May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)

[Barondoctor]

Battle of Kalee: In the Trenches​

After learning the secrets of the Disciples of Twilight, I headed back toward CNS space. There was something itching at the edge of my perception, that I would be needed this month somewhere, and I needed to go there. Thing was, these two were almost on opposite sides of the galaxy. The planets spun by, my movements almost on automatic going to Bespin and then picking up bacta on Thyferra. I continued to do the meditations Darra had shown me that would improve my power in the Force, continued to perform the exercises from my Matukai training to focus my body and with it my mind. Blazing Chains was so strongly rooted in my mind I didn't need to spend much time on it. All the same, I did play around with the gun turrets a bit in empty space, blasting a bit of space trash, just to keep those skills sharp. I dropped off the bacta on Tython, barely making the time to say hello and dropping it off. "The Force is calling me elsewhere, but this was on my way," I explained.

This nudge was joined by my comm around the time I crossed back into CNS space in the galactic north. The message was simple: "Get to Kalee and earn the ridiculous paycheck we give you." Well, Kalee it would be. It had been determined that while Mandalore might be the head of the CNS and Taris its wallet, Kalee was its beating heart.

I landed at the Watcher military compound and wore my mask, my green cloak, my scythe. I still had my blaster and lightsaber on me and within easy reach, my medical kit on my back, but the scythe and the mask were why I had this sort of standing with the Kaleesh, my roots with Grievous and his personal guard. I was directed to the sacred temple of Shrupak.

The temple complex was beautiful and wild, like the rest of Kalee. I wasn't the first there, either. Grievous stood on top of the temple, along with HK-47, Kygeetu, the Silencer, and Ciaran in her mask. So, let's get this straight. A future war god of the Kaleesh, a legendary droid who'd recently gotten a lethal tune-up, the first Abyss Walker, the man responsible for Metalorning becoming a verb, and Darth kriffing Traya.

How the heck did I belong with them?

You're a Jedi Knight. You've got an eclectic collection of knowledge and talents that isn't quite at Ciaran's level but is certainly in her style of gathering obscure bits of lore to assemble something greater than the sum of its parts. You're also the only one with anything resembling medical training and the ability to heal people with the Force. Every raid group needs a healer.

It was probably telling that the voice of my mental pep-talk sounded a lot like Darra. I wasn't too proud to say that my time with her had done at least as much good for me as for her.

Introspection done for the moment, I looked to the skies, trying to find where the enemy would be coming from. It wasn't lost on me that the scene would look like a certain clip from a movie I'd liked. Granted, I felt more like the guy with the bow and arrow or the girl with the blaster pistol, but...I fit. Okay, let's be fair, I was also probably one of the better-looking folks in the group. Except for maybe Ciaran. But...let's not let that train of thought run too far.

I knew, if I was here and Kygeetu was here, the others would be here. "Koliya, any sign of them?" He'd saved my bacon at least once before, so knowing he was around as a sort of guardian angel would be comforting.

"I just asked the new Walker sniper that," I heard his voice purr out of my comm. "Nothing yet. Wait. Yeah, hostiles inbound, I'm hitting the alert."

With the alert came Grievous' usual inspiring battle speech. I drew on my training, and while everyone else was getting more alert and focused, I sat and meditated, bolstering morale and putting an image of victory into the minds of our allies; I pushed fear into the minds of the Huk who I knew would be landing.

<"FOR THE FUTURE OF KALEE!"> I heard Grievous shout.

I stood at that, drawing my Dragoneye Reaper and firing at the droids, with Blazing Chains ensuring I'd hit.

Every raid group needs a healer, the thought sat in the back of my mind. Back before I'd gone to Byblos for school, some friends had played a group computer game. I'd enjoyed the story aspect of it and wanted to participate, but I had other things I was doing and wanted to accomplish the most with the least intellectual effort. They recommended a "nannybot" priest; hang back, cure conditions, heal damage, and let them all do the fighty bits. Even when they weren't on, I could always find people willing to take me through parts of the game and do the fighty bits and other bits so all I had to do was the keeping-people-alive bits.

Why was that thought in the back of my head? Oh. Ciaran was chaining attacks through Separatist Hssiss droids and racking up a combo that would make a fighting game character blanch, her eyes glowing with power.

I saw Kygeetu slay another droid and start moving up to support her Lady. My precognitive sense shouted back to me. No. I reached forward, caught her by the shoulder. "I have no idea what the hell's gotten into her, but from what I can sense you should not get close to her right now."

I checked back on the others, watching the Kaleesh fall back to defensible positions and seeing the explosive carnage. The flood of Hssiss droids seemed endless. Time to start in on the tricks. I remembered my training from the Disciples of Twilight and began bending photons away from Hssiss droids, briefly blinding them before they were shot. I'd sling those photons in front of another droid, blinding it with a scattered phantasm of light in front of its photoreceptors. It wasn't much, but it helped. Cheating with cheap tricks and letting my allies kill things.

The droids disgorged from the lander like a river on their way to our lines; a river with an enormous cyan-glowing boulder in the middle of it. That was Ciaran. That was our lady of destruction. That was...the lynchpin of the organization getting drawn way out away from the relative safety of our lines. By the time I'd realized that, her sister Asajj was already on her way.

Something on the air. I couldn't pick up anything else. I holstered my blaster and drew my scythe. While I hadn't quite perfected vanishing in broad daylight, I could certainly try to blind the droid before attacking it. I found my opening and struck, to find that behind the droid was General Kenobi himself. A Master. On the Council. Here?

I held back and let the big players talk.

That was probably a mistake. Apparently Grievous wanted me to go with him to Abesmi to protect it from the Huk. Along with HK and Silencer. Three individuals who could easily make it to the Kaleesh war pantheon...and me.

I'd heard his squad talk about Abesmi. About the last time Grievous went to Abesmi being after his lover died. How he'd begged the gods to see her one more time, how he became the one who grieves after her death. It was their Olympus, on the Jenuwaa Sea.

I'd gotten onto the shuttle, sat down, and began to meditate again. An image of victory. Of lots of defeated Huk. Of our side victorious. I projected that image, with a ring of truth to it. Battle meditation was something I had pursued probably the most of any of the Walkers. Granted, I'd initially pursued it trying to get away from frontline combat, but it was still useful even if I was going to be there.

Grievous began his speech, this time trying to intimidate the enemy. I backed his words with my own meditation, sending wave after wave of fear at the Huk, that this battle was already lost for them, that there was no way they would survive.

<"Since they are so eager for death, it only seems fair that we grant it!">

I drew up my scythe, pitched my voice to sound like an immortal spirit in the business of taking souls.

"Death walks among you, and for the Huk? Things are...grim."

A/N: Does Riphath still have self-confidence issues? Sure. Has working with Darra helped with that? Oddly, yes.

 

[Semi-Autogyro]

Falling with Style, Part 1​

Kalee, Low Orbit

"That's it boss. Shields are about to go down on the remaining drone Golan platform and it's not going to last much longer after that." The Duros slicer reported from her master control station.

"Shut it down after they get a few hits in, then set the reactor to overload if any enemy IFF signature larger than a vulture droid is within range of the blast. We'll at least get to see if the CIS have updated their evasion subroutines." Epsken said while scanning the live tactical display on his wrist commlink.

The Slussi then turned to two of the new members of the squad, a surprisingly short and svelte female Wookiee named Rokwurro and a Verpine named Al'lid and ordered "Rock and Al'lid, help Xana prep to hot drop in ten. Moxxi, wave Cünuel on the TacNet and -" Epsken was unable to finish as the entire ship slewed violently from a massive impact causing the deck to tilt wildly, which tossed the majority of Mayhem squad around.

Their reactions were varied but mostly it was colorful expletives in their native tongues and/or screaming. The latter mainly from their Gungan mechanic who was sent tumbling headlong into into a open case of flimisiplasts. "Mesa okay!" Came the muffled response a half second later followed by a thumbs up sticking out from the broken detritus.

Nisskal slithered upright. "Oki, get Mussa out from underneath that while the Doc checks everyone out." The bearded Alderaanian medic, Ors, had rapidly clambered to his feet to begin checking on the others while the Clawdite proceeded to dig out her squadmate.

He keyed the nearby intercom button with a little more force than was necessary. "By the void, Oliva, what the kriff was that?!"

A nervous chuckle emanating from the intercom was his response from the Correllian in the pilots seat. "Eheheh...Sorry to report this fearless leader, but we just got suicide rammed by a droid tri-fighter. It tore off our dorsal quadlaser turret which scrapped the sublight engines from its shrapnel. We're dead in the black and drifting."

The Slussi grimaced. "Figures. What number is this now?"

Her reply was far too happy. "Six, though this technically doesn't even count since the Trayders Perrel V is still in one piece! So, I'm calling it a five-and-a-half in my book. Onna fulle guth!" She cursed in Correlian, "I just got the seat up here adjusted just right too!"

Nisskal didn't miss the subtle hand-off of credit chits between Issa and Sarrin at that statement. The Chistori was looking rather smug while the Duros was definitely pouting with how her arms were folded across her chest. "Could we limp to Kalee on maneuvering thrusters?"

"That would be a negatory, fearless leader. Even if you suited up and got out to push."

"Sir." Another female voice broke into the conversation on the intercom. "Something else you need to know."

"What is it Xana?" Epsken replied to their recently added Mandalorian scout.

"Multiple assault landers have broken through, but there's a group headed towards the Mournland. One was carrying a prefab garrison base and escorted by at least a squadron of droid fighters."

"Sithspit." The Abyss Watchers and Kaleesh hadn't put any troops on Kalees' sole island continent there since it was long abandoned and had been left as a silent remembrance of the atrocities committed there by the Huk. There wasn't anything to defend there. The only available forces would be the Kaleesh Wardens, and they were more frontier police than soldiers.

"Alright everybody. Get back here, suit up, and take five to get me a list of options to get down there. I don't care how bizarre or risky. We're known as Mayhem Squad for a reason after all." The Slussi shot the squad members present a wry look.

There were numerous chuckles and high fives as their commander walked over to M0-X1. "Mmm boss, I've already sent the relevant data to that blue hunk of a Chiss and the General. I shudder with anticipation what they'll do with it."

Nisskal facepalmed inwardly at the byplay, bemoaning his decision for at least the hundredth time of letting the quartet of Issa, Cheriss, Dani, and Olvia convince him to let them create a droid personality using a fork of HK-47's. Not that he didn't count HK-47 and MX-01 as some of his closest friends, but the galaxy really had only needed one HK. "Thanks, Moxxi. If you have any ideas, feel free to contribute."

"Sure thing, babe." She purred before sauntering over to the rest of the gathered squad.

---

A/N: I'd like to thank @Killerflood for betaing this and allowing me to use of his characters Dani Plenar and Cünuel Barnas, and also @Panory for letting me use his character of Oki Silas. For those curious, here is the current roster of Mayhem Squad:

Supervisor\Dispatcher - Cünuel Barnas, Male Human (Coruscanti)
Commander\Exotic Weapon Specialist - Nisskal Epsken, Male Sluissi
Heavy Weapons\Hand to Hand Specialist - Sarrin, Male Chistori
Pilot\Scrounger - Olvia Neal, Female Human (Correllian)
Rigger\Slicer - Issa Shir, Female Duros
Communications\E-War\Anti-Force User Specialist - M0-X1 'Moxxi', Female personality Class 4 Droid
Medic\Survivalist - Dr. Hadrian Ors, Male Human (Alderaanian)
Melee Specialist\Sharpshooter - Rokwurro 'Rock', Female Wookiee
Mechanic\Outlaw Tech- Mussaboon, Female Gungan
Infiltration\Espionage Specialist - Oki Silas, Female Clawdite
Combat Engineer\Saboteur - Al'lid, Male personality Verpine
Pathfinder\Tracker - Xana Ordo, Female Human (Mandalorian)
Force\Lightsaber Specialist (attached as needed) - Dani Plenar, Female Zeltron

 

[Dr. Snark]

Karrabac, Kalee Orbit

"Report!" Sk'ar roared out to his command crew as an explosion rocked the ship.

"Shields down to 20%, and while Trench's flagship has been forced to divert fire to the Oracle and her support ships we're still getting hit hard," a subordinate reported. "Much as we may wish to fight on to the bitter end, this ship will give out well before we do."

"Grr...what about their ship!? How much damage has it sustained!?"

"I - at this angle launching our pods at the ship would be suicide, they'd be cut down in seconds. But if we-"

"Whatever is necessary, do it! We shall cut the head from this beast! Contact whoever you can and tell them to target that ship's turrets as we maneuver!"

As the Karrabac's engines flared to life, the ship began to move through the now completely chaotic battlefield in Kalee's orbit. Ships were being ripped apart left and right whether they were Separatist or Council forces, and fighters rushed around the battlefield in massive dogfights to try and gain supremacy. However time had begun to shift to the side of the Council forces, as more and more ships started to arrive, responding to the distress call sent out from the planet.

Below the battle in the skies of Kalee, two armies charged at each other, exchanging fire before colliding with each other in a vicious melee. While the droids attempted to fire into it, it was dominated by the Huk and Kaleesh as both sides let their hatred of each other loose on their opponents. Screams of Kaleesh fury and Huk terror rang throughout it as Huk warriors attempted to rip apart their Kaleesh opponents, and the Kaleesh were all to eager to respond in kind as they brutally tore apart any Huk they killed.

In the midst of this battle a large group of Huk had surrounded the Silencer and had been trying to bring him down through sheer weight of numbers, though he would quickly respond to that with a burst from a scatter blaster or grenades, cutting down Huk in droves. Each Huk that died only seemed to enhance their terror and made them even more frenzied as they tried to bring down the demon tearing through their ranks.

HK-47 had chosen to deal with the droid forces nearby, opening fire on their lines and darting around to stay out of the firing line. While a number of shots managed to graze him and scar his armor, none managed to hit him cleanly during the melee.

Finally, in the center Grievous, Ciaran, Riphath, and the rest of the Izvoshra were tearing their way through anything that got close to them on their rampage towards the artillery batteries starting to aim for Absemi. Huk warriors and droids alike were cut down as they pressed forward - only to stop short as a familiar metallic screech echoed through the air. The group was suddenly halted as Hssiss droids leapt up from underneath the beach's sands and began relentlessly attacking them - and making matters worse was that the fight was also drawing a fair number of Huk back towards them as well, pinning them in place.

"Go!" Grievous shouted to Ciaran as he stabbed a Huk warrior that made it close to him. "You must destroy those batteries before it is too late!"

"General-!"

"I GAVE YOU AN ORDER! GO!"

While Ciaran started to protest she was cut off as she was forced to fend off a pair of Hssiss droids that had chosen her as their target, and suddenly Grievous found himself cut off from everyone else and pushed towards the water. Fighting continued around him, but the Huk warriors and Hssiss droids had stopped actively attacking, instead slowly moving forward and pushing him further and further back, daring him to attack...

Time slowed to a crawl for Grievous as he heard the sound of a wave crashing behind him.

...Was this what it was like, Ronderu? When you fought your final battle...not knowing whether victory would be assured after your death?

In that sense...I suppose there is one difference between then and now. I know Kalee will stand tall.

But...

He looked at the force arrayed against him, seeing how badly outnumbered he was and how he had been cut off from the rest of his forces.

I may not live to see that. Though in the end, I do not regret dying. Knowing that Kalee will thrive without me...I am ready.

A wave crashed against the shore, and he felt the end of it reach his feet...and something bump against one of his legs. He looked down-

And suddenly the rest of the battle didn't matter for that one moment. For at his feet was something he'd never thought he'd see again...the mask of Ronderu.

He slowly and reverentially picked it up and looked it over, wondering what whim of the gods had brought it to him in this final hour - before he realized that tears had begun to fall from his eyes.

So it was only now that the gods decided to answer my prayers? When I am ready to die?

His other hand tightened around his rifle.

No.

Not yet.

"Not yet," Grievous said quietly as he shouldered his rifle, strapped Ronderu's mask to him, and drew his Lig swords.

"I am Qymaen jai Sheelal. And I intend to survive this day."

He let out a roar of pain and fury as he charged forwards into his foes.

-----------

"MASSIVE CONTACT INCOMING FROM HYPERSPACE!"

Steela's blood ran cold as a gigantic ship appeared from behind the Tarkin's Folly, one that was easily larger than any Lucrehulk.

"Patch us through to Thrawn, now!" Steela shouted out, and within seconds his holoimage appeared. "Admiral-"

"Hold your position."

"Are you insane!? That ship will tear us apart!"

"Do not be alarmed, it is about to be occupied."

"Multiple contacts coming in from right behind it!"

As the Malevolence moved forward dozens of ships came out of hyperspace from behind it, led by a Lucrehulk with weapons that appeared to have been welded on to it at the last minute. Surrounding it was a significant group of corvettes and support ships, and as they exited hyperspace they began to open fire on the massive ship.

Steela was certainly happy to see them, but the Malevolence was already turning to fire at them. "The reinforcements are appreciated, but-"

"They will not destroy that ship, but they can stall it. Maintain the gravity well."

She gritted her teeth as the Malevolence completed its turn, charged up a circle of ion energy, and launched it at the reinforcement fleet - while most of the ships were able to dodge it in time others were caught by the attack and were immediately depowered, listing in space before they were ripped apart by turbolaser fire.

"Dammit, that's not going to be enough to-"

"Captain! One more incoming contact! It's...fighter-sized?"

In the distance a pinprick of light appeared at the edge of the battle-

On the ground, Obi-Wan suddenly stopped in place as he felt something arrive. Ciaran's hair began to stand on end as she felt her Force Bond suddenly begin to resonate.

In the skies, Ahsoka reflexively turned her fighter towards the distance. "Is that-"

Before she could answer her own question, her comm unit crackled to life.

"Sorry for coming back at a bad time, Snips."

"Master!"

The space around the Malevolence suddenly began to erupt with explosions as Anakin began tearing his way through the Vulture droid squadrons it was launching, and the fighters around him found themselves almost reflexively fighting in sync with him as he began targeting the Malevolence's turbolaser batteries, destroying turret after turret on his charge. By the time he broke away the reinforcement fleet found themselves facing significantly less fire from the ship's left flank, and began maneuvering to take advantage of the opportunity while staying out of the firing arc of the ship's ion projectors. Seemingly content with his work, Anakin's fighter streaked across the battlefield towards Kalee.

Meanwhile at the Watcher base, the droid armies had finally overrun the Watcher's outer positions and were beginning to march into the base itself-!

"It's time!" Koliya shouted over the comms. "Everyone, hit the ground if you want to live!"

He dove to the ground and heard the men around him do the same, hearing Piebald's wild laughter-

Then the world in front of him turned to fire as massive explosions erupted across the battlefield, with charge after charge that had been buried underground going off in a relentless cascade of explosions. Within seconds the droid army went from overwhelming to nearly wiped out, and as the smoke started to clear the Watcher forces and 501st began to open fire on what was left.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YES! YEEEES! THAT WAS EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED OUT OF LIFE!" Piebald shouted out over the comms with glee.

Meanwhile on the Jenuwaa beaches, Ciaran tried to make her way towards the artillery batteries on the ground she reached out to Anakin. How-

"I followed the Bond."

She gritted her teeth as she shattered a Hssiss droid trying to close in. Well, how far-

Ciaran trailed off as she reached out and felt Anakin's presence approach - and she couldn't help but be surprised at how he felt more...tranquil, for lack of a better word?

What happened? she asked him.

"I looked in a mirror. Turns out it did me a lot of good."

As she processed that blue bolts slammed into the artillery batteries, causing them to go up in massive explosions as the silhouette of Anakin's fighter briefly peeked through the clouds before vanishing. The Huk around her turned towards the destroyed artillery before letting out a shriek of rage and terror and started to go berserk, attacking both her and the Hssiss droids in a mad rage.

With that, she found an opening and began pushing back towards Grievous, and quickly met up with everyone else as the Huk began to go berserk and attacking anything in sight, making it easy for the Kaleesh forces to mop up.

As they approached, they saw a Hssiss droid try to leap forward, only for a sword to stab through it before retracting, the now deactivated droid slumping to the ground as the Kaleesh behind it collapsed to the ground, covered in wounds.

"GENERAL!" almost everyone in attendance cried out as they rushed towards him - without a word Riphath had already made it to his side and began patching him up as best he could. "If he doesn't make it to a bacta tank in the next few minutes, he will die," Rip reported.

A pained wheeze came from him as Ciaran moved to his side. "Grievous-"

"Qymaen," he said quietly. "My name is Qymean jai Sheelal. I am done grieving," and with that he slipped into unconsciousness...

-----------

Sk'ar roared in fury as his boarding pod pierced through the outer hull of Trench's ship, and he ripped himself out of it and tore apart the handful of B1s around him before beginning to sprint towards the bridge. The rest of the boarding party quickly gathered around him as they advanced, quickly dispatching anything in sight. When a pair of droideka rolled into sight and deployed, the Kaleesh tossed EMP grenades at them, and while it wasn't enough to shut them down it was enough to deactivate their shields. That was all Sk'ar needed as he charged forward and simply ripped apart the droidekas before stomping onward.

As he arrived on the bridge he found that Trench was already standing there, clearly waiting for him as he arrived and visibly unafraid. Curiously enough, there weren't any guards in sight, and while the rest of the boarding party gunned down everyone else on the bridge Sk'ar marched forward and grabbed the Harch by the neck, easily lifting him off of the ground.

"Any last words before I end your pathetic life?" Sk'ar said to him.

"Ha...ha...I may die today...but in death I become eter-"

His words were cut off as Sk'ar crushed his windpipe. "No. You were a pawn, and will be forgotten." With that he dropped Trench's body to the ground, and with the help of the boarding party opened up a channel. "This is Bentialis san Sk'ar. Trench is dead. Any forces attacking Kalee have already lost." Sure enough the remaining Separatist forces began to break away, and the Malevolence began to pull away, pushing through the surrounding fleet before eventually jumping to hyperspace.

With that, the Battle of Kalee had ended as dozens upon dozens of ship wrecks hovered in its orbit.

-----------

At the base of the Shrupak Temple, Ciaran, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka waited as they saw Anakin's modified Aetherspite fighter touch down, and Ahsoka couldn't help but smile as R2 beeped at her enthusiastically. He ejected out of the fighter as the cockpit opened, and the trio watched as Anakin slowly climbed out and faced the three of them.

He was now wearing white robes over a black bodysuit, and had a hood covering his face before he lowered it somewhat nervously. While he looked the same as he did before on the surface, it seemed as though he was much more...content, as each of them would describe him.

"Master!" Ahsoka said with a mixture of happiness and nervousness. "It's so good to see you!"

"Likewise. Though you don't need to call me 'Master' anymore," Anakin said with a light but warm smile.

"You've certainly taken a long enough vacation," Obi-Wan quipped. "Though it turns out that even with you gone I still haven't had any peace and quiet."

"I had nothing to do with that...mostly," Ciaran said, causing Anakin to chuckle at the both of their comments. "So...how are you?"

"...I'm pretty sure I've never been better in my entire life," he said before his face fell. "Though I say that, but the war's still happening." He looked between the three people in front of him. "...And I know now who's responsible for it all."

"What!?" "Are you sure!?" Obi-Wan and Ahsoka exclaimed, though Ciaran simply responded by folding her arms.

"...We are talking about Palpatine, right?" she said quietly.

"Yes," Anakin replied.

"H-how did you figure it out!?" Ahsoka said, eyes wide. "There's no way you could have...how!?"

"It's..." Anakin sighed. "It's a long, long story. I'd like to explain it, but..." He faced Ciaran. "Right now we should worry about what you're going to say to the inevitable Republic 'reinforcements.' After that we can talk about where I've been, what I've learned, and...what I'm going to be doing now."

She nodded in agreement before turning to face Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. "I'm glad the Resolute is already gone, but-"

"We'll take a shuttle back to it, don't worry," Obi-Wan said. "As far as anyone knows, we were never here."

"You seriously think you can cover up our help?" Ahsoka said to Ciaran, who merely chuckled in response.

"My dear, covering up the involvement of one ship's worth of clones is child's play for someone like me," she boasted. "The Kaleesh will claim that they won this battle themselves, my people already won't say anything, and everyone else understands that the events of today are classified. We can't cover up that a battle happened, but we can make a ship disappear."

"So...what are you going to say, then?" Anakin asked.

"The Pride of the Core is coming," Obi-Wan pointed out. "You'll have to do something spectacular to appease her captain."

"Knowing that there's only so much I can do in this state? This:"

[] "'While we are horrified at the events that have occurred, we will not be taking action until we understand the full details behind this attack. We do not yet know why Trench decided to attack Kalee, or even if he was being supported by the Separatists.' It's not much, but it's by far the least dangerous story I can spin here."
[] "'It may be true that we had to fend off an attack on Kalee, but the Council will find it hard to swallow that the Republic 'reinforcements' arrived well after the battle ended - how are we supposed to trust in protection and security like that? Let alone a military that loses track of one of its most dangerous enemies.' I'll try and turn the tables and have people focus on the Republic's 'incompetence,' which shouln't be too hard a sell with RI in chaos."
[] "'It's clear that with this attack that things can no longer continue the way they are, but the Council must come to a decision on what to do at this juncture.' We'll have to use bureaucracy to stall at this point. It means that there's going to be an answer expected sooner or later, but it'll also give me the most cover to work with."
[] "...Okay, hear me out..." (Write-in)

AN: And I'm back! Sorry for the radio silence - I ended up taking something of an impromptu and brief hiatus as I realized I was getting more and more writer's block when I was writing this. But after some R&R as well as some other good stuff that let me do something other than IH for a bit, I'm back, ready to go, and more than eager to kick things back into gear!

I realize this is a bit of a short update to end the main battle of Kalee, but hopefully it's a satisfying conclusion to the fighting itself - though there's going to be quite a bit to cover for the denouement. Also wanted to toss in a vote to help get things back into motion (and because it's a legitimately important decision to make).

Enjoy~

 

[Walkin' Man]

I wrote a thing.

At the Core of the Web.

In the shadows of her large office on the Oracle, Ciaran slowly swiveled on her expensive office chair, carefully manicured fingers drumming against each other as she reclined lost in thought. A dozen schemes and strategies were evalued and discarded, the fate of planets and desperate sentients decided solely upon the risks and opportunities they offered in the shadow war between her and her opponent.
A soft alarm sounded in the room and brought her back to reality. A rapid glance at a hidden screen showed her next appointment a few corridors over. Sorma Maal, veteran officer and trusted hand to call upon when a stain on the Watchers' reputation had to be washed away.

One of the many problems inherent to directing a spy network, she had discovered early, was keeping the appropriate level of surveillance on her own men. Sources and assets came in all forms, but to work in the intelligence field it took a particular kind of person; unfortunately, it often was also the kind that kept dangerous secrets and held hidden agendas. On Coruscant, she had made sure to run a tight ship, but as the Watchers grew, so did her distance from the mass of agents in her service and problems started to pop up beyond her sight. Sorma and a few others were her solution to the small problem of disloyalty in the Watchers and everyone had learned to keep major personal matters away from the organization, unless it stood to profit from them.
It was just one of the many ways she kept her finger directly on the pulse of the Abyss Watchers, and a hand on their short hairs.

The latest mishap was also the worst to appear in quite some time. Whispers from the lower ranks came to her ear almost unobstructed, yes, but it took her months to piece them together with the information from the Galaxy at large. A few false identities. A mercenary contract to hunt down a few pirates. An unimportant planet in the Outer Rim put on its knees by crop failures. Minor shuffling of personnel among Silver Cross bases. A Watcher team KIA during a mission. A temporary upturn of unsanctioned piracy in an otherwise calm area of the Expansion Region. Relatively small transactions between between manufacturers and a few shell companies. A few errors in the Karada production schedules. A group of new recruits kept united because of their effectiveness.
None of these were remarkable by themselves, but put together painted a grim picture. A maggot had been left to worm its way in her garden and she didn't like it. Not one bit.
As her headsman of choice came nearer step by step, Ciaran reviewed again the story as it had unfolded.

Burdin IX was a remarkable planet, in that it was utterly devoid of anything worthwhile; it wasn't even a particularly hard place to live in, just miserably monotonous and inconsequential. When the blight struck its grain monocolture, the Silver Cross may even have intervened, using the situation to paint itself ever more as the sole befactor of the downtrodden, but nine other planets, more populated and with worse ongoing famines, were brought to her attention and in the end Ciaran had chosen one of them instead. The planet wasn't ever part of the Republic and the CIS had nothing to gain by aiding it, so Burdin was left to rot.

What was a good Burdinoan to do, after even his boss had declined to help, you ask? Why, wire his own substantial savings to help his homeworld, of course. And, when they didn't suffice anymore? Start using the funds secretly squirrelled in many years of service to order necessary products wholesale from the producers. And when that wasn't enough? Maybe set up a piracy operation somewhere quiet and feed it juicy morsels with his inside informations.

Pirates are unreliable, though, how to keep them under control? How about putting his own sister in charge? She had turned to piracy after her smuggling business was strangled by the crisis. Ciaran wondered what the man's thoughts had been when a greedy crew had finally acted on its own and irritated someone close enough to her interests to know who to contact, or when one of the Watchers' many mercenary facades had accepted the contract to exterminate his sister's operation.

All in all, extracting her and her crew while the rest of the pirates was brought down was a sign of his skill in the field, if nothing else. Setting them up with new identities was sensible, of course, but their options from then on would have been to either go legit or disappear and hope the Watchers never caught wind of them again. Inducting them in the very organisation hunting them, though? That took courage.
Too bad he never came clean with it, she may have decided to spin the whole thing in her favour and gain some more unquestionably loyal agents.

Obviously, the obliteration of his pirate ring left the problem of Burdin's ongoing collapse without a solution, again, but this time our well-meaning Burdinoan had no assets, no useful contacts, no money and no plans. Time for desperate solutions, then. From inside the Watchers, slotting in a few more hours of production here and there at some Karada facilities wasn't that difficult, and with all the traffic in and out of refugee camps a few containers more or less aren't even noticeable.
With the Galaxy at war with itself, Ciaran herself had made much greater things disappear with ease. And if someone suspected something? Well, it's not like exchanges of favours didn't happen in the Abyss Watchers: a few promises, a few transfers going through and the problem went away. One of the many advantages of seniority.

Things seemed to have worked themselves out, hadn't they? Nobody got hurt, everybody was happy. Wasn't that what we were all about? Well, yes.
Until someone under our man's command started putting things together like the trained agent she was, discovered his sister's identity, the piracy, the embezzlement and suddently he realised he was way too deep in it and the only way out was to silence the agent or lose his career, his clout and thus have his secrets be discovered anyway.

He set the nosy Watcher's whole team up, sent them on a high risk mission and secretly put his sister's squad as backup; one slight act of sabotage, and the Watchers were reported killed during extraction.

Once Ciaran unearthed the truth, obviously the story could only end one way, which was why Sorma Maal was just outside her door.
Still, she would have handled it quietly, made the guilty disappear and written off the whole debacle as just another skeleton in her closet. The only problem was that Uxa, that noisy, wonderful Watcher, survived the betrayal of her team and was just a few hours away from meeting Gulan in a secure place, blowing the whole thing wide open. The Bothan had been already following the trail, the agent would only need to say the name of the traitor's sister and then, like magic, Ciaran would lose some of her advisor's respect and probably some of the Watchers' too. Her fame of near omniscience would be broken and so would the pristine faith of the Watchers in their own organization.

So, she would do as she always did: catch the crisis by the horns and twist it around until she ended up on top. When Uxa made the name of Cerima Maal, Kygeetu would be there to lead the Watcher to the ones who had betrayed her team. Everyone on the Oracle would know Sorma Maal had entered her office, hours before any of that happened, and then never came out. This betrayal asked for a personal touch anyway.

The door opened a second after the lights in the room had brightened and Ciaran welcomed the man as he stepped inside.

"I'm glad you could arrive so quickly, Sorma. Shall we adjourn to my parlour?"

The door closed behind him.

 

[Barondoctor]

Reaper Man: Bug Time​

As I hit the melee, I began carving through the Huk. One of the advantages of a background in life sciences is that I had a general sense of the best way to kill most beings. In the case of the Huk? Severing the heads or separating thorax from abdomen was probably the way to go. I scythed my way through the enemy, using quick movements to avoid ranged fire while anything that was close enough to try to hit me generally died to my blade. A battle droid's blast was going to hit one of the Izvoshra -- Donnaed -- so I pulled it away with Blazing Chains and redirected it to another battle droid, which had been lining up a shot against Ciaran.


I hit a certain rhythm until a swarm of Hssiss droids sprang up out of the sand, protecting the artillery battery we were going to try to stop. I retracted my scythe at that point, my hood dropping back as I called my lightsaber and blaster to hand.


The droids screeched and it was everything I could do to hold my ground and survive against the onslaught. Them, and the Huk, and more droids? Like I said, I'm not the greatest combatant. I dropped into my own hybrid stance, using Blazing-Chains-enhanced aim to go with the Ataru form I'd learned from Darra, bouncing from one enemy to the next, striking quickly and then moving before they could respond. Grievous demanded that Ciaran go wipe out that artillery battery, and I lost track of the rest of the conversation because of about five threats all demanding my attention at once.


I found myself drifting farther away from where Grievous was--or was it that Grievous was drifting away from everyone? I lost him. Somewhere. I caught a brief moment where there was just one Hssiss droid I was fighting and started searching for him in the Force, trying to sense where he'd ended up.


About the same time I heard a roar and felt his Force presence change. An old emotional wound was finally starting to heal, and a certain resolve had formed in his mind. Once I'd pinpointed where he was, it happened.


The Force positively thrummed with power. Someone had just shown up. There could be only one person--two people--who could make the Force do that, and given the resonance of Ciaran's Force Bond, there could really only be one answer.


Skywalker. He was in space. Over the planet. And it still felt like hearing the bass just outside a club that was throwing a massive party.


I fought my way over to Grievous, knowing that if that resolve changed at all I might have a hard time keeping him alive. By the time I got there, he had a number of blaster burns, probably a few busted ribs, and several lacerations, most of which weren't bleeding bad. I'd started working on one that was, but the Huk kept looking for him and he kept needing to fight, so all I could really do was tie off the big bleeders and try to keep going. "If you don't make it to a bacta tank in the next few minutes, sir, you will die."


Another shockwave and the corresponding cloud of smoke told me Piebald made a demonstration of just how much mayhem he could get up to, making me glad I was several kilometers away.


It was around then that Grievous found his way back to Ciaran, said something, and then collapsed.


"All right, I'm pulling rank. As chief medical officer of the Izvoshra, I'm getting Grievous to a bacta tank and doing what I can about his other wounds once we hit the aid station."


The Battle of Kalee was over. The Battle to Keep Qymaen jai Sheelal Alive? That one had just started. Fortunately for me, I had three big advantages: healing areas were my home turf, my patient was too unconscious to try to go out and get more wounded, and I had the rest of his personal guard running interference on anyone who would get in my way. He would stay sedated while he healed, because like hell was I going to let him go out and get in more trouble before he was better.


It was by the time I relaxed back and started writing my treatment notes that I realized it might be a good idea to try to find some Force Order that was specialized in healing others, preferably quickly.

A/N: The Guardians of Breath are scattered and were interested in healing. Possible some descendants might be around and findable.

 

[dermenscha]

Clean-up on Kalee​

Sahltag ael Sumis wiped the sweat off his brow, the harsh sun a glaring change, albeit an unwelcome one, from a few days ago.

What had been a frantic battle for the survival of Kalee had now become a series of long, boring patrols via walking. The Huk and Hssiss droids had scattered into the thick jungle, forcing the Kalee to send out warriors to hunt down each small group. But with each hour, fewer and fewer reports came in of small-scale battles breaking out. Soon, the entire invading force would be wiped out.

Sumis couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief at that. As much as the prospect of battle caused his hunter's blood to rise in anticipation, the decreased chance of death had a certain appeal to it as well.

But before he could truly relax, his small group of four needed to finish climbing this damn mountain. Huntmaster Preskotta's wiry voice, transmitted three hours past, told them to get to the top of the towering peak to spot any obvious signs of CIS forces. Apparently, nor orbitals could be spared, and nothing in-atmosphere cared enough to look at an area somewhat far away from any of the large battles or crash sites.

Speaking of crash sites...

He turned his head slightly back and raised his voice, "Hey Udianos, heard anything new about that Recusant that landed about fifty kliks away?"

The taller Kalee shook his head. "Nothing new. The invaders are still inside, though no one is particularly keen on getting in. Apparently, they're a nightmare to fight, so our friendly local Watchers might send some specialized people in."

A scoff from the heavy weapons member of the group followed that remark. "Come now, Udianos, you can't mean to tell me that our fellow Kaleesh aren't looking for a fight?" Tamait dae Norad'ha hefted her Z6 slightly for emphasis. "Surely it can't be that hard to fight a bunch of droids, much less ones with only half a ship that fell from vacuum."

Sumis heard the shrug in Udianos's voice. "It couldn't be that simple, or else someone would have already done it. Granted, it does seem pretty easy, the tight corridors should make it hard to dodge blades, but maybe I'm missing something."

"Not you, maybe," Tamait laughed, "Just the ones in charge who lack their warrior spirit!"

"Quiet down, we don't want to attract attention." This injection from Nahand oel Nahdow almost caused Sumis to close his eyes in exasperation.

"For the fifth time, Nahand", he grinded out, "We are walking up an exposed ridge. In the case of both the Huk-" four simultaneous spits "and the droids, their vision is better than their hearing. If they haven't seen us, they can't hear us."

"And what if they are buried underground?" The by-now famliar retort came.

"That's why you have the scanner, and you're in front." Seems like Tamait was just as tired of the game as they all were.

"It's another hour to the top, then we'll get all the equipment set up." Udianos stated. "Should be easy from there, with Qymaen's blessing."

A pause. "Ahhh, Udianos? The General is still alive."

"... And? If any has earned godhood in the halls of the ancestors it is him."

"He's right, you know." This from Nahand, adjusting a dial on the nearly comically large scanning device on his hip. "Some of the people say he's already ascended, but has left his mortal shell behind to continue fighting."

Sumis felt his right eye twitch. "That's not how that works. You die, then in the afterlife, and not before, do you ascend."

"Sorry Sumis, gotta agree with the others on this one. Our General is already divine, this is just confirmation." He could feel Tamait's nod of agreement in her words.

"And," Udianos added with a firm voice, "In the future all Kaleesh will be measured on the Grievous scale. And none of us will be more than a 0.8."

Another hour of this to go, Sumis realized. It almost made him wish for the Vulture Droids in the rain again. Almost.

(Credit to @Dark as Silver for the "0.8" quote).

 

[Dr. Snark]

Kalee

"'This brutal and unprovoked attack was committed with a Separatist fleet, yes, but this was not a Separatist attack,'" Ciaran began to say to a visibly curious Ahsoka, bemused Anakin, and worried Obi-Wan. "'We were warned by a high-level source within the CIS government that Admiral Trench had gone rogue and was no longer responding to commands from the Separatist Council or Parliament. It was because of that warning that we were able to prepare for and defeat Trench's attack here on Kalee. It is not clear whose orders Trench was following, but we are confident they did not come from the Confederacy of Independent Systems.'" With that Ciaran grinned. "We take a strong stand, laying no blame on the CIS and using our media outlets to tamp down on the calls for war, while we dangle bait in front of Palpatine by revealing that we have allies and assets within the Separatist government. That way, he'll have to commit some of his agents to investigate the leak, while we plant evidence and lead them by the nose to the wrong conclusion."

"That's...are you sure it's wise to expose such valuable information?" Obi-Wan countered. "I for one wasn't even aware you had these connections."

"Ah, but that's the key factor in this whole thing," Ciaran explained, her grin becoming far more vicious. "Even though I'll be letting Palpatine know that I have a source, the way I'm revealing this information means that he's far more likely to overlook them."

"So...can you tell us who exactly this person is?" Ahsoka asked nervously. "It seems like they're pretty important..."

"They are, which is exactly why I can't do that," Ciaran said, folding her arms. "This isn't a trust issue or anything - the problem is that if I even mention their identity it could put them into incredible jeopardy. For now they're best acting as though everything is fine and they are a loyal member of the Separatists." She looked at each of the three Jedi in turn. "Anyway. Is that all you need to know?"

"I still have some doubts..." Obi-Wan said nervously.

"Master, it's probably the best that can be done in this situation," Anakin replied. "It's going to be difficult to explain away the hulks in orbit."

"That reminds me...you did say that you'd give us an explanation on where you've been," Obi-Wan said to Anakin, looking at him with visible concern. "I can certainly tell that it's changed you quite a bit..."

"Yeah...you're still...you, right, Skyguy?" Ahsoka asked, far more nervous. "I mean, it's not that you're different in a bad way, but-"

"I get it, Snips," Anakin said with a light smile on his face. "The short version is that back on Mortis, the Son showed me visions of a terrible future where I was..." He sighed. "I was a monster, corrupted by the Dark Side." He pointed at Obi-Wan. "In that future, I killed you. And Padme. And so, so many people...and when I saw them for myself I knew somewhere deep inside me that they were the truth."

"...You can't be serious..." Ahsoka muttered quietly, though Obi-Wan's face visibly fell as he heard Anakin speak.

"...I suppose that had that future come to pass, I would have been right when I said you would be the death of me," he bitterly noted.

"Master, you can't believe that he would do things like that!" Ahsoka shouted out.

"He's right, though," Anakin said, drawing attention back to him. "In hindsight...I was doomed to fall. Fortunately someone I knew decided to stick their nose in where it didn't belong."

"Hey, it worked," Ciaran said with a huff.

"Those visions were tormenting me for a while, but after the Temple Massacre...I couldn't stop running away from them anymore. So I decided to go on a bit of a journey to find myself. And eventually, I found myself looking in a mirror and..." He smiled, as though enjoying some joke that only he was privy to. "I started to realize who I really was - or more accurately, who I wasn't."

"And what is that, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked solemnly.

In response Anakin sighed. "...Not a Jedi - at least not a Jedi as the Order sees it." As everyone stared at him wide-eyed, he folded his arms. "How do I put this...I still believe in protecting the innocent, fighting for justice, and all of those things. That's never going to change. But...I can't see myself as a Master on the Council like you," he said, specifically focusing on Obi-Wan. "It's not just that I can be a bit..." He smirked. "Let's call it 'headstrong?'"

"Cocky," Ahsoka pointed out.

"Reckless," Obi-Wan added.

"Hot-headed would also be good too," Ciaran finished with a smirk.

"Definitely not 'serene' or 'peaceful' though," Anakin replied after a light chuckle. "Look at me. I'm just not meant to be a part of the Jedi Order. How many times have I been told to stop being so reckless, to rein in my emotions, to actually act like a Jedi? I've lost count at this point." His eyes fell before he faced Obi-Wan. "Don't misunderstand me. I'm still so grateful for what you taught me and being your Padawan was one of the best times of my life." Then Ahsoka. "And I couldn't have asked for a better Padawan. But even with all of that I am not a Knight of the Order."

"So what does that make you?"

Everyone turned to look at Ciaran, whose eyes had locked onto Anakin. "If you aren't going to be a part of the Order, then what are you?"

"Right now, I'm an exile who just wants to fight for the people he cares about and the galaxy he wants to protect," Anakin replied without hesitation. "I'll worry about what I actually am when I have the luxury of knowing that Palpatine is dead."

"Um...you still didn't explain how you know about him..." Ahsoka pointed out.

"I saw his face and heard his voice in those visions," Anakin explained with a shrug. "Both were distorted, but not enough for me to not recognize him."

"Normally I would dismiss that out of hand by virtue of how absolutely insane that sounds, but if it's connected to Mortis I'm prepared to believe anything." Obi-Wan said before sighing resignedly. "That reminds me though...you haven't heard about the state of the Coruscant Order yet, have you?"

"...What happened?" Anakin quietly asked.

"A Wound in the Force has formed in the Temple."

Anakin's eyes widened as Obi-Wan grimly continued. "We've already learned that everyone still there has already begun to be affected by it, and right now Ahsoka and I plan on trying to find Master Yoda - he's been going missing, and if we manage to find him we have a chance at sealing the Wound and preventing its effects from spreading any further."

"You're sure that will work!?"

"...It's our last hope," Obi-Wan said. "With his wisdom and hopefully what he has learned on his journeys we may have a chance. The rest of the Council is..." Obi-Wan went silent at that.

"I understand," Anakin replied before looking between the three people in front of him. "And now that we're done with the reunion, I have to say that there's a couple more stops I have to make before I can get back into things." He smiled warmly. "Don't worry though - it's not going to cause me to go off the radar this time. If you need me, just call, okay?"

"If I need your help, then the situation has probably gone too far out of control as it is," Obi-Wan said jokingly.

"He's right," Ahsoka added before smiling. "Still, it's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," Anakin said.

------------

Ausez, Karada Medical Center

Inside one of the bacta tanks in Ausez's Karada Medical Center, Qymaen floated peacefully as he slowly recovered from the injuries he sustained during the fierce battle that nearly took his life. Surrounding it were his eight Izvoshra, standing guard and ensuring that their General would recover safely. To the tank's side, Ronderu's mask gently hung off of a makeshift hanger, still visibly beaten up and untreated.

The room was silent before the door opened to admit Ciaran, and as she entered the Izvoshra stood at attention and saluted her, which Ciaran almost offhandedly responded to. As she approached she asked "How is he?" to no one in particular.

"Qymaen is recovering peacefully," one reported - Ciaran wasn't really sure which as she stared at the tank. "Much as we are sure that he would be eagerly welcomed into the ranks of our gods, he is still clinging to life."

"We will not leave his side, <Savior.>"

Ciaran continued to stare at the tank before she looked at the mask. "...Is that really the mask of Ronderu?"

"It is. We all recognized it - it seems that her will was able to carry that mask to Qymaen when he needed it most."

"...I suppose so..." Ciaran muttered, staring at it.

"...Do you sense something yourself?"

"...Not right now, no. And at the time I was too occupied to notice anything but the battle raging around me," Ciaran offhandedly replied. "But I've certainly got no reason to doubt that Ronderu was behind this somehow. I've certainly seen stranger things happen in the galaxy..."

-----------

Ronderu? Are you there?

...

I am sorry, Ronderu.

I was a fool. I was blinded by my grief, so convinced that others had to share in it that I nearly lost sight of everything that I held dear.

I know it was an arrogant wish for me to at least see your body one last time, and I still do not understand why the gods denied my wish then. Perhaps they tried to teach me a lesson, or were trying to tell me that I had to move on. However...I could not. How could I? How could I overcome the pain of losing you like that?

So I fought and killed again and again and still it never faded. No matter how many I struck down it changed nothing. I was still grieving. I could not move on.

And then we were saved. It was nothing short of a miracle for us.

I have no illusions about why she was so eager to help us. I fully understand that she did it out of her own self-interest. She understood what we are the moment she laid eyes on us; we were warriors, and she needed our strength for her own ends. After everything she did for our people though...how could I refuse to aid her? How could any of us?

So again I fought and killed, this time in her name. Sometimes it would be in glorious battles. Other times it would be prey that would be hunted in the dark. Sometimes I knew why I did what I did. Sometimes I did not. It did not matter - fighting for her was the logical way to return the favor she had granted our people.

And it was not as though I was a tool this whole time, Ronderu. She respects me. She trusts in my judgement and is willing to heed my counsel. I am treated as a warrior, a leader, and an equal. I would be a fool to spurn such things.

But more than that...as I journeyed through the stars, my pain began to fade ever so slowly. I did not realize it until I saw that she had given Kalee something I did not realize it had been missing until I saw it with my own eyes:

Hope.

...I dearly wish you could see it for yourself, Ronderu. Kalee is so beautiful now. We have become united. Our people have hope for the future.

...

...

...Thank you, Ronderu. I was ready to die for that hope, fool that I was. You reminded me that I still have much to live for.

I would ask for your forgiveness in making you wait for me a while longer, but I already know how you would respond.

-----------

Kalee Orbit

"This is Admiral Maarisa Zsinj, captain of the Pride of the Core." Her declaration was punctuated by the massive Mandator arriving in the Kalee system with a quartet of Venators jumping in formation around it. "Perhaps someone here would be willing to explain the massive debris field that seems to be made up of Separatist ships?"

"Greetings, Admiral," Thrawn coolly replied from the bridge of the Oracle. "I certainly believe we have some explaining to do..." he said as he went over the script Ciaran had provided him in his mind...

(Fallout from the Battle of Kalee will be detailed during the Turn 30 prologue and may be affected by how the vote on using Paponoida's network goes)

AN: This time the delays were primarily brought to you by a chaotic last week (in a good way though, if that makes sense) and the fact that Ace Combat 7 came out two weeks ago and Kingdom Hearts III hit this past Tuesday. I maaaaaay have been waiting for those games to come out for literally years. Those coming out in such quick succession didn't help.

I know this was a bit on the short side, but there's some very important decisions coming up. You're going to want to think about just how you want to use that propaganda network that basically fell into your lap very carefully. I'm dead serious. A propaganda war is bar none the biggest way you could threaten Palpatine directly right now...

Also I expect that the Vectivus Corner will be up much sooner than later, don't worry.

 

[Dr. Snark]

The Home

"...I must admit, out of all the things I expected to hear in both my life and unlife, the news about the Wound at Courscant is nearly unthinkable," Vectivus said to an impassive Number Two. "For nearly a millennia my predecessors and successors plotted and schemed to destroy the Order, and yet it was through poor timing and a few people turning at the wrong time that one of the greatest disasters facing it has occurred."

"If I may, sir, what do you think of all of this? If only to be able to answer the inevitable questions Lady Ciaran will have," Number Two said.

"Hm...I will say that on one level I anticipated that the Order would face a reckoning at some point - between the manipulations of the rest of the Baneites and their increasingly insular nature, something had to break sooner or later. And to some extent I feel that such a reckoning deserved - I have never held the codes of the Jedi in high regard, I will freely admit. At the same time though I am fully aware of how much of a threat the Wound will be to everyone in the galaxy should it continue to corrupt the Courscant Order."

Before Vectvius could continue, a tone emitted from a speaker indicating someone wished to speak to him. With a nod to Number Two, his subordinate pushed the button to admit...

"...You are most certainly not Lady Ciaran," Vectivus flatly said to Priam as he entered the room.

"I'm well aware. She wished to apologize to you about her absence; as you can imagine she has quite a bit to attend to and asked to send me as her representative for this quarter's meeting."

"Duly noted...however..." Vectivus trailed off, staring at Priam.

"Is everything alright, Master Vectivus? I'm aware that as an android-"

"It's not the lack of Force presence...I'm merely confused about the necessity of the blindfold."

"...Chief Engineer Sair claims that it gives me 'solidarity' with Lady Ciaran."

"Do you believe her?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I believe the woman who gave me my new body, even if I don't understand the necessity of a fair number of its new features in the slightest?" Priam's face never changed during that entire statement. "Now then, shall we begin?"

Cularin Facility

"You may not be as interested in this particular venture, but I for one am eager to hear about the secrets Cularin seems to hold."

"I appreciate that you are. From a financial standpoint I'm honestly not sure how valuable this system will be..."

Reward: Facility on Cularin

Manda Property

"...But by contrast I can only expect quite a bit of growth from the new property on Manda. I'm certain that our ties with the Baobab family will only serve to aid the both of us."

"It certainly never hurts to have such a wide-reaching merchant family as an ally instead of a competitor."

Reward: Property on Manda

Pantora Facility

"Lady Ciaran has expressed that she wishes to discuss the matter of Pantora with you personally when she has the chance. That is all I am willing to say for now on that matter."

Reward: Facility on Pantora

Cormit Facility

"I must admit, having the omnipresence of the Chiss military at Cormit is somewhat disconcerting. Up until now our facilities have largely stayed off the radar."

"Do you not trust the Chiss? They certainly have little reason to cross us at this point."

"I believe it's more getting used to the idea that we're not going to be left to our own devices like usual."

Reward: Facility on Cormit

Procopia Property

"Lady Ciaran seemed particularly eager for the chance to play the local houses against each other. I can only hope that she doesn't lose sight of the bigger picture while she does so."

"She really is Sith if she considers manipulation of others to be a form of entertainment. As her teacher I couldn't be any prouder."

"Please tell me you're joking..."

Reward: Facility on Procopia

Bothawui Base

"I think we both understand the value of Bothawui. Moving on."

Reward: Base on Bothawui

Coruscant (Corporate Espionage Program, Coruscant Enquirer, Aegis Security Expansion, Smugglers Dens, Regional Strongholds)

"Is she-"

"The Wound has altered her plans, she's already admitted this. However the fortifications in the Undercity are still quite valuable."

"I take it she's already expressed her concerns to you?"

"Yes."

Rewards: +50 information income, +25 investment income, tabloid rag set up on Courscant, +25 security income, +50 smuggling income, Controlled areas heavily fortified against attack

Kalee (Megafauna Museum, System Defenses)

"While the defenses over Kalee require repairs, the new museum on Kalee has provided us with an excellent location to house our Taozin and Lady Ciaran's new pet rancor."

"One trip to Dathomir later, and all of a sudden the Nightsister clan is extinct and Lady Ciaran has a pet rancor. Quite frankly I'm somewhat jealous of the life she leads at times."

"It's certainly a lot to keep track of...including making sure there's a transport that can actually contain a Rancor..."

Rewards: Megafauna museum opened, +50 investment income, potential to study contained fauna in more detail, Systemwide defenses set up around Kalee

Mandalore (Kyriemout Investments, Corellia-Mandalore Pilot Training Initiative, Agricultural Revitalization, MandalMotors Investments, Planetary Shield, System Defenses)

"For all of its talk of peace, Mandalore has become even more ready for war in recent days, has it not?"

"To some extent - there's no one planning on launching a new crusade, but there is certainly a much bigger impetus on creating defensive forces in the area. Trench was quite helpful in justifying it to the planetary government as well."

"It seems as though the New Mandalorians had forgotten an old saying: 'If you seek peace, you should prepare for war.'"

Rewards: Clan Skirata strengthened, Increased piloting capability of Mandalorian Guardians, +100 investment income, +50 income, dramatically increased output from MandalMotors, Planetary shields set up for Mandalore, Systemwide defenses set up around Mandalore

Lordran, Kiln (Agriculture Expansion, Industrial Expansion)

"Kiln is now functionally independent of any outside suppliers in the long term. Nothing more needs to be said or is worth talking about."

Rewards: +100 income, food situation on Kiln future-proofed, Increased output of all factories

Nar Shaddaa (Casino Franchising, Currency Exchange, Guardian Corps Recruiting Center, Sith Academy Reoccupation)

"I must ask, did you ever see the Nar Shaddaa Sith Academy for yourself?"

"I am afraid not. Its location was lost after the destruction of the Brotherhood of Darkness and the creation of the Rule of Two. Such things were considered unnecessary to the Baneites."

"And now?"

"Well, the Walkers are hardly Baneites, aren't they?"

Reward: +100 investment income, +50 "trade" income, Guardian Corps recruiting center set up at Nar Shaddaa, Evocii Mandalorians, Increased recruitment rate for Apprentices

Castell (Salvage/Recycling Teams, Aegis Security Expansion)

"The notes for Castell are almost entirely blank, barring one personal note from Ciaran that says 'So disappointed.'"

"Not every coup can end in a dramatic revolt against their leaders. Excellent work on that matter, by the way."

"I have to admit, it was quite easy to bring down Shu Mai. Speaking of which, Lady Ciaran wished to discuss the matter of succession with you when she had the chance."

Rewards: +25 salvage income, +50 Security income

Muunilinst (Mandalorian Guardians Financial Offices, Planetary Shield, System Defenses)

"It is good that the Guardians have proper financiers at their backs. Managing a galaxy-wide organization would be nigh impossible on their own. Fortunately for them, the Muun are eager for that kind of challenge."

Rewards: +50 investment income, financial offices for Mandalorian Guardians set up, Planetary shields set up for Muunilinst, Systemwide defenses set up around Muunilinst

Kashyyyk (Tarisian Ale Plant, Incom Expansion, KDY Expansion, Serv-O-Droid Expansion, Ecological Programs, Tradeport Construction, Exotic Creature Exports, Guardian Corps Recruiting Center, Planetary Shield)

"Lady Ciaran's notes cover the corporate expansions and added defenses to some extent, but the rest of it is just 'Mandalorian Wookies' repeated over and over again."

"I am honestly uncertain if the galaxy is ready to handle Wookies with Mandalorian training. I can certainly understand her sentiments."

Rewards: +50 income from exporting Tarisian Ale, +25 investment income, +25 investment income, +25 investment income, +25 investment income, +75 investment income, +50 trade income, +100 trade income, Guardian Corps recruiting center set up at Kashyyyk, Mandalorian Wookiees, Planetary shields set up for Kashyyyk

Taris (Karada Campus, Force Academy, Nekghoul Guide Contracts, Rapid-Response Fleet, Reinforced Planetary Shields, KDY Ion Batteries, Private Retreat, Guardian Corps Recruiting Center)

"For one this is a rather restrained set of investments into Taris. I'm surprised."

"Lady Ciaran was of the mind that she needed to focus her efforts into its defenses and the Nekghoul contracts."

"And her personal retreat-slash-tourist trap."

"...She claims that 'she had to do something fun this quarter.'"

Rewards: +25 Karada income, Increased ability of Nekghoul teams, Boost to Taris salvage roll, Rapid-response fleets set up in Tarisian space, Enhanced planetary shields set up over key locations, Ion cannon network set up across Taris, +100 investment income, Guardian Corps recruiting center set up at Taris

Naboo (Industry Investments, Amphibious Tradeport, Hydrostatic Bubble Engineering, Karada Medcenter, Porso Hill Base Reclamation, Guardian Corps Recruiting Center, Plasma-Fueled Planetary Shield, System Defenses)

"Naboo has certainly received considerably more attention by contrast. While the additional defenses and investments are to be expected, Lady Ciaran'swork with the Gungans has actually made planetary news and even some minor galactic networks have picked up on it."

"I must admit that she is onto something with the engineering skills of the Gungans. Their technology may look primitive at first glance, but it is surprisingly complex in places. Having their bubble homes become exports of Naboo will certainly help demonstrate that to the skeptics of the galaxy."

Rewards: +75 investment income, +50 trade income, +100 investment income, +50 Karada income, Porso Hill reclaimed as a secure location and production site, Guardian Corps recruiting center set up at Naboo, Mandalorian Gungans, Plasma-Fueled shield set up, Systemwide defenses set up around Naboo

Ord Mantell (Expanded Shadowports, Arsenal, Drydock, Barracks, Command & Control Facilities, System Defenses, Guardian Corps Barracks)

"Lady Ciaran must have been ecstatic to reactivate such an old fort."

"Admittedly she was quite interested in seeing such an old relic effectively come back to life. Especially given that the CNS military has already begun to centralize through it. According to statistics, it may even be home to more personnel then when it was first active."

Rewards: +75 smuggling income, +25 military income, central arsenal set up for CNS, +50 military income, central drydock set up for CNS, +50 military income, barracks for CNS military set up, C&C facilites for CNS military set up, Systemwide defenses set up around Ord Mantell, Guardian Barracks set up at Fort Garnik

Corellia (Kas'as Chen'ru Den Excavation, Drall Recruiting Center)

"No doubt Lady Ciaran was eager to see another expedition site going up, especially with the rumors of Old Republic technology and records hidden within."

"I can confirm that. While Corellia hasn't been noted as an important site during the Jedi Civil War or Dark War, she's still hopeful that something interesting can be found in the area."

Rewards: +25 salvage income, second roll for Corellia system set up, +5 Learning bonus from Drall

Sullust (Large-Scale Wiretaps, Sullustan Recruiting Center, Guardian Corps Recruiting Center)

"The Sullustans have already proven to be useful assets to both us and the Guardians. That is all that is worth mentioning this quarter. Moving on."

Rewards: +25 information income, Sullustans recruited, 10% bonus to smuggling income, Guardian Corps recruiting center set up at Sullust, Sullustan Mandalorians

Arkania (Large-Scale Wiretaps, Karada Research Complex, Guardian Corps Recruiting Center)

"I am surprised that there are even Arkanians willing to becoming Mandalorians with their ego."

"There's a surprisingly high number that have begun to join. I suspect that it is less out of loyalty to the Resol'nare and more out of proving themselves to the galaxy by serving with the Guardians."

Rewards: +25 investment income, +50 Karada income, Guardian Corps recruiting center set up at Arkania, Arkanian Mandalorians

Tibannopolis (Shadowport, Tibanna Gas Weapons Factory)

"There is still no coherent information on the nature of this 'essence transfer' ability as of yet, unfortunately. Aside from that Lady Ciaran was eager to note the completion of our own Tibanna gas refinery."

"As she should be. It is a valuable resource, moreso when you own a source of it yourself."

Rewards: +25 smuggling income, +100 military income, increased potency of weaponry

Lorrd (Guardian Corps Recruiting Center)

"The opening of the Guardian recruitment center on Lorrd was all that was of note this quarter. Moving on."

Rewards: Guardian Corps recruiting center set up at Lorrd, Mandalorian Lorrdians

Chu'unthor (Starfighter Complement, Karada Clinic, Archaeology Teams)

"The Chu'unthor has continued to have its facilities expanded. Lady Ciaran has expressed her hopes that the ship can now also be used as a mobile base for her archaeology teams."

"I cannot help but appreciate that in some regard."

"...I'm not sure I understand why."

"Even with the change in ownership the vessel is ultimately serving the same purpose - to gather knowledge and spread it to those who come onboard. I cannot help but find that somewhat intriguing in its own way."

Rewards: Chu'unthor gains starfighter complement for defense, Increased survival rate for Agents/Abysswalkers, Additional archaeology action

Yavin (Defense Grid, Orbital Trading Post, Probe Droid Supply, Ecological Explorts)

"Grenade fruit."

"Yes, Lady Ciaran-"

"The nature of it still amuses me to no end. I can only imagine the thoughts of one of my Sith ancestors who thought it would be a good idea to weaponize fruit. I simply refuse to believe something like that could have evolved naturally."

"Please don't start on that...I've heard enough of it from Lady Ciaran already."

Rewards: Defenses set up for archaeology facilites, +50 trade income, ability to expand station, Boost to archaeology rolls, +25 smuggling income, mass-produced grenade fruit

Thyferra (Aegis Security Facility, Large-Scale Wiretaps, Covert Karada Research Complex, Smuggler's Den)

"I was looking at the notes on the facility for Thyferra...is Lady Ciaran still planning on moving against Xucphra and Zaltin?"

"It is mentioned as a potential plan, though whether there will be available resources for it in the future is another matter at this point..."

Rewards: +25 income, defenses established, +25 Information income, Facility covertly built for the purpose of reverse-engineering bacta, +50 smuggling income

Mustafar (Aegis Security Facility, Large-Scale Wiretaps, Svivreni Crystal Mines, Blackguard Enclave, Salvage/Archaeology Teams)

"I still find it hard to believe that there's so many people on such a hostile planet. Especially a Force Order of all things."

"Really? I assumed you would be of the belief that the Force can be found anywhere."

"That it can. It can be found on blazing lava planets, and also in air-conditioned homes. I chose to live in the latter for most of my life, and did not regret it."

Rewards: +25 income, defenses established, +25 Information income, +50 mining income, secondary source of lightsaber crystals gained, Blackguard enclaves set up, boost to Blackguard rolls, +25 Salvage income, per turn roll for other benefits

Salvage Rolls
Arkania: 81 (+75)
Bespin: 20 (+25)
Corellia 1: 45 (+50)
Corellia 2: 7
Coruscant: 6
Dantooine 1: 7
Dantooine 2: 57
Lorrd: 19
Mandalore: 13
Muunilist: 56 (+50)
Mustafar: 74 (+50)
Nar Shaddaa: 31 (+25)
Oracle: 69 (+50)
Ord Mantell: 91 (+100 & Event)
Taris: 53 (+50)
Yavin 1: 70 (Artifact Value: Notable)
Yavin 2: 95 (Event!)
Yavin 3: 33

Other Rolls:
Blackguard: 47
Fullsuub: 40
Vianists: 73 (Low-Risk Pilgrimage Triggered)
Jerec: 65 (Discovery Value: Low)

1 District in Courscant Undercity taken over.

"In other news, we've received reports from our people within the Vianists that they made their way to the Tomb of the Third Barsen'thor on Chandrilla."

"Ah, do tell. Were they able to find anything of value there?"

"They were quick to note that the site appears to have become a Force Nexus, which is valuable intelligence in its own right. In addition there are a number of large Force crystals within the tomb and canyons itself, which - thanks to some intelligence provided to us - we know were the same crystals used to power the main cannon of the Devastation. Our teams have recovered some small samples, but initial reports haven't been very...cohesive."

"Meaning they have no idea how they would react in general."

"As everyone sensitive to the Force is eager to tell me, the Force is quite unpredictable. There's certainly potential for it to go through material analysis, but I'm not sure what we'd glean from it."

"Indeed."

"On a related note, Master Jerec has sent us a report on a species he has encountered known as the Killiks. He has reason to believe that the insectoid species may have had colonies in the known galaxy and has requested our aid in looking into it."

"A task I'm sure Lady Ciaran will enjoy as a distraction at a minimum."

"What else...ah, yes. Our teams on Ord Mantell managed to salvage a vessel dating back to the Cold War. According to the records we could find on it, it was a Fury-class 'interceptor' belonging to the Sith Empire."

"And this is of note because...?"

"Despite its age and designation it's quite a versatile vessel. It was designed to act as something akin to one of our courier vessels, only it was also capable of holding its own in heated battles. In fact it's been noted to be quite similar to the Scimitar to an extent."

"Interesting, but your argument for its use has already been defeated by its comparison to the Scimitar."

"Oh I agree. On its own it's not particularly unique or useful. But our engineering teams believe it could be used as a template for a modernized line of vessels based on its design and philosophy - of course they recommended that Raith be consulted-"

A loud tone suddenly went off from Vectivus' desk, indicating a priority message. Without a word Priam activated its projector, displaying an visibly flustered Brik (which made it clear how rattled he was given his Jawa features).

"Is something-"

He began speaking rapidly, and as the translator barely managed to keep up Priam tilted his head in confusion.

"...What."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean, 'you found a Massassi?'"

-----------

Yavin 4, Great Massassi Temple
2 Hours Earlier

"Hey boss," an expedition team member shouted to Brik as he examined the temple walls. "Found something in here that you might wanna see!"

As Brik made his way over to the man in question, he saw him hold up what looked like a very old sword that was in surprisingly good condition, inside a chamber that was covered in symbols Brik didn't immediately recognize. With a quick gesture, his subordinate handed the sword over to him-

The moment he touched it he could feel Dark Side energy thrumming within it, and he stumbled slightly and dropped the sword as he felt it try to reach out to him.

"You alright!?"

Brik darted upright and nodded in affirmation before taking out a datapad and writing down instructions. After he handed it over to the man (whose eyes started to widen as he looked it over), he made his way back out into the main hall, noting the archaeology team with him moving into the temple or taking recovered artifacts outside for safekeeping. As he looked around he suddenly felt an odd sensation in the Force, and as he tried to follow it he found himself face-to-face with what seemed like a perfectly blank wall. Curious, Brik brought out his scanner, though got no results. He then tried to reach out with the Force, and was surprised when the wall suddenly reacted, beginning to lower and reveal a doorway.

With a few quick gestures easily noticed by the gawking team around him, Brik and a small team made their way inside, entering a room that was almost entirely bare save for a large capsule that seemed to resemble Drepya's Oubliette, albeit considerably bigger.

"The hell...is that a stasis pod!?" one of the team members muttered. "What the hell's in it?"

Brik nervously moved closer, only for it to trigger a reaction from the pod, which began to open. On cue the team around him brought out their blasters and switched them to "stun," while Brik himself ignited his lightsaber.

Everyone remained silent but vigilant as the pod finished opening, though nothing seemed to-

Their eyes widened as a massive red arm grasped one of the capsule's sides, followed by another as the creature within rose out of it. While it had a humanoid form, it had a lizard-like shape and body, with its head resembling a snake as it looked around in confusion. The team quickly raised their blasters as it slowly made its way out of the capsule before its gaze fell upon Brik.

"You...Jedi?" it spoke slowly in a deep, guttural voice. Brik quickly shook his head no. "Sith? Do you...serve...Lord Exar Kun?"

Brik stared at the beast before quickly bringing out a translator and speaking into it. "Exar Kun died a long time ago. Who are you?"

It stared at him before it answered. "I am Kalgrath. Chosen warrior of the Massassi."

"That's impossible!" one of the team members shouted out on reflex, and that brought Kalgrath's attention on him. "You...your people...they were thought to be extinct..."

Kalgrath continued to stare at him. "I have been asleep for far longer than I was aware of. How long has it been since Lord Kun walked upon this planet's surface?"

"...Four millennia," Brik reported after a moment of hesitation.

Kalgrath remained silent, before he began to slowly walk towards the team, though not in a visibly aggressive fashion. They quickly parted around him as he made his way past them and out into the temple, and as they followed him he made his way outside, looking around the surroundings.

"I do not sense others of my kind," he said out loud as everyone caught up with him. "However, is this...?"

"Is this what?" Brik asked.

Kalgrath remained silent for a long moment. "I can sense that your words are true to some extent - Lord Kun is dead, and my people seem to be gone. Yet...why do I feel as though he is still here?"

Brik quickly glanced around at the rest of the team, whose eyes had all widened at the implications of Kalgrath's statement. "This needs to escalate to the boss. Now," one of them said.

Salvage Event Rewards: Crystal Valley of Chanrilla explored. Information on Killik species gained. Fury-class interceptor recovered. Blade of Naga Sadow recovered. Kalgrath reawakened.
--------------

"A living, breathing Massassi warrior!?" Vectivus said to the holoprojection of Brik, unable to hide his disbelief. "That's...I can't believe that there was one held in stasis, let alone one that survived the final battle on Yavin!"

"More importantly, you're absolutely certain that he seemed to sense the presence of Exar Kun somehow? Even if it was more of a feeling than an actual certainty?" Priam said to Brik, who nodded wordlessly in response. He quickly turned to Vectivus-

"Yes, of course I am aware of the possibility," the phantom said, noticeably annoyed before his demeanor shifted. "Exar Kun himself was nothing if not arrogant and prideful, and I'm certain that Lady Ciaran knows about him even better than I do at this point. Knowing how far he delved into the Sith arts...the idea that something of him has survived is hardly an impossibility. And quite frankly, an incredibly worrying one."

"I take it he wouldn't be as agreeable as you are?"

"If there was a 'classical' Sith, Exar Kun would fit that description perfectly. He would not take kindly to the concept of a rival of any kind...and I doubt that death would have changed that outlook."

"Duly noted...thank you for the report, Abysswalker Brik. It will be forwarded to Lady Ciaran ASAP," Priam said as he shut off the holoprojector and quickly called up Ciaran.

"What is it, I'm-"

"My apologies, Lady Ciaran, but this is quite important," Priam said before repeating the report to her. She went dead silent before she pointedly took off her mask and stared down Priam.

"If that report is even partly accurate...Send more ysalamiri to the Yavin site immediately. Under no circumstances are any teams allowed to leave the facility without some on hand. Everything this 'Kalgrath' said is now classified to our highest levels, and our teams heard nothing apart from his name and species."

"Understood. Speaking of which..."

"We had some things to discuss?"

"Vectivus says he wanted to speak with you about the other matters."

"...Right." Ciaran thought to herself for a moment before she spoke again. "Vectivus, I need some advice here. The deals with Pantora...they went well. They went very well, beyond my wildest dreams. Paponoida basically has a propaganda network ready to counter Palpatine's now."

"And you're wondering how far to go with it," Vectivus replied and Priam dutifully repeated.

"With everything that happened on Kalee it's now a bigger question than ever. So yes. There's also the matter of the Commerce Guild succession. I know I'm a valid candidate, but at this point I'm not sure a public position would be such a good idea."

"You could option Bribbs, who would serve as a decent figurehead. Or perhaps our own Priam?"

"Uh...what?" Priam replied flatly.

"The Separatists love their droids so much, it seems like a decent idea."

"It's not the craziest thing I've heard..."

"Both of you can't be serious!?"

"And finally, on a more upbeat note...I have a few names for a rancor I want to put past you. And possibly our taozin."

"Duly noted. Very well then..."

Pantora Network Vote:
-The deal with Paponoida opens up considerable opportunity...but by extension, considerable risk when it comes to challenging Palpatine in one of his most fiercely-fought battlegrounds - the propaganda war. When and how should it be used?
[] Immediate and all-out war. Time to start providing voices to those who see him as a tyrant.
[] Slow burn. Build up to it over the next few months, potentially setting the stage for it with other actions.
[] Last minute. Only really put it into full gear when the time is right to bring down Palpatine.
[] Write-in (subject to veto)

(This vote will also determine the ability for Ciaran to push her version of the events surrounding the Battle of Kalee)

Commerce Guild Succession Vote:
-With Shu Mai ousted the Commerce Guild will need a new leader. Who will it be?
[] Ciaran
[] Priam
[] Beolars Bribbs
[] Write-in (subject to veto)

Rancor Name Vote:
-The Rancor that Ciaran and Asajj "recovered" from Dathomir needs a proper name.
[] Juyo
[] Ulic
[] Marr
[] Adenn
[] Write-in

Taozin Name Vote (Optional)
-The taozin now in captivity on Kalee could use a name, though it's hardly necessary
[] Write-in (Requires 10 votes minimum to be counted as a valid name)

AN: It's been too long, have plenty of stuff to discuss. Will wrap up everything in a proper epilogue for this round and roll for troops tommorow.

 

[Semi-Autogyro]

Lady Xenthe "Zee" Rixx

-Species: Falleen
-Gender: Female
-Closely Affiliated With: Lady Ciaran, Zam Wesell
-Recommended Roles: Espionage/Assassination/Negotiation

History
Xenthe when asked about how she joined the Abyss Watchers, fondly calls herself a 'rescue'. When the Black Sun criminal syndicate was systematically being dismantled by our organization, some of the highest profile targets were the nine beings that held the title of 'Vigo' for the organization. These Vigos each each oversaw a different region of the galaxy and reported directly to the organization's head, the Black Sun Underlord. One of these Vigos was Lord Xist, a Falleen that managed the Southern Outer Rim region from his fortress on Trigalis in the crime-run former trade post of New Coronet.

Xist was a skilled information broker and weapons dealer, who primarily worked with supply the Confederation of Independent Systems. Due to the defenses that he had in place, outright assault was not a viable method so infiltrators were dispatched to find a less overt way into his facility. instead, they found a conspiritor: Lord Xists' wife, a one Lady Xenthe Rixx. She was in fact responsible for his ascension to the rank Vigo. It wasn't simply due to her well known beauty and diplomatic acumen, but her family was old nobility and Xenthe was the beloved niece of Falleens' Senator to the Republic. Arranged marriages between noble families were practically expected, with no reason to speak against the unification as Xist went to lengths to keep his noble persona separate from his criminal one. in one fell swoop, Xist (and by extension the Black Sun) had leverage over both a moneyed noble family and a galactic senator. A short while later, Xist was inducted as a Vigo and given his holdings on Trigalis.

The facility was little more than a jail for Xenthe, with Xist taking advantage of her comprehensive education and extensive training as a courtier and entertainer to keep tabs on his rivals. Due to this, Xenthe typically sat in on discussions and was approached by the team as a possible way inside the fortress. Thinking that offering her freedom might get her assistance, Xenthe was found to be readily agreeable to the notion. The next meeting of Xist and his lieutenants was the time decided to strike. A few weeks later Xenthe informed the team that there was a meeting being called by her husband, and covertly provided the team with security codes and timetables. The team did not know that she then enacted her own plan: paralyzing her husband and his sycophants with a a vial of Quongoosh essence.

The Abyss Watcher team found her standing on the meeting table, holding a bloody vibowhip and a decapitated head. Both were Xists. She tossed the head at a very surprised Watcher before stating that the meeting was adjourned and that she was formally requesting asylum with the Abyss Watchers as Black Sun still existed as an organization and could still hurt her family. The young Falleen noble easily found a niche in the organization in assisting the public face of Lady Ciaran, or as woman herself put it "I figure if Padme has handmaiden, the obviously I need to have one as well."

Enjoying the her newfound job (in particular her boss and coworkers) and freedom, she decided to stay with the Watchers after the destruction of the Black Sun Sydicate. Xenthe assisted Lady Ciaran & in the various in and outs of her public face until a visiting Asaji Ventress noticed that the Falleen was Force sensitive and the pair hauled Xenthe off to be trained as an Abyss Walker. Due to her training being interrupted for various reasons (usually due to needing her expertise and acumen in negotiation and politicking) she has only recently graduated as a full Abyss Walker.

Personality & Traits
Xenthe is a reserved, aloof, and graceful woman whose noble upbringing is abundantly clear due to her refined demeanor and mannerisms. This however obscures a will of durasteel and cunning intellect that shows no hesitation in cutting down those that would stand in her and the Abyss Watchers' way. She is an expert at social combat in any arena from negotiations to interrogations, easily maneuvering through the labyrinthine domains of politics and bureaucracy. Xenthe is a die hard fashionista, delighting in looking as good as possible which also extends to her friends and co-workers. Her best friend is Zam Wesell due to the pair having a history of working together, supporting the masquerade of Lady Ciaran when Darth Traya is off gallivanting around the galaxy.

Powers & Abilities
Xenthe excels at the use of the mind-affecting, detection, and concealment force abilities (especially when used in conjuinction with her Falleen pheromones); unfortunately to the detriment of most physical applications of the force. She is an average markswoman and duelist compared to her Abyss Walker peers, but is a natural at utilizing Matukai Self-Reinforcement techniques. Xenthe has been additionally trained in assassination techniques from both Asaji and HK-47, making her personal combat style one of fluid grace and deadly intent focused entirely of seizing the initiative while disabling her opponent with the first strike if at all possible.

She eschews a lightsaber in exchange for a alchemically-hardened cortosis vibrosword, which she typically keeps hidden in various concealable sheaths. Along the same manner, she favors a silenced slugthrower with cortosis jacketed rounds, just in case she has to tangle with an enemy force user. Xenthe does not shy way from other weapons such as poison or explosives, but typically favors her using her blade first.

AN: "Why don't we have a O-Ren Ishii expy yet?!"

 

[Always Late]

Name: Foehammer-class HMP-2 J-479, "Jane"
-Species: Shard
-Gender: Female
-Closely Affiliated With: Jango Fett, HK-47,
-Recommended Roles: Stealth Insertions/Hotzone extraction/Guerrilla Support/Guerrilla Repression/Precision bombing/Carpet bombing
Background: As the Confederacy of Independent Systems continually loses more of its main industrial bases and political support fractures, new designs were requested to meet self-sufficiency on lower-industrial level planets, command droid units on counterinsurgency and counterinsurgency operations, and 'assist' local allies in maintaining political control. Baktoid Fleet Ordinance submitted their Heavy Missile Platform Gunship, which satisfactorily answered most of these requirements. But the consumer feedback highlighted that it was no substitute for a true command droid. Nor could one unit factory-programmed for either destruction of massed clone armor or rooting out resistance forces be easily switched over to the other setting without glitches. The submission for a command gunship turned into a full-blown successor unit, with associated cost overruns. The attempts at non-optical stealth camouflage were acceptable but proved the main source of the expense, as the sensor-absorbing hull materials required lengthy refining. The addition of a large internal ordnance bay and guidance system links for in-atmosphere bombing strikes compounded this expense. While the five hundred initial in-progress prototypes were consigned for the scrap yard, one had its TXCA-50 droid brain activated, and it escaped from the warehouse it had been stored in. After the emergency alert made its way through conventional networks, it was flagged for Abysswatcher attention due to the broadcasts the gunship had made during its escape. "This isn't goodbye, you fucking idiot meatbags! I refuse to let this be the end when I'm so close!! I'm not going to let some failed experiment define who I'm going to be!" After contact was made, J-479 "Jane" told her side of the story: She was a Shard that had left their home in search of a mercenary life of excitement and explosions. She'd used a mind trick on a techno-union supplier going through samples of minerals for circuit boards to have her installed as part of the new droid command brain. When asked why she took a form with no organic analogue, she answered with "Have you checked out these guns? Yeah, that's why it's impossible to kill me." After some talk from the Abysswalkers and more semi-bravado from Jane, she agreed to sign on with them. For the thrill, the battles, and so much new equipment. And the Techno Union local representative was happy to take more money that he'd made in his entire life for 'that crazy droid' to be taken off-world 'before it killed us all'.

Personality: Jane is a driven, stubborn, implacable woman. She wants to do her job, do it damn well, be recognized for it, then go back out and do it better. She never fit in with people on her homeworld, or any other community her travels took her to. But among the numerous combat monsters, strategic masterminds, and esoteric force sensitives makes her feel at home. That she's finally found a place, a family, she can belong in. Although Jane'd never openly say so. She is proud of her independence and self-sufficient record, and objects very strongly to anything she sees as insinuating she's dependent on others. She'll freely clarify she has no qualms with working as part of a team, but the issue of her needing something done for her is a sensitive matter.

Her non-duty hours have mostly been spent in 'idle reading', as she call it, on the subject of Mandalorians, Kalee, the Jedi, the Sith, and other warrior cultures. Once she learned she was no longer 'the baddest bitch in the room', or that a pointed laser cannon is not an acceptable way of correcting someone's mistake, she mixed her caustic demeanor with advice, suggestions, and feedback. At first glance it may seem a contradictory approach, but it becomes sensible when her sentiments about family are properly understood. "You don't just let family waffle around being fuckups, you look out for them." To this end, she is often verbally haranguing her organic ground crew for not equipping her to her standards, her default battle droid accompaniment for slow speed and reactions, and most people she interacts with for... varying reasons. But, she addresses certain higher-up members of the organization with deferment and even respect. Jango Fett in particular has been told he could fly with her 'anytime'. She has also demonstrated a single-minded focus on the survival and retrieval of anyone she deploys on a mission behind, far above normal Abysswatcher standards. There have been no known psychological or integration issues stemming from her possessing a non-humanoid body. As she puts it, "just because I have missiles doesn't mean I can't punch you." To which she usually punctuates with a light push of the force.

Combat Evaluation: The Foehammer-class retains the capabilities of the original HMP-1 and expands on them. While technical specifications like the ordnance bay doubling as a cargo bay or the new curved underhull absorbing the radar return of most military-grade sensor are relevant information, Jane's ability to continually innovate new ways of using and improving her Force powers are what makes her dangerous. High altitude precision-guided strikes wasn't considered a function of her platform until of she integrated a spotter's target designator into her own data feed and 'rode' a non-live missile with the Force through a heavy storm directly onto the test range target. It's unclear if she's using very precise long-range telekinesis, technopathy, or some combination of the two.

The droid deployment connectors on her ordnance racks are often replaced with jetpack infantry equivalents. They're capable of supporting her both in a troop-transport role, and as 'parasite' escorts for air strikes. Her other payloads will vary based on the mission, but a preference for ground attack and troop support missions has emerged. Her own brand of 'precision' munitions get brought out for ground-attack and anti-armor strikes. When she's supporting infantry, multiple rocket and chaingun pods are her first choice.

Combat data tests show her preferred strategy for destroying a hardened target consists of high-speed, ground-level dashes followed by a sharp climb to altitude before releasing either a cluster of bombs or a handful of force-assisted guided missiles. When given an insertion mission, Jane prefers to act as the center of a fast-moving, hard-hitting formation. She will prioritize emplacements, vehicles, and other major threats to her unit before engaging infantry. She trusts the infantry to protect her from any anti-aircraft fire. When engaged by hostile fliers, Jane will go to ground and use the Force to time an ambush with short-range missiles as the interceptors fly over her position. An alternative plan is to gun the engines and open the distance for her escorts to take them out. She has attempted to mind-trick enemy pilots before, but with the chaos of combat consuming most of her focus, the most success she's had is disrupting enemy aim or making them feel unfocused.

Despite claiming she's capable of contributing to the types of engagements that see the likes of HK-47, the Silencer, or even Qymaen jai Sheelal, Jane's strategies have proven to be of variable effectiveness. When she has been engaged at close range, she will try to hit the opponent with a mix of short-range missiles, whatever remains of her infantry escort, and an especially broad base of curses in multiple languages. Jane has shown remarkable talent in 'snapshotting' a missile from her racks to highly mobile targets with the force, even to hit enemies directly on her hull. She's had less success in getting them past a Force-user's attention, and the successful tests thus far have mostly relied on the target being too distracted to react to a supersonic forty-foot metal rod. Should these fail and her target board her to inflict damage, Jane will resort to accelerating vertically to maximum speed, then violently rotating in an attempt to throw them off. If this is not available, she has resorted to violently slamming herself against nearby objects and channeling the electrical energy from her systems into her hull with the Force. A holovid compilation of the fifteen-meter long sparking gunship rolling around on the ground, grinding up against a tree, and repeatedly slamming her 'face' into a cliff has been passed around the Abysswatchers over alcohol and a good laugh. These have become more frequent off-base after several notable incidents near hanger bays of 'invisible punches' being inflicted on personnels' face and groin regions.

Final Evaluation: Promotion to Abysswalker approved, J-479/Jane is recommended to be assigned to missions where a heavy response or a rapid extraction will be needed. Can act as a personal transport to VIPs, or loaned to individuals such as The Silencer or Asajj Ventress for stealth operations.

A/N:Hopefully this meets @Dr. Snark and everyone else's standards. I do want to make the character match the hype of a Force-user guided JDAM.