A Lost Queen(One Sith Dominion of Kuat)

[Reverance]

Turncoats...

He bared his teeth at the onslaught of turncoats as he released the left handed lightsaber down the hallway. Ignited, the red beam sung in hollow song as it vibrated down the elongated path, slinging cauterized coagulant and strips of flesh in it's path as it dug a way through, soil pulled from the trench in preparation for war. Only problem: this war was about finished. The saber hit the floor and bounced against the glossy finish, digging gashes against the durasteel before falling into range of the turrets and being vaporized. He stood, slack jawed, and shook his head. "Damn...again?" He was making it a habit of losing lightsabers. Good thing that one was one of them knockoffs, not really the real deal.

Approaching [member="Vrag"] with an unaccustomed proximity, deft hands gripped the strip grenades from her waist. The closeness gave him the scent of fear and sweat. Not from her, but from the squishy meat shield in hand. He hadn't realized the size of the woman until now. And yet, while she had some inches of height on him, he seemed to outweigh her significantly, though exact extrapolation was difficult when so encumbered by armor. Something of note, something stored for the future, he smiled as he yanked the strip from her and recoiled back to acquire proper aim.

Something didn't feel quite right about the last few uses of his adept abilities, as if things went left when they should have gone right. For now, he would lean towards his physical capacities, following in the footsteps of the woman before him. As he pulled the pin from all the grenades upon the chain, he lunged forward and rotated the mass of his body, launching the chain of grenades left handed, over the mass of dead and dying, towards the door.

Bounce. Clack. Bounce. Boom.

1 Explosion, 2 Explosion, 3 Explosion, 4. The grenades erupted in black cat cacophony as the door towards the main bridge was dented inward and flung violently into the main room of their intended destination. The turrets exploded in a blast of supplemented shrapnel and sparks, as the path was cleared and all but the sounds of wailing and shrieking echoed through the smokey room. Gabriel stood silent for a moment as he clicked his tongue once, silently applauding himself for his awesome aim.

[member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Vrag]

Turncoats…*massive eyeroll*


She felt a pang of sympathy of the man as she witnessed the sublimation of his lightsaber, thankful for them both that he'd brought a second one along. She had no doubt that the Sith Lord would make do with other weapons, but a duelist without his blade was like a… well, an appropriate analogy would surely present itself, given enough time, but Vrag wasn't really the type to wax poetic, and with her mind occupied with more important things — you know, life, death, blood, pain, the whole shebang — she wasn't really trying very hard.

The beautiful, if a bit improvised a composition echoed along the corridor, courtesy of [member="Reverance"] himself, fabled composer, Vong King and the best pitcher in the One Sith minor league. Vrag could always recognize a fellow player when she saw one, but her appreciative whistle most likely got lost in the sounds of explosions, death by shrapnel, death by vaporization and death by cardiac arrest; there was only so much unseasoned, opportunist fighters could handle before their poor hearts gave out.

She shoved the cooling cadaver in her arms aside, making quick work of the straps of his armor. She ripped the breastplate off, sliding her forearm through the loops and testing out the new addition. It wasn't much, but it would certainly make a deciding difference when they came charging through that door. Unwilling to waste a moment more, the firrerreo spared one last look at her towering companion before setting off at an admirable speed.

Contrary to popular belief, plate armor isn't all that heavy, and its weight is pretty evenly distributed across the body. Combined with an iron endurance and strength such as hers, it was no surprise that Vrag came sprinting through the door without the aid of the wonky space-magics, her makeshift shield in front of her as a bullet sink while her red blade hungrily ate at every bit of flesh, sinew and bone it could find.

And it found plenty, of that she made sure.

[member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

"Keep looking." Balaya looked at them as she moved. Quickly and carefully reading over the charts... They had found one possible candidate but they would have to get to him as the large zeltron moved herself quickly down the walkway. Going behind her troopers while they secured the area. No deaths unless it was needed as even an enemy served a purpose down the line while she spoke. "Now one of you has something special I need. Your organ is special and resilient which will serve me and the sith well. Your queen has already been handled.... I am sure she will fall within our influence, so make things easier for yourself and step forward." There was no sound from the ones assembled and Balaya looked at the datapad studying the image while she started to go to work and search for the boy.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Vornskr towered over any of them, his imposing form only slightly hidden by the gold and scarlet robes that covered him, and he only cast a cursory glance at the guards that met them. His face was stone, but he could note the obvious emotions that flickered across those of the Kuati, that of distrust, confusion, and even hatred were all evident. He suppressed a chuckle, and stayed in line behind Mr. Kuhn as the Sith delegation was ushered into the office to treat with the Queen who, as any self-respecting noble, looked every bit like royalty in a time of crisis. In conjunction with Alric, Vornskr bowed respectfully to the monarch of Kuat, but otherwise said nothing, as was agreed on prior to the meeting. He cast a sideways glance to Darth Adekos, and then he crossed both arms in front of his chest as he stood, still as a statue, listening intently to everything that happened in and around the room.

Strange day, indeed?

[member="Alric Kuhn"]
[member="Darth Adekos"]
[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Reverance]

Turncoat...

Gabriel followed [member="Vrag"] in. Though where she picked up an extra plate of armor, he decided to go with the simple presence of his armorweave and phrik plated armor that he had already donned. As he ran in, he came to a screeching halt as blaster fire rained from 180 degrees. Where his saber failed to deflect, the cloth soaked up the damage. Scorch marks littered the room as he redirected their attacks, black circles resembling the initial growth of a quite troublesome outbreak of mold. His crimson saber moved with grace from side to side, sending damage back upon his assailants who would see both him and Vrag harmed. Running, in the fashion that only a tank could, he spotted a person that seemed to be wearing the fanciest of hats and the nicest little brass archs across his shoulder. Gabriel assumed that he was the commander of this brigand effort against the One Sith...his placement near the control dash didn't help, either.

With a slide across the floor, disco style, and an upward swing, he cleaved the mans arm off right at the elbow. This arm so happened to be the one firing a blaster in his direction. As the arm landed, it continued to fire in the direction of the subordinates and [member="Vrag"]. Standing up in a rush, the Sith Lords left hand shot upwards and grabbed the republic Commander by the throat. With a single spin to the right, he smashed the man into the control console and held the extinguished lightsaber emitter of the saber to the mans head. His right hand pinky extended outward...to shut off the engine power, as he turned to the rest of the people involved in this traitorous act. Upon their face, the realization of the gravity of the situation suddenly dawned on them.

"Put down your weapons...surrender." There was no "or." They knew what would happen should they not listen. First, Gabriel would decapitate the commander. And assuming Vrag hadn't already done so, she may proceed to relieve them of their valuable and vital bits. Who knows, she seemed the creative type. His crimson eye scanned over to her as he assessed the situation. For now, the offensive weapons and power for the vehicle was completely in stationary mode. Only life support and electronic systems were functioning. Blockade was successful, turncoats nearly turning on their heels.

It was a good day to be a Sith.

 

[Quietus]

Planetside - Royal Palace - Holding Cells - [member="Cordelia deWinter"]

The Noghri's grave expression did not change in the slightest, though this was likely to be expected. Noghri's facial minutiae was an art to learn in and of itself.

"You have come to the wrong place," she replied, "the one you seek is not here."

~~~~~~~~~
Kuat Drive Yards - Operations Sector - CEO's Office Chambers - [member="Darth Vornskr"] [member="Darth Adekos"] [member="Alric Kuhn"]

"Gentlemen," the Queen stood from her desk, acidic green gaze pooling over each one in turn as they arrived. Breathing steadily, the Queen presented nothing more than the very same facade she had given over the last 70 years upon this planet. There would be no sudden reveries had today of her status within this galaxy.

A beat of silence before she spoke again, "Let's not waste time - I know you're not just here as an amiable diplomatic aid. You want the drive yards, yes? You want to use them to bolster your fleet and forces. I'm a business woman as much as I am a leader to these people. Let's talk business."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Well, that was a pleasant surprise.

The Queen was amicable to business, more than amicable, she was entirely open to it, suggesting it in fact. That made Alric's job much easier.
“Its simple your majesty.” Alric said with a straight face. “We wish to bring Kuat and its Drive Yards into the fold. Though Titan Industries acts as the main manufacturer for ships within the Navy the Drive Yards of Kuat are legendary in their production. As you yourself have stated this is not amiable diplomacy.”

They were holding a gun to her head, though she was holding another gun to her own so really it was semantics. “Certain factions within our Empire would see Kuat taken by force. We would prefer you join us peacefully. The terms of the arrangement are simple, the same levies, taxes, trade restrictions, and business you received under Republic rule. With one stark difference, Kuat serves the Sith, and only the Sith. Side by side with Titan Industries.”

They were really more than fair terms, ones that he had discussed with the One Sith leadership before. It was nothing that the One Sith wouldn't offer anyway, and this way they got not only a cooperative planet, but a thankful one. Of course things would be adapted as the One Sith grew, shifted and changed, but that was all up for negotiations later.

Things always changed.

 

[Cordelia deWinter]

Find the Queen of Kuat and negotiate with her - Alric Kuhn heading this up
Get arrested like Senator Leia in episode 4

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

​

Her smile would slightly fade, but the aura of cordially would not fade. A second later, she would give an incline of her head.

"Then has the Queen disappeared as well?" she would ask, searching for answers and information. If the Queen had also mysteriously disappeared, then this was a grave set of news indeed.

From here she would have to be careful to not seem threatening and simply inquisitive in order to offer as much aide as possible.

 

[Vrag]

Turncoats…


It was a good thing the visor was covering her face, or [member="Reverance"] would clearly see her color green with envy at the sight of his fancy armor; it was high time she phased out the old beauty, put it into a display case and donned something a bit more… sturdy.

"Kark," she growled out between her teeth as a slug came in low, clipping the edge of her thigh. It was but a skin lesion, a drop of blood in the ocean they would have spilled that day, had it not been for the cauterizing properties of the lightsaber. In a spur of the moment, Vrag decided to rectify that situation, having come close enough to shred her enemies to sizzling ribbons of bacon; it was very important to eat proteins after a heavy-duty exercise, after all. As few would know, plate armor is actually quite thin. Thin enough, in fact, to cut through flesh with remarkable ease, especially if wielded with the coiled strength of a tank.

The edge of her would-be shield suddenly became a very dangerous and very bloody weapon, slitting many a throat while her laser blade worked magic in her other hand. She was, at heart, a mass murderer with a penchant for efficiency, and nothing worked quite as well as wholesale slaughter when it came to pragmatism. She didn't bother with fancy one-liners or gloating speeches that would earn her the title of a Darth or a position in the Republic senate; her style was streamlined, simple, and it worked.

By the time her companion demanded they surrender, Vrag had already made a good portion of their after-battle feast, balancing the delicious snack on the convex side of the breastplate. In another lifetime, the firrerreo might have made for an excellent waitress. Oh, well. She'd clearly missed that calling, that much was obvious. Nothing said 'heartless killer' like an armored gauntlet gauging out the eye of a particularly feisty rebel.

With a long-suffering sigh, the Knight pulled out her bloody finger, wiping the aqueous humor into the dying soldier's uniform.

"Yeah," she parroted unconvincingly, her blue gaze sweeping across the room. "Please do," there was something about her voice; as if she was all but enthusiastic at the notion.

[member="Warok the Defiler"]

 

[Isar]

Bolts of red flew through the air with sizzles and hisses, bursting brilliantly when they hit wall, floor or flesh. Greedy bullets also hummed by like angry hornets. [member="Vrag"] and [member="Reverance"] might have been able to suffer the hailstorm of fire, but Warok was less inclined to weather the storm. He'd been taking notes from [member="Darth Adekos"].

The Ewok stepped silently behind his revenant creation. Lancets of plasma perforated the walking corpse, but it didn't seem to mind. Coincidentally, neither did Warok. The two plodded forward, with the resurrected body soaking up blaster fire. Smoke curled from half-a-dozen holes in its torso. The enemy - whoever the enemy was - started to notice that their target wasn't going down. And, like all good mooks, they were sufficiently terrified.

Warok fed off their fear, eyes glittering malignly. He started to giggle madly, with no idea who or what they faced. All the faye little Ewok knew was that this event posed a chance opportunity to add to his collection.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Lorelei Darke"] | [member="Darth Vornskr"] | [member="Alric Kuhn"]

Adekos would remain silent as the noble queen and the business-savvy Alric discussed their terms. How very unfortunate that a corporation as old and prestigious as the Kuat Drive Yards would be forced into "partnership" with a biotechnology loving... Corporation that happened to be wildly successful. Perhaps it wasn't that bad, but Darth Adekos could see here that the queen was less concerned about her profit margins and more about the sordid state of her planet. Mass disappearances and rioting tended to have that kind of effect on heads of state.

The Umbaran sniffed the air reflexively, and that was when he knew it would happen. It was a dreadful feeling- knowing something terrible was about to happen and being powerless to stop it. It was every silent diplomatic aid's nightmare. Although, technically he wasn't here as an aid, he was performing a similar function. Whatever, titles didn't matter now. No title, no mastery of the Force could prevent what would happen next. Adekos' face scrunched and shifted several times. It was all a vain effort to stave off his final fate.

He sneezed.

Loudly.

But into his elbow, because he wasn't a savage, obviously.

There must have been something wrong with the air filtration on these shipyards. Some rogue speck of dust irritating his sensitive Umbaran nostrils. Maybe the air filtration mechanic had vanished with the rest of them. He slowly corrected his posture, having nearly doubled over from the force of the sneeze. Equally slowly, he removed his face from his elbow, careful to ensure there wouldn't be a string of snot connecting the two. There was none. Perhaps, after all this, the Force was still on his side. Several Kuati guards were staring at him, as if that sneeze was somehow going to herald a blast of Force Lightning.

"Sorry."

Smooth as always.

Like sandpaper.

 

[Quietus]

[member="Cordelia deWinter"]

"No, she has not," the Noghri replied, "she is safe."

The same could not be said for the remainder of the royal family, or even the family of the Noghri currently questioning Cordelia. No word had been received from any of them, and all she could do was fear the worst, hope for the best and not lose her composure. The woman's presence here only solidified the facts - the Queen's visions had been true.

"Governess," a Guard approached and motioned for her to follow.


~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Queen's expression remained stoic.

She was reminded of the day the Republic brought Kuat back into the fold - they hadn't been presented with a choice to decline then, either. Her distaste prior was equally matched today. Lorelei had never been a fan of the Republic, but she certainly was no more a fan of the Sith. In an ideal galaxy, she'd be free to sell wars to every faction and watch them all burn.

There are some who would say How very Sith of you, Madame Darke.

Semantics.

She offered a nod of consent to Alric's stated arrangement before adding her own stipulations, "Kuat remains untouched and autonomous in rule, just as it was within the Republic. I'll not abide by interruptions and I will also not stand for Vong, Sithspawn, or any manner of Darkside anything being placed on this planet or within this system. In return, as a show of good faith in this new Empire, I will burn the nurseries of Bafforr trees planted in the Republic's effort to combat your Vong, as well as give the locations of the two other nurseries planted off-world."

Because as soon as the Sith learned they had whole bafforr tree nurseries planted six years ago ... certainly they'd want to nip that in the bud.

If Lorelei still had a sense of humor she might've offered that little joke on the table as well.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

Alric considered if he actually had the authority to accept that particular deal.

He thought for a moment, tilting his head to the side, then decided that he in fact did. Titan Industries was the main creator of half those technologies and things that she mentioned, including the Yuuzhan Vong. He frowned for a moment, then decided there would need to be one last change before the agreement was made.

“Allow a military garrison to protect our interest here in the system and these terms are acceptable. A single Space station and a fleet to complement it. They will not interfere with your world or your running of it.” That would be enough to defend the planet if it ever came under assault. Kuat was valuable, far too valuable to just leave unprotected.

As for everything else, Alric had enough clout with the pantheon of One Sith leadership that he could pull this off.

The CEO of Titan never bothered looking at his Sith partners.

The mention of Baffor trees had sent a sting of annoyance through him. Of course the Yuuzhan Vong had many counter plays, Baffor Pollen, Alpha Red, half a dozen other things, but Baffor Pollen seemed to be the most prevalent, though Titan developed a counter, it was not one yet spread all throughout the One Sith.

 

[Quietus]

"Fine," the Queen gave a wave to this. It was no different from the Republic, who had also stationed a fleet to protect the system. Only, that fleet had joined the war against the very Sith that now took the system, and now stood scattered across old Republic lines, likely sitting stationary and ghosted off in the bleak. Crew vanished, left to collect space dust. One day they would send out teams to collect them, but that day was not today. First they'd have to round up the people to do it.

"Tell your Overlord, whomever he or she may be, that once I have my people back in order from this fiasco, we shall hold a celebration in honor of this new ... arrangement."

DiVanca gently cleared her throat behind the Queen and leaned forward to offer a datapad to glance at. Lorelei quickly read a missive upon it and made a thoughtful sound, "It appears we have one of your own in our custody planet-side. A Miss [member="Cordelia deWinter"]...an Ambassador of sorts? Went through all that trouble to find me at the Palace, perhaps you won't mind my keeping her as a liaison for now?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Dark Lord.” He corrected her, if only for the sake of this two Sith Friends.

Alric Kuhn had never gotten to meet the Dark Lord, had never seen him or talked to him, and quite honestly he intended to keep it that way. Supposedly the Dark Lord was able to make one weep blood and crawl out of their skin. He had absolutely no desire to meet a being like that, he currently had enough trouble with one of his followers.

“Keep her.” Alric then said having absolutely no authority over the woman at all. “I'm sure she wont mind. Now, I must communicate with the fleet before they decide that a blockade is necessary.”

This had all gone much easier than he had expected.

Alric turned around, nodding to the two Sith that stood in place there and then giving the Queen a half bow before he exited the room to send a message tot he Admirality.

 

[Cordelia deWinter]

Planetside - Royal Palace - Holding Cells -
[member="Lorelei Darke"]


So the Queen was not dead. Well that was certainly good news.

"I am relieved to hear Her Majesty is well..." Cordelia would being to say. A pause would come next, as she would delicately mull over her following words.

"Might I ask for an audience?" that singular soft cordial smile would shine through her holding cell.

Well, one had to find out information one way or another!