vFear

[Coruscant, 6 ATC 4] A House Divided II: A Little Wrong

Count me in for part 2! Planning to throw in Vyshtal team on behalf of Republic SIS tryna assist counterrevolutionaries and counterrevolutionary efforts, and Commander Voycnor on behalf of the Empire tryna help the Free Corellia movement to destabilize the region.

[Approved] Private Xadi Vrutriri, Vyshtal-6

Bump for pending.

• 葉隱 •

His head throbbed and his thoughts were in a haze, but Onikuma slowly grumbled to life. Understandably, his thoughts were a mess. Even with his best efforts, he could hardly recall why he was waking up so sore. He recalled something about a trade, some sort of deal between unsavory types of men, and something about the trade going wrong. The face of a merchant and imagery of Imperial soldiers flashed through his mind. As he tried lifted a gargantuan hand to rub at his temples, it occurred to him that it sounds an awful lot like the other times he's been caught. With a dismissive grunt, he decided not to think about it too much. He'd figure it out later.

The lingering smell of sake helped Onikuma come to some scraps of his senses. He felt steel tugging at his wrists, constricting around either one several times over. Some dread settled in his stomach as he kicked his feet, finding relief to hear steel jingling at his ankles as well. It wasn't like yakuza and tekiya to chain a captive by their feet. For now, he was safe, but the next thought brought a smile to his face: it all started to make sense. The scum they were trading with made a deal with the Imperials.
"Smart..." he breathed, his eyes still closed to the world. Some relief came over him; he was glad that his stake in the deal wasn't personal. He just hoped his coin would be where he left it.

Onikuma's sight followed his nose in recovery. Plain walls and an empty room, bound shut by iron bars. Just about as expected. The bamboo stick rattling on the bars did little to rouse him. The noise was comfortably distant, still an afterthought in his recovering senses. His nose, still insistent, led him to one of the men in the room. At a distorted glance, he looked like an older man as well, but the pair of them looked just about as weary as the other. He offered the rest of the room a broad and uncaring glance, settling only on what looked like three women for a moment; certainly not a second one, as he did not realize that there are only two. His expression twitched in confusion.
"Hah..." he rasped, closing his eyes a moment after as he returned to his thoughts. Three women being arrested? How odd. What exactly had he gotten himself involved with?

---

Onikuma was barely compliant as they were loaded into the wagon. He tested his chains for strength as they walked to check if they could be broken, but while he was confident that he could, his wrists would be no condition to carry through. As they were sat in the wagon, where he sat crooked in order to hardly fit, he tested the walls with his weight to find they were sturdy. If he was to escape this, it wouldn't be on his merit alone. He found his glance lingering towards the other prisoners, bound as he was, and gave them a more focused look this time. At his glance, each seemed capable enough in their own way. He only hoped that he was right.

The more Okimura thought, the more the whole situation struck him as odd. For whatever reason, the lot were being transported to a prison instead of sentenced locally, and that included the women. Committing a whole wagon and escort to a lot of criminals was a luxury he rarely had. He had already decided to escape instead of bowing to the law but the more he thought, the more certain he became. He watched and he listened but nothing seemed to help him. Glancing down to his chains, he debated the worth of breaking out of them. He wouldn't need his wrists to upturn the wagon and force the door open, but he would have to count on the others to finish the work. It was a wonderful thought he was having, or at least until the wagon was upturned.

It almost happened too quick to think. The wagon was flung, upturned and thrown to the side. It left Onikuma with a daze and brewing anger in his stomach. Whatever was going on outside, he couldn't make much sense of it, or not while his senses caught up a second time. A figure slipped out of the wagon before slipping back in, where his chains loosened from his wrists shortly after. As his vision returned to him, he recognized the boy: one of the other prisoners, one that he passed off as unnoteworthy. How pleasurable it was to be proven wrong. He gave the boy a solid pat on the shoulder as he went past, reaching himself out of the wagon to work the kink out of his back.

Of course, Onikuma was familiar with the talk of demons. It was hard not to be as a man that frequented shady dens in the countrysides. Yet seeing it in the flesh, shapes of flesh that shouldn't exist with visceral gore in their wake, was an experience to a whole new degree. He chanced a glance back at the wagon before wasting no time moving for the weapons crate. He made short work of the lock: he took the poor construct in his palms and snapped the iron between them. It left his fingers raw, but it was a feeling he was familiar with. His daishō slipped into his waist comfortably, comically small when compared to his frame, but his ōdachi fit more comfortably in his fingers.

Onikuma wasn't a leader. He knew this more intimately than he cares to admit. For this reason, it brought him some relief when he looked back to find the slim boy talking with one of the women.
"So then we're leaving now?" he interrupted, with the ōdachi sat comfortably on one shoulder while he plucked coins off the mangled corpse of a guard. "If we don't waste time, we can be in the hills in those couple of minutes." He wondered what sake-man had to say about this. He seemed like a wise man at a glance, or at least wise enough to drink.

[Deep Core, 6 ATC 4] Mission: Harvest Moon

a̧̞̦̭̲̪k͈͟k͏͔̩͈͓̳d̠͚͔0̥̖̣̦̟̖̀g͉̰͎̯͜_̥̮͈̬͜

Stationed aboard the ███ █████████. ██:██ local time. Galactic coordinates ██████-██████, ████████ system, ████ sector. ██:██ local time.

---

One of the first things akkd0g_ did after skulking into the back corner of the ship was integrate herself with the ship's critical alerts. It took some finetuning to filter the relevant alerts from the not-so-relevant alerts, but it mostly came through. Even then, almost all of the alerts that akkd0g_ got filtered through to her headset could be written off after having a quick look. That's why when the first alert came through of a local spatial anomaly, she didn't bother to stop chewing. The ongoing all-source intelligence feed didn't come up with anything, so it was almost definitely an isolated incident. But then there was another isolated incident, then another, before all of her warning feeds screamed.

Spatial anomalies and power surges hardly covered the tip of the iceberg of the chaos that erupted outside of the hull. akkd0g_ almost choked in her panic to throw her food aside and pull up a keyboard. External camera footage only confirmed her worst fears: the Empire had found them. The frantic transmission on the captain's line was only more to the pile. She thought back to all of her precautions - her feeds, her encryption, everything she used and abused to make sure their voyage would be the Republics' best-kept secret. The nagging thought very quickly moved into the back of her head, a gnawing doubt and a sense of dread: how? Everything was as close to perfect as it could be. If she had time to think about it she probably would have.

With a beat of hesitation, akkd0g_ sent the message on the RSIS line: MANEUVER COMPROMISED. SUBJECT AT RISK. IMPERIAL FORCES, TREATY BROKEN. SOS. With what she had written, as much as she loathed to use it, the message would be sent every 90 seconds. As much as she loathed the thought of the cold war going hot, she only hoped that the message might make it through.

Beyond her solitary station, the Republic warships had lurched into action. As the power held in reserve during low-emissions travel started to come through, shields began to glow and point defense batteries groaned to life. Through a wall of flak and turbolasers, Republic fighters scrambled to meet the Imperial offensive. Interceptors followed shortly after as organisation came to the Republic efforts, starting their way after bomber squadrons and Imperial aces. But as akkd0g_ quickly came to notice, it wouldn't be enough.

In the opening exchange of turbolaser fire, a select set of components of the main vessel were crippled; functional, sure, but limping and lame. There was little doubt to anybody that it was a calculated maneuver, the cost of letting the Imperials seize the initiative. In the midst of all the batteries and the battle, there was a cone of unprotected space, just wide enough to fit a tightly packed squadron all the way to the starboard auxiliary hangar. Just wide enough to fit a cunning Imperial boarding party. It wouldn't be that simple though: the point defense batteries were only crippled and they were fighting to turn the guns to cover the gap, and the Republic fighters had already scrambled to secure it. For a prospective Imperial boarding party, it would be a daring maneuver that needs great support, but it may well be the only one - as well as the only one they need.

From her damp corner of the ship, akkd0g_ almost flew about the room on her four octopi limbs. She jacked in and out from electronic ports almost erratically and hammered at several keyboards in a panic. With the repair process streamlined, she could put her attention where she wanted it to be: how did that information get out? If she had a lucky break, she might even have the time to find out.

• 葉隱 •

@Severance
Invite invalid my dude.

• 葉隱 •

「らいねんのことをいうとおにがわらう」

R A I N E N N O K O T O O I U T O O N I G A W A R A U

i f y o u t a l k o f n e x t y e a r , d e m o n s w i l l l a u g h

N A M E

He introduces himself as "onikuma", although that is presumably not his given name.

demon; ogre (鬼) | (熊) bear
鬼熊。

A G E

Thirty-one.

A P P E A R A N C E

Onikuma is, purely in the literal sense, a giant among men. To say that he stands at twice the height of a grown man is only a slight exaggeration, and the same could be comfortably said for his width. He is a lumbering mass of bulging muscle clad in dense fat and hair as if the child of a rikishi and a bear. He is known to carry his own chopsticks that, put together, could come to the length of a fishing rod, as conventional chopsticks simply do not fit in his burly hands. He is strictly bold with a wirey beard, but in an act of embracing his form, he is known to wear an elaborate theater mask depicting an oni where it isn't an inconvenience. Likewise, he is known to clad his arms and chest in leathers and wood for protection.

Other than assorted pouches and pockets, he is known to hang three scabbards from his belt. Of the three, two carry a katana and a wakizashi, as if to allude to some higher social status. The third is a more elaborate scabbard bearing an odachi, a comically large sword that matches his figure.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Through layers of apathy and stoicism, there is an honorable man somewhere in Onikuma, but it would certainly take some effort to find.

Onikuma is something of a barbarian or a brute. He is known to speak with his mouth full, to cuss and curse when it pleases him, and to enjoy alcohol and other pleasures. He mingles with burakumin without concern and sometimes even threatens those who take issue. At a glance, he is not afraid of dirtying his hands if it is convenient and he happily benefits from the impact of his appearance on smaller and lesser folk. Yet beneath all of that, beneath the brash demeanor of the man, lies some manner of the bushido teachings. He swears and even taunts, yet rarely strikes out of anger; he has overturned oxen and wagons to extort the smallfolk, yet he has never laid a hand on them without cause; and he has certainly made a bloody mess of evil men who saw fit to cross simpler folk, even after making a profit off their misdeeds.

Once, many winters ago, Onikuma was a man with a name he shared and a lord he served. In the years since he has shed his status as samurai to become ronin, a wandering sword that wakes each day more jaded than the last, but beneath his adapted demeanor, there is a samurai somewhere.

S T R E N G T H S

E S S E N C E O F T H E O N I

A towering figure adorned in leather and steel, clad in the mask of a demon; a mask that is more symbolic than Onikuma wants to know. There is little that needs to be said on his effect on most smaller folk. Some can hardly tell him apart from the feral spirits supposedly tormenting the countrysides, whether there or in the cities. Yet there is more than the intimidation: Onikuma is full of anger, anger that possesses him and drives him forward in a coarse haze in battle. In his rage, pain becomes distant and inconvenient, but his foes trend to come nearer. There is dishonour in his lack of discipline where it becomes apparent, but there is honour in victory.

E S S E N C E O F T H E B E A R

Onikuma is a hulking mass of muscle and fat and he abuses it for all it is worth. His strength is borderline inhuman and his endurance is certainly not something to ignore. With his own two hands, he has upturned loaded wagons, snapped the barrels of firearms in half, and torn grown men in two. Likewise, he has been stabbed, shot, burned, and bashed, all to little effect on his raging warpath even when the attacks evade or negate his armor. The name "Onikuma" is a name he adopted, but not a name he made.

W E A K N E S S E S

A M A N S T I L L L O S T

Ronin, burakumin, scum - these are all words that have described Onikuma on his travels. For all of his brawn and his rage, he is not often welcomed by society where he might find it. Villages have rallied to drive him out by fire and fork and soldiers have mustered to drive him away from more respectable folk should he come too near or too often; often fairly so. He certainly does little to remedy this problem, if anything at all. To this end, his lot as a wandering sword is not as voluntary as he might suggest.

A B E A R ' S G R A C E

A bear cannot approach a fox unnoticed, let alone any cat or dog. Okimura, for all of his might, is a slow, lumbering mass that clanks and bellows as he goes. Before he can twist to strike, a smaller man may cut him a number of times, then weave about him before he can face him again. Furthermore, where a discrete approach is advised, Okimura is strictly not suitable. If he can manage to find a place to hide, he certainly won't do it quietly.

• 葉隱 •

This looks awesome, I'll at least give it a good crack. Do you have information on the other characters' in the cast handy @Severance?

[Approved] Private Xadi Vrutriri, Vyshtal-6

_{Out of character}

---

How long do you usually write?
Several paragraphs.

Do you enjoy writing collaborative posts for things like conversations, combat, etc.?
Yes. I almost always find that it's easier and more fulfilling to sit down for a few hours and write a scene in a collaboration of some kind than to play purely by post.

Is grammar and depth of writing important to you?
Yes. Part of my appeal to roleplaying is to improve my writing skills and write an engaging story, so both are important to me.

Are there any writing subjects you particularly enjoy exploring?
I enjoy exploring moral "shades of gray" areas in almost any setting but especially Star Wars, where the focus can be often on "light versus dark."

Is there anything you really dislike and want to avoid like the plague?
Nothing comes to mind at first thought, but I'm sure there will be a couple of things here and there. I'll make it known if I think of anything.

Is there something you are uncomfortable with happening to your character?
Again, nothing comes to mind at first thought. I'd like anything excessive to be omitted or faded to black, but I think that's covered in RPG rules anyway.

Do you have any short-term or long-term goals with this character?
I have a long series of scenes I'm intending to write up with someone already, but beyond that, I'm just looking to fill in some gaps in the roster and try something that I don't normally do.

_{Republic personnel files}

---

Name: Xadi Vrutriri.
Species: Zabrak, Iridonian ethnicity.
Homeworld: Iridonia.
Age: Twenty-one, 21.
Gender: Female.
Military branch: Narit Forces Command, Republic Special Forces Division.
Rank: Private.
Unit and designation: Vyshtal Team. Designated as Vyshtal-6.
Role and specialisation: Operator. Yet to specialise.
Current place of service: ███ ██████ locale on Operation ██████████.

_{Republic Strategic Information Service reports}

---

Report on physical appearance
Xadi stands at 6 feet and 2 inches tall with an athletic build and a healthy, clear complexion. She has an elaborate suit of tattoos covering the overwhelming majority of her body bar a narrow column of skin down her chest, the palms of her hands, and the soles of her feet. These tattoos mostly depict neotraditional Iridonian art of battles with some exceptions. Her name, blood type, and service ID are tattooed on the inside of her left thigh and the underside of her left breast. The traditional tattoos on her face denotes her family lineage and her Iridonian clan. She has a series of short, hooked horns at the front of her crown, which are largely bleached white with some gradient black at the bases. She maintains a length of natural black hair which is shaved around the back and sides, which she typically keeps tied in a bun or tail.

Xadi is known to wear pragmatic and simple clothing beyond the military uniform. She is known to favor simple attire such as tank tops and simple shirts. When dressing in the military uniform, she is known to consistently roll her sleeves and often leaves buttons of her attire unbuttoned. She has made some relatively minor aesthetic modifications to her armour, such as teeth on her helmet and imitations of traditional Iridonian art on the chest and arms.

[Facial reference: link]
[Armour reference: link]

Report on skills and talents, including the level of skill.
Unsurprisingly, as a successful candidate for the Narit Special Forces Command (NSFC) recruitment program, Xadi is something of an expert in close-quarters combat. In a standard test conducted as part of the candidate selection assessment, Xadi was tasked with clearing a building containing 47 simulated targets armed with less-than-lethal firearms. She completed the assessment 1 minute and 17 seconds without being hit using 9 weapons, 3 of which were melee weapons. Assessment data notes that she entered the assessment exercise with 3 weapons. At the conclusion of her training, she performed the assessment again. She completed the assessment in 39 seconds without being hit using 5 weapons, 3 of which were melee.

Beyond her close-quarters combat expertise, Xadi consistently performs above the 85th percentile in Republic assessment data in combat at up to 900 meters, and above the 76th percentile in combat exceeding 900 meters. She has demonstrated particular skill in unconventional warfare, as is common in NSFC operatives. She has demonstrated skill to NSFC standards in infantry weapons operations, field information systems interference, light ground vehicle operations, NSFC special application vehicle operations field and active combat medicine, high vetting signals, and high vetting commando operations, and high vetting intelligence operations. She is capable of efficiently operating the NSFC endorsed weapons and weapons platforms, deploying security spikes and other pre-developed information systems interference solutions, operating light vehicles in active combat conditions, conducting signals operations in a highly classified operating environment, and conducting commando and intelligence operations in a highly classified operating environment. Furthermore, she is capable of administering field and active combat medicine to self and others - such as blood transfusion, emergency amputation, and other functions of critical care - and capable of operating NSFC special application vehicles, such as the low-orbital infantry deployment covert (LOID-C) and assault (LOID-A) platforms.

Additionally, her Iridonian Zabraki heritage and biology supports her when operating in hot and arid environments. It also supports her when operating under high physical demand compared to most species.

Report on known combat experience, training and weapons training.
Xadi has extensive experience in unconventional infantry combat for her age bracket. From a young age, she has supported or acted in combat and combat training in course of the Iridonian Zabraki culture, particularly against local fauna and her peers. From her teenage years, she was trained by her elite clansmen and retired NSFC operatives in preparation for the NSFC candidate assessment program. Xadi since qualified in the NSFC assessment program, passed the selection course, and completed the NSFC training regimen.

Since completing training, Xadi has participated in one major operation. She has only recently completed the NSFC training regimen and has only recently been assigned to Vyshtal Team.

Report on role, specialization, and responsibilities pertaining to the subject’s military deployment.
Xadi is an operative in Vyshtal team, Narit Special Forces Command. She operates under Vyshtal-6, which correlates to her position in Vyshtal Team as operator number 6. It is important to note that the NSFC teams have 6 personnel per team and that the sixth position stereotypically reflects a relatively inexperienced operative.

As a new addition to Vyshtal team, Xadi is yet to specialize. She is responsible for her own bearing, equipment, and operations performance. She is accountable to the team commanding officer and executive officer and required to follow any lawful orders from the pair.

Detailed notes on political influence and associates.
Within the Republic Armed Forces and the broader Republic, Xadi does not have any noteworthy political influence or associates. Within her clan on Iridonia however, she has significant political influence and several political associates. This is not uncommon for successful candidates of the NSFC program who are often revered as expert warriors and even as heroes within the Iridonian culture.

Detailed notes on known rivals and enemies, within and outside the Republic army/navy.
Beyond old childhood rivals, there are no persons to note. It is important to note that Xadi has only been serving operationally in NSFC for less than 6 Coruscant months.

List and description of other known associates, including subordinates.
Sergeant Dhrih Marnath, Vyshtal-1. Male Iridonian Zabraki. Commanding officer of Vyshtal team. Specializes in signals. Three Coruscant years in active service.
Corporal Artora Cridmeen, Vyshtal-2. Female Iridonian Zabraki. Executive officer of Vyshtal team. Specializes in non-linear infantry combat, demolitions, and close protection. Eleven Coruscant years in active service.
Lance Corporal Ridu Suavere, Vyshtal-3. Male Iridonian Zabraki. Operative on Vyshtal team. Specializes in information systems infiltration and support droid operation. Seven Coruscant years in active service.
Private Rasha Jastrinas, Vyshtal-4. Male Iridonian Zabraki. Operative on Vyshtal team. Specializes in support weapons operations. Three Coruscant years in active service.
Private Losa Corandel, Vyshtal-5. Female Iridonian Zabraki. Operative on Vyshtal team. Specializes in long-distance combat. One Coruscant years in active service.

List of known belongings, including but not limited to planetary surface property, civilian and military vessels, vehicles, weapons, tools.
Xadi does not own any property. She owns a single civilian land vehicle on Iridonia which is currently in the care of her brother. She has been issued a blaster carbine, a blaster pistol, a vibroknife, a set of NSFC standard armor and harnessing, a non-specialised toolkit which includes security spikes, trapping equipment, and observation equipment, a non-specialised field medicine kit, and a pair of macrobinoculars. Further equipment, such as low-emissions blasters and other specialist equipment, is issued per operational demands.

Psychological evaluation of candidate.
Psychological evaluation of Xadi Vrutriri asserts that she is psychologically healthy and fit for service in intensive operations environments. With due consideration to her upbringing and cultural background, she does not display any psychological adaptions that are overtly counterproductive to good health. She displays stoic behaviors particulary regarding overt risk to life, as is common for NSFC personnel, although she contrasts this with coarse and insolent behaviors when confronted with minor inconveniences. The current hypothesis suggests that this is an expressive behavior and has no links to insubordination.

List and description of known and suspected flaws. To be put into restricted database.
As far as operatives of her caliber go, Xadi is inexperienced. She has some operational experience in the ███ ██████ locale but when compared to other entry-level operatives in the Republic Special Forces Division (RSFD), her experience in active deployment environments is starkly lacking. This is a problem that is distinctly apparent in the NSFC, where operatives are selected based on cultural upbringing, extensive testing, and comprehensive training. While her performance data reports above most RSFD entry-level operatives and she has been trained and tested in simulated environments, her performance under genuine stress and field conditions is yet to be verified and may form a risk.

Known interests of the candidate.
Xadi is incredibly focused on her performance as an NSFC operative and applies herself as such. She frequents exercise facilities such as the gym and the track where she trains for from 45 minutes to 2 hours per day. She plays in particular sports recreationally and she competes in several sporting events and categories. She most notably performs in swimming, weightlifting, and sprinting events, where she is regarded as an up-and-coming athlete and has even represented the NSFC in inter-service events. She is also known to enjoy cooking, where she often experiments with different ways to intake an athlete-standard diet, and takes pride in her cultural rituals and heritage.

Major achievements on record.
Xadi successfully qualified for NSFC selection and later graduated from the NSFC training regimes on Iridonia and Coruscant. With the elite and extremely competitive nature of the program, this is an incredible achievement on its own merit. In addition to the credit to knowledge, skills, and abilities, this grants her some rapport among her peers in the RSFD and the extended Republic Armed Forces (RAF).

Xadi has represented the NSFC in the freestyle swimming and sprinting at various lengths. She has yet to receive medallions but she has performed to a high standard, particularly considering the competitiveness of the inter-service sporting events.

Major failures on record. Confidential.
Xadi has displayed symptoms of significant psychological duress during phases of her training. This led to the psychological inquest that identified her coarse behaviors as expressive behaviors. While this would not be significant in most arms of the RFD, this is particularly significant in the RSFD and the NSFC, where operatives are often subjected to excessive stress in the course of their operations. Current reports assert that she is fit for service, but routine observations are ongoing.

_Interview

---

CLASSIFICATION: Confidential.
Declassified from vetting level 2, segment codeword █████.

This document has been created for the information of local force commanders. This document is valid for 2 days after receipt and will be destroyed at lapse. All censored information in order to declassify the document to confidential has been blocked with the exception of relevant identities, which have been notated instead.

The following is a transcribed verbal account of the background of Private ████ ████████ "Vyshtal-6". The account was gathered by an interview. The interviewer is Captain ██ ████████, HQ Republic Special Forces Division. The account has been certified as true and complete by witnesses, Warrant Officer ███ █████, HQ Narit Special Forces Command, and Analyst ██████ ███, Republic Strategic Information Service. The interview was conducted at 16:02 local time at site ██████, ███████ sector, Coruscant.

CAPTAIN ██ ████████: We're recording now, [Vyshtal-6].
[VYSHTAL-6]: Alright. What's first?
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Let's start by establishing your background. You were-
[VYSHTAL-6]: With respect, is that necessary, sir? Being in the NSFC makes that pretty clear-
WARRANT OFFICER ███ █████: Do as you're told, [VYSHTAL-6]. We don't want to be here either.
[VYSHTAL-6]: ..sure, whatever. Sir.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: As I was saying, private, you were an Iridonian clansman. Please elaborate.
[VYSHTAL-6]: I was born on Iridonia, like almost everybody else in the NSFC. I was a clansman, like almost everybody else in the NSFC. The shamans saw the Narit star over me, like almost every other-
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Private.
[VYSHTAL-6]: Fine. So I was born into one of the five clans, right? I lived not far outside of one of the major cities. Shortly after I was born, the shamans took me away - as they do to everyone - and they burned my feet in a fire. They saw the Narit star through the smoke, which means that I was destined to attempt to become ay'Vyshtal Narit, or join the NSFC. If I failed, I would be disgraced and exiled as a failed warrior.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: What does ay'Vyshtal Narit mean?
[VYSHTAL-6]: It means "knight of conquest", but it translates more literally to "warrior of force". It's how operatives in the NSFC are regarded in Iridonian culture. It more-or-less means something like a "great and honorable warrior-heroes who doesn't compromise". The ay'Vyshtal Narit have a long history in Iridonian culture as folk heroes and such.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: And because of this, your life came to revolve around preparing for NSFC selection?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Pretty much. While I lived with my family, I was taken in by the clan elders and NSFC veterans. It was an incredible honor for my family. Almost everything I did - what I did, what I ate, who I talked with - was judged based on how useful it was to me training to join the NSFC. I didn't have much to do with the education the rest of the kids got, and with what involvement I did have, I was rushed in and out the door and treated like some senators kid.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Were there many other children from your clan that were training to join the NSFC?
[VYSHTAL-6]: I met seven other kids in my clan who were Narit star kids from my earliest memories to when I left. A few others that weren't Narit star kids tried, but none of them had the commitment and the help.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: You mentioned you were treated like a "senators kid." Could you elaborate?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Nobody was allowed to talk to me except the teacher. It wasn't that anyone was unclean or unworthy or anything, but it was that they might be a distraction. Having the Narit star is an honor, but only because it is a responsibility. It means that in order to even have a chance, I had to work and train at almost every waking moment and that I had to try and join the NSFC, or I would be disgraced. There are no prospects on almost any Zabraki planets for a disgraced Narit kid.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Before you can attempt NSFC selection, there's a ritual you have to pass. Can you explain that?
[VYSHTAL-6]: We go through the rising festival as is tradition, but after we get our zhaboka, we have two trials. They wake us up before first light that morning to visit the shamans and recieve our blessings. At last light, after the rising ceremony, we're sent into the forest to hunt a target beast with any other Narit kids doing the rising at the same time. We must return with the head of the beast and the zhabokas of all the others. Only the one that can manage that can go on to attempt NSFC selection. The rest are disgraced.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: How many are normally competing at this ritual? How many did you compete with?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Normally two or three. The largest group I've heard of is five. I competed with one.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Did you kill them?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Killing is forbidden, it disgraces the whole ceremony if someone dies to another Narit kids. I did hurt him in our fight though. I still talk to him actually, he's lame in one leg from our fight.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: So after you passed that, you went on to qualify for the NSFC. Tell me about the selection process.
[VYSHTAL-6]: Selection is managed by the NSFC, with a few representatives from the RSFD. The Republic is pretty picky about what is and isn't special forces and the NSFC are an incredibly proud bunch, so the stakes are high. The selection program runs for two weeks and almost everything that you're tested on before you can graduate from NSFC training, later on, is assessed. In order to qualify, you need to meet the minimum standard on everything - which is a high standard - then to graduate, you need to improve on those first numbers by a different percent on each one.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: How intense is the selection program?
[VYSHTAL-6]: I was prepared for it and it still took me by surprise. There were five of us - one from each of the clans. That's the standard number. The first week is all individual assessments. After that, whoever is left - for me, it was all of us - is all put into a squad and shipped out to ██████. We get five objectives. No equipment, no resources, just the objectives. During that time, we're followed and assessed by droids. If one of us fails anything or one of the objectives aren't fulfilled, we all fail and get sent home. It's up to us to manage our time. I've never met anybody who got more than 6 hours of sleep over that week.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: So all five of you passed. Do you know any of them still?
[VYSHTAL-6]: They all got shipped out to different squads but I still speak to all of them. They're all doing well.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: So then you completed the training, which went for...?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Three years.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Three years. The NSFC are very proud of their training program. Tell me about that.
[VYSHTAL-6]: Ah krak, are they proud. They don't believe in training, they believe in perfection. They insist that every soldier that graduates should be fully capable of every generic facet of the job while deaf and blindfolded. It's still easy to fail, but at least they help you now. At first, it focuses on becoming familiar with the Republic and how that all works. Most of us are sheltered to focus on our training, so we need the context. They actually make us sit in on basic training classes with the Republic Army. It builds up towards full contact simulation the sort of work we do in NSFC, like close protection, raids, █████████ and █████████████, and intelligence gathering.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: And on graduation, you received a ceremonial weapon. Tell me about that.
[VYSHTAL-6]: Right. When we graduate, we hand in our zhaboka that we got at the rising ceremony and receive a new one. This one is made with modern material and technology, like durasteel and vibroblades. It's mostly ceremonial since even in close quarters we use blasters, but we do take them with us if we think we're being sent on a suicide mission. It's an old cultural thing that's become a protest symbol. If we die, we want to die fighting with the weapon that our ancestors used. We are known to use them when we're sent to ████ ████ [into combat against force users] since they can handle the glowsticks.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: For the record, what are you referring to with glowsticks?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Lightsabers.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Alright. Last question: since then, you've been posted Vyshtal squad and assigned to operates in the ███ █████ locale. Can you elaborate on that?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Yeah, so we've been trying to track down ████████ ████████ on ███ ██████ ahead of a Republic diplomat going out to negotiate spice trade. The SIS has some evidence to suggest that there is ████████ ████████ and they requested us to come out and try to get rid of them. We're ███████ █████ ██ █████████ ██ ███████.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: And how have you been getting along with your team?
[VYSHTAL-6]: Well enough. After everything, it's rare that any new recruits are treated any differently. We all have this great respect for one another and camaraderie in our squads. [VYSHTAL-5] and I are getting close, and [VYSHTAL-2] is teaching me a lot that I never would have known about myself and what I do.
CAPTAIN ██ ████████: Alright, I'm going to stop you there. Let's come back to this after a break and discuss Operation ██████████.

[Deep Core, 6 ATC 4] Mission: Harvest Moon

a̧̞̦̭̲̪k͈͟k͏͔̩͈͓̳d̠͚͔0̥̖̣̦̟̖̀g͉̰͎̯͜_̥̮͈̬͜

Stationed aboard the ███ █████████. ██:██ local time. Galactic coordinates ██████-██████, ████████ system, ████ sector. ██:██ local time.

---

The white light from the hallway made the slicer squint and scrunch her face. It was an uncomfortable reminder that time had yet again passed faster than she cared to notice. It had all become routine a few days ago: she didn't leave her corner of the ship for anything short of the bathroom or an evacuation. Even then, the number of times she had been seen in the halls could be counted on one human hand.
"Come on, you've hardly touched the last one." the crewman remarked as he held the tray out to the chorus of dim strobing lights. The last tray of food waited at his feet with most of the food from the last serving intact. A metallic arm reached out from the darkness to grab the new tray by a narrow end.
"I don't need much." a feminine voice remarked as a second metallic arm, somewhat smaller than the last one, reached out and grabbed a corner. A third and then a fourth followed the four arms together bringing a husk of a woman out from the dark of the room. Three of the arms held her up as if in a seat, while the fourth lifted the new tray of food up to her eyes. "I just need enough. I can't focus if I'm full." The sickly woman sniffed at the food, assessing it carelessly before she plucked something from the tray with a set of bony fingers and sat it in her mouth.

"Surely there's one meal you like, akkdog? Something you'll eat in full? I'll smack you if you collapse on the job, y'know." the crewman jabbed. At first, akkd0g_'s presence on the ship had been something of an enigma. She was like a stray cat, hiding in dark corners and batting at computer tables all day and night. Her posting came covered in stickers and tape covered with Strategic Information Service stamps, which even the bridge crew supposedly saw fit to question. Rumors suggest that the captain of the ship had enough of hearing about it by the end of day 3 and ordered that there be no more discussion about it.
"She is here with the blessing of the Republic for the sake of our mission," the Captain asserted one evening, "and I'll hear no more about it. Just leave her well alone."

Since then, akkd0g_'s presence on the Republic vessel had slowly become something of a reluctant reality. Some of the crew had even become comfortable with it. Whenever something didn't work, like a door or a lock, all they had to do was press the button until she found them, and she'd fix it or get someone there who could. Some of the crew even started testing what systems she can and can't control from her corner and they have yet to find any. Every time she did something, she'd make the lights strobe blue for a moment. Some of the crew hated it and some of the crew found it comforting. Most of the crew didn't care.

akkd0g_ shook her head as she dusted her hands off over the tray.
"I mean... one or two things, but not while I'm on the job. As I said, I need to focus." akkd0g_ answered as she shifted the bulky goggles on her head. Several cords followed after her, running from her back in mass to all sorts of machines that dominated the room. After she sampled another thing or two on the tray, she floated back into the darkness at the whim of her four droid arms. The crewman let out a sigh as he snatched up the old abandoned tray.
"Just leave a little less food this time, okay? I hate wasting it." the crewman called out as he whisked out of the room. A disinterested 'mhm' sung in return to him as the airlock sealed shut. Once again, bar the dim red from above the airlock and the dim strobing lights from all the machines, akkd0g_ was left in solitude.

All of her orders came in through one of two encrypted channels. One was attached to the captains terminal, but that one had always been pretty quiet. The other was an encrypted channel from outside of the ship network. Most of her orders, which came from the RSIS, came through that channel.
"Spooks being spooks, I guess..." she muttered at the thought. She had 3 sets of orders for the journey. The first is to track the 'priority person' through the ship surveillance suite. akkd0g_ constantly had cameras and sometimes even audio on her, but nothing ever happened. Still, she fed it all through to the RSIS. The second was to survey neighboring systems for suspicious activity. This was a little more difficult, as this involved accessing and analyzing data from all-source intelligence on the fly, but it kept her busy. Before each jump, she got the details from the captain, automated the data collection, and would feed it through to the bridge and to the RSIS. The last one, and by far the most important one, is to maintain the security and confidentiality of the ships computer network and operation. Nobody could know who they were, who they had, and where they're going. She spent most of her time combing through all the outbound and inbound data, whether from the all-source intelligence sources or the ship itself, constantly making sure that nothing was amiss.

So far, everything was in order.
"If something's wrong, someone in the bridge will pick it up." akkd0g_ asserted before putting another small handful of food in her mouth. So the husk of a woman stayed in her corner, the epicenter of a mess of droid limbs and wild wires, blinking at interfaces in her headset and gingerly eating without care.

[Interest Check & OOC] The Galactic Vices Casino

Interested with akkd0g_, 100 percent in her element. No guarantee as to if she'll be helping the grand opening or hindering it though.