Ghosthands

IC (Tallik Vao, Taris 'space cemetery') Tallik had by now told Cylund exactly what he thought of his actions at the Cantina. This had taken a surprisingly short amount of time, because with fourteen years' worth of Cy-experience under his belt, Tal was well-practised at summarising long lists of grievances succinctly (but no less forcefully). Today, the grievances mostly revolved around the various lives Cy had taken and/or endangered with his thermal detonator: the innocent people in the cantina, some of whom might very well have died in the explosion; the mercs who Tallik had already incapacitated rather than killed; even Ashara, who had already surrendered and submitted to their demands. There were also the more pragmatic concerns of keeping a low profile on Imperial worlds, and the fact that no other cantina on Taris served quite as good a Polaris ale and it'd be a shame if the Hive had to close down. They were about halfway to the small 'valley' of scrap where they'd parked the Midge when they crossed paths with a Zabrak, who looked decidedly the worse for wear, but didn't quite have the appearance of a Tarisian scavenger. In fact, he was wearing a scuffed and crumpled flight suit, and a blaster pistol was holstered at his hip—and not one of those pieces of ###### the average scavenger carried, either. "Looking to get into the city, think you two could help?" the stranger called. "That depends," Tal replied as he and Cy approached the Zabrak. "The question is, do you just want to get into the city, or do you want to find whatever you're after without being jumped on by the first guard patrol you meet? Because if it's the latter, you might want to get that covered up." 'That' was the dirtied but recognisable New Republic insignia patch on the Zabrak's shoulder.

Profile for Inquisitor Raia Veyura is up!

IC (Tallik Vao, Lower City) Tallik stifled the desire to give his loose-cannon-of-a-partner a thick ear, saving his breath for keeping pace. They were still a good distance away from that elephants' graveyard of starship hulks, and there would be plenty of time for him to lecture Cy once they got there.

IC (Tallik Vao, 'The Hive' Cantina) "GOD IT, CY!" Tallik roared, stowing his weapons as quickly as possible and sprinting out of the room, hot on Cylund's heels.

That's racist.

IC (Tallik Vao, 'The Hive' Cantina) "Well, if that's how it is," Tallik said, settling into an opening stance as he calmly plucked his sword from its sheath, "so be it." The first of Ashana's two bodyguards was already close, weapon outstretched, obviously preparing to attack. Tallik never gave him the chance. The Twi'lek darted forward, and the merc reacted instinctively to this sudden advance by raising his blade defensively, but to no avail: a ferocious beat from Tallik knocked it sideways, breaking his defence. Tallik immediately capitalised on the opening with a slash to the bodyguard's sword arm. The merc yelled in pain and dropped his weapon, clutching at the red rift Tal's sword had opened up in his arm. It was lucky for him that the Twi'lek freelancer was using a regular sword—had that slash come from a vibroblade like his own, he likely wouldn't have an arm to clutch. Meanwhile, Tal swivelled to block an incoming strike from the other bodyguard with a second clash of metal on metal. As the blades locked against each other, Tallik used the strength of both hands to bring his (and with it, the merc's) down and to the right. With both swords now out of the way, Tallik's left hand left the hilt to swing backhand into his opponent's face. The merc staggered back, dazed. Tal's hand now moved to his hip to unholster and fire his blaster pistol in one fluid motion, shooting the merc in the thigh. A second yell of pain was accompanied by a second vibrosword clattering to the floor. With both bodyguards incapacitated, Tallik now turned to face Ashana and the Mandalorian, with both weapons at the ready and one eyebrow raised. Twi'lek lacked eyebrows naturally, but Tal had found that life with Cy necessitated the ability to raise an eyebrow (two, in some cases), so he'd had them tattooed on. "I'm disappointed, Ashara," he remarked. "Were those two really the best you could get? Besides Bumblebee here, that is."

IC (Tallik Vao, 'The Hive' Cantina) When Tallik Vao stepped out of the meeting between the Tarisian Midge's two-man crew and their current employer, he'd reassured himself that nothing would go wrong in his absence. All he needed was a quick drink to wet his parched throat, after all. Leaving Cylund on his own for two minutes wasn't a big deal. It wasn't as if his partner would manage to seriously ###### Ashara off in such a short space of time. Sure, she might be a little annoyed by the time he got back, but it wasn't as if weapons would be drawn; no, everything would be perfectly fine. Two minutes later, he was standing in the doorway of the private room, Polaris ale in hand, looking in at the depressingly inevitable standoff that had ensued in his absence. There Cy was, holding a primed detonator and grinning that all-too-familiar 'I'm in deep ######' grin, with two vibroswords and a blaster carbine pointed at him. "I told you to let me do the ###### talking, Cy."

Preapproved by Grav: Name: Tallik Vao Age: 22 Gender/Species: Male Twi’lek (Rutian) Affiliation: Freelancer, partnered with Cylund Calrissian. Certainly no friend of the Empire. Position: Co-owner and mechanic of the Tarisian Midge. Appearance: Tallik is a blue-skinned Twi’lek six feet in height, but as a Twi’lek his forehead rises higher than a human’s, putting his eyes at the same level as a 5’ 11’’ human. His build is athletic, tending to lean, and his lekku are quite long and relatively slender for a male. He’s had eyebrows tattooed on, and uses them to great effect. His typical choice of clothing is a grey tunic under a pouched and pocketed black jacket (both sleeveless), black durasteel bracers, his utility belt, simple grey trousers and grippy black boots. [Artwork to follow.] Skills: Tallik is an excellent swordsman. He was trained from childhood by his mother, and has continued to hone his technique through practice and experience in the duelling rings and dangerous lower levels of Taris. Ambidexterity allows him to switch hands with ease to disorient an opponent, or alternatively to wield two weapons at once. He is also a good shot with a blaster pistol, which he will sometimes wield in his off hand when using his sword. Thanks to his father he has an affinity for machines and technology, from weapons to starships, which he mostly puts to use repairing and maintaining the Midge. He is less familiar with the computing side of things (computers, droid brains etc), however. Due in part to his Force sensitivity, Tallik is highly alert and aware of his surroundings, making him a nifty co-pilot as he can keep track of a ship’s various systems while the main pilot is busy doing the flying. He’s not much of a pilot himself, though, having had little practice. Force Abilities: A latent sensitivity to the Force gives Tallik unusually high dexterity and quick reactions, and may sometimes manifest as seemingly unnatural luck or mild precognition. He therefore has the potential to become a Force-user, with the proper training. Equipment: Sword: a straight-bladed sword of folded durasteel with a modest crossguard. Worn in a scabbard on Tal’s back, with the hilt behind his right shoulder.DevTech Sidearms ‘PinPoint’ precision blaster pistol: makes up for a slow rate of fire with high accuracy. Worn in a holster at Tal’s left hip.Durasteel bracers: forearm armour suited for melee combat.Utility belt: worn at the waist and useful for carrying small tools and other items.Wrist-mounted comlinkPersonal datapadOther belongings kept in personal cabin aboard the Midge.Personality: In many ways, Tallik is the yin to Cylund’s yang. He is serious and intense (but doesn’t lack for a wry sense of humour), patient but driven, and more morally-minded than his partner. He tends not to engage in Cy’s choice of frivolities, instead embracing the higher pursuits his partner eschews: reading, learning, training, and, as he seldom tires of reminding Cy, “keeping the ###### ship spaceworthy”. Despite their differences, Tal cares for Cy as a brother. If he didn’t, he’d probably have lost patience with him years ago. History: The son of archaeologist (or to put it less kindly, professional scavenger) Kitso Vao and his bodyguard-turned-wife Alema, Tallik Vao was born little more than a year after the rise of the Galactic Empire. Kitso’s work had already begun to grow more difficult as the Empire demanded more and more paperwork and permits for excavations, determined as it was to tighten its grip on history. The alternative was to search in the Outer Rim where the Imperial eye was at its least watchful, but that had its own dangers, not least the local scavengers who were more than willing to use lethal force to weed out competition. His father’s constant hunt for digsites meant that most of the young Twi’lek’s childhood was spent on the move, travelling from planet to planet aboard his parents’ starship. It was not an unhappy childhood, though. The Vaos loved each other dearly, and their son even more so. The family were rarely separate, and rather than leave him in a boarding school (which they could scarcely have afforded in any event) his parents taught him themselves. From his father, who made him his ‘official assistant’ whenever an extra pair of hands was needed repairing the ship or excavating a site, he began to learn the workings of technology both old and new. From his mother, he learned—to his father’s reluctant approval, given the dark times the Galaxy was in—various basic combat skills, from blaster marksmanship to hand-to-hand in the Echani style, but above all, swordplay. In an age dominated by blasters the sword might seem a rather antiquated choice of weapon, and yet as soon as the young Tallik could so much as lift a blade, Alema was training him to use it. Before long, he was quite a proficient little swordsman. Everything changed in 10 BBY, when the family travelled to Taris. Kitso was chasing a promising lead: apparently there were rich pickings to be had in the planet’s expansive debris fields, and the local Imperial garrison was nice and lazy. A few days after they arrived, while they were still at the spaceport, the Vaos heard a knock at the door of the apartment they’d rented. Being non-humans they’d had to settle for one in the seedy lower levels, so there was no telling who might come knocking: thieves, racketeering gangs, or worse. Tallik’s parents told him to hide before they answered the door. Peeking through the grille of a wall locker, he saw that their visitors weren’t criminals, but quite the opposite: an Imperial officer, accompanied by a squad of stormtroopers. He was about to come out from his hiding place, but was stopped by a subtle flick of his mother’s lekku: Stay where you are. Stay hidden. Not quite understanding, Tal did as his mother said. The officer informed the Vaos they were to come with him to the Imperial base for questioning. As they left the room, Tal saw his mother and father both make the selfsame lekku movement: We love you, son. He never saw them again. It took Tallik two days of waiting to understand that his parents weren’t coming back. Eventually the landlord arrived to collect the rent and, having realised that the Vaos weren’t going to be paying him, promptly helped himself to their belongings and turfed the boy out. Thus did Tallik Vao find himself penniless and alone, a child on the streets of a planet where aliens were unwelcome (even compared to the rest of the Empire) and the poor left to rot. And that was when he met Cylund Calrissian. While scavenging an alleyway for food at the end of his first week living on the streets, the young Tal noticed a human boy of about his age being chased by a group of distinctly thuggish-looking men. The looks on their faces made it clear how he’d be treated when they caught him. Almost before he knew what he was doing, the stone was in his hand. A heartbeat later, it was flying through the air to strike the foremost thug’s helmet. The resulting distraction bought the human boy time to escape and he vanished into the crowd, only to come barrelling down the same alley and right into Tal. Once the two urchins had dusted themselves off, introductions began. Tallik was less than pleased to discover that he was now an accomplice to theft, but the boys quickly became friends nonetheless and agreed to stick together and help each other survive the streets of Taris. Within a week, they were inseparable. Over the years, the duo had many (mis)adventures together, with Cylund always finding new ways to get them into trouble, and Tallik somehow managing to haul them both out of it. Alongside petty crime (an activity for which Tal took a while to overcome his misgivings) and odd jobs, Taris’ underground sporting scene would become one of their main sources of income. Cy, ever the thrillseeker, proved to be a hit on the swoop track, with Tal as his mechanic. Meanwhile, Tal himself found success in the duelling ring, where he was able to put his mother’s teachings (and, unknowingly, his Force-sensitive’s reflexes) to use as a combatant. Eventually, the duo found the hulk that would become their ship: an Adarian freighter, abandoned in one of the planet’s sprawling scrap-heaps. Through a combination of Tallik’s technological skills and Cylund’s talent for ‘acquiring’ the parts they needed, they managed to make her spaceworthy again and christened her the Tarisian Midge. Since then, they have travelled the galaxy as freelancers engaging in business of various degrees of legality. Now, mere months after the death of the Emperor and birth of the New Republic, the promise of some lucrative work means their course is set for Taris once more. This could be a very interesting homecoming. Ship: The Tarisian Midge, an Adarian-make freighter on which he fills the roles of co-pilot and mechanic, and shares ownership of with his human teammate, Cylund Calrissian. Originally found in less than mint condition in a Tarisian junkyard, Cylund and Tallik repaired the ancient piece of bantha fodder only through great effort, trial and error, and a certain absolute disrespect for the law on Cylund's part. With every more lucrative blockade run, the ship would get an upgrade, now equipped with: a class 1 hyperdrive from Kuat Drive Yards,angled ray and particle deflector shields,sensor jammers,an Adarian carbon ice-drive left over by the freighter's previous owners, that had been initially badly damaged, now repaired by Cylund and Tallik,two KX-4 swivel-mounted laser cannons,a single forward-mounted H6 turbolaser.The ship contains a basic enough set of amenities: the pilot's cabin, guest quarters, Cylund and Tallik's rooms, a medbay equipped with two stasis pods, a cargo hold (with three hidden smuggling compartments + a swoop bike) and a bar. Name: Dr Raia Veyura Age: 30 Gender/Species: Female Umbaran Affiliation: Inquisitorius, Galactic Empire Rank: Inquisitor Position: Interrogation specialist Appearance: As an Umbaran, Veyura appears human in all but colour. Her skin is pale almost to whiteness, darkening to an ethereal blue at her lips and around her eyes. Her face has a ghostly beauty to it, with high cheekbones accentuating ice-blue eyes. She wears her stark white hair close-cropped. Veyura’s choice of clothing is suitable for an Inquisitor: a long high-collared coat over a spartan set of hooded Inquisitorial robes and knee-length boots, all in black. Her right shoulder is adorned with a light armour plate bearing the Imperial insignia, and her left with a strap carrying three chemical vials. [Artwork hopefully to come.] Skills: Veyura has a brilliant mind and, even by Umbaran standards, a talent for influence and manipulation. She is adept at analysing the psyches of others, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and exploiting them. Conversely, she masks her own true thoughts and motives well. She possesses an appreciable knowledge of psychopharmacology, which she uses to supplement her already-impressive ability to control and influence. When it comes to lightsabers, Veyura is a competent duellist. Her preferred styles are II (Makashi), which suits her physicality given its emphasis on skill and fluidity over strength, and III (Soresu), which she falls back on when necessary to present a strong lightsaber defence and attack by other means. She will also use Soresu when facing blaster fire, often incorporating techniques from Shien to reflect bolts back at hostiles. Force Abilities: Veyura is skilled at mind-affecting uses of the Force, of which she has a particular flair for Force Fear. However, her mentally-oriented training (of which she has also had less than the average Inquisitor, having already been an adult when recruited) has left her relatively inexperienced in the physical Force powers. Although her telekinesis has very good fine control (useful for Force Choke and manipulation of small objects), it lacks raw power, so for example her Force Push is more of a shove than a throw. She is learning Force Lightning but is currently only able to summon single arcs at a time. A particularly notable power she has managed to teach herself is Force Shroud, which allows her to mask her presence in the Force and thus make it difficult for others to target her mind or sense her true thoughts and feelings (and, with focus, she can even project false ones). Equipment: Lightsaber: red-bladed, with a dark silver hilt. The hilt has a subtle curve to it that only becomes accentuated near the pommel. Disperser: a unique device worn on Veyura’s left forearm, designed for the dispersal of certain chemical agents. A vial of the desired substance is inserted into a groove, and can then be delivered to the target in one of two methods: Gas: the sample is vaporised and ejected from nozzles at the front of the device. Only useful at close range, but difficult to evade. Dart: the sample is infused into a small hypodermic dart and then fired at the target. Aiming is assisted via an ultraviolet laser. Useful at longer range, but easier to evade. Chemical vials: Veyura’s clothing incorporates holders for vials of the size used by her Disperser. They have a maximum capacity of nine vials. She is currently carrying: 2x Truth serum: dulls the victim’s will and relaxes their inhibitions, making them more suggestible and willing to divulge information about which they would normally be reticent. 2x Nerve toxin: a paralyzing compound that interferes with the victim’s motor control, potentially incapacitating them. 1x Dioxis: a toxin that is poisonous to most carbon-based lifeforms. 3x Phobia-4: a hallucinogenic compound personally developed by Veyura. Phobia-4 produces visceral fear in the victim and distorts their perception of reality in a terror-inducing fashion. [1x empty] Armorweave coat Breather mask: covers the eyes, nose and mouth and protects against harmful airborne substances. Filters air rather than supplying it, meaning it cannot be used to make up for a lack of oxygen unless connected to an external supply. Also incorporates comlink and short-range scanning goggles to assist vision through smoke/vapour. Folds down compactly around the neck when not in use. Syringes Personal datapad: encrypted. Personality: Veyura presents a carefully composed demeanour to those around her: every word and action is calculated rather than emotional or impulsive. She is highly perceptive of the behaviours of others, and uses her skill for reading people to ensure that she in turn is perceived as she desires, be it as a valuable ally or a terrifying enemy. History: A seemingly respectable criminal psychiatrist who was in reality more sociopathic than most of the people referred to her, Dr Raia Veyura enjoyed secretly experimenting on her patients, testing the extents to which she could affect their behaviour, personality, and sanity. Psychopharmacology was one of her principal areas of expertise, and she made use of her skills to develop a number of compounds and serums with which to ‘treat’ her subjects. The Imperial authorities eventually realised that a suspicious number of patients were leaving her care even more mentally unstable than they had been before, and thus her experiments were discovered. Far from the prosecution she expected, Dr Veyura instead found herself headhunted to join the ranks of the Inquisitorius: her Force sensitivity and knowledge of the mind made her a perfect candidate for the role of interrogator. Being in her mid-twenties, Veyura was a good deal older than most new recruits to the Inquisitorius at that time, but she nonetheless learned the requisite skills quickly. As she was trained in the Force, it became clear that she already possessed an affinity for it and its dark side: in her psychological experiments, she had in fact been tapping into her connection to the Force to manipulate the minds of her test subjects. She had thus developed primitive mind tricks, and even a nascent form of Force Fear. Given this pre-existing affinity, and her having been earmarked as an interrogator, her training focused on mind-affecting uses of the Force over physical ones. Veyura settled swiftly into the role of interrogation specialist. Bringing to bear an arsenal of information extraction techniques ranging from persuasion to mind-affecting drugs to good old-fashioned torture, she has quickly accumulated an impressive résumé of successful interrogations. She has also been allowed to continue her psychological experiments and given access to low-priority prisoners as test subjects, and as a result has been able to refine her signature Phobia-3 fear toxin, dubbing the new and improved formula Phobia-4. Over the years, Veyura has shown herself to be an exemplary Inquisitor: obedient to orders, but adaptable enough to act independently when the need arises; efficient, capable, dedicated, and ruthless. This has earned her the respect (though not always the trust) of superiors and subordinates alike.

IC (Lohkar) "Gettin' caught's half the fun," Lohkar replied with a wide grin.

IC (Lohkar) "Really, Gunner? They'll give anyone a plaque in Ga-Koro these days. I mean, they gave us one."

IC (Lohkar) "I concur." Lohkar had apparently decided that a children's game was a more promising form of recreation than sampling the full selection of the bar.

OOC: Echelon and Kohra from Ko-Wahi. IC (Echelon) The pale blue light emanating from the flamberge slid along the walls of the Ko-Wahi Dark Walk, as Echelon and Kohra strode towards Mangaia. Echelon broke the silence of their march. "Tell me," he said, pausing for a moment to glance surreptitiously at his Vortixx companion's clawed and feathered left arm, "was it your idea to...how shall I put it...donate half of our treasury?"

Individual stories and staff teams may come and go, but the BZPRPG itself will exist as long as there are people who want to play it. The current arc will soon (touch wood) be over, but the plot will continue, bringing with it new locations and new adventures. Unrelated: as of today my winter exams are finished, so I'll be getting more involved with the game once more. As Mel said, tying up the Mangai Quest is high on my list.

yes. Fair enough All I'm suggesting is that you hint that we will end up going to other places. By all means, keep it a surprise where those places are until the story reaches them. Yeah, that makes sense. I hadn't thought about putting species-specific abilities into perspective against potential Force powers. Yeah, these are both pretty much what I assumed. Thanks for the clarification. Well, I think all my concerns have been answered, so...

you're too late the invasion has begun

At last! I am definitely going to play this if it goes through. The pitch looks great, but it seems a little bare-bones at the moment: it relies on a fair bit of a. prior knowledge of the SW universe (mostly justified, because everybody's seen the films and I expect most people who will want to play will have at least basic Legends knowledge) and b. everyone having the same idea of what's 'sensible' (less justified, but I'll get onto that later). Great choice of era and setup. Post-Endor makes perfect sense as an RPG setting: the recent past is well-known to players as the plot of the original trilogy, and we can stay close to that OT aesthetic that we know and love while telling new stories. Nice. We've got a political Empire/Republic conflict interleaved with a Dark/Light one, the the immediate story hook (hunting for the holocron) is already there. Exciting. However, you haven't really told us what to expect from the game and its story. I know from your comment above and from conversations with Tyler that our characters will have the opportunity to seek out more holocrons and thus learn the ways of the Force, and I think that's a fantastic way of combining Force training with plot and character development, but for that very reason it should be in the pitch. For me, that's one of the biggest draws of this RPG concept, so advertise it! You also haven't told us what our characters' immediate involvement with the holocron hunt will be. Obviously Inquisitor/Imperial characters will be chasing this Republic agent you mentioned, but how will the good/neutral guys get involved? Will we just throw our Ordinary Joes With Great Destinies into the middle of the Taris spaceport and hope they get caught up in the action? Nice familiar factions, though I wonder why you haven't mentioned the Skywalkers at all. Are they helping helm the New Republic, or off on adventures of their own? Even if nobody knows, I'd like to at least be told that they're conspicuous by their absence. I love the choice of Taris as our starting system (KotOR feels), and having it under Imperial control immediately gives the good guys reason to watch their step. Again, though, you haven't told us what to expect as the story progresses. I'm sure it'll take us through Hyperspace to other far-flung, exciting, single-biome planets in good time (this is Star Wars, after all) but I'd like to know, vaguely at least, that I've got such things to look forward to. Might be worth giving some more detail on what a 'sensible' choice of species is. Are shapeshifters allowed, for example? Or the Falleen and their pheromone abilities? And what about droids, are they playable? I'd say the same about ships and ranks. I take it we can't have our own battlecruisers, so are we restricted to fighters and freighters? How about small frigates? As for ranks, what you've said seems to imply that extremely high-ranking members of both factions are in theory playable, although in practice they wouldn't be concerned with events. Is there an upper limit to how much authority a PC can hold? I hope I'm not coming across as overly nitpicky, because I really like the look of this game. Everything it's got so far is great, so I guess all my complaints could be summed up as: tell me more!

IC (Ko-Koro gate guards) "I said, next!" the Lesterin guard bellowed at Gothicus, who apparently hadn't noticed that he was at the front of the queue. IC (Echelon) It was not long before Echelon and Kohra were tramping through the knee-deep snow towards the entrance of Ko-Wahi's Dark Walk. The opening of the Walk was a shadowy maw a few dozen feet across, stark against the moonlit whiteness of the mountainside out of which it emerged. As they approached, Echelon drew the crystal flamberge with one hand and pulled a sliver of lightstone from a pouch at his waist with the other. As he placed the shard on the flat of the blade, just above the crossguard, he let a small amount of his element flow into it through his fingers and magnetised the one crystal to the other. The lightstone shard dimmed as the Dark Magnetism seeped into it, then slowly brightened again (though its yellow glow seemed to have lost its warmth). The light filled the crystal blade, bathing the snow around in a pale blue radiance. Thus armed, the dark duo strode forward into the tunnel that would lead them to Mangaia and the Vault. OOC: Echelon and Kohra to Kini-Nui

IC (Tazera) The Lieutenant arrived a few seconds later, snapping an even sharper salute than usual the moment she saw her commanding officer. "Sorry I'm late, ma'am!" There was a distinct red tinge to her ears.

IC (Ko-Koro Gate Guards) "That it is," replied the Lesterin captain, and waved Pae through as his 'name' was noted down on the ledger. "Next!" IC (Echelon) Echelon responded to Lantz with a flick of the wrist, as though swatting a fly with the back of his hand. That motion translated into Dark Magnetic force, tossing Lantz sideways like a ragdoll and sending him crashing into a wall. As the Ba-Toa fumbled on the ground, stunned by the impact, he felt the Dark Toa's will invade his own. It was a cold and alien presence filling his mind, and words emanated from it: Echelon's voice, but seemingly deeper and more terrifying, and infused with the Komau's power of domination. You know nothing, boomed the voice, and sure enough, despite all his aggression and bravado, Lantz was stricken with a feeling of utter ignorance and powerlessness. I have done far more for Makuta than you ever will. Kohra and Syvra couldn't see what Echelon was doing besides giving the prone Ba-Toa a particularly dispassionate glare, but they could guess well enough. My work requires subtlety, cunning, intelligence, Echelon continued. Attributes you clearly lack. You would do well not to trifle with forces beyond your comprehension. The Dark Toa turned on his heel and strode towards the door, which the guards hastily opened for him. Do not cross me again.

IC (Echelon) Echelon ignored Lantz outright, and (much like the Vo-Toa himself) showed neither satisfaction nor disappointment at Syvra's report. "Good," he said simply, before meeting Kohra's gaze. He returned her meaningful look with a nigh-imperceptible nod, and entered the Vortixx's mind. Her focused thoughts were presented to him as images of the mercenaries and zealots that made up the Legacy's guard force, mixed with the spoken words with which she intended to instruct them: strategies for dealing with a variety of potential targets, hostile or otherwise. I approve, came his response. As he withdrew from her mind and she relaxed her thoughts back to their natural flow, however, he caught a few brief glimpses of memories, two of which were somewhat concerning. One was the sight of Agrona standing in one of the city's squares, surrounded by open carts filled with currency. The other was a sensation of pain in her clawed arm, accompanied by a strange feeling of doubt. Echelon frowned slightly and held Kohra's gaze a moment longer, but did not try to question her on the memories now. There would be time enough for that on the journey to Mangaia. He turned to leave. Only then did Lantz, still blocking the way to the Citadel doors, find himself the subject of the Dark Toa's attention. "You are in my way."

IC (Merror) "Ihu-Koro will be the nearest friendly settlement," Merror concluded. "We should head there, and find our new friend some medical attention." IC (Echelon) As Hakann and Karnakie squabble I find myself increasingly disinterested. I know well enough how precarious our foothold is, and how formidable an enemy we face in the Toa Maru, without this thug (who has somehow convinced himself that he is possessed of eloquence) telling me so in oh-so-many words. Nor am I naive enough to think, as Karnakie seems to, that our actions thus far have been the soundest of military strategy. I did not lead us here to begin a conquest of the island. I know that our occupation exists on borrowed time. I consider Ko-Koro a temporary asset, a stepping-stone to greater things—and not for its military value. To me, its value has lain in subtler things: the symbolism of our victory, the message it sends to the Maru and the Akiri and those follow them, the fear it has spread; the rallying cry it has been to the dark and the dispossessed who now flock to join our cause; and, most secretly and most crucially, the power I might gain here. And by 'power', I refer to the knowledge sequestered in this city, in the books, scrolls and tablets to be found within the Sanctum's walls. The scholars of Ko-Koro have collected these arcane writings for centuries. Some they have gleaned from the Wall of Prophecy. Others they gained from experiment and observation and the application of scientific rigour. And some...some are of unknown origin, transcribed from older texts long since turned to dust. It seemed that here, more than anywhere else, I had a chance to find the knowledge I sought: the lore of the Two Brothers. Here I might gain an understanding of how each of them had fallen...and how one of them might be brought back. Ko-Koro was weakened with its Akiri dead and its leadership divided, balancing on a knife-edge between martial law under Korzaa and the schemes of Ambages, and so I seized the moment. That part of the story is, I think, already history. With the Koro under our control and any threat the Brotherhood could pose crushed, I had the libraries of the Sanctum within my grasp, and with them, access to the knowledge I so desperately needed...or so I thought. As I pored over text after text, I found that although there was no shortage of lore regarding Mata Nui (much of it religious drivel, of course, but always with at least a modicum of truth), there was infuriatingly little concerning Makuta. Seldom did I find anything that I did not already know, and never anything that I could use! I knew it was a gamble to hope that the key to Makuta's return would be hidden here, but to have found nothing at all...I concealed it well, but the truth is that I began to feel desperation gnawing at my mind. But now, the solution has come to me in the most unlikely form. (I’d almost call it ‘destiny’, if destiny weren’t the refuge of those too weak-willed to take charge of their own fate.) Thanks to Nimil, the next step is now clear: I must go to the Vault, and I must use what I have taken from him. And I must do it now, I decide. Every moment I delay increases the risk of interference, be it by the Maru, or Merror, or Shaddix, or whichever lackey ‘Destiny’ chooses to throw at me next—or, indeed, by these ‘allies’ of ours, who will surely have hidden agendas of their own. *** Each of the five other members of the Nightfall heard Echelon’s voice in their minds. Change of plans, he announced. I need to mobilise, now. Kohra had finished speaking, and it seemed that Vezok was taking a moment to collect his thoughts before accepting the monologic baton. I have...a hypothesis to test, Echelon continued. There is no time to explain in full, but suffice it to say that I believe I can open the Vault, and that doing so is of the highest priority to our cause. The Dark Toa’s gaze flitted to his Vortixx comrade. I would like Kohra to accompany me. I trust the rest of you will keep things running smoothly while we are gone. Finally, he spoke aloud to the Piraka. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid Kohra and I must take our leave,” he said, with a diplomatic smile. “Something has come up that requires our immediate attention. Please,” he gestured from the Piraka to his colleagues, “continue in our absence.” *** Lantz and Syvra’s bonding session in the atrium was interrupted by the sound of the Sanctum’s great double-doors opening, revealing Echelon and Kohra. Once the two Nightfall members had passed through, the guards heaved the doors shut again. Syvra found himself the target of the Dark Toa’s cold stare. “You,” he addressed him brusquely. “I take it you were successful in your mission?”

IC (Ko-Koro Gate Guards) "And your name?"

IC (Ko-Koro Gate Guards) The guard captain looked Korgrax up and down, thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right, you can pass. Next!" The Lesterin mercenary appreciated visitors like this Skakdi. Simple, straight to the point, and clearly (from his appearance alone) quite at home butchering people for money. Exactly the kind of troublemaker his employers wanted in their city. It was the smooth-talking types that you had to watch out for...

IC (Echelon) The blue Piraka's thoughts were not as private as he intended. It was no small amusement to Echelon that Vezok thought himself an authority on tact, of all things. "Go on," he said. IC (Ko-Koro Gate Guards) "Well, I'm convinced," the Lesterin drawled, and jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the open gate. "In you go, you two. Have fun." 'Stinkeye' meanwhile appeared to be in a world of his own, eyes glazed over, mouth spread wide in a stupid smile. The captain took it upon himself to snap him out of it via a quick jab from the butt of his Patero. "Next!" he hollered at the queue of beings awaiting entry, as Stinkeye sheepishly pulled himself together.