High Prophet Crozeus
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Crimson and ShadowIn the space of a few months Crozeus once again found himself outside Mon Calamari, having recieved a transmission from Grand Inquisitor Prognie. He swooped into the atmosphere, bypassing the guards due to his signiature, but he was sure he would be monitored by Inquisitorial squads. He landed not too far away from the goverment building and was relieved to be offered a speeder through the rain. It was apparent that Prognie was expecting him.
He approached Prognie's office, clad in his usual contrasting attire. He waited outside, knowing Prognie would pick up his Force signal.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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The doors to Prognie's office opened up, from them emerged Prognie with two cloaked figures that simply turned to Crozeus and nodded before being escorted down the hall by guards. Almost as if disregarding the men, Prognie walked toward Crozeus already wearing his cloak indicating the two would not spend their time in the building.
"Please follow, Moff Crozeus" Prognie said bluntly as he walked down the main hall. Assuming Crozeus was behind him the Inquisitor spoke to him but didn't turn around to face him, "We'll be visiting the Mon Calamari shipyards if you don't mind."
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus noddded, though an icy feeling twitched at the back of his neck, like it usually did when with an Inquisitor. He preferred the community of the Prophets to the secrecy of the Inquisitors, one of the reasons why he changed his choice. "I'm right behind you," was all he said, feeling the need to say everything due to Prognie's blindness.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Prognie continued down the halls, he could feel each individual they passed in the corridors, the distinct feeling they emitted in the force allowed him to know who or what he was passing. Reaching the hangar there was a small shuttle, it was a transport ship between the planet and the shipyards above so it was not capable of hyperspace nor was it built for a fight.
"Come Moff Crozeus, you are my guest today." Prognie moved into the transport ship that was slightly personalized for him and any guests. The pilots were already in their seats waiting for the okay to go."I hope you have not left anything behind you might need, we'll not be returning soon."
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High Prophet Crozeus
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"Thank you milord, I'm sure I'll be fine." Crozeus followed Prognie onto the shuttle and took a seat. It was rather comfortable. Things ran through his mind. What had Prognie called him here for, and more importantly why would they go to the shipyards? Caligulae had said that the Duro would construct the ship he had come to Prognie for.
"Milord, if I may ask, what is the meaning of this?" He enquired.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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*Bump?*
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"You shall see when we arrive above," facing the transport he motioned for Crozeus to proceed first. "Unfortunately I cannot see so I leave the piloting of ships to others. If you don't mind, I'd like for us to travel alone which leaves you in control of my life if you don't mind piloting the shuttle to the docks above?" Prognie could find any pilot who would jump at the chance to pilot even a speeder for him.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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"Of course." Despite his growing unease he still wouldn't refuse a request from a Dark Lord. Wordlessly, he climbed into the vacant pilots chair and ran the basic take-off procedures that were standard in all Imperial craft. Before long they were heading towards the immense docks that were the pride of Mon Calamari, and had been for hundreds of years. Crozeus had never liked piloting shuttles, he found them too slow and unmanouvreable.
Realising Prognie wouldn't know, he called out. "We're here."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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The docks had many areas of interest, some of them secret and most notable. The large ships that protruded from them were the Mon Calamari's pride and joy: their mighty warships. The landing bay where Prognie's shuttle was cleared was a private area, only the leaders of the famous planet could dare step foot into it and those leaders all but gave the entire planet to Prognie. The fish heads were not foolish, but were trusting.
When Crozeus landed the shuttle the ramp hit the floor with a small thud, Inquisitors and Mon Calamari position themselves out of it in two lines forming a road. "Prophet Crozeus, I hope you have come prepared to face yourself, as we're going to help you get whatever you left behind back."
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Now he was interested. As he walked, he thought over the hundreds of possibilities Prognie's last sentence could mean. Realising what he deduced could be horribly wrong, he decided to ask.
"And what do you mean by that?"
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Prognie smiled as he lead the Prophet through the docks, loud noises from clanks to drills could be heard all over so Prognie had to make sure to keep his voice audible. "Prophet Crozeus, you have endured some unfortunate incidents at the hands of others. It would be un-sithly to let those go unpunished for what they have done to you. I want to extend a hand to you, to provide you with the resources to not only crush your opponents, but wipe them from existence."
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus raised an eyebrow. Now that was an enticing prospect. Instantly in his mind thousands of possibilities ran over, bringing the first true smile he had had in a long time to his lips. It was a relief that Prognie couldn't see him grinning like a moron, but even an untrained child could detect his excitement. However, he controlled himself and spoke in a measured voice.
"And it would be un-sithly, would it not, to offer something so extravagant without there being a catch."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Prognie simply smiled, "Think of it as they say, 'Scratch my back and i will scratch yours' type ordeal." The two finally reached the room Prognie was searching for, the room was hidden amongst hallways and other rooms. The door opened and before Crozeus was a small assembly of men that would soon be at his disposal.
"Crozeus, you have the option of walking through that door and changing your life, or walking back into the shadowed depths that is your current one. Which do you choose?" Prognie said as he stood before Crozeus, he was not going to make him stay but he hoped he did.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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The idea of scratching Prognie's back, obviously not literal, could mean many things. Crozeus did not know, of course he had ideas, but he did not know all of what the Dark Lord got up to. However, greed got the better of the young Prophet, and he stepped through the door and looked at the group of men who stood before him.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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The door shut behind Crozeus, the men in the room all sat back easily and Prognie motioned for Crozeus to take a seat. "You have made a wise choice, the group you see assembled before you are some of the finest minds in their areas."
"The first man is my own personal tactical Adviser, Kadir Relin, he will aid you in coming up with the best plan to attack your enemies. The next is Kela, she is one of the top Inquisitors and has never failed to find her target." Prognie went through the men and women assembled one by one, each of them good at a certain thing and all loyal to Prognie.
"I have assembled this group to not only advise you but to help you accomplish your goal."
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus greeted each one with a firm handshake. He did not doubt their ability, but there was a nagging feeling in his mind.
"Before I accept this, Lord Prognie, I must know what you expect from me in return."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Prognie gave him a warm smile, "You seem to be under the impression that the favor you give in return must be as large as the favor I am doing for you. Take this as a I am fond of you Prophet Crozeus and you have much room to grow. But you are held back, you can never hope to become Supreme Prophet with the amount of baggage you carry." Prognie stopped, switching his feelings to that of curiosity he changed the smile on his face to concern. "Have you not seen this yourself?"
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus smiled slightly, but the matter at hand was far more serious. "I know what you have done, Lord Prognie. I know what sort of person you are. And I also know that you would never help a Sith on the basis that you are fond of him."
He sighed. "I have never envisioned myself as Supreme Prophet. High Prophet, yes of course, but I see Praxeum as in that position until his death.
I know more than what you think, Lord Prognie. I know that this wouldn't be the first time you tempted a Sith with Supreme Prophet. And I also know what happened last time."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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(Prognie never tempted anyone with anything)
"Interesting, I am not sure if this was an ability taught so... openly but very few know how to do it and even less is how many have seen it done. But there is an ability that allows one to alter the visions of others. It's a rare power that I discovered deep in the archives of the Church back when I was in it."
"And you seem to place me as a bad guy Prophet Crozeus, if I were such, why would you have bothered to enter in through that door or come here all together?" Prognie did not look at Crozeus for his gaze would not have the burning glare that belonged to the Emperor. Instead the Dark Lord chose to remain still and peaceful, a completely unexpected result for such a conversation.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Now Crozeus laughed.
"Bad is a point of view. I'm sure in the eyes of many we are both 'bad'. Every Sith wants more power, even the Emperor, and that is why I walked through this door."
((OOC events influenced IC ones.))
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"So then I should arrest you here then, should I not?" All the individuals in the room stood up, blasters removed from holsters waiting for Prognie's command. Prognie still remained seated though, he just waited for Crozeus' response.
(OOC events? Those should never be influencing IC events, that's called godmodding.  )
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus smiled, hiding the pang of fear. He spread his arms.
"Go ahead. I think you and me both know that I would kill every person in this room, save you."
((Sometimes it's good to have that. Like when the site was 3 years old, we called it IC Shadow's jubilee.))
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Prognie drummed his fingers on the table, "Prophet Crozeus, you seem to be under the impression that these men have come unprepared for a force user. I could easily disable you before you even thought to move. But that's not what we're going to do now is it?" There was a smile on Prognie's face, the others in the room took note of it and sat down.
"So what will it be Prophet Crozeus? Do you take my extended hand or do you wish to live in the same darkness that your life has become?"
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High Prophet Crozeus
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There was no going back. Crozeus was silent for a minute before he replied.
"I will take it."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"So go ahead and recount what you know to these fine people, they will be analyzing the information you present, also provide anything new that you might have discovered since last time we met." The others in the room pulled out their datapads to compare to the information they had already been given as well as make notes and mark that which needed to be reviewed after.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus complied, recounting from memory everything he knew about the Crimson Blades. To his surprise, a few of them actually knew who they were, and recognized the names of some of the members. It took over five minutes for him to regurgitate every bit of knowledge he had about them.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"I think the first course of action is infiltrating this group, it will allow us to further analyze them from the inside. It will better prepare us for what they have, what they can do, and it also helps us understand their motives." One of the men in the group spoke up.
Kela had raised a bony finger to steal the floor, "We also need to know who their leader is. He is the main objective of any goal, you chop the head off and the rest of the body stops functioning. Even if they have plans for such an event, the chaos would allow us precious moments to make our move against them."
Kadir was next to make a point, "I agree with the idea of infiltrating them, we need to have a good idea of the numbers they are working with. If they have a star destroyer as Prophet Crozeus speculates, then they could possibly have a lot of people bent to their wills."
"I am calculating so far that the amount of force needed to attack them would be at least the The Dark Saber. If we are looking at fighting against other force users then I suggest we use 3 Company of Blacknight Commandos minimal."
Prognie had just been sitting as the others were writing things down quickly, writing down thoughts to go over later. "Prophet Crozeus, what do you feel is sufficient enough to take out these foes?"
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus had been thinking over what the others had been saying. "I agree that infiltration is a vital first step. However, from what I understand they have not accepted any into their ranks for many years. Their leader is a former Jedi Master named Kwai Jin Shii - when I was a Jedi, she was my Master."
Then he thought over Prognie's question. "I am no Military expert. I think bringing a fleet to Kashyyyk would not be the best course of action. I believe a smaller team of Sith, prepared to fight in lightsaber or Force combat, would be a better path to take. That way we can avoid any incidents in the media."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"As a Prophet, what do you foresee though is our outcome? I am looking at you to dictate our best options here." Prognie wasn't ignoring the imput of his best advisers, only that he wanted to place trust in Crozeus, something that would boost his own confidence in the upcoming fight.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Not for the first time, Crozeus shut his eyes and delved into the Force. As usual, the vision was surrounded in grey, in shadow. But this time, there was a definite feeling of success... and death.
"It feels like we will be successful, though at a cost," he told Prognie.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Prognie nodded despite the obvious reading of the force, he had hoped Crozeus would be searching for more but he was, like all of them, content with the simple answers the force provided.
"We will find a weakness in their defenses, that's where we will strike. We cannot increase Imperial presence or they will notice, we also cannot alter anything to our advantage or they will notice. We do need to find their ships, if they have any, and find a way to swiftly disable and destroy them."
"Prophet Crozeus, I would like to see a few more Inquisitors on the planet to allow for swift movement. Would it be possible to get you to authorize them access onto the Church's chapter there?"
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus nodded. "Certainly, though it will be difficult to prevent the Supreme Prophet from noticing. I shall do my best to ensure the Prophets' silence."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"The Supreme Prophet's increased duties have kept him very busy, I doubt he will notice. The Inquisitors have a way of blending in easily, the rest of the Prophets won't notice the difference." Names of available inquisitors and agents best suited for the jobs were already being brought up on datapads by the others, when the inquisitors worked they worked fast.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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Crozeus frowned. "You doubt the efficiency of our Prophets at manning their chapters. Rosters are taken, they will stand out like a sore thumb. And I know Stap Praxeum. No matter what he has to do, he will always check on his Prophets, and his Chapters."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"And you doubt the abilities of the Inquisitors Prophet Crozeus, if you underestimate them now, then they will not serve you well in what is to come." Prognie took pride in his order, he had helped reshape it into a powerful Order. Not even Praxeum could match his Church against what the Inquisitors were now.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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"I'm not here to get into a fight about our respective Orders, Lord Prognie, and neither are you. We will see if they can make themselves unknown in the middle of the Chapter."
Crozeus ran a hand through his hair and grimaced. "What now?" He asked.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"We start monitoring them as best as we can, we'll be depending heavily on your ability to let us have access to the Church as a base. We need to see how close we can get, what they are doing, and a weakness in their surroundings to exploit." Kadir said as he went over his datapad.
"The Church doesn't have to play host to all of our men, just a couple until we actually do strike." Kela said after kadir to wash away any hesitations from Crozeus.
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High Prophet Crozeus
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He nodded. "Very well. I'll send word that they should expect guests of top level importance."
He turned to Kela. "How long do you anticipate it will be before we can strike?"
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"Unknown, we cannot strike until we're sure that whatever we send in has a high success chance. We'll be working closely at analyzing all the data we get from watching them, since these are force users the entire situation is a lot different than just any old terrorist group." Kela was already organizing a group together on her datapad that would be responsible for watching the Grey Jedi group.
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