Ice Station Zerek, Ventress Landing Dome
After crashing his 4th ship in the last 4 months, Kalen landed the sleak, mint condition Corra V, a heavily modified YZ-900 with the light touch of his thrusters. Though the accident was caused by meddlesome Corvuns trolling Kalen at a bad time, the low population levels of the force sensitive species did mean there was a carve out on his insurance policy, that was supported by local laws(such as they were on Aliso). The second insurance claim he had made in the last months and a half also meant that even with the legsl services of Fey'lay and Associates, he would not be able to insure his ship without paying extortionate premiums.
“Just fly that carefully all the time Brother.” Karracca roared in a joking tone.
“Shut it fuzzball you know how much the luxury amenites and extra weapons cost.” Kalen said half defensively.
“Lemme guess, all the Laundry profits?” Karracca said before erupting in laughter.
“Yeah…almost all of it, with that and the finishing touches on the house, I’m back scrolling through the Envoy Corps job boards.”
Ice Station Zerek
Ventress Landing Dome Sealed Lobby
Tahiri finished checking over the last bit of invoices for the last portion of renovations of the labs and storages spaces between the Ice Station and the Citadel below. Several house members had been off base during the renovation, as there was too much going on and too many people going through the place to make it, and now that things were finally settling back down, she was able to let the members know that things were more than less, now back to normal operations on the base.
Knowing that many members were returning to the base, she had made sure to prep some extra food down in the Azorian Citadels’ cafeteria, as well as checked to make sure all the liquor stores were well stocked.
“Well, at least now that he’s landed, we can breath easy that there won’t be a hole any where’s in the dome,” the taller Togruta shot a cocky grin to his shorter sister. Ro watched as Kalen’s new ship finished settling on the docking pad.
“Please don’t manifest that into existence, brother,” the Elder pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “He has a bad enough habit crashing ships in atmosphere where it’s breathable. Here that would be an instant death sentence. And I would very much prefer to not have to deal with more renovations at the moment, even though it would probably just come out of Joss’ credit account.”
She didn’t mention the fact that she also didn’t want to also have to either rescue/revive such a helpful member, even though she’d do everything in her own power to do said thing. Though that went without saying for the most part for the clan as a whole, and her own friends.
[ZEREK] The next shuttle in line was less spectacular but still as imposing as any other. The Zeta-class ship’s registration set off silent alarms and gave a prompt directly to the port control to establish a cordon wherever the ship touched down. Its impressive wingspan compressed as it landed, becoming a grey monolith sprayed with warning sigils. The ship was not necessarily the issue but its potential passengers would concern even the most resolute soldier. Its landing ramp lowered slowly to reveal a deep maw of pitch black out of which descended…
A grey suited sentient molar in a rubber robe. At the end of the landing ramp, it tripped and bounced its head off the landing platform in a yelp of Skakoverbal.
Fort Dooku Command District
The Delta-class T-3c Shuttle cut a quiet line through the Aliso sky before settling down with a soft thud onto the main landing pad at Fort Dooku. After folding its batlike wings above its chassis, Augur J'Kast, Aedile of House Tyranus, descended down its loading ramp. The massive hexagonal fortress, built of imposing, sleek grey durasteel, rose from the stone mesa like a geometric scar, its defensive spires projecting the uncompromising power of Clan Plagueis. The fort’s shields and the bustle of military activity buzzing around the Command District was an audible reminder of the constant vigilance in place here.
J'Kast’s pale skin showed its cold, almost blue-tinged undertone beneath the thinning black and grey hair that circled his bald crown as he pulled a dark hood to cover his head. The weariness of age was etched deeply on his forehead and around his mouth, and his grey-blue eyes held a faded, cold intensity. Nauseous after flying, as always, his thin form was slightly unsteady as he made his way toward the structure.
Inside, the fort’s minimalist and utilitarian design was starkly apparent. The blocky clusters of unvarying grey structures and features created a maze of corridors and alleyways. J'Kast moved down a wide concourse, passing two imposing troopers encased in black armor, standing motionless against the drab walls. His focus, however, was internal. The thought of a recently discovered Sith artifact—a nexus of ancient Dark Side power—sent a flicker of genuine eagerness through his old heart. That was the real work and the reason he had decided to retreat to this installation; here, he could meditate, study and decode the ritual scroll he carried. But a stack of required paperwork—reports, requisitions, the inevitable audits—hung over him like a suffocating shroud. He side-stepped a harried Apprentice clutching a stack of energy cells, who quickly averted his gaze from the Aedile. J'Kast noted the lack of creativity and design in the structure. Uniformity was the only goal here, and it mirrored the bureaucratic marathon he was forced to endure before any fun began.
He turned toward the nearest internal spire, intent on finding his temporary office. The space was, as he predicted, small and sterile: grey walls, a minimalist desk, and a window looking out to the cold expanse of the mesa. He didn’t sit. His mind immediately seized on the mandated work: compiling scattered records to bolster House Tyranus’s history in the archives and designing new programs to encourage its members. It was vital, foundational work to project the Clan’s and the House’s strength. He ran a hand over his tired face. He would grant himself one hour to set the administrative wheels turning. Then he would allow the quiet, dust-scented sanctuary of a library and meditation chamber to finally call him home.
Back on Zerek
“Where’s that new guy D?” Kalen asked his protocol droid.
“I don’t know of his current whereabouts Master Joss. Are you certain he boarded the vessel before we left Ord Mantell?” The goldenrod said. To which Karracca and Kalen both slowly turned to face him from their pilot chairs.
“Are you fracking kidding me D? I told you to go and get the guy and tell him when we were leaving and that he could stay in on of the guest quarters for the trip!” Kalen begam freaking out as usual. Tahiri had relayed a messaged from the Tyranus summit, asking if he could give the new guy a lift back to the Aliso system since they were close by.
“I did as you asked Master. May my circuits fry from overloads if I didn’t.”
“So you told him, but didn’t check to make sure he actually boarded before we left?”
Sounding somewhat pleased with himself D-3PO replied, “Correct Master.”
“Holy karkin Sith, I’m screwed.” Kalen buried his face in his hands. That means this Arawyn guy has probably been stranded on Ord Mantell for the past 2 days.
As if on queue the new guy appeared in the hatch way leading out into the main corridor.
“Am I correct in assuming we just landed?” He said.
Both Karracca and Kalen breathed a sigh of relief.
“Uh, yeah, we just landed at Station Zerek. We’ll be here for about a half hour or 45 minutes. Refuel, pick up some things we need to courier down to Aliso and then we’ll head down to Fort Dooku and drop you off.” Kalen chuckled nervously as he gave a ‘I might just have you melted for scrap’ look towards D.
<@334413764818632704>
#Ice Station Zerek#
A package arrived for the Quaestor of House Ventress. She didn’t know (yet) who it was from, but she could tell it wasn’t anything dangerous.
Upon opening the package, two snakes, made from glitter and confetti, ejected themselves from the box, promptly exploding into their component parts in midair. They glistened as they fell towards the ground, before a droid came out of the box and collected the component parts using a powerful vacuum. The package"s sender did, after all, know better than to leave glitter everywhere. The droid left a note in Tahiri’s hand before it returned itself to the box, closing it behind it.
The person who sent you this is probably landing as you read this note right now. The package itself is reusable. Happy 10th anniversary in this wacky group we call the Brotherhood.
Tahiri chuckled. She knew exactly who had sent that .
<@375384499770359819>
[ZEREK] [Kalen’s Ship]
Arawyn continued to focus on his surroundings with intention, the gentle hum of the engines, the slight rumble of the deck plating beneath him, and the variation in tones of the beeping indicators from various control panels. Despite this intention, his stomach still churned, and the creeping nausea he had been battling this entire trip remained at an uneasy tipping point.
He simply hated flying. If it were up to him, his legs would remain grounded at all times planet-side. This reality made little sense to Arawyn, considering when it came to practicing his martial arts and craft, he was often an embracer of defying gravity in a sense. Defying gravity via mechanical engines and flight, however? Seemed to betray his own senses and autonomous control of self.
It was likely this that contributed to the fact that he hadn’t blown any of his credits on his own personal ship thus far. That or the fact that he liked saving his credits for a rainy day, or a smarter investment and return. Why have a vessel if it were just going to rot away in the dock and never be used? More likely, it took him away from his work. The one stabilizing factor in his life was that he was happy to lose himself in. Sure - this particular trip did have a slight purpose in relation to some of his work in moving investments around, an attempt to provide some stabilization in the clan’s coffers in response to market conditions at present.
It wasn’t the most stable of times for their clan, and this was reflected in those willing to do business and invest, or partner, in financial and resource endeavours. Arawyn was a small part of a larger machine, working hard to keep the books balanced and out of the red. His job had been even more challenging these past weeks, and it showed in a more tense, tired energy. Perhaps that’s why this particular flight today had bothered him even more so than usual, despite his attempted meditation and focus.
Arawyn was grateful that Kalen had been willing to let him tag along for this voyage. It was a generous offer he would not forget. He sensed that they were getting closer to their destination, so he gathered himself up and slowly made his way to the pilot area. There was an ever slight shift beneath his feet as he walked, a sensation that made him ponder if they had landed.
After reaching the pilot area, Arawyn asked just that, and Kalen confirmed it was the case.
“Forty-five minutes. I will make sure to appreciate every single second with my legs on the solid ground, then,” Arawyn spoke in a soft tone. He would appear even more pale than usual, but could already feel the colour returning to his cheeks now that his mind had confirmation that they were no longer in flight.
“I do thank you for allowing me to tag along,” Arawyn spoke again, with a genuine expression of gratitude. He had little to give his fellow clan member in return.
<@1178915035049902120>
“Oh no problem, my pleasure.” He hopped up out of his seat, quickly overcoming his utter disgust in his protocol droids ignorance.
“Feel free to tag along, I’ll show you around the place, we can grab a quick bite to eat and a beverage.”
Kalen exited the large cockpit section of Corra V and made his way down to the starboard access ramp in the lower hold.
“So what brings you to clan Plagueis, Arawyn was it?” Kalen said as smacked the large button that open the hatch and extended the ramp. He could see a few other Ventressians across the landing bay. Curiously he also noticed several of the silent alarm systems had been tripped. Apparently everyone was looking at Zeta class shuttle.
“I need to make a quick delivery..” Arawyn verbalized this rather directly as he followed Kalen out of the vessel.
He was often business first and pleasure later, much less so of the latter even. Kalen had been kind enough to ferry him along, though, and this reflection caused Arawyn to reapproach his statement. It would be helpful to have someone nearby who was a fellow clan member for this exchange.
“Sorry… I would appreciate a tour. I am supposed to meet someone in the food area for that delivery. I can get that done when we stop for something to eat.” His tone was softer again and less rushed.
Kalen’s question was simple in concept, but Arawyn’s own journey into the clan and Brotherhood at large was something he did not discuss openly. Like many, he preferred to keep his past tucked away. It was more productive that way.
“Arawyn. Yes.”
He continued to follow Kalen down the ramp, his hands crossed at their opposite forearms. He kept his reply calculated but purposeful, “The clan has been my home for some time now. I am here to serve and ensure, like everyone else, that we remain strong.” He did not get out much and was certain this showed. Recent advancements in his department and work area would be demanding more of this, though.
“Your protocol droid seems to have some quirks about it.”
<@1178915035049902120>
[ZEREK]
Skakoverbal babble followed the molar as they ran frantically around, a panicked tone rising like a kettle. Locking on to Ro-Tahn, the creature scurried over and spat out a garbled message while practically shoving a datapad at them.
<@375384499770359819>
“Yeah, old lazy subroutines, memory circuits full of old mostly useless tidbits, and a well deserved sense of emancipation being chief among them.” Kalen laughed, knowing how odd it sounded considering how D always referred to him as Master or sir still.
In reality Kalen and Karracca had both ‘freed’ their droids over a month ago. But D had been unlike Reece(R3-E5), the hallucinating astromech who had eagerly taken to his new rank and position as a member of the crew. When Kalen had asked the gold protocol droid what job he wanted since he was now an ‘emancipated droid’, D had simply replied that he then wanted to become Kalens protocol droid and servant. After facepalming and laughing Kalen had just granted the request.
“Hmm, wonder what’s going on here.” Kalen said to Arawyn as he motioning his his head toward Ro and Tahiri and the odd looking creature that had just frantically delivered something to Ro.
“Heya boss.” Kalen said with a nod as they approached.
<@375384499770359819>
The datapad started blaring a tone, its display showing incoming communication. The molar, or rather Ohm as he was actually known, skittered away in a bawling squelch. He collided with several objects and ended up flat on his back in a twitching mess.
Shaking her head and dusting the little colorful specks off her clothes, Tahiri grinned. She knew exactly who the gift was from, as he was one of the few who remembered her birth date and coincidentally the day she had officially become a member of the Brotherhood. As much as she wanted to reminisce about those days, the Quaestor had more important things to take care of, especially the erratic Skakoan who had raced to her brother. <@280930981983289345>
Ro-Tahn, who had been watching the other ships come, couldn’t help laughing at sight of his sister with the glitter bomb, which gave him an evil idea for later. He was taken aback by a datapad being shoved into his hands, and looked incredulously at the Skakoan, and then to his sister.
“Ummmm, Tahiri, you know who this guy is? Or why he just handed me a datapad as if it were a bomb?” Ro looked again at the flaying molar on the ground. Sighing, Tahiri motioned for him to give her the device.
“Why don’t you go help Mr. Katch up. Clearly whatever Titius has tasked him with, it seems to be important, though he does seem a bit excitable. I’ll have to talk with him about it, especially if Ohm is his lab partner,” shaking her head, before waving to Kalen. “Hey Kalen, how was the trip?”
The tall Togruta handed the datapad over to his sister, and then went over to help the Skakoan up.
Tahiri punched the answer button on the datapad for the incoming call
<@348547724628721695> <@1178915035049902120>
The datapad flickered to a live feed of a mug over a mug topped with a mess of blond. “Quaestrix, I see Ohm at least did one thing right. He will be my proxy at this time seeing as how your summons did not contain a key to my elaborate cage. Hope he doesn’t fall over like he usually does. Taaah” The screen went blank but reappeared after a second with a text. P.S. Thank you for the coffee. I am officially out and apparently going shopping constitutes jailbreak. Send more
Ohm was slowly sliding his way upright. Garbled radio tuning resolved into a robotic sounding Basic. “My Apologies. I was expecting an explosive or a toxic spume. Such is the way of Director Osseus.” Looking up at Ro, the molar blurted a string of Binary [Subject Tahir montrals are impressive. Very befitting high station.]
“Uneventful for once. The issue on Ga'tor is solved…for now. And I picked up Arawyn as you can see.” He motioned his head towards the man standing next to him.
“We both got some errands to do here while the Corra 6 is refueled, then I’ll give him a lift down to Dooku.”
“Corra 6? What happened to the Corra 5?” Tahiri frowned, expecting yet another excuse about how Kalen crashed another ship, and it wasn’t his fault.
Kalen turned and looked at his new ship, and realized he had just got the number wrong.
“Oh sorry, that is the Corra 5. Rohmaan numerals have never been my strong suit.” Kalen chuckled.
Tahiri let out a sigh of relief “Oh thank the maker.”
The Elder shook her head, hoping that Kalen would, for once keep his ship long enough to simply trade in his ship for a new one… someday.
“Greetings Arawyn, and welcome to Ice Station Zerek,” flashing her signature fanged smile. “Kalen can show you around and please make yourself at home till you two head to Aliso. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, while I settle this matter for a moment.”
Tahiri then chuckled as she read Titius’ little message again, before she tucked that datapad under her arm, while simultaneously putting a quick note in her own datapad and making a few adjusts as she walked over to Ohm and her brother.
“Oh,” Ro gave a cocky grin, while he made sure the Skokian was alright. “You think her montrals are impressive, I’m seriously surprised she’s able to hear anyone walking up on her with those delicate tips.” He side stepped to the man’s left side and nodded to his sister.
“And yet, you’ve never been able to sneak up on me, even when we were children, and I’ve walked right up to you without you noticing,” Tahiri’s shot a glare at her brother, while her sincere smile never wavered, offering Ohm’s datapad back to him. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Researcher Katch, welcome to Ice Station Zerek. I’ve already taken the liberty of updating your statis and clearance here. Please make yourself at home, and come to me if you have any questions.”
<@348547724628721695> <@1178915035049902120> <@334413764818632704>
Tahiri’s wish for Kalen to just hold on to a ship for long enough to trade it in was more prophetic and would strangely come to fruition far sooner then she or anyone else would have guessed. Karen and Arawyn made there way out of the landing bay and went to the station duty office, as they both had errands to perform there.
“Well, hit me up on my commlink when your done doing what you got to do. I’ve got some House business to take care, but I’ll be back at the shop in 10 or 15 minutes probably.” The Jedi said to his passenger.
<@334413764818632704>
As Kalen finished up his paperwork and picked up the knick knacks he wanted, he made his way back to the landing bay. When he arrived at the ship he noticed that he had a new message on his datalink. It was a response to a wanted add for a specific class of ship that had been interested in purchasing. He had flagged an ad for a Defender Class Light Corvette that had piqued his interest while he was looking for ships before buying the Corra V.
Apparently a nearly mint condition Defender had just come on the market, and had several mods on it that instantly got Kalens attention. The price tag was remarkably reasonable to, it was literally the same price as the Corra V. He could presumably just trade it in and get this new ship quite easily. And the new ship was only a few parses away.
Kalen only took a few minutes to think about it before deciding that he was going to pull the trigger and upgrade his vessel again. He had only had the Corra V for less then two weeks, but the Defender was exactly what he wanted.
[Zerek] A second form came out of the Deru. It was heavily draped in sheets, its back adorned with several mandibles tucked tight like folded wings. A sensor array swept around, whirring softly.
The droid shuddered to a halt at the base of the ramp, sensors flickering. The same sensors then locked onto Ohm and the hulk moved over like an obedient puppy. A slow, shuddering, robotic puppy but eager nonetheless.
Long strings of binary clicked. [Binary: Activation complete, confirm logging active. Proceed with exploration?]
Ohm chittered back [Affirmation. Clearance for base access loading…] The Skakoan looked at Tahiri and a spoke in grating Basic. “Do we require special access codes for Restricted Access Area?”
The hulking droid had it sensors sweeping over the Corra V, soft whirring emenating from its head. <@375384499770359819>
Arawyn had quickly picked up on the fact that Kalen’s ship names seemed to change rather swiftly, as confirmed by Tahiri’s inquiry into the numerals on the vessel he had just been transported there on. There was a slight unease in the man’s stomach now, and part of him wondered if he should consider alternate transport to Fort Dooku now.
“Nice to meet you,” Arawyn replied to Tahiri with a respectful nod. As she embarked he looked over Kalen once more and considered diving a bit more deeply into the ship conversation. Instead he remained silent on the matter and followed Kalen out of the landing bay.
Once they had reached a forking corridor, Kalen had given him some momentary parting words. Arawyn nodded, “Of course. I have my own business to see too as well. I will return in around fifteen myself.”
He gave Kalen a respectful nod before heading himself in the opposite direction of Kalen. He had hoped he was going the right way…
“Your clearances will get you into the where you need, although if there seems to be an area that you can’t get in to, that you should be able to get into, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
She nodded towards the house members lift, and motioned for agent to come over, turning slightly to address the agent directly.
“Please, show Researcher Katch his quarters and whatever else he needs.” Then turning back to the Skakoan, “This agent will help you with whatever you need for today. I look forward to seeing your work and, of course working with you at some point, especially since you’ve been vetted by Titius. I trust you wouldn’t let me or him down.”
Ohm visibly recoiled at the mention of Titius being let down. He bowed his head and followed the agent, hulking droid in tow.
The trio descended through the ocean towards the depths. The spires of the base rose around them, silent spears warding off the dark. It was at this point Ohm realized he may have thalassophobia. He began twitching in his pressure suit, its normally comforting press feeling increasingly restrictive with each second. A low drone started leaking out as he fought the feeling…
“Welcome Researcher.” The lift barely shuddered as it came to a halt. Doors opened into a beautiful atrium completely out of place at the bottom of a sea. Ohm let out a sigh like a deflating balloon. The agent stepped out and indicated. “Your workspace has been assigned. Please proceed down this hall and take three lefts.” They stepped back into the lift and were whisked away.
Entry Ramp, Corra V
Kalen, Blackhawk and Karracca were mingling at the base of the ramp, waiting for Arawyn to return, and shooting the Sith as usual.
“Wait, so you actually bought that land around where you crashed the Corra IV at your own house warming party? And planted an entire orchard of Peach trees on it, in the past 3 weeks?” Blackhawk asked, almost indignantly.
“Didn’t buy it, it wasn’t for sale because no one owned or claimed it. Apparently the land on the north side of that creek all the way up to the edge of the monastery was unclaimed, and outside the Aliso City limits.” Kalen shrugged.
“So all I had to do was survey the land, plant a few stakes with RFid markers and log a claim. The planting of the trees was easy. The Ugnaught that are serving as my gunners crews are always willing to earn a few extra credits.” Kalen said.
“Should I send out a security team to find our passenger? Its been a while.” Karracca asked.
“Enh, we’ll give him a few more minutes. I can get us down to Aliso pretty quick.” Kalen chuckled.
“So wait a sec, you’re saying you got that plot of land with the orchard for free?” Hawk asked, still not believing the whole story.
“Yep, that’s how it went down. I guess it also helped to have Fey'lay and Associates on retainer the last few months. They’re property law hotshot helped me fill out all the paperwork and whatnot to make it official.” Kalen admitted. He started gazing around the bay and the entrances. He was beginning to wonder if Arawyn got lost now himself. The base wasn’t that big after all.
Just then all 3 of their datalink chirped indicating they recieved new orders from the Pinnacle. As they pulled them out and read, it was clear that a bunch of things were about to for all of them…and they wouldn’t have to ferry Arawyn down to Fort Dooku apparently after all, as the new rosters and missions assignments they had just recieved included a notice about him being transfered to House Ventress, effective immediately.