Introduction

This is going to be a long one. Hopefully everyone has read Sarin's Crusade fiction wherein our lovely NSD Predominant went BOOM. What follows in this report is the next step for House Plagueis (thanks to Arturis, Brimstone, Arden, Teylas, Taranae, and Monty for writing and editing). Also, there's some exciting news about the Ascendant Fleet... read it all! :P

First, though a little regular newsy stuff:

• We lost three journeymen to the MAA AWOL check this weekend, but that's exactly what we expected and leaves us with 36 Plagueians on the roster including our newest Novice, Ash Himura.

• The ACC Beta is open for business, and a tournament is underway. Go take the ACC exams to qualify and start earning some of those cool Clusters of Ice!

• Exciting GMRG changes: no more losing your rank! (unless it's really high, apparently)

• Kuro has started a DB-wide Minecraft event that everyone should check out. It runs until Feb 10.

And now...

Burn it Down

NSD Predominant Escape Shuttle
Khamar Krote Hyperlane
1400 Hours

A bloody and battered Brimstone sat in the shuttle that he was trying to make his escape in. He watched from the viewport as his ship, the NSD Predominant, broke apart from the salvos of the enemy ships attacking it. Knowing he might not last through the onslaught, the admiral flipped on the recording console switch to make an entry for his summit.

"Dread Lord, I have failed you..."

NSD Ascendancy
Khamar Krote Hyperlane
1530 Hours

“Launch Dagger Squadron. I want those A-Wings on a perimeter in ten minutes,” growled Dacien Victae, Wrath of House Plagueis. His blood boiled. As he glared out of the Ascendancy’s viewport at the floating, spinning, burning wreckage of the once-mighty Predominant, his mind raced through next steps.

A-Wings establish our perimeter while Sabre and Broadsword launch. Shadow Droids go straight in to scout the wreck. Send transport to pick up Brimstone. Gather the fleet at the Anchorage. Find who did this. Kill them.

Behind the Wrath, newly-raised Sith Battlelord Montresor spoke quietly into a comm unit, alerting the Overseer, Kz’set, of the Predominant’s fate.

“The fleet will return to the Anchorage immediately. The Ascendancy will remain here briefly to gather what we can and then we will join you. Keep the Anchorage on high alert, Kz’set,” said Montresor.

“Of course, Dread Lord,” clicked the Verpine Battlemaster, “I will organize the defense.”

Montresor rose from his command chair and strode forward to stand beside Dacien.

“As soon as we have what we need, call the fighters back,” Montresor instructed his Wrath, “we will gather the fleet at the Anchorage.”

Dacien glanced sideways at Montresor.

“As you say.” Dacien paused briefly, again looking out at the remains of the Predominant. “Monty, the flight path of the Predominant was a closely-guarded secret. How could the enemy have discerned its location?”

“I think the answer to that is obviouszz,” Kz’set chimed in.

BAC Harrower
Command Bridge
Orbit in proximity to the Anchorage
1740 Hours

It was striking how major his task had turned out to be. Following the recent victory on Ziost, the summit of House Plagueis had been called to Antei and departed with both the Ascendancy and the Predominant. Impressively, the Predominant now fell under the command of his executive officer, the newly-commissioned Admiral Seabr'imsto'nedansr, known to other dark jedi as “Brimstone”. Arturis Schulen had also received a de facto promotion himself, being given interim command of the Ascendant Fleet. His job now was primarily logistical: beginning the final massing of equipment and personnel into the Anchorage. To him it only seemed like a drastic increase in duties.

There were many who tried to take advantage of the Dread Lord and his Wrath being away, slacking off in their various duties or taking unscheduled breaks. Arturis proved himself to be a harsh taskmaster, quickly returning the Fleet to order and increasing efficiency through stern discipline. It was a new approach for him.

As Arturis quietly surveyed the loading of cargo into one of the Anchorage’s bays, a tall, slender Ajunta Pall officer interrupted Arturis’ thoughts with a meek “Excuse me, m’lord.” Arturis snatched a datapad from the officer’s hands and waved the man away as he examined it. Progressing nicely. All but two of the gunships had unloaded their personnel and cargo and were docked inside the Anchorage’s hangar bays. Station functionality and efficiency had gone from sixty-two percent just an hour earlier to eighty-eight percent.

Looks like the punishments inflicted on the logistics team served their purpose he mused. With the Ascendancy and the Predominant due back within the hour, everything was seemingly on schedule.

“Commander Schulen, deep-space transmission from the Ascendancy, sir. Priority level one,” a communications officer shouted from across the bay. Arturis gave him a quick glancing nod as he hopped towards the makeshift communications console where he pulled up the message. His eyes widened and his heart briefly sank as he read it line by line.

“This is Arturis Schulen,” he spoke into an open comm frequency to the entire fleet. "Set condition one throughout the fleet until further notice. The Ascendancy will be arriving in several minutes. Anchorage medical teams prepare for shuttle arrival, Admiral Brimstone is in dire need of immediate medical attention."

Anchorage
Medical Operations
1824 Hours

Doctors and surgeons worked feverishly on Brimstone trying to stop his internal bleeding. Both of his lungs were lacerated, his spleen ruptured, and his kidneys had shut down. The trauma should have killed a normal person. Being a Dark Jedi was the only thing keeping him alive.

Despite the heavy dose of sedative he was given, the Sith was fighting its effects. Pulling off his breathing mask, he yelled at the doctors. "I need to talk to my masters now!"

Arturis watched over the surgery from an adjacent room. His executive officer was his responsibility. As Arturis watched, Brimstone pulled off his mask and began shouting at the room. Arturis rushed in, commanding everyone else to leave. Only a 2-1B medical droid remained behind.

"Brim, I'm here. Take it easy," assured Arturis.

"It is my fault… I should have foreseen it… was no match… should have known… my fault...," Brimstone sputtered during each gasp for breath. Blood started flowing from his mouth and nostrils. The medical droid sounded code red alarms as doctors rushed in, pushing Arturis aside.

Before sedation kicked in, the admiral forced out a single word: "Blackbox."

Anchorage
Dread Lord’s Office
1832 Hours

Montresor and Dacien watched the holo from Admiral Brimstone that was recovered from the blackbox of his escape shuttle. They had ordered all personnel to clear the room so they could view it privately. Judging by the scorch marks, it was evident that the recording had been heavily damaged.

A 12" blue figure materialized in front of them. The Chiss admiral was beaten with blood stains on his torn jacket were visible.

"Dread Lord, I have fail...you. I assume all resp...bility...loss of ship....If you are seeing...I am either dea...aptured….was attacked...unkno...torpedoes and turre...eavy damag...ion fire took out Scythe squadr...they had authen...odes...traito...ave taken us ou...long live Plagu...avoid syste...all costs...."

The transmission ended abruptly as the two summit members looked at each other.

"Make sure Brimstone stays sedated," ordered Montresor. "We need all officers in here for a mission debrief immediately.”

Anchorage
Dread Lord’s Office
1900 Hours

“So the escape pod logs tell us nothing, Kz’set?” Dacien asked as he leaned against a column by the exterior windows of the room. “Surely there was intelligence to be gleaned from them.”

“No, there was not, regretfully,” Kz’set’s voice clicked as he gave a soft shrug. “The black box had sustained severe damage from what seems like residual ion residue. The Chiss should consider himself lucky that his distress beacon continued to operate despite the damage.”

Montresor leaned against his desk, his head resting on his thumbs with his fingers intertwined, silently listening to the exchange. Arturis let out a sigh as he shook his head dejectedly and turned his chair towards Dacien, his fur slightly ruffled.

“Black box or not, Dacien, you know as well as the rest of us that it’s only one piece of the puzzle, if not the most insignificant.”

“Most insignificant? Care to explain that?” Dacien replied in a harsh tone as he directed his attention at Arturis, clearly irritated at the Kushiban’s comment.

“I’m afraid I have to agree, Schulen,” Silent chimed in, “it seems fairly significant to me.”

“Brimstone is still in critical condition and may not survive his injuries. The Predominant has been completely destroyed, with no sign of opposing wreckage in the vicinity to even suggest that an enemy force had attacked him, according to the Ascendancy’s analysis of the site,” Arturis began.

“Right... I still say your team kriffed that up like everything else you’ve done so far, Vassal. The Predominant wasn’t obliterated by a force ghost,” Dacien said in a mocking tone. Arturis dimmed his eyes as Montresor leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, and let out a breath. The four of them looked over at him and immediately ceased their discussion.

“Everyone out,” Montresor cooly directed with no sense of irritation on his voice. As the four of them made their way to the door, he continued, “Not you, Schulen.” Dacien gave a soft smirk as he walked from the room, the door hissing shut behind him. Arturis turned and went back to his seat.

“What did you learn from Brimstone during his brief lucid spell?” inquired the Battlelord.

“Not much, Lord Montresor,” Arturis responded in a frustrated and tired voice. “According to him, they came out of nowhere and immediately opened fire on the Predominant no sooner than they were out of hyperspace. And…”

“And?”

“Well, there is one additional piece of information that I felt was not appropriate for the larger audience,” Arturis answered quietly.

Montresor tilted his head with curiosity. “Which was?”

“The Predominant never returned fire.”

Arturis was noticeably troubled as he continued. There were really only two possibilities: either an entire enemy fleet dropped out of hyperspace directly on top of the NSD, guns blazing, or the Predominant’s weapons simply didn’t work. Maybe both. Regardless, the options pointed to a single disturbing fact.

Montresor sat quietly, methodically processing the situation. “So what exactly are you suggesting?” he asked after a moment of contemplation.

“As much as it pains me, my lord, it seems we have a traitor within House Plagueis,” Arturis replied. The words tasted like filth on his tongue.

“If there were a traitor, who could have transmitted the Predominant’s location and disabled its weapons? Either the Predominant itself or the Ascendancy would have picked up any transmissions off-ship. Both short and long range, correct?” asked the Dread Lord.

Arturis nodded in agreement. “Yes, any communication of that nature would have been intercepted. However, even with the increased operational tempo and subsequent monitoring of our fleet in recent days we noticed nothing of the sort. More troubling is that we can reasonably assess, based on the audacity of the attack, that they knew the Predominant would be by itself with no chance of reinforcements from either the Ascendancy or the fleet.”

Montresor considered for a moment as he looked out into space. The mere thought of there being a traitor in their midst, especially after losing its entire summit and its home system in a matter of two years, was disheartening to say the least. “You are absolutely convinced of this? Beyond any shred of a doubt?” he asked, with a sharp tone.

“Beyond any shred of a doubt,” Arturis replied just as sharply. Montresor stoically turned his gaze upon his vassal.

“Very well, then. Consider yourself relieved of duty and terminated from service in Karness Muur,” the Dread Lord calmly commanded.

“My lord? I do not understand,” Arturis, clearly confounded, asked in a raspy voice, filled with confusion and growing anger. “Just because I--”

“--Just because you know what you are talking about,” Montresor cut him off. “I read the reports from the escape pod’s black box before I had them erased, and as a further precaution had Brimstone sedated to prevent any further discussion of the potential insider threat.”

Now Arturis was even more confused, but continued to watch the Sith Battlelord.

“We can not let the fact that there is possibly a traitor within our ranks become common knowledge in the House. You and I know that Brimstone is not responsible for the destruction of the Predominant, and the fact that you figured that much out highlights to me that I should be utilizing your particular skill set elsewhere,” he continued as he pulled out several forms and started writing. “As of this moment, you are hereby assigned to the Anchorage and commanded to form a new battleteam. Your inherent responsibility is to identify and defeat current and emerging insider threats that seek to wage war on our House. To this end, you will not rest until your team discovers who orchestrated the Predominant attack. Can I be any more clear?”

Arturis bowed his head forward, a little calmer now but still clearly shaken. “No master, understood. Thank you for the opportunity, Dread Lord. I will not fail.”

“I believe Sorzus Syn will do,” mused the Dread Lord.

“Master?” asked a still-more-confused Arturis.

“Sorzus Syn served with Dark Lords Ajunta Pall and Karness Muur. She was a monster, pure terror. Model your new team on her achievements,” Montresor commanded. “One more thing. Here is the full data report from the black box. I trust you will need this,” he said as he tossed a black datachip to Arturis’ paw. “Anything you need from the summit itself, let me know and I will do what I can.”

“Of course,” replied a slightly stunned Arturis. “My lord, if I may ask, why isn’t this investigation tasked to the new Overseer?” Kz’set, a former slave of the One Sith and still new to the House, had quickly risen to become the third member of the Summit. In the past, an internal investigation would likely have been conducted by the person holding his position.

Montresor betrayed no emotion, made no movement, as he considered the question. “Do you trust the creature, Schulen?” he asked, rising from behind his desk. “Let him train our journeymen, beat the weakness from their bones, but I do not yet trust him.”

Arturis simply nodded.

“Now, I believe you have some work to do. Select three from Ajunta Pall to work with you, and two others from Karness Muur to bolster your efforts,” ordered Montresor.

“As you wish, my lord,” Arturis nodded as he saluted the Dread Lord, turned on one furry leg, and hopped from the room.

Anchorage
Dread Lord’s Office
2230 Hours

Striding into the office of the Dread Lord of Plagueis, Teylas Ramar smirked as he was before the leadership. "You summoned me, Lord Montresor?" he begrudgingly added the title before the man's name who was easily more than two centuries his junior.

"Yes, I did. I never got the chance to thank you for your retrieval of Selika Roh during her defection from the One Sith. It may have very well turned the tide of war in our favor. It was a wise move," the Dread Lord commented.

"Wise beyond your years," Dacien Victae, the Dread Lord's Wrath, commented as he stood by his Lord's side.

"And how old do you think I am, exactly?" Teylas rhetorically asked of the two men in his normal dry, sarcastic tone. The few who had known of Teylas' true nature as an Anzat had mostly all been gone from the summit and halls of Plagueis for quite a while now, including his master, Solus Gar. The few who remained, had agreed to an oath of secrecy on the matter. It tended to… complicate things. Without giving the two men a chance to answer, he formatted it to them in something they could visualize, "Lords, I was traveling the stars before Darth Plagueis himself was even alive."

A short pause came, as neither man seemed outwardly affected by it.

"Regardless, your track record appears to be solid, and what I personally saw take place on the battlefield was impressive," Montresor commented.

"And?" Teylas impatiently quipped.

"And, I would like to offer you a chance by my side as a the Right Wing of Dread and Shield of Plagueis. Things are changing, the winds are swaying a new direction, and Battleteam Karness Murr is in need of new leadership," the Dread Lord offered to the Anzat Sith.

"That would mean subterfuge, manipulation, interrogation, intelligence gathering, and assassination would be the name of the game?" Teylas queried.

"Essentially, yes," Dacien answered. "Will that be a problem?"

Teylas sighed, "I suppose not. I mean, I spent the better part of my life living that lifestyle, just not as a Sith; which is an incredibly long time when you would sit down and think about it. But, I guess if you're good at something you shouldn't do it for free. So, yes, I will do it."

"Good, you are now the vassal in charge of Karness Murr's forces. I want you to report to your new flagship, the Harrower, as the new commander and immediately begin command transitioning," came the official order.

"Yes, Lord Montresor. Also, I'm curious… any leads on the destruction of the Predominant?"

The Dread Lord simply shook his head.

Teylas hoped his promotion within the halls of Plagueis would lead to more slaves than he already commanded. More food.

Anchorage - Sorzus Syn Headquarters
Chief Inquisitor Schulen’s Office
0430 Hours

No matter how many times Arturis watched the recording from Brimstone’s escape pod, it did not bring him any closer to figuring out much else than they had already known.

So much of it has been damaged beyond repair, even beyond salvaging efforts of his new droid research teams. He leaned back in his chair and placed his left arm with the datapad across his chest as he brought a glass of flameout to his lips and took a small sip, trying to consider other avenues that he could explore.

If the traitor were indeed within the House, regardless of position on the Ascendancy, Harrower, Terminus, or within the Anchorage itself, any communications would have been picked up by one of the four. At first he considered the idea that the traitor may have perished aboard the Predominant, but ruled it out after reviewing the full communications log from the black box. It was one of the few things that remained completely intact, all the way back to Ziost before the summons even came down to travel to Antei.

Even so, there were still dozens of avenues left to explore. Slowly he turned his chair with his tail to look out into space. Yes, and I will definitely explore each and every one of them he thought to himself as a sly smirk came across his face. Both for the will of the Dread Lord, and to find out the truth of past endeavors against my comrades.

With unlimited access to the Plagueian Archives, the formation of a Plagueian Inquisiton force, and a return to Alchemic Research and Development, he would definitely have the chance. And unlike years ago, he would not let it slip through his fingers...this time. He raised his glass into the air and finished it in it’s entirety as he turned back to his desk and went back to work.

Sorzus Syn

As you just learned (because you read the whole fiction), Arturis has assumed command of a new Battleteam in House Plagueis -- Sorzus Syn.

Its first members are:

• Arturis (BTL)
• Taranae (BTS)
  
• Selika
  
• Dacian Corsair
  
• Zednich
  
• Fammypants
  

If you're not currently in a battleteam and would like to join Sorzus Syn, let me and Arturis know! More information on the new team, including a Wiki page, will be forthcoming shortly.

In related news, Teylas Ramar has been elevated to BTL of Karness Muur in Arturis' place. This leaves the BTS position in Ajunta Pall empty -- expect more on that soon.

The New Ascendant Fleet

What do you do when one of your two capital ships is destroyed by unknown assailants? You buy a bigger one and pick up a new NSD to go along with it!

Thanks to our diligent fleet architect, Slag-lika, we figured out a way to afford both a shiny new Khyron-class Star Destroyer (hands off, Brim) and a Nebula-class Star Destroyer to replace the Predominant. We've also snagged some new state-of-the-art starfighters.

Specifically, we traded in

• 2 HLAF-500 squadrons (180 points)
• 1 Z-95 Headhunter squadron (27 points)
• 2 All Terrain Armored Transports (45 points)
• 4 Ultra-Light Assault Vehicle units (9 points)
• 1 Long Range Turbolasers (405 points)
  

and bought

• 1 Khyron-class Star Destroyer (3,000 points)
• 1 Nebula-class Star Destroyer (traded for the Predominant)
• 1 Action VI transport (40 points)
• 2 E-wing (Series IV) Escort Starfighter squadrons (700 points)
• 2 T-65XJ X-wing Starfighter squadrons (550 points)
• 2 BTL-S8 K-wing Assault Starfighter squadrons (550 points)
• 3 T-65AC4 X-wing Starfigther squadrons (525 points)
• 1 Droideka platoon (40 points)
  

Importantly, our new Star Destroyers are currently nameless and need your help! Check out the new ship-naming competition for the opportunity to contribute to the Plagueian legacy. You need to subscribe to see the competition details, and it runs for the next two weeks (until Feb 8).

Conclusion

Still with me? Report over. :P Look forward to Monty's next QUA report on the 5th!

Bubba

Sith Warlord Dacien Victae
Aedile of House Plagueis
Dread Lord's Wrath

"Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est"

SWL Dacien Victae (Sith) / AED / House Plagueis [SA: III]
AK / SBx2 / SC-SoF / AC-ToDS / DC-BP / GN / SN / Cr:1S-2E-1Q / CF-GF / SI-BL / SoL-BE / S:1D-3Dk-3P-1B
{SA: MVS - DPE - DPV - SGS - SVS}