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Kingston Freedom City, New Jersey Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 5:25 PM After the decision had been made to move to the ruins of Kingston to await the arrival of the Boran Dovox, also known as Sovereign, the heroes that had delt with the minor rampage of Explodo the Great moved to a location not far from the Doomforge. Paradigm and Star Khan flew to the new location, to ensure that Dovox's assault transport would detect them and not start searching for the Star Khan. Fleur provided transportation for the other heroes. Paradigm and Star Khan stood out in a ruined parking lot, a few burned out husks of cars scattered about and half destroyed buildings nearby. Neither seemed particularly nervous as Paradigm was scanning the sky. "I see the transport." She stated after a few moments. "It appears to be headed directly for us." Star Khan had been alternating between scanning the sky as well and looking over at Paradigm. When she indicated she had spotted the transport, he looked back to the sky before looking about the barren landscape around them for a moment. It was not long after that the transport came roaring into view, flying down low towards the ruins of Kingston. As it approached the area where Star Khan stood beside Paradigm, it veered to the right and started to circle the area. As it passed to the right, a large, circular object dropped out, rockets slowing its descent as it landed a short distance away. A large, nearly eight foot tall mech dropped down next to the circular object, which opened up to reveal dozens of armed aliens in armor that began to move out away from the drop pod. With them were three large reptilian aliens with red scales and tusks, and two normal sized aliens dressed in black body suits. The transport continued to circle around, another drop pod dropping down to the left of where Star Khan and Paradigm were standing, along with another mech. A group of similar forces deployed from the second pod as well. The transport then flew over to the area out in front of Paradigm and Star Khan, almost landing as five figures jumped out of the back and the transport lifted back up into the sky. Leading the group was another of the red skinned reptilian aliens, standing well over seven feet tall. He was dressed in ornate armor and held a large, glaive like weapon in one hand. Walking just behind him, on either side were two tall figures dressed in black, teal and white armor, which had a small white eight pointed starburst in the center of the chest plate. The armor had a black and teal hood, and a full armored face mask with black visor. Each carried a long pike, the tip of which crackled with energy. Fleur recognized the armor from Freedom League briefs about Khanate Justicars. Just behind them were two more of the large tusked aliens, each carrying large swords. Star Khan looked from side to side a moment before looking back at the group approaching from the front. "Hunters, hounds and traitors." He stated simply as he looked at the two armored figures. "Justicar Wryy, Justicar Har’al, you would do well to set down your weapons and surrender, I may be willing to forgive you." "Kinarr Khan! I am Prince Dovox, the Sovereign!" The large tusked alien in the front of the group called out loudly as he came to halt. "You are not worthy to lead the Stellar Khanate, so I am here to take your head, and your throne!" He added, pointing his glaive at the young Star Khan. He then turned to look at Paradigm. "Praetorian, you have no business here, step aside." He snarled. "Neither do the Terrans." He added, glancing about at the others. "That is where you are wrong Dovox." Paradigm stated simply. "The new Star Khan has extended an offer of peace to the Republic and Coalition, so his safety is of great concern to the Praetorians." "But additionally, I have a personal interest here. Kinarr also made a proposal of marriage to me in the council chambers. So, until such time as I either accept or decline, he is my prospective intended." Dovox simply snarled as he gripped his glaive with both hands. "Then you can die together, makes no difference to me."
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Riverside Freedom City, New Jersey Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 4:54 PM Seeing that it was Valentine's Day, Sampson’s Sodas had been pretty busy since the local middle school had gotten out. It would continue into the evening with high school students from the area and beyond. Once classes had finished for the day at Claremont, Michael Adon had hurried to start his shift at the store, now nearing the end of the first hour. Currently, all the seating at the raised tables along the front windows were full, as were most of the booths along the interior walls. But for the moment, there were no pending orders that needed to be filled, so Michael was able to catch his breath. This gave him a chance to go over and talk to one of the few individuals sitting on the barstool seating along the counter that ran towards the back of the store. Seated furthest from the door was one of his fellow Claremont students, Carmen Arrache, who arrived at the store just a short time ago. Carmen had finally decided to take Michael up on his offer of a discount at the soda shop and come out to see him during his shift. Elsewhere in Riverside…. Jean Dweomer was currently sitting on a bench at one of the small park areas that were scattered throughout Riverside. Dressed in civilian clothes, the Anthro-fox certainly attracted a few stares, but this was Freedom City, so they were often brief. The small playground in the park was currently empty, with any of the kids that would be interested likely home and having dinner. At least a few couples had walked through or by the park since Jean had sat down on the bench, seemingly on their way to one or more of the restaurants, art stores or other venues in the area.
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Kestevan 79 Coalition Victory Station Lor time mark 2104.5 For the last several cycles, tensions along the boards of the Coalition worlds and the Stellar Khanate had been high. After Star-Khan’s brief attempt to restore the Khanate to its pre-Incursion boards, which had only been partially successful, things had gone back to the longstanding status quo of occasional build up of military forces on either side of the boards and the far more common influence and activities of the criminal organizations allowed to operated basically unchecked within the Khanate’s boarders. But other than the military forces or the Praetorians and Star Knights, most beings within the Coalition and Lor Republic went about their daily routines, building on the progress that had been made since the end of the Incursion. Recently, there had been reports suggesting some sort of disruption within the boards of the Khanate, although details were rather sparse. There were even rumors that began to make their way to Republic and Coalition governments that Kinan Khan, the once formidable Star-Khan, had died, succumbing to a combination of his advancing age and the terrible injuries he suffered at the hands of the Communion. However, thus far, those rumors were not yet confirmed. One thing was clear, something was happening within the Khanate, which brough the concern of whether whatever was happening would erupt beyond its borders. So, when a Khanate cruiser approached the system that was home to Coalition Victory Station and hailed the station requesting an audience with the Coalition council, it was cause for great concern. This was particularly true as the last time a Khanate warship had visited CoVic Station, it had been part of a ruse to steal certain information and materials from the station and coincided with the launch of Star-Khan’s attempt to reconquer lost worlds. While Republic and Coalition forces along the Khanate boarder were put on high alert in preparation for any renewed hostilities, the cruiser was held far from CoVic Station until its intentions could be confirmed. As a gesture of good will, the Khanate vessel had agreed to allow a group of inspectors abord to confirm it was not preparing for an attack. And so, a shuttle craft carrying three members of the Praetorians and several members of the Lor Navy made its final approach to the main hanger of the Khanate cruiser….
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GM Wyvaan IV Outer length of the Perseus Arm Lor Time Mark 2002.5 (August 28, 2021 Terran Calendar) Blaster fire streaked past Sitara Shashikala and Maybelle McQueen as they had approached the entrance to a pre-fab warehouses within an industrial zone of a large city that had sprung up on the once sparsely populated fourth planet of the Wyvaan system. Like many of the most hospitable worlds within or near Coalition worlds, Wyvaan IV had seen a massive increase in population in the years since the Incursion through the relocation efforts for those that had been displaced. Despite how recent the relocation efforts had been, many of the relocated sentients had come to view Wyvaan IV as their home and the world had begun to prosper as it joined the Coalition. However, given its proximity to the revived portions of the Stellar Khanate, the sudden growth in population had allowed Khanate criminal syndicates to easily expand their influence to the world. It had been a request from the planetary government that had brought a group of Praetorians to the world to help shut down some of those operations. Sitara had managed to quickly uncover some leads, which had led them to this industrial zone. Apparently the syndicate members were not at all reluctant about putting up a bit of a fight. "Traveller, Quennie, be careful, there are more armed beings approaching from the side streets." Came a message over the comms channel from Magnetar, another Praetorian who had been covering the pair's approach to the warehouse from the air.
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Lor Star Navy 3rd Strike Group [AKA the Spear of the Republic] .3 AUs from the remains of Lor Van Lor time mark 1972.3 [April 7th (Terran Calendar)] Chiliarch Valerius Detinson , was a high-ranking member of the Lor Star Navy. In command of an unconventional warfare focused strike group, the Chilliarch was always ready for war. The carriers in his fleet were armed enough with enough firepower to bombard any Khanate property for days on end. A fact that his men were quick to brag about. Those of whom weren't bragging about which generation clone of Valerius they were. Despite the access to the advance medical technology of the Lor fleet, Chilliarch Detinson's body was a tapestry of his 70 years in the Star Navy. Scars adorned every inch of his scalp. A cybernetic replacement sat where his eye would be. And even his uniform looked outdated by modern Lor military standards. He was not exactly the sort of man to reach out lightly. So the weight of what it meant when Valerius reached out with a coded message to the capital Valerius was not taken lightly by the Capital. It wasn't long before many arms of the Lor Star Navy including the Republic Colonial Scout Corps and even the Praetorians were brought in. So that Chilliarch Detinson could describe. Two Lor exploratory vessels had managed to disappear without a trace. It was confidential information that the Lor would not share with outside parties if given any other choice. A week ago a second wormhole had appeared near the former capital of the Lor Republic. Running parallel to the existing wormhole it created a somewhat stable Roman Ring with chronological readings whose applications had yet to fully be researched. So two exploratory vessels complete with multiple armed scout ships were sent to survey the land once the wormhole was deemed stable. But, as soon as they traversed through the spatial irregularity all contact was lost. The ring is now showing signs of fracturing within another week and with it the wormhole. If it disappeared before the missing Lor would be lost. Possibly forever.
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GM Dreeda III, Lor Republic Nova-Lor City Lor time mark 1882.6 [February 14, 2019 (Terran Calendar)] During the incursion, the Lor colony on Dreeda III had been spared any direct effect of the fighting. But shortly after the incursion was over, it fell prey to a dozen super-powered criminals that had managed to escape confinement on a prison ship and size control over the vessel. The colony was rescued when a large force of Preatorians arrived in search of the escaped criminals. At the time, the planet was home to about forty thousand Lor. In the past few years, the colony had seen a massive influx of displaced beings from across the Republic and beyond. Entire cities have sprouted up on several continents, as well as the addition of at least two orbital ones. Now the world was home to over one billion sentients, though there were still large tracts of untouched wilderness across the planet, mixed with large areas of cultivated farmland. But along with the massive increase in population had come some of the problems associated with large populations. One such problem was the recent appearance of a number of Spectrum Knights operating in the system, which had brought a group of Praetorians back to the world to try to root out the threat. As the team of Praetorians had been investigating the Spectrum Knight activity on the world, they had received a communication that the Spectrum Knights were attacking a governmental facility in one of the new cities in the lower hemisphere. Boarding the Kavaca, the group had flow to Nova-Lor City, several columns of smoke rising into the air quickly pointing them toward the scene of the attack. Half a dozen Spectrum Knights, each in different colored armor, were still on sight, engaged in combat with Lor security forces which appeared to be having trouble dealing with the armored criminals.
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GM Location Unknown Lor Time Mark 1898.6 (July 30, 2019 Terran Calendar) A pair of figures walked down a long marble hallway. Great pillars held up a vast, vaulted ceiling as light from some unknown source gleamed off the gilded sections of the ceiling and the smooth marble. One of the figures was tall and thin, dressed in a yellow robe and hood, a golden mask covering its face. The other was short, no more than four feet tall, with a stout body and dark red skin. It had a bald head and wide face. Along the hallway the two figures passed several alcoves, each containing a hologram image sometimes depicting individual beings, other times a small group of beings. "See all the great champions of contests past Kanto?" The tall hooded figure asked as the pair passed some of the alcoves and their holograms. The smaller figured nodded its bald head, a grin on its wide face. "It has been far too long since I have had any truly entertaining contestants for any games." The taller figure continued, a note of disappointment in its voice. The figure came to a halt in front of one of the alcoves. The hologram contained within was of a single muscular human, wearing blue tights over which were a golden breastplate, matching forearm guard and knee-high boots. A long white cape hung from the man's shoulders. "Now here Kanto, here was one of the greatest champions I have ever seen." The tall figure stated as it looked upon the hologram. The shorter figure nodded excitedly, looking up at the tall figure and then back at the hologram. "Centurion of Terra. His noble nature meant he always refused to compete in any contest I put before him." The hooded figure stated. "But, in the end I always found a way to compel him to compete, even if he did not see it that way." It then added, a hint of humor in its tone. "But alas, he is now lost to use, fallen in battle against the great Omega." The hooded figure said as the shorter one looked at the hologram with a sad look on its face. "But…" The hooded figure began before pausing in thought, causing the shorter figure to look back, a quizzical look on its wide face. "Perhaps it is time for another to take up the mantle Kanto." The hooded figure stated, looking down at the shorter for a moment before looking back to the hologram. "Yes, that is the answer Kanto. There needs to be a new Centurion, then I can have hold the greatest contests in the cosmos once again!"
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GM Ardor asteroid belt just a few light years inside Lor Space Along the inner edge of the Perseus Arm Lor time mark 1881.7 [January 16, 2019 (Terran Calendar)] The Ardor asteroid belt was a collection of various sized asteroids that stretched nearly half a light year along one of the boarders of Lor Space. For centuries it has lay well away from any inhabited Lor systems and thus was out of the path of any regular trade lanes. However, that had changed several cycles ago, back before the Incursion, when a Quantum Dark Zone singularity had caused the belt to migrate, pulling it closer to one of the outer space lanes of the Republic. A team of Lor scientists along with Terran scientist Quentin Quill had gone to investigate the singularity. However, Quill was accidently pulled into the singularity during the investigation and the Lor science team eventually returned to Lor-Van. And then the Communion arrived. The singularity had been all but forgotten by the Republic during the Communion War and the aftermath. That was until almost one Terran year ago, when Quentin Quill managed to free himself from the singularity. But even then, the Lor had not resumed study of the anomaly and it was ignored once more. Less than one standard day ago, when the passive sensors of the Lor research laboratory situated on of the larges asteroids in the belt had detected a massive energy shift from within the singularity, sending the readings back to the Republic…
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Unknown Wednesday February 14, 2018 (hopefully) When Rev and SFX entered the portal, they immediately felt as if they were being pulled forward at incredible speed, yet at the same time felt as if they were going nowhere. All around bright light flashed by, creating a sort of tunnel around them. Just a little ways ahead of them were the simulacrums who were still holding on to Lawrence. However, some sort of distortion appeared around the three, appearing to be centered on Lawrence. "You will be taken to the master." Said the simulacrum that looked like Robert. "It is inevitable."
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Derendis, the City of the Grand Tributary Kolast They were leading one of the heretics through the town square. What she had done, Cavalier couldn't say. They had cast her in dirty cloth that he couldn't entirely say was clean on animal waste. Her head had been shaved bald, and her mouth was fitted with rusted iron. As far as he could guess, she might have tried dealing in one of the forbidden arts. Like making thunder from the stinking earth, or concocting potions that could drive out the so-called "invisible demons" that brought men to ruin. All men knew that ruin was the gods inflicting disfavor. Or calling the anointed home. One of the two, and you could never tell which was which. It was all the province of the gods. Cavalier drew up his cloak and tried to look away. Intervention would just raise a hell of a lot of questions - questions they could not spare. Questions that would eventually end in fire and restraints. They had a target to find. "You guys got anything on this 'Anointed of Olaya' yet?"
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GM Kestevan 79 Coalition Victory Station Lor time mark 1482.4 [April 2, 2016 (Terran Calender)] The slightly over a year that had passed since the Battle of Kestevan 79 and the defeat of the Communion had seen the former Communion mothership converted into a thriving center of galactic trade and politics. Multiple city sized sections of the former Communion mothership had been converted into living areas, markets and commercial districts, ship yards, industrial facilities, and all the other amenities one would expect of advance spacefaring societies. The station had become a truly cosmopolitan collection of the various galactic civilizations that had made up the Coalition that had defeated the Communion. Within the station there could be found representatives from all the races that made of the former Coalition members, and beyond. While it was not uncommon for tensions to exist between those that had long been enemies, those feeling were somewhat offset by the promise that the station represented, when those former enemies had come together to face a common foe and ensure the survival of all. But today, the normal routine of the vast space station had been disrupted, at least for the organizations aboard with sensor equipment that scanned the area around the station and monitored the traffic at the nearby wormhole which connected the remote system to other parts of the known galaxy. Just a short while ago, a Stellar Khanate cruiser had emerged from the wormhole, quickly causing the many smaller transports that were flying to or from the wormhole to scatter from its path. The Khanate cruiser approached CoVic Station at a steady pace, not making any overtly hostile movements. As best as the many sensors scanning it could tell, the cruiser had not charged any of its many weapons. Then, a transmission was sent from the Khanate cruiser to CoVic Station, focused on the channels used by the various governmental embassies, the station peacekeepers and administrators, and the Praetorians. "Greetings, I am Ambassador Draan Raal of the Stellar Khanate." Stated a stern and confident Zultasian noble in GalStandard. "I am here on behalf of the great Kinan Khan and request an audience with the ambassadors of the Lor Republic, Grue Unity and other governments that made up the Coalition Council which have official embassies aboard Coalition Victory Station."
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GM CoVic Station The robot was an sphere of metal a few feet across, decorated with beautiful engraved patterns. It was a work of art. Literally. It was owned, and sculpted by the famous and eccentric Lor artist known as Lexa. She was a musician and performance artist, one of the best in the known galaxy, but obscure and erratic. Little or nothing had been heard from her the past few years, but now the galaxy was abuzz with the rumours that she was unveiling a new experimental opera called "The Night Flower" The Sphere ceremoniously and silently floated to Barrier and Paradigm. One could imagine it bowing, if a perfect sphere could do such a movement. Its voice was perfectly soft, low and rumbling, with a lovely inflection. "I am Sphere. Thank you for hospitality, dear friends. I have come at the behest of Lexa to invite you to the once only showing of The Night Flower, on the planet Nocturne. I hope you can represent the Praetorians, their noble history, their epic saga, and their everlasting philosophy"
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Kestevan 79 GM A pair of Lor officers made their way into the new headquarters of the ancient alien group known as the Praetorians. The space was still very much under construction and being refurbished, with a number of Lor technicians assisting in the process. But these two Lor officers were not there to oversee assisting the Praetorians in establishing their new facility. Instead they were there on behalf of the Republic to request the assistance of the Praetorians. With the Communion stopped, some semblance of normalcy had returned to this sector of the universe, and that had allowed the Republic to return its attentions to several matters that had been unattended when stopping the Communion had been of utmost importance. But even now the Republic did not have sufficient resources to deal with all the problems at hand. As the pair moved down the corridor, a larger hulking reptilian humanoid moved over toward them. The figure towered just over eight feet tall, covered in green and brown scales, with a long tail that ended in a spiked ball. "Greetings officers," the reptilian humanoid stated in accented GalStandard, "I am Seresk, may I be of assistance?" "Greetings Praetorian Seresk, I am Commander E'tten of the Lor Star Navy, and this is Aya K'zan from the Allied Liaison/Intelligence Extra-National Service." The male Lor stated in response. "We are here to speak with Praetorian Val-Ren about a matter in which the Republic wishes to request the assistance of the Praetorians." The large reptilian alien gave a small nod. "Please, follow me." It replied before turning and leading the pair off down the corridor. A short while later, the trio arrived at the central command center of the headquarters, a larger circular dome shaped room with a number of other exits. Like most of the rest of the facility, it was still undergoing significant renovations and work, a number of Praetorians and technicians working on installing various systems along the room's walls. In the center of the room was a larger holographic system capable of displaying and tracking information for multiple units and locations. Gathered around the holo display were four individuals, currently in conversation about the progress of renovations for the facility. One was a humanoid female, slightly over average height for a Lor or Terran, with long black and purple hair and dark orange skin. She was dressed in a full length white bodysuit, with black diamond shapes surrounded by golden yellow trim on the shoulders, upper chest and back. Her black boots and gloves also has the golden yellow trim, and a long black cape trailed behind her. It was not hard to match her appearance to the reports about Paradigm that had circulated among the Coalition forces during the Communion incursion. Two of the other three were also female, one, dressed in a red jumpsuit, appeared to be Terran, with long black hair and a deep tan complexion. The other woman, who also resembled a Terran, had long dark blonde hair and was dressed in a blue and white military style uniform. The crisp and perfect uniform, as well as the woman's stern, commanding presence, left little doubt that she had at least once been in the military. She had a jagged scar along one eye, and her left arm was a sleek, mechanical replacement. The fourth figure was dressed in familiar armor of a Star Knight, his armor bright green in its coloring. The Star Knight's helmet was currently not deployed, reveling a Terran who was easily recognizable as Star Knight Kyle Steward, also known as Cavalier. "Excuse me Imperatrix," Seresk stated as he lead the two Lor forward into the room and towards the four gathered in the center, "may I introduce Commander E'tten of the Lor Star Navy, and Aya K'zan from the Allied Liaison/Intelligence Extra-National Service, here on behalf of the Lor Republic."
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Kestevan 79 Coalition Victory Station Lor time mark 1421.1 [February 3, 2016 (Terran Calendar)] Amara Val-Ren stood in the center of the command center looking at the massive holographic display that floated in the air above the table around which she was gathered along with Elite and Traveller. The hologram was a detailed map of the Lor Republic and the surrounding parsecs, many of which contained systems and worlds which had accepted assistance from the Praetorians. Intermixed with the representations of the multitude of systems and stellar anomalies were markers providing information on incidents warranting the Praetorians' attention. There were far too many of those markers in Amara's opinion. Although a group of Praetorians (including Amara, Traveller and Cavalier) and Star Knights had managed to follow a group of Spectrum Knights back to their base of operations, capturing a number of their leaders, the Spectrum Knights that had escaped were continuing to spread the chaos and destruction across the galaxy. In addition, new Spectrum Knights continued to appear nearly every standard Lor week. Although most of those chosen as hosts were unstable individuals and not able to fully utilize the potential of their armor, the damage they still caused before being stopped was great. While the combined efforts of the Lor Star Navy, the Praetorians, the Star Knights, and various freelance bounty hunters had drastically reduced the pirate activity that had spiked following the Incursion, there were still shipping lanes along the edge of the Republic that were regularly targeted by pirates. This was particularly true along the unclaimed expanse that lay between the Republic and the remains of the Stellar Khanate, where there were ample locations for pirate ships to dock without too many questions being asked. The Stellar Khanate presented another set of challenges. A number of systems that had broken away from the Khanate had begun to form formal ties with the Republic, and in many cases looking to the Praetorians for aide. And there was much for them to be concerned about. A handful of Star Khan's senior officials that had survived the Incursion had declared themselves rulers of a section of the Khanate and begun trying to expand their areas of influence. The rogue Boran known at Sovereign had led a group of former pirates he had brought under his command during the Incursion and taken control over an area of the former Khanate. While a group of Praetorians had halted his attempts to expand into a number of free systems along the unclaimed expanse, it was doubtful Sovereign had lost his desire to continue expanding his domain. Star Khan himself was still at large somewhere, although what his condition might be was questionable. When he had been rescued from a Lor prison transport, the former conqueror had been in a coma, his body ravaged by the failure of the many implants the Communion had installed in place of so much of his organic parts. There were reports of loyal Khanate forces gathering in large numbers in the central systems of what remained of the Khanate, but accurate information was hard to come by. Another increasing concern for Amara was the Praetorians' relations with the Lor Star Navy. While the Republic civilian government and many in the Lor military (particularly those that worked directly with the Praetorians during the Incursion) were still supportive of the Praetorians, the Star Navy hierarchy and number of star ship commanders were beginning to act more distant. There had even been some disputes over the Praetorians' authority to operate in certain Republic systems. "It would seem we are little closer to helping establish any lasting peace than we were when the Incursion ended." Amara commented to the other two women with her. Among the surviving original Praetorians, the Naram relied heavily on the guidance and assistance of Elite and Traveller as the team had taken on its new role. "Did my brother and the other Imperators have to deal with this many problems and I just never realized it?"
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High Earth Orbit The Lighthouse March 8, 2016 Amara Val-Ren slowed her velocity considerably as she drew close to the blue and green planet that was the third from this system's star. The young Naram, known to many throughout the galaxy as Paradigm of the Praetorians, had been to this system before, but this was the closest she had been to Terra, the world so famous (or infamous depending on who you asked) among a number of the major spacefaring civilizations of this era. Soon she was going to have an even closer look at the planet, but first certain protocols had to be followed. Amara's right arm was wrapped around her teammate, Moon-Moth, as she flew them both through the void of space. The pair had arrived in the system a short time ago, by way of the wormhole that now connected it to other parts of the galaxy. They had made a brief stop at the small space station the Freedom League maintained to monitor the wormhole, to arrange for their arrival at the group's main headquarters in orbit around Terra. It was this large station that the two Praetorians were now drawing near. The reason for their visit to Terra was to interview two natives of the world regarding the time they had spent among the Spectrum Knights in that group's original headquarters. The interview had been arranged with the assistance of the Star Knights, which had a representative both in the Praetorians and the Freedom League. The Freedom League would be overseeing the interview at a facility they maintained on the surface of Terra. Amara fully understood the need for having the Freedom League as an intermediary in this, given the misunderstandings that had taken place when the two Terrans had been discovered among the Spectrum Knights when a joint Praetorian/Star Knight task force had managed to assault the Spectrum Knight headquarters, a task force Amara had led. Slowing even further as they neared the Lighthouse, Amara guided herself and Moon-Moth over toward the airlock they had been instructed to use.
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Lor Space Aboard the Praetorian Aquila Class Starship Devotion Mid-December, 2014 (Terran calendar) Amara Val-Ren still felt somewhat ill at ease in the command seat of the Praetorian spacecraft. But in the short time since she and her fellow Praetorians had been revived by the Curator, she had actually spent only a small amount of time aboard either of the Praetorians' surviving starships. She and her brethren had been thrust into another conflict with the Communion, this time seeking to help the various space fairing powers that were being hard pressed by the Communion forces. Lacking the numbers to directly confront the Communion as they had over two thousand years ago, the surviving Praetorians instead did what they could to organize and inspire the forces of those fighting the threat. But for every cruiser they destroyed, or wave of antibodies they decimated, there were always more, the Communion continuing to add to its forces as it cyberformed planet after planet as it moved through sectors of space. But as desperate the situation was, the sheer scope of the threat had left little time for Amara or fellow Praetorians to dwell much on the fact that they were now two thousand years removed from the empire they had once served, and that all that they knew, everyone they once knew, were not long gone, even with how long Naram could live. But occasionally there were quite moments, where such thoughts could come to the front. In the face of those times, Amara could only try to focus on what she had to do to try to see herself and the others safely through this crisis. Of course, much of the time it seemed as if she was merely delaying the inevitable, but she could not let that stop her from what she had to do, for countless beings were counting on them, even if many of those beings did not even know it.
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Space rippled uncannily, and suddenly the Praetorian shuttle was hanging there. Aya K’zan smiled to herself as the ship reverted to realspace, her hands hovering over the Deltrazi controls. She had studied hard to learn how to pilot the Praetorian vessels, and while they didn’t trust her with the homeship she was able to fly the shuttles around. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to her. Her hands dropped and the sublight engines warmed up, moving the shuttle. She hadn’t quite mastered the technique of coming out of warp at speed, and given the circumstances she felt the need to keep the vessel moving. “We’re at the location of the distress signal,” she said, speaking to the other two women in the shuttle. “Are you picking it up?”
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Rollz and suchlike for here.
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The OOC
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Criminal Carter Bay, Florida, Terra One week before the Battle of Kesteven 79; Lor Timemark 1329.7 "Whaddya mean what do I want you to do with 'em?! They came to my son's house!" Anna knew she was screaming, and she knew she sounded like an old woman when she screamed, but for once in her life she didn't care. She'd tried for weeks to reach Basil after the fighting in Freedom City during the Communion incursion; and only now, pacing back and forth so fast she was burning through yet another bedroom rug, had she finally gotten ahold of her old friend. "They tried to kill my grandson! They tried to put their filthy stinking hands on my little baby granddaughter! I want them dead! I want their whole goddamned organization dead and buried in a goddamned hole in the ground!" Basil let her rant, like a good friend should, knowing what Clock Queen was like in a righteous temper. When she was finished, Basil broke in gently. "I'll do whatever is in my power to help you, my dear Anna." His voice was warm and soothing, the perfect veteran musician's calm, even tones. "I am not soley responsible for composing their fate, but I think I can persuade even their backers to dance to my tune for a while. But the question remains, Anna, what will you do for me in return?" His tone was serious, but almost apologetic, the same way he might have asked for repayment on money she'd borrowed from him back in the day - which now that she thought about it had happened more than once. "Certain things have never been tolerated in our organization - but of course we're talking about a third party. If I'm to move against them, I need to be sure that you can move with me the next time I need a favor." Anna put her head against the wall, palm flat against the bright green wallpaper of her retirement bungalow, and thought about her old friend's words, even as not for the first time recently she felt a great wave of unaccustomed fatigue. "Listen, Basil, I...I promised my boy I wouldn't get back in the League, and I meant it. It's important to him - and you know nothing's more important to me than family." She opened her eyes and caught sight of herself in the mirror across the hall. Jeez - look at me! Eighty years old, and she looked like a healthy woman in her fifties - a woman who was going to spend a long, long life right here in this bungalow if she chased Basil away right now. He'd better be right about the white noise blocking the line here. "But a deal's a deal. If you need a favor, a real favor...gimmie a call. I'm yours."
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The heart of the Delaztri Empire Over two thousand years ago Amara Val-Ren knelt on the smooth polished white floor of a large great hall of the headquarters of the Praetorians as she repeated the oath of allegiance to the Delzatri Empire. Her voice joined those of over a dozen other beings kneeling nearby, as they all swore their loyalty and life to protecting the Empire and its citizens. Amara was dressed in a full length white bodysuit, with black diamond shapes, surrounded by golden yellow trim, on the shoulders, upper chest and back. Her long black cape rested over her and was spread out slightly on the floor around her. For the young Naram, this was a moment she had long dreamed of, ever since her older brother had joined the ranks of the Empire's greatest protectors. Following in his path had been a difficult one, yet despite the hardships and sacrifice required, Amara had not wavered in her devotion or focus. "And I shall not falter in my duty, even unto death." Amara recited as she completed the oath along with the others around her. As she finished, Amara raised her head, looking up at the room around her once more. Gathered along the wings of the hall were more than sixty members of the Praetorians, gathered to watch the newest members recite their oaths. Gathered at the front of the hall were the six senior most Praetorians, with Amara's own brother, Daar Val-Ren in the center, similarly watching on. Darr Val-Ren was well over six feet tall, with a powerfully built physique. He had dark orange skin which was characteristic of Naram, with short dark blue/black hair. He was dressed in a uniform similar to Amara's, only his was primarily black, with red diamond patters and a long red cape. "Your oath is complete, welcome brothers and sisters, to the Praetorians!" Daar Val-Ren announced in a strong voice that carried easily through the large hall, followed quickly by a booming cheer from the gathered members. Amara stood back upright, an feeling of elation sweeping over her as she looked to her brother with a small smile, before turning to begin congratulating her fellow new Praetorians...
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Lor Timemark 1329.7 - February 28, 2015 Repiuk System Asteroid Belt When rich ore deposits had been discovered in the asteroid belt of a system with no habitable worlds nearly a hundred and fifty years prior it had drawn in a rush of prospectors, independent fortune seekers and small companies looking to stake a claim that would set them and their families up for generations. As the demands of the galactic economy shifted and the best veins had been tapped out, however, the cost of refinement had risen past the profitability of the belt and one by one facilities had been abandoned, subterranean ghost towns riddling the asteroids with tunnels and shafts. Decades later those abandoned mines would serve as a base of operations for a vicious pirate fleet, their leader cannily realizing that the remaining deposits of heavy metals would play havoc with snooping sensor sweeps. They'd been found out by the Star Knights nevertheless and soundly routed, leaving another layer of abandoned equipment in their wake. It was Sri A'Lan Koor who had remembered those raids and suggested the belt, a remote location of no military significance or appeal to the Communion, as a staging area for the Coalition forces. For the past three months the secret had remained kept, long enough for the leaders of the Coalition to feel secure gathering together in one room as they planned out their last, best chance to drive out the invading menace. Standing at the war table the veteran Star Knight had to wonder if they weren't going to do the Communion's job for it. "You need to pull your head out of whatever orifice you've shapeshifted for defecation purposes," Senator Diena Th'emme told the Grue Arcane across from her flatly, fingertips pressed firmly against the surface of the horizontal display between them. The tall, imperious woman managed to make even the utilitarian grey jumpsuit she was wearing come across as regalia, her honey blonde hair done up in a crisp bun. "We have a precise window of opportunity. What troops we can spare to assault the communication relay will have to be enough." The short, stocky being to her made a fluting growl, waving fur covered hands for emphasis as his translator box did its work in an incongruously light soprano. "You would send them to their deaths and for what?" Minister Ch'rrr had rallied a number of worlds to the Coalition's banner in his home sector but was by nature disinclined toward risk taking. "The slim hope of a possible advantage for a doomed plan? Your ancestors' pardon, Citizen Tulink, but I cannot place so much faith in a single simulacrum. Surely you agree, Praetorian Val-Ren?"
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We'll need this soon enough!
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Outer Edge of the Lor-Van System 17 Hours After Destruction of Lor-Van The previous solar cycle's worth of hours had been among the worst in the lives of either Seikahi’ino or Ana Plonsky. On shore leave from the Xeno, the human woman had chosen to spend it on the shining crown jewel of the Lor Republic with the more worldly Kahi'iru agreeing to tag along as a favour to their mutual acquaintance to make sure she didn't get herself into any trouble. There was no way either of them could have been prepared for the Communion's sudden, merciless attack on Lor-Van. There was no way anyone could have been prepared. They'd been among the lucky ones, making it to a spaceport and squeezing their way onto a mid-sized cruiser just as the bay doors closed and it made for orbit. They'd sat on makeshift benches formed from empty cargo containers while a panicked young man had asked over and over if anyone had seen his sister among the crowd and a frail grandmother had been unable to stop an infants plaintive wailing for even a moment. They'd been in the windowless hold when word had filtered down that the Star Knights had arrived in force, a moment of sudden hope and relief before learning that the armor clad champions had sacrificed themselves to give them and the other fleeing vessels time to break orbit. They'd been there when the air had begun to taste just slightly stale and those familiar with starships had begun muttering that the engines didn't sound quite right. There when a crewman had let slip that they'd fallen behind the rest of the extant fleet and wouldn't be able to jump to FTL until repairs had been effected. There when the panicked young man from before had to be restrained before he could hurt himself or anyone else. There when someone asked aloud what was stopping those terrible silver sliver ships from coming to finish them off. On the ship's bridge, Samran-86 ran a hand through her tightly shorn red hair and reminded herself to keep her breathing calm and steady. The Lor officer had assumed command of the vessel from it grateful owner, a cargo hauler with no experience with emergency situations. The clone mentat known to her fellows as Eject was beginning to think he'd had the right idea. "Any friendly vessels, this is the freighter Either Ore. We are venting plasma and require immediate assistance. Repeat: we require immediate assistance. Is anyone out there listening?"
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As requested, the OOC.
