Fiction Gallery

When I was nineteen years old I chose to go on a religious mission for my church. I would be doing service, and proselyting. In February of 2012, I submitted the necessary documents to be able to apply for this opportunity. I worked with my parents and local church leaders to do this. In April 2012 I received a letter from the leaders of my church saying that I was called to labor for two years in Scotland and Ireland. 
I would spend two years away from my friends and family with only the most basic of communication and amenities. Missionaries aren’t allowed to use computers, cell phones, or watch TV. Missionaries are paired with a companion for a period of 6 weeks to 6 months. You spend every waking moment of your life with them, never leaving each other’s sight. 
There is a rigid schedule to follow and all of this is done to help keep your mind focussed on the task at hand. A missionary wakes up at 6:30 am everyday, then exercises till 7. They then shower, get dressed and eat breakfast before 8. From 8 - 9 missionaries study by themselves what they plan to be teaching for the next day and the various things they might be particularly interested in learning that day. Then from 9-10 the companionship discusses what they studied, and studies together if needs be. Then for the rest of the day the missionaries teach, and do service. They have one hour for lunch and dinner, then are home at 9 to get ready for the next day and are in bed by 10. 
After finishing my three week training in a missionary training center, I was assigned to serve in a town called Livingston. This town is fairly small, located right outside Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh. I was trained in the field by a young man named Alex. He was a good teacher, and he had a great work ethic. 
Eleven weeks into my two years over in the UK, we had one of our rare days off that happen once a week on Monday. We’d been invited to go on a hiking trip with some members from the local church. We went out to some hills, saw some sights and visited some ruins. It was a great day right until the very end. 
On the last hill we climbed for the day, the gentlemen leading our trip told us that we were going to be hiking up the last hill, and on the other side there would be a smooth rock face that we would slide down. When we reached the hill, we climbed up the back side and come to the point where the rack face was. All the people in our group slid down this hill and landed rolling at the bottom. The hill on this end was steep and nearly two stories above the ground. I was the last to go, and had a terrible feeling about what I was going to do. As soon as I landed at the bottom I watched my right leg break underneath me. 
The sound was like two guns shooting at the same time, and I watched my leg shoot out side ways. I knew instantly that it was broken and fell to the ground to try to stabilize it. Eventually the group got the car near enough to get me in, and drive 45 minutes to the hospital. My leg twisted inside the car to almost upside down. I wanted to pass out from the pain, but that sweet release never came. 
Upon arriving at the hospital I was greeted with two hours of waiting in the lobby, before any real treatment was administered. My leg was reset back in place and a half cast was applied. This is easier to take off and allows the leg to continue swelling. I was then transferred to another hospital in Edinburgh as the one I was originally taken to was primarily a burn hospital. 
I was then treated to waiting for five days to receive the surgery needed to help my leg heal properly. I got three screws and two plates in my leg to help hold the pieces together. At this point the President of the mission came and relieved me of duty and sent me home. I was then looked after and cared for my friends and family. My father is a surgeon and helped recover greatly. 
I broke my leg in October 2012 and desired to finish the two years I’d been assigned. I pursued my recovery heavily so that I was in top shape to go back to the mission as soon as possible. I was able to return in February 2013. 
This was one of the most difficult and trying experiences in my life. It still affects me to this day. My ankle still hurts from being overexerted. On the other hand, I was able to learn many great lessons from those months. I learned perseverance, hard work and dedication. I also learned that more often than not, a gut feeling can save you from a lot of situations. This situation and the opportunities it lead to helped shape who I am, and why I do what I do. 

“If you’re not with us, then you are against us,” A’lora spat at Seridan. “You have served our purposes well in the past, Undesirable, but you no longer fit our ideals. We have lost everything - our income, our fleet, even our armies. We will have our revenge. We will rip the Grand Master’s regime down one asset at a time. And if you are not by our side while doing that, then you must be stopped before you can do damage. Expect to be detained.”

“Consul, plea--” Seridan pleaded, but the Togruta was having none of it. Two armed men stepped inside, gripping the Miraluka by the shoulders.

The day had started off so much better. A strong, sharp tea in the mess hall, a hot cross bun that was toasted just right, and a few juicy articles on the HoloNet had guaranteed a good mood. But then he’d started talking to other people. First it was just a few grumpy and clipped comments and looks, which Seridan assumed were just a result of the dissonance of their moods - they were moody for some given reason, and that clashed with his chipper attitude. But it had got progressively worse, with his closer friends glaring at him, intense dislike ebbing from their very beings.

He’d gone to the sparring chamber that had been requisitioned by Strike-team Ooroo first, expecting a buzzing atmosphere, as the SenNet techs worked and analysed data. But instead, there were the members of Ooroo, silently scrolling through their feeds, and a couple of tense, worried techs laboriously wiring up the terminals.

“You,” Aaleeshah shouted at the closest tech. “You’re too loud, and I can hear you clipping wires. Also, my datapad has stopped getting a signal - have you gone and frakked this thing up?”

The tech nodded, and hurried over to fix it, as if a servant. Seridan, sensing that he was quite unwelcome in such a room, continued to sip his tea whilst moving off to find somewhere else.

As he passed the Summit chambers, he heard raised voices within. “I don’t care how we destroy the Iron Legion, just that we do it!” Turr roared at Turel.

Turel didn’t blink as he backhanded the blue-skinned Pantoran in response, “You are nothing but a thieving lowlife, you wimp! The Iron Legion will be dealt with, after we dismantle the economies and livelihoods of the Clan capital planets. And then we will hunt down every damn Sith and Sith-sympathisers that has opposed us. That must be done first before we can even hope of taking on the Council. Just think, you dolt!”

Turr bolted back unright, following through with a cruelly covert uppercut. Turel was knocked back, but flipped himself and grabbed Turr by the neck. Turr struggled in his grasp, but the Proconsul held him steady. Behind him, Xantros stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. “If I may, sir, I will, ahem, talk to this delinquent and teach him some manners, whilst trying some… social experiments at the same time.”

As Turr was escorted out by the Duros, Seridan stepped inside. The Human turned on his heel, eyes fixing on the Miraluka as if he were another target. “Ah, Ranger,” he started, an evil snarl in his tone. “I have heard that you were, gods forbid it, happy.”

“I was when I woke up, sir. Now, I’m not so sure. Everyone seems closed-off and not-at-all like themselves.”

“They have a reason. They recently lost everything they owned. Every trophy, every bounty they ever collected, gone. We have a plan, but you don’t know it yet. You have no reason to be happy.”

“Your plan? To go up against every single clan and win? With a meagre fleet and limited soldiers? We will be trodden upon. What happened to secrecy? To a plan where we protect those under our care, and bring them to safety? What happened to Jedi values?”

“You are becoming perilously close to misconduct, boy.”

Behind Seridan, a shadowed Togruta cut off Seridan’s only exit. “You were once our greatest follower. Now it seems, you are our greatest opposition. We have a… method of dealing with opposition. We learnt the trick from the Grand Master. And after all, if you’re not with us, you’re against us…”

Manually added by Seer Celahir Erinos Arconae

Manually added by Seer Celahir Erinos Arconae

Malice slowly opened her eyes, blinking the sleep from them. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head, and looking around.

This was not her room. These were not her clothes. These were not her ears. She ran her fingers over them, trying to keep her cool. Spotting a mirror on the opposite wall, she threw herself out of bed, searching her reflection in a slight panic. Her ears had a slight point to them now, and she was in some sort of nightgown. It was a very soft material, almost silk like. She cringed at being in such a ridiculous outfit before glancing around.

"You find a set of traveling clothes, a quarterstaff, leather armor, a scimitar, and a traveling pack." A voice echoed, sounding more like it was in her head than anything. Frowning slightly, she turned, indeed finding everything the voice had just described. She hadn't seen it there just a second ago, but perhaps her eyes were just playing tricks on her. she pulled the other clothing on quickly, wanting the nightgown off of her as fast as humanly possible.

"Don't you mean half humanly possible?" The voice sounded like it was very proud of whatever pun it had just made.

"What do you mean? What's going on? Who are you?" She asked out loud, frowning to herself.

"Cause..cause you're a half-elf. Get it?"

"She wouldn't get it, jokes aren't her thing." A second, female voice spoke up. She spoke the truth but Malice's question still hadn't been answered. She decided to ignore them for the time being, stepping outside of the door and out into the hallway. It seemed like she was in an inn of some sort, and when she found the set of downwards stairs, she followed them cautiously.

The bottom floor was some type of bar or pub and was empty minus one figure who sat eating some sort of meal at a table nearby. He turned to look at her as she entered the room and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Kalon?"

"Malice?" He stood from his seat at the table and walked over to her. "I don't know what's going on, or where we are. What happened to your ears?"

She clapped her hands over them immediately.

"Nothing, ok? I don't know! Have you seen anyone else that you know?"

"No one has come in except you. You and the bartender over there." He pointed to the bar, where the bartender had clearly heard their conversation and had begun to frantically scrub one spot of the bar over and over. Flashing each other a look, the two of them approached the man, leaning against the bar.

"You seem pretty nervous for someone just here to wash dishes. You know something about all this?" Malice asked, trying to play it both cool while still being intimidating.

"She's a cute little half-elf! She isn't intimidating!" The first voice said. Kalon glanced around like he heard it as well but didn't say anything.

"Roll for intimidation." It said again, and after a short time, the female voice sighed.

"7"

"Yeah, the man is nervous but isn't going to tell her anything."

"Leave it to Kalon, he can get the job done." A third, slightly accented voice said. "See? 18."

The man behind the bar watched as Kalon leaned in closer, his voice painted with a very dangerous expression.

"Listen, we're very confused, and very on edge, which doesn't usually turn out well for people like you."

"I don't know anything I swear!" The bartender insisted, sweating somewhat. "All I know is that if you finish this quest for me, I'll reward you for it."

Malice raised an eyebrow. A quest? What kind of nonsense was this man talking? On the other hand, perhaps he'd reward them with a way back to the station. She and Kalon exchanged a glance before nodding to him.

"Fine, what's the quest?" kalon asked. The man told them of a nearby cave, that was the home to a terrifying creature. It had been visiting the village by night and stealing the people's belongings. He had lost a very valuable artifact and needed it back immediately. With directions to the cave, he sent the pair of them off, still both as confused as they had been.

Once outside, the two of them quickly scanned their surroundings. It seemed like a standard village, not too poor, not too rich. The people were beginning to wake up and walked out of their homes, offering friendly waves to the two of them. Neither of them returned the smiles, instead looking around suspiciously.

"So you hear them too." Kalon said suddenly, though only loud enough for her to hear.

"The voices? Yeah, I have. I'm not sure where they're coming from. Does someone have us chipped?" Malice answered, running a hand through her hair. It was a seemingly normal action, though she was really doing a quick check to make sure she didn't have any devices on her head, allowing whoever the voices belonged to access to her thoughts.

"We could always ask them." Kalon suggested as they continued down the path that would lead them to their destination. With a nod from his Journeyman companion, he cleared his throat.

"Alright, no more games. Who are you, and what do you want?" He demanded.

"Seriously, Matt? Being the DM doesn't mean letting them break the fourth wall." The female voice spoke up, sighing. "This is weird. What are you supposed to say to the characters you've created?"

"Just answer and get it over with, won't you? Then we can continue on." The accented voice said, sounding slightly irritated himself.

"Hey, Kalon is all yours. YOU can deal with him."

"Fine." The accented voice cleared his throat as well. "I'm Jarak. I'm your creator, and we have a similar drinking habit."

Kalon's eyes narrowed, but the two continued walking, now out of the town and walking through open fields. Malice could tell he had more questions but decided to speak up herself.

"Come on, there's at least two more of you." She said, waiting for their response. The female voice sighed again.

"Fine, I'm Amber. Mal, I'm your creator and-"

"And she's not nearly as cool as you are, Mal." The voice who had identified himself as Jarak said. A muffled "ouch" followed quickly, indicating he'd received some sort of punch, and the female continued.

"and I feel weird talking to you. There, Matt, it's your turn."

"What? I don't have to do it, I'm just DMing."

"You said everyone, mate." Jarak noted.

"Fine. I'm Matt. You don't really know my character. His name is Abadeer."

"That cocky Togruta? We've seen him around." Kalon replied. "Now, what was that about being our creators?"

"We don't have time to explain this entire thing to them. Matt, let's keep going." Amber said impatiently.

"Fine fine. Let's see, it looks like they're just now approaching the cave." Matt announced. Kalon and Malice looked up and sure enough, the cave they'd been told to find was indeed coming into view.

"We'll just ignore them for now. Let's get this done and get out of here." Kalon murmured to her. She nodded, tightening her grip on her quarterstaff. The cave was smaller than they'd expected and seemed to only have a few connecting chambers within. They stopped in front of it, and Kalon pulled out a large sword.

"Can you use that?" Malice mused, smirking at him. Besides his lightsaber, she'd only really seen him use blasters. Neither of said weapons had been anywhere to be found that she'd noticed, and she couldn't help but think that they'd probably come in handy right about now.

Kalon swung the sword in front of him, connecting with a small tree and cutting it clean in half.

"I think I can handle myself." He said.

"Alright, I want to check for traps." Amber said.

"Roll perception."

"17"

"Malice notices a trip line at the entrance of the cave."

Looking down, the half-elf frowned slightly. There was something a lot less satisfying about being shown the trap instead of finding it herself. Kalon must have seen her reaction because he nudged her.

"Just play along with them. This is going to be a lot easier than we thought, and the sooner we get out, the sooner we can get back to the clan." He said. Malice nodded, seeing the truth in his words. They carefully stepped over the wire and into the cave. It was very dark, For Kalon, that was. Malice was surprised to find that the dark didn't seem any less visible than the outside had been, and blinked in confusion.

"Why can't Kalon see as well?" Jarak asked.

"Kalon isn't a half-elf. he's just a human. Half-elves can see 60 feet in the dark." Amber said happily. Malice grinned at Kalon, who couldn't see the grin quite yet, but he knew her well enough to know when she was getting full of herself and thumped the back of her head.

"I call a foul, he can't do that to her. He can't see where she is yet." Amber said suddenly, making both kalon and Malice flinch.

"You can't call a foul, he's already done it, you numpty."

"I'm allowing it." Matt decided.

"I hate you both."

Once they'd finally settled down, Kalon and Malice took a look around. Noticing a few torches on the wall, Malice dug through her bag until she found a small tinderbox. She quickly lit one of the torches and handed it to Kalon.

"There, now you're useful again."

"Watch it, Journeyman. I don't need the force to crush you."

They started down the only hallway connecting to the first room but paused when they heard Amber speak again.

"I want Mal to scout ahead. She's got double proficiency in stealth. She can give them an advantage."

"Fine, roll for stealth."

"Ha! 28."

They seemed to wait for Malice to start going on ahead before they continued talking.

"She finds one door up ahead. It's shut tightly, and she won't be able to open it by herself." Matt said.

"Ha! That's what you think. I'm rolling for strength."

There was a long moment of silence before Amber spoke up again.

"9"

"Yeah, better bring Kalon back with you."

Malice turned around, rolling her eyes at their argument, and got back to Kalon.

"There's a door up ahead. It's the only exit it seems. And I apparently can't open it." She told him. He nodded, seeming up for the challenge, and walked up to the door. Handing Malice his torch, he placed his hands firmly on the door and pushed.

"Jarak, roll strength."

"21"

"The door groans before falling backward, landing loudly on the ground. The room on the other side has lit torches on the walls, and a large table in the middle. Scattered around, you see many different, seemingly useless belongings. It looks like the hoard for whatever you've been sent to fight. On the table is the item the bartender described to you. Before you can reach it, however, the noise of the door has drawn some nasty looking cave dwellers to you. Roll initiative." Matt said quickly.

Malice and Kalon looked around as three reptilian looking creatures came slowly towards them.

"What are these?" Kalon hissed.

"I don't know, they're nothing I've ever seen before. "

"Psst, they're called Kobolds." Amber said quietly. They were very ugly looking, but were not as tall as Malice and especially not Kalon.

"My initiative is 16." Jarak said.

"Mine is 20"

"Alright, Amber. You go first."

"Cool, Malice is going to take out her short bow and take a shot at the nearest Kobold."

In all honestly, Malice had lost track of just what she was carrying in her bag. Reaching back, she felt the smooth finish of what he assumed was a short bow, and retrieved it. She found the small sling of arrows and pulled it over her shoulder, taking one out and aiming.

"Does a 15 hit?" Amber asked.

"Uh, yeah. Roll damage."

Malice released the arrow, sending it plunging into the Kobolds ribs. It took a few steps back, howling in pain.

"10 damage."

"It's pretty badly hurt, but it's got enough left in it to keep going. It's also his turn now. Jarak, does a 10 hit you?"

"As if."

"You are so full of sass today." Amber said under her breath.

"Alright, then it's your turn." Matt said, waiting for Jarak's response.

"Kalon is going to take his huge sword and go for the next closest Kobold. Does an 18 hit?"

"Yep, roll damage."

"8."

"You've chopped off one of his arms, but he tells the others in his language that it's just a flesh wound. He simply switched to holding his spear with his other hand. Now, does a 14 hit you, Jarak?"

"Uh, no it does not."

"Amber, does a 17 hit you?"

Amber sighed.

"Yes. Yes it does."

"Alright, Mal is going to take 6 damage. The Kobold she shot slashes her a few times with his dagger. But now it's her turn again.

"Then she's going to take out HER dagger, and stab him too. 13?"

"Hit."

"Alright, the damage is going to be 7."

Malice grinned, gripping the handle of the dagger tucked snuggly against her calf and plunged it into the creature's heart. He toppled over, his body spasming a few times before he went still.

"Jarak, does a 2 hit you?"

Jarak didn't answer.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Matt laughed. "You're up."

"Does a 12 hit?"

"Yes."

"Alright, 9 damage."

Kalon swung his sword back, letting it down right on the Kobold's shoulder. His other arm was chopped off, and before he could run away, Kalon had taken his head clean off of his body. Ir bounced to the ground, tongue slightly out of its mouth. Now there was only one Kobold left, and with its friends gone, it eyed the two of them in worry.

"Can they do a cool team attack?" Amber asked. "Come on, it's the only time we're using them as D&D characters. Please?"

"Fine."

"Alright! Let's have Kalon launch Mal off his sword and at the Kobold, and she can stab him right in the head."

Matt sighed.

"I need a strength check from Jarak and a very high acrobatics roll from Amber."

"Kalon's strength got a 20."

"And Malice's acrobatics got a 22! Is that high enough?"

"I suppose."

Malice grinned, holding her dagger tightly. She reached a hand out and felt Kalon take it, hauling her up and onto his sword, which was angled slightly to allow her to stand on it. She braced herself as he quickly pushed off, giving her enough momentum to do a nice flip in the air before plunging her dagger straight through the Kobold's skull. Its eyes were now frozen, wide in terror. Malice landed gracefully, stowing her dagger back into its case and walking over to retrieve her arrow from the chest of the first Kobold.

"Well done, you two. I'll distribute gold and experience after we're done, even though technically we'll never do this again." Matt announced. "Now, luckily for them, and because it's late and I want to go to bed, the fearsome creature isn't anywhere to be found. However, if they take the treasure they've come for, it'll upset the monster, and it'll unleash absolute terror on the village when it returns."

"But will we get to go home?" Malice demanded.

"Yes."

Without needing to consult in any way, Kalon picked up the treasure and stowed it in his bag.

"Come on, guys. You're just going to take it without any second thought?" Matt laughed.

"Are you kidding? This is Team Asshat we're talking about. Of course they don't care. They just want to get home." Jarak countered.

"He's got a point." Kalon agreed. "Also, what is an Asshat?"

"Nevermind it." Jarak's accented voice replied.

And with that, they're adventure was done. Kalon and Malice returned to the village with their found treasure, and the bartender kept his promise and sent them back home. They both woke up in their own beds, and neither had ever been so happy to be in their own rooms again.

Seng Karash, what a cesspool of filth. I was going to need decontaminated form the lice and fleas in my hair when I finally returned home…hell, probably before they ever let me on the shuttle to return home.

Oh you can watch the holovids about it and listen to the hype, but underneath? The belly of the monster is teeming with corruption. That is where I come in. My orders are simple, take down the crime boss and enough of his subordinates to prevent the species trafficking and prostitution from starting back up again.

While I am not much of a white knight, I do not agree with treating people, especially young children, like slaves for others pleasures just because they are poor. So that is why I got this ‘special’ mission. The crime lord I am going after is using younger humans and other species as sex slaves, as well as to move his drugs off world.

For over a 10 months I had been undercover, pretending to be a simple mine foreman working for the Dlarit Corporation. High enough on the food chain that I could have my own tiny shack and not have to work 16 hours a day. However, not so high that the executives might notice or question me. I was still amazed at the power the Brotherhood and even more so the Shroud has. Papers, a history, even minor plastic surgery had gotten me inserted with minimal grief to my posting.

I had already bought a couple of prostitutes to enjoy and had begun casually asking around for something more exotic and fresh. A slimeball Utai who’s name I cannot pronounce gave me a number to a service that provided fresh young pleasure. After setting up a meeting with one of their brokers, I finally got a sold lead on my primary target.

For months I monitored the operation and took their goods. I never had sex, never stepped over the line. I would cha with the young females, ask them to help me understand the set up of their job. Mostly I promised them I would do something about their plight. Soon I was receiving good information and I began to formulate my attack.

The head of the organization lived in a large house in the middle of the city, almost a bunker. I watched it for over a week, memorizing the guard’s routines and the schedule of the house workers and various lieutenants. They weren’t very strict in their guarding discipline and I was able to sneak in a couple of times to plant a listening device and place a small bomb in their main conference room. Sadly, many of the meetings conducted in that room were done by teleconference. I wanted there to be as many people around from the organization as possible, so I could kill them all in one fell swoop. Finally, I got lucky. There was going to be a big party.

On the evening of the party, going on for the son of the boss, everyone who was anyone was invited. I know I was suppose to keep collateral damage to a minimum, but this was going to be the best opportunity I was going to have to wipe this filth out. I had set up a nice blind in a building nearby and could watch the compound from it without being caught. That night security was a bit beefier, but nothing I could handle. Nothing was going on in the conference room for sometime, then suddenly the lights came on. All of the higher ups to include the leader himself filed in and began speaking about business.

I left my hide and snuck up to the outer wall of the compound. Readying myself for combat I meditated to clear my focus with the Force and tripped the switch for the bomb. The explosion blew out the windows of the room and I could hear people screaming in pain. I jumped over the wall and ran toward the gaping hole in the wall. I guess I had used a wee bit too much explosive because there was not a whole lot left to the conference room. I ran into the ruins and began searching for the faces I had memorized. One, two, thre--, okay not sure there was not much left to that one. The crime boss was plastered against the wall and groaning. I quickly slit his throat. Looking around I found only carnage and separated body parts. There was no way this organization would ever get up and running again.

I quickly faded into the mess of people moving about and then gradually dropped out of the crowd. Running to the warehouse where the girls were imprisoned I dispatched the lone guard watching the door. Busting open the door, I began freeing the girls. I sent them all to a local police station to tell their stories to the news services, the police and anyone that would listen.

Blaster shots and explosions rang out from below. This was a war zone, one of the first Abadeer had every been in. He sat in the hanger of his transport vehicle, eyes closed. He was trying to focus on the task at hand. He’d recently come to Florrum, the site of Plagueis’ assault on the Light side guild of Odan Urr.

A pinging sound went off interrupting Taasii’s concentration. He quickly opened them, and jumped up to answer the expected hollow message. The disk activated, as the young Acolyte knelt before the holoprojection of his master.

“Tazzzii, you’ve been sent here for a mizzzion of great import,” the hologram of Kz’set di Plagia sounded throughout the hanger where the Sith was all alone, “I expect great thingzzz from you. Do not dizzzappoint me. You’re mizzzion izzz thizzz: zzzome of our own Plaguein zzzoldiers are pinned down, by a particularly zzzkilled sharpshooter. The area izzz a zzztrategic zzztrong point for uzzz. He hazzz hidden himzzzelf well. You muzzzt locate him, and eliminate him.”

The Acolyte stood and bowed to his Verpine Master. There were no questions, no clarifications. This wasn’t how the Battlelord operated. He was clear, concise and expected perfection in everything he asked.

“Of course my lord. It shall be done.” bowing to the hologram, Abadeer flipped off the projector with a quick hand wave. Taasii sat back down, and once again prepared himself for meditation. He was young, but in an feud of this scale all members were expected to participate. Losing to the Odan Urr was not an option. The Togruta focused all his emotion towards this new mission. He would not fail. He was trying to prove himself. He was trying to move up and gain new power. Only recently he’d failed in grabbing the position of Battle Team Leader by another Acolyte by the name of Malice. She was the apprentice of one of his Master’s rivals, Selika Roh.

The shuttle flew for another hour or so, before the pilot let Taasii know that they were arriving to the drop site. Apparently this shooter was skilled enough to shoot down aircraft, and no pilots were confident enough to get that close. The Togruta would have to make a jump from the ship at a colossal height, and then he would still have a few mile run to where his soldiers were stationed. He would be able to draw upon the Force to allow him to make the landing without any equipment, but going through the thin atmosphere he would need a oxygen mask.

The intercom for the ship sounded right before the pilot’s voice came on. “Doors are opening, you’re jumping now!” As he said this, the blast doors slid up into the ceiling and floor allowing for the Togruta’s exit. He fastened his mask quickly, and ran to the aft of the ship. He gathered his nerves, and launched himself out the door. Immediately he was squinting as he sulfurous atmosphere oppressed his senses. The air rushing past him as he fell towards the planet didn’t do anything to help. It was night on this side of the planet aiding in his stealth drop. He fell quickly, doing his best to keep his focus on the fall. He needed to time his landing perfectly. As he drew closer and closer to the planet, he reached out to the Force and willed his fall to slow right before he hit the ground, while also strengthening his own body for the impact. He tucked into a half roll to land on his feet. The impact was hard, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

He removed the oxygen mask, and dropped it to the ground. He wouldn’t be needing it anymore. He looked around, reaching out with his senses to make sure he was alone. There was the occasional small life form, but nothing to be worried about. After checking his surroundings he collected his bearings, the battlefield was to the north of his position. The shuttle had flow from east to west, with the drop zone as close as the pilots were willing to go. Abadeer knew the lay of the land, studying holocrons of the area. He had prepared for this, and now it was time to move. There was a rocky plateau in the distance, marking his destination.

Reaching out to the Force, Abadeer reinforced his legs and lungs with excess strength. He began to run in the direction of the battlefield. It took about an hour to see Plagueis base of operation in the area. Running to the camp, Taasii felt a dark crawl along his neck, and he dived forward into a long leap. A whizzing over his head, and seconds later the crack of a powerful rifle. He had to keep running. He’d miscalculated, his enemy must have some thermal sensors to be able to see him under such cover of darkness. The Acolyte reached out with the Force to keep himself safe from anymore shots. There were two more attempts on his life before he arrived at the bunker. Sprinting, Taasii reached out with the Force and pulled the sliding door open to allow his shelter. He dived inside, slamming the door behind him. As he looked up, panting, there were three soldiers standing ready, blasters pointed at his head.

“I am Abadeer Taasii… Acolyte of Clan Plagueis,” the Togruta said through gasps of air, “Lower your weapons immediately if you’d like to live a moment longer!” He stood, giving the two men and single female the darkest scowl he could. “I’m in charge of this facility now. Take me to the commanding officer.” The soldiers looked at each other nervously, lowering their weapons.

“Well sir, you see.. the Captain.. well he died..” one of the male soldiers muttered off. “Technically we’ve got no leadership now..” They all shifted nervously about.

“Then it is fortunate for you that I’ve arrived. I need a full rundown. Any information you have on the situation. A list of our assets and any information we might have on the enemies.” Taasii said. I need to take charge of this situation quickly, these men are terrified he thought to himself. The soldiers went back to a room that looked like it was used for briefings and meetings. Abadeer followed quickly behind. Three more soldiers entered from the opposite, all male, and all terrified sensed the Sith. The female from the first group walked over to the holotable and activated it, bringing up a map of the area.

“This is what we know so far. The enemy is incredibly difficult to track or find. We’ve located a few positions where we think he might be. The only problem is that the kills have come from all of these locations, and sometimes at impossibly close times.” the woman marked the map on a few locations with her finger as she spoke.

“What exactly do you mean?” Taasii asked.

“Well.. the first day this situation arose, we had two patrols out here in the valley,” she pointed too two locations on the map, “and both were killed within moments of each other. Five men dead in mere moments. The only problem is that after analyzing the direction of the shots we’ve found they come from three directions.” She marked two large areas on the plateau and one area in the lower end of the valley. “We haven’t been able to scout the areas to see where he might be. We’re running low on food and we can’t even walk out the front door. He seems to have eyes everywhere.”

The soldiers all had looks of concern and worry. Looking at each face, Taasii started to formulate a plan. He’d never had to deal with a situation like this, but he felt up to the challenge.

“So we have six soldiers, a sharpshooter team pinning us down and very little information. We have a bunker that they’ve not been able to penetrate yet. What weapons do we have access to?” Abadeer said looking to the soldiers.

“Sir,” one of the males behind him saluted, “We have several blaster rifles, thermal detonators and one rocket launcher, Sir!” The man was very formal, and the Togruta enjoyed the respect.

“Good.. good. I can work with this. Leave me now, allow me time to think and when I’m ready I’ll call upon your services again.” He motioned for them all to leave. The soldiers all filed out quickly and silently.

The Acolyte poured over the holotable map for over an hour studying the lay of the land and where the points were marked. Whoever had set up these soldiers put a lot of thought on where. The entire valley was covered from the vantage points. Taasii began to formulate a plan. The soldiers would only slow him down. This is something he’d do on his own. The first target to hit would be the one in the valley.

“I’ll want to leave while I have some cover of night..” Taasii muttered to himself. He strolled into the break room where the soldiers had gone to wait for him. “You will all stay here. There’s nothing any of you could do to help me. I’ll be back before sunrise. Don’t do anything until then.” He spoke quickly and left. He’d started to pick up some habits from Kz’set.

The Sith moved to the door of the bunker. He’d have to be quick and aware. With multiple shooters he’d be sighted almost instantly. Abadeer closed his eyes, preparing for the task at hand, drawing on the Force for strength.

He opened the door and before it could even get half way open, he was sprinting out into the night. The Togruta didn’t want to give his adversaries even a moment. He dashed out with unrivaled speed down the valley. He felt the prickle of danger as shots began to fly around him. They didn’t come in quick succession, but at a slower steady rate. Abadeer reasoned that these must be higher power ballistic rifles with lower firing speed. As he drew closer to where the first shooter should be, Taasii sensed something was off: he couldn’t feel any major life signs where the shots were coming from.

The Acolyte dodged and weaved through the fire and sprang over a little rocky outcropping where the shots were coming from. Midair a crimson blade of plasma came to life in the Togruta’s hands. He landed behind the shooter and swung around with his blade. As his eyes followed the lightsaber connected with something he wasn’t expecting. It was a turret, designed to be remotely controlled from great distances. It had tried to follow him as he jumped over it, but it was only set up to track inside the valley.

The slice cut the back of the barrel of the turret, and Taasii brought his lightsaber over his head for a two handed downward chop. This cut toppled the turret, totally disabled. The Togruta had a great distaste for guns to begin with, but now seeing this turret that wasn’t even manned by a shooter began a burning hatred inside of him. The controller of these guns would pay.

Abadeer wasted no time going towards his next target. The Acolyte predicted correctly, the turrets had limited fields of view to shoot in, and as he neared the back of the plateau he was out of this range. Taasii was strong and dextrous. He gathered himself and jumped as high as he could with the assistance of the Force. Taasii found purchase in the rocky face allowing himself to free climb the remaining distance. It was a long way up, taking about half an hour. Reaching the top, Abadeer stopped for a few minutes letting his straining muscles relax. He’d expended a lot of energy already, and he suspected that the shooter would be here in the plateau somewhere. His fight would begin in earnest then. After feeling some strength come back to him, Taasii made his way through the rocky plateau, weaving his way through boulders and outcroppings.

Taasii soon came to where he thought he’d sensed the second set of shots coming from. The shooter wasn’t here, but only another turret. Angered, Taasii reached out forcefully pushing the turret off the plateau, with a gesture of his hand. The third turret will hold my opponent. Taasii continued to run, keeping his senses open trying to find the final turret. Finally the Togruta came to a point that his echolocation sensed the last turret. Just as predicted, the shooter was here. Taasii took his time, as though hunting on back on Shili. He maneuvered around the shooter, who seemed to be frantically working on the gun.

The shooter was a Weequay, gnarled skin, and single braid of black hair coming down from his head. He wore dark brown leather clothes and armor. He looked to be a pirate, probably from one of the local gangs around the planet trying to make a quick buck from the conflict on Florrum. Taasii was silent as he emerged from behind the outcropping.

“Quite the set up you have here,” Taasii said, startling the pirate, “Too bad your time is over.” He again reached out with the Force to launch this turret off the plateau from it’s precarious position close to the edge.

“You Jedi think you’re so powerful with your magics! Nothing like a good blaster by your side!” The Weequay yelled as he pulled out a blaster from a holster on his chest. His other hand went for a sword at his hip. Abadeer pulled his lightsaber out even more quickly igniting the blade. Taasii’s skills weren’t quite proficient enough to deflect an incoming volley of fire, so he rushed the pirate to not give him a chance.

The Weequay got two shots off before Taasii reached him, the first going wide and the second right into the Acolyte’s shoulder. Abadeer grunted through the pain. A blaster bolt would stop him from his target. Rage had slipped into his conscious, flooding his entire being. An upward swing cut the blaster from the pirate’s hand. The pirate brought his sword in front of him to try to fend off the next strike, but it wasn’t designed to be able to take an attack from a lightsaber. As Taasii brought down his blade hard he cut through metal, armor, flesh and bone. None could withstand the burning plasma of even an armory saber. The cut wasn’t as deep as he’d hoped, but the Weequay fell to the ground. The fight was out of him now.

The man on the ground spit up blood, coughing violently. “Good Jedi, but did you sense this coming?” the pirate laughed holding what looked like a detonator. “At least you’ll be going to other side with me!” The Weequay pushed down on the button and suddenly everything around the Togruta started to shake. Explosions were going off all around the Acolyte, mostly from the base of the plateau far below. Taasii had no chance to get away before the entire area started to fall out from beneath him.

Abadeer fell, doing his best to stay alive. He reached out to the Force doing his best to deflect falling rocks. He was hit many times, and fell hard to ground, only slowing the impact minimally. After the rockslide settled, Abadeer moved the rubble that had fell on him. He stood bruised, and several ribs broken. Taasii stood shakily to his feet. “Damn I hate pirates.”

Excidium Air Space Control Ptlolomea 0435

Landon Cruise: Echo 3-7, this is Juliet 389 requesting permission to land for agricultural commerce drop at the Jormungand Quarry.

Excidium Control(Echo 3-7): Juliet 389 your access to this area is not authorized. Please disengage and reroute course to capital city hangars.

Landon Cruise: Echo 3-7, I have access codes that authorize me to this area for drop by way of the Emperor himself. Prepare to receive codes.

::Silence passes for 5 minutes::

Excidium Control: Juliet 389, your access has been permitted, proceed to drop point.

::::::Entering Excidium Orbit::::::::

Dude that was so close, how freaking dumb can these Excidium guys be to take those fake coordinates? I should of poisoned the Blue Milk stalk, then we could of won this real quick. Drake Starfire said.

Brother, calm the hell down. I have a feeling they know we are here, but are following normal protocol to ensure we don’t catch on. Problem is we expected to hit them first and have prepared for their countermeasures. I just hope Delak and Blade make it to the drop. Landon Cruise responded.

What is our objective once we get down there. I fell asleep halfway through Lexic briefing dreaming of fairies and pixie dust, wait I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Drake responded.

We are merely a distraction so the rest of Imperium can make it into position and defeat these fools. I’m sure we will be spotted either in the Air or on the Ground, but thats the point. Distraction my friend, we are the bait! Landon yelled in excitement!

:::Warning, warning, missiles in bound, warning, warning, missiles in bound, evasive actions needed:::

Haha, I actually have the chance to kill the Landon Cruise, pet of the MAA, and puppet of the Clan. You made a bad choice by deciding to follow through with your leaders orders and attack us. I think you forget who won the last scuffle poor Mystic! Form said through the transmission.

OH snap, we have a fighter targeting us. Is that Jorm? Cruise, you better not get me killed before I get my chance to own a pink flamingo! I promised myself I would always have one! Drake shouted as the alarms sounded louder.

Chill out blue man, I got you. We will probably get shot out of the sky, but we should be positioned to land close to the other House members. So clam down bruh! I gotta come up with a awesome response to Jorm. Landon Shouted back at the man who's body was exhibiting a bright blue aura from the stress of the situation.

::Landon Clears his throat through the transmission:: Jorm, you are one funny dude. To think I would come here for any reason than diplomacy is unreal. You know me, I’m here to escape the traitors. Landon stated.

Fudge you Landon, I always wanted to knock you off, and Drake just make the price that much better, adios mother truckers!

::Missles launched and chase the scrambling fighter through the atmosphere before connecting to a wing::

Hold on Drake, we have lost comms, but he fell right into our trap. I knew his arrogance would ultimately be his down fall with attacking us. My calculations should land us 1 click away from Delak’s postion. Landon yelled.

Why do I always decided to fly with you! Yelled Drake.

Oh by the way, I hope you can swim! Landon yelled back!

Silent Death from Above by Dante

Ptolomea Jormungand Quarry MAAT Dropship

Darkness was their friend as the troop laden dropship flew at near ground level at high speed over the grassy terrain on Ptolomea.

As far as most combat drops went, this one was tame as no laser blasts or heat seeking projectiles shot up from the sky to greet them as they approached their target, but the team knew that they would be engaged with enough trouble in just a few minutes.

Each trooper went about their normal combat gear check as they approached their landing zone. Calm and collected, each of the members of the 90th Legion had been picked by their Field Marshal and former Quaestor for this mission.

The green light popped on, the ship slowed, and quickly flared to a near stop as it hovered above the ground. The doors on either side opened, and the door gunners brought their weapons up at the ready.

“GO! GO! GO!” yelled the dropmaster as the dozen troopers dressed in dark gray armor and one lone figure dressed in all black dove from the aircraft just as it began picking up speed again.

The last man out rolled as he hit the ground and brought his rifle up to his face searching for targets. “This is Shadowstalker Lead… On ground and moving to target,” said Dante as the group formed a column and headed out for the cave that held their target.

Looking at the HUD inside his helmet, Dante could see that they had landed in the correct LZ, and their main target was just 2 klicks away. Darkness shrouded them as they made their way to the communications station. The internal feuds that had occurred over the years in Scholae Palatinae were occasionally bloody, but this one was hopefully going to be over quickly. There were too many external threats with the rise of the New Order and the recent destruction of the capitol of the New Republic.

The forward air controller unpacked his gear and aimed the targeting beam on the door of the cave.

Suddenly, a heavy rocket appeared as if conjured from the shadow world and slammed through the heavily guarded blast doors. Penetrating down into the mine shaft before exploding, the large warhead decimated both the guards and the various remaining members of Excidium.

Dante and his men could hear the screams of the wounded, but these stopped as the area was bombarded with turbolaser fire from orbit. What was remaining of the area of the quarry had been reduced to pretty much slag.

The comms NCO looked over at the Field Marshal and said” Sir, what are we doing?"

“Time to bug out. Call in the dropship for a quick pickup, and let’s get the hell out of here,” said Dante as the smoke continued to rise from the enemy forces.

The MAAT came roaring across the plains of Ptolomea. A swath of enemy forces had been cut to provide a very narrow track through which the MAAT could safely grab the assault team from the primary LZ.