## Fiction Update

I just wanted to take this moment to highlight the currently serialized, ongoing fiction updates that Tra'an will be posting on the Plagueis forums in a thread found here. These fiction updates will be posted daily starting now and will detail the aftermath of Horizons and the post Horizons feud. The fiction updates in my report, however, will be taking place in the here and now and covering Dark Crusade plot updates as they apply to Plagueis. If you see some things you're not familiar with, just keep your eyes on the update thread and all will become clear. In addition, the Dark Crusade focused fiction below takes place concurrently with the Dark Crusade opening fiction, which can be found here.

__ The Dark Crusade The Anchorage - Edge of the Stygian Caldera 36 ABY

Striding through the dimly lit corridors of the new Plagueis headquarters was still a challenge of navigation. Almost none of the internal systems were online, wreckage still littered the decks, and the twisting corridors did not do anything themselves to promote ease of navigation. All things considered, though, the station was in better shape then something over three and a half millennia old had any business being. The entire station had been open to space for most of that time, the lack of atmosphere having left it in the same condition as when it had been apparently evacuated.

There is something to be said for the preserving qualities of vacuum, Solus thought to himself.

The datapad Solus carried in his hand contained details of the attacks that had been striking throughout Brotherhood controlled space for the last two days. Not much was known about the attackers, or at least not much was being passed on to the various Clans and Houses. What was known did not paint a rosy picture. The Dark Council was under attack, Clans had seen acts of sabotage that raised serious questions about operational security. Stopping at one of the still unmarked doors, Solus knocked.

"Enter!" barked the voice of Tra'an Reith from within.

"My lord," Solus said with a slight bow after pushing the doors apart and entering the Dread Lord's chamber. "A report from Antei."

Tra'an took the proffered pad and began to read, his features growing progressively darker.

"So widespread," Tra'an observed, and then met Solus's gaze. "Have we been hit?"

"Not yet," Solus replied, "Though the consensus is that we might have avoided it this time."

Tra'an nodded, gesturing for Solus to continue.

"It appears that the attacks were carried out by long dormant sleeper agents or cells. Our assumption is that Plagueis hasn't really been targeted as most of these agents likely died in Jusadih during the fall. There hasn't really been time in the aftermath for this enemy force to realistically place new assets," Solus said.

"That is the advantage of burning down the house," Tra'an said with a chuckle. "All of the rats burn with it."

A chime sounded from Tra'an's desk, signifying an incoming holomessage from the Dark Hall. Solus bowed once more, turned, and left the chamber as he saw holographic forms begin to spring to life around the room. The holosignal was poor, owing to their location within the Caldera and the quality of their still makeshift systems, but the forms of Muz Ashen and the other leaders of the Brotherhood were evident. The doors shut behind the Battlelord as he took up position of guard beyond the threshold.

After a number of minutes, Tra'an emerged with a new datapad in his hands. Solus caught his eye and saw that had a plan.

"What's it to be?" Solus asked.

"War," Tra'an responded and handed Solus the datapad.

It was now Solus's turn to study encoded information, his turn to frown.

"It looks basically sound, my lord, but I'm not sure about sacrificing secrecy at this moment," Solus said.

"It's the perfect time, Solus. The other Clans and Houses are reeling from these blows. Weakened. There will never be a better time to catch them off guard," Tra'an explained.

Solus, still not totally convinced, nodded his agreement.

The Dark Crusade FFC Final Way - Nfolgai Orbit 36 ABY

Consul Locke Sonjie sat in the command chair at the center of the Final Way's bridge, watching the forces of Clan Naga Sadow array themselves for their attack on Nfolgai. The approach their ships were taking would eventually take them past the system's only space defense, a dilapidated station that possessed little in the way of weaponry. The space forces of Scholae Palatinae and Tarentum were deploying as well, staying well away from Naga Sadow's forces.

"Sir!," the sensor officer called as his station signaled new ships reverting to realspace, "I have new contacts in sector forty-seven. Two destroyers, three heavy cruisers, and six smaller screening vessels."

"Who are they, Lieutenant?" Locke asked.

"Checking now," he responded as he worked at his console. "I'm not getting any IFF transponders from the new ships."

"Check again, Lieutenant," Locke ordered, then dropped his volume and spoke to himself. "They may be forces from the Iron Throne here to observe us..."

"Their IFF transponders just came online, sir. They're flagged as," the officer said and then paused. His eyes rose to meet those of his Consul. "They're running Plagueis transponders."

Locke stood and crossed the deck towards the sensor station, his own eyes confirming the sensor feeds were in fact displaying the correct data. The lead ship of the new group of ships was in fact the Ascendancy.

"Sir, we have a signal coming in from the lead ship," the communication officer reported.

"Put it through," Locke ordered.

The holocomm activated and the form of Tra'an Reith, deceased Quaestor of a destroyed House sprung to life.

"Well," Locke said with a dark grin tugging the corner of his mouth, "I see reports of your demise were somewhat exaggerated."

"That would be correct," Tra'an said with a smile of his own. "And we've come back to finish what we started." ## The Dark Crusade

The Dark Crusade is upon us! Don't let it fool you, this is a major Vendetta event for us. Moreso then Horizons or even a Great Jedi War, this is a time that Plagueis can show just how great we are and start proving to people that we deserve to be a Clan just as much as the next guy. There have been copious numbers of emails out to the House about it, so I won't rehash everything here save to say that participation is king for this competition and to provide a link to the competition site: Dark Crusade Website.

In addition, as the website has all of it's pages set as images as opposed to selectable text, I've transcribed all of the event prompts and information for you guys right here in my report: #### Fiction: Ancient Steel

Upon planetfall, the wreckage of several ships had been sighted. Initial scans discovered an Interdictor-Class destroyer buried in the polar ice. Deployed probe droids have been destroyed on mission, and feeds have not yet been recovered. Your assignment is to explore the wreckage of this ancient ship, eliminate or document whatever threat resides there and recover anything of use to the war effort.

This fiction event is to cover the mission detailed above in any way that you see fit. There is a minimum of 750 words required, but no maximum. Submissions must be emailed to [Log in to view e-mail addresses] by 2359 pm EST 15th February, 2013. Winning entries will be made canon after a vetting process. #### Nfolgai Target: Yobd Nan

The One Sith committed a grave error in affronting the power of the Dark Brotherhood by conducting a series of daring attacks against Dark Councilors and Elders. The Grand Master and Dark Council have initiated Operation Just Vengeance as a retaliatory strike against One Sith Targets scattered across the galaxy. Clans and Houses operation of Nfolgai have been given clearance to attack Yobd Nan, a Duros Sith Lord. Assassins are cleared to engage the target in teams or individually, but must keep in mind the level of power and skill their opponent possesses.

This is an individual fiction event allowing members to write their character;s engagement against a high value target on Nfolgai. Members are encouraged not only to write their character, but multiple associate Dark Jedi Brotherhood members in their effort to destroy Yobd Nan. Grading will be conducted using the Voice Staff Rubric: Your Target's Character sheet and additional information.

There is a minimum 1000 words required, but no maximum. Submissions must be emailed to [Log in to view e-mail addresses] by 2359 pm EST 15th February, 2013. Winning entries will be made canon after a vetting process. #### Training:Encryption

The Headmaster is aware of the fact that certain skills may be required of members in the coming days. In order to better equip the membership, a course has been authored as an introduction to Cryptography. It is hoped that this course will enable members to better understand and identify enciphered messages and serve as a foundation for future courses on the topic.<p> <p>It is suggested that all members take this course, and those who show great aptitude by swiftly completing it will be rewarded.</p> <p>Email [Log in to view e-mail addresses] with the subject "Continued Education - Nfolgai" to receive a link to the Cryptography course. Read the notes and complete the exam like you would with a normal Shadow Academy exam. This event will be judged on the score you achieve on the exam, ties will be decided based on the time it took for you to submit your exam after having received the link to the course.</p> #### Wikipedia: Reconnaissance <p>When you own something, you should know what it is. After securing the landing site, teams made up of individuals know for their stealth and mental acumen are sent out to scout and document the planet. Reports are to be compiled and submitted to the Brotherhood's Holocron Center to aid in the conquest.</p> <p>Create a wiki article detailing Nfolgain and the Nfolgai system. Include your name in the article and the category [[Category: Dark Crusade Nfolgai]] at the end of the article to be considered for judging. Entires will be judged on the accuracy and completeness of information, conformity to wiki standards. Teams must be from the same unit. No edits made after 2359 pm EST 15th February, 2013 will count. The winning article will be made canon after a vetting process.</p> <h4 style="color:#236066;">Graphics: Reliquary <p>Elders among the Dark Jedi deployed to Nfolgai have felt the prescence of a relic from the ancient Sith Empire on Nfolgai. Each has sent their prized pupils to retreive the relic, which is most certainly a Holocron. Whomeger retrieves this treasure will no doubt earn the favor of many powerful members of the Brotherhood.</p> <p>This graphic event must display the Nfolgai Holocron in some manner. Images must be a minimum of 500 pixels by 500 pixels. Submissions must be emailed to [Log in to view e-mail addresses] by 2359 pm EST 15th February, 2013. Winning entries will be made canon after a vetting process.</p> <h4 style="color:#236066;">Gaming: The Battle for Nfolgai</h4> <p>Nfolgai presents a relatively minor threat profile. Indicated hostilities include a small settlement of spacers, possibly pirats. Space presence is minor, with one dilapidated space station in low orbit, and two squadrons of aged fighter craft. Destruction of enemy spaceborne assets is critical. Securing the landing zone for prefabricated garrisons are of primary concern.</p> <p>This gaming event can be team or 1vs1, but you may only engage enemies deployed to another planet. Only games against members from Arcona, Taldryan, and Odan-Urr will count. The Standard Rites of Combat apply.</p> <h2 style="color:#ffb400;">Dark Crusade Prologue Run On</h2> <p>While we don't have event results yet, I'd like to give big kudos to all of our members who entered. Plagueis fielded sixteen participants across three teams in the event, and accumulated a total of fifty-three posts. I know that while this round of the Dark Crusade does not have a Run-On event because of the Prologue RO having just finished, it sounds like there will be RO's in the future of the Crusade and these results leave me very optimistic about our ability to compete down the road.</p> <h2 style="color:#ffb400;">Promotions</h2> <p>There are two promotions that we've recently given in Plagueis that I think bear special recognition: Alaris to the rank of Primarch (EQ4) and Eiko to the rank of Prelate (EQ2). Both of these guys have been integral to the growth of Plagueis starting with Horizons and the time since. I'd recommend everyone to check their dossiers and read their promotion reccommendations so you can see for yourself just how selfless these two have been in making Plagueis as good as it can be and providing a great environment for all of our members to have fun in! <h2 style="color:#ffb400;">In Closing</h2> <p>I'd like to give a big thank you to Locke Sonjie of CNS for giving the OK on his cameo in my report fiction this month. If you see him, let him know we appreciate him letting us show the Brotherhood as something that is a shared universe in fiction as opposed to having our corner of it remain isolated from the whole.</p> <p>And here it is: Your Moment of Zen</p>

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