Introduction

“I heard that they have hundreds of identities - each stranger than the last.”

They walked huddled together as they walked the hall to the conference room, a squad of MSE droids whizzing by them in the mostly silent space.

“Someone told me they don’t even have names of their own. Or family. Or records.”

“No, I heard they’re specialists from another system. They did some mysterious task for the summit and now their the new leadership.”

A human in the group scoffed, “Psh, they’re Arconan. Just like you and me. The wise do not listen to hear-say.”

A chorus of grumbles came in reply as they huddled around the door marked ‘conference room’. Nobody moved, just glanced sideways at the other members of the battleteam as they watched for someone to make the first move. The change in management had been shrouded in secrecy and what little information had been revealed set the assembled battleteam uncertain.

The vocalisation of a scowl cut through the tension as an average heighted human stepped forward and began to open the door. He turned to them before sweeping into the room, his presence a complex mix of indifference and confidence, “Spooked children stay at the door. Our work will not merely be an easy stab in the dark-”

The door swung open to reveal a heavily darkened room that the human seemed to disappear into. Horrified, the group took a step back - all except the Umbaran among them. He tentatively poked his head through the doorway before confidently disappearing into the dark. The others followed, with the door swinging closed as the last one crossed the threshold.

It was a perfect semi-sphere painted a matte dark grey that seemed to turn darker the longer you looked at it. The only source of dull glow was what appeared to be a small pit of light blue fire surrounded by circle of simple seats. At one side of the room were three figures gently illuminated by the aqua light. The impatient human sat by another seated figure, though his eyes were covered by something that caught the light. The other figure stood impressively by a seat, dimly purple eyes peering over them as if they were cattle. Barabel were always impressive to look at, but in the dim light it caught the curves and edges of his impressive musculature and the dangerous strength it envisioned. He gestured impatiently with a sizeable handful of talons and the group quickly took their seats.

The figure in the middle put his hands through his hair, made a pleased sound and stood.

Immediately, the Force seemed to come alive in the room, its tentative touch connecting the minds in the room together at once. A few jumped out of their seats but a voice chided them mockingly.

“Relax. Sit. Observe.”

The aqua flames grew slowly upward before exploding into an orb with an image glowing within it.

“Port Ol’val?”

“Correct. This is the aftermath of an altercation just outside the Thanatophilia cantina by two Force-assisted members of the Brotherhood. They got drunk, had a fight and managed to seriously injure four others with witnesses in the dozens,” he waved his hand lightly and the image changed, “This is nineteen standard minutes after we got there. Pretty pristine wouldn’t you say?”

He waved his hand again and the images changed, “An informant with a strong substance addiction attempted to blackmail one of Shadow Gate’s informants by threatening to go public with her activity. This is the confirmation of his death - an incredibly high overdose of his favourite substance. Such a shame.”

The Barabel chuckled darkly, his piercing stare keeping the other members eyes where they were supposed to be. The image changed again and again, each averted crisis seemed more and more unbelievable.

“How haven’t we heard about this?”

The man made another pleased sound, “That’s what we do. We fix problems. We take what little warning we can and initiate a response capable of achieving any goal. If we have to clear up the bodies and witnesses of a fight between drunk Force-users, you bribe, threaten, murder, conceal, fight lie and die before you miss that goal. It’s some work and it’s dirty and few people will thank you for it, but the achievement is irreplaceable. You learn to appreciate the quiet when you’re the one keeping it going.”

The Barabel crossed his arms before speaking, “We will be the keepers of Qel-Droma’s shadows, its secrets and the many whispers of truth that would do her harm. You should know, this is important work.”

The long haired man nodded happily and gestured one last time and Port Ol’val appeared on the orb.

“This is what we offer you. An opportunity to do something no one else has tried in a way that not many could achieve. It will be tough, but I can promise you that this will gain you greatness.”

He paused and the other members of the battleteam looked to one another, seemingly lost for words until a jet-haired human with piercing blue eyes stated rather blandly:

“Not bad, I’ll give it a shot.”

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Greetings to our new teammates!

Welcome to the first joint report of Operation: Styx where Mks and Zakath fill you in on the events surrounding our reformed team that is now assembling for our new mission: Clean up after our comrades’ mistakes, and keep Arcona where it rightfully belongs: In the shadows pulling the strings!

News

Other than the steady flow of competitions and the awesome fun-ness that is Battlefront sweeping across the Brotherhood, things are relatively quiet right now, with the exception of the ACC fights to determine who would be Darth Pravus’ new champion, and the DB comps to celebrate the arrival of Star Wars: Episode VIII (Of which we encourage you to participate in! Lots of fun there!).

We’re laying the groundwork for our fictional emergence into Arcona and the Dajorran underworld, but in the meantime, we still got plenty of stuff to do. So let’s get to the list of Battleteam and Arconan activities available to us, shall we?

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Competitions

Styx Competions

How the Sword stole Christmas -It’s the season to be merry and jolly, but in this competition, we’re the Grinches! Write about how you manage to spoil Christmas for someone in Shadow Gate and/or House Qel-Droma in this fiction competition run by our very own Lonewolf! Due to the fact that our battle team has changed after this competition was set up, we’ve asked Lonewolf if it’s okay to portray ourselves as part of Styx instead of Tyrant Sword, and he has agreed. So you can do it either way and have fun with this comp!

Break the Ice -A new day has dawned and Operation: Styx has commenced! The first order of business, my friends, is to board the Warrior-class gunship Broken Blade and introduce ourselves to the new team! Write about how your character meet your fellow teammates or the ship’s other occupants in this fiction comp!

A Motto for Styx -This one is simple, my friends! Our team is in dire need of a motto, and the winning submission gets to become part of our wiki and part of our history! So come up some motto suggestions, and you’re not limited to one motto! The more, the merrier!

A Logo for Styx -In conjunction with the above motto comp, we are also in need of a logo! So whip something that you think will adequately represent us! And fear not if you only have MS Paint- even though your entry may not be as polished as you like, our own Maxi will polish it up before putting it on the ship, and you will still get the shiny! So let your imagination soar!

Arconan Competitions

Arconan Flash Series - Ballz -You got two days left on this if you haven’t done it already! It’s a nice simple flash game that’s easy to play, difficult to master! Try your hand and see if you can avoid all the ballz!

Curator of Arcona -If you want to show off your prowess in the classroom, this is the comp for you! Subscribe, then take as many Shadow Academy courses as you can! You get points allocated for each SA course and Degree you earn! Click on the link for details!

Strands of Fate: Can’t Wait To Get A Mouthful! -The fourth fiction competition in the Strands of Fate series, try your hand at describing what is your character’s guilty pleasure? Something that is either bad for them, or would make them look bad should it ever become public knowledge. This is a short one with a 750 max word cap, so I encourage y’all to apply and give this one a shot!

Beauty School Dropouts -A fun fiction competition run by the Consul herself, the question for this one is: How does your character react to waking up one day to find themselves a long time ago in a galaxy far far away… namely Earth during the 1950s? Will you be arrested on suspicion of being a Communist agent? Be hauled away to Area 51 for being an alien? Or dismissed as a kook for trying to explain the Star Wars universe to a world that won’t even see the first movie for another 20+ years? This competition ends on 12/9, so if you’re interested in this prompt, hurry up and get a quick entry in!

Atty Discovers Your Birthday! -Our dear, loving, adorable, sissified, light-hugging notes disapproving look from Arcia Ahem. Consul, is known for celebrating the achievements of all the wonderful people in Arcona. Knowing the way she loves to interact with people, how do you think Atty would react when she discovers that your birthday is at hand? Take you aside and give you a small gift and quiet words of congratulations? Throw a massive party in the Citadel with the whole Clan in attendance? Or something inbetween?

First Encounter: The Force -We all have our first encounters with the Force, wherever you’re empowered by it or not. If you wield the Force, then how did you come into your power? If you don’t control the Force, then what was your first impression of the Force? Explore and do some character development fun in this fiction competition!

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Awards and Recognition

Strat: 125 Clusters of Fire 3 Ruby Crescents 1 Amethyst Crescent

Zakath: 18 Clusters of Fire 70 Clusters of Earth 13 Clusters of Ice 2 Pendants of Blood 2 Diamond Crescents 2 Ruby Crescent 1 Amethyst Crescent 1 Sapphire Crescent

Mks Ehn: 2 Clusters of Ice

Adem Bol’era 4 Clusters of Ice

Lonewolf: Promoted to Hunter! 17 Clusters of Fire 29 Clusters of Earth 7 Clusters of Ice 1 Pendant of Blood 1 Amethyst Crescent Advanced to Rank II in the Inquisitorius SA: Lightsaber Studies SA: Krath Legends SA: Sith Legends

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Words from the BTL:

Hello to the peoples and how wonderful to finally meet you from a report!

Hope you’re ready for a boatload of activities to do in the future. We’ve got loads of ideas and little gems to reveal to you when the time is right - but we’d also love to hear any ideas you have for the battleteam. We really want to take these first fresh steps with you and make sure you’re all having fun.

As is the case with our lovely BTS, I am always available on Telegram but if you feel the need to stick something in an email and send it to me, I’m not opposed to that either.

So go forth and do the thing!

~Mks

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Words from the BTS:

This is an exciting time for us, my friends, and it is my privilege to be here as your BTS. Know that my main priority will always be this: To make sure you guys have fun! Part of the genesis of Operation: Styx was that the RP possibilities for our members would be much more expanded with this reformation of our wonderful team, and I, along with Mks, look forward to generating awesome activity for you, both RP and otherwise.

I maintain an open door policy, both via email and on Telegram, so feel free to hit me up at any time for anything on your minds, and I will get back to you ASAP, usually within an hour or two. :)

Until then, have fun and Arcona Invicta!

~Zakath