[IC] A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

[Lord Greshh]

Vette

“The Sith caught me sneaking around one of their tomb on Korriban. Naga something. I don’t know. But before they caught me, I stumbled across this secret passage that nobody else knew about. So, this fat Darth decided to keep me alive so I could show his apprentice the passage. That’s where Salazar came in.” I lean back in my seat, putting my hands behind my head. “You know, he’s a tough guy and a murderer, but he’s only a brute when he needs to be. They fitted me with a shock collar to keep me in line, and most of the Sith that came by my cell would just press the button for fun. But Sal never buzzed me once. Oh, he threatened to do it every chance he got, but he never actually did it. After the Korriban job, Salazar’s master gave me to him as a ‘gift’. To any other Sith, that would have been a green light for all sorts of horrible stuff. But Sal... Its like he found the very idea offensive. I guess he felt like random cruelty was beneath him. But, of course, it took me a little while to figure that out. I’d be lying if I said I liked him from the moment I saw him.”

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"So they kept you cause in their eyes, you were useful. Gonna be honest, I know a few people who would have rather died."

[Lord Greshh]

Vette

"Well... I was used to being a captive. I'm guessing your line of work brings you to a lot of Hutt Palaces and seedy gangster holes, so you've more than likely seen a fair share of Twi'leks in chains. There is a reason for that. On the Twi'lek homeworld, Ryloth, slavery is not only permitted, but encouraged by the ruling government. In fact, that's how Twi'leks first discovered space travel; not in the pilot's seat, but in the cargo hold. I was no different. I spent my childhood as a slave until I escaped and joined a Pirate Syndicate. then after that fell through, I joined a group of Twi'lek artifact hunters, reclaiming the lost relics of Ryloth spread across the galaxy. It was one of those jobs, a set up actually, that landed us on Korriban and got me captured. So, like I said, all families kinda seem to fall apart eventually. First my own when I was separated from my mom and sister, then Nok's pirate crew dissolved, then my friends got screwed over by greedy gangsters and I was landed in a slave pen again... and then came Sal."

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"Well, at least your life improved. As I'm sure you're aware, most Twi'lek slaves don't ever get out. Can't say I know if they try either, though." I sigh. "Still, what happened with the Korriban thing wasn't your fault. Gangsters are, for all intents and purposes, assholes."

[Lord Greshh]

Vette

I laugh at that. "You can say that again. My favorite missions back in the day were the ones were we got to cut a gangster or two down to size. I remember this one time on Nar Shaddaa..." The navicomupter peeps, indicating we are about to come out of hyperspace. "Oop. Looks like it's time to get our game faces on." I open the ship's intercomm. "We're about to arrive, Salazar. Better strap in."

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

I start setting up for the landing approach as the countdown for exiting ticks down next to me. "Going to be landing at one of the old Imperial landing pads. Odds are Sucal's got his loyalists guarding the Republic ones."

[Lord Greshh]

Vette

“You think Sucal still has Republic supporters? I figured most of them ditched him after he publicly outed himself as a Sith Lord.”

Salazar Greshh

I walk in and take a seat back in the navigation chair. “Republic or his own little cult, it doesn’t matter. They are likely to set up in familiar territory, and in this case, that is the old Republic basecamp.” As we come out of hyperspace, we can immediately see a very old looking capital ship orbiting the planet. Shuttles fly to and from its underside hanger.

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

Hitting a series of buttons and flipping a switch faster than either Salazar or Vette can follow, the Shadow Stalker fades from visual view as the cloaking tech kicks in. "So glad I invested in that guy's inventions."

[Lord Greshh]

Salazar Greshh

I nod in approval as the ship cloaks itself. "Impressive. Most impressive." I look out at the antique ship in orbit over Belsavis. "I don't recognize that ship design. It looks several centuries out of date."

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"That's because it is. That's...Jedi Civil War era at the very least." A moment of inspection and double checking some records I had in hand pushed me back a little further. "Nope, little older, Mandalorian Wars. Which means it's from the Malachor system."

[Lord Greshh]

Salazar Greshh

"Probably a relic Trayus dug up from the starship graveyard. I'm surprised it's still functional." I lean closer to the viewport. "So, he definitely has a presence here. But what's he up to, I wonder."

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

I set course for the nearest Imperial landing point. "We'll find out faster on the ground. Tracking that flow of traffic won't be hard."

[Lord Greshh]

Vette

As the Shadow Stalker flies stealthily down towards the planet, avoiding the ancient ship, I watch our sensors. “So far, so good. Luckily, ships this small aren’t expected to have cloaking devices, so they aren’t on the lookout for us.”

Salazar Greshh

“But cloaks like this take a lot of power to maintain. We won’t have shields or weapon functions until the cloak drops.”

Vette

“Well then it’s a good thing the point of a cloak is to avoid a fight. We don’t need shields or weapons if they don’t spot us.” We fly down towards the abandoned Imperial base. Since the war, much of the area seems to have been retaken by the land. Much of the buildings and machinery is layered in ice and snow, and a few of the local animals roam nearby. But, as the ship comes close, most of them scatter and run away.

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"If this were designed by any one other than the genius I payed, I'd be inclined to agree on no weapons, but I can fire concussive missiles and weakened cannon fire while the cloak is active." I chuckle as I set down on the old landing pad, the only thing still mostly free of Belsavis's nature. "But still, the cloaking is to avoid a fight."

[Lord Greshh]

Salazar Greshh

"We've made it to the surface safely. Hopefully when the time comes, we can make our escape just as smooth. But, while we are here, where shall we begin our search? If memory serves, we are in the Minimum Security Ward. Most of the really terrible artifacts and abominations came out of the Deep Prison, beyond Maximum Security."

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"Pity the old speeder network is down. Would make getting there a lot quicker. Oh, and I vote for the Deep Prison. Neither Trayus or Kreia would be interested in anything less."

[Lord Greshh]

Vette

"I might be able to hot wire one or two of the old speeders to run. That or..." I look at Salazar. "You don't think any of those weird teleporters is around, do you?"

Salazar Greshh

I shutter. "I never liked using those. Always made me afraid I'd come out on the other side a scrambled mess."

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"Well, time isn't exactly on our side unfortunately. If the teleporters are still working and are faster, we should use them."

[Lord Greshh]

Salazar Greshh

We continue to talk as we disembark from the ship. "Alright, but it's ancient technology. I don't recall there being a simple means to control where the teleporter takes you. It could either bring us to the heart of the prison or as far away as possible."

[Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"I thought these things were paired." I draw my blasters as we clear the ramp and it raises before the cloak reactivates. "At least, that's what Ryder told me about the ones leading to the Republic's holdings."