Main Biological Research Suite,

House Acclivis Draco Headquarters,

Heimdall Mountain Range, Li Gandor Continent,

Antenora, Cocytus System,

Dark Brotherhood Territories

Koryn Thraagus adjusted the saline drip on the intravenous tree, recording careful notes. He really didn't like some of the experimentation that went on here with the local Antenora wildlife, but the Quaestor's standing orders were clear that they needed to know everything that each animal, in the case that such information would be needed someday. Boring work, but vital for the House.

He finished up his observations, and put everything away in its' place. He left the room, and was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat when he sensed it.

Grabbing his lightsabre, Koryn didn't activate it. The malice in the Force was almost palpable, but it wasn't going to attack him, not quite yet anyway. He looked around with the Force and his eyes, but he didn't see anything that would construe any sort of threat. Once he checked the immediate area for danger, he grabbed at his commlink to inform someone, but as he activated it, he got a high-pitched squeal from it that made him wince. Great, he thought to himself as he started to move to the nearest alarm station. He was being jammed, and that wasn't good at all.

Then suddenly, they struck. The three figures in black combat suits appeared from hidden areas in side the walls themselves, two with blue lighsabre blades sizzling to life, the other with a red lightsabre blade. They gave him no time to react, as he was already blocking swings from them, their speed and practiced ease with their lightsabres alarming him more than their sudden entry. He was going to have to do something, and quick, before they could get away and do whatever they were planning to do.

Then, all of a sudden, one of the two with the blue lightsabre blades did something interesting. He reversed his grip, his lightsabre blade now running parallel with his forearm. Such a style was rare, and he'd only seen it recently when one of his Housemates was practicing it just the other day....

He took several steps back, disengaging himself from the fight. The others, oddly enough, apparently allowed it, since they didn't press the attack. Koryn examined their presence in the Force hard, and the one with the reverse grip was really familiar, as well as the one with the red lightsabre blade. The other one with the standard hold on the other blue lightsabre was a black hole for him in the Force, as he was not able to get any reading on his presence whatsoever.

He compared the presences that he felt with people that he knew. "Tra'an? Kalak?"

All three removed their baklavas, revealing the third one to be none other than the Quaestor himself, Timbal Palpatine.

Koryn was speechless. Timbal nodded to Kalak, and the Roll Master spoke.

"Koryn Thraagus. You have proven yourself to be worthy of HAD's most prestigious order, the Order of the Dragon. Your combat skills, even as a Guardian, are most impressive, and your actions have reflected well upon the House. Thus, you are inducted into the Order as the Fang of Callousness. Congratulations, Guardian, and do not fail us."

--

Greetings, brothers and sisters of HAD!

I hope everyone has enjoyed another little fiction that I put together for Koryn, the newest Fang! So give him a big congrats next time you see him on IRC. ;) On to the report!

Things to Cover (Clan / House Stuffs):

• Clan stuff: As you all know, Phoenix has stepped down from Consul, but Lucien has stepped up to fill in his big shoes. Thran is now the Proconsul, so expect some craziness to come from their general direction. Congrats again, you two!

• Newest Palpatine named!: The 11 Palpatines have come together and nominated one worthy of the title of Son of Palpatine. In the end, there was really no doubt who it could be, and thus, as of today, our very own Lucien is now a Palpatine! This is a huge honor for anyone in this Clan, and it was highly deserved. So congrats on that one, Lucien. Your Consulship may come and go, but you'll be a Palpatine forever. =)

• Competitions: We've got a comp brewing really soon, so expect that out in a few days. Keep an eye on your inboxes. =)

• Get ready for the next GJW!

• CSP Shadow Academy Course: Still being fixed and re-edited. I really hope to have this one out soon.

• Royal Gazette: There is a new one coming, so if you want in, send Reiden and myself an email an article that you think is worthy to be published, and we'll take a look at it. You also get bonus points from me for doing so. ;)

• Welcome Tiberius Marius Lepidus to the House! Feel free to drop by #scholae to introduce yourself to the Clan, we'd love to hear from you. =)

• Medals! I usually don't cover who got what medals, but I wanted to point out that our very own RevengeX Palpatine and Tra'an were both awarded Seals of Loyalty, a high honor. Congrats, you two!

Random Other Things:

• Just a quote: Why does the Air Force need expensive new bombers? Have the people we've been bombing over the years been complaining? - George Wallace
  

Real Life Stuff:

More random stuff going on in my life!

• Work: Still quiet. I expect it to be as such until the new year, but there is no way in heck I'm going to the annual holiday party this year. Searing my eyes with the sight of old people getting it on in the stairs is my personal limit.

• Gun stuff!: As some of you know, I've completed my paperwork towards getting my concealed weapons permit here in Florida, and that leads to several interesting issues. One, I'm looking for a reliable CCW, preferably in .45 ACP, but under $400. Am I expecting too much? Two, my research has lead me to some interesting debates and facts about gun control. I'm not going to get into it here, but just be aware that the debate is interesting. =)

• Holiday gift ideas, people! I'm thinking of giving wifey either A) An LCD HDTV for her room, preferably under $700 or B) A document safe that's fireproof so we can keep all our critical docs in. I know, the safe isn't "sexy", but it's a lot cheaper, and in this economy is devoutly desired. So, what do you peeps think?

Well, that's about it, peeps. Until next time!

KE Timbal

QUA guy

Random medals and stuffs go here.