The Shadows of Markosian - Teu, Vaar, Locke, Syntari, Jade

Xanos

14-01-2014 14:45:51

Markosian City, once the capital city of the planet Tarthos, has been sealed behind an energy shield for two years. Nobody has gone in, and nobody has come out. But an unknown contact recently made contact with Consul Malik. This figure from the Markosian underworld has agreed a deal: he will lower a sector of the shield, if we agree to take out a rival, Lerona Khan, who he claims has set herself up as the ruler of the imprisoned city.

You must return to Markosian and investigate the truth.

Will you help Malik's suspicious contact, and secure a potential new ally?
Or will you instead strike a deal with Lerona Khan, or even a third party?

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Xanos

14-01-2014 14:50:57

Temple of Sorrow
Sepros


Governor,” the hologram said.

The translucent blue-white image of the Togruta was mocking him. This criminal, and the man could only have been a criminal, nobody else lived inside Markosian City anymore, he knew full well that the Dlarit Corporation was no more, its control of the Orian system having ended.

The star system’s dark rulers having retreated back into the shadows.

Malik stared back into the eyes of the Togruta, who still refused to offer a name.

“There’s no need for formalities,” the Consul replied, with a sneer as equally sardonic as the criminal’s own. The bark of the Neti’s neck creaked as he leaned closer to get a better look. All that remained of one of the Togruta’s lekku - their head-tails - was little more than a stump.

“Well?” the Togruta pressed, growing impatient. For a mere criminal, the man did not seem at all worried to be addressing a Sith in such a manner, seeming to think himself secure beneath the shield dome that had cut Markosian City off from the rest of the system the last two years.

“What is your answer? Do you agree to my terms?” the Togruta added.

That was quite enough, Malik decided, and raised a hand.

In a matter of moments, a hand, or more like a branch, had appeared beneath the holographic head and had wrapped around its neck. The blue-white hologram was looking up at Malik, its eyes widening. The man choked a pained plea. “S...stop,” the Togruta grunted, coughing as Malik reached out across the stars to press the Togruta’s windpipe together, choking him.

Then the Consul released his grip, and the crime boss gasped for air loudly, the illusory arm around his neck vanishing.

“I think we have an agreement,” Malik finally answered.

The crime boss was currently in no state to answer, his pants for air still audible over the link.

“I will send a team of my best men to deal with Lerona Khan,” Malik said, “and you will enable that, by opening a hole in the city’s shield dome so that we can bring an end to her monopoly.”

Earlier, the anonymous Togruta, who had somehow obtained a way to directly contact the Consul -- probably old security codes the criminal had dug up inside the quarantined city -- had explained how Lerona Khan had wrestled control inside the isolated Markosian City. Because of the Crusade, the Clan had left Markosian to fend for itself, but this Togruta, he had come to Malik with a solution that had not previously existed. In exchange for agreeing to work with them in the future, the Togruta would open a hole in the city’s defences -- and let them in.

Despite his initial hesitancy, the Consul was not prepared to let this chance slip through his fingers. Markosian City remained too valuable an asset to be left in the hand of petty gangs.

“Well?” Malik said, sounding just as sarcastic as the Togruta a few minutes before.

The hologram flickered, but nodded. “Y... yes,” the criminal said. “T...that works.”

Outside Markosian City
Tarthos, Orian System


The massive blue energy shield stretched as far as the horizon, like a massive net that had been cast over the landscape, enshrouding not only the great spires of the city, but the farms, fields and mines that had surrounded it, and whose profits had once lined the halls of the Clan.

But no longer.

Markosian had been cut off back when the disorder had become too much and containment had been the only option, forcing one Jeric Cyrin to lock the city away. Indefinitely.

The surface of the energy sphere glinted from the light that reflected off the crystalline sphere called Ombus that glowed in the night sky as two small shuttles descended toward the point that had been agreed with the Consul’s strange new contact in the city’s underworld...

Locke

26-01-2014 23:41:34

Shuttle
Enroute to Markosian City
Over Tarthos


The lights were muted as the group surveyed the holographic map of Markosian City, each Dark Jedi's face studying it. Teu stood at the end of the table, the shuttle's cockpit visible beyond her.

"Listen," she began. "This city may seem half-finished, or like a heap of rubble, but it is of great value to Marka Ragnos - and Naga Sadow as a whole. Order must be restored."

Locke Sonjie thought of Sector Five, and wondered if Teu would realize he might know about it. Sector Five had been a clandestine research facility, so far as Locke could tell. While Consul, the Krath had looked into everything he could under his dominion. He had wanted to be sure that no more surprises would rear their ugly head like the incident with Macron's laboratory under the Cenota Facility. There had been far more security blocks than Locke was comfortable with - even with the clearance of a Consul.

"This city will be ours," Vaar Mai said from the closest position beside her. "Failure is not an option."

Locke wondered if he knew about Sector Five. Was there something in it that made the Ragnosian Summit want this city so badly? Did Malik know about it, if there was? Why hadn't he told Locke, as the Consul's Black Guard?

Teu continued the briefing. "In addition to meeting with our Consul's contact, we need to ensure that this shield cannot prevent our escape if things go sour. Someone will have to disable or destroy the shield generator.

"We'll go, " Syntari Bastiayn said, indicating herself, Locke, and Jade Sadow. The young Krath had been rapidly rising through the echelons of Dakhani prestige lately, certain actions earning her the approval of their Quaestor. Locke was still not sure about her, but she hadn't steered them wrong yet.

Locke nodded his head in agreement, his mind racing. Did she know that the shield generator was in the Black Zone? Did she know that was the most militarized zone of the city? Any former Dlarit soldier there would likely be trying to kill them with whatever weaponry they had left. And then there was Jade Sadow - Macron's apprentice. Locke wondered if she might develop some idea of capturing him for the Alchemist.

Finally, the Black Zone was where Sector Five was located. Perhaps with the city's descent into decay, Locke could find the opportunity to explore that facility.

"Ma'am," a voice came from the cockpit. "We're nearly as close as we can safely get to the Black Zone."

"Excellent, " Teu said. Then she turned to the others. "Good luck."

Syntari was expressionless, while Jade grinned, just showing her teeth. Locke took a deep breath.

"You too," he said.

JadeSadow

28-01-2014 01:02:01

Jade released a breath as she was just volunteered to go into the black zone. If she had come back and wanted a bit of piece and quiet, that was definitely not going to happen. Though Marka Ragnos was needing help to get back a major piece of history. And she couldn't abandon the House in a time when they needed help. It had been her original home when she joined the Brotherhood, and still had a soft spot for it, even if she was in a new house. "I'm so game."

She looked at Syntari and Locke. She hadn't gotten to work with Syntari before, but the Krath had Jades curiosity. She seemed loyal to the Clan and prepared to do what was needed. Locke on the other hand she had worked with way back, and had been impressed with the way he handled things... Though the fun with Macron had her wondering just what he was thinking. Jade smirked, showing the tips of her teeth, as she toyed with the thought of how macron would have fun..."interrogating" him.

As the voice came over telling them to basically suit up and prepare to spill as much blood as possible, while keeping their own, Jade looked at her new partners. "Lets get this party started." She double checked her weapons. Her sabers nicely on her hip, the dagger at the small of her back, and the one just inside her boot. Holding the handle she looked at both of them. "I like to be prepared... Especially if I need to the end a heartbeat of a double crosser."

Locke looked at her... Hmmm maybe he would find himself the subject of Macrons next experiment.

Syntari blinked and suddenly asked, "how do we know you won't get the taste of the other side?"

Jade grinned, putting the blade in its place and standing up. "You don't." She winked at her fellow Krath.

Sanarai Iridana

28-01-2014 15:37:58

Shuttle

"You don't." Jade's words echoed through Syntari's mind with an insistence she couldn't shake, and she had an unsettling feeling that gnawed at the pit of her stomach like a blood-thirsty animal. It took far more effort for the Bpfasshi to focus on the matter at hand than she would have liked, and even more effort to conceal the resulting annoyance.

She glanced briefly at her companions--though she mentally sneered the word--as the shuttle carried them ever closer to their destination. Jade she had worked with, though briefly, once before and found her intriguing to say the least. It wasn't often that Syntari encountered a fellow Sadowan she could actually coexist with and so far, the other Krath was not on her hit list.

As for Sonjie...

She still harbored an extreme resentment at his abandonment of the Clan, and she was still furious with herself on some level for requiring his help; she couldn't say with any certainty that she wouldn't kill him, if need be.

A quick shake of her head brought Syntari out of her musings. Regardless of her liking, or lack thereof, towards her companions she still had a job to do, and for the sake of her Clan she would attempt to swallow her pride and work with the lot she had been given. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered where this new resolve had come from; it hadn't been too long ago that she was trapped in a fog of hallucination and depression, and she couldn't help but fear it would return to settle its weight upon her shoulders once more. She knew without a doubt that the little flying Krayt dragons would not cease to nip at her ankles, regardless of what she did.

Locke

29-01-2014 00:09:00

Black Zone
Markosian City
Tarthos


Locke was not getting good feelings from either of his companions as the three Krath cautiously entered Markosian City's Black Zone. He was not sure if Jade had been toying with him or not with her comments, and that made his skin crawl. Meanwhile, Syntari had been an unusually stoic wall of emotion, as if holding something back. She did certainly seem more focused, however, especially as she led the three of them deeper into this zone of the city.

Eyeing the unignited lightsaber in Jade's hand, Locke palmed his blaster, making a show of scanning the area around them. Ahead, Syntari had her lightsaber in her hand as well, her eyes intent ahead. Locke would have preferred holding his own, but years of being a soldier could not be ignored; having a ranged weapon among the group could be the difference between life and death, even when all three of the Dark Jedi had the aid of the Force. Trying to watch everything at once, Locke forced himself to examine the surrounding area.

The first thing he noticed was that most of the streets here were lined with rubble, most of the buildings lining them in some stage of collapse. He was surprised to find no life here besides a couple of small, scurrying animals, which quickly hid at their approach. He wondered where everyone had gone. Perhaps the soldiers had scared everyone inside; or maybe the city was worse off than he had first expected.

Whatever the case, Syntari led them through the ruins at a brisk pace, occasionally glancing down at the datapad in her off hand. As those eerily abandoned structures stared down at him, Locke thought that it was fortunate they at least had the coordinates of their destination. One could get lost in those foreboding streets.

Suddenly, Syntari raised a hand and the other two Krath came to a halt behind her. "Guards," she said.

Locke looked. He could see what looked like at least two fortified E-Web tripod blaster turret positions, as well as several humans and aliens in ragtag-looking military uniforms behind sandbags and low stone walls, as well as at least one sniper nest on the roof of the only intact building nearby.

"Looks like a small army," Locke commented.

"Fun, " Jade smiled.

"We should approach this carefully," Locke began, "we need a-"

"a distraction," Syntari finished. Locke was surprised at the firm, commanding tone of her voice. It was like she was a different person than he had witnessed in the past. He did not know whether she would stay that way, and that made him wary.

"Distraction?" Locke asked.

"Yes. You distract them. We will disable the shield generator beyond them."

Locke looked at Jade, who just grinned at him. Running out in plain sight was a near suicidal mission, but he saw little choice. If he disagreed, he might have a fight with Jade on his hands. If that happened, he had no idea if Syntari would intervene.

"Ok, fine, but don't waste any time," Locke said.

Breathing deeply, he stood up. He thought of what Mirado had taught him about stealth and the Force. If he could hide long enough and appear at just the right moment, perhaps he could survive and distract the guards.

Focusing, Locke relaxed and let the Force flow into him. His mind drifted away for as moment; he was a Grimwaldi sponge in a gentle river, absorbing the current around him. Then, Locke slowly grasped at that current somehow, bending it around himself until he thought he was nearly invisible. It took intense, almost delicate concentration to maintain. It had taken Locke countless hours of practice to get this right in front of a mirror, and he had lost it many times before intending to. He hoped this would not be one of those times.

Stepping out from behind the group's cover, Locke moved out into the large ruined plaza in front of the fortifications. He looked around, noting a wall off to one side that he could probably make it to before getting shot. He would have stepped closer to that wall, but he had to make sure the soldiers saw him and enough pursued to give the others a chance to get by, or at least to thin the guard's numbers.

This is so going to get me killed, he thought.

"Hey you, " Locke shouted, dropping the veil. His voice echoed in the plaza. Everyone stopped and looked at him. There was a scramble for weapons. He dashed away, urging the Force to increase his speed.

Locke had just gotten behind the wall when he heard the E-Web's rounds hit the ground behind him. After it stopped, he could hear voices coming closer.

He hoped it was enough of a distraction.

JadeSadow

29-01-2014 23:12:59

Jade watched as Locke took off reluctantly. She could tell he wasn't too sure about her, and it made her smile. She wouldn't attack the Krath, but her words defiantly had an effect. It was like her own personal cat and mouse game...question is, now that the mouse ran away to make a distraction for the cat...could she trust he wouldn't come up with a plan to stab his saber into her back later, uneasy feelings taking over him? She had a feeling he wouldn't...at least not yet. But like her Master, she would keep her force senses open.

Syntari looked back at Locke as he took off, then to Jade. "Guess that means we get to have some fun."

"Ya, let's just hope Locke is the life of the party in this case." She nodded her luck to the Krath and motioned with her head for Syntari to follow her. They moved and ducked behind a piece of rubble. "Man, this place looks like some teenager had a party while his folks were away...and it got way out of hand!"

Syntari made a noise that sounded something like agreement along with slight amusement. "With Locke drawing fire, we should go in with a bit of space between us, that way if one of use gets caught up, the other can leap frog their way to the generator."

Jade thought it sounded similar to the game of chess, and both of them were simple pawns trying to make their way to the other end and reclaim their queen. "Sounds good..."She grinned and motioned with her hand, "after you."

Syntari shook her head, she should have seen that coming. The sounds of rounds hitting the ground resounded nearby she popped up from behind the rubble and took off towards the generator. It wasn't like the Daughter of Sadow had given her any reason to distrust her, but she hoped Jade would actually follow her.

Jade took a quick look around, extending out the dark tendrils of the force to feel her way along the ground as she jumped up and followed a few seconds behind Syntari. It was time to have some fun.

Sanarai Iridana

30-01-2014 23:55:55

Markosian City

Fun. That's cute. Syntari didn't know where this sudden sarcasm came from, but she didn't care; right now, considering the danger they were all in, anything was better than hallucinating. At least the Krayt dragons had gone, vanishing the moment she'd stepped foot into the city, and thank the Force for that one small miracle!
She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at her unwilling companion, knowing it would only incite an incident that could be avoided. Syntari had no desire to fight with the other Krath and Jade could more than likely beat her into the ground, besides. There was no point.

"Then why are you considering it?"

Cyril's voice floated unchecked through her head but the Bpfasshi ignored it, her focus firmly on the task at hand. She could see the generator just up ahead and she sent out a little warning to Jade with the Force before she paused to think. Hundreds if not thousands of possibilities floated through her mind and it was all she could do to isolate the ones best suited for the situation at hand.

Bah, too many, too many!

"Isolate the variable, Syn. Work it out."

There aren't a whole lot of soldiers around, so where are they?

"Closer."

It has to do with the generator.

"Good. The generator. That's the variable, little one. Now solve the equation."

The generator has been left too undefended. A frontal attack won't work.

"Good. So what's the answer?"

"We have to blow it up from here."