Cantina 14: The Guardians Of Peace And Justice

[Redwing]

((Okay, now that I have a free hour in which to reply to RPGs... I am nearly brain dead and find that I can barely comprehend what is going on. (Only a couple 1-2 hour-long powernaps in the ways of sleep that past four nights.)

 

This won't be a complete post, am handling the people who are the most stuck right now because of me first.))

 

Imperial Research Base, Deep Core

 

((Deac: If it's okay I'll just do Squad Two. I can PM you additional data stuff for team 1 to pull up if you want (i.e. holorecorder footage etc) ))

 

*Squad Two reaches the reactor room. A body hangs in the vacuum, back arched, an unusual hole through its chest, as if someone put a detonator in its midsection and set it off by remote.*

 

Squad Two: *comm* Team 2 reporting. Scans say the reactor was recently running. It's been shut down not more than a few weeks ago. Some of the interfaces seem to be damaged but we think we can jury-rig them fairly quickly.

 

----------

 

Jedi Temple

 

Kaya: Curious, your claims sound, clouded, your mind is, and suspicious, your motivations seem. Already you seem to wish to play us against each other. We know not who you are or whence you came, but you must understand that Jedi are not here to play games of authority and power. There is no need for Master Gavaan to speak for you, as if he were in your employ. Why do you wish to see Master Skywalker?

 

----------

 

Mos Eisley, Tatooine

 

Farran: Are you threatening us, Csuhen? You might do well to recall who designed your fancy toys in the first place...

 

((Out of time; Korriban/Gladsheim/Shadow Base/Flashbacks next post))

[Kuuki]

Volmount "I have already spoken with Master Gavaan, he assires me that I have to ask Master Skywalker. As for myself and your claim about having attempting to pit yourselves agenst each other is unintentional. Now I can understand if you couldn't quite reconise myself as a Jedi. But as a padawan in the days of my youth I was taught here in this very temple, before Anikan Skywalker's betrayal on the Old Order. However, my intentions are clearly for Master Skywalker unless it must be consulted with another council member who doesnt see that his own colligues don't agree upon. "

 

((For those Jedi who can sense thoughts)) *Volmount's mind clears up and the sense of desire of a peaceful relation.*

[BattleDog]

((Uh, Scar, I really can't reply to that, except with Huh? Can you try and clean the tenses and pronouns up at least?))

[Kuuki]

((could maybe later though))

[Rogue15]

Streets of Mos Eisley, Tatooine

 

*Kioet switches off comm and hololink and steps closer to Farran*

 

Kioet: Well, you have done me favors in the past...tell me why you're avoiding Aren, and I will help you.

[Redwing]

((Gah, sorry guys - pending any unexpected free time, may not reply for another week. x_X school projects + work + no car is hell.))

[Kuuki]

((Don't you usualy take the bus anyway??))

[Redwing]

((Yeah but I have a drastically increased workload at both school and my job. To be specific, a 6 page graphic novel piece due tuesday, and a 30 page novel submission, plus two hours each way to get to work leaves little extra time [even now I should've been asleep hours ago]))

[Deac]

Bridge

 

Deac: Do we have anything?

 

Tech: It's hard to slice...this is HIGH level encryption. What I can tell is that we've antimatter reactors...this base needed a massive amount of power for something...it's also been completely self sufficent. I'm seeing hyrdoponics bays, a small farming module for meat. And...it appears that we're the first ship to enter the sector in the past several months. There is record of an evacuation...but no ships seem to have left...

 

Deac: Where have they gone? And what the hell were they doing here?

 

Tech#2: I'm into interal sensors...what the hell? Sir, do you have any idea what these readings mean? I'm getting wildly different things? Must be a malfunction...

 

*Deac goes over to check*

 

Deac: Dimensional portals. Sithspit. That would explain those heat signitures...

 

Tech#2: We did a life support scan, didn't we?

 

Deac: These things aren't from this universe, trooper. Chances are they are very nasty.

 

Tech#1: I can't get into any more from here sir. It'd take weeks.

 

Deac: Palpatine always believes in redundant backups. We need to find one of the backup datacores, and we'll take that back with us.

 

Comm: Sir, we're moving out of comms range to avoid detection by the ISD. Good luck.

 

Deac: Roger, Akaga. We're going to move out. Kal, you two *gestures at two soldiers* come with me. We're going to check out those rifts.

[BattleDog]

Bridge

 

Kal: I'm with you, Master Deac, can I say I have a bad feeling about this?

 

Temple

 

Flax: Let me repeat this, one last time. Luke Skywalker is a permenant meber of the Council, as am I and Master Kaya. You can speak to us, wait for Master Skywalker or maybe you coul start talking sense and explain yourself and then you might get somewhere.

[Kuuki]

((red, post korriban pls! T_T))

 

Volmount *sighs* "Maybe I try to be too charismatic. I'm a Jedi Master from a small surviving ranks of the Old Order when the Empire was formed. As a Jedi and with my fellow Jedi we continue such tradition of the order that we've been trained in. We've kept this a secret to the Empire and the New Republic, including yourselves. Our manifesto is practically no use due to the Republic's treaty with the Empire, which reflects the very same with your Order and the remaining Sith. Our number's are not too great, and from my examinations nor it your's. My position on meeting with Master Skywalker is to join the two orders, the New with the Old."

[Rogue15]

prison cell

 

*Zey wakes up in the corner of the room with a cloaked figure towering over her with his arms crossed, two vornskr creatures are sitting by each side of the opened door*

 

Zey: Just end it.

 

???: No. I have other plans for you.

 

*Zey gets up and a skull-splitting pain shoots through her head, and she falls backwards, still conscious*

 

???: hahaha. You've been out cold for about a week. We have implanted a bug in your body, so do as I say, or you shall feel all sorts of pain.

 

Zey: ugh! Who are you?

 

???: I am Drey Mawt, but you must call me Master.

 

Zey: what?

 

Drey: THAT WOULD BE 'YES, MASTER'. I will forgive you this once, but just to show you how serious I am...

 

*Drey presses a button on his glove, and a jolt goes through Zey's body, and she begins to vomit*

 

Zey: I'm sorry, Master.

 

Drey: That's a good slave. A droid will be in shortly to provide food and clothing. I'll be back later with a briefing for your first mission.

 

Zey: Yes, Master.

 

*Drey turns and walks out the door, the vornskrs growl at Zey and walk out. The door closes*

 

Zey: What could he possibly need me to do?

[Redwing]

((Scar, you can't tell us what our characters think your character thinks, only what your character is trying to project. Thusly? It seems even more suspicious that Volmount is trying to make our characters feel a certain way about him.

 

Partial post, again, due to too much time spent replying to BD's PM. Will post again tomorrow, though))

 

Streets of Mos Eisley, Tatooine

 

Farran: Why? You can't guess? She's controlling you too, just as much as she's controlling us. I'm sick of this... watching. I don't know what her motives are but she doesn't make any sense. It's as if she wants something from us but won't let us know what it is. What's the purpose behind all the things she's doing, all the things she's let us watch, hm? What's the point behind all the missions she's sending you to do? Ever asked her that? Maybe being a pawn is alright with you, but not with me. I'm done with this. Done. You can go tell her that.

 

----------

 

Korriban

 

*The Elf Woman crouches in an alcove above F. Irvine and aims a blaster, sights centered on his head. The black mark throbs on her arm and she sets her jaw*

 

Only a little longer. Now pop - pop like an overripe fruit.

 

*She fires the blaster. The bolt streaks towards the back of F. Irvine's head*

 

((Imperial Base, Aesir/Blades, and Jedi Temple: tomorrow))

[Kuuki]

((and now i lose my internet for the duration of my stay in pensacola T_T

 

my roommate is leaving today, sudden change of effents for him.

 

Red: now how am I going to convey a mindset of my character for characters to 'sense' if i dont control the other characters?))

[Rogue15]

Streets of Mos Eisley, Tatooine

 

Kioet: She did send me on an impossible task right after my training. You know I hate running from a fight, but those creatures she wanted me to assassinate, It was as if they were invincible. Perhaps she's searching for a way to utilize their technology, therefore making us invincible. Ok, I'll ask her..

 

*Kioet switches on his commlink and holovid*

 

Kioet over comm/holovid to Aren: Aren, he's not being cooperative, I'll put you on the speaker so you can explain to us, the purpose of all that you're having us do.

[BattleDog]

Flax: Do not presume to represent the "Old" Order, Volmount. Many of the Masters of the Council were trained by Jedi Masters, or Knights, who survived the Purge. Some of us here even survived the Purge themselves. You may petition to join the order, such an offer was made to your group when you were first discovered, that was over a year ago now.

[Redwing]

((OOS: BD, how you feel about Scar's characters aside, there is no way a Jedi Master would act like that much of an ass without knowing anything about the situation. Wouldn't a more logical response be - survivors of the Old Order? what exactly are you talking about? how? not - sorry Scar, you're not a real Jedi, er I mean Volmount. Somehow I can't picture the New Order being all that elitist.

 

Scar: You can't force people to think things about your characters. That's the point.

 

Flaking out again, sorry x_X))

[BattleDog]

((He's losing his temper, but I'll edit, a bit.))

[Kuuki]

((nor can someone else say that someone else's mind is "clouded" or which ever

 

Kaya: Curious, your claims sound, clouded, your mind is, and suspicious, your motivations seem.

))

[Redwing]

((Yes, someone can. You can also have Volmount say "My mind is clear, I desire a peaceful relation." But you can't tell us that we agree. "Clouded" is a fancy way of saying "I don't quite understand what's going on here with you". From Kaya's perspective Volmount has a bunch of emotions going through his head that she doesn't understand, a side effect of Volmount thinking a bunch of things that she doesn't understand. If you literally mean that Volmount cleared all thoughts from his head as if entering a trance, while he's still talking, to project what he wants the other Jedi to sense, that's really suspicious. You can do that, but it makes such little sense that I assumed it wasn't your intention.))

[Kuuki]

((ok.

 

in any other case jsut to let know, my ability to be able to post will be, well, random. I'm currently leeching off of someone else's wireless router.

 

ought to thank him/her for being stupid enough not to set it up correctly like it should of had a few months back. (i bought my own of the same type and accidently set his/her up thinking it was mine. and everything that i did to the router hasnt been changed as of yet. IE: the WEP protection ^_^)))

 

Volmount "And neither of those two were in the position to accept such propisition. I am however. I came to extend that very propisition myself. Those two Jedi are student's of a colleague of mine. Master Chi. Master Chi was relieved of his position on our council years ago for his personal actions involving one of his students. But I'm not here to explain anything about him nor the student, we'll take care of that matter ourselves. But in other case I appologise for hte misconception."

[Redwing]

((Have just spent hours collecting all the info I need to wrap up loose ends related to this section of the Sleeper plot. I should've been studying for a test. Heh. Oh well.

 

Larger reply coming later, the below is all I can manage at 4 AM (and where is your Korriban post, Scar?)))

 

Streets of Mos Eisley

 

Aren: *over comm* Did I miss a rather significant piece of conversation here? I don't have a whole lot of extra time here... why are you asking me about a 'purpose'? What kind of 'purpose' do you mean?

[Rogue15]

Streets of Mos Eisley, Tatooine

 

*Kioet sighs*

 

Kioet:*over comm* Farran doesn't trust you. I'm getting bored. *Kioet winks at Farran* Should I just kill them both?

[Kuuki]

((hoping i could get a hold of you sometime (been a while between those posts and i want to make sure that we got everything to go alright)))

[Redwing]

((PM me. I am still quite busy and that's the fast way for me to carry on this kind of conversation. Or you can try to get on AIM (second fastest, but unreliable).))

 

Streets of Mos Eisely, Tatooine

 

Aren: Now why would I want you to do that? How about this, Ariel, why don't you just tell me what you want? I've given you all protection from the Blades, the Aesir, the Imperials, and the Republica. I've shielded you from the galaxy, just as I offered. Is there something else you want to ask of me?

 

Farran: I want to know the reasons for all this! What is this game your playing with us? With the galaxy? What's the purpose? What are these "Sleepers"? Why the assassins? Why show me all this when I can't do a thing about it? What are you trying to accomplish?

 

Aren: Meet me back at the base. Level 14. You've already been added to the permission levels. *She clicks the comm off*

 

----------

 

Blade Ship Silver

 

Rwos: That was why you nearly killed me? To get that image out of my head? How would this Sejhan know?

 

K'Warra: C'mon, Termand Rwos, I know you're more creative than that. The Blood Scrolls, obviously.

 

Rwos: Impossible. The sections of the Blood Scrolls with my name in them are in Trafeda cueniform, nearly untranslateable today, and they're in possession of the Blades---

 

K'Warra: Hold up there. Stupid assumption number two. Where do you think they were before the Blades got their dirty little paws on them?

 

Rwos: ...then this shifter demon has read the Blood Scrolls?

 

K'Warra: That's the problem with you people. You're just so short-sighted. Of course he's read the Blood Scrolls. Millennia ago. That's what this is all about, isn't it?

 

----------

 

Thirty-Five Hundred Years Ago

 

Unknown Abandoned Sith Planet

 

((PtH continuity!))

 

*The man named Cyrus Duncan sits in a wooden and earthen house, in front of a fire, eyes closed. He takes a drink from a mug.

 

A strange whirring sounds briefly on the other side of the room. Duncan does not turn around or stir from his seat*

 

Duncan: Another step, and it will be your last. If you've come here for anything other than a fight, you're in the wrong place.

 

*A male voice speaks* A fight's exactly what I'm looking for.

 

*Duncan stands. Then he turns around*

 

Duncan: Be a man and show your face.

 

*Out of the shadows steps Sejhan, all but his face concealed by a brown cloak.*

 

Sejhan: I'm not a man. *He pauses for a second* What I mean is...

 

Duncan: You're not human.

 

Sejhan: But clearly masculine. You get that, right?

 

*Duncan picks up a small crossbow and aims it at Sejhan's chest.*

 

Duncan: You'll get more than a fight if you don't leave right now.

 

Sejhan: Fine, fine. My mistake, sorry. I just thought you might want help killing the Jotuns who massacred your family.

 

*Duncan turns away and puts down his mug*

 

Duncan: I don't need your help. I'll kill them myself.

 

Sejhan: Uh, actually, no, you won't. You'll die a bitter old man and never see them again.

 

Duncan: You don't know that.

 

Sejhan: I kinda do. In fact, *walking around to get in Duncan's view* I know it'll be another thirty-five hundred years before you get another chance to confront a Jotun again. Or the ones you're so keen on wreaking your revenge upon.

 

*Duncan is silent for a time. Then he speaks again*

 

Duncan: And...this is the part of the tale where the demon offers the broken man the chance to change all that?

 

Sejhan: I'll take you to them. Thirty five centuries into the future.

 

Duncan: Through black magic and sorcery.

 

Sejhan: No. On a ronto cart. Of course through black magic and sorcery. I'm a demon.

 

Duncan: And what do you want from me?

 

Sejhan: Your word. I want your word that when the time comes, you will show them all no mercy.

 

*Duncan looks into the dark corners of the room*

 

Sejhan: *sounding impatient* Uh, I don't mean to be pushy, but this is a limited time offer. Say yes, and I'll take you to them this very hour. Say no...and realize your one chance to avenge what the Jotuns did to your wife and children has slipped away...forever.

 

*Duncan stares at nothing.*

 

----------

 

Twelve Days Ago

 

In the Foundations of the Aether

 

Ibosen: That the girl will bring destruction and death is certain. The question you hold in your minds is only "When".

 

Orion: No. The question we hold in our minds is "How do we stop it?"

 

Ibosen: You cannot stop it.

 

Orion: It HAS to be stopped! There must be a way---

 

*The Ibosen's eyes flash. The ground quakes, knocking Orion to the ground. Gilian struggles to keep her feet*

 

Ibosen: Your insolence is displeasing!

 

Orion: *spitting blood* If we were to kill the girl---

 

Ibosen: You must not kill the girl. If you do, then countless more will die. This you have already been told. You cannot stop this. These answers you already know.

 

Orion: I will not believe it.

 

Ibosen: You risk your life in coming here, and you waste your time with stubborn argument? Perhaps it is something besides knowledge that you truly seek of me. The pain in your heart begs for an end.

 

*Gilian looks blank, as if the Ibosen had not begun speaking again. The voice echoes now only in Orion's head*

 

Ibosen: After all, have you not already failed once? Have you not already lost everyone truly dear to your heart? Do you truly think you will atone for your errors by saving your world with your bloodied hands? Perhaps it is death you seek of me.

 

Orion: Then kill me, and be done with it!

 

Ibosen: Simple mortal. Your path has only begun. And time is running out. Yet still, you ignore the question.

 

Orion: Fine! When? When will this happen?

 

Ibosen: When the eleventh hour is reached, the final key turned, after fire, eye, and ice, when the final gate is opened and the prize lost, then the child will open the door.

 

Gilian: What does all that mean? How will we know when?

 

Ibosen: The Sleepers will war. And the apocalypse will begin.

 

Gilian: War? How can you have a war without an army?

 

Ibosen: Watch for the signs, and trouble me no more.

 

*The immense creature's thousands of eyes shut, like a city's lights going out. The Ibosen shrinks down, seeming to blend with the hills and swamp in the twilight. The marsh becomes silent and still.*

 

Orion: *whispering* That can't be it. There must be another way...

 

----------

 

Ten Days Ago

 

Coruscant, Abandoned Financial District

 

*Under cloak, Gilian flies her red hovercraft, Orion riding behind her, among decaying buildings before reaching a familiar broken-down structure - the entrance to the Shadow base Aren had led her and Rwos too not so long ago, using Deac as bait.

 

She reflects on the memory...*

 

Aren: Surely you've heard of the Sleepers by now?

 

Rwos: I've heard very little.

 

Aren: We know how to identify them. What we don't know is what their purpose is. No one seems to. "The Sleepers shall prepare the way."

 

Gilian: So many words, and so little said. What do you want of us?

 

Aren: According to our intelligence, the Blades want to find out what the Sleepers are, and what their purpose is. So do we. We think you'd be willing to work with us, to pool our resources so we can find out before the foretold apocalypse arrives. After all, knowledge is power. So what do you say, Blade? A temporary truce?

 

Rwos: Supposing we did agree to help each other. Wouldn't that defeat both our jobs here? My mission is to keep ...people... like you out of this dimension. If I helped you, I would be helping your people gain yet more footholds here. You on the other hand, would never agree to cease Syndicate activity in these worlds - and even if you did, I wouldn't believe you. You don't have that authority.

 

Aren: We already have our footholds, Blade - you can't take us all on, no matter what your own superiors believe. I'd hoped you would see it from our viewpoint - helping you hurts us, yes, but the benefits outweigh the risks. I'm sure you can see that this goes both ways in this case...

 

*She'd whispered to Rwos* You know what they say - keep your friends close, and your enemies closer...besides, we have to get Starkiller out of danger, don't we?

 

Rwos: Very well. We shall have a truce...for now.

 

*She approaches the door through which they'd entered the base before, hovers her craft in front of it, and decloaks her craft.*

 

Orion: I hope you're sure about this... if it wasn't for the apocalypse there is no way in all the hells I would be here.

 

Gilian: My sentiments exactly.

 

*In the face of the "building", an enormous, hidden set of doors slowly open, revealing an enormous installation inside, with multiple interior structures, swarming with small ships and other vehicles.

 

Gilian's hovercraft glides slowly into the maw*