Private A Lion In The Darkness

[Grand Shepherd Burtch]

Damascus Station

A massive fortress and production facility.

Burtch, now an old man, stood at the top of Damascus Station tower, peering down on the crawling of streaming dots coming in and out of the station's massive docking zone. From his viewport, a handful of tiny angular specks were scattered amongst the stars, standing vigilant after all these years to protect the massive space station. Ophanim Guards, rare star destroyers, were old now, but still powerful. But one was not amongst them.

Below his viewport, one slept in her berth. She, the once mighty Shii-Cho, had retired a couple years ago. She could not stand to be far from her master, and had thus opted to sleep in the docks where she could be closer to Burtch at all times.

Burtch still stood proud, despite wearing a medcenter gown and IVs coming out of his arms. The med Center at the top of the main tower was the best on the station. The Med-techs, droids, and doctors here were usually close, keeping an eye on him. After two years, Burtch had gotten used to it.

He figured the medical droid would be back in a few minutes. He could have a few minutes to look out into the stars before it would come back and chastise him for not resting. He would rather spend as little time in bed as he could.

~Burtch~ he could hear the voice of his old ship, echoing through his head through his neural implant. He rarely ever actually talked to her these days. He didn't need to. Feeling her presence had always been enough for both of them, and the subconscious connection was always a comfort through the years. For her to speak to him like this was a surprise. He smiled in spite of himself and his condition.

He didn't respond directly, but listened intently. She knew him well enough to know he was listening and she continued, ~you'll never guess who I picked up on my sensors~

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Had it really been so many years? It was the question that Rex could not shake as his shuttle approached the massive Damascus Station. It had been so long since he had even laid eyes on civilization, much less a behemoth of a structure like Damascus. His pilgrimage back into the wilderness where his father first found him had flown by. Thirty years. Such an extended retreat from civilization could do wonders to the mind. Everything was so foreign, so new. Rex had hardly remembered the controls to his X-Class Fighter. It was a miracle that he could get the thing to fly, much less enter hyperspace. In fact, he wouldn't have remembered the coordinates to Damascus Station if not for his ships travel memory. He barely remembered anything.

But the names, and his failures. He remembered them well. He remembered how he failed his people, and worse, his friends. His wife. Everything he had envisioned, all he was and had hoped to be, was buried and gone. The Elysium Empire that he tried so hard to save met a fate worse than it would have if his deranged father hadn't become comatose. In Rex's last year of power, he had "reformed" The Elysium Empire into "The Imperium", burnt ties with all his allies, nearly killed one of his most loyal friends - Var-Sulis -, and accused his wife, his best friend, of being unfaithful. He had given in to The Dark Side that his mentor, Martin Dux, had warned him of. He had failed to stop The Dobson Family from rotting the core of his Empire. He had dug a hole, fell in it, and swatted away the hands that tried to reach out and save him.

But he was not the same man that he was all those years ago. His pilgrimage to The Wilderness was the remedy to his mental break. And now, he had to fix what he had broken. He needed to mend old wounds. He needed to be forgiven.

And if he could do that...-if he could make things right-....then maybe, just maybe, he could rebuild all that had been lost. Maybe he could revive his Empire, not for himself, but for the billions of lives it meant so much to. The refugees that took shelter under The Lion's mane. The hundreds of loyalists that believed in a balanced Empire, one to provide protection and secure their liberties. He owed it to them, for without them, he would have never been King.

It would start here, at Damascus Station. If he were to find any of his old acquaintances, it would be on this station. The Gem of a now-fallen Empire. ​

 

[Cruk Tuk]

Standard business today. Merely renewal of a locations lease on Damascus station. There were, of course, many places he did business. His own stations were quite capable of going mobile, and that made widespread business quite simple. However having a few more localized spots made it easier to maintain widespread sources. It was also important in it's location, as it was to continue work with the Elysium Empire. As he finished up his business he moved back towards the dock, and tilted his head. There was a familiar one here. It had been some time since Cruk had made extensive meetings with the rulership's of the Empire. Perhaps it was a good time to assess the Empire's present day practices in its leaders.

The geonosian would watch. Intending on following Rex Valhoun . He felt no guilt in this. Observance within an otherwise public space seemed perfectly acceptable. And he had a history with the empire, it was quite unlike sending one of his subordinates to do the same. Still, for the moment, he'd simply follow at a distance. If approached, it was acceptable. If Rex stopped anywhere too long, Cruk simply intended on closing the distance at his own pace. He would let the pacing of Valhoun determine Cruk's own speed.

Cruk himself was entering old age, however, it was only just the first portions of it. And he felt he had helped his hive quite a lot in his time in charge. And his health was still quite on the upside. He did consider the possibility that was the force that was keeping him afloat. The power of it was considerable. It would not last forever. But he'd saved the hive he believed, that was all that was relevant. Now, it was just a matter of some additional preparations for his death. However soon it may come. If the Elysium fell, that would prove inconvenient. His hive could certainly survive without him, and it could survive without the Empire. But he rather hoped it would not be necessary for both to struggle at the same time. If he could tell how well equipped the empire was still, it would inform him how he needed to prepare the hive.

Rex Valhoun Grand Shepherd Burtch

 

[Var-Sulis]

Damascus Station tower. Now how the frak did I end up in its view? She's so...So beautiful. However.. I was met with an overwhelming sense of sadness.. The militia.. Past memories..Failed missions... But it wasn't all bad...There was the meeting of Mr... King Heath Valhoun.. Get well my friend. Speaking of...I wondered if he ever woke from the coma and where he was being held to pay respects.

The Titana was empty, with the exception of the maintenance crew. Which I may add was a skeleton crew at its best. But they are loyal to what they do best. Maintain! And they still referred to me as captain. Would you look at that? Captain Sulis. Anyhow, my curiosity or fate led me here. It had to. This was either the beginning of another path.. Or the beginning of my end. I've dodged many bounties since. And who the heck knows if Rex Valhoun lurks within the station somewhere? Yeah Rex... We need to talk... So much has happened and...

"Captain.... Were approaching Damascus station... comms switched to a public channel. 1:4. Proceed?" The crew supervisor by the name of Lugana would ask as the small airships below were being directed to the landing.


"Yes.. Lu... Have a cigar ready for me will ya? Oh, also... My armor.. Let's make it look like I have somewhere else to be and am ready to depart at any moment, should this turn into a hunt."

I was neither sure if I was welcomed or not... After all... I did try to subdue the man who was once my best friend. A brother if you will.. Then again... Thats what family does sometimes. They fight... Right?

"Captain... One other thing... Lady Kor would like to have a word..." Lugana said as my smile faded to a sigh with raspberries blowing from my lips


Grand Shepherd Burtch Cruk Tuk

 

[Grand Shepherd Burtch]

~is that… an X-class?~ Burtch asked his ship through the implant in his head.

~It's not hard to put a hyperdrive on those things~ Shii Cho replied, answering the unasked part of his question.

~we had better fighters with stock hyperdrives when Rex Valhoun left~ Burtch replied, annoyed.

Through the implant, Burtch could feel Shii Cho do something of a virtual shrug of speculation, ~the X-Classes were our most mass produced fighter. They were also the most misplaced asset in the Elysium Navy. He probably took advantage of some kind of logistical rounding error and stole one before leaving.~

~could be. And the arrival of an X-class in most systems would have provoked the least amount of attention out of any other ship in the old Elysium roster.~ Burtch summarized. Clearly, Rex was not keen on keeping an high profile, and for whatever reason, his old stealth transport was unavailable… and then he connected the dots ~he has nothing left.~

~anyways, Burtch, there's one more signal that you'll be happy to see~

Burtch's attention was artificially shifted to a small moving dot amongst the distant stars. The gesture was an Angel Navis' way of "pointing" something. Burtch looked at it and squinted to see. Eventually, it came close enough that he was able to make out the general shape of a Val Khaar Corvette. Since there weren't many serviceable VK Corvettes left in the galaxy these days, it narrowed down who it could be, and Burtch had been hoping to see him for a while now.

~so you finally got a hold of him?~ Burtch asked his ship.

~not directly, no~ she replied, ~At least, I don't think i succeeded. I tried to get a message out, but finding Var-Sulis was hard. So, instead, I got some of the other 'girls' to amplify the rumour of your condition and see if we can get him to come back.~

Burtch knew that other "girls" meant other sentient ships like herself. In the Navis Sacra, the saying "girls talk" was a common phrase.

~thanks,~ was all Burtch said. He wasn't too keen on amplifying news of his medical condition, but after 5 years of diagnosis, and two years of hospitalization, it was already public knowledge. At this point, it couldn't do any harm, and now, old friends that were hard to find might have a chance to come visit him again…

Burtch started to feel dizzy, so he sat down on his bed. The medical droid would likely be back soon anyways.

Some time passed while he rested, trying to focus his mind again.

~burtch?~ shii cho said gently, ~ Cruk Tuk just started tailing Rex, and both of them are seemingly making their way here~

In spite of his condition, the old habit of analyzing and planning came to life inside his head. It gave him something to focus on and helped him to slow the spinning of his vision.

Cruk was an old player, and Rex was a man of ambition. This would only lead to some old-fashioned political dancing, and Burtch was pretty familiar with that. It felt good to be part of things again. To feel like his actions could be of consequence once more. He realized that he had some moves to play, a job to do, and friends that needed him now. In his last few years left, he realized that he might actually have one last game left to play… his smile was weak, but the way it creased his old face felt good.

~do you know who I think we should see next?~ Burtch asked playfully. He was still weak, but there was an undertone of vigour in his words.

~are you sure about that?~ Shii Cho didn't have to read Burtch's mind to know what he was thinking ~it could get ugly, and… well… in your condition, i don't think the extra stress…~

~…I think Rex wants this.~ Burtch interrupted. He had little patience for pity in his current circumstances. ~He wouldn't come back after all this time unless he wanted to set things right. He may not enjoy it, but I think he'll see it as a favour all the same~

~And what do we do about Cruk?~

~Cruk? I think she might actually want to see him ~

 

[Rex Valhoun]

It had been a surprise, though a welcome one, to see how easy it was to enter Damascus station. His old codes still checked out, somehow, and he had been permitted to land in the general docking bay. From there Rex encountered a mixture of surprised and confused faces, and some that simply ignored him. He supposed that enough time had passed that many here would not recognize him. But enough caught on that he slowly gathered a crowd of observers that not-so-subtly tailed him. He ignored them. There would be time for publicity stunts later.

At first he didn't know where he was going. He didn't know who he should search for, where he should search for them, and if any of his old allies were even present on the station. But it was a safe bet. Damascus was almost certainly the largest remnant of The Elysium Empire. If anything they had built had a strong, lasting impact, it would be this station. And that meant that any one of the old generals, admirals, royalty, or business acquaintances left could be gathered here.

Rex would meet with anyone he could find in order to begin to make things right. Certainly, Loreena and Var Sulis were at the top of his list. But for some reason he had a feeling about a particular man. Someone that he had not slighted nearly as horribly as the others, but someone he still owed an apology to... Grand Shepherd Burtch

And so Rex, keeping his pace up in order to avoid the coagulation of his crowd of observers, asked around. First Rex asked a guard. The man, whose face showed that he was uncertain if he recognized Rex, didn't know if Burtch was around. However, when Rex asked an old-model protocol droid, evidently a guide, it immediately knew where to find the old admiral: The top spiral of the station's tower. From here, it didn't take long for Rex to work his way to an elevator, in which the long wait to the top was extra awkward, as many in the elevator with him clearly recognized him.

At last he reached the right level. Now, walking faster than he had at any point since landing, he worked his way to the very room Burtch was in. One last obstacle blocked Rex from meeting Burtch: Damascus Security. Of course Burtch would have security. He had served The Elysium Empire and was a friend of Loreena. Either one of those could warrant a guard on Damascus Station. But to Rex's relief, the guard on the right recognized him, and met him with a bow. The left guard, much younger than the other, followed suite, though clearly confused. Rex returned the bow, softly said "Thank you.", and then took a deep breath. So many years...

Mentally prepared, he opened the doors, walked in, and immediately fell to a knee. "Burtch, I...I do not know where to begin. It has been so long..." ​

 

[Cruk Tuk]

Cruk continued his following. He wasn't sure if he could make anything come of it or not, but there was only so much time left before he was nothing but memory himself. He might as well attend to those dying as well, perhaps sooner than him. Humans and near humans did tend to live awhile, but it had already been some time for them when he'd first met them. Whereas his life had only been in his 20's.

He had avoided taking the same elevator. But by now, he had some guesses on where he was going. And he could always follow the gazes. They had a harder time differentiating geonosians. It made his life simpler. That, and humans were weak. Fragile. Soft. he could shove his way through a crowd like through tall grass. It helped too how many of those fleshy things were afraid of even being touched by an insectoid race.

The Geonosian king followed along as he managed to spot him again making his way, yep. That made sense. But he'd prefer to have more details. He was still a distance away when Rex Valhoun entered the room. By the time he reached her simply paused, looking to one of the guards, his vocabulator around his throat translating to basic. "Please inform Rex Valhoun and Grand Shepherd Burtch that Cruk Tuk would appreciate any updates that could seem relevant."

In the meantime, Cruk took out a datapad and began running over his duties. He may have physically stepped away, but he wasn't going to waste time standing here waiting for something when he could be triple checking all of the Hives operations and members. It would just be a waste of time.

Var-Sulis

 

[Var-Sulis]

Landing at the station dock bay and hearing the hissing mechanisms from the engine room, I knew the time was now or never. Finishing my conversation with my spouse amplified my curiosity. Ahaahahh... No no no .. You don't get to know what was said..Atleast not now anyway....As the exit ramp extended outwards and i made my way down in my armour, I knew I was at low risk of any hostile engagement. Nothing to see here really. Just a commando looking to see if theres any thing to salvage from the tornado of a mess created some time ago. Moving through the crowd, i held on to a keepsake in my pocket that i reaceived, as a reminder that when lost, always look north. FOREWARD.

Passing through locals within the station I looked for signs of Either Rex or anyone else I could recognize. An information droid stood within the halls, greeting everyone passing by with its standard programming. Hmmm... Perhapse a public information database as well?

"You..... Uhhhhh.... Droid..." I said as the thin, tall almost human looking droid turned to face me.


"Greetings... Welcome to Damascus Station... I am one of many droids programed to give general information to the publ..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Skip the formalities..." I responded theatrically. "Im looking forrrrrr..... Aha.... You have a map of this station....Lets see here... Top floor.... Security clearance is required im sure..But what the hell... Let's see who or what group runs this place... It's been a while...."

"Yes...Yes it has Captain Var-Sulis...."

As the droid responded, my eyebrow arched...Then again, I should not have been suprised...Memeory banks weren't reset. This droid and many others probably held information on me and several of my former companions. Question was... Was this smart? I guess to know where I was going , it couldn't have been avoided.

"Riiggghhhhttt.... Well off I go.. You take care...Uhh... B2859k..." I said as i read the ID label across its chest plate. I patted it on the shoulder and continued towards the elevator. Still having my security clearance code scanner.. We would see if it worked. Getting on the elevator my wifes words kept ringing in my ear.... ((Following your instincts got you in trouble in the past... Think sweetheart.. And think carefully...))


Rex Valhoun Grand Shepherd Burtch Cruk Tuk

 

[Grand Shepherd Burtch]

Shii-Chi was toiling away as per Burtch's instructions while Burtch rested in his bed, waiting for his guests to arrive. Through his neural impant, he could feel her efforts, composing messages and databases, running search queries and analyzing data. He couldn't comprehend the data himself, though. His mind wasn't able to read code at such intense volumes. He knew what she was doing because he had simply told her what he wanted her to do. To his senses, it felt more like a baby moving around in the womb; he could make guesses as to what exactly was happening, but it was difficult to tell the difference between all of the moving parts involved.

He let her labor tirelessly just beyond the edges of his consciousness while he meditated. He focused on gathering his strength for the coming interactions, letting his breath fill his body with as much oxygen as he could inhale. He was weak, but he was determined to be a valuable resource for his friends.

Just then, Rex Valhoun came into the room and knelt before the Chiss Admiral. His demeanour was one of repentance.

Mentally prepared, he opened the doors, walked in, and immediately fell to a knee. "Burtch, I...I do not know where to begin. It has been so long..."

Burtch labored to sit up on his bony elbows that punctuated his thin arms. He then smiled, "it's good to finally see you, my King. You look well."

Just then, the sounds of a clicking voice and distorted vocabulator speak of Cruk Tuk warbled on the other side of the door and Burtch breathed something that resembled weak amusement.

"My king, you can 'begin' by opening the door for my other guest behind you. You might recognize him, actually. And you should also prepare yourself. Var-Sulis is on his way as well. I apologize, I actually invited him, but I admit, I was not expecting you. Your arrival is of very auspicious timing, if I do say so myself." He gently interrogated.

He also had another surprise guest in mind, but he wouldn't drop that orbital strike on Rex Valhoun just yet. It was best to let him adjust to Cruk Tuk and Var-Sulis first.

The King had a pretty full plate here…

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Rex hadn't taken much time before falling to a knee, but now that he was here, he could see that Burtch was in rough shape. It saddened him. When he left for his own exile, Burtch had been healthy, practically in his prime. Now he was a frail old man, in a hospital gown. Of course, Rex had aged plenty as well. The Wilderness was not a kind place, but he had maintained his fitness, and was in pretty good condition. Burtch appeared to be at the end of his life.

The Chiss Admiral's response to Rex's appearance was surprisingly...unsurprised. It was as if he had been expected all along. But something he said in particular caught Rex's ear: He said "My King". Rex hadn't been The King in a long time, and there was no Elysium Empire now, but Burtch still referred to him as King. Perhaps Rex was overthinking things, but it seemed to be a sign of loyalty and respect. After all my failures?

But his thoughts were cut short. It turned out that his decision to come to Damascus Station was a wise one, for not only was Burtch here, but also some other guests...and among them, Var-Sulis, perhaps the man most-deserving of Rex's apologies. Rex slowly rose to his feet again, brushed off his beige cargo pants and brown leather jacket, hardly Kingly attire, and made his way to the door. Opening them, he found a familiar face. It had been a long time, but he still recognized The Geonosian, "Cruk Tuk! It is good to see you again! Come in, Burtch is expecting you."

He stepped aside for The Geonosian, and peeked behind him. He didn't see Var just yet. Good...it was good to reunite with these old acquaintances one at a time. He had failed them all in different ways, and apologizing to each one individually was the best way to make things truly right, and regain their trust and respect. "Cruk, how is The Hive?" ​

 

[Cruk Tuk]

They looked old for humanoids, cracking beneath the pressure of time. But not yet shattered. There was still time for things to occur. Same as him. Though he imagined they'd had very different interests by comparison. His never wavered. They hadn't wavered since the very day he decided he had to save the hive. They wouldn't now just because they were all aging nor because these two looked nearly like entirely different people.

He blinked at Rex Valhoun 's almost apparent excitement, stepping in and giving a simple nod of the head, "Greetings. It is good to see you both as well. I witnessed your arrival, and wished to see what may come of it." A simple explanation of the truth. The question was a fair one, it could serve many practical purposes. It could also just be human tendency towards soft talk, but these were not foolish men either. Even soft talk could prove useful. "The hive continues acceptably. I have up to two decade, more likely one, before I must be certain it will continue without any aid from me. But it may survive my death even now. So it is primarily a matter of how efficiently I can leave it."

That seemed a suitable answer to him. It explained that they were doing well, and that he was preparing for his demise in a...gentle manner. At least he thought it sounded gentle. They needn't be upset by the reminder they were all three going to die soon. It would just waste all of their time.

He looked between the two of them, "May I ask where this proceeds? Unless I have missed it, it has been some time since a proper gathering."

Rex Valhoun Var-Sulis Grand Shepherd Burtch

 

[Dorthea Dobson]

He looked between the two of them, "May I ask where this proceeds? Unless I have missed it, it has been some time since a proper gathering."

"It proceeds with the ejection of The Failed King from my station!!!"

Behind Rex Valhoun and Cruk Tuk stood an older woman. Although old, and "cracking" she still carried much vigor in her posture. Clothed in a crisp navy uniform, traditionally inspired by the station's Elysium naval heritage, she radiated an air of authority. Where the bars denoting rank would be, was the Nomadic Peoples Angel Star emblem, and, as always, her ever present datapad was gripped in her hand at her side. ECP-44, Grunty, hovered close by, of course.

"Dorthea, stand down." Grand Shepherd Burtch commanded from his bed. He wearily sat up slowly and painfully, but somehow seemed to manage to summon his Admiral voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Dorthea snarled, seemingly unsympathetic or aware of the Admiral's weakened condition, "Was it a different King that sent bounty hunters after me for things I never did wrong?!? Or am I simply supposed to forget that Haon Hafey died trying to save my life?!?"

Burtch failed to straighten his posture while sitting on his bed, but he managed to maintain the strength of his voice, "It's been decades since then, Miss Dobson. Perhaps you are still angry, but Rex Valhoun has come al this way after all this time."

"So you thought you'd invite me to help pulverize him?"

"No." He answered flatly, "I invited you for two reasons. One, I thought you could help us. And two, you'd be even madder if I didn't at least tell you he was here. Like it or not, there is a score to be settled, and this is the only chance you get. For both of you." Burtch gave Rex a meaningful look.

Irritated by the way Burtch had obviously ambushed her, she skipped her gaze over Rex Valhoun , pretending that both he and Grand Shepherd Burtch weren't even there, and turned to Cruk Tuk "hi Cruk. It's good to see you. We should probably go back to my office and talk about your lease." She said, gesturing towards the door.

The memory of how Cruk had arrived to saved Dorthea from bounty hunters was never far from her mind…

 

[Var-Sulis]

The door chimed open as I reached the top of the tower. Exhaling, I had a few flashbacks occur in my mind. So much effort was put into seeing the Fall of Elysium, but did I really want to see its demise? No...Never...

Exiting into the hallway and approaching the entrance I saw some individuals who were clearly on security detail. No worries boys... Here's my credentials. I then held out my data scanner that had my ID on it and nodded respectfully. Entering the room my eyes immediately locked on to the Grand Admiral. There he is!! Old friend! Wait.. He's looking worse for wear..But not too much so. I knew little about his species but perhaps the biology of his race we could get into later.

My eyes shifted to Cruk Tuk and a smirk would develop on my face. The always busy busy aristocrat was here. Great to see him still developing and looking after his hive.

Standing and waiting to speak as the others were chatting, I guess I came in at the tail end of the conversation between Dorthea Dobson and....


Oh there he is. It makes sense now. This had to be fate. All of us gathered here under the banner... But the lost "king" had resurfaced. Looking a little shabby I might add. But was he truly lost? And my questions brought about more questions. My heart fluttered a bit but not enough to lose composure. Rex Valhoun old frienemy. I've changed too... Although the finest memory was us scrapping privately in your office and arguing over Lori... And well there's knowing you are a Jedi, but ... in spite of the questionable blood between us. You're here... I'm here....


A simple bow and nod would do as I awaited the others.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

The "blows" came hard and heavy. Before a smiling Rex could continue to speak to Cruk and Admiral Burtch, a rather unpleasant voice caused him to jump. Turning on his heel, his hand instinctively went toward his waist, where a very battered Lightsaber hilt was concealed behind his jacket. In the wilderness, being ambushed by dangerous prey was a common occurrence, and failure to respond with haste had resulted in a large scar on his side. Rex learned a painful lesson that day. Going for the lightsaber was the first thing he would do in these situations. That tool had gotten him out of many situations. But he quickly realized the biggest threat here was minimal, apart from the threat of a headache from the scolding Dorthea Dobson was now giving him.

Rex found it very disrespectful to Burtch. The Admiral was clearly in poor health, and he had invited Cruk. For Dorthea to barge in and start yelling not only at Rex, who deserved it, but at Burtch as if he were in good health, was downright inconsiderate. Not to mention Cruk, who would now have to witness this chaos. A bad look for Damascus station and Dorthea. But then it came to light that Burtch had invited Dorthea. Not that her actions were completely excused by that information, but at least she wasn't completely unexpected.

Before Rex could even open his mouth to respond to Dorthea, she was speaking to Cruk, inviting him out of the room. Perhaps that was for the best. She clearly didn't want to talk with Rex right now...only at him. Poor Cruk.

Rex didn't know where to divert his attention now. Dorthea and Cruk were going to leave, which likely wasn't Burtch's plan, considering he invited them.

But the surprises weren't through yet: Var-Sulis was here. It wasn't exactly a surprise, but Rex had already forgotten that Var was going to arrive, as Dorthea's incursion had distracted him. Var was surprisingly silent upon entering, acknowledging Rex with a bow and nod. Rex immediately returned the bow, making a point to go several inches lower than Var had, and holding it for a few seconds longer than Var had. He then returned the nod, making eye contact. Hopefully this body language would show that he was not in a position of authority at this moment, and that he wasn't here as an enemy.

He took a deep breath, and broke the awkward silence "Anyone else, Admiral? Your guards are probably more confused than a Tauntaun on Tatooine right now." It wasn't the best joke, but having spent so much time away from society, Rex thought it was pretty solid. The diplomatic training he had received so many years ago told that in times of high tension, a joke could do wonders for the mood. He hoped it would help here.​

 

[Cruk Tuk]

Cruk tilted his head as he turned to face the next voice. It was a Dobson. A Dobson he had known too. He remembered how important that family was to the Elysium empire, positively or negatively being up to them. And even among their family not always being of the same interests. Was it not strange that a family so tied by blood was so separated by choice? Still. It was interesting to see so many familiar...people. Not so much faces anymore. But that hostility he remembered, there was a lot of that going around the Elysium empire.

He watched her and Commander Burtch and their argument. Haon Hafey. That was some time ago. There were capable fighters that day. But there was more important things than mere combat. And those things had to be protected, Dorthea was one such individual at the time. It was likely she was still a capable individual for her occupational functions. Even if currently she was upset about Haon dying, something Cruk was at least partially responsible for. He didn't think mentioning the tactical reasoning at the time would be helpful.

And then another entrance, that of Var-Sulis. The numbers of relevant people here had certainly continued to rise. This was abnormally convenient, not statistically impossible however. Especially not when at least some of them had to be here intentionally.

The Geonosian did not immediately follow Dorthea, "I apologize Chief Director Dobson. It is good to see you too. But I am under the impression more could be achieved at present than the lease of location." he began, "As you know, I was in opposition of those hunters. But if you would permit a more..." he paused trying to think of the phrasing, "A phrasing that would perhaps more suit your personal perspective, to see value. Even a reckless hound can prove useful, when freed and halted properly."

The titling of Rex as a 'reckless hound' was not liable to win him any favors in his mind. But he wanted to attempt to at least begin a more in depth conversation. Apologies could be made if necessary. Though he wasn't quite sure he would choose to. What he said afterall was purely for the purpose of persuasion and explicitly provided as such. "It is has been much time that this much influence and resource potential was provided in one location. Should we not exploit it?"

Dorthea Dobson Rex Valhoun Var-Sulis Grand Shepherd Burtch

 

[Dorthea Dobson]

The King Rex Valhoun ignored her and that seemed to tick her off more than if he had spoken to her directly. Instead, he made some kind of stupid comment towards Grand Shepherd Burtch .

"'Reckless Hound' is too flattering for this so-called king, Cruk Tuk . He has no 'resources' to speak of! Look at him! Does he even have a ship? He smells like he's been playing in some kind of rotting jungle for months or something" she then looked at Rex Valhoun mockingly in her signature antagonistic way and said as if still talking to Cruk, "it's almost as if he's here to beg for influence or something…"

Her words were harsh, but there was an undertone to them. Like there was something that she was too proud to say. The undertone seemed to have the faint note in it that she felt sadness, or pity. Like, she actually felt bad for the once-king of the Elysium Empire. Her harsh comment had an undertone of invitation to it, like if there was a chance to make an amends, this was it, and this was the only window Rex was going to get.

Just then, Var-Sulis made an entrance and subtly, wisely, greeted everyone in the room with a simple bow. Rex showed reverence by bowing lower, but said nothing. Dorthea's face reddened a deeper shade. She knew what was going on here, "Burtch, you little slimey blue Sithspit! You tricked me here, didn't you? If you're not actually thinking about 'moving your funds to charity' I see no reason to be here" she shot one last meaningful glance at Rex Valhoun .

Burtch didn't react to her, but he craned his head to look at Rex and stared at him hard, as if to wordlessly say, "now is the time to step up, Rex"

 

[Var-Sulis]

"Great to see you all on this day...Night...I lose track... I honestly came back to see and pay my respects to you Grand Shepherd Burtch , along with an inquiry to the state of the Elysium if I might add. My ship, The Titana....Well, she's in a good...errr..Decent shape...Lost most of my crew once upon a time by pledging allegiance to my own personal missions. You live and hopefully learn...Speaking of learning..." I chuckled slightly as my eyes shifted slightly towards Rex Valhoun ....

"Catching up...We have some to do..Seems your time away from this particular sector has done you.....Good? My my my...It hasn't has it? What happened to you Rex?" I asked as I figured the obvious inquiry had to be blurted out. I was ready for whichever response. Even a sprinkled lie would be better than no response to gague the temperature of the room. This was a civil meeting, perhaps by chance. Getting out the kinks and figuring out how I could be of service with my militia background was my real objective. I needed Cred. And fast I might add. My maintenance crew deserved more than back pay for keeping my vessel operational during these trying times in the galaxy. Heck, we barely made it here!

Cruk Tuk Dorthea Dobson

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Reckless hound...an honest and fair title given to Rex, considering his final actions as King. Though it was still hard to not take offense to being called a hound. But Rex shrugged it off; Cruk was ultimately helping to calm Dorthea. That said, his efforts were clearly in vain, as Dorthea only resumed her offensive against Rex, accurately but unintentionally predicting that he had spent all this time in a jungle.

Her campaign against him continued, but now her army of hurtful words was directed at Burtch. Calling a clearly-ill man Sithspit was harsh to say the least, and almost made Rex break his silence and give Dorthea a taste of her own medicine, but he refrained upon hearing Burtch respond. But the response wasn't at Dorthea, it was at him. The admiral told him to 'Step up'.

If he was being honest, Rex didn't know what Burtch meant by this. He had just now returned, and he was making his apologies to everyone, and he wasn't hunting Dorthea Dobson down. Was that not "Stepping up"? But asking that question here would be a poor play, so instead he gave Burtch a silent few nods.

The next comments came from Var-Sulis. He implied that Rex was visibly better since his self-Exile. But then he said that it hadn't. Rex didn't really know how he looked. Apart from fresh clothes, and a rough shave a few days ago, he hadn't done much grooming. He hadn't had the chance. He probably looked...not great. Var concluded his statement by asking Rex what he had been doing for all this time. Rex, seeing that this was an opportunity to address the room, spoke up immediately:

"Well, I haven't done much of anything, to be honest. In fact, Dorthea, you were accurate in your remarks: I was, in fact, in a jungle. See, after I...broke...I exiled myself. I guess in hindsight I didn't really have a choice..." Dorthea had kicked him off Damascus, and he had too many enemies and not enough friends at that time to do anything else. "...I found the place where my father, Heath, found me." He realized that some people in the room may not have known that he was found as a child, abandoned, in the wilderness, so he clarified: "That may be new to some of you. Heath wasn't my father. He found me during his travels. I was a child, in a jungle. How I survived, I do not know. Anyways, I went back to that very jungle. I lived off supplies for a week, then I had to start hunting. I stayed there. It was a reset. I am here now as a deeply humbled, and self-conscious man. I failed every one of you in this room," he scanned the room, making eye contact with anyone that let him "...in some way or another, I failed you. I don't know if it was stress, or if I was drunk on power, or what, but my actions are the source of many struggles. I don't know the state of the galaxy right now. I don't know if The Elysium Empire was able to regroup without a king. I don't know much of anything. But I know that I owe you all an apology, and I was going to talk to you all individually, but The Force brought you all here for a reason. It's not a coincidence.

I don't know what comes next, but I'm going to dedicate everything I have to fixing what I broke. I will leave it up to each of you to decide what that looks like."

He hadn't planned on giving an impromptu address to the group, but the words came naturally, and just speaking them relieved a great amount of stress. Now all that remained was to wait and see what the responses would be. ​

 

[Cruk Tuk]

The geonosian watched and listened patiently and attentively to Dorthea Dobson 's response. Naturally, were a geonosian to have fallen thus far, he would not have been accepted back easily. However, the Hive did not value male leadership in quite the same way as many organics do. Cruk Tuk was hardly the first large figurehead, but the Queen was generally the true ruler behind it all. Whether by some mutation, personal rarity, or his force sensitivity, Cruk Tuk had assumed the duty of taking over. But were he to fail, then he'd be set below yet again if not simply done away with as he ought to be. But humans were more shifting than that, in particular with what they considered royalty.

Dorthea was expecting something from them however, as was Burtch. Cruk would hear them all out, before he would decide again, or make his own assertions on whatever value, or lack thereof, that Rex Valhoun might have. Var-Sulis was of course present too, and had his own updates to offer. If brief. Not much for Cruk Tuk to attend to on that matter. Time for Rex to see if he had any known worth or not.

Another bit of patience was required for this, more than for Dorthea. This should be no surprise. The Dobsons did have a tendency towards practicality in many cases even in their inner conflicts. Rex, however, was more to the side of theater. Useful with with many mammals. There was no avoidance of eye contact of course when that came, he simply watched and waited for further explanation. The fact he did not even know of the consequences of his actions didn't necessarily bode well. Cruk Tuk did have to hide the almost amused sense he had at the comment on the Force however. He understood there were odd amounts of statistical improbabilities whenever the force was involved, regardless of how powerful the users were. Cruk's familiarity with it personally in such a mystical sense was extremely limited. So he did not assume either way. He simply accepted that what he said may be true.

Cruk considered for a moment how to best respond. Ultimately, if Rex's attempts failed, it would likely be of little consequence to the hive now. That meant for the most part, the only direction to go was up. However, that perhaps did not sound convincing if he only framed it personally. "I understand your avoidance. Were he geonosian, he probably would be dead. But many mammals of masses willingly undertake greater efforts merely in the name of a royalty they have no inherent obligation to uphold over any other authority. This is positive and negative, as it brings in followers easily, even when the decisions are impractical and their origin weak." he began, "The hive will likely continue in much the same manner it did before, during and has after the Elysium's reign. Should there be much return in it's success, we will succeed too. But should it fail again, we will simply move on as I designed the hive to be capable of doing. If he expects anything of us, that means he must make a deal. Right now, we hold the power he would likely require to make any growth. That may include legal power. We shall remain a mostly third party as always, I encourage you to either do similar, or to demand more direct power. We need not let the easy influence of masses go to waste at the cost of all."

 

[Dorthea Dobson]

Dorthea simply listened to everyone speak, one at a time. To his credit, Var-Sulis was being civil. He spoke of the condition of his ship, a gift from Rex Valhoun once upon a time, and he followed up with a question regarding Rex's well-being and recent travels. Rex answered Var's question, but graciously transitioned to address Dorthea's abuse head-on.

He did so with reverence and humility.

Every fiber in Dorthea's being was exploding with the desire to crush him while he was showing his underbelly. She had a history for it, after all. Her verbal ruthlessness was legendary, and it was how she had become the chief director of Damascus Station affairs.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it this time.

With everything that was going on, he had arrived at the perfect time, and she needed him for so much. But there was more to it than that. She was tired of being angry. She had a long list of enemies and friends, and after 70 years of life, she was just happy to be rid of one more enemy. Moreover, she had learned to regret her own anger over the years. She had embarrassed herself more times than she cared to remember. There was too much mud in her past for her even consider making amends to everyone. Today, the urge to move on was strangely alluring to her, and a chance to let go of one more sin appealed more to her than her addiction to wrath.

Before she could speak, and answer the unspoken question in Rex's speech, Cruk Tuk spoke aloud through his artificial vocabulator.

"I understand your avoidance. Were he geonosian, he probably would be dead. But many mammals of masses willingly undertake greater efforts merely in the name of a royalty they have no inherent obligation to uphold over any other authority. This is positive and negative, as it brings in followers easily, even when the decisions are impractical and their origin weak." he began, "The hive will likely continue in much the same manner it did before, during and has after the Elysium's reign. Should there be much return in it's success, we will succeed too. But should it fail again, we will simply move on as I designed the hive to be capable of doing. If he expects anything of us, that means he must make a deal. Right now, we hold the power he would likely require to make any growth. That may include legal power. We shall remain a mostly third party as always, I encourage you to either do similar, or to demand more direct power. We need not let the easy influence of masses go to waste at the cost of all."

Being so fond of Cruk, Dorthea couldn't help but form a glib, if biased opinion of his speech. She always found his perspective amusing… like how he saw the galaxy as a universe that him and his people called their domain, and how every other being in the galaxy simply got to live in it with them. Geonocians were very ego-centric, but also considerate in their own way. It was a disposition that only a Dobson could ever properly appreciate. "Cruk, never change." She said with a chuckle, "the Elysium Empire may currently be all but totally dissolved, but you are always welcome here."

She then finally decided to address Rex Valhoun . "Look, Rex. I… you know me. I'm not going to throw a bunch of words at you and convince you of my sincerity. I'm 70 years old now, and I'm tired. I forgive you, and I'm… you can forgive me if you want to. I guess I'm just ready to move on." She simply couldn't bring herself to say the words I'm sorry. She contented herself with the knowledge that she tried her best.

She looked to everyone in the room and paused before speaking. Grand Shepherd Burtch gave her a withered nod of approval from his bed. She decided to lay it all out, raising her voice as if this was a mission briefing, "in all honesty, this reunion is long overdue. Damascus Station is a corporate empire with a religious figurehead, when maybe only 30% of the population is actually Navis Sacra. Therefore there's a huge representation schism in our society, and, well, to be frank, we don't have a formal government. Not since the Elysium Empire left. I have control over the economy and business affairs, but try as I might, I can't get the people to fall in line and agree to a constitution. Elections would be a mess, and we can't agree on a direction.

"Rex, you're right when you say that the Force brought us here for a reason. The station is teetering on the edge of a political collapse. It needs the monarchy back. I've been able to patch things together by working with the Navis Sacra and our corporate partners, but our law enforcement is getting weaker every day. They do have funding, but without a proper legislative framework to amend and update old laws, the people are beginning to question their relevance after 30 years of political stagnation. The laws haven't been updated since you left and we have nothing to fill that void.

"Right now, we have three factions that have formed out of the population to try to solve our growing governance problems, albeit in vain. The strongest of the three are the Navis Sacra, who are powerful due to their control over the station's military. But the people who are non-practitioners of the Faith - the majority - are unwilling to submit to what they feel would be a military dictatorship. I would count as one of them, and my economic influences have kept the Navis Sacra at bay from taking over thus far.

"Next up, we have supporters Marlon Sularen and his fiefdom in the Dark Empire. He has been interested moving Damascus station to his territory for quite some time, and he sees the station as a viable resource. I have even shown a reserved support of this option in the past. After 30 years, he has even picked out a new world for us. However, economically, his offer is complicated and we would certainly see some interesting changes to our business sector, but there are huge concerns. 1; moving the station would cause us catastrophic damage, and force us to rebuild much of what we've worked so hard to create. And 2; I hate to say this, but Marlon Sularen is famous for starting negotiations and then forgetting about us mid-way through, and, respectfully, he is a terrible communicator. There is much fear amongst our people that if he brings us into his sphere that we would be forgotten about, and our governance needs would be neglected in favour of his higher interests. The on-board faction that actually supports him believes that once we are nearer to his territory that he would become more hands-on in our affairs and that we would become of greater importance to his attentions. But there is little evidence to support this. We are a people, not just a factory.

"And, lastly, the minority of our three factions, are the Elysium loyalists. They are older folks that revel in the glory days of the old Elysium Empire, and they petition for the people to crown a new king almost monthly. Some members have a little lobbying power, but for the most part, the youth seem to reject the idea. After 30 years, it seems to many of our citizens like an outdated concept with nothing to prove its relevance."

This time, Burtch interjected with a vigor that suggested he was prepared for this despite his condition, " Rex Valhoun , you do have a support base. Maybe you have hardly any resources, but if your intention is to rebuild the Empire, you must announce the return of the king. This would rally your supporters, and enemies. If you truly wish to fix what you've broken, this must be your first step. You must also gain the endorsement of powerful people in the galaxy, getting people of influence to proclaim that you are King of the Elysium people, and that your reign has merits.

"You will have two priorities. First," Burtch raised a withered finger, "deal with Marlon Sularen's claim of Damascus Station however you see fit. Enlist him as an ally, or overthrow him as a rival, that is your call to make."

"I can assist with that" Dorthea added.

"Right," Burtch said. She had been the one to propose moving the station to Marlon Sularen 30 years ago, so this was ideal.

"Second," Dorthea added, knowing what Burtch was going to say, she even raised two fingers to carry on his point for him, "there's news of someone using old Dobson channels to manipulate Damascus affairs once again. I can't figure out who's behind it, but evidence shows that they've shown an interest in Burtch's medical condition and a woman by the name of Liin Terallo. All three of you, Var-Sulis , Cruk Tuk and Rex Valhoun should go to investigate this immediately. She could be a potential friend, an ally, an enemy, or whatever, but she's clearly someone that we need to keep close. I would suggest that each of you reaches out to her by whatever means you deem appropriate. Either go as a group, or each of you goes separately, it's up to you."

Burtch finally turned to Var-Sulis , "and lastly, I'm pleased that you said your ship is running well. It is probably our best asset right now, and I would hire your services if you would have it. My brother is inside of old mandalorian territory and has been out of touch for some time. I think it is time that I had a talk with Keatoch and that you were there with us. Your mission is to summon him by any means necessary, if you so choose to accept. It's time to rebuild the military arm of the King."

Dorthea decided to conclude this little briefing, "Rex. You say you wanna fix what you've broken. Then do it. But I urge you to start with Damascus Station if you do. Once you succeed in regaining her power as your own, this station will serve to be a great monument to your birthright and more support will flock to you."