Chapter 5: Empire of the Hand

Star Wars: Revised System
Table of Contents Character Creation Classes Attributes Abilities Backgrounds Feats Virtues & Vices Experience Game Mechanics Species List Force Powers Combat Starship Combat Equipment Starships Compendium
Stories
Prelude 1: A Treaty on the Brink 2: Amity in Peril 3: Fish in a Barrel 4: Measured Success 5: Empire of the Hand 6: Icy Reception 7: Galactic Chess 8: Heart of the Ascendancy 9: A Familiar Foe 10: Csaplarian Streets 11: Ascendancy in Turmoil
Characters
Akea Oahu - CS Allanar Onsai - CS Renora Cordalis - CS Greer Lachlan - CS Brance Maddox - CS

Suggested Music: Star Wars Episode I Soundtrack - The Trip to the Naboo Temple and the Audience with Boss Nass

7 Elona, 25 ABY - Yavin IV, Gordian Reach, Outer Rim

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The familiar planetscape of Yavin IV filled the cockpit viewport. Akea proceeded to guide the Leviathan to the ancient temples that housed the Jedi Praxeum. Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker would likely be awaiting their arrival.

As the site approached, the ancient temples were visible just over the treeline. There was no sign of a landing platform; and as Renora looked out the viewport, she wondered where exactly they were going to land. At a small opening in the trees, Akea guided the Leviathan down toward a tranquil pond. "Fasten your seatbelt," he cautioned. His fins flipped several switches on the dash, cutting power to the repulsorlift engines. Gravity took hold and the Leviathan plunged into the water at a 45-degree angle. The splash was quite audible from within the cockpit but the impact was less than Renora expected. After all, the Leviathan was designed to do this sort of thing.

The front lights kicked on and the aquatic engines propelled the ship deeper. A small tunnel was visible ahead, not much wider than the ship itself. Akea guided the ship carefully through the tunnel for a few hundred meters. The tunnel gradually ascended into an opening that was sized specifically for the Leviathan. Akea brought the ship to the surface and killed the engines. The ship rocked slightly as it floated in place.

They were in a small cavern inside one of the temples; it was a dimly lit room, lit only by a 4 torches, one on each wall. Akea had this entrance constructed specifically for the Leviathan, though the original intention was an emergency exit. After the Shadow Academy's attack a few years ago, more secret tunnels and escape routes were installed, including this little garage for the Leviathan.

The whistles of an R2 unit echoed through the room, as the famous R2-D2 unit spun his head around excitedly. An older human male, one of the older Jedi trainees and one of the most recent to become a Jedi Knight, stood by the droid, waiting for the group to disembark.

Kirkland 16:33, 11 January 2010 (EST)

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The top hatch of the Leviathan opened, and Allanar Onsai climbed out first. He then assisted the two Chiss out of the hatch. Vayra's arms were cuffed behind her back, and she looked less than thrilled to be there. As the three stood atop the floating ship, a young human teenager ran into the room and toward the trio and offered them a hand and a welcoming smile as they stepped across the water and onto the stone floor. "Master Onsai, I am Brance Maddox," the kid introduced himself and bowed formally.

Must be Greer's new apprentice... Allanar gathered. The teen's personality seemed to be the polar opposite of his master's. Greer Lachlan remained standing at the entrance, as stern as ever. While the two hadn't interacted much, they certainly knew each other. Greer had never been fond of Allanar, or any Jedi that had dabbled in the dark side, for that matter. And he didn't look thrilled to see Allanar and a Sith standing before him in the Jedi temple.

Akea Oahu emerged from the water just in time to listen as Greer spoke.

His tone was unwelcoming, but that was just his personality, "It's good to see you again. Master Skywalker wishes to meet with you immediately. My apprentice, Brance, and I can take the prisoners to their... quarters." Greer struggled to find the correct word, as the Jedi Praxeum had no prison cells to speak of, it was simply a make-shift room they had prepared when they heard that Akea and Allanar would be bringing along extra company.

Kirkland 14:46, 13 January 2010 (EST)

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Akea and Allanar parted ways with Greer, Brance, and the two Chiss. Akea and Allanar both assured Renora they would be back to talk with her after their conversation with Luke. The pair of Jedi followed R2-D2 through the familiar Jedi temple to the top level, where they were told Luke was waiting for them.

((Wookieepedia: Great Temple has some good descriptions and layout diagrams of the building.))

R2 led them to one of the more grandiose hallways in the temple, where Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker met them at the top of the stairs. Luke, dressed in traditional jedi robes, flashed a quick smile. "Allanar, Akea, it's good to see you." His expression turned more serious as he continued, "I heard about the events surrounding the Bastion treaty talks. Your response to the incident was extraordinary given the circumstances." The four began to walk down the hallway, toward a training room at the end of the hall.

Luke continued, "Unfortunately, as you may very well suspect, this is not an isolated incident. This is a discussion we should have had a long time ago, and it is my fault that it has not taken place. Come, let me show you." There was a short silence as the group entered the empty training hall, a silence broken only by R2-D2's wheels as he rolled toward a control panel on the side of the wall. He plugged in his SCOMP link.

"Do you remember the Caamas Document Crisis?" Luke asked, a clearly rhetorical question as the Jedi obviously remembered this piece of recent galactic history. It was the event that eventually lead to the signing of the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty and the end of the Galactic Civil War between the Remnant and the Republic.

"When Mara and I were on Nirauan retrieving the Caamas Document, R2 stumbled upon something else." The holoprojector in the middle of the room flickered to life, displaying at first the hundreds of thousands of star systems that made up the galaxy. It quickly zoomed into a section of the galaxy known as the Unknown Regions, an area, for the most part, not yet explored or documented. Even with all the advancements the New Republic has made over the years, there were many challenges to charting this area of the galaxy; neither Akea nor Allanar knew of any detailed astrogation charts for it.

Rather surprisingly, the display lit up with a plethora of data on star systems. It wasn't up to the standards of a typical astrogation chart of the known galaxy, but it was clear that someone had a very good understanding of what was in these Unknown Regions.

"While we were there, we discovered a group that called themselves the Empire of the Hand. It was a division of the Empire that Grand Admiral Thrawn had completely isolated from the Galactic Empire at the time. Thrawn had a clone of himself stored in a large military complex on Nirauan. Mara and I destroyed the clone, and the facility; perhaps a bit foolishly, thought that was the end."

Mara Jade chimed into the conversation, "When we heard that Chiss were involved in the terrorist attack two days ago, it set off some alarm bells. There are still many questions, but Luke and I feel that the 'Empire of the Hand' might not be entirely dead after all. We're still waiting to see how the Imperial Remnant reacts to all of this; their actions may shed some light on their position in this whole debacle. Right now we don't have enough information to determine if they're victims or the orchestrators. So far they've isolated themselves from any further diplomatic discussions, citing the apparent kidnapping of their leaders. But there has been no indication thus far of the two organizations working together after Thrawn's death. It's thought that any link the Galactic Empire had with the Empire of the Hand was severed when Thrawn was killed."

With more answers came more questions, but all of this information was instrumental for the Jedi if they were going to plan a strategy for investigating this crisis further; and they certainly have plenty of leads.

Kirkland 18:00, 15 January 2010 (EST)

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Allanar regarded the young apprentice with a hesitant glance, but allowed him to help with getting the Chiss onto solid ground. Once he had he greeted him kindle, returning the slight bow in greeting.

"A pleasure to meet you Brance. Always refreshing to be welcomed home by familiar faces." Allanar glanced slightly towards Greer when he said it, though he did not necessarily mention anything about the less than warm greeting from Greer. He expected no different given Greers history with dark Jedi, and he mostly didn't blame Greer for his stance.

Allanar was somewhat reluctant to let the prisoners out of sight, but regardless of how Greer felt and despite Brance's inexperience he trusted that they would be well looked after. He was grateful they were led directly to speak with Master Skywalker and Mara Jade, no doubt there was some amount of explaining for them to do as well some answers for them to receive.

"It is good to be back Master Skywalker, our actions were nothing beyond what is expected."

Allanar followed along silently, listening closely as Luke started to explain the events and possible cause of some of the events. While he had never heard of the particular faction of the Empire, it did not surprise him that a small group had found a place to operate in the unknown regions of the galaxy. He had been apart of The Empire long enough to know how easily it could break apart and operate in small groups, it reminded him of terrorist sleeper cells that he had once spent time training to sniff out and eliminate. He had once even been apart of such a small and organized group, when the Imperial Guard regrouped for the re-risen Emperor Palpatine.

"I don't have much personal knowledge of The Empire of the Hand, but what I know of such organizations with the former Empire and what I know of how Thrawn liked to operate I wouldn't doubt that the faction survived and continues to operate. Though along the same lines, without a leader like Thrawn at the helm I doubt Pellaeon would agree to work with them in a way so easily linked back to The Remnant."

Allanar paused for a long moment, along the conversation to continue though he seemed to still be thinking on something in particular. There was much to think over extenisvley, so this was no surprise. He waited until an ideal time in the conversation to chime in with a short comment that obviously occupied some of this thoughts.

"It seems almost impossible, but I've been haunted by clones before... While I fought with the intruder on the bridge of The Amity, I was distinctly reminded of an old friend. I am not entirely sure of the connection, but I am almost certain that she has some link to Brakiss..."

This comment held particular weight with the other three gathered in the room, as they were all well aware of Allanar's training in Echani martial arts which allowed him to read deeply into a person's personality during combat.

--FyreFly 21:34, 21 January 2010 (EST)

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((Brian, did Akea hear anything on the comm. frequency recording he made on the way to Yavin?))

Akea exchanged his familiar greeting with Greer and gladly met Brance's acquaintance. He listened quietly to Luke and Mara's explanation, and pondered quietly for a moment thereafter before issuing his response.

"Allanar, if indeed Vayra is connected to Brakiss, it would put the issue of her allegiance in an interesting light. It is clear that she is Sith - she spoke of a master, and in all likelihood, this is not Brakiss. Brakiss, though a formidable Dark Jedi, was not a practicing Sith. It is possible that she was indoctrinated to the ways of the darkside at the Shadow Academy, and later discovered deeper, darker, secrets. We cannot yet say. The Sith are dangerous opponents, and it is unlikely that they would display a show of power so bold unless they had the resources to deal with the consequences - if the Empire of the Hand thrives and the Sith have entered the picture, I am certain they are connected. Thrawn's legacy suggests that he would not create an organization that would willingly bend to a Sith's manipulation, but one must consider that few who do bend to the will of a Sith ever meant to do so."

Akea looked around briefly before moving on to another subject, another former enemy of the Republic.

"Thrawn was a cunning commander, and he was free of the hubris that so often plagued the Sith lords who more commonly plagued our galaxy in days past. He would have had no explicit desire to be in control, and that made him that much more dangerous - certainly, any operation he set up would be capable of running independently of his direct supervision, much unlike Palpatine's corrupted bureaucracy, designed to be increasingly inefficient, that the Emperor was able seize greater and greater power."

Akea began circling the holographic projection as he spoke, making a slightly unsettling clicking noise as he circumnavigated the chamber, thinking. Dur Sabon who spent a great deal of time on land often developed a hard callous on their upper vocal cords, which produced the noise in question when vibrated against softly, such as when vocalizing the thinking process (as when a Human says 'Hmm...').

"In that regard, I believe it is entirely possible that the Empire of the Hand functions yet. With whose cooperation, I am not sure of. Allanar is correct in suggesting that Pallaeon would rightly be hesitant to cooperate with them - He endangers the whole Remnant, and indeed the galaxy, by creating such a connection, and it seems he would hardly be willing to take the risk without a leader like Thrawn at the helm to guarantee forward progress. That said, I cannot yet discount the possibility that this kidnapping was staged - it gives Pallaeon a convenient excuse to duck away to the Unknown Regions and continue plotting. Clearly, before we take any decisive action on the matter, we need more information - But! As with all things, there is a balance. We also cannot hesitate to act, for peace is at stake."

Akea stopped his pacing, turning to face the three Jedi.

"There a number of issues, which the Jedi Order is uniquely equipped to deal with, whose address will yield valuable information. Firstly, we must decide what is to become of Vayra, the Chiss Sith we have captured. She demands her own release in exchange for information, and claims to serve a master of whose identity we are not aware. Secondly, it may be possible yet to find Pallaeon and his governors in Force - their location may reveal information about their activities. It is especially worth noting that he had a Force-sensitive woman among his crew; if the kidnapping was legitimate, she may be attempting to issue a distress call in the Force - of course there is no guarantee of this. Finally, we must establish a rapport with the New Republic government on this matter - both of our investigations will be more fruitful if they are at least somewhat coordinated. For now, Master Skywalker, this is my take on the issue. There are discussions to be had."

Akea bowed his head gently in respect, returning the floor to whoever wished to speak.

Dan 00:58, 25 January 2010 (EST)

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((Nothing from the comm frequency recording, I meant to mention this in the last post.))

Luke walked toward the large window in the room as Akea and Allanar spoke. He turned to respond. "One step ahead of you," Luke smiled. "I've been in contact with NR High Command. The Starfighter Corps is beginning an aggressive reconnaissance program in the Unknown Regions. There's a lot of ground to cover, but this data," he gestured to the projection, "should give them a head start. We'll be getting periodic reports of their progress."

"As for Vayra, it's too early to be making any decisions. She cannot be trusted; and even if the information she has is valuable, there's no way to guarantee its authenticity." Luke said, turning to Allanar, "and her undoubted connection to Brakiss is concerning. Brakiss trained many, and I am sure that not all of them fought and died with him right here on Yavin IV. How she came into contact with Sith, and who her Sith master is, are questions that will be bugging me for some time."

Mara chimed in from the center of the floor. "The New Republic mentioned that you had an officer of theirs with you as well, another Chiss," she paused for a short moment. "Surely that's not just a coincidence?"

Akea and Allanar briefly explained Renora came to be in their custody. ((I'll let you further describe your level of trust in her)).

After hearing all this, Luke warned, "Be careful. Despite her cooperative intentions, we don't know the extent of the Sith's influence over her or the CEDF's. Which brings up a third party, the Chiss." R2 was paying attention; the projection zoomed into an area of the Unknown Regions around Csilla and other Chiss colony worlds. "What's their role in this? Perhaps Renora could shed more light; any information on the CEDF's involvement would help. Terrorism without provocation is not their style, to be sure."

Mara spoke again, "Though our resources are limited, we must not wait for the next piece of bad news to act." She turned back to the projection, which R2 kindly zoomed out for her. "We have a few options. The NR Starfighter Corps reconnaissance efforts could be aided by the Jedi Order, speeding up the effort to locate the Empire of the Hand. Second, we could investigate Pellaeon's kidnapping. Determining whether or not it was a hoax would be valuable. Thirdly, though the Republic hasn't formally requested it, it'd be wise to send a pair of Jedi to accompany the New Republic in opening a dialogue with Csilla. Relations between the Chiss and NR have been sporadic, and there is no permanent diplomatic presence on either side. Given the delicate situation, and the fact that the Chiss could potentially be implicated in this, warrants our assistance."

Luke walked back down the short steps as the group convened at the center of the room. The projection of the galaxy vanished and R2 chirped. Luke spoke, "We have Greer and Brance available for assignment. Other Jedi may be available soon, and either Mara or myself will stay here at the Praxeum and coordinate efforts. Master Oahu, Allanar Onsai, any suggestions on how to pursue this effectively?" Luke had a feeling that Akea and Allanar's direct involvement would lead to better intuition on how to move forward.

Kirkland 01:22, 28 January 2010 (EST)

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After retelling the story of Renora's capture, Akea paused for a moment, deep in thought. He shook his head slightly as he began to speak.

"What Renora told us was true, but that doesn't mean she's told us everything she knows - in fact, I suspect she has not. She was assigned by the CEDF to infiltrate the New Republic military. I am well aware of galactic realities - governments, even at peace, will surely carry out non-official espionage against one another; I would be unsurprised to discover the New Republic had its own spies, living or electronic, within the Chiss Ascendancy. Therefore, this news, in and of itself, is not surprising. That the CEDF would have ordered her to take part in this ambush is considerably more surprising. My current working theory - this is purely speculative, I must confess, but we must have a starting point for our approach - is that either the Chiss, the Empire of the Hand, and-or the Sith have become mutually intertwined. Vayra's involvement in this plot sparked my suspicions."

Akea absently traced a circle around one the dials on his comlink with a bony digit, looking up after a moment and putting forth his suggestion, proving that even he, occasionally, sported a sense of humor.

"I shudder to think of the impression Master Lachlan would give to already-suspicious Chiss diplomats. He's likely in better shape than I am to carry out reconnaissance anyway. That in mind, I would like to volunteer Allanar and myself as accompanying diplomats to Csilla. In addition to this being a crucial dialogue, Allanar and I will be able to conduct our own investigation into any traces of the Sith or Empire of the Hand that might be working their way into the Chiss political sphere, not to mention searching the area for what may have become of the Imperial leadership - I feel Csilla houses information crucial to verifying my theories regarding this ambush."

Akea seemed to get caught on his own words before continuing his sentence, breaking his string of speech with a harsh, wet cough. His gills shuddered for a moment before he continued, with a slight shake of his head. He'd made extensive use of his Force abilities during the ambush, and had neglected his subconscious effort to keep his illness at bay. Before he spoke, he seemed to swallow something, though he paid the issue no mind. Instead, he responded with vague optimism, managing what the humanoids in the room would assume to be the Sabonese equivalent of a smile.

"Besides, Allanar and I owe the Order and the Republic a successful negotiation."

Dan 16:55, 30 January 2010 (EST)

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Luke flashed a quick smile before responding, "I think it would be wise to go there a few days before the NR delegation and confirm it is safe for them. I don't know if you plan to take Renora with you, but if you do, I would urge caution. She could be very useful to your investigation in such a homogeneous society, but her allegiance to the CEDF could be compromising to your efforts. How much do you trust her, is the question."

Kirkland 02:00, 7 February 2010 (EST)

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Allanar waited until Akea had given his full explanation of his thoughts, pausing long enough to give a concerned look through Akea's brief attack of his degenerative disease. He didn't often break his frequently stoic appearance, but no doubt there was a brief look of concern, he also knew that Akea wouldn't want to see it.

"I agree with Master Oahu, I think we would be best suited to furthering our investigation as well as the negotiations on Csilla."

Allanar gave a long pause as Luke's suggestion that Renora could be helpful to their investigation, no doubt she had more information not only on the situation with the CEDF but also on the planet which they would be holding their investigation. However he was not sure he trusted her enough to allow her to join them, would it restrict their access if they wanted to move under the public radar? Even more disastrous, would she betray them outright and attempt to sabotage their negotiations in some way?

"While I admit that I certainly don't entirely trust Renora, especially on matters where she may be conflicted, I do think her helpfulness will make up for the potential risk. I don't believe she has any desire to see relations become worse between The CEDF and the New Republic. It's my opinion that we should bring her, if you're comfortable with that Master Oahu?"

--FyreFly 23:29, 8 February 2010 (EST)

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Akea seemed to ignore Allanar's question for a moment, swallowing again, but less visibly than before. He seemed to have regained his composure fully when he extended upward somewhat and replied to Allanar's question.

"We should bring her, but we must be aware of the risks and responsibilities that entails. She is officially in our custody at this point, which means we're responsible for protecting her - her handlers may wish to avoid the risk of her leaking information and try to kill or recapture her. It's also possible that she might lead us straight into a trap - history has taught us to be prepared for such things, however."

Akea shrugged slightly as he continued.

"I don't fully trust her either. Even if she means well, there's no telling what means of coercion the people who ordered her to infiltrate the New Republic navy may be able to exert. She might be forced into betraying us, despite her best intentions. Thus, we do endanger ourselves by taking her. That said, the risks are worth the rewards - a Chiss guide will go a long way in that society, and if her determination to unravel the tapestry of intrigue surrounding this attack is genuine, she'll know where to look better than we will. There's another boon, too, although it may not seem like one..."

Akea eyed his larger wrist bracer momentarily - though it wasn't readily visible, it was the one that housed his lightsaber when he carried it, which he presently did.

"Renora's return to Csilla may prompt the figure behind the attack to take brash action in the hopes of gaining Renora back or preventing her defection. I do wrestle with the notion of using her, to put it crudely, as bait, but I intend to be upfront with her about the nature of our mission. If she truly wishes to aid our investigation, she'll be well aware that this is at her own risk, as well as ours. We won't force her to go, although I also intend to remind her that more evidence of her distance from the attack's true planners will favor her acquittal..."

He returned his gaze to Luke and Mara.

"Do we have a plan, then, if only loosely?"