Ask [Pzob] Well Would You Look At That

[Darth Draugr]

Pzob, Neutral Space, 1521 Hours

After some reconnaissance and a lot of research, Darth Draugr had found the location of an Imperial Base from the days of the Galactic Empire under Darth Sidious' rule. It was abandoned after an attack from the Jedi and even some of the rebellion. The attack took place on the ship Palpatine had built for future plans against the rest of the galaxy. Reports gave information saying the building was still functional and could probably be restored for the Sith to power up and take Pzob as a stronghold.

Draugr had invited the now Champion Veles on this mission. It was weird seeing Veles as a Champion but he had his own issues and that was not for Draugr to harp on. Well, it is but Veles is a friend so out of courtesy to him his mentions of it will be minimal. Draugr was dressed in his usual robes as he would prepare to make it into the base and get it up and running again.

"Veles, we are landing. Let us go see what Pzob has to offer shall we?"

Draugr didn't care Veles was demoted, though in the public eye he would have to be the Lord over him they expect him to be. Until then it was Draugr and Veles here looking for possible information, blueprints, medicines, and even taking the planet sounded like something worth while. Time to get the base up and running.

@vamp​

 

[Veles]

Pzob was not a particularly interesting world, just miles upon miles of lush forest populated by clans of Gamorreans who constantly fought against each other—a tale as old as time. It happened on Dathomir, and Orsimer Prime, and all sorts of other worlds, so to hear its history, it was easy to predict how the natives would behave. The Imperial base was very far from any village, and protected by dense forests populated by all sorts of predators that lurked in the darkness. They would not be bothered by any external forces.

Veles had been a bit surprised when Draugr summoned him for the mission, since he had doubted anyone above Acolyte would speak to him again. The Sith Lord did not seem to care, which comforted the Dathomirian. He’d been asked the same questions and insulted in the same ways for a long time now. Someone who wasn’t outright hostile was a breath of fresh air.

Pzob was not an ugly planet, and the sheer density of its forests provided a perfect hiding spot for a secret base. His mind flicked back to when he’d accompanied Raze to a First Order-era Imperial facility that had been populated by abominations and shuddered a little. His gaze on the green flurry of flora below, he nodded as the Sith Lord spoke.

”Nothing but good fortune, I’m sure,” he quipped slyly. ”Speaking of which—have you made plans to have a ship built by the Sluissi yet?” There was a far more formal tinge to his speech than before, a show of respect to Draugr because as much as he hated it, he was no longer the same rank as the man.

As the shuttle struggled to find a place to land, Veles could hear chatter from the cockpit. It wasn’t hard for him to eavesdrop without even moving, and he knew Draugr likely could, too. Their decision was to use the twin turbolasers to carve a hole directly in the forest, which would be far too dangerous. It would take a great amount of time for the trees to regrow, essentially putting a direct target on the Imperial base. He strode to the cockpit and poked his head inside.

”Don’t do that. We’re going to drop there directly from the shuttle.” Murmurs broke out among the men behind him, and the pilot looked to the co-pilot, then shrugged. Veles returned to Dragur.

”We can’t cause too much commotion here. Despite how remote it is, there is always the possibility of Jedi or Republic scouts stumbling upon the location.”

They all gathered in a line in front of the door, waiting for the signal from the Sith Lord before the group jumped out.

@Scoobert

 

[Darth Draugr]

As the ship began to prepare for their landing, the Zabrak would listen to what his fellow Dathomirian had to say. Asking how his plans for the ship were going and if Sluis Van would be involved in the creation of said ship. Draugr had given it thought and hadn't decided yet. There were many shipyards to choose from he'd need to see before committing to a decision on his ship.

"I am still undecided. Though I remain open minded."

The Zabrak was being honest, he wanted durable and big and badass but the bigger they are the longer they take to build so he wanted to think on it first. As he stood by the ship began to halt above the trees the Zabrak was curious as to why they wouldn't use an organic opening in the trees to land.

It seemed Veles was worried about it as well as he tried everything to stop everyone around him from going forth with the plan, and eventually looking to Draugr for assistance.

"Stay above the trees for now, our squad will drop and secure the facility, find a natural opening after we drop and stay hidden until we are ready to be picked up at the coordinates we give you."

The pilots would both stop what they were doing and respond, "Yes my Lord."

Draugr would look to Veles to give a reassuring nod showing his mind was in the same place. Once the doors opened up, Draugr motioned for all of the troops to land and secure the area before Veles and himself dropped behind them. This mission should prove fruitful as Veles put it, though Draugr knew to expect the unexpected.

"You have to trust I will not lead our cause astray."

His eyes set on Veles. He did not lose any respect for the man despite the drugs and wildfire, but mistrust and questioning will be muted for the mission. The Zabrak was in charge and he will lead as such.

The Zabrak would nod out the ship for Veles to drop down. Draugr would wait until he had dropped before jumping out himself. The Lord was a leader, he made sure every man went first to keep accountability of his squad to include Veles. As the Alpha of the pack does. Once Draugr got closer to the ground he gathered the force to break his fall landing on his feet.

"Warrior count."

Draugr was looking to make sure everyone landed and was ready to move forward. He had a total of eight soldiers, one medic, Veles, and Draugr. After a soldier counted everyone he would look to Lord Draugr and speak,

"We're up my Lord."

The Lord was glad to hear it but he wouldn't show it.

"Good, let's move."

@vamp

 

[Veles]

It was wonderful to be on the same page as the person leading, which was something Veles found grew ever so scarce the longer he partook in missions for the Empire. He thought back to the attack on the Hutt palace on Mataou where the Inquisition had found it fit to accompany him to “observe,” only for them to begin setting terms and conditions the moment they made landfall. The Inquisitor, who Veles had outranked only two weeks before the operation, had strode in as though he had planned and executed it, as if he hadn’t simply flown to Mataou to watch.

Veles had never been one to overstep where he did not have the authority, and he valued Draugr’s leadership enough to put his trust behind the Lord that the mission had been planned impeccably. He had no doubt in any part of it, and interjecting in the discussion between the pilots had been to prevent a terrible last-moment decision from being made. He appreciated Draugr’s agreement, because it showed the Zabrak was competent enough to not be blinded by the power his rank gave him—many Sith Lords were so against anyone speaking out of turn that they would have killed Veles on the spot, whether his idea had been good or not. Still, that was the old times. This was a more modern Empire.

”I do,” he replied sincerely. The fact that Draugr, just like him, was Dathomirian also certainly helped. He felt a different kinship to the Zabrak than he did to the other Sith. Only the very small minority that grew up on the same planet properly understood it and by extension had a different sort of connection with him. It was an interesting dynamic in a mission—the Zabrak leading the human, a direct reversal of the Dathomirian order.

Veles leapt out of the shuttle without hesitation, although as he saw the ground under him, he couldn’t help but feel his stomach going up toward his heart as he dropped, the wind whizzing at his face, toward the location. He could see the troops around, just dots in the distance far below, and watched as they slowly all began to activate their parachutes. A calm had settled over him now after a few seconds of falling. He was almost disappointed when he had to engage his parachute and slow the fall.

One by one, all of them hit the ground, and regrouped. Draugr had dropped last and would be arriving last, so Veles simply leaned up against a tree and lit a cigarette as he waited for the Lord. It would be a good thirty seconds or so before the Zabrak was on the ground and ready to go, and the sorcerer just watched the soldiers gathering into a group as he took a drag.

”I hear the planet’s full of piggies,” claimed a stormtrooper, and the entire squad burst out into laughter. ”Bring out a walker, hook that baby up with a flamethrower or two, and we’ve got ourselves a barbeque, I tell you.”

”Wouldn’t be a bad idea, but then we’ll be eradicating a society of lifeforms that has the same right to live as we do,” added another, and the group suddenly fell dead silent. There was a tense silence for a few seconds as they all stood still, then burst out into laughter again, even more raucous this time, the trooper speaking included.

Veles shook his head and grinned. It had been some time since he’d listened to the troopers interacting amongst themselves. And truth be told, he would wonder what the sense of brotherhood felt like for the rest of his life, since he would never be in the non-Forceful units. Which, of course, he wouldn’t even want to, but he liked to dream.

@Scoobert

 

[Darth Draugr]

After the count of the soldiers, Draugr would lead the group towards the facility. A good walk would ensue, banter among the troops would be heard lightly though nothing that would be heard from a distance as they were trained correctly. Veles tagging along was good feeling as there was comradery between the Dathomirians. One that couldn't be matched by other Sith. Except perhaps Bir Vuul though he was a loose canon at times.

The path taken would be hidden in the trees and bushes to hide their movement from sight. After a long trek they would eventually come to see the facility in a distance. Draugr would lift his right arm with a fist made to show the group to halt. As the motion was made each one in a line would see the signal and make it as well, like telephone but with hand signals. In a whisper Draugr would look to the Champion and speak,

"We must be careful no telling if traps were set or not. Must go with caution and keep an eye out for locals. Shouldn't be any left around here from what the scouts said but there is always a chance."

The Zabrak would then look to his troops and give them the signal to split into two different teams as instructed before. One team goes left and sets up security on an overlook, the other would move to the right to clear the area in an L shape ambush. This was a tactical maneuver to ensure the battlefield was clear of hostiles while also eliminating any that survived the first wave. Very common and successful tactic used in war.

"Veles, you and I move onward and clear the area before any troops make it there. Whatever we miss they clean up. Our job is to secure the facility. Take out any hostiles there, if it's clear we give the signal to our squad and they move in and get a 360 security set on the facility. Understood?"

Draugr was a master of strategy and had knowledge most others didn't possess when it came to war and fights. After a long time studying war and becoming the warrior and leader he is today, he would be putting his knowledge and wisdom to use here. The plan would then begin to execute as Draugr would give a nod to the facility and begin making his way forward. The mission finally began.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Veles had paid close attention during the briefing, and he recalled all the different points as they trudged through the forest, dragging little equipment behind. This was just an expeditionary force, after all, and it would be unwise to send anything more to scout the facility. For all they knew, perhaps it was completely inhospitable.

The soldiers spoke amongst themselves quietly and Veles could not hear them. Draugr broke the silence to recap the plan, and the sorcerer simply nodded along. None of it was alien to him, and he understood the orders perfectly. ”Yes.”

The troops broke apart into groups and the two Sith found themselves making their way in alone directly through the main gate. The mechanism was busted, but it was stuck open, the durasteel having succumbed to a deep brown rust over time covered by weeds. Stepping over it all, Veles reached out through the Force, sensing the area around them for any immediate tangible threats, finding nothing. The courtyard, at least, was safe.

The massive double doors were likewise not closed, though that did not mean it was safe. Veles turned to look at Draugr to see if he was ready before the two delved into the depths of the facility, finding that there was less and less light the deeper they went in.

He extended his arm and a green light burst from his palm and illuminated the hallway as they walked down. It was typical Imperial style, the light panels just like the ones on the Death Star, with announcements about battles that took place a century and a half ago covering the walls. There were no traps to be found, it seemed, and so the two Sith simply strode in like they owned the place to find no resistance.

@Scoobert