TOR - Taris

Welcome to Taris, the Planet of Ashes. Home to wrecked cities and burning soil, Taris is a stronghold of the Sith and a symbol of their power.

* A ship set down on the planet, on a crude landing site that had been constructed on one of the few clear pieces of land on the planet. Darth Macht had ordered that a reconstruction effort be made on the planet, but progress was slow. It was a long process to clear the mass amounts of debris that came from the destruction of what used to be a planet-wide city. In the 3 months that the reconstruction effort had been placed, only 45 square miles had been cleared, and a very basic out post had been placed. It did not help things that there were some survivors, primarily from what had been called the "Undercity", that either tried to resist the occupation, or constantly begged for food or aid. Resources were spread thin among the Sith ever since Darth Malak fell to Revan in the final battle. Darth Macht had taken the title of Darth after Malak fell, and it was no easy task to rebuild the massive fleet that the Sith had before, now that the Star Forge was destroyed. There was also a great conflict among the Sith themselves as to who would take Malak's place as leader of the Sith. Darth Macht had proven to be the strongest, but even now there was still plans to overthrow him, which while that was the way of the Sith, Darth Macht could not help but be annoyed that he was constantly being distracted by another failed attempt at a takeover.

Darth Macht walked down the ramp of his ship, and began to head towards the outpost, to both check on the progress of the reconstruction, and to possibly deal out punishments to those who were slowing production down......*

*You find a black cloaked figure speaking with the leader of the reconstruction team, and you find he has while not a nessecarily very strong connection to the Force, he has an unusual attunement to it, and to the Dark Side, possibly a Sith.*
Reconstruction Leader - "I told you, I-I'm working my crew to the bone! Were working as efficient as possible! Please...you must believe me!"
The Figure - "Oh, I believe you. I know you are working them to the best of your ability. But you see...it just simply isn't enough, I'm afraid. You see, were on a very tight schedule, and we can't spare you any more time. You have a deadline, Reconstruction Leader. And I expect reconstruction to be done by that deadline. Do I make myself clear?"
"But sir! You can't possibly-"
*The Leader seems to go into a trance for a split-second, and replies with a calm edge in his voice.*
"Yes, Darth Mortilis. We will be done by the deadline."
*Darth Mortilis gives a small chuckle, and replies,*
"Good, that is what I want to hear. Now, back to your job."
*I turn from the Leader, and begin walking back to my Sith Fighter, but find myself face-to-face with Darth Macht.*
"Darth Macht...hmph. What business does the Dark Lord have on Taris, I wonder?"
*You notice my lips curl into a smile, a malicious, and if not amused smirk.*

*Darth Macht couldn't help but release a small scowl at the sight of Darth Mortillis. He was one of the Sith who had contended for the position of the Dark Lord, and Darth Macht knew it was only a matter of time before another attempt was made. Darth Macht had considered just ending him, but the Sith needed every able bodied warrior they could get right now.*

"Greetings, Mortillis...." said Darth Macht, with a sneer.
"I was simply coming to check the progress of the reconstruction... But it appears you have already observed the situation, so I will just get the report from you. So, your report?"

OOC: New character time...

*An escape-pod like craft roars to the planet surface and crashes in the middle of the workings. The laborers go to examine it... and leap back as the hatch explodes outwards and a massive figure steps out. He has entirely black armor and, as he raises his visor, it is evident that he is a Wookiee. Surprisingly, he speaks excellent Basic. The laborers fall back from his shadow-wreathed form, cringing in fear....*

"Ach, that pod was cramped! Now - wait - where was I? Oh yes -"

"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Greetings, fellow Sith and slaves of the Sith. Your mundane lives shall now be more evil - and Fun, for I, Darth Fun, have arrived!"

"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

"Now - ah, Darth Macht. Good to see you. Hello Darth Mortillis, old friend, you evil Sith you - let's have that report, shall we?"

-Darth Fun
The Lighthearted Sith

OOC: Darth Fun in TOR...oh no...
IC:
*Mortilis give a small chuckle, while not evil, it's tone would send chills down most species' backs.*
"Well, then I won't stall you any further. After all, I'm sure the Dark Lord has...many important things to oversee, and attend to, I'm sure. Now then, my report: Progress, as you have seen, has been quite slow...the workers are rapidly becoming more and more exhausted. It doesn't help that the survivors are becoming bolder...however. Progress should come to it's goal by the deadline."
*At that, Darth Mortilis gives a small grin, revealing his fangs.*
"I...made nessecary measures of guaranteeing that. Rest assured, my Lord, that reconstruction will be met."
*At that, an escape pod falls from the sky and lands, adding emphasis to the closure of my report. As me and Macht see the process of Darth (until Firox changes) scramble oiut of his pod, and walk over, Darth Mortilis cringes slightly, not out of fear, but annoyance. Darth (until Firox changes) was a Sith that had suprisingly succeeded, but was perhaps even stranger than Mortilis, in ways no one could explain...*
"Darth (until Firox changes)...tch. Pleasure...I see you are...as quaint as ever. However, I do not respond to those of my equal status. If you want a report, then go interrogate the reconstruction leader himself."
*Mortilis's eyes gave a look of disgust at the thought of even answering to his own equal, and his fangs suddenly take on a menacing appearance...*

OOC: Actually, a character who's completely insane would add depth to the RP. But... keep it tasteful, if you do it. And insane in an... everyday way.

A hologram of a Republic soldier appears before Darth Macht and Darth Mortilis. He bows before the Sith Lord.
"My lord, I've infiltrated the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. They are oblivious to my presence. I should have the artifact within an hour."
He pauses and his eyes shift to Darth Mortilis, his mouth twisting into a sneer.
"Darth Mortilis... I didn't see you there. Found more weak-minded fools to possess, have you?"

*Darth Mortilis gives a snide smile, and replies evenly to Siin-*
"If you are refering to your own, rest assured, I have not. Although it appears someone else already did that for me, and gave you permanent mental damage in the process..."
*Mortilis then halts his sarcasm, and asks in all manner of seriousness-*
"This artifact...is it the one the Sith have been looking for?"

The Dark Jedi ignores the jibe.
"I believe it is. I need to get moving... a Jedi landed on the planet not long ago, and I saw him headed for the vaults. If he's here for what I'm here for... well, let's just we may have a few less Jedi to worry about."

OOC: THanks for editing posts.

(in character:)
"Well done Siin. Update me on any further progress you make." Said Darth Macht, before turning off the hologram. Darth Macht then turned to Darth Mortilis.
"If that will be all, Mortilis, then I have other matters to attend to. Continue progress on the reconstruction efforts, I will expect a full report in 1 galactic standard week." Darth Macht then turned away, and began to head towards his ship, going off on another unknown mission of unknown importance*

-Before Darth Macht turns off the Hologram-

*Darth Mortilis nods, understanding the situation.*
"So the artifact is within our grasp at last...it may contain what our Empire has been searching for at long last. Have caution, Dark Jedi Siin. After all..."
*Darth Mortilis smirks, sarcasm dripping in his voice.*
"It would be unfortunate if Chaos were to take you so early...Dark Jedi Siin."

-After-

*As the hologram turns off, I then turn towards Lord Macht, and reply in turn, and give a small, respectful bow.*
"Yes, Lord Macht."

*Three mysterious fighters appear in the atmosphere. they land, and the pilots rush to a nearby shuttle. Passing Darth Fun, they shout, simply: "R-0."*

*Darth Fun nods.*

"Ah, thank you men. I'll be there shortly."

*He turns to Darth Macht and Mortillis.*

"I am sorry, fellow Sith, but I must go. I have some pressing business to attend to. Good luck with the reconstruction."

*He takes a flying leap and lands on the shuttle ramp as it rises. The shuttle soars up to the waiting Sith fleet above...*

*Darth Macht boarded his ship, but instead of leaving the planet, He took his ship to the far side of the planet, and landed it the best he could on a relatively stable pile of debris. He exited his ship, and worked his way through the piles of debris, and slowly descended through the several mile tall remains of various buildings and other structures, slowly clearing and stabilizing a path deeper and deeper, coming closer to the surface of the planet.

He made his way several miles into the debris, until he found an opening into what he believed was called the Undercity. Some of Taris had crumbled in such a way that allowed parts of the Undercity to remain intact. He felt some lifeforms in the Undercity, humanoids, mostly. But Darth Macht did not have the time or patience to deal with such insignificant creatures. To find what he searched for, he had to go deeper than the Undercity. He worked his way through the paths of the Undercity, until he found an entrance to the sewers. He entered the sewers, and made his way through the long tunnels, wading through sewage and various other less than appealing things, due to the sewers overflowing after not being maintained for over 4 years. Luckily Darth Macht was planning on getting a new cloak soon anyways. After traveling a ways, he found a secret passage in the side of one of the tunnels. Darth Macht ripped it open with the force, and made his way through the newly discovered path.

The path led down deeper and deeper into the planet. Even Darth Macht was not entirely certain how far he had gone. after traveling for another several minutes, he came across another locked door. However, this time Darth Macht dare not force it open, without the high risk of destroying the very thing he had come all this way for. He walked towards a control panel next to the door, and examined how the barrier could be removed without damaging what laid beyond the passage. After tinkering with the controls, a message appeared, requesting a voice code. Darth Macht had expected as much, and he already knew his own voice would not be sufficient. He then pulled a recorder from a hidden compartment inside his cloak. Darth Macht pressed a button, and an audio recording of Darth Revan came from the device, speaking the code. After a moment, a light on the security consoled flickered green, and the door opened. Darth Macht let out a slight grin, and entered the passage. He searched his surroundings, sensing if there were any more traps or security measures in place to prevent intruders. Surprisingly enough, there were none. Darth Macht would have expected Revan to put in place more protection for something as potentially valuable as this. But, upon analyzing things further, perhaps Revan did not want more precautions. Perhaps Revan wanted this place accessible to anyone who was simply strong enough and dedicated enough to find it. But such thoughts were unimportant at the moment. Darth Macht turned a corner, and entered a room with many computer systems. The room also had a large window overlooking what appeared to be a gigantic droid factory. Darth Macht stepped towards one of the consoles. The current status on the screen read that the factory was currently disabled. Darth Macht worked with the controls, and modified some of the automatic behavioral settings of the droids that would be produced , before activating the various machines in the factory. Through the window, Darth Macht could see the machines creating the first of a brand new series of HK assassin droids....*

You are interrupted by the sound of snarling nearby. Half-turning, you see two Rakghouls a short distance away, rapidly consuming the empty space between you.

~GM

*Darth Macht turns to see the Rakghouls charging towards him. Without even moving, Darth Macht uses the force to snap their necks, killing them instantly. Their bodies continued forward for a moment from their charge, before their limp bodies slid to a halt before Darth Macht's feet.

"Such mindless creatures." Thought Darth Macht to himself. He had heard about these creatures from the reports he had been given on the planet. Apparently some of the troops who wandered to far into the ruins had come across them. Apparently if someone was bit or clawed by one of them, the person who was infected would get some sort of disease that turned them into a Rakghoul as well. But Darth Macht could tell it was not a normal disease. He could feel the Dark Side within those creatures. Darth Macht suspected that these creatures, and the plague, had been created by Sith Alchemy, an extreme practice of the dark side, that few had come to truly master. Even though Darth Macht only knew the basics of Sith Alchemy, he felt that he could use this plague for his advantage.

He pulled a vile out from his cloak, and found a pair of gloves he could use in the factory. He then took some of the blood from the Rakghouls bodies, being careful not to have his skin touch them, and placed the blood in the vile. He then sealed the vile, and put it back in his cloak. Before he left, he went back to one of the consoles, and placed some directions and coordinates for some of the HK units to follow once their production was finished. Darth Macht then turned towards the exit, and began the long trek back to the surface.*

Firox, he's right-- OOC posts should be kept to either the CB or the OOC forum if they're not linked to character actions or discussions on character movement (as in, "I feel like this should be changed because [insert reason here]"). Your post technically was spam, and thus I had to delete it. No harm no foul, however.
Cbm, we had a chat about respect already. You could've phrased that a lot better than you did.
~Staff

*Looking over the reconstruction one last time, I stride back over to my ship, boarding into the cockpit, settiling into the pilot-seat.*
"Well, well...I believe it's time I'd be on my way."
*Starting up the engines, I give a sigh, and then press forward a little bit on the control stick, and begin moving upwards.*
*I fly out of the atmosphere, and into space...*

Eh...

Where you going?

Macht's holoprojector signals an incoming call and he answers it. A hologram of a very worn-out Siin bows slightly.
"My lord. I have successfully recovered the artifact and brought it back to Korriban. We had an... encounter with several Republic ships on the way out. de Ruyter actually staged a full-scale assault just to rescue Serkan, the bounty hunter I hired to help me infiltrate the Enclave."
He pauses for a moment.
"Have you had any success with your own mission, sir?"

"Yes Siin, I suppose you could say I have. I will be to Korriban shortly to explain the situation, and examine this artifact as well. Also, I trust you scolded the Admiral thoroughly? We cannot waste our resources for one bounty hunter, no matter how skilled he is. If he truly was that skilled, he would not have gotten captured in the first place. Make it clear that his is the first, and last mistake I will tolerate. If that will be all, I shall be to Korriban shortly." *Said Darth Macht.
He then turned off his holoprojector, and continued his ascent to the surface. *

Siin bows once again as the hologram disappears. Turning, he takes a seat at a large workbench on the Rift, removing the pyramid-shaped object from a bag and beginning his examinations.

*Darth Macht reached the surface through the tunnels of debris that was the planet of Taris. He made a vain attempt at cleaning off his robe, but quickly abandoned the pursuit. Darth Macht then trekked towards his ship so he could head to Korriban, and to get a new robe.*

Mirabelle shifted uncomfortably in the public shuttle. "Almost there," she reassured herself, inspecting the ragtag group that were also in the shuttle.

A small ship enters the atmosphere gracefully. It lands in the port, powering down its engines.

Alastar leaned against the wall, slouched in a position that allowed him to see all of the shuttle without too much trouble. He forced a somewhat bored expression onto his face, but not half as successfully as he had hoped.