Begeren Colony Forum

So... this is actually quite embarrassing to admit, but I've never actually seen any of the game past Rise of the Hutt Cartel / Makeb. I haven't even done most of the game's Flashpoints for that matter. Now if I'm to understand correctly, the latest expansion has really turned the story of the game on its head, and the changes therein are going to ripple into the community here on the 18th of this month. Would it be at all possible for someone to help me run through some of the harder Flashpoints? Maybe even the Dread Masters storyline? I heard that one can't actually be completed on its own, even after the game was revamped to be easier on individual players. Of course, this all depends on my health managing to actually remain stable for more than just a handful of hours at a time... But, yeah. If anyone would like to help, and even be willing to help me upgrade Thyssen's armor and weaponry so that it's up to standard, I would owe them more than just a mere debt of gratitude!

I'd just like to take a few minutes here to let people know what's happened in the last couple of days. As some of you are already aware, I tore my left rotator cuff while attempting to wrangle my 80 pound red Siberian Husky. Mountain Man (or Mounty for short) spotted a rabbit during a star party that my family and I were attending, and took off after it while I had his leash wrapped around my wrist. So for the next several months I'm going to be paying regular visits to a chiropractor for cold laser treatment and physical therapy, all the while taking medication for the pain and inflammation.

But really, compared to what's happened in the last 24 hours, that's nothing. This morning my family learned two things...

1.) My mother is going to need to undergo major surgery to remove a potentially cancerous tumor from her chest.

2.) Portions of a cemetery dedicated to my mother's side of the family were desecrated over night. This incident actually made the news, with the two most noteworthy articles being http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/local/4095788-vandals-damage-gladstone-cemeteries and http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Gladstone-cemeteries-vandalized-390521642.html

In regards to the first issue, my mother is going to be "on the mend" until early November -- but that's only if it turns out that the tumor isn't cancerous. If it is? Then, well, she's going to need to undergo radiation and chemotherapy. Regardless, this experience is going to be exceptionally hard on her due to her various medical phobias.

I honestly don't know what else to say in relation to the second issue, other than I hope the people who did what they did are caught and punished accordingly.

But yeah... I honestly wish I could make all of this stuff up, y'know? Because I know that at times it might sound like I'm just making up some elaborate excuse to get out of RPing with you all. Believe me, friends and folks, if it were up to me? I wouldn't be doing anything else with my time. But, as it stands, I may be forced to duck out of more and more events if things keep going at the rate they are. If this turns out to be the case, then I implore you to contact me here on the forums to setup somethin' with me in a more available medium, such as the forums themselves!

That is all for now.

Keep on' keepin' on and stayin' well, people.

(( I didn't know where else to put this, so I thought I'd stick it here. This was originally published on my guild's forums back in November of last year. The ending is meant as a tribute to the victims of the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris that occurred around that time. ))

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"Once upon a time... there were heroes."

Cue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zciCXEcXog

These words are briefly accompanied by glimpses of heroic characters from Star Wars' past. People like Carth Onasi, Zayne Carrick, Niko Okarr and others from the bygone age of the Old Republic. All of them, in moments just made for this pseudo script, have them interacting with someone or something just off-screen in such a way that they're left either smiling or laughing.

"Heroes of light..."

We cut to a scene ripped directly from the first Knights of the Old Republic game, where a young, amnesiac Revan is in the process of constructing his lightsaber entirely through manipulation of the Force. With a clap of his hands, all of the pieces floating in the air come together at once and he's left holding a freshly ignited blade the color of violet.

"...who stood against darkness."

At these words we smash cut to the Seventh Battle of Ruusan. After a few seconds, the scene ends (in an attempt to emphasis the word "darkness") with Darth Bane ordering the activation of the Thought Bomb.

"They fought valiantly across a thousand worlds..."

Now, we transition into a short montage of scenes that take us back and forth between major events of the Cold War and the Great Galactic War, as told from the perspective of the four most notable heroes and their multitude of companions. Scenes ripped directly out of key points from the Battle of the Oppressor, the final days of the Separatist War on Ord Mantell, Barsen'thor's Mission to Alderaan and the Battle of Corellia.

"...and kept evil at bay for thousands of years..."

In what can only be described as a dissolve, we transition from a scene on Balmorra to a scene on Geonosis. Old Republic soldiers are replaced with Clone Troopers, and the denizens of the Sith Empire are replaced with the Battle Droids of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This transition gives way to a smash cut of certain scenes from YouTuber Michael Barryte's interpretation of the first two prequel films, and then to scenes inspired by the computer animated Clone Wars show (albeit portrayed in the more realistic style of CGI assigned to games like The Old Republic, The Force Unleashed and 1313).

"Until they failed. Until they were betrayed."

At this point, as the music ticks over to time index 00:41, we're taken to a critical moment in the author's AU that sees Darth Vader (in his trademark black armor) marching up the steps to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant with the clone troopers of the 501st at his heels. Once he reaches the top step, we spring forward in time to the point where he initiates the attack on said temple simply by igniting his lightsaber.

"But we were given a new hope."

We fade to a close-up of baby Luke Skywalker, who then - at time index 00:57 via a cinematic dissolve / timeskip - becomes this. We then immediately smash cut to this, and then to the final moments of the Royal Award Cereamony that took place on Yavin 4 following the destruction of the first Death Star. Upon seeing the heroes of the moment turning to face with with medals gleaming, the gathered crowd of Rebels starts to cheer like your average NFL fan!

"Join us."

We cut to a scene inspired by the hit television show Rebels. In it, realistic (and notably older) versions of Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger are working together to spray paint an Alliance Starbird onto the head of a burning AT-KT that is not only surrounded by but supporting the weight of quite a number of Wookiee warriors.

"Join us in our fight against the Empire."

The next brief scene to follow these words looks like it was ripped straight out of Mirror's Edge. We see Uprising's Riley and Commander's Johlar Kessen running with all the grace and speed of Olympic Athletes along a nondescript rooftop, being pursued by numerous Stormtroopers hellbent on gunning them down.

"Join us in our rebellion!"

At the word "rebellion" we reach time index 01:12 of the song selected for this trailer. "Here we go," says Wedge Antilles, who is only briefly seen before we're taken to the outside of his X-Wing. Said starfighter then locks its s-foils into attack position and shoots forward with dozens of other Rebel craft following it; including the Millennium Falcon, the Outrider, the Otana and the Sundered Heart. Their target? An Executor-class Star Dreadnaught that stands in the middle of an appropriately vast Imperial fleet.

The short scene that follows up is very reminiscent of Battlefront gameplay, as Han Solo, Chewie and Kyle Katarn(!) lead a charge of Rebel sympathizers into the grounds of some vast, luxurious estate that could very well belong to one of the Empire's Moffs.

Next, we're treated to a glimpse of not only Boba Fett but his father Jango (who now looks like this) as they cautiously exit Slave 1 with their weapons at the ready.

Next, a very brief scene of Juno Eclipse laying flowers down upon a memorial for the late Galen Marek.

Next, a scene ripped directly out of Star Tours where a StarSpeeder 1000 is forced into the midst of a Podrace on Tatooine by a squadron of TIE Fighters.

Next, we start with a closeup of a vibrosword coming down upon a blue lightsaber blade. The owner of the sword (who appears to be a slaver of some kind), steps back and gawks. The owner of the lightsaber is revealed to be a hooded Kanan Jarrus, who - without looking - extends his hand to a young alien girl who had been cowering from the slaver. The girl goes wide-eyed and then reaches up to take the Jedi's hand.

"We need you."

(Music should now be at time index 01:38) Next, we cut to a scene reminiscent of the atrocities of World War II; where hundreds of prisoners in an Imperial labor camp storm a large fence in an attempt to climb over it. While not the focus of the scene, there appears to be a dogfight of some kind raging in the skies overhead.

"Will you help us?"

At this point, from time index 01:41 to time index 01:51, we're bombarded with a montage depicting the Empire achieving the upper-hand in a number of conflicts against a variety of people. Smash cut to black.

At time index 01:52 we fade in to a scene likely familiar to some. It shows Leia Organa, disguised as a refugee, sitting atop a container in some dilapidated location. It had been she who had been "narrating" this trailer. We cut to the focus of her attention; a war-torn stadium of some kind where countless men and women of all species known to the galaxy gaze up at her. The person closest to her - a human female played by actress Katee Sackhoff - looks back over her shoulder briefly at all those with her, then turns her attention back up to Leia. "What do you want us to do?"

At time index 01:56, we smash cut again to black in order to make way for the title of this upcoming interactive experience...

As a further teaser of things to come, we cut briefly to a scene identical in every way to this before making one last foray into darkness.

"May the Force be with you."

Greetings all!

I'm not quite sure where else to put this, since it's under a rather unusual circumstance that I bring it up at all. But~ during last night's Anti-Zakuul meeting there was talk of several characters banding together and embarking on an epic quest to recover as many deactivated Skytroopers from around Nar Shaddaa as possible, with the intent of returning them to the Dancer's Palace for pickup and subsequent reprogramming. Now for those who're lookin' for a slice of action, I can go ahead and start up a thread here on the forums dedicated to the event. Alternatively we could try to make it a real-time event through the site's chatrooms. But if you would rather all just let it happen in the background, I could roll some dice and tally up the results, which in turn would be placed here.

It's up to you. What would you like to do? :)

((I'd originally planned for this to be written like an official announcement, like the kind you'd see advertised all across Nar Shaddaa. Unfortunately my time is limited, so I'm just going to make this all OOC. It's recently come to my attention that a new area has replaced the Violet Lounge on Nar Shaddaa, one that is perfect for the kind of RP that I and the rest of the ARmed GUardian Service members do. I did a quick search and it looks like nobody's claimed this area as theirs yet, so I'm calling dibs before it's too late. So yeah, as of now that place will be servin' as the haven and headquarters of guild ARGUS! Well, that is when ARGUS is busy doin' their thing. Otherwise it's open for RP from anybody, just like all the other areas! :3))