Public Warlord Unbound

[Kazimir Tragovic]

Marlon Sularen , Kaleb Sunwalker , Onrai , Moff Evner Braxiatel , Dracken Pryce

Blood Code

As the door flew open, the rescue team was met with a hail of blasterfire. It might have been enough to stifle those with less will or experience, but Kaz was a professional. His body moved instinctively, throwing him into a roll as he ducked under an oncoming bolt of plasma. As he exited his roll, he propped himself on one knee, firing several shots back at his attackers, killing three of them instantly. As the others exited the landing craft, he maintained his covering fire, making sure to pick off as many of these scum as possible. Once the team had exited the craft, he jumped back to his feet, joining the charge that was now in full swing.

Kaz's body slammed against the durasteel wall as he followed the Moff, using a small crevice between the door and the entryway as some semblance of cover, making sure to keep his fire concentrated where needed. As the Moff barked his order at Kaz, the Wardog only gave him a nod in response, not having time to take much of his attention away from his targets.

Soon, a message came over comms from the mysterious entity Onrai , mentioning that the Warlord was out of his cell. Kaz never trusted Forcies, and though Sularen had thrown his lot in with them long ago, Kaz still didn't feel right about the eldritch sorcerer being the only in direct contact with the Warlord.

<<Roger. We will link up with you shortly. Inform the Warlord that we have a change of clothes for him.>>

The last comment was said with the slightest bit of annoyance, though Kaz and the others had been given orders, and he wasn't about to get into hot water on account of something as simple as handing over the Warlord's uniform.

But first... they had to get to Onrai.

 

[Zaven Trask]

Tags: Marlon Sularen Dracken Pryce Onrai Thomas Barran Kazimir Tragovic Ardana Vorco
​

Right back to the start of it all. That was the first thing that Zaven thought as he heard the pilot shout for the Stormtroopers to immediately start heading out. "Just another day." He would say to himself as he would make his way out of the gunship, a heavy blaster dangling from his shoulders. Immediately through the burnt gunship that blazed it's way through the hangar of the Complex, already were they met with heavy resistance. The Stormtrooper was gritting his teeth under his helmet. Blaster bolts so close, he could hear them whizzing past his head. Immediately, his trigger finger would react. Squeezing down the trigger, his jaw vibrating from the force of blaster bolts shot out, one after another. He could feel the heat of the heavy blaster reverberate through his hands. Just as he started blasting would the terrorists be seeking to hide real quick. "You want some Rebel dogs, I got more for ya!" The Stormtrooper would viciously call out, the arrogance and venom eager in his tone, he wanted more.

He looked to see the murderous Maw Marauders already push the lead. He scowled at the thought they would reach the Warlord first, no matter. They needed a chaotic force to cause some distraction, while he noticed other Stormtroopers such as Kuff Tolt laying down some suppressing fire, he looked to one Trooper, he noticed that this one seemed out of his depth, lacked confidence to hold off the Rebels. He looked to the trooper, calling him out. "Hey, Noob. You wanna live forever?" He poked at what appeared to be a new recruit, he knew the need to hesitate in the middle of combat, he was there once, long ago. He moved closer to the trooper known as Sid Berik while he tried to push up. He waved his heavy blaster around, unleashing a spray of bolts, one or two managing to gun down of the soldiers screaming in pain.

When he noticed that Moff Evner Braxiatel was trying to move along up. He reacted, as he started to carry the heavy blaster by it's overheated barrel, and one hand still on the grip and trigger. "Wait, Sir!" The trooper would call out frantically, as he did his best to keep up. The scalding pain pressing against his hands, he had an urge to drop the heavy blaster but wouldn't let it go from his grasp. He gritted his teeth again, as he gained on the Moff pressing along ahead, as soon as he saw him, he was surrounded. "Make way!" The Stormtrooper called out, clenching down his jaw tightly as he started to fire his heavy blaster. The rebels quickly reacting, some falling to the ground instantly, and others were returning fire. "You want more, I got more! Karking get some!" He cried out as he ran to put himself between the Rebels and his Moff. He screamed as he kept laying down suppressing fire, and keeping his Moff shielded from the Rebels. Even as his armor absorbed enemy blaster fire, his body shaking from the impact.

 

[Marlon Sularen]

A_G R E A T F U L_U N I V E R S E

DARK EMPIRE
SOCORRO'S BELT, CORE WORLDS

​

As the Warlord remained suspended in his cell, he could hear the faint sounds of gunshots and explosions as Imperial Forces confronted the Forgotten Sons and the Corellians in their bid to liberate him. It felt like an eternity as the Grand Admiral eye's remained fixed on the doors leading into his cell, hoping that Imperials as usual would burst through in order to liberate their Warlord. However Sularen's liberation would not be as explosive and violence as he expected as he would soon come to notice what appeared to be some sort of shadow began to pour into the room through the vents and crevasses before beginning to manifest itself right in front of the Imperial Warlord, which he instantly recognized. "Onrai."

Before Sularen could say anything else, Onrai proceeded to destroy the containment field holding Sularen in place before holstering him over her shoulder and proceeded to escape the room before the Magma Cell was filled with molten lava.

"You just had to go and disappear on me, didn't you? I should smack you."

"I was caught off-guard by two meddling Jedi in the midst of Battle, it's not my fault they somehow managed to disable every measure i had placed in my ship to thwart boarding parties." Sularen responded, recalling to how easily both Jasper and Braze had infiltrated his now destroyed Flagship over the skies of Coruscant. After a similar incident happened during the Second Great Hyperspace War, Sularen had placed additional measures to ensure that Jedi and Enemy Soldiers could no longer board his ship and wreck havoc at ease, but clearly further revisions were necessary if whatever flagship Sularen would take next could withstand the force users. "Also you can put me down Now. I am perfectly capable of walking on my own." Sularen further stated, somewhat embarrassed at the fact that he was literally being carried to his freedom.

Nevertheless one fact remained undeniable as a result of today's events : The Warlord of the Empire was no longer bound by Corellia's chains.

Tags [DE] | Kaleb Sunwalker | Thomas Barran | Onrai | Ardana Vorco | Kazimir Tragovic | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Zaven Trask | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt
Tag [Corellia] | Dracken Pryce
​

 

[Onrai]

Tags: Kaleb Sunwalker Thomas Barran Marlon Sularen Ardana Vorco Kazimir Tragovic Moff Evner Braxiatel Zaven Trask Sid Berik Kuff Tolt Dracken Pryce

"I was caught off-guard by two meddling Jedi in the midst of Battle, it's not my fault they somehow managed to disable every measure i had placed in my ship to thwart boarding parties."

“And that’s why you need to pray to your patron.” Onrai said as they headed towards another open door, coming across a number of prisoners wielding a variety of improvised weapons. Some of them withdrew and ran from the spooky shadow-being, while others advanced on her and the warlord over her shoulder before being dispatched, spirit and succor drained from them as their desiccated cadavers dropped to the floor of the station. Onrai proceeded onwards, observing another protestation from the Warlord.

"Also you can put me down Now. I am perfectly capable of walking on my own."

“Not yet.” She said, as the next door opened up with blaster fire directed their way. Onrai turned and raised her arm up, keeping the fleshy Sully from being hit by blaster bolts that otherwise impacted her amorphous form. If she had teeth, she would’ve likely gritted them. A burst of energy blasted the shooters back before she repeated the same trick that had seen the prisoners slain beforehand, leaving nothing but shriveled remains. Looking over the stationgoers, she observed a blaster rifle and, after rather unceremoniously leveraging Sully off her shoulder, shoved the weapon into his hands.

“When we get back to Imperial space, we’re going to talk about you having a “come to god” moment.”

 

[Moff Evner Braxiatel]

​

That bold Stormtrooper, single-handedly charging against the Terrorists, was certainly an impressive one, the Moff would have to agree. His strength in defending his superiors, the smell of burning metal emanating from the barrel of his blaster, wouldn't be forgotten by the veteran. The moment he got enough freedom of movement to advance even further to the prison's entrance, it seemed as if he was possessed by the spirit of a vornsk. Holding the Drago Carbine with his left hand for dear life, he carelesly charged to the Rebels' way. Of the 5 terrorists remaining, he shot 5 bullets against the 3 farthest, and unleashed all his fury, its potence enhance by the sheer monstrous power of his own armor, against the nearest two: a human and a twilek. Still charging at the two soldiers, no bolt could stop him, not even the dozens being absorved at the very moment by his armor. He wrapped his right hand around the human's neck. In a single gesture, the Moff rapidly tightened his grip, breaking their cervical spine with the help of his armor in the process. Letting the dead body fall to the ground, Braxiatel advanced to the Twilek, almost ignoring the impact their shots caused on him. He grabbed their left lekku as brutish as possible, wrapping it around his right arm, and pulling the Terrorist to right in front of him.

Once again, the Soldier-Moff jumped, curving his back as if to prepare for a roll. He activated the Jumping propulsor and, because of the angle of his back, he was pushed forward rather than up, the Twilek still in front of him, serving as a shield to the blaster bolts unleashed by terrorists deeper into the prison. It was only when the Moff landed, doing a proper rolling above the Twilek's body, the Lekku almost entirely lacerated from the rest of their head, that he realised the prison was almost entirely dominated by prisoners at this point. The attack from two fronts was very beneficial for the prisoners, it seemed, as some of them even had weapons in hand. Evner ignored the prisoners, and that worked both ways: they didn't move an arm against the Moff, knowing full well the risk wasn't worth it.

The Moff spoke through his comlink to Onrai and Zaven Trask : "Main entrance clear. Requesting the Warlord's location", he paused to get a proper response, only then continuing: "Trooper, with me. We will search for any remaining Terrorist between us and Warlord Sullaren".

Kaleb Sunwalker Thomas Barran Marlon Sularen Ardana Vorco Kazimir Tragovic Onrai Zaven Trask Sid Berik Kuff Tolt Dracken Pryce ​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

A_G R E A T F U L_U N I V E R S E

DARK EMPIRE
SOCORRO'S BELT, CORE WORLDS

Once Onrai placed Sularen on his feet and gave him a blaster rifle, the Warlord took some time to examine the weapon noticing it's crude design as being some regular lower quality open market rifle. It wasn't the ideal weapon for a man of his caliber, but it would be enough to get him out of here. As the Warlord looked up ahead at the hallway, he noticed a Forgotten Sons soldier emerging from the corner of an intersection, gunning him down with accuracy before he could even aim at the Warlord. As the enemy soldier dropped to the floor dead, the Warlord looked at Onrai as they both moved forwards to join the rest of the Imperials. "Frankly i'm more interested in striking back against the bastards that imprisoned me. I have allowed people to undermine me for far too long" Sularen responded.

As both Sularen and Onrai pushed forwards, the latter would receive a message from the other Imperials located elsewhere from the base. Before Onrai could respond, Sularen would grab the communications device in order to address the individual on the other side. "This is Warlord Sularen speaking. I'm with Onrai, she's bringing me to the front entrance. We will join you shortly" Sularen responded before closing the comms and giving the communications device back to Onrai. Before they would further advance, the Warlord would stop beside the dead body of one of the Forgotten Sons soldiers picking up his pistol which was easier to wield with one arm when a blaster before turning to further speak to Onrai. "Alright. Let's get out of here, before we come across more Forgotten Sons forces or even the Corellians." the Warlord said before taking the lead and moving forward, heading closer to where the rest of the Imperials were.

Tags [DE] | Kaleb Sunwalker | Thomas Barran | Onrai | Ardana Vorco | Kazimir Tragovic | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Zaven Trask | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt
Tag [Corellia] | Dracken Pryce
​

 

[Onrai]

Tags: Kaleb Sunwalker Thomas Barran Marlon Sularen Ardana Vorco Kazimir Tragovic Moff Evner Braxiatel Zaven Trask Sid Berik Kuff Tolt Dracken Pryce

"Frankly I'm more interested in striking back against the bastards that imprisoned me. I have allowed people to undermine me for far too long."

"You should be less focused on that and more focused on the greater picture." Onrai said as they proceeded onwards. "There is far more to be concerned with than the petty squabbles these rabble have to offer." Soon enough, Moff Braxiatel would communicate with them, and as Onrai moved to respond, the Warlord chose to intervene. When he concluded his message and returned the device to Onrai, her eyes glared at him with what at best could be considered disappointment and what at worst could be thought of as hatred. Their whiteness burned with intensity that could only suggest the being had been disrespected.

"Don't ever do that again." She said to Sully in as plain a voice as she could muster, the intimidation less vocal and more allusive. He knew what she was, what she could do, and what resources she had. That said, this only further reinforced her intention to speak with him personally once he had been properly recovered - it was time to push him towards acceptance of the tools yet laid out before him, tools he would need to accept and use given the particularly rocky future the Dark Empire was heading towards.

Tools that were best spoken of in private.

 

[Ardana Vorco]

Warden, Magnarra and Marauder of the Scar Hounds Tribe

Information

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Prison Facility, Kolene, Corellian System
Equipment: 2x Geysa Hybrid Pistol | Assault Rifle | Armour and weapon (weapon is lightsaber resistant) || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran [direct tag] || Kaleb Sunwalker | Onrai | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Dracken Pryce | Kazimir Tragovic | Marlon Sularen | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt | Open

"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Spindly didn't have Force, so over the years she had to come up with some tactics to compete with the Space Wizards. It took a lot of practice, of course, but she knew that she would always be at a disadvantage against them in almost every physical respect. The Force was very strong and a good helper in the fight, but it was not omnipotent. She knew that against physical bullets, for example, the lightsaber was ineffective, as it was against the flamethrower. And fortunately, there were technologies and other things that could be used to temporarily block the Force. Although she knew full well that these were very difficult to come by.

She was not happy about the fact that they were not going out yet, because he wanted to do something else. If they hadn't been in a combat situation, she might have even said no, but since he was the Khan, she had to obey such a thing. However, it was what he wanted… She knew full well that it would also help Sularen escape, but she couldn't forget that the Dark Empire hadn't sent anyone to rescue Barran, they were once again thought of as expendable cannon fodder. And that could not be what the Avatars wanted. Everything was wrong in this Empire, it was no longer the old Maw.

"All right." she agreed, grumbling. "But I hope you won't turn a blind eye to the fact that the Dark Empire has ignored the Khanate again and would have left you here to die if I hadn't come for you. We mean nothing to them... but they expect us to shed our blood for them. Not to mention no one respects the Dark Three but us."

She followed him as they walked, of course, and then looked questioningly at him from under her helmet when he spoke of faith. She was deeply religious, a thing not lost from the time when the Heathen Priests had broken her mind and turned her into a Marauder. Although much of her brain had recovered and she had regained her personality and her sanity, the religiosity had not gone away. She still believed in the Dark Three, the Avatars; War, Death, Rebirth. At these words she said nothing, but nodded firmly. If new people join the tribe, it is surely the will and gift of the Avatars.

This was a fact that even she could not argue with, nor debate. Not that she did. Such mystical and religious things are simply accepted as they are and should be. She didn't understand and wield the Force, so she couldn't speak directly to her gods, but they would visit her in her dreams from time to time and tell her their will. At least that's how she interpreted it, and that's how the Reverend Mother explained it to her when they talked about these dreams. Thus, she did not question these mysteries, even if her husband told her so, since he was in some way a champion of Rebirth.

As the door finally opened and Thomas spoke, she stepped forward. She was ready to fight and get out of here, but she chose different words than her husband, her Khan. She spoke words that caused fear and terror in the hearts and souls of all who heard them and sided with the enemy during the Second Great Hyperspace War. Courage and heroism to those who fought on the side of the Maw:

WAR! DEATH! REBIRTH!​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

A_G R E A T F U L_U N I V E R S E

DARK EMPIRE
SOCORRO'S BELT, CORE WORLDS

As Onrai responded to Sularen, telling the Warlord to not pull that stunt again Sularen knew he struck a nerve. Granted he had just snatched Onrai's communications device from her and had dismissed her statements. But at this point Sularen didn't care. He had been unceremoniously captured over Coruscant and shipped off to Corellia where both the Forgotten Sons and the Corellian Confederation had planned to harm him. He had been too focused on the greater picture as Onrai said that he had forgotten and ignored the little details such as the many foes that he had that remained active across the galaxy, who wouldn't shy away from taking advantage of any opportunity to take Sularen down and what happened at Coruscant was one such example of an old foe doing just that.

While he and Onrai fought through whatever hostiles came their way further closing in towards the rest of the Imperial party, Sularen's thoughts were focused on all of his previous major setbacks : Credius Nargath's betrayal and the destruction of the Directorate, being dishonorably discharged from the New Imperial Order, the Alliance's Senate turning against him over false claims, the humiliation he had suffered at Seswenna. Every time he had turned his back to focus on the greater picture he had been stabbed in the back, and what happened here on Coruscant was no different. Now that he was free and back in the hands of the Empire Sularen knew what he would have to do. He would no longer suffer any rival. Anyone and any orginization that would dare try to undermine him both directly and indirectly would be eradicated no matter where they hid across the galaxy. If the Warlord's future was to be secure, then he would first need to kill his past and make sure it could never get back at him ever again.

Tags [DE] | Kaleb Sunwalker | Thomas Barran | Onrai | Ardana Vorco | Kazimir Tragovic | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Zaven Trask | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt
Tag [Corellia] | Dracken Pryce
​

 

[Thomas Barran]

5th Post

-THE COREWARD CHRONICLES-

THE_BLOODHOUND
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH
HEATHEN SAINT OF ROGUES AND OUTLAWS
GREAT KHAN OF THE MAWSWORN TRIBES

Tags
Marlon Sularen Kaleb Sunwalker Onrai Moff Evner Braxiatel Kazimir Tragovic

Dracken Pryce

A NEW CENTURY, A NEW TERROR VIII: WHERE CHAINS BIND AGAIN - PART 5

ACCESS ROUTE 5, CONNECTING PATHWAY TO GUARD COMPOUND,
KOLENE, CORELLIAN SYSTEM (902 ABY)

'Being honest, I never did care very much for the Imperial upper-echelons, it was only ever the struggles of their soldiers that resonated with me.... We need only stand with those who willingly stand with us, no more - no less. This I promise you now, from the bottom of mine heart.'
​

The struggle for Supermax 1's entrance gate, wild and frenetic though it had been until then, had pushed on in a blitz for the other end of Access Route 5, granting the Khan and his beloved Ulusara their brief moment to think on the future. As then, in this sweet, comfortable silence between them, this future of the mind would seem all the sweeter for once - as it was the first of it's ambitious sort for almost twenty years.

Even with all the wonders that had found the Khanate as a result of these desolate, demoralized hardships, seeing love and familial joy blossoming within the ranks of once-feral hordes, along with inter-tribal instincts to protect brethren who were once rivals before, none of it would compare to the reinvigorated prospect of a lasting, glorious future. Clearing the proverbial forest to find the hope of greener pastures, or at the very least, a place where the children of Marauders could safely rest their heads, where families could be raised without the threat of death or incarceration constantly hanging overhead.

'Come... Once we overrun that building o'er yonder, its a clear path to the Space Hangars from there. We can talk more about the future on our way back to the Ark, lets move.'

​

Many would initially retain understandable levels of scepticism for the Bloodhound's choice of ally, but for all the familiarity it might have offered their Great Khan at the time, none among them could deny it did nothing to dampen that irreverent, individualistic spirit. Ever known as one who always brushed against the grain of conformity, ever known as one who danced that supremely-fine line between adherence and execution, many (and many among friends and in-house rivals alike) would find themselves wondering how such a man could survive for so long with so many attempts being made on his life already by then; but these were merely the wages of the Galaxy's great game of war, and Thomas had been playing the game so long that he understood it's many intricate cadences, testament to Barran's keen sense of earnest in political, grand-strategic matters.

And with the future, family, and the entire horde considered, the Bloodhound's leap for prosperity was only just beginning.

 

[Ardana Vorco]

Warden, Magnarra and Marauder of the Scar Hounds Tribe

Information

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Prison Facility, Kolene, Corellian System
Equipment: 2x Geysa Hybrid Pistol | Assault Rifle | Armour and weapon (weapon is lightsaber resistant) || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran [direct tag] || Kaleb Sunwalker | Onrai | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Dracken Pryce | Kazimir Tragovic | Marlon Sularen | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt | Open

"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

From under her helmet, she looked sternly and frowned in Barran's direction. She even snorted nervously and angrily. She found it a bit funny that he didn't want to care about the upper-echelons when they were the ones who had sent the Tribe members to their deaths. And theoretically, he was one of them with the rank of Khan. But now was not the time for her to say it out loud. When it was just the two of them. She respected her husband enough not to argue with him in front of others. Spindly did not want for a moment to undermine her husband's rank and influence in front of soldiers and would-be warriors. For, as the Dark Three wished, one had to appear strong and only the strong could survive.

She still held on to those old instructions, it was important to her. That's why she always tried to stay strong. Even when the rules of the tribe had changed. The twi'lek woman was from the old days, and for her, those were the rules. They were literally burned into her soul by the Heathen Priests, Y'sanne Stradd to be precise. Because it was the woman who converted Ardana, so to speak, and made a marauder out of the diplomatic girl who was otherwise studying to be a social affairs lawyer. In other words, life no longer mattered to her, she never went home to look for her family even after she remembered them again. They were no longer important to her. Her family was now the Scar Hounds Tribe and later the Mawite Khanate. That was all that mattered to her.

She also progressed with the fighting, using her weapon for close and distant combat. The guards were definitely outnumbered by the escaping prisoners, so the advancing horde had a fairly easy time of it. Although Spindly wanted to leave quietly with Thomas, the man had very different plans and the whole prison became a battlefield. She did not care for a moment if Sularen was free, the person she had come for was already free. Then came the next plan, to go to the hangars. She wasn't coming in from that, so she didn't know if there would be enough shuttles or ships to get everyone out, but she nodded anyway. She also sensed there were some who were sceptical or hesitant, so she spoke up to encourage others.

"Go, go, go!" she shouted.

With that, she was already moving forward, to encourage people that he was serious. There was even less resistance this way, it was impossible to know why; maybe the guards were on the run for this, or maybe they didn't think it would happen. The building was easily taken, and then the corridors. Everything was completely empty, although in some places there were butchered prisoners and guards. It seemed that there had been fighting here, too, regardless of what Thomas had started. The woman didn't mind, so at least it was easier for them. She didn't want to stay long, and she didn't want to waste her own men. That was partly why she wanted a quiet rescue mission, which failed.

Finally they arrived at the last corridor, at the end of which was the hangar door. Here too there were dead guards and prisoners. And perhaps they were even luckier, because the hangar door was open. If Spindly hadn't spent so much time on the battlefield, they would surely have gone ahead and won. But the woman had been a veteran for some time and had developed a certain sense of the battlefield. That's why she stopped and raised her hand, so that others wouldn't go ahead, even though she sensed they were already going to freedom. She turned to Great Khan and spoke.

"This is too easy, I think it's a trap." she told him.

 

[Thomas Barran]

6th Post

-THE COREWARD CHRONICLES-

THE_BLOODHOUND
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH
HEATHEN SAINT OF ROGUES AND OUTLAWS
GREAT KHAN OF THE MAWSWORN TRIBES

Tags
Marlon Sularen Kaleb Sunwalker Onrai Moff Evner Braxiatel Kazimir Tragovic

Dracken Pryce

A NEW CENTURY, A NEW TERROR VIII: WHERE CHAINS BIND AGAIN - PART 6

ACCESS ROUTE 5, CONNECTING PATHWAY TO GUARD COMPOUND,
KOLENE, CORELLIAN SYSTEM (902 ABY)

Ah, dang.... Can't be helped.
Was hoping she'd know when I was lying.

I guess being honest in the relationship jus' yielded it's first drawback.
​

In most situations, both Thomas and Ardana could read each other like an open book, but in matters of secrecy, such subtle signals were never really discussed or expressed from one to the other before. But despite the troubling look in his darling's eyes, the Bloodhound was confident in the merit of all that was being left unsaid in the open, as there was much more yet to be said in hushed tones together, away from every eavesdropping ear.

Yet fortunately for all involved, Vorco was still of a mind to follow and flow with the tide, by then understanding the ebb & flow of war as the Great Khan; even sensing something of a trap in the walkway bottleneck, and the Bloodhound was always open to following Spindly's instincts, as experience had often proven the merit of Ardana's combat insights in the past. This the one-eyed Woad had seen for himself already, and on more than a few outings at that, and in his eventual reply,'Well-spotted, darling.', Panatha's memories would surface as an inward reminder to heed the advice and observations of his paramour.

WWwwwwwrrrrrr.....​

'The feth-?'

But just as the reunited couple were about to formulate their countering plan to that which was unfolding in favour of the guards at the time, the little recording-droid whirred past them as if by way of hovering sprint, giving the Bloodhound more than enough reason to ask,'Did anyone prompt the droid to do something, by chance?', to which, everyone around him shook their heads. A response of which Barran was not expecting, not even in the slightest, prompting an outcry of chaotic mirth of which would prove infectious enough to bring out in his subordinates, though this subsided when everyone saw the droid was heading directly for the guard compound's control-tower.

'Pull everyone back - I want to see what our wee droid is endeavouring o'er there.... Assuming it really has turned rogue on it's programmers, though I cannot deny the faith it would reaffirm to see it work to the last detriment of the Forgotten Sons. We shall see.... An' capitalise on whatever comes next.'

 

[Ardana Vorco]

Warden, Magnarra and Marauder of the Scar Hounds Tribe

Information

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Prison Facility, Kolene, Corellian System
Equipment: 2x Geysa Hybrid Pistol | Assault Rifle | Armour and weapon (weapon is lightsaber resistant) || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran [direct tag] || Kaleb Sunwalker | Onrai | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Dracken Pryce | Kazimir Tragovic | Marlon Sularen | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt | Open

"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

If they had been in a more relaxed situation, she might have noticed when he was lying, but she was more aware of her surroundings than of his body language or his eyes, so perhaps it was no wonder that she had missed this little detail. After all, there was a lot of chaos around them at the moment, and she didn't trust even the warriors they had freed; Ardana had no way of knowing when they would be attacked. If the prisoners were going to attack them. But fortunately, nothing like that has happened so far. And there was no question that she would follow him. She would have followed him to his death if it had been necessary.

Fortunately, the woman at the hangar door quickly noticed that something was wrong and stopped the team heading that way. She even received a brief compliment from her husband, to which she responded with a curt nod. She wanted to say something, but the little droid's voice interrupted her. Unlike Barran, however, the twi'lek woman said nothing. Instead, she almost shot the droid, her finger stopping a millimetre short of the rifle's trigger when the Great Khan told them to leave the droid and see what the little contraption wanted. Her finger almost cramped as she had to force her finger to stop. Finally, she pulled her shaking finger away from the trigger.

"We'll soon find out." she said in response to his words.

The little droid continued on towards the hangar, oblivious to the fugitives and other fighters in the corridor. It did not stop or turn back, the little machine seemed to have its own plan or instructions. However, the droid did not know then that it would never be able to carry out its orders or plans. Passing through where the door had been, laser blasts rained down on the defenceless droid from both sides, destroying it in moments. There were at least a dozen shots, most of which hit the ground.

"At least we know it's really..."

She would have started, but she could not continue, because about a dozen elite prison guards, well-armed and in armour, came out into the corridor, covering each other and attacking the group. In addition, two or two more soldiers remained under cover on either side of the doorway inside the hangar section and they covered their comrades from there as well. So, one could tell that the team was under a lot of fire.

 

[Thomas Barran]

7th Post

-THE COREWARD CHRONICLES-

THE_BLOODHOUND
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH
HEATHEN SAINT OF ROGUES AND OUTLAWS
GREAT KHAN OF THE MAWSWORN TRIBES

Tags
Marlon Sularen Kaleb Sunwalker Onrai Moff Evner Braxiatel Kazimir Tragovic

Dracken Pryce

A NEW CENTURY, A NEW TERROR VIII: WHERE CHAINS BIND AGAIN - PART 7

ACCESS ROUTE 5, CONNECTING PATHWAY TO GUARD COMPOUND,
KOLENE, CORELLIAN SYSTEM (902 ABY)

'Yup.... Was startin' t'like that wee droid, so I was. Can't be helped bi'ht.'
​

Kissing his teeth at the sight, the Great Khan would take more than a moment to notice the approaching guards, all heavily-armoured and armed to the teeth, a particular unit of which the uprising's four ringleaders recognised eventually. Thus the matter of the downed droid would need to be forgotten for a while, as there were matters of much grander import approaching - and quickly at that.

'The Warden's clique! Wonderful.... I thought they would be focused on the Imperials, now what?!'

Enough run-ins had been survived already to know the armoured menaces blocking their path, even learning the names of more than a fair few of this squad's most-prominent pyschopaths along the way, but to see them so-heavily armoured spoke volumes, revealing much on the lengths to which the Forgotten Sons would lunge for victory that night. But when Thomas turned to Ardana with his usual wicked smirk, the Mawsworn elements there would know the Great Khan was ready for them, and when he eventually drawled,'Still, though. Not as many as we expected, though this may present more difficulties beyond the gate to the compound.... They call themselves,"The Red-Helms", for all the riots they've quelled over the years - an' for the nature of said-quellings.', all would know this to be Barran at his best once more.

'Make no mistake, they will slaughter every last one of us if we fail here.'

Willing to throw all his luck into another grand and glorious gamble, as all good things were hoped and needed to be in the Khanate.

'Though none ever had us to lead them, Ma'am.'

The Marauders, in their confusion, practically rounded on the Chiss in a perceived slight to their Magnarra's authority, only to be confused further by their Khan's sudden and quick signal to back off. Not that this would stop Gorm from pressing home the request, brazenly suggesting,'Send in your sparring partners, send your friends - let our new masters see what these hands can do.', but with the most inoffensive smile his tattoo'd face could muster. Knowing fine and well that his battle-prowess extended far beyond the fundamental realms of hand-to-hand, the elder Mirialan would bring most of the Marauders' attentions upon himself without a single hint of concern, only gladness that the Marauders were turning their attentions away from his co-conspirators.

'Aw'right then, ya cheeky bastards.... Go send yer message to the Warden! Don't feth it up!'

Being the only ringleader without angry Marauders in his proximity, Zarral would sprint off first, and would have escaped everyone's notice if the young Sakiyan had not leapt into the most frightening of quick cadences, utilising his already-heightened reflexes to settle into his own personal, trained niche. A simple utilisation of his own physics, enacting an intensified application of force, mass and motion, all too happy to exhibit a technique of which Zarral himself aptly named,"Dread Momentum". Culminating in what would be the co-conspirators' first official clash against the Red-Helms, neither Capaq nor Gorm would interrupt their young friend's moment of truth, as there was almost three years' worth of pent up animosity that neither the Chiss nor the Mirialan wished to impede, and a sense of satisfaction in the realisation they would be following up with attacks of their own.

'Watch this, Marauders! You're gonna love it! LISTEN OUT FOR THE IMPACT!!!!'

'Its one thing to throw everything an' the kitchen sink at a quarry wall.... Or even at a powerful counterweight, for instance-', the one-eyed Woad continued, turning his attention firmly back to the love of his life once more, pressing his finger to the back of his ear as if to open it to widen auditory range of reception. Though this was purely anticipatory in nature, especially with the smile still resting within the norms of absolute confidence, but as soon as Zarral had hit his mark, none would have predicted exactly how loud (or of how destructive-) terminal-velocity would be. First came the distant, though loud metallic pop of blunt-force trauma, followed by the faintest of shockwaves that faded to gusts by the time they reached the Great Khan, to which Thomas stated,'But none ever consider what seismic extremes of pressure can inflict on flesh an' bone.', announcing a glorious exhibition of all that the Bloodhound had been learning since his defeat on Coruscant.

'No need for written invitations here, Gorm! Fethin' MOVE IT, man!'

Despite Capaq shooting off ahead of his former second-in-command, Gorm would be no slouch in the effort to catch up, already charging shoulder-to-shoulder by the time Zarral had passed them on his way back, ready to jump into the fray as their Sakiyan friend prepared himself for another run at the reeling armoured mob ahead. A physical manifestation of a strategy they had played out in sparring scenarios against Thomas himself, only this time, there were other contributing factors at play; mostly in terms of pent up animosity towards their Red-Helm opponents, with added reasons not to hold back, but also in the one last ceiling through which Barran's trio still needed to soar.

The lattermost reason of all specifically being that which kept the Bloodhound from joining (and from ordering others to join-) the melee at the connecting route's halfway-point.

'Oppression, hazings in solitary-confinement, the murder of their cellmates.... Beatings from the comfort of safety-nets, an' so much torture - I only had a year of it, they had four! All we need to do back here is keep the Warden's guns off 'em, Marauders! Cover for vengeance!'

 

[Ardana Vorco]

Warden, Magnarra and Marauder of the Scar Hounds Tribe

Information

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Prison Facility, Kolene, Corellian System
Equipment: 2x Geysa Hybrid Pistol | Assault Rifle | Armour and weapon (weapon is lightsaber resistant) || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran [direct tag] || Kaleb Sunwalker | Onrai | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Dracken Pryce | Kazimir Tragovic | Marlon Sularen | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt | Open

"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

She did not care for a moment that the little droid was dead. Spindly took it as confirmation that her hunch had been confirmed and that she'd rather lose a machine than a warrior. Although, she had no problem with people dying, but only if it was worthy of the Avatars. And this death would have been anything but worthy. Such a death always happened in battle and by sending so many souls to the Dark Three. But when she finally saw the warriors coming out of the hangar, she smiled under her helmet. Finally, a challenge. In fact, she would have preferred a quiet exit, but failing that, she was happy to face a challenge. The Avatars would feast again today.

"We fight for the glory of the Avatars!" she said in response to a question.

Truth be told, she would have liked to have joined the fighters, as she thought who knew how these vermin had hurt and tortured her husband for the past year or so, but she hadn't really had the opportunity to fight. After all, the corridor wasn't very wide and a few fighters could easily take up the width of the whole thing. Thus, as some of them had already gone forward, she could not get nearer to the Warden and his men. She saw him turn to Barran with that familiar smile, and what he said only reinforced the fact that it would be the recruits who would have to fight now. She sighed, barely audible.

But she also loved it when she could fight and inflict great pain on her opponents; when she could break their bones one by one during the fight, or wound them in the most painful places. There was nothing to be done, she was sadistic. But in this situation, she could not take advantage of it. All she could do was wait at her husband's and Great Khan's side, on combat alert, in case she needed to intervene in the fight, because the enemy would throw a grenade where they were or the fighters in front would die. Meanwhile, the woman glanced at the Great Khan, barely perceptibly.

"How long do you think it will take them to finish off the Warden and his men?" she asked him, so quietly that no one but him could hear.

With that, the twi'lek woman looked again at the fighters, curious to see how the prospective or newest members of the tribe would fare against the guards.

 

[Thomas Barran]

8th Post

-THE COREWARD CHRONICLES-

THE_BLOODHOUND
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH
HEATHEN SAINT OF ROGUES AND OUTLAWS
GREAT KHAN OF THE MAWSWORN TRIBES

Tags
Ardana Vorco

A NEW CENTURY, A NEW TERROR VIII: WHERE CHAINS BIND AGAIN - PART 8

ACCESS ROUTE 5, CONNECTING PATHWAY TO GUARD COMPOUND,
KOLENE, CORELLIAN SYSTEM (902 ABY)

'Thats a valid question to ponder, by the way.... An' the answer, bein' straight-up about it; too long.'
​

Flashing a rather amorous grin in Spindly's direction, the Bloodhound would make it clear and apparent that his mind was already made up, even going so far as to verbally suggest,'They fight well, ferociously so, an' that ferocity will come in handy if we nurture it properly.... So why don't we go join them? Bring a few o' your toughest too, we can quicken the process while everyone else covers our approach with their blaster-rifles. Easy as any other operation when it goes right.', before leaping forth from their vantage point in a loving dare for Vorco to do what always gave her the greatest thrills of all. That very same thrill that attracted Ardana to Thomas in the first place, that wild abandon in the face of danger that only seemed to intensify the beauty of Goidelic-like charm, almost as if the one-eyed Woad had discovered a Fae of his homeworld, seemingly dancing as ultraviolence burned all around her.

'YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! LETS SHOW THESE YOUT'S HOW IT'S DONE!!!!'

​

It was time for the Great Khan to display his own range in the abilities exhibited ahead, that same ability of which the affiliated trio had learned before their incarceration, as there was only so many times the Bloodhound could use the Omen of Durace before it started to drive him insane. Thus in times when the Omen was not permitted to resurface, and especially for the sake of Barran's grip on reality, Thomas understood better than most that new techniques would certainly help to lessen that most-feral of needs; and in time, Ardana would also find the strength and will within to wield such base-level power, a learned technique unlike the inherence of the Force and it's many accompanying abilities. Borne of the Will Within rather than the Will of the Midichlorians, the one-eyed Woad had known his Twi-Lek darling had displayed potential enough for eligibility in the past, especially on Panatha - assuring the survival of all the Scar Hounds' forces on the surface that day.

A leap of faith of which only the strongest of wills would have dared to endeavour.

'IT IS TIME TO DARE AGAIN, MY LOVE!!!! IT IS TIME TO LIVE AS WE DID BEFORE!!!! LETS HAVE OURSELVES SOME FUN, SHALL WE?!?!'

 

[Ardana Vorco]

Warden, Magnarra and Marauder of the Scar Hounds Tribe

Information

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Prison Facility, Kolene, Corellian System
Equipment: 2x Geysa Hybrid Pistol | Assault Rifle | Armour and weapon (weapon is lightsaber resistant) || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran [direct tag] || Kaleb Sunwalker | Onrai | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Dracken Pryce | Kazimir Tragovic | Marlon Sularen | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt | Open

"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Spindly could see her husband's grin perfectly, and she was grinning under her helmet. But because the helmet made her grin invisible, she used body language to let him know that she was smiling and having a good time. Since she was a twi'lek, it was very casual for her to communicate with body language or the movement of her chin. Since she had been with Thomas for a very long time and they had a child or children together, she hoped that he understood these gestures and could read them. And the words he spoke were very eloquent to her. Although she had not heard that it was all going on too long, the fact that he wanted to intervene was very telling to her.

It really was time to leave before the Dark Empire people decided to blow the whole place up. She didn't want to die here, especially when they were on the verge of victory. It would have been really awkward to be in front of the Avatars like this. Spindly nodded when her husband told her to choose a few people to help in the fight. There was no doubt in her mind who she would choose; she raised her hand and showed them some military signs, signalling to those who had accompanied her originally. That is, the best veterans of the Scar Hounds Tribe who were available for the mission.

"War! Death! Rebirth!"​

She shouted again, and again she only replied to her husband with body language that she agreed with his words. The woman also chose hand-to-hand combat, as it was a way of acting out the brutality she had been repressing. As she joined the fray, she brought her strange weapon down so hard on the head of one of the guards that the bone could be heard breaking, and the opponent collapsed to the ground. The woman under her helmet was grinning and having a great time. And finally, the others she had invited to join the fight arrived.

So now that the best fighters have joined the fight, the defenders don't have much chance of winning. In less than a minute, the entire corridor was drenched in blood and the bodies of the defenders were lying on the ground, along with a few fugitives. The defenders fought hard and did not give their lives cheaply. However, the moment the last one fell to the ground, the way to the hangar and the shuttles and other starships there was now completely clear.

"Let's hurry before some idiot imperialist decides to destroy the place in retaliation." she suggested to her husband as she entered the hangar and headed towards the shuttles.

 

[Thomas Barran]

9th Post

-THE COREWARD CHRONICLES-

THE_BLOODHOUND
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH
HEATHEN SAINT OF ROGUES AND OUTLAWS
GREAT KHAN OF THE MAWSWORN TRIBES

Tags
Ardana Vorco

A NEW CENTURY, A NEW TERROR VIII: WHERE CHAINS BIND AGAIN - PART 9

ACCESS ROUTE 5, CONNECTING PATHWAY TO GUARD COMPOUND,
KOLENE, CORELLIAN SYSTEM (902 ABY)

As magnificent as she was on Tython, still the wonder to behold.
This, right here, is the woman I fell in love with.
​

'Agreed! Though fortunately for us....'

His darling, the one woman who ever made sense to Barran, anywhere and anytime alike, was responding positively to the man her Thomas had become, responding joyfully to the offer to join the affray, just as she always had. Even in her clashes with the mob of trained guards, bringing her best and brightest Marauders to push the balance of power in that bottleneck, there was a gleeful abandon of which the Bloodhound couldn't help but feel was the result of pent up, wrathful reserves of energy - almost as if his darling Ardana had been saving it for that night in particular.

Preserving her ferocity for the night she finally reunited with the man who couldn't live without her.

'The door to the landing-paddocks is right around the corner from that gate there.... An' now, even my co-conspirators can punch through both - but I intend to beat them to the chase!'

By then the balance of power in that awkward bottleneck had been shifting in the uprising's favour, as even in their struggle against a well-fed, well-rested opposing contingent with a numerical advantage, nothing would prepare the armoured Red-Helmsmen for the ferocity, the strength and resilience of the Great Khan's followers that night. Thus the game would become all the more difficult for the prison guards when Barran eventually broke through the throng, making a break for it to bear down on the guard compound's south gate just behind them, supported by covering fire as the roof of the compound was suppressed by the concentrated pressure.

'Almost there, my love! I want to show ye something - SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO LEARN!!!!'

Freedom, liberation and recommencement of the plan awaited, and it was so close that Thomas could almost taste it, catching a distinct scent of the Galaxy outside amid all the cordite and bolt-smoke, all the dust and burning flesh, amid all the blood, sweat and gravelly dirt beneath. The desperation of his need to escape that nagging, claustrophobic feeling, (almost as though he was being smothered by the walls around him) erratic and adrenal though it might have been, was enough to heighten his senses and energy reserves to a noticeable extreme, enough for every obscure detail to join the vividness of the real. Barran could feel that intensifying need enough that even a rogue, brash warrior of the one-eyed Woad's sort could articulate it easily enough, like the world within was becoming tangible like fog taking on texture between the thumb and index finger.

A power his younger brother possessed, but one of which the Great Khan would need to learn later, as there was a power of his own that required demonstration first and foremost; and with the high, wide Durasteel gate still standing undamaged, set unaffected by the comparatively tiny human approach its 30ft high frame, the Bloodhound could not deny that something heavier, something altogether more-forceful would be needed on this occasion. For no click, no push or far-shot projectile would be enough to break a doorway with a depth of over 2ft of pressed, folded metals, only the impact of personally-applied force, such as the clash of a strong right fist - against a flat, wide surface.

'SAORSAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-'

CRACK
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH
​

First came the echoing snaps of the cracks on the gate's surface, running up and across the paint-tagged entrance barrier in a quick, uneven succession of breakages that ran deeper for every inch the damage dared to travel. A fine effort for a man who had only just gotten the hang of this new power, but it needed another, similarly-heavy strike to complete the gate's destruction, but by then the Bloodhound's coconspirators had caught up with the lovebirds; first of whom would be Zarral as expected, but unlike the punching method of his blessed leader, the quickest runner of the group would attack the cracked metallic doorway with the bared soles of his feet instead.

​

'EeeeeeeeeYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-'

SNAP
WOOOOOOOOOOSH
BOOOOOOOOOOOM​

What the first, preceding blow set up, the second surely completed, sending massive metallic durasteel shards flying in all directions, scattered in a mix of alloys, dirt and rock from the surrounding support-frames, and there the Sakiyan would stand with solitary silhouette unmoving amid the mayhem of his own making. The glory was Zarral's this time, and as much as all the frontline rioters had coveted such an honour, the convicted former-mercenary would get to charge the last breach of the uprising first, all but assured until he went against his own instincts. Then after raising his fist to the stars above, allowing himself to enjoy the moment as he basked in the cheers of prisoners and Marauders alike, the Sakiyan would find his voice as he bellowed,'FOR THE BLESSED - FOR THE BLOODHOOOOOUUUUND!!!!', roaring at the top of his lungs whilst knowingly gifting the,"First Through the Breach", honours to Thomas and Ardana.

'ADVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!!!!'

 

[Ardana Vorco]

Warden, Magnarra and Marauder of the Scar Hounds Tribe

Information

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Prison Facility, Kolene, Corellian System
Equipment: 2x Geysa Hybrid Pistol | Assault Rifle | Armour and weapon (weapon is lightsaber resistant) || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran [direct tag] || Kaleb Sunwalker | Onrai | Moff Evner Braxiatel | Dracken Pryce | Kazimir Tragovic | Marlon Sularen | Sid Berik | Kuff Tolt | Open

"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

One of Spindly's plans was to leave the planet as soon as possible, but for the time being it seemed that this was not yet going to happen. For her husband had other plans. The opponents had now died very quickly, so there was really no further problem with them. In the hangar, however, they were not so lucky, but then Thomas spoke. She looked in his direction from under her helmet. At least someone knew where to go, she thought. She and her team came in at a completely different place, and there was no going back that way. They had to take a different route, which seemed much bumpier than she had hoped. Spindly still had no problem with the fighting, but she knew the Dark Empire would sacrifice them at any moment, which was why she wanted to get out of here.

"What is your plan, my love?" she asked him.

She naturally followed her husband in the direction Thomas was going, and finally saw the huge door that blocked the way to their freedom. She looked around for any vehicle or anything that might be able to open the door or blow a hole in it. But then something happened that she had not expected. She knew that her husband was a Force User, but he had never shown much talent at it, or at least not on the battlefield, but here he was able to take down the wall single-handedly. She was now glad she had her helmet on so no one could see her shock as she heard the voices and then saw the door give way and fall open.

"How long have you been able to do this?" she asked him in a shocked tone.

She didn't really want to believe what she was seeing. It seemed to her to be magic or space wizardry. Something she would never be able to do. She was one of the few members of her family, of her clan, who was merely Force sensitive, but not a user. As the dust settled and she looked to his side. She didn't really know what she was feeling at the moment, somehow, she was impressed, but there was also a mixture of fear and admiration as she watched the result of what he had done. She was still glad that she had her helmet on so no one could see it. She was finally jolted back to reality by hearing screams from behind.

Finally, the call to move forward came. Here, Ardana looked at her husband for a moment to see if he was coming, and then she started forward, through the gate, to freedom...

 

[Thomas Barran]

10th Post

-THE COREWARD CHRONICLES-

THE_BLOODHOUND
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH
HEATHEN SAINT OF ROGUES AND OUTLAWS
GREAT KHAN OF THE MAWSWORN TRIBES

Tags
Ardana Vorco

A NEW CENTURY, A NEW TERROR VIII: WHERE CHAINS BIND AGAIN - PART 10

ACCESS ROUTE 5, CONNECTING PATHWAY TO GUARD COMPOUND,
KOLENE, CORELLIAN SYSTEM (902 ABY)

'Heh! Well.... I learned it when I stopped relying on the Force, but I know it requires further mastery.'
​

Studying his own knuckles under the flashing, orange light of the alarms within the breached compound, the Bloodhound was smiling for the personal progress made so far, lifting his gaze once more to find his Paramour trying her best to hear Thomas over the din and clamour of the unfolding struggle. Quite understandable in Barran's view, as the ultraviolence was taking its time to push further in beyond the breach. The hardest part had been endeavoured on the part of the Great Khan and his co-conspirators already, leaving the makeshift high-command to enjoy the moment while Barran and Vorco took time to discuss the latest development in the Bloodhound's combat prowess.

'I know that this strength I'm drawing from, whatever it is.... Feels more natural, more authentic than Midichlorian magic, and less-taxing than it is when I rely on the Omen. So it stands to reason that I need to know more, I need to learn an' train more in this power, but most of all - I need to research everything about it's history.... How such a thing ever came to be.'

Many and more of these puzzle-pieces had been uncovered over the course of the previous year, and with a chance to finally fit them all together, the Mawsworn Tribes would be in a position to revere the divinity of their Khan again, like they had on the eve of the Shriven One's resurrection. Finally in a position to match, and perhaps even rival the power of the Tattered Regent, and for the first time ever, Thomas was truly confident in his ability to keep his family safe from harm. Thus his newfound prowess, obscure and unrefined though it was in it's infancy, would provide the answers, an early comfort of which could only warm Barran's heart in ways he had almost forgotten by then, especially if his own brother was capable of figuring it all out.

For if the Tattered Regent could become so proficient in this method, then the Bloodhound was every part as likely to achieve it in response, and perhaps even more-so - especially with newfound resolve factored into the estimation.

'Its the first power I've ever learned that rewards me for repeated use.... An' by looking within for inspiration, like the very wills we inherit, the inspiration itself can be felt serving as the fuel for such a thing. This is why I think there may be a chance you, also, can learn this power, my love.'