Echos Of The Sith

During Arno's exodus from the well worn path of the Inquisitor he and his companions come across an unnamed world, not on the star charts. Not in any data bank save for that of an archaic astromech droid. The droid leads him to the first of a forgotten set of coordinates. The system is eerie, as when they emerge from hyperspace there is evidence of a great battle that had been fought here, in space.

Literally, dozens of warships of a forgotten design litter their entrance jump point. That alone, is not the eerie part, the fact that they remain here after all this time... is. The ships are almost static, as if some unseen force holds them there, on display, for their passage. The space debris barely even moves, instead of tumbling, and twisting in space it is locked into some sort of morbid stasis. Even bodies of long dead beings litter the space corridor, which incidentally, seems to lead to the third planet in the system of four possible stellar bodies.

Haunting whispers, that cannot be discerned, seem to manifest to the crew's senses. Though the jedi trained of the group seem rather immune. All they sense is an unsettling feeling in the pit of their stomach's as well as an unnerving sense that the atmosphere temperature on the ship has dropped suddenly, to near 50 degree levels. Though no, direct sign of this shift is evident. Shipboard sensors tell a different tale, nothing on the ship has changed.

To Arno, the third planet appears to be covered with luscious overgrowth, teaming with life. To the sensors of the Arno Class Star Destroyer, the planet's signature tells yet another tale. Beneath the beautiful canopy of life and wonder is a world ravaged by storms, devoid of life. In fact, the canopy of trees is nothing more than a facade. They are merely some undiscovered manifestation of floating vegetation, suspended in the gravity well, unwilling to delve to the surface and what awaits them there in its desolate embrace.

There is no clear approach to the world, the canopy of life appears to have come into being over thousands of years. While it would appear that the atmosphere has recovered, and thrived, creating a new form of ecosystem upon which to sustain itself, as well as, the world's oxygen supply... The surface below is devoid of even the most basic of life forms, a battle scarred remanent from a forgotten conflict. There is but one structure that registers upon the ship's advanced sensors. There is some sort of temple there, which appears to be the epicenter of the storms that ravage it's surface.

It is as if the place is a "hole" in the fabric of space. For no jedi , nor sensor can penetrate its guise. It's outer shell registers, but whatever mysteries lie within are utterly devoid of any sort of signature, presence or reading beyond registering that "nothing" is there.

Sensors on the ship display error messages...

Lord Arno, what do you do?

Interesting...

To the Temple!!! What can the astromech droid tell me about this place? Does all he have is the coordinates?

Xeen wrote:Interesting...

To the Temple!!! What can the astromech droid tell me about this place? Does all he have is the coordinates?

Just the coordinates as far as you can tell.  

You have to cut through the living canopy of the world to get to the lower atmosphere.  How do you do that?  

What do you take down to the planet?  The yacht?

There is probably no other choice but to take the Yacht. A lot of this could just be an illusion as well, so It would be worth having a Ysalamari with.

Im going to guess that we need to blast a landing site as well. Another option would be to get low enough to take a speeder down. With the storms as they are, It may be a better choice as the Yacht will probably get nailed and a speeder may be able to maneuver through it.

So, let the Arno blast a hole in the canopy and then take the yacht low enough to use a speeder. Unless of course the Arno can fly that low. If there is no decent atmosphere below the canopy then we should have some filtered armor with us. I know my armor has that, need to make sure my companions do also.

Ace walks up to you "You know, we could always take my updated T-16 down"  He points over to it in the smallish hangar "Over there, just behind the Yacht.  I had her loaded on because she's small and lethal.  Seats two if you're interested"

The "Devil's Cross" Ace Starkiller's personal conveyance of choice is a lethal version of a T-16.  It has been extensively re-engineered, by Ace himself.  It no longer truly qualifies as a speeder, more an advanced starfighter than a speeder.  Sporting excellent shields, re-enforced hull with sheath armor, nothing short of a heavy starfighter gun or missile could stand a chance of bringing it down.  It has vastly enhanced repulsors, an incredibly efficient and robust Ion engine, with a quartet smaller ion drives that have been designed for vector thrust the Devil's Cross features at least twice the maneuverability of a standard T-16 and roughly 50% more performance.  The speeder can be flown in space as well.  It's primary armament is a Heavily Modified Heavy Turbolaser Array (three fire-linked and modified), backed up by a Starfighter grade Proton torpedo launcher with 4 Torps and a pair of edge mounted Light repeating blasters designed for heavy burst fire, for maximum crowd control.  Painted in Matte Black also masks its hull with the latest sensor absorbent paint.

If you are looking for a relatively discreet way to enter the planet, his speeder is the way to go. 

If you are looking to make planet fall with an entourage... The Yacht is the only way you can manage that.  

You should be relatively safe with Ace...

You can actually cram 3 people into it if you take light gear and environmental suits.

Just the two of us will do fine. We will take his Speeder of Doom. Im not sure if discreet is required, but better then finding out the hard way.

We never did discuss who all will be coming along. It will depend on how training is going at the academy. Most of the Outbound Project Knights need to be brought up to speed on regular life type things. The Imperials and others found may come along. I know I want the Scout, Fighter Pilot, Cook, Failed Royal Guard, and maybe Lena the commando. I considered also taking the SD Captain and the Kalduu, only thing stopping that is they are useful for fleet actions.

Then again, maybe I will just bring Ace. Everyone else has training to do, and they will be more useful on the Death Star training and keeping it protected from the inside.

I will need a list of heroes you are taking with you.  Otherwise, I figured the Scout was a given.  Ace is always by your side.  Kalduu is fine, and the SD Capitan can immediately drop into the role of the commander of the Arno Star Destroyer if you would like.  The Fighter Pilot is fine too.  Did you want Lena to come along?  Someone has to watch her, she's not completely stable yet.

I'm not recalling if the failed Royal Guardsman is a force sensitive.  I would have to go back and look (been a lot of stuff going on lately).  What about Mikey, the Empire does not need him for anything pressing right now.  I do recall I told you he didn't gain force attribute from the ordeal you put him through but that does not necessarily mean he hasn't developed some level of force sensitivity.

Mikey is weak in the force.  No attribute, force sensitive who gained no additional force points for the attunement.  Consider all his costs associated with being a jedi are doubled.  

He might be useful.

Yeah, the failed royal guard was a force sensitive. 

Honestly, I will take them all. I will also take anyone else that may have been discovered. Then the death star needs to be filled with the Endor Hero types and loyalists. No standard troop rotations, and security to the max. I dont want the thing infiltrated and destroyed while Im gone.

I was under the impression that Mikey was not a force sensitive. But no problem, he comes along and will get training. Qui will also come along. Qui and Mikey can work on projects (Jedi Fighters, Lightsaber Upgrades, Mass Effect Armor, etc) Basically they will be working on anything related to the Imperial Knights, and more advanced stuff. They will also get force training on the side. 

Everyone else will get intense training. In rotation, according to their skill, they will also be doing the training. Fighter pilot training piloting skills, etc. We will see where everyone will excel and then focus. 

So for everyone...
8 hours of Force Training
8 hours of other training or project work (even extended force training)
8 hours of down time

We did already talk about training, so your students are well on their way already.  Any sensitives already have a 1D attribute, others did not gain in power but in skill and in training.  

Ace manifests some sort of Gun Kata mixed with Enhanced Jedi Speed which, when you study his moves using speed yourself, it almost appears as if he can "bend" blaster bolts around full parries.  It is pissing some of the students off as they repeatedly get stunned.  Ace's saber form is seemingly coming along faster than other's as well, but he's using a lightfoil in his off hand as a complementary weapon to his blaster.  When pressed, he holsters his blaster and draws a second lightfoil, traning with both and favoring them over standard lightsabers.

In fact after he insists, almost everyone starts training with them (they are difficulty 15 instead of 20) and you also have some training sabers from the academy too.

You and Ace embark for the planet and he deftly maneuvers his T-16 into a smallish opening and threads the atmospheric foliage, your trip is uneventful.  His command of the speeder is flawless, and he easily avoids any electrical storms, touching down outside the temple, after making several passes looking for the best avenue of entry. There is but one entrance, and the way is barred.  He park under an outcropping of the temple.

Atmosphere is breathable...

How is the entrance barred? Is the door shut, or is there a pile of rubble? If its a door, then we will look for a release either behind a stone or some other hiding spot, or I will reach out for a focus point to open it... or just open it with the force.

If its rubble, then we will clear it away. Telekinesis.

The only identifiable access point is a "door"  its has no seams, and appears to be "barred" ( as in a bar that is attached to the massive entry "door").  The main reason why you assume it is a door is because it is the only part of the temple that is alien to the stone.  It is composed entirely of some sort of metal.

Though there are no seams, the metal seems to slow seamlessly with the stone around it, though this should not be possible.  It does not appear that is meant to rise or fall.

Does the bar seem able to move into the stone? Maybe it lifts up?  Maybe I should just hack it with my lightsaber if nothing else works. We will also try pushing or pulling the door and see if it slides. If nothing there works, the trusty lightsaber will be the way.

The bar is seamless with the door, as if it is one uniform piece of metal.  Instead of hacking your way through 10m of metal you might want to attempt "feeling" the door using Telekinesis.  Applying certain levels of tension on the Bar, then the Door then the surrounding seamless areas where it simply does not make sense that the door's metal should be uniform with the Stone around it.

As for the "Mass Effect Armor" Each of you on this expedition has a suit of it.  Not a bad idea to be utilizing it now.  As it is not bulky.  I can have them work up a customized suit based upon your personal armor (incorporating the current armor properties in addition to the ME armor, Mikey can help work that up).

Cool.

Yeah, as for feeling it out, I posted that somewhere before. I wanted to feel through the door and either find flaws to move it or get a general feeling of the door itself. I expected that my lightsaber would shut off when I hit the door with it anyway lol.

It's not cortosis...  So, you can cut through it it will just take you a few days...  Even if it was cortosis, you could cut through it.  The lightsaber is the deadliest weapon in the galaxy for a reason, it can cut through anything.  

Feeling for the seams, there are none, but after working through the metal, back and forth you actually are able to make the "bar" flow fluidly into the rock walls.  It takes a fair amount of concentration, and something surprising happens.  Ace adds limited abilities to your own and the rest of the metal splits perfectly down the middle, almost as if it was meant to be opened by master and apprentice, or perhaps, its just that he's perfectly in sync with you and it was the little more you required.  

Once opened the entry is pitch black, no optics penetrate the unnatural darkness.  No sensor bears a reading. Only your force abilities have a use here and only when you are at a state of complete calm, otherwise the darkness of the entry will surely destroy you (or at least it feels that way).

Do you do anything special to prepare before entering the temple with Ace?

Meditate, Emptiness, then enter.

Ace follows suit in the same fashion.  Then you both enter the temple...

...
...
...

Then you both emerge from the doorway you entered.

Game Mechanics:

Ace gains 1D attribute, Arno gains +1 pip (Ace only had 1D or 2D) 

Both of you gain the power "True Emptiness"
-This ability merges Meditative Trance (full awareness of your surroundings + conferring 8 hours worth of rest), Hibernation Trance and Emptiness into a single ability activated under Control, difficulty: 30.  
-This ability allows you to choose an affinity upon emergence:  Light or Dark
Affinity choices are as follows:
1. Light - You are bathed in the Light side of the force, Pure Dark Side energies cannot be used against you.  Specific Dark Side abilities are unavailable to you (Bolt of Hatred being an example).  You are treated as a Light Side Jedi for a duration equal to the benefits of Emptiness.  You gain 3D negation to all Dark Side Powers / Dark Side Wielders.  (yes, it will effectively reduce the effective attribute of a (consumed) Dark Jedi facing you to a minimum of 0D  (powerless) for opposed rolls as well as damage.  For all other dark forces resistances it simply subtracts 3D (6D if force point is used).
2. Dark - You are bathed in the aura of darkness.  Pure Light side powers cannot be used against you.  True paragons of the Light side will effectively suffer a 3D attribute "hit" when facing you.  Though, by nature of the harmony of the light side this can never be reduced below 1D.  For all other jedi it simply reduces their opposed rolls (damage, effect, etc).  You cannot use Light Side specific powers (Force Harmony is an example) 

As for the status of your ship, upon entering Ace's T-16 you realize that over a month has passed.  Neither of you has aged a day, you both feel well rested as if you had a long restful vacation.

There is some level of trepidation as you approach the Arno.  Apparently, many strange things occurred in your absence.  They sent scouting parties to look for you and the rest of the Jedi on your ship even attempted to enter into the Temple, to no avail.  

Training most of your students this power is simply impossible.  They lack the capability to comprehend it (though Ace seems not to have an issue at all).  Any prospective student must possess at (At least) a 10D Control skill, attribute is not an issue for this one.

The ancient droid warbles out another set of coordinates...

Before we leave, have the sensor operators taken a good look at the debris field around this planet? What kind of ships are here, and from what time period?

(The time of Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith)  Couple thousand years old.

Essentially, the debris in system is from some unknown battle.  Searching the debris you will eventually discover a loosely intact starcruiser.  For as old as they are, with their primitive systems it is amazing how little has seemingly changed in thousands of years.  There are a few systems on the ship that work though its databanks are largely in a state of decay.  Main drives are off-line.  Multiple hull breaches are likely what killed most of the crew.  

There is some battle footage of the Jedi fighting the sith.  Data is sketchy at best, yet it seems that the Jedi attacked this sith system for no apparent reason other than the fact it was "Sith".  Though, you realize sadly that the main temple on the world was neither Sith nor was it Jedi in its origins.  The best way to put it would be that "It simply exists".  A true nexus of galactic ley lines of a sort.  An intersection of tidal forces of the universe where neither Light, nor darkness held sway.  A more natural order of the force, in balance and essential.  The people defending the system were unremarkable in almost every way.  Near human and from the little you find out in the databanks before they flicker out, they struck a balance between light and dark.  Living in peace until the Jedi stumbled across the world pursuing a fleet of a Dark Lord of the Sith.  This, nameless, world is yet one more casualty in a war of ignorance that has been waged for thousands of years.  

The next set of coordinates lead out into wild space.  Yet another undocumented Class M world, that does not appear on the Emperor's starmap from his storehouse.  Data indicates that there should be intelligent life forms there.  Isolated from the greater galaxy by months of hyperspace travel into the unknown.  Between your instinctive astrogation abilities, as well, as forming a group exercise with your students during training you can greatly accelerate your arrival to the next world.  The Jedi ex-Capitan of the Thunderflare tells you that there are a few warnings on internal systems.  Nothing to be worried about for now, however, this ship is very high maintenance.  Naturally, the Arno- Class Star Destroyer is also the first of its kind, a prototype.  It will require attention at some point in time down the road.

Your best estimates for travel with your group astrogation project and the amazing hyperdrives on the ship speak volumes of the distance you will actually travel.  By normal standards, 1 year at Class One.  Just under 2 months for you, by threading all gravity wells perfectly, as well as using the gravitational tides of the greater galaxy to accelerate your rates of travel, you and your students have achieved the unthinkable.  Once traveled, you believe the return trip will likely be half of your initial transit time.  Mostly due to the Arno's advanced sensor suite and mapping capabilities.  

If you have anything else to do here, speak now.  Otherwise, it is time to move onward into the unknown.

Lets move onward to the unknown. 

Have the crew investigate the errors coming from the ship. Lets have an advanced warning of things we need to take care of and any improvements that can be made to stabilize the faults. We also need a list of maintenance items required. We will have to stop somewhere on our way back and take care of these.

Korriban awaits you.  

You are prepared as well as you possibly can be for the trials ahead.

Before we get to that... though, do you have any additional targets for the Super Repulsor?

As I recall, you were planning on spending the next 4 days picking additional targets.  

Or, you could just leave before you draw too much attention to yourself.  Your choice on that one.

I think I will not draw too much attention... I would love to move the thing, but it works where it is and that cannot be said if I move it.

Kessel, will be moved to... Tapani, a system with no planets but has a star. I will do everything I can to not smash everyone on the planet. (the spiders must servive) I will take my time, 3 days if needed and provide space folding power to make sure the planet is intact. This can be our new penal colony and money maker.

It will actually take you some time to move Kessel, safely. Looking like closer to four days, possibly more. It can be done, and safely and you have found a suitable system for it. If you want to do this, there is no turning back.

Im not sure of the draw backs. No biggy though, anyone wants to cause a ruccus over that then bring it lol.