Deep Space
Near Roche Asteroids
Outer Rim

Locke Sonjie stood on the observation deck of the Star Destroyer Harbinger, unofficially not present for this meeting. He gazed out a nearby viewport, disregarding the flickering display panels behind him. It was quiet, save for the soft chirping of consoles that requested attention, which were tended to by the operatives working behind him.

"Trade commencing now," one said.

Tensing slightly, Locke turned and looked at the data on the view screens. He did not trust the leaders or members of any of the other Clans of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, but still the Clan recognized the need for trade. In the recent conflict on Korriban, elements of the Sadow fleet had been significantly damaged. Even with the Verpine, repairs would take far too long.

As a substitute, the Clan had begrudgingly turned to an old rival: Clan Scholae Palatinae. They knew that the Royal Clan possessed shipyards capable of making crucial parts. In return, Sadow had offered a shipment of the rare, volatile Baradium that was mined in the Orian System.Thus, this trade had been organized. Out here, it was away from galactic interests. Out here, no one would be able to find them.

That did not mean, however, that the Clans trusted each other. The Harbinger had been placed here, a short hyper jump away, to monitor the trade from afar. If anything went wrong, it would jump into the system and right the situation

The operative continued. "First container transfer is complete."

"Excellent, " Locke said, "keep me informed."

---

Xen'Mordin Vismorsus-Palpatine stood on the bridge of his command ship. Every fiber of his being radiated the presence of an Imperial commander and leader of his Empire. In the workstations of the recessed areas along the bridge catwalk, officers worked with quiet efficiency, well trained in their duties.

He did not trust Naga Sadow. They had requested this trade, and their intentions seemed legitimate. He had dealt with Locke Sonjie before, but it had been years since the Krath had led Naga Sadow, and he could have changed. Furthermore, reports indicated that his Proconsul was or had been an Arconan, of all things. Now, they were out here, thousands of light-years from either of their empires, attempting a peaceful transaction between Clans that both honored different empires from different times.

Still, Xen expected a trap.

He sensed one of the bridge officers approaching from behind. The man saluted, and Xen motioned him to step up and speak.

"Everything seems to be going smoothly, Sir. The first containers have been transferred with no sign of foul play."

Abruptly, someone spoke from one of the crew pits.

“Sir! New contacts detected, they're targeting our transport!"

"Of course," Xen muttered, "Captain, get us there."

---

"What was that?" Locke asked.

"There's new contacts. A frigate, interdictor, fighters..."

Locke cursed. He leaned down to the console, paging the bridge. Cethgus' voice answered.

"We know. Hyperdrive engaged." At that moment, the view port behind Locke blasted the deck with light as the void of realspace gave way to hyperspace and then to realspace again.

As the Harbinger launched fighters and turned to meet the new ships, Locke saw that one of Scholae's destroyers had arrived as well. So, they thought as we did. It made sense, but the question was, was this a trap?

"Hail that star destroyer, I want Xen'Mordin directly."

---

"Engaging the new contacts now, Sir. Shall we engage the Sadowan destroyer as well?"

The ship's captain turned to Xen, who thought for a moment. It seemed like betrayal, but looks could be deceiving.

Another officer spoke up, "That destroyer is hailing us directly. They request to speak 'head to head'."

Sonjie, Xen thought.

"Very well, put it through."

A hologram appeared on deck, of a man in Krath robes, light-hair cut short. Xen recognized Locke Sonjie. He had not changed much physically since their previous interactions. "Xen'Mordin," he said. "Is that you, behind that mask?"

There were gasps from the crew at the lack of respect, but Xen quieted them with a wave of his arm. There was a time to address such disrespect, and this was not it.

"Do you have an explanation, Sadowan?" Xen asked, emphasizing the last word with disdain.

"It's not me," Locke said, almost casually, "Trust me when I say that this is not how I would come at you."

"Oh? This seems like the type of underhanded trick a Sadowan would play. After all, it was your Grandmaster who tried to use the Brotherhood to his own ends. Still, I don't believe even you are so foolish as to attempt this."

Locke sighed, "I agree, although convincing my Clan will be difficult. Let's destroy these interlopers and finish our trade?"

"Agreed," Xen said. Then he cut the connection before Sonjie could get another word in.

---

It was not long before the attacking forces had been completely obliterated. As the rest of the trade proceeded without incident, Locke wondered how those attacks had discovered this trade. Their technology seemed to indicate pirates, but Locke knew looks could be deceiving.

I'll have to rework security. Leaks like this cannot be allowed, he thought.

When the trade concluded, the two groups went their own way. Locke did not look forward to the discussion he would likely hear from the Sadows on this, and he did not think future trade would be likely.

---

Imperial Palace
Judecca
One Week Later

Evant Taelyan strode into Xen'Mordin's office in the Imperial Palace. It was late at night on the world, but the Emperor was still awake, looking over reports. Evant carried a datapad, gesturing with it after greetings were exchanged.

"I could have had an aid bring you this report, but I figured I would do so myself."

He handed the datapad to Xen.

"These records indicate an abnormally high increase in destructive attacks on our members and our forces, from bounty hunters and assassins. To be safe, I checked, and this increase began shortly after our trade meeting with Sadow."

Xen sighed and studied the report. "Interesting. I had just received a coded transmission from Locke as well, stating a very similar situation."

"Do you suspect them?" Evant asked.

Xen shook his head slightly. "I doubt it. Either this is a part of some extremely convoluted plan, or those pirates we destroyed had friends, and those friends are angry. Thank you for bringing me this report. Have you captured any of these hunters?"

"A few," Evant said. "They are being questioned now."

"Good, inform me if you find anything," Xen said, “Don’t hold anything back.”

---

Orian System
Sepros*
A Few Days Later*

Locke sat in his office, leaning back in his chair, legs propped up on the ornate and overly huge desk that dominated the center of the Consul's office in the Temple of Sorrow. Cethgus stood nearby, arms crossed, as the hologram of Xen'Mordin's masked face flickered over the desk.

Placing one hand behind his head, Locke gestured with the other.

"We've been able to repel these attacks as you have. Of course, many of my members blame you. Which is not surprising, as I am fairly certain you have failed to kill me before."

Xen showed no expression behind that mask, and with the hologram transferring information over such a long distance, Locke could not sense the other Consul's reaction. Regardless, he seemed to ignore the comment.

"Have you analyzed the data we sent you? That indicates the pirates are coming from a fairly small area of the galaxy. Surely even your intelligence could find their home from that," Xen said.

Locke sighed. In truth, Sadowan Intel was one of the areas he felt in the least control over, but he did have ways of managing it. "Your people did an excellent job of narrowing it down over an entire galaxy," Locke said. "It was easy to locate their base after that," he lied. "It's just on some moon orbiting a desolate world that no one even bothered to give a name. Our intelligence was able to get one word as to a name for this place, though we are sure it is a code and may refer to the moon or the base itself: Atlas."

"Our members want revenge, and we will not allow these mongrels to threaten our empire without retribution," Xen said. "We will attack at once."

"We'll come too," Locke answered. "Remember, they attacked both of us. Our force will depart within hours."

Xen nodded. "We will meet you there, Sadowan. But do not bother us with any tricks."

"No tricks, Xen. Only justice."

The other man cut his connection without a reply.

Cethgus nodded. "Well, that went well. I will gather our forces. We won't need more than one ship for this, I presume?"

"Agreed," Locke said. "But this time, let's take the Damnation."

---

System A1-X3
Outer Rim
Some Time Later

The star destroyer Damnation erupted from hyperspace, a small, desolate moon visible beyond it's viewports. In it's bays were some of the Clan's best Dark Jedi and troops. Locke expected a swift and efficient execution for these pirates, but he would leave nothing to change.

To the destroyer's starboard, he could see that the Palatinaeans had already arrived, also bringing a single ship of their own.

"Incoming transmission, " one of the bridge officers said.

"Put it through," Locke said, continuing a moment later. "Xen, is that you?"

"Indeed," the Palatinaean Consul responded. "Let us finish this. Don't get in the way, Sadowan."

Locke grinned, looking around at Cethgus and his command staff.

"Oh, we wouldn't do that, would we? Proceed with the assault!"

As the background noise of the bridge rose in tempo, one officer shouted over the tempest. "Sir, long-range scans show that the pirate's base is built over an ancient fortification. You might want to look at this."

Locke looked over the officer's shoulder. "Interesting. Cethgus, inform our members. Make sure they explore that ruin and understand that we will honor and recognize any who find something of use. I want to know what those ruins are from. I am sure Xen is instructing his people to do the same, and we cannot let them have all the glory."

"Agreed. It will be done, " Cethgus said.

As he left, Locke folded his arms, standing at the center of the ship's bridge as the attack began.

---

Hello Clans Naga Sadow and Scholae Palatinae! Happy Star Wars Day! Today we mark the opening of a co-op event between our two clans. So, I hope you are all ready to go kill some pirates. Here is the breakdown of what’s to come over the next three weeks.

The Red Fury event sees us taking the fight to an outpost of the Red Fury Brotherhood , a group of very dangerous Pirates. Atlas Base, built on the remains of an ancient fortification of an inhospitable moon, is our target. What riches and glory awaits you within?

Scoring for this event is focused on individual merit (though be certain we will be comparing numbers between the clans). Every single event you participate in will earn you 15 points. You then earn additional points for placing in the top 5. All competitions will run for at least two weeks. Some will end on the 18th, with others opening on the 11th. Below are details on the opening competitions of this event.

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Two Roads to Glory - Ends May 25th: This is the “long” fiction competition. In it you will find two options of attack, and must choose one of them to write about. Minimum 1000 words, no maximum.

That Which Hides in the Darkness - Ends May 18th: This is the first of two “short” fiction competitions. The second begins on the 11th. This fiction requires including a character from the other clan as part of the story. As clarification, this is an individual writing competition, so you while you are encouraged to talk with whatever member you decide to include, they are not writing the fiction with you. Minimum 500 words, no maximum.

What’s in a Name? - Ends May 18th: This is a quick and easy acronym competition. Suppose RED FURY is actually an acronym, what would each letter stand for?

To the Pain!: - Ends May 25th: This is the major gaming competition, based on an unweighted PVP score. You may play any member of the club, but be sure to list this competition when submitting matches for credit.

Thats no moon - oh wait… Yes it is! - Ends May 25th: Here we have the graphics competition, where you are expected to create an image (in any form) of the Atlas Base.

Trivia 1 - CSP History - Ends May 18th: This is the first of two trivia events, the second one focused on Naga Sadow begins on the 11th. This will be a timed event, so subscribe when ready to work on it for best chances at winning.

You Blank-faced Blank - Ends May 25th: this is another quick and easy competition, this time mad libs style. Upon subscription you will be given a list of word types. Put in what ever words you wish of the appropriate word type.

Its all in Good Fun - Ends May 25th: This is a comic making competition. Utilizing an online comic maker (such as ragemaker.net), or paint, create a comic depecting how you deal with members of the other clan being around in this attack against the pirates.

The Tides of War - Ends May 25th: This is the run-on competition. The run-on thread will show you the first 3 objectives to undertake, further objectives will be added as we near the midpoint of this event.

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So there you have it. We very much you all enjoy this much more lighthearted event and get out there killing some pirates. Good Luck!