((OOC: Coming in from The Salvation of the Damned in the "CSWU" forums:

"Relentless, we have a situation here..."

I sighed, reached up under my Mandalorian helmet to scratch my nose, stuck a straw beneath the lower crossbar of my visor to take a sip of tea-- wished heartily that it was something much, much stronger-- and glared at the words scrolling in seeming nonchalance across the inset monitor of my desk.

They came rapidly, and succinctly, and explained without mincing words a phenomenon to which I was certainly no stranger. Even though I had never witnessed the weird shielding my squadron was now experiencing, I was quite aware of what it was, and more importantly who, had more than likely created it.

Now my hand sneaked beneath my helmet to rub my face a bit wearily.

This cannot go on... it will soon leak out if it hasn't begun to do so already... my men have the right to know...

But the Galaxy in general--?

I sighed again and nipped those words out of conscious thought. Then I leaned forward, opened a relay, and sent out a message to the boys I had ordered on what could easily have turned into a suicide mission.

Indeed, and yet could evolve into one.

"Blackwing, this is Lt. General Tarnus. Belay any aggression against the anomaly; search the premises and gather all computer data you can find regarding it. I am sending a Star Galleon with a full complement of men to back-up and take control of this apparent base you have found. ETA, twenty standard cycles.

"Once again, I say you are to take no aggressive action at this time against the anomaly; observe and report anything unusual happening if such circumstances should arise.

"This is Lt. General Tarnus, out."

[ 12-06-2006 11:34 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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The Imperial courier howled through hyperspace, scant hours from its secret destination in the wilds of Khar Delban space. Aboard her, the Dark Lady of the Warriors remained a calm, stone statue: choosing to remain silently kneeling, her hands hidden beneath her cloak of rune-encrypted smoke, to all outward appearances she appeared nothing more than lost in a deep and simple meditation.

Beneath the hood that obscured her face, however, her violet eyes darkened as a black and noisome oil slicked over their surfaces. Thoughts ran through her head...

She smiled.

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((OOC: Please read in Destiny Uncertain in the "Jedi/Sith forums, this date, to see what has been happening there to provoke this, thank you.))

It was nothing then, for her to reach out to ShaRhylla, and through that connection creep insidiously into the workings of the Revealer, to implement herself in its very heart.

Perhaps this was something that the Chosen Daughter of the Sith would not have been able to do on her own, but she was no longer quite simply that...

"Await me," she said simply, sending a message to the startled halfling before then reaching into the device itself and commanding it to do nothing for anyone until it had revealed the value of pi in its entirety, stopping the task when she and none other instructed it to do otherwise...

[ 12-27-2006 02:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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A full two and one half cycles from estimated time of arrival. Not bad.

Barking out orders, he turned to the viewscreen where the imposing sight of the blockade floated against the star-spattered vastness of space. Even as disciplined as he was he couldn't refrain from marveling at it...

So many, to be able to do this!

Then shaking off his momentary reverie he let forth yet another series of commands, and soon the courier was heading toward the largest ship in the lot:

The imposing and quite deadly SSD, Relentless.

He cast a quick look at the apparently meditating shadow aboard, who hadn't made so much as one peep during the entire trip.

"You're about to meet one of the most powerful men in the Galaxy!" he boasted down his nose, for by presenting Lt. General Tarnus as thus he was then elevating himself, and his position in the Grand Scheme Of Things.

"I hope you're ready for the honor!"

Turning away to expedite their approach and docking, he did not see the slow smile which spread across the flame-headed woman's face...

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I rose to my feet, laying the report to one side.

"We meet again. Do come in."

I waved toward a seat in front of my desk, nodding slightly toward the guards. They saluted, turned, and took up stationary posts on either side of the doorway, two on a side.

The woman I have come over time to both hate and respect merely stood where she was, regarding me carefully. Beneath that look my very spine rippled; straightening a bit, I nodded to her again.

"It has been some time," I opened what I hoped would turn into a viable conversation. "Does all go well with you?"

Beneath my helm my jaw worked as words fled me. Questions I had readied to present to her, offers and considerations; all fled into the mists beneath the studied look she kept pinned on me. At length she shifted slightly, reached beneath her cloak and drew out an object I didn't recognize.

She held it aloft.

The ripples marching up and down my spine increased tenfold...

[ 12-28-2006 12:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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And would share with all others when the moment was the most opportune.

Still pinning the increasingly uncomfortable Tarnus with a dark look, she shook the object in her hand.

"This holds the knowledge of how to control the Sith," she suddenly announced, giving the Repository another little shake. She held it out toward Tarnus, almost like an offerring, but an offerring she was not quite yet prepared to give.

The Mandalorian-armored man behind the table didn't move an inch, but she could feel his increasing discomfort. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself the luxury of wallowing in his rising perplexity... and fear.

For yes, there was definitely fear emanating from him. Something he was not wont to feel; this was what was making him so uncomfortable. And it was because of this fear that she knew she had him.

Her smile broadened, deepened. She held the Repository aloft, shaking it now, letting it command his full attention, utterly ignoring anyone and anything else aboard. All about her was frozen into a weird sort of tableau; the guards didn't so much as shift a toe, Tarnus remained ramrod stiff, it seemed that aboard the commanding Relentless Time itself had come to a halt.

And then it ground on.

The Lt. General was rising up in his seat when she stayed him with a single gesture. Tilting her head, she pinned him with a look sent out from beneath her brows.

"He who commands the Sith, commands the Galaxy. We have the Power; you know this, Tarnus."

She straightened then, her other hand reaching out to rip open a Portal back to Phrinnchatka. It cast an eerie greenish glow upon her features, making her appear all the more ominous to him. Moving swiftly she approached the Portal, paused at its threshold.

"I have your daughter on K'eel Doba, Tarnus," she said off-handedly, then was gone.

The Portal closed with a definite schlpptt, leaving nothing but more questions and a growing icy dread in its wake.

((OOC: Follow Graysith back into Destiny Uncertain in the "Jedi/Sith" forums, thank you.))

[ 12-28-2006 12:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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And the next minute gone, slipping away like smoke through one of those damnable doorways she always seemed to be making.

I shot to my feet, fisting my hands and slamming the knuckles of them down upon my desk. Despite the armor which protected them the pain of that blow rippled up both arms; now gritting my teeth I slammed down but one fist this time, this time opening up a connection with the bridge.

"Send Landarian to me... now!" I ordered tersely, closing the connection even as the ensign on the other end was saying, "Aye, Sir." For military propriety and protocols suddenly mattered about as much to me as a pile of bantha poo-doo.

She had Darra.

My ready room went dark as I focused on this one lonely fact. Or perhaps not a fact; I could only go on her word, but did I dare dismiss that?

I knew after all that Darra was somewhere on one of the twin Sith worlds; hadn't that already been declared?

And now there came an admission.

But... why?

Even as that question rose up to taunt me the doors across from me slid open. The four guards stiffened and saluted as Captain Landarian strode into my room and took a casual yet alert seat in front of me. His quirked brow spoke volumes; quickly, shaking with anger, biting back the reflexive reaction to send forth the power of every ship at my disposal, I filled him in.

He remained calm, cool; yet concern flooded his entire demeanor. At length I noticed his mouth was opening and closing; letting some of my anger find release of a sort in a sigh, I focused on what he was saying.

"--know of her trickiness; it could be a trap," he finished, leaning back in the seat now to cross his legs. He laced both hands about his knee, waiting.

I scowled, knowing he was aware of the expression even though he could not see it.

"You don't think that I'm not aware of that?" I shot back, my voice rising. Clipping off anything else, I forced myself to grow calm. Now lacing my own hands together, I leaned forward.

"But I can't take the risk of ignoring this. It's my daughter,; what else can a father do?"

The look he gave me spoke volumes.

"His duty," he said simply, and fell into silence.

That brought a modicum of sense to me; now growing thoughtful, I pressed on.

"Here are my orders, Landarian, and you will carry them out:

"You will take the fleet back from these worlds, and establish an orbit as one about the entire system. This way we can still keep a watch over these worlds, the blockade can remain, if thinned a bit, and the fleet will be beyond the range of any ground-based weapons they might have developed."
I hope.

"Then, you will move Relentless to the LaGrange Point between the planet K'eel Doba and it's satellite; there you will wait for me."

Landarian's brows rose up in silent query. I obliged him.

"Oh yes; lastly, you will prepare my private ship."

A pregnant moment passed, one in which neither of us spoke. Then that highly experienced and decorated Captain rose quietly to his feet.

"I surely hope you know what you're doing, Sorben," he said softly.

"Actar would have my head if I lost one of his best men to some fool's errand."

With that he gave me a swift little salute, whirled, and departed, leaving me alone with my thoughts...

And my exponentially exploding dread.

[ 12-28-2006 01:51 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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But I had scarcely passed through the hatch into the Primary Docking Bay when the routed announcement came to me that my ship was ready. I acknowledged, flipped off the connection, and without speaking any further to anyone else boarded my fighter.

The men of Relentless were nothing if not proficient at their tasks... and efficient to boot. Moments later a clearance was flagged, and grasping the controls I let the ship burst from the belly of the immense SSD I commanded.

It shrank behind me, moving off even as myriad tiny, twinkling stars began to dwindle, growing yet smaller and dimmer. I smiled grimly, touched atmosphere, and banked.

Below me rolled countryside, mountain range, lakes and rivers and the occasional small sea. I only gripped my controls more tightly, now opening a transmission which I sent out on all frequencies.

"This is... Sorben Tarnus, approaching your capital city at the bequest of the Dark Lady," I opened, hoping this would be accepted yet knowing deep in my gut that it would. Pursing my lips, I then continued, now compensating for a rising wind which was buffeting me about.

It matched my mood exactly.

"Requesting approach vector and landing coordinates..."

My words were truncated as my receiver began to crackle.

"Tarnus, this is Ch'arlingua. We are expecting your arrival; please follow this heading--"

A string of numerals scrolled across my screens only to disappear, hungrily gulped down by my navigational computer.

"You will find yourself well met.

"Welcome to K'eel Doba. Ch'arlingua, out."

The voice disappeared and my ship bucked, but this time it was due to a directional change rather than the wind. More scenery flashed beneath my belly, and then I saw it. There in the distance.

So long; it's been so long...

Smoothly, I guided my ship down to the tarmac, coming to a gentle touch-down in the spaceport of Ch'arlingua. The ship had barely begun its cooling sequence when I was out of it, striding down the gangway, hands on my holstered blasters.

Imposing-looking Sith were waiting for me, their weapons held at parade rest. As I approached they snapped to attention and bowed; then one stepped forward.

"You will please come with us," he said, motioning to the others who fell into an honor guard around me.

Thus surrounded, I was led away from my ship.

((OOC: Sorben leaps into Destiny Uncertain in the "Jedi/Sith" forums, thank you.))

[ 12-28-2006 07:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Sorben Tarnus ]

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It scarcely had taken a minute, so it seemed. Perhaps the time was longer, but no more than ten for the universe to depart from orderly calm to utter chaos.

Landarian, sitting comfortably in the command chair aboard Relentless, was not only duly following his protocols but was making certain his superior's last commands were being carried out. Communiques winged between SSDs, lifelines remaining intact between the vessels of the blockade as it moved out, spreading itself thin, to his thinking, but far enough away from the planet Relentless yet orbited for assured safety. That they could take on anything vessel that flew was a given; but who knew what planet-based armaments existed here.

And a single SSD can slip away faster than a Dagoban nightbat, he reasoned, finally coming to some sort of reconciliation with this last order.

So they remained at the LaGrange point, waiting to retrieve Lt General Tarnus...

When all hell broke loose.

"Sir!" an Ensign exclaimed, yanking himself from his scanners in disbelief.

"I'm not getting any reading, sir! I mean, I read the planet and its moon, and outward to about 586 million klicks... and then nothing!

"Sir!"

Landarian was on his feet in an instant, leaped a handrail and approached the Ensign.

"You're not malfunctioning, Ensign?" he asked, staring at the impossibility with his own eyes.

"No, Si-" came an immediate reply... but one truncated as two other impossibilities occurred in tandem.

Space reappeared about the mysterious blank zone. Completely, shockingly, and utterly unexpectedly empty of ships.

And something rammed into Relentless like a herd of runaway rontos.

"Engage emergency inertial dampeners!" Landarian yelled out reflexively as the gigantic SSD rocked back and forth like a cork in water.

"And find out what the hell hit us, and where it came from!"

The Ensign didn't even reply; he just let his fingers begin a wild tarantelle upon his boards. And after an agonizing five or six seconds had passed, seconds in which the great ship finally managed to come back to an even keel, he turned back in shock.

"I- I'm not certain, Sir! Something I can't even get to register, kind of a sphere of... of nothing, like a shell or some kind, just... appeared out there, and it seemed to move outward, er I think. I think the center of that sphere was this planet, Sir; it's difficult to tell, but what few readings I could get verified information from 586 million klicks in all directions from here. What I am certain of though, is that things appear normal now... except..."

He gulped.

"S-Sir," he struggled to maintain military decorum.

"Th-the blockade, Sir. It's gone."

Landarian jerked his face to the starfield shining so innocently on the forward viewport. Then--

"Battle stations!" he barked.

"Send a coded message to the General; he knows directives as well as I. As of this moment my primary duty is to this ship and the crew aboard her; we will return for him! But now I want a course plotted to Coruscant, and emergency hyperdrive implementation--

"NOW!"

Fingers flew, klaxons blared...

And the ship accelerated out of orbit, flew to the barest minimum distance from the gravity well that K'eel Doba warped into spacetime, and fled into the relative safety of hyperspace.

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