Onslaught of the Empire

[Miss-Pandemica]

"As you wish, Lady Nightwind. I will head to the Minos Cluster first. What are your orders while I am there?” Nova asked. She reasoned that heading to the nearest location would allow her to finish whatever mission Ilia wanted and head to the next planet.  

[ElladanKenet]

The woman nodded, taking a brief glance at the bridge, then back to her apprentice. "I want you to attach yourself to DAGGER squad. They are one of the infantry groups that will be seeing combat in the Minos Cluster. I want you to familiarize yourself with them, get to know them, and work with them. You will not have any command authority over them, but will serve to assist them in whatever objectives they have, while reporting to me. Likewise, should anything change, I will relay further orders to you, and they might be able to accompany you." She paused. "You recall, a few days ago, I instructed you in basic saber combat, the Shii-cho form. Your instructors at the temple taught you well, but if you wish to live longer, you will have to practice more. There is no guarantee you will survive any battles that await you. If you do, however, and return to me with improved skills, I will reward you. If you do not, then you are not Sith."

She turned back, looking over the bridge. "Ready yourself. Requisition whatever supplies, armor, and weapons you fear you will need. I will make the arrangements for your transition to DAGGER squad. Report to their barracks in one hour."  

[Miss-Pandemica]

Nova nodded and left the bridge to do as instructed. She returned to her room to collect her weapons – the vibrostaff and saber. Despite being instructed by Ilia she still favored the use of the staff. It was something she had been using for a while now and while it wasn’t a typical Sith weapon she found it to be quite useful. Nova didn’t bother to gather much else besides the comlink that Ilia gave her so they would be able to communicate on a secure channel.

With plenty of time before she would need to go to the barracks she sat down the center of her room and began to meditate.
 

[lady_skuld]

"So. Sam. Tell me again how I wound up here?" Kira asked. Standing around in a hangar was not her idea of fun anyways. She couldn't speak the language of the contact either. Well, not fluently.

"The republic asked you to deliver supplies to them here in the Minos Cluster, dear. You were going to get paid for doing legitimate work. How much better of a job can you ask for?" the droid responded. He folded his arms in mock boredom as well.

"One without having a customs agent that can't speak basic?" she said in response. "Or one on time?" Kira looked down as her comlink beeped. She picked it up and watched the holographic person speak several lines. She looked over to the droid.

"It seems that the meeting venue has changed, mistress."

"Great. Another wonderful day."



Setting down her gear into a small spacer's chest, Sythica looked at the the man who joined her along.

"So what's your name?" She asked. The other uniformed man gave a chuckle.

"Don't expect the rest of the squad to be so nice. I'm Private Zu Naa, but most people call me Piston. You could say i'm the squad's mechanic, demolitionist, and hardwire specialist. I hear you'll fit in though." The guy gave a look over Sythica, who was scowling in response.

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"No, I guess not," he responded, slumping back as Sythica stood up. His datapad gave a beep. "Huh, seems we'll be mobilizing in a couple hours. Come on. Let's go see the rest of the platoon we'll be dropping with. Common room. And none of that "maybe later" stuff. You'll not get much chance to see them before we hit dirt."

Sythica gave a small growl, but stood up straight and looked down at Zu. "You got the intimidation part down," he joked, strangely unaffected. Sythica followed him out the door.  

[ElladanKenet]

As soon as Ilia was done talking to Nova, the sith lord retreated to the rear of the crew deck. Walking down a short hallway, she passed several guards and officers at their posts, before stopping in front of a door. Opening it, the woman entered her personal chambers on the ship. It was fairly basic, with the usual furnishings: bed, fresher, desk, computer, holoconference, and a chest full of the woman's clothes and trinkets. Closing the door, she strode over to the computer. It didn't take the woman long to look through the register of comm numbers tied to the ship's communications relay. Finding the one that belonged to the commanding officer of DAGGER squadron, Darth Nightwind paged his holocomm, waiting for him to pick it up. While she waited for him to answer, the Sith stood patiently, contemplating her business in the near future, including the mission her master had tasked her with: finding the holocron of King Adas.  

[lady_skuld]

Sythica walked into the giant rec hall where many of the soldiers of the 109th battalion were doing what army folk did in their off time. Some played games, others danced, others drank, some did drugs, the typical fare of a group of people who wanted to live each day like it was going out of style for their deployment soon.

She entered, giving the place a lookdown with a turned frown. A couple soldiers already started to crowd her. Others didn't seem to care. But being part of the DAGGER squad seemed to keep some space around her at all times. She guessed the reputation of the squad was something to be said.

"So I heard the new recruit is a real nutbuster?" she overheard one say. Several hushes went out to him. The noise of the rec room cantina dwarfed the obvious noises though. Sythica tried to move over to a vid screen that began to ask "would you like to know more?" only to be tugged away by her hand to a far corner of the room. Sitting in a pair of booths, 8 others sat quietly. Three played cards, two were smoking, and one was fixing a helmet while the others looked on.

"Private Ephese, reporting in," Sythica announced, before Zu could make a response. He shrunk back down and nodded. The heads of the two tables turned to see her, if they weren't already. "Who's top head?"

A sergeant looked at her. His skin was stained slightly red and his eyebrows were just slightly bony. A large scar ran down his cheek. "You looking to be squad leader?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind it."

"Sergeant Ziven Rasczak. Squad calls me Z-man. And I would mind it," he said with a grin. "You've got guts. I like a little fight in everyone. Because if they don't fight, I'll shoot them myself. You dig, rookie?"

Sythica gave a small nod. Ziven continued his chat, only to have another enlisted man run up to the table. "Call coming for you. Someone wants to chat."

Sythica watched as Ziven scooted out of the booth and over to the private wall, as her focus returned to the squad.

~=~=~=~

"Rasczek here, sir."  

[ElladanKenet]

Ilia didn't have to wait long before her holo came to life. Before her stood the leader of DAGGER squad. Though she couldn't see it, she knew that the man wasn't quite human, judging by the bony protusions on his face, just barely visible. She nodded to the figure. "Sargeant, I am Lord Nightwind. I won't waste your time, so i'll get straight to the point. A servant of mine needs experience in the field. Your squad is one of the Empire's finest, and I am having her assigned to DAGGER squad to assist in whatever operations you and your men have."  

[Nelowulf]

The arid planet of Thule was nothing important, generally even to the sith. Legend had that is housed secret academies, hidden vaults, things which jedi were not meant to tangle with easily or willingly. Yet, even with such a fate of the planet, Jian was sent with little information as to what to find there, and even less of what to expect. The shuttle was his only way on or off the planet; reports had said that the Republic was still doing what it could to retake the sectors he had just been in, but even with the Sith fighting a regrouped fleet at point Besh, Jian sensed that the planet had just as much danger without anyone actually trying to kill him for the ideals of sith. Something called to him, and as the shuttle hid itself in one of the rarer caves of the planet, as Jian descended the ramp down into the cave. The air was dry as lightning struck outside, an ominous omen of sorts which only was enhanced from the ionized air rumbled with the thunder outside.

"The only place the Jedi knew about is about a day's hike from here," Jian said, reciting more for himself than anything else. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire, not a bit of civilization in sight and i'm supposed to investigate a ruined academy. I suppose I have my master to thank for this type of mission, sneaking around in the dark side's gaping maw..."

~~~
Ten years earlier..
Jedi Enclave, Caamas

The blackness began to fade out, light replacing the darkness within Jian’s vision. He could hear the muffled talk of several people in the room, while his back gave a semi-familiar ache of a less-than-comfortable bed beneath him where he had impacted into the wall. He recalled that vivid attack and hit from the creature. No, not a creature, just a droid. The speaking stopped quickly before he could make any of the conversation out, as he could sense the focus drifting towards him. The room came into focus now as he saw Master Li and one of the knights he was introduced to earlier. No sign of Sandel Thul, the duros blademaster, or the other one. His head hurt like no other each time he made a major movement, as Jian sat up and looked around.

“Rest for now, Jian,” the calming voice of Master Li said, as he stretched a hand out to lie the child back down. “You’ve had quite an ordeal. You shouldn’t have been down there any more than Crale. I know you better than to think that you went down there without good reason. So I would like to hear what you have to say.”

“Where is he? Is he alright?” Jian asked , trying to sit up again. This time, the female knight pushed him down.

“He is fine. He probably would be fine even if you hadn’t tried to rescue him,” she replied, giving a sigh.

“The programming of the droid probably went until someone was unconscious, right?” Jian probed, hoping his gut was right. “The lower level’s true dangers are the various apparitions and such, and hidden traps. The droids are just to throw people off, right? Endurance?”

“Interesting theory. How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Well, I could not sense anything from the creature. After cutting off a limb, the hologram disappeared. That proved it was droid in nature. I could not read the sign clearly, but given that the droids used holograms, I imagine the entire room was a holographic chamber, probably where a knight starts. The ghost that helped me was probably a security program in case something went wrong during a trial of spirit or something, right? The mirror allows a knight to reflect on himself while the room tries to be secure. Ghosts don’t exist, but a hologram could try to help as much as it could… an instructional program maybe?” Jian said, trying to relay his suspicions. It hurt to think, as he grimaced and laid back down.

“A rather intuitive guess, for a nine-year-old. Master Li, you shouldn’t reveal the secrets of the knight trials so easily. It won’t be a challenge for him now,” the female knight said. She held her hand up by her mouth and gave a small chuckle, though it was not necessarily rude.

“Jian has not been given any secrets to the cave. He merely demonstrates what powers a library can give to an open mind,” Master Li said, crossing his arms and reflecting. “However, you did not answer my question directly. Why did you not come back to report the activity as being suspicious, rather than risk your life as well. You were brave, but foolhardy.”

“Let the child be, a good knock on the head is sometimes the best master,” the woman replied. “At least, that’s how you taught me, Master Li.”

Jian finally got a look at the woman seriously for the first time. During the trials, his attention was still focused upon Master Li and Sandel Thul. The woman seemed aged, grey haired as lines etched across her face showed years of attention. Several braids were in her hair, but her own appearance suggested little in the way of strength or vitality. While Jian considered her to be rather wise, as age did often bring, the idea of Master Li actually having trained this woman seemed a bit beyond the likelihood. Then again, a Falleen did live much longer than the average human, so theoretically it was possible. His observations were interrupted by Valek Retzloff, who had come into the room with more than happiness upon his face.

“Jian! Jian! You are finally awake! That is good news!” Valek said, as Jian looked to the side. His friend seemed to be alive with apprehension, as Jian leaned onto his side. “I also have good news as well! You’ll never believe it!” Jian’s curiosity was piqued at this, as if the day seemed to be getting better. Master Li and the woman stepped back, muttering amongst themselves and considering interrupting the two’s new dialogue, but figured it would be better to stay out of youthful friends and their need for gossip.

“You passed the trials too?” He had asked, giving a smile.

“Yes, and better! Master Thul has accepted me as his apprentice!” Valek could barely contain himself in his seat, his feet dangling. Jian tried to force a smile. However, those around him with experience could probably tell that despite his friend’s good news, the young lad’s heart was crushed. Jian had always considered the exploits of Thul the stuff of local legend, a fighter and warrior without peer. To be selected with such was to be taught many a combat technique, to be the tip of the lance and be respected as a powerful fighter in the local clusters, if not the galaxy. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time Jian, Thul and I were set to leave soon. But don’t worry, he let me stay until you awoke! I shouldn’t keep him waiting. Master Li, Thank you for all your teachings!”

Master Li gave a nod, as Valek waved a last goodbye to his friend, and left the room. Jian shifted on the table, heart crushed….  

[Darkened Angel]

Danika was in the room she rented while she'd be staying on Thule. She wasn't given much of an assignment beyond simply observing the area and keeping an eye out for any Sith activity. She looked at a few datapads with general information about the local area, and took note of all the cantinas where she'd likely be dancing. " I heard Jian would be here too. " she thought as she continued to look over the datapads. " I wonder if he's gotten better at using stealth now. I guess the only way to know is to find him, assuming he's actually here somewhere. "  

[lady_skuld]

Rasczek shifted in his stance and looked down in thought. "The honor is ours, my lady. I do not assume to question your judgement, but I am unsure what good we shall be if a person with no field experience is to start giving orders."  

[ElladanKenet]

"She won't be giving orders," Nightwind assumed the blue man standing before her. "You need not worry about any incompetance or lack of experience. She will be under your command, using her abilities however you two see fit. She knows that she is answering to you, and in matters concerning her, you both answer to me. Beyond that, you are free to do as you want. She is joining you to earn experience so that in the future she may prove more capable. Am I understood?"  

[ElladanKenet]

Travnin. Not many places were so out of the way as this place. Located on the far edge of the galaxy, Travnin was literally on the edge of Republic space, the capital of the Minos Cluster. The planet itself was mostly a desert, pocketed with a few mountain ranges and grasslands.

Aurriana Morrison, Sergeant with the Republic Reactionary Force was on patrol that morning. She and her squad were patrolling the area around the camp where Platoon 3 had set up, not far outside the captial. Their reason for being here was as a scouting force, investigating the supposed Sith threat in the outer rim. Their mothership, Falcon's Nest, was groundside, ready just in case of a quick evac. Falcon Company established a command post around the corvette and was charged with scouting the area and investigating rumors of an enemy invasion; so far, there was nothing. With them was a Republic diplomat, checking in with the local governor to see that everything was fine.

With a sigh, the woman stopped marching, putting up a hand. Her surrounding squad mates halted as well, and the group paused to take a quick break. They were on the edge of the grassland, in sight of the camp, located on the other edge of the grassy plain they were patrolling. "Take five, gents. Jenson, go ahead and radio in the hourly report to the Lieutenant. Base clear, no sign of intruders." One of the other troopers, who wore a green dash over his chest saluted and pulled out his portable comm unit as he radioed in. The other fireteam leader was Corporal Smith, who wore identical armor to Jenson, but was slightly shorter, and a sniper. The rest of the squad wore plain white armor, save for her, who had a brown stripe over her chest. All of them bore a crest on their right shoulder, a brown avian shape, representing Falcon Company.

Aurriana leaned against a rock, relaxing her slightly stiff leg muscles as she reached for her helment. Pulling it off, she revealed her golden hair, clipped up so that it wouldn't get in the way. Once that was off, she reached for her canteen and took a sip of water. The others were doing likewise, relaxing, eating some ration or drinking.  

[lady_skuld]

Rasczek gave a nod. Inside his head he had doubts that this was going to be just as she said. Sith had a way of betrayal and scorn for people without force skills. This wasn't something he probably was going to like. He gave a bow and waited for the lady to end their call. It was just as bad to cut them off as it was to disobey them.

Sythica gave a look over her shoulder to the call booth, as the rest of the men and women in the break room continued their entertainment. She had an uneasy feeling. Something was coming even if she didn't know what.  

[ElladanKenet]

Nightwind could sense his doubt on the other end of the call. Smiling slightly, she nodded. "Her name is Nova. She has been given orders to follow you. You have my leave to discipline her as you would one of your own subordinates. If you have any issues, feel free to contact me." She then bid him farewell, and ended the call.  

[Miss-Pandemica]

Nova awoke from her meditative state, stretched and left her room. While she had been meditating on things she had changed her mind about how she would handle her assignment. Within minutes she was inside the armory and quickly found what she needed. She changed quickly out of her regular clothes and into the military armor of an Imperial soldier. Her saber was kept clipped to the belt at her waist while her staff she hid under the armor plating in the back. She hesitated a moment before grabbing a blaster pistol from the wall. Finally she shoved one of the helmets over her face and left to find the commander of DAGGER squad.

Nova entered the rec area without much problems. And after taking a look around she picked a seat at a table before removing her helmet. She wasn’t used to wearing it and was slightly relieved to take it off. Glancing casually around the room she listened in on the conversations going around.