In the early days of the year 420 ABY, the galaxy was in a state of relative peace - at least when compared to the four tumultuous centuries prior, which had culminated with the ending of the Outer Rim War two decades earlier. While the aftershocks of that war could still be felt by most of the galaxy’s beings, our tale begins on a world that had been nearly untouched by the larger conflicts of the galaxy. A lone starship would land on the planet of Dathomir and an unlikely meeting would commence between three very different individuals. Borcha of Clan Ferel, a maverick Mandalorian mercenary; Owyn 'Sibo' Sivokino, an Agent of the Principate Security with a skill for vibroblades overshadowed only by his inflated ego; and Ciaran, the mysterious, blind Shaman and de facto leader of a rogue group of Nightsisters. While the three of them kept their true motives hidden from one another, destiny ironically unified them in their shared suspicion of each other. Words were given and promises of assistance were made between Borcha, Sibo, and Ciaran, each of whom was just as likely to try to kill the other two as they were to cooperate. The first seeks an ancient and venerated treasure, the second seeks power through self-perceived subterfuge, and the third claims only to seek peace and unity among her people…
Far from the dark and swampy world of Dathomir, a restless, well-off entrepreneur and former Captain of the New Galactic Republic Marine Corps by the name of Hellexix Ordo leaves behind the picturesque beaches of Spira, beckoned unexpectedly from his vacation by a lead for a multimillion-credit catering contract with the upper-echelons of the Principate government - an opportunity too good to pass up for the up-and-coming restaurant owner. No time was wasted, and within a matter of days, the high-end restaurant owner found himself on Taris standing face to face with none other than the First Citizen of the Severan Principate, Murith Severan himself.
The leader of the boldly Imperial-styled nation had met with many potential businessmen and entrepreneurs from throughout the galaxy that vied for the chance to extend their business dealings into the borders of the Severan Principate, but for what he had planned, Murith would accept only the finest that the galaxy had to offer - including what would be on the menu. Perhaps it was the low-level celebrity status and potential political access that Hellexix Ordo had garnered on Coruscant thanks to his restaurant being in close proximity of the NGR Senate Rotunda, or maybe it was that Murith could sense something different about the recently-retired NGR Marine, but at the end of their brief meeting, a deal was struck, granting Hellexix and his restaurant the exclusive rights to cater the Principate's upcoming diplomatic event, upon which Murith promised the fate of the galaxy would turn...
Elsewhere in the Outer Rim, the planet of Ubrikkia - once the center of a thriving trade empire before the fall of the Hutts during the Outer Rim War - received a seemingly unimportant and unremarkable visitor. Touching down on the planet on a hot, dry day, a seasoned Twi’lek merchant (and extremely well-connected criminal lord) by the name of Bril Rha sets up a small shop near one of the more well-off markets in the city surrounding Takwin Keep. Possessing an unassuming quality, Bril Rha goes unrecognized by all those that come to visit his shop, where he offers various goods from off-world, including fine clothes, exotic foods, and several models of droids and hardware. It was on this day that among the petty lords of Ubrikkia walked a man who, unbeknownst to either himself or Bril, was of particular interest to the galaxy. Formerly a member of the Jedi Order, Maskar Kython had returned to his homeworld of Ubrikkia some months prior, seeking to reclaim his rightful place and title as Prince of the once-great Trade Empire - and, perhaps one day, to revive its fallen throne. Bril Rha was offered to sell several high-end, modified KX-series droids to the Ubikkian noble for a significant sum of Credits. Both individuals walked away from the exchange oblivious to the other’s place in the galaxy, with Maskar unaware that he had just purchased droids from an ex-member of the notorious Black Lylek Cartel, and Bril ignorant to the fact he was assisting the Prince Maskar Kython himself in his machinations...
On the planet Ord Trasi, Jedi Knight Xijun Zhen found herself chasing the Force, being led to different perceived disturbances; a dead forest on a distant planet, a continental drought on another. The Force was leading the Jedi on a path, but the destination was unclear. Xijun was granted a vision of all of the steps in her path thus far, and one more that she had not yet taken. The vision shown to her by the Force pointed to Dantooine, though she wasn't sure why.
On a distant planet in the fringes of the Outer Rim, a young smuggler by the name of Sairah O’Rinn met with her Uncle and mentor Toni in a seedy tavern. Toni, a long-time friend of the notorious crime lord Haldar Varss, had managed to set up a meeting between the pirate and his niece, hoping to kick start Sairah into a successful smuggling career with good contacts and steady work with the Tarran Consortium. Haldar agreed to give Sairah a chance and offered her a job as a way to test her ability. The Consortium had long endured trouble smuggling cargo onto the planet of Dantooine due to the growing Reformation militia on the planet, let alone the presence of a small NGR Naval force. Sairah was to smuggle a new shipment past any NGR blockades or Reformation forces on the planet and deliver the shipment to Haldar’s pirate allies planetside. Tagging along to oversee her first major job, Toni joined Sairah, helping her load Haldar’s cargo aboard the Raven’s Nest before they set off for Dantooine.
The Raven’s Nest would exit hyperspace above Dantooine only to find itself in the middle of a pitched battle between Reformation corvettes and a Republic Star Destroyer. Sairah deftly maneuvered the Raven between the battling ships, shaking off a squadron of Republic fighters as her Uncle Toni manned a turret aboard the smuggling craft. The pair managed to escape with their lives as, behind them, the NGR Star Destroyer beat an unexpected and hasty retreat from the star system. Once planetside, Sairah brought the Raven’s Nest down in a clearing before setting off to meet their contacts. After a couple of days of hard riding and dodging Reformation camps and patrols, the smugglers arrived at their rendezvous point only to find the pirates they were supposed to meet under siege from Reformation militiamen. Dantooine, it seemed, had become one of the Reformation’s major bases of operations - though the NGR Navy would surely return once word reached the Core worlds.
With a job well done, Toni and Sairah head back home to Rishi. After flying the Raven’s Nest for one last time, Toni set it down on a landing pad in the planet’s preeminent spaceport. With a tear in his eyes and filled with pride, Toni turned the ship over to his niece. Sairah, the new captain of the Raven’s Nest, now looked to the distant stars, awaiting the next adventure.
On the planet of Umbara, Lesh Deechi - a well-known native of the planet and lifelong political and military leader - considers his position in the cell-based nature of the Reformation. Having spent many years in the Umbaran militia, Lesh sees the current leaders of the Reformation movement as ineffectual, from his perspective. Holding a seat on the Reformation Action Council (the Reformation’s temporary equivalent to a ‘Senate’ for those worlds that supported the Reformation), Lesh was afforded a look into the inner workings of the movement's hierarchy and military leadership. Barring the recent actions taken on Dantooine, Lesh concludes to himself that his superiors are ineffectual military leaders, himself a proponent of much more decisive and assertive action - again, barring the Dantooine situation. As such, the Umbaran begins laying out an elaborate and sinister plan to assassinate his direct superior, none other than the legendary Outer Rim War hero and NGR defector and Grand Marshall of the Reformation military conglomerate, Jason Haig.
On the planet Deneba, Jedi Master Frifth Nilim - while waiting to select a new Padawan - was having a holocall with his former Padawan, now a Jedi Knight, Ravee Chasel, about recent discoveries she’d made. While researching alternative Force traditions, Ravee discovered that many years back, a Jedi Master named Mimuahr Niadh had gone mysteriously missing while researching the Dathomirian Nightsisters. She decided to use the opportunity of joining the Jedi Ambassadors that would go to the Princep’s ball as a chance to go to Dathomir. Also inspired by Frifth’s search for a new Padawan, Ravee hoped to find a potential prospect to train for herself, and teach them the ways of the Jedi. Later Frifth met up with Mirialan Jedi Master Lail Staark. The two observed the Jedi initiate exercises. To get a better idea of each initiate’s skill, Frifth decided to personally spar with each initiate. By the end, he selected the energetic Jackson Melafinious and the reverent Se'Soom Ra'Bhamus.
The following day, Jedi Master Frifth sent his two new Padawans down to the crystal caves beneath the Deneba Temple, where the two were faced with visions from the Force. After experiencing a harrowing vision, Se’Soom awoke with two Kyber crystals in his hand. Returning to the surface, Se’Soom was greeted by Master Frifth, who informed him that he had been down in the caves for a day and a half. After constructing his lightsaber, the two would leave Deneba for Ossus as Master and Padawan. While Se’Soom had passed his trial, Jackson, unfortunately, did not. Unable to overcome his own visions and stuck in a comatose state, Jackson never left the caves. Several weeks later, his body was located and the young Padawan was pronounced dead, his body cremated by the Deneba Temple Guard.
Several days after their initial meeting, Bril returned to Ubrikkia with the KX-series droids after he performed a series of complicated, but minute modifications that Maskar Kython had specified. Maskar would end up sending the droids to the Randon Security Force; perfect for covert operations on the important financial world, which Maskar hoped to bring under Ubrikkian influence through clandestine means. After their trade-off was made, Bril earned even more credits from Maskar by selling him information about a rumored holocron, said to exist somewhere on the planet Lamaredd, a rumor that intrigued the Ubrikkian ex-Jedi greatly...
With the nefarious preparations set, Lesh Deechi invited his rival Grand Marshal Jason Haig to Umbara to give the former NGR Marine a tour of the Umbaran weapons development facilities and showcase a prototype armored attack walker. During a demonstration of the new walker unit, Lesh’s plan was enacted, resulting in the sudden and “tragic” death of Jason Haig at the hands of an unseen sniper. Lesh’s plan proved successful in that there was no suspicion thrown on him by the Reformation Action Council. Additionally, Haig’s passing would go on to result in Lesh’s seemingly reluctant acceptance of the role that had been left unfilled in Haig’s sudden absence. The victory would likely prove to be double-edged, however, as while Haig’s death would allow Lesh to seize more direct control over the Reformation’s military agenda, the people of the New Galactic Republic would no doubt be only further turned away by the increasingly radical actions of the Reformation movement once word of the war hero’s death began to spread through NGR space.
At last, the day had come. After generating significant buzz within certain social circles of the galactic elite, the Severan Principate would host a diplomatic ball. Taking place in the governmental palace on the nation's capital, Taris, no expense had been spared in preparation for the event. Galactic holovid celebrities, business moguls, NGR politicians, Outer Rim world representatives - even a few members of the Jedi Order, including Jedi Knight Kaseerah Holdan (a respected Jedi and owner of a clinic on Coruscant specializing in the rehabilitation of war veterans) and Jedi Knight Ravee Chasel - all gathered within the walls of the palace to attend, indulging in rich, robust cuisine of Ordo's Ristorante and partaking in ballroom dance by the sweeping tempo of a live orchestra. From the high-end dining experience and entertainment to the guest list, this was to be a grand and unforgettable night that would leave its mark on history, just as Murith Severan would have it.
One particular high-profile guest that would not be in attendance at the Principate's historic event was billionaire Telvuga Acco, the CEO and Chairman of manufacturing conglomerate Accotech United, based out of the Corporate Sector. Hosting his own press conference, Telvuga offered biting words attacking the Severan Principate's leader while publicly declining his invitation. While Telvuga Acco's public display of opinion towards Murith Severan didn't garner much attention from the galaxy, it did give the holonet drama tabloids something to talk about for the next several weeks as they tried (and failed) to elicit a response from the heir of the Severan dynasty.
Telvuga’s slight mattered not to Murith Severan, as the Ball (or "the Orb," as holonet messaging boards would later dub it) was simply Murith’s way of gathering together many of the Outer Rim's business and political representatives, and while the exclusion of one of the Corporate Sector’s leading moguls was unfortunate, Murith Severan would not be perturbed. Hidden beneath the veneer of the Ball was Murith’s true purpose for the extravagant event - a much smaller and less publicized meeting behind closed doors with said business and political representatives of nearby Outer Rim worlds, where Murith Severan made an offer for them to join the Severan Principate. Using the promise of protection and trade, he hoped to bring the worlds under his dominion. While the majority of the more well-established worlds refused the offer, citing political differences and or lack of need, a few key systems readily accepted the offer, thanks in no small part to the words of the Delegation sent from Presbalin. While not the grand, sweeping victory that Murith had hoped for, several smaller system would go on to follow Presbalin’s example and agree to integrate under the banner of the Severan Principate.
Jedi Knight Ravee Chasel, having been in brief attendance of the Severan Principate’s diplomatic Ball, found herself romantically spurned while attempting to interact with the non-Jedi denizens of the gathering. Embarrassed and frustrated with herself, she left the extravagant event in a flurry of emotions, much to the concern of the Jedi Masters in attendance. Instead, Ravee slipped away from the high-society crowds in search of a smuggler that would be able to secret her from Taris, past the Principate’s fleets, and onto the neighboring planet of Dathomir. After all, it was there that Ravee’s findings back on Deneba pointed, regarding the disappearance of former Jedi Master Mimuahr Niadh. As the Force would have it, Knight Ravee traveled down to the Undercity of Taris, where she was able to find and hire someone willing to get her to Dathomir for the arguably exorbitant price of 10,000 Credits. Thus, Ravee set off aboard the light-freighter owned by freelance bounty hunter Gavray Kast.
It took only a matter of a few hours for Knight Ravee Chasel to reach Dathomir with Gavray’s help, the latter agreeing to stow his ship out of sight and await Ravee’s word to retrieve her, per their deal. Upon stumbling her way to a Nightsister village, Ravee was devastated to find that the missing Master she was seeking was, in fact, the leader of the village, Ciaran. The shaman, in turn, was surprised that someone had finally bothered and managed to track her down, but was nevertheless welcoming to the nervous Jedi Knight. Ravee was taken into the village, where both Ciaran and other Nightsisters explained how they lived, trying to convince their guest that despite their alignment to the dark side of the force, they were still a thriving and tightly-knit community. Knight Chasel, tempted by the thoughts of having a family, ultimately managed to resist the temptations, and after being given a transmitter by the Nightsister Shaman, she left for Gavray’s ship, leaving Dathomir - and Mimuahr Niadh, now known as Ciaran - behind.
During the journey away from Principate space, Ravee attempted to recruit Gavray to the Jedi Order, due to his latent Force-sensitivity. Already having been asked to join the Order in the past, Gavray refused. As the days progressed on, Ravee began to doubt her purpose in the galaxy, looking towards her failure to sway Ciaran or Gavray to the Jedi as a sign that she no longer knew the will of the Force. Thus, the Arkanian-offshoot Jedi Knight went on to take the Barash Vow.
On the planet Eiradu, Sith Paladin of the Holy Order Tommentis Tiranis lay in the afterglow of a passionate moment with his lover, unaware that a strike team of Jedi Shadows were about to interrupt them. Jedi Master Lytrinn Halt - along with the Jedi Knights Kairus Ririkan and Jae Feistine - stormed Tommentis’s estate after sneaking through the Eriaduan’s defenses and fighting their way through a small detachment of battle droids. Having caught Tommentis by surprise, a brief duel ensued. The Jedi proved victorious, though the Sith and his woman were killed before the Jedi could extract any valuable information from them. One less evil man claiming to be a “Sith” had been purged by the Jedi Shadows, though at the unseen cost of the Jedi Order narrowly missing their opportunity to learn of the existence and whereabouts of the Sith Holy Order in the Unknown Regions.
Unseen by the vast majority of the known galaxy, the Holy Order of the Sith were followers of an obscure and strict religious Order based around the eons-old teachings of the Pius Dea. Established four centuries earlier, the Holy Order had flourished in the Unknown Regions, far from the eyes of the Jedi or the New Galactic Republic. As such, they had conquered many of the former First Order remnants and peoples that inhabited the Unknown Regions, committing multiple genocides over the past several centuries in the name of fanatical, religious xenophobia. With nearly all but the Chiss subdued, the Holy Order had begun looking to expand its reach into the known galaxy. While some like Dumenaris Axios looked inward to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Sith’s past, the Holy Order’s newly proclaimed Lord had ambitions to look beyond the Unknown Regions. Styling himself as Darth Prodigal after seizing control of the Holy Order, Prodigal began dispatching something akin to diplomatic emissaries into the known galaxy, hoping to eventually turn some of its oblivious inhabitants into allies...
In response to the consistent reports of trouble with the local tribals on Dathomir, the Severan Principate tasked one of their most elite and effective Security Agents, Lilith Amaria, with resolving the issues that were now beginning to spill beyond petty tribal disputes and proving an annoyance to the local Principate garrison. According to the reports Lilith looked over, the Dathomirians were caught in a tribal dispute of some kind that had turned violent, with some reports detaling attacks on Principate outposts on the planet. One of the Witches (none other than Ciaran herself) promised to ensure an end to any future hostilities towards local Principate forces in exchange for the Principate Military’s backing in her war with the current Nightmother. Additionally, Ciaran demanded that the Principate lift their military blockade of the planet once the conflict was resolved. As a Senior Operative of the Principate Security, Lilith had extensive authority that went as far as allowing her to operate above and beyond the Principate’s Military command, so she used this power to call in the assistance of Arthur Xadran, Captain of the Imperator V-Class Star Destroyer, Monarch. With the imposing vessel at her disposal, Agent Lilith Amaria planned to land on Dathomir to have a meeting of her own with this Ciaran to assess the details of the Witch's proposal, personally.
Aboard the Ace of Staves,- a retrofitted, Imperial-era carrier now equipped to serve as a casino - former NGR intelligence agent, racketeer and co-owner of the casino vessel Marclay Coppola awakens from a spice-induced bender, coming to the realization that he has a potent addiction but pushing it from his thoughts, as there was business that needed attending. He met with his half-brother and co-owner of the Ace, Gavyn Coppola, himself also a former NGR Marine-turned criminal. In addition to discussing recent dealings as well as planning for their financial future, they met up with their newly-appointed Security Chief, an older Zabrak male by the name of Pexuu Vrasro. His shadowy past, contrasted by a bright reputation as a very capable veteran of the Outer Rim War with no known family or obligations to tie him down, Pexuu seemed like a great new addition to the Coppola’s Casino - provided that the old Zabrak didn’t have any old ghosts from his past still chasing him.
After the departure of their new Security Chief, Gavyn - a notorious hothead - incites a brawl on the gaming floor. After dispatching several pirates and allowing security to handle the rest, Marclay dragged his half-brother, now blacked-out from drinking too much, back to his room. Whilst lugging Gavyn, an idea occurred to Marclay, a drunken thought to better secure their financial security and gain considerable capital to continue building their empire upon. The next day, head pounding from his hangover, the idea stayed with Marclay, and he began planning what would amount to an elaborate bank heist. The target? None other than the Seswenna Sector bank, headquartered on Eriadu. To accomplish something like this, the Coppolas knew they would need a team, so they began work on seeking out individuals of talent to hire for the job. They started by sending an invitation to a smuggler that had recently made some noise over Dantooine, earning a name for herself after slipping right through a pitched naval battle between the NGR and Reformation forces to get planetside. Seeing as Eriadu was within NGR jurisdiction, it made sense to bring in someone like Sairah O’Rinn, based on her recent experiences.
In the bustling, lower city streets of Coruscant, a down-on-his-luck pilot named Corman Candar meets with a long-time friend, Aval Derevan. In a small cantina known as Frassi’s Corner, Corman greets with the older man and they discuss the possibilities of future job offers before they are interrupted by a Cathar assassin. After disarming the Cathar, Corman begins to question the would-be assassin but his line of questioning is cut short when, to Corman's suprise, Aval suddenly kills the attacker and stuns Corman, knocking him unconscious. Inexplicably, Aval flees the scene and, in turn, frames Corman for the murder of the Cathar.
A day later, Corman awakens in Coruscant Security custody. He is questioned by Coruscant Security Forces before being set free, the officer piecing together that Corman had been framed. Back on the streets of Coruscant; Corman calls his co-pilot, a Rattataki named Shuriah Reynault, asking for the fuel to get off-planet. They met at an abandoned hangar, where Corman had been illegally parking his light freighter, The Sunset Eclipse. Bent on tracking Aval down (either for revenge or even just for answers), Corman reveals to Shuriah their destination - The Ace of Staves - a casino that Aval had mentioned to Corman previously. Knowing Aval, this would be his most likely destination.
Before departing Coruscant, however, the Sunset Eclipse received an encoded, one-way transmission. In it, a man named Ulric Sigliano spoke of Twado Hyrotia, the Sunset Eclipse’s previous owner - now dead - and was hoping to catch a ride off-world. Unbeknownst to Ulric, Twado had left the Sunset Eclipse to Corman Candar, so it would be up to Corman whether or not to grant Ulric’s request for passage. Despite their hesitations, Corman and Shuriah agreed to follow the rendezvous coordinates, which lead them to a landing pad of the 500 Republica building. Awaiting them there was the man himself, Ulric Sigliano, son of the late Frank Sigliano, a local legend from Corellia. Along with him was none other than Hellexix Ordo, recently returned from Principate space and ready to spend some credits. When The Sunset Eclipse landed, Hellexix and Ulric were greeted by a hesitant Corman and Shuriah. While there was some initial, cautious tension between the two parties, the crew of the Sunset Eclipse agreed to allow Hellexix and Ulric passage. As the will of the Force would have it, Hellexix and Ulric were also bound for the Ace of Staves - Hellexix going to gamble away some of his recently-acquired Credits, while Ulric needed to meet with one of the Casino’s owners on business. After agreeing on a modest sum to cover the cost of Hellexix and Ulric’s passage, the four were off towards the Eriadu system, the last known location of the Casino.
Meanwhile, back on Dathomir, Borcha and Sibo returned to the Nightsister village for their part of the deal: the Mandalorian in Exile revealed he was seeking the Darksaber, an ancient and unique black-bladed lightsaber created nearly one and a half millennia ago by the first Mandalorian Jedi. While it remained unclear as to the exact motives of Borcha’s longing for this ancient artifact, it was clear he was adamant on finding it, and his original plan when coming to Dathomir was to visit a long-abandoned First Order base, that supposedly held vital information within its still-working database. The Nightsister Shaman revealed, however, that a splinter group within the Nightsisters — the Spiderclan — had claimed the base as their new home after being driven from their previous one long ago. Knowing full-well that taking Borcha to them could spell trouble, Ciaran insisted on retrieving the data on her own and was soon on her way together with her partner, Aijjling. Once at the base, she chose to head in alone, weaponless, in an attempt to further signal her well-meant intentions: the Clan Mother had come here not only to retrieve the data for the Mandalorian, but also with hopes of reconciling with the Spiderclan, seeing them as a possible ally to take down her rival. This feeling was one-sided, however, as Ciaran was met with a clan that had centuries worth of nothing but contempt and hatred for the outside world. Appalled by the savagery and degeneracy of the Spiderclan, she was allowed to get the data she needed and was released back to the surface, where she would soon give Borcha his data, fulfilling her part of their deal.
There was no time to rest, however, because Lilith Amaria had entered the Dathomir system, soon joined by Captain Xadran and his Star Destroyer the Monarch. With the fleet on oversight, the Principate’s elite security agent headed down to the surface to meet with the Nightsisters, under the guise of Commodore Rose Maral, a Star Destroyer commander. Despite the large difference between the two women, they seemed to be on equal footing, not only in their personality but also the lies they carried along with them at all times: Ciaran lied about who contacted the Principate, whereas Lilith lied about who she truly was. And while neither of these lies was found out by the other, it was clearly having an effect on the negotiations: neither party was particularly forthcoming to the other until the Principate officer made a peculiar offer: the Nightsister would get her requested airstrike, but she would have to give up her wife as collateral. Ciaran initially refused, but when Aijjling herself agreed, the Shaman could do nothing but concede.
It turned out to be a ruse, however, because as soon as Lilith had left the planet, she and the supporting fleet left the Dathomir system, leaving the Nightsisters back to their own devices. Enraged, Ciaran called a meeting at her village, and in a speech fueled by hatred and disdain, she rallied her people to come together and take down her rival without the assistance of the Principate Navy, before leaving with a small group for a distant planet to receive an ancient artifact...
After several days journey through hyperspace, the Sunset Eclipse arrives in the Eriadu system. A quick scan of nearby space locates the signal of the Ace of Staves, the Coppola’s retrofitted casino. After passing a security check under the watchful eye of the casino’s Security Chief, all of the Sunset Eclipse’s passengers would be granted admission into the casino proper. Unbeknownst to Hellexix Ordo, Pexuu recognizes him, though not for the man’s entrepreneurial accomplishments in the Core. Rather, the arrival of Hellexix Ordo brought a flood of memories from decades prior to Pexuu’s mind - memories of Corellia. The Zabrak Security Chief keeps these memories to himself, however, seeing as Hellexix had been too young to recognize him from their shared past. Ulric Sigliano, having come to the Ace specifically for the sake of meeting with the Coppola brothers, splits off, leaving Hellexix and Corman to head to the casino floor, where debts owed are paid in full for Corman allowing Hellexix and Ulric passage aboard his ship. Later that same day, Sairah O’Rinn, captain of the Raven’s Nest, also arrives at the Ace, invited to the Casino with the possibility of another lucrative job, though the details of the job had yet to be revealed...
After receiving payment and saying his farewells to Hellexix Ordo, Corman Candar began his hunt for Aval Derevan, the man who framed him for murder. It wasn't long before Corman found who he was looking for. Sitting down opposite the older man, the two engaged in a game of Pazaak against each other. To throw Corman off of his game, Aval reveals that he was the one who murdered Corman’s foster father Twado. The stakes of the game are raised to a lifetime of savings, and Corman barely takes the victory in the final round. An enraged Aval leaves the Ace of Staves, but not before Corman can place a tracker on him. With Coordinates in hand, the crew of the Sunset Eclipse leaves the Casino to follow Aval’s footsteps.
Back in the heart of the New Galactic Republic on Coruscant, a young man by the name of Calvin Tiberiusolis - in an attempt to spite his father - graduates from the Senate Guard’s Officer Training Facility and gets assigned to the Public Duties Company. While optimistic about his new lot in life, Calvin came into his new profession at an… interesting time. For years, Chancellor Snow’s political career had been suffering, mostly due to the ongoing talk of guerilla warfare and attacks employed by rogue Reformation sympathizers in the Outer Rim. While the Reformation had only recently begun mounting into a true threat to key NGR planets (Dantooine, most recently), many of the NGR’s citizens and representatives placed the blame for their continued existence at the Chancellor’s feet. Unhappiness with the Chancellor’s performance came to a head when, during one of Calvin’s first deployments with the Senate Guard, a few of the Senate Guards were ordered to fire live mortar rounds into a crowd of peaceful protestors. While the official report claimed that it was an accident, rumors began to fly that the Senate Guard had faulty received orders from somewhere above. The investigation, to this day, is still pending, though it is theorized that the call was made by someone wishing to further diminish Chancellor Snow’s reputation with the NGR’s populace - a strategy which proved effective, as popular support for the Chancellor reached an all-time low, and rumors began to swirl in the Senate of a vote of no confidence.
Several days after leaving Deneba, Jedi Master Frifth brought Se’Soom to the Jedi Temple on Ossus. Frifth spent two weeks instructing Se’Soom with the goal of expanding upon his bases. During a meeting with the Academy of Archaeology, they were shown a message from the planet Spintir, sent to the Jedi Temple by the leader of the planet’s only city offering a recently-discovered Jedi holocron for study. Initially puzzled by the sudden request, Frifth and Se’Soom were offered the opportunity to travel to Spintir to retrieve the holocron, to which Frifth and his new Padawan accepted. While researching prior to the expedition, they learned that Spintir was an artistic and agricultural world that fell on hard times and had likely come into possession of the holocron centuries earlier. Suspecting that they might run into trouble of some kind, Frifth shifted Se’Soom’s training regiment to focus on defensive techniques as a precaution. An old friend of Master Frifth’s, the Jedi Knight Tal Margos, also requested to join Frifth and his Padawan on their expedition to act as a backup in case something went wrong.
Wielding knowledge of the rumored holocron on the planet Lamaredd, Maskar Kython journeyed to the far-off world. Upon arriving, Maskar posed as a representative of the Outer Rim Oreworks Company, going by the false identity of Haken Tull. His ruse proved highly effective when dealing with Lamaredd’s local authorities (if one could call them that), which led “Haken” to meeting a Duros of peculiar interest by the name of Obadd Ulat. A former member of the loose organization of darkside practitioners often referred to off-handedly as the “Sith Union,” Obadd had, through means of his own, learned of the possible location of an old, Sith Temple hidden somewhere on the planet - though, much like Maskar, the Duros had lied to the Lamaredd officials in order to conceal his true reason for coming to the planet. Their lies landed them both in a speeder planetside, spurred onward by the enthusiastically oblivious Lamaredd officials that were just thrilled to have something happening on their backwater planet and under the impression that both Maskar and Obadd were there on official business. Though their speeder ride was a long and awkward one, it gave Maskar and the Duros the privacy they needed to eventually delve into their own suspicions of one another, eventually acknowledging that they were both not only liars but two individuals after the same thing. For better or worse, they agreed to cooperate in their efforts to track down the supposed location of the ancient Sith Temple that Obadd was sure existed, and where Maskar hoped to find the holocron that Bril Rha had spoken of...
While the galaxy continued to inexorably expand, a small-scale war was waging on the planet of Sy Myrth in the Outer Rim. Falling under the jurisdiction of Mandalorian space, the planet and its surrounding systems were in dispute as thousands of rival Mandalorian New Crusaders fought for dominance in the wake of Mandalore the Reaper’s death, which was followed quickly by the patricide of one of the New Crusader’s greatest leaders and founder, Warlord Harkon Ordo. Assassinated by his own son, Harkon’s death kicked off one of many bids for power that were going on throughout Mandalorian space as the hierarchy of rulers and warriors of the Mandalorian culture was tested in light of the fact that the conquering nation now stood without a clear successor to the title of Mandalore. In the midst of all of this, the battle for Sy Myrth stood out, as Harkon’s forces were divided between those loyal to his son Glaz Ordo, and those loyal to another warrior of growing infamy, a Twi’lek Mandalorian and survivor of the Outer Rim War’s Battle of Ryloth by the name of Maelzagard. Two weeks of scorched-earth warfare would lead to Glaz’s forces eventually crumbling under the weight of Maelzagard’s loyalists, resulting in Glaz’s death and his Twi’lek rival claiming the title of Warlord over the Sy Myrth New Crusaders. Meanwhile, the mystery of Mandalore the Reaper’s death and who would claim leadership over the rest of the Mandalorians remained unknown…
