Acquisitions Of Late

[Shikari]

Corellia

​

A crux-class fighter shot into existence above the planet of Corellia, just outside the busy shipping lanes that led down to and up from the planet surface. It was followed soon after by a Vector-class shuttle, and a VT-1100 light freighter. The three ships made for a peculiar-looking trio as they made their way down towards the planet's surface, cutting off a heavy freighter as they passed. Imperial ships always had the right of way, and though this trio of ships was oddly matched, they were broadcasting the imperial signal from their IFF arrays. The ships made their way down through the planet's atmosphere at a quick pace. Switching on her comms, the pilot of the Crux-class fighter spoke up. "Corellia control, this is Crusader Shikari Gale, Arch Priestess of the Sacellum of Ilum on approach. Requesting preferred approach vectors for rapid descent to second fleet main yard." There was a pause. Shikari was using her title in and the name of the newly formed Sacellum to get preferential treatment as to her approach vectors so as to avoid getting bogged down in the air traffic that was liable to build up on the primary approach routes to the planet. The Sacellum was a newer organization, but they were doing a pretty good job of getting their name out across the empire. No one was really sure where they stood as far as rank and status within the empire as of yet, and Shikari was going to milk that uncertainty for all it was worth. Few imperials were willing to risk the wrath of the higher-ranking sith within the empire to question authority of an unknown organization. For all they knew, the sith lords of Korriban could have been members of this Sacellum group, and Shikari was more than happy to let them think that. "...A-Arch Priestess Gale." An uncertain voice sounded over the comms. "The logs show you as arriving two days ago and leaving again on the same day?" Shikari smiled. "Yes, my business requires me to make frequent trips back and forth to Ilum and Corellia. I'll thank you not to go digging around in the Sacellum's business if you please." The voice came back over the comms. "Y-yes ma'am. Of course. Preferred approach vectors confirmed. Good day to you, Crusader... I mean, Arch Priestess." Shikari smiled again. Confusion could be such a useful tool if used properly.

A few minutes later, as Shikari's fighter approached the landing pad outside the 2nd fleet shipyards, she saw fifteen of her pilots running out of the main building and lining up to greet her. Dropping her landing gear, Shikari brought her fighter in for a smooth but swift landing. The flights back and forth to Ilum and back had been rather exhausting in the tiny cockpit of her Crux, but the effort was well worth it. Soon she would be back on Ilum and would get some much-needed rest. But first, there was work to be done. As Shikari climbed out of her cockpit, the shuttle and the freighter that had been tailing her were dropping to the landing pad behind her and one of the pilots on the ground approached, saluting. "Ma'am, the unit is present and accounted for and awaiting your commands." Shikari looked over her men as the second half of her command unloaded from the shuttle and freighter. "Very good commander. Prepare the men to move. We are heading into the shipyard."

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid (or his droid rather) followed the Arch-Priestess down to the surface of Corellia. He listened in on the conversation between Shikari and the Air Traffic Control officer. While the Pureblood priest did approve at all of her flaunting her position all over to get special access, he had to admit it was definitely very handy and saving a lot of trouble.

The droid moved in next to Shikari and touched down next to her small fighter. Mid slid his duraplast helmet on, pulled the black cloak over his armour and made his way out of the freighter. Both lightsabers and pistols were holstered and he was ready for any fighting that could start.

He was rather taken back by the squadron of pilots that were waiting for them to arrive, not sure why they needed the backup.

When Mid finally reached the Arch-Priestess he gave her a small bow of the head in respect. "Sister, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." he said in a friendly, calm tone. While they were in the same order, they were rarely in the same building at the same time. This would be the first time Mid could meet Shikari face-to-face.

The pureblood was definitely starting to enjoy being taller than just about every other being in the Sith Church, but he kept that enjoyment to himself.

"How may I be of service, sister? he said more sternly, ready to receive any orders she might give him.

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari turned as another ship came to land on the same pad as her own small floatilla. Eriana had sent word that support might be coming to meet her. As far as combat was concerned, Shikari wasn't all that worried. She didn't expect to need backup of that sort. But having a larger delegation, especially if they were subservient to herself, would make the whole thing look more official.

The ramp of the light freighter lowered and out strode a sith pure-blood. Now that was somewhat surprising! To think that their Sacellum which until right before the reunification of the two empires had been born of the Republica, was already attracting the most die-hard followers of the old ways. Eriana was doing well at attracting a variety of followers it would seem. As the pure-blood strode up to her, towering over her, Shikari glanced up at him over her half-face mask. "Sister"? Was that how speakers were supposed to address her? She wasn't sure if she liked it, but then she supposed that people couldn't be calling her Arch-Priestess all the time. Might be annoying for them. Not that it was her concern whether it annoyed them or not. Maybe sister was the right way to address her? She made a mental note that there were still quite a few things she and Eriana needed to work out and get on paper. "Greetings Speaker. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with your name? The Head Priestess simply informed me that support may be arriving, not who it would be." As she talked, Shikari started walking towards the fleet yard ahead, her thirty pilots falling in line behind her and Mid in three lines of ten. "As for what you can do. Stand next to me, look important and don't take no for an answer. It's my job to defend the Sacellum, and I am going to need resources to do it."

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

She looked somewhat confused at his greeting behind her interesting mask. Might need to tone down on that in the future if it keeps bothering people. She then proceeded to ask for his name. While it slightly offended him he did understand why she asked. Outside of his home community he was basically a nobody, a sad reality that he was planning on changing in the future.

With a smile he spoke up. "Acolyte Mid Samekh, devoted follower and warrior for the Dark Side of the Force." He followed her as she walked, listening to her orders. "I can certainly do that. It seems that being tall and 'built like a house' as some people say can sometimes be quite...intimidating for others. Not sure how though, I'm pretty average for a Pureblood. As for these resources...mind filling me in on the details? The High Priestess never exactly explained the mission to me, she just said the Arch-Priestess needed help so here I am, at your disposal." he spoke cheerfully. A normal person might just keep his head down and shut up, but not him. As far as he was concerned there was no reason why a little light conversation couldn't be had on route to the objective...wherever that might be.

He eyed her over, taking in her details. As a priest she looked appalling to him. With the glowing El-Tats and...curious choice of clothing she would give any priest a heart attack. As someone who appreciates art and expression she was quite the fascinating spectacle. Probably not the best idea to bring that up now though...but he decided to anyway.

"Forgive me if I'm being too bold, but I simply have to say that I admire your tattoos. Certainly a very unique sight to behold and one I have rarely seen at all...especially in the Order." he spoke in an inquisitive manner as they walked.

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari smirked as Mid spoke to her, continuing to walk through the gates and entryways of the fleet yard. He seemed the inquisitive type. That was good. The curious types tended to take in more of the world they interacted with and analyze it more effectively. In other words, their minds were open to things that they didn't yet understand and they could be taught a great many more things than one who believed they had all the answers. It was far to early to know yet how useful Mid would be to Shikari, but at least he wasn't a fool. Intelligent beings tended to join a cause and seek to make it their own, and leave their lasting marks on it. The brainwashed tended to simply follow blindly.

Shikari smirked beneath her mask as Mid commented on her tattoos. "Unlike the Head Priestess, I was not born of the sith, Speaker Samekh. It is a twisted and uneven path that has led me to where I am now. Full of highs and lows, trials and tribulations. The dark side has allowed me to rise far above anything I might have been before, and that is why I walk the path alongside Lady Eriana. However, in my life I have seen the galaxy from many different perspectives. I have experienced many different levels of society on many different worlds. It has given me something valuable which many sith lack, in my opinion... Perspective. Perhaps I am not what you would call a 'good speaker'. Perhaps I am not even what you would call a 'good sith'. But, my experience and my 'perspective' allow me to see past what most sith see. They allow me to view the galaxy in ways other sith cannot, and see the importance of things others might otherwise dismiss. Lady Eriana saw that in me, and also my weaknesses. We all have strengths and faults, and in our time together, Lady Eriana and I have seen each other's. We may seem an unlikely partnership, but it is because we are so different that we work so well together. She is building something fantastic with great potential, but there is danger lurking in every dark corner of the galaxy one can imagine. Dangers she cannot see. She recognizes this, and that is why I will be her sword and her shield. As she reaches higher and higher towards the sky, I will turn my gaze down to the ground and strike down the serpents that would try to coil at her feet. This is my purpose as her Arch-Priestess, and why someone like me is necessary for her Sacellum."

As she finished her little speech, Shikari raised and eyebrow and glanced up at the the towering pureblood. "But then, perhaps that's a little more than you were looking for. Thank you for your kind words about my adornments. They are the remnants of another life from what seems like long ago. Perhaps they do not seem very befitting of a sith, but they are a part of me, and I embrace my past as I do my future. I will never get rid of them. They remind me of who I am, and they remind others that I am not who they think I am." As they walked through the final gateway, they entered the fleet yard. It was full of ships from tiny fighters to transports and corvettes and even a frigate or two docked in the distance. This was basically a storage yard. A parking lot for ships of the fleet that were not on active duty at the time. Shikari stopped for a second and glanced around. "As for why we are here, that you will see shortly. I believe they were over there if I remember correctly?"

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid listened to her every word as they walked, not daring to interrupt her. The more she spoke, the more fascinated he became by the Pantoran. She was most certainly one of the most unique individuals he had encountered to date.

When she finally finished her tale, he chuckled a little at her comment.
"It's not too much at all. Hearing people's stories like that helps me get a feel for the galaxy as a whole. I only learned that there is other non-pureblood life forms when I turned twenty, so imagine my shock when I first saw Korriban from the viewport of my ship for the first time or when I saw the vast variety of sith in the academy ten years ago. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from this wonderous galaxy of ours." he stopped talking as he thought of what to say about her story. She certainly sounded like she had quite the journey through life.

He continued once again. "In my experience, being a good priest does not mean dressing accordingly or knowing which honeyed words to speak when...it's when you remain true to your faith through any trial and test thrown at you through your life. It certainly seems that you are no stranger to hardship and the galaxy hasn't given you any special treatment whatsoever, but you held faith and remained true to the Force through it all and in return it has made you a powerful warrior and rewarder you justly. Very few sith can say that they faced the same challenges you have and even fewer can say that they remained true to their faith and for that you have my respect... a snicker escaped him as a thought jumped into his mind. "The worst trial I faced was 'getting acquainted' with a slave in the temple and the consequent torrent of force lightning from my mother not long after that"

They finally reached a massive area filled from corner to corner with ships of every class. The sight both intrigued and intimidated the poor pureblood greatly."Ummm...I think now would be a good time to mention that I'm an absolutely terrible starship pilot..." he spoke up as he glided his hand along the hull of a very impressive looking corvette standing nearby. "I hope you don't expect me to dogfight or anything like that" he said nervously. Between crashing alone with a starship and facing the wrath of the crusader, it was pretty hard to tell what would be worse.

 

[Shikari]

Shikari walked silently as Mid spoke. The pureblood seemed a bit overfamiliar with her all of a sudden. She had simply explained the reasoning behind a peculiarity such as herself holding high standing in the Sacellum, she hadn't told him her whole life story or anything, so when he talked about the challenges she had been through, she wondered what he was imagining. But, at least he seemed to get the point, and perhaps she was just being standoffish. So she shrugged off his over-familiar tone and continued on. As they made their way past corvettes and heavy freighters, all of which Shikari was privately drooling over in her mind and she consciously maintained her composure, smaller ships came into view.

Shikari stopped as what she was looking for came into view. "There." She said, pointing. Ahead amidst the shuttles and fighters parked in reserve was a small fleet of Crux-class Star Fighters. "Those are what we came for Speaker Samekh. And not to worry, I don't expect you to fight in one. I don't even expect you to fly one, in fact. This is why all of the soldiers in my command are pilots. You and I will take one of these shuttles here. I will fly if you are uncomfortable doing so. My pilots will take 30 of these Crux fighters. They are the backbone of the imperial fighter fleet across the galaxy as their hyperdrives give them the ability to deploy quickly and wherever they are needed, and that makes them an excellent resource for defending the Sacellum and it's interests at home and abroad." Shikari raised her hand and snapped her fingers, her 30 imperial pilots jogged forwards, splitting up and each heading to their own fighters. Shikari made her way to the nearest shuttle and stood next to it as the fighters began to take off two at a time. Tapping the hull control pad on the Vector-class Shuttle the ramp began to lower. From a good distance away, several Imperial officers could be seen marching quickly across the tarmac towards them, clearly in annoyance and confusion over what the hell was going on with the fighters. Shikari glanced at Mid. "We can go now, or we can wait for them. The fighters will be airborne by the time they arrive and on their way to their new home. If you want to tie up all ends though, we can discuss this with those angry-looking shipyard officers if you like."

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid followed close behind Shikari as they moved over to the section filled from corner to corner with starfighters. He was visibly relieved when she said that he didn't have to do any flying. "If it were under different circumstances I'd volunteer to try and pilot the shuttle but since we're rather busy, I'll hand that part over to you." he spoke over his shoulder as he stood in front one of the fighters, admiring the machine. He walked back to Shikari as a pilot approached the fighter to enter it. "They certainly seem like solid craft. Those missile tubes and hyperdrives will definitely come in very handy, I'm sure. Pity we can't slap some shields onto it."

He stood next to her as they waited for the ramp of the shuttle to lower, when the approaching group of officers caught both sith's attention. Shikari gave him the option to either stay and sort out the situation or just climb aboard and leave. The decision was a rather tough one, but eventually Mid figured that the enjoyment he would get out of the confrontation wasn't worth the wait. He turned to Shikari "We got what we came for. Who are they to stand in the way of a mission as important as this...but in the end you're the Arch-Priestess here. I'm fine with either option you choose, sister." he spoke casually before turning to watch the officers once again with his arms crossed over his chest.

The pilots were almost all airborne and the officers were rapidly approaching as well. "They don't look happy at all." Mid quipped with a laugh.

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari chuckled at Mid's observation. "You're correct. They don't look very pleased and I'm sure they're not. These fighters are newly minted from the imperial fleet works, but they were intended to join fleets under the rule of the Imperial Republica. Now that the two halves of the empire are again whole, there is much reassigning going on, and the new leadership must account for resources that they were previously unaware of." Shikari swung around the hydraulics of the shuttle's ramp and walked up the metal platform into the passenger seating area of the ship. "Ships like this will sit unused for quite some time while the fleets are reorganized and set under the rule of the various lords and admirals who have only just begun to take their new positions at the head of the former Imperial Republica. Assets will go unaccounted for and be argued over and reassigned many times over as they sit and rust in the fleet yards until finally coming into use."

Shikari walked through the fuselage of the shuttle and opened the door to the cockpit, swinging around one of the pilot's chairs to plop down into the cushioned seat. Flipping a few switches, the shuttle engines roared to life and the ramp began closing behind them. "I think it is downright disrespectful and not to mention wasteful to leave imperial assets lying unused while the bureaucrats squabble over how they should be used and where they should be assigned. So, we will take these assets and put them to good use, both for the Sacellum and for the empire as a whole." Pulling back on the controls, the shuttle rose from it's berth and began rising over the walls of the fleet yard. The angry officers below were trying and failing to shout over the engines as the shuttle shot forward, flying over the walls and following in the wake of the squadrons of fighters. "I see it not as stealing, but merely requisitioning the materials we require to aid and serve the empire."

//Exit Thread//

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid followed her closely behind as she boarded the shuttle. He stood at the top of the ramp and watched the approaching officers. Just to put some extra salt on the wounds, Mid flicked his fingers and, using the force, pulled the front officer's foot out from under him. He landed flat on his face and tripped a few officers as well in the process.

With a snicker Mid made his way to the co-pilot's seat and plopped down into it as Shikari spoke further. "Crying shame. That's why I try to stay outside of politics. As much fun as it is to debate over it, it's just too slow for something to happen. At least these fighters will be used in the way they were meant to in the first place, so in a strange way we're actually saving the Empire money." he spoke casually. He made himself comfortable, watching the cursing officers through the window as they ascended. His droid would be following close behind with his personal freighter.

In no time at all they were in hyperspace, blasting off to Ilum.

/End Thread