A massive cataclysm has struck the universe, and destroyed most everything in its wake. The survivors are now trying to pick up the pieces, and figure out exactly what has befallen them. Gather together, lightsiders!! The darkness has shattered the peace and calm of the galaxy...and they will do anything to stop anyone from finding out exactly what has been done! This is our first sitewide RP plotline. Lightsiders, you are looking for the source of this massive event. Clues must be found, lackeys tracked down, and bits of memory discovered. Darksiders, you guys don't want that to happen....because of the one behind the whole thing is furthering his ultimate goal. Mandalorians, and non-force users, you guys can decide where you stand on this line....do you side with the Jedi, and try to discover the reasons behind the ruined universe, or will you side with the darkness, and protect those secrets. Will the secret of the cataclysmic reaping be kept under wraps? Or will the Jedi and their allies find out the truth? Your RP and writing will decide the outcome!
BATTLE ARENA
Welcome to The Saga Continues. We have a section called the Battle Arena. Here you can use your characters to fight other characters. Hone your skills and see what you are made of. Don't worry, anything that happens here, does not effect your characters in posts, so if your character dies, you can still use them over and over. Have fun and check it out!
The Saga Continues is the product of the mind of ADMIN ADI; all contents are copyright their original owners. All characters belong to their original creators, and may not be used or replicated without permission. All images are copyright their original owners. This skin Operation Mindcrime was made by pharaoh leap of Pixel Perfect and put together by ADMIN KRYSTAL
Like much of the city, the Lothal City Capital Building is constructed of predominantly white materials. It is shaped like a round box, crowned by a towering spire. Located in the center of Capital City, the building stands as a testament to a time before the Empire takeover.
Raisa Ronan stood alone, dwarfed by the massive window she stared through. Even from this height, the chaos of the outside world was easy to spot. The oranges and reds of spreading fires clashed with the warm pastels of the dying sun. Soon, darkness would fall, and the flames would be the only thing to guide the streams of civilians fighting for their lives. They looked a bit like ants, from so high up. Some might even stoop to thinking of them that way.
A throat was cleared behind her. "Senator?"
There was a pause, as the title was still foreign to her. And when she finally did turn, her brows were furrowed. "Just call me Raisa, please."
The other woman frowned as well, but finally loosed a small shrug. There are more important things to worry about, just now, she found herself musing. "Raisa, then."
Raisa studied her companion in silence. Her brunette hair was secured in a bun atop her head, not a wisp out of place. Her adviser garb was as pristine as her hair, a testament to the woman herself. She had a pointed chin, and high cheekbones that seemed to slash across her pale face. Almond-shaped brown eyes, a pointed nose, and an eternal scowl added a decade onto her mere twenty-eight years. Her appearance, coupled with her slightly nasally tone, reminded some of the stereotypical schoolmaster. And she was Raisa's closest friend.
"Have you come to tell me it's all gone to hell, Gina?"
Gina gave a thin-lipped smile. "Actually, that's not the case until you make an official statement saying so."
At that, Raisa gave a soft laugh. Leave it to Gina to retain her dark humor, even in such dire times. "Yes, I suppose I should prepare myself to do so." Then she sighed, and raked a hand through her hair. Judging from the way the bits framing her face stood up, Gina guessed her friend had done this many times over the past hour. "I'm needed downstairs, aren't I?"
There was sympathy in the curt nod. "The ministers are getting anxious, and they're starting to demand that we send more troops to find Governor Brindle."
Though it was wildly inappropriate for a woman in her position, Raisa rolled her eyes. "Because we have so many troops available at the present."
As the sarcasm was as unexpected as the eye roll, Gina had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. Once she had schooled herself back into business-mode, she continued. "Though no one has said it outright, there are a lot of people that think that he should be making the decisions, not you. There are concerns that you don't know what you're doing."
"Yeah, well, those are concerns that I share." Raisa's expression was again grim as she finally stepped away from the window. The full skirts of her formal dress swirled silently at her feet as she closed the distance between them. "I wish I knew where they were."
"Governor Brindle?"
Raisa hesitated only the briefest second, then nodded. "Well, yes, I worry for the governor. I hope he is safe."
Gina spoke gently, in that tone reserved for the lost and the grieving. "But you meant your parents, didn't you?"
Again, Raisa nodded, sending her blonde hair falling into her face. She wished, for just a moment, that she might hide behind that curtain until it was all over. "I could use their guidance. But I mostly just worry for them."
Like Governor Brindle, Theodore Henry Ronan and his wife, Josephine, had been outside of Capital City when the planet had gone mad. Now, nearly twenty-four hours later, there was no word of their whereabouts - or their well being. "It should be my father making the decisions, not me. I-" Raisa's hands trembled as she glanced down at them. "I'm just an adviser."
"No, you're a senator, and I'm your adviser now. Happened about ten hours ago, after everything went to hell, remember? I mean, you were there."
The clipped, matter-of-fact tone was precisely what Raisa needed. As a thank you would not be sufficient, she offered her friend a small smile, and clasped her hands to still their shaking. "You're right," she answered, "I'm the senator now, for better or for worse. Let's go make sure that those ministers know it."
Governor Geoff Brindle had thought himself many things: intelligent, charismatic, charitable, the last of the three being perhaps the most laughable. But the most dangerous thing that Brindle considered himself was immune. Untouchable. Things could happen to other people, other planets, but never his own. Never himself. So, in this fashion, when news of the plague first reached Brindle, he simply ignored it. Despite the warnings, the pleas for help, and the screams of panicked communicators, Brindle advised his officials not to fear. Generations of isolationism had ensured their safety, building barriers between Lothal and the rest of the world. "We are safe here," he had promised his people, in an alert broadcast to every city, and every home. "Lothal cannot be dirtied by the Republic's mess."
Four hours later, a dock worker had complained to his superior about a sudden fever. It was all over, then. As Brindle was now unreachable, Senator Brax Allegan had directed all local citizens to the Capital Building. It was a brilliant plan, given the building's size, location, and various landing pads; thousands of lives were saved. It was the senator's final act, before succumbing to the madness himself, just outside the doors of his own safe haven.
Even a day later, streams of Lothalites sought refuge in the building, bringing their most prized possessions with them. Some even led livestock, all of which were stabled in one of the larger chambers. And still, the room that Raisa and Gina found themselves in was the wildest in the massive complex. The sound was enormous, practically slapping the senator in the face as the double doors parted. Men and women shouted over each other, their gestures large and violent. For one panicked moment, Raisa worried that these people might have been exposed to the plague. But no, they were simply politicians.
Lifting both hands for quiet, Raisa attempted to raise her voice above the din. "Ladies and gentlemen, please, might I have your attention for a moment?" If anyone heard her, they gave no indication. In fact, conversations that had lulled upon her arrival roared back even louder than before. Beside her, Gina winced.
"Miss Ronan." This was not a polite request for attention, but rather, a demand for it. In unison, Raisa and Gina turned to meet the angry gaze of an enormously pudgy man. Minister Viktor Regis was an especially ironic figure, in Raisa's humble opinion. As the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, it was fitting that his mannerisms and appearance should be that of the pigs he tended to.
"Senator," came her soft, but stern correction. Envisioning a schoolteacher redirecting her student helped Raisa maintain the proper tone, and not scald the annoying man with the single word.
His hoggish face contorted with pain, as if she had instead plunged her fist into his gut. And while he looked as if he wanted desperately to argue, he got right to the point. "What news have you received regarding Governor Brindle?"
"Nothing more than what you have received, I'm afraid. He still cannot be reached." It was entirely possible that the man was dead, but saying so would do no good.
Minister Regis' jaw worked as he watched her. "Then what information do you have?"
"I have been given no additional information since we last spoke an hour ago, Minister."
Even despite her careful attempts to remain neutral, her wording managed to outrage the man. As if she had personally offended his mother, he reared back, beady brown eyes blazing. He puffed out his chest, jabbed a finger the size of a sausage at her, and exclaimed, "Senator Allegan would have known what was going on!"
"He would have," she replied, her voice now jagged ice, "were he not dead. But he is dead, Minister, as is what could be a majority of this planet." From the outside, Raisa remained entirely composed - her hands crossed in front of her, a pleasant smile quirking her lips. But within her blue eyes, a storm raged. "As Senator Allegan's replacement, it is my job to protect my people. This is especially important now, given Governor Brindle's absence. Now, if you have anything further, please make haste. I am on my way to observe the new safety protocols we have put in place."
Like a fish out of water, his mouth opened, closed, then opened again. "Well, I didn't vote for you."
"No one voted for her, Minister." Now it was Gina who spoke, piping up with the eager helpfulness of a child. In fact, she laid it on a bit thick, though surely the humor was lost on Regis. "She was appointed senator upon Allegan's death. We made an announcement, about ten hours ago. Don't you remember? I'm sure you were there."
And since the metaphorical mic had been dropped, the pair moved in tandem toward the opposite door, and temporary escape from the politics they had both pledged.
"I thought you had something that you wanted to tell them?" Gina asked Raisa as they moved down a long, empty corridor. Voices carried from various directions, but for the moment, the friends were alone again.
Raisa replied with a slight shrug. "I had only planned to let them know there were no further updates, attempting to keep them in the know." As her eyes hardened, she added, "Not that there is actually anything to know right now. And I wonder if my presence among the ministers does more harm than good."
Gina nodded knowingly. "I do think you will be of more use downstairs, with the civilians." She slanted her companion a glance. "They still seem to like you, at least."
The senator smiled weakly. "Here's to hoping that's one thing that this plague hasn't changed."
A maze of hallways, stairs, and lifts found Raisa and Gina approaching the city's head of security five minutes later. The man snapped to attention at their approach, and though his uniform was crisp, the exhaustion etched around his hazel eyes was unmistakable. Raisa would have sworn he was ten years older than he had been before the outbreak. "Commander," she stated, by way of greeting.
"Senator."
"At ease, please." It was a silly request, of course; it was unlikely that Will Lexor had been at ease a single time in the past twenty-four hours. But he did readjust his stance, and clasp his hands behind his back. "How are things going down here?"
"As well as they can," came his honest response, a deep crease of concern splitting his forehead. "We are actively monitoring all incoming citizens, checking their body temperatures, observing their behavior. Anyone who passes is brought inside, and distributed across various rooms." And anyone who fails is sent back outside to die. He did not have to say it - the weight of the grim reality hung heavy in the stale air between them.
Gina cocked her head, considering for a moment. "Why split them into smaller groups? We could use the massive chambers, where the senators and committees met."
Commander Lexor shifted uncomfortably, hesitating before he spoke. His eyes flitted briefly to Raisa's before he focused on the adviser. His pain was palpable. "In case one slips through. We would rather he infect only a few hundred, rather than thousands." At Gina's inhale of breath, he gave a helpless shrug. "We just don't know enough right now."
"No one does, Commander." Raisa placed a reassuring hand on his upper arm, and gave it a squeeze, recalling her previous conversation. "No one knows what is happening, and I think that's the scariest part. But you're doing an excellent job, and we'll let you get back to it." With a warm smile, she stepped back, and watched as the man returned to his duties.
"I hate this," Gina muttered.
"Yes." The word was uttered on a heavy sigh. "So do I."
In unison, Raisa and Gina both turned toward the source of the shout. It was Jorin, adviser to Governor Brindle, who strode toward them. Age had slowed him, and introduced a slight limp, but the look of determination on his face more than made up for the lag. The Gotal had been around for as long as anyone could remember, advising a number of important elected officials. And, for as long as Raisa had known him, he had been a prickly sort. As a child, she had made the mistake of asking him if Jorin was his first name, or his last. Even that had ruffled his fur.
"Adviser Jorin," she stated as he came to a stop. He was nearly six inches taller, but she was certain he would manage to look down his nose at her if he were a foot shorter. "What is it that I can do for you?"
"You could come with me. Your assistance is needed with a fairly delicate issue."
Raisa's head tilted, but her voice held faint wariness as she echoed, "Delicate?"
"Yes." His lips pursed. "There is someone here who claims to be a Jedi."
At her side, Gina's breath caught on a quick gasp of surprise. Raisa herself felt her stomach roll with sudden anticipation. Though she had met many Jedi, it had been years since one had visited Capital City. "A Jedi, here? That's wonderful news!" Surely, a Jedi would know what to do.
The Gotal winced. "Yes, well, I do have a few concerns with this particular Jedi." Then, under his breath, he muttered, "If that is what she is."
Raisa frowned. "Why is it that you have reservations? Is she not-"
"Hey, Jarvis!"
The sudden interruption had Raisa's mouth snapping shut. She turned, and was met with a sight that would forever be etched in her memory. In an angry swirl of emerald robes, a woman stalked across the marble floor. Her eyes, in a similar color, seemed to sizzle with electricity as they honed in on the governor's adviser. Raisa's first thought was if all that pent-up energy was the reason why her flame-red hair was so wild.
The Gotal gave a soft, inaudible growl. "The name is Jorin," he corrected sharply when the newcomer finally joined their small gathering. Through clenched teeth, he added, "I trust you know the senator, Miss Raisa Ronin."
"And I trust it'll take considerable force to yank that stick out of your hairy ass." At Jorin's shocked expression, the redhead grinned. Turning to Raisa, she extended a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, senator. You're not like any senator I've met before."
Despite herself, Raisa felt a smile quirk her lips. "And you are unlike any Jedi I've ever met before." She pressed her hand to the other woman's, who took it, squeezed, and gave a strong shake.
"Yeah, well, these are strange times for all of us." Dropping the senator's hand, the girl continued. "The name's Leo Malloy."
She has an odd lilt to her voice, Raisa found herself noticing. Whatever it was, it was melodic, and incredibly alluring. "Enchanted to make your acquaintance, Jedi Malloy." In her haste to introduce her companion, Raisa nearly missed the slight flicker of unease in Leo's brilliant green eyes. She made a mental note, with the intention to dig deeper later. "And this is Gina Preston, my adviser and dear friend."
"Nice to meet you," Gina said, her tone reminiscent of a star-struck teenager. Though the senator had met many Jedi, her new adviser had met very few.
More intrigued than ever by the green-clad girl, Raisa nodded toward the nearest exit. "Might you join us upstairs, please? We would love to discuss the current state of affairs with you."
"Happy to," was Leo's reply. She had only followed Raisa and Gina a few steps before she glanced back to where Jorin stood scowling. "Careful there, Jenkins," she called out. "Go too long, and your face is going to stay like that." With a helpful smile, and a quick wave of her hand, the woman trotted the rest of the way to the lift.
