[IC] Star Wars: Kalrus

[Hotshot]

STAR WARS

KALRUS

It is a new age in the Galaxy. The Galactic Empire,
once the star-spanning, autocratic ruler of countless
planets, has been supplanted by the New Republic
as the dominant power in the Galaxy. The Jedi Order
has arisen from the ashes under the guidance of
Luke Skywalker. Yet in the distant corners of the galaxy,
war still rages.

The Kalrus Sector is home to a complex political
system of independent planets, corporate interests,
and criminal activities. At the same time, it serves as
yet another front line for the still-raging Galactic Civil
War between the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant.

In this complicated time and place, there are stories
of heroism, of villainy, of intrigue and backstabbing,
of profit and loss, and of fates shaping and shaped by
the Kalrus Sector.

((All GM actions taken by myself will be done in double parentheses, as such. Likewise, all requests of the GM will be done in double parentheses.))

((For each character's opening post, ensure to include your starting planet. Whenever you move planets, ensure that you put your intentions clearly in your post. This way, I can help facilitate NPCs and plots for your characters. Any requests of the GM will also be used to help identify plots desired and move things along.))

((After your first post on a planet, I will make a short GM post which will inform you of the various factions on that planet, accompanied by a brief blurb about them, as well as major locations, and possible leads on plots. Plot leads can be introduced either through environmental sources, such as news broadcasts or conversations on the street, or through direct interaction with my NPCs.))

[Sep]

Samson looked at the list of equipment in the fleet. One Venator his current flagship, two Imperial IIs, three Imperial Is and various escort ships. Each of them had managed to remain fully stocked with crew and arms. However it still wasn't much of a fleet all in all or much of a fighting force. However his intention was one sector at a time and this one would be his by the end of the year, and then after that it wouldn't be long until he could move on and slowly he would build a power base with all the true Imperials and not just the corporate lackeys and such. Currently they were within deep space between systems, they were close to begin going after systems however right now they weren't a target of the New Republic and he had enough influence over the Remnant to keep under their radar for now.

He turned to his XO, Commander Tyerlon. "Commander, I would like a status update on the nearby systems on our current recon scouts?"

((This gives you a chance to post up the status on any un-affiliated planets that you think may be a target for me or other people.))

[Hotshot]

((For Sep))

Commander Tyerlon nodded and held up his datapad in order to read off of it. "Sir, there are several planets which have not openly declared with either side in the War," said Tyerlon. "The ones we have the most information on are Colisore, Corelda, Danpidor, Gamaloth, and Mandelyk. Off the bat, sir, I'd say Gamaloth is out; it's ruled by the Hutts, and they have connections and people to call on throughout this Sector, so their exact strength is very difficult to measure. The same goes for Danpidor. It's run by corporate interests, but again they have strong connections throughout the Sector. Corelda and Mandelyk are a bit more isolated, but they still have a lot of punch, especially Corelda; Blackstar operates there and has heavy interest on that planet. I'd suggest Colisore, sir. They recently rebelled, have a revolutionary government set up, and refuse to align with anyone at the moment. There is a sense of controlled chaos there."

[Fat Boy Kyle]

Okuda – Corelda
Okuda weaved his way through the darkened maze of corridors in the palace, passing soldiers and various weapon and equipment caches as he did so. He held his helmet under his right arm as he walked, not so concerned about comfort as much as security checks; with his helmet off he was recognisable and didn’t have to worry about being stopped. There was something about this palace and the way the military had kept it like a base that made him feel oddly at home and comfortable.

Three men stood by the door to the interrogation room, one Coreldan solider and two Blackstar mercenaries. “Don’t get me wrong I’m on the right side and all, but torturing and stuff? I don’t like this. I don’t think it’s necessary and it’ll just make people hate us.” said one of the mercenaries gesturing to the uniforms that both he and his colleague wore and the soldiers. The three of them didn’t notice Okuda until he was close, and they became quiet under his cold glare. Okuda heard the conversation and whilst he agreed such measures summoned hatred, he had no moral obligation… after all ‘information gathering’ was what he was here to do.

Stepping inside of the bleak room Okuda found a man tied to a chair beside some vicious equipment, and two masked men waiting beside the door. The room had been completely gutted from a bedroom or whatever it was, into this cold and unsettling cell. The young man tied to the chair was no older than twenty and dressed in what was once fine attire. His name was Gavine and although their intel couldn’t say whose son he was, he was clearly the son of someone important to the royal sympathisers and he seemed to be mildly force sensitive. Okuda placed his helmet in the hand of one of the masked guards; unlike them, his own cold pale face was adequately intimidating.

“Two common mistakes that most make in these interrogations is that they begin resorting to torture even before they’ve began asking questions, and that when they do begin the torture they aim for areas like the face or genitals immediately instead of working their way there; silly really as the prisoner is then either in too much pain or terror to answer correctly, or if they’re strong enough they will simply not answer out of spite of their punishment.” Okuda stated as he continuously looked into Gavine’s eyes. He remained silent for a few moments to allow his words to sink in before continuing, “Your friends are outnumbered, outgunned, and even lack support. We both know that it’s only a matter of time before they’re rooted out, and there will be many causalities on both sides I’m sure. Tell me what you can and lives can be spared. We can adjust our battle plans in such a way that we can afford to capture rather than kill, or if the information is good enough we may even be able to have your friends surrender without any blood being spilt. So please, what can you tell me?”

[Hotshot]

((For Fat Boy Kyle))

Gavine looked into the eyes of this man who was standing over him, and felt completely helpless. Yet he would not give in. "Nothing," said Gavine defiantly, though his voice came out a little weaker and a little softer than he intended it to. "You are just a bunch of corporate thugs, with loyalty only to credits. But there are some of us who are loyal to higher ideals, like honor, and duty, and family, and friends."

[Fat Boy Kyle]

Okuda - Corelda
Okuda rolled his eyes at Gavine’s words. “Ideals blind you. Honour makes you vulnerable to those without it. Duty gets you tied to a chair. And your family and friends, and all records that they even existed will be but ashes in the wind if you don't co-operate.” Okuda retorted as he picked up a scalpel and with two small slashes made a small X on the upside of Gavine’s hand. “If you want to believe in something, believe in consistency. Believe that everything I’m forced to do to you I will repeat on those you love. Just tell me where they are at the very least.”

((Hotshot do your thang. Sorry if this conversation turns into a series of small posts :S ))

[TheGodfather]

Maveri-Corelda

Maveri sat in his office, overlooking the compound. Hundreds of miles away from the city, his Cartel was free to go and go as they pleased, shipping off cargo far and wide without intrusion. "Its not enough" he thought to himself. Maveri had the money, the influence, he had worked for years to crawl to the top. But he felt a strong displacement. It was the force, it grew more impatient, years had been spent with barely any contact with other force users and it was making him weak. Maveri thought back to legends of the old empire, both Jedi and Sith had long ago moved in groups, tens or hundreds of apprentices following one master. The way Maveri saw it, as he looked toward the horizon; he was standing at the very edge, the beginning of a new dawn for many, he would build up his cartel, he would build up his cult.
As he smirked at this revelation, a cough came from behind him. Maveri turned to see his loyal human Vice President, Earlish Greyson. "My lord, we have some news" he spoke with a content smile.

[Hotshot]

((For Fat Boy Kyle))

Gavine winced in pain as his torturer cut a small X into his hand, but did not cry out, instead gritting his teeth through the pain. "If you are going to torture my family and friends, why in the galaxy would I tell you where they are?" asked Gavine. He looked at the man and asked, "Why are you even doing this? What do you care about on this planet? Get out of here and let us handle our own lives."

[Sep]

Samson shook his head. "Colisore isn't on the table until we have seized some other assets and managed to gain a foothold. If we try and take it we'll just have an uprising on our hands. We do have enough assets to hold it but we won't have the forces to move out and take other systems and if we come under attacks we will be assaulted on all sides. No, it won't be easily turned to us through battle or through political means. Blackstar presents us with an opportunity though. They have overthrown the Empire due to their royal leadership whereas we have a different style, leadership through skill. We should be able to try and, offer them in order for assistance. Alternatively there are always corporate aspects to exploit whenever you have someone who is bigheaded and corrupt. I know it is somewhat ironic when I speak of corruption when that would mean we take control to subvert and replace the current administration however there are other options. Ready the fleet, I'll take a full report on our strength in my quarters in ten minutes." He gave his XO a salute before walking out, and walking out of the room and towards his quarters. He had several ideas however they would require some more work before he went about doing them, he had contacts within the Remnant but his time to use them to bring down the Remnant in this sector wasn't right.

What he had to do right now was he had to ensure that they were ready. Once he began moving on planets opposition would start to form. What he really needed was the Force but that wasn't going to happen, if only he had someone with the Force he could use... he did have a detector from the times when Jedi were hunted however there were many variables to consider, to ensure that whoever it was would not just take over as soon as he was trained.

[Nortrom]

Trandoin (9:00 AM)

Nortrom wore his robe and picked up his lightsaber before exiting his room. He moved towards the compound's exit, passing through soldiers and officers. Outside, two soldiers were waiting for him besides a car. Nortrom entered the vehicle, which left him outside another military compound, which was much smaller than the previous one. In it's center there was the intelligence agency, a distinctively tall windowless building. He moved through the base and entered the building to meet with the intelligence officer, whose office was located at the uppermost floors. He was informed that there was proof an intelligence operation conducted in Trandoin by the Imperials. Apparently, the agency was close at uncovering some of the spies but still needed help from outside. Although not a Jedi Investigator, Nortrom's help was requested as he was one of the few Jedi on the planet.

Nortrom entered the office. In it's center a man was sitting in a desk.

((Hotshot, you are said man who will give orders/information to my character))

[TheGodfather]

Maveri and Earlish walked along the far reaching prominard that was the compounds outer wall, they had done this same ritual once a week for the last five years, ever since the compound was built. Before that, they would discuss business in hushed tones whilst on the streets of Corelda`s Capital. They had been friends and business partners for almost two decades.

Earlish Greyson was an old, weak looking man, whom always sported military grade armor below robes of the finest purple fabric. Simply by stature and size, he was the type who you would think could easily be blown away by a passing breeze. Maveri, however, knew this to be a false judgement, Earlish was by far one of the most accomplished killers in this whole galaxy; he had worked for the imperials as an agent for decades then turned his hand to bounty hunting, which is where he first met Maveri, a young man, lost in the world, desperate for money and eager for guidance. Now Earlish had settled for what he considered a "desk-job" working as VP for the Vilka Cartel, Maveri sensed he had mixed feelings about the position, he was happy to help an old friend and the money was good, but Earlish was a man of action and he often found himself becoming restless.

"Its the Junna Cartel, their starting to expand into arms dealing" Earlish remarked with the same disapproving tone. Maveri frowned at this news, arms dealing had been Vilka territory for years, they had plenty to trade;fabrics, spices, drugs. They had crossed over into a place they did not belong. "So Maveri, what are we going to do about it?" Earlish smirked, he knew Maveri only to well. "I suppose the only thing we can do is pay Groga Junna a visit." Maveri laughed tapping his fingers against his lightsaber.

Armed with a troop of twenty men, Maveri and Earlish took a convoy of armoured grav-cars to the Junna compound, it was large and bounteous, sporting fine fountains and coloured banners, much like the Vilka estate. The only problem is that Maveri had visited the Junna compound only last month and found it to be far more rustic and withered. Gorga Junna had recently come into money, that angered him greatly.

They were greeted by a sniveling Rattataki servant whom begged them not to enter the main hall, as Junna was hosting a celebratory banquet "What and were not invited, do you hear that Mister Greyson, were not welcome!" Maveri joked as he and his men marched up the entrance stair. "Why i never, after all we`ve done for Groga, i feel very hurt, i may cry!" Laughed Earlish, readying his blaster as several troops seized open the large golden doors.

As the doors opened, a magnificent hall, full of precious metal ornaments and encrusted jewels dazzled the intruders. Hundreds of faces filled the room, from the wealthy businessmen, to the ruthless killers of the underworld. Everyone had gathered to celebrate and at the very center, between two humongous Herglic bodyguards, sat a Bith on a throne of gold and silk, Groga Junna.

"What a party! Thanks for the invite Groga." Mocked Maveri as he approached.

((Feel free to be Groga))

[Fat Boy Kyle]

“You’re going to tell me because so far you’ve only earned them a couple of small scratches on their hand. And you won’t like what comes next.” Okuda mused as he caught a glance at Gavine’s necklace. Okuda lightly grabbed the pendant for further examination, revealing a small metal egg encrusted with very fine jewels. “I think I’ll keep hold of this for you. Wouldn’t want it getting damaged now would we?” asked Okuda as he yanked the necklace off.

At that moment, as scheduled, Okuda’s wrist communicator bleeped to signal he had received a message. It contained nothing important, just a general update regarding his squads status. However from the way Okuda let out a smug smirk and from the way he then looked at Gavine, it would have appeared to much more important. “Now might be the last chance to save your friends” laughed Okuda.

EDIT: ((Do your thang))

[Hotshot]

((For Sep))

"As you wish, sir," said Tyerlon. "I will prepare the report and meet you in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, Tyerlon was at the Admiral's quarters, and knocked curtly on the door. The Admiral told him to enter and he did so, walking to the center of the room and holding his datapad behind his back. "Sir, the Venator is currently at ninety-seven percent on all systems, which is very good. The two Imperial-II class Star Destroyers sit at seventy-six and eighty-one, respectively; still full combat-ready, sir, as most of the deficiencies are in non-essential systems, but the parts are harder and harder to come by. The Republic and the Remnant have a virtual monopoly on parts for those ships. The Imperial I's are in a similar state, at seventy-nine, eighty-six, and seventy-seven, again, mostly non-essential deficiencies. As for the escort ships, the four Lancers are all at operational status in the nineties, the two Nebulon-Bs are near one hundred, and the five Bayonets are likewise near a hundred percent."

---

((For Nortrom))

"Jedi Nortrom, welcome," said the man seated at the desk. He wore a tan New Republic military officer's uniform, and had graying black hair with piercing blue eyes. "I have requested your assistance in this matter because, as I'm sure you can imagine, Jedi can sense and see things that many others cannot. I am Colonel Elkin, the head of New Republic Intelligence in this Sector. I won't waste your time or mine, because time is short, so I will tell you this: Imperial Intelligence is operating here. This is very disturbing because Trandoin is a fortress world; no one is supposed to be able to get in or out without us knowing. We are, as of yet, unsure as to what their purpose is and what information specifically they are trying to uncover, but we have three leads which you can pursue, if you wish. The first is a small cave complex to the north, about two hundred kilometers from here. There is no record of any Imperial facilities there from when the Empire occupied this world, but there are faint energy readings coming from it; it may be an Imperial listening post. The second lead is a man named Wron Jesgoh. He obstinately works as a cafe owner downtown in the civilian district, but we have reason to believe he may be operating as an Imperial informant due to his contacts and his presence at odd places at odd times. The third lead is a man named Jsarl Frei. This one is a bit sensitive because is a contractor with some high-ranking contacts in the Republic. You can find him in his office downtown."

---

((For Fat Boy Kyle))

Gavine saw the look in his torturer's eyes when he received his message, and the look inspired panic in Gavine when he heard the words, “Now might be the last chance to save your friends." In that moment, Gavine forgot about loyalty and duty to the crown and to anything else, and thought that maybe loyalty meant keeping safe those whom you loved. "The mountains!" blurted out Gavine. "The mountains! I don't know where exactly, they move around, but please don't hurt them if you find them!"

---

((For theGodfather))

Groga Junna, stood, the Bith equivalent of a smile fading from his face as the intruders entered his magnificent banquet hall. His guests fell silent at the sight of the armed men who now approached. With a wave of his hand, two dozen guards drew their weapons and pointed them at Vilka and his men. "So nice of you to come," said Groga sarcastically. "Welcome to my fine estate. I'm sure it looks quite different from the last time you were here." The guards on both sides were tense, their hands gripping their weapons tightly and ready for any wrong twitch from the other side.

[Fat Boy Kyle]

Okuda smiled at the revelation, “Thank you Gavine. That is all I needed to know”. Okuda stepped over to the guard and retrieved his helmet, but as he did so whispered in the guard’s ear, “See what else you can find out. If nothing else make it painful and loud; I want the squeamish men outside to hear.”

Stepping through the door Okuda turned back to Gavine and purposefully held up his pendant, “When the last of your loved ones are face down in the mud with military boots on their necks, I’ll ensure the last thing they hear is that it was you who betrayed them”. With a sinister he closed the door, and as he did heard a scream of anger or sadness – of which he couldn’t be sure. Okuda strolled past the three men who were alerted by the sound and smirked. Okuda began heading for the barracks to find his squad. He would end this particular rebel group today and he would be all the more popular with his superiors (and the Coreldan military) for doing so.

[Assallya]

Gamaloth, ever a hive of scum and villainy, was draped in eternal shadow. It was a green world, perpetually overcast skies concealed much of the sunlight and the swampy canopy captured the rest. Only the rarest patches were untouched by the mosses and fungi that caressed the earth like a blanket. The landing pads for the vessels visiting Gamaloth were surrounded by flame spewing droids that worked ceaselessly, night and day, to keep the encroaching growth at bay. It was the perfect world for a Hutt, damp and dark. It was for this reason alone, more than the comfort it provided that pleased the one known as Palto the Hutt. It was the desire other Hutts had for the planet that pleased him most, almost as much as the lesser Hutts that came to him, begging for permission to spend time amongst the mildew and gloom.

Aala stretched out along the edge of the fountain, merely one of a half dozen women that called Palto's palace home. They were adornments for their Hutt masters and gifts for those they chose to bequeath them onto for the evening. Aala's finger trailed through the gentle ripples of the pool and was soon joined by one of her lekku, the tentacles that descended from the back of her skull. She lay, admiring her reflection in the water, the smooth green skin.

Soon she would be free. That was what she told herself. In time she would learn something of extreme value, something so important that she could trade it for her freedom. However, first she was going to have to figure out the best way to get herself to be Hutt's favorite.

[Galgarion]

Furcht - Corelda

Furcht checked his time piece for what had to be the 200th time, he couldn't believe it, the LT wanted to see him. He stood up, adjusting his uniform in the mirror. After months of work and finally rising through the ranks, this had to be his first assignment as team leader, it had to be. After giving himself one last look over, he strapped on his freshly cleaned and polished blasters and headed towards the officers area.

He stopped outside his lieutenants office and set his shoulders squarely before knocking quietly on the door.

"Enter."

Furcht opened the door into an extremely well organized office where there was a middle aged human sitting behind the desk looking at him patiently. Furcht shut the door behind him and stood at attention "You wanted to see me sir?".

((Feel free to take it away from here))

[Hotshot]

((For Galgarion))

"Yes, please, relax, Corporal," said Lieutenant Selzarer. "Congratulations on the promotion, by the way. Anyways, seeing as you have the rank, and now a team, now comes the first responsibility. There's a convoy that is going to leave Corelda City heading for Fort Kerak, out near the mountains to the west; it has a shipment of unmanned ground sensors that the Fort commander out there wants to emplace in the mountains to try to track anyone moving through the area. It's a fairly basic mission, and you shouldn't run into any problems, but the Coreldan military asked for some support from Blackstar, and," the Lieutenant smiled as he held his hands out and spread them out, "we are always ready to oblige." Selzarer handed a datapad across the desk to Furcht and said, "If you have no questions, Corporal, you're dismissed. Go get your team ready."

[Nortrom]

Nortrom was pleased to hear that the agency already had some progress. His first thought was to start his research from the suspected individuals, Wron Jesgoh and Jsarl Frei. But he felt that something important could be hidden inside the cave complex. He didn't know if this was a simple hunch or the force trying to tell him something. In most occasions the difference between the two was crystal clear but not this time.

"Very well, I'll pick it up from here."

Nortrom didn't explain in detail what he'd do. He requested a vehicle before leaving the agency and headed towards the cave complex. After all, there had to be something in there. The readings couldn't be wrong.

During his journey, Nortrom noticed how empty and inhospitable the planet was. He also noticed craters, damaged rocks and black piles of metal throughout his journey. Proof that the Empire was very busy on Trandoin. The huge cave complex was visible from afar and Nortrom could clearly see it from a mile away. It looked like an ideal place for conducting espionage, as it was very isolated.

Nortrom parked the vehicle outside a cave's mouth and prepared himself for the worst. There could be a whole team of spies inside it, ready to face a possible threat.. He detached the lightsaber from his robe without activating it and slowly entered inside the cave. He looked for traps but didn't find any. He descended deeper while carefully scanning his surroundings. There wasn't any indication that someone was there. He kept looking.

((Hotshot, you decide the contents of the caves.))

[TheGodfather]

Maveri let out a deep laugh "How sweet, a welcome party!" Before another word was spoken by either side Maveri raised his hand, signing to his men. Instantly several smoke grenades were thrown forward, swiftly followed by the blaster fire from both sides. Unlike the enemy, his men had the sense to kneel and avoid the line of fire, as a result he heard at least four bodies fall within the smoke. Maveri stood in the centre of his group deflecting a great deal of the blasts, twice making contact with shots he sent back. As the smoke cleared he smiled, before him lay ten men, but their was still more to take out.
Jumping high in the air Maveri landing as he lunged his lightsaber into a guards chest, only to rip it out and slash another in the arm. "Watch out for the big fellas!" Earlish yelled, as he blasted a couple of oncoming guards with expert precision. Maveri had just realized that Earlish was referring to the Herglic behemoths, seconds before one started charging toward him. Sliding along the marble floor, Maveri held his lightsaber steady, slicing straight through the Herglics underbelly. Needless to say the huge bodyguard cried in pain before collapsing to his death.
As he stood, he watched the second Herglic lift the cowardly Bith, beginning to carry the Cartel boss out of the hall. Instinctively Maveri threw his lightsaber toward the retreating duo, catching the legs of the Herglic, whom collapsed on his master. Strolling toward Groga he knelt and looked his adversary in the eye "It would appear your rather stuck...lets talk."
((Do your stuff, he`s stuck underneath the Herglic at the minute))

[Hotshot]

((For theGodfather))

"You've made a huge mistake, Vilka!" spat Groga. "You really don't know who you're messing with. Palto will hear about this. You can't just come barging in and shooting up someone connected with the Hutts, or do you really think yourself that invincible?!"

---

((For Nortrom))

The cave complex in which Nortrom found himself grew ever darker the further he advanced inside. However, the cave appears to end after some distance. It simply dead ends, with no sign of an electrical source.