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- "Finis. Origine. Pendent - The End Depends Upon the Beginning"
- ―Talos' mantra
Talos Erinos, titled The Fade, is a young Obelisk Prelate in service to Clan Arcona and has served his beloved Clan in a wide array of capacities. For the most part, Talos is a free-vassal of the Shadow Clan, ever loyal but currently consumed on a personal quest of learning and vengeance; however, he remains the Pointman of Soulfire Strike Team, having gained admission into the elite Battleteam after he stepped down from the post of Aedile of House Galeres, in which he was the first person to hold the position since Arcona was once more installed as a Clan in the twilight of 34 ABY. The Prelate is also a brother of the Erinos, a Major in the Arcona Army Corps, one of the True Shadesworn, and master to the recently-knighted Socorra.
Before the Brotherhood
Duplicating Success I: Never Normal
The being known now as Talos Erinos was born -- technically -- as Subject Zeta-13...a clone; as part of an Imperial Remnant experimental research project, Zeta-13 was one of 33 attempts to clone Sylas, one of the most feared, respected, successful, and recently deceased agents in the Imperial Remnant's Intelligence Service. However, unlike the cloning projects of the Grand Army of the Republic, the clones of Project: DUPLICATE were unaltered, similar in ways to Boba Fett, and fostered by the wives of military officers, or in the case of Z13, Joni Suul, the wife of Erok Suul, who was a Special Agent with the Remnant's Judicial Bureau.
File:AgentSpectral.jpgSylas: Force-Sensitive, spy extraordinaire, and Talos' "real" father
Z13's early life was nothing special, except maybe that he and his 32 other hatch-mates were probably the most well-taken care of clones in history. Under the care and love of Agent and Mrs. Suul (who was infertile), Z13 flourished as he learned the basic skills of any young boy; arithmetic, literature, language, writing, and basic sciences were all taught both in the home or at the primary school he attended from 21 ABY until 26 ABY. However, a peculiarity that arose with Zeta (and with the other 32 clones) was that they were fiercely independent, and while their academic skills came easily, making friends never did.
While it was never told to the clones or their foster parents, this was due to Sylas, their host; as IRIS' lead agent, he never had time for any emotional relationship, pausing only to relieve lustful urges with a variety of women across the galaxy. To compensate for this lack of friends, Agent Erok Suul began taking Zeta to work with him once he turned 11, originally as something to keep him occupied...however, Z13 took to investigative work like a fish to water and began actively assisting his foster father on assignments and (unbeknownst to Erok and Joni) began practicing with small arms on the firing range under the tutelage of Junior Agent Margot Felps.
Duplicating Success II: Pressed Into Service
Zeta-13's penchant for investigative work wasn't something that remained secreted in the Judicial Center for long though and within a month of his freelance investigative work, Z13 was recalled to the Black Building - Headquarters of Imperial Intelligence - and activated as an asset, with a status upgrade to agent should he pass basic training, which he did. And so in 27 ABY, at only twelve years of age, Zeta-13 began going out into the field as an Imperial Agent. Life with Erok and Joni Suul was all but forgotten, courtesy of a hidden directive implanted in his brain from birth; he was for all intents and purposes a tool of IRIS and the Imperial Remnant.
For three years, Zeta-13 and two of his brothers, Zeta-2 and Zeta-29 (who had their appearances altered as to not arouse suspicion), traversed the galaxy in one of the most deadly killteams ever known to the Remnant. Designated 'Abyss Team', the Zetas mainly specialized in Political Destabilization (assassination of enemy politicians or dissident Imperials) and Internal Affairs, and the adolescent trio visited worlds as well known as the galactic capital of Coruscant and the military stronghold Anaxes, to the far off worlds such as Nal Hutta or Zeltros. Many of their missions went unopposed, as who would suspect a group of teenagers of deadly intent or lethal skill? For those assignments when the finger of suspicion was pointed at the Zetas, the Spectral clones would eliminate any threats with quick efficiency, before going dark, or out of contact with Bastion, for 2 weeks.
File:IRISAgent.jpgFrom L to R; Zeta-29, Zeta-2, and Zeta-13
But for the most part, Zeta-13 and his brothers were successful in every mission they were assigned and their originally skimpy files were soon filled with commendations, inner-agency promotions, medals, and an ever-progressing security clearance. Everything was going perfect for Zeta-13 but, as is Fate's penchant, it wasn't to stay that way....
Mission 101: The Wrong Target
The mission that would change everything for Zeta-13, that would allow him to become his own person (in mind and deed if not in body) occurred on the Imperial capital of Bastion in late 30 ABY. Having just returned from a classified assignment on Voss, Team 7 had just been called up for their yearly mandatory psyche evaluation and leave period when things started to go awry.
- "I know what you are, Zeta-13. I know what you are and what none of your other brothers’ are."
- ―Bruude to Zeta-13 upon their first meeting
It all began with the arrival of a mysterious man who went by the name of “Bruude” and immediately inserted himself into the upper echelons of Imperial politics by virtue of his special gift and his position as a representative from the little-known system of Antei. Bruude quickly locked onto the Force-Sensitivity of Z13 and began plaguing the Imperial Agent with offers of grandeur, such as escaping out from under the thumb of Imperial rule and being able to develop and learn more about the special power that he possessed.
This last bit piqued Z13’s attention as prior to this, the clone had noticed that he was able to do some things that his two brothers in Team 7 couldn’t, such as convincing the wife of one of their targets that she didn’t actually walk in on her husband’s corpse. Zeta grudgingly agreed to learn more from this “senator” but even as Bruude began to gradually impart knowledge on him, the Dark Jedi also went ahead with his secondary mission of creating political chaos in the Imperial Remnant.
This in itself presented a major problem for the quasi-apprentice as traditional means of trying to evict Bruude from Imperial court failed and it wasn’t long until the Remnant called on its Intelligence Service and they in turn called upon their premier IA group…Team 7. Tasked with making Bruude “disappear”, the Zetas began the traditional process of stalking their target and memorizing his schedule and despite his best efforts Zeta 13 had no choice but to comply as the “loyalty” directives implanted in his head overrode what little free will he had developed in the time he had been learning about the Force.
The weeks of stalking Bruude eventually forced 13 to revert to his old self and his minuscule knowledge of the Force and free-will was smothered. To make matters worse, the brothers of Team 7 were promoted to Cipher Agents, the highest field rank available in the Service, and this ignited a new fire within the Zetas. Dedicated to the Service and the Remnant above all, Cipher Team 7 soon made the call that assassination was the only way to get rid of the Antei senator as blackmail and “close-calls” (staged accidents) had failed to do the job.
Enlisting the help of Cipher Team 4, the only other fully-Zeta/Cipher team in IRIS, the six clones of SYLAS created an elaborate plan to dispose of the Dark Jedi the following week during the birthday parade of one of the Remnant’s chief Moffs. The plans were drawn and positions assigned, with Zetas 13 and 10 comprising the killteam, Zetas 2, 7, and 29 pulling security for the snipers nest, and Zeta 15 down on street level as the observer.
Mission 101 II: Woops
The appointed day arrived and the six Cipher Agents split into their positions and as the parade reached its climax, Zeta-15 gave the order that the hoverfloat carrying the Junior Officarum of the Imperial Remnant, of which Bruude’s position made him a part of, was less than a minute from passing underneath the window of the building that the two Cipher Teams had set up their nest in.
The hoverfloat trudged its way down the street, and Bruude’s head floated right into the scope of the Karpaki Fifty wielded by Zeta-10. In a handful of seconds, Zeta-10 breathed in, sighted up, released half his breath, and fired. But missed. One second, the Dark Jedi was in his seat on the float but the next, Z10 was looking at a crimson blob pooling on the otherwise crisp uniform of an Imperial Starfleet Lieutenant Commander. Bruude was gone.
The first indication that the Dark Jedi had gotten whiff of what happened was the body of Zeta-15, his neck broken, flying through the open window of the IRIS sniper nest. The next was the screams and a ‘’snap-hiss’’ sound, a sound that Z13 would become all too familiar with in the future, and then the door to the room imploded and Bruude was stepping through, shepherding Zetas 2, 7, and 29 before him with his crimson lightsaber. In full view of 10 and 13, Bruude executed 2 and 29 before shoving Z7 over to join his brothers.
In a voice that barely concealed his rage, Zeta-7 made a derogatory comment towards the killer which earned him a Force-enhanced slap that appeared to knock him out cold. In reality, Zeta-7 was still conscious, just enough to watch in horror as Bruude exerted the full persuasive power of the Dark Side on Zeta-13 and made the Cipher Agent take Bruude’s plasma weapon and shove it through Zeta-10’s chest cavity. Conscious but too weak to do anything, Zeta-7 could only continue to watch as Bruude and his brother, who was visibly shaking, walk away from the massacre.
In that moment, Zeta-13 knew that his true destiny lay outside of the Imperial Remnant. What he didn’t know however was that in that same moment, he also made himself a life-long enemy…a nemesis that would ceaselessly hunt him for the next decade.
Aliit Iru'shya Tal'din
Welcome to the Family
- "You no longer serve the Imperial Remnant. You are no longer an Imperial Spy. Your name is no longer Zeta-13. Who are you? What are you?"
- ―Shadow Academy Docent
- "I serve the Dark Brotherhood. I am a Dark Jedi. My na-na-name..my name is Talos"
- ―Zeta-13 being baptized at the Shadow Academy
Bruude, now fully revealed as Master Arcan Bruude of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, took his unwilling apprentice back to his home system, more specifically to its primary moon of Lyspair which in itself was the location of the Shadow Academy, the Dark Jedi Brotherhood’s training facility. Little did Zeta-13 know that once he entered the Academy’s black metal doors, he wouldn’t leave for nigh on six years. Within those vaunted halls, the Imperial Agent Zeta-13 ceased to exist. He was replaced by the Dark Jedi known as ‘Talos’, the clone changing his name to honor an obscure Sith Marauder from the centuries past as well as to signify his new allegiance to the Brotherhood of Dark Jedi.
The symbol of Arcona's Black Operations Team
Enter Oblivion
- "Nothing is true, Everything is Permitted"
- ―Oblivion Creed
It wasn't long after Talos' honorable discharge as Aedile of House Qel-Droma that he came to the attention of one of his former subordinates, Marick Del'Abbot. Publicly, Marick was a Hapan nobleman serving as an emissary to the Dajorra System, but in actuality, he was the Captain of Oblivion Brigade, Arcona's Black Operations Team. Talos had worked with Marick on quite a few occasions and, along with Quaestor Driftan Housan, was the official signature on many of Oblivion's writs of assassination as they fulfilled their mandate of carrying out clandestine operations and monitoring Arcona's own Dark Jedi populace as Internal Affairs.
Unfortunately, with Talos' recent appointment to House Rollmaster, he would no longer possess the clearance to directly deal with the Black Ops Team. However, true to his noble upbringing, when Marick saw something he wanted, he would often go to great lengths of make sure he got it. This was true with Talos; by finding loopholes in the Doto Doctrine, Del'Abbot was able to add the new Rollmaster to the ranks of Oblivion, alongside fellow House prodigies such as the Entar trio of Strategos, Timeros, and Legorii as well as bounty hunter Kant Lavar.
File:TalosSA.jpgThe newly renamed Talos kneeling before an Academy Professor
And so Talos Omerta became an official Oblivion Agent, though his duties to Arcona's new recruits as Rollmaster always came first. Ironically, it was due to the Brigade's training and conditioning that resulted in the Rollmaster having to vacate his position after a solid 4 months of service; the cross-immunization/addition of hurlothrumbic gases (fear generators) to Talos' bloodstream made him come off as cold, calculating, and deadly; something that was perfect for an Oblivion Agent, but not so much for a Rollmaster, one responsible for dealing with the new apprentices.
After complaints of apprentices transferring to other Houses or even leaving the Brotherhood outright became to numerous to ignore, Talos and the Summit met quietly and discussed yet another honorable discharge. With the appreciation and blessing of the House Summit, and a Steel Cross pinned to his chest, Talos Omerta handed over the reigns of the Rollmastership to Timeros Caesus Entar Arconae, who was in fact, an Oblivion Agent himself. However, Timeros's far greater knowledge of the Force allowed him to counteract the hurlothrumbic gases within him and serve as an exemplary Rollmaster.
As for Talos, he went on "active duty" with Oblivion Brigade and for a considerable chunk of time, he was away from the Arconan Capital on Brigade business, hunting down those who had deserted the Shadesworn House. When Omerta returned, he was colder than before and, or so rumor has it, he had personally executed two of the errant apprentices who had deserted Arcona because he was so "unnerving".
Vice-Captain
- "You're now on dual assignments. Primarily, you'll be working with me as my right hand. But when I don't need you, you and Agent Fortea will be comprising Delta Cell"
- ―Cpt. Marick Del'Abbot, appointing and reassigning Vcp. Talos Omerta
Talos Omerta took to being an Oblivion Agent like a fish to water and as he impressed not only his Captain, but also the Arconan Summit, he was given more important missions, often ones taking place right in Estle City. One such assignment was a mission codenamed "Contract 002", which had the Agent paired up with his commanding officer, Marick Del'Abbot, while the two black operatives investigated a ring of smugglers that had been moving weapon and drug contraband into the Citadel.
Working in tandem, Talos and Marick tracked the ring's inside man to the Giletta Spaceport, Estle's main transport hub. The inside man himself was one Nathaniel Dunkirk, a Captain in the Dajorra Defence Force and a former Dark Jedi of Arcona. With this information in hand, the pair created an elaborate strategy to bring Captain Dunkirk to justice...Oblivion style. Agent Omerta would take the place of one of Dunkirk's staff officers, First Lieutenant Jonathan Hale, and would be tasked with bringing Nathaniel to Giletta's Freight Terminal, where Marick would be waiting with a landspeeder to whisk Defence Captain Dunkirk away to Oblivion's safehouse.
The plan went off without a hitch, true to Oblivion's professional operating standard, and four days after the contract had been assigned, Nathaniel Dunkirk had been interrogated and summarily executed, with vital information about the smuggling ring being passed onto the Dajorra Intelligence Agency. As for Marick and Talos, both were lauded, albeit privately; for Captain Del'Abbot, this was a promotion to the rank of Obelisk Prelate and for Talos Omerta, he was appointed to the position of the Vice-Captain of Oblivion Brigade, in which he would serve as Marick's second-in-command.
Strong...Army Strong
- "Your experience and knowledge would be...beneficial. You will be compensated, of course"
- ―Aedile Wuntila to Talos Omerta, on helping found the Arcona Army Corps.
Shortly after Talos' appointment to the Vice-Captaincy of Oblivion Brigade, he was summoned to the office of his former counterpart and now superior, Wuntila Zratian Entar. Once there, the Human-Theelin informed Talos of a massive initiative that would bring the Dajorra System's defenses up to date while also providing an outlet for the Force-Sensitive members of Arcona. Better yet, the entire Initiative would be run off of the Shadesworn Project that Talos undertook for his Clan in 33 ABY, acting as the Head Researcher into Selen's first Force-Sensitive inhabitants.
The distinctive unit insignia of the Arcona Army Corps
Wuntila then explained the initiative...that of creating a new Military, one to replace the outdated Dajorra Defence Force and the Arcona Expeditionary Force. The new military would be more traditional, consisiting of three separate branches, or corps; the Army Corp, the Naval Corp, the Starfighter Corp. The final branch would be the invite-only Dajorra Intelligence Agency, of which House Rollmaster and erstwhile Oblivion Agent Timeros Entar Arconae would be directing.
Along with Andrelious J. Inahj (who was heading the Starfighter Corp) and Wuntila himself (who was in charge of the Naval Corp), Omerta was given temporary control of ground-based resources, with the mandate to turn those resources, which included men, vehicles, and land, into a fully-functioning Army. He did so, in the process recruiting two very valuable military officers; one was Richor Mills, the former training mate of the pirate crew to which Talos belonged, and a Chiss named Jaco'be'lexo. These two would become Army Commander Danyar Marison, the training officer of the Corps, and Army General Jaco'be'lexo, the deputy commanding general of the entire Army Corps..
Two months passed, in which the General, Commander, and Sith formed a sort of triumvirate, and by the end of the eighth week, House Arcona had a fully-fledged Army Corps, with personnel joining almost immediately, both as new enlistees and those transferring their careers or commissions from the soon-to-be-defunct DDF and AEF. Talos' last act as Interim Leader of the Army was to present the new Army to not only Aedile Entar and Quaestor Erinos, but also to Dark Adept Sashar Erinos Arconae, who would be taking over the Army as the Major-General. It was at this ceremony that Wuntila made good on his word of compensation...less than 30 seconds after Talos had relinquished command to General Erinos, the latter turned around and offered Talos a commission in the Army.
It would be only the first stepping stone in what would eventually lead to Talos Omerta and Sashar Erinos becoming family.
In the Basement
- "Good evening, Commissioner"
- ―Marick Del'Abbot to Talos Omerta, 34 ABY
In addition to his duties as an Army Officer, Talos would soon be taking on additional responsibilities as the second Commissioner of the Arcona Contract Bureau; succeeding his friend and Captain, Marick Del'Abbot, due to the Hapan's increasing importance in official Summit matters, Talos took over the day-to-day administration of the Bureau and became even more plugged into the lifeflow of Arcona as Housemates, both new and old, came to him to request contracts in everything from assassination to VIP protection.
Despite the immense amount of holowork that came with the job, Talos soon fell in love with it and, with the permission of his Summit, began to expand the Bureau's operational boundaries; soon, contractors found themselves fulfilling contracts on worlds as distant as Corulag and handling matters that were officially out of the purview of the Selenian government. The Bureau didn't go unnoticed however, and as contractors actions began to tip the scales in favor of House Arcona, more and more organizations, most shady and/or clandestine in nature, began subcontracting jobs to Talos and the Bureau.
For the most part, Talos accepted all of the subcontracting work, as he had encountered many of the organizations either previously in his Brotherhood career or elsewhere during his life, but he religiously adhered to one rule:
"No Contract Could Ever Endanger House Arcona or the Dark Jedi Brotherhood in any way whatsoever"
Talos in his beskar'gam
A More Physical Approach
- "Celahir, I need a favor"
- ―Talos to Celahir, late 34 ABY
During the Brotherhood Vendetta known as "Disorder", Talos Omerta realized that, as much as he loved the clandestine (and often illict) ways in which Oblivion Brigade conducted their business, he was going to get hurt in the field unless he started to embrace a more physical and upfront fighting style.
Because Fate can be a cruel mistress, Talos' prediction came true; while marching on the Temple Boyna with the a platoon of his brethren Sith and their conscripted troopers, they came under fire from a Krath patrol group and the young Humanoid would have surely died on the sandy plains of Antei, had he not given into the base temptations of the Dark Side and pulled a Sith Trooper in front of him, to absorb the blaster fire of a Mechu-Deru enhanced battle droid. Omerta and his platoon escaped death that day and before the Dark Jedi Knight found any more danger, the Vendetta was called to a halt, with the revelation that Jedi Master Michael Halcyon was the true catalyst behind the Order War. The Order Armadas were disbanded and Houses reformed, with Talos rejoining his beloved Arconan brethren on Selen.
Talos spent the "down-time", if it could be called that, developing a new outlook on combat. While he would still continue to serve as the Oblivion Brigade's Vice-Captain, he decided that he would start to split his time and talents between Black Operations and a more overt way to fight, something that would take advantage of his new-found powers, granted to him by his promotion to Sith Warrior. And who better to learn from, he decided, than the most fearsome warriors the galaxy had ever known -- the Mandalorians.
Proving
As it so happened, some of House Arcona's most steadfast and loyal vassals were members of a group called the Erinos, which was not only a family of master combatants, but also of Mandalorian Force-Adepts. And one of their newer members was recently retired Consul Celahir Erinos, who Talos befriended during their time together in House Qel-Droma, when the Great Clans still existed, and then further as Rollmaster and Quaestor of House Arcona.
Confident in his friendship with the Kiffar, Talos approached Celahir in late 34 ABY and asked, more accurately begged, to be taken under one of the Erinos' wings and taught how to properly fight -- in other words, be trained as a Mandalorian. Flattered and amused, Celahir gave his consent and conferred with the rest of his brethren. Word came a day later that the Erinos had decided to accept Talos into a sort of improvised "training class" along with fellow Arconans Maaks and Voden Arijin.
Earning The Armor
- "Brother to brother, in life..and death. From now until the day that the Manda calls us home, I am yours"
- ―Words spoken at the Erinos Induction Ceremony
Training as a Mandalorian was anything but easy, especially for Talos and Maaks, who were not born into the Mandalorian way. On the orders of former Consul-and-current-Soulfire Sergeant, Sashar Erinos, the three Erinos trainees had been relocated to the Venku Range, the site of the Erinos homestead on the planet of Arconae Primus. Once settled into their new home, Sashar further decreed that the new recruits were to be stripped of everything except their smallclothes and, for Talos and Voden, their lightsabers, promising that from this point forward, anything that the trio would need would come from the family.
And he was right; everything from the simple brown fatigues that the three wore during training exercises, to their blaster weapons (A280 rifles and SSK-7s), training armor, and hygenic items, were provided from the family's bounty. This included food, which was brought in one of two ways:
- The recruit trio, when not running combat training operations or doing other household chores around the Range, were sent hunting, bid not to return until they had enough meat to serve the entire family for a week.
- Under the supervision of either Sashar, Celahir, or Malidir (Zandro remained on Selen, ruling Arcona as Quaestor and Juda was off with Kieran tracking down Dash Kuatir), either Talos, Maaks, or Voden would take turns going out into the Venku Range's pastures to pick an animal to kill and prepare for that week's meal.
Life as a Mandalorian trainee soon took on a predictable, but nonetheless tiring, pattern; at exactly 0600 on Mondays-Thursday, Sashar's bellowing voice would jolt Talos, Maaks, and Voden from their lean-to and signal that they had 15 minutes to wash, dress in their fatigues, and assemble outside the lean-to. From there, they would jog a mile around the perimiter of the compound before reporting to the homestead's outdoor firing range and battle circle (the order would switch day-to-day).
The sigil of the Erinos Family
In the afternoons, the trio would run simulated combat operations with all of the Erinos that were present (it was hardly the same group twice, except for Sashar and Malidir). These simulations furthered the recruit's knowledge and prowess with small squad tactics in a wide array of settings, as Arconae Primus' unique land features lent the Erinos family an advantage; the ancient ruins that dotted the planet, as well as the Venku Range itself, could be set up to serve as a mock-urban environment, while the forests and swamps provided a harder, more natural challenge, and finally the open fields and mountains trained the Talos and the two other would-be Mandalorians in invasion tactics and also environmental survival.
On Fridays, the recruit's had the day off from training...however, the Mandalorian definition of "having the day off" varies drastically from it's galactic definition; instead of lounging in a chair and watching the HoloNet, or going out to the various clubs to get drunk and whore, Talos and his two friends spent their time studying both Erinos and Mandalorian history, topographical maps of the Dajorra System's planets, as well as doing household chores around the Range. As Talos quickly learned, just because their days weren't spent holding a blaster didn't mean they were any less strenuous.
And the last two days of the galactic week, Saturday and Sunday, were blocked off. These were the days that Talos, Maaks, and Voden were to return to House Arcona, both to fulfill their oaths as Dark Jedi of the Shadow House but also to give them true time to rest and recover, as the whole cycle began again at 0600 the following day.
And then after two consecutive months of training, both the mind and body,...it was over.
Brother to Brother
On a beautiful evening in early 35 ABY, mere days before Arcona would learn that they had regained Clan status, Talos Omerta, and his two comrades, Maaks and Voden Arijin, were summoned to the main homestead in the Erinos compound. Unlike the numerous amount of hours that the trio had spent there during training, the homestead was different. The skylights were closed, the windows had their blinds shut, and the soft halogenic lighting had been turned off in favor of a considerable fire burning in the center hearth; indeed, the only normal thing about the homestead was its inhabitants, the Erinos Mandalorians, who were all clad in their beskar'gam, helmets and all.
There was also another major difference about this visit than all the rest...it was deadly quiet, with the exception of the crackling fire. That didn't last long however, as once all three potential Erinos were in the common room, the gray-armored man standing in the middle of the line of Erinos removed his helmet and spoke.
Sashar Erinos Arconae bid the three to step close to the fire, after which the Erinos formed a circle around them. Sashar then further ordered Talos to take a step forward, so that he was closest to Sashar. The Dark Adept, as he was wont to do, wasted no time in saying the following:
"Brother to Brother, in life..and death. From now until the day that the Manda calls us home, I am yours"
Initially confused, Talos quickly realized that he had completed his training...that he was being fully welcomed into the Erinos. After Sashar had finished saying those words, he moved Talos to the right, where Malidir was standing. The grizzled Soulfire commando, farmer, and Arconae echoed Sashar's words and revealed a white Mandalorian breastplate, which he attached to the flightsuit that Talos was wearing. And then, mirroring his Sergeant, Malidir passed him on to Zandro, who said the same words, his face one big smile, and then presented Talos with a left pauldron to add to his flightsuit.
Talos moved around the circle of Erinos, with Maaks going through the same process and Voden after him. The young Humanoid visited Celahir next (who gave him the matching right pauldron) then Juda (who gave him a set of gauntlets), then Kieran (the left greave), followed by Xayun (the right greave), then Archean (the boots). Finally, Talos had completed the circle and been welcomed into the Erinos Family by all of its members, only to find himself once again in front of their, now his, new Patriarch.
But unlike before, Sashar had no words to say; he only smiled before presenting Talos with the final, and most important, piece of Mandalorian armor...the buy'ce, or helmet. It to was white, like the seven other pieces he now wore, and he took the helmet with a sort of reverance, before slipping it on over his head and moving out of the way, so that Maaks could receive his helmet.
And that was that, when the three had entered the homestead, they had been Talos Omerta, Maaks Miraluka, and Voden Arijin. But now, those three people were gone, replaced by people who were not only physically but mentally stronger than before. They were replaced by Erinos.
Talos (far back) fighting the Jedi of Odan-Urr in their capital Menat Ombo, during the Tenth Great Jedi War
The Re-Clanning
Ad Infinitum
- "Zandro has been captured..."
- ―Sashar Erinos
Alas, having constant success and victory is not the way of the Dark Jedi, no matter how desperately one may wish it. Within two months of Arcona's reinstatement as a Clan and the Independence Games, in which an Arconan emerged Champion, tragedy struck in the form of Consul Zandro Erinos Arconae being captured. While this was totally predictable, it was a tragedy nonetheless and so the new Clan scrambled into action. From the Erinos Homestead on the Venku Range, Sashar made a politically-damning move of rejecting the help of Army Colonel John J. Malay, his friend and former guard captain, stating that the rescue of Zan'ika would be handled as a family affair. From there, the Erinos Alor'verde (commander in Mando'a) split the Family into two teams; Team 1 would be comprised of himself, Malidir, Kieran, and Juda and would investigate the Wunhelion Ring of Estle City, where the Death Walkers had set up their camp during the last invasion.
Talos came into play in making up Team 2 with Celahir. Due to their current positions and Celahir's former status as a Lord Consul, they were sent off in search of records pertaining to the Death Walker's whereabouts, mainly searching for records pertaining to Operation: RESISTANCE, the codename for the last, and almost successful, takeover attempt the Walkers made against the Clan. Unfortunately, due to the highly classified nature of RESISTANCE, hardcopy records were stored in the D'Arthe Facility, one of two Secure Operational Information Storage Facility, or SOISFs, in the entire Dajorra System.
To make matters worse, the D'Arthe Facility was run by none other than Army Captain Mark Malay, the Colonel's son, and assisted by Lieutenant Commander Miralda Greyspak, a Naval officer who served on Celahir's staff when he was Consul and wished to take their relationship beyond the boundaries of "superior-subordinate", something that wasn't reciprocated by the then-Consul. Therefore, with two political enemies united and standing in front of what the two Erinos needed to rescue their brother, Talos and Celahir had to strip away their layers of restraint and in a dazzling display of swordsmanship, Force prowess, and combat training, the Dark Jedi incapictated the Facility's organic staff and reduced their contingent of EverAlert security droids to scrap.
Finally, it was down to CPT. Malay and LCDR. Greyspak, who were both vetted members of the Arcona Special Operations Command and graduates of the highly classified CI-5 program run by the DIA, and as such were resistant to most tortues and immune to Celahir pulling rank (as he was a Special Forces Major). So it left the duo with little choice but to show the Captain and Commander exactly why the Dark Jedi were the rulers of the Dajorra System and, on Talos' part, why the agents of the Oblivion Brigade were so feared.
No one can quite be sure what happened in the confines of the younger Malay's office, but a half hour later Talos and Celahir emerged victorious, along with a now subdued Mark Malay and Miralda Greyspak who would be returned to their previous duty stations and serve as military informants for the Erinos Family.
After the Mandalorian Family reunited at the Range, their information was compiled and analyzed and the Arconan ori'ramikade began to devise a plan to locate the Death Walkers, their leader TOWITO, and rescue their Consul brother. However, before the armor could be donned, the Family were informed of acting-Consul Wuntila Zratian Entar's newest order...to assemble in the Citadel. It was time to rescue the capture-prone Zandro.
Part 2: The Rescue
The actual rescue mission, codenamed AD INFINITUM, took place a week and a half later. A special task force consisting of four modified LAAT/i's were launched from the NSD Invicta and made planetfall on Despayre at 0630 hours. While the original plan was for the combined task force, consisting of six platoons of Arcona Army Troopers, to take the Death Walker's stronghold by force, the Erinos Mandalorians had a different plan.
By injecting the servicemembers of Platoon 1 with a nasty (but nonlethal) strain of the flu, the supercommandos took their place and with Talos at the helm of the larty, broke away from the formation and assaulted the DW compound themselves. What ensued was a brutal but relatively quick skirmish with the feral creatures and in a testament to their professionalism and hours of training, the Erinos had their VIP brother out and loaded onto their comandeered LAAT/i before the actual Army task force had finished assembling for the planned assault.
File:ZandroBack.jpgThe Lord Consul addressing Clan Arcona mere hours after his rescue
True to their dedication to the Clan, Task Force: Buckethead had Zandro back on Selen within six hours of his rescue and in an indication of his stamina, the Consul held an outdoor rally in which he praised his rescuers and shared with the Clan the premonition of war that he had envisioned while in captivity. War was coming to the Brotherhood he said, and it was high time for Arcona to finalize their preparations.
The Colors of Rage
This is War
- "To be a Dark Jedi of this Brotherhood is to be a part of a world where you can gain more power and prestige than you could ever possibly fathom...but it's also part of a world where distrust, hate, and suspicion are as much bedfellows as love and brotherhood. I am part of that world, as are Sashar, Celahir, all the Erinos, and every Arconan...you too are now part of that world."
- ―Talos to his apprentice
Legends Lost
- "What!? No!! You'll kill them!"
- ―Teroch Erinos
- "...I know"
- ―Wuntila Entar
Shadesworn Rising
- "They will be an organization within an orgaization...literally hiding in plain sight. The name will be given to all, but only the Clan's elect will know what it truly means"
- ―Excerpt from Sashar Arconae's journal
Nothing More
- "Zhol kash dinora (It is done)"
- ―Talos Erinos, overlooking Socorra's Knighting ceremony
The War of the Three Families
- "What happened to the mantra of 'One Clan', huh? You traded it for prestige and protection. Marick, you are not the Captain and friend I served faithfully. And Socorra, you stupid woman...I trained you better than this"
- ―Talos to Marick Del'Abbot and Socorra, upon discovering their allegiance to the Entar Family
Brotherhood Database Entry: #8664
Personality
- "You're a frakking mystery, Tal. What are you hiding?"
- ―Marick Del'Abbot, Proconsul of Clan Arcona
While it's easy to peg Talos as a loyal warrior and caring friend from his actions and outward demeanor, the personality of the Dark Jedi is nothing short of a maze; created, rather than birthed, from the DNA of another Talos began life with a personality mirroring that of his progenitor's, which was incredibly odd for so young a person and as a result made making friends difficult. When he was activated by the Imperial Remnant Intelligence Service, Talos' personality was moulded to that of IRIS' will and that of the Remnant's, still not allowed free-thought.
It was only when Talos was rescued/kidnapped by Bruude and inducted into the Dark Jedi Brotherhood that, with the help of the Force and Academy staff, he was able to overcome the Imperial "programming" and create his own person, though the original personalities were never truly driven out and over time have subtly exerted their influence in areas like his relationships with others. In conjunction with his time spent in Arcona's Black Operations as an assassin and IA agent and then his later advancement into the political sphere of the Brotherhood, the Erinos has found that trusting people to be a real difficulty and even after six years in the Shadow Clan, there was but a small circle of fellow Arconans that he can say he truly trusts.
However, things were looking up for the Prelate with his joining of the Erinos and he finally began to view relationships with a more open-mindset...that was until the Tenth Great Jedi War took the lives of two of his adopted brothers and close-friends, Sashar Erinos Arconae and Zandro Erinos Arconae; these deaths, despite them being willing sacrifices, was a major setback and Talos immediately reverted back to trusting only the Summit of Arcona, his rother-Erinosand his apprentice Socorra. With the influx of new recruits post-War but his unwillingness to go out and meet them as well as the increased devotion to Arcona that the tragic ending of the War gave him, Talos Erinos has earned the reputation of being paranoid and a bit reclusive; while his reputation as a successful former Clan officer and his prowess on the battlefield have earned him the professional respect of the membership and a good amount of influence in the Clan, the Obelisk Prelate is viewed as a mystery, even to his circle of friends as he has yet to fully open up to anyone.
Physical Appearance and Attire
- "Dedicated, strong, smart, powerful, loyal, a total smartass...and pretty karking attractive. Yep, that's Talos"
- ―Socorra's description of her master, sentiments echoed by Teroch Erinos.
While not the tallest or strongest Human male in the galaxy, Talos Erinos cuts an imposing figure despite his average height; the layers of toned/corded muscle that cover his body as well as his ice-blue eyes and his ashen black hair, which is worn long, all lend him an air of deadly importance and purpose, which more than makes up for it. When it comes to attire, Talos in the lightly armored 'Invicta' robes that were aworded by the Dark Council for Clan Arcona's stellar invasion, subjugation, and occupation of New Tython. Consisting of a black bodysuit and duelist pants tucked into armored boots, 'Invicta' offers both comfort and protection, provided by the armor-mantle worn over the shoulders and upper-chest; in honor of Arcona's more esoteric "origins" a series of gold-colored sigils cover the left pectoral plate while the Great Seal of the Clan covers the enlarged left pauldron, also in gold. Finishing off the ensemble is a black cape adorned with golden sigils and trimmed in Obelisk blue. Another consistent part of his appearance is the presence of his lightsaber, Jiaasjen, and a dozen bone-white throwing knives; depending on the situation, Talos will accenuate his apparel with either additional attire (a high formal overcloak for example) or additional weapons such as blasters, but it can always be counted on that the Prelate will have Jiaasjen and his knives.
While on missions with Soulfire Strike Team, the elite Battleteam of the Shadow Clan, Talos adheres to the will of his commander, Teroch Erinos, and wears the Das'Verd Combat Environmental Suit (DV-CES), complete with all the accoutrements and features of the assaulter variant, which are necessary in the Prelate's role as the unit's Pointman. True to Soulfire tradition, the armor is trimmed in blue when the Strike Team is in garrison or on domestic operations but said trim is covered up when the commandos deploy outside of Dajorra; the only decoration on the armor is the rank insignia of Major, the rank held by Talos in the Arcona Army Corps.
File:InvictaObeliskRobe.jpgTalos' traditional attire
Distinguishing Marks
- "I'm surprised it's taken this long"
- ―Talos, upon discovering the sulfuric flecks in his eyes
Talos' once ice-blue eyes have started to take on a sulfuric yellow tint due to the time he's spent drawing on the Dark Side; while the Erinos somewhat mourns the change of his eyes, as the ice-blue color was always something other sentients found attractive, Talos has no intention to stop drawing on the Dark Side as he realizes the sheer power and superiority it offers, something he craves after the deaths of his two brothers, Sashar and Zandro.
Another notable feature of the Prelate is the unique sigil that he had tattooed on his left hand following the Tenth Great Jedi War; the tattoo starts at the wrist and solidifies in the center of his hand before branching off into three "tendrils" that run along his trigger, middle, and ring fingers. Talos has yet to explain the signifiance of the mark, but a striking resemblance has been seen between it and the sigils found in the ruins that dot Selen.
Jiasjen
To Be Written Upon the Request and Completion of Talos’ First Custom Lightsaber
Steppes Knives
Additional Information
Holdings
As a former long-serving Clan officer of good repute and a warrior of known skill, Talos has accumulated a good bit of clout within the dark halls of Clan Arcona (see below), and as such, he enjoys some material benefits not granted to every standard member. Prominent among these benefits is special quarters within Kurs'kranak; while not on par with his quarters from when he was Aedile (nor should they be) and lacking an office, they are quite comfortable and consist of comfortable amenities including a secure HoloNet port and personal refresher suite. Another similar benefit is the co-ownership of the Silent Blade, a customized T-4 stealth shuttle that was purchased by Marick Del'Abbot for use by Oblivion Brigade; Talos, as Vice-Captain and protege of the BOT commander, became the resident pilot as Marick didn't know to fly and as a Hapan noble found it beneath him. When OB was decommissioned, the Silent Blade was berthed in a VIP slip at Giletta Spaceport.
Influence
For over a year, Talos held the office of Aedile of House Galeres, working alongside his brother and friend Celahir; while holding the position of Aedile is no big feat in the Brotherhood at large, the way in which Arcona has organized its leadership matrix has each Quaestor and Aedile mounted with a huge amount of responsibility, not the least of which was solo-mananging the House when Celahir was gone hunting Dash Kuatir and when the two, both front-line soldiers, were thrust into the positions of generals during the the Occupation of New Tython. With the help of his Quaestor and his talented Battleteam Leaders, Sashar and Cethgus, Talos developed and bettered not only himself but also Arcona's Warrior House. So after the War's tragic conclusion and the start of his personal quest, the Erinos stepped away from the spotlight.
But that was hardly the end of the story; personally thanked by literally every member of the Summit and a vast majority of the Clan membership Talos retired as something of a minor-hero and as such, he enjoys a few select privileges including access to most of the Arcona Citadel, personal relationships with the Arcona Summit, advising on select matters of political policy and the general respect of the natives/locals of the planets of Selen and Eldar. In summary, Talos is by no means an arrogant or self-righteous prick but due to his recent journey and training, he has realized now that when he speaks, people tend to listen and when he asks for something to be done, it generally is; therefore he has decided to make use of such advantages, but not to the point of overriding the authority of positioned Clan leaders.
Combat Overview
Lightsaber Combat
The difference in power between that of the Journeyman Class and the first Equite rank was huge, as Talos quickly learned, a lesson that was only compounded almost two years later with his promotion to Obelisk Prelate. Not only had his mastery of the Force increased exponentially, but he found that he was also able to branch out into the more advanced forms of lightsaber combat and as a Prelate, begin to master them, particularly the Way of the Krayt Dragon (Djem So), which has been long considered to be a perfect balance between offense and defense. As a man who doesn't believe in placing his eggs all in one basket, Talos has maintained his skill in the basic Forms of Shii-Cho and Soresu, despite the obvious superiority of Djem So.
File:TrainingTalos.jpgDuring his sabbatical, Talos trained extensively in lightsaber combat; here, Talos faces multiple enemies on precarious ground
As an Obelisk Prelate and swordsman a little over halfway to his mastery of the blade, Talos has created what he calls the ‘Tri-Equal Path’ of lightsaber combat, being that in forgoing some of his skill in Shii-Cho and Soresu, he has been able to progress in Djem So, leaving him at about the level of Adherent in all three Forms.
Force Wraiths
As an Arconan Equite, Talos has learned to summon and control three Force-Wraiths for as long as one standard day (24 hours). These are the Serpent, the Tiger, and the Uvak, and each embody a different part of Talos' personality as well as being used for various practical purposes.
Serpent
Talos' first Force-Wraith that he brought fort when he was a Knight of Arcona, the Serpent takes the form of a 2 foot long, black-as-night snake with a diamond-shaped head and a particuarly nasty set of fangs that contain venoms that even the Force itself cannot heal. As a creature without legs, Talos often uses the Serpent for recconaissance purposes as the Serpent's lithe form allows it to access many places that its Summoner cannot. On a more "emotional" level, the Serpent is the physical manifestation of Talos' cunning and guile as well as his growing mastery over the skills of interrogation, manipulation, and bribery.
Ralltiir Tiger
The second Wraith brought into the physical world, Talos created the Tiger to be the exact opposite of the Serpent; whereas the Serpent was low to the ground and able to move silently, adept at things such as recconaissance and single-person assassinations, the Tiger is the manifestation of pure, unbridled rage. When Talos calls forth the Tiger, there is no plan, no greater goal in mind...only carnage. Appearing similar to the fearsome and bloodthirsty tigers of Ralltiir, the Wraith stands at 4 feet tall, ready to hunt down its prey on four extremely powerful legs and finish it off with either its maw of razor-sharp teeth or its musceled and barbed tail.
Uvak
An avian creature commonly associated with racing, the Uvak is Talos' newest Wraith and the only one that does not embody a "base" trait of his, like the Serpent and Tiger. Rather the Uvak, as a winged creature, represents Talos' desire to attain mastery of the Dark Side (a goal which he is starting to pick up on) and also climb the ladder of power within the Dark Brotherhood. As for the Uvak's more physical uses, the Equite mainly employs his new denizen as a scout and security, using the Uvak's inherent advantage as a winged creature to be able to gain a birds-eye view of a battlefield or to guard an important Arconan installation.
Hand-to-Hand Combat
Since being promoted into the ranks of the Equites and swearing fealty to the Order of the Obelisk, Talos Erinos has spent a considerable amount of time honing his body (both physically and mentally). He altered what he ate, his exercise regimen, spent hours studying holo-vids of himself in combat. Finally, the training paid off and Talos is now able to lay claim to the title of "master" over several different forms of Hand-to-Hand Combat; these include the basic Dulon as well as the more advanced forms of K’thri, Vim, and the famously lethal Teras Kasi
In addition to these four mastered forms, Talos also possesses a good deal of knowledge and skill in the form of Broken Gate, a form that puts emphasis on strength and brutality, which is red herring among the otherwise balanced forms that the Prelate practices.
DJB Facts
Outstanding Achievements
- Selected as the first Rollmaster of House Arcona (7/31/2010)
- Chosen as the first Aedile of House Galeres since Arcona's Re-Clanning (5/9/2011)
- Author of several Wiki Pages, a list can be found here.