Honesty Crow

Star Wars: The Aftermath (A post-Battle of Endor RP)

Pestage's Folly

As Miryia entered along with the Bothan, who almost skipped as he entered the room, those within grew silent. All that was left was Grand Admiral Pitta and Grand Vizier Pestage laughing, coincidentally, at Karius and Miryia's unfortunate mission. However, when they turned to see who the new arrivals were, Pestage froze. For a moment, Miryia saw the look of fear in his eyes. The gaze of a deer caught in headlights as he is about to be run over. Pitta on the other hand, developed a confrontational attitude the moment Miryia, Raveem and Phasma approached. He knew the Bothan would cause problems, yet Pestage refused to listen. The other high ranking officers simply stared at the new arrivals while more prominent figures like Il-Raz, General Mohc, Grant, Makati, Batch, Takel, Tigellinus, Hissa, Traeda, Disra, Muzzer, Thistleborn, and Dunhausen were smart enough to smell a confrontation coming. They all began to slowly move toward whatever they could use to hide behind. Some remained in their place however. Mohc reached for his blaster the moment Miryia walked in. Grant, Karius and Il-Raz stood their ground as well, however none of them were intimidated by the sudden appearance of the powerful Force user. In fact, Karius, who was drinking some scotch, raised his glass in her direction. He had been looking forward to this all day long. Part of him knew she would find a way to show up. Another who also stood their ground was none other than Ysanne Isard the head of Imperial Intelligence, who saw the moment as an opportunity. She had been conspiring with Octavian Grant, Rom Mohc and Takel to take down Pestage. However, it seemed like that moment would come sooner rather than later. Admiral Palleon and Captain Rae Sloane, who were standing in a corner of the room also prepared themselves. While the sudden arrival of Miryia caught Sloane by surprise, it confirmed Palleon's suspicious that Pestage was attempting to rid himself of two very powerful challengers to his power. This would not end well.

"You." The Grand Vizier pointed a shaking finger toward Miryia. "How dare you walk in here without summons?" In his later years, Pestage had developed an illness that made his hands shake uncontrollably. This, coupled with his age made him look physically weak and feeble. It didn't help that was being faced down by someone who could kill him with the snap of her fingers.

"She didn't, Your Excellency. Lady Miryia of House Janus is here as my most honorable gue-" Before Raveem could finish his statement, Pitta began to shout over him.

"Silence you sack of fleas! I knew it was a mistake to trust you. You xeno are all the same! Dishonest, dishonorable, and untrustworthy beasts who should be enslaved or put into the ground!" As he spoke, Pitta invaded the Bothan's space towering over him in an attempt to intimidate him. Raveem smirked as the Grand Admiral lost his composure. That only seemed to anger him even more.

"Enough!" Pestage shouted, making the Grand Admiral recoil back. "Guards. Arrest Miryia and the Bothan."
Members of the Royal Guard, who had pledged their allegiance to the Grand Vizier stepped forward pointing their vibro spikes at the new arrivals.

"You will do no such thing." Tigellinus stepped forward, stepping behind Pestage and Pitta. "Your Excellency." He began, briefly glancing at Miryia with a smirk. Previously, Tigellinus had pledged allegiance to Karius and by proxy, to Miryia. Karius and the Grand Admiral had become friends in the academy, and the two shared a bond that transcended their allegiance to the Empire. "I suggest you don't jump to conclusions. Lady Miryia and the Director-General may have some good insight into the failed mission at Onderon. Which you authorized."

"What are you waiting for? Arrest them!" Pestage started to back away slowly as the crimson dressed guards hesitated to follow his orders. Pitta, however, had waited long enough. He had known since the beginning that the Bothan would betray them. And he wouldn't allow the alien to live any longer. The Grand Admiral then drew his blaster, pointing it at the Bothan's head.
"This! This is why the Empire should have never accepted aliens in its midst. They are but rabid creatures who crave nothing but disorder and chaos. It ends now."

Phasma acted quickly in the defense of her master, pulling out a vibro spike of her own that she had hidden on her belt. The ISB agent pointed it right at Pitta's neck. "I will only warn you once, sir. Put the weapon down."

"And you…" He glared at Phasma, still pointing the gun at Raveem's face. "You're just a pretender. A mutant. I'll deal with you too when the time comes." Despite the threats, the Grand Admiral didn't stand down. Raveem reacted by raising his hands to the sides dramatically, feigning surrender. Ishin Il-Raz who was standing by Karius, also drew his own blaster.

"Let's not forget the real traitor here. Admiral Karius and his co-conspirator Director Isard. I know you two have been plotting to take down the Grand Vizier from the start. My COMPNOR contacts have told me everything!" Il-Raz backed away a little as he saw Tilleginus draw on him as well.
"You're no soldier. Put it down." The Grand Admiral downed the whole glass of scotch before tossing it aside. Soon, almost every single person in attendance were pointing guns at each other. Minor officers either pointed guns at the Bothan or at Miryia or even at each other. The Governors present also didn't hesitate to draw on each other. Suddenly, the room fell dead silent as everyone stood there waiting for someone to open fire first.

The silence was suddenly broken by Raveem giggling. "My, this is so exciting! It seems we have ourselves a Mos Eisley Standoff. I wonder who is going to die first!?"

The Vanishing Kingdom

Name: Eduard Koch

Age: 47

Race: Human

Appearance:

Eduard

Personality: Eduard is a reserved man, with a pragmatic view of the world. Despite his wealthy background, Koch keeps everything simple and efficient. In his life, everything, from the clothes he wears, to the way he speaks, to his tools, all serve a practical use. He sees any form of entertainment as a waste of time preferring instead to read when he is not working. When he speaks to others, he will always have a purpose for each conversation and dislikes casual or idle conversation. His interpersonal relationships tend to be rocky and unstable, especially with people who do not understand his personality and perceive it as lack of care or apathy. To those who do manage to befriend Koch, they will find in him a deeply caring man, who is always on the lookout for the well-being of the people he cares about even when he won’t express it openly. When working as a doctor, he will always keep things professional and realistic, unafraid to tell a patient the prognosis of their condition even if that is death. He is a responsible and orderly individual, who values honesty, directness and simplicity in conversation. During his time as a doctor, he developed an ability to read people’s body language which he uses to judge people before even speaking to them.

Bio: Born to a wealthy Human family in the city of Portea, Koch was raised by a loving yet strict family. As a child, he was instructed by the best teachers, from language, to the magical arts, history and geography, Koch was set to become the heir of a vast fortune and was raised accordingly. As a teen, he took keen interest in adventuring and sought ways to travel to other places across the continent with his family, while this was not always the case he enjoyed it every chance he got to leave his home. As the heir of Koch Family, he was frequently the target of kidnappings and assassination attempts. While some failed, he was taught how to keep quiet and protect family secrets. He was also instructed by teachers in combat. Koch became exceptionally skilled in sword combat, taking a particular interest in using a rapier to duel opponents. Koch’s life, despite the dangers was fairly normal for the heir of a wealthy family. That was until tragedy struck when he was approaching his 20th birthday.

His parents were seemingly struck by a disease overnight after their return from a trip abroad. First his father fell ill then his mother followed. Koch did everything he could, seeking out the best doctors through his grandfather and other family members. Despite his best efforts, ans those of the doctors his mother and father died a few days later. Traumatized by the experience, Koch stopped his education in business and took up medicine. He attended the most prestigious medical university in Portea and spent years learning the practice, eventually graduating as a doctor. After that, he left Portea, practicing medicine free of charge at small towns across the continent. He used his combat skills he learned at an early age to survive the roads and his knowledge in business to set up a travelling clinic that would move from place to place as needed. Eventually, he set up a small network of nurses and other doctors that had the same vision of providing medical care for others all over the continent.

Equipment:

-"The Sparrow" customized cane sword
-Poisons pouch
-Potions pouch
-Medical bag

Abilities:

-Extensive medical knowledge: Years of practice experience and his time in university give Eduard unrivaled insight into the medical field.

-Swordmaster: Training he received as a child and experience gained after years on the road make him a deadly opponent in combat even when faced with multiple opponents.

-Strategist: Koch was trained by several retired generals during his youth as part of his general education. While he is no military expert, he has placed what he knows into practical strategy that he uses to dispatch opponents when necessary. He uses strategy to wound opponents in an attempt to avoid killing them when possible.

-Discerning: Since he was a kid, Eduard had a natural ability to read people's body movements. This was picked up by one of his trainers, a former spy, who honed this ability into a useful skill. It was further strengthened by Eduard's time in medical school. At a glance, Eduard is able to determine whether a person is lying, being deceptive, or unwell.

Extra notes:

The Vanishing Kingdom

CHARACTER SHEET

Name: Aerex

Age: 18

Race: Grusk

Appearance

Aerex

Note: To hide his race from other people, Aerex uses a less powerful version of his Chameleon ability to make his hair appear blonde and his eyes a more normal green color.

Personality:

Aerex is a introverted person, not prone to engaging in large social gatherings or groups. Running his tailoring shop on his own, he mostly keeps to himself and prefers to help his community through his tailoring skills. Keeping his social circle small, he cares deeply about the people who he trusts and calls friend, going to great lengths to satisfy their needs. At the same time, he can be seen as controlling with his attempts to keep people he really cares about close to him to avoid meeting the same fate as his parents. Lacking skills in conversation, Aerex compensates with a sense of style taught to him by his father. He will always look presentable for every occasion, but will avoid being the center of attention, especially during conversations and social gatherings. Aerex prefers to listen over speaking, only stating his real thoughts when asked. Usually, he will allow other people to lead, especially when among strangers, avoiding any sense of responsibility among those he doesn’t know or trust completely. Over the years, Aerex has buried a deep sense of regret and depression over the loss of those he loves through his work as a tailor and extensive reading. Aerex will go to great lengths to avoid trouble and confrontation with others, usually caving to demands if threatened with someone or something he cares about.

Bio: As every Grusk after the Crusade, Aerex was born to a refugee family. His father was an accomplished tailor, while his mother had retained the magic practices of their ancestors, and worked as a scribe. Before Aerex, the couple travelled from village to village, finally settling in a human settlement near Trantis. Aerex was born in an unexpected pregnancy, with neither of them planning to have children. Upon having Aerex, the two did their best to raise a child who would know his Grusk ancestry, but also keep it a secret.

In his teenage years, another family had moved in. The family's son, Joan became fast friends with Aerex, both boys sharing their fascination with the nearby forest, and their interests in the small insecf creatures and other animals that inhabited it. A few years later, Joan's family was killed in a freak fire, that destroyed their home and belongings, taking the entire family along with them, with only Joan managing to escale thanks to Aerex' heroics. Joan was taken under the wing of Aerex' family, becoming a part of it and even closer to Aerex. Eventually, the two developed a romantic relationship.
As Aerex grew older, he began to have disagreements with his family, especially about hiding who they were, and the constant game of pretend they were forced to play in order to continue living among Humans. In a heated argument, he left, taking Joan along despite his protests.

Joan and Aerex travelled East, leaving behind the village of their youth and finally settled in Kalla. With what little money Aerex had saved, they managed to buy a house, which Aerex turned into a clothier store shortly afterward. In public, Joan and Aerex passed close relatives, maintaining their relationship private. Aerex became known as a master tailor in the small town.

Two years later, a courier delivered a letter to Aerex, telling him that his mother had fallen ill. In a panic, and regretting his decision to leave je decided to return to Trantis. Joan offered to remain behind and watch over their store. Despite Aerex' protests, Joan insisted and Aerex returned to his childhood village.
By the time he had arrived, his mother had already passed, a week before his father had died of grief. Devasted by the loss, he gathered what he could carry from his old family home and returned to Kalla. Upon his return, he discovered that Joan had gone missing several days before.

For months, he searched everywhere, hiring bounty hunters with what little money he had to find him to no avail. Overcome by grief from the loss of his parents, and the heartbreak of his lover going missing, Aerex withdrew to the and long-winded process of tailoring, becoming a solitary and mostly silent young man. While he keeps to himself, Aerex contributes to the community through his master skills at tailoring and armor making, with many coming to his store to procure expensive pieces of clothing or specialized armor or accessories.

Equipment:

-Journal
-Pen & ink
-Portable sewing kit
-Utility knife

Abilities:

Hard light materialization- can create physical objects by compressing the light around him and forging it into a physical object. Small objects are quick to make, though the larger objects require more time and energy respectively. This sudden absorption of light can cause what can be described as a 'negative flash', a quick flash of utter darkness as the light is taken from his surroundings.

Tailor and Smithy- can mend clothing and gear for the party when they get damaged.

Chameleon- can alter the color of his appearance and objects that are touching his body.

Extra notes:

Star Wars: The Aftermath (A post-Battle of Endor RP)

@TheWatchDog

Pestage's Folly

When the Inquisitor emerged first, the Bothan couldn't help but smile. "Here he we go", he thought to himself. And predictably, she got what she deserved. Forced into a humiliating kneeling position before her superior. It made him giggle. The raw power displayed in front of him is what he wanted to see first hand. And here she was, Miryia of House Janus. What a sight…

"Oh, where are my manners? I am Raveem of Clan Vas'Ah. Director-General of the Imperial Security Bureau." The Bothan bowed graciously, like a royal would greet another of higher rank. As ambitious as he was, Raveem wasn't stupid unlike other Imperial Officers, especially his predecessor. Thinking about his fate, it made him smile. Too bad he couldn't see it coming. As he rose to meet her gaze once more, he gestured at the woman beside him.
"This is my most faithful bodyguard, Phasma."
Phasma bowed as well, though she did so reluctantly. It seemed this Bothan had the savage warrior on a short leash. Now, to the more important things…

"Now why would our benevolent and most capable leader do that?" Raveem remarked semi-sarcastically. Though that smile quickly faded as he stood up straight and addressed Miryia's question. "The Admiral is inside along with all the other bureaucrats and leaders of our fractured Empire. I found it rather surprising that you were not invited to this particular meeting, so I thought extending an unofficial invitation was in order. Perhaps you, me, and the Admiral can convince him otherwise?"

It was hard to rear the Bothan even if Miryia reached out with the Force. His mind was a jumbled mess of quick thoughts and memories haphazardly stitched together. What she could make out though, was that he found the whole situation entertaining. She also found that Raveem found pleasure in her mere presence, which was strange to say the least. Just like any other ISB agent, she could see how he carefully measured and analysed her most subtle of movements and facial expressions. And regardless of his pose, he was positioned to grab the blaster on his belt. He seemed like a well-trained skilled agent.

Star Wars: The Aftermath (A post-Battle of Endor RP)

Pestage's Folly

"She's late…" Grumbled Phasma who was standing next to the very person who had so arrogantly summoned Miryia. The man next to her chuckled, raising his gloved hand. He stared out into the distance, seeing the speeders and the occasional TIE Interceptor zoom by. He couldn't help but smile as the anticipation built. There was a part of him that wanted to measure her reaction. Their race, after all was well-known for their sense of superiority. To use something Miryia had marked as 'servant' was a direct challenge to her authority and power. Something this particular officer had purposefully done. Not as part of some grand strategy, but simply for his own amusement. His counterpart though, didn't share his sentiment. Phasma, who came from a world where she had been crowned the leader of her clan after her many victories saw Miryia as an outsider and the fact that her boss had called upon her as part of one of his games annoyed her. She was deeply loyal to him, not because she was his underling, but because of what he had done for her in the past.

"Patience. She knows. And that, I think, makes it all the more exciting." The man giggled, making Phasma roll her eyes. There were times where she couldn't simply stand him. He was a brilliant strategist and spy, but an awful companion.

"Have you considered she might just hurl you into the Coruscant Underground?" Phasma said, staring back at him in an effort to wipe the grin from his face. That, only made him smile even more.

"I'm too useful." He said, placing his hands together in front of him, stroking his palms. "Regardless of her opinion of me, I'm too big of an asset. And if my theory is correct…"

"You will join her?"

"And you won't?" He finally turned to Phasma, his smile fading as she turned away instinctively. There was no doubt in his mind that he was correct, and he wouldn't allow Phasma to say otherwise or put into question her loyalty to him. Pestage's days were numbered and whether he died now or later was just a matter of time.

"I spoke out of line, sir."
Her words made the man scoff. There was nothing he hated more than insubordination. Phasma was a good soldier, but too focused on her own loyalty to the Empire for her own good. He would have to deal with that later.

"I expect better of you, Phasma. But you always do right for me, don't you?" He said, speaking softly. Though, the words doubled as a threat.
"Yes, sir."

"Excellent."
The man looks up, the grin on his face appearing again as he spots a luxury speeder approaching in the distance. As the speeder comes closer, Miryia is able to spot two figures. One, a female in a white and black ISB uniform. Next to her is a male who is shorter than her. He too is wearing the black and white uniform of the Bureau. When the speeder gets closer, she manages to make out the male figure better.

It's a Bothan…

Star Wars: The Aftermath (A post-Battle of Endor RP)

Zsinj's Grand Plan

The Super Star Destroyer known as The Iron Fist was one of the Empire's last remaining Executor-class dreadnoughts. Unfortunately for any Imperial loyalist, the ship had become one of the first things the infamous Warlord Zsinj had seized following the Battle of Endor. The human Admiral had earned the respect of its crew and when the time came he took control of the ship, its crew, the ground forces within and the starfighter corps in its hangars. The ship, along with two entire fleets composed of several hundred star destroyers and a few thousand support ships such as corvettes and frigates which would later become part of Zsinj's armada. Now, the Iron Fist became the center of his military, political and economic activities. While Sereno was the official capital of his empire, Zsinj had created a parallel capital aboard his ship. From here he controlled his vast financial empire both inside and outside his own territory. It also served as a command center for his military forces and he could also communicate with the different planetary governors who ruled on his behalf. The most important part of this was that his enemies weren't aware of this, and it was done on purpose. Every faction in the Galaxy believed that Zsinj's empire concentrated in Sereno. He had ensured that the nobles there spread the word that Zsinj had centralized his power onto a single planet in order to consolidate his forces. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Following the battle at Onderon, Zsinj and his friend and ally Rua Skirata had left the bridge toward Zsinj's personal command center. This room, located in one of the deeper and more centralized part of the ship served as Zsinj's personal quarters, office and as a secondary bridge. From here he could coordinate battles without risking his own life. It also doubled as a lounge, which he often used to entertain guests or dispose of them. The two sat down in a set of comfortable lounge chairs, a server droid then brought them drinks. From where they were sitting, they could see the planet Onderon through a viewport in front of them. Zsinj smiled, turning to Rua and raising his drink.

"To another victory." Said Zsinj, offering a toast.

The plan was executed almost perfectly, capitalizing both on the infighting and division within the Republic and the malaise and incompetence of the Imperial Remnant’s leadership. Oh Alliance intelligence was clever, and placing a Republic outpost and intelligent depot on a planet that was almost an historical cliche was rather genius. No one, but no one would think to look on Onderon! Why every major potentate, dictator and maniac in history placed their secret bases on Onderon. A planet, infamous for its beast masters, it’s beast men and its legacy of being an ungovernable cesspool and most of those organizations and individuals found their purchase on Onderon’s soil dubious and often eroded far in advance of the arrival of their enemies. So of course the Republic did it, they’d even given enough bribes to the locals to keep them mostly calm, it was meticulous, it was efficient, it was doomed. Doomed because the Alliance leaders viewed Onderon as a backwater, bribes that lacked the gift giving nature offended the hypocritical pride of the Onderonians and Zsinj was studious enough to realize that. It became a simple matter of extending respect, trading for information and when the time came, leverage. All this and more was in Rua Skirata’s head as he made his way towards the true command center and in many ways, the capital of the Empire. Rua hadn’t stopped to remove his armor, heading to a logistics office to speak to requisition the proper bribes for their assets on the ground and then to the barracks to talk to troopers and one or two spies. Evidently, the gossip below was that not one, not two but six force users were present on Onderon and that not all were on the same side.

Which was a nice bonus, so far each side of this unstable game had a force user except the Remnant, intelligence reported they’d found some Imperial inquisitor who had been lost in deep space since Yavin, but reports of the description and of the other group, the beast boy and his master left him wondering. Wondering which mitigated only when he arrived and caught the scent of Alsakan brandy. “Ahh, Boss, your sense of taste is as impeccable as ever” Rua bowed his head, while he might have called him “boss” and spoken informally, he was always careful to make sure his body language was deferential, they’d been allies for a decade. He’d been Rua’s mentor and they might have even been friends but Zsinj had more than earned the right to be master here. “You’ll be the first person without force powers to conquer Onderon without firing a shot and most seem to hail you as a conquering hero” Rua raised his glass “To victory! May it be the pebble that starts a mountain slide!”

One Galaxy, one Emperor, two peoples. A united Mandalorian people, the right hand of Zsinj, his answer to the Jedi and everyone else, all united behind the banner of Zsinj. It was a nice goal and if he could play a part in it, he wouldn’t complain overmuch. “Apparently Jerec and Luke have some competition by the way, spies tell me there were three seperate groups of force users planetside and only one of them were Jedi and the other? Was with the Remnant and get this. Our Bartender says the crazy bitch claims she’s the “She Wolf” returned from the dead! Hah!” Rua shook his head, while crazier things had happened, it was hard to imagine the embodiment of Jedi fanaticism taking orders from the biggest sycophant of the Sith to ever exist. “Our spies are still working on the other guy, but maybe he’s just some eccentric old hobo who used to be something” Rua shrugged, the Galaxy was filled with washouts from the Jedi Order and former Agrocorp members who simply weren’t worth the Empire’s time.

It was irrelevant anyway and he relayed the information more because he knew Zsinj was a fan of military history and would appreciate that it wasn’t just drug lords and Alliance terrorists they lured out but the galaxy’s mental patients and change beggars too.

“Onderon puts us in a sweet position strategically, doesn’t it Boss?”

Zsinj took a sip from his Alsakan brandy. The mentioning of the Force users in Onderon was not unexpected, after all it seemed everyone knew what they were looking for on the planet. However, there was an unknown variable in there. A third party of Force users. Could it be?

"Did you get a name for this third party?"
Zsinj was not the type of person to underestimate his enemies. While he was confident in his power, he knew that a single Force user could turn the tide of a battle if not dealt with correctly. Especially one such as this. A third party with no allegiance to either the New Jedi Order or Pestage's sorry excuse for an empire. It was a variable he needed to know about. Before Rua could make up an answer, he started looking through his memories. He swore he had heard of an old Jedi Master who had settled in Sereno several decades ago. The nobles couldn't stop talking about him. Especially, when they found out that this particular Jedi was one of them. Could it be him? He certainly had the resources and capital to do it.

“Unfortunately no, all our spies were too busy focusing on the unhinged female claiming to be a dead woman” Rua made a mental note to pester his contacts in house Janus, to see if she was one of the myriad daughters born to that noble line gone crazy and was playing out a fantasy or if it was just some random inquisitor talking nonsense. His eyes flickered towards Zsinj the moment the man seemed to go silent lost in his own memories, he knew the look, it was the look the man sported when he felt intelligence failed (which it had) and his own memory would suffice (which it often did). “Our sources did give a generic description of the man in question and I ran it through the old imperial database on force users unaccounted for after the Jedi purge” Rua remarked, his voice somewhat tense. He’d killed force users before, besides Boba Fett he was probably the only Mandalorian in a thousand years who could say it and probably among the handful of sentients who could, but he didn’t like it, beyond his own personal youth it was too damn dangerous, fighting an enemy that could enhance itself in real time, modify its own anatomy to make itself faster, stronger and could anticipate your movements and drop you with its mind. Rua lost an eye to the petulance of one Mara Jade and his replacement eye flickered responding to the rise in his body heat as he mulled things over. Zsinj took all force users seriously, but he was taking this one far more seriously than he’d seen him take any since that fateful day with the Nightsisters, where Rua used a neutron bomb to settle a galactic dickwaving contest between darkside adepts on Zsinj’s behalf.

The descriptions were generic enough to yield ten different results. D’jinn Altis had likely died of old age and the Altisian Jedi were likely joining the New Jedi Order so Rua ruled that one out. “The description matches, several “fugitives” and given none of them look alike, it tells you the value of eyewitness accounts” Rua shrugged his shoulders, his gemstone like robotic eye flickering the images passed his ocular nerves. “But since you seem to know something I’ll start name-dropping and you can tell me if any of them sound familiar.” with another sip of his brandy Rua leaned back in his chair, his dark hair falling about the armor and robes, giving him the look of some wild, mercenary king in the service of a greater liege, one that didn’t merely wear the trappings of civilization but sought to embody them. “Quinlan Vos, Rahm Kota” Rua got a laugh out of that last one, he’d killed Rahm with Mara Jade, it had been how he lost his eye. “Tholme, Drun Carnwick and uhh...this name has to be an alias of some sort Ja’karr I’m pronouncing that right, I’m sure of it” Rua paused there, allowing the name to roll around his tongue, unsure why he stopped there, though he went on rattling off a few other names, including one female which again went to the value of eyewitness testimony, or lack thereof.

“Another claims he was the former High Inquisitor Antinnis Treymayne himself, but Jerec killed him over Ord Mantel, Adalric Brandl, Hydra and Volytar were killed in remnant territory but we still don’t know by who” Rua finished his brandy placing it onto the bronze tray the ever attentive service droid scurried over with.

“I can...investigate this personally if you need me to Boss..I’d much rather not, mind ye. “Rua muttered the last bit, responding to his own offer as a man who’d just been handed a bundle of venomous serpents.

"That one!" Zsinj shouted, standing up abruptly making the brandy in his hand spill on the floor. The female servant droid came running, kneeling over the small pool of brandy on the metallic floor as she attempted to clean it with a towel. Zsinj on the other hand was muttering something in Huttese as he ran over, as fast his body could take him, toward the main console computer in one corner of the lounge.
"That blind bantha. Piece of…" He continued, typing away furiously at the blue screen. Finally he found what he was looking for. "Jarn Dakarr! Yes! I knew it!"

He pulled up a series of reports on the screen above the console. All of them detailing a series of thefts to Sereno nobles. Every single one of them involved Sith or Jedi artifacts from the Civil War. "It has to be him. He was the most prominent Sith and Jedi artifact of the Clone Wars. Rumors spread by the Sereno aristocracy say that he was a Jedi Master at some point. There are too many coincidences."

“Dakarr? That last name sounds familiar” Rua remarked, wondering if he’d gambled with or fenced too, or assassinated people for that House. Quite a few bravos from Sereno, young, upstarts from minor noble houses had also challenged him to fights something about “an upjumped commoner” taking such a position of power besides the new Emperor. Both his synthetic eye and his remaining organic one flickered in amusement recalling their indignation. Sereno nobles weren’t as provincial as Chommel Sector upstarts but nonetheless. While clan Skirata wasn’t as wealthy or powerful as Clan Vizsla or Fett, or Kryze but his lineage boasted three Mandalores which put him a bit higher on the Galactic pecking order for arrogant fools who thought the achievements of dead men meant more than the victories of the living. The man who would be Emperor paced, mentioning albeit, with manic zeal relic theft and a foremost collector of odd artifacts. Rua whistled “I’m surprised the Inquisitors weren’t on his ass if he was buying up force cult relics, especially if he wasn’t part of the Imperial elite”

Rua had been given a scroll written by Odan Urr as a gift by Governor Tarkin for completion of a mission and he recalled that a minor Inquisitor had to be physically present to witness and log the gift, such was the extent of the Emperor’s paranoia. Rua made a mental note on that, perhaps he could use the trinkets he’d been given or “liberated” when clients failed to pay as bait? Granted, he had no way of determining if any were impressive enough to be worth stealing. Thinking about bait made him grumble, he really, really didn’t want to fight another Force user. “What do you want to do about this guy? If all he’s doing is running around collecting kriff and ignoring the Galaxy unless he gets cornered, he isn’t so much of a threat for he might do as the heat he’ll bring on us if he’s still involving himself socially or financially in Sereno. Maybe we should freeze his assets and repo his holdings? Then send a notice to the New Jedi Order and whoever this crazy cunt really is, in Remnant space and let them know we only care about containing Sith and Jedi treasure because blasted force users always burn the galaxy down whenever they have one of their sectarian domestic fights” Rua spat the last part out with unusual venom, for the first ten thousand years after the fall of the Rakata, the Taung and their human followers, who’d become known as “Adherents of path of the Mando’a” and then, eventually just “The Followers of Mandalore” then simply Mandalorians had been the preeminent force of order and peace in the cosmos, a race then religion of warrior poets who brought civilization to the stars. Then the damned Jee’dai reorganized themselves as Jedi some thirty two thousand years ago and flooded the stars, competing and vying with the Mandalorians for cosmic order and when the Republic was founded those sanctimonious prelates bent the knee and a once mighty people were reduced to brigands and pillaging thieves, then found honor in conquest once again and in opposing their hated enemy.

“Sorcerous trash, usurping dogs, Jedi, Sith, whatever the Kriff this blind thug is, they’re all the same to me. A class of malignant parasites who’ve distracted the Galaxy and held us all back for too long” Gloved hands tightened but the rage seemed to pass, much as he tried to revile the Jedi order his mind always wandered back to the blond girl who’d been like a surrogate mother to him and a mentor and whatever hatred he could kindle was drowned out. Still, this Ja’Karr, or Jarn Dakarr presented a problem.

He let out a sigh “Every major power has a force user except us, you’ve got me. But that still leaves this blind guy, what do you want to do about him boss?” He figured, the unhinged fraud could be dismissed, she was probably some low tier inquisitor trying to boost her value but this one? A former Jedi Master? Who’d survived decades of history, that was a problem.

A big one.

"No, no. Dakarr is clever, yes. He's been avoiding the Inquisitors and the Emperor himself for years. At least, that is what the rumors say. While he is a competitor in the markets…" Zsinj paused for a moment to calm down. The fact that some no-name Serenno noble was able to compete against his vast financial holdings hurt his pride. But he knew better than to blindly go after someone who had survived so much. "If we freeze his assets in Serenno he will disappear for good. Then, he will never be found. Hmm." Rua could sense conflict within Zsinj. He despised the man, not because he was a potential danger but because the Serenno noble had done something to hurt the Fondor Warlord's pride. Wouldn't be the first time something similar happened.
"I want to send a message." Zsinj turned, pointing a Rua. "Find him. Use everything at your disposal. Favors, spies, contacts, everything. And when you do, tell him that he should stay out of our way or face death."

Before Zsinj could rant any further, an Imperial Commando officer entered the room. The officer, wearing a black uniform and a captain's rank insignia approached and saluted the Warlord.
"Sir!" He called out, drawing Zsinj's attention. "The package has arrived."

"What?" Replied Zsinj, walking away from the console. Before the officer could repeat himself, Zsinj interrupted him. "Yes, yes. I heard you. Go and fetch them for me." The officer nodded and walked out of the room. Zsinj, then turned to face Rua. He had a smirk on his face. The good news seemingly washed away the fury from earlier.

"I don't think I ever told you how I got my hands on that little artifact from Onderon." Zsinj began, chuckling to himself as he approached Rua once more.

Rua let out a sigh, of course he wanted the mando to go hunt a force user. Dark side adepts and renegades of the light and Bendu fence sitters didn’t bother him the way hunting Jedi did, but it all bothered him because he really detested the risk involved in facing Force users. The man’s dark hair fell over his mechanical eye which began to twitch, processing statistics and data, feeding his brain information from the holonet as he began to formulate precisely how he would go about this without getting himself killed. Beyond him, the serving droid returned with a tray and some more brandy “Leave the bottle” Rua muttered before allowing himself a bit of a manic smile. “I hate fighting force users boss, but every time I do I earn glory and honor which is essential for a Mandalorian, especially one who aims as high as I do. That’s what I’ve always liked about relationship, you understand the cultures you seek to conquer or coopt, like Grand Admiral Thrawn did and you aren’t so paranoid and shiftless that you don’t see the value in advancing your subordinates” Which was true, Rua never acted the sycophant, the fact that he was willing to complain about this mission was proof enough. Zsinj took his advice on tactical matters as Rua learned from Zsinj like an eager student when it came to strategy. Zsinj had been able to establish himself so well because he understood as those below him rose, so too did Zsinj who rose ever higher, bringing himself one step closer to Emperor. “Intimidate, don’t kill but make enough of an example to remind him we’re not to be taken lightly.”

He could do that, hopefully without provoking the wrath of said force user. As he was about to ask if Zsinj wished him to inquire more about the Remnant and Pentastar’s force users a trooper came in and Zsinj seemed to cheer, to switch from that wounded pride and dark fury that moved him to send his best warrior on a potential suicide mission into waxing nostalgic about manueverings done in the dark over the last few months or years. The light in Zsinj’s eyes burned and Rua shook his head “No, I don’t think you did” He could guess well enough, but he never liked to voice his theories until he had at least partial confirmation. “How ever did you manage to hustle six different force users Boss? Including two kriffing Jedi Masters…” Or three, if the crazy lady wasn’t so crazy at all.

“And what exactly is the artifact? Don’t tell me it's a damn holocron or some manuscript of Nomi Sunrider or Arca Jeth?”

"See for yourself."
The Imperial Commando officer returned along with four Storm Commandos. They were escorting a boy, not older than 20. He was wearing the usual robed given to padawans by the Jedi Order and even had a lightsaber on his belt. Though, by the look on his face he probably wished he was elsewhere. When he was presented before Zsinj, he looked away from the Warlord's gaze as he approached him.

"Go on, boy. What are you waiting for?" Said Zsinj, growing increasingly impatient as the kid reached into his robe. From it he pulled out a triangle crimson holocron. So this is what everyone in Onderon was after? Some dusty old Sith holocron? As soon as the Jedi Padawan presented the holocron, Zsinj took it from his hand.
"This." Said the Warlord, turning to face Rua. "This is our reward. Neither the Jedi, the Sith or Dakaar have what they sought after. According to my sources, this is the last Sith holocron in existence. By keeping this holocron under our protection, we deny our enemies the vital knowledge they require."

Zsinj glanced toward Onderon, before fixing his gaze on the artifact in his hand. "Their orders will waste vital resources as they scramble to find it. Eventually, they will come for it. And when they do, we will destroy them! We'll draw them into a trap from which they cannot escape. And then together, we can bring order to the Galaxy. A Galaxy in which the Force is no longer relevant."

It was hard to tell whether Zsinj had completely lost his mind or if he had come up with the most ambitious plan in his life. While the holocron was a vital tool for the respective orders, would it be possible to use it against them. He was right, both Jedi and Sith would spend resources to find it. However, whether Zsinj's forces could use that to their advantage was another matter. r matter entirely.

From his seat Rua raised a scarred grizzled eyebrow as the wastrel entered the room. A boy, adorned in Padawans robes, those silly brown robes that Jedi always thought was some compensatory gesture to make up for the fact that their existence cost the New Republic about as much as it cost to maintain seven full battlegroups and a quarter of a million soldiers. “You think that stupid costume hides your hypocrisy? I could fund a mercenary team of twenty with what the Republic spends on you, boy” Rua chuckled, it was a bit cruel and he didn’t entirely mean it but the youth had the look of someone who had given up and Rua despised broken men and despised powerful ones all the more. As the boy held up the artifact a scarred, halved eyebrow rose over his artificial eye and Rua let out a whistle. “Ain’t that a pretty thing, pretty and dangerous” Rua added, a gloved hand reached for his songsteel knife, he knew well enough the danger of Holocrons. Mandalorians spent tens of thousands of years battling their creators and the Jedi who reverse engineered the technology from the Rakata and began to fashion their own and the Sith ever after. As Zsinj began to unravel the web of contradiction and risk shrouding his plan the Mandalorian slowly smiled a predatory, feral smile. Yes, he thought, as it should be, a Galaxy ruled by an Emperor whose law was enforced by the Mandalore many had asked why he supported such a man, when he had the wealth and the esteem to break off on his own and it had always come down to one thing beyond loyalty, Mandalorians weren’t rulers, they were a race of conquerors, warriors, but they needed to be united behind one leader, who bent the knee to one great man.

“A crucible of truth, to burn away the the millennia old deception of the Force Using cults and their value...I like it” Rua turned, sneering, disgust evident in his face, though less for a hatred of force users and more in the memory of Scout, her love and her patience and the blind Jedi he’d killed with Mara Jade and how pitiful it was this one betrayed that which so many died or remained lost because they refused to forsake their vows. “How does it feel boy? To know you’ll be responsible for the extinction of every single infernal sect of your nonsense mutant brethren?”

Rua laughed and rose “Don’t bother answering” turning he bowed to Zsinj and departed, it was time to prepare to act the part of the intimidator.

It was time to alter the course of History.

Star Wars: The Aftermath (A post-Battle of Endor RP)

The Imperial Commandos moved out from the temple and toward where Earhen was taking cover. He could hear them, shouting orders at one another as they split into groups of three to pin him behind the rock he was using as cover. The Royal Guard spoke in their hidden language, with one of them deploying a light repeater weapon to pelt Earhen's position with red blaster fire. This also worked to cover the Imperial Commando's flank. From afar, near the doors of the old vault stood a hooded figure. A human, with a smirk on his face. He had been waiting for so long for someone to come and challenge him, now was the time to use his abilities in combat and prove his devotion to the Emperor.

The Adept attempted to probe in his mind...but found nothing, he began to notice this person was somehow dampening his attempts to read into him somehow...could he be...he was thought dead post Endor could he have turned on the Empire beforehand? No matter this matter should be settled by a student of the Dark Side.

The Imperial Commandos moved in, closing in on Earhen with weapons drawn. One of the teams arrived first, flanking him by the side. They approached, ready to shoot Earhen dead by running up from behind him in an effort to catch him by surprise. The other three were still making their way around. At the same time, the Royal Guard kept shooting at Earhen's cover, chipping at the rock with heavy blaster fire.

Searching for a nearby dead trooper Earhen found a charge and tossed it at the opposing Guards in front and decided to go forward to meet the Red Robes in melee before the Commandos could flank. Again grabbing the troopers corps Earhen used it as a meat shield to help advance close enough to the two warriors. As he fired and used the corpse to absorb blows Earhen tossed it at one of the Royal Guardsmen knocking him over and Earhen drew a double pronged Blade and swung at the other, slashing his robe but not injuring him.

“I hoped you bastards would be out of a job by now, or at least commit mass suicde or something.” He mocked his opponent, he did enjoy to mock others, especially in battle.

Anger telegraphed in his movements the Guard drew his blade and swung at the Echani warrior only for it to be swiftly dodged. Strategically behind the rocks the commandos were blown away by a little surprise left before he vacated his cover. An explosion rocked the first wave of Imperial Officer Commandos, killing many and injuring others.

The Dark Side Adept frowned, stepping back into the entrance of the temple, holding his lightsaber tightly in his hand. He saw the Royal Guard in front of him struggling to fight the threat. The way the young man fought, it was the same training the Royal Guard received. An agent gone rogue? Or perhaps Emperor Palpatine himself had sent him to test his skills. The Adept decided on the former rather than the latter. This had to be some kind of test and he was damned if he would allow himself to fail. As the adept steadied himself to take on the intruder the Royal Guard did their best to fight him. The two rid themselves of their red cloaks, revealing their red armor within. One of them dropped the repeater and drew a vibro sword while the other picked his pike as his weapon of choice. Instead of attacking him one by one, the two positioned themselves to attack Earhen from opposing sides at the same time.

Taking a defensive position Earhen clashed with both Guardsmen with his double vibroblade such force sparks flew with each clash. Each one's movement was an imitation of his own, but each clash spoke of their inexperience.

They were likely new additions fresh from the Squall, the Guard were devastated after Endor he heard and mostly stuck to the core worlds or what was left of their Masters hideouts like this wonderful little slice of hell.

Each blow and swipe from the Gaurds were masterfully parrayed by Earhen, as easily as one could read words he could read their movements. The only thing burning in their minds was a single thing: Vengeance, retrobution for their fallen master and all they held. It was the same story with every maniac in the New Order and it continued to annoy him with how many idiots there were in the Empire who kept rolling with it like it wasn’t as corrupt as the Republic if not more. Guys like Zsinj and Screed were just in it for their own personal wealth or Greed when they had claimed to be protecting the people of the Empire, all the while enslaving or experimenting on sentients. These men were serving an empire that was a shadow of itself, Sate...didn’t have what it took to protect the people of the galaxy nor did Earhen think his interests nor his allies interests lie in its betterment.

So it fell upon Earhen to make a difference, no matter how insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Continuing his blade work after several flawless deflections fients and jumps his blade cleaved open the mask of the guard with the pike sending him crashing to the ground again this time permanently.

Losing his patience, the Dark Side Adept ignited his lightsaber. He dropped his cloak, revealing a human with most of the front of his face replaced by a metallic prosthetic that made him look like an undead robot. Raising his hand, he Force pushed the Royal guard to the side, making him crash against a nearby tree knocking him out of the fight for good. The Adept looked Earhen dead in the eyes, as he held his lightsaber in a stance.
"Enough, intruder. I won't allow the perversion of my Emperor's teachings to go on any longer. I will cut you down and offer your head to him!"

Star Wars: The Aftermath (A post-Battle of Endor RP)

@countlessinsect

Approved. Please put it in the character tab.

The Vanishing Kingdom

@Jollan

Eduard stopped right in his tracks when the flying messenger hit him right in the forehead. Shaking his head, he instinctively raised a hand up to his head before looking down to see the small basket with wings. Raising an eyebrow, he bent down and picked it up. Reaching into the basket, he pulled out the piece of paper. The short, hastily scribbled message sent Eduard into a quiet panic. This was a problem, and a big one. One one hand he had a camp possibly full of slave girls who would probably need short-term physical care and long-term psychological care. And on the other, he had half a town that probably needed him to diagnosed more specific injuries. Two tired healers wasn't going to cut it. People there needed a doctor that could ensure their injuries didn't become a problem later or even kill them in the near future. He felt he had a decision to make. Whatever thoughts he had about Aerex took a back seat. Now, he needed to focus. Before heading to the entrance, he quickly picked up his things and placed them all in his bag. He then approached the new arrival.

"You there." He said, as he walked over. "You said you came from Kalla, no? I need you to take me there. The healers won't be able to keep the patients stable on the long-term. I need to get there as fast as you can take me. Considering how fast you got here, I presume you used magic and not a horse?"

Star Wars: The Aftermath (A post-Battle of Endor RP)

@countlessinsect

Yes there is. Just make a CS and post it here.

@Yamitaicho

Not saying you shouldn't play one. It's just that it can't be one of those species. Though I am skeptical of allowing that race into the RP too.