Foothold settlement
Kiast
37 ABY
Foothold was typical of the lowermost settlements on Kiast. Nestled in the uppermost peaks of the mountain range, it hung just above the rolling steel clouds of toxic gasses. The dull glow of an atmospheric shield surrounded the range, its energies catching the late moonlight. Built with practicality and need over any desire for an aesthetically pleasing design, its blocky grey structures had been seemingly hammered into the mountain itself. Towers of rusting metal, re-purposed ships, and disc-like landing platforms circled the peaks, some displaying old iconography or new declarations in thinning paint. Most were supported in place by a network of durasteel struts and repulsorlift engines, each working to prevent the township from tumbling down the slopes and into the blue clouds which covered much of Kiast’s surface. A web of bridges and walkway rings linked each building, with some rising and falling to let airships pass between them.
The city was largely dark at this point, the windows of its buildings black with the mandated cut-out of all nonessential power; the act of conserving energy for the next morning. There was only one exception to this: A small warehouse on the larger airship docks. Light glinted through partially covered windows and a handful off figures milled about the exterior, each attempting to desperately avoid looking too much like guards. The poorly concealed weaponry that each kept half-hidden beneath their clothes were not helping. It was so obvious a meeting place that, upon their first arrival, the group of Odanites had almost mistaken it as a decoy.
Observing the warehouse from an adjacent street, and keeping to the shadows of their room’s window, Essk Lyccane silently watched this play out. His bulbous compound eyes took in the scene at ones, marking out each patrolling figure and picking out the small shadow which was edging her way across the rooftops. After a few heartbeats she seemed to fade into the air itself, disappearing entirely from the naked eye. The other two members of their group sat at the other end of the room. One with his arms crossed, waiting impatiently for any word, as the other frantically hammered out streams of text onto a datapad.
“May Essik ask if we have had anything of worth yet?” Essik enquired, stepping back from the window.
“Give her a minute,” one of them grunted, not taking her eyes off of the datapad or pausing in her typing.
The Sentinel Network had learned of a possible meeting of Quorahi leaders, largely those dissatisfied with the nobility. With nothing definitive known of their actions and most of their agents offworld, the duty of finding and recording information from the meeting had been left to whoever was left to execute the mission with anything they had on hand. Ka Tarvitz, Sirra, Essik and Nikora Rhan had all arrived separately. Essik had spoken with Foothold’s de-facto mayor - a balding zeltron by the name of Jalan - who he had helped to resolve a series of murders the year earlier, using it to guess the man’s disposition and possible involvement. Some information gathering and telepathic scans had helped the group to discover that the meeting was likely to take place on Foothold itself, and had eventually pinned down the exact starting date.
This had all led to Sirra - the only member of their group with any real skill in stealth and a strong telepathic connection - to infiltrate and spy on the meeting; then to broadcast any information she gained back to Rhan. Rhan was noting these down rapidly in what seemed to be a raw stream of consciousness, bereft of structure and only vaguely coherent. Every word was what Sirra was picking up from the building and those within, emphasizing emotions, thoughts and details that her senses that she could pick up. It hardly helped that the girl was extremely reliant upon her telepathic abilities for communication; to the point of being illiterate and inarticulate when it came to anything beyond the most basic of terms.
“The moment this is done,” Rhan said through gritted teeth, “I’m going to pay for that girl to get some damn lessons in Basic.”
“Is she inside?” Tarvitz asked, visibly suppressing a smirk at her comment.
“Almost,” Rhan managed, the words she noted covering sounds as much as internal thoughts.
“They had a few guards on the roof. Now she’s inside.”
--
Getting inside the building had proven far more difficult than Sirra could have predicted. Initially hoping that the cold night air would keep the guards from straying too far from their posts, she had been surprised to find several waiting on the rooftop. One of which had been carrying a remote scanner, covering the surrounding area, which had easily seen through the cloak Sirra had projected over herself. It had only been thanks to sheer fortune that she had escaped capture. Upon detecting her, the guard and uttered a few dark comments and slapped the machine, mistaking its readings for a malfunction.
Carefully edging her way across the corrugated durasteel, and keeping her distance from the remaining sentries, Sirra had kept to the edges of the roof. Dilapidated and weakened by rust, its surface was at risk of caving in at various points. It had taken Sirra some time to find somewhere which could both sustain her weight and had a hole large enough to permit her entry. On its northernmost corner, the metal had given away entirely, exposing a stacked pile of crates within to the elements. Spending a moment judging distance and tugging the thermal cloak close to her body, she dropped through the hole and caught onto the edge of the roof. Swinging inward, she eased herself down atop of the uppermost crate and dropped prone.
Sirra waited a few moments, listening and half expecting to hear the shriek of alarms, or even the thoughts of surprised guards within. Instead there was nothing.
Raised voices could be heard echoing throughout the broad warehouse interior, emanating from a makeshift table which had been assembled in the far corner. She could see several figures now, one among them in particular was yelling, his face red and spittle flying from beneath a bushy mustache as he bellowed at another individual sitting on the far end from him.
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Hello All,
Our fiction ark “Vatali Unsettled” is under way and things are heating up in the Kaist system. Sentinel Network had uncovered a secret meeting of the various tribe leaders and our spies were able to get close enough to gain some valuable information. We now know the key players have united under a single banner uncovered by Agate. However, our first meeting with Empress Kaltani didn’t go as planned. Having just come out of a war against the Dominion, her people are still trying to rebuild. Only with solid proof would she be willing to mobilize her grand army to quell any insurrection. However, while we can’t meddle in their affairs, we have a duty to protect all assets vital to us. Tisto and his mercenary Knights of Urr have already mobilized. I have put our elite guards, Striketeam Ooroo on alert on VSD Sunrider and Essik and his Sentinel Network spies are watching for any signs of military action. Our Consulars sense the growing tension.
This is where you all come in. In the next few days, Tisto will be releasing a series of competitions aimed at gaining more information on the tribes individually. What your mission will be is to aid the Sentinel Network in unearthing whatever information you can about the tribes and their leaders. So be on the look out for a mission briefing.
Also, as we move along, we will be developing Kaist even further through various quick and easy competitions. So, if you’re interested in doing some world building, these are for you.
Given the growing hostility in the region, we have Tython Squadron ready and waiting. I have chosen Jon Silvon to lead our military against this new threat. I would like to congratulate Jon and look forward to seeing what his plans for the Battleteam. I would also like to thank Ethan for holding the team down the way he did. His dedication and service to the unit is what makes a battleteam our elite fighting force. Thank you again my friend. So, with that, if there are any of you who want to take a more active role in the House, a battleteam is the spot for you. If you are interested in joining, contact Jon.
We have some big things coming to the House that we think you'll like. Be on the look out for all the goodies. In the meantime here are some things to hold you over...
And as always, take a look at the Competition page for more things to do!
Welcome Zeon to the House!
We would Like to congratulate Agate for his promotion to Padawan and Luna to her promotion to Neophyte!
Gavriel: 1 Crescent with Emerald Star and 1 Crescent with Diamond Star
Jafits: 1 Crescent with Topaz Star
Aerwin: 1 Scroll of Indoctrination
Tisto: 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star
Essik: 1 Cluster of Fire, 27 Clusters of Ice, 8 Clusters of Earth, 2 Clusters of Graphite, 3 Crescents with Amethyst Stars, 1 Crescent with Diamond Star, 1 Crescent with Ruby Star, 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star and 1 Crescent with Emerald Star
Ethan: 8 Clusters of Fire
Agate: 8 Clusters of Fire, 14 Clusters of Graphite, 1 Pendent of Blood, 11 Clusters of Earth, 4 Crescents with Ruby Stars, 3 Crescents with Sapphire Stars and 2 Crescents with Amethyst Stars
Shayna: 2 Clusters of Graphite
May the Force guild you,
-Revak Kur
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This should be a fun storyline to go after then, especially with the war's conclusion. Thank you for the report.
Nice report Revak. And a big thanks to those who helped contribute to the writing. :)
Thank you for the report. Great job.