marvelBoy123

*This entry has earned 73 XP (including a 50xp bonus)* Iher had been sent to Yavin 4 with a number of troopers in search of one of the Triumvirs. It seemed a strange request for a group of ordinary troopers but it seemed that the Triumvir had gone into hiding as the New Republic and its cronies had begun a dangerous manhunt against him. Triumvirate Intel was suggested a reasonably sound chance that he might be hiding out and Yavin 4 and so troops were dispatched immediately. They came across a small village camp, set up by some rebels who had become stranded on the planet. Of course such locals were hardly willing to aid Triumvirate forces and so Iher and his troops were having a tough time. It was just at that point that one of Iher's troops received a transmission for him. It seemed that his brother Farantros had been killed on the planet Iridonia. A couple of troops claimed he had been killed by NR mercenaries and that part of the city had since been lost to the enemy, the chances of recovering the body were slim. Rage boiled up inside Iher. If the New Republic would kill his brother then he would hunt down and kill all who would assist them and so in just the opposite way to his brother's moral journey, Iher set about on a mission of vengeance. It seemed he had turned to a path of violence and destruction...

*This entry has earned 22 XP* Farantros narrative: Location: The streets of Wortan in the Market Quarter The streets of Wortan were a dangerous place. An Imperial loyalist might indeed tell you that the Triumvirate's occupation had fixed that, but there still remained resistance to their rule. The Southernmost area of the city had been easily taken, it remained a maze of half collapsed buildings, the scars of a war long ago. The North however contained most of the population. It was on the banks of the Aro river and contained a massive network of tunnels and bridges that allowed resistance networks to spring up on any given street corner, commit their treacherous acts of terrorism and then disappear as though the whole thing had never happened. The Triumvirate had tried to seize the tunnel network but alas to no avail. The stormtroopers complained that the tunnels were not wide enough for their armour and said such a dangerous mission was not within their contract. Oh for the days of the old empire, when fear and strict discipline could keep the troops and the locals inline. To deal with the problem of resistance in the last holdout regions of the city, the Triumvirate had opted for a different tactic: dealing with suspected conspirators publicly. Those suspected of rebellion were arrested and paraded through the streets, some were executed in public squares, others sent to forced labour camps, some were even made to star in propaganda videos and show trials, forced to renounce their past and proclaim the glory of the Triumvirate. It was a purge on a level so widespread that many innocents were needlessly rounded up and punished. The system of rewards for reporting rebels was such that neighbours would spy on one another, friends would have each other reported and sometimes even members of the same family would turn on one another. Wortan became a bloodbath, a city already with such a tragic past was once more swept by a wave of violence. Farantros had not felt easy about this strategy. He has heard of it used before, of course the empire itself had used it but there had also been whisperings about certain goings on on the planet of Skye. He told himself that it was necessary. The words began flooding through his head. The words from his imperial training. The programming. "The Ends justify the Means...security, safety...The galaxy needs order... doubt has no place in the mind of a soldier..." The thoughts grew louder and louder, reaching a crescendo as they tried to force away his conscience "security and continuing stability...our most cherished beliefs will be safeguarded...defend our ideals by force... Good Soldiers follow orders". He continued with his mission, patrolling with a squad of regular troopers on the hunt for rebels. Many of the rest of his own squad had been required on other fronts (despite the humanocentrism in the Triumvirate, command was no longer able to ignore the usefulness of alien operatives). And so he was stuck with regs, ordinary troopers who had barely scraped a pass in the Imperial academy exams. Suddenly, they had contact, a Gungan up ahead in what was once the main market square. A shootout began as the Gungan clumsily opened fire on them. It was then that Farantros saw something out the corner of his eye, a young Devaronian and his mother, caught in the crossfire of their battle. They stood their terrified as both the Gungan and the stormtroopers continued fighting around them. Both sides claimed to care about the people and yet here were those in need and neither side seemed to notice. This was not a major battle, just a small skirmish but even then it seemed that ordinary civilians mattered so little to both sides that they were simply expendable, collateral damage. It was in that moment that something in Farantros changed, the cycle of Imperial indoctrination was broken and in the scared face of that young child, Farantros saw what he had once been. But as he ran to try and save the Devaronians something happened, something that would change everything else. One of the stormtroopers carelessly threw a thermal detonator towards his opponent. It was an attack that was specifically warned against in all imperial combat manuals. In close quarters combat, the casualty risks of such a blast were too high even if the detonator were thrown by an expert trooper. Unfortunately this trooper was in no way an expert. The detonator fell short of the target and landed near the child. Farantros new what he had to do. He ran towards the detonator, pushing the child to the floor and leaping onto the explosive device. It is usually at this point where for the hero of the story time seems to slow down. Where time stretches out endlessly so he can consider his life and his sacrifice in great detail. For Farantros, no such thing happened. Perhaps it was because he was not the hero of any story, perhaps such things do not happen in real life or perhaps it was because Farantros did not need to think about this action. It was an impulse, a selfless act, a penance for his life of violence. And as the blast exploded outwards Farantros felt the heat of it on his face. Devaronians are not hurt by fire you see and so he was still fully conscious and aware as his body was thrown outwards. This he thought was the end of Farantros, Son of Devaron, Slayer of the Dragon Slug, Agent of the Empire...

Love this! The use of all the different gold parts is amazing and really inspired too! I think that DBG was a really good choice for the other major colour as well - really makes the gold stand out. The figures and backstories are great as ever and I think this captures the casino style nicely while maintaining a really SW aesthetic.

Those statues are really nice - instantly recognisable as Ithorians and great to see three different sizes/designs. The vegetation is nice too!

Great unique vegetation and a really nice use of the underside of parts for details on the platform!

That bird is amazing! It has such organic shaping and the joints provide some great possibility but aren't obvious in a way that detracts from the build. Great way to end the story as well - I like how all of the major characters have developed a lot (except for perhaps Clod who is still perhaps at the beginning of a moral development like that of the others [though this in its own way suits the character of Clod]) is really nice because it does bring that sense of connection and interest with each of them. This really feels like all of them have a chance to learn something rather than having one "main" character and a number of supporting ones, each has really had their own story fleshed out without detracting from a larger narrative. I must admit that I wasn't sure of the concept of an Adventurers/ Star Wars hybrid at the start of this but the story telling has been so good that it really fits well within the style of both themes.

Really nice build, the colours of the landscaping are great and the photographs are as ever very cinematic. This is the one of your stories that I haven't read right through from the start so I definitely need to go back and read the prior entries!

Great build, nice graphics and good consistency with Bjorn's earlier build - really helps build a connected aesthetic.

*This entry has earned 11 XP* Farantros narrative: The battles on Iridonia had lasted for many weeks and whilst key strategic areas had been captured quickly, there remained those regions that were yet to submit to the superior might of the Triumvirate. Farantros had fought with his own squad as well as a number of Nezdi's local troops and they had successfully captured many enemy strongholds in the rural swamplands of Iridonia. Whilst most of the commanders had completed their missions, Farantros' force was to remain behind for a short while to maintain stability. It was during this time that Farantros was allowed a period of scheduled leave. For soldiers in the Triumvirate, much of life was simply moving from one battle to the next and so time off, even just for a day, came as a relief. Given the ongoing status of the invasion, the large towns and cities of Iridonia were not safe without a good blaster at your side and a great deal of caution. Farantros had therefore been pleased when Nezdi had invited him to spend the day off in the local village. And so Farantros found himself in a small cramped kitchen in rural Iridonia, talking to Nezdi's mother - Ihisii. Ihisii was a short, traditionally-built Zabrak woman with a pale complexion and a pleasant manner. She had cheerfully busied herself preparing a meal for their guest: chopping up vegetables and looking for ingredients in the cupboards. Her kitchen was rather a mess with Tupperware strewn across the countertops and crates of food littering the floor. She had told Nezdi to fetch his father from the workshop and then began talking to Farantros, telling him about what she was cooking - a traditional family recipe. Farantros had listened politely and remarked on the similarities of Iridonian culture and that of his homeworld of Devaron. As Ihisii finished up preparing the meal, Farantros walked through to the dining room where he met Nezdi's father, Vovvi. Vovvi was standing in the doorway of the dining room looking out thoughtfully across the yard and turned to acknowledge the young Devaronian as he entered. He was a stern looking elder Zabrak whose faced was lined with age. He was a quiet reflective sort and on the rare occasions that he spoke he did so slowly and with a deep booming voice that seemed to accentuate the wisdom of his words. He welcomed Farantros with a firm handshake and then his wife emerged from the kitchen to announce that dinner was ready. As the family and their guest sat at the dinner table, Ihisii began a conversation about recent events. Ihisii: "I must say how glad I am that the Triumvirate has come to restore order to this planet. For too long we have been at the mercy of pirates and hopeless remnants not to mention the constant meddling of the New Republic. Here is a toast to the hope that the Triumvirate has restored". All around the table raise their glasses of blue milk in a toast. The conversation then continued. Ihisii (cheerfully): "The Triumvirate taking control has already alieviated our shortages of food as well as bringing an influx of Triumvirate credits. The New Republic credits and local imperial ones just don't spend well these days. The Triumvirate's arrival will bring some much needed stability." Vovvi (seriously): "I hope so. Last time the Empire came here we were willing to trade our freedom for stability and look how that turned out. I hope we get the safety and security that we need. And there is the hatred as well, those stormtroopers are always discriminating against us non-humans. Just the other day they let humans skip in front on you in the market queue, Ihisii. Neighbour Obed got beaten up by them pretty bad as well. They claimed they thought he was a rebel spy. He didn't get any compensation or anything though when they found he wasn't. I don't want to seem ungrateful but We should still worried about the future" Ihisii: "Of course, but we should be optimistic about this new period in our history as well, one of security and prosperity." (To Nezdi and Farantros) "and we are proud and grateful for the fact you have liberated us!" Farantros smiled politely but inside he felt torn. There would be some within the Triumvirate who would have arrested the family for such slander and yet he could not ignore the truth in what he heard. Farantros had always been in an unusual position, an alien in what remained a human-centric empire, he had come to tell himself that the ends justified the means. Doubt had no place in the mind of a soldier and yet Farantros could not rid himself of the questions...

*This entry has earned 8 XP* Farantros narrative: That fateful mission began somewhat more peacefully than most others had done. Farantros had fought in almost every one of the conflicts and conquests in which the Triumvirate had become involved and in most, soldiers such as himself were thrown straight into the action. From his multiple roles in the battle of Fondor to his successes on Deysum, from the conquest of Kalist to his part in the capture of Virgillia. Perhaps the only exception had been that time he had been sent to prevent a war on Ota. That, he thought looking out across the swamp in front of him, was what the Imperial utopia was supposed to be about - sacrificing a little bit of freedom in the interest of security. Preventing wars when possible, fighting them when necessary. It was just unfortunate that these days the latter option seemed far more common. His reflections were all at once disrupted by a slight rustling noise behind him. It was Nezdi, a local Zabrak with whom he had arranged to meet. Nezdi had been a soldier at the local Imperial garrison (serving in a role considerably below his potential given the human centric prejudices of the remnant that remained on the planet). His past role might not have been visible but for the small blue flakes that remained on his armour where he had attempted to remove the markings of his old allegiance. Farantros acknowledged the Zabrak's presence and yet remained looking out at the swamp for just a moment longer, reminiscing about the swamps and marshes that covered his own homeworld. Then the two spoke. Farantros had covertly travelled to the planet in order to discuss the possibility of an invasion and occupation by the Triumvirate and whilst the Triumvirate's vast forces could easily capture a planet such as Iridonia, there were of course logistical benefits to getting local support. Nezdi, the young Devaronian hoped, could provide just that. Farantros: "I understand that you might be able to provide both troops and Intel to assist the Imperial Triumvirate in its conquest of this planet" Nezdi: "I can convince a number of troops to join your cause should the Triumvirate invade with a convincing display of force. The local garrison has received standard Imperial training that will surely align with the standards of the Triumvirate's forces but I must warn you that their morale is not high. For many rotations now we have been plagued by a terrorist group known as the Red Moon. It is as though they know our every move and it seems that none of our operations are safe from them. Most of the troops are convinced that the enemy is already with our ranks, some even seem to think that the remnant itself is under the control of a sinister alliance. Whatever it is, the troops will join you but only if they believe you have a chance of truly protecting this planet, we won't ally ourselves yet again to face such disap-" Farantros: "The Triumvirate's side of the operation should be of no concern. If that is all your men need then there is nothing more to be discussed on that matter. What about the intel though? I assume you can provide the remnant's standard defensive protocol as well as compiling a list of key targets for my forces to strike." Nezdi: "I can arrange it but that will come at a cost. I need guarantees too - you need our assistance so this this occupation will be under our terms." Farantros: "Do not overestimate your importance Office Nezdi. I can arrange to provide certain payments for your information, but I warn you - this operation will happen with or without your cooperation and it will happen on the Triumvirs' terms." Just a quick build to experiment with some texture and colours. This is also part 1 of 3 in my redemption arc for Farantros.

*Simulterious's entry has earned 21 XP (19xp, plus 1/4 of the average of all of the builds)* *Scout Trooper Brix's entry has earned 8 XP (6xp plus 1/4 of the average of all of the builds)* *Aufix's entry has earned 7 XP (5xp plus 1/4 of the average of all of the builds)* *Marvelboy's entry has earned 6 XP (4xp plus 1/4 of the average of all of the builds)* 1 By Simulterious 2 By Scout Trooper Brix 3 By Aufik 4 By marvelBoy123 All XP to be moved to Altor 14 - U13

Back to Q10 I see, at least the alliance can claim victory when it only has to fight against one player . Seems like it might be time for some more war crimes... Nice builds for Lothal, some great details in the microscope builds and a really impressive ITT.

*Your entry has earned 12 XP (x2 LTC Bonus)*

Thanks! No problem - I probably wasn't clear enough in the main post itself, especially given the tensions surrounding Skye.

Nice atmospheric scene!