Star Wars: Cataclysm

[DeathsKnight]

Dann

He looked upon her scar and nodded, "I understand. It have been said that if I wish to attain the rank of master I will have to undergo the Trials as well. Though it does seem like the masters are kind of careful of me having to undergo the Trial of Spirit. Seems like the Azanti is dangerous without having an actual use of the Force and now that I've been trained, there seem to be a fear that viewing my deepest innermind might turn me into a killer."

He folded his hands over each other, "I have been working to be more than just a weapon, I wish to know more about myself and how I can know and feel things that has nothing to do with what I've been trained to know and do. Like that message which was clearly not meant for me, but perhaps a master. Like how I can read surface emotions and sometimes even thoughts with a touch."

He shook his head, "To myself I am a mystery, even the council who have tested and studied me through the Force are not really certain what to expect of me. I think that I should go out and do some good in the galaxy, find my place so to speak. But I will need guidance."

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

Time can move very quickly when one is out of ones depth. Vaas swiftly established the story that Thallan was one of the guards who worked in the fortress on Bakura and incidentally saved his lords life. Vaas told everyone that Thallan was now his personal bodyguard and assassin.

Many of the lieutenants were less than pleased and rather skeptical of the new addition to their inner circle.

Thallan did what he had to do. He put away his lightsaber and his Jedi robes and he took up the ways of a killer. It wasn’t very hard in the end, really. After all these were the sorts of man and women he had been trained to kill. Gangsters, slavers, murderers and drug dealers. Thallan cleaned house of anyone who even smelled like they had something to do with telling the mysterious Jodo Galak about Vass’s expansionist ideas or his vulnerabilities.

In a blasted world, trying to rebuild itself under the new Sith fist of domination, Thallan Kadien ceased to exist. In his place was born a creature they called The Regulator. The Regulator and Lord Vaas rose from the ashes of Jodo’s attack, even more powerful and ruthless than before.

In time, they were the first crime syndicate to approach the Sith with offer of aid.

The Regulator sat in Vaas’s hidden office on Nar Shada, in his armor as always, cloaked in shadows. Vaas sat behind his new desk, grinning ear to ear and confident for the holocam. He was talking to a minor Sith functionary. The Regulator knew that sooner or later, if they persisted, they would get the attention of someone with more authority to negotiate. Either for good, or ill.

Even fleets of killer space wizards need to eat after all. And their soldiers needed replacement guns and armor and medkits.

No matter how grand or powerful an organization was, there was always a sewage pipe to crawl up.

 

[celestialdragon]

"We all need guidance," she said warmly, smiling. "I will confess I know little to nothing about your species, it wasn't known among my training you were among us," she said. "But I'm fairly certain that you have a good grasp on the Force, I'm sure you will do fine in the trials."

 

[milkmaiden38]

Aima

Aima Edo waited for the strange human to go. She stayed in the narrow alley for about a minute. Then a big smiled appeared on her beautiful face. Her face grew brighter with excitement and happiness.

“Well, I’ll be a Wookie’s hair brush … that actually worked!” She said. Then she did a half turned and kicked the ally wall, putting a massive dent into it. “NEK- TAKE IT” (this is a curse used on Nar Shaddaa) was heard on the other side.

“Oops …” Aima said and took off running.

The next morning

Aima was at docking bay 7 at zero seven 50 with her small traveling bag. She was dressed differently than the night before. Today she had on a white, skin tight, body suit. Those skilled in clothing construction would have known the material used was Armorweave, a special cloth that gave some resistance to lightsabers and other laser weapons. Of course most creatures’ eyes would not gotten past Aima's big ample breasts, proudly being shown off in the skin tight suit. The rest of her body was fit and tone. She wore a deep verdant green cap that lay draped over her shoulders. The dark green contrasted well with her silver eyes and silken white hair still tied into the two spiky knobs. On her belt were two hand lasers. She looked sexy and dangerous … and ready for the trip.

Inside her traveling bag were her cloths, personal items, a half a dozen dets, a high power snipper laser rifle and a lightsaber of her own design. She did not have the more traditional blades for her people, a vibrosword.

She had not seen the human assassin yet, whose name she still did not know. But she was pretty sure he would tell her at some point. In the meantime, she waited and watched the people go by. That was when she saw the glittering, bright blue eyed, and skinned Twi'lek. The female Twi’lek had an elfin, dainty face, perfect smile with rows of pearly-white teeth. however, the alien’s best assets were her big perky breasts. Aima just stared as she took in the pleasurable sensory input. Her mouth dropped open, as the Twi’lek continued to walk by and gave her a small wink. Aima watched ... and stared at the sexy ass now in view as the tei'lek continued down the street. This was when the human walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Aima's mouth shut and she tore her eyes away from the Twi’lek beauty and looked at him.

“Good morning! Did you see that blue skinned Twi’lek? Did she have a set of cans on her or what?” She joked with the assassin.

 

[CaramelLuv]

Astalaa

0745-0755

She moved through the space port of Nar Shadaa, her movements graceful, her face expressionless. She learned long ago not to respond to the jeers, catcalls, and offers when she was on this planetoid, though it galled her to no end. By the very nature of her being a Twi'lek she was subjected to a lot of propositioning. As if she had nothing better to do than to dance prettily and perform sexual favors for a bunch of sweaty, hairy, slimy, (and often stupid) crime bosses and underlings! She shifted her bag on her shoulder, and looked around, a moment. Her bag held the usual accouterments of dets, a blaster pistol, some clothes, a costume or two, and her pair of vibroswords.

Passing a blue-skinned Twi'lek, she briefly let her gaze meet the other's and her lekku twitched in silent acknowledgement. The ship she wanted was here. Good. It would be nice to get off this rock, and it had been a while since she had seen her "old friend".

Moving swiftly, she scanned the monitors for a port designation, then made her way to the ship. She saw an echani woman with him first, and raised a slender eyebrow. That was new.

"Got some room on this rust bucket for another?" she asked with a small smile, as she she approached Alec.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Dann

He inclined his head, "Thank you for your kind words, I just hope that I can live up to them." He took a deep breath, "My species is dieing out, even now we are an old race and from what I could find out, I am the first Azanti who do not need to kill to survive. I have been born with the ability to feed off of Force filled objects. Though I can not feed off of the Force itself. It is a strange occurrence and I've been a test subject for a large portion of my sixty cycles."

 

[celestialdragon]

She winced a little. "That's quite an interesting thing. There might've been a genetic mutation, to try to adapt your species to survive," she noted, thinking on it. "So, technically, you don't have a midichlorian count?"

 

[DeathsKnight]

Alec

The next mark was one to be expected, first he had been informed that it seemed that most of the Sith have disappeared, but that there was a certain Jedi who was causing troubles for the Hutts and that they wanted this Jedi removed. They knew that Alec could do it without getting it traced back to them and since the bounty was quite handsome and that his ship needed a new hyper drive upgrade, he accepted.

The Echani was early, dressed somewhat more functional, but not quite so. If he had not known her kind, he would have thought her to be a sex-slave dressed for some fetish master. He cocked his one eyebrow slightly at her joke, "I did not notice, all I saw was a blue Twi'lek who carried a concealed blaster."

A familiar presence approached, followed by an even more familiar voice, Alec turned to look at Astalaa, she was dressed much more sensible and of course looked more like some hunting animal than anything else, of course other males seemed to only see her curves, "Well as I live and breathe, Astalaa. Fancy running into you here, what's this about wanting to jump planet? You got into some sort of trouble again?"

He threw a thumb in Aima's direction, "That is Aima, you can probably see that she Echani, she's also go a thing for women. I have a...deal with her."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Dann

He nodded, "Yes I am a genetic mutation, unfortunately so far I am the only one." He frowned slightly, "Though I have been told that I do possess a midchlorian count which is also strange as my specie is more a latent Force sensitive species and the Force are only used to lure prey into the trap of the brain feeding."

Dann shook his head, "I need to see the council, how bad can it be if I walk in? They really got to hear the message if nobody else have seen it."

 

[CaramelLuv]

Astalaa

Astalaa smirked, her red irises dancing in the light.

"Well... I may have... grabbed a datachip with some... maybe important information about a certain company's financials including some information about some important politician's contributions, while dancing for him and leaving him for a drunken sot in a cantina VIP room." She said with a bit of a chuckle. "Besides, Nar Shadaa is so boring" She said, grinning. "I get a bit antsy being in one place, and Nar Shadaa is getting a bit hot for me."

Her lekku's twitched in amusement, then turned to study the Echani woman and bowed her head lightly in greeting. "I'm Astalaa Nil. This bantha-butt and I go back a ways." She said, using her chin to gesture at Alec. "Nice to meet you."

 

[milkmaiden38]

A red faced Echani?

The human joked back “I did not notice, all I saw was a blue Twi'lek who carried a concealed blaster."

“Concealed where?” Aima thought to herself and giggled to herself. Then another Twi'lek, with deep violet skin color came walking up. Aima did not know what to say. She was even more beautiful than the last one. So she just stared, and fought to keep her mouth from dropping open. The Twi’lek knew the assassin … unbelievable!! Lucky bastard ... She did not think the human was THAT handsome. This girl was in a league way above him.

Aima knew the girl was above her too. She really liked women; however, she had no idea what to say to them … when courting. So normally she just got shy and quiet. The human at least said the woman’s name Astalaa that was good. But then he said, “That is Aima, you can probably see that she Echani, she's also go a thing for women. I have a...deal with her."

Aima face glowed bright red … and with white skin and white hair and silver eyes there was NO missing her embarrassment. The Twi'lek took it all in and gracefully said "I'm Astalaa Nil. This bantha-butt and I go back a ways." She said, using her chin to gesture at Alec. "Nice to meet you."

Aima composed herself and replied a bit shaky “Nice to meet you too …” Then she headed for the ship. She whispered to the human, bantha-butt, “Thanks for the intro Wookie breathe … now I’ll never get in her pants” and stormed off to the ship.

Aima's white outfit

No helm or high heels ... or other outfit with green cloak

 

[celestialdragon]

She frowned in thought, trying to figure out the scientific possibilities.

"Well, if you walked in right now, they'll probably want to scream in unJedi like anger," she said with a soft chuckle. "Knock, and if they don't let you in after a few seconds, barge in. It sounds like your vision will send you on a mission, and maybe it'll be solo. I'd do it for you, but they think I've left the Temple already."

 

[Jedi_Khan]

Annaj was a nice enough world, if you didn’t mind the perpetual fog that only thinned out at times rather than go away. If it wasn’t for the fact that the planet sat right at the intersection of two hyperspace lanes, the Spar Trade Route and the Moddell Reach, Annaj would probably never have been surveyed, let alone settled. For anyone travelling in this sector, Annaj was their first stop, and often the most uncomfortable; the locals, a race known as the Ayrou, were friendly enough, but their language wasn’t what most other races would call “easy listening.”

Jodo planned to stay long enough to switch ships and perhaps check with a couple of information brokers, which would probably take a day or two, but apparently the galaxy had different plans.

“Statement: Master, we have intercepted a message broadcast on all Republic channels,” stated one of Jodo’s droids, a kind of sinister looking protocol droid.

“Play it,” replied Jodo.

“<static> hostile fleet. <static>-akura lost. <static>tempting jum<static>”

There was a brief burst of noise over the speakers towards the end of the transmission before it went silent. Jodo didn’t have to think long on what it could have been.

“Explanation: There is a bit of sensor data that was transmitted as well, however due to possible interference, it is badly fragmented and will take time to put back together,” explained the droid. “Extrapolation: We have matched the origin com channel to the Republic frigate that we saw in orbit over Bakura, and it would seem that from the final sound on the transmission, the ship has been destroyed.”

“What was the time gap between our departure and that message going out?”

“Answer: Only a few minutes, master.”

“Annaj Control, this is Rambling Rose, do you copy Annaj Control?” said Jodo, hitting the comm switch as he whirled around to start bringing the ship in to land a bit faster.

“This is Control, go ahead Rose,” came the reply a few seconds later.

“You guys best start getting ready for some unfriendly visitors, Control.”

“Unfriendly? What are you talking about?”

“You got that transmission a few minutes ago right? The one broadcast on all channels? Well, I just left the planet that originated from a few minutes prior to that being sent. Whoever that message is referring too, they’re unfriendly enough to blow a Republic frigate out of the sky without so much as a warning. Thankfully it seems they stopped to enjoy the sights Bakura has to offer or else they’d be breathing my exhaust right now.”

Jodo tried to make sure he answered any questions that might be asked before they were asked, but it seems there was one that he didn’t.

“Uh…what?”

“Oh for the love of…” said Jodo, rolling his eyes, even though the person on the other end couldn’t see it. “Listen, can I get permission to land and refuel now? I don’t want to be on this rock when a possible invasion fleet shows up in orbit in an hour or so.”

“Oh, right, sure. One moment…Okay, docking bay G4 is open, go ahead.”

By the time Jodo ended the conversation with control, he was already half way through the atmosphere and well into the fog that blanketed the world. He found the docking bay easily enough and the ground crew quickly got the fuel hoses and other necessities hooked up. Jodo estimated that he’d be off the ground in about forty-five minutes, plenty of time to dig up info.

Jodo and his droid started making calls to local contacts, and some not so local, looking for information on whoever it was beyond explored space that would send an invasion fleet. Some of the contacts didn’t have info, but would set to work finding some, and as a result, word of a mysterious invasion fleet and the attack on Bakura would soon spread throughout the underworld.

As Jodo was getting ready to chastise the grounds crew for taking longer than expected to refuel his ship and get it ready to take off, a chill ran up Jodo’s spine; someone was approaching and whoever it was wasn’t friendly.

“You, turn and face me, worm,” said a gravelly voice from behind Jodo. Standing before him was a man dressed all in black robes, a hood hiding his head and most of his face from sight, but what Jodo could see allowed him to identify the man’s race. “If you do as I command, I will let you live.”

What in the seven Corellian hells is a Sith Pureblood doing here? thought Jodo.

“Excuse me?” asked Jodo, a skeptical look on his face.

“I said you will do as I command and I will let you live,” repeated the Sith, this time raising his hand with lightning crackling across his fingertips as if to emphasize his point.

“Yeah, I’m not impressed,” replied Jodo. He really wasn’t. “I’ve got shock gloves that do the same thing. They can’t kill, but they sure do hurt. Besides, if you really want someone to do something for you in the region of space, try paying them. Works a lot better than threats.”

“Oh, you have some spine, Iridonian. I will enjoy breaking you,” said the Sith, raising his hand in preparation to shock Jodo, yet Jodo didn’t back away.

“Good luck with that. I imagine it’ll be difficult considering you’ll be dead shortly.”

“Who’s going to kill me? You?” the Sith laughed.

“Nope, not me. My droid, however,” said Jodo, pointing his thumb over his shoulder behind him just before ducking.

The Sith only had enough time to notice a sinister looking protocol droid with a blaster rifle in its hands before a bolt from the rifle put a hole in his head, killing him instantly.

“Compliment: That was very well played, master. The organic had no idea what was coming,” said Jodo’s droid as it walked up to inspect its kill. “Revelation: I do not recognize this race, master. My databanks do not indicate having encounter his kind before.”

“That’s not surprising, Dicer, as his race is exceedingly rare in the known galaxy,” replied Jodo. “That is a Sith Pureblood, the race that gave its name to the Sith long ago. This guy must’ve been pretty low in rank if they sent a Pureblood out as a scout. Either that or he was ambitious and wanted to gain some type of glory. Doesn’t matter now.

“Go put his body over by the crates over there and leave a card. I’ll get the ship ready,” continued Jodo.

The droid, Dicer, did as asked, leaving behind a business card that bore Jodo’s logo on it, an overhead view of the galaxy, divided up like a dejarik board, with the letters “JG” overlaid on it. Some would consider it simplistic and unimaginative for the legendary crime lord, but Jodo thought it was fitting. Even though he didn’t use it often, anyone in the underworld would recognize the logo as his.

A few minutes later Jodo was off the planet and heading into hyperspace, glad to have gotten away before the Sith fleet arrived.
Annaj was a nice enough world, if you didn’t mind the perpetual fog that only thinned out at times rather than go away. If it wasn’t for the fact that the planet sat right at the intersection of two hyperspace lanes, the Spar Trade Route and the Moddell Reach, Annaj would probably never have been surveyed, let alone settled. For anyone travelling in this sector, Annaj was their first stop, and often the most uncomfortable; the locals, a race known as the Ayrou, were friendly enough, but their language wasn’t what most other races would call “easy listening.”

Jodo planned to stay long enough to switch ships and perhaps check with a couple of information brokers, which would probably take a day or two, but apparently the galaxy had different plans.

“Statement: Master, we have intercepted a message broadcast on all Republic channels,” stated one of Jodo’s droids, a kind of sinister looking protocol droid.

“Play it,” replied Jodo.

“<static> hostile fleet. <static>-akura lost. <static>tempting jum<static>”

There was a brief burst of noise over the speakers towards the end of the transmission before it went silent. Jodo didn’t have to think long on what it could have been.

“Explanation: There is a bit of sensor data that was transmitted as well, however due to possible interference, it is badly fragmented and will take time to put back together,” explained the droid. “Extrapolation: We have matched the origin com channel to the Republic frigate that we saw in orbit over Bakura, and it would seem that from the final sound on the transmission, the ship has been destroyed.”

“What was the time gap between our departure and that message going out?”

“Answer: Only a few minutes, master.”

“Annaj Control, this is Rambling Rose, do you copy Annaj Control?” said Jodo, hitting the comm switch as he whirled around to start bringing the ship in to land a bit faster.

“This is Control, go ahead Rose,” came the reply a few seconds later.

“You guys best start getting ready for some unfriendly visitors, Control.”

“Unfriendly? What are you talking about?”

“You got that transmission a few minutes ago right? The one broadcast on all channels? Well, I just left the planet that originated from a few minutes prior to that being sent. Whoever that message is referring too, they’re unfriendly enough to blow a Republic frigate out of the sky without so much as a warning. Thankfully it seems they stopped to enjoy the sights Bakura has to offer or else they’d be breathing my exhaust right now.”

Jodo tried to make sure he answered any questions that might be asked before they were asked, but it seems there was one that he didn’t.

“Uh…what?”

“Oh for the love of…” said Jodo, rolling his eyes, even though the person on the other end couldn’t see it. “Listen, can I get permission to land and refuel now? I don’t want to be on this rock when a possible invasion fleet shows up in orbit in an hour or so.”

“Oh, right, sure. One moment…Okay, docking bay G4 is open, go ahead.”

By the time Jodo ended the conversation with control, he was already half way through the atmosphere and well into the fog that blanketed the world. He found the docking bay easily enough and the ground crew quickly got the fuel hoses and other necessities hooked up. Jodo estimated that he’d be off the ground in about forty-five minutes, plenty of time to dig up info.

Jodo and his droid started making calls to local contacts, and some not so local, looking for information on whoever it was beyond explored space that would send an invasion fleet. Some of the contacts didn’t have info, but would set to work finding some, and as a result, word of a mysterious invasion fleet and the attack on Bakura would soon spread throughout the underworld.

As Jodo was getting ready to chastise the grounds crew for taking longer than expected to refuel his ship and get it ready to take off, a chill ran up Jodo’s spine; someone was approaching and whoever it was wasn’t friendly.

“You, turn and face me, worm,” said a gravelly voice from behind Jodo. Standing before him was a man dressed all in black robes, a hood hiding his head and most of his face from sight, but what Jodo could see allowed him to identify the man’s race. “If you do as I command, I will let you live.”

What in the seven Corellian hells is a Sith Pureblood doing here? thought Jodo.

“Excuse me?” asked Jodo, a skeptical look on his face.

“I said you will do as I command and I will let you live,” repeated the Sith, this time raising his hand with lightning crackling across his fingertips as if to emphasize his point.

“Yeah, I’m not impressed,” replied Jodo. He really wasn’t. “I’ve got shock gloves that do the same thing. They can’t kill, but they sure do hurt. Besides, if you really want someone to do something for you in the region of space, try paying them. Works a lot better than threats.”

“Oh, you have some spine, Iridonian. I will enjoy breaking you,” said the Sith, raising his hand in preparation to shock Jodo, yet Jodo didn’t back away.

“Good luck with that. I imagine it’ll be difficult considering you’ll be dead shortly.”

“Who’s going to kill me? You?” the Sith laughed.

“Nope, not me. My droid, however,” said Jodo, pointing his thumb over his shoulder behind him just before ducking.

The Sith only had enough time to notice a sinister looking protocol droid with a blaster rifle in its hands before a bolt from the rifle put a hole in his head, killing him instantly.

“Compliment: That was very well played, master. The organic had no idea what was coming,” said Jodo’s droid as it walked up to inspect its kill. “Revelation: I do not recognize this race, master. My databanks do not indicate having encounter his kind before.”

“That’s not surprising, Dicer, as his race is exceedingly rare in the known galaxy,” replied Jodo. “That is a Sith Pureblood, the race that gave its name to the Sith long ago. This guy must’ve been pretty low in rank if they sent a Pureblood out as a scout. Either that or he was ambitious and wanted to gain some type of glory. Doesn’t matter now.

“Go put his body over by the crates over there and leave a card. I’ll get the ship ready,” continued Jodo.

The droid, Dicer, did as asked, leaving behind a business card that bore Jodo’s logo on it, an overhead view of the galaxy, divided up like a dejarik board, with the letters “JG” overlaid on it. Some would consider it simplistic and unimaginative for the legendary crime lord, but Jodo thought it was fitting. Even though he didn’t use it often, anyone in the underworld would recognize the logo as his.

A few minutes later Jodo was off the planet and heading into hyperspace, glad to have gotten away before the Sith fleet arrived.

 

[pimpmar]

Annaj

Destinus' fleet came out of hyperspace only several hours after leaving the confines of Bakura. Time was of the essence, and it certainly was not on his side. He had faith in his fleet, and the fighting force he had mustered, but if the Republic was given too much time to consolidate it's forces with that of the Jedi, he would be buried beneath the onslaught. Better to take gains now while they were easy, so that when this became a war proper, he had borders to defend, and retreat too if need be.

Annaj seemed to be a bit busier than the far outreaches of Bakura, with a healthy flow of space traffic headed into and out of the planet's ports. It was situated quite perfectly for such commerce, and would serve him well. The entirety of his fleet bore down towards the world, the Capital of the Moddell sector. It was a foggy, miserable little world on the surface, with an unhappy populace. It was habitable, he knew, but he didn't want to dirty himself with the planet's smog. So he figured he'd flash a little cunning.

The lead ships in the fleet bombarded the control tower, with transmissions. Requests to land, refuel, rearm, anything and everything to keep the wires busy. Destinus reached out to the Pureblood he had left on the planet's surface weeks prior, for a message or a warning. He couldn't feel him, couldn't touch him. At first, he thought that his grasp on the Force was weakened, but that didn't seem to be the case. For whatever reason, that day the Force seemed to be cooperating. Which means the receiver was out of range. Or dead.

Destinus roared in fury. How could that be? The Jedi had no interest in Annaj. There was no other way that warrior could have been killed. He was reckless, sure, but he was very in-tune with the Force. Any threat should have been detected from miles away. He would get to the bottom of it, he was sure.

The tower's infrastructure started to buckle under the weight of the requests, as it's scanners were struggling to count the sheer size of Destinus' fleet. As if at once, the entire system went quiet. Destinus' voice broke through the confusion, broadcast down to the entire planet.

"Submission is in your best interest. You are now the first colonized system of the new Sith Empire. The days of the Republic are numbered. Your resistance will be met with unrequited destruction. Your obedience will be rewarded with power." His forward ships moved closer into orbit, and the anti-ship defenses on the surface stayed inert. There was no counter transmission to Destinus, as he stood and waited.

From the night side of the world, a smattering of ships appeared, attempting to blast off into hyperspace. Several stayed behind to fight off any interceptors, as one small freighter attempted to escape. Lances of energy reached out from Destinus' fleet towards this small resistance, obliterating them in short order. But the small freighter was going to make it, far out of range of Destinus' guns. The transmitter crackled, and the new acting Prime Minister of Annaj submitted the system's surrender to Destinus. His subordinates handled the finer details, as his eyes stayed locked on the Freighter's little twinkling light.

His eyes fluttered shut, as his hands shot up. He reached for the freighter, as if it were just beyond his grasp. He left his body, left his ship, left the planet, and sped towards the freighter at a speed unknown to living species. His very soul entered the ship, and took hold. There were a few people on board, terrified, sending out transmissions to Republic Space. He was unable to stop them, could not influence them the way others could. But he could stop them from ever living to see the fruition of their work. He gripped the ship, and started to squeeze.

Tighter and tighter his grip became, as the hull began to buckle under the weight of the unseen pressure. Gasps of agony left the crew as the ship began to bend. And as if all at once, it's hyperspace drives kicked in, and the ship attempted to take off faster than light. The Force seemed to screech in pain as it was torn from it's natural fiber to attack the ship as it pulled away. Destinus' mind filled with agony, this perversion of the Force almost killing him. At last, the pain subsided. At last, the ship's distant explosion satisfied Destinus. They would NOT live.

His soul returned to his body, glistening in sweat and exhausted from the exertion. The crew seemed jubilant, they had conquered another world! The fleet moved in to refuel from the many docking stations, and droves of mercenaries and pirates flew upwards, to either enlist their support, or escape the world like fallen ants. Too many for the fleet to stop them all. His element of surprise would soon be lost. It amused him, surely. He would get the combat he sought soon enough.

He strode to his meditation chamber, the sight of a man of utmost power. As the door closed behind him, he collapsed into a ball on the floor. Such an exertion of the Force almost wiped him out. He was not gifted in the ways of the Force in the same way his compatriots were. He did not know of many people who could have ever performed the act he just had. He took a small measure of pride in that fact. But now he could barely stand.

It could have been seconds, maybe hours, but the comm-link blinked at the door, rousing Destinus. He stood, legs almost giving out beneath his weight. He needed rest, he knew. But not yet. The door slid open just as he regained his composure. "M'Lord." The acolyte bowed. A true Sith, his light saber stayed at his hip as his dark robes slid along the floor. Not overly powerful, but a dutiful warrior. It was on the back of people like him that this war might truly be won. "We have found the body of the scout placed on the surface. He was blasted, straight through the head." Destinus felt the fury start to grow in his bones. Despite his exhaustion, he felt the core of his being start to come alive. He thrived on Hatred. It soothed him, it guided him. "The body was discovered with this on it; a calling card. Could it be a message?" Destinus took the card, and eyed it. The logo meant nothing to him. The initials meant nothing to him. His initial instinct was to declare this man an enemy, and to have him hunted down. But if he had the skills to kill a Pureblood, perhaps he was worth investigating further.

"The filth who board our ship have connections to the underbelly of this Galaxy. Circulate this image among our contacts. Spare no expense, leave no stone unturned. The person who left us this card needs to be identified; dead or alive. Destinus dismissed the Acolyte, and sat back down. He had successfully fulfilled his mission today. The dead Lords of Korriban would be proud of his work. Still, something lingered in his bones. Some small shout of warning. The Republic had not made him fearful. He would crush them. The Jedi, he had accounted for. He was ready to fight them too. But he had not considered those who fought the Republic, the insurrectionists and the criminals who refused to follow the rules. Some took to his cause, and would fight for him. But the others.. they may be turned into allies. Or into enemies. He would need to tread carefully.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Alec

"Well not like I'm going to stop you if you want on. Sure, go ahead, but remember this next time you want to ask me extortionate prices for information."

He watched her as she walked up the ramp, then Aima sidled up, calling him a Wookie-breath and how he ruined her chances with Astalaa before barging up the ramp, "I most probably paved the way for you!" He grinned and walked up the ramp, as he stepped on to the deck, the ramp rose and sealed. He entered the cockpit and sat down, the pre-flight checks and scans proved all to be functioning perfectly.

"Control this is Skyrunner, requesting take-off clearance."

"Skyrunner, you're clear to take route 77."

Alec fired up the engines, easing the ship out of the docking area, typing in the take-off route, the computer lifted them further from the ground, he took control once they were free. Moments later they were in space, he typed in the planet where the Jedi was last seen and activated the Hyperdrive. After the drive engaged, he got up out of the chair and headed back into the ship.

 

[CaramelLuv]

Astalaa snorted delicately, her lekkus twitching lightly as they were prone to do when she was amused. "I will see that you are properly rewarded, she said with a wink as she moved up the ramp to claim her usual bunk. She was storing her stuff in a locker, thinking about the Echani and Alec. She had sensed more than heard the woman's embarrassment, and she almost felt bad. She would apologize for her old colleague's lack of tact at some point. The woman had been beautiful in the way her kind were, like alabaster and snow, though tougher and deadlier than both.

She couldn't help but laugh, and made her way to the common area of the ship to grab some food. She didn't care where they were going next so long as there was a place she could offload her cargo, and pass it to the appropriate channels so she could get paid.

 

[milkmaiden38]

The beeping of her commlink device didn't interrupt her thoughts. She stored her gear in a locker and got as far away from the beautiful Twi'lek as possible. She just was not ready to face her. She never knew what to say to beautiful women. It was a curse. Something she really wanted (the beautiful woman) … she could not get it … because she always said the wrong thing. The commlink beeped again. What kind of ship did she get on? She looked around and could not tell. She had been in such a hurry she did not take a close look when she boarded. I wonder if the ship had a place to train? And not in the engine room ... last time she trained in a ship's engine room she broke the ship's engine. Everyone on that ship really hated her for that! So She really hoped there was a nice place to train. She needed to train daily, it was the only way to get better.

She saw wookie breathe coming down the passage way. Her commlink beeped again. She turned off the alert notification for the commlink. The device was letting her know there was a message waiting for her anyhow, they were now in hyperspace. No comms. As the human assassin got near her, she stopped to ask him a few questions.

“So I have a few questions for you … what kind of rust bucket is this anyhow? When are we training? Where are we training on this ship? Where can I find some alcohol? And what in the druk hell is your name?” Aima asked.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Alec gave Aima a cold stare, "She's a YT-1300 light freighter, modified of course. One of the storage areas have been transformed into a practice hold, we will practice together when I get the time to do so. There is not any form of alcohol on this ship and if I find that you have smuggled any on, it will get spaced."

He pushed passed her and headed towards the holding bay where his working station was, he withdrew one of the red crystal lightsabers which he had taken from a previous target. He activated the blade, looking closely at the blade and then he went to work to take the saber apart.

 

[milkmaiden38]

Aima stood in the passageway of the ship her mouth hanging open. That slimy piece of worm-ridden filth STILL had not given her his name. There was only one thing to do … talk to that superhot Twi'lek girl.

Aima closed her mouth and got a determined look on her face. “I can do this … just be cool … and everything will work out” she thought to herself as she headed for the common area of the ship. As she entered she froze … staring at the back of Astalaa. The Twi”lek was even good looking from this angle! Aima pulse raced … and she whispered to herself “You can do this” but Aima still did not move.

This moment felt like when Aima took that surprise test back in the monastery that she was totally unprepared for. She had been so scared; she could not even answer the questions. She ended up just staring at the computer screen until time was up. This encounter was equally terrifying; she was unprepared … she had not practiced her lines … she had not worked out what to say. Stupid and reckless were her middle names ... she needed to keep going.

She took a deep breath and walked up to the Twi'lek named Astalaa Nil.

“Excuse me … Astalaa … oh DRUK breath … I mean Ms. Nil …Sorry for saying Druk that is a bad word. I’m making a mess of this. Let me start over.” Aima said her face red in embarrassment. She took another deep breath.

“Ms. Nil … excuse me for intruding … but could you tell me the human’s name? He has yet to tell me what it is … and I can’t keep calling him wookie breath for the whole trip. Oops, sorry for saying, wookie breath … but you get my meaning” Aima said struggling through the conversation in the most awkward way possible. There was nothing natural or easy about this for her, she was just too scare she would screw up with this girl … and therefore she rigorously screwed up ... fear was like that. What you thought was the worst thing that could happen, your evil subconscious mind forced to happen. Why couldn’t she talk to women with the easy she talked to men? It was all a mystery to her.

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

The last body fell and Thallan let his monofilament garrote snap shut, the end whipping back into place on his bracer. He detached the last grapple line from the launcher on that same bracer and stepped back to catch his breath.

Blood covered his bronzeum armor and soaked the hem of his gray cloak. Thallen looked around at the room full of dead thugs and assassins and leg breakers and felt...tired. His limbs were sore and leaden, his chest tight, belly hollow.

How had he arrived at this place in his life, where he was slaughtering criminals on behalf of the newly emerging Sith Empire? Was he a Jedi anymore? He felt lost in the darkness, swimming in a cold ocean all alone and far from the light of shore.

Thallan took his masked helm off and dropped it onto the floor. He squelched through the puddle of bodily fluids over to a view port that looked out onto a desolate desert scape. His expression in the armaglass was pale and blank. His eyes were black holes sucking in all the light around him. He was so tired....so tired of this...by the time he got close enough to do the Sith any real damage, he was going to be one of them. Or worse than them, perhaps.

"Maybe I should just walk away and leave the Galaxy to them." Thallan muttered.

Something hit him in the back of the head.

"How dare you say that! Take it back!" Vaas threw another chunk of permacrete at Thallan, who ducked, staring at the man in consternation.

"You act like I don't count in your calculations, like my opinion doesn't matter. You think I don't care about the Republic?"

Thallan shrugged minutely. "Basically, yeah."

"You're an idiot. People like me might be scum, but we keep our effect on the civilization we live in small. We play our games in the shadows and try not to involve any civilians. We KNOW that there can't be any such thing as organized crime without law and order. And that there is a difference between order tyranny. The Sith will either own everything or kill it all. There is no room for any of us in that system."

Thallan leaned against the frame of the viewport, staring down at the bodies, lost in thought. Vaas went about cleaning up, dumping several liters of liquid accelerant all over the room. As the fumes rose, Thallan had a notion.

"So if you and the other scum don't want the Sith taking over, then why not fight?" He asked Vaas, who paused, empty canister in one hand, chemical flare in the other. He frowned. "I am fighting, I have been helping you for weeks."

"No I mean, all of them. The criminals, the smugglers and slavers and thugs and crime syndicates. Even the Hutt cartels. Why don't they fight?"

"You mean like...an organized opposition?" Vaas frowned.

Thallan nodded. "Why not? If as you say, they all realize the Republic is a better bet than the Sith."

"I'm sure not all of them feel that way. Some idiots are always going to see proffit where there is only a vibro dagger."

Thallan raised his hands in surrender to the point. "Ok, but there would have to be somewho want to fight, right? Who could organize something like that?"

Vaas swallowed and dropped the empty canister to clang on the grating of the deck. He let out a shaky breath and fiddled with the chemical flare.

"Vaas? What?" Thallan said impatiently.

Without turning, Vaas struck the flare, causing it to burst into red flame.

"Jodo Galak."

 

[CaramelLuv]

Astalaa was doing her damnedest not to laugh. She had been preparing a sandwich for Alec and for herself, when she sensed someone behind her. The feeling she got wasn't the smooth, confident, masculine cockiness she associated with Alec, so it had to be Aima. Knowing her behind was in the air as she bent over a small cabinet she let the woman have her visual fill, straightening slowly and nonchalantly as the Echani gathered her courage. Hearing her name, and the nerves, she couldn't help but smile, her lekku twitching, the humor in her red-irised gaze making her eyes bright.

"Astalaa is fine. I don't stand on formalities if I can help it."

She let out a small snort of laughter at Alec being called 'wookie breath' and shook her head. "I am not sure why he hasn't given you his name, but it isn't mine to give. He could just be trying to frustrate you. He is good at that. It took me bribing his name from him myself. It's like his little game, I think. Sometimes I call him Ace, since he's a good pilot and is good.... A little too good ... at his job."

She shrugged. "in our lines of work names given can be dangerous. He knows mine because it was given as part of a business exchange, and I don't hide it unless I have to. Eventually I will have to figure out something else because my kind and this color are not the most common in the galaxy."

She moved roward the Echani slowly and gave her a long, slow, measurable look, biting her lower lip lightly before purring softly to her,"you don't have to be nervous to approach me. I don't bite... Well unless you want me to, and if I do..." She leaned in to whisper softly, " you will enjoy it."

Stepping slowly away she grabbed the small plates on the work surface that had sandwiches, and moved toward the work area, looking over her shoulder at the woman. "I'm just going to drop one of these off and will be back if you would like to continue chatting." She grinned and made her way to where Alec was working on... Something, placing the sandwich and fruit pod plate by the workstation.

"Eat. And why haven't you told that woman your name? Unless she's a mark I doubt it will come to haunt you."

 

[milkmaiden38]

Aima ... breaking hearts and tables

Aima stood and watched as Astalaa walked away. The beauty turned the corner and was gone. Aima let out a huge breathe of air, pulled out a chair and sat down. Her heart rate started to slow down.

“I’ll be a Wookie’s hair brush … Astalaa is not pissed at me. That is a first … maybe I’m getting the hang of talking to women!” She said to herself. She began to review what Astalaa had had told her.

She thought about the last thing said … there was no doubt Astalaa had implied having sex with her. This was good, but Aima had worries too. She did not want a cheap one night stand. Well truth be told, she would take that if it was offered. Astalaa was supernova hot. But a woman like Astalaa probably got flirted with 10 times each day. Maybe offering sex was her way of not getting close to someone. Sounded funny when Aima thought about it … having sex so as not to get close to someone, weird logic for sure. But Aima wanted a real relationship; she hoped Astalaa want a real relationship too. Aima was traditional when it came to dating. She really liked the way Astalaa looked, but what about the person inside? She wanted to find out more about that part of Astalaa. She decided she would take it slow and see what developed. She hoped Astalaa would not be put off by this approach.

“OK that is settled … take it slow!” Aima said to herself, reaffirming her commitment. Then she smiled to herself

“This trip is great … I’m going to learn a new fighting style and maybe get a girlfriend to boot!” Aima said and slammed her fist down on the table in glee. This broke the table in half.

“Oops …Druk!” Aima gasped in horror. She got up and quickly when through the storage cabinets and found a molecular repair torch. She grabbed the broken table. Positioned it flat and ran the molecular repair device over the crack. Fixed! She put the table back in place. It looked like new but there was a slight discoloration where the crack had been. She found a table cloth and threw it on top of the table. It still was not right. She put out her commlink and programed it to produce the 3D hologram image of a flower in a vase.

“There … nice and romantic!” Aima said as she returned to her seat and waited for Astalaa return.

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

Thallan was trying to amble. Angling being the way one moves when one is unselfconsciously enjoying a day off in a public bazar on a backwater planet. He was not having an easy time of it, his senses too aware of everything around him, constantly running sub-conscious threat analysis.

He tried Jedi breathing techniques to relax, but it didn't work. He finally found himself a shadowed corner by a public fountain and sat down, out of the way.
This little backwater colony world was so outdated that some of the farmers here still used slug thrower rifles to hunt off the Jyrackles that preyed on their Ovine flocks.

Thallan tried to enjoy the warmth of the sunlight, but it seemed lately he walked in his own private shadow, chilled and depressed. This whole mess was completely insane. Working with and for criminals to weasel his way into an organization of Sith?

The worst part was that it seemed he wasn't even getting their attention. No one was paying him and his ragtag band of mercenary smugglers any mind.

"No, let go! Stop it!"

Thallan looked up sharply seeing a small girl being tackled to the groube by a larger boy. She was crying and trying to struggle away, but the boy was stronger.

Something vicious swirled up in Thallan and he stood in one motion, raising his hand. The boy was hurled off of the girl and thrown like a piece of trash to tumble against an alley wall maters behind the girl.

The boy smacked into the hard stone and fell into a silent, unmoving heap. The only sound in the bazar was the weeping of the little girl, who, along with all the other people, now stared at Thallan in abject terror.

He slowly lowered his hand, bowed his head and walked away.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Alec

He glanced at Astalaa as she entered and placed down food, he looked at the food, then back at her. Of course there was more to the offer of food than just the need of being a good neighbor and he knew Astalaa too well to know that she did anything for free. He returned his attention to breaking down the light saber, "It is wise to know who is asking for a name, as it is wise as well to know thy enemy as well as thy friend."

He paused in his work and looked back at Astalaa, "What do you want Astalaa? I know better than to believe that coincidence brought you upon this ship. The Echani was a chance encounter, she's cocky and brass, but I sense in her something more. Think she reminds me of you...", he gave a small grin, "Just a bit more in certain areas." He flicked off the screwdriver and rested his hands on the workstation.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Dann

He considered the human's words, coupled with his own experiences, he already knew that the council knew of their precense, there was no doubt that they knew that she was still planet-side. Barging in would tell them that he was rash and hurried, waiting in silence would make him timid...he could sense their minds though, he thought of how the message came to him. Gathering his thoughts he focused on one mind, "Master? I humbly request an audience."

Of course the message spilled over, it was the first time he used this kind of power, he was untrained in it, had no idea how to properly focus it and everybody in the council chamber as well as the human heard the message. He looked at her with a slight shrug, "It is a kind of knock..."