Carpe Diem (Open)

[Gamov]

OOC: This topic is an attempt to bring things back up to operational status. It is open to anyone who wants to participate, provided you don't mind the notion of being caught up in a war between two NPC armies.

The fleets and soldiers used here will be largely controlled by either myself or Rag under the mutual agreement that, well, it's just plain more fun to have more stuff to shoot at instead of whatever you have available (plus my personal forces outnumber and outgun his, so we have to make it fair somehow ).

If you have a character(s) you'd like to insert into the action, by all means, join us.

BIC:

Prologue:

Byss had been a living hell for every man, woman and child unlucky enough to have been caught on that little green-blue marble. In the space of a few hours, the Empire had set the planet itself ablaze in their bloodthirsty attempt to scour the last remaining vestiges of the Sith from their fortresses. Thousands dead, thousands more wounded or missing, the Enclave military all but decimated in one swift stroke by the mailed fist of the Empire. They fought hard, all of them. Down to the last man in places, but they just could not hold back the sheer flood of bodies the Empire was throwing at them. After a time, even the Citadel itself had come under siege, smashed and blasted apart by the enemy. It seemed at that moment that there was no place left for the Sith to hide as their last remaining stronghold crumbled and burned around them.

But in the midst of it all, there had been one man who's fate could change the course of the entire battle. Ryuu Sartori, self proclaimed Emperor and orchestrator of the Byss invasion, had led his vast legions against the Sith and had carved a path through the planet itself in order to fulfill his own lust for revenge. Confronting the man he had sought to destroy, the duel raged, even as the fighting around them consumed the city whole. Exhausted and on the brink, both men struggled to maintain their focus and edge in combat. They both fought with every fiber of their being to survive until their conflict had finally reached its tipping point.

In the aftermath, it wasn't entirely clear at first who had emerged victorious. Whispers spread quickly through the ranks on both sides that both men had been killed, leaving the Empire effectively leaderless at a crucial moment. Fleets and armies that had once been at each others throats slowly came to silent halt. Conflicting orders could be heard on every ship, on every military frequency. Ryuu was dead, his successor taking his place. Others still claimed the Dark Lord himself had perished. It seemed that in a moment of confusion, the officers and men on both sides came together to gaze with a mixture of morbid curiosity and anticipation on the smoldering remains of Byss. Whatever was to claw its way out of the rubble would almost certainly be hailed as the next Emperor.

And it seemed that in that moment, the galaxy itself held its
breath....

6 months after Byss

Main command deck, Sovereign:

The dreadnought hung ominously in orbit over the planet, Its glimmering city lights below eclipsed by the ship's black hull that seemed to stretch for miles. Around it, dozens of smaller ships flitted in and out of its shadow, dwarfed by the mere presence of the ship which had delivered the Emperor from Byss. Thousands of fighters circled the behemoth craft like a swarm of wasps, ready to pounce on even the slightest sign of danger.

"My Lord, we have completed our operation. Shall I dispatch ground forces to confirm our efforts?" Rain bowed for the first time in Malum's presence. It was a strange feeling to her to think she was so distant from him now. Byss had been his crucible, and he had emerged from it far more broken and bitter than even she could have imagined.

"Has Judicar's force reported in yet?"

Rain stared into the bleak room, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach, "no, my Lord."

"Then he has betrayed me.... As I knew he would." The Dark Lord growled, "insolent whelp."

"Shall I inform the fleet to receive him as hostile?"

"No, that would show my hand too early. He must first think he has a chance. For now, we wait. Inform me of his return when he arrives."

Rain bowed to the Sith's demands, "as you wish, my Lord."

[Ragsmire]

Coruscant Surface, Imperial Palace.

Standing motionless as a figurine within the center of the large, oval chamber was the person once known as Tycen Malone. Flanked by large supporting pillars, all of which blanketed by a fine coat of dust, with rays of light creeping through the shattered window panes casting an eerie atmosphere amongst the long abandoned ruins. Malone had to stop for a moment and remind himself of his new title, his sith name; Judicar, the final judge. That was his role under Malum, his go to man for whatever dirty deeds needed completion. He was nothing more then a tool now, or was one at least, until now. Judicar heard the subtle rumble of footsteps fast approaching him, the sound throwing him from his quiet contemplation.

"My lord." The guardsman said addressing Judicar as he bowed his head. "The structure is clear, no hostiles." Breaking his statuesque posture Judicar gradually lifted both hands to his helm removing the piece of armor from his skull, allowing his dark hair to breathe as he took in a gust of air without the helmets filtration systems. The air tasted of dust and iron, with a musk of bloody flumes filling the ambiance of the Palace.

"Excellent." He tucked the helmet beneath his arm, blowing a stray hair away from his eyeline, the realization now hitting that since the battle of Byss he'd had little time to handle mundane things such as that and allowed his hair to grow long and unkempt. Judicar had been dispatched to Coruscant, just like he had been sent to so many other worlds, to clean up any small pockets of opposition against the new reign of the empire, and he did it without question, time and time again.

"Now that we're all finished here, i believe i will report the success to Lord Malum. Remain here and set up a perimeter within the Palace." Judicar issued the order and began to move to the LAAT awaiting his return just outside the palace grounds when the trooper spoke up one more time. "Sir i can report in from here if it would be of greater convenience to you?"

Even still, after months of battling in his name, Tycen still received that rare word of backtalk that Malum never heard. By now he had hoped to acquire a reputation, one that told of his foreknowledge towards such things, one that said he didn't need helpful suggestions from his underlings. "That is the very last thing i would like for you do to, if i had wanted it i would have ordered it."

It came as a surprise even to himself that his outburst was so mild, no dramatic showing of power, now bloodshed, and certainly no death. Judicar simply left the man to his standing orders as he moved through the arch doorway and into the LAAT.

Main command deck, Sovereign.

The ride had been a brief one with the shuttle making quick speed through the blockade and into the massive Star Destroyer overhead. Judicar now found himself in a brisk pace toward his lord, the thought again twisting his stomach as he referred to himself as Malum's underling. The blast door's opened with a simple flick of his hand in their direction. Malum had surely been told well in advance of his apprentice's return to the ship, but that didn't mean he had caught onto his disgust at the situation, now until Judicar wanted him to know.

Stepping within a few meeger feet of his lordship, the Sith dropped to a knee, discarding his weapons by placing them to his left side, both Sith Saber he still used, and lastly flipping his cloak to show his gun holster located on his right side. The bow was one used in honoring the royal family back on his homeworld, however Judicar did it in reverse as his weapon was not placed ideally for use with his right hand.

"Your bidding has been done, my master." Judicar practically spat the words as he spoke them, again feeling that gut wrenching sensation at the pit of his bowels. Now would be the time, he could sense it, almost see it even. Malum would never expected it.

[Gamov]

He had sensed Judicar's arrival the moment he stepped off of the shuttle onto his ship. Rain's update came only minutes later, with her return to his quarters. Silently, he had dismissed her with a nod, keeping his focus on the approach of his Apprentice. Judicar had come a long way on his path to the Dark Side, but he still lacked the respect of some of the less seasoned officers in the Empire. It was the cause of much frustration for his Apprentice, and the Dark Lord almost found it amusing himself at times.

When Judicar neared, the doors to his chamber hissed open as the Apprentice approached him and knelt before him. Malum was pleased to hear the mission was a success, but he equally detected the pang of anger rising in his Apprentice's words. Leaning forward, Malum peered out from beneath his cowl at Judicar.

"You have done well, my Apprentice. Your loyalty and devotion are clearly second to none.... Which is why I can sense your thoughts now." He let the words linger for a moment to see what kind of reaction they would elicit from Judicar. Rarely were his insights wrong or misguided.

[Ragsmire]

The instant the words stuck Judicar's heart, or what was left of it, now more of a smoldering black hole in the recess of his chest then anything else. Dropped ten meters into his stomach, Malum's insights into the perception of others had been second to perhaps only Cain, and with that emperor long since dead things looked there worse at this moment. Several reactions, ideas, notions, perhaps they were, now looking at them, more like wild fantasy's ran rampant within his skull. The possibility of jumping through the air and delivering a swift cut across Malum's jugular to severe his head from his neck vanished in the same pit his plan had fallen into.

Instead of acting upon that, or one of the other dozen dream like ideas he had when this moment arrived, Tycen sucked in a gasp of air popping his head up to lay eyes upon his master. Judicar's eye's never changed color, despite the visions he that had haunted him, he had yet to become the beast in the mirror that so often stalked his worst nightmares, instead the emerald green glare that was his trademark again found Malum's helm high above him.

The Prince had only one question, a single word escaped his lips. "How?" to his shock the phrase left with a sharp hiss, fueled by hatred toward this man, he clenched the helmet in his hands, his own helm, modeled after Malum's own, as if to add insult to injury. The durasteel under his fingers felt like it could crack at any moment.

[Gamov]

The shock and frustration were apparent in Judicar's emotions as the words struck him. At first, there was little reaction, his Apprentice raising his gaze to meet the faceless visage of his own helmet. Though his eyes had retained their same verdant shade now as they had when they first met, the anger hiding behind them was obvious and forced a momentary sensation of satisfaction to creep into Malum's thoughts. A thin smirk began to form at the edge of the Dark Lord's lips, but he sharply repressed it, instead returning Judicar's stare with an emotionless glare as he settled back into his throne.

Clutching his helmet firmly between his hands, the anger built in him with every passing minute, Malum could feel it ebbing and flowing through his Apprentice like a wave of electricity. "How?" He finally managed.

"There is little that escapes my notice here, my foolish Apprentice." Malum arrogantly chided in return, "I had sensed the betrayal of Sartori on Byss long before that fool set foot on the planet. You are no different than he was.... You will seek your revenge, as it should be. Because you are devoted to my teachings."

A more fully realized sense of self gratification washed over Malum now as he motioned cautiously towards his own lightsaber, dangling loosely from his hip. Lifting the hilt from its place, he casually tossed the weapon at Judicar's feet, "now prove your devotion to the Sith. Take my weapon, use it to strike me down and claim the power and respect you so desperately crave. In the end your actions shall prove meaningless all the same."

Goading his Apprentice into action, Malum hoped to put these traitorous notions in their place once and for all. If pain was the only manner in which his Apprentice could learn, then so be it.

[Ragsmire]

Grasping the opportunity in the flash it presented itself, Judicar throw a hand forward summoning his master's saber to his hand activating the weapon with the all too familiar hiss it emanated. The deep red from the beam of the hilt bleed into the few unlit corners of the room, under desk and beneath seats coloring the shadows a tilt of crimson. In the same instant the Sith apprentice, soon to be master, tossed his helmet in Malum's direction to serve as a distraction, increasing the pressure of the attack with a boost from the force.

Following behind it, Judicar spun the weapon in a horizontal sweep primed to rip Malum in two equal pieces.

[Gamov]

The unmistakable sound of his own blade igniting was the only warning the Dark Lord was afforded from his Apprentice. Judicar had proven to be all too eager to take the chances afforded to him. Malum, still seated in his throne, appeared to be an easy target for Judicar as he descended on his master, hurling his helmet at the Dark Lord as a distraction before swinging the Sith's own scarlet blade down on him like a hatchet.

Summoning the Force to his own defense, Malum easily swiped the helmet out of view with a swift backhand before he stretched a free hand towards Judicar's idle saber on the floor. The moment the hilt touched his glove, he ignited it with a quick snap-hiss, bringing the blade up to protect his face. As the pair of blades clashed mere inches from Malum's face, the Dark Lord retaliated, twisting the Force around his left hand as he curled it into a tightly balled fist.

In the next instant, he unleashed his power against Judicar, delivering a powerful jab to his ribs that was designed to knock him backwards. The power of the Force would aid the Dark Lord in his attempt, adding far more impact to the punch than he would normally be able to muster on his own.

[Ragsmire]

The crimson saber was caught mid-flight by, to Judicar's personal humiliation, one of his cherished blades, it's dark blue hue emulating like a low flame. Judicar was afforded only a moment of shock as he gazed at the hilt gripped firmly within Malum's palm before he could feel the pressure of the darkside rising within his master. The surprised registered on his face the instant the attack stuck, sending the air from his lunges like a rocket into space.

Instantaneously the force of the attack launched Judicar across the room, an inevitable stop occurring once he cleared more then ten meters and collided with the dursteel plated wall located meager feet from the blast door leading outside of the command deck. Officers and enlisted men and woman serving on the deck rose from their seats huddling to the sides of the room attempting to avoid the battle. As Judicar impacted the wall the sheer power of the blast propelled the weapon from his hand and into the air landing s stone's toss away from him as he feel face first into the ground.

He spat up a small margarine of blood laying on the cold steel of the floor. Judicar gazed at his own blood for a moment before finally pushing himself up and pulling the saber back to his hand. Judicar loosened the cloak unbuttoning it from his armor allowing it to cover the blood stain. He extended his own powers with the force across the room lifting various items through the force as he approached Malum, launching them at him one at a time.

"Your not strong enough to defeat me, i was born to kill you Malum, this will end with me standing over your rotting body. Don't fight it!" Judicar called across the sparks of lightning now bursting forth and the thundering sound of steel impacting steel as the assortment of electronics, furnishings, and equipment buzzing around bashed against one another.

[Gamov]

The dull thud of Judicar's body slamming into the opposite wall caused several of the surrounding crew to quickly glance up from their stations. Malum scowled at them, sending them back to their duties without a word as he raised himself up from his seat, the sapphire blade humming quietly at his side.

Judicar remained stunned for a moment, spitting up a small trace of blood onto the durasteel floor. The crimson stain seemed to have his attention for a brief moment before he gathered himself again and rose back to his feet. Judicar discarded his cloak and turned his fury back on the Dark Lord.

"Your not strong enough to defeat me, i was born to kill you Malum, this will end with me standing over your rotting body. Don't fight it!"

A flurry of lightning and random objects came hurtling down the stretch of room between the two as Judicar unleashed his anger on Malum. The Sith Lord, reacting quickly to the assault, used his saber to deflect some of the incoming projectiles towards the far ends of the room. Crewmen and officers alike scurried away from the battle, but some were not so lucky and were caught in the ensuing maelstrom. As the lightning continued to snap and hiss around the room, Malum retaliated by gathering an assortment of loose debris around himself. Tables, chairs and parts from computer consoles were thrown into the mix.

Manipulating the growing ball of junk, the Dark Lord compacted it into a makeshift shield of sorts, using it to absorb some of Judicar's lightning before hurling the entire thing at his Apprentice.

[Ragsmire]

The Storm of debris and lightning seemed to have little affect on the dark lord, while it may have initially caught him off guard Malum quickly thought of a counter measure to neutralize the assault. He began to form a shield out of the very same items Judicar had been using to hurtle at him, the diameter of the shield gradually increased in size until Malum finally propelled the entirety of the junk ball at Judicar.

It was remarkable, not the ball, no. The sith apprentice took little note of that attack. No, the remarkable thing was Judicar's own power. He foresaw the attack several moments before hand, it along with another twelve possibly counterattacks, he'd always been adept at seeing the ever constant flow of the future, but with Malum's assistance Judicar had fine toned that ability to the point of seeing weeks, once a month, into the future when the chance presented itself. Now was one of those times.

Having seen it well in advance, Judicar motioned his saber in a single swift arch vertically through the crumpled heap slitting it into two perfect half's that crashed into the wall behind him a moment later before rolling onto their sides. Judicar wasted no time in rushing Malum, attacking in an obvious high slash to his left side.

[Gamov]

It was surprising to Malum at first. Almost as if he had seen the attack coming in advance, Judicar easily defended from the counterattack, dicing his way through the shield of junk hurtling in his direction before emerging with a burst of speed headed directly for the Dark Lord.

Malum allowed his Apprentice to come half way through his attack course before he decided to react. Spinning his lightsaber in his palm, he twirled the blade to catch Judicar's again, holding him back with an unorthodox backhanded blade. The positioning of the blade would allow Malum to exert more pressure on Judicar through the sheer strength in his forearm. Glaring at his Apprentice through the hissing blades, he growled in response.

"You insolent whelp, I am more powerful than you can possibly imagine." With his free hand, Malum reached out to grip Judicar by the throat with his bare hand.

[Ragsmire]

As Predicted, Malum caught his attack with the utmost of ease, hardly breaking a sweat in the process. The Dark lord was using his signature Djem So, a form he was well know to wield often. And with it he took Judicar's blade with a reverse grip pushing against him with matching, if not greater, force. through the slits in his helmet, Judicar could nearly make out the eyes of the dark lord, steeped back within his skull, his aged face that Judicar could still recall from there first meeting, was that what the darkside held, or just a solitary mistake made during Malum's personal training under Cain?

"You insolent whelp, I am more powerful than you can possibly imagine." The Dark lord spat back at Judicar through what could have been gritted teeth as the twp locked gazes, Maybe he was underestimating his master, you don't get to the top without being immeasurably powerful. That Hint of doubt lingered only a second before Judicar cast it aside, he was smart, he could see things others couldn't, he could account for things not even Malum could, and that would be the dark lord's undoing.

Removing one hand from the lightsaber hilt, thus weakening his grip however momentary, Judicar reached for the DL-44 heavy blaster pistol he always carried with him, still holstered, he spun it once in his hand as he removed it from the leather case and aimed center mass at Malum. He pulled back on the trigger only once. That was all he'd need to put Malum at his mercy.

[Roku]

Ariana was outside when she heard the blaster shot coming from Malum's throne room. "What?" She muttered to herself. "It has to be a fellow sith...I didn't sense anyone else..." Immediately suspecting trouble for her master, she tore a large x-shaped hole in the wall with her lightsaber, and ripped it big enough to bend it open with the force. The men before him were Malum of course, and this other dude, who was clearly high on something for trying to fight him. "Good evening gentlemen..." She said with a smirk. She wasn't sure if this battle was actually serious or not, but it amused her enough to participate. Sensing the ill intent in Judicar's heart, she snarled and did a force flip in his direction, attempting to lock him in a force choke with one hand before coming down with her lightsaber in the other.

[Gamov]

Judicar was no fool and quickly broke their stalemate, his grip on his saber weakening momentarily as he reached for the blaster at his side. An unconventional weapon for a Sith, Malum had always disliked that one aspect of Judicar's style and had tried on more than one occasion to persuade his disciple to abandon such crude methods. But it was obvious now that he had failed in that a particular aspect of his training, and Judicar's penchant for effectively "cheating" was coming back to haunt the Dark Lord.

The blaster twirled effortlessly in Judicar's grasp as if he were an expert duelist before he lined up a quick bead on Malum's abdomen. In an instant, a lone shot pierced the room as a brief flare of red exploded near Malum. The round found its mark as was intended, but perhaps what Judicar had not counted on was the Dark Lord's ability to absorb pain and use it for power. As the blaster bolt found its way into his flesh, Malum channeled the Force through himself to negate the effects and absorb some of the damage.

Reeling back from the shot, a hand clutched over his fresh wound, Malum feigned weakness for a moment. The burn stung him and he was certain that the bolt had managed to penetrate a bit farther than he would have liked as his muscles seemed to burn in pain, protesting his every move. Before Judicar could move in to capitalize on his success however, the obnoxious shriek of metal being torn apart drew Malum's attention to the far wall as Ariana, one of the few Sith that had remained loyal to him after Byss, came darting into the room.

She took only enough time to announce her entrance with a smirk and a quick comment that seemed out of place in such a scenario before she was upon Judicar. Malum regained himself as Ariana moved in for the kill on his Apprentice. This would be an entertaining battle after all.

[MikDaTv]

"Yo, Shebitch" Came the words from the hole made in the wall by Ariana. They were punctuated by the sound of an APC Array gun racking a charge into it's chamber.

A lone figure stepped into the room. His green cloak and green armor hid the true average build of his frame but confidence flowed out of him like a thunderous river. his robotic left eye stared, unblinkingly while he squinted with his right eye at the melee in the room. His short white hair was short and clean cut but slept in.

Jor Halcyon was the name he went by and he hadn't been this far towards the galactic core in years.

He pointed his ACP Array gun at Ariana's back with his right hand and waved her over to him with his left. "Come get some."