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

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Panory said:
AN: So here's Ahsoka's introduction to psychological warfare. I swear I still have ideas other than "Thrawn and Ahsoka play games". They're just too fun to write.
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It's All Fun and Games Except for Ahsoka​

Ahsoka skipped into the room with a holoprojector under her arm. It was late in the afternoon, and all the people in the room had finished their duties for the day. Lady Ciaran, Thrawn, her master, Master Kenobi, and even several Delta Squad members were all there. Their missions had been surprisingly successful, so they had not been expecting to have downtime.

After taking a moment to grin at everyone, Ahsoka placed the holoprojector at the center of the conference table. She flipped a switch. The table was lit up with a bleak mountainous terrain, all covered with a massive array of hexagonal tiles.

Thrawn peered at her curiously. "Hello Ahsoka. What is this?"

"A new game! I asked the Jedi Chief Librarian for interesting games, something that no one around would have played before. I think it's called...Settlers of Korriban."


Three hours later:

Ahsoka stared. "Wait a minute, I just noticed. Why are we handing over resources to Ciaran every time the dice lands on Space Pirates?"

"Perks of running a charity organization," Ciaran said. "Now, my turn." She began moving the hologram pieces around and laying down new ones.

Ahsoka slumped her head on the table. "Not again. And how does Ciaran keep getting the longest trade route?"

Most of the players weren't even paying her attention.

Grievous, PR-1, and the Silencer were solely focused on countering Thrawn's positions along the edge of the board. Ciaran had suggested the three team up, to give all four of them good practice conditions.

Cheriss and Galvin were busy staring into each other's eyes. Ahsoka looked away quickly.

Anakin, Gulan, and Fixer all had cables connecting their datapads to the holoprojector control panel. They were engaged in a furious slicing duel to steal each other's Tibanna gas reserves. No one was quite sure how the slicing duel began, but Ahsoka suspected that Ciaran had goaded them into it.

Meanwhile, Ciaran had built another new settlement, subtly boxing out Thrawn from the central tiles. Thrawn simply acknowledged the move, and refocused on his dominion of the edge tiles.

Ahsoka groaned. "Seriously? Why isn't anyone else calling her out?"

"More perks of running a charity organization," Ciaran said. "Oh, by the way, all that heklu I traded you last turn? Return them please. I'm using my monopoly card."

Ahsoka kept her head on the table and incoherently screamed.

Master Kenobi patted her on the shoulder. "There, there, young padawan. Let it go."

She continued keeping her head face down, now mumbling instead. "Well, easy for you to say. You somehow keep settling disputes for other people that just coincidentally redirect them away from your own settlements."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard as he turned back to the board. "Stay serene. Negotiation is a core skill of a Jedi. And frustration over a game is unbecoming of a Jedi. Besides, Lady Ciaran is not winning. I believe that Senator Amidala is in the lead."

That stumped Ahsoka. "What do you mean? She's not even playing!"

"Exactly."


A/N: They decided to only play Settlers of Korriban once.
 
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Oh I am slain! said:
It's All Fun and Games Except for Ahsoka​

Ahsoka skipped into the room with a holoprojector under her arm. It was late in the afternoon, and all the people in the room had finished their duties for the day. Lady Ciaran, Thrawn, her master, Master Kenobi, and even several Delta Squad members were all there. Their missions had been surprisingly successful, so they had not been expecting to have downtime.

After taking a moment to grin at everyone, Ahsoka placed the holoprojector at the center of the conference table. She flipped a switch. The table was lit up with a bleak mountainous terrain, all covered with a massive array of hexagonal tiles.

Thrawn peered at her curiously. "Hello Ahsoka. What is this?"


"A new game! I asked the Jedi Chief Librarian for interesting games, something that no one around would have played before. I think it's called...Settlers of Korriban."



Three hours later:

Ahsoka stared. "Wait a minute, I just noticed. Why are we handing over resources to Ciaran every time the dice lands on Space Pirates?"

"Perks of running a charity organization," Ciaran said. "Now, my turn." She began moving the hologram pieces around and laying down new ones.

Ahsoka slumped her head on the table. "Not again. And how does Ciaran keep getting the longest trade route?"

Most of the players weren't even paying her attention.

Grievous, PR-1, and the Silencer were solely focused on countering Thrawn's positions along the edge of the board. Ciaran had suggested the three team up, to give all four of them good practice conditions.

Cheriss and Galvin were busy staring into each other's eyes. Ahsoka looked away quickly.

Anakin, Gulan, and Fixer all had cables connecting their datapads to the holoprojector control panel. They were engaged in a furious slicing duel to steal each other's Tibanna gas reserves. No one was quite sure how the slicing duel began, but Ahsoka suspected that Ciaran had goaded them into it.

Meanwhile, Ciaran had built another new settlement, subtly boxing out Thrawn from the central tiles. Thrawn simply acknowledged the move, and refocused on his dominion of the edge tiles.

Ahsoka groaned. "Seriously? Why isn't anyone else calling her out?"

"More perks of running a charity organization," Ciaran said. "Oh, by the way, all that heklu I traded you last turn? Return them please. I'm using my monopoly card."

Ahsoka kept her head on the table and incoherently screamed.

Master Kenobi patted her on the shoulder. "There, there, young padawan. Let it go."

She continued keeping her head face down, now mumbling instead. "Well, easy for you to say. You somehow keep settling disputes for other people that just coincidentally redirect them away from your own settlements."

Obi-wan stroked his beard as he turned back to the board. "Stay serene. Negotiation is a core skill of a Jedi. And frustration over a game is unbecoming of a Jedi. Besides, Lady Ciaran is not winning. I believe that Senator Amidala is in the lead."

That stumped Ahsoka. "What do you mean? She's not even playing!"

"Exactly."


A/N: They decided to only play Settlers of Korriban once.
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they played settlers of coruscant next month
 
They should play diplomacy and never figure out that Ciaran has secret bugs in all the rooms. Also her force sight can see though walls and read lips.
 
Game aside, a question:
Does Ciaran and the Abyss Watchers know anything/meet *shudder* Senator Jar-Jar Binks? Asking because on Naboo vacation (in the 1. thread) Ciaran and group meet Roos Tarpals just after he "banished" Jar Jar.
+ Mr.(?) Binks is a ... (?)Gungan-Naboo Senator(?) BUT does she and AB knows how dangerous he truly is?


Windu took out 1, Jar Jar took out the rest... o_o, shit
 
Renars said:
Game aside, a question:
Does Ciaran and the Abyss Watchers know anything/meet *shudder* Senator Jar-Jar Binks? Asking because on Naboo vacation (in the 1. thread) Ciaran and group meet Roos Tarpals just after he "banished" Jar Jar.
+ Mr.(?) Binks is a ... (?)Gungan-Naboo Senator(?) BUT does she and AB knows how dangerous he truly is?


Windu took out 1, Jar Jar took out the rest... o_o, shit
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I don't believe we've ever met Senator Jar Jar in person, though given how tight we are with Padme I'd be shocked if we didn't know about him in some capacity. I've contemplated doing an omake to introduce Ciaran to the... whatever it is that Jar Jar is, but I've never found an idea that seemed right.
 
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Operation Snake Eater - Monsters
  • Threadmarks
    • Oracle Briefing Room

    "I'm going to contact Skirata, telling him about what we know will give us a very useful ally in the coming days," Ciaran said out loud as everyone present nodded affirmatively. Nodding to herself, she stood up and left, telling the team present "The operation name will be declared once we get everything sorted with Skirata."

    ---------

    Oracle Communications Room

    Typing in the contact information in the database, Ciaran sent out a call to Kal, who took a few moments but eventually responded. "Skirata here. I take it you've finished your research project?"

    "That we have. However the information is extremely sensitive and I don't want to speak of it further even over encrypted channels."

    "So what's your idea to get it moved from you to me?"

    Ciaran flipped a switch on a nearby console which brought up an image of Ouroboros and the base on it. "If you remember the synthetic plagues that have been affecting the Northern Rim as of late, we've tracked down their creator to this planet. Killing him and shutting down this base will put an end to them for good."

    "I remember what those talyc viruses were like, and I don't like the fact that you sound like you might be more interested in keeping that base instead of obliterating the damn thing.

    "The facility is isolated and undoubtedly contains equipment and data that can be used equally as effectively for far more beneficial ends, I admit, but I am not interested in continuing the synthetic virus production there. I've already been forced to spend far too much effort on keeping those viruses from spreading further and I have no want or need for that kind of weapon. Far too messy. Far too many questions asked."

    "That's...fair, but you understand that now that you've told me about this in the obvious hopes of getting off the books help I'm going to have to send supervisors like before. Again, they're my boys, and they can handle themselves just fine during your mission. They'll be perfectly willing to follow on-site orders to an extent, but they're going to comb over the data in the base to make sure nothing about those viruses is left. And of course if you happen to 'misplace' certain information while they're there..."

    "Of course, your terms are acceptable Skirata. Will you be sending Ordo or the Deltas?"

    "Ordo is...busy, and while the Deltas are fine soldiers there are some boys I know that would make me feel much better knowing they got the data. They shouldn't take long at all to get to wherever you want to meet them at."

    "It will be at a point where we can reach the target in a quick jump. Sending the coordinates to you now."

    ----------

    Oracle Fleet, Deep Space

    As the Oracle hung in space with it's motley fleet surrounding it waiting for the order to jump to Ouroboros, a small, unmarked vessel warped into the system, broadcasting a cipher that indicated it belonged to Skirata's team. The ship moved through the small fleet and docked in the hangar of the Oracle where Ciaran was waiting. As the ship's ramp lowered, four clone commandos walked out. The differences from Delta were immediately apparent as only one of them had a unique blue-white color scheme for their armor whereas the rest had matte-black armor.

    "You would be Skirata's men?" Ciaran asked.

    "Yes ma'am, we're Omega Squad," the leader responded. "Niner," he gestured to himself, then to the others in order. "Darman, Atin, and Corr."

    "Ma'am," Darman said as he nodded politely.

    Atin simply nodded without saying anything.

    "It's certainly a pleasure to be working with you miss," Corr said, dramatically bowing. "Maybe before the op we can take a tour-"

    "Corr, you do know that you're trying to hit on one of the the biggest celebrities in the galaxy, right?" Atin dryly commented. "I'm sure she's heard that before."

    "A few times, though to be fair there aren't that many who actually even try," Ciaran noted with a smirk on her face. "At any rate, if you all would follow me to the briefing room."

    --------

    Briefing Room

    "Alright, now that we have everything sorted out, here are the final orders," Cheriss said as she began to explain herself. The general strategy was to use the weight of numbers against Wesker's forces as they simply had a greater quantity of more experienced men. The Guardian squads would simply overwhelm the local garrison with the help of airstrikes from the Oracle's Headhunter squadrons and shock attacks from some Kaleesh teams, while at the same time teams of Seekers would go into the base itself to capture researchers and prevent them from destroying valuable data and equipment. Cheriss would be a part of one of those teams, her nature as a Shard making her a particularly valuable asset during the operation. Ciaran and Omega Squad would be headed into the heart of the base itself to deal with the most resistance, ensure that no biological agents would be used against the attacking forces, and of course to ensure that Wesker was very dead.

    The commandos were surprised and worried to hear that due to the absence of Thrawn and Grievous as well as the fact that Ciaran would be taking to the field overall operational control would fall to the next best commander: OOM-9, the Watchers' commander droid. They were mollified once the droid in question had stated that he would be commanding everyone but them (and didn't try shoot them on sight even though the Omegas had nearly shot several holes though the droid on reflex).

    And then it fell on Ciaran to formally declare the start of the operation (technically it had already started but it was the principle of the matter).

    "Commence Operation Snake Eater."

    --------

    Ouroboros System

    As the Oracle and the various ships supporting it entered the system, they were faced by a small group of corvettes and scattered orbital guns. With the advance of the fleet OOM-9 began dispatching orders at a breakneck pace.

    "Groups 1 and 2 eliminate the turrets. Groups 3 and 4, support the Oracle as it presses forward into the center of the enemy lines."

    Following the droid's orders, a handful of ships broke off from the main fleet and closed in on the orbital guns at top speeds, firing as many turbolaser rounds at them as they could before breaking off. The guns admirably shot back and managed to damage a few of the ships, but they were clearly designed to deal with stubborn, singular intruders as opposed to a full-on assault and were quickly torn apart by the advancing ships.

    The core defense fleet fared little better as the ships there were mostly corvette-sized, and while on their own they could have taken on some of the oncoming fleet in a fair fight the Oracle was a far deadlier foe, its sheer size allowing it to provide cover for the ships behind it and allowing it to fire in all directions at the surrounding fleet. There was a reason that the Lucerhulks were used by the Trade Federation to blockade planets, and the Oracle proved it as it carved a swath through the irregular fleet above Ouroboros. Within a few moments the planet's orbital defenses had been wiped out.

    "Roger, roger. Commencing ground invasion. Deploying transports and support squadrons."

    With that, various assault ships left the Oracle's hangars, accompanied by Headhunter squadrons that escorted them to the planet below. As the ships entered atmosphere, the Headhunters pushed ahead to begin launching airstrikes against the base's defenses as well as diverting fire from the landing transports.

    As the Guardian and Kaleesh teams exited the transports, they began to surround the base, leveling their fire on its garrison. While the defenders managed to return fire in spite of the overwhelming odds it was clear that there were more Guardians on the field than defenders. Making matters worse for them were the Kaleesh, who launched daring raids into the enemy lines, creating holes that the Guardian units could exploit and give them even greater advantages.

    Even as the defenders continued to fight, there was enough of a hole in the defense lines to allow the Seeker teams to begin their mission, breaching their way into the base and quickly beginning their advance. They quickly moved through the base, killing resisters and capturing scientists as they went deeper and deeper into the eerie facility, the lights becoming dimmer and the halls bloodier as they advanced.

    All of this was nothing compared to Ciaran and Omega Squad's efforts. The woman herself was wearing customized Agent armor to protect herself from any viruses, the matte-black material blending in with the rest of the Omegas as the unlikely team brushed aside all resistance. Whether it was the Omegas who killed opponents through precise aim and careful tactics, or whether it was Ciaran who was rushing forward and cutting down enemies with her lightfoil with little effort, the team was able to quickly reach the base's core. The group stacked up next to a door, the area falling silent save for the distant sounds of the battle raging around them.

    "Go find whatever last-ditch resort he inevitably has planned," Ciaran said to the Omegas. "I can handle him myself."

    "Ma'am, are you serious?" Niner said, not even hiding his disdain.

    "Mostly. I am serious about the fact that men like him always love to leave one final curse for the rest of the galaxy, and that I'm mostly certain I can handle him myself. But if I can't, I'll let you know."

    The Omegas hesitated, before Niner nodded to the rest of the team as they broke off. Ciaran waited a moment, then used her lightsaber to cut an entry point into the door in front of her, then finished by blasting it open with the Force. Calmly striding in to the large central command chamber, she saw that Wesker was standing at the end of the room, dressed to the nines in a black leather outfit and sunglasses.

    Even when it's all falling apart the man at least has a sense of style.

    "So, you think you can defeat me on your own then," Wesker said condescendingly as he adjusted his shades.

    "It doesn't even matter at this point," Ciaran retorted. "Look around. You've obviously lost; my forces have already won and are just cleaning out the trash."

    "They were always disposable when the time came. As for your forces I can certainly kill you, then fight my way out easily."

    Ciaran's response from that was to mockingly laugh, causing Wesker to begin gritting his teeth in anger. "That's adorable. Even in the impossible circumstances you're describing, my forces have air superiority as well and would easily blast away a lone transport or fighter that was clearly trying to escape. Face it-you're going to die here no matter what."

    "Your arrogance will be your downfall," he said, clearly trying to mask his growing fury.

    With that, Ciaran laughed even harder. "Me, arrogant!? Coming from Mr. 'I'm So Superior Cause Of My Perfect Genetics!?' That is the most hypocritical thing I have ever heard in my life, and that's coming from a woman who spends time with Jedi. So why then? Why is it that you had to 'teach me a lesson,' you-"

    "You let the weak survive where they should just die off," Wesker snarled as Ciaran went dead silent. "I know that you play the role of a humanitarian for the sake of your own reputation, and how you've become so reliant on protecting weaklings who should have been eliminated by natural selection. That was what the viruses were for. To not only show you how useless those people you claim to protect are, and to cull the-"

    Suddenly Wesker was cut off, the air from his throat suddenly blocked as Ciaran held out a hand and slowly strode forward.

    "Now let me make something perfectly clear. As much as the media might say otherwise, I am no saint. I've killed people because it served my ends, ruined the lives of those who dared to stand against me, and built lies to deflect the suspicions of others. If people knew the truth about me they'd call me the villain of their stories. But-and this is important-I have lines in the sand I do not cross. Not out of any higher principles, but because if I crossed them I know I would turn into you."

    With that, Ciaran reared back and threw Wesker into the back wall with the Force, pinning him there with it as she continued.

    "If I crossed those lines I would become a monster who lives for nothing more than wanting to see others suffer, who accomplishes nothing aside from bringing more pain and suffering before inevitably being brought down by the rest of the galaxy and fading away into nothingness. There's various reasons why it always happens time and again, but the one I'm most fond of right now is-"

    Suddenly Wesker began to choke again as he tried to resist Ciaran's use of the Force to no avail.

    "That no matter what, the so-called power of those monsters is insignificant next to the power of the Force."

    After a few moments, Ciaran allowed Wesker's lifeless body to drop down, his sunglasses skidding to a halt by Ciaran's feet. "If it makes you feel better, you did teach me one lesson," Ciaran said to her self as she picked up and twirled Wesker's sunglasses around in her hand. "Now I know what would happen if I did end up crossing those lines."

    And so a champion of rot fades away, his body becoming little more than another broken corpse.

    Those words suddenly entered Ciaran's mind, the voice sounding normal but she couldn't shake the sense that there was something fundamentally wrong about it in a way Ciaran couldn't describe.

    Yet there stands another who may bare the crown once more, if only she would listen to my words.

    Ciaran focused, though the voice was difficult to track and trying to focus in on it gave her a similar nauseous feeling like she felt when she was at Malachor. With a bit of effort, she was able to determine that it was coming from behind a fake wall which she was able to quickly cut through with her lightfoil, leading to an empty room devoid of nothing save for a glass container with black liquid within it that seemed to writhe of its own accord, as though something else was manipulating it. It looked wrong through Ciaran's Force vision, and once again the closest frame of reference she had was the same sense of wrongness she felt from flying through Malachor.

    "...What the hell are you?" Ciaran said quietly, her lightfoil at the ready.

    "I have lived so long that so many have given me so many names. They are not important should you be willing to set me free once more," said the entity in an unearthly yet oddly poetic voice that was audible despite the glass surrounding it.

    "...No."

    "You should reconsider, I see that you are much more wise than the one who came before."

    "You...whatever you are...did you help Wesker create his viruses?"

    "They were merely shadows of myself, mere echoes of my fully rotten glory that he based upon myself."

    Before Ciaran could respond, Omega Squad rushed into the room, searching it for enemies. "We didn't find any last-minute resorts ma'am," Niner explained. "But what is that?"

    "So now I am joined by puppets, hollow echoes of someone far greater than them."

    "I don't know," Ciaran responded, "but whatever it is has to die. Prime a charge. A big one."

    "Yes ma'am," Niner grimly said as he placed a charge on the container's side, the liquid within swarming around it from within the glass in a vain attempt to stop it.

    "You believe this will destroy me forever yet I shall forever remain."

    "Charge set," and with that the team ran out of the room (though not before Ciaran threw Wesker's corpse into the room as a final insult) and took cover outside, Niner pressing the detonator that set off the charge. The fiery explosion consumed the entity contained at the heart of the base and Wesker's corpse along with it, leaving nothing behind.

    "Well that's done then," Ciaran muttered to herself as she called up OOM-9. "Sitrep."

    "Roger, roger. Enemy forces routed, either surrendering or have been terminated. Base confirmed secured."

    "Understood," Ciaran said before cutting the transmission and facing the clones. "Now then..." she said, taking out a small device and handing it to Niner. "This contains data that you most assuredly found within these labs and is in no way connected to me whatsoever."

    "Roger that," Niner said as he took it and stowed it away. "You understand that we're going to have to check the base's drives thoroughly before we leave, though."

    "That was what Skirata told me, yes."

    "Right then," he said, nodding to the rest of his team as they walked away to find a relevant terminal. Ciaran stayed behind for a moment to briefly glance into what was left of the room she had killed Wesker in.

    In the end that was all you were. A monster.

    AN: Wasn't exaggerating about the mini-arc being mini, with the over 100 crit on the intel rolls on the turn before and the crit on the attack roll...he never stood a chance, which is why there weren't any decisions that needed to be made about preserving data or anything. (The regular forces are just happy to feel meaningful again after so long.)

    If it seemed like the Omegas were just kind of there...well, yeah they were I won't lie. To be honest this was more to have them act as plot couriers and to get them properly named and introduced more than anything else. They'll get to be more relevant once future events/actions put them in the spotlight (no, that isn't a spoiler).

    On more relevant matters, I do think that Wesker did a fine job of serving as an interim villain for the better part of the early Clone Wars, acting as a more direct threat to Ciaran with the synth viruses. But with Sidious and Dooku gearing up I do also believe that now was the perfect time for him to go. Not to mention that he also perfectly served the role of "the antagonist who gets his ass kicked easily to show how badass the main character has become." Because let's face it, right now Ciaran's as strong in the Force as Asajj was when she was first recruited; superhuman or not that a fight against her would be laughably one-sided in her favor if you didn't have the Force or a way to counteract her abilities ('cheating' or numbers, basically). I don't care how physically strong you are, if you don't have a counter for being telekinetically shoved against a wall and choked to death you're kind of fucked.

    As for that freaky black ooze...I'll get to that next time, though the thread might figure out what it is beforehand. Enjoy~
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Panory said:
    Hints that we might be able to solve mystery by next turn. Mystery is solved in literally eight minutes.
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    I was expecting you to take at least an hour or two. Maybe like 10-20 posts because the wiki exists.

    But no, the first fucking post after the thing gets it right. There's no fucking justice. I was hoping that obscurity would work in my favor on that, but noooooooo...

    *Sigh* Anyway, omakes popped up right?

    Panory said:
    Luck of the Draw
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    Oh good, now she understands psych warfare as well. Canon, +10.

    Oh I am slain! said:
    It's All Fun and Games Except for Ahsoka
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    This is beautiful. I can't declare it canon, but it still unquestionably deserves a +10.
     
    Dr. Snark said:
    I was expecting you to take at least an hour or two. Maybe like 10-20 posts because the wiki exists.

    But no, the first post after the thing gets it right. There's no justice. I was hoping that obscurity would work in my favor on that, but noooooooo...
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    It is quite obscure. I only found out now after the link to the relevant article was posted.
     
    1. Now at least we can concentrate on more pressing matters such as Sidious conspiracy: with Skirata informed on what to expect from bio-chips and Palps betrayal we have reliable allies

    2. Awesome chapter, @Dr. Snark , but what is
    Oh I am slain! said:
    Wookieepedia link: Mnggal-Mnggal
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    3. :???: That ooze, is.... :o FUCK, why did noone tell me that STAR WARS has a fucking FLOOD INFESTATION!?! Theoretically Forerunners could fight all of Star Wars and STILL come on top , Flood beat them, and now SW has a flood-expy?!, NOT FAIR!!

    3.
    Panory said:
    I don't believe we've ever met Senator Jar Jar in person, though given how tight we are with Padme I'd be shocked if we didn't know about him in some capacity. I've contemplated doing an omake to introduce Ciaran to the... whatever it is that Jar Jar is, but I've never found an idea that seemed right.
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    ...Point, cause I can't imagine Jar Jar's introduction without setting all fire alarms and thus stopping a CIS infiltration, cause let's face it, that's true.
     
    That was brilliant. Ciaran has come so far since the bartender in Coruscant's Undercity, selling secrets.

    ...have the threadmarks been borked for anybody else, of late?
     
    (Omake) An Old Threat (Canon)
  • Threadmarks
    • Oh I am slain! said:
    Bwahaha, a hokey and ancient Panory is no match for me.
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    You may be faster, but my posts have omakes.

    TheLurker said:
    If it really is him, then we need to tell Thrawn.
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    On it.

    An Old Threat​

    "And then there was this strange black ooze. Apparently it was sentient, and Wesker had based the virus off of it." Said Ciaran, recounting the events of Operation Snake Eater to the rest of her officers. Ciaran's head turned at the sound of glass shattering on the floor and she saw something she thought impossible. Though it would appear as mild concern on anyone else, Ciaran could tell that Thrawn was scared.

    "Did you destroy it?" he frantically asked, leaning forward and ignoring the glass of wine he had dropped.

    "We strapped a rather large charge to the jar it was in and blew it to smithereens. Though the ooze itself seemed confident that it was immortal. We searched the wreckage of that room and found no trace of it." said Ciaran, now growing worried herself. Anything that could cause this kind of reaction in the calmest and collected person she had ever met was likely bad news indeed.

    Thrawn let out a sigh of relief. "Good, though you're right to suspect that you failed to destroy him completely. Every part of Mnggal-Mnggal is one and the same. To destroy him completely would require the annihilation of several planets."

    "You know what this thing was?" asked Ciaran. "What is it, and why are you so afraid of it."

    "Mnggal-Mnggal is a creature from the Unknown Regions. The Chiss have been aware of him for some time now, though we also learned that avoiding anything he's touched is the only route to anything resembling victory. Still, we paid quite the handsome sum for anyone willing to take the risks inherent in slowing its spread across the galaxy." Thrawn had relaxed from the near panic he had been in when Ciaran had first described the creature, but he was still tense and on edge.

    "Its spread? I know the thing said Wesker's virus was a pale imitation, but it seemed confined enough." said Ciaran.

    "Mnggal-Mnggal is a parasite. It enters a host's body and digests it from the inside over the course of a day, and uses the husk like a puppet for up to a week." said Thrawn, shuddering at the thought. "From there it leaps from host to host, consuming, torturing, and growing. The Chiss traced the origin of the creature to Mugg Fallow, a planet that Mnggal-Mnggal consumed entirely ages ago. Its body runs in rivers on the planet's surface, and all Chiss have shoot on sight orders for anything leaving the planet."

    "It sounds dangerous." said Ciaran, the devastation of the thing she had come so close to not lost on her.

    "It is. The Chiss have luckily been largely unaffected, but we've seen empires fall when Mnggal-Mnggal gains a foothold." said Thrawn, shuddering at the memories. "If you want my personal opinion, take everything of value from Wesker's base, screen everything and everyone that leaves for even a trace of Mnggal-Mnggal, and then raze the entire planet from orbit once you're done. Then move the personnel from the ships to fresh ships, and destroy the old ships."

    Ciaran valued Thrawn's input, but he seemed to be letting personal fear color his words. "You seem almost paranoid of this thing. It's okay, we destroyed it."

    "I do not doubt you, but if there is even a droplet of Mnggal-Mnggal left, it is our duty as living beings to insure that it never leaves that planet. It's only paranoia if the fear is baseless. This is not paranoia, it is caution." said Thrawn, irritated at Ciaran's casual dismissal. "The threat of anything Darth Sidious might have planned pales in comparison to the threat Mnggal-Mnggal poses if he were to get even a small piece of himself into the galaxy at large. It would be an irreversible cataclysm. Entire planets would die, and their inhabitants along with them."

    Ciaran sighed. Wesker's base was advanced, but ultimately the data was the only irreplaceable thing, and that had already been extracted. "Very well. If anyone visits those coordinates once we're done ensuring Mnggal-Mnggal's destruction, they'll wonder why that asteroid field isn't on their star charts."

    "Thank you Lady Ciaran." said Thrawn. "Still, the fact that Mnggal-Mnggal was able to get even a piece of himself out of the Unknown regions is terrifying. I must relay this information to the Chiss Ascendancy."

    "I thought they banished you." said Ciaran.

    "Some things are more important." he said simply, before standing to leave. "I'm relieved that I've managed to instill in you the importance of destroying Mnggal-Mnggal utterly though."

    "I must thank you for informing me of the threat this thing posed. I knew it was dangerous, but if I had known how much…" Ciaran trailed off. "Well, I need to inform Grievous I have a practice target for those new turbo lasers we installed on the Oracle."


    AN: So... Mnggal-Mnggal has me spooked. All for taking anything of value, making sure there's no Mnggal-Mnggal in or on it, and then blowing the entire planet to kingdom come, say aye.
     
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    • Panory said:
    You may be faster, but my posts have omakes.


    On it.

    An Old Threat​

    "And then there was this strange black ooze. Apparently it was sentient, and Wesker had based the virus off of it." Said Ciaran, recounting the events of Operation Snake Eater to the rest of her officers. Ciaran's head turned at the sound of glass shattering on the floor and she saw something she thought impossible. Though it would appear as mild concern on anyone else, Ciaran could tell that Thrawn was scared.

    "Did you destroy it?" he frantically asked, leaning forward and ignoring the glass of wine he had dropped.

    "We strapped a rather large charge to the jar it was in and blew it to smithereens. Though the ooze itself seemed confident that it was immortal. We searched the wreckage of that room and found no trace of it." said Ciaran, now growing worried herself. Anything that could cause this kind of reaction in the calmest and collected person she had ever met was likely bad news indeed.

    Thrawn let out a sigh of relief. "Good, though you're right to suspect that you failed to destroy him completely. Every part of Mnggal-Mnggal is one and the same. To destroy him completely would require the annihilation of several planets."

    "You know what this thing was?" asked Ciaran. "What is it, and why are you so afraid of it."

    "Mnggal-Mnggal is a creature from the Unknown Regions. The Chiss have been aware of him for some time now, though we also learned that avoiding anything he's touched is the only route to anything resembling victory. Still, we paid quite the handsome sum for anyone willing to take the risks inherent in slowing its spread across the galaxy." Thrawn had relaxed from the near panic he had been in when Ciaran had first described the creature, but he was still tense and on edge.

    "Its spread? I know the thing said Wesker's virus was a pale imitation, but it seemed confined enough." said Ciaran.

    "Mnggal-Mnggal is a parasite. It enters a host's body and digests it from the inside over the course of a day, and uses the husk like a puppet for up to a week." said Thrawn, shuddering at the thought. "From there it leaps from host to host, consuming, torturing, and growing. The Chiss traced the origin of the creature to Mugg Fallow, a planet that Mnggal-Mnggal consumed entirely ages ago. Its body runs in rivers on the planet's surface, and all Chiss have shoot on sight orders for anything leaving the planet."

    "It sounds dangerous." said Ciaran, the devastation of the thing she had come so close to not lost on her.

    "It is. The Chiss have luckily been largely unaffected, but we've seen empires fall when Mnggal-Mnggal gains a foothold." said Thrawn, shuddering at the memories. "If you want my personal opinion, take everything of value from Wesker's base, screen everything and everyone that leaves for even a trace of Mnggal-Mnggal, and then raze the entire planet from orbit once you're done. Then move the personnel from the ships to fresh ships, and destroy the old ships."

    Ciaran valued Thrawn's input, but he seemed to be letting personal fear color his words. "You seem almost paranoid of this thing. It's okay, we destroyed it."

    "I do not doubt you, but if there is even a droplet of Mnggal-Mnggal left, it is our duty as living beings to insure that it never leaves that planet. It's only paranoia if the fear is baseless. This is not paranoia, it is caution." said Thrawn, irritated at Ciaran's casual dismissal. "The threat of anything Darth Sidious might have planned pales in comparison to the threat Mnggal-Mnggal poses if he were to get even a small piece of himself into the galaxy at large. It would be an irreversible cataclysm. Entire planets would die, and their inhabitants along with them."

    Ciaran sighed. Wesker's base was advanced, but ultimately the data was the only irreplaceable thing, and that had already been extracted. "Very well. If anyone visits those coordinates once we're done ensuring Mnggal-Mnggal's destruction, they'll wonder why that asteroid field isn't on their star charts."

    "Thank you Lady Ciaran." said Thrawn. "Still, the fact that Mnggal-Mnggal was able to get even a piece of himself out of the Unknown regions is terrifying. I must relay this information to the Chiss Ascendancy."

    "I thought they banished you." said Ciaran.

    "Some things are more important." he said simply, before standing to leave. "I'm relieved that I've managed to instill in you the importance of destroying Mnggal-Mnggal utterly though."

    "I must thank you for informing me of the threat this thing posed. I knew it was dangerous, but if I had known how much…" Ciaran trailed off. "Well, I need to inform Grievous I have a practice target for those new turbo lasers we installed on the Oracle."


    AN: So... Mnggal-Mnggal has me spooked. All for taking anything of value, making sure there's no Mnggal-Mnggal in or on it, and then blowing the entire planet to kingdom come, say aye.
    Click to expand...
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    Aye, in a heartbeat.
     
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