Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor 
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474 
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
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Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 8, 2014 20:46:52 GMT -8
She released his face and motioned for him to rise from the grass. Pulling the worn edge of her cloak back, she tucked the pistol back into her belt.
"Then call off your attacks and let us get on with this ruse. Ashrah is engaged with one of my best, Lord Avius. We must arrange this death of yours. Did you have a plan or should we put you on a gunship and have an accident with it?"
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469 
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Feb 8, 2014 21:14:14 GMT -8
Taung stood and moved to put his helmet back on, sealing it quickly.
::All forces cease offensive operations and fall back immediately.:: He winked and switched channels.
::Bring him him in.::
The MAAT/CG that brought Taung, dipped its nose and moved towards the clearing quickly.
::I have a gunship incoming, it will succumb to some kind of catastrophe. There won't be bodies left, but there will probably be some kind of dna in a recognizable helmet.::
A few moments later one could hear the drone of the MAAT/CG getting closer.
::I will make some arrangements on Lianna, and return within the week, with your permission.::
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Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 8, 2014 22:02:44 GMT -8
"I don't think so. Dead men have nothing to tie up. None of this will mean a damn thing if you blow this by going back to Lianna. My plans are too important right now and I'll not have you messing everything up. Your affairs will be handled by my people."
She looked towards the sound of the approaching gunship, her voice serious as she continued.
"Bring who in?"
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Feb 9, 2014 16:27:05 GMT -8
Taung paused for a half moment.
::Very well.::
Taung glanced in the direction of the gunship's approach.
::I believe he was the captain on the Stark. A Cathar named Demarus.::
He held up his hand to forestall any kind of outburst that might erupt, which would have been understandable considering the past.
::He is not a clone, nor brainwashed to my knowledge. He apparently survived the Battle of Lianna and has been living in hiding as a hermit in some of the back country areas of the planet for some time before he was found and taken as a political prisoner by Liannan Intelligence. I found out about him only 12 hours before this battle began. It would be short sighted of me to try to pull a fast one now.::
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 19:25:42 GMT -8
=A couple hours after the battle of Kuat=
A series of shuttles and transports descended from the Rebecca's Whip that was in orbit, making their way groundside to the wreckage of the Chiss Assault Cruiser and the remnants of the 1st Battalion. As the ships landed, troops, vehicles and the surviving crew members from the Assault Cruiser quickly loaded on to them.
The Shuttles and Transports departed in several different groups, taking with them not only the survivors, but all of the technology that could be salvaged from the Assault Cruiser. All that was left behind was pretty much an empty husk, anything that couldn't be removed easily was detonated. The ships make their way up through the planet's atmosphere and back into orbit to rejoin with the Rebecca's Whip
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Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 14, 2014 10:45:41 GMT -8
"Demarus, alive? How many others survived the battle? Are there more of my crew on Lianna?"
She was incensed at the idea that her people had been held captive on Lianna, with no word on their survival to the Dark Tide. It was directly against the rules of engagement that civilized people were supposed to uphold. Even she could see the benefits of wrangling her enemies into line with political prisoners and interrogation sessions. Had they done that to Demarus? Was he broken? Had he betrayed his Lord? She would soon have those answers as the gunship came in over the trees.
Meanwhile, as the gunship approached the dropsite, Demarus began to strip off the Mandalorian armor that had hidden his identity from those around him, leaving it in a pile on the floor the ship. When questioned by a crewman, the Cathar merely growled his answer in his deep baritone purr.
"I will not greet my Lord wearing the trappings of the enemy who imprisoned her and wage open war against the galaxy."
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Feb 14, 2014 19:32:05 GMT -8
::I do not know how many others may have survived. The way I found out about him, it is more than possible that there are thousands on Lianna.::
The gunship slipped up barely missing the treetops as it swiveled itself to fit into the clearing along one side and settled to the ground. One commando remarked to Demarus.
::Oh c'mon, it was just a little war. Besides, it looks like you've been working out, I'm certain she will appreciate it.:: The commando turned his attention back to the dark robed figure.
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Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 21, 2014 20:31:54 GMT -8
The gunship touched down and Demarus jumped down, striding through the long grass to kneel before his queen. Sinistra approached him, letting her fingers brush over the soft white fur of his ear. She could see in that moment the torment and imprisonment he had been through. There was nothing untoward in those memories, he was intact. She bid him rise and the towering Cathar took up position behind her as she faced Taung.
"Thank you for returning Demarus home. Now, shall we dispense with your crew? Let's get this show on the road."
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Feb 23, 2014 18:46:21 GMT -8
::I'll do it. They are my men. Give me ten minutes.::
He turned and jogged back to the MAAT/CG and jumped onboard. The craft immediately lifted off turned away from the meadow and Taung quickly shrugged out of his armor, a more difficult and time consuming task than just a simple shrug, but it was designed to come off quickly in the event of injury, and started putting on the set of commando armor that Demarus had gotten out of. He was sitting at the back of the craft, the doors were open and he took a lightsaber off his armor, one he had taken from a Force User a number of years ago and fed it into the center coupling of a sabotage droid and set the droid down, turning away. The droid scuttled out the door unseen, the commandos in the cabin relaxing after having expected a massive fight with a powerful force user, and now the adrenaline was draining away. The droid moved to the top of the vessel near the stern and positioned itself directly over the fuel cell and waited for its clock to run down. Taung watching the same clock turned to his men.
::I'll meet you at the rendezvous. There is something I have to take care of.::
He got a knod before he stepped out of the craft. He deployed the armor's wings and cloaking device after only a few seconds of free fall, the craft wasnt very high off the ground to begin with, and quickly turned back towards the meadow, igniting the armor's engines and quickly making up lost ground. Behind him the droid's timer clicked down to zero, and it depressed a button. The lightsaber activated and quickly forced its way into the fuel cell. The fuel cell exploded violently, the engines and racked missiles added their own explosive and heat force to the disintegrating craft as it was forced into the ground violently as an already burning fireball, the heat from the explosion and the subsequent fire from the rest of the weaponry and onboard combustible material proved to be so hot that the commandos or pilots being in the front of the craft and werent blown apart and incinerated outright, were killed in the few blinks of an eye. Biological samples would be next to impossible at best, the droid, the only evidence that might look different, had been atomized in the direct explosion, along with the lightsaber. All that remained of Taung's beskar armor was a badly melted set, scattered and seared throughout the wreck. The helmet a misshapen hunk of what had been a minor miracle of modern engineering, sat sadly cooling, its shape would require a specialist to determine what it might have been on its original design. For all the galaxy knew...Taung H'rel and one of his commando squads, had been killed, analysis would later determine that a lightsaber or other plasma type weapon had struck the vessel in the right place, setting off a catastrophic series of explosions, destroying the craft and killing all onboard instantly.
Taung walked back into the meadow without his armor, having cached it somewhere so as not to draw attention. He was dressed in what might have been a Kuati farmer's clothing.
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Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 23, 2014 19:43:27 GMT -8
Given that he had destroyed two planets and kill millions, she was not surprised at his insistence that he eliminate the last loose end between him and the end of the war. She motioned to the treeline, a little ways up the mountain.
"There is a training bunker up the mountain, you should be able to get in. Lay low for a couple days and I'll come for you when I have your cover intact." She turned to head back to her speeder, her voice a low velvety purr. "Welcome home."
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Feb 23, 2014 20:12:49 GMT -8
Taung waited a few more moments before turning and slowly ascending the hill, picking his path between the the trees and scrub brush. His thoughts remained on the path before him and the relatively simple task of locating and getting into the bunker, it was designed as a training bunker, not a bank. Then after he found a cot did his thoughts turn to events that had transpired. The pain, the blood, the sacrifice. The war in general, and the things that he had done to bring about its conclusion. Death. Destruction. Pain. Suffering. The person who said it had been lost to history, but quoted more often than most...it was good that war was so terrible, lest we grow to fond of it. The only problem with the saying...was that beings were always trying to make the killing and brutality more 'civilized'...and they were all to eager to go out and start another one. He had made the war brutal to sear it into the galaxy's memory so that it would think three times before starting the next one. And then he cried.
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Electrix
The First Order
Posts: 146
Affiliation: The First Order
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Post by Electrix on Feb 25, 2014 10:06:09 GMT -8
Electrix could feel the mood change of what seemed like the entire planet. This battle, possibly even the war was over, and he hadn't got to kill a single being... Oh well, there was always tomorrow... Electrix turned without speaking and headed back to the Estate. He had things to do.
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Post by Demarus on Feb 25, 2014 13:00:53 GMT -8
Demaris followed Taung to the bunker, no words exchanged as they broke in and bedded down for the night. It was just another day in hiding, except this time, he was home among the people he served and trusted. No more being a prisoner on Lianna to a regime that wished to use him as a bargaining chip. Sleep that night found him well and when the sun rose the following day, he greeted it with eyes open and determination that he would once again serve her faithfully.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 17:30:43 GMT -8
The month proceeding the failed invasion had been an interesting one. While the defenses around the Estate could mostly be left intact, the minefield was far too dangerous to leave indefinitely. The vast majority of the mines were simple antipersonnel devices. They could all be detonated remotely, but setting off the nuclear devices was ruled out on the grounds that, with no reasonable threat of invasion, a scorched earth policy wasn't exactly what the fine folks of Kuat were looking for.
And so, one afternoon, the entirety of the normal mines were remotely detonated at once, to spectacular effect. The explosions rippled outwards from the Estate, creating a swathe of fiery destruction as far as the eye could see. It was one of the largest mass minefield clearance operations in history, and troopers recording it on their datapads stood to make a great deal of extra income selling the footage to news networks.
Once that was accomplished, technicians were sent out to deal with the nukes. That part of the operation lasted well into the night, as each one had to be approached on foot. They were all allegedly deactivated, but the techs had survived as long as they had by never trusting an explosive device to play nice.
After a few close calls involving malfunctioning sensors and a device that had become suicidally self aware, they got the big bastards back into storage without incident. Now the only issue was cleaning up several thousand tons of shrapnel that could be better used as something other than ground cover. It was here that Gulliver's long experience with unconventional solutions paid off.
The mines had all been constructed out of ferrous materials for two reasons. The first was that it was simply easier to construct them that way, and time was of the essence. They were easier to detect, but more stealthy mines would be trickier to build, and cleanup would be a stone bitch, which was reason two. By jury rigging powerful electromagnets to the frames of some of the larger vehicles, they were able to police up most of the shrapnel by the simple expedient of driving over it. The process was still slow as hell, and more than one crew had the sphincter-puckering experience of sucking up the occasional undetonated device, but the area was declared cleared after three weeks of hard work.
After that, it was all over but the paperwork. Gulliver was practically swimming in the stuff by the time Lord Sinistra returned to Kuat. Medals, citations, disciplinary action, promotions, inventories, inspections, after action reports, the stuff never seemed to end. All of it had to be signed off on by the commander of the defenses, and as the Empire's top brass had gleefully pointed out, that singular pleasure belonged to the odd mercenary that their Lord had seen fit to place in charge of it all.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 18:44:05 GMT -8
The pile of paperwork for the day was almost done. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, it looked like Gulliver might be able to escape the office before the wee hours of the morning.
And then there was a knock on the door.
"I don't care who you are," he growled menacingly, "if you have more paperwork, I'm going to wrap my dick around your neck and fuck start your face like a chainsaw."
The Specialist on the other side of the door cringed, but opened it anyway. She was young and pretty and under specific orders to try and entice Gulliver into behaving in a way that would give her true bosses some leverage over the otherwise supremely unflappable hired gun. This sort of thing wasn't commonplace, but, well, in an army run by Sith, it wasn't unheard of either. Personal power meant a great deal, and her bosses sought to increase theirs at his expense.
His continued refusal to even pay the slightest attention to the way her slightly too-tight uniform clung to her, or how she casually tried to extend physical contact just a hair too long, or any other of the subtle hints she gave, was starting to get worrisome. She had tried everything she could think of short of showing up in his office naked (she didn't dare try that trick in his quarters, as he was rumored to have them booby trapped) and if he didn't take the bait soon, she'd have to try that. Her bosses weren't the sort to take no for an answer. It would really suck to go through that again because of this grumpy bastard.
She adjusted her bust line, put on her best charming/seductive face, and opened the door.
"Sorry sir, no paperwork," she said, winking. "But that sort of sounds like fun."
Gulliver just growled from the back of his throat.
"What do you want, Specialist? I don't have time for your little fuck-fuck games."
I want you to stop being a queer and try to fuck me so I don't have to go through that again, is what she didn't say.
"Sir, the Emperor requests your presence in the throne room."
That got a smile out of the hulking merc. Oh, please don't tell me he's into older women, she thought.
Gulliver, completely and purposefully oblivious to his subordinate's advances, was just happy to get away from this godforsaken excuse for a TOC.
"Very well. Tell them I'm on my way, and let the XO know that I'm out."
"Yes sir. Have fun."
"Giggle one more time and I throw you through that window."
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Ashrah
The Mandalorian Assembly
Posts: 329
Affiliation: Mandalorians
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Post by Ashrah on Mar 3, 2014 7:24:46 GMT -8
He was pushing himself to his feet when his chest plate slammed into his chest. He coughed as he stumbled back and nearly fell onto his ass. He dug the handle of his chain into the ground, digging a furrow in the rock, stopping himself from falling over. It had been a loooong time since he felt the pain of the force, and even then, it was his armour that betrayed him. "Ow" He muttered to the air around him. His genetically engineered body, created by the man standing across from him, could withstand a substantial amount of punishment, but not infinitely. It would eventually kill him. He snarled, his right hand snapping up and unlatching his armour, the plates falling to the ground with a clatter. He was wearing his specialty armour, designed for space and heavy fighting, yet light, like beskar should be. With the chest plates now laying on the wet ground, he felt lighter, faster, and less vulnerable than he had. He realised he had become dependent on the beskar'gam.....his Iron Skin. Now he would fight without. He started to move forward once more, the clasp popping having taken mere seconds, his under shirt plastered to his body. He rolled his shoulders and neck as he moved. It was time to show his 'Father' exactly what he had created.
Blood for blood and by the gallon. Those were the words that echoed against the back of Walter’s skull, silently chattering as if menially possessed by a phantom afflicted with constant bouts of whispering. He couldn’t help but feel the warmth roll over him, caressing his shoulders and back as he rolled away the aches born from a life without momentum. His knuckles, his knees, his bones all cracked with anticipation as he gripped the sabers in hand and brought purpose into his posture. His energy boiled over as he withdrew the force back into him, a running river swallowed back into the lake of his core, and moved forward in a steady pace. He would close the distance, he quickly decided, as inertia became one of his most admirable allies. One that could betray if so came the day that his mass was used against him. Perhaps that day was today, perhaps it wasn’t, perhaps Ashrah would find the grace to enter this battle in his own right, or perhaps he would be thrown from the fingers like the petulant child Walter knew him to be. Many things would find their grave today and alongside them, all the "if's" and maybe's associated with this father-son duo. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 12:24:11 GMT -8
"Company, ATTenSHUN!!!"
The assembled Headquarters/Headquarters Company of what been provisionally deemed the Estate Defense Force snapped to attention with parade ground precision. Gulliver couldn't help but sigh every time he saw the spectacle. He still firmly believed that time spent on DNC was time wasted, but everyone had their traditions.
Once the 1SG had the company formed, the mercenary made his way to the front of the formation and dismissed the senior NCO.
"XO, POST!"
The woman who jogged to the front of the formation looked like pretty much any other middle aged woman in fatigues. Short, squat, maybe a little dumpy, with prematurely greying hair and a deeply lined face, LTC Maria Corsus had probably been something of a looker in her younger days. Now she was in her forties, and looked like she was out of shape and pushing sixty. She had a reputation for the sort of no-nonsense command competence that was highly sought after in junior officers, but became increasingly rare in the upper echelons.
What wasn't well known was that, far from being out of shape, she was very nearly as muscular as Gulliver, and that was what made her uniforms bulge in all the wrong places. She had immediately singled him out as a workout partner, because droids made for shitty spotters and she didn't trust any of the other officers in the TOC to even be able to lift three hundred pounds, much less bench press it.
It had been the start of a beautiful friendship. Under her dour exterior, LTC Corsus (Maria in the gym) had a wicked sense of humor that worked well with Gulliver's (Commander Foyle to everyone else) deadpan gallows humor. The two of them quickly became the terror of the defense force. Between their combined wit and willingness to resort to extreme measures to solve problems, the place had run like clockwork, with only a few minor hiccups. One of them was about to be ironed out. She stepped in front of Commander Foyle and saluted.
He, in turn, handed her a piece of paper with orders and winked. She stepped off to the side. So far, it looked like a standard promotion ceremony.
"STAFF SERGEANT BAKER, LIEUTENANT SOUSCA, POST!"
Even from the front of the formation, Gulliver could see his pretty young assistant burst out in a cold sweat as she understood what was happening. That was her squad leader, and her platoon leader. Her masters, in other words. She also understood why her advances had been so utterly ignored. If they hadn't, she'd be up there too.
"Attention to orders: Lieutenant Sousca, Staff Sergeant Baker, you have been charged with attempting to corrupt an officer of the Empire, an action that is defined as treason and is punishable by death." Corsus's high, clear voice rang out like a bell. "How do you plead?"
"Not guilty!" they cried in unison.
"Bullshit," Gulliver replied as he drew his sidearm and shot them both dead. The verdict had been passed down this morning.
"Alright fuckers, listen up! That was my last act as your commander. I'm being sent on to bigger and better things. But know this, if you give Lieutenant Colonel Corsus any of that shit you tried to pull on me, I'm not in charge of you any more. That doesn't mean I don't care, it just means I won't lose any sleep over killing you in yours. Understood?"
"YES SIR!" the formation thundered in reply.
"Good. Corsus, you're in charge, effective immediately. I've got a shuttle to catch."
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Mar 5, 2014 18:56:33 GMT -8
Taung walked out into the main room of the bunker complex, dressed in a spare Dark Tide uniform and found something to eat. The area was empty, Demarus was likely lurking somewhere, probably adjusting mentally to the fact that he was free and back serving his...their...master. It was a strange thought for Taung to think of Sinistra as master, it didnt quite fit right. Superior authority with a bit more authority perhaps, yes that was a more accurate mental picture. He had spent the past day solidifying his cover story to present to the galaxy as a new face. He was certain that it would stand up to as much scrutiny as someone dared to put to it, and much of it couldnt be verified even if someone tried. He frowned down at the food. Even for combat emergency rations...they were kind of tasteless, and the texture was definitely lacking...
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Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Lord Sinistra on Mar 6, 2014 7:37:30 GMT -8
It took about a day, but with everything covered, Sinistra headed back out to the bunker alone well after midnight to meet up with both of them. She carried new uniforms, datapads, food, ID's and accounts. The bunker looked dark, they were most likely asleep at this hour. She pulled the box of rations out of the speeder and pounded on the door of the bunker, calling out as she did.
"It's me, open up."
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Taung H'rel
Retired High Councilor
Posts: 469
Affiliation: Galactic Empire
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Post by Taung H'rel on Mar 6, 2014 12:24:52 GMT -8
Taung quickly stood and opened the hatch, and stepped aside to allow Lord Sinistra in.
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