sunflower

IC:​ "Very funny​," Leli repeated. She shot a glare to the back of Tarnok's head as he walked off. "You're lucky I like you so much!" She shouted after him, before turning on her heel towards the opposite end of the space mostly clear of the jungle. There wasn't much to see, lots of jungle that didn't quite remind her of Le-Koro, old stones overtaken by that jungle, the occasional sign of rahi having passed through the area. It didn't help that the long shadows caused by the receeding sunlight began to paint odd forms over the area. "Tarnok," she said after a moment, her tone curious as a thought occured to her, "Who do you think made my uh, stone​." She was, of course, refering to the faintly glowing indigo rock that was currently tightly bound up inside her pack. It was an honest question, as far as she knew, the power within it had to have originated from someone​. Just not a question she'd ever considered before.

IC:​ Leli For single, horrifying moment Leli had the gut-wrenching sensation that after all these years she had completely read Tarnok wrong, and that she had completely wiffed. That is, until she realized that he was being entirely serious about splitting up. "Ha, very funny," she shot back, as tone flat as the Onu-matoran's own, "Me and my big mouth, huh?" "Fiiiine," Leli relented with mock exasperation, "I'll come and rescue you if some Muaka sneaks up on you."

nothing can compare to the characters you brought to life and the stories you wove together <3

IC:​ Leli "Sounds like as a good place to start as any to me," Leli nodded in agreement, readying her staff with a slow twirl. The weight of the weapon in her hands did much to calm her nerves, or more specifically, provided something to distract her hands and her mind. A little piece of normalcy in a place that was definitely anything but. "So, I'll head off to the East and you can start looking for something around the West-side," she offered, nonchalantly. There was a heavy pause, before Leli peered over at her friend. "...Kidding, kidding; I'm thinking that we're only allowed to get a bio away from each other walking around here. Should'a seen the look on your face though~."

IC:​ Leli "Oh, y'know; the usual," Leli put a hand on her hips, the other motioning to the jungle around that was darkening at an unnerving pace, "Trees, some more trees, rahi, evil rahi, small evil rahi, big evil rahi." "Also these giant mean metal monsters, they've got sticks that pointy on both ends, real scary stuff." It felt... somewhat reassuring to refer to them as such. That is, after the intial unbidden spike of panic that came with bringing them​ up. Not that it showed through her mock show of boredum. "I'm not really too keen on asking them for directions, if I'm gonna be honest here." "...Although," Leli reached out, and padded one of the massive stone columns that circled the Kini-Nui, "This place isn't exactly all in one place, there's more to it than just the altar, if we wanna go looking."

IC: "Chief Inquisitor," Kryik dipped his head in greeting, the Mirialan looking distinctly less dour than usual, though his complexion was a few shades paler than normal. "We reconstructed the data from the flight computer, initially it only seemed to confirm what we already knew, the pilot never set foot on any systems that he jumped into, staying well outside the range of any planetary bodies. There was no indication of his next target," the Inquisitor paused, and keyed something into the datapad he was holding. "However, I continued searching, and managed to pull a specific set of coordinates from one of the systems that the pilot had​ been. I took the liberty of having the local patrol group dispatch a probe droid to the location," Kryik's eyes gleamed, and for a second it nearly looked as though he was going to smile, "It found an old hyperspace beacon, very old, put into service nearly 4,000 years ago, to be exact. Attempting to retrieve data from that proved to be more difficult than I anticipated, and would take far too long." "This," he turned the datapad for Costa to view, on it a starchart of local space, with a chaotic mess of lines connecting systems together, "is the plot of all the hyperspace jumps we pulled from both the astromech and the nav computer. All meaningless, our rebel pilot did a decent job randomly jumping between systems." "But this​," he pressed a key, and the chaotic mess dissolved into a string of five systems, "is the plot of the systems which our pilot spent a considerable amount of time in between jumps, courtesy of the flight computer, including the system where the probe found the beacon. I have already dispatched probes to these systems, but the Force tells me what they will find. Based on this, the only logical terminal to this pilot's trip is here," he pointed to a system near the edge of the screen, "Dantooine." "Which, if I'm not mistaken, was rather important for the Jedi some 4,000 years ago."

IC:​ Leli At this Leli smiled. "Come on Tarnok, who else​ could I ever be but me?" After a moment, Leli seemed to become distinctly aware of her arms around Tarnok. She somewhat hurriedly released her friend, as a small part in the back of her mind realized that she was being rather... clingy. "Besides, I'll just be taller than you for once!" She teased.

IC: ​Leli "Nothing changed," Leli insisted, but even before the words left her mouth she could tell how hollow they were. Everything had changed. All she had to do was look around, her black armor was testament to that, as much as she had attempted to convince herself otherwise. Tarnok was right.She was gone. Nothing was the same, she hadn't been there. Leli looked away. The realization didn't hurt, not physically, but it still caused a dull ache that she couldn't explain, as if a weight had been set upon her chest. The silence was deafening. "You're right, I don't know." "Tarnok..." she started, quietly, glancing up imploringly at him. Tarnok had opened up, he was always honest, but never so... exposed. And here she was, at a loss for words, unable to come up with even the smallest thing. He was right, they'd drifted apart. It was her fault, her fault for not noticing, her fault for being so self-absorbed. So selfish, even when Tarnok stopped everything to listen to her, help her through her own problems. They all seemed so petty now, not worth the cost on the two of them. Words still escaped her. Leli pushed herself up from the ground, before taking a step to embrace her friend, slipping between his arms. "Tarnok... I'm sorry," her words a near-whisper as she rested her head on his chest. It sounded woefully inadequate. "...Let's change things now, then."

IC:​ Leli "Yeah... I guess we've just been kinda busy, huh?" Leli slipped her head out from the strap on her pack before sitting down on the cracked stone of the temple, hugging her legs and letting her head rest on her knees. The area gave her the creeps. "Y'know, what with getting the Light Division reorganized, the whole Darkwalk thing-" She stopped herself, and glanced over to catch Tarnok's eye even as he looked towards the ground, noticing only then that something was very distinctly off about the way he had spoke. It wasn't like him, not at all. Leli decided to not call attention to it, not now. "What about you?" She asked instead, "What's been going on, since... y'know... Makuta and all that." She smiled, mustering what positive feeling she could find within while in this dark place.

IC:​ Leli In the beginning Onu-Wahi had been crushing; the weight of the tons of rock and earth above feeling as though they were pressing down on her when she first arrived in the underground Koro. Eventually, Leli had gotten used to it, and almost welcomed the comfort of the sturdy tunnels and massive caverns. She missed that feeling, especially now, where even the air itself was crushing in a different sort of way. It was a small surprise, the matoran thought to herself, she expected a sense of relief upon reaching open sky. Not here, not where the very stones they were walking on seemed to remember the darkness that infected the area, seemed to cling to her feet in an attempt to keep her from walking closer to the temple. Not where the wind carried with it the sound of warnings. Not when even the plants aroud felt poised to strike. Maybe it was just in her head. Leli felt on edge, her hand clutched against the pack that hung from her side, barely able to make out the geometric contours of the glowing stone within. The matoran had the distinct feeling that it hated this place almost as much as she did. Tarnok and her reached the center before Leli realized how close they had come, and she stopped with a start. "He said we'd know where to go," Tarnok spoke up, and Leli glanced over to him, startled, "I don't suppose you've got any ideas?" "Well I don't know!" Leli immediately looked away, embarrassed that she had snapped so suddenly, shutting her eyes tight, hoping that she didn't sound as shaken as she felt. "Sorry, sorry," She quickly apologized, letting out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. Gingerly, Leli placed a hand on her companion's arm, before looking back to him. "Uh, maybe circle around, see if there's anything here, y'know, out of place?" She offered.

IC:​ Leli "Okay, let's go," She affirmed, though it seemed as if she was reaffirming herself than anything else. Regardless, Leli powered on ahead, moving to outpace any trepidation that might've pulled her back. ​OOC: Plot people to plot important places, let's gooooooo~

IC: Dehkaz looked up towards the remainder of the monolith of black rock and stark white ice that stood before them. Up there, situated among the icy peaks of the mountain, was the Village of Ice proper. Safely hidden away from the world, surrounded on all sides by inhospitable blizzards and storms, below freezing temperatures, and sheer cliffs, the Koro was meant to be nearly impossible to get to. Then impossible to get inside, given the towering walls that served as an impenetrable defense should any soul be brave, or stupid enough, to attempt to force access to the frozen citadel. That worked out well. Now all that was working against them, though Dehkaz figured that if a random assortment of psychopaths, murderers, and megalomaniacs could figure out a way to attack the Koro en masse and succeed, then two very motivated Guards should have no trouble at all getting inside. Theoretically, anyway. The toa of Magnetism glanced over to Naona, the two of them had already discussed possible ways to gain entry to the village. From what they had heard, Echelon was allowing all manner of undesirables to gather in the city, and no doubt those that had been displaced by the rather sudden disappearance of the Kumu Islets in the south had flocked to the Koro once it was under the twisted leadership of the Makuta Followers. There couldn't be much in the way of vetting the assortment of beings entering the city, though Naona and him were somewhat pressed for time and closer to Ko-Koro than any other village, looping around to pick up new armor and Kanohi wasn't an option. Neither was attempting to walk up to the front gates as they were, either of them could be recognized, if not strictly by name, as Guards and not at all sympathetic to whatever cause had banded the criminals together. Too risky, they had decided. Unfortunately, that left essentially one option: getting in without any of the Koro's new inhabitants knowing, and that definitely meant getting in without using the front gate. This was only made all the more difficult given the fact that the village's defenses had been built up since the last time either of them had been there, purportedly including a whole array of sensitive microphones that monitored the Koro's perimeter, not unlike the radio devices that Po-Koro was using to communicate across the desert. Short of a lucky malfunction of equipment, there wasn't much they could do about the microphones themselves without blatantly alerting anyone who was paying attention to them that something was amiss, but they could do something about the sound of them approaching. They had a Kakama courtesy of Naona, as well as enough munitions to start a respectable avalanche on-call; a normal enough occurrence out in the icy wastes of the Wahi, and unquestionably loud enough to mask their quick approach. Dehkez stopped briefly, feeling his armored boots start to sink into the fresh snow as he did, and pointed to a dark outcropping of rock nearby. The plan was to use the cover of night to get into the Koro, the more working for them in this the better, and they had made good time on their trek to Ko-Koro, so it was still several hours before dusk. "Over there, you think?" He asked his companion, the outcropping as good a place as any to wait for sundown.

IC: ​Leli She placed a hand over her bag, she could've sworn that even buried inside it, through the layers of fabric, she could still feel a faint pulse of energy emanating from the stone within. "I think I'm good, I'd like to travel light," Leli explained. It wasn't as if she actually had much in the way of possessions, at least none that she didn't already have on her person. She glanced over to Uyism and asked, "Anything you want to stop to get?"

IC: ​Leli The Major was beginning to feel pressed for time, while impatience wasn't of her nature, a small twinge from the beginnings of anxiety were starting to creep their way up her spine. Leli took a breath. It didn't go away. She reached out to tug on Tarnok's arm. "Tarnok..." she said, gazing imploringly up at him from behind her Kanohi.

DANTOOINE Dantooine, an idyllic backwater world of small farms, rolling grasslands, and crystal clear lakes. Or, as it had been for thousands of years, up until just months ago. The green world was thrust to the galactic forefront following the Battle of Endor and subsequent formation of the New Republic. The within weeks after Endor, Galactic Empire had used the world as a forward bastion within an expanse of territories claimed by the fledgling New Republic. Conflict was short to follow, as a back and forth rhythm between the two galactic powers’ navies came into full swing. The battle has developed into a proving ground for both sides, as the New Republic flexes a military might that was unheard of to the previous Rebel Alliance, and the Empire works to crush them before they cement themselves as a naval power in the Galaxy. THE STAGE Immediately after Endor, the Empire established a large base and garrison on the surface of the planet, setting up and digging in within the center of Dantooine’s largest population center. The city is largely industrial, providing resources and a modern spaceport to the majority of the planet. Traditional farm houses are juxtaposed with large grey factories and complexes, though the pre-fabricated Imperial Base looms over all. The base itself is heavily shielded, and equipped with enough turbolaser emplacements to deter some of the largest atmosphere-capable cruisers. Their greatest defense is its location within the center of the city, as the New Republic admiralty is weary of ordering orbital bombardment for fear of the casualties. Fifty klicks east of the city stands the ruins of the Rebel base, and scattered around the area are ruins much, much older… THE ACTORS Fleet positions have changed dramatically since the start of the battle, with the New Republic fleet currently blockading the planet to prevent supply to the garrison, while the Imperial Navy’s battle group is currently holding position just outside of turbolaser range. Imperial The Imperial flotilla is lead by the Executor class Ravager, the Super Star Destroyer having been a center point for the conflict since its start. The dreadnought is being supported by three heavy Praetor II battlecruisers, Magnus, Imperious, and Vanguard. The Impellor heavy carrier Harbinger has cemented Imperial Starfighter superiority in the conflict, in addition to the Ravager’s own expansive carrier capabilities. A number of Imperial II Star Destroyers fill in fleet positions, while two Interdictor variants are on station to deny the “rebels” an easy escape. New Republic Though far less coherent than their Imperial counterparts, the distinctive red livery band the New Republic’s fleet under one banner. The MC90 Aelena has spearheaded the New Republic operations, fresh out of Mon Cal drydocks, the 5,000 meter battlecruiser has served as the flagship of the New Republic’s rapidly growing star fleet. The older MC80 cruisers Azure and Ornik have provided tactical support, along with the prototype MC90 Peacekeeper. Refitted Clone Wars-era battleships offer heavy fire support and carrier operations, with the Recusant class Maria and Providence class Regent. The Defectors Captured and defecting Imperial ships have filled the fleet’s ranks in recent months, with the Imperial II star destroyers Atlas and Devaron. However, most influential is that of the Assertor class dreadnought Harmony, which was “liberated” from Imperial drydocks with the help of the Atlas’ captain while undergoing maintenance. The dreadnought is currently understaffed, but has gone toe to toe with the Imperial’s own technological terror. Much smaller Dreadnaught class cruisers have held off Imperial transports attempting to land on the surface, as well as harassing the larger cruisers. Getting this out partially because I found time, and partially because of celebration. All the ships above are up for grabs, as well as key figures up both the Imperial and New Republic's command structure. Feel free to come up with any additional forces in each fleet, barring aside y'know, superweapons. Force Users of any kind are open too, having been drawn to Dantooine by the same thing that made Rav think giving Tallik the map was a good idea. The Jedi Enclave is within reach, and surrounded by all sorts of Force artifacts, knock yourselves out.

IC: Rav grinned, though it just as easily could have been a wince given the glowing tendrils of energy that bound his body. If looks could kill, then the almost animalistic fire in the Zabrak's eyes might've caused a few of Costa's ancestors to spontaneously combust. He didn't speak, not for lack of trying despite the Force net, and had settled on the next best thing. He managed to squeeze off a burst from his pistol towards her torso, having taken the painful steps necessary to position the pistol against his body as the Inquisitor approached. Even so, it was all he managed to do, as it seemed the ropes of energy had begun to sap his strength already. IC: The armored being had already been backpedaling away from Liare as the barrage of blaster fire shot towards him from the door. The first shot went wide, exploding off a back wall, and his aim was thrown off as his blaster was yanked a few inches upward. The second shot seemed to be far more effective, connecting with the being’s head and causing him to drop to the floor. So it seemed. Until the drop turned into a lateral lunge to the side and back, the remainder of the blaster fire flying above him. The blaster pistol shot that had connected left a blackened crater on the side of the being’s helmet, but otherwise appeared to have done little else in terms of damage to the armor. It was then apparent that the motion was hardly related to the blaster rounds, as Liare’s triple-sided attack came up short. The being had already raised his weapon again while on the move, and was preparing to sweep the area with automatic fire, if it weren’t for the fact that ceiling had decided to cave in. Or rather, the ceiling was complicit in Kaz’s plot to a dramatic entrance. Unfortunately, the Inquisitor’s saber only met empty air, the being had been moving too fast for the vertical strike to connect, though the same couldn’t be said about the blindingly fast strike that Rav’s contact snapped towards Kaz’s kidney as he flew past. He didn’t stop to brawl with the Inquisitor, his target being further back; one of the cybernetic troopers that had surrounded the bar. The Terror Trooper, the exact opposite of oblivious, turned fired a stun round directly into the being’s chest… and was immediately body-slammed into a wall, its armor caved in from the impact, before being whipped around and tossed towards the Inquisitors. The being took the opportunity, and out through the opening that the unfortunate Trooper had blasted into the bar earlier, disappearing from sight. IC: Jenth The mechanic’s eyes didn’t appear to be physical able to relax, and she nodded once in understanding with an “Oh.” That certainly changed things, immensely. Jenth, who was dwarfed by the stacks of parts next to her, asked the bounty hunter, “…are you gonna need help?”

IC:​ Jenth The mechanic's eyes were wide, and she stared at the deactivated gauntlet for a good moment longer before realize that Vanndred had been talking to her​. "Oh, uh, right, there's a room in the back. Don't really use it for anything besides storage." Which was debatable, seeing the state that the rest of her shop was in. "You're not actually going to ​go over there​." Jenth seemed increasingly distressed as she considered the thought.

IC:​ Liare had hardly enough time to move forward into position, let alone finish his sentence, when his advance was greeted immediately by a withering hail of blaster bolts. With an inhuman display of agility, the blue-armored being had twisted with the sudden push mid-stumble, the barrel of his blaster inexorably aimed at the Inquisitor throughout the motion. One-two-three-four-five, the barrage continued unending, as the being held down the trigger of the weapon, the short-range shots transitioning everywhere from the Inquisitor's head to his legs, so as to prevent him from gaining an opportunity to do much else but defend himself. Bracing against the ground, staying low as to avoid the barrage of stun rounds being haphazardly fired into the fray by the troopers, the being continued the automatic fire without pause. Despite the erratic firing pattern, the being moved to create distance between him and the Inquisitor without issue, putting an overturned table between him and Liare in moments. Rav had started circling around as soon as he realized that Tallik hadn't jumped over the bar on his own accord. Blaster held ready, it was only until Cylund's ill-fated rescue attempt ended with him thrown up on a table that New Republic Agent fired. Two shots, followed by a third as he nearly slid into cover behind a booth. Well, it was nice of the reinforcements to show themselves so soon, even if there was the problem of them spraying rounds into the crowd. They were, thankfully, the distincive electric discharge of stun rounds. Even so, the troopers were big, clawed, and moved with the singleminded determination of a droid. He had no intention of getting up close and personal with them. IC:​ Jenth "Yeah, actually. Turns out most of the issues really just came from faulty connections between the components themselves, real easy fi-" Jenth stopped herself, glancing up at the Bounty Hunter. "Wasn't too bad." The droid had managed to locate the armor, and had heaved the pieces up to give to Vanndred.

IC:​ Leli Leli cracked a smile. "I guess that's about as good as we're going to get on that. Well, there's only one way to really find out, huh?"

IC:​ Leli "What do you think Uyism?" Leli asked, glancing back at the Iroiit. "Think he was crazy?"

IC:​ Leli "Sounds alright to me, then." Leli let out a breath, glancing down momentarily. "Tarnok... What do you think we'll find there? At the Temple, I mean."

IC:​ Leli "The less holes we have to dig, the happier I'll be." Leli chirped. Living underground wasn't so bad, even if not seeing the sky drove her a bit crazy at times. Not that​ bad.