Chapter Two: Worlds Colliding

[Akirapryde]

When Things Go Wrong
Outer Rim World of Geonosis
Baktoid Industries
Date: 2919 AOK (A day before Auro’s Birthday)

The view from the air duck was limited, but the sounds of combat could be easily heard. Down the corridor, the entrance of the ship lit up with intense blaster fire. Bolts of energy slammed against the haul of the ship sending sparks flying. The sound of men screaming and lightsabers whooshing about. A heavily armored man stormed in to the ship and spun around to face the entrance. He pulled up his rifle and fired multiple times as he yelled out for his companions.

A pair of armored men rushed in to the ship and took up position near the entrance. Like the first soldier, they two turned and started to fire. Another three soldiers rushed in to the ship, with one dragging Cordelia behind him. Beyond the entrance, the sounds of lightsabers continued to whoosh as more blaster fire filled the entrance.

The first soldiers to board the ship grabbed one of his soldiers, “get us off the ground before those fighters take to the sky!”

“Yes Sir!” The man replied then ran down the hallway.

At the same time, Orchid and Barriss walked backwards in to the entry way. Barriss deactivated her lightsaber as she turned and ran the rest of the way up the ramp. Orchid on the other hand continued to spin her two lightsabers blocking blaster bolt after blaster bolt. Once she reached the top of the ramp, Barriss reached over and activated the ramp. This caused a thick door to slide in to place and protected Orchid from further blaster fire.

Finally, safe from the advancing fire, Orchid turned and walked in to the corridor. “Why are we still on the ground,” Orchid snapped.

The commander, the first one to come aboard, turned to her, “I have given orders to take off. Where shall we set a course for?”

Orchid stormed over to a communication panel as she deactivated her lightsabers. She reached up with her right hand and turned the panel on. “Bridge! I don't care where, but get us out of system,” she ordered. She added, “I get us in to hyperspace NOW!”

Orchid turned to Cordelia, who was being held tight by two soldiers. Orchid didn’t say a word as she walked over and punched Cordelia in the face. The hit was so hard that the three hit the wall behind them. “I know you tipped off the authorities,” Orchid spit at Cordelia. The two soldiers struggled to hold Cordelia up as Orchid hit her again and continued to spit, “I don’t know how you did it. But I know you did!”

Barriss watched with a sadistic smile on her face. She couldn’t hold back as she said, “I told you sister that we couldn’t trust her. She is no longer one of us.”

“Right, not one of you,” Cordelia said as she struggled to get back to her feet. “If you drop me off at any number of worlds. I will go my own way.” There was a slight humor in her voice despite the seriousness of the situation.

Orchid took Mya’s lightsaber and aimed it at Cordelia's heart. “I am done trying to bring you back to the fold, sister.” Orchid said with anger in her voice, “we once ruled the underworld of the Galaxy. But you are leaving me no choice!”

“NO” cried the leader of the soldiers. “We still need her for the Naboo job.”

One of the other soldiers turned, “without those droids, there is no Naboo job, Sir!”

“We all almost died and you were the agent of that ambush,” Orchid said with anger dripping from her voice. She pressed Mya’s lightsaber up against Cordilia’s chest. “I should kill you right here and right now, sister.”

“It’s never too late, Orchid. You too can turn back from the darkness. Like I have, you can be saved” Cordelia pleaded. “We choose our paths, and we can choose a path of light instead of darkness. Please Orchid!”

Orchid struggled as she pressed the hilt of the lightsaber in to Cordelia’s chest. “You have chosen your path,” Orchid said with disdain. She added, “sister” with even more disdain and anger. “Your chosen path is that of traitor!” Orchid moved her fingers towards the activation key of Mya’s lightsaber.

Barriss watched calmly as the anger induced Orchid leveled her wrath at Cordelia. As it became clear that Orchid was going to kill Cordelia, it was then that Barriss stepped up. “Sister,” she said with a calming voice. “I have a solution to our problems,” she said with a smile. “We can bring back Vixen.”

Cordelia's eyes went wide with terror. “No” she cried out. Fear filled her voice as she added, “That’s not who I am…. I have changed. Please sister.”

Orchid smiled as she pulled back, “get your things together, Barriss,” she ordered. Orchid returned Mya’s lightsaber to her belt as she pointed down the corridor, “the rest of you. Take her to the lounge and hold her there.”

Cordelia cried, “please Orchid, I have tried so hard to stay on the path of the light. Please don’t take this from me.”

Orchid only motioned for the soldiers to carry out their orders. Cordelia tried to fight back the best she could as she was dragged away by the soldiers. Barriss walked off the opposite direct while Orchid followed the soldiers. As the scene moved down the hall, Cordelia’s cries and pleas could easily be hard echoing. The observer moved from the opening of the vent and moved deeper in to the air duck network. Slowly the sounds of Cordelia’s screams seemed to fade a bit. Those cries echoed down the duck as the observer continued to move through the air circulation system of the ship.

Finally, the scene in the lounge came in to view. The observer could see Cordelia being held by two armored men while two others stood there waiting for further instructions. Cordelia struggled against their grips as Orchid stood looking out the window. There were tears in Cordelia’s eyes as she turned to Orchid to plead for mercy.

“Orchid, sister,” Cordelia said struggling against the grips of the soldiers. “Please…. Don’t do this”

Barriss walked in to the lounge with a grin on her face and a leather-bound roll in her hand. “Sister, you brought this on yourself.”

Cordelia turned her eyes towards Barriss, “please Barriss. I have struggled so hard…please…”

Barriss motioned to the table as she spoke, “gentlemen. If you will, please.”

The soldiers forcibly pulled Cordelia as she cried with terror in her voice towards the table. The soldiers were not gentle as they lifted her up in to the air and slammed her down on to the table. She fought as they flipped her over on to her belly. The other two soldiers stepped forward and each of them took control of Cordelia’s legs. The two soldiers that put on the table each took control of her arms.

“Orchid, please……” Cordelia sobbed. “I don’t want to fall from the light again…please”

Barriss stepped up to the table with her eyes on Orchid, “you know sister, you should have allowed this sooner.” She grabbed Cordelia by the hair and held her head still. “It would have cut down on so much of her misbehavior,” Barriss added.

As Orchid looked out the window, Barriss only shook her head. It was clear by the look on her face that she realized that Cordelia was Orchid’s weakness. It was clear that what was about to happen was not pleasant for Orchid. She couldn’t even bare to watch it. It was a weakness that Barriss planned on removing in due time.

Orchid frowned as Cordelia continued to plead for mercy, “you brought this on yourself.” She snapped then turned to walk out.

The commander, who was holding Cordelia’s left arm called out, “what are we going to do without those droids?”

Orchid didn't bother to stop as she crossed the lounge, “we will set a cruise for Nal Hutta. I am going to call in a favor,” she said as she walked out of the room.

Barriss paused as she watched Orchid walk out of the room. For the first time since Cordelia had been returned to them, their wayward sister had been left at her mercy. Her grin grew as she turned her attention back to Cordelia. “Come on, Cordelia. Your used love being Vixen.”

“Please,” Cordelia cried, “please don't do this. I worked so hard to change….”

Barriss only paused because she enjoyed the mental suffering Cordelia was going through. She forced Cordelia to watch as she ready her leather-bound roll. She slowly unrolled the clothe to reveal four hypodermic injectors. Cordelia’s eyes widened as she saw them, this caused Barriss’ grin to only grow. She was delighted with the terror that Cordelia was going through.

Cordelia's voice was filled with terror as she started to cry, “please….” Her words were more of a whimper than anything else. She still held out hope that something would change. The door hissed opened and for a moment, Cordelia hoped against hope that Auro had come at the last moment to save her. To save her from this fate worse than death. That moment of hope turned to poison as a pair of soldiers walked in. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized there would be no last-minute rescue.

At the same time Barriss had turned her head to see who was coming in to the lounge. Her head turned back to Cordelia, “hope is a destructive thing. Sister,” she said picking up the first of the injectors. “I am going to take hope away from you,” she said holding Cordelia’s neck still as she maneuvered the first injector up to Cordelia’s neck. “You will never think of hope again,” she said pressing the injector in to Cordelia’s neck.

Cordelia's heart sank as she felt the needle’s pinch. Her vision nearly completely obscured by her own tears. As Barriss slowly pressed the injector, sending the fluid in to Cordelia’s neck, Cordelia pleaded for mercy. It was clear that the fluid was taking its effect on her as her head shook while Cordelia pleaded against all hope.

In reaction to Cordelia’s body starting to shake uncontrollably, the four soldiers placed their entire weight upon her. Cordelia looked up and for the first time spotted the observer.
It was the last act of will Cordelia could take as she looked up at the observer. As if reaching across time and space, she reached out with her eyes filled with tears. Her mouth slowly opening yet no voice was heard. It was by design as this message was only meant for one person. She mouthed the words, ‘I’m sorry.’

Barriss rested her hand on Cordelia’s head with an uncharacteristic show of kindness, “there there, sister” she said with kindness. “That's the first one,” Barriss said as she set down the first injector and carefully picked up the next one. She steadily maneuvered the injector towards Cordelia's neck. “You remember how it used to be,” Barriss said as she called upon the darkside and affected Cordelia’s mind. “How close we all were before they took you from us,” Barriss slowly pressed the next injector in to Cordelia’s neck. “How much you loved us,” Barriss said softly. “That time you spent with the Jedi, let those memories fade to darkness. Let the darkness wash away the past and fill your heart once more,” Barriss eyes turned yellow as the power of the darkside flowed through her and in to Cordelia’s mind.

Each passing moment tears washed from Cordelia’s eyes and dripped down her face. Her body shook as the influence of the drugs and the power of the darkside took hold of her. With all of her will, Cordelia reached out with her eyes to the form hiding in the duck. She so badly wanted to see him again. She tried so hard to hold on to his image in her mind. The single thought that held her routed in the light. Slowly the shadows of her mind started to cloud his image, cloud her memories. She just kept mouthing the words repeatedly, hoping that he would somehow know how sorry she was.

The next injection slowly made its way in to Cordelia's neck. The effects of the drug were almost immediate as she fought to hold on to his image. She would give up everything if she could only see him once more. Cordelia watched the light of the room slowly break apart in to its base wave lengths as shadows of her mind and of the room slowly merged together. She tried to focus on the form, but her eyes would no longer obey her commands.

“Search your memories sister and you will find only shadows of a life that was never to be,” Barriss said allowing darkness to fill Cordelia’s memories. “Just like before, Vixen, you were never gone from us. There is no time where we were apart. The Jedi, will lie to you. But you will know the truth. We are a family,” Barriss explained. She drew in a deep breath and allowed the last bit of her dark control flow from her in to Cordelia’s mind.

The third injection caused her eyes to change. Starting at her pupils, they slowly grew bloodshot as the shadows slowly consumed her. The red color soon crossed from her pupils and spread to the rest of her eyes. By the time the fourth injection was given, Cordelia laid on the table motionless. Her mouth hung open with her tongue partially out. Her eyes shifted unnaturally around the room as if they were searching for something.

Barriss slowly backed up from Cordelia and motioned the soldiers to do the same. “Vixen,” Barriss called. “Vixen, my sister,” she said in a soft voice. “Look who has returned to us,” she said causing an illusion that only Cordelia could see. “It’s Chad,” she said allowing the illusion to take hold in Cordelia’s mind. “You remember Chad, he helped you see through the lies of the Jedi. Through the lies of the Republic. He opened your heart to the truth.”

Beyond Cordelia's sight Barriss waved her hand and just like that, through dark forces, Chad came in to being for Cordelia. For Cordelia he was the man of her dreams, the only one she could ever love. The only one that could ever love her. As if a flood gate had opened, memories of their exploits filled Cordelia’s mind. She had been his girlfriend for so many years. For her, they had been together this entire time. She remembered everything now…..

“Remember what I said, Vixen,” he illusion said at Barriss’ command. “You can only trust me and your family, baby. The rest will only lie to you.” Barriss motioned for the soldiers to let Cordelia go as she commanded the illusion, “its only me and you sweetheart.”

Everyone standing around Cordelia watched her slowly get up from the table. Her eyes now completely red as she fell victim to the drugs surging through her body. She walked strangely out of balance towards the center of the room with a strange smile on her face. It was if her eyes were focused on something yet there was nothing there. However, force users could tell that there was a manifestation of the darkside within the room. Barriss was still calling upon the darkside to tighten her hold on the now helpless Cordelia.

Cordelia tilted her head to the side and reached up as if she was entering in to a loving embrace with someone. She pushed up on her toes and closed her eyes. In her ears music played as she was reunited with the man of her dreams. Around her, her family watched the reunion. But for Cordelia, this was not a reunion. She had never been separated from her family. That prefect song played in her memories as her lips touched the man of her dreams.

The soldiers watched on with shock and horror. To them, they had never seen anything like it. For them, this was the danger that the Force brought to the galaxy. Barriss watched the scene with great delight as she controlled the illusion that invaded Cordelia's mind. “Vixen, your family has never left your side” Barriss said then added through the force, “you cannot trust anyone but your family.”

Vixen pulled back from her passionate kiss and while still looking deep in to his eyes, she spoke finally, “bouncy, bouncy, bouncy”. Her voice didn't betray anything. Her madness now completely consumed her. Speaking as if she was answering a question, “we will bring chaos to the galaxy, lover” she said laughing.

Across the galaxy, Auro slowly opened his eyes. The softy cool ocean breeze washed over him. This did not change what he had just saw through the force. Anger and sadness filled his heart but was quickly washed away with a calm sense of serenity. He wanted to rush off and rescue Cordelia from what appeared to be a fate worse than death. But in that moment his eyes were opened to the truth of the situation.

Auro slowly rose to his feet and stood in the center of his quarters. He reflected on the movement of the force around him. He suddenly didn’t sense the urgency to rush off. He half turned and allowed his eyes to fall upon a simple picture of Cordelia on his desk. The Force gave him insight in to what Orchid was up to. He had a starting point and their next destination. It was the very first time he had a real chance to get ahead of Orchid. All he needed to do was exercise a health bit of restraint.

He turned his attention towards the large open window and the vastness of Sembla’s sea. He smiled as he felt at ease here. He reached down and tapped in a code in to the communicator on his desk. As the transmission was being placed, Auro walked a short distance to the window and gazed out. The waves washed up and down on the beaches that lined the massive landing area. He could even see from his advantage point, the waves splashing up against the haul of the Vengeance.

“Auro” Chancellor Syrdash said. “How are you enjoying your trip home?”

“I am due to meet with my half-sister, and met with my father,” Auro said calmly as he looked out over the ocean. He wasn’t sure what Orchid was up to, but that vision gave him clues to build upon. These clues now occupied his thoughts. Cordelia’s situation cast a dark shadow over his actions and he realized the dangers of attachments. He could have them, but he had to act carefully and most importantly follow the Will of the Force. “In all, I have found this trip to be enlightening and refreshing.”

It was time for his mother to pause before saying, “Auro. Is something wrong, my son?”

Auro paused for a moment before continuing, “There are a couple of things I wish to ask of you mother. First, could you look in to any criminal activities that were linked with a droid storage facility or a factory. I would like to know where and what happened. Second, do we have any intelligence assists on Nal Hutta?”

As Auro continued to watch the waves moving across the beach on the far side of the lagoon, his mother replied, “that is a strange request my son. Can I ask why?”

Auro finally turned his eyes to the hologram of his mother, “I wish I could tell you more. But the truth is, all I know is it has something to do with Orchid and her next move.” He thought about telling her about Cordelia, but opted to keep that bit of information close to his heart. He would find a way to save her.

She nodded, “Alright son, I will place my best people on it.”

“Thank you, Mother” he said softly and allowed her to end the communication.

[Akirapryde]

Welcome Home Kali
Core World of Brentaal IV
Estate of Hego Damask
Date: 2919 AOK
Player Characters Involved: Gadeon, Duncan

There was a since of concern once the warning was issued. The Estate had been breached by some unknown threat. “Count Damask, we have detected an unauthorized attempt to access a terminal within this area of the house. Because of this, we were ordered here to investigate by Central Security.”

Kali seemed surprised at the pair of droids and Hego gave a soft half nod to her, “things have gotten very dangerous since you left home.”

“I can tell,” she said reached for her lightsaber.

Hego slowly rose from his chair as she did the same, “A few months ago, the Tirrel family estate was attacked. There are rumors regarding that attack and others who had openly support the Reformers from the Outer Rim. Rumors that no one is willing to utter a loud. I am not the only one who fears for the safety of those I love.”

As he spoke, Demaya shifted her head as if scanning the area. It was if a switch deep in her mind had been flipped. “That conversation can wait Hego,” Demaya said as her personal walls went up. her degree of mental control rose drastically as she searched the area, “I can sense them. One is clearly a force user, but the other one I am not sure.” Her anger slowly rose as she reached to her belt and unhooked her double-bladed light saber and held it in her hand.

She motioned to the two magnaguards, “on me!” she commanded as the Jedi Knight moved from the table and headed out of the dining area. Hego gave his nod to the droids who then moved to follow the Jedi Knight. As Demaya moved for the main entrance of the dining area, they started to follow her. Both magnaguards activated their electrostaffs while they followed Knight Demaya as she added “Mr. Damask, you better hold back.”

“Like hell,” Hego said with anger in his voice. He added, “no one invades my home.” He brought up his data pad. “I have vested a personal fortune to ensure that my enemies would think twice about this kind of behavior” He explained as he pressed a few buttons on his pad. “I am placing the entire Estate on alert!” The pair of magnaguards activated their electrostaffs. The sound of crackling energy filled the dining area and the hallways beyond.

Without thinking, Demaya reached up to pull her hood up over her head. It was in that moment she realized she wasn’t wearing her Jedi robes. She had chosen her outfit to blend in to a wealthy Core World setting, not the battlefield. She let out a deep sigh of disappointment. “Why is this time of year so damn eventful,” she softly cursed. (OOC: Reaction Roll, Listen Check DC 15 to hear the statement, Cannot Take 10).

Her training kicked in as she called upon the force to prepared for battle. Her body surged as it reacted to the aide of the Force as she continued to search the hallway next to the dining area. Both Gadeon and Duncan could sense her calling upon the force (OOC: Reaction Roll, Sense Force to sense her calling upon the Force, DC 10, Cannot Take 10. DC 15 or higher will tell you that she has increased her agility and precision).

It was clear that she was not taking anything for granted as she moved slowly for the exit of the dining area. She was in no rush to close on the unforeseen intruder. Her senses reaching far beyond the large room and in to the hallway. (OOC: Reaction Roll, Sense Force to sense her calling upon the Force, DC 10, Cannot Take 10. DC 15 or higher will tell you that she has increased her perceptions and her force walls have increased). It was clear that this veteran was preparing for battle.

“I know your close” she called out. There was anger in her voice as she spoke as she stepped from the large dining room. The pair of magnaguards were closely behind her as her head shifted from side to side. The sounds of crackling energy echoed down the corridor as Demaya very slowly and methodically moved forward. “There is no sense in hiding,” she yelled out to those that she could sense.

Despite her anger, Demaya handled the situation with a cool hand. She was like a beacon of force energy woven in to a tapestry of defenses, enhancements and projections. Her cool handed approach was easily misleading to even a trained observer. Demaya was like a coiled snake ready for the strike. These observations allowed Gadeon and Duncan the quick realization that Demaya was a combat veteran. The situation was quickly turning in to something that Gadeon had never intended on. And he wasn’t about to allow that mistake continue one moment longer.

On that note, Gadeon dropped from the ceiling. He made sure to drop from his heading place long before it could be perceived to be some kind of an attack. Within the same moment, Duncan followed suite landing just behind Gadeon. The pair landed safely on the ground a safe distance from Demaya. It was a smart move to ensure that their drop wouldn’t be considered an aggressive act, or that they wouldn’t be surprised by a sudden attack from Demaya.

The sudden appearance of the two Jedi caused the magnaguards to take up an aggressive stance. They shifted on their feet and moved their electrostaffs to prepare for battle. However, Demaya held her neutral stance as she glared at them. They could easily see the anger on her face as she scanned their faces. Without a word, she rose her opened left hand to a point just above her shoulders. “Mr. Demask, instruct your droids to stand down,” she said signaling the magnaguards to hold their action.

Her grip on her lightsaber tightened as knuckles grew white. “These two are not assassins,” she said glaring at them. On that note, her eyes turned to Gadeon, “did Auro send you?” she questioned.

Gadeon shook his head as he said truthfully, “no.” Then he added, “I was concerned for you.”

As the pair of magnaguards slowly withdrew from the scene, Hego stepped forward. “Are these friends of yours, Kali?”

Demaya stood silently for a moment as she glared at the two. Her mind was in conflict over how to react to the sudden appearance of these two. Even Hego noticed the delay in response from Demaya as she gripped her lightsaber. Anger rose even more steeply as she glared. Imagery of cutting them both down flashed in her mind. She had no doubt that killing them could be justified, even possibly successfully defended. ‘After all, they are trespassing’ she coldly thought of their murders.

After an awkward and uncomfortable silence, Hego calmly said, “Kali?”

Knight Demaya closed her eyes as she drew in a deep breath. It was a strange thing for her. She had often wondered what it would be like to close her eyes to the world. Sadly, due to her Miraluka side, she could never really close her eyes to the world around. She let out that deep breath in a slow long sigh. As the air left her body, so did the anger of the situation. “They are my friends from the Vengeance,” she said with distain in her voice over the situation. Like her anger, that too was rapidly withdrawing from her voice and mind. All that emotionally remained in her heart was a sense of betrayal and disappointment.

She turned to face Hego as she hooked her lightsaber back to her belt, “and they were just leaving!” she snapped. “If you will excuse me, Mr. Damask,” she said as she started to push past him. “I am going to unpack,” She added as she allowed the surge of force energy that she had built up to fade. While the tightly woven tapestry of force energy started to unwind, Gadeon and Duncan could sense that Demaya had chosen to keep up her emotional and force walls. It was in that moment that they both realized that these walls were always up. It went a great distance to explain why others had such a hard time reading her.

Hego turned with a frown on his face, “Kali…..”

“It’s Knight Demaya” she snapped as she stormed in to the dining room and vanished from sight.

Hego Damask turned to Gadeon and Duncan, “I don’t know why you are here, but I cannot deny the timing. Ka….I mean Demaya,” he corrected himself. “She will need her friends to face what she must.”

Gadeon thought for a moment before speaking, but it was Duncan that asked the question, “what is so important?”

Hego turned to the empty entry way that led in to the dining room. “I won’t say. IF she hasn’t told you by this time, I won’t betray that.” He turned back to them, “For Demaya, trust has always been hard for her.” He gave them a nod, “give her time and I know she will open up.” He frowned as he shook his head, “she has to learn to trust those close to her.”

Gadeon blinked for a moment then stated as a matter of fact, “you are sensitive to the force.”

The statement caught Duncan by surprise as Hego nodded, “I am a registered Force User.” He smiled as he motioned for them to follow him, “here allow me to show you to your rooms.” His friendly smile never faded as the other option still had not been addressed, “that is unless you would like me to escort you, to your ship.”

Gadeon looked at Duncan for a moment as they silently thought out the situation. Duncan finally gave Gadeon a nod. “with your permission,” Gadeon said turning his eyes back to Damask. “We would like to stay,” he said then paused. Then as an afterthought he added, “for the time being.”

Sometime later, the group assembled at an air speeder. It was a luxurious black air speeder that is often reserved for the very rich. The interior was laid out with many fine amenities, such fine wines and other spirits. The seats were authentic Sibenine leather, something that was unheard of outside of the very very elite.

The air speeder was piloted by a pair of BX-series droid commandos, who each were armed with blaster rifles. A pair of B1 droids took up place in rear of the air speeder armed with blaster rifles. A pair of B1 droids each standing on a Single Trooper Aerial Platform or STAP Speeder waited for the departure time.

Hego laughed as he walked up to Duncan and Gadeon, “when you are as wealthy as me, there is no such thing as not being able to afford enough protection.” He walked up to the limo speeder and tapped it. “This is speeder is fully armored and shielded against anything that someone might try to throw at it” he added with pride.

Within moments Demaya walked up, “I thought you two were leaving” she snapped at first sight of Gadeon and Duncan.

Before anyone could answer Hego answered, “I asked them to stay Ka…..” he paused before adding, “Knight Demaya.” He walked up to her and rested his hand on her shoulder, “I have known you, since you were in diapers. I have never asked anything of you. But now, I am. Please trust me. I know what you are about to face. You cannot face this alone. Please let them stay by your side.”

Demaya let her head hang as she let out another deep sigh. “Hego….” She said then let her voice trail off. “Fine….” she finally said in defeat. She walked over to the limo and glanced at the two Jedi waiting on her. She opened her mouth to say something, however nothing came out. She just climbed in to the limo, “let’s go” she finally said from within the limo.

Hego motioned in to the limo, “shall we get in?”

As everyone climbed in to the limo, the door was sealed and the limo lifted off the ground. The pair of droids on the speeders took up formation with one in the front of the limo and the other in the back. The limo speed its way across the skies of Brentaal IV as it made its way towards its destination. Far below the limo were the under privileged of Brentaal IV as the speeder sped by. For Duncan, this was hardly special. Being the former Padawan of Master Dooku, he was used to rubbing elbows with the extremely wealthy of the Galaxy.

However, for Gadeon, this was an experience. A small silver tray with an assortment of meats and cheese was worth enough to feed ten families. As he looked around, this is how he saw the contents of the limo. There was just so much wealth squandered where it could be used to help others. It wasn’t that the situation bothered him. Instead, it confused him.

For Demaya, her mind seemed to be elsewhere. She set there looking out of a nearby window. It was clear that her mind will filled with pain as she looked out the window. It was Duncan that noticed a tear slowly making its way down her cheek. She just looked out the window as the emotions filled her heart.

Duncan moved from his seat to sit next to her. “Demaya, can I ask, where are we going?”

She turned from the window and looked at Duncan, “the grave of my parents.” She said softly as she whipped the tears from her face. “Since their death, something has always come up when I set out to visit their grave,” she said softly. She then turned back to the window, “this will be the first time since their death eleven years ago, that I will face their grave.”

She paused a moment as she tried to fight back the tears once more, “I tried so many times to make the trip on my own. But each time, something always came up.” She paused a moment, before adding, “that is not completely true. I could have made it possible. But I wasn’t ready either.”

She reached up and wiped her eyes, “Master Drase used to tell me that I had to trust in the Force,” she explained. “I finally reached a point where I was ready to face their graves. That was the reason why I submitted my vacation. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.”

[Akirapryde]

Actions Revealed
Departing the Mid Rim Honam III
Jedi Cruiser Vengeance
Date: 2919 AOK (Twelve Days after Auro’s Birthday)
Player Characters Involved: Auro Syrdash

Auro set in his private quarters as he spoke with the holographic image of his mother, “Auro, as you requested, I have news of Orchid from Nal Hutta. Before we go on, I need you to observe this holocording. It is important to your next mission.”

---

The holographic image slowly panned around the tavern showing an almost uniformed look of surprise and shock across the faces of onlookers. Criminals, mercenaries and bounty hunters alike stood around the dance floor with a sense of disbelief on their faces. It was if what they had just seen couldn’t possibly had been real. The sense of disbelief seemed to cover every face, every face but two. Orchid and Barriss set in their chairs with grins on their faces.

At the center of everyone’s attention, was a lone skinny woman with bleach blond hair with pink ends. She shifted gracefully on her toes while holding a vibro-lance over her shoulder. As she pivoted around, she shifted the lance searching for any other possible targets. Around her feet were five bounty hunters in different states of defeat. They slowly moved as they attempted to crawl away from the skinny woman who had just bested them.

As the woman slowly turned towards the angle of holocorder, she revealed her identity as being Cordelia. Her blood colored eyes and the sadistic smile on her face stood out. A small splatter of blood had been sprayed across her face. After she scanned her surroundings, she determined that there weren’t any threats around. On that note, she dropped the lance and turned towards the table with Orchid and Barriss. As she stepped over a Gamorrean, she paused and turned her head to the side.

She stood there with a blank look on her face as if someone was speaking with her. She turned around searching the bounty hunters nodding her head. “Really?!” she said blankly. Over Cordelia’s shoulder, Orchid and Barriss could be seen. They were sitting at a table with a pair of other bounty hunters. Behind them, were a pair of men known by their unique body armor. They were members of the terrorist group known as Crusade. To even the seasoned observer, Barriss actions went unnoticed (Skill Check: Spot, DC: 20 to see that she was actively doing something).

Cordelia nodded, “Oh,” she said with a smile. “I understand!” she added happily and turned towards Orchid’s and Barriss’ table. With almost a skip in her steps, she made her way over towards their table. She reached on to the table and grabbed a large wine glass that Orchid was drinking from and a wine bottle from the center of the table. Cordelia then turned back to the center of the room and skipped her way back.

As she walked in to the center of the bounty hunters, she dumped out the contents of the glass and bottle. She stopped at a Twi’lek who was trying to get to his feet. She turned her head towards an empty space, “him” she asked. Then she got up and walked over to another Twi’lek who had been completely knocked out. His bloody face bore witness to the assault he had survived.

She grabbed him by his armored vest and drug him over to a table. She dropped him on the ground with a thud. This act caused him to stir slightly. Other Bounty Hunters from that group made their own attempts to escape what they saw as a continuation of Cordelia’s attack on them. Ignoring the others, she grabbed the bottle by the neck and shattered the lower half of the bottle against the table. She placed the broken bottle on the table upside down. She rested the glass next to the broken bottle.

She reached down and grabbed the Twi’lek bounty hunter as he started to struggle. Cordelia twisted the man’s arms behind his back and pinned them with her own arms. She lifted the man up with great effort as she almost lost her balance. “Come now, you have plenty to share” she said almost laughing as she spoke. After regaining her balance, Cordelia slammed the Twi’lek down towards the table. She aimed her attack so that his neck would be impaled on the broken bottle.

He let out a cry that was fast obscured by a gurgling sound. Cordelia then lifted the man up so that the neck of the bottle, now fixed in to his neck, was over the large wine glass. “There there, see, it was easy” she added holding him in that position. As his heart pounded, his red life blood pulsated in to the glass. Everyone watched in horror as Cordelia milked the bounty hunter of his blood. Once the glass was filled, she tossed the Twi’lek aside. His blood continued to gush out of the wound. His mouth opened and closed like a fish as his eyes slowly showed his death.

Cordelia reached down and picked up the glass. Her hands covered with red blood as she walked towards the person recording the scene. It was if she was speaking to someone or something near the source of the recording, “it’s a fine year for a Coruscant blend,” she said happily as she smelled the contents of her bloody glass. “While it smells of military….” She said then lifted the glass to her lips. She turned the bottom of the glass upward and tilted her head back.

Small trails of red blood made their way from her mouth as her throat showed the large gulps she was taking of the blood. It was clear that others in the room wanted to put an end to the scene, while others like Barriss took great pleasure in the scene. Even the person making the recording seemed to want to do something but was held back. When Cordelia was done drinking the entire large wine glass of blood, she lowered returned her eyes back to the figure she was speaking to. “It was smooth and sweet. With a hint of iron” she explained.

Her face covered in blood that nearly matched the color of her own blood shot eyes. There was no doubt on anyone’s faces that the being before them was completely insane. She sold this impression when she took the glass and licked a bit of blood from it, before tossing it to the side. Her left eye twitched rapidly as if deep down in some dark gaged part of her mind someone was screaming pleading for the madness to stop.

With soft whispers that the Twi’lek was a Republic spy, all eyes turned to who Cordelia was speaking to. It was then that everyone heard the deep ominous laughter of a Hutt. A droid translate for the Hutt as he spoke, “I have heard so many rumors about criminal named Vixen” he said. “I must say, those rumors do not live up to the truth of who you really are. You and your friends can hair my bounty hunters.” The vid goes black as the recording stopped.

---

Chancellor Syrdash let out a deep sigh, “the man that Cordelia murdered in that video was a close friend of mine. His name was Gilad Vossle, Captain Gilad Vossle. Auro please remember his name. I am God-mother to his middle daughter. He was a good and loyal soldier, Auro. He didn’t deserve to die like that.”

She paused a moment before continuing, “the video you just saw came from an informant of Master Dooku’s. He gave me this video as a personal favor and has stated that the capture of Cordelia and her friends should remain a Jedi matter. Because of my connection to Captain Vossle and the fact that Captain Vossle served aboard the Vengeance two years ago, Master Dooku has asked that we remain out of this matter. He feels that Captain Vossle’s murder would negatively affect moral of the Vengeance. Which I agree. Something like this would drive your crew to bring these murderers to justice with great enthusiasm. So, I feel that we should honor Master Dooku’s request and allow the Jedi to do the ground work for us.”

She paused once more, “I didn’t tell Master Dooku, but I found your factory raid. A Baktoid Armor Workshop facility on the world of Druckenwell has reported a break in. It hasn’t made its way to the Core Worlds yet, because nothing was stolen. The heist was averted with the facility’s alarm systems sounded in the middle of the heist. I have reached out to Kuto Jaral of the Baktoid Armor Workship facility on Drunchenwell. He has agreed to meet with you as my personal advisor under the guise of improving security for military facilities like this.”

She lifted her hand, “now Auro, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way. Master Dooku has said that he will dispatch some of his best Hunters to bring Cordelia to justice. He was clear to me, that this should remain a Jedi matter, not one for the Chancellor’s office. I agree with him on this. I am not telling you to investigate what these murderous people are up to.”

She paused a moment before adding, “after all, there has been an increase in pirate activities in the area and we need to make sure that military facilities like the one on Drunkenwell are secure. I also need you to search for these pirates and eliminate them as a threat to Republic security. IF you happen to discover information that happens to place you on a course where you can bring Orchid and her followers to justice, then I would gladly defend your actions. Just make sure, Auro, that justice is served.”

---

OOC Admin Stuff: Auro, if you want to continue this conversation via Text or Phone, please let me know. If not, then this will be a one way communication. Do not post in this thread!

[Akirapryde]

Evening Buzz
Coruscant News Network
Broadcast from Coruscant
Date: 2919 AOK

Bail: “Good evening to all the citizens of the Galactic Republic. I am Bail Organa.”

Sinya: And I am Sinya Lefe. Together we will bring you news from across the Galactic Republic.”

Bail: “Across the Great Galactic Republic worlds prepare to celebrate Liberation Day, also called AOK Day. Sinya, why don’t you explain what Liberation Day is and why this cherished day is so important to member worlds.”

Sinya: “Sure Bail, I will be happy to. Roughly about one hundred years before the legendary Battle of Korriban, the Sith Empire and their Mandaloran allies attacked the Republic. For a period, the Republic were able to hold off these attackers from the Outer Rim. However, something happened within the ranks of the Sith. A new leader assumed power within the Sith Empire. A leader by the name of Darth Revan. Though in the Republic, he would become known as Revan the Butcher for the ruthless siege he leveled against Dorin. As a result of this siege, the population of the planet was nearly driven to extinction.”

“Led by their ruthless leader Darth Revan, it wasn’t long before the Republic was fighting for its very survival. Acting under the orders of Grand Master Crlisst, the Republic military stripped its homeguard fleets and sent them to face the Sith fleets in the Inner Rim. This move left nearly every world in the Core open to attack. Crlisst claimed the Republic Senate by telling them to trust in the Force. As Mandaloran ships closed on Coruscant, a new fleet exited hyperspace over Coruscant.”

“This fleet belonged to the combined forces of the Azgardian clans. The Azgardians and Mandalorans had clashed during a series of brutal and violent wars that spanned over a thousand years. The Azgardians meant to destroy the Mandalorans once and for all. Darth Revan at first dispatched his apprentice Malak to deal with the Azgardian threat while he continued to drive deeper in to the heart of the Republic.”

“Malak’s fleet clashed with Warlord Brynjar’s fleet near the Kuat Sector. It was a historical battle, where forces of the Sith first clashed with the forces of Azgard. Malak’s fleet was broken and driven back while the Republic was starting to gain against Revan’s own forces. But Revan wasn’t beaten. Revan had a plan to face both forces from the Republic and Azgard. But the Jedi and Master Crlisst had a card left to play. One that would take Revan out of the war once and for all. A secret Jedi strike force led by Jedi Knight Bastila Shan attempted to capture the Sith Lord.”

“Near the Yavin system, one of the largest battles of the Great War was staged. The Republic and their Azgardian allies were rushing headlong in to Darth Revan’s trap. As the Sith Lord’s plan was starting to turn the tide of war, fate played a twist against the Sith Empire. With victory nearly assured, Darth Malak turned on his master. The betrayal destroyed Darth Revan’s flagship and any hope the Sith had of victory.”

“With their forces split, this allowed republic and Azgardian forces a chance to break the ambush and turn the tide of war. At the end of the Battle of Yavin, Darth Revan was captured by the Jedi and Darth Malak was in full retreat to Korriban. Mandalore was in ashes and the last of their warships destroyed. Darth Malak summoned up the last of the Sith forces as they prepared for a final stand above the world of Korriban.”

“The battle lasted for three months as Republic and Azgardian forces sought to cleans the world of the last of the Sith. With the end of that battle, two great threats to peace across the Galaxy were eliminated. More so, the Jedi took the historical steps to ensure that this hard-fought peace would never be challenged again by enacting the Order of Korriban. On that date, the Jedi would create the Knight-Wardens. An elite group of Jedi Hunters meant to hunt down the remnants of the Sith Empire.”

“It was also on that day that the Galactic Senate hailed the Galaxy’s Liberation from the Sith. The Senate also reset the Galactic Date to show that the day that the Order of Korriban was authorized by the Jedi would be zero year. And today, we prepare to celebrate and honor all those who fought to deliver the Galaxy from tyranny. While Liberation is hailed across the Core Worlds, it is not celebrated on some Outer Rim.”

“During the time after the Order of Korriban, many force users that were leaders of their own worlds found themselves at odds with the Knight-Wardens. Accused of harboring former Sith, these leaders were arrested or simply disappeared. As the search for Sith continued, more and more communities found themselves under the eyes of the Knight-Wardens.”

Bail: “If you ask me, I say many of these worlds are just being ungrateful. The Jedi helped eradicate the Sith once and for all. Now, the very few isolated worlds want to hold on to slights that occurred thousands of years ago.”

Sinya: “It’s more than just a few worlds, and they are hardly isolated. As the Republic forced its presence deeper and deeper in to the Outer Rim, they forced their own values and ways upon the worlds that they encountered. These are not just simple slights that haven’t been forgiven. These are wrongs that have never been addressed by the Senate or the Jedi.”

Bail: “Sinya, you act like what the Jedi did was wrong!”

Sinya: “No, I am not saying what they did during the war was wrong. But what the Knight-Wardens did after the war under the name of the Jedi was. The Republic wasn’t innocent either. What had been Sith space was annexed in to the Republic without the consent of the people living on those worlds.”

Bail: “Sinya that’s crazy talk! Many of those worlds had been abused and used by the Sith.”

Sinya: “Yes Bail, and now they are being used by the Republic. Sure, the flag has changed! Has the harsh conditions that many worlds are still in changed? Where is the great promise of the Republic? Take Ryloth for example. The Republic has promised to address slavery within the Outer Rim, yet no serious steps have been taken. Still on Zygerria, slaves are still sold. And Zygerria has seats in the Galatic Republic.”

Bail: “I should have known that you would use this to stomp for your favorite wimping gualaar. What goes on, on Zygerria is not slavery. It is heavily regulated by the Republic and monitored….”

Sinya: raising her voice, “They are selling and buying beings right under the Republic’s nose……”

Bail: “Can we go to commercial please?”

A few moments later….

Bail: “Welcome back. Unfortunately, Sinya had to step out. I am sure that she will be back soon. In other news, Grand Master Dooku has ordered the Twenty Seventh Strike Division under the command of Jedi Master Benedikt Milani to Olivan. While their mission is not clear, it can be assumed that the mission will be to deal with the protests that have been spreading from Olivan. While Grand Master Dooku has not confirmed if this will be the only major deployment, it is a safe bet that the Grand Council has finally decided to do something about the spreading dissent at many of its Temples in the Outer Rim."

"The scene on Brentaal as the twenty seventh took to their ships was festive, as family members cheered their loved ones off. This welcomed move by the Jedi to stamp down the growing Outer Rim protests has been long in coming according to unofficial sources close to the Chancellor. They claim that the Jedi should have acted much sooner to bring some of their wayward Temples back under control. And if you ask my humble opinion, it could have been a better time with Liberation Day right around the corner."

"And on that note, I would like to bid you all a good day. All of us here at CNN wish each of you a glorious Liberation Day."

[Akirapryde]

Whatever Happened to Ms. Chaanu
Vil’os Meat and Shipping
Outer Rim World of Nal Hutta
Date: 2919 AOK

The thick carbonate slab fell backwards on to the ground with a solid metal thud. Auro's form had been frozen in mid leap. The last-minute attack from Vixen had toppled him in to a large Carbonate Basin. It was this attack that robbed Orchid of her killing strike that would have ended Auro’s life. Now, he was trapped in Carbonate and cut off from the entire universe. His eyes longing for the escape they will never achieve. In his hands locked in a warrior's grip, his Lightsaber.

“You stupid whore,” Orchid said gazing at the slab as well.

Vixen gazed down at the slab in puzzlement as she heard Orchid speaking next to her. She didn’t really care what Orchid was upset over. A smile slowly crawled across her lips as she uttered, “see Jedi, you have been shown the truth.” Somewhere lost in her twisted mind cried out in the voice of that cat burglar whose real name was, Cordelia. Now Vixen stood over the slab, a completely different creature who was only riven by her madness. Her head twitched slightly as her eyes scanned the slab, “I remember when they froze me.” She lowered herself next to the slab and touched Auro’s face. “I remember feeling great fear. Do you think he felt the same thing?’

“You stupid whore!” Cried orchid as she turned and smacked Vixen across the head with her hand. “I was about to kill HIM,” she yelled.

Vixen made no effort to block or dodge the attack. Instead she staggered forward as she braced herself on Auro’s slab. Looking down at Auro’s face, Vixen speak with more than a hint of laughter in her voice, “mother would not have been pleased if he were killed.” She leaned back off from the slab and turned her head towards Orchid, “though watching her electrocute you again would be fun.”

Vixen couldn’t explain why she kicked him in to the carbonate basin. She had planned to disarm him once more and leaving him open for Orchid’s final blow. In hind sight, this worked also. And because of that, she really didn’t care. It was over and now they were to move on to their next objective. Much deeper, Cordelia screamed out for the man she fell in love with.

It took all of Cordelia’s might to fight against the madness to achieve this victory against the madness. During the battle, Cordelia did everything she could to help Auro. But Vixen and the madness was just too much for her. It was when Auro’s live was in danger that Cordelia found the strength to take back control, even if it was in such a limited moment. Despite the effort, she knew that Auro had been saved for the moment. With that thought, Cordelia was forced to retreat deeper in to her own mind.

“Auro has been removed from the board as a threat to mother’s plans,” Vixen said as she slowly rose back to her feet. “Like this, his mother will not be able to detect him through the Force.” Vixen smiled coldly, “His mother will be driven to uncover the fate of her son. Auro is her weakness, and now we have the means to exploit that weakness.”

“Nooooo,” screamed Unna as she leaped down from the high ground. She was wearing her traditional Zeison Sha Warrior garb as she landed atop of Auro’s slab. Her feet evenly spaced on either side of Auro’s frozen form. Unna swung wildly with her disk blade a successful attempt to drive the two attackers from Auro's slab.

Both Vixen and Orchid leaped backwards as they were surprised by Unna’s action. Despite being surprised, Unna’s wild attack was easy for them to dodge as they tumbled out of the way of the attack. As each of them completed their tumbles, they once more found themselves opposite each other with Unna in the middle this time. It was the same murderous situation that Auro found himself in. And the reason to why he was so quickly defeated. Vixen drew out her sword as she spoke with a giggle, “look, it’s another Jedi.”

“Vixen!” Orchid commanded Vixen’s attention. “Finish her,” Orchid yelled as she took a couple of steps back allowing her to disengage the melee combat.

Unna went to speak, but was cut off by Orchid’s command. Sensing the coming attack, shbraced herself for the coming attack, Vixen wasn’t about to disappoint. “Cordelia, please,” Unna said hoping to reach Cordelia, “Its Unna….we are friends…”

While Unna might have sensed conflict within Cordelia, that conflict has long passed. All the strength that Cordelia had, had been spent saving Auro’s life. In Vixen’s mind, it was just another Jedi who needed to be shown the way. Vixen giggled as she swung her blade back, “shown the afterlife!”

Vixen attack was wild and wide allowing Unna an opportunity to easily dodge it. Unna suspected that Vixen’s combat skills were not much different than Cordelia’s. It would be a critical mistake. Unna ducked as the blade passed harmlessly over her head. It allowed Unna to set up for her own attack. She reached out with her weapon arm and lashed out with her disk blade. “I am no Jedi,” Unna scream as she gave up any hope of saving Cordelia. She had to protect Auro!

Vixen watched the disk blade as if it was slow motion. As the disk blade sped its way towards her, Vixen started to bend backwards as she moved her arms out to the side. With her balance secured, Vixen watched the blade pass harmlessly over her face. The tips of Vixen’s hair was scorched by the Unna’s lightsaber Disk Blade as it passed over her. In one motion, Vixen planted her hands on the ground as her back reached the maximum amount of flexibility. Like a great spring that had been placed under tension, Vixen kicked her feet up.

Unna’s mistake now came back and knocked the wind out of her. Vixen’s feet nailed Unna in the gut as a massive burst of air exploded from Unna’s lungs. Unna stumbled back as she heard Vixen laughing, “now you are splitting hairs!” As Unna fought to recover her breath, Vixen stood up and lowered her defensives, “Or is that burning hairs.” She laughed again, “that is just crazy!”

In that moment, Vixen laughed again as she leaped up and over the disk blade as it passed under her. “You will pay for what you did to Auro” Unna spat as she felt anger. It was the first time she had ever really felt anger. Unna had never really cleanse herself of the tainting of the dark side and now that taint was starting to influence her. Unna reached out through the force and commanded her disk blade to make another attack on Vixen. The blade arced up and back towards Vixen.

“Hey,” Vixen said as she leaped to the side and dropped in to a tumble as she avoided the incoming disk blade. “Do you take Republic Credits,” Vixen asked with laughter in her voice.
It was clear that Vixen pushed herself to narrowly avoid the attack.

Even though Vixen appeared to be winded, her joking words only angered Unna more. She leaped up and caught the disk blade while she spun in midair. She landed in a defensive position and for the first time, she noticed the wound in Cordelia’s gut. It was clearly a lightsaber wound and that was all she needed to know. “So Auro realized that you were beyond saving” Unna spat as she leaped up once more and unleashed her disk blade. The blade raced for Vixen with deadly accuracy, “Allow me to finish his job,” Unna added yelling.

Vixen leaped to the side as she parried the incoming attack and laughed. “Don’t finish what you can’t start!”

As the disk blade raced back to Unna, the two women found themselves locked in a deadly gaze. Confusion crossed Unna’s face as she tried to understand what Vixen was getting at. Vixen laughed again, “hey! You’re not really giving me much to work with!” It was if Vixen wasn’t even taking this battle very seriously. And that drove up Unna’s anger at the situation. She was being forced to face her own level of sarcasm. As Vixen spoke, Unna reached out and caught her disk blade.

‘It’s time for a different approach,’ Unna thought. She smiled, “So you are working with Orchid. The girl with mommy issues.”

Vixen nodded, “yeah I know. But it’s better than working with a brother complex!” Vixen started to move to the left forcing Unna to match Vixen’s pace, as she moved to her right.

“I don’t have a brother complex,” Unna spat back.

“Sure, you do,” she said with a grin on her face. “Don’t you think I know why you are here.” The two locked blades as Vixen’s sword caused Unna’s light blade to crackle as if it was hitting another lightsaber. “I can’t imagine you staying behind. No, that is not your character. Did he tell you to stay at the ship,” she half questioned.

Unna spun and kicked Vixen in the leg breaking the blade lock. “I am here now” Unna barked as she unleashed her light blade once more. It zipped at Vixen once more.

Vixen spun to the left and allowed the motion to set her up for another attack. However instead of attacking, Vixen just moved to Unna’s flank. The move forced Unna to move back towards the carbonate basins. “I know why you arrived now. You waited so you could rush in at just the right time to save the man who you raise.” Vixen said as she readied herself for blade which was coming up behind her.

“He is my brother,” Unna said as she felt the anger inside her welling up. She wanted to control it. She fought hard against it. But for the first time in her life, she felt her control over it failing. She reached out with the force and commanded it to do her bidding. Reaching through the force, Unna felt Vixen’s sword in her grip. She pulled with all her power as she controlled the disk blade to make its attack on Vixen’s blind side.

Vixen’s sword leaped from her hand and flew in to Unna’s hand. Vixen didn’t have time to think about the sword as she leaped up and backflipped over the incoming disk blade. “Tell me Jedi….” She said landing on her feet. Vixen continued to read Unna’s emotions as she spoke, “how does it feel to know that the man you once cared for is so much more powerful than you are.”

Unna caught the blade as it raced towards her. Anger continued to well up as Unna spat, “I’ll show you power!” She charged Vixen using her sword and unleashing her diskblade. Blinded by anger that was quickly becoming rage, Unna didn’t realize that Vixen had let go of her sword.

Vixen shifted her weight as she allowed the diskblade to pass to her left. Vixen spun to the right as she deflected Unna’s attack with her own sword. A powerful kick to Unna’s right knee caused her to drop to a knee. “You want to see power,” Vixen said as she placed her hands on either side of Unna’s head. Red lighting shot from her finger and danced over Unna’s head. Vixen let out a laugh that was almost demonic.

As red lighting danced over Unna’s face, Vixen’s face lit up with dancing red shadows. Unna let out a scream as she was unable to move. She felt power pulsating through her. She felt pain on the level that she had never imagined before. Vixen looked up to the ceiling as she continued to laugh out loud. Her face shifted to that of some strange creature who’s face appeared to be half decomposed. Within moments, it was over. The red light stopped and Unna fell to the ground.

Vixen reached down and picked up her sword, “you know, that’s the second time I lost my weapon today.” She turned and walked back towards Orchid who was still waiting by Auro’s slab.

“I thought I told you to finish her,” Orchid said coldly.

Behind Vixen, Unna struggled to get back to her feet. Unlike normal, this simple task took all of Unna's effort. She reached her hand towards her disk blade that had landed some meters away from her. Unna reached her hand out as she attempted to summon the blade back to her hand. She stumbled forward and lost her balance. Landing on her hands and knees, Unna attempted once more to reach out for her disk blade through the Force. It was in that moment that Unna realized what had happened to her.

Vixen smiled, “I did…..”

Despite her condition, Unna made a last ditch effort to stop them. Orchid only force pushed Unna away. For them, Unna wasn't even worth any further effort to engage. Orchid and Vixen escorted Auro’s slab from the factory while Unna was forced to watch helplessly.

As the darksiders ship slowly took off, Unna watched as the rain started to pour down on her. As the rain water washed down over her, Unna own emotions drove her in to depression. The guilt of her inability to protect her brother filled her with a sense of sadness that she had never faced before. It was something that Unna couldn't bear. She looked up at the departing ship and made a promise to save Auro and more importantly bring vengeance to Cordelia.

---

(OOC: Admin stuff, This post was created solely because Unna's player has informed me that she is not going to be able to play for the foreseeable future. The character, by her request, has been removed from play and effectively retired until such a time that the player can resume playing. The character will be returned to the game whole once the player is ready to return to the group.)

[Akirapryde]

Changing of the Guard
Coruscant News Network
Broadcast from RWS Vengeance
Date: 2919 AOK

Bail: “Good Morning to all the citizens of the Galactic Republic. I am Bail Organa. Unfortunately, my co-anchor, Sinya Lefe, is still out due to medical reasons. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go out to our colleague during her time of need. Now the news!”

“We are broadcasting live from the Hanger Deck of the Republic Warship Vengeance and what a scene we have before us. With the main hanger doors open, we can see the Republic’s flagship, the RWS Victory, in the distance. That proud ship is flanked by the Vulkan, a Acclamator class assault ship. And the Endeavour, the second Venator class cruiser. These three ships and their brave crews and soldiers make up elite Tenth Republic Division.”

“Normally these three ships would be patrolling their regions of spaced assigned to them by the Jedi Grand Council. However, that will no longer be the case. Chancellor Syrdash has ordered the Tenth Division to this place in space for a special ceremony. Under a special act of the Chancellor, the Tenth Division was removed from under Jedi command. Thus, many Jedi personal who had served with the Tenth Division for years would be reassigned to other Jedi units.”

“However, the Chancellor made plea to those personal to remain with the Tenth Division. To not take their experience and expertise from the unit. She offered that any member of the Jedi Order who wished to remain within the Tenth Division may feel free to do so while not placing their membership within the Order in jeopardy. It is unclear rather any of the Jedi personal will accept the Chancellor’s offer.”

“The more than thirty-five thousand personal is the single largest transfer of personal since the Order of Korriban. While the future of many members of the division might be unclear. What is clear, is the effects on the Jedi Order from the loss of the Tenth Division. The Tenth Division represents a cornerstone of the Jedi’s military flexibility. This comes at a time when the Jedi needs all the forces they have as more and more Temples and Academies across the Outer Rim start to openly defy the Grand Council. This move has only gone to hurt the Grand Council’s ability to react to the swift changing situation in the Outer Rim.”

“While the transfer of the Tenth Division came as a shocker to many. What wasn’t a surprise during the second half of this honored ceremony. The Chancellor’s own son, Jedi Knight Auro Syrdash, officially withdrew his membership to the Jedi Order so he could devote his efforts to serve the Chancellor’s Office. While this move had been whispered in the halls of the Senate building, there were hopes that Master Dooku might be able to use Knight Syrdash to help influence the Chancellor.”

“The surprises of this day were far from over. In a move that surprised even her own military advisors, Chancellor Syrdash named Auro Syrdash as a defender of the Republic. Many suspected that Auro Syrdash would serve the Chancellor in a more political role. Those thoughts came to an end when the Chancellor named Auro Syrdash, Lord Sembla, and announced that he would act as her official liaison in the Outer Rim.”

“I would like to play a short excerpt of what the Chancellor said regarding this critical move.”

“In the past months, we have seen peaceful protests grow in to violent uprisings targeting Jedi facilities across the Outer Rim. Mimar is just one example of these violent uprisings. Lord Sembla and his brave group managed to stop the uprising on this this world. Sadly, this didn’t prevent the loss of life that was experienced at the Jedi Temple on Myrkr. While I, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, acknowledge that this is a Jedi matter I must also accept that innocent lives will undoubtedly fall between these two factions. Lives will be placed in harm’s way and they will need a protector.”

“Their protector will be my son, Lord Sembla! And to facilitate his mission, I am assigning Lord Sembla the Tenth Division. It is my deepest hope that with the support of the Tenth Division, Lord Sembla will be able to help protect those innocent lives caught in the middle of this growing conflict.”

“A telling statement from the Chancellor herself. For the first time since she took office, she has acknowledged the growing tensions between the Coruscant Jedi Order and those of the Outer Rim. More importantly she has acknowledged that this tension can cause harm to the Republic and its citizens.”

“Placing Lord Sembla in command of the Tenth Division, it has effectively removed Master Ooth Sang as the Jedi commander of the Ten Division. While Master Sang’s post was only a temporary position, it has been suspected within both the Jedi and Republic Military commands that Jedi Knight Kali Demaya would take command of the Tenth Division. Knight Demaya was the former student of the legendary Jedi Master Uris Chun, and was a favorite to led the Tenth Division.”

“Now, for the time being this young protégée will remain in command of the 2nd Battalion, Tenth Division and the Vengeance. It is unclear at this time, if Knight Demaya will request a transfer to another Jedi unit or remain with the Tenth Division. Already Master Sang and six other Jedi have requested a transfer. These are the only changes that we have been informed of through military channels.”

“Based on the changes that the Chancellor has taken; our own analyst has questioned if these changes are within the scope of the Chancellor’s powers. That being said, those very same analyst have all agreed that these changes are well within the power of the General of the Grand Army of the Republic. When the Chancellor first took office, she promised to find a suitable replacement for herself as General of the Grand Army of the Republic.”

“Now with this move made, it has become clear that the Chancellor has no objections of using her previous post to ensure that her vision of the Republic becomes a reality. A path that would surely upset her critics within the Galactic Senate. While this move will come as a complete surprise to those critics, their backlash will not be. We are awaiting word from Vice Chair Ra Cuth’s office for comments on these actions.”

“Near the end of her speech, Chancellor Syrdash unveiled one more surprise for those critics as she targeted her next major political battle.”

“Democracy has always been at the core of my being. Since I was a little girl, I have always seen the Republic, its voice and leadership [the Galactic Senate] as core to what makes the Republic great. The Galactic Senate has always been the voice of the people. During my many years of service to the Republic, I have seen great and wonderous things come from the Senate. However that is not the case any longer.”

“Since the ruthless murder of my FRIEND and Mentor, Supreme Chancellor, Lord Jedi Sephon Tirrel, conflict has gripped the heart of the Senate. Conflict over the succession of power. These attacks carried out by my political enemies have caused the Republic to become distracted from the real threat that is growing within the Republic. While bickering between members of the Senate are fanned by ranking officials, the growing Jedi crisis in the Outer Rim has gone unaddressed.”

“Unfortunately, I had been distracted with the affairs of the Outer Rim to directly address the growing dysfunction of the Senate. For too long, I have been forced to lead the Republic from the Victory. No More! Now that I can trust that the Republic citizens of the Outer Rim are in the capable hands of Lord Sembla and his Tenth Division, I can refocus my efforts on the Galactic Senate.”

“That the peoples’ agenda is not being addressed. That their voices are not being heard. Forces within the Senate, with strong ties to the Outer Rim, have paralyzed the Galactic Senate using my Chancellorship as a distraction. Somehow claiming that I don’t have any legitimate claim to this honored office. As the Supreme Chancellor, I must acknowledge that this situation in the Senate must come to a head.”

“For those that would ignore the people’s cry for justice, I say this. NO MORE! I am placing my political enemies, rivals and critics on notice! At the closure of this ceremony, I will take the Victory back to Coruscant. I will face my enemies with the courage the people of the Republic has filled me with. I will take to them the battle that they have been craving. If they desire a political war, then that is what they will have.”

“Upon my return to Coruscant, I will call for a general vote within the Galactic Senate to confirm my Chancellorship and put to rest the legitimacy of my administration once and for all. And once I have cleared this hurdle, I have a personal message for Vice Chair Ra Cuth! Once YOU are forced to accept the WILL of the people, I will gladly accept the resignation of you and your cronies! Only then, can the peoples will be done in the Senate.”

“Powerful words from a strong and able leader. You have heard it first, here on CNN. This is Bail Organa, from the Republic Cruiser Vengeance reporting live!”

[Akirapryde]

Monsters Vanquished!
Coruscant News Network
Broadcast from Coruscant
Date: 2919 AOK

Bail: “I am Bail Organa, and I am sorry for interrupting your normally scheduled show. But we have some amazing news for our viewers.”

Sinya: “I am Sinya Lefe, the people of the Great Galactic Republic can sleep soundly tonight!” she paused a moment before continuing, “we were just informed by the Jedi Order that Hunters with the assistance of the Chancellor’s office managed to stop one of the most dangerous criminals in the known Galaxy.”

Bail: “A couple of days ago, Senator Palpatine was kidnapped from his suite at the Royal Palace of Naboo. Thanks to the brave and diligent work of Prince Biggs Saar, the lead Jedi Hunter on the case, they were able to track down the gang responsible for the kidnapping.”

Sinya: “Enter the Chancellor’s son, Lord Sembla. With the coordination from Prince Saar, Lord Sembla led an elite strike team to rescue the Senator and members of the Starchaser family. At the same time, Prince Saar’s Jedi Hunters kept most of the gang occupied. It was a highly-coordinated operation that couldn’t have been carried out by either side separately.

Bail: “As a result of this joint operation, Barriss Offee, Vixen and many unidentified gang members were killed at the scene.”

Sinya: “As many of our viewers already know, Barriss Offee and Vixen are considered some of the innermost ringleaders of this gang. Both were well known for their brutal crimes committed across the galaxy. Their deaths have been celebrated as triumphs of Prince Saar and his Hunters.”

Bail: “To bring this triumph in to focus, we have a recording interview with Jedi Hunter, Prince Biggs Saar.”

Sinya: “Let’s go to that clip.”

Prince Saar: “What started with the murder of Jedi Knight Cordelia Chase, has finally come to a head during this operation. Hunters from across the Jedi Order had been following the clues left behind by Knight Chase, and what she had started was finally finished. Knight Chase will be remembered within the Jedi Order as one of those many unsung heroes that gave the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good of the Galaxy.”

Interviewer: “Where does the investigation go from here?”

Prince Saar: “The ring leader, Orchid escaped our nets. So, we are going to go after her. We have a few leads and will chase her to the end of the Galaxy if we must. Barriss is gone, Vixen is gone, and soon Orchid will also be a threat to peace that will be gone as well.”

Bail: “A brave man leading an important mission for all of us.”

Sinya: “Yes, I agree. Unfortantly we were unable to hold an interview with Lord Sembla. Carrying on his reputation of a soft-spoken man with limited words yet decisive actions.”

Bail: “Back on Coruscant, the Senate is gearing up for a political show down of the ages. It was just a few days ago, that Chancellor Syrdash called for a vote in the full senate to once and for all put an end to debt regarding her Chancellorship. This debt has plagued the Chancellor since she succeeded Chancellor Sephon Tirrel, who was murdered here on Coruscant. The debt centers on the accusations of backroom deals struck with powerful members of the Senate and committee rulings that took the full Senate out of the debt over who should succeed Chancellor Tirrel.”

Sinya: “These baseless accusations have circled the Galactic Senate since the day Chancellor Tirrel was murdered and Chancellor Syrdash was named by the Security Council as the next Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. This move by the Security Council ignited a violent political war between the Chancellor’s office and the office of the Vice Chair. The political fallout of this war has reached all the way back to member worlds. Recall votes have targeted supporters of both sides.”

Bail: “Powerful interest groups have poured billions of credits in to this conflict which has only increased the stakes on both sides. To up the stakes, the Chancellor has renewed her call that the Vice Chair and his supporters step down from the Senate upon their defeat in the coming vote. If the Chancellor were to win the vote, she has promised to remove funding for Quarren Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps and Gwori Revolutionary Industries. Two of the most powerful backers of the Vice Chair and his crusade to remove the Chancellor from office.”

Sinya: “If Coruscant was a divided world, no one would ever notice. As the Victory made its landing at the Republic Center for Military Operations, it was all boots on deck. The entire Air Field was filled with supporters of the Chancellor. Due to technical difficulties, we don’t have any footage of the arrival. However according to our correspondents, there were nearly three million people lining the military air field showing their support for the Chancellor.

Bail: “The out pouring of support for the Chancellor has made it clear that the upcoming battle in the Senate will be a long and hard fought one. A battle that our Chancellor has promised her supporters that she means to win. The Chancellor’s political rivals are attempting to lock their ranks for the coming political war. With stakes as high as they are, all eyes have shifted to Coruscant and how will the upcoming days unfold.”

[Akirapryde]

OOC Admin Stuff: You will find that this Intermission is a bit more informative than normal. A lot of this information that is already party knowledge. Some of it is still meant to be OCC, use some common sense please. I am posting this information to help the new players so they don’t have to go searching to figure out major events, like the assassination of Chancellor Tirrel. If anyone has any questions about this or other Intermissions, please PM me on the game board.

Bitter Defeat
Secret Base
Near the world of Myrkr
Expansion Region
Date: 2919 AOK

Screams echoed as sounds of electrical discharge filled the air. There was a moment of silence before the air once more crackled with more discharge. Along with the discharge returned, so did the screams. The body of a red headed young woman hit the metal decking hard. Her face covered with the look of pain while bluish arcs of lightning danced over her form. A thick black tattoo ran under her left eye. It was a telltale marking that revealed who Orchid was.

Orchid was one of the most dangerous Force Using criminals in the known Galaxy. Orchid is a known darksider who has set on the Jedi Order’s Most Notorious List for nearly a decade. She had been responsible for spreading unrest and chaos where ever she roamed. Her real name has alluded the authorities since she surfaced on the Outer Rim world of Frey. She was linked to the firebombing of the Jedi Temple on that world. Since that bold attack on the Jedi Order, her infamy only grew with other similar attacks.

Her smoking body quivered as blue lightning continued to dance of her. “You were warned, my daughter,” a voice said calmly as a new wave of bluish lightning erupted over her body once more. Orchid let out a scream as the bluish energy surged and washed over. It crackled and popped causing Orchid to dance across the floor as her body went in to convulsions. As quickly as it started, the lightning came to a sudden end. Smoke slowly rose from her body as residue energy continued to dance across her body. “Mo….mo…..mother, please……” Orchid tried to say as the pain was written across her pretty face. In the same moment, a leather boot stepped over Orchid’s form.

The brown leather boot ran up to the bare leg of a red headed ginger. Fair of skin and red hair, was hardly the same monster that Duncan had seen on Geonosis. Gone was the rotted decomposing monster that Duncan had seen on Geonosis. Before those watching stood a beautiful woman bathed in a long flowing white dress. With each moment that she took, the dress seemed to flow behind her. At time, the long cuts up the legs even dared to be more revealing than one would expect. In this siting, it was that dress that stood out the most. It was the kind of dress that a noble woman on Naboo would ware during the summer months.

The large room was filled with two dozen well-armed, armored men who wore masks over the lower halves of their faces. It was clear their differences, that they were of different species. It wasn’t their species that brought them together. It was who they were that was their unifying trait. The style and markings on their uniforms indicated that they belonged to the terrorist group known as the Crusade.

The Crusade's radical ideologies paint a history of war and suffering, brought to the Galaxy at the hands of Force Users. For them, there is no dark or light side of the Force. They teach that the Force has brought nothing but suffering to the Galaxy. That those with its curse, are often left unchecked and out of control. Prior to the rise of Orchid, the Crusade was hardly a threat to the Republic.

For the past decade, tensions had been smoldering in the Outer Rim and the Crusade found a perfect environment to grow in. The assassination of Supreme Chancellor, Sephon Tirrel, who had been seen in the Outer Rim as a reformer Chancellor and friend of Outer Rim worlds, tensions have started to grow. While Chancellor Tirrel was a member of the Jedi Order, he had set in place a series of reforms that would have drastically scaled back the reach of the Order.

Ever since the Order of Korriban, the Jedi had the mandate from the Republic to hunt down any darksider and bring them to justice. Over the years, a massive prison complex was built to hold of the most dangerous. While the Jedi continued their hunt for the last of the Sith, new worlds discovered in the Outer Rim called upon the Jedi to help deal with darksiders who were not Sith.

With the passing of the New Nystao Act of 507 AOK, Jedi Hunters were allowed to ignore local laws and the wishes of planetary leaders while they were on the hunt of any Force Using Criminals. The uprising on Vinsoth in 672 AOK gave the Republic Senate the reason to arm the Jedi. It was these events, these policies that many Outer Rim leaders had protested. And these were the policies that Chancellor Tirrel had planned to roll back.

Tensions exploded on several Outer Rim worlds when former Jedi Grand Council member and Jedi General Praeta Syrdash claimed the office of Supreme Chancellor through a special act of the Republic Security Council. As Outer Rim protests have taken to historical heights organizations like the Crusade set it upon themselves to protect the Galaxy and police the Force Users. Currently their primary target has become those who favor the Republic and the Coruscant Jedi, a focal point for many of the protests.

Though their alliance with Rose and her Daughters appears unorthodox. The leaders of the Crusade believe that once their goals had been reached, they will simply deal with Ross and her twisted daughters just like they had dealt with other Force Users. They couldn’t see what Ross really was, or how dangerous she was. All they saw was Rose Sheridan. While she was a lovely woman, she was also another strong Force User. For them, she was nothing they had not already handled.

Their leaders made the unfortunate mistake of concluding that they needed her and her twisted daughters to insure the spread of Chaos across the Outer Rim. The justified the betrayal of their own ideologies that this union with evil would allow them to achieve what they only dreamed of. Like any deal with a demon, their dreams were realized. Growing membership had never been so good. However, it was quickly reaching that point when it would be time to pay the Devil its due.

“Despite your departure from my plan, ultimately, we were successful,” Rose said as she walked passed a badly wounded Orchid. “My sources have confirmed that Senator Palpatine means to shift his support from the Vice Chair.” There was almost a laughter in her voice as she spoke. “This could not have been possible if not for Lord Sembla. The Chancellor's son made quite the impression on the good Senator.”

As Rose circled Orchid, she once more let loss powerful bolts of dark energy, “all this, despite your foolishness.” Orchid let out another scream of pain. Her voice nearly gone from the screams she had let loss before. It was clear that Orchid was reaching the end of her tolerance.

The armed men in the room watched from behind their cloth masks, some drew enjoyment from what they were witnessing. While others saw it for what it was, an act of horror. Their eyes reflected the bluish energy that was dancing over Orchids body. Ross continued to speak, “this victory,” she said with anger in her voice. She pulled back the lightning to allow Orchid to hear her words. “Only cost me a highly skilled assassin and one of my Avatars.”

Beyond the circle of men, a lone Kel’Dor stood watching. Her anger slowly growing as she was forced to bear witness to Orchid’s torture. She wanted to do something, but common sense told her to remain back and silent.

“After all,” Ross said as she unleashed her lightning again, “I can find another highly skilled assassin and create a new avatar.”

“Mother, please!” Orchid cried out. Her voice filled with pain.

Ross tilted her head to the side as she stopped her attack, “yes my daughter.” She walked closer to Orchid so that they might speak. “Were you going to tell me how much you had to have your revenge on the Chancellor.” She reached down and grabbed Orchid’s hair and pulled her face upward so that she could look in to her mother’s eyes. “Going to tell me how you defied what I told you.” She pulled the hair tighter as bluish lightning danced over Orchid’s head. This ripped a scream from Orchid. “I said I needed you focused” she yelled unleashing more lightning in to Orchid’s head. This time Orchid’s body just went limp.

Rose dropped Orchid’s lifeless head and stood up. She spun around the room, “for we must get revenge on the Chancellor for her past mistakes towards you” She yelled out as she walked up to one of the masked men. “Tell me, shall I simply walk in to the Chancellor’s office. ‘Good Day Chancellor,’ wave my hand and rip the very life from her.”

There was anger in Rose’s voice as she turned to the body of Orchid, “would that make you happy, my daughter.” She then realized that Orchid had died. Her voice changed. It seemed to almost echo upon its self as she called out, “wake up!” In that moment, air rushed in to the lungs of Orchid as she let out a groan. The men each took a step back out of fear of what they had just witnessed.

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Orchid had been killed just moments ago. Now, as if answering the order of her Mother, she returned to life. “Ma…..Mother…please….mercy….” was all the broken Orchid could get out as she laid on the cold hard metal floor.

Without look back, Rose frowned. As if something had reached out and grabbed Orchid by the throat, she slowly rose up off of the ground. “My daughter. If you defy me again, I will kill you over and over again. Then I will take your mind from you like I took Cordelia’s. You will be nothing more than a mindless drone. I expect you to remain in the shadows. Remain clear of Auro, his team, and his mother.”

Her eyes fell upon one of the leaders of the Crusade. He was the ranking most member in the group around her. He was also the leader of the Crusade units during the Naboo mission. “Your failure in this was also made clear to me. You also had your orders, and still you allowed my daughter to sway you from my plans.” As Orchid slowly rose off the ground, so did the leader of the Crusade. While his men stood in shock, Rose continued, “I expected so much from my daughter. But you were warned about crossing me.”

With both powerful figures now floating in midair and chocking, Roses anger was clearly felt and seen by all. “You both failed me on Frey,” she yelled causing the entire facility to shake by her anger alone. “You both failed me on Olivan and now on Naboo!”

The soldiers of the Crusade all stood numb as they watched helplessly. They wanted to do something, but each knew that there was nothing they could do right in that moment. There was a plan in place, and each knew how important it was to continue with the plan. One thing was for sure, the anger in their eyes was clear. When the reckoning came, this Force Using whore would be their first target.

“My lovely Daughter,” Rose said as Orchid dropped back to the metal deck. Orchid coughed as air finally filled her lungs. “You will return to Naboo and recover Cordelia's lost sword.” The leader of the Crusade remained fighting for life above the metal ground.

She half laughed as she walked over the man hanging in midair. “To think that what I have been searching for all this time was right under my own nose.”

He struggled to speak but the Force holding his throat only allowed for s gurgle. “Shhhh” Rose said softly, “I expected you to be more capable. I have given you an army to wage your war and you have not lived up to my expectations.” She glanced at the men around her before returning her eyes back to the man. “I don’t blame them. I blame you!”

On that note the man's head spun in a circle, twisting the flesh of his neck. The stretching of the flesh made the neck look more like a twisted piece of candy. The sounds of bones breaking echoed in the chamber. Rose turned to a man standing near her as the lifeless body fell to the ground, “you are Mathis, of Scipio, right?” she said.

Mathis stood there in shock as she spoke. He couldn’t barely take his eyes off the dead body behind her. He barely registered the fact that she called him out by name. He could only see his fallen leader laying on the metal floor. Then as if someone screamed at him, his eyes shot back to Rose as he nodded.

“Good,” she said then turned and started to walk away. “Mathis, I am here by placing you in command of the Crusade. I expect chaos to fill the stars. She walked past a still coughing Orchid. “Let us hope that I am not disappointed any further.”

[Akirapryde]

Victory in the Galactic Senate
Coruscant News Network
Broadcast from Coruscant
Date: 2919 AOK


Bail: “Good evening. I am Bail Organa; We interrupt your normally scheduled show to bring you exciting news from the Galactic Senate. We have just learned that Chancellor Praeta Syrdash has, despite the efforts of her critics, won her bid to retain the Office of Supreme Chancellor.”

Sinya: “I am Sinya Lefe, in a move that would go down in Republic History as a masterful stroke if brinkmanship, the Chancellor’s allies forced the vote during a scheduled Walk Out Protest which was being conducted by many senators from the Outer Rim. The protest was directed at the Jedi Grand Council over the events taking place on the Outer Rim world of Olivan. While the protest was a largely organized by Senators from the Outer Rim, all Republic Senators were called upon to gather at the steps of the Jedi Temple to show unity over the current crisis.”

Bail: (laughing) “With well over ninety Outer Rim Senators off pretending to be protesters instead of Republic Senators, Ra Cuth found himself lacking support ahead of the Chancellor’s vote. While critics claim the walk out was scheduled and that no votes were supposed to be taken during this time, I only say that this vote was also scheduled. And if I might add, long overdue.”

Sinya: “Yes, you’re right this vote was overdue. The Vice Chair, Ra Cuth, had scheduled the vote four times. And four times, allies and operatives from the Chancellor’s office forced the vote to be postponed. Once the protest was in full swing, the Chancellor and her allies made their move in the Senate. The Vice Chair attempted to stop the vote that was slowly gaining speed. However, a rowdy senate led by senator eDin from Kuat and Senator Pathaway from the Corellian Industrial Sector demanded that the vote continue. Within minutes the entire Senate was engulfed in a screaming match over if the vote should be allowed to continue ahead of schedule or not.”

Bail: “The Vice Chair had been demanding a vote in the full Senate for months. Now he finally got it and he got gun shy. Luckily for the Republic, Chancellor Syrdash does not have such flaws. She took to the senate flanked senators eDin and Pathaway. Upon her arrival, the Senate erupted in thunderous cheers and applauds. She was able to bring this out of control senate to order so that the Vice Chair, who clearly couldn’t handle his job, was able to speak. Do we have footage of that scene?”

(videos of a Grand Convocation Chamber of the Galactic Senate in thunderous applauds and cheers as Chancellor Syrdash takes her place at the Chancellor's Podium. A shocked and defeated Ra Cuth stepped aside for her to take her place at the podium)

Bail: “The level of presence and leadership that Chancellor Syrdash demonstrates is sometimes inspiring.”

Sinya: “Seriously Bail, we need to report the facts. (sighs heavily) Realizing he had lost the Senate, the Vice Chair had little choice other than to allow the vote to continue. He immediately dispatched runners across the Senate building to rally his allies. Despite many his supporters being absent for the vote, the Vice Chair was able to slow down the vote through a series of procedural maneuvers. The Vice Chair did everything in his power to buy time for his caucus to return to the Senate building. Most of the Vice Chair’s caucus failed to learn of the vote until it was far too late to do anything about it.”

Bail: “While the Vice Chair cried foul, the simple truth was that the Chancellor was able to mobilize her caucus while the Vice Chair was not. This answered the simple question of, who is the better leader of the Republic. Clearly the Chancellor proved her worth today. With the vote completed and OUR Chancellor made good on her promise. She demanded the Vice Chair's resignation. When he refused, the Chancellor called for a vote of no confidence in the Vice Chair. In a landslide defeat…”

Sinya: “It wasn’t a landslide.”

Bail: “Regardless, the no confidence vote ended the reign of Ra Cuth as Vice Chair came to an end. Might I add, one of the most corrupt Vice Chair’s I have ever seen in the Galactic Senate. Chancellor Syrdash has named General Sanders as acting Vice Chair unt……

Sinya: “What are you talking about? Ra Cuth is one of the most charitable persons I have ever met. He has done so much for struggling Outer Rim Worlds. He is a honorable and noble man. You know this Bail!”

Bail: “Outside of the Senate that may be true. But you can’t deny how corrupt he had become since he won the Vice Chair three years ago.”

Sinya: (Sighs again) “Per a source within the maintenance division, who wished to remain anonymous, the channel that is normally reserved for official Senate communications along with several other communication channels all went off line during this morning's votes. There are many who suspect that this unknown outage is the reason why so many senators didn't get word of the votes until they had been carried out.”

Bail: “I am sure that the Chancellor’s critics will claim that she had personally ventured down in to the bowels of the Senate Complex and sabotaged the communication system for the entire complex.

Sinya: “You can’t ignore the timing of this outage and the critical votes that were taking place.”

Bail: “I wasn’t there, I can’t say for certain what happened to those systems. And guess what, there is no report of foul play. Well unless you listen to former Vice Chair, Ra Cuth, who has been screaming up a storm since his ousting this morning.”

Bail: “And as I said just a few moments ago, those senators had a place to be. Instead they wanted to carry on with this senseless protest over what is taking place on the other side of the Galaxy! They should have been where they were supposed to be. They did the same thing last week, and the week before.”

Sinya: “Bail, what is taking place on Olivan is very important to everyone across the Republic. For the first time, we are being forced to have a conversation about the rights of a member world. And at the same time a Jedi Strike Division is about to arrive and the locals are gearing up for a war. Thousands of innocent lives are hanging in the balance.”

Bail: “Innocent! Ha! What about the dozens of Jedi Padawan, Cadets and Younglings that these rouge Jedi have imprisoned? I would figure a bleeding-heart liberal like you would at least be thinking of these children ahead of a handful of misguided and selfish adults who have filled themselves with delusions of grandeur. Anyways it's not even a Republic matter. While the Chancellor has shown support for the Jedi, she has made it clear that this matter is solely within the scope of the Jedi.”

Sinya: “Bail, I am thinking of the children. The children of Olivan and worlds like it. Master Dooku is wrong in sending forces in before negotiations could be under taken. This is a perfect opportunity for the Chancellor to show that she can be a leader without the use of force.”

Bail: “But she has! She has sent her own son, Lord Sembla, to Olivan to observe the situation and if need be, protect Republic lives should hostility break out between the two factions.”

Sinya: “The situation is far more complicated than you give it credit. And that pains me…”

Bail: “It's not complicated at all. A handful of misfits overpowered the Jedi Guards on Olivan and seized the Temple. They placed the clear majority of the Temple’s occupants in a make shift prison. Reports indicate that this rescue mission shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”

Sinya: “The situation is far graver than you leave our viewers to understand. Those same reports indicate that a few thousand Outer Rim mercenaries have answered the call to arms.”

Bail: “Mercs and misfits against one of the Jedi’s most prestigious divisions. Led by a member of the Jedi Grand Council. I wouldn’t be surprised if the mission isn’t already over. But unfortunately, it’s not. We have unconfirmed reports of wide scale abuse against the Cadets and Younglings who have attempted to hold out hope for rescue.”

Sinya: “You can't say that. That report came from a merchant who has a reputation for inaccurate witness statements. Remember that he reported that there were hordes of Sith on Frey.”

Sinya: “A report that caused the Republic Navy to deploy the Five Hundred and First Army to Frey. After a bloody battle for the world, the planetary leadership was in ruins and hundreds of thousands were wounded or killed. Across the Outer Rim, the Republic came out looking like invaders.”

Sinya: “And where were the hordes of Sith? An after-action report discovered that there were only a handful of darksiders on Frey. All that bloodshed and for what?”

Bail: “First off, there were Sith on Frey. You can’t deny that they weren't there simply because we didn't find the bodies. That is how the Sith remain in hiding, they are very good at covering their tracks. Secondly, we did discover that Orchid and her gang were on Frey. Master Chun and his Padawan, at the time, Demaya captured Vixen. On of Orchids most trusted lieutenants. This proves the seriousness of the situation on Frey.”

Bail: “You ask, for what? I will tell you for what. Baku’s vital fuel. That is for what. Because the Republic maintains control of Frey, and the city of Baku, we have a vital resupply and refueling base in the Outer Rim. The same base that is now supporting the mission on Olivan.”

Bail: “Now I have a question for you. Do you know beyond doubt if this report of abuse on Olivan is false?”

Sinya: “That's not....”

Bail: “Yes or no....”

Sinya: “Bail, let me explain.....”

Bail: “Sinya, yes or no. Do you know for sure that the report is false?”

Sinya: “No, I don't.”

Bail: “And there you have it.”

(paused)

Bail: “This is the reason why we must remain behind Master Dooku and his Jedi. For each of our viewers out there, we ask that you give a moment of silence for those brave men and woman of the twenty seventh as they are faced with a difficult battle. Their mission to rescue those innocent children caught in the middle of this nightmare. Those innocent children who have been left at the hands of vile monsters who would abuse them.”

Bail: “Give a moment of silence for those innocent children who need our help and support more than anyone else. And once that moment of silence has ended, let out a deep sigh of relief and let your gratitude be heard. For this is the reason why we have a strong leader like Chancellor Syrdash leading the Republic during these difficult times.”

[Akirapryde]

Admin Stuff: For some reason I couldn’t locate the name of the Capital city in my notes. So, I generated a new one. If anyone has the original name, please let me know. If not, ta-da! Also, I had to edit the months after Auro’s Birthday because it was mistaken. Some might ask, why am I doing the time that way? First I don’t have a clue how the months work in Star Wars. And two, its easer on you guys to be able to follow the progression of time in the game.

Setting up an Inferno
City of Jaoppolis
Outer Rim World of Olivan
Date: 2919 AOK (Six Months after Auro’s Birthday)

The rain slowly fell across the city of Jaoppolis, capitol city of Olivan. The lights of the city reflected down upon it from the low hanging clouds. This light gave the city a colorful glow that only added to its nature beauty. There was no thunder or lightening, just the winter rain shower. While the natural light of Olivan cast the city in a Turquoise color, the numerous lights from around the city created a rainbow of colors on that backdrop. This is what landed the city it’s nickname, ‘The City of a million colors,’ by the first visitors to Olivan some twenty thousand years ago.

The night had been one of festive activities. As the world celebrated it’s resent bid for Independence from the Republic. In a landslide vote in the Parliament, Olivan had official renounced their membership to the Galactic Republic. In an official statement, Governor Klahan, stated that if the Republic is led by a power-hungry usurper, that Olivan would be better off Independent. Across the city, and the world, street side performers entertained citizens of Jaoppolis.

What started out as a festive night ended in terror as a bomb exploded in the heart of one of Jaoppolis’ river side shopping districts. The bombing took place at a local favorite noodle house. Two people were killed, one of whom was the owner. Several others were wounded by the blast. As a sense of fear slowly gripped the once festive city, everyone started to realize that the bombing was an act of terrorism targeted at civilians.

While no one knows who was responsible for the bombing, local news reports indicate that it was an act of terrorism carried out by advanced forces from the Republic in answer to Olivan’s departure from the Republic. Before dinner time, the news of the bombing had reached even the furthest outpost on Olivan. The first stone had been cast by the Republic and now, Olivan and its people had little to do but wait for the fleet that the Jedi had sent.

If the bombing was meant to cause fear in the hearts of the people of Olivan, it failed. As the night slowly passed, more and more spoke out against the bombing and the cowards behind it. Fear was slowly consumed by anger. Anger for the Republic that wouldn’t force a free and independent vote in the Senate. Anger aimed at the Jedi on Coruscant for sending an army to take back that which wasn’t theirs in the first place.

Anong, who’s name means beautiful woman in Olivan and daughter of the slain Noodle shop owner, gave a tearful outcry regarding her father’s murder that was heard across Olivan.

An adolescent Olivan spoke with tears in her eyes. “I have a message for the Jedi, who are coming to invade our world. Tonight, you took my father from me!” Choked by anger and pain, she paused long enough to brush her turquoise hair back. Rain washed her tears down her face as her lips turned as she spoke with anger. “By the morning’s light, I promise we will take many fathers from their families back on Coruscant.”

Anong’s pain fueled her anger as she raised a fist in the air, “We will fight you in the skies! We will fight you in the streets. We will fight you in our own homes. You took my father! You WILL NOT take our world from us!”

For as far as the dark rain clouds reach, families across Jaoppolis started to slowly come together for what may be their last meal together. Despite the energy pulsating throughout the communities of Olivan, everyone realized the calm before the storm. There was no question about what was about to happen. No one had doubts as to what was coming, nor did anyone forget when that threat would arrive.

The Twenty-Seventh has a reputation for crushing worlds seeking liberty and freedom. Of all of the units the High Council could have sent, they choose the one unit who had brutally crushed the food riots on the Outer Rim World of Hublorth. The Twenty-Seventh was well feared across the Outer Rim, and for please like Anong, for good reason. And if anyone had any doubt as to when death was coming to Olivan, they only need look at any Holoplayer. A clock was slowly counting down the moments till the Twenty-Seventh was scheduled to arrive.

With Olivan’s military on high alert, one small band of mercenaries had gathered just beyond the city limits. The group of ten mercenaries had taken up formation within the trees and hiding behind large rocks. However, among them stood proudly a tale female with sharp red hair and a long flowing white dress. Her red hair seemed to shine and glisten from the rain. Like the rest of the city, the rain was washing down upon her as well. This caused her thin white dress to cling to her body as she stood in the small wooded clearing.

Rose smiled as she turned her face skyward, “I can sense the anger of the city. Their hatred boils over and emboldens them,” she said softly.

Behind her and in the background, a pair of massive anti-ship railguns pointed towards the heavens above the city. These power guns hit with enough punch to knock a hole in even a Venator's thick shields. These weapons were only a few of massive emplacements on world. The world boosts a powerful planetary shield, interlocking defenses. All of it, built by the Jedi and Republic to protect the world from attack. Olivan and worlds like it, made up a strong defensive line known as the Outer Rim Secondary Defensive Line or ORSD Line.

The ORSD Line consisted of nine worlds that helped protect the Corporate Sector from pirate attacks. Linked with worlds like Frey and Baklid, Olivan was positioned perfectly for this mission. The Temple built on Olivan was considered one of the finest in the Outer Rim. Many called it the Grand Temple of the Outer Rim. This is the reason why Olivan has always had such a notable influence across the Outer Rim. Therefore, Outer Rim world of Olivan is a strategically and politically important world for the Republic.

Unfortunately, it was what made Olivan so important, that also made it a focal point for those who became disillusioned with the current Jedi leadership back on Coruscant. For decades, Olivan’s Jedi had slowly become more and more distant from their Coruscant brothers and sisters. Despite efforts to bring the wayward Temple back under control, the ideals and philosophies of Olivan continued to drift further away from the orthodoxy of Coruscant.

From that rift, two factions within Olivan slowly emerged. There were those who saw a war with Coruscant as inevitable and moved Olivan to prepare for such a war. And then there were those who saw such a war as only feeding the darkness that was slowly growing in the galaxy. A shift in influence on Olivan allowed the more radical Jedi on world to seize the Temple and arrest those remaining Jedi still loyal to Coruscant.

Rose turned to Mathis, “the Galaxy is primed and ready for its transformation.” She stopped as a lone speeder approached. Mathis and his Crusaders readied their weapons. Rose raised her hand, “our guest has arrived.”

The speeder came to a stop as Rose walked forward. The lights of the speeder bathed her in a white glow as she stood there before the craft. She watched as the side of the speeder opened up and a pair of Crusaders pulled a hooded military officer from the speeder. But his uniform, it was clear that the man was a member of the planetary militia. Rose only stood there in the rain and smiled.

One of the Crusaders gave her a nod, “it was just as you said it would be. We took him, and no one is the wiser.”

Rose gave a nod and the hood of the man was removed. He fought against the two men holding him. His anger was clearly heard in his voice, “what is the meaning of this. WHO are you!?” He scanned the group and saw Rose, “the Jedi have gone too far now!”

“Silence” Rose said in her demonic voice. Over the air, her voice carried like a dark specter. Through the force, her will grabbed the man by the throat and started to choke him. “Who I am, is unimportant,” she said lifting him off the ground by her sheer force of will. “Who you are, Colonel Somsak, of the Nineteenth Air Defense Artillery Brigade,” His eyes widened with surprise and horror. “Is very important.”

He continued to choke as she continued to speak. “History records you, Colonel, as the man who ignited a war that would burn thousands of worlds. Billions of lives lost because of one order you issued in the coming hours. Of this war, chaos will be birthed across the stars for over a thousand years. So many worlds will die while others would be reduced back to the stone age. Entire civilizations will cease to exist. The galaxy as you know it,” she said coldly as she walked up and looking in to his wide blue greenish eyes, “will burn to ashes.”

He shook his head as she turned and started to walk asway. As she did, she waved her hand and he fell in to the mud. The Colonel landed hard as his face hit the water soaked mud. He rose his face from the mud and wiped it clean. “No, you’re wrong! The Jedi have always told me that the future is fluid and in motion.”

She turned back towards her and slowly lowered herself in to the mud alongside him, “I see the windows of tomorrow. In motion? Yes, this is true. But your destiny is at hand.” She smiled in such a way that only a lovely woman could. Her light green eyes glowed with a hint of red, reflecting the monster within. Her soft pale skin nearly visible through her white rain soaked dress allowing a casual observer to enjoy her prefect form. Rose could easily be mistaken for an angel, but for those that truly know her. They know the demon that she really is. “The future that you will bring is truly a bright and beautiful one,” she said with a wink.

She slowly rose from the mud and started to walk around him while he looked to his muddy hands. “Never” he uttered in anger. “Never,” he restated. “I don’t know what you think I will do, but I will never lead the galaxy to such a future.”

She slowly walked around the colonel as her men backed up. To some of them, they knew what horror was about to unfold. Others backed up, because they knew Rose was far from the angel that she appeared to be. It didn’t matter what world one was from, they all had a name for an evil supernatural creature. For the Crusaders, that name was Rose. They had learned to both respect and fear her.

“Oh, Colonel Somsak,” she said with a smile on her face and a hint of laughter in her voice. She continued to walk around him, like a predator ready to deal the final blow to its pray. “You have already done it. You just haven’t realized it, yet.”

He looked down in horror. ‘It can’t be true’ he thought. ‘The Jedi have always said that the future isn’t written in stone.’ His mind raced as he no longer paid attention to Rose. “I couldn’t, wouldn’t do such a thing.” He mumbled searching for the cause of such a horrific future. They had considered a limited war with the Jedi but they expected the Jedi to tire of the conflict and sue for peace. Then they would call for changes in the Senate before returning to the Republic. He searched his hands for the blood he suddenly felt that was on them.

Colonel Somsak had helped plan Olivan’s break from the Republic. Help the Jedi seize the Temple. Had he already created the events that would cause the war? “I will order a general stand down,” he mumbled. “Yes, I will contact Governor Klahan. I will tell him that we need to rethink our position, our plans. Sue for peace.”

As his mind raced, Rose walked up behind him with a bold smile across her face, “and to make sure you play your part in history.” As the words left her mouth, red bolts of energy leaped out from her fingers and danced over his head. “I will be with you every step of your historical journey.”

He let out a scream as the red glowing energy danced over his head. Bolts of energy crossed in to his mouth as his head started to glow from the energy being pumped in to him. He could feel Rose’s mind reaching in to his own. He could feel his own mind growing further and further away. He wanted to fight, but his body refused to even budge at his command. He was losing control over his own body and mind.

Rose, who stood behind him, just smiled as the red glow danced across her face and his screams filled the clearing. The Crusaders watched emotionless Rose slowly consumed Colonel Somsak. After a moment, she pulled the energy back in to her fingers. Rose nodded as she took a step back. Colonel Somsak slowly rose to his feet. His eyes glowing red as the last bits of red energy danced over his head. He turned to face Rose and they both spoke in unison.

“I shall make sure that history is made here on this world,” both figures said at the same time. Then they both added, “for us to be successful we must conceal ourselves from those who might wish to stop us.” The pair looked in to each-other’s eyes. “Auro and his friends are here, we must not allow them to know what we are planning. On that note, the possessed colonel dropped his head and closed his eyes.

A few seconds later he lifted his head back up and opened his eyes. The red glow of his eyes was gone and his voice had returned to normal. “In the coming hours, I will make sure that history remembers what happened here on this world. And the galaxy will burn for it,” Colonel Somsak said.

Rose turned to her Crusaders, “as for you,” she said to them, “you also must play the part.” She waved her hand and allowed the force to wash them over with an illusory effect. All twelve of her Crusaders now appeared to be Olivans dressed in local militia uniforms. “Your mission is simple,” Rose said.

Almost as if picking up on the same though, Colonel Somsak continued the statement seamlessly, “protect me at all costs. I must fulfill my mission.”