Star Wars KOTOR: Counterplay

[Tysyacha]

GALACTIC REPUBLIC HEADQUARTERS, Coruscant, 14:00

 

ADMIRAL CARTH ONASI had seen more than his share of war. He had accompanied the former Dark Lord Revan on his mission to destroy the Star Forge, had fretted and fumed as the Jedi Exile continued to elude the Republic's eye, and now this: The members of a cult called "the Found" had been found dead, along with several Jedi and Republic officers. The cause of their demise? "High concentrations of hazardous materials", or so the official story went on the holonet news.

 

Carth Onasi knew far better than to believe the official story. Ever.

 

That was why he had brought a Jedi Knight herself--a newly-promoted one, no doubt!--into the inner offices of Republic headquarters. Not only had she nearly sacrificed her life to stop this cult, but she was also a wanted criminal on Coruscant and other planets. Before her sudden volte-face and joining the ranks of the Jedi, Knight Perdante Dareva had been a Sith Initiate. Not only that, but she had killed three top Republic brass as a part of her training in the Dark Side of the Force. Bad business, that. However, Carth was more than willing to offer her a second chance. Hadn't he done that for Darth Revan? If Revan could be redeemed, then why couldn't she?

 

"You do know why you're here, Miss Dareva?" Admiral Onasi asked softly.

 

"Yes," answered the Jedi Knight. "I am Perdante, and you have called me here in order to answer for my crimes against the Republic." After a somber nod from Carth, she continued, "In the course of my training as a Sith Initiate, I was ordered to murder three Republic officials by my Master."

 

"Do you know whom your Master was at the time? What was his name?"

 

"I do not know, Admiral." Perdante bowed her head sadly. "I wish I did."

 

Sensing that the Jedi Knight was telling the truth, even though he himself could not use the Force, he continued, "And you completed your mission?"

 

"I did. Three years ago, I killed Officers Virhen Marree, Bindu Tath, and Seilan Khan of the Republic. I confess to slaying them, and will pay the penalty."

 

Carth slid a digital holopad over to Perdante to sign. After reading the terms of the contract, glowing intimidatingly before her, she took the electropen and, half-shutting her eyes, scrawled her signature in the incriminating blank.

 

The Admiral took back the holopad. "Do you understand your sentence?"

 

"Quite well, sir. In lieu of serving my minimum term of twelve years at compulsory menial labor in one of the galaxy's penal colonies--four for each of my victims--I surrender to conscription by the Republic as a Jedi Knight. I am to serve aboard the Republic vessel Millennial as a soldier on a possible kamikaze mission. I am to search for a man known as Khristoff, founder of the cult known as the Found. If I desert, the Republic shall pursue and apprehend me, and I will serve twelve years as my due. If, however, I complete the mission and survive, I shall receive a full pardon."

 

Carth smirked. "Spoken like a true lawyer, or even better in my opinion. However, unlike every lawyer I've ever met, you actually sound sincere." He leaned closer to Perdante. "Are you sure you want to do this? As the contract says, you might not be coming back alive from the Outer Rim."

 

Perdante nodded. "I'm sure. I'm not finished with the Found yet, or Khristoff."

[Chevron 7 locke]

GALACTIC REPUBLIC HEADQUARTERS, Coruscant, 14:00

 

Juhani anxiously paced outside the door that led to Admiral Onasi's quarters and once again cursed herself for letting the republic find out that she was a former sith.

 

When she leaves I intend on having a few words with Carth. She helped take down the Found organization on coruscant. She doesn't deserve punishment she deserves compassion.

 

She continued to pace even as another hodded figure approached her, this one more familiar.

 

"Still waiting?"

 

"Yes Atton. I must confess that I am worried about her. She helped us drive the found away from Coruscant. She doesn't deseve this."

 

"What can I say? Life sometimes doesn't turn out the way that we want it to."

 

"I realize that but still...The republic should have given her a full pardon for her actions with the found. Grand master Brianna and I were praised as heroes but she nearly died during the mission and recieved nothing except...this."

 

"Like I said life doesn't turn out the way we want it to. You know that."

 

Juhani stopped for a moment and then resumed pacing as she waited for Perdante to leave.

[Tysyacha]

Perdante exited Admiral Carth Onasi's office with a sigh of relief. She knew she would face punishment for murdering the three high-ranking Republic officials, but a possible suicide mission? She hadn't truly suspected that tracking down this "Khristoff" fellow might cause her to lose her very life one more time...

 

Upon seeing her master, Juhani, Perdante knelt down, as was proper for a Jedi Knight to do before the one who was training her. True, Juhani was not yet a Jedi Master, but Lord Revan himself had been trained as a Jedi by Bastila Shan before she ever reached that rank...Of course, Bastila eventually became a Sith, but that was another long story--one that Perdante did not want to revisit. The tale of Lord Revan was a tale too close to her own redemption.

 

"Knight Juhani?" Perdante announced modestly. "Admiral Onasi briefed me on my sentence, and the mission to which I've been sent." She gave a short summary of what he'd told her in his office. Standing up, she said, "Fear not for me. I'm glad to be conscripted. If I can do anything to stop the leader of the Found, then I'll do it. Even if it turns out to be a kamikaze run..."

 

She glanced at Atton Rand. "Another Jedi friend of yours? Err--have we met, sir?"

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Fear not for me. I'm glad to be conscripted. If I can do anything to stop the leader of the Found, then I'll do it. Even if it turns out to be a kamikaze run..."

 

Juhani still couldn't believe that Carth was doing this. She thought that she had known the Admiral but apparently she was mistaken. This was not the same Carth that had traveled with her and Revan.

 

"Another Jedi friend of yours? Err--have we met, sir?"

 

"The name is Atton. Atton Rand. And no we haven't." He said looking over Perdante.

 

"Atton is in charge of training Jedi to be able to mask themselves with the force to avoid detection and other smililar skills." Juhani explained.

[SkywalkerRules]

Walking down, or mostly staggering down, the path towards the Galactic Republic headquarters, a young woman, hiccuped and drunk a bottle of Corellian ale she held in her hand.

 

Melany Garzo, former Jedi now smuggler, couldn't understand why she came here. Was it the will of the Force? "I don't *hiccup* I don't give a womp rat's rear of what they say. I'm here for one thing and one thing only. To make the Force shut up..."

 

Suddenly, she burst through the slide door to where Juhani, Perdante and others were. She burped and leaned on the wall, smiling weakly. "Master Juhani! Perdy! Long time, long time!" Melany hiccuped and drunk another sip of the Corellian ale. She was a mess...

[Tysyacha]

A protocol and security droid for the inner offices of the Republic HQ suddenly skittered up to Melany. "Excuse me," it intoned, "but I am afraid that you do not have security clearance to be in this part of the building. I must escort you out. Please follow me. If you do not, I will have to resort to harsher protocols." It was not intending to be insulting--only polite and businesslike.

 

Perdante, after shaking hands with Atton and telling him, "Pleased to meet you", took a good, long look at the drunken woman before her. She looked familiar, but Perdy couldn't quite place--Then she recognized the Jedi:

 

"Knight Garzo--er, Melany?! What brings you over here, and why are you halfway..." She was going to say "drunk", but settled for "inebriated".

 

The protocol droid stepped even closer. "Follow me, miss. I warn you."

 

"It's okay," Perdante told the mechanical security guard. "She's a friend..."

[SkywalkerRules]

Melany glared at the security protocal droid. Who was it to tell her what to do? Then she grinned. "Yeah, that's right, tin man. *hiccup* Perdy and me are beeest friends! So beat it!"

 

She staggered over to Perdante and placed her arm around the former Sith's neck. "Aww man. It's been what? *hiccup* Two years since I left the Order? Wow! But the reason why I came here?" She whispered in Perdante's ear. "To quit having the Force nag at me..." Melany burst out laughing and stood by a wall. "To shut it up!" She continued to laugh, but a hint of sadness was in her voice.

[Tysyacha]

The former Sith, now a Jedi Knight, was absolutely dumbfounded. "As a Jedi," she answered, "I don't quite know what to say to that. I suppose you could try what the Exile did many years ago at Malachor V: sever your connection to the Force, completely and utterly. The truth is, however, that I don't know QUITE how she did it. Maybe you need some type of inhibitor band or a mass energy generator like they had at Malachor. I simply don't know."

 

She was perplexed. Perdy didn't know what to make of the "new" Melany.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Or you could talk to the Found."

 

The clacking sound of heeled boots came to a halt as a woman, dressed in the dress uniform of a Republic officer, stopped in front of them. She tipped her hat back, surveying the four sentients before her: a droid, two Jedi, and a scraggly woman that was drunk as a skunk. She raised a well-manicured eyebrow at the last as she looked her up and down. "But if you ever end up finding them, let me know."

 

With that she turned to the Cathar, who was dressed in Jedi Master robes. "Master Juhani, I presume?" she asked. "I'm Captain Farah Starr of the Republic frigate Millenial." she offered a hand. "I understand that we'll be working closely over the next few months."

[SkywalkerRules]

Melany turned to look at the newcomer. She claimed to be the Captain of a ship named Millenial. "Captain Farah Starr, huh?" the young woman said, standing up straight. She cleared her throat. "Former Jedi and smuggler Melany Garzo, at your service. Plus, I seriously don't wanna talk about the Found. No offense." She began to think ofvthe man she wanted to save. But because of that, her heart sank just thinking about it.

 

She then turned to Perdante. "I'll think on it. However, I do want to keep my Force powers just in case somethin' crazy goes on." Melany was beginning to slowly come back to her senses.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"I'm Captain Farah Starr of the Republic frigate Millenial I understand that we'll be working closely over the next few months."

 

Juhani took the offered hand and shook it. "It is a pleasure to meet you Captain. I look forward to working with you."

 

She then turned to Perdante. "Before we leave, I would like to talk to Admiral Onasi. There is a question that I need to ask him...something that has been on my mind for quite a while.

[Cyborg Ninja]

"Or perhaps you could talk to a former one yourself," boomed the voice of Zen Zoramee.

 

The Sangheili Warrior walked into the room to see the Captain he would be serving under as well as some familiar faces. It had been some time since he saw these faces and since then some things have happened. For one thing his appearance had changed. His white armor had been replaced by a much more ceremonial yet still durable armor. Not only did it have energy shielding but it had active camo as well. Not only that but since he was healed by Meta's shield he's felt more in touch with the Force than ever before.

 

"Greetings my comrades, it is good to see you again," he said in a cheery tone. "You must be Captain Starr, it will be an honor to serve under you," he added in bowing to her.

[Tysyacha]

Perdante was at a loss. Should she address Juhani first, or the Captain of the starship Millennial? After debating for a moment, she turned to the Cathar. After all, Juhani had addressed her, and Captain Starr had not.

 

"Go ahead," she told the older Jedi. "He's done talking to me." She waved a hand toward the Admiral's office. Turning to Captain Starr, she bowed at the waist. "Jedi Knight Perdante Dareva," she announced, "proud to serve." She looked at Zen out of the corner of her eye and smiled, but wanted to wait for the Captain's acknowledgment before speaking again.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"He's done talking to me."

 

Juhani nodded at her and then walked through the open door and then closed it behind her as she marched toward the Admiral.

 

"Carth...my old friend. How have you been? How has life been treating you?" She asked to begin the conversation and the moved onto what she had wanted to say from the begining.

 

"I need to ask you something Carth. Something very important. Has there been any sign of either Revan or the exile?"

[SkywalkerRules]

Melany looked down. Maybe this was a bad time for her to come back. No one payed attention to a low-life smuggler anyway. "Well... I know when I'm not wanted. Guess the Force brought me here for no reason. See you all. Sorry to disturb your little meeting..."

 

And with that, Melany walked out the room. She bowed to Juhani and Carth Onasi. "Pardon me..." Melany continued to walk down the hall. Maybe they didn't want her here back. If that was the case... then maybe that was just it.

[Tysyacha]

"Melany, wait!" cried Perdante. "As I was talking to Admiral Onasi, he was telling me about the other people who would serve on the Millennial. I'm completely sure that I heard him say your name. Please, come back. If we're going to track this 'Khristoff' down, who better than a conniving smuggler to sneak around, track down leads, and infiltrate his lair if we reach it? Eh?"

 

ADMIRAL CARTH ONASI'S OFFICE, REPUBLIC HQ, 14:30

 

Carth shook his head sadly. "Revan's been gone ever since...ever since he left for unknown space, beyond the Outer Rim. As for the Exile, I haven't heard anything of or from her, either. Rumor has it she followed Revan." Yearning to grab the flask of juma juice hidden in the bottom drawer of his desk, he continued, "We need their help, but it's like they've completely vanished from the galaxy. Who or what are they tracking down? It can't be Khristoff. He hasn't even identified himself as a Sith, only a so-called 'Prophet of the Truth'. Why would those two even bother, when they're trying to fight a deeper threat?" Bitterness crept into his voice. "They've abandoned us."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"They've abandoned us."

 

Juhani gently shook her head. "No Carth...They haven't abandoned us. I think they ran into trouble out in the unknown regions"

 

She turned her back to him and clapsed her hands behind her back as she stared out one of the many windows of Carth's office.

 

"For the past month, I've been having visons...or possibly dreams, I can't really telll what. But in them I see the same thing: A man fighting against robed figures with a woman at his side. Eventually they are overwhelmed and taken prisoner and then tortured."

 

"I never see their faces but I can't help but feel that it's them. That somehow they ran into something they couldn't handle in the unknown regions."

[Tysyacha]

"If they did," answered Carth, "I don't see how we can possibly help them. We don't know where they are. By the Force, we don't even know what lies beyond the Outer Rim! That's why so few spacefarers dare to go out there. We have more intel on Khristoff, based on what we could recover off of the bodies of the dead Found members. I'm convinced he's still within the 'space' we know, although far, far away from Coruscant. Revan and the Exile?"

 

He sighed. "They're lost, and they've been that way for years. I'm not going to discount your Force visions or dreams, Juhani. After all, Revan had them, and the clues from those dreams are what led us to the Star Forge. However, unless your new dreams can pinpoint us to an exact location where Revan and the Exile might be, I can do nothing. Help us with Khristoff first. Please?"

[SkywalkerRules]

"Melany, wait!" cried Perdante. "As I was talking to Admiral Onasi, he was telling me about the other people who would serve on the Millennial. I'm completely sure that I heard him say your name. Please, come back. If we're going to track this 'Khristoff' down, who better than a conniving smuggler to sneak around, track down leads, and infiltrate his lair if we reach it? Eh?"

 

Melanythought about Perdante's offer. Then she smiled.

 

"All right. I'll play along." She looked at Perdante sadly. "Were you guys angry with me... when I left the Order?"

[Chevron 7 locke]

"They're lost, and they've been that way for years. I'm not going to discount your Force visions or dreams, Juhani. After all, Revan had them, and the clues from those dreams are what led us to the Star Forge. However, unless your new dreams can pinpoint us to an exact location where Revan and the Exile might be, I can do nothing. Help us with Khristoff first. Please?"

 

Juhani nodded once. Khristoff was the main threat now and needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

 

"I promise you Carth, we will deal with Khristoff as soon as possible. But if I find any trace of the exile or Revan I will contact you immediatly."

 

She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Don't give up hope Carth. They haven't abandoned us...they would never do that."

 

Juhani then turned and left the office, closing the door behind her. She arrived just in time to hear Melany ask if anyone was angry at her for leaving the order.

 

"I will admit. I was suprised by your decision to leave the order but I was not disappointed." Juhani said cutting in.

[Rexraptor2000]

“Don't even bother.” Meta said as walked in on the growing group in his normal garments and with a man in blue armor tailing behind him. “If she wants pity, let her. I hate pity parties.”

 

“Oh, but I love parties! They have cake and presents and pinatas. I don't see any of those right now though, so is this a surprise party?” Caboose commented, his voice turning to slight disapproval. Adding to that, he whispered “Psst, if it is, I think you're doing a bad job at it.”

 

“Do you know what a pity party is Caboose?” Meta asked calmly, if a bit tiredly.

 

“Oh, that's a good one Meta, ha ha ha...”

 

“Do you?”

 

“No.”

 

“Moving on,” Meta continued. “I, surprise surprise, won't be joining you on the Millennial. I know, big shocker, considering I was the one who orchestrated the Found's destruction on this planet. I would love to join you, but I've still got business to take care of here. Top secret stuff, fate of the whole galaxy, you know what I'm talking about. However, I would feel just awful at letting you, Perdy, who nearly gave up their own life as a decoy, to go out there by yourself with a Republic frigate. So, meet Caboose.”

 

“Hi random people and big scary alien that I have in no shape or form have ever seen before and have no fear of whatsoever.” Caboose greeted, sounding utterly unconvincing.

 

“Have fun. I need to speak to Admiral Onasi.” Meta stated, walking into the office after the Cathar, Juhani, left.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Zen found himself staring at this blue armored individual for a few seconds. The armored man seemed startled to see Zen, as if he had seen him before. He wasn't sure whether to be startled himself by the armored man or happy that the man feared him. He had almost forgotten what he wanted to say, and turned his attention back to Perdante.

 

"That reminds me, I have good news Jedi Knight Perdante. I have started a new group to learn from the Found's mistakes. We are known as the Reclaimers. The Reclaimers is for anyone who wants to join, this includes other found members, jedi exiles, ex criminals, and former sith as well. We seek to aid the Jedi and their quest for peace, not to stop it. After all everyone does deserve a second chance." Zen said proudly.

[ForceFightWMe12]

((Let's see how much more Halo stuff we can pack in here before it becomes a cross-over, hmm?))

 

"Perdante, Zen." The captain nodded to them both in greeting, sizing each of them up briefly as she qued up to speak with Carth. Overhearing the call of the younger Jedi, she had tto raise an eyebrow. She was a former Jedi Knight? She found that extremely hard to believe. She looked like the only thing she'd ever been was a Spice addict...and she was going to be on her ship...

 

When the Cathar exited theadmiral's chambers, she stepped inside for last minute instructions and walked out a few minutes later with a datapad in hand.

 

She didn't stop as she went past the group, departing the area. She had a few final preperations to make before she left, and now that she had what she needed, there would be no need to stand around here.

[Alkonium]

Niera then joined the group in the admiral's office. "Garren's in position, posing as the Senator's personal assistant. Last I heard, she had no idea." She told Admiral Onasi. "I've got everything prepared for the hunt for Khristoff. After we revealed the truth about the ostanovium to the public, I'm surprised he still has any followers."

[Tysyacha]

Perdante cried, "What?!" Not only had the sudden arrival of Meta and Caboose startled her, but then a lovely blue Twi'lek in a smuggler's dark and revealing garb showed up before she could bat an eyelash. Wait a second...the Twi'lek looked familiar...

 

"Um...Niera, right?" she asked hesitantly. "Weren't you with us on the strike team that infiltrated the Gathering Place of the Found?" After the Twi'lek smiled and nodded, the Jedi winked. "Great to see you again! Now, what in space are you talking about? Garren's in WHAT position? Is he the same Garren that aided us as a spy? And who's this Senator he's assisting?"

 

Admiral Onasi thought he'd better fill everyone in. "The thing is," he began, "we're fighting a sort of two-front battle. Not only are the Republic and Jedi going after Khristoff and his remaining followers, wherever they may be, but we're also supposed to keep tabs on a suspicious Galactic Senator, Plina Skelch. She's incredibly popular, and gunning for election to the highest position on Coruscant. However, we have our sincere doubts about her qualifications."

 

"Meaning she's an idiot?" Perdante snorted. "Welcome to the galaxy, Admiral."