Scoundrels and Sabers: IC

[The Shadow Republik]

Jedi Guardian Bralan Kan
Field Hospital, Entrance
Ord Mantell

I rose myself from the speeder, deactivating it as i dismounted. I began walking to where the rest of the Jedi were, watching as Shadow spoke with one of the Republic officers there. I stopped walking and looked around the camp. I immediately felt a presence as soon as i had arrived. An odd presence, though one that i knew wasn't a threat just yet. Hiding was all of it was doing, but i didn't give my body language away to make it seem like i knew. I just continued scanning around, waiting for Shadow to return to me. He did soon later.

I heard him speak of Master Junski, an old friend from my days as a Padawan. I remembered listening to his lectures in the Study Halls of the Temple on Coruscant. At times, they were quite boring, but most of the time, he tried very hard to make them as involving as they could be.

"Last i heard from Master Junski was that he had been deployed to Coruscant on an artifact search and retrieval. Typically those would only last a few days to a month, at the most. It's been six months now since the Order has received any kind of word on him." I said as i continued walking towards through the location, searching for where Starlight and the others would be.

As they walked to find Starlight Shadow mulled over the fact that his master may have died but he quickly shook his head at the idea of his master being dead. So Shadow watched Bralan as he looked in vain for Starlight so he suggested "why don't we go to the main hospital to ask where she is?"

As Shadow waited for a response he turned towards the main tent and observed it he noticed that the guards were not wearing hazmat suits but he also noticed that they were alien's. Then shadow noticed all the infected were human so shadow turned to Bralan who was still thinking on his answer and said"hey did you notice that all the victims here are human?"
Once again Shadow waited for a response.

[Spindle]

Sho'lan's Office
Justice
Sovereign Construction Site

Abessa considered T'vesh's offer of training. She'd met Jedi before, but that had exclusively been from the other end of the blaster and the Sith she'd worked with had been almost invariably overconfident and arrogant. With the occasional exception of those from the Silent Brotherhood, who occasionally stopped to let the troops they were working with catch up before charging off into the enemy's ranks once more. If T'vesh was like that, at least they'd know that and if she wasn't, they might actually learn something new from this. Either way, they gained from this.

"Alright." She nodded, "We'll meet you during Parade today. If someone's going to kill him they'll already have tried it by then, so he can use a regular squad for security - I'll train one up as soon as I go off-duty so that we can get this done. We'll have free run of the training droids for half an hour, so we can get a light workout done before someone else wants the field back. Sound good?"

[Futrellia]

Jedi Bralan Kan
Amid the Sick
Ord Mantell

I could feel the sudden conflict within Shadow. I small ounce of pain appeared inside of him, and i could feel it twist and turn within him. I knew it was his Master, but i needed to see how he would react to that. How he would control his emotions. He took it rather well, which was promising. There was hope for his return yet, and i knew it. Shadow would never admit it, but he was lost. He took the mantle of bounty hunter eagerly, but now i could feel the emptiness within him. Knowing what i know, i could not simply abandon him now. It was against my doctrine, and frowned upon within the personal ranks of the Jedi.

"I am sorry that i had to relay that news to you. Once this ordeal has been resolved, and the galaxy remains within a Cold War, me and you should go to Coruscant. Seek him out. The loss of a Jedi Master wounds our Order, even more our cause. We cannot simply allow that. I will bring the request to the Council." I said. If he would agree to this, join me in finding his Master, he would once again return to the Jedi, and we would welcome him back warmly. In this day and age, it should be considered treason to turn away one who wishes redemption. And if our Council were to decline his request, then on that day will i reconsider my stance on the Jedi Order as well.

I heeded Shadow's words as we both scanned the camp, peering down upon the dozens of dead and sick. I could feel my heart sink at the sight of so much pain and suffering. We had to find the source of this disease.

"Yes i noticed. Perhaps we should find masks. Let's take our search to the Main Hospital then." I began walking briskly, the massive puddles soaking the bottom layers of my clothing, creating quite an uncomfortable feeling. The rain continued coming down, though beginning to calm.

....
...
..
.

Main Hospital, Field Medical Center
Ord Mantell

Minutes later, after a short walk past the tents of coughs and angst, i arrived within the Main hospital. My eyes peering from corner to corner of the room, i finally locked in on Master Starlight and Antilles. Finally, what i had been searching for, finally here. Now it was time to make myself useful.

I walked past more rows of sleeping patients, some only entering the beginning symptoms, and those with only minutes left of life. It was dark, the stench, awful, a near sour smell as sickness and disease danced with the sterile smell of lab equipment, open medicine containers, and fresh air being drawn in from small openings.

I approached the two Jedi, lowering my hood and bowing my head.

"Masters Cira Starlight and Claudius Antilles. I am Jedi Knight Bralan Kan. I come from the Temple on Tython. I'm here to assist in any way i can. This man behind is Rogue Shadow." I said, turning behind me to motion Shadow over to continue introducing himself.

[Danceria]

Sith Lord Alisher Erysil, In orbit over Ord Mantell

Lord Erysil stood in the cabin of his ship. He looked out at the planet and contemplated what was happening below. He had been told of the plague and knew of the world being a battlefield during the war. He knew the extent of damage the war had done even to insignificant worlds.

The men and women around him working on the ship and chatting with one another were his personal house forces. They served him and his house and then they served the Empire. Alisher flicked his hand and the nearest officer came forward and saluted him.

"My Lord?"

"I wish for you to gain contact with Darth Drathen, he is somewhere on the planet and I wish to speak with him."

"Yes my lord."

The officer took off to do as asked. As Alisher waited he debated on how best to approach Drathen. If rumors were true Drathen was a far more peaceful and orderly Sith than most. Lord Erysil felt it would be refreshing to work with a like minded individual, and needless to say if Drathen could become a contact of Alisher then perhaps Alisher could use that to increase his own power along side that of Drathen.

Darth Drathen
Ord Mantell, Bright Jewel System, Bright Jewel Sector
Fort Garnik, Hospital Encampment
Among the Doctors

---

The Trandoshan picked up another transmission, and was pleasantly surprised that it was a fellow Sith. Fellow, as they were under the rule of the Emperor.

"Greetings, though I would recommend that you too also clear out your papers, or ask very nicely to alter my papers to allow you as an "accomplice"." Drathen stated flatly "The Jedi are suspicious of some sort of Sith invasion, and if that's your case, turn around now, or I'll personally destroy you." he added harshly "However, if you wish to help me combat this disease that's on this planet, land at these co-ordinates. I will meet you there shortly."

With that, he ended the transmission, sighed, and took a well deserved break from organizing the vaccination lab. On his speeder, he glided across the nearby plains to personally meet this new Sith Lord.

[The Shadow Republik]

Shadow thought about what Bralan said and decided he would run with it under 1 conditon so he said " I will do that but only if the council will promises i will receive no punishment for leaving the order. Also if I like how the order is being run i will return but as an freelancer; but I makeno promises of returning. Theses are my only requests as long as they are met I will meet with the council."


Soon they were on their way to a tent about 7 tents from the entrance. Shadow took a deep breath and stepped inside; once inside shadow saw the suffering these people were experiencing. After a few moments Bralan walked briskly forward and introduced them selves ; Bralan motioned for Shadow to speak. So Shadow stepped forward and removed his helmet which gave a sharp hiss of decompression. After removing his helmet shadow said" Hello Cira it has been awhile since our last meeting I believe the last time we spoke you wished me luck on my first solo mission. "

Shadow hoped she remembered who he was as during their time as Padawan's their masters had been close friends so that also made Shadow and Cira friends but not great friends as she was a healer and he was a knight. But still he was glad to see her again as an adult. So he waited and then he remembered he had changed his name since leaving so he said" Sorry but you remember me as Xavier Plaith. I trained under Master Junski. "

[The Orson Empire]

---

Grand Admiral Roan Sho'Lan

---

Roan closed his eyes and nodded. "I have to agree with Nyxera on this one, Admiral. I want to risk as few lives as possible on this mission." Roan then turned around and looked up at Abessa. "While I have seen my fair share of negotiations I'm willing to put my faith in your man. However I will be coming with you, this is my project so I will see it through...even if that means risking my life." Roan concluded as he stood up. "Abessa if it's fine with, please allow Nyxera to speak to your squad, I would also like to speak with them as soon as possible."

Roan wiped the sweat from this brow, the heat from this office was killing him. Didn't help there were four people in this small area. Roan then stepped up next to Crix and Nyxera, "Admiral Crix, I want you and the Maximus to remain in the closest system to the Makeb system. I don't want us crossing into Republic Space unless we have to." Roan straightened himself before resuming, "Abessa and her squad, along with me and Nyxera will go to the planet. There we will engage in negotiations with the Hutts. Should things backfire, Crix will come into the system where he will be our deterrent against the Hutts. Once they see a Harrower class is above them they should be willing to talk. If not, then we will execute them. With that we will take the miners under Imperial care will they will be treated much more fairly under the Hutts. Thus we will have a supply of Isotope-5."

Roan bit his lip, looked down at his feet then back at the others in the room. "If there is any changes you believe should be made, please speak now."

"This is acceptable for me, sir. Let's just hope this goes well," Crix simply said.

[The Valyria Empire]

---

Grand Admiral Roan Sho'Lan

---

"Since we have seemed to have reached a conclusion I will begin preparations. I expect you all will as well. You're all dismissed." Roan proclaimed as he sat back in his chair, there he picked up the datapad Crix had given him and began to read.

Makeb....interesting. However with the Imperial resources I have and the help I've recruited we should be able to accomplish this easily. Roan thought as a smile grower across his face.

[The Rebel Alliances]

Cira Starlight-Jedi Consular-Field Hospital, East of Fort Garnik-3,650 BBY
It was comforting to speak with a familiar face in this stressful environment. It helped to keep a better outlook knowing that trusted friends were around you. I listened as he posed his question about the evidence that this may be an artificially created disease and I confirmed what he had come to suspect. "Yes, I believe so. Nothing concrete but the infection rate combined with the near perfect mortality rate when considering the only ones to fall ill as of yet are Republic soldiers I do believe it was artificially created." But an answer to that question begs another question. "However, knowing that...we must now investigate who would engineer such a disease. The first obvious answer are the Sith but...that doesn't feel right. There is no logic in the Sith to engineer a virus here. If it were discovered, it could trigger another war which neither side is ready for. And why would the Sith only wish to kill humans with the plague? Those questions are harder for me to answer, at least for the moment." I disliked not having more information for him but there was little else I could do at the moment. Finally, as I was about to ask him how he planned to make a deal with the Separatists one of the other doctors approached me calling my attention to a patient.

"I am sorry, but I must return to my work. As should you. We can speak more later." With that I examined a patient who was just brought in, once more reminding me just how viral this disease was becoming and if something was not done soon, this simple hospital will not be enough to meet the demand. Showing signs of the second stage of the disease, I pointed him to a cot and had the nurses walk him over as I prepared to follow. As I did so however I heard more voices belonging to Jedi behind me. I turned and saw two more Jedi, with masks over their faces but that would not deter me from treating them as if I knew them. However, I was needed to treat the sick so I made the introductions brief.

"Yes, thank you. I am Jedi Consular Cira Starlight and it seems you already know Claudius. There is something that you can do to help us. I cannot leave this hospital and Claudius must see to a diplomatic meeting. If one of you could investigate the origin of this disease, as I have come to suspect this plague was artificially created. That would be of immense value to both myself in the hospital and Claudius in the talks. Beyond that, I do believe it is safe to assume that we have all sensed the presence of the Sith here? Then the other should probably look into that matter. Aside from that, I do not know what else there is to do at the moment, my own Padawan should be returning anytime now." With that said, I was about to leave when I heard the one referred to as Shadow call himself Plaith. I cocked my head sideways as if trying to remember where I heard the name. Then as it hit me suddenly I smiled as I finally dispelled the feeling of deja vu.

"Ah, yes I remember Master Junski well. It has been many years since we last met hasn't it? Well, there will be time to talk more about it later. We all have very much to do. I must be returning my attention to the patients now. Please, report back to me via comm link if you discover anything in your respective investigations." And with that I once more began to try and solve the mystery on how to cure a disease engineered by an unseen entity. As I once more reached out through the living force to discover the biological origin of the virus.

[The Shadow Republik]

Shadow was a bit taken a back by how nonchalant she was about meeting him for the first time in almost 4 years. But it did not surprise him as when they were padawans she would get so absorbed in her work you could tell her that a planet had been cut in two and she would ignore you unless it was super serious like the temple being under attack. So with that Shadow steeped outside the tent and called his droid mechanic nicknamed grumpy on his comlink and said" Start the ship and get in a geocentric orbit over the surrounding area and give me 3 dimensional map of the area."

After hanging up with grumpy; Shadow stepped back into the tent and asked a doctor that was "Do you know were the first cases of this plague were reported? Because I was thinking I would head there and check out the area.

The doctor appeared to rethinking before responding by saying " The first cases were reported in the fort but the first people who were reported to have it had been in a cave with some strange artifacts but you would have to go to the fort to find out were this cave is." after that the doctor turned back to her patients.

Shadow then decided to go ask the fort commander were the first cases had been right before the outbreak had happened. But first he walked back to Bralan who was still with Cira and asked him " Hey Bralan I got a lead of were it might have originated from Im heading back to the base to ask for the first victims patrol area so we could look for a possible vector. You with me?"

Shadow waited for an answer as he began to turn towards the tent flap. And then he looked back and said "Well?"

[Futrellia]

Jedi Bralan Kan
Main Field Hospital Tent

Simple and to the point. I appreciated the fact that she had made it so brief, considering that people were succumbing to the disease. Finally, we had our orders, and we could waste little time doing so.

Investigate the origins of the disease or investigate the Sith on the planet. Quite an interesting choice of missions. I nodded my head, accepting the orders we had been given.

By the time i had finished pondering which to take, Shadow approached him, asking if i was to accompany him to the Fort to ask more questions of the source of the virus.
"You really waste no time? Alright, i'm with you. It's best to travel in pairs anyway, what with Sith on the planet."

I walked out of the tent, walking side by side with Shadow.

"We must resolve this quickly. The more Jedi we spend searching around on this backwater of a planet, the more blind we are to other threats. We need to get to the bottom of this, now." I said bluntly. I knew what was at stake. I believed this was more than just a simple sickness. I couldn't see why the Sith would target only one planet. The loss of one planet was insignificant, especially Ord Mantell. But the disease was moving too slowly, and only targeted humans. Something else was going on, and i needed to see all of the variables.

"If you need me too, i can also deploy drones to assist in scanning the terrain in search of any and all heat signatures. Hopefully, that will help track down any Sith nearby."

[Second Helghan Empire]

Sith Lord Alisher Erysil, Above Ord Mantell

Alisher listened to the transmission and immediately turned to his second. The young man stood in a jet black uniform of imperial military fashion but with the crest of House Erysil on the Lapel and Shoulder. HE was a well versed officer and had served Alisher well during the war and even now he performed the tasks given to him by the Sith well. After the years the man had become one of Alisher's few trusted individuals and earned the well respected position of his lord's most trusted assistant.

"Captain Deriss, I want you to push the necessary paperwork through and ensure I have my access to the planet. The Darth is right and we must take the steps to calm our republic counterparts."

The Captain simply saluted and left to do as ordered. Meanwhile Alisher signaled his pilot to take the ship down and land at the transmitted coordinates.

Once on the ground Alisher exited along with a collection of men who wanted to do a check of the ship again. Meticulous and very thorough, that was what the Sith appreciated in his men. A few of the heavier armed guards patrolled a small area around the Ship to ensure no sudden problems arose, and to alert Lord Erysil of Darth Drathen when he approached.

Alisher had contemplated the Drathen's statement. He truly did wish to help in curing the plague on Ord Mantell, however it was more to make the empire to look good than anything else. He pondered what Drathen's feelings towards the same prospect were. Was Drathen and Alisher actually on the same wave length of thought, hoping to bring prestige to the empire as more than conquerors but also good rulers and heros. That is what Alisher knew the empire to truly be, he almost felt as a mercenary trying to spread belief in the Empire as if it was a giant benevolent deity some thing Alisher laughed openly at gaining confused looks from his nearby men.

[Nuxipal]

Nyxera T'vesh
Aboard the Justice

After dismissal by Grand Admiral Roan, Nyxera goes with Abessa. As they walk, she decides to engage in small talk, see what she can get the Imperial Soldier to tell her. "So, you have quite the impressive resume. But I do have to ask, was it really two hours holding off Jedi attacks on Coruscant, or did the Empire embellish it? I honestly don't believe anyone could hold out for two hours against an onslaught of force-wielders. No offense to your skill of course, the rest of your Dossier clearly shows that you are more than capable of simple guard duty that you have somehow been assigned to here."

Nyxera pays attention to the corridors as they walk so that she can get a better feel for where they are going. She never much enjoyed living on starships, especially the larger ones. If she had to, some kind of light freighter would do her just fine. She hoped that Abessa was here legitimately, it would be quite the shame if the two of them had to fight one another.

[Spindle]

Internal Corridors
Justice
Sovereign Construction Site

Abessa nodded once, sharply, and left the Office with a single glance at the man she was leaving behind. He had access to the sensors around the Office and he knew how to use them and deal with any threats which might arise in her absence. Or, at least, slow them down long enough for the rest of the team to arrive and finish whatever was attacking. Unless it was a contingent of Force-users, of course, but if a contingent of Force-users were in one of the most classified facilities in the Empire, the death of a single Grand Admiral, whatever project he was working on, would probably be a secondary concern.

As she left the room with T'vesh she allowed herself to relax a little, the air of formality which she'd had to wear dropping away like clothes on a lover's body as she fell into step alongside the taller woman. For a few seconds she allowed herself to simply relax as they strolled down the corridor, the somewhat muted clang-clang-clang of heavy, armoured boots contrasting against the soft click-click of T'vesh's own armoured footsteps. Glancing up at the ex-Jedi, Abessa smiled softly as she asked what had happened on Coruscant. Gathering everything she could remember together, she sighed softly before answering.

"I doubt either of those are true." She said with a small shrug, "It can't have been much more than twenty minutes or half an hour and there were only six Jedi: none of which were in a group. Four of them were Padawans, probably angry and confused and looking to take it out on anything they thought they could afford to. The other two were Knights. One of those almost killed me and the other was on the wrong side of the cavalry's arrival. None of it was a pleasant experience."

[Brusia]

Claudius Antilles
Ord Mantell
Field Hospital

Claudius gave a concerned nod when Cira confirmed that she believed the disease to be artificially created. He concurred that the Sith were likely not the party responsible for the plague, as a disease that affected only humans would be more detrimental to the predominately human Imperial forces than to the much more diversified Republic. That said, he could feel the presence of Sith on the planet and knew that their arriving on a Republic world just as this plague began to break out could not be mere coincidence. Whether that suggested that they were the cause of this plague or simply hoping to take advantage of it remained to be seen, but Claudius certainly wasn't ready to rule them out completely just yet. The Separatists were another possibility, and a concerning one for Claudius who knew that if they were responsible it meant the talks he was walking into were almost certainly a trap, but as a major planet-wide outbreak of this plague would affect them as severely as it did the Republic, they did not seem particularly likely either.

"Perhaps this is the work of an anti-human extremist group." Claudius hypothesized "Such a group would certainly have the most to gain from a disease which afflicted only humans, though at the moment I can't think of any such groups with the technological capabilities to engineer a disease like this."

When Cira returned to her work and suggested that Claudius do the same, he again concurred. Though he was loathe to leave her when he could sense Sith on the planet, he knew that if negotiations with the Separatists had even a small chance of bringing peace to this world that he was obligated to attend them. Before he left, he pulled out his datapad and transmitted a frequency to Cira's datapad.

"I'm sending you my encrypted communications frequency; it will allow you to contact me or my Cruiser in orbit should you need anything. Good luck Cira, and may the Force be with you."

Just as he was leaving, two other Jedi approached him and Cira in the Field Hospital. He was glad to see that more Jedi would be here to help keep both Cira and the Field Hospital safe, but as he had already held up the talks for long enough, he didn't have time to stay and speak with them. Instead he politely bowed to them and quickly apologized for having to leave without properly greeting them, then made his way back to his speederbike. Once he started the bike up, he hastily resumed his course to Talloran Village to begin the negotiations.

[Nuxipal]

Nyxera T'vesh
Corridors of the Justice

She listened to the veteran tell her side of the story. It was a heroic stand regardless. Four Padawans and two Knights, having faced two Knights at once before, she knew the dangers in that. She wasn't a member of the Order at the time and she remembers celebrating in a bar on Taris as images of the destruction of the Temple area were sent across the galaxy. She remembered that night well, because a Jedi and his Padawan tried to kill her for celebrating thinking her as a Sith infiltrator. They of course failed, but such is the life of an ex-Jedi. "Must have been a crazy scene when the Cavalry arrived," she said imagining it for herself. "Seeing the dead and dying Jedi on the ground around you and your squad."

She thought about Abessa's squad for a moment again before asking, "That brings me to one other question, how did your man learn to negotiate well? All the sith soldiers I have fought or talked to seem to be less diplomatic and more aggressive, even when discussing the best way to cook a steak."

[Sulania]

Sinya Koyi
Padawan to Jedi Knight Cira Starlight
Ord Mantell

The hidden soldier didn't flinch from his position, though he did appear more worried. "There will be no need for further questioning, I'll file my report back at the hospital." She made a motion to the corpses "Privates, gather the comms and ammunition from the dead, we'll send a party back out to collect the bodies for proper analysis and the sort." The hidden private came out of hiding and began rummaging through the ammo of some of the fallen, his compatriot doing the same. "As for you, sir, continue on your mission, whatever it may be. I have no reason to hold you any longer." She said to the merc, leaning down to collect the comms from another of the fallen. "We've held up enough of your time."

Rahasia Tiralle
Agent of the Republic
Coruscant; SIS Interrogation Room 11b

"You're right, but I didn't plan on equalizing the playing field with it either." She said, looking down in disappointment. Whether the Imps knew or not wasn't really a thing to worry about, she only had to worry about her Republic overseers. She exited the interrogation room, closing the door behind her and pulled out her commlink to her handler, sending a holocall to him. "Sir, I'm happy to report that he is more than willing to cooperate not only getting through that holodisk, but also working with us against the Imperials."

His face brightened, more than likely expecting a series of demands such as massive credits and a nice resort all for the turncoat's self on some luxury world. "That's excellent news, Agent Tiralle. I'm assuming he has some wishes, though?"

"Yes, sir. He wants to help in tracking down Imperial spies, his ship, and a better change of clothes. To be quite frank sir, dull gray isn't really his color." She said, reiterating the man's demands to her. "In the meantime, sir, I request that he be given more suitable and hospitable accommodations until all is set and done."

"I believe all those can be arranged. We will send an escort over to move him to his new accommodations. He's still going to need to be monitored, since one interview is not enough to really earn the loyalty of some turncoat, but he will be definitely moved from his prison cell." He said, letting out a small cough. Likely out of old age, her handler was definitely late in his life, nearly at the end of his career which likely would have ended sooner if not for his dedication. "He'll be taken care of."

"That's good to hear." Rahasia responded.

"In the meantime though, you will be the one monitoring him and escorting him as he helps in taking down these Imperial spies. Keep an eye on him, report on any strange outcomes, and the sort. Be vigilant, you will be staying with him in his new apartment outside of SIS headquarters."

"Of course... Sir" She said, not sure what to make of it. "Should be no problem, sir."

"There's only one bedroom..."

"That's what couches are for..." Rahasia said, rather annoyed at that detail. She hung up the holocall to attend to a better debriefing while the guards escorted the prisoner.

[Danceria]

Sith Lord Alisher Erysil, Above Ord Mantell

Alisher listened to the transmission and immediately turned to his second. The young man stood in a jet black uniform of imperial military fashion but with the crest of House Erysil on the Lapel and Shoulder. HE was a well versed officer and had served Alisher well during the war and even now he performed the tasks given to him by the Sith well. After the years the man had become one of Alisher's few trusted individuals and earned the well respected position of his lord's most trusted assistant.

"Captain Deriss, I want you to push the necessary paperwork through and ensure I have my access to the planet. The Darth is right and we must take the steps to calm our republic counterparts."

The Captain simply saluted and left to do as ordered. Meanwhile Alisher signaled his pilot to take the ship down and land at the transmitted coordinates.

Once on the ground Alisher exited along with a collection of men who wanted to do a check of the ship again. Meticulous and very thorough, that was what the Sith appreciated in his men. A few of the heavier armed guards patrolled a small area around the Ship to ensure no sudden problems arose, and to alert Lord Erysil of Darth Drathen when he approached.

Alisher had contemplated the Drathen's statement. He truly did wish to help in curing the plague on Ord Mantell, however it was more to make the empire to look good than anything else. He pondered what Drathen's feelings towards the same prospect were. Was Drathen and Alisher actually on the same wave length of thought, hoping to bring prestige to the empire as more than conquerors but also good rulers and heros. That is what Alisher knew the empire to truly be, he almost felt as a mercenary trying to spread belief in the Empire as if it was a giant benevolent deity some thing Alisher laughed openly at gaining confused looks from his nearby men.

Darth Drathen
Ord Mantell, Bright Jewel System, Bright Jewel Sector
The Western Plains, a few meters away from Alisher Erysil's Ship

---

The sound of a speeder whirred towards the newly landed ship, and the lone Trandoshan dismounted the swoop bike and nodded at the heavy-troopers that flanked the young Sith Human. Drathen bowed "Greetings, Lord Erysil" he began "I am pleased that I am able to meet you in person. What tidings do you bring from the Empire? Hopefully good." the Sith pondered the newcomer's aura. It seemed so much like his own and yet... more cynical in some ways. But was profoundly dutiful to those he cared about, and he cared a bit too much for some people that disappoint him in the end.

It would appear all those times laying on the couch and talking with his Psychiatrist did him a world of good. At least in the speculation department.

Now whether or not it was accurate was a whole different podracing lap.

[Dernland]

Hoth, 5 kilometers from pod crash site

I stumbled the final few feet down off of the glacial mesa and took my first tentative steps onto the thick snow. The journey had taken a little over an hour, though the sun was already making it's decent down onto the horizon. I looked around, gazing at the ever approaching stormfront threatening to bury me in a torrent of snow. The thin layer of snow on the glacial ice quickly gave way to a knee deep powder, slowing my pace considerably. In addition to the worsening terrain, my wound still pained me considerably. However, speed was not an immediate issue, as a large canyon loomed ahead, likely carved by the massive glacier to my rear. I estimated roughly another hour of slogging through the dense snow before reaching the outer edges of this sanctuary. After all, the canyon was the only solid landmass that I could see in any direction, and where there is solid ground, there is likely to be a cave formation.

*****

I walked within the welcoming shadows of the cliffs above just as a light snow began to fall, the harbingers of my coming doom. The canyon walls were close, probably the width of three men, not a squeeze, but it might prevent any larger predators from following me in. I had begun to actually like the sound of snow crunching under my boots, of the arctic wind rushing past my helmet, of the distant roars of some unknown creature.

"Wait." I muttered stopping stiff in my tracks, hand resting on my blaster. I must have imagined it, no second cry, not even an echo. I took a small step forward, then another, then finally resuming my course forward. The canyon was silent save for the occasional rockslide or tumble of displaced snow. Then, the roar thundered through the canyon again, louder this time. Now I could hear something. Pounding footfalls that shook the earth, panicked screams of some unknown animal, both coming my way. I pulled myself to the canyon wall, unslinging my rifle and readying myself for whatever beasties were coming my way. They seemed to be just out of site around a bend in the canyon when I heard a chilling shriek and the footfalls came to an abrupt end. Terrified, but still insanely curious, I crept forward. Peeking around the corner I saw a hulking, blood-splattered creature. It seemed to have just killed a smaller horned animal and was carrying away the corpse. I wagered that this murderous beast must be taking its kill to a cave or nest of some sort, something that I could use to weather the coming storm. So I followed this creature through the tight winding canyon, keeping a respectful distance from this proud killer.

[Second Helghan Empire]

Lord Erysil
Ord Mantell, Bright Jewel System, Bright Jewel Sector
The Western Plains, Outside the Ship Hellview
(I have Borrowed your Layout if you don't mind I would like to keep using it.)

---

Surprised that Darth Drathen was a Trandoshan Lord Erysil was quick to move past that and respectfully return the bow. He could tell his fellow sith was appraising him both through the force and mundanely. He nodded to his men and they set about returning to their tasks patrolling and making minor checks on the ship.

"Darth Drathen it is good to meet you. I have heard you are of a like mind as myself. I bring well wishes and hopes for a peaceful future for Ord Mantell, one free of this plague. How shattering of republic propaganda stereotypes it would be if sith helped to ease the suffering of the inhabitants of the galaxy. Answering you question better I suppose I could have simply said of course." Alisher smiled slightly and warmly to the other Sith and hoped his answered had sufficed.

At this Captain Derris rejoined his lord outside and handed him the report of finalizing the credentials for being made Darth Drathen's assistant, they just needed Darth Drathen's agreement and to send it to Dromund Kaas.

"Well that was quicker than I expected. Please Darth Drathen come into my ship, I have a nice sitting room where we can continue to discuss this matter." He awaited Drathen's acceptance of his invitation.

[Spindle]

Internal Corridors
Justice
Sovereign Construction Site

Abessa nodded grimly at the other woman's comment. There hadn't been much of her squad left for the Cavalry to pick up - perhaps enough for a trooper and a half still alive, excluding her. It hadn't been a pretty sight: once-grand pillars now buckled and streaked with blood and what few internal organs had leaked during the fight there, ornate statues broken and shattered and pitted with the impact marks of blaster bolts and bodies. Bodies everywhere - Imperial and Republic alike, covering the floor in a rich, thick carpet. Pulling her mind back from the memories and suppressing a shudder, Abessa brought herself to the ex-Jedi's comment.

"It's the training." She sighed, "It's all about the glory of the Empire and the inferiority of those who oppose us, so we're not predisposed to negotiate over anything when we first come out of it. And it's hard for people to survive long enough that they have all of that knocked out of their system. But our man...he's been in here about as long as I have and he runs a...side-business, which has given him some skills at haggling. And an ego the size of that Credit-sink Sho'lan's building. My advice: if he so much as brushes you the wrong way, break his arm. If you don't, he'll just get bolder until you do."

[Veleaz]

I leaned back in my chair as Ms. Tiralle departed the room, most likely to report the success of the 'interrogation'. Personally, I found her rather strange. She seemed dedicated to her duty, which is admirable, but why she would care what the Empire knew of her was beyond me. I suppose it would have to be family relations, thankfully not remembering your parents makes that aspect a lot easier to forget and gives the enemy one less vulnerability. Unfortunately my train of thought was rudely interrupted by the chair being pulled back all the way, resulting with me landing on the floor, looking up at an array of helmeted faces.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be gentle, you know that right?2 I asked mockingly, before being forcefully onto my feet and led out the door, with two guards in front and two guards behind. Along the march through the main jail complex, an wide range of goodbye's and other less kind things were being thrown our way, but what else can you expect from the imprisoned? Eventually we arrived at a small transport hub, where I was crammed into the back of one of the craft, which quickly sped away. "So, where we going then?" I asked the guards surrounding me, and receiving no response "Fine then" I added, trying to get cozy as the craft sped through the streets of Coruscant.

[Nuxipal]

Nyxera T'vesh
Aboard the Justice

"Understood," she said as they passed through a set of doors into a room which could only be close to their destination. She would have to wait on Abessa to call her man out, but until then Nyxera looked about. "I promise not to leave any permanent damage to his body. Perhaps just his ego, but from the sound of it, maybe that's just what his ego needs." She smirked as she said that. The thought about having to teach some poor misguided Imperial Soldier a lesson was almost too tempting to pass up, whether he actually does anything or not to bother her.

Nyxera thought on the things Abessa said, if the empire taught their soldiers everything else was inferior to them, that would explain the attitudes which the Sith and their soldiers had towards other living beings. Even in the face of defeat, they fear the ridicule of their peers upon returning home.

[Danceria]

Lord Erysil
Ord Mantell, Bright Jewel System, Bright Jewel Sector
The Western Plains, Outside the Ship Hellview
(I have Borrowed your Layout if you don't mind I would like to keep using it.)

---

Surprised that Darth Drathen was a Trandoshan Lord Erysil was quick to move past that and respectfully return the bow. He could tell his fellow sith was appraising him both through the force and mundanely. He nodded to his men and they set about returning to their tasks patrolling and making minor checks on the ship.

"Darth Drathen it is good to meet you. I have heard you are of a like mind as myself. I bring well wishes and hopes for a peaceful future for Ord Mantell, one free of this plague. How shattering of republic propaganda stereotypes it would be if sith helped to ease the suffering of the inhabitants of the galaxy. Answering you question better I suppose I could have simply said of course." Alisher smiled slightly and warmly to the other Sith and hoped his answered had sufficed.

At this Captain Derris rejoined his lord outside and handed him the report of finalizing the credentials for being made Darth Drathen's assistant, they just needed Darth Drathen's agreement and to send it to Dromund Kaas.

"Well that was quicker than I expected. Please Darth Drathen come into my ship, I have a nice sitting room where we can continue to discuss this matter." He awaited Drathen's acceptance of his invitation.

Darth Drathen
Ord Mantell, Bright Jewel System, Bright Jewel Sector
The Western Plains, Aboard the Ship Hellview
(Perfectly all right, I in turn borrowed it from someone else...)

---

Drathen graciously accepted the invitation, and with a swoop of his hand signed the holopad that proclaimed that Erysil was in fact his assistant. "I am happy to accept that invitation, Lord Erysil." Drathen smiled genuinely "Your hospitality is certainly better than that of the Jedi, who are renowned for their diplomatic behavior." he chuckled at the irony. "Also, I would recommend that you and any human crewmembers that are with you stay aboard your ship. If you know of the plague, you know it only strikes humans and near-humans. It doesn't do so well with reptomammals like myself."

Once in the sitting room, Drathen noted that this was a ship crafted for the House Erysil, one of the numerous "noble houses" on Dromuund Kaas. He vaguely remembered that name during his days as an Inquisitor, but nowadays he prefers to stay as far away from the Sith capital of intrigue and plotting as possible. Refreshments were served, and the Trandoshan asked "So Lord Erysil, what exactly does the Empire see in Ord Mantell, or rather, my mission aboard it. I do confess this is moreoff a personal matter, in the sense that I am the sole proponent of it." he explained with honesty. Due to the Treaty of Coruscant, one can't exactly hop across the galactic border, especially when one was a Sith Lord. After a bit of consulting, he found a loophole that allowed sponsored groups (so long as they were initially nonprofit) to conduct "humanitarian efforts and invest in the future prosperity of both nation-states". Which is why commerce didn't completely shut down by war's end. That was how Drathen usually worked, preferring to go through the anonymous channels of commerce via the Banking Clan or his University Firm to gain information and feel out the political tone of the galaxy. Just because Drathen disliked the near constant plotting of Dromuund Kaas, doesn't mean that this Sith would be resting his laurels. So he benefited the Empire if he succeeded (as well as himself), an was completely exempt if he failed.

"Though speak honestly Lord Erysil, why are you here on this planet?" the Trandoshan asked mildly.

[The Shadow Republik]

Jedi Bralan Kan
Main Field Hospital Tent

Simple and to the point. I appreciated the fact that she had made it so brief, considering that people were succumbing to the disease. Finally, we had our orders, and we could waste little time doing so.

Investigate the origins of the disease or investigate the Sith on the planet. Quite an interesting choice of missions. I nodded my head, accepting the orders we had been given.

By the time i had finished pondering which to take, Shadow approached him, asking if i was to accompany him to the Fort to ask more questions of the source of the virus.
"You really waste no time? Alright, i'm with you. It's best to travel in pairs anyway, what with Sith on the planet."

I walked out of the tent, walking side by side with Shadow.

"We must resolve this quickly. The more Jedi we spend searching around on this backwater of a planet, the more blind we are to other threats. We need to get to the bottom of this, now." I said bluntly. I knew what was at stake. I believed this was more than just a simple sickness. I couldn't see why the Sith would target only one planet. The loss of one planet was insignificant, especially Ord Mantell. But the disease was moving too slowly, and only targeted humans. Something else was going on, and i needed to see all of the variables.

"If you need me too, i can also deploy drones to assist in scanning the terrain in search of any and all heat signatures. Hopefully, that will help track down any Sith nearby."

Shadow thought about it how the drones would assist in scanning the terrain for what they were looking for so Shadow Said "Yes get those drones out they will aid in the search for the source. But make sure they can link with my ship so I can get terrain readings and so we will know were enemy's are if we encounter any."

After saying that Shadow got on his speeder and started off with Bralan to the fort. They didn't talk much on the way to the fort as they were both deep in thought. But soon they arrived at the fort and walked in and began scanning the crowd for the base commander. Shadow soon located him and said to Bralan "There is the base commander lets go ask him for the mission records."

[Second Helghan Empire]

Lord Erysil
Ord Mantell, Bright Jewel System, Bright Jewel Sector
The Western Plains, Aboard the Ship Hellview

---

Alisher was pleased with the friendliness returned by his fellow sith. He felt they could be two shining examples of what force users should be. Not enslaved by the force but not enslaved by moral restraint either. Truly free, and in Alisher's opinion truly good.

His mine was pulled from the though upon Darth Drathen's explanation that the plague could endanger his men. Alisher shot a quick gaze to the captain and the rest. His expression resembling that of an elder brother attempting to watch over his siblings. He brought the Trandoshan inside and they sat and furthered their discussion.

As Darth Drathen asked the inevitable question of why Alisher of house Erysil was here, the Sith lord exhaled softly before beginning his answer.

"Darth Drathen, I like most in the Empire, am a patriot. The Empire is the force that will evoke change in the galaxy, and change I believe that will be for the better. I am no Idealist and I will not deny the brutality of much of the Empire, but perhaps little by little it can be made to be the savior I know it to be. Perhaps we as sith are meant to propel this shift to a more benevolent Empire. In that regard, I suppose that is my reason for being here. I have come to show the galaxy that behind the veneer of individuality and it's pretended support for it's own supposed ideals, the republic holds no moral ground over the empire, and perhaps, the people can be made willing to join the empire rather than coerced into it's embraces. I believe if we can do this, the galaxy, the empire, and even our fellow sith may become a more enlightened and better place for all."