[TSO] Department of Defense

[Kamon's OOC]

Galactic Location: The Lambent Shadow, Korriban Departure Point
Ship Location: Strategic Orrery Center
Objective: Secure the Daragon Trail

Leos stood within the operational map of the Stygian Caldera. He orbited it around, marking Dromund Kaas as enemy territory. Additionally, he marked the Daragon Trail as the primary entrance to the Caldera, and the alternate entrance near Nfolgai that he and his people had mapped out prior to their rebuttal of the Silver's attempts to take further Sith territory. Each location was vitally important to the welfare of the Caldera. Ignoring any one of the two entrances would be catastrophic in nature should the Silvers attempt to reach Dromund Kaas and thereby attack them once again.

Zooming in on the map, he orbited it to Korriban itself, marking the location of his command ship, as well as the locations of several different MIG's that were preparing to be deployed. Two of them had moved up alongside the large Reformation-class Vessel, flying in tandem as they headed away from the planet.

"Captain, open a channel to all Sith command structures within the Caldera. Encrypt it per normal."

"The channel is open."

He took a moment to compose himself, breathing in deeply and letting it out slowly.

"My fellow sith, this is Ignus calling you directly. Today we stand at a crossroads, and we know what will come ahead of us. It is ever our destiny to wage war. It is within our knowledge that the Silver Jedi have operatives within the Caldera, focused around the preservation of their stranglehold of Dromund Kaas, their last outpost within our territory."

There was at least a bit of disgust when he said this.

"It is also likely that they have some form of surveillance network situated without our space. I suggest we mobilize for search and destroy missions. In the meantime, I will be deploying the newly minted Mobile Intelligence Gatherer's to strategic locations throughout the Caldera to monitor the system, predominantly as an advanced warning feature. In addition, I've sent vessels with workers and gear to each of our major worlds with instructions to work under the command of whichever Lord is present to fortify each world. Use the resources as you see fit.

"For the moment I am heading down the Daragon Trail, at the mouth of the Nebulon Cloud. If you need to reach me I will be within my ships Orrery, and can direct attention as needed. Ignus out."

He let out a breath before turning his attention inward.

"Captain, chart our course and take us away. The MIG's will arrive after us, but that will allow us to sweep the area prior to arrival."

"Understood, sir. Making for hyperspace."

| [member="Tirdarius"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="The Traveler"] |​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex stood on the bridge of the Ruination, his hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the many stars that twinkled brightly just beyond the viewport. A gown of lilac hung loosely off of his muscular frame and was fastened around his waist by a crimson sash while a stole of the same crimson material hung from his neck and shoulders. Behind him the bridge officers went about their duties, the low hustle of hushed whispers and the faint hum of machinery were the only noises to stain the air.

His focus shifted, his attention now fixated on his own reflecting staring back at him from the transparisteel surface. In the span of a few scant years he had grown old, his skin and hair becoming progressively grayer and grayer until he had adopted the appearance of an elderly man. Yet appearances were ever deceiving, for he was as physically strong as he ever was and his grasp on the Force had never wavered.

But that was the price of power. In his hands he could bend space and time to his designs, but while his mind and soul were bright beacons in the night his body was ravaged by the darkness that coursed through him as freely as the blood through his veins. It was inevitable that his body would fail him, as it had done before, and he would be forced to shed the old for the new in another ritual. The last ritual had been especially taxing as more and more souls were needed to offset the cost of his own, and he had no doubt that many would be required to wrench his soul back from the ethereal plane of the damned and stuff it into fresh flesh.

He grumbled under his breath and turned, walking with slow meticulous steps back to his command chair at the far end of the bridge. From there he could survey all of his subordinates with a steel glare, and all dared not look up at his magnificence lest they somehow offend the Sith Lord. Fear kept them in line while respect and admiration for his greatness emboldened their resolve to serve him, and those who proved most useful were elevated to prestigious positions and lauded with gifts on his behalf.

The Ruination tumbled through the emptiness between the worlds of the Stygian Caldera, the warship listing along slowly as the Sith Lord contemplated recent events and plotted his next course of action. Luckily for him that decision came easily enough once he received a transmission from Lord @Ignus;

My fellow Sith, this is Ignus calling you directly. Today we stand at a crossroads, and we know what will come ahead of us. It is ever our destiny to wage war. It is within our knowledge that the Silver Jedi have operatives within the Caldera, focused around the preservation of their stranglehold of Dromund Kaas, their last outpost within our territory.

It is also likely that they have some form of surveillance network situated without our space. I suggest we mobilize for search and destroy missions. In the meantime, I will be deploying the newly minted Mobile Intelligence Gatherer's to strategic locations throughout the Caldera to monitor the system, predominantly as an advanced warning feature. In addition, I've sent vessels with workers and gear to each of our major worlds with instructions to work under the command of whichever Lord is present to fortify each world. Use the resources as you see fit.

For the moment I am heading down the Daragon Trail, at the mouth of the Nebulon Cloud. If you need to reach me I will be within my ships Orrery, and can direct attention as needed.

Ignus out.

The fortification had begun, that was a good sign. The Ruination oriented itself in the cold vacuum and entered hyperspace on a direct route to Khar Delba, Carnifex's newest base of operations within the Calder after he had gifted Thule to his uncle, [member="Darth Prazutis"].

It was there where he would begin his fortification.

 

[Asharad Graush]

And the Sith Lord that was A'sharad Graush heard the call of [member="Ignus"]. He was within the Stygian Caldera already, travelling, though he had only heard the transmission when he came out of hyperspace over the planet of Krayiss Two. An ancient planet to the Sith, once upon a time it was considered one of the five sacred planets of the Sith. Although he was a poor image of the Red Sith of old, the strong features of his Pureblood father relatively non-existent in his appearance save for a denser bone structure and his vast affinity to the Dark Side of the Force. His mother, an epicanthix had gifted her with his appearance, it seemed.

But the blood of the Sith still ran through him.

And so he came.

The Ancient One came out of hyperspace in the typical burst of white light that occurred when the tachyons gathered in hyperspace were released from the hull of a spacecraft. The warriors of House Graush had arrived in the Caldera, and at their head was Darth Vyrassu. The Sith opened a line to the Mirialan Sith Lord, making use of the Hyperwave Transceiver on board to communicate.

"This is Lord Vyrassu. I have arrived over Krayiss Two. It is only fitting that a world that once held such vast knowledge of the Sith was secured." And that was that before the troop transports deployed from the hangar of the Inazagi War Cruiser. The ship itself was descending to the planet, maintaining a low orbit as other transport ships deployed to the planet below.

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Antherion had a tactical mind, yes, but directing a battlefield was not his forte. He had no doubt that the other Dark Lords would meet with great success in trawling the Caldera for probes, or for erecting battlements. He lacked (for now) massive monetary or military force to exert, so he would be focusing on taking this for what it was: an opportunity. He was strong when the Sith were strong as an organization. So he would need to share his strength in the ways he knew how to.

The world he chose to join in on the fortifications was Bhargebba, a vulgar-sounding and obscure one; it would be useful for his purposes. The planet itself had a patchy macrobiome, with spots of mountain, jungle, and the usual sparse scavenger-settlements that came hand-in-hand with any planet that would possess valuable ruins. It was a lovely place to find spots that were geographically isolated from other parts of the planet. He cruised in the Sith Infiltrator that a certain Darth Voracitos had provided him with, searching for the ideal location.

In the end, it was a valley in a mountainous region, with a strangely temperate climate. Barren, aside from some simple animals and vegetation. Alchemically speaking, it was a blank canvas. It would be where he worked his will to benefit the ascendance of the Sith.

He drifted down, out of the docking ramp of his ship, the wind circling about him, tousling his pale, silvery hair. He inhaled, raising a white-clad arm as he reached out with his perceptions, searching for the ideal candidate.

As it seemed to be fashionable, he had also left a single, open message on the airwaves as he had crossed through the system, so that it wouldn't be indicative of where he was. What he was to do would require solitude and concentration.

"Antherion will also be contributing to the defense. My work has begun."

| [member="Ignus"] | [member="Asharad Graush"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] |

 

[Kamon's OOC]

Galactic Location: The Lambent Shadow, Hyperspace
Ship Location: Strategic Orrery Center
Objective: Secure the Daragon Trail

"Agreed, Lord Vyrassu. Each of our worlds is of importance if we wish to survive. Proceed as you see fit. The resources at Krayiss II are yours."

Being able to communicate via hyperspace was great, and most people took advantage of it. The MIG's would pick up on such chatter and use it to warn the Sith within the caldera if an attack was pending. That was the whole point of this effort. Fortifying their base of power was the key to ensuring their survival. The fact that people had already risen to the call assured him that they might actually have a chance of doing what most of them intended to do: conquer the known galaxy and establish an empire of the Sith once again. Yes, even Leos wanted that to happen. Not so heretical, was it? Anyway, there was work to be done.

"Good, Antherion. Do what needs to be done."

He circled two locations at the mouth of the nebula on the map before taking a step back from it to look further out. The caldera was certainly a safe haven, but Dromund Kaas needed to be reclaimed before it could truly be called safe again.

"Captain, how long?"

"An hour, sir, to the first marked location."

"Good, keep me apprised."

Positioning the first two MIG's would be the most important as they would be reading data at the one galactically known entrance to the caldera. If the Jedi were to come and attack them, it would be through there. These two would give them warning and allow them to prepare for impending attack. He'd position more of them within the caldera when he went hunting for Jedi watching satellites and stations, but these two took priority. The others would get their supplies, courtesy of Ignus Industries, and could begin fortifying as they saw fit. Planetary weapons platforms, shield projectors, all of it. Leos was spending big bucks on this.

| [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Asharad Graush"] | [member="Antherion"] | [member="Tirdarius"] | [member="The Traveler"] |​

 

[Asharad Graush]

A'sharad's forces were entering the planet's atmosphere, the Sith Lord watching from the observation deck of the Ancient One. Soon, they would be receiving feedback from the expeditionary forces on the planet below as to the situation below. Of course, the Inazagi War Cruiser could determine such things from orbit, but actual people were necessary to be in place on the ground to determine as to whether there were other entrances into the world below the obelisk.

At this point, they only had audio.

"Set up perimeters. Set the automated turrets around the obelisk." Soldiers got to work. The longer A'sharad waited, the clearer the signal got, until the visuals from the Captain's helmet came onto the screen before the Sith Lord.

"Report, Captain," A'sharad's cold voice came over the line.

"Our sensors indicate there are structures below ground, but to what extent we cannot tell. Our search for the library-temple below the obelisk continues."

"Keep me apprised, Captain, Graush out."

A'sharad turned his head to the figure beside him. A shadowy one, slightly smaller in size and bulk, but imposing none the less. "Send word to my mother and Arvengis," he says, turning away and back to the shifting camera of the Sith Trooper Captain below.

"Saying what, my Lord?"

"That we're returning home," he said. "House Graush returns to the Caldera."

[member="Ignus"], [member="Antherion"], [member="Darth Carnifex"].