What is that I cannot see? (BRIEFING)

[ShadowWalker]

Phiro kept himself calm and collected as they approached the rendezvous. Every instinct in him told him this was a bad idea. Just a few of the members they'd be bringing along was enough to make his stomach turn. Sith, Mandalorians, even a few freelancers like Destro himself. John placed a hand on his shoulder to ease him, speaking solemnly.

"It'll be okay, we'll get your brother back,"

Phiro nodded, more to himself to reassure himself. When he'd found out about what had happened to Phiro, he'd almost ordered Destro to kill that murderous Sith on the spot, but, held his fire when he offered information on his whereabouts. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get Phiro back on the trail. He's spent the last two weeks gathering allies, an unlikely, motley crew, of Sith, pirates, Mandalorians, Alliance Soldiers, and Destro's old contacts. The Sith they had contacted sent shudders down Phiro's spine, as he'd lied about who he was to avoid capture, but he hoped that the stakes would make his capture secondary to the real prize. Preventing his brother from accomplishing his new goal. Something that Phiro would never forgive himself if he allowed it to happen. If he survived. This was crazy, it was stupid. It was what he'd have to do to save his brother. The Wolf Fang dropped out of hyperspace, right at the rendezvous, and thankfully a little early. No one else was there, for now, and that would mean a little secrecy to the wrong eyes. If anyone from the high commands of the other factions found out, a war would be started here, and he couldn't have that happening. He sat back and waited as Destro spoke coolly.

"Tell you what Jedi, we survive this, I'll buy us all rounds of Juma, and I'll give you a personal position on the Wolf's Head,"

Phiro chuckled and settled into a chair as they waited for everyone to arrive. It was going to be the shortest mission ever if none arrived.

 

[Ben]

Rhuine sat back in the rear of the command center of the Wolf Fang, the ship ran by the peculiar and intriguing Destro Vulcanis. He watched the camaraderie and banter between the Jedi, ship-captain and the soldier known only to Omnis as 'John' and chuckled internally at their need to distract each other from the possibility of death and the bitterness of young Phiro's current predicament. After he had finished laughing at the preposterous likelihood of the notion that it could happen, Omnis had come dangerously close to rising to the bait of the younger and less experienced Jedi Knight when he had threatened to kill the self-entitled Sith Lord. If he had done so, Rhuine would not have learnt that his powerful apprentice gone runaway had a twin brother, equally powerful and quick to act, one that could be turned to the Dark Side if the right buttons were pushed.

When Omnis learned of the nature of the boys request, he had jumped at the opportunity to track down Draco and the chance to try and twist his twin brother into a Dark tool; however, Rhuine wanted to observe the power of a Force Scion and defeat him before he became a threat, not stop the ritual from happening in the first place. Rhuine had read about the ritual, and knew of its chaotic power, but he had never seen it performed and never wanted to carry out the sorcery himself. Now he was on his way to meet a whole conglomerate of Sith, Jedi, Mando's and freelancers in order to track and defeat his ex-apprentice who had proven himself after all too weak to channel the Dark Sides' power.

Omnis was not sure how members of the Sith Order would react to him, being a rogue Sith and traitor to the Order, but he doubted anyone he had known would be a part of the assembly. The Jedi would be more restrained and focused on the greater good to challenge him and the Mando's did not interest him. Nevertheless, he would have to tread with caution if he was going to come away unscathed from what was likely to me a high-tension operation.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk's hands danced over the Ascendant Justice's controls, the Stathas class gunship responding to his touch in a light, maneuverable dance through the stars. He had been here since the entry to hyperspace, almost 17 hours ago, sleeping in the padded captains chair when he could. Sleep had been fitful, the dull pounding at the base of his skull keeping him awake. The Force was rife with the darkness that was stirring, and it had reached even to the Mandalore Sector, awakening the Alor with something akin to a scream. When he had called into command for a status report, Kane had reported that they had just received a message, and were in the process of decoding it, but from what they had so far, it looked bad. Sisk had risen, donned his armor, and made his way to the bridge of the dreadnought, where he had silently been handed a readout of the message. He had quickly scanned it, and ordered a Stathas readied for launch.

Since then, he had fought the darkness in his mind, doing his best to push it away, but so strong was the presence, it kept coming back.

His sensors beeped lightly, and Sisk turned to the readouts, noting a star detroyer at the coordinates specified, and he cursed quietly. "Osik." Kriffing Imperials. With some hesitation, he adjusted his course, bringing the Stathas into a steady roll, the maneuvering jets releasing the pressurized gas to bring him to the proper heading to bring his course in next to it and hold postion. A flick of an overhead switch opened a comm channel, and a series of button inputs started to feed a steady charge to the weapons. It never hurt to be cautious. "Unidentified Star Destroyer, this is Aliit'Alor Renelo of the Mandalorians. Identify yourself." A tinny voice came back with an identification code, and Sisk checked it against the codes he had been sent. It seemed to be in order, but he would keep his weapons and engines primed, just in case.

He scratched the back of his head lightly, the shorn hair still an oddity to him, and as he lowered his arm, was struck once again by the difference in his armor. The new paint scheme still hadn't sunk in, he supposed. After so long wearing the netra, the blood red just seemed... Off. Yes. Off. That was the best way to put it. His right arm still held the black of the Protectors, the only outward sign of his old group. It was a symbol, worn by all of Renelo, to remind them of who they had been, and of the code they still fought for. His buy'ce sat in the vacant chair next to him, the blood red broken by the grey trim that lined the visor. He sighed. Although Xotomi was back, he wondered if she would ever be the girl he had met again. The grey was there for her, the color symbolizing lost love. To outsiders, it would just seem to be a threatening color scheme, but to those who followed the old ways, the colors told a story, they told why the Mandalorian who wore them fought. Sisk armor told his story, and all who saw it knew the man, at least a surface impression.

He checked his calculations again, and made a quick adjustment to his thrusters, bringing him alongside the massive ship, his eyes darting in between his readouts, making sure he was out of their firing arc. It would be an inglorious end if he was vaped while sitting in the conference room. A few quick commands routed sensors to the conference room monitors, which would allow him to notice if they began powering up their weapons, giving him the chance to slip away. A known Imperial hater with as much strength as he commanded would be a hefty prize. With a single smooth motion, he rose, and lifted his buy'ce, sliding it over his head, hearing the familiar click as it sealed onto the rest of his armor. It was easier to hide his emotions behind the cold, menacing mask, and in talks like this, it could give him a slight element of surprise.

A quick blink brought the shipwide comm system online, and when Sisk spoke, the filters and voice modulator in his helmet turned his normally melodious voice into a deep, threatening growl. "Lets get this kriffing show started. All hands to the war room." He cut the link, and made the short trek to the chamber, a holoprojector dominating the center space, with monitors and consoles lining the walls. Each of them was manned by a member of Renelo, all heads uncovered, and the armor a riotous clash of colors. A quick nod to Caleb Renelo sent the young pilot out of the room, heading to take the abandoned controls on the bridge. If Sisk couldn't be there, he was glad Caleb would be. The young man was a superb pilot, almost as gifted as Sisk himself, and the Alor held great faith in him.

He stepped forward, and the sensors on the projector read the IFF tags built into his armor, activating at the embedded codes. It blinked faintly, until Sisk stepped into one of the transmission circles, then it burned to life, meter tall projections of the group that was assembling coalescing in the air above the table. Sisk knew his own image had appeared on the Star Destroyer, wherever they were holding this conference, his likeness rendered in the cold blue of a transmission hologram. His eyes narrowed underneath his helmet, recognizing the JEdi who had escaped him on Coruscant, and even a Darth of the Sith Order. A low growl, not loud enough to be picked up by his helmets comm system escaped his throat.

Then he spoke. "This had better be important, dar'jetii. I didn't haul my beskaryc sheb halfway across the galaxy to play games."

 

[Mistress]

Zabić's Master is a Juggernaut, that is the reason why she is sent here. Master Drakus makes a great effort to emphasize the fact that every situation is a training experience. Why he did not accompany her is uncertain; perhaps it is Zabić's fearlessness which shines through. And it is her intent to further honor her Master in the eyes' of their notorious superiors. As for playing nice with the others which is an obvious requirement here, that is an ongoing internal debate whose verdict remains to be determined.

When the possible future was foreseen, the call was put out. However the Imperium isn't too worried at one small group's attempt to accomplish the near impossible. After the necessary deliberation, three were assigned to answer that call. One is a Sith Lord whose class she had attended. The other an Assassin who has proven himself very capable, and who strives toward promotion. Zabić had learned that the Sith Assassin Xanthus had sparred with her Master. She had heard he did fair far better than herself at the task, having exchanged continuous strikes for at least a few minutes, when Zabić's first sparring against the Juggernaut hadn't lasted long at all, as expected.

Having been dispatched directly from the heart of Korriban, Zabić landed her transport in the bay of the awaiting Star Destroyer. Once the bay door sealed, the Sith Acolyte stepped down her ramp with a confident demeanor that she would perform for the glory of the Imperium.

She was immediately greeted obediently by a Stormtrooper, who lead her to the conference room, which wasn't necessary at all, for Zabić could sense the group by their tension and fear alone. Once she entered, she bowed directly to the Doppelgänger, as the soldier moved to stand at attention, guarding just outside the door.

 

[T.J]

((Sorry guys, been drinkin'. My brain tanks empty at the moment.))

The flight in had been some of the longest hours Delmon had spent in space. Not necessarily because of the actual time, but more so due to the sheer boredom. The first half of the flight had been fueled by adrenaline, born from the anticipation of the battle that was to come. After that subsided however, the weight of Delmon's situation began to set in. The rush had only lasted a couple hours, leaving much more before he and his fellow Mandalorian's actually reached their destination.

Sleep did not come to the young Mandalorian, only a stiffness due to the prolonged sitting position he had adopted. His movements throughout the journey had been scarce at best, others might have thought him to have been sleeping. Instead he simply sat and waited throughout the flight, fidgeting with his sword harness every once in a while as if he were waiting for a bus of some sort. When the time came for action, Delmon was instantly up and at the ready. Although he would never admit it to the other Mandalorian's around him, he had a secret dislike for space travel. The feeling of helplessness that came over him every time he boarded a transport grated on the Mandalorian like nails on a chalkboard.

Stepping in line behind Sisk, Delmon followed the warrior into the into the war room. Stepping to the right of the Mandalorian, Delmon remained just outside of the transmission circle Sisk had stepped into. Folding his arms across his chest, he let out a light sigh as he waited for the other members of the meeting to respond. Just when he thought they would finally get to the action, he found himself again waiting.

 

[Dmitri]

Geist Weiss was not about to let another threat plague the Galaxy. War was already rampaging. A Force scion would only hinder the progress of order. As such, the beast would need to be neutralized before its rebirth.

He had obtained a tip from an anonymous source, who informed him of the situation. He was cautious to believe the tale immediately, so he sent a Crusader named Un Barrel to investigate. The crusader confirmed the fears before losing contact, presumably killed. He decided to agree to meet with the man and his assembled team to neutralize the threat, with an agreement not to harm them. However, he was sorely vexed to learn that Jedi were among them. Nonetheless, he abided by the agreement. He had no qualms with working with an enemy to defeat an even greater enemy. That did not mean, though, that he wouldn't take precautions. All ships were monitored and scanned, and the guests were kept under constant supervision and guard. He himself refused to abandon the command bridge, as a final defense. Instead, he sent a doppelganger to the conference room where the team was being assembled. He made sure to send a private message to all Sith to be on high alert.

Star Destroyer Redemption was the site of the rendezvous, after all. The captain notified him of some arrivals, though there were a few still missing. He decided to meet with the assembler, Phiro. However, it wouldn't be directly. Instead, a doppelganger materialized in the conference room.

"Let us hope the rest of your team arrives soon," said the doppelganger. "We must deal with this threat soon. I have patience, but we mustn't waste time either. I'll give them one hour. If the rest aren't here by then, we're heading off without them."

 

[Livgardist]

"Star Destroyer Redemption has been sighted, Master." Jeeves, the assassination droid cum butler reported to Gutterson.

The mercenary sat with his eyes closed, hands behind his neck and feet firmly planted on the dashboard in the cockpit of the Cydonian Claw. At the sound of his droid's educated voice, he opened his eyes, and looked out the windshield. Outside, the massive Imperial star destroyer Redemption rested in the emptiness of space. Other ships had arrived and were suspended in zero gravity all around it. It appeared he wasn't the only one who had answered the call. Though in his case of course, it was more for the sake of the credits than fear of a "force scion", whatever that was.

"Contact Redemption and request permission to dock." Gutterson said.

He stood up, checked his armor quickly, and finally made sure that the explosive device planted in his armor as a last resort, was active. It was an IED that he had manufactured for this meeting only, because he was walking into the heart of the enemy. It wouldn't detonate unless he took appropriate measures, and it would not be enough to kill a Sith Lord, he suspected. But at the very least, it would give him a considerable headache. Gutterson wasn't about to trust a Sith. He pulled the helmet that he never used, similar in shape to a Mandalorian helmet - though with a few exceptions - and complete with a T-shaped visor, over his head. Then, he stepped out of the cockpit, up to the well leading down into the cargo hold. Climbing down, he felt the vibrations as they entered a docking bay, and moments later, landed safely on the steel.

The cargo ramp opened, and Gutterson stepped down. As expected he was greeted by an escort of Imperial soldiers - five of them, led by an officer, all of them carrying blasters. Gutterson crossed his arms, but didn't say anything. The imperial officer greeted him: "Welcome to the Redemption. I've been instructed to escort you to the conference room. If you will follow me?"

Gutterson stepped down. The imperial took a hint, and turned around, leading the way. The soldiers closed up around Gutterson as he followed the man through the large docking bay, and into the depth of the ship. He made sure to memorize the path they walked so that he would be able to find his way back if he had to shoot his way out. There were, of course, a lot of imperials there. It wasn't good. He definitely was in enemy territory, and even a mercenary of Gutterson's skill would have considerable trouble fighting his way out if things came to blows.

Of course, Jeeves would be able to provide a distraction should the need arise. He decided to be content with that.

Soon, they stopped by a door that opened swiftly. The officer stepped inside. Gutterson followed him. The man moved up into attention and said:
"Another arrival, Lord Weiss. Gutterson, Alliance contractor."

With that, the officer and the soldiers took their leave. Gutterson stepped into the room. The door closed behind him. There were several others waiting already. The man at the end of the table, he guessed was the one known as Lord Geist Weiss. His eyes sweapt the room for a moment to take everybody in. There were jedi. A hologram of a Mandalorian. And Sith. He walked up to one of the corners, and leaned against the wall there, crossing his arms. From there, he could see everybody in the room, had his back covered, and would not be immediately spotted by anyone entering the room. Just in case.

He was only lightly armed this time. His cortosis karambit in its scabbard on his back, and the P5 pistol in his leg holster. A battle here was not ideal.

He took a deep breath, and waited for somebody to start the briefing.

 

[ShadowWalker]

Phiro went to the controls as the Star Destroyer came into view, putting the ship into a docking course with it. Destro spoke the normal handshake clause between them, and then, a dopplegranger appeared inside the conference room of the small freighter. John, startled, nearly pulled his rifle out and started shooting, when he realized it wasn't real. Phiro heard the doppelganger speak, and replied so that he wouldn't press the issue. This was definitely getting interesting. They docked into the hangar, and a Sith acolyte greeted them coldly.

"My master's expecting you,"

Phiro just nodded as he, John, and Destro stepped off the ship. Destro subconsciously checked his pocket for the chip carrying the plans, and more importantly, their battle plan. They quickly walked down the corridors, Phiro's flowing brown robes, twin sabers, and obviously Jedi warrior like appearance. They approached the conference room of the Destroyer, and Destro commented in humor.

"I bet two to one, the Wolf's Head is gonna be better than this,"

Phiro just shook his head as they entered. Several were already here. A merc was among them, along with the Holograms of the Mandalorians he'd contacted. He sighed as he hadn't been too honest with them on who he was, so, he didn't figure this would go too well. He noticed a few were still behind, most of the Sith for that matter. John had his rifle out, he was still distrusting of most of the people here. Destro was his manic self, taking a seat and acting like they all were friends. He spoke in a confident tone.

"Oh, by the way Phiro, Lt. Thomas will meet us at the RV point,"

"A friend of yours I presume?"

"Aye, his pirate squadron of X-Wings are damn good,"

Phiro nodded in understanding, it paid apparently to have friends in low places. He spoke with a grave tone, and looked about him.

"I suppose you are wondering who I am? I am Jedi Knight Phiro, and I come before with something that is a far greater menace then what we could pose to each other, especially if we don't deal with it now. Before we get too far, I'm going to wait for any late arrivals to show, so if you have questions, ask them now,"

 

[Radiwalker]

Sair had spent the flight in the confound space of his chambers. Unlike most other stormtroopers on board, his presence had been requested at the briefing for the mission. He had wondered whether that was because he had a fine experience of working as a hired gun, but it didn't really matter, because despite the importance and the stakes of the mission, it was nothing more than that for him - another mission.

He had polished his weapons and his armor, but remained in his casual clothing until the arrival was announced, at that moment he equipped his armor and his weapons and without further ado left his small room and headed towards the conference room of the massive star destroyer that he had been employed on for the sake of the mission.

It took him quite some time to reach the conference room as his chambers were on the far side of the ship and he was forced to pass several security checks. Only a few men on board were acquainted with Sair and he stumbled upon some of them on his way, greeting them with nothing more than a casual manner. His thoughts were occupied not so much with the mission, but rather the participants. From the little amount of information he had been given he understood that he was to fight along side sith, which was only natural to him, even those the sith that were involved here were a rather nastier bunch than those he was already acquainted with and yet still that did not trouble him. He was curious as to meeting the mandalorians, he had fought against and with them and always admired their resolve and their discipline. Finally there were the jedi. One might think that Besand would be reluctant to work with such and yet that could not be further from the truth, for he bore no ill will for the jedi... the republic on the other hand was a different beast.

When the corporal arrived at the briefing room the meeting seemed to have already begun. A jedi knight was speaking as Sair entered. With respect to the speaker Besand quietly moved to take a position next to the sith. He gave them a curt bow and stood straight beside them with hands locked to one another behind his back and his head held high. He inspected the jedi and then moved his attention to the mandalorians, finally throwing a look at the mercenary and then returning his eyes to the jedi who had begun to speak.

 

[Ben]

Rhuine had followed the Jedi and his team through the utilitarian interior of the Sith Star Destroyer, giving disdainful glances to any who started at him and ignoring the other worms. As the main body of their little assault party to capture the wayward Draco entered the command center, Omnis stayed back, standing near the back wall in the shadow a little, hoping to avoid too much attention; although he appreciated few of the assembled would likely be dumb or inexperienced enough to not notice him.

He looked down on the majority of the party, except for the towering Phiro, who shared his twins massive physique, and he wore his crimson and black robes. There wasn't much hope of not bringing himself to the attention of the Empire he was a fugitive from, and even if this mission was supposed to be a collaborative effort, he trusted them far less that the distance he could throw them. A few words were exchanged, and Rhuine recognized a Sith as the produced of the doppelganger, but he only kept one ear on the conversation as he scanned the motley crew assembled to stop his former apprentice.

Is the boy worth all this effort? Rhuine thought as he folded his arms, resting his chin on the knuckles of one hand. Alone, especially in his none-insane state, a few of the gathered Forceful could dispose of him single-handed; Rhuine couldn't speak for the none Forceful attendees though. Rhuine supposed it was necessary to stop him before he completed his ritual, in order to avoid a whole load of mess, but the Sith still wanted to observe the boy in a Scion state, he hoped he got the chance. If he proved too dangerous though, Rhuine would help end him before hand. Now all was left to do was wait for the other members to file in, which gave him time to assess his allies, or adversaries depending on how one looked at it.

 

[ShadowWalker]

Seeing only one more enter after he spoke Phiro sighed. He hoped he wasn't sending everyone here to their deaths. He quickly regained his composure, and spoke again, firmly.

"Well, since everyone is here, we'll begin. First and foremost, I am Jedi Phiro, the one that has gone to such length to contact you, all of you," he began to pace around the room as he spoke, "Many of you are probably wondering why a Jedi would go to such great lengths to contact not only just you, but the group you see gathered around you. And I honestly wish it was to discuss peace between us, but sadly, my tidings are much graver. We face a threat that could at best, destroy an entire system before a large enough fleet took it out, at worst, lay waste to anything in its path in not days, not hours, but minutes, destroying any of our great fleets without ever damaging a vessel. We are facing something that could very well topple all of our governments, alliances, armadas, if left unchecked. I have gathered you here, now, to take on someone who is going to try and become a Force Scion. The Dark Jedi, Draconis, has gone rogue, and become possessed with the taint of the temple he was studying and training at. This caused him to loss his mind, of sorts, and now he's headed for the greatest, nearest source of the force, which is here, at Lacrima station. There are holocrons there that emanate the dark side, and have strong power in the force. Draconis intends to use this to finish a ritual which will make him a Scion, a being which feeds on the force of others. I hope to capture him alive, and turn him away from this dark path, but, if we are forced to in order to stop him, we'll destroy the station with him on board to keep it from happening," Phiro brought up a 3D schematic of the station, "I'll now turn this over to Destro, who was the one who came up with the battle plan to get us all in and out of this, alive,"

Destro chuckled as Phiro ended, and took a modest bow as he spoke.

"Well that's a tough act to follow. ANYWAY. We have to assault the station, and recover Draconis as the primary objective. Phiro will hand pick his team to do this job, and you will head straight to the holocron storage areas to intercept him," He gestured to the hologram, and a red line went up displaying the path. "Now, the secondary objective is to rid the chance of this happening again. We are going to destroy the station by planting explosives throughout the main fuel reserves, causing all the TB (Tibana Gas) onboard, to go nova. Second team, you'll also be going after the data mainframe, and will download all the information you can get your hands on. Blake will accompany you to hack the mainframe, and John will lead the secondary team. Now remember people we are on the clock here, the holocrons have driven the original inhabitants, along with the pirates that tried to establish a base there, mad. They are now slaves to the holocrons and will do anything and everything to stop you. Do not hold back. As time passes, more and more of their patrols will return, and pretty soon, we'll be dealing with Interceptor IV class vessels. I don't know about the rest of our pilots here, but I don't like to dance with something that big, and the fact that there are several of them, will mean problems for the fighter squadrons. Remember, the only way off the station, is with your ships, and freighters, and without fighter support, you'll all be sitting ducks. So, we gotta get in, secure both packages, plant our charges, and get the hell out. Now, are there any questions?"

Destro stood back as he waited for the inevitable questions to arise about the station.

 

[Ben]

Omnis listed quietly as the young Jedi broke the news to them of the rogue Sith Draco and the damage he could cause upon the galaxy; which Rhuine thought the young Jedi was overstating. The tall Sith did not leave his post at the periphery of the room until Destro had stepped forward and said his piece.

We have to assault the station, and recover Draconis as the primary objective. Phiro will hand pick his team to do this job.

As Omnis heard this his ears pricked, and when the floor had been cleared he stepped forward, breaking his attempts at ambiguity for a chance to move in on his true aim, getting a look up-close of a Force Scion. He only hoped he would be able to convince the Jedi that his own aims were in conjunction with the master plan.

"I put myself forward for the strike team led by Phiro." He looked at the Jedi, hoping to impress the logicality of his argument on the Jedi in an attempt to hide his intentions. "I have extensive combat experience and I have had hands-on experience with how the boy fights and operates." He turned to the group as a wider audience. "He was my apprentice after all."

Rhuine still thought that he could defeat the boy single-handedly as long as they got to him before the ritual was complete, he was aware that it would be another scenario entirely in that case.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk was growing impatient. He had been brought here under false pretenses, and they were lucky he even deigned to appear at this meeting, albeit in holographic form. If he had known Imperials were to be involved, he would have brought the Tor. A Mandalorian Dreadnought would have kept any funny business far from the minds of the Sith. But he was here now, and there was nothing he could do about it. He shot a quick look at the other Mandalorians, and gave a small shrug, then turned his attention back. With growing horror, he listened to the Jedi and the mercenary speak, and did his best to allow it to sink in. The last Scion the galaxy had seen had been Darth Nihlus during the time of Revan, and now, as then, a Mandalorian would be there.

"Despite my better judgement, we will not allow this threat to be met without the Mandalorians present. My blade and bolter will meet this threat head on, as will my brother's. Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur." Sisk was serious. He would put aside his hatred for the time, to strike down a much greater threat. "I offer forty five verde, and all of our combined skill, to end this threat. But, as always, we will not follow Jedi or Sith. We will fight alongside, but we will not follow daft orders."

 

[Mistress]

There certainly are a shadowy bunch present, but it didn't phase Zabić in the least. She isn't about to trust her life to anyone if she absolutely must, aside from the Sith Lord, whom she feels is totally capable of handling anything that should arise, even from his place on the Bridge.

'Daft orders?' Zabić thought, as she turned her head noticeably enough to return a glare at the Mandalorian leader's insulting outburst. 'He would judge an order daft before ever hearing it?' she pondered. She never met a civilized Mandalorian, and she obviously won't meet one today either.

Then her thoughts returned back on track, as she removed her gaze from the Mandalorian. She wondered the level of experience this Jedi Draconis even is, but she didn't care enough to ask aloud. Certainly it would not be misjudging the Jedi to presume, that since he is no Sith he is not capable of performing this amazing Arcane Ritual! But he is on the right track now having left the weaker side of the Force! 'Preposterous! Master Drakus excelled beyond imagination only after he left the Jedi!' The Juggernaut is living proof enough to Zabić of the superior power of the Darkside.

She wants to learn more about the Holocrons. That they would be assumed to drive a race of inept and probably a slave-minded people insane is absolutely unbelievable! Surely not all of them could be claimed to be useless. 'Yes, they should be claimed and divided and evaluated; not destroyed.' She wondered about the Sith Lord's desire in this. Zabić focused on Lord Weiss next. 'What do you want to be done of these Holocrons, my Lord?' she sent him telepathically, 'As for uploading information, surely the Imperium would benefit from studying this superb example of absolute chaos!' she finished. She would not be so open with her ideas or intent to this group of ill matched teammates.

 

[T.J]

Delmon listened intently as the hologram of their Jedi host detailed the soon to be mission. Glancing around at the other holograms that filled the room without moving his helmeted head, he thought it odd that so many enemies would come together with such little information. He had never seen a Jedi so up close without having his sword in his hand and a fire in his heart, it was an odd experience to say the least. From a young age he had only been told he was supposed to hate the Jedi and their kind, yet he always wondered why. The force was surely seen to be a crutch, nothing more than an advantage force users abused, but the order as a whole did not seem like something worth all the trouble. He kept such thoughts to himself however, not wanting to raise ire from his own people. Still, he often wondered how a Jedi would make for conversation.

The news seemed dire; and he was sure that it was, but Delmon had only heard vague stories of a force Scion. Hushed whispers of an all consuming foe his people had once fought many eons ago. In his youth he had thought it only a tale, a story to scare the young ones and keep them sharp. If the foe they were about to face was one and the same with the Scion in the story, then he was truly glad to have been picked for the assignment. Such a enemy seemed a massive task, so large in fact that being apart of the attack was sure to bring one great honor. Having to work along side force users was a price he was willing to pay for a chance at such a worthy opponent.

Though many questions swam in his mind, Delmon chose to remain silent. Most were merely curiosity, and deemed not necessary for the mission briefing. His posture remained exactly as it was when he first entered the room, although a little less bored with the situation.

 

[Dmitri]

The doppelganger, a relay for Geist Weiss, listened to Phiro's compendium. He was curious about Omnis, if he would have the will to do what would need to be done. He was a Sith, and acting like a Jedi hoping for redemption of Draconis would only threaten the mission. The presence of Mandalorians was promising. While not Force users, they wouldn't hesitate to destroy everything. Prevention of the birth of a Force scion, after all in Geist's opinion, took priority over retrieval of information; not to see though that he wouldn't try to obtain them.

On the bridge of Redemption, Geist sensed Zabić's attempt at telepathy. His distance made the connection poor, so he assisted her in strengthening the bond by touching her mind. He listened to her queries.

Without having the doppelganger move, Geist telepathically answered Zabić. 'Retrieve them if possible, but if the mission is threatened and the fools going after Draconis fail, retreat. I will not hesitate to destroy the space station to stop this threat. If we can get the data, let's try. Unbeknownst to them, Lacrima is an old research station I once used. I have methods of accessing data they do not have, nor know. Prioritize the holocrons over the archives; I can try to get them.' The details about Lacrima he would keep to himself, along with the fact that there were explosives on board from when he had tortured Lamia Kressh. He didn't plan to detonate them with the teams on board, but would if forced his hand.

Geist decided to relay some of the information to the rest of the team. "This Star Destroyer will occupy fire as long as it can. Nevertheless, time is of the essence. I warn all of you this: I will not hesitate to destroy Lacrima if the team to neutralize Draconis fails. In other words, other teams, I'll notify everyone intent to attack with only a five minute window. You'll have five minutes to evacuate. Nevermind if you have to use an escape pod rather than your ship; we can rescue you." Having the doppelganger's head turn to face Phiro, he added, "While I no doubt suspect not all parties are happy having to work with each other, it is tolerable. I have no qualms working with every individual here and provided allowance for departure after this mission is done. In other words, a cease-fire for this mission. Kill each other on your own time. Neither Jedi nor Sith will bear well in this war if a Force scion births and plagues the galaxy. It's in everyone's best interests to work together for now."

 

[Livgardist]

Gutterson listened in silence to the different sides squabbling. He could understand each of them and their distrust for each other, obviously. But squabbling got them nowhere. An irritated frown appeared on his forehead under the helmet, but he remained silent. The Mandalorians would be a good force multiplier. The Sith, the Jedi... Gutterson found himself wishing he had his own team with him - coordinated, well-trained and co-trained for at least a month before the execution of the operation, to make sure that they functioned well as a group, not just as individuals within a group. But that was a no-go. As it were, they would be operating with one hand tied behind their back. With the exception of the Mandalorians, they would not be trained in working together. It would show, once they commenced the operation.

Once there was a moment of silence between the conversations, he raised two fingers in a gesture, firing off a barrage of questions that needed to be answered:

"Opposition?" He asked. "You mentioned pirates. Numbers, armament, level of combat training? For those of us who are not very knowledgeable of the Force - what does the holocron induced madness mean practically speaking? Does it mean they are suicidal zombies without ability for coherent thought, or will they still fight as coordinated teams? Is there a risk of us being affected by the holocrons as well? If so, how much time do we have before we start feeling the effects? Can we expect this Draconis to have support by other Force users - Sith, Dark Jedi or equivalent? "

He closed his eyes, thinking for a moment, before adding:
"That's all I have, for now."

 

[Radiwalker]

Sair didn't move from his spot, he listened to everyone who spoke, but didn't become unwary of those who didn't. The whole situation intrigued him greatly. He wondered why it was the sith who offered a cease-fire when it was the sith who were most likely to turn on everyone and use the moment to dispose of a threat and a couple of other enemies. Was this threat really so great, or were the sith simply playing their games? Whatever it was he felt no fear. He had realized that if the threat was great enough to bring such opposites together, he was better off dying trying to stop it in it's birth, rather than facing it later on to perish in it's path. Overall death was something that did not frighten the corporal, he was prepared to meet it with open arms, as long as it was inevitable, for he would do his best to survive and live to fight another day.

After the mercenary had asked his questions, Besand decided to add a few of his own. "What else can you tell us about the station?" he waited for a short moment, looking around to see the reactions of those around him. "What are it's defenses? Does it have any weak points that could easily break off being caught in crossfire?" with that he grew silent. He wasn't concerned with the jedi, nor the mandalorians, nor the sith, he was concerned with himself and doing his part in the mission. That was probably the reason he was called out, because he was disciplined and did well in carrying out orders.

 

[ShadowWalker]

Phiro relaxed a little this was going better than he'd planned. The other groups were at least tolerating each other, which was what he hoped for. After the Sith spoke he nodded in agreement and waited for Destro to continue the briefing.

Destro was noting the reactions of everyone in the room. Seeing none go for weapons eased his nerves, and definitely kept the beast within on edge, searching, scanning for the slightest hint of danger. He continued as questions were being asked looking across the room as his tone got grave.

"Five years ago I was working with a group of pirates that originally reconitored this station. The presence you will feel is that someone is watching you, and you'll notice a slight buzz at first. We stayed there a week, and left as some things got weird and out of hand. As long as you keep your wits about you and stay alert, you'll be fine. Six years ago we brought in a small contingent of fighters, an Interceptor IV frigate, and several frieghters. We moved in and killed the crazed scientists with ease, as they were unarmed. But when we sent a team to the room with the holocrons, they, changed. They lost their minds and started babbling about their new masters. In the end the ones still with our sanity, not many, fled. Stay the hell away from that room, as the closer you get, the worse it gets, and before too long you'll lose yourself in halucination after halucination. You Jedi, Sith and other force users should be more resistant, but do not under any circumstances take any chances. From our more recent recon run, those fighters are coordinated and damn accurate. The station has weaponry, but the real threat here is those holocrons. The enemy is basically a hive mind, and as such will be extremely coordinated. I'm not sure as to how many more have fallen victim since we left, but judging by the multiple frigates right outside the station, it has been quite a few. As for layout it is a maze of corridors, one right after another with junctions everywhere. We'll be entering into the main hangar to secure our exfil point but there are maintenance airlocks all over the place so keep an eye out and be careful,"

Destro looked back to Phiro and nodded. Taking his cue, Phiro stepped forward again and addressed the group as a whole.

"Everyone, we are about to partake in a mission more dangerous than any most of us have done before. Some of us will die, and most of us will not be the same after this. Rhuine, Sisk, I want you and whomever Weiss deems strong enough in the force to accompany me to capture Draconis. John, you take whatever troops in this room that volunteer for going after the main frame and getting the main core ready for detonation. Sisk, I am going to ask your mandalorian warriors to move in strike teams to place the explosives for the secondary explosions to make sure this threat is truly eliminated once and for all. There comes a time when people of different backgrounds, histories, alliances, or even species, must come together and face a single threat as one. Today we have Jedi, Sith, Alliance, Mandalorians, and pirates, all fighting for one common goal," He motioned to himself, Weiss, John, Sisk's hologram, and Destro respectively "Today, here and now we put aside our petty differences to make a stand for the greater good. I bid you all good luck, and that the force be with you in this mission,"

Destro took his cue and immediately spoke firmly, "Alright ladies and gents to your ships, and get ready for the assault,"

 

[Ben]

Rhuine met the Jedi's eyes and nodded when he requested his presence on the team going straight for Draconis, getting a chance to witness that kind of Dark Side vortex would be exhilarating. Not to mention it was a chance to exact some petty revenge of the wayward Sith for the theft of his star ship.

Another matter that the disheveled looking Destro brought up piqued Omnis' interest: the holocrons on board that were clearly suffusing the station with a powerful miasma of Dark Side energies. That kind of power could serve him well, he doubted that he would be affected as the party Destro was a part of was, nor would he need to be as resilient as the Jedi. As a Sith, he would hopefully be a tuning fork for the energies they emanated, bolstering him and fortifying his already beskar-hard will against the intrusions of these so called 'new masters'. They were something Omnis was definitely interested in examining -maybe I can manipulate one of these younger Sith to act as a lab rat for me in retrieving them - he mused as he fell in behind Phiro, waiting for direction.