Jusadih System Morroth Omega Base Brig - Lower Levels 36 ABY

A wall of warm air rolled across Kal as the chamber door slid into its ceiling mount. The chill outside rolled in around his boots like a fog, fittingly symbolic for the man’s demeanour. “Progress report, doctor?”

Emar Xu looked up from his work, his right hand splayed apart into fifteen micro-tools. The prosthetic replacing his left eye retracted, its many lenses collapsing into a singular red circle. “Patients one, three, and four are experiencing... anticipated results.

Kal’s face hardened as he inspected the subjects. Five human men were splayed across the table, each in a different state of sedated surgery. Kal eyed the arms and legs of the first patient, crinkling his nose at the scent of gangrene; subject four was incoherent, even for one sedated. His eyes had calcified after attempts to correct them, and a puddle of drool had collected beside his mouth. It no doubt had something to do with the small incisions on the back of his shaved head.

The Sith didn’t bother to look at subject three; the Force had told him that the man was dead long before his readouts. “And our other guests?”

“Subject two is becoming more supplicant. When he’s coherent, he begins to show fewer signs of panic and respond to my questions more adequately. I had my doubts, but as you anticipated, he begins to become more efficient as we remove his independence and enhance his brain cell repair.” The doctor’s respirator clicked as condensed air shot from its sides, a gust of steam to clear it of accumulated moisture. His vocabulator enhancements were even more extensive than Umbra’s.

“Good. What of subject five?” Kal asked, eyeing the last man. He was a deal larger than the others, taller and more heavily built.

“Subject five is... well, unruly.” The doctor’s right hand collapsed and spun back into a five-digit appendage before depressing a button on his mechanical left wrist. The man’s half a droid, Kal thought with a hint of distaste. “Observe.”

The patient’s breathing slowly increased as his sedatives wore off, until he fully awakened. What could no longer be called a scream erupted from his lips as he roared, bucking against his polymer restraints and shaking the durasteel table. His muscles swelled as he moved - somehow larger and more defined, despite several days on the table - and he ignored the pain of ripping stitches as his surgically repaired body parts twisted and stretched.

Dr. Xu re-engaged his sedatives with a sigh. “Wild, aggressive, and too damn clever for his own good. The stitches on his wrist are from where he chafed the skin too much and nearly escaped.” Stepping to the monitor on the man’s bedside table, he read the results with a downcast right eye. The gray-green organ was one of his last original parts. “Seems the path to efficiency was making them supplicant and efficient, rather than enhancing their aggression and adaptivity.”

“On the contrary, doctor. Efficiency serves well, but aggression has its uses.” Kal nodded as he looked on the two. “I will have six more guests, and their requisite equipment, brought to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, bring these two to the heights of your ability. Make me the perfect soldier and the perfect servant.”

“Yes, my lord.” Emar stopped in mid-turn, his gray lab coat seeming to swish as he moved. The bloodstains on the plastic made it seem more of a butcher’s garb. “When my new patients arrive, what will become of two and five?”

“We cannot afford more mouths to feed, no more than we can walking secrets.” Kal said coldly, a hint of sulfuric yellow creeping into his irises. “Terminate them.”

“It will be done,” Xu said, feeling only the slightest regret as the Sith stalked from the room.

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Here we are, strong at the edge of the Horizon.

Plagueis has placed second overall in the Horizons Vendetta. Medal lists and award counts will be found in other reports, but in this one, I’d like to give a big shout-out to two of our members in particular. While all of those who fought hard in the event did well, we must acknowledge the greater achievements of Solus Gar and Arden Karn. Solus was the overall hero of the Vendetta, while Arden has achieved the rank of Dark Jedi Knight as a result of battlefield promotions. Well done, both of you.

Related to the Vendetta, Halc has a survey up for you to take. It can be found on the News Page, or linked into Muz’s report. That’s right, I’m making you get up and look for it. :P

To those who are interested, House Shar Dakhan of Clan Naga Sadow is looking for a Quaestor and House Galeres of Clan Arcona is looking for an Aedile. We’re all about bettering the Brotherhood here, and if that means parting with a couple of good members to make other Clans better, I’m cool with that. Apply to the Consuls of those Clans if you’re interested.

Well, big changes in Plagueis, folks. Kapsina is ruin and desolation, Sigil 2 is on fire, Nintura’s facilities and factories are destroyed, and Shintera’s surface burns. We are pushed back to Morroth’s Omega Base, where our fleet holds back the forces of the fallen Archibald Zoraan. Worse, we face a Starweird, a wraith of the Force that hunts and kills those trained in its use. As hope fades and we face the doom foretold in the Quaestor’s visions, we reach out to other Clans and Houses, try desperate tactics, and draw deeply on the Dark Side to claw our way back from the brink. Exciting times, people.

Well, we’ve done splendidly in Horizons, but Plagueis never rests. You don’t have a long trip home from the war when you live on the march, after all. In the next month, we’ve got a Feud to look forward to, where we’ll face our dramatic last stand against the forces ravaging the Jusadih System. The Feud will be cooperative in nature, so we’ll be working with our Dark Brethren, not (entirely) against them. This should make for a good opportunity to pick up new tricks and practice our skills - I hope everyone’s getting a good, long rest, because in a couple of weeks, we’re right back into the fray.

In the downtime, there are a few competitions on the go. They are as follows:

• Anything you can do...

• Pilot Those Pods!

• Space Jedi? Meet Space Tank!

These are just the local offerings. Have a look at what our Brethren Abroad have created here!

With Horizons over and the Feud looming, very exciting times are coming for the Office of the Right Hand. We’ve got several new items that have been completed. I can’t give you full details on them yet, but I can tell you of a few things that matter today.

Furios Morega is working on a project involving Jusadih’s planet articles. In short, they are being made into shorter, stub-like articles to compensate for their destruction. Only Morroth remains as a holdfast to us, but for how long? Be prepared to move, Plagueians. Don’t get too attached to the worlds of the System - our destiny is, and always has been, waiting for us among the stars.

The Ascendant Legion and Fleet are, of course, in tatters. Our soldiers are dying faster than we can deploy them and our ships are becoming nothing but flaming husks. That said, as any of astute wit and sharp mind - in this House, that would be most of us - could guess, Plagueis is not being closed. We have a new future before us, and as my wiki-coding fingers could tell you, our dwellings and possessions are in for one hell of an overhaul.

Want to learn more than that? Pitch in, and I’ll be happy to divulge what I can. :)

We are extensively redesigning just about everything about this House. As such, a literal f_ckton of content in our Wiki is now out of date. I am looking for volunteers to consolidate our past and get it ready to be filed away and remembered in study by the Krath. In its place, we will soon flood the Wiki with our new face, but this will be a much slower process if we do not have some assistance.

I am offering up medals and rewards to those who choose to help me in this. Lend a hand. Be part of tomorrow’s House Plagueis.

A link to the volunteer center on the forums can be found here.

Time to learn a little something about the Dark Side, ladies and gents.

Sith Lords such as Plagueis, our patron, have often speculated on the will of the Force. It is true, to some extent, that Jedi and Sith alike control the Force. That said, the Force also has a will of its own, guiding our actions and destinies along the flows of fate. The Jedi seek to serve this will, to maintain what they see as a natural balance.

This balance is what we Sith, and our affiliated cults and offshoots, seek to tilt.

The Force’s balance has been shifted by Jedi and Sith alike for milennia, and has changed the fates and fortunes of those all across the galaxy. Sometimes, actions and events tilt it, either over time or in an instant; these events cause disturbances in the Force. Other times, direct meditation and focus can actively tilt the balance to one side or the other. This can benefit the users, for a time, but eventually the balance of light and darkness, of order and chaos, is compensated for by the Force itself.

Such vergences can be seen in the Sith’ari, Darth Bane, as well as Anakin Skywalker - the Chosen One of the Jedi. Remember, disciples, that our every gain, our every movement, has a counterbalance in the Force. Be ready for it, assert yourself against it, and bend the Force to your will... but be prepared for the backlash.

In conclusion, great things are on the horizon. We cannot stop - our momentum is strong and our opponents are feeling the pressure. Do not rest on your laurels, guys; participate, improve, and reap the rewards. Be ready for the Feud this month, apply to those posts that interest you, participate in competitions, and help out with projects. Let’s show the Brotherhood the new way of doing things.

Let’s usher in the Ascendant Era, folks. :)

TL;DR...

...s are for wimps. You’re a Plagueian, read the damn report.

SBL Kal di Plagia Vorrac Aedile of Plagueis Praetor to Darth Ashen Adapt, Ascend, Avail.