A tall man dressed in dark brown robes stood watch over his ship as an array of crewmen worked to fix it. The Dark Jedi scratched his short black hair as he patiently stood vigilant.
The Tie Advanced had been returned in terrible shape, it looked as if it had survived a solar storm. "It could have been worse..." The man mused as he crossed his arms over his chest comfortably.

His silent observation was interrupted as a man in a gray work uniform came up to him. "Sir, we completed repairs on your craft. She will be ready to go with stock conditions."
LoneWolf raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Stock conditions? Mind clarifying what you mean?"
The man with wheat colored hair and a ridiculous cap stuttered then collected himself, "I...We... the technical crew couldn't help but notice the sudden input from your ranks who wish to upgrade their ships... We found it-"
The Sith sighed with boredom, "Do what you will to their ships, so long as mine can fire lasers and shoot torpedoes I'll be fine." LoneWolf began to walk away, his boots somehow echoing through the din of work, "Just have it prepped and ready."

In truth LoneWolf found it interesting why his comrades would do such a thing. The Dark Jedi grunted, "Whatever flies their cruiser." 
 
-----------------------
Lonewolf/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=A=)(=SA=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[SRC][VC:Ebony]

CM/DJK LoneWolf/Sith/Eagle Sect/VEDJ

"With each kill, I grow wiser, with added wisdom, I grow stronger..." -Artemis Entreri

  Darkhawk muttered a few obscenities under his breath as Talon and Skylla left the docking bay. I'm off duty until tomorrow. I'm off duty until tomorrow. Blah, blah. What got his panties in a wad? Probably mad 'cause I smiled at his girlfriend. For crying out loud. She smiled at me first, anyway.
  He paused for a moment. There was something about her, though. He stretched out with the Force and honed in on Skylla's presence. She's Force-sensitive. Interesting. Talon obviously was aware of it - but was she?
  Tucking this information into the back of his mind, he headed toward his quarters. As he walked through the pristine corridors of the Griffen, the Sith Lord wondered when - no, if - Cosmic would be back.
  I wonder... He let himself fall into the Force, becoming fully aware of its all-encompassing existence. Focusing on Cosmic's essence, he extended his reach out in all directions, trying to locate his dark brother.
  Surprisingly, it didn't take all that long to track him down. Why didn't I just try this earlier? Darkhawk began to send Cosmic a message, when something disturbing came to his attention.
  He had noticed that something was... different... about Cosmic, but this... It's almost as if his Force signature has... changed. But that's impossible. I think. Wherever Cosmic was, the distance was far too great for Darkhawk to attempt to probe his mind. Still, he attempted to get a better sense of what was going on.
  Finally, he decided to try to communicate something. Cosmic, this is Darkhawk. Where have you gone? There was no answer. Is he ignoring me? He tried again, but there was no reply. Maybe he's just asleep or something. From this range, it would be hard to tell whether the Krath Prophet was awake or asleep, although rather easy to distinguish if he was unconscious or dead.
  And that was that. Darkhawk decided not to waste any more time. He was back in his room now, and thoughts of Talon and Cosmic drifted away, replaced by thoughts of his earlier "conversation" with Quade.
  If my memory can be trusted, then Quade's description of Grand Admiral Thrawn and some of his assistant officers is dead on. Quade had mentioned a Captain Pellaeon, a name that was not familiar to Darkhawk. However, it appeared that Thrawn was no longer using the Imperial Star Destroyer Gray Wolf as his flagship. Quade has claimed that Thrawn's new ship was an Imperial Mark-II named the Chimaera.
  Darkhawk had looked up the Chimaera's service record in the Imperial Navy records that the Vast Empire had access to. The ship's last known location was at the Battle of Endor, so it was presumed captured or destroyed. However, it was more likely that the ship had fled to the Outer Rim systems - where Thrawn met up with it.
  He had tried to ascertain just how big Thrawn's fleet was, but Quade simply did not know. They hadn't trusted the bumbling commodore with very much information after all. Though, seeing his incompetence, I don't blame them. I wouldn't be surprised if Thrawn had wanted him to do this mission in the hopes of getting rid of him.
  Darkhawk typed up everything he had learned in a report and sent it to Talon, as well as to Japheth. The Vast Empire Navy would need as much information as it could get its hands on if they had the chance of running into a confrontation with the Grand Admiral. Darkhawk was more than positive that no one in the Vast Empire could match wits with his former commanding officer.
  The Sith Warrior had been musing over an idea ever since Talon had left him that initial message. If what I remember is true, then I served under Thrawn for several years. He would certainly recognize me. I could try tracking him down and talking to him. Maybe we could work something out...
  As he had hypothesized, certain members of the Vast Empire who knew his past might be thinking the same thing. He was surprised that Talon or even Grand Moff Kadann had not yet contacted him about such an effort. They probably still just don't trust me. It's a risk we might have to take, though.
  The Sith Lord closed his eyes and tried to think back to his time as a squadron commander in the Imperial Navy. The memories were vague and fractured - if there were any there at all - but he was beginning to piece together a clearer puzzle than he had ever had before.
  I could just do this on my own, he thought. Commander Jaeven Gray would surely be welcome aboard Thrawn's ship. Or... would he? With my memory being so fragmented, I could be missing something big. Maybe I... did something. I left the Empire at some point - otherwise I never would have met Riel that time and come here. Was I discharged? Did I become a traitor?
  There were too many questions that he simply did not know the answer to. Sighing, he decided to let time play events out and just roll with the punches. It'll be no use worrying too much about what's going to happen. There are bigger fish to fry right now.
  Shifting on his bed to get more comfortable, he began the long and futile process of trying to fall asleep before eventually giving up and settling on a Force trance instead.

1
1
3
7

Talon sighed as he looked sideways at the alarm clock on his bedside table.  He didn't want to get out of bed.  He didn't want to leave Skylla.  He didn't want to deal with the war.  He didn't want to deal with being in command.  The past 18 hours would be the only time he could have a normal life for some time.  Talon pushed off of the mattress beneath him and grunted as he rolled to a sitting position.  Skylla stirred slightly beside him, almost waking.  Opting to let her sleep for a few more minutes, Talon slipped out of the bed quietly and headed for the refresher.  The shower head in the booth-style shower activated and warm water instantly sprayed on his chest.  Talon ducked his head under and allowed the water to run all over him.  Letting out a long breath, Talon let himself fully relax.  The sound of water hitting the shower floor drowned out everything else.

*  *  *

Talon threw his robes over his head and slipped into it.  Fastening the belt, he looked up to Skylla, who sat on the edge of the bed watching.  He smiled to her as he attached his lightsabers to either side of his belt.  It was nearly noon according to Imperial Standard Time.  He had told Darkhawk the day before that he was off duty until then.  He had to admit that it was selfish and bad leadership, but the attack on Lotaith was harder on him than he let on.  The thought of being attacked by fellow Imperials was bad enough, but to be wrong about the safety of the Vast Empire...  It was his fault.  The loss of lives was surprisingly low, but that was only because the Griffen just happened to be there at the right time.

Talon returned his attention to the present when he saw the concerned look on Skylla's face.  He quickly changed his face from a grimace to a grin as he lunged at her, sending both of them back onto the bed.  Perched on top of her, Talon looked down into Skylla's brown eyes.  'So beautiful..' he thought to himself.  He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips before pushing off of the bed and standing back up.  "I need to get going." he said quietly.  Talon picked up the datapad that he had placed on the table next to the door the night before and exited the room.  Skylla sat up and watched Talon disappear as the door slid shut behind him.

Talon nudged the power switch on the datapad with his thumb and the screen flickered to life.  A string of new messages all beckoned for his attention.  Talon read off the first subject on the list to himself, "'Not satisfied with your bust size?'  Shyah!  Give me a break."  Two taps later, the message was gone.  The next in line was a reply from Rear Admiral Japheth, the Naval Commander in Chief.  Talon tapped once and the message opened.  Talon scanned it quickly and nodded to himself.  He got the idea of the message quickly.  The rest was just military filler that he had come to expect when dealing with any Vast Empire paperwork.

"Have fun?" Darkhawk asked less to find out but more to try for a guilt trip.  The Dark Lord was wearing his robe over his armor.  The helmet that accompanied the armor was nowhere in sight.  Darkhawk heaved himself off of the wall he was leaning against.  His lightsaber swung out from his leg and panged back against the armor.

Talon chuckled lightly and replied, "I did, actually."  The two continued down the hallway toward the bridge.  "Have we got everyone here?  We're moving out."

Darkhawk nodded as he adjusted his pace to keep up with Talon.  "Cosmic returned right around 0800.  That would be everyone.  I talked to your cousin briefly this morning.  He said he's set.  The Genocide now has the Nemesis' crew on board and a crew just big enough to keep turbolasers manned is on the Nemesis.  He said that should scare away any attackers.  They've got a patrol posted, ready to hype out to get a signal of another attack to Vectra.  The other systems have taken likewise measures."

Talon nodded.  "Good.  I doubt they'll be back anyway.  Quade said the rest of their resources were being used elsewhere.  He said something about staging an attack against the New Republic."  A smirk formed on his face at calling the Rebels by their new name.  He was still getting used to it.

Darkhawk stiffened noticeably at the mention of the Commodore.  Without needing prompting, Darkhawk explained, "I talked to Quade and his description of Thrawn was exactly what I remembered.  I think I might be of some help when dealing with him.  These memories might just be the real ones."

"I'll take it into consideration." Talon replied curtly.

Darkhawk suppressed a frown.  'It's no surprise that he doesn't trust me.  I can't even trust myself.' he thought to himself.

The Grand Master changed the subject quickly, "Japheth replied quickly.  He said they're going to be moving out from Moorja soon to raid an undisclosed location, but we're welcome to meet him back at Moorja when he's done.  From there we'll decide where we're most useful.  We won't be returning home for some time, I think."

"Understood."

The door to the bridge of the Griffen opened before the two Dark Jedi and all heads turned to look at them.  "Captain Jei," Talon said, "we're leaving."

*  *  *

The Victory II class Star Destroyer Griffen finished its maneuver to turn about and quickly darted forward, streaking into hyperspace toward the planet Moorja.
 
-----------------------
OO/HG Sierra "Talon" Taurus/HC-3/VEHC/VE[BC][IOC][LoC][SoS][BM][CDS][MSM]
GM-SL/DJM "Nightblades"/DC-1/Elite Griffen Sect/VSD-II Griffen/VEDJ/VE[IOC][OQD][WoS 2nd Class]
-----------------------
SCAP/COM Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ISD Nemesis/Offensive Fleet/VEN[=A=][LoM][IOC][IC2]
CEO Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ECHC-1/Endoven/Dome 8473/VEEC/VE

The day had just started, and it was nearly 0900. Everyone had taken their posts, and the lounge barely had any visitors. The bartender was playing Sabacc with his droid aide, and the two seemed to be holding a light conversation. Cosmic sat in his usual spot: the farthest table in the back corner of the lounge, and sitting on the side of the table with the least amount of light. His hood was sitting firmly over his head; his face veiled in the darkness. His left hand sat casually on his left thigh while his right hand rested on the round table. In between his thumb and index finger sat a glass of water. He brought the glass to his lips and took a sip.

A young crewman walked into the lounge; the look of enthusiasm that every green crewman was embedded on his face, and he requested a beverage from the bartender. The young man spotted Cosmic with the corner of his eye, and nodded. He had obviously never seen a Dark Jedi before, and he was anxious to meet one of the Order's brethren. He grabbed his shot of brandy and began walking towards the man in the corner. He got within fifteen feet of Cosmic's table before coming to an unexpected halt. He couldn't move his legs. Something seemed to be keeping him in place.

"Hey bud," greeted the crewman, trying to make the best of his situation as he spoke. He tried wriggling free, but he continuously failed to move from his spot in the lounge. "You're one of them Dark Jedi, right? I mean I've only heard of them, and know that they usually wear robes, so I figured you were."

Cosmic took another sip from his glass of water before slowly rising to his feet. He took a few steps towards the crewman and stared at him with glowing red eyes - the only visible indication that he was actually looking at the crewman. The crewman caught a glimpse of the gold hilt and grinned.

"Ah! One of those laser sword things too. I've heard stories about what your kind do to people with those. It's somethin'." The young man bobbed his head left-to-right and creased his chin, "Although I don't find them to be too intimidating. I mean it's not like it hurts, right? One swipe and the guy's dead! No pain."

Cosmic walked up to within 2 feet of the man and pushed back his hood, revealing his bald head and scarab tattoo. His eyes kept their red glow as he unclipped his lightsaber and held it out horizontally in front of his chest.

"The lightsaber is so much more than you can possibly comprehend." Cosmic cocked his head to one side, "You look like lady's man. I'll explain it to you in terms you might understand&" Cosmic raised the hilt higher and rotated it around, "You do an elegant dance, and this lightsaber is your partner."

The crewman laughed quickly, "Hah! Yeah, I know what you mean there, bud. Women you can love for life!"

Cosmic smirked, "You should also know, then&" The Krath's jaw clenched suddenly, "That they can also be a bitch," Cosmic's left hand shot up and grabbed the crewman's right shoulder and pulled him in as he plunged the emitter matrix into the crewman's stomach; pain shooting into his stomach, "and they can turn on you without warning."

It took a moment for the man to catch his breath and for him to realize that he had dropped his drink. He looked down at the floor to check where the spill was, but saw nothing. Instead, he saw his shot glass floating in mid air beside him - a look of confusion on his face.

"Damn... well, all I can say is that I'm glad you're here fightin' with us, bud."

Cosmic clipped the golden hilt back onto his belt and pulled the hood back over his head. "I'm here because I have a responsibility. I couldn't care less about what happens to anyone else." Cosmic smirked and brushed passed the crewman, "You're just a pawn in the game."

Cosmic walked out of the lounge and towards his designated quarters. The crewman swallowed slowly and looked to his side for the floating shot glass, but failed to find it. He quickly looked around him, and spotted it on one of the tables with a board game. He walked over to the table and saw that it was sitting on one of the checkered positions on the board.
 
-----------------------
Cleric "Cosmic" Vor'soth
CoT/HCL Cosmic/HCA-3/SL/3SQD/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/Tadath/VEA/VE [OPE][OTH][OPA][EW1][CDS][IH][GS][LM][SoS][CoH][PoC][MSM][SCP][IOC][SoA]
-----------------------
Cleric "Cosmic" Vor'soth
SL/KPR Cosmic/Lion 1-1/Lopen/VEDJ/VE [VP][KC1][OAK]
-----------------------

A dark void... a fragmented essence... an unknown future. For where does one's soul travel once it no longer knows where it came from or why it is? Questions... memories that will never be regained or answered. A lifetime that seems an eternity without purpose... a wandering soul.

Cosmic stared blankly up at the metal plating above him; his hands clasped behind his head as he contemplated his existence. He had no recollection about what happened prior to a week ago. The last thing he remembered was being in an obsidian obelisk with satisfaction on his mind. That is not to say that he still couldn't remember much about his memories. With each passing day, some things become a little clearer. The fog that has clouded his memories had slowly begun to lift on a few, and the slow realization that he had lived in two time periods - in two lifetimes - was beginning to sink in. The fact that he wore a robe and carried a dagger that hadn't been seen in several hundred years terrified him, and yet it somehow gave him a strange, comfortable, feeling... a feeling that what he wore belonged only to him.

Since he had arrived back on the Griffen earlier this morning, the presence of another continued to bombard his senses. This new Force-user was unlike any of the other Dark Jedi... this one was different. This one was... out of place. He lay in bed trying to decide what to do on this matter. The only logical thing to do would be to go to Talon himself... or he'd take a route that was more familiar to him, and just find out for himself. He didn't know. The Dark Jedi turned over on his side and began to ponder on when he should confront this new arrival, but-

What the?

Something hard and sharp was pressed against his hip. He rolled back onto his back and reached into his tunic pocket and pulled out a distorted metal object that was a shiny-black in color. His initial reaction was to toss it over the side of the bed, but something kept him from doing so. There was something about this object that gave it a value of importance to him. The object itself was extremely contorted. It looked like it had been created by a novice sculptor. He felt himself strangely reaching out to the object, and levitated it above his chest. It was in its levitation did he begin to reshape the object into a perfectly-round sphere. The jagged edges and spires that it originally had seemingly melted back into the metal object, and into the round surface it presently had now. His eyes slowly widened as a few memories began to play themselves out in his head.

I remember...

----------

Cosmic growled as he placed his lightsaber on the wooden desk. He couldn't believe that he was fooled so easily. He sat down on his cot and leaned back against the wall. He was enraged with anger, and he needed to release it. He took a deep breath, not knowing what to do. Should he go back to the arena and continue to exercise his form? Or...

"Hmm."

Something caught his eye: the small metal sphere on his desk. The sphere lifted up off of the desk. It was guided into Cosmic's hand and he started to squeeze it, wanting to break it. He couldn't and was now frustrated. He extended his arm, the sphere resting on his palm, and stared at it for what seemed like hours. The sphere began to lose its perfectly round shape. It was now more of an oval than of a perfectly rounded sphere. Cosmic squinted and brought his hand closer to his face and looked at the now-oval metal object.

My thoughts...

Cosmic had wanted to destroy the sphere so badly that he had summoned the Force to distort the sphere's shape without even realizing it. He stared at it again, now thinking of only one thing: distorting the metal object. ...Curve. He sat there, staring at the oval object, concentrating hard on trying to distort it once more, thinking of only to make a curve out of the oval object. The oval object didn't do anything at first, but then after a few minutes its sides began to slowly curve in, giving the oval object a U type of shape.
Cosmic's eyes widened, knowing that it was the use of the Force that had done this.

Intrigued, he began to give it several more shape-shifting changes until it had an array of jagged edges. After a few minutes of experimentation, he got up and placed the now jagged-shaped metal object back onto his desk. He looked down at it, staring and thinking. He couldn't figure out why it took him such a long time... days... to lift or move a large object, but it only took him a few minutes to distort a small object's shape. He didn't understand how or why. Talon would know.

----------

The memory faded away, and the name "Talon" escaped his lips. He knew this man. He was a mentor... which means he was in his early past when the Force was still foreign to him.

But that doesn't seem right...

Cosmic's brow creased as he concentrated on his history. He also remembered days when he had no mentor. He was, in fact, turned down by one of the greatest mages of the era, and was forced to learn the mysteries of the Force alone with little aid. The strangest part of it all, and was still something that was sinking in, is that many of the people he had distinctively seen in person have been deceased for hundreds of years. Something told him that going back to this "Talon" wouldn't help him this time.

Perhaps a cold shower would.

Cosmic placed the jagged-edged metal object on the nightstand beside his bed and prepared himself for the refresher.
 
-----------------------
Cleric "Cosmic" Vor'soth
CoT/HCL Cosmic/HCA-3/SL/3SQD/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/Tadath/VEA/VE [OPE][OTH][OPA][EW1][CDS][IH][GS][LM][SoS][CoH][PoC][MSM][SCP][IOC][SoA]
-----------------------
Cleric "Cosmic" Vor'soth
SL/KPR Cosmic/Lion 1-1/Lopen/VEDJ/VE [VP][KC1][OAK]
-----------------------

[OOC: making it a fast paced post because I want to cover some ground quickly.]

An entire room full of Dark Jedi rose to their feet as Talon entered.  With a nod from the Grand Master, everyone took their seat again.  Talon started without hesitation, "We're about to revert at Moorja.  We'll be picking up a Sentinel-class shuttle from the forces there and heading toward Bestine IV, where the Army is currently fighting."  A beep sounded by the push of a button and a projector flickered on, filling the room with a low hum.  A holographic representation of Bestine IV hovered over the desk that the projector was place on.  The planet's upper and lower orbit was peppered with mines of all sizes.  "We're heading.."  Talon paused until a small red dot illuminated on the surface of the planet, "Here."

There was a chuckle from the back of the room.  Darkhawk sat with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.  The looks on everyone else's face relayed the same message: 'No way in hell.'

"Oh, and one more thing." Talon said, turning to the Dark Jedi present.  "You are a guest aboard my ship.  The crew have seniority here.  They were hand picked to serve on my ship because they were among the best in their field.  A number of you have taken it upon yourself to use them as play toys.  This is your only warning: Showing disrespect to any member of the Griffen's crew is showing me the same disrespect.  I don't think I need to specify why that's a bad idea."  Talon deactivated the hologram of Bestine IV and exited the briefing room without another word.

*  *  *

The Griffen reverted to realspace at Moorja.  A mass of space battle waste slowly orbited around the planet Moorja, along with a part of the Vast Empire's fleet.  Almost immediately, a tug carried a Sentinel out to the Victory II Star Destroyer.  The Griffen continued to maneuver toward its hyperspace lane as the tug neared.  As it got within range, the tug released the shuttle and the Star Destroyer's tractor beams took over, guiding the empty ship into its main hangar.  As soon as the Sentinel was secured aboard the Griffen, they streaked away together on a micro-jump that would eventually lead them to Bestine IV.

*  *  *

"Gather 'round, ya'll." shouted Talon, allowing his voice to echo in the vast hangar of the Griffen.  Before him were two racks, one much larger than the other.  "I have a present for all of you." he said with a smile.  Talon grabbed the tarp that had been thrown over the larger of the racks, exposing the numerous suits of Imperial Royal Guard armor.  The blood red battle armor was known to be strong as well as flexible.  A low whistle escaped Phoenix's lips as he looked over the rack of armor.  Yanking the other tarp off, Talon showed the rack of A280 armor-piercing heavy blaster rifles.  Another whistle came from Phoenix's direction.  "Suit up, we don't have much time." Talon ordered as he shed his robes.

The Grand Master quickly stripped down to his boxers and reached for his personal set of Guardsman armor.  Before he could slip into the body glove, a wolf whistle echoed through the hangar.  All eyes turned toward Skylla, who was just entering the hangar and still some distance away.  Talon chuckled and slid into the black under-armor.  Everyone but Darkhawk did as they were told, averting their eyes from Skylla as they stripped to their undergarments and dove into the body glove.

Talon quickly finished attaching the armor to his body, leaving the helmet on the rack.  He clipped his lightsaber snuggly to the belt in two places, stopping it from swinging as it normally did.  He turned to Skylla and threw an arm around her waist.  The two gave each other a quick kiss and parted.  A gloved hand grabbed an A280 off of the rack and Talon threw the strap over his shoulder.  "One more thing." he said, turning to motion a crewman to pull the lift over.  On the lift were man jump packs.  "Strap in."

Again, everyone but Darkhawk accepted the equipment.  They weren't sure they wanted to know why they needed jump packs, but they knew better than to argue.  "Master?" inquired Cyanus.  "You're not taking a jump pack?"

A sly grin formed on Talon's face and he levitated himself off of the deck by a foot.  Waiting a moment to prove his point, Talon lowered himself back to the floor slowly.  Turning to grab his helmet, Talon said, "Darkhawk, you're flying.  As I'm sure you noticed, the Sentinel has some rather large sublights attached to it.  We're going to be hauling ass through our hole in the mines.  Maneuvering will be total crap.  Fair warning."

Darkhawk looked over his bird and nodded to Talon.  There was a look of discomfort on his face, but the Dark Lord held his peace.  Instead, he picked up an A280 and walked up the ramp to the Sentinel.

"Everyone in." ordered Talon.  As the Dark Jedi were snatching the last of their equipment, Talon turned to Skylla and leaned in to rest his forehead to hers.  Being so close, Talon could see every detail of her eyes as they both silently stared at each other.  Talon lifted away and kissed her on the forehead.  "Be safe, Sky." he said softly.  The Dark Jedi turned and shoved his helmet onto his head, snapping it in place.  He jogged up to the ship that would take him to harm's way and ascended the ramp, disappearing into the belly of the metal bird.

"You too.. Sierra." Skylla whispered.

*  *  *

"Transport Auk, you are cleared for departure.  Good hunting." the speaker on the control panel sounded.  Darkhawk double-clicked the radio, signaling his acknowledgement.  The repulsors shoved down on the deck of the hangar and the ship slowly glided out of the bottom of the Star Destroyer.  Outside, everyone could see the mess that was Bestine IV.  Every few moments, green turbolaser fire sprang from the Dominion and a mine exploded.  After a close examination, the hole in the mine layers was noticeable.  Darkhawk pitched toward it and gunned the throttle.  The external sublights kicked in and the hull groaned.  The Dark Lord had been told that the hole in the mess of mines had to begin being cleared out a week in advance.  Even still, there were a few that were of concern.  The automated mine layers still roamed the mine field, filling in gaps when they were created.  Lonewolf sat at the co-pilot's seat that was modified to better control the weapons systems.

The Auk angled toward the mine hole and almost immediately began to open fire on the mines that were being dropped in front of it.  Farther ahead, a large explosion marked where a telekinetic nudge had saved Lonewolf the effort.  A few close calls later, the lane was looking fairly clean.  'This is too easy.' Darkhawk thought to himself as he kept the transport pointed toward the planet.

A warning alarm sounded too late and the Sentinel bucked from a small blast on its port side.  The sound of rending metal reverberated through the hull, hurting the ears of the passengers.  "SHIT!" Darkhawk yelled as the Auk began to drift downward and to the port side.  A larger explosion behind them ended the career of the external sublight engine that had been ripped clean off of the hull from the explosion from the nano-mines.  "Tal," Darkhawk said with an obvious amount of stress in his voice, "they didn't design these engines with a release button."  His armored fist had the flight stick cranked back and to the left, but his efforts only slowed the  drift.  As he reached for the throttle, Darkhawk felt the other sublight engine rip free.  "Thanks, bossman." he breathed as he returned the Auk to the center of the mine hole slowly.  "It looks like we lost a lot of our stabilizer." he reported grimly.  "It's going to be hell when I get her into atmosphere."

Talon smiled as he rested a hand on Darkhawk's metal shoulder.  "That's what the jump packs are for." he replied with a chuckle.

"Aww shit." complained Trigit as he pictured exactly what Talon had in mind.  "I'm not scared of heights.  I just don't like the idea of landing really hard." he said as he tightened his crash webbing.

Lonewolf depressed the trigger once again and green laser bolts lanced out and plucked another mine from space.  The mine lane was clear and would remain so until they were through.  The Dark Jedi Knight stood from his chair and walked to the back of the hold.  Darkhawk finally cleared the mines and started to level out for approach.  It was an uneventful trip from that point until they entered the atmosphere.  The shuttle began to waggle as the shredded top fin provided little to no help.  Talon reached over Darkhawk's shoulder and jammed the release for the cargo ramp.  The ramp burst open and a swirling wind ripped through the ship.  Darkhawk aimed for the water near the island that housed Jahnae Camp.  Before he could slide out of the pilot's chair, he could feel himself being lifted telekinetically from the chair and tossed out of the ship.

Talon took a flying leap and slipped out of the Auk, barely missing the ceiling.  He instantly tucked his arms in and dove head-first toward the island.  Below him, many of the Dark Jedi had activated their jump packs already to slow their fall.  Talon continued to dive and soon passed by everyone.  The wind whistled past the vents in his helmet, effectively blocking out any other noise.  The crippled transport sailed past him and struck the water, sending a wave over two fishing skiffs.  The skiffs were tossed by the wave and beached, sending their passangers flying.  As he neared the ground, Talon ducked his head in and flipped until he was diving feet first.  Reaching out through the Force, he shoved off of the ground, slowing his fall.  Before he landed, Talon slipped his rifle off of his back and raised it to his shoulder.  Continuing to push telekinetically, Talon allowed his legs to bend until he had dropped to a knee, effectively softening the landing to where he suffered no injury.  He looked down his sights to the man standing before him.  The civilian raised his hands and blurted something in another language.  The man had pure terror written on his face.  Talon could hear other Dark Jedi land behind him, their roaring jump packs silencing as they touched down.  'We have to find Fury.' he projected to his Dark Jedi through the Force.
 
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OO/HG Sierra "Talon" Taurus/HC-3/VEHC/VE[BC][IOC][LoC][SoS][BM][CDS][MSM]
GM-SL/DJM "Nightblades"/DC-1/Elite Griffen Sect/VSD-II Griffen/VEDJ/VE[IOC][OQD][WoS 2nd Class]
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SCAP/COM Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ISD Nemesis/Offensive Fleet/VEN[=A=][LoM][IOC][IC2]
CEO Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ECHC-1/Endoven/Dome 8473/VEEC/VE

LoneWolf landed with little trouble, he had used a jump pack a few times in his younger days but it had undoubtly been a long time. His feet made a solid thud on the ground but he maintained his balance with ease.

Looking over his equipment, he found that wearing the armor was an indeed interesting experience. The crimson suit molded around his body with a feeling of protection. For lacking any experience with wearing armor he felt comfortable enough in the legendary crimson armor.

Simply the reputation of the deadly royal guard would be enough to strike fear into anyone seeing an entire group of these soldiers. The red mask hid his grin as he flexed his muscles from the tense flight.

He brought the rifle over his shoulder and snapped in a clip. Having not used a practical weapon in some time he needed a reminder of what it was like to use a rifle.

The man running away presented a suitable target, nothing better than live practice, LoneWolf smirked. He took aim with his rifle and squeezed the trigger. The peasant flew forward in his course a meter or two, a noticeable wound decorated his back with a black scorch. It was no question that the man lay dead in the dirt.
 
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Lonewolf/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=A=)(=SA=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[SRC][VC:Ebony]

CM/DJK LoneWolf/Sith/Eagle Sect/VEDJ

"With each kill, I grow wiser, with added wisdom, I grow stronger..." -Artemis Entreri

    Cyanus frowned behind his helmet as Talon dragged Lonewolf behind him. "Fool, why did he have to shoot that innocent?" he hissed again. Though he was a fellow Dark Jedi, Cyanus quietly admitted to himself that the now-injured Sith had it coming.
    Soon enough, those five men rose from the grass and watched the line of red-clad warriors with wrath. "I think you guys have done enough. Go home," said Vire as he walked past.
   
    The countryside looked like a savanna of sorts, with patches of sand and isolated trees around. There was a village far off to the north, barely visible in the tall reeds. Talon forced his way through the thick growth, tracing the Griffin guardsmen's Force signatures.

    There was no chance. The man hadn't seen it coming. The A280 leveled off at his back, an uncaring eye staring down the targeting device. Lonewolf pulled the trigger.
    "Hagh!" the peasant leaned back, and was thrown by the immense force forward a meter. He slammed into the ground, kicking up dust, taking his last breaths as the blaster hole seared through his insides.
    Out of nowhere, four men ambushed him. He jostled around in his armor, banging against the padded insides from time to time but suffering no serious injuries from their angry fists.
    Let them be, Talon had instructed, They have every right to be angry. Lonewolf's eyes burst open in disbelief.
    Then he came.
    The sharpened barb cut into him like a demon's claws. A sudden chill ran through his entire body. He was slipping away into darkness...he'd paid for his sin in blood.
    Partially awakened by then from his dementia, Lonewolf drowsily observed his surroundings. His rifle was on his chest and...Talon? Talon was carrying him. The Dark Knight sensed his face at the humiliation of it all.
    And the pain... That was the worst part.
    In his severely injured state, Lonewolf just couldn't focus enough to relieve the intense stinging in his knee. This was going to be hell.
   
    "I think he's coming to, just a bit." Phoenix observed, sensing some movement underneath that red armor.
    "Maybe that will teach him not to shoot allies?" Cyanus cynically chimed.
    Remember, we're here to protect them, Talon reminded them all. I think I see our first checkpoint up ahead.
 
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ASL/GSG Cyanus Cyanus/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1REG/VEA/VE[BoA] [ES1][BC]
CM/DJK Cyanus/Krath/Lion 1-6/VEDJ/VE
Dark Knight of the Krath
"...I think I'll kill you later." - Cyanus
Assistant Squad Leader: - Raider Squad -

Kadann sat in darkness hovering in the air.  If someone would have been there to see him, it would appear as though he was sitting on a table that didn't exist.  Slow movements were coming from his arms as he slowly brought his palms together in front of himself.  A tremendous beam of light exerted as his palms finally touched.  Focusing the light around himself, he tuned this new creation into a spherical shape surrounding him.  Almost as though it were a sort of force field.

Though, this was not necessary, Kadann was constantly manipulating the Force in ways that would better suit him.  As he sat in his main chamber in his spherical light field, he focused his thoughts on the events that had ensued the Vast Empire armed forces.

It has begun...He thought as his senses drifted into darker feelings...

"Talon"

Talon suddenly stopped and knelt on the ground as LoneWolf hovered along-side of him.  All the Dark Jedi with him at the time were wondering what Talon was doing.  No one ever said anything, though Talon could sense their thoughts.  He immediately forced each of the Dark Jedi to the ground on one knee.  Not one seemed to object as they knew what would happen if they did.

"Yes my Lord, I am at your service.", Answered Talon as he focused on an image of Kadann in front of him.  Only he was able to see Kadann as this was a private message.  All the other Dark Jedi were wondering if the fall hadn't joggled something loose in Talon's mind.

"There is one among you who does not share your goals.  I trust you will put a swift end to this."

"It will be done", Talon replied with an understanding of all that had transpired.  Kadann nodded and then disappeared from his view. 

Talon quickly rose to his feet and started on like nothing had happened leaving all the dumbfounded Dark Jedi still kneeling down.  LoneWolf still trailed after his Grand Master eminating more hatred than ever before. 

"Get up you fools!", Shouted Talon along with an energy burst that caused each of them to jump to their feet and continue on without asking any questions.
 
-----------------------
Grand Moff Kadann, Dark Lord
Head of the Vast Empire High Council
HHC/GM Kadann/HC-1/mSSD Atrus {EE}{MoH}{TT}{SY4}

Talon swung his tactical sling forward so that his A280 hung across his chest.  His right hand rests on the grip lightly.  The mind behind the red helmet was busy figuring out exactly who Kadann had been talking about.  His first thought was of course Darkhawk.  Even though the Dark Lord had been with the Vast Empire for some time, the sting of his actions against the Order still weighed heavily on his defense.  Talon ran a surface scan over Darkhawk's mind through the Force.  There seemed to be an air of indifference.  Talon slowly probed deeper.  He ran as deep into Darkhawk's mind as he dared without alerting him.  There were thoughts of Commodore Quade.. Thrawn.. two Jedi engaged in battle with a cluster of Stormtroopers.  The Jedi were losing ground as they defended against the unforgiving volleys of blaster fire.  Talon sighed to himself as he withdrew from Darkhawk's consciousness slowly.

Cosmic.. Cleric stepped through a tall cluster of grass and rejoined the Order at the rear.  "Hmm..." Talon mused to himself quietly as he shifted his attention to the oddity that used to be Cosmic.  Ever since rejoining the Order, 'Cleric' as he had requested.. demanded to be called, was no more the old Dark Brother that they knew than he was a Twi'lek.  On the surface, Talon sensed confusion.  He dug deeper with care and found a memory of Jen.  Talon passed it by and noticed the feeling of deja vu.  It was hardly strong enough to suggest that Cleric was a threat.  Talon made note of it and slipped out of Cleric's mind.

It seemed to be a guessing game.  Kadann always seemed to be testing Talon.  Everyone knew that of the two, Kadann was the more experienced Dark Jedi.  Even though Talon held the position of Grand Master and Kadann that of Deputy Grand Master, Kadann was still the Head of High Council and senior Dark Jedi Master.  It frustrated Talon that he would be constantly tested and yet it would intrigue him at the same time.  At the moment, he was feeling more the frustration side of things.  'I don't have time to dig into everyone's mind on the battlefield.  I'm still not even sure he meant one of my Dark Jedi.' he fumed to himself.  'How far away are you anyway, Fury?'

Talon reached out with his mind and found two.. three bright presences in the Force.  Talon recognized Raziel and was relieved to have another to add to his numbers.  The other two were the Guardsmen that Talon had assigned to the protection of High General Fury, the Prefect of the Vast Empire's Stormtrooper Corps.  He knew Fury enough to know that the former grunt would jump into the fray if given the chance.  Talon stopped in his tracks as he focused on one of the Griffen Sect's Royal Guards.  Beneath a very thin mental veil there was fear.  There was panic.  Talon investigated further and found that he was the source of the terror in the Guardsman.  Plans were being adjusted.  The Guardsman obviously wasn't expecting more Dark Jedi.  He certainly didn't expect the Guardmaster to show up this early.  "Shit" hissed Talon as he sprung forward and began to sprint toward the presence that he knew to be Fury.  The Guardsmen were closing in and the traitor was preparing to make his move.

*  *  *

'Shit!' thought the Royal Guard that Fury had named Bob.  He sensed an incoming attack and the malicious thoughts of his fellow Guardsman a split second too late and he knew it.  Metal against leather could barely be heard as a vibroknife was drawn by Kyvaas, the one person he trusted completely.  Zael, or 'Bob' as he had become known as, dove to the right as he sensed Kyvaas slip in behind him.  Time slowed to a trickle as Zael was attempting to dive and roll out of the way.  He felt the vibrating blade come in contact with the membrane in the joint of his armor near his ribs.  The tip slowly slid through the body glove and pierced his skin.  With ease, the blade drove between his bones and knicked a lung.  Zael continued his dive and landed in a heap.  As he made contact with the ground, time caught back up and Zael was in intense pain.  The vibroblade had deactivated as it slipped out of Kyvaas' grip, but was still lodged into Zael's side.  Bob coughed up blood and gurgled a little as darkness crept into his vision.

"Forgive me, brother." said Kyvaas as he drew his blaster.  Through their training and their missions, the two had grown close.  Kyvaas knew that one day it might come to where he had to choose between his vow of duty to Grand Admiral Thrawn and his ties to the Vast Empire.  Time was running out and he knew that there was no way he could convince Zael to aid him before their Master caught up.  He could already feel Talon approaching quickly.  Now was the time to make his move.  Kyvaas turned from Zael's sprawled figure and dashed off toward Fury.  If he made it, it was going to be close.  In a smooth motion, he leapt over a rock that could not be stepped over and continued his sprint.  He could finally make out Fury as the Prefect spoke to a Lieutenant in commando armor.  As he raced forward, Kyvaas raised his blaster and took aim between strides.  His finger crept toward the trigger.  'Goodnight, sir.' thought the traitorous Guardsman as he took his final aim and prepared to pull the trigger.

A bloody vibroblade panged into the back of Kyvaas' helmet and threw his aim off.  The blaster bolt missed its mark and took out the knee of the Lieutenant.  Before he could recover, Kyvaas was slammed in the back by a hard shoulder and two strong arms wrapped around his chest.  The two Guardsmen tumbled and rolled.  Before the two bodies stopped moving, the discarded vibroblade had been summoned back to Zael's hand and activated.  The two men stopped with Zael on top, pinning Kyvaas to the ground.  Blood trickled down from Zael's wound onto Kyvvas's armor.  A gloved hand shot up and caught the wrist of the hand that held the dangerous weapon.  The two struggled for a moment before the knife slowly lowered.  The vibroknife tapped Kyvaas' chestplate and bounced.  Zael put all of his weight behind the blade.  Again it made contact with the armor and skipped off before it found a suitable knick in the plating to grab hold of.  The blade slowly chewed through the crimson chest plate and finally stabbed into the traitor's chest, cutting easily trough flesh and bone and into his heart.  The Guardsman screamed out in pain until the weapon did its job and his spirit left his body.  Zael gave a final shove to be sure that the job was finished before he collapsed, falling on top of the body of his partner.  His dead weight slid off of Kyvaas and darkness finally took Bob firmly into its clutches.

*  *  *

Liquid looked from the two Guardsmen to Talon.  He activated the comm in his helmet.  "Master," he started, "why did you heal and empower the one who was injured instead of stop the assassin yourself?" 

Without turning, Talon replied, "I knew that he could do it."  The Grand Master finally advanced toward the scene of the fight and stood at the head of the victor.  Talon kneeled and placed his armored hand over the helmet of the Guardsman.  Talon did his best to heal the punctured lung and quickly sealed the cut on his side with the aid of the Force.  He boosted Zael's energy slightly by helping him feed off of the pain that ripped through his side.  The downed man stirred slightly before Talon induced a sleep.  'Rest well, my Brother.  You fought like a Griffen this day.' he spoke telepathically.

Talon looked up to see a blaster rifle pointed at him.  Fury had taken cover after the first shot and had dragged the Lieutenant around the corner with him.  He hadn't seen the outcome of the fight and suddenly trusting a Royal Guard wasn't on his list of things to do.  Talon thumbed the release for his helmet and lifted it away.  Fury's relief was obvious as he lowered the rifle and stood up.  "This man needs help." he said, pointing behind the crate he stood from.  Two crimson-clad men stepped forward and Fury backed away cautiously.  The Prefect turned his attention toward Talon and smiled with a hint of a grimace.  "Glad you could make it, Talon.  Mind telling me what that was all about?" he asked with an edge to his voice.

Talon hesitated and grimaced as well.  "From what I could gather in the short amount of time I had, the stiff was working for Thrawn.  He was put in place to take out our leadership with minimal damage to the rest of the fleet.  He acted sooner because of my appearance.  He panicked."

Fury silently took this in as he watched the two Dark Jedi assisting the commando that barely had a lower leg attached to his upper leg.  A thought struck him and he turned back to Talon.  "Where are my supplies?" he asked.

"Supplies?" Talon queried with an eyebrow raised.  It was the first he had heard of it.

Fury nodded.  "It's aboard that Sentinel you brought here.  They crammed stuff in just about every storage space they could.  I'm supposed to get a metric asston of eats incoming." the High General explained.

Talon chuckled as he replied, "You might want to grab a mask and some fins."

Fury looked as annoyed.. very annoyed.  "You didn't!"

Shrugging, Talon said, "Look for a couple of fishing skiffs overturned on the beach south-east-ish from here.  Your men can handle that.  I'll take a mission."

Fury's expression grew worse as he silently dug through a bag that he had placed next to the stack of crates.  He removed a datapad and tossed it to Talon.  Digging again, he removed a disc and tossed that as well.  "That'll tell you everything you need to know." he muttered as he closed the bag back up.

Dark Jedi Knight Raziel entered the clearing on the beach and nodded to the Dark Jedi present.  He approached Talon directly and bowed.  Having been given a nod in reply, Raziel raised back to full height and said, "Master Talon.  I wish to come with the Order."

Talon tossed his helmet back over his head and secured it.  "We'd love to have you, Raziel." he replied.  Turning to Fury, Talon's filtered voice said, "Including the most recent, we have two wounded.  Can we leave them with your medics?"

"Of course." Fury said, nodding.

[OOC: Mission info coming ASAP.]
 
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OO/HG Sierra "Talon" Taurus/HC-3/VEHC/VE[BC][IOC][LoC][SoS][BM][CDS][MSM]
GM-SL/DJM "Nightblades"/DC-1/Elite Griffen Sect/VSD-II Griffen/VEDJ/VE[IOC][OQD][WoS 2nd Class]
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SCAP/COM Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ISD Nemesis/Offensive Fleet/VEN[=A=][LoM][IOC][IC2]
CEO Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ECHC-1/Endoven/Dome 8473/VEEC/VE