Forsythe

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

AHCH-TO // JEDI TEMPLE

As she waited along with the Jedi, who to Lakras's dismay still failed to introduce herself by name, she felt a poke against her mind. While it could have been anyone in the building, she was curious if it was the Twi'lek trying to figure her deal out. The Captain's initial idea was to come up with a particularly dark memory to focus on, as something like that would certainly get a reaction, even if only an eye twitch. But the thought of doing that perished as quickly as it came. They might be serving together in the near future, it was time to build bridges, not walls.

Want to know who I am? Well, allow me. Usually she would not even consider doing this, but if she thought there was somewhere in the universe where having her mind laid bare to an unknown observer would not be used against her, the Jedi temple was probably it. She closed her eyes, and thought of the past...

Imperial garrison landing on Iridonia. Her toy blade being laughed by a trooper passing by. Anger. Injustice. Powerlessness. Resistance. Rebellion. Wounded pride.

A trooper hitting a Zabrak woman while she was on the ground. Herself throwing stones at the trooper. Occupied, but unbroken. Terrified, but must help.

Her father handing her the family blades. Broken. Useless. Then again, pride. Resolve.

A ship cleaved in two. Atmosphere vented. Sealed in a compartment two corridors from the escape pod. Preparing for vacuum exposure. Pulling the door lever. Not like this. I will survive.

A crewmate struck by a blaster. Rushing out of cover to pull them in. Administering first aid. They are mine. Their lives are not yours to take.

Standing at the command post. Broken arm, swollen eye, bleeding. Giving orders to keep firing. It's not over so long as I draw breath.

Facing the Jedi council. Her nails digging into her palms. Dejection. Then resolve. My own path. My own conviction, my integrity. Light or dark, will serve the people.

Lakras took a sharp breath and her eyes shot open. It has been a while since she drowned in her past like this. She wasn't a fan. That's as much as anyone is getting. Want to know more, you'll have to talk to me. she thought for herself, her defenses raised once more, firmer than before.

An arrival finally saved her from the awkward silence. A rather wild looking human, as far as Lakras could tell. Fortunately a lot more friendly and chatty. She shook the offered hand: "Lakras Tagrate. Indeed, freshly transferred. You didn't miss anything yet. Too bad command didn't let me know you needed a lift." she smiled.

Another person arrived, this time a Jedi. Were they all this... young? Seriously, this group was making Lakras feel like an old woman. "Didn't miss a thing." She reiterated, "Does anyone know what this is about?" She asked curiously. Did anyone bring orders, or at least donuts? she thought, now wishing she grabbed a bite before hopping on the shuttle as soon as she woke up.

@Cyrania@DragonofTheWest

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

Might actually be easier to chat there since I use it to talk with brah and it works at work xD

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

A bit too busy with general life sadly. Posting is not affected but I can't talk as much as I used to :(

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

So who's got what planned? Plenty of cabins on the 'vette if anyone wants to tag along :)

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

AHCH-TO // JEDI TEMPLE

The captain failed miserably to hide her amusement when the Jedi had to recompose herself. Even if she raised the haze around her mind to prevent any of the Jedi from reading her like an open book in time, the tugging on the corners of her mouth told the tale. The Twi'lek facing her could not be older than thirty, likely less, and it was just adorable how she attempted not to look intimidated and even glared back.

And, apparently, she might be one of the Jedi whom she was supposed to give a ride. "Looks like we may get to know each other rather well then. What fun! Captain Tagrate, CO of the Milky Way, happy to make you an acquaintance." she introduced herself as they walked to their destination. A walk that was not very long, fortunately, as the clock were ticking. All the more surprise to find out they were the first two people there.

The room was as barebones as she remembered form her brief stay at the Jedi temple. Walls without a speck of vibrant color. Not a piece of art on the walls other than the, again dull looking, statues. And one would be hard pressed to find a bench or a chair, at least a comfortable one. The Milky way was no cruise liner, but even there one could find more amenities than here. There was not even a locker with beverages, just a holomap in the center of the room. What. Fun. the captain thought as she leaned against the wall in the corner, waiting for something interesting to happen and hoping it would arrive before she grew old.

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

Rorkia Duli

*snipped*
Equipment:
- blasters
- blaster
- more blaster
- even more blaster

@Sanity43217

"How many of these things have you got?"
"How many needed?"

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

AHCH-TO // JEDI TEMPLE

The impact wasn't as hard as Lakras expected given the speed both of them were going, but it still staggered her a bit. Good thing she was not carrying any paperwork, or she'd be picking up sheets off of the ground. Herself, she managed to stay on her feet, although she hat to take a step back and crouch to keep her balance. At least the Twi'lek was comparatively tiny to her and her eyes were never in danger.

Seeing no need to be rude, she took the offered hand and pulled herself up. Well, just because she did not want to be rude did not mean that Lakras could not leave a lasting impression, one that could perhaps leave the jedi wanting to make time and leave early next time - whereever it was she was hurrying. The Zabrak gave the hand a steel squeeze and pulled herself up to her full height, three quarters of a head taller than the Twi'lek girl and gave her a gaze that could tunnel through anyone's eyes straight to their soul. And come back out the other side. Lakras was a prime specimen of the red zabrak ethnicity, her skin, her facial tattoos, her irises - even the 'white' of her eyes a shade of red. Clad in her black and gray armor with the odd red light, she could put the fear of Darth Maul into anyone.

Deciding to let the poor girl off the hook, she let go of her hand and smiled. "It's fine, although you may wish to leave a bit earlier next time." Looking around, Lakras was a bit at a loss where to go anyway. Might as well ask the natives. "Would you happen to know which way to the meeting room? I'm a ranger and my ship is assigned to a Jedi mission, I'm heading to the briefing and there's little time to spare before it begins."

@Cyrania

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

@Cyrania whatever's more convenient :)

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

SOMEWHERE IN SPACE // THE MILKY WAY
A WEEK AGO

"Captain, we have a letter for you." A deckhand reported almost as soon as Lakras took her post in the morning. For stars' sake, she did not even have a glass of water yet. She sworn that some positions on the ship would be better filled by a repurposed combat droid than an ensign fresh out of the academy. "I'll get to e-mail once I properly wake up." she grunted.

"Ma'am! It's not an e-mail. A republic post cruiser found us, it is an actual letter. Looks important, too." the hapless human explained, which actually did the trick as Lakras was now wide awake. "Show me."

Honest to Stars, paper envelope. She didn't think the republic PS delivered anything other than parcels containing something that could not be made in situ wherever it was addressed. To think that somebody would use their service to pass along information in this day and age... She flipped the paper in her hands, marvelling over the pretty illustrations on it. The address was written in actual handwriting. Was some oooold friend trying to catch up with her? For that matter were they mentally stuck in that age and unable to use a computer?

Only then did her senses finally registered what was displayed and written, rather than how. That was a ranger insignia on the envelope, and the name on the return address was hers.

AHCH-TO ORBIT // THE MILKY WAY
PRESENT DAY

Lakras reflected on the feelings she felt when Leia bloody Organa herself signed the paperwork transferring herself and her ship from the regular units to the Rangers proper. The Zabrak Captain was elated at the time. She has been volunteering for ranger related missions for years, and has been on first name bases with several of them. Having a corvette at their disposal was a huge morale boos wherever the rangers went, and more than once they have saved their hides when the defecation hit the ventilation.

She always wanted to join, ever since she found herself to be force sensitive. She was given a chance to join the Jedi of course. Feh! Old men wearing robes, droning about spiritual stuff, blinded ty their faith that only the light side of the force was to be practices. Such limited mindset, and where did it let them? Almost to extinction. No, Lakras was a firm believer that the force was to be understood and responsively utilized in it's entirety, and if she fell, it would be her lack of integrity, not some amoebas in her cells at fault.

Oh, the wounds on her pride now. Lakras frowned as she looked down the viewport on the aquatic world below. Of course her first official mission was to take her ship and go assist a bunch of Jedi with whatever they needed. Could they not at least meet on a desert world where she could feel slightly more at home, and perhaps not judged for telling them 'no.'? Oh well, let's get on with this. The sooner they are aboard, the sooner we can leave. "XO, you have the bridge. Shuttle crew, boarding and departure in five minutes." She announced, and went to grab her blades before heading to the shuttle bay.

AHCH-TO // JEDI TEMPLE

It felt miserable and a bit threatening to be in these walls once more. It brought back memories Lakras would rather stayed buried. She hurried through the halls, having left her guards at the shuttle. She was summoned to a meeting room to hear where they were to go, and hopefully what to do once they got there, but one never knew with these cryptic bastards. She could not wait to be gone, the stares she was getting already... Yeah that's right, Zabrak Jedi reject coming through. Spare a condescenting glance and move along, she thought, picking up her pace - only to turn a corner and come a foot apart from a Twi'Lek blur who was seemingly in an even bigger hurry. Her instincts kicked in and she steeled her body, arms flying forward and up to cushion the impact. She learned the hard way that when she accidentally headbutted the common hominid, her horns could take an eye. Blinding some hapless Padawan was not the first impression the fresh Ranger wanted to make.

@Cyrania

Star Wars - Rise of Crusade

Captain Lakras Tagrate

Source

"I always try to attack. While I'm on the offensive, my opponent can think of nothing but defending."
- Marcelo Garcia

Lakras Tagrate

Species: Zabrak
Age: 35
Faction: New Republic
Theme: Xcom 2 WotC OST - Deadeye

Equipment:

• Milky Way - Marauder class corvette, named after a galaxy far far away. Lakras has been in command for 5 years.
• Combat armor - A suit of armor designed for shipboard combat - it can dissipate a couple of blaster hits, provides some protection against vacuum and allows for easy movement if the gravity generation fails.
• Family blades - A useful bit of family heirloom - While not as versatile as a lightsaber, it can still lop off limbs.

Abilities:

• Breath control (15 minutes) - One of the first skills Lakras learned, to aid survival in case of depressurization aboard vessels.
• Tapas (15 minutes) - Complementary skill to the breath control, allowing Lakras to survive longer in case of a heating or total power failure aboard a vessel.
• Thought shield (Passive during battle or negotiations) - A skill Lakras thought necessary in case she ever met someone like herself.
• Battle meditation (1 minute) - Lakras hopes to improve in this skill to provide protection agianst force abilities to her crew, and to debilitate the enemy.

Potential skills to learn:

• Telekinesis
  
  
  
  • Force barrier (15 minutes) [Required to learn: Jedi assistance] - Final skill to learn to survive hardships Lakras could face in space bagttles.
• Force fear (concentration) [Required to learn: fighting against superior enemies] - A skill to debilitate the enemy commander, but able to expand to groups of people or an area of effect with experience. Also requires time to find the target or focus in on the area.
  
  
  
  • Force Horror (Room, subsection of a ship) [Required to learn: Significant loss of crew or the ship] - Force horror enabled the Force user to cause multiple enemies to enter into a catatonic state of panic that was more severe and more difficult to defend than the basic Force fear.
  • Force insanity (Building, ship) [Required to learn: Sith holocron] - Force insanity also enabled the Force user to affect multiple enemies at once, although to an even greater range than its predecessor. As the most advanced form of Force fear, its effect was much more devastating, with the victims possibly descending into an utter state of frenzied madness and deranged mania as their situation seemed to suddenly become hopeless.
• Instinctive astrogation (Passive) [Requred to learn: 1 more year of warship command service] - A useful skill for any spacer.
• Drain Knowledge [Required to learn: Descent into darkness, abandoning of personal ethics] - The best way to win is to know what the enemy plans.

Skills:

• Agile - It's hard to knock Lakras off of her feet, and she can move around in microgravity in ways that force users could envy.
• Perceptive - If there is a flaw in the enemy's defense, Lakras has a good chance of seeing it.
• Survivalist - War taught the captain how to survive off of the land.
• Hustler - In a game of pool or cards, you are likely to lose some money against her.

Personality:

• I'm haunted by memories of war. I can't get the images of violence out of my mind.
• I can stare down a hell hound without flinching.
• I approach every task with the same high degree of military precision.
• I tells the truth, keeps my word, helps those in need, and speak out against injustice.

Ideals:

• Protection. It isn't right for innocents to suffer because of the arrogance of the powerful. (Good)
• Conviction. Anything worth doing is worth doing with your whole heart. (Lawful)
• Bravery. To act when others quake in fear- this is the essence of the warrior. (Any)
• Perseverance. No injury or obstacle can turn me from my goal. (Any)

Bonds:

• I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
• I would still lay down my life for the people I served with.
• I. Will. Finish. The. Job.

Flaws:

• I'm slow to trust people outside of the military.
• I hold grudges and have difficulty forgiving others.
• I sometimes stay up all night talking to the ghosts of my fallen friends.
• I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven warrior - whether on the field of battle or in politics.

History:
Larkas has been a child of five when Palpatine and Vader were defeated, and while she doesn't remember all that much from her youth, the memories she has are what drives her life, both the horrors the Empire committed, and the defiance of the Zabrak people.

She has joined the New Republic military to help uphold it's values, inspired by chancellor Organa, only for her hero to lose her seat a year later. More nightmare fuel was poured on her fire during the Daala crysis, and it was during this time Larkas found out she was force sensitive. She found out the hard way, by being stranded on a ship with failing power and life suppoort.

It was an almost instinctive survival reaction rather than a conscious effort, and it took her several days to recognize it for what it was. Since then Lakras has spent time experimenting and training her connection to the force. Using the memories that haunted her, she developed a skill to draw similar memories out in other people, and by turning that skill on herself, she learned how to defend against it.

The captain turned down the chance to join the Jedi order, preferring to discover the Force on her own, wherever it may lead her. She has also earned her own command during this time.

Larkas started volunteering her ship and crew for missions requested by the new Rangers or the Jedi order. In fact, she worked with the rangers so often she may as well be considered part of them, missing only the official transfer paperwork.