[IC] Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

[CorruptedShadow]

Kelim'tel nodded to the Master and ran off in the direction Lucina had went. There, he passed another Jedi Knight, and entered the room. He looked at all of the technology conducted by Imperial engineering and architecture...he wasn't impressed. There, he saw Lucina, checking for the different pieces of data that she was trying to collect. Approaching her, but trying to not interfere with her mission, he walked up to her quietly and introduced himself quickly. "I'm Kelim'tel, the Jedi Knight who helped your Master. He's assigned me to assist you with the collecting of data. Let's hurry up and get this mission over with and get you back to your Master." He said, holding his lightsaber with a strong grip.

To be honest, the Fort scared him a little. He was brave, yes, but the way Imperial and Sith buildings looked always gave him a chill. On the bright side, they would be leaving it soon enough once the Padawan had gotten the data they needed. His eyes wandered the room for anyone that would try to sneak up on them. Every now and again, he would feel something around the corner, but was only relieved for it to be nothing but smallers rats or just nothing at all. So there, he waited, guarding the Padawan as she collected the data she needed.

[DELETED324324]

Lucina

The padawan finshed her work and listened to Arius leave only to be replaced by the Jedi who showed up out of the blue yet again. "Does my master still think i am a youngling who needs to be cared for?" She asked the jedi knight, she sighed audibly but finshed her task and started walking out. When she saw daylight and grass it took every fiber of her being not to kiss the dirt and stretch out in the sun and take a nap. Looking around she spoted just about everybody except Kast.

Locating a trooper who went with the Mandalorian was the first step. "Wheres the Mandalorian who went with you?" She asked, "He stayed behind." The trooper told her, you would have to have a rancors brain to not know why. Blasting fool thought he could be a hero and come to Master Rorwoorr's rescue, like some sort of hero from a holobook. Finding sentinel Arius she handed off the data she had downloaded. "Kast is still inside I'm going in to get him before he gets himself killed." She told the sentinel, then turned heel and ran back inside the dark.

Walking back into the darkness had her on edge, she felt as if there were a million little eyes on her. To top it all off she was utterly alone, but either by luck or luck of the dumb variety she found Kast not far from where she left him. "Come on this place is about to blow probably. Atleast that's what Airus says, he seems to know an awful lot about this sith lord now that i think on it." She told the Mandalorian, her chattyness assailing his ears and a smug smirk on her face.

[vietmyke]

Kast had been casually making his way out of the fortress as the young padawan ran into him. She mentioned that the fortress was close to destruction, in a voice that was filled with less concern for his physical well being than it was with her typical unerringly-blissful speech. It was good to see that the battle had done little to stifle her talkative mouth. Kast often times wished she was more like her master- that is, less talkative. Regardless, other than a few scorch marks here and there, and a fine coat of soot and ash on her body, she appeared to be no worse for wear. In regards to her statement, Kast gave her little more than a casual glance.

"Unless I took a direct hit- in which case, I would have bigger problems, I'd have little difficulty escaping an exploding building. The ability to fly is useful in most circumstances." he replied plainly, casually cocking his head back to gesture to his jetpack, "Besides, I had to make sure you and your master didn't get trapped in there. Otherwise, I don't get paid."

Kast paused, "And I'm getting paid a lot"

His mood soured at the mention of Arius. Kast wasn't one to hold grudges, but his current opinion of the sentinel was none to high for the time being. Stepping outside of the fortress with Lucina, Kast founding himself in the presence with even more Jedi. On top of the sentinel, there was yet another Jedi. This one seemed very close to Lucina in age. Kast hoped that this one was more sensible like Master Rorwoorr, but he didn't put any faith in it, nor did he expect it. It seemed that he had been fated to be surrounded by Jedi who were either impulsive, brash, ignorant, or some combination of the three. Lucina, while impulsive, and fairly bash, was also competent, and lacked the blissful ignorance and detached unworldliness of most of the Jedi he encountered. These other two, were relatively unknown variables, likely sent to replace the two jedi whom had fallen earlier during the battle.

"This Arius seems to think he knows a great deal." Kast replied to Lucina coldly, making no effort to hide his obvious passive aggression towards the Sentinel.

He placed a hand to his side, his gauntleted hands brushing over the hilt of the red saber he had taken from the Acolyte. He glanced over and saw a pair of his troopers dragging the still unconscious Sith onto the waiting dropship. The rest of his teams were either boarding the dropship as well, or forming a small perimeter around the ship, waiting for him and the rest of the Jedi to board the ship. Kast maintained himself slightly behind the human Padawan. He wasn't keen on making small talk with the other Jedi, so he'd accompany her, and let the padawan do the talking while allowing him to hear the important bits of information that he needed to.

[knighthawk]

Some forceforsaken backwater planet
Ka...La...Ta...Tha...Ka..La..Ta..Tha... Ka! La! Ta! Tha!
Those four words roared as a chant by over a thousand voices in a circle, the oval was acoustically perfect as the cheers reverberated off the walls to make even a single voice echo about to be heard by all present. In the middle of the arena was a single woman flying on wings above the battleground below. She was pointing at each section coordinated by color or compass direction, as she pointed to each with a call they responded with growing fever. This one had a people skill he sorely lacked, he might see if he could keep her.
Ka-la!...Ta-tha!.. Ka-La!..Ta-Tha!.. Ka-La! Ta-Tha!
Now it became a heart beat, the two of the north and west roaring against those of the south and east in a contest to see who could be louder, who could cry out more powerful, who would win. It was his heart beat, the beat of battle he had earned by soaking the sand in the blood of a hundred slaves, pets, criminals and champions. It was his bloodright that brought out the savagry of these people, they wanted the scene, they wanted the blood he shed they wanted the gore he threw, they wanted him.
Ka-La-Ta-Tha! Kala-Tatha! Kalatatha! KALATATHA!
And they would have him.

The gates flew open to a blazing light as the musclebound wookiee emerged to a glorious scene. All around the people were screaming to the point of foaming at the mouth with a thousand voices calling for blood, their fear, their anger, it was better than a thousand slaved killed by a thousand servants for a sith bloodrite because they all came back again and again for more. The arena floor itself was a menagerie of mutated metal and smoldering stone, streaks of sand seared to shimmer.

The conductors of this orchestra seemed to be two mandalorians of entirely different clans with the heaps of a dozen other warriors dead in the dirt. Clearly this had been a king of the mountain ordeal with the last two standing. One wore the armor of a blue clan whose helm sloped smoothly down to the shoulders and protected the neck while the other wore a more primal suit made of many animal hides. If the two had joined forces at the start then they will still be in prime form, if they fought alone to the last then they will be a bloodbath.

The wookiee released a roar that was fueled by the force, louder than the clap of thunder or roar of engine, echoed by the arena all fell silent to cover their ears against his aural assault. One Mandalorian took a knee in its azure armor while the other widened its stance to stand strong while the lady who was working up the crowd Flew for her life behind the wookiee into his room as the doors closed behind her.

Kalatatha put right hand upon his back and drew up the sith glaive as his left forarm unfolded the bowcaster with a snap, launching a whipcord right into the exposed upper thigh of the kneeling Opponent. No matter how good your armor, there must be certain universal gaps for movement, Such as it was that the wokkiees aim was set for just above the thigh-guard but below the groin plate, armorweave is excellent against Blasterfire and even lighthabers but useless against a grappling spike meant to pierce stone or metal.

The wounded warrior gave out a well deserved cry of pain while all watching winced on in belief it was a far more humiliating shot, the line grew tight as the reel began and the blue fighter began to be brought to the wookiee who rushed to meet him. But between the two came out rolling a silver sphere that erupted in a massive shockwave, blowing both back as the grenadier readied the next explosive charge. Moving with the blast was always better than resisting the flow in any form of combat so the wookiee used the force to fling him around the arena, his glaive sparked as it bit deep into twisted metal and flung him around in an arc to bring him towards the two from a new direction.

For the purposes of the fight, Kalatatha had named the two 'blue' and 'bone' in his mind as he fell into his true self, instinct and anger and power and rage, he despised long range communication so now it was time to let the bloodbath begin. Blue had taken the moment to put a stim into the thigh so that he might maneuver when he abandoned his pistols for a carbine off his back while bone had concocted a simple tool of absolute savagery, overhead spun a pair of bolas in the right hand while an atl-atl cradles a sphere in the left. On came the wookiee faster than before, almost charging on all fours as he rushed in.

The Glaive became a black blur as blasterfire erupted between the three, wooorshyyr wood splintering away to reveal more sith spell-steel below as the shots went wide. Bolas flew at the beast hoping to tangle it up like the animal it was but the brown blur bound up higher than any would guess him capable of as the two tied grenades found a kairn of stone to entwine and explode. That trick would have ended even a sith master if it had managed to find purchase to twist into such lethal proximity as against the skin, but thankfully the berzerkers survival instinct was greater than the mandalorians skill, for now.

Down came the wookiee with all his force, two hundred kilograms of fury in bronzium armor crashed into the arena floor with a shockwave that cracked the packed clay. Blade and claw, loop and knee, gnashing teeth and elbows flew out between the two, driving a wedge between them to exploit weakness. When the explosive had separated the two from the wookiee's tether, the mandalorian had failed to remove the harpoon from his leg to prevent furthur damage and risked poison over bleeding out. This would prove to be a downfall as clawed hangs grabbed onto the cable and wrenched with monstrous force with full intent to slam one warrior into another. Thankfully this didn't happen and the cable broke free which ended in only the cable whipping down onto bone's atl atl and discharging the grenade prematurely.

Green gas filled the area as the poison grenade went off. both the mandalorians were safe in there sealed suits, but the wookiee didn't have a helm or even a breath mast to pop over his snout. Now time had become a factor he could not ignore, how long before who knows what takes him down? The glaive was abandoned as all his fury came onto the greater threat of Bone, clearly an animal hunter of some kind, And the resulting assault came in a blinding serries of agonizing screams as every attempt to block one or the strikes still carried enough force to break the bones underneath. Snap by snap the mandalorian was broken down to her knees as the wookiee put his hands on either side of her helm and heaved up. Wookiees are known for ripping arms out of sockets and beating people to death with them, this was just sheer decapitation.

In the mere moments it has taken the wookiee to incapacitate and begin to decapitate his opponent, Blue has made a powerful decision to release one arm off the stock of the sarbine and drop wrist to release a sheet of flame to try and engulf the wookiee if not them both as a mercy killing to her by fire. The force fights with the wookiee however as the same gas that threatens the wookiees life is dioxis, a chemical that robs the surrounding area of oxygen also robs the flames of oxygen to burn. With a great heve, the wookiee whips the other around by her helm which rips free of its seals and sends her flying away with head still attached while the wookiee holds the spiked helmet.

Chest screaming in suffocation, he drops the helm and charges up into the pile of limbs that is a broken opponent and a thankfully inept companion. Blue reaches down with a laugh as he grabs the wookiees own weapon and tries to bring it to bear but finds its too heavy to heft. "That thing is heavier than Besskar!" That observation is one of the last things he would ever say as the wookiee advanced with carbine blasterfire sinking into the wookiee, some bouncing off armor and some burning away braids of fur and bits of flesh as the beast closed the distance and slashed with his clawed gauntlet at the bicep that held the gun which dropped to the floor when the limb stopped reacting. Again the claws came out as he plunged his bladed fist into the left armpit, rending the brachia artery and ensuring a death.

As the neocrusader dropped to his knees, Kalatatha took his weapon back from unworthy hands and brought it down with the full force he had left. To its credit, the armor was strong enough to take the blow, but like before it would be the body beneath the protective plates to shatter and rupture. The wookiee dragged himself off the field to his quarters to the cheer of a crowd he didn't care for at the moment as all he needed was air. Thankfully his assistant was just inside with a tank ready for him to breathe in the much needed pure element to bind all the gas to rend it inert. he would be coughing the gak up later but for now he would survive, he always survived.

---

Kalatatha had been stationed on this planet for months now as an arena champion while putting pieces in place for his master. stacking the pazzak deck in his favor, finally all of the data had come in and he was finally ready to report. Placing a clawed hand upon a device, he let the force flow through him in a painful electric arc to power the holoprojector systems before he drooped to a knee in exhaustion as the red image formed before him.

"Are the preparations complete?"

The wookiee set his hand to his throat to make sure it was set to Galactic basic before speaking without labor, saving his heaving gasps for when he was be talked to. it had been a few days since the fight and he was still in recovery. In the downtime he had received both the mandalorians helmet as a trophy as well as the reason he was sent here in the first place, the grand prize of a crimson pyramid that fell from the sky, some spoke of it possessing magic powers, but he knew what his master had sent him here for in addition to the tactical position of the planets communication with the other steps in play.
"Almost, my Lord. The fleet is assembled and prepared, the secret weapons are fully operational and we have sent scouts along the hyperspace route you provided us with."

"And?"

The wookiee slowly rose but kept his head down, subservient for the now and to the only man who he knew could kill him without effort. Weakened state or not, his intentions were worn on him like a cloak that anyone could sense coming. If Kalatatha were ever to try and attack someone like Crusade, it would have to be an open challenge to combat he might well just ignore to try and make the wookiee's heart explode.
"As you predicted, my Lord. They set off no alarms and met no opposition until they arrived and with the credentials forged for them they managed to get away without incident. The long range scanning unit indicates they have been attempting to trace the hyperspace lane or set up a security network however at this time it is inefficient and won't be able to detect our approach."

"Very well. Have the fleet head to the rendezvous, the Hâsk shall arrive shortly with her escorts."

The wookiee bowed as it cut off, grateful that the sith lord didn't remote detonate the projector to kill him off as a loose end. It would not be his favored way to die but such a precaution did fit his current masters methods to put down a wounded animal like him.
And an animal is just what kalatatha wanted to be.

[Sep]

Rorwoorr

Rorwoorr looked around the group around the dropship. Everyone was loading up but the real question was where would they go. It obviously wasn’t safe up in orbit, that much was obvious and the dropship would just be torn to shreds more than likely. The information on the datapad needed to get to Coruscant immediately, as did the information that the Sith had apparently declared a new Emperor, and with the ship in orbit apparently had more strength than the republic knew. Of course just sending Jedi wouldn’t be enough to convince the senate of the threat, so the more people there to meet with the supreme chancellor the better. He’d go with the Mandalorian Kast and the prisoner they rescued, Mandalorians and Jedi typically didn’t see eye to eye so them being on the same side would be an oddity.

He turned to Lucina before nodding at Kast and speaking. [Inform the troopers to retreat the nearby cave system and set up defensive positions, in the caves they should be safe from orbital attack and will be able to dig in incase the Sith decide to counterattack.] He nodded at the other Jedi. [We must return to Coruscant using the freighter we found upon arrival.] He pointed to Kast. [You will be coming with us, as will the Mandalorian prisoner we found.]

Crusade

Cruasade nodded. Before waving Vera away, he turned to her. “Vera, Kadan head to the hanger and prepare the ship.” He turned to Kadan. “After that I want you to go gather prisoners that we have and move them across also. They will be important for what is to come upon Coruscant. “ He smiled under the mask, years of planning of subterfuge to get to the point where he could finally begin. It had taken time and effort to train Vera to the point she could act as a Senator. To prepare ships, droids and most importantly to learn.

That was the key to beating the Jedi, and taking control of the galaxy in its enirety. Knowledge. Not just on the dark side, of his opponents. With that knowledge, he would succeed where those before him had failed. He looked to Vera who was at this point leaving the bridge. “Tell Suade that I require his presence.”

[Prince]

The Basic Instructions
a collab between Prince and Renny

Summary (Aboard Hask orbiting Arbidon)
After allowing Naraal into the corridors of the Hask, Suade begins to question what he knows. After teaching the young Sith of the most basic principles of the Force, they are called to the Bridge to meet Crusade were both bow before him.

Reveal

The corridors of the Hask weren't unlike those of any other ship of its size of quality, but what echoed throughout it was the resounding pressence of the Dark Side. Suade bathed in it. The entire ship, especially his quarters, were lathered in thick layers of debauchery, although his specific portion was significantly more so than others. Many of the crew refused to enter the little corner of the ship known as "Suade's Wing"; others made it their personal place for recreaiton. In any case, that wasn't the destination Suade had in mind.

His pace was slow, having nowhere to really be and the somewhat disappionting youngling behind him. He wasn't for sure what to do with him, actually. He wasn't ready to torture him. He had no reason to train him. He was of no other interest to Suade. He wasn't even sure if he and the youngling had the same interests, and if they did, Crusade might find it in distaste to usher him into the Dark Side through the venues of Suade. Suade could just sigh.

"Naraal, what do you know?" Suade asked. He had little else to do. Likely, he would just learn what he could, then seek out Crusade. Unless he had other matters to attend to, but that was unlikely.

While he kept his pace deliberately in tune with Suade's, always a good few feet behind, he could not help the pondering's of his mind. He had felt so sure that the answer had been within the statement as Suade had told him. And yet the disappointment on the Sith's face had remained ever so subtly there. Though it drifted from him like a thin fog, it still billowed over the youth.

He had decided it was a irritating feeling that he'd rather not have to endure. His earlier master had unleashed the force on him in several ways; most of them were different forms of anger or correction. His father, though a Jedi had barely taught him anything worth remembering. Anything of noteworthiness.

When Suade's voice had pulled him through his thoughts, his hand was quick to rub the nape of his neck. His pale face -as usual when not embracing the Dark Side- was unconcerned. “Not much. He taught me basic uses of the Force and how to feed on the Dark Side. After that he told me to learn through experience and conflict.”

Suade could only sigh at the ignorance of the boy. He, honestly, could not blame him for his inability to answer, but at the same time, his master had apparently done a poor job in truly teaching or at least completely investing the aspects of the Force into Naraal. Although Suade was disappointed beforer, he at least now believed that Naraal might still have at least a small amount of potential.

"Naraal, I shall tell you the most true, the most fundmanetal and the most important thing you should ever know about the Force. It is within us all. It connects everything. It has a will of its own and it brings things together that need to be. The Dark Side of the Force, equally, is within us all. What makes us different - far more powerful - is how we connect to the Dark Side of the Force. How we get our power. That power, the Force, still connects us all," Suade explained to Naraal. He used no Force Persuasion or technique. Just words. The words he was told when he was taught and the words that made him the Sith fanatic he was knot words. The words he was told when he was taught and the words that made him the Sith fanatic he was known as amongst the inner circles of Crusade.

The man had explained the most important piece of information he'd ever hear. The most true, apparently. Naraal listened so intently that his trademark smirk had creased out into a tense line, even his brows had pulled together just a bit. While Suade spoke, he was reminded that the Dark Side was conducted with emotions, usually very strong ones at that. So the question that lingered afterwards left him a bit confused.

It was shrouded by a fog, some invisible opposition. What was it that was blocking the question and in turn the answer. Something inside of him, much stronger than just a hunch told him that this answer he knew, and that this question was hidden by something far more complex than just not knowing. It was beyond that. It was unnatural.

“Saude,” he called out, his hand rubbing his temple after little success on his own. “Have you ever felt like something beyond you was hindering you? Is it possible for the force to keep secrets? To “shroud” things?” He wasn't too sure himself but he bet Suade knew. He seemed to know everything else after all.

"The answer you seek, " Suade said, "is not one any mentor can give you. Not I, not my master and definitely no Jedi." Suade was feeling the same block, the same haze, that Naraal did. He had the potential to tap into the Dark Side, to attain more, but what stopped him was himself. What stopped him was his search for self. Suade believed that Naraal had yet to truly identify and dfefine himself and without that he would never tap into his passion.

A quick beep from within Suade's pocket led him to grumble. It was obviously a comdevice of some sort, but Suade didn't answer it. He didn't need to. He knew what it was for - at least this beep. Suade said, "I shall take you to my master, but first I will teach you one of the first things you would have learned if you came from the same camp I did." Suade rounded a corner, reluctant to see if there would be any frutiion in taking Naraal to see Crusade in the Bridge.

"Listen closely, Naraal...

Peace is a lie, there is only passion
Through passion, I gain strength
Through strength, I gain power
Through power, I gain victory
Through victory, my chains are broken
The Force shall free me."

As usual, Suade's answer was either completely unsolvable or simple and direct. This one was the latter. Normally, mysteries like this would be ignored by him... forgotten. But since he arrived on the ship it seemed like the mysteries were placed there as a hurdle. Climbing them would put him one step closer to revealing something important. Something, paramount. Again, a tensing pain throbbed his head as he tried fruitlessly for the answer.

It was odd to him but whenever Suade spoke, he tended to chime in; regardless of what he was doing before. With his master, it was different. He was forced to pay attention at all times, it was a absolute duty. With this man, it seemed he had the choice and chose to listen.

After a beep, he would finally be meeting the source of the ripples, the deep pool that drawn him in? If he was, then he'd say it was about time. His entire body had been urging him towards it, even through the fog that blocked his question, he could feel the familiar pull coming from the same source. However, before all of that would happen, Naraal had been told something that yanked at his heart. He could feel the want to believe those words, the need to accept them. For a minuscule second, he recognized the tilting of his morality.

This is... this is what I want, he confirmed, his hands descending back into the wide sleeves of his robes. With resolve, his footing had gain a certain presence to them. Where his silence had once gone unnoticed, he found himself stepping ambitiously behind Suade, disregarding the distance he had put between them before.

In his head, he repeated those words for reasons that escaped him. Just like everything else had since he landed on the ship.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain... strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power... through power, I gain... victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me!

Peace is a lie, there is only passion...

Suade could hear, almost, the resoundnig chant of Naraal as he repeated the words inside his head. It was no clear read, Suade wasn't even chiming, but in his own way, Suade was enforcing the Code onto Naraal. With each repetition, Suade said it with him. His telepathy allowed these short messages over and over, pushing it into the recesses of Naraal's mind an engraving it as deep as he could into his memory in the short time they had.

Through passion, I gain... strength.

For essentially the remainder of their trip through the ship, Suade continued this with Naraal almost hypnotically. Suade had every intention on making the young Naraal remember their code, if anything. Hundreds if not thousands of Sith before Naraal and even Suade had used the code to achieve some form of greatness or power, whether it was by staying true to it or using their own interpretation. These few words held power, if only through conviction.

Through strength, I gain power.

Suade and Naraal soon met up in front of the doors to the Bridge, behind it being Lord Crusade himself. Even Suade was not immune to the ripples of the Dark Side behind it, the power that radiated from Crusade. "When I kneel, boy, you kneel," Suade told Naraal as the doors were opening. His tone was different. It was almost normal, even. He was barking an order at Naraal, like his masters before him. Even Suade knew his place under Crusade.

Through power, I gain victory.

Suade entered the Bridge ,silently walking forward past those others in it, then stood before Crusade several feet away. Suade knelt down, bowing his head. "Lord Crusade, I received a summons from Vera. What do you need of me, m'lord?" Suade asked. Suade was, for all intents and purpose, a servant to Crusade. Although at times, in front of the others, he acted with a set amount of freedom - even in the presence of Crusade - with just his lord and a few pilots, he showed nothing but his sincerest respect.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

Eventually the code was easy to remember. It came from the fog of his thoughts like a ghostly hand, gently rapping against his mispronunciations or mistaken words. They corrected him with a touch that he had long forgotten. ...the force shall free me. he told himself in a moment of finality. He felt... weightless in that moment, his own greed and hunger for the Dark Side, for the ripples beyond the door balancing with some oddity inside of him. It made his need for the Dark Side seem tamed.

With a short nod of his head, he assured Suade that he would “You got it.” As if he had a choice. Even he could feel the absolution that suffocated the room behind those doors. It ran through the ripples of the Dark Side. Something unknown, something... intriguing. The hiss of the doors opening released what felt like a chill from the bridge. Whether it actually had or not, Naraal felt that his robes had billow just the tiniest from it.

Following behind Suade with his head held high, he gazed at the broad back of the man they were approaching. It was him for sure. He was the source of the ripples, the cause of something that initiated a hunger inside of him. Though he would never speak it aloud, he dare say the man standing in front of him was like a meal. Something to be eaten, to be devoured until nothing was left.

His silver eyes gained a wild curiosity but he did well to turn his head to the ground. When Suade knelt, Naraal did the same off to his side and behind him; out of fear of the man addressed as Lord. He rested his palm on his knees, his hands tremoring from his inner desires. If not for the Code still being repeated in his head, he was sure his whole body would be doing the same.

The Force shall free me.

[Heat]

Kadan nodded at Lord Crusade as the Sith ran over the mission, which included having Kadan lead the operation, which he was very eager to do, already ready to prove his worth further. He listened to the Crusade before stating a quick reply as he moved out of the room.

"It shall be done, my lord. I will not fail you." He said, then bowed slightly before he left the bridge, his robe floating around as he turned, heading to the hangar where the ship was waiting for him. He was working with another Sith, 'Suade', among other less interesting people, the name was what Crusade referred to him as, Kadan hoped Suade lived up to his as he had only heard about him, he never had the pleasure of working with the man until now. Of course Kadan did plan to do much better than Suade, but the mission came first, always. The most important aspect being to get it done exactly how Crusade demanded it, maybe even better than he wanted.

As he reached his destination, he found the ship which he was to take, by it were some troopers who turned their attention to him as he approached, stopping in his tracks in front of. His arms folded, facial expression one of disappointment.

"Lord Crusade informed me that high value prisoners were to come to Coruscant, would you please get them for me?" Kadan asked the group, putting on a mock smile which contrasted his words which had the perfect amount of aggressiveness in them to really get his point across. As the soldiers dispersed, Kadan entered the ship, looking it over, he found his way to the cockpit and checked the systems, ensuring that the destination in the computer was correct as well as inspecting for any pre flight issues. He came out of the ship a short time after, placing himself by it, standing with his arms folded as he waited for the others to arrive.

[DELETED324324]

Vera, The Hask.

Vera bowed once more before exiting the bridge, she walked through the corridors nodding to each trooper as she went, they either avoided looking at her or nodded back. She got on the ship nodding to the sith who was to accompany her and walked into her quarters. Moments later she came out dressed in a green dress with a split on the left that led up her ankle. "So why are you coming with, is what i'm curious about. Crusade normally sends me alone." She asked the Sith Warrior.

---

Lucina, Abridion

She nodded to Master Rorwoorr and began relaying his orders to the troopers. When that was done she came back and relayed the message to Kast. "You are to go off planet, with the master and take the prisoners to courscant." She told the Mandalorian warrior, something seemed off to her though. "Master what about me?" She asked, though she had a pretty good idea she was going to be told to hold out on the planet with the troopers.

[Sep]

Characters: Crusade, Suade, Naraal
Setting: Hask Orbiting Arbidon, Bridge
Writers: Prince, Sep, Renny

Prompt: Suade has been summoned by Crusade through Vera while escorting Naraal.
OOC: Posted up so I could throw up a Rorwoorr post for the Republic side.

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Crusade turned. The mask betraying nothing off his facial features, though some said it was not a mask. The theories behind what he really was were quite interesting, and he didn't dissuade them. Rumours gave him power, as they bred confusion. No-one truly knew who he was and that gave him a level of invulnrability. He looked down at the Zeltron and the boy beside him, boy being the only word he would use. Next to untamed and weak. Very close to being pathetic. The boy could use the Force, otherwise he would not have caused any form of disturbance however it was so raw, so unrefined it used him more than he used it.

"I will have several uses for you in the upcoming excursion I have planned." He looked down on the boy, focusing his mind and pressing down on the boys. "Though first, what is this thing you felt could be brought into my presence?" He dropped his right hand down, pulling his cloak back making the hilt of his lightsaber visible. A threatening gesture, however it was done slowly and with elegance at the same time. Simply as if he had straightened his outfit or someone would have brushed their hair.

Suade could almost feel the disappointment, or rather, the distaste, brought to Crusade as he seemingly examined the boy. Suade was well aware of how quickly Crusade could anaylze Naraal. Far faster than he could, and not due to any mental affinity. Crusade was so deeply in touch with the Dark Side that it was almost instanteous; all the boy needed be done was brought near him. Suade, to even begin to analyze Naraal to the degree Crusade must have in mere moments, would have required extensive time and experimentation, not just with the boy's mind, but his body. The gap between them was huge, leaving a small realm of skill Suade possessed that his master did not.

"He is a youngling, sir," Suade answered Crusade, rising slowly from his knees to make what would have been eye contact with Crusade if not for his mask. This was a sign of respect, a sign of strength, a sign normally respected within the Sith. To kneel was to accept the gap of strength between them and too acknowlege the authority of those above one, but to peer right into the eyes of one's commander was to remind them of your value and strength. If one could not stand up to their master, they had no hope of standing up to their enemies - or the enemies of their master. "But, I believe the Dark Side brought him here for a reason," Suade added.

"Like a gnat to your flame, sire, he was brought here, tasting your power and hungering for more. As I spoke to him and delved into his mind, I could see that hunger for power and even feel its extent. He has no boundaries for it. Even his imagination is not the end to his desire. The... potential he may have, if shown what the Dark Side truly is, m'lord, may take him farther in training than some of these brutes you trust with tasks that I would not give ethem on their best day - not questioning your judgement, of course," Suade answered Crusade. He words were eloquent, chosen with a clear and decisive intent as to not offend but also express his own opinions, which at times were considered by Crusade. Even more so, these were only words; he did not meddle with the Force when addressing his master.

"As you know, I feel the Force makes no coincidences. Some consider me still a fanatic, but I know you have seen the complex tapestry that the Dark Side weaves for us. I hoped you might have insight where I am blind, m'lord," Suade explained as he continued his stern stare at Crusade. He danced with words, but felt he had much to explain. Weaker Sith would have stumbled and broken their contact with his master at this point, some Jedi would have broken down terrified. Suade defended himself with the only tool he had when dealing his master: his wordplay.

Standing in his presence, in the source's territory was invigorating and frightening at the same time. It left the pale-skinned youth wanting more than he could partake in and even more afterwards. His jaw tensed, the angularity of its showing through the softness as he felt the man's pressure weighing on him; egging on the hunger that gnawed at his mind. He hadn't felt such a pressure before. Never heard himself be addressed as a thing before. It made him flinch a bit; he knew he was disposable to this man.

Remaining knelt as Suade raised up, he was enthralled with the sith's words. They fell off the tongue in elaborate ways that made him reconsider their uses. No longer was it aggravatingly confusing. He had finally recognized it as a means of survival. A means of warfare.

The feeling that now coursed through him, beyond the new found understanding of Suade, was the hunger and need to drink from the fountain itself. He crinkled the tips of his fingers against his kneecaps to hold himself back. It was weird, but his hunger did not attempt to overthrow the intense fear that racked his bones; instead, it was attempting to coexist with it. To makes its home next to the fear... to give him a reason to endure it.

He couldn't help but wonder if this too was the Dark Side's doing or if it was simply his imagination.

Crusade looked around at the boy, his hands figgeted against his knees. There wasn't hate, it was more akin to fear and a hunger. He almost felt like laughing, it is true the Dark Side and this boy were connected. Though in such a way where it controlled the boy, if he was to be off use he had to express his dominance over it. He raised a hand to silence Suade. He walked straight on front off the boy, releasing his grip on his mind and then doing something else entirely. Constructing what could only be said as a barrier between the boy and the very essence of the Force. An ability he reserved for enemies, and those who would be allies.

He looked down to what would be the obvious surprise on the boys face, at suddenly having the ability to sense the Dark Side... disappear. Not being able to use the Force at all. It was just suddenly gone. "I have just removed you of everything that made you powerful boy. Everything that gave you power over the galaxy and those within it."

He walked to the edge of the bridge, looking out of the viewport as the ships weapons fired at the occasional pod, though by his order not every single pod. There had to be some survivors to strike fear amongst their enemies. He turned around. "How does this make you feel? I could snap you as if you were a twig, and now you only hopes of survival have been removed from you making you the weakest thing I have aboard my ship. Speak boy."

Naraal shivered tentatively. Everything that had made him up, everything that had blocked the pain of betrayal and hurt had simply vanished. It had all came rushing in, and for a moment he felt his control slip. It stabbed at him viciously; the image of his mother passing him on traders, her mercilessly actions when she killed his father. And then her head rolling on the cavern floor in that ghastly, mind-broken, image.

He looked down at his hands, their trembling discouraging him from even attempting to speak. He reached out over a dozen times since losing his connection with the force. But the numbness never came, none of it embraced him like before. It was just as the Source had said, he had become weak and helpless. A twig to be broken.

A cold breath left him as his hands fell back to his knees, his expression becoming emotionless. Without the force he was weak now, but he would not die. He would survive by any means possible. To put on the facade that he was strong was what he needed. Not to be a dribbling pup that lost his family; he would never be that again.

A calming breath left him. “... I feel abandoned,” he answered straight-forward, his hand balling into fist on his knees. “As if everything is foreign to me, against me. I feel hopeless. I hate that,” He conveyed the word hate with every fiber of anger inside of him. It was seething with repugnance.

"Pathetic." Crusade basically spat the word. He was, his emotions controlled him. If he ever became a Sith he doubted he would amount to anything. Despite that, while he himself did not enact the will of the Force, instead crushing it to do his there was something that brought this boy here. Something that could at least be temporarily beneficial. He focused on the barrier, making it strong enough to last several days without his presence. The boy would be trained.

Though not through any conventianal means. He had to earn his worth to use the Force. "You will come with us to Coruscant boy. You will be trained-" He waited for the hopeful look. "Though not by Suade and certainly not by me. You will be trained by Vera." He let himself a snide grin, hidden by his mask. He could feel the confusion by everyone who heard that, Vera was a capable assassin however she was no Sith. "Head to the shuttle, find out where it is on your own. Do not speak to me again, and never be within my eyesight until I call for you." He waited till the boy left.

"You will travel to the world where the Wookie is undergoing his mission. Bring him to Coruscant he shall be rewarded for his efforts by partaking in our little demonstration. Go now. I must prepare."

---

Rorwoorr

He turned to Lucina, surprised by her question. [You will be coming with us of course. As will our fellow Jedi. You will inform the Jedi Council off what has transpired here while you oversee the deciphering of the data you have collected.] He signalled for them all to enter the dropship. That lifted off, groaning slightly on its repulsorlifts due to damage taken to it during the battle. He watched as several more escape pods from orbit made land fall. [Ensure the troopers know to try and rally those who managed to escape in the pods. There may be those with severe injuries.] He looked at those in the dropship, which included one Mandalorian he did not recognize. Battered and bruised she had obviously been the prisoner he had been told had been liberated. The one that caused Kast confusion, however it was possible she could just be a mercenary caught up in things or indeed from another one of the Battalions that landed on the planet.

Something however seemed strange about her. He was going to tell Kast to keep an eye on her, though realized there was a chance of her over hearing through having to pass the message through Lucina and that the Mandalorian would likely already be doing so. The only other beings with them in the dropship was of course the pilot, the unconscious Sith, the Jedi and Kast himself. When the ship touched down, and the exited to what was an old spice freighter Rorworr turned to Airus and Kemil'tel. [Secure the prisoner in the ship, he is your responsibility.] He then turned to Lucina, Kast and the other Mandalorian. [You three fly the ship, I doubt I will be able to fit in the cockpit with anyone else there.]

[Renny]

Naraal Vrail, The Hask.

It took him a few minutes to retrace his steps but it was the long trek back that agitated him. Without Suade to occupy his mind and the Dark Side to numb his pain, or... reassure him of his strength, he felt less than able. Still though, he wouldn't let others know this. He would remain strong, even if he didn't have the force. He would keep the facade that he still rested happily in its embrace.

For some reason, by the time he had arrived on the ship, he was emotionally and physically drained. His dark earthen robes drift across the floor, his black robes visible through the untied front as he looked around. Silver eyes danced between his dark bangs before landing on a woman in a green dress, a slit provocatively falling to her left ankle. Her words suggested that she was in on the plan, so then she must had been Vera.

“I'm Naraal and you're suppose to train me. I'm your new apprentice, congrats,” He told her dispassionately. If the Source and Suade had expected him to be emotionless, then perhaps it was time for him to work on it without the aid of the Dark Side to help him.

[Heat]

"Perhaps it is a test of some sort." Kadan replied to Vera, though in his mind he knew it most definitely was a test by the dark lord. As the man followed her into the ship, breaking off into a different direction towards the cockpit once more where he took a seat, partly familiarizing himself with the interior, other part waiting until they could get going.

"An apprentice?" Kadan inquired, as he came from the other direction on the ship, moving towards Naraal and Vera, pausing a distance away, folding his arms as he stood, a slight smirk on his face.

"He is still weak, barely more than a boy," Kadan muttered, his tone one filled with wonder as well as amusement at the kid being brought along on such a critical mission. "But he is your apprentice, my words are nothing but the rambles of a near stranger. Just, keep him under control..." Then with those words he left, his robe gliding along with him as he walked out of sight, returning to the cockpit where he seated himself in the chair next to the pilot's. Composing himself for the moments to come.

[Apollosarcher]

Airus looked at Rorwoorr for a moment "The council isn't going to like you bringing me back there Master." and grabbed the surprisingly still unconscious Sith dragging him toward as he looked at the other Jedi he had been told to work with Kemil'tel, he guessed that was the Jedi's name. "I'm Airus, Sentinel and currently exiled by the order, thought I'd get that out the way.". As Airus looked at the old spice freighter. "This scrap heap have a name?" He asked no one in-particular as he pulled the Sith into the cargo hold, placing him in a crate binding his arms and legs in cuffs.

[NarcissisticPotato]

The dropship was almost worryingly unstable; granted, she had been on a lot of ships that were on the verge of falling apart. A strange silence descended over them as the drop-ship took off, the groaning of the repulsors being the only sound around them. Jailee took the opportunity to get a good few looks at the people surrounding her. The Wookie was a problem that she didn't exactly know how to deal with - it didn't take much for her to sense his unease around her, especially regarding the fact that she was the only person on the ship that they didn't know, except for the Sith. The padawan seemed caught up in her own problems while the Mandalorian stood, staunchly staring at the far-wall. There was another Jedi whom she wasn't very sure of and finally their Sith prisoner - he didn't have any reason to betray her so she would leave him, for now.

While the ship was touching down, she spent a few seconds to check the state of her armour. The lightsabers were still concealed away, hidden in covered alcoves of the metal. Shifting a little, she took in the cracks and weaknesses - they might be useful for knowing her weak points.

After exiting the dropship, Jailee made sure to trail behind the others, not wanting to appear like she had other things to do. Following the Sentinel who had introduced himself as Airus, she entered the ship and frowned in disdain - if something wasn't rusted then it was hanging off. "This is going to be a bumpy ride..." She sighed under her breath before turning to walk to the cockpit. She could fly it but not very well; she would just have to co-pilot for the Mandalorian.

[DELETED324324]

Vera

Vera was surprised by the appearance of an apprentice, and even more surprised when he said he was to be her apprentice. "Say it again, this time i want to hear some emotion in your voice, i also want you to bow to me. If you refuse i will make training even more difficult for you." She snapped at the boy, she smiled and waved after the sith who entered the ship "Don't touch anything." She yelled after the Sith, not sure if he even heard her or not.

---

Lucina

Lucina nodded and hopped on the dropship, it was a quiet ride. Nobody really said anything. This gave Lucina time to study the two prisoners, both of them seemed off. She wanted to question them a little but she refrained against it. It had been a long day for both the prisoners and the task force, and she did not doubt the council would interrogate them enough and see if they were truly friend or foe.

As the dropship set down and the padawan exited she looked at their new ride. "Looks like it's gonna fall apart, before we even get off the ground." She said, no hint of joking to her voice. The inside looked even worse, she really doubted their chances of even taking off as she sat in the navigators seat of the craft and strapped herself in.

[vietmyke]

"This 'scrap heap' is a gem, Sentinel" Kast remarked brusquely as the jedi exited the dropship. While the freighter itself was little more than an ugly rusty cuboid block with engines on it, its uses to Kast in particular were numerous. As it was such an old, mundane ship, most people- be they Republic, pirate, freelancer, or now Sith, typically paid it little more attention than a mere passing glance. It was too unremarkable and small to bother caring about. Also, due to its nature, it was inherently disposable a quality Kast found useful in most.

Kast had 'obtained' this ship several years back, and had converted it into a rudimentary mobile base of operations. The engines had been repaired and tuned to perform admirably given its cost and age, and the small area in between the cockpit and and hangar had been transformed into a multi-purpose living area, cramped with a single table/counter along the wall/corner for all work/hard surface related needs, an intel display, a rudimentary hospital, fit with a small surgery suite and a micro-bacta tank for quick healing. Built into the wall were a pair of cots, as well as a lavatory in the corner. The central area could be easily described as crampt, while the more spacious hangar had enough room for the small dropship as well as a couple crates, and presumably a few people- though the Kast had not fitted the ship with the idea of fitting a large wookie inside in mind.

Instead of seats, positioned around by the table were crates and boxes of about sitting level, and the table itself was strewn with all manner of mechanical parts. Blaster pistols, rifles, weapon parts, tools, and various canisters holding different fluids populated the surface of the table. Similar clutter populated the rest of the living area, along with various items of what were clearly memorabilia: various helmets, a few republic, one or two mandalorian helmets, a few with shattered visors, scorch marks, or blaster holes in them. A loop with half a dozen military dogtags sat on a crate, and the wall by the cots had a trio of lightsaber hilts, as well as a double-bladed lightsaber hilt were hung on a rack in the one section of the ship in a clean condition.

Kast made his way to the cockpit as he was told, pausing to step towards his lightsaber rack and deposit the newly acquired red one within the rack. Taking note of the number of jedi on his ship, Kast pushed a button on his wrist gauntlet and a chain of energy stretched horizontally across the hilts, preventing their removal from the rack. He glanced at Lucina, and then at the girl in mandalorian armor, and gestured with his head for them to follow him into the cockpit.

Compared to the central area, the cockpit was slightly roomier. Only slightly. The cockpit had a three seats in the front, and another chair off to the side, along with space for one other person to stand momentarily. The middle of the three seats served as the primary pilot chair, with the left and right being weapons and co-pilot respectively. The seat off to the side handled the information and navigational systems of the ship. Kast turned to Lucina.

"Do you have any experience with...." His voice trailed off, remembering the fiasco with the speeder bikes. "Actually, nevermind, take the navigational suite." he said, nodding to the navigation seat. Turning to the prisoner/merc, he gave her a quick size up.

"Are you any good with flying?" He asked her, as he sat down in the pilot's seat. He typically had no need for a co-pilot, as he was used to flying on his own, but the extra hands never hurt.

"Lucina, set a course for Coruscant."

[Renny]

Naraal Vrail, The Hask

It was quick, almost instant. The slight flip of emotion that gathered between the crease in his eyebrows, the narrowing of his silver eyes. If she did not known that his connection to the Dark Side had been blocked; its very likely that a force attack would had been predicted. However, without skipping a beat, he smiled almost formally and took a knee in front of her, his robes rippling to the ground.

His head bowed slightly, he hid the tensing of his jaw underneath the action. “I'am Naraal Vrail, your apprentice,” He told her, emotion leaking in the thin veins of his words. He wasn't too sure how well he learned to control his emotions, but he had never been taught to and it didn't come second nature to him like it did his Jedi father. He knew how to feel the air. But she didn't inspire any dramatic change in him. It was like standing in front of a thicker twig, something that was harder to break, but still breakable nonetheless.

[NarcissisticPotato]

Jailee was pleasantly surprised as the interior of the ship was revealed to her - it had enough armaments inside of it to fuel a small army. Granted, a fair amount of them seemed to be from Kast's fallen enemies but that point seemed irrelevant to the rest of the Jedi on board. She spared a quick thought to if the Republic turned a blind-eye towards his unsavoury actions in return for his mercenary work. It wouldn't be the first time the Republic did such a thing and If she was being quite honest, Kast would be worth it in the long run - the Mandalorian was brutally efficient and one of the few people on the ship that she didn't want to go up against.

If his broken remnants of armours and weapons were a testament of his abilities, the lightsabers were a rather worrying reminder that it didn't take a master-Jedi to kill her. Stopping for a second to stare at the hilts, she raised a testing hand before rotating her head in curiosity at the field surrounding the Mandalorian's spoils. There weren't just Acolytes' lightsabers here and she made a quick mental note to respect Kast's ability in the event that she had to face off against him.

Turning, she cast her gaze around the Jedi before following the mercenary and the padawan through into the cockpit. It wasn't overly spacious but it could fit the three of them. Trailing a hand along the top of one of the chairs, she stared at the computer-systems coming to life before turning around to look at him as he asked her a question. "Are you any good with flying?" He questioned, genuinely surprising her; she would have never trusted someone she just picked up with the position of co-pilot.

"I flew some gun-tugs with some raiders when I was younger. I suppose if you can tug these ships around then you can fly them." She shrugged softly before sliding down into the chair to the right of him. Her mind worked efficiently, scanning the consoles as her Echani heritage kicked in a little. "Right, I should be ready to go." She murmured, sounding preoccupied as she flicked a few switches above her. "How fast exactly can this thing move?" She questioned, putting up an even better disguise as she was genuinely interested in this.

[Sep]

As Kast began flipping various switches in the freighter cockpit, the old machine slowly began to hum to life, as its various lights and displays flashed on. After a moment of warming up, the only sound was the steady, but confident hum of its aged engines. The engine hum intensified and increased in pitch as Kast slowly began to push on the old starship’s controls. The old freighter lifted off rather smoothly, given its age and appearance, and with practiced ease, Kast angled the ship slightly upwards and began an easy exit from the atmosphere.

As Kast’s ship reached the atmosphere, he began to see the field of debris that was what was left of the Republic fleet that had accompanied them to Abridon. The fleet had been decimated. They had entered the system with over a dozen warships. Now Kast could only make out what was likely the husks of two of the Hammerhead Cruisers that had been their command vessel, the rest of the fleet had been reduced to large chunks of durasteel and machine parts. Kast had heard that the fleet was taking a beating, but he hadn’t expected this.

---

Crusade turned as a freighter appeared in dark space, then entering orbit. The Hask true to his orders began orientating to bring it into range of the guns, swarms of fighters began streaming from their holding positions towards it. He stretched out in the Force, focusing his mind on the vessel. He touched the mind of several, who recoiled at his touch. Jedi. Though what else he sensed gave him a smile under his mask, one of his own. An Assassin.

The Jedi aboard was reason enough to spare it, after what had happened to spare the Jedi alone would result in questions. The fact he had a spy aboard just added benefit as while he could sense a Sith who was obviously knocked out she wasn’t, she was alert. She would be rewarded if she succeeded.

“Bring us to the edge off the planets Mass Shadow and enter hyperspace. Once my shuttle departs rendezvous with the fleet admiral.”
“Yes sir.” The Admiral merely nodded and as Crusade walked off the bridge he could hear him barking orders to recall fighters and bring power to sublight drives. To the freighter the capital ship, fighters and escorts merely turned away, and began heading for the edge of the system.

He left the bridge, walking onto Veras freighter. He could sense Kadan nearby, and the little welp. When he walked onto the bridge he merely swept his hand in a dismissive tone towards the boy. “Go find Kadan. Have him teach you some swordsmanship.” With that he merely sat down in the co-pilot seat.

“When you’re ready Vera.”

---

Rorwoorr recoiled slightly at the probing effects of the dark side presence, a powerful mind indeed and that just made him realize how important their data really was. He moved to the cockpit, though even the ceiling in this room was lower forcing him to hunch over in a unelegant position. He looked at the ship hanging in space. [The so called Emperor resides on that vessel… I can sense him] Though then surprisingly the vessel pulled away, turning away from the planet obviously planning to head into hyperspace.

[We must head to Coruscant with all speed.]

[Renny]

Naraal Vrail, The Hask

Even without The Dark Side he could feel the tension in the air. The heavy footsteps that followed afterwards was only to be expected. He refrained from lifting his head, his fist clenching tightly as it attempted to bury itself into the metal floor. The woman never had a chance to express her approval or rejection, for he was dismissed by the overlord. A wave of the source's hand was all that he needed, a small tingle from the unspoken action raised him off his feet, his words directed him in the right direction.

He had remembered the man from before, and only assumed that he was this Kadan. He was sure that if the Dark Side had not been blocked, he would had known instinctively, felt the man's essence. Stepping pass the hole separating the cockpit and the ship, Naraal turned his silver eyes onto the Kadan. “Hey there. I was wondering if you could teach me to fight with a sword?”

---

Gideon Lilac, Coruscant

“Are you listening to me, Gideon?”

“Of course I'am, Ulim. These days everything is out of balance. Is it really any surprise that the Force is as well?” His golden eyes looked off to the side, towards the glowing light of the sun. It reflected on him in familiarity, as if they shared something in common. “None of it matters. As long as I'm on the side of the Republic, things will turn out alright.”

He felt Ulim's hand touch his forearm in friendly gesture, his eyes fell onto her greenish Mirialan skin. It was odd but interesting, she never failed to entice him into touching it. His hand fell onto hers, his face turning to meet her jade eyes. “You're as cocky as ever, Gideon.”

“That will never change. You should know that,” He told her before raising from his seat. They had long finished eating and neither of them were brave enough to meet their infatuation with action. So it was a stale end to their lunch. He watched her float away with the elegance of a warrior, and for a moment saw something akin to an aurora covering her.

A roguish smirk played on his lips as he tucked his hand inside his sleeves, he closed his eyes, and turned to walk in the opposite direction. “The Force is at work it seems.”

[reem]

Location: Interrogation Room, Republic Intelligence Headquarters, Coruscant
Time: 0530

---

Two men sat in a secured, sound-proof cell. All was dark except for the single light that seemed to only blind the man in question. Choruk Reem pinched the bridge of his nose, the primal fury of his mood was almost palpable. He grunted something unintelligible. It was only his third day after signing out on leave and the Republic Army was taking his time away. Not even enough time to go back home to Mandalore. He sat there still and quiet, turning his focus away from the reasons of his being here, and the throbbing headache after drinking as much as he did last night. He didn't know how much he drank, he lost count after ten drinks. "Sergeant Reem," the skinny, stone-faced Intelligence Officer, Chief Eudrep, broke the silence in a dry tone which was too loud for comfort for a sleepy alcoholic. "I heard you the first time, sir, I still don't know this has to be done while I have two weeks left of paid leave... as in leave of absence... as in, very far away from here."

"Sergeant, you know as well as I that the nature of the job which you volunteered for."

"Ha! You're wrong Chief-er-oh, I didn't volunteer, I was conscripted."

"You were granted clemency! An appeal by which the Jedi vouched for on your behalf, granted by the Chancellor himself! You should be locked up in a maximum security facility. I'd be surprised if you didn't have a twenty-four hour guard while you rotted away in solitary confinement."

"Ah but that's not solitary now is it, sir?" Choruk laughed, making every attempt to make the term 'sir' an insult. "I didn't sign up for all this osik. And the chakaar of a Chancellor has decreased my kriffing paycheck and worried about stupid regulations over common sense and rational thought!" He emphasized with a fist pound to the table.

"I'm aware you brought in the terrorist Neran, responsible for a series of bombings on Coruscant." Chief Eudrep said ignoring Reem's complaints.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... with the help of my partner, and your Republic paid us a fortune for him...let's skip the small chat. You can hear the story on Holo-Net History."

"Sergeant Reem, you served in the Mandalore's militia during the clan wars is that correct?"

"I served in the Army yes, for six years there were fighting among the clans. The northern clans banded together to fight off invading clans. It was brother versus brother, bloody conflicts in an war with no end in sight. Clan Reem stayed together, for the most part our lands were untouched by war, but we were allies with Ordo, and they unfortunately suffered from intense battles. We defended our brothers and I saw much action against enemy clans. After much chaos, death, and destruction, the clans eventually decided to stop fighting. Some smaller clans were even wiped from existence, or fled the planet. To this day the clans remain bitter, and divided..."

He stopped for a brief moment, having a flashback to the war...

The northern clans raided an enemy encampment in the middle of the night, there were heavy casualties on both sides and after hours of fighting the field they stood that was once used for farming now littered with bodies. Choruk had struck down his first Mandalorian that night. Stabbed another mando with a vibro-blade right in an unprotected portion of the armor to penetrate the abdomen and severing the enemy's vena cava. The fallen warrior bled out in less than three minutes. Choruk was only nineteen years old, and he had killed a veteran. It wasn't who was the better warrior it was who lived and who died in that moment. Reem took off the Mandalorian's helmet to reveal the pale face of a bearded man. The Northern Clans won that battle shortly after, but not a single soldier spoke in victory. It was only loss. Many good men died that day on both sides. Not a word was spoken, only the sounds of axes and shovels digging into the ground as a mass grave was made to honor the dead.

The room remained silent as the chief looked through a comprehensive dossier composed on the Mandalorian. He shuffled through pertinent papers. "You broke into the Jedi Temple, twice is that is..."

"Hey wait a minute, sir! I only broke in the first time because I was working a job to expose a traitor, a padawan spy. Even the kriffing Jedi were grateful for my work on that one... And I helped track down a rouge Jedi on Telos IV with Wyrry," Reem said attempting to cover up any suspicious behavior with more of his 'good deeds.'

"Yet I remember an old certain security recording in the Azurbani system, if I recall correctly..." the bald man replied with an almost devious grin, "You broke into a Republic prison on Kiffex, and freed a Mandalorian criminal, Vanna Ordo."

"Our clans have been allies long before the Mandalorian Wars, I was the closest when she sent out a distress signal, and she fought by my side during the clan wars. She would have done the same for me, so I broke into the prison. My people puts family and honor before anything, something you people could learn a lot from!" Now things were getting heated. Reem was practically shouting now. His temper was boiling and he wasn't going to spend his leave days being interrogated. He wanted to kill the Chief with his bare hands. If only that would satisfy him, I would carve him up like something found on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Coruscant. Choruk hated officers in general, intelligence officers even more, but this officer, in particular, he hated the most. Stuck up, scrawny looking, meat-head... Reem calmed a bit down, as he could see the look on the Chief's face, his lips were starting to quiver. Ah, he is scared of the big bad mando... Reem was going to have fun with this now.

"I fierfeking even provided the Jedi, and you Republic types, with invaluable intelligence on secret cult of Sith, and aided Jedi and Republic forces in defeating a powerful trio of Sith Lords, and who assisted me besides Wyrry, none other than the infamous Vanna Ordo. You can send her a thank you." He spat.

"Yet, you broke into the Jedi Temple for a second time only to retrieve special prisoner whom you were responsible for brining in for justice?" Chief Eudrep was attempting to intimidate the Mandalorian. He is going to need to learn better.

"Only to clear my conscience, I restored Neran to his rightful place. He went through enough punishment..."

"He was a terrorist! A murderer! He killed innocent people, for the fun of it!"

"It was about honor and redemption, justice on Mandalore is much different than your Republic's corrupted sense."

"And finally your sins caught up with you, you were hunted down by Jedi Masters Rogal Dorn and Magnus B. Galath, who arrested you on Mandalore. They gave you the option to serve in the Republic Army or rot in prison, how's that been working for you, Sergeant?"

"Well I've never been to Hell or eternal chamber of torment but I'm guessing it would be better equivalent." Choruk laughed.

"Your deployment record is outstanding, with only two years of active service you've proven yourself in the Republic Special Forces Division. You've been apart of several successful operations that has not gone unnoticed by command, but there are many even here in Republic Intelligence who question your motives and loyalties..."

"I have no love of your precious Republic. I do my job, and damn proud of it, but I am not dishonorable. I always take responsibility for my actions and I will never go back on my word."

"Well I certainly hope so, for your sake, otherwise we will be having a completely different conversation in the future. One that I might add, I would enjoy very much." There the Chief went again with a devious grin. Prick.

"Just as much as I would enjoy, putting a bolt through your head, sir." Just as the Chief's smile turned into a disapproving frown he gave a mock-salute as he grabbed his helmet. It was time for a much needed beer. He didn't care about whatever this screening was for, he didn't owe the Republic anything. He wasn't going to be bullied into it, not by Master Galath, not by the Chancellor, and certainly not Chief Eudrep and all his formal nonsense.

"We will be in touch, Sergeant Reem." Chief Eudrep coldly stated, Reem flipped the Chief off as he exited.