Dominion The secret to a good relationship... (RTL Dominion of Praesitlyn)

[Tales of the Outer Rim]

PRAESITLYN
SLUIS SECTOR
RIMWARD TRADE LEAGUE JOINT PROJECT
OUTER RIM DEVELOPMENT CORPS LEAD
================================================
​

Parental relationships. Romantic relationships. Business partnerships. All were crucial and fundamental partnerships that society relied on to function. And they all shared one of the same key elements- healthy communications.

Interstellar politics was no different. It was just much more difficult. The personal stakes were lower, of course, but the scale was larger. Languages, cultures, but hardest of all was just the distance, especially in the trailing sectors and western reaches. Some of their systems in the galaxy had transit times, in hyperspace, that were measured in weeks. Even light-speed communications could take days. There were only a handful of places in the Outer Rim that could handle communications at that scale.

Praesitlyn.

The one world with the necessary infrastructure. Unfortunately, it had been well known and been fought over for as long as the structure existed.

The Intergalactic Communications Center. Some time ago, the Outer Rim Coalition had broken apart an illegal bloodsport broadcasting operation, and while they had rebuilt and strengthened the array, it had fallen into disrepair after the Coalition's dissolution, and some severe storms had wrecked the infrastructure.

Scattered communities remained, but they were isolated, and much of their technology was old and replaced, especially among the more wild areas of the world, where communication and infrastructure were sometimes ad hoc.

The council of the world had created a proposal and sent it to the Outer Rim Development Corps, outlining a planetary-scale upgrade and refurbishment. The League had put together a three-pronged plan to meet the planetary needs.

PHASE ONE- RESTORE COMMUNICATIONS ​

The Intergalactic Communications Center needs a full refit and repair to restore it back to being fully operational. And this time, not to broadcast a battle royale to the death, but personal communications, political dispatches, business communications, financial transactions, and all other essentials for an interstellar society.

Unfortunately, a series of storms have flooded much of the underground layers and ruined the essential components. All the old power generators, relays, and cables will need torn out and replaced with equipment shipped in from the main League worlds.

Land ahead of the main cargo shipment to conduct demolition and building salvage work. Contractors and commercial volunteers are able to keep any scrap they collect and sell it on the open market. Haul in new shipments of equipment and set up a construction site to get the ICC up and running again. Additionally, road materials, power generators, water purifiers, and hydroponic supplies have all been requested to begin building a sustainable agricultural industry to decrease economic dependency on the ICC. Bring those in and help them get set up. Agricultural specialists have been brought in specifically for this project.

PHASE TWO- IDENTIFY THE NEED​

The people of Praesitlyn are open to the idea of joining the Rimward Trade League, but they want to know more clearly what the expectations are and what they will be getting as a result. The Outer Rim Development Corps, the Rescue Service, and the League of Light will be taking the lead on this one. Spread out and meet with the various communities around Praesitlyn, talk to them, listen to what their needs are. What do they consider the most important? How can the League meet their needs, even if they are reluctant to join? Make friends with them and form connections. The Church of the Force has several small chapter houses across the planet you can use as a staging area to go meet possible new neighbors, especially important is resolving any disputes between communities and individuals that imperial or sith provocateurs may use to incite tension and conflict. The League does not want an insurgency because people have been convinced that we are here to conquer the world.

The League exists to serve, not to rule.

PHASE THREE-RESOLVE SOURCES OF TENSION ​

Unfortunately, there are those who see what they consider "backwater" worlds to be at their disposal for anything they desire. More than a few fugitives from justice, both from the League and from the nearby hyperlane systems, have taken to hiding out deep in the forested mesas of the planet, where they have taken to thievery to survive. Nothing major. Breaking and entering, mostly, a few armed robberies, some drunken assaults. They do not appear to be coordinated outside of sharing an alarm perimeter. Simple enough stuff, all things considered. The Rimward Ranger Corps has dispatched part of a company to apprehend the fugitives, assisted by a few volunteers from some of the Jedi.

More worrying, however, is the disappearance of several freighters headed in to land over the past several months. They show up on scans, make their landing trajectory, and disappear. Pirates? Gravity anomalies? Something else? Neither ORION nor the Rescue Service are able to identify a cause. Proceed with caution and investigate the planet and the surrounding system for signs of shipwrecks or hijackings. Neither Praesitlyn nor the League can easily afford to lose the ships and materials that will be shipping in. The credibility of all future projects and plans rest on this being resolved.

 

[Xam Jubb]

PHASE ONE

"What do you mean the ground is messed up?" Xam called over the edge of his datapad to the survey droid beeping madly at him. "Yes, I heard about the flooding. How badly are we talking?"

Another series of trills and beeps sent Xam's ears flapping. He let out one long breath and rubbed his head with a hand, blinking slowly. "You're saying the first freighter that lands is going to sink half a meter into the mud."

The droid nodded affirmatively and the Sullustan checked his chrono. They were already an hour behind schedule with ensuring the structural integrity of the landing pad and now he was learning it wouldn't bear a freighter's weight?

"Well how much weight will it handle?" There was a pause and a loud buzz as the droid calculated the numbers. Xam stepped aside from a burly wookiee carrying a box of crates. "Woah, woah, easy there Lowrickka, we've got problems with ground stability. Let's be careful with the weight we're throwing around."

There was a bark of laughter and a mock-offended burst of words. Xam rolled his eyes. "No, you've not gained weight. You know what I meant!" The wookiee laughed again and set the crates down at the edge of the overgrown landing pad. Xam held his breath, but then he heard it. The crack and popping of duracrete separating.

"No, no, no," Xam groaned, stuffing the datapad into a belt-pouch and leaning forward to look at the edge of the pad. The crates had been enough weight to push the hard material straight down into the mud.

Deep breath. This was what the ORDC did. It was why they gave him this job. He pulled out a comlink to connect to the ship, "This is Xam, hey, uh, can you send out to ORDC command that we need some ground stabilizers, vacuum pumps, and extra jacks? We have to prop up the kriffin landing pad before we can bring any ships in."

Always behind schedule. Always running into problems. It was like the galaxy hated him or something.

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

A Warden of the Sky. Someone who helped out those who needed it in the space lanes. Someone who was out in the Black andmade sure the ones who needed the help got themselves home, and were safe. Now though, now Kaia was representing a fairly successful prospecting and tralblazing business and a part of the newly established Rim government of the Rimward Trade League. That meant she had a bit more to do than just the random assistance to a lost traveler, and making credit by offering her services.

It meant helping out on a larger scale, like when she was back in the ORC. This would be good for the Mirialan, who felt she was losing a bit of what her father taught her as she was able to finally meet him. She preferred being in space, but sometimes times called for other measures. Her main ship the Corellian Dawn was parked in low orbit to help deliver some construction goods to where they were needed, but her own ship the Pulsar was making its way down to the first location.

"We have a few moments before we get to the first dig site… But I see an area that could be good for to set up secondary power and water stations." She turned to her co-pilot, a Sullustan from the Kunn family. "Lets drop some markers."

The Sullustan nodding and spun in his seat, turning to the side of the cockpit, the one along the arms, as Kaia preferred to sit on the out-most seat on the outrigger cockpit. The lower cargo bay opened as a few small locator droids were ejected and moving down to providing a landing beacon for the drop ships from the Dawn. A mining vessel, it didn't carry much of an organic crew and the ore retrieval droids were just being retrofitted to deliver cargo units full of pre-packed gear.

"Salvage crew, this will be a bit easier than our normal zero-G missions. You're not on shore leave, still getting paid, but… if I catch you taking it easy? Well, it is a better location right?" Kaia laughed over the intercom as her YT was setting down near the first demolition site.

 

[Alana Sunrider]

PHASE TWO- IDENTIFY THE NEED

Alana picked her way carefully through the fallen leaves and undergrowth that covered the trail. They crunched beneath her footsteps, but fortunately, the trail was well-marked. That was something to be thankful for.

Praesitlyn was not the easiest to navigate, all things considered. Away from the ICC, it was mostly scattered small settlements linked by a loose network of speeder and foot-paths, utilizing a combination of subsistence agriculture and hydroponics, especially over near the mesas.

There was a small Church of the Force chapter-house in this village that had invited the League Jedi and other Force-users to come visit and speak with them.

Alana couldn't turn down that opportunity and she had invited a number of others. Jedi. Matukai. Jensaarai. A mixed bag to go talk to the Church and see what they wanted from them all.

 

[Inara Basai]

Phase 2: Identify the need
Location: Just outside a Settlement

Inara slung her medical backpack over her shoulder and walked down the ramp of the ship. She'd recently enlisted with the Rescue Service and was eager to get started. The young soldier was no stranger to medical clinics like this, in fact, she really enjoyed her time treating patients out on their home turf. Somehow, it put people at ease being in their 'back yard,' so to speak.

There were white tents set up and a queue of people waiting.

Today she didn't anticipate any big emergencies – though, they were prepared for just about anything. If past experience could offer any advice, it would probably be that most people were here for preventative care, well checks, and minor illness and injuries. She got herself settled and then motioned for her first patient to come forward.

"Hello there, I'm Inara, I'll be --" she started to say, but stopped upon seeing the woman's scowl. A young man appeared at the woman's side and offered a slightly apologetic nod.

"I'm sorry," he said. "She's here against her will."

"Oh?" Inara wasn't quite sure what to say.

"You see," the man said. "She doesn't want to accept care from the League. Thinks it's just an attempt to get on our good sides, as it were."

"Y'all don't really care," the elderly woman said.

Inara reached up and scratched her head. Oh boy, it looked like she had her work cut out for her today...

 

[Xam Jubb]

Kaia Starchaser Inara Basai

"Freighter called Pulsar is headed this way," one of the other ORDC techs said, glancing over at Xam. The Sullustan looked up instinctively, shading his eyes against the sun.

He couldn't see this ship, but that was understandable. They were likely very far off. He adjusted a headset and tuned the channels.

"Pulsar, this is the ORDC assistant project manager. Glad to hear you're coming in with shipments. What sort of supplies you carrying?"

He paused to study a datapad, adjusting his position to watch the sinking landing pad. "Uh, the landing may be... difficult."

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

It wasn't that she was a capitalist. It was that she wanted to help, but she knew that a business and many workers couldn't just work for free. But it was jobs that didn't require too much pay, or too much sacrifice. And they helped others. The other ships and members of the salvage crews were all cheering over the comms and she couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't that they were going to take their sweet time, most of the work was automated, after all. A smile as she shook her head. The Pulsar touching down as she made her way down the gangway.

She had her lightsaber on her hip, a message to anyone as to who she really was. Her role here was to identify the various structures and boulders, and mark them for demolition by crews Aurek, Besh, or Cresh so that they could be properly broken down and hauled off.

"ORDC, this is Pulsar. We've got some foodstuffs, battery packs, and should have three landers following me shortly. Have some heavy equipment and some SERGIOs to help with salvage and breaking down of materials. Any tips on the landing?"

Xam Jubb

 

[Calix of Thyrsus]

Do not fear falling stars.​

A black scar marred the sky.

A ball of fire encased the pod as it shot through the atmosphere. The friction peeled away the ablative coating on the hull, a million tiny particles trailing like a comet's tail as the escape pod's protective outer hull started to break apart with the pressures of re-entry.

This was a one-way trip, for this vehicle anyway.

Inside, a boy was slumped over the controls. Blood marked his left side where a blaster bolt had grazed his torso, leaving a black scorch mark on the red Thyrsian tunic that he wore. A lightsaber was gripped in one hand, the knuckles white with intensity, as though afraid of losing his grip.

He feared he already had.

How much did he remember? What, if anything, could he forget? Flashes. Glimpses. Brief intersections of recollection pieced together with anger and fear. A tapestry of rage, flowing from out of a small form that now seemed lapsed into a restless unconsciousness as it all played out in his dreams, over and over again.

They had been bound for a Jedi Temple on Binaros.

They had stopped at Denab. There had been an Atrisian restaurant. Beef bowls. The last meal that Calix had shared with his master had been a beef bowl from a spaceport take-out.

That had been two days ago. The freighter they had booked passage on... something was wrong. A threat? Danger!

Calix didn't have a lightsaber. They'd discussed it. Most Jedi in the New Jedi Order didn't have padawans as young as he. When this was over, and they'd returned to the Alliance, his master had said that they could travel to Ilum -- to do as the Jedi of the Old Republic had, and then Calix could construct his own lightsaber.

As an Echani, Calix's first language was talking with his hands. Back-to-back with his master, the boy had fought as best he could. It had all happened so quickly, the crew of the freighter turning on the pair.

Calix had taken a shot to the chest. A grazing wound, but enough to spin the teen around and put him down on the deck.

From there, he remembered only shattered parts of yesterday. He remembered his master's voice. Saying... something. Calling his name.

He remembered waking up, inside the escape pod. How had he gotten there? His master's lightsaber was on the floor beside him. The top part broken off, almost as though someone had used it as a club. Through the canopy, he caught a spiraling view of the freighter, docked with another ship, when suddenly their transport burst into a fiery explosion.

And that was when Calix knew, he was alone.

The boy had passed out again.

Blissfully aware of the landing, the pod struck the earth in an eruption of dirt. Rocks scattered to the winds, as the escape pod transformed an area of desert on the planet's surface into a landing field.

A transponder started sending out an automated distress call, as the smoking remains of the oval-shaped emergency vehicle found its final resting place on a world somewhere in the Rim...

 

[Alana Sunrider]

IDENTIFY THE NEED
Inara Basai Calix of Thyrsus
RESCUE SERVICE/RRS ENDURANCE: Nej Tane Doctor Røyskatt ”Roy” Besh Jessica Bowers TE-236 NE-1 Dash Colton BB-610 Jaeviko Fitzsix


Alana paused as the trail came to an end at the edge of the scrubland, revealing rows of tents and people lined up around one of the Service vessels. She frowned for a moment at the sight. She had not heard that the Rescue Service was running an operation here, let alone one on this scale.

An Ishi Tib waved over to her and Alana grinned, seeing the familiar face. "Cirt!" She called out, waving for the other members to follow her. "So good to see you again. How is Praesitlyn treating you and the rest of the Church of the Force chapters?"

The alien bobbed his head in greeting, shaking hands with Alana and any of the others who had accompanied her. "Good, good, well, not so good with our main economic center falling apart, but what can you do?" He waved a hand. "Nobody wants to pay for communications that creates a military target these days."

"That is fair," Alana agreed, "But you were one of the people who requested the ORDC, yes?" Another bob of the head and Alana fell in step behind Cirt.

"Yes, there was a group of us, call ourselves the Praesitlyn Autonomous Development Committee. We did a bunch of surveys and took stock of sort of needs we were finding, and so the various councils and local governments put our proposal together."

"Was this--" Alana trailed off, waving her hand slowly at the sight. Cirt let out a hiss through his beak.

"I think we may have miscommunicated something. We have local doctors, of course."

"Naturally, right next to a hyperlane," Alana agreed, "It has a... bit of a display of force to it, almost."

"Some people... are less than happy. They see it as bribery," Cirt agreed, awkwardly after a moment. "Or manipulation."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Alana agreed, rubbing the back of her neck for a moment, a slight blush ringing her cheeks. "Well, there's always wrinkles to work out. Are any of the local doctors nearby?"

"They are on the way," Cirt answered. Alana nodded, considering for a moment as she picked her way through the crowd towards the row of tents.

"Maybe if we put them in charge?" The Jedi considered that, thinking. A signal pinged off her gauntlet and she paused for a moment, frowning. "Distress signal?" She looked up to the sky around them. There was nothing that she could see, but that didn't mean anything. She waved at the nearest Rescue Service medic, who had a slightly grumpy-looking older woman in front of her. "Hi! Alana Sunrider, with the Jedi Pilgrims. I'm picking up a distress signal of some sort?" She squinted at the display on her gauntlet. "Your ships have better receivers than mine. Are you all picking anything up?"

 

[Xam Jubb]

Kaia Starchaser

"Roger that, Pulsar," Xam responded, tallying things off in his head, before pursing his lips. His flaps tightened as he considered. "Ah, what sort of tonnage are we looking at?" He moved along the edge of the landing pad, prodding it with his foot before waving an arm at a team of engineers. He turned the comm off for a moment before bellowing.

"Get me some structural engineers! Or some structural technicians, for all the Force cares. We have cargo coming in and a landing pad that's riddled with sinkholes! We need numbers on how much weight and where this landing pad can hold anything up before we send a bunch of ships crashing into the underground networks."

A team of junior engineers hurried over with their scanners and set to work, moving gingerly across the duracrete pad. "Hang tight, Pulsar. We have some sinkhole problems with the main landing pad. If your ship is light enough to land on rough terrain, we can put you down in a clearing, but heavy equipment will have to take some time to get the duracrete reinforced and stabilized."

 

[Niki Priddy]

PRAESITLYN​

Objective: 3 Find a resolution to the troubles
Weapon: 'Revy', "The Klaive" - PDW
Equipment: PCA/EA, Priddy Plates, x2 Hutt Cartel Kidnap Jabber Rings-One on either hand, Force Warning Necklace Pendant, Paralyzing Lipstick, ENVC-370 Bodyglove, Tinfoil Hat Band, Earsculpt Comlink, Magno-grip Formal shoes
Augmentation: PGEM-SAP "Amber Eyes"
Ships: 1 Paltry Star Destroyer, 1 Bellicose Class-Frigate, 2 CR90 MK VIII Assualt Corvettes, 3 DP20 MK VI Siege Corvettes, 4 Disruptor MK III Class Corvettes
Aboard the Star Destroyer: Mercenary Marine troops, 3 squadrons of Multi-role Droid Starships, 1 squadron of Sensor Droid Starships

The contingent of vessels broke out of hyperspace travel. First the CR90's and Disruptors, dropping into real space and breaking formation to clear the way for the next to arrive. Moving to a forward position, the next to snap back to real space were the DP20's flanking a Bellicose frigate.

All moving forward as the final piece of the detachment stretched and slowed to real space. The large tower beginning its work upon reversion. The conning tower firing to life with purpose as the vessels moved in slow and purposed action.

"All ships accounted for and maintaining formation." The Hangar sprang to life, the Sensor droids beginning to ascend and leave behind their holding racks as they spread out across the planets system in singular purpose. Each darting towards the fringes before slowing their speed until they became nothing more than a ghost on scanners.

Long black nails tapped atop the desk in the passenger suite, eyes sliding sideways to glance at the communication panel beside the doorway. The corner of her mouth twitching as she squared the last details of her business away for another time.

The sound of boots at her door made her snort and stand with an easy, languid stretch before grabbing the long coat of her attire. Shrugging into the thing, the door hissed open to Matthew waiting for her patiently just beside the doorway.

"The reports suggest opportunistic raiding rather than anything outright dangerous. What do you think?" She mused, the bland gaze turning to something of amusement.

"People trying to get by. People just enjoying the idea of freedom out here on the fringes. Well. Their idea of freedom anyway." Matthew gave his retort. The wry smile appearing as his answer drifted to the last of his words.

"Wasn't so long ago we held the same ideals in a manner of speaking." She only received a sharp glare for a response, making the smirk shift to a gleeful smile at getting such a defensive response. The doorway to the bridge opened with a less dramatic hiss, the captain of the vessel facing her with a nod before addressing her.

"We have the coordinates of the last known transmission areas for the missing vessels. Holding for the moment until we get a hit on the long range scans." The captain offered as Niki gave a small wave of her hand to acknowledge him.

"Pinging the area now." The sensor pit reported, the large scale system emanating with a resounding crackle of power that made Niki twitch.

Matthew let his gaze wander from the viewport at the slight movement. Concern dancing across his features as she waved him off. She didn't want anyone being aware of the sounds she had become hyperaware of. Her eyes gazed across the bridge, settling on the sensor screen in a zoomed view before settling back to standard view and turning to the Captain.

"If we find nothing in this sector, move the majority our search to the far side of the planet. The Corvettes will break off and contact those on the ground to coordinate searches across the ground." She advised the captain. There was a moment of contemplation before being given a nod.

"The net is cast. Let us see what lurks beneath." She sing songed, the crew giving no sign reaction as they continued their tasks.

Tales of the Outer Rim

​

 

[Inara Basai]

Phase 2: Identify the need
Location: Just outside a Settlement

Inara offered the elderly woman a kind smile, "I can assure you," she started, motioning the pair towards the medical tent. "We do care." For now, she left it at that -- not wanting to sound like a medical services advertisement -- and she didn't wish to upset her patient. She'd let the treatment do the talking.

"Please have a seat," she said and put on a pair of gloves. The elderly woman begrudgingly did as she was asked, but gave a tight-lipped frown in response. "Are you currently on any medications?" Inara asked, ready to enter the information into her datapad.

"No," the woman said. "Things like that are hard to come by out here."

"With the League in the area now -- we'll be able to make sure you get any medication or aid that you need." Inara nodded, and took the woman's grunt as consent to proceed with the examination. "What are your current health concerns?" she asked, and was provided with a rather long list of ailments in response. Inara logged each concern in the woman's chart, noting the most pressing issue seemed to be joint stiffness and possible arthritis.

"I can refer you to a doctor for treatment," Inara said. "I'll get this to someone right away. For today, we can possibly send you home with something to help with the pain. And you can always visit one of our medical stations for additional assistance."

The woman nodded and her son gave Inara an appreciative smile. Inara held up her finger to indicate she'd be back in a moment, and she stood from her stool. After taking a few steps, she glanced over her shoulder. This is exactly the work she'd signed up for with the League -- to be able to bring help to people that sorely needed it.

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

"Our ships will stay in a low orbit, synchronized with our ground crews." She transmitted over to ORDC and Xam Jubb . Changing the channel, she contacted her ground crews. "Keep beacons on. Keep an eye on one another out here."

"Understood about the landing. We'll drop off the light equipment and spotter teams. Have any place we can drop a few cargo boxes? Has some durasteel panels in there, maybe it can help?" The three landers behind her were keeping in repulsor range, allowing work crews, but no heavy equipment to disembark.

While awaiting the go-ahead, they moved back up to be a spotter craft. It wasn't unlike what happened out in space. Drop a few SERGIOs on asteroids or around a wreck, get into an orbit around them, far enough to see incoming threats, close enough to swoop in, and pick up the crews and get an evacuation moving. This world didn't seem to have that kind of a threat. She looked as the Pulsar picked up off the ground.

"Just give us some direction on this phase. We're salvagers and miners." Well, the ones that weren't Kaia.

 

[Calix of Thyrsus]

Hold my prayers up to the sun. I am sinner. Heaven's closed for what I've done.​

...a thousand stars eclipsed his vision.

Vertigo set in, the world drowned out as everything seemed to be spinning as the child reeled back from the hit he'd taken. The taste of blood hit the back of his throat.

Sliding one foot back, the young Thyrsian braced himself, keeping himself upright even as his arms moved in a fluid motion. Action preceding thought. Not even entirely aware of how his body was moving. He was sparring with a Duros.

Why? He didn't even know.

Knocking aside the Duros' arms, the boy lined up an opening for a strike. A swift punch delivered directly to the throat. As the Duros was taken off-balance, the Thyrsian grabbed hold and then applied his full body weight as the youth dropped to the deck. Slipping a foot up onto the Duros' chest the boy rolled back and catapulted the Duros across the cargo bay.

Only then did he have a moment in which to catch his breath.

The hum of a lightsaber weaved through the air. A bright, cerulean blue light was visible through a haze of tibana gas that was forming from out of where Master Harand was clashing with a hail of blaster fire.

A flash of light. Calix felt himself lifted up and spun around by some invisible force that had gripped -- a force which spread into his lungs like fire.

As the wall became the ceiling and the world revolved wildly, the last thing Calix saw was the floor rising up to meet him...

A gasp echoed through the inside of the escape pod.

The boy awoke to find himself on the floor of the wrecked vehicle. A mere moment's respite before the fire returned. Clutching feebly at his left side, the boy wheezed, grinding his teeth against the pain that threatened to take him back down into the darkness.

Breathing hurt.

Rolling over hurt.

Laying still hurt.

Tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes, as the dark-skinned youth lay on his back, staring out through the canopy into a sky above. Whereever this was, he wasn't drifting in space.

A hand slapped up against the side of the pod, as the boy struggled to pick himself up off the floor. One eye was swollen shut. Dried blood marked his face, where his lip had been split open. With effort, he managed to get himself on his knees, leaning heavily on the airlock mechanism as he struggled to open the pod.

Perhaps another might have been smart enough to check the environment outside first. Or perhaps the boy had abandoned such concerns. Reckless but eager to escape this prison, he opened the hatch.

And just as quickly fell through the now open door.

Hot sand greeted him. Warmth permeating his body as he found himself laying in sunlight. He wondered if Thyrsus felt like this. Shallow, rapid breaths. He lay in the sand for a moment longer, before he found the will to try and crawl forward.

There was still a mission to complete.

 

[Alana Sunrider]

Inara Basai Calix of Thyrsus Niki Priddy Kaia Starchaser

Alana paused next to a communications station in the medical refuge center and held up her gauntlet. "I'm getting an automated distress signal. Is the ship finding anything?"

The petty officer in charge of the station frowned, as much as a Durosian could frown and checked the displays. "What sort of frequency?" Alana double-checked and read off the digits. The Duros adjusted the controls on the console until it picked up the message.

Alana and the petty officer paused to listen to the message. "Automated escape pod, mostly civilian, by the sound of it." The Duros said with a small nod. "Let's put together a team and track it down."

"Sounds good. I'll see if I can isolate the source for a better location," Alana said, syncing the datapad on her gauntlet to the communications station. The Duros relayed a message up to the ship's bridge, and within moments, a team was assembling.

"Have a medic?" Alana asked, feeling some disturbance in the Force that she could not entirely pinpoint. "I feel something might be wrong."

The Duros nodded and spoke into a comlink. "We're getting one ready now. What's our bearing and range?"

Alana double-checked her readings. "Thirty-five kilometers, bearing 215. Have any spare speeders?"

"Maybe, we'll have to check what's available." Alana nodded and squinted into the distance towards where the signal was coming from.

"Medic en route and a small speeder is getting unloaded," the Duros said. Alana nodded.

 

[Xam Jubb]

Kaia Starchaser

“Sounds like a plan,” Xam replied, squinting up into the sky. He couldn’t quite see the ships yet, but it wouldn’t take long. That was a nice thing about starships . They could bypass much of the distance. The Sullustan turned and studied the complex before replying. He waved to a technician and strode towards the wood, pausing to stomp on the ground with some heavy boots.

This was solid ground, at least. No tunnels or sagging support struts here. Xam nodded to the tech and pointed. “Orbital beacon here.”

“Sure thing, boss,” the human replied, setting a small transmitter down and activating it. Xam could just hear the faint electronic beeping of the device.

“Here, Pulsar, got a beacon for you that can take some weight. And durasteel plates would be… excellent.”

His mind considered possibilities with what they could do to use them. “Once it’s down here I’ll love to hear your thoughts on how best to use them. See if we can jury rig something up.”

 

[Tales of the Outer Rim]

Niki Priddy

“Bunches a ships coming and going,” a one-armed Trandoshan hissed from the display scanner. “Warshipsss.”

A larger Trandoshan sat up quickly and moved to the display. “Indeed, praise the Scorekeeper.” The pirate’s voice was oddly soft and high pitched for such an intimidating being. “We can at last clear our names and restore the Jagnnath points.”

There was a sibilant reply of excitement from the others on the bridge of the corvette. It was a Corellian type, with the missile launchers. Hijacked, of course, stolen and refitted.

“Let us begin the hunt by luring in the smaller vesselsss..” the captain said. “Have the lifepod activate its distress signal, indicating engine trouble. That ssshould draw them in.”

 

[Calix of Thyrsus]

K H O M M
Deep Core Region | 13 Months Earlier

​

The smell of hospital antiseptic irritated his nose.

Trailing behind where his master and a white-robed healer were discussing the situation, the young Thyrsian boy found himsel uncertain of just where he should be looking. Or not looking.

People. In beds. Their skin like chalk, with black veins showing through the translucent flesh. Faces downcast. Shame. Embarrassment. Guilt. Anger. Fear.

Death.

It loomed like a shadow over everything. The dark-skinned boy's golden eyes furtively darted for somewhere safe to rest, making every effort not to stare, and ashamed for the fact that the sights before him caused him to do so nonetheless.

"Calix," Harand uttered, prompting the boy to look up at his master as the elder beckoned, "Keep up."

"At present, we've managed to control the outbreak of the disease, but our current course of treatment merely addresses the symptoms, but the underlying cause," the white-robed figure -- a Kaminoan -- was remarking, as the boy hurried his pace to fall back into step behind the pair of larger adults. "We've identified a cure, but..."

A cure? "What are we waiting for?" the boy blurted aloud. There was a cure? And yet the Alliance allowed these people to suffer?

Master Harand's hand stretched out, the motion signaling for the boy to be quiet as the Jedi echoed the Kaminoan's final word, "But?"

"Laboratory testing drew from a limited supply of plant-based proteins. We don't have enough for mass production. Now, it's possible that the proteins could be synthesized, but we'd need a larger genetic sample first," the Kaminoan explained patiently, pausing there before elaborating, "It's a plant. Specifically, a flower, but it's only known to grow on one planet, in the Outer Rim."

The boy's golden eyes shifted from the gangly alien back to his master.

Master Harand was troubled by this statement. The way that a Jedi reached up a hand to stroke his beard was the tell. "How far?" the man asked.

"Beyond the Rimma Trade Route," the healer stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's in the Kathol Outback."

Glancing between the two adults, the boy spoke up to ask, "Is that bad?"

"It's not an area easily traveled," Master Harand answered cryptically, then seemed to be musing aloud as he uttered, "It'll take years to get there and back."

"At present, the rate of replicative fading is relatively mild," the healer noted. "However, in another five or so years, their genetic material may no longer be capable of supporting cloning as a means of reproduction."

The Thyrsian's made a face, his mouth falling open, before he paused. He was about to repeat the same question he'd asked earlier.

Seeing the boy's expression, the Jedi explained, "The Khommites that you see are all clones." Another stroke of the beard. "If this disease makes them incapable of it, their society will collapse," the Jedi mused, before finally turning his attention back to the Kaminoan to ask, "What's the name of this planet?"

P R A E S I T L Y N
Outer Rim Territories | Present Day​

The hot sands warmed his cheek, as the boy awoke to find himself passed out in the desert wastes.

The smoking wreckage of the escape pod was only a few meters before, the boy having crawled through strength of sheer will. He tried to do so again, arms moving up, hands pushing into the sand as the youth tried to lift his body weight -- to will his body to work.

The blaster wound that scored the left side of his chest sent what felt like fire or a thousand glass needles through his lungs. Grimacing, the boy shuddered as he attempted to raise his head. One leg crawling up as he inched further along...

...and came crashing back to collapse upon the sand, as the fight started to drain out of him.

Alana Sunrider​

 

[Alana Sunrider]

Calix of Thyrsus Inara Basai

Alana glanced over at the team as they assembled, with better kit than she had pieced together in her free time. It had locked onto the distress signal much quicker and more clearly than her gauntletpad had done.

They'd wheeled up a small speeder vehicle and loaded themselves into it, along with a search and rescue droid. Alana settled herself into the passenger seat as a petty officer took the pilot's seat, along with the others.

Something in the Force trickled and she sat up straighter. A Jedi? Of some sort? She couldn't tell what it was that had caught her attention.

"We should hurry," Alana said with a glance at the others. "Something is not right, I think. There is something else happening here."

The Rescue Service crew nodded and set to work, accelerating the small speeders across the landscape. The wind whistled through Alana's hair and she grinned at the sensation. She kept her eyes locked on the readout as they sped across the landscape. She checked the readouts.

One hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. Fast enough, all things considered, but she felt it needed more speed. Something urgent ticked away in her mind.

 

[Sebastian van Ruud]

PHASE THREE-RESOLVE SOURCES OF TENSION​

It's been three months since the events on the Osaga. Images of those abominations were still in Sebastian's memory and probably won't go away for a long time. To help himself somehow, he asked to join RTL's Ranger Corps. Luckily there were no issues, at least physically and with the funds he got, getting gear for his new duty wasn't the issue. Even getting a new ship, which would be an essential thing, shouldn't be a problem. The issue was his first assignment as a Ranger. He knew that gaining trust is a thing that doesn't come easily and as a newcomer, it must be harder twice. Unfortunately, he still had questions about the mission even after reading a quick briefing on what the Ranger corps was supposed to do here. That's why he decided to go to the Bridge to get some answers.

"Ranger Sebastian here. Can I know our plans or get my instructions? I'm not still sure what we are going to do exactly.". Sebastian asked, directing his speech either to Niki or the captain. He was barely familiar with subordination here since he was new, so he had no choice other than to ask people on the bridge.