Just Another Milk Run

This thread will be used for the upcoming training Run-On, "Just Another Milk Run". As a training run-on, the purpose of this runon is to educate and encourage our younger members to develop their characters, interactions with their housemates, and their skills in run-on posting.

As such, this run-on is considered private; invited to participate in this run-on are:
Members of the Jade Serpents Battle Team
Members of HLK below the rank of Protector, with permission from Faeril
Tsingtao Ming, Aedile of Ludo Kressh
StarLion, BattleTeam Leader of Sapphire Squadron (StoryTeller)
Ashia Kagan Keibatsu, Quaestor of Ludo Kressh (in detached form).


The setting for this run-on is an area on the planet Loki. details about the planet are available on the Wiki here. Additional information, which may or may not be useful, is contained below.

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Guidelines for Roleplay
While for the most part you are free to do what you wish, keep the following "Do"s and "Don't"s in mind;

DO have fun. If you're not having fun, why are you here?
DO be creative. We like creativity, as long as it makes sense.
DO be part of the group. While having one or two people you like to post with is good, remember that we're working as a group here.
DO bring your character's own perspective to events. Your character may not see everything in the same light as ours.

DON'T insert thoughts/actions/feelings/ideas into other characters. You don't know their character, they don't know yours. If you want to include conversation/interaction between two or more people, either make short, single-speaker posts to move the conversation along, or contact the other person and discuss a longer discussion post. In an era where email and IM/IRC software is so common, it should not be difficult to come up with a complete conversation.
DON'T go off by yourself. This run-on isn't about you, and frankly SL doesn't have time to go chasing your character all over Loki.
DON'T disappear without telling anyone; if you're not going to participate anymore, let Faeril/Tsing/Ashia/SL know, so we're not waiting for your post. Keep in mind that if you choose to stop participating while your character is involved in something, we will need to NPC you briefly to get you to the point of 'background follower'.
DON'T exceed your character's reasonable limits. If you're a NOV, you wont be throwing Force Lightning all over the place, and no I don't care that your character was Vader's illegitimate son to a twi'lek prostitute. The only people with lightsabers are StarLion and Tsingtao. You do not have Sith Swords, or cortosis armor, etc etc etc. Again, the rule of common sense comes into play here.

If you're late arriving to the run-on, just assume your character has been following the group and participating helpfully. StarLion will have control of the NPC group for this run-on; unless otherwise specified, they are considered to be with him.

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Location Primer
(Information in this section generated as IC information. All characters may assume knowledge of this information, giving the source of their information the Brotherhood's databanks.)


Datafile #191502
Subject: Loki, Planet
Data:
Ice planet contained within the outer reaches of the Phare System.
Controlled by: Emperor's Hammer
Moons: 1 (Hodr)
Inhabitants: No Native, 1 Colony (<20,000 inhabitants, Hodr Icewell), 1 Shuttle Yard (10 inhabitants,
Notable Landmarks:
The Hail Cannon: Colonials name for the shuttle yard on Loki. This location is operated by the EH, and is the access point for Hodr.
Ruined remnants of House Marka Ragnos Cathedral: This ruin is slowly being reclaimed by Loki's elements, ice building on the rubble. Exploration delayed.
Hodrtill ("Hodr's Crater") - large depression 40km south of The Hail Cannon. It is believed that Hodr was originally formed from the ice removed from this location. The cause of which is unknown.

Access to Loki is restricted. Authorized supply ships are to land at The Hail Cannon to offload.
Loki's temperature conditions are classed as Hazardous to Human Life. Extreme-Cold weather gear recommended for travel.

Datafile #191503
Subject: Hodr, Moon
Data:
Ice moon surrounding the planet Loki. Colonials insist the name means "The Hail Stone".
Controlled by: Emperor's Hammer
Notable Landmarks:
The Frozen Halls: Colonials name for the settlement on Hodr Icewell. Settlement established as a support town for the Imperial Deep Space Sensor Station located here. Colonials consist of various races, both Imperial citizens and non-citizen servants.
Imperial Deep Space Sensor Station: Called "The Frozen Eye" by the colonials, this facility is a secured location. IDSSS staff only. Small contingent of stormtroopers maintain security.

Access to Hodr is restricted; all transit to and from the moon is done via Loki.
Hodr's temperature conditions are classed as Hazardous to Human Life. Extreme-Cold weather gear recommended for travel.

Quaestor's Office
Marakith Skyhook
Present Day

"This is very irregular, I know." Ashia was saying, sitting behind the
desk that always accompanied an office of position. She lent forwards,
lifting the datapad on the desk to look at the text there again. "But I
expect this to be a task your group is more than capable of."

Faeril frowned a bit. "They are trainees. And you want them to go
straight into Emperor's Hammer territory? I thought Loki hid a sensor
station." She looked incredulous.

"Hodr does." a third voice joined the conversation. Rather unmistakable
in it's deeper, rumbling tone. Faeril turned to face the hooded Priest
as he spoke. "Which is why I shall be accompanying you. I know Loki, and
Hodr, better than anyone. I can get us planetside." StarLion's tall
frame stepped closer. "The information we seek is in a book. It was left
in a depository on Loki when we... left. We will be retrieving
everything in the depository. Ensure your 'trainees' are prepared for
the cold." StarLion said, as ever keeping the hood of his robe down to
cover his eyes.

Faeril smirked and nodded. "I know... even milk freezes on Loki."

StarLion gave a short laugh, nodding to the Hunter. "Bring a few
weapons, too." decidedly not joking anymore.

"Make sure to be as quiet about this as possible. The less attention you draw, the better. I don't want to have to tell the summit that my Aedile and Battle Team Leaders, along with a handful of Journeymen are being held by the EH. Trevarus would never let me live that down. StarLion is in charge, Tsingtao, you and Fae are to ensure the Journeymen obey orders. This is not a game."

"Understood." Tsingtao nodded to his Quaestor.

"Ok, dismissed and good luck."

---

Loki Orbit
Emperor's Hammer Territory
VAC Despot

It didn't take long for the request to come in once the Despot dropped
out of hyperspace. Typical Imperial efficiency, really.

"VAC Hammerhead" the system controller began, proving that the Despot's
faked transponder was working appropriately. "This is Phare System
Control. Loki is off-limits under the quarantine of..."

StarLion cut him off. Dressed in his old Emperor's Hammer uniform, and
with the right lighting, StarLion would look almost identical to his
prior form. "PSC this is VAC Hammerhead. Military Override,
Bravo-Alpha-Delta-Whiskey-Omega-Lima-Foxtrot. Scientific exploratory
mission to the planet's surface."

Silence hung in the air, no doubt as the controllers passed the code
through their systems. StarLion knew the EH well... the code would still
be valid for this trip, plus the authentic uniform should be enough. A
shame the code would be used up, but this information would be worth it.

"Authorization confirmed. Good hunting, Fleet Admiral."

"Thank you PSC, we will." StarLion responded before cutting the
connection, and turned towards Tsingtao, and beyond him to the
established holo-image of Ashia. "It is done."

Ashia suppressed a snicker at the image of the Cathar. Tuffs of fur stuck out around the collar a bit as well as the sleeves which appeared a bit short for his lengthy arms.

"A little snug, is it?" The Quaestor teased as she watched her old friend run a finger around the collar.

"Well if you would stop feeding me tasty things, it would fit just fine." His deep voice growled at her playfully before turning to go change back into his comfortable robes, passing the Despot's commanding officer on the way. "Lieutenant, you have the coordinates..."

The lieutenant nodded. "Yes Commander. Planetfall in... 10 minutes."

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This is how i will be indicating OOC information during this run-on. I want to append a bit to my comments above - if you have questions, ASK. I respond to emails at a fairly quick pace (less than 8 hours), and am usually available through IRC as well. If i'm not around, ask Faeril, Tsing, or Ashia for advice.

You are now free to post an opening post or two. The group, minus Tsingtao (for the moment) and StarLion (who is changing) are together, likely to be discussing why they're there, where 'there' is, etc etc. Do not advance time beyond the 10 minute timeframe, as I am controlling the pace in that way. Remember, have fun!

Walking alone through the corridors of the battleship, Falling Light, his face covered by the black hood of his cloak, made his way to his sleeping quarters. Stopping suddenly as he passed by several of his fellow Serpents. They had been discussing why where we where and why we where there.


" Anyone have even the slightest idea" He piped up from the shadow's. " You should be paying more attention to your surroundings." Then before allowing them to reply he went on. " If you bother to use the force you'll recognise this planet as Loki." Then he frowned. " Though i am curious as to why we are being sent here."

At this Falling Light turned and head away from the small group and continued on his way to his qaurters. He frowned in concentration at this unusual action taken by the Team leader.

Relaxing her tired frame against the wall opposite one of the Despots windows, Naiia scrubbed the back of her hand across her eyes and yawned. Last night definitely had not been a good idea, now she was on a ship about to start a mission, her first mission in fact and she could barely keep her eyes open.

After giving her cheeks a slap she gathered her belongs scattered around the fall of the corridor and slipped her cloak back on, pulling her hood up she walked to the window and squished her face up against it, attempting to get glimpse of where they were headed. Loki, she'd heard of the planet before but she had never imagined herself heading for that cold hell hole.

Finally a smile began to play across her face, this was going to get interesting.

Faeril was still a bit contemplative by the sudden mission, but she felt that her Battleteam was up for the challenge. They had been training hard, and she felt confident that they would do well in this assignment.

Besides, she found some of the best training was being thrown in the thick of things and this would definitely give them that opportunity. It would be good for them. Hopefully, it would be a fairly routine mission, but those type never did suit her.

As StarLion passed by her on his way to change out of his Emperor's Hammer uniform, she tried to suppress a smirk, but failed. "Well played, Commander! I doubt they noticed a thing."

Grinning to herself, she walked to one of the windows and noticed Hodr, Loki's moon, in the distance. After looking at the view for a few moments, she turned back towards the Jade Serpents, and took on a more serious air.

"If you have any questions or thoughts, now would be the time to express them."

As she waited for someone to speak up, she nonchalantly eyed them one by one observing their movements and gestures. You could tell a lot by one's body language, that is of course, unless one was good at hiding things. She knew her sister was pretty skilled in that area, but she had learned to easily read through her even when she put on her best display.

(Well... I was hoping for a bit of a better turnout, but we can run with what we have. If you want to participate and havent joined us at this point, your entry point should be fairly obvious after this post.)

As the members of Ludo Kressh milled about and discussed things amongst themselves, StarLion's voice came in over the comm system.

"Command Staff, briefing in the briefing room now. Command Staff only." the signal was cut off. It sounded like a normal message one would hear on a starship. Of course, on a DSOG ship, "Command Staff" translated to "Dark Jedi".

StarLion himself emerged from his cabin, having made his announcement. He was out of that uniform now, finally back into his loose robes... one of the few people that wouldn't be dressed for severe cold weather. He glanced around the hallway, expecting to see several figures heading in the same direction as him.

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As he stood in front of the gathered Dark Jedi, plus the ship's captain, StarLion's unseeing gaze swept across each person in turn, reading and analyzing. "Ladies and Gentlemen. As many of you are aware, we are currently descending to the surface of the planet Loki. It is an EH planet, but we anticipate no encounters. We will be away from the only civilization on the planet."

He paused here, and turned his focus more specifically towards the Despot's captain. "Lieutenant, this mission is to be silent. That means no communications, and no engaging of the enemy unless engaged first. The Despot will remain on the planet's surface to avoid drawing attention to itself."

The lieutenant nodded. "We'll be as quiet as a dormouse, Commander."

StarLion nodded. "Good." he turned back to the other Dark Jedi. "If you can't stand sub-freezing conditions, you will need deep-cold survival gear. Loki's weather can be summed up as Cold. Permanently cold, and I will not be held responsible for you turning into an icicle because you ignored my warning. Our primary job here is to remove all of our belongings from a cache left hidden on the planet from the days before the Exodus. Though I'm sure it goes without saying, these items are considered top-secret, property of the Clan. You are not to go playing around with, or reading anything inside." Stepping back from the podium a little bit, he swept the room again with his head. "Now, does anyone have any questions? If not, you have 4 minutes to be ready and in the hanger."

(NOTE: I will be stepping up the pace a bit from here on out... if you miss a post, just keep up

As I sit in the shadows of the battleship's engine room, I notice activity around the hallways of the ship. Curiosity always has gotten the best of me, and perhaps my strong enjoyment of spying comes from this attribute. I sit watching from a crack in the wall, commanders getting ready for some type of mission. From the other side of the engine room, a window that leads out into space reveals a cold world, almost completely covered in ice. A dead world that seems harsh to any life.

I know that without me, this mission could fail. The cold icy grasp of death seems to be in easy reach in the tundra below. I hate adventure, I hate struggling, but unfortunately my necessity on this mission is more apparent than one may see.

Life is insignificant. These bodies on this ship pose no value to me. However, if they die below, I will be alone to pilot a huge starship. An activity no individual would be able to succeed in unless they were all powerful with the force. Since my own survival is at stake, I will help my fellow dark travelers live to see another day. Cold harsh conditions are my specialty since I have lived in such conditions for many years. The brutal harsh landscape is no match for the warmth of the dark side.

I shall board secretly and carve out a seat away from the other passengers. In an existential universe, social communication is irrelevant. I shall keep my distance in the mission, and only help when someone is in peril. May the force be with me.

Stifling yet another yawn Naiia listened carefully to the orders given by her Commander. She was almost curious to know what items they would be retrieving, also almost curious to know how they had been left behind on a planet like Loki. But she had had to learn the hard way a long time ago some things were better left unknown.

Feeling another yawn coming on she looked around to see if any one had any questions and spotted her sister watching her closely, grinning at her impishly before spinning round and slipping off to collect her gear. Thanking her lucky stars she had remembered her cold weather gear, forgetting would have been to embarrassing for her to bear.

--

Having collected every thing she would need, and double checking she had everything, she headed off towards the hanger. At least the effects of lack of sleep was beginning to wear off, finally.

"Now, does anyone have any questions? If not, you have 4 minutes to be ready and in the hanger." StarLion had said. Joseem looked at the others that had gathered. He felt their Force presence like a cold dagger. Closing his eyes, he reached out along the passageways, feeling for the lifeforms aboard the ship.

Joseem opened his eyes and smiled. He now knew the fastest way to his cabin in "Officer's Country" where he would pick up some cold weather clothing. He didn't need much. Being a Zabrak, Joseem could weather most extremes without much of a fuss. The Jedi Hunter headed off towards his stateroom.

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Joseem, now garbed in white with a D-SOG patch on his left arm, entered the hanger at three minutes and thirty seconds. Letting the Force flow through him once again, he noticed someone trying to hide their presence. They were a small spot within the Force, but they were there nonetheless. Sloghing it off, Joseem continued his preperations while he was in the hanger.

Macron stared at the readout. His fingers danced over the interface. “Query? Situation verification,” the text rolled out. “Verify orders.” Macron smiled.

“Status normal, all standard procedures apply. Orders verified, DSOG operative 4856,” was the machine response. “Marshal Commander and Flight Leader Macron 4856 Sadow is hereby ordered to comply with deployment under command of StarLion.”

“I’ll be a bantha’s uncle,” he chuckled as he grabbed his gear. “The opportunity to venture to a cold planet- with no darthdamned bugs,” he mumbled to himself. “Gods. It’s always those damn jungle or forest planets, teeming with disgusting vermin and insignificant life forms. Maybe not this time,” he smirked. “Freakin awesome.”

The Sith slunk to the hangar, attempting to cloak his presence from the assembled team. Joseem looked at him pointedly and gestured toward the assembly point. Just then, the familiar voice of his apprentice spoke from nearby.

“I have all of my gear squared away,” smiled Naiia. “Hello Master.”

Macron looked sheepish. “Umm. Hi!” The alchemist giggled. Most of their training had taken place in secret, usually aboard the Miner’s Brother or some other out of the way locale. This would be the first mission that they had taken together. “Hmm. Looks good. You ready?” he asked with a grunt as he hefted his rucksack. "I think Falling Light will be joining us as well."

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OOC: Can I play?