykon's office and circling back to the temporary quarters he occupied on the station, the young Pantoran was running the facts as he had them through his mind. Did he have enough to file a preliminary report?

The facts he'd encountered tended to establish more questions, not answers.

There was something he was missing. Motive. What possible motivation was driving this? All of this. The military conspiracy. The mock trial.

He couldn't help but feel there was some bigger picture here, and he couldn't see the proverbial forest for the trees.

The sound of an astromech's bleeping echoed within the helmet that the child wore. A rare interruption. The R3 unit knew to maintain radio silence unless it had detection some warning sign or indication that the boy's mission had been compromised. As a translation of the droidspeak scrolled across one side of his HUD, a window was opened revealing a broadcast sent across the station.

"All units, all stations: Be on the lookout for the Knight of Ren identified only as Chiyo Ren. Your target may be assumed to be armed and dangerous. Use of lethal measures is authorized."

Well, it seemed he'd managed to attract some attention to himself.

Coming up to a corner, a brief flash of white prompted the boy into action. Stepping aside, he squeezed into a maintenance space between two junction, as a stormtrooper patrol passed by.

Easing out of the maintenance junction, the boy stared at the retreating backs of the stormtroopers before easing back around the corner.

More stormtroopers, standing guard at the door to his temporary quarters, as a sensor team was moving inside.

"ArThree, you're about to have company," the boy whispered, pressing flush against the wall as he eased back out of sight. The pair broke the comlink, adopting radio silence, as the Pantoran contemplated how to proceed.

He knew enough to be dangerous, but not enough as to be able to articulate the situation to his superiors. Besides which, he had no means at the moment of sending anything to the Knights of Ren. But, it wasn't likely he'd be able to improve the situation given the

They would expect him to try and get off the station.

Time, then, to become unpredictable.