Dominion After the Twilight (The Sith Empire Dominion of Ord Tiddell)

[Lily Kuhn]

G O O D L U C K

ORD TIDDELL​

There were a number of problems in the galaxy today, a number of evils, a list that seemed to stretch far into the realm of infinity - and where were the good people, the heroes as they so often claimed to be? Like the tyrants that they professed their undying opposition to, war was all that ever happened in this sea of stars. No irony intended, no satire written on the pages of a book, rather there were indeed men and women at the head of these virtue-signalling parties that sought to enter in endless, fruitless, war with the greatest power the galaxy has ever seen - and for what ends? These questions were but a few that plagued the mind of the woman that found herself rising in the ranks of bureaucracy in the Sith Empire, and though she had never killed a man - never so much as stepped on the field of war under the banner of the Sith Empire - it was the view of the majority that she shared some guilt in the slanted view that the so-called heroes of the galaxy painted them in.

So perhaps it was out of a sense of indignation at this political smearing, or perhaps it was simply out of a genuine effort to do good in a way that both mattered and didn't end in pointless bloodshed, that Lily found herself on a shuttle descending to the ruined world of Ord Tiddell. Centuries ago, nearly a thousand years ago now, a scourge of stone mites had taken the then-Republic world by storm, the vermin devouring entire cities and forcing its populace to flee off-world as refugees. And the heroes of the day, in that time, had done what? Nothing - like the Jedi of today, and the growing league of nations that are in opposition to the Empire, they sat on their hands and focused on uprooting ideological enemies and murdering political ones. For ten years shy of nine centuries the once thriving world has lay desolate, the parasites that took the world from its people still remain - rather coincidentally, so, too, do the Jedi and their organization that speaks of good and light.

While the Sith may have, perhaps, embodied a political evil, maybe even a moral one, it appeared that social progress, the unburdening of the common man and woman, only seemed to occur when under their governance. Under the Galactic Republic the Empress Teta system had devolved into a sector of corruption and incredible disparity of wealth, it was the Sith that had given her family the opportunity to take control and set things right - and that was the only way one could have described the social reforms and progress that she had made for her people during her tenure as their ruler. Landing, now, on the world of Ord Tiddell to rid the world of its stone mites, Lily promised an effort to rid the planet of its problem so that the Empire may take it as a colonial world - but, as she had with Teta, its use would be for the betterment of the Empire's people.

"Are you sure about doing this yourself, Miss Kuhn?"

The loud crack of a shell being fired from the barrel of a pistol distorted the audio of her communicator, providing a pause between the question posed by a superior from some cozy office on Bastion and the answer she would have given him.

"I have never been more certain of anything in my life, sir." She said, kicking the womp rat-sized corpse of one of the hundreds of thousands of stone mites that plagued the planet from its place at her feet. In the sky above many more shuttles began their descent; filled to the brim with soldiers, engineers, and even public servants such as she.

-

Objective I - Remove the Infestation​

The world of Ord Tiddell is infested with Stone Mites, a genetically engineered species of arthropods which feed on silicates and complex metals - the building blocks of most construction work and starships - with strong jaws and acidic saliva. If the Sith Empire is to reclaim the world in any meaningful manner, then first it must rid the planet of these creatures. Common methods of eliminating infestations of stone mites on other worlds is to use oxidizing foam, to literally cause them to rust like steel, and the force ability known as morichro. An uncommon, and yet highly effective, manner of dealing with Stone Mites is Yuuzhan Vong terraforming, which has been observed to have caused deformities in future generations of mites as well as outright killing large percentages of them. The method of dealing with the infestation will be up to you - so long as they are removed, the Empire will proceed with its plans and you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts.​

​

Objective II - Re-Establish Civilization​

As Stone Mites are dealt with, the Empire must plan their approach to establishing the world as a colony. While the ultimate goal is to use the world as a place of new opportunities and potential for the countless disenfranchised and displaced by conflicts with the enemies of the Empire, it will be up to the bureaucratic minds and corporate interests to make sure that is a financial and social success. Those in the Imperial Diet, the body of the Empire's bureaucracy, and any special interest groups will have a large hand in preparing the world for colonization.​

​

Objective III - Exploration and Experimentation​

The reputation of the Empire is not entirely unearned, many of the scientific and military community within the Sith Empire have taken a keen interest in the possibility of using stone mites as a form of bio-terrorism on enemy nations. Obtaining samples of Stone Mites, especially those showing signs of further mutations, are in great demand. Hand-in-hand with this process is an offer by the Empire to allow exploration parties to keep anything they find in return for aid in obtaining valuable specimen - simply put, those who wish to loot the ruins of a quickly evacuated world are more than welcome.​

​

Objective IV - Build Your Own Objective​

Freedom to do what you will, beyond the objectives described above, is always available.​

 

[Talger Gilham]

Objective: II - Reestablish Civilization
Location: Ord Tiddell
Tags: N/A

---

​

A lone Tau-class shuttle descended upon the wide flat plain adjacent to a wild untamed river that flowed across the landscape like a writhing serpent. A group of individuals emerged from the shuttle as the boarding ramp lowered, all of them wearing the distinct uniforms of the Sith Empire. The lead individual wore a pure white uniform, untrimmed and ungarnished by finery. The others wore standard gray uniforms and weather-resistant overalls with patches marked with spades and surveyor lenses, the mark of the Exploration League.​

​

Save for the man in white, all of them began to unpack and set up surveying equipment and launch probe droids into the temperate air. ​

​

Silently, he watched their progress. He wore a pistol on his left hip and a sheathed dagger on his right. Several pouches filled with various items were situated along his waist, all of them minor things compared to his more visible equipment. Taking a pair of quadnoculars from one of the other Imperials, he brought the device up to his eyes to survey their surroundings as the distant glimmer of the probe droids continued their task.​

​

"This is good land. Once the survey has been complete, I want an engineering division commissioned to begin damming the river and clearing the nearby forest. Our first settlement will be here."​

 

[AMCO]

Objective III: Tinker with some Stone Mites; await exotic samples.
Location: Darkpyre-class Multipurpose Security Station orbiting Ord Tiddell
Writing With: [Open]
Post Number I
---

Fascinating creatures, utterly fascinating. Just as the records claimed, they were clearly artificial, for he could see no manner in which such creatures would have come to be in the wild - they were parasites upon the carcass of civilisation, a threat to infrastructure everywhere...

... but only on Ord Tiddell had they taken over. Who knew what unusual adaptations might have occurred after many a century of feasting?

Turning back to the more commonplace specimen before him, he gestured for the next experiment to commence, plasma cutters descending on the creature as it lay strapped to a nonmetallic slab. The creature was tough, almost freakishly so - tough enough to be used as a basis for strange new forms of body armour, with the right modifications? Just one of many questions in need of answering.

There were some who wanted to weaponise the things - engineer them for rapid breeding and even greater hardiness - and others who would rather see them wiped out. The urban planner in him found the latter more appealing by far... but that did not mean the former was without merit.

So many questions, so many approaches, so many opportunities - just the way he liked it.

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Ord Tiddell, another world for the Sith to make their mark on. Despite such forward thinking, the world was infested with something as equally ravenous as the Sith. In a similar fashion to the ways of their conquest. Stone Mites were forever gluttonous. While the Sith conquered a planet through decimation and hellfires created by their superior weaponry, Stone Mites struck at the core of any and all infrastructures made from earthly stones and metals. These resources were the very thing that allowed growth in cities throughout the galaxy. Ironically, fate had created a balance, to rip away any safety inhabitants thought they had behind their impenetrable walls. It was fascinating to think that something like an insect had such power. Even so, the force had taught many that anything could manifest to prevent an imbalance. Much like the creation of the Darkside to destroy the falsehoods of those that couldn't endure the truth.

The Sith had been ordered to "deal" with the non-sentient insects. Where others saw a minuscule job to take over another fitting world for their glorious Emperor, Orion saw opportunity in progress and results. He would make it his mission to dissect and expand his knowledge of such foul creatures. Plus, the last time he had been on a soothing scientific expedition was months ago. Of course, based on those results, he only succeeded at creating chemical liquids that forced muscle growth at a rapid rate. The end result, a mutated Maelridae that amassed to a significantly dangerous size and a giant scar that hung under Orion's left rib cage. The thought of it almost sent chills down his spine, but since the corrupted energy from Fovos Torgon remained, Orion didn't really remember the last time he felt real fear. None of that mattered though, today he would get results for the empire.

Orion stepped out onto the world, his stance towered over the contorted stone piles with shimmering black pods reflecting off them. It was clear, infestation was an understatement. Based on research, Orion did his best to take precautions when it came to limiting the types of metal based items he would bring. Everything was scrapped, except for his one lonely saber at his side. His belt would naturally be metallic steel, holstering all possible widgets and gadgets, but in light of how devastating the Stone Mites could be to expensive tools, Orion opted out. Not entirely though, instead he brought with him a Sithspawn. The smell of Sweet bacta hung in air as the Surgeon slowly followed behind. It was a creation that was more suited for healing the wounded and while it wasn't meant to be at the forefront of battle, insects that paid no mind to its organic compound posed no threat. It wasn't the healing feature that made Orion bring the obedient mutation along. No, it was the precise and careful practice of dislodging body parts and utilizing them in every way that made the cut. Further still, it also had the capability of webbing its victims in place. This was an invaluable asset, one that could allow Orion to get his hands dirty on site. Still, the only thing that seemed wrong about the whole idea was the Sithspawn itself. The appearance alone could haunt anyone for days, but it was more than necessary. Where others may have seen a terrifying creature, Orion saw art.

Orion stepped forward, his arm bent upward towards the sky as the Sithspawn came to a sudden halt. He surveyed the area, waiting to choose the first mite to experiment on. He spotted a larger one, hanging off a metal grate in the distance. With a sly grin, his arm lowered and with a simple order in High Sith, the Surgeon followed him into the stone and metal wasteland.​

 

[Obinmiux R'avfa]

Objective IV: Observe scientific process
Nearby: AMCO
Post: 1

While it was an alarming predicament to have one's home and life be literally eaten away, Obinmiux couldn't help but find himself rather amused by the entirety of the situation at hand; truly, it was intriguing to know how insects had managed to best higher-thinking beings and drive them from the sanctity of shelter and luxury alike. At first, the young Sith would have naturally opted in to exterminate the infestation, but now he'd much rather observe the trials of scientific exploration and how these creatures functioned, and just what the brilliant minds of the Empire's brightest could achieve by studying such ravenous arthropods.

Offering little in the way of input and only bearing the mental capacity of a layman in such a vast and always expanding field of knowledge, Obinmiux stood at a distance and watched in utter silence as AMCO operated upon his subject; attempting to forge a mental connection with the man, the darkly clad youth would chime in with a most curious tone. "You seem quite fond of your practice, what do you make of these pests? I've not made any contact with the planet myself."

Possibly a touch awkward in his approach, but curious nonetheless.

Lily Kuhn | Orion Darkstar | Talger Gilham

 

[remiwhite1011]

Isaac strutted down the boarding ramp of his transport, his head held high. He was here to bring some much-needed civilization to this ruined land. Looking around him, he saw a handful of scientific types waging a cold war against the infestation, and not much else. It was going to need some serious work, but this was his job. The goal here was simple; Build some shelter and help turn this planet into a viable place to live. To do that, he needed funding. And to do that, he needed to see this wasteland for himself.

Isaac approached the big hunk of steel that was watching Adrian operate. It stood cold and void of emotion, more machine than man. Or maybe it was a machine, who knew? Either way, he decided to introduce himself.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" he asked, grinning as he reached out for a firm handshake. "My name's Isaac Marone, from the Diplomatic Service. I'm here to help you out and get this place ready for colonizing. Mind showing me around?"

 

[Inanna Harth]

Objective 2: Reestablish Civilization
Scene: Aboard some Sith ship in orbit around the planet, too lazy to look up a specific model
***

“...But urban centers are what attract the most people,” one potential investor remarked. “The Empire clearly wants to draw as many colonists to this project as we can, and as quickly as possible.”

Another colonizer snorted. “Have you ever heard of a successful colony with no agricultural sector? Or at least, one that lasted more than a decade at the most?”

“This is not some far-flung provincial world in Wild Space. This is the Mid Rim. The sector is in dire need of an industrial core.”

“And it’s right on the border of one of the Sith’s more formidable enemies. How will that affect trade?”

Those present all collectively glanced at the only Sith Empire representative in the room. Inanna was sitting to the right of the (empty) head of the table, resting her chin on her hand as she observed the discussion. Her eyes darted from speaker to speaker like someone watching a tennis match. She was listening—she had no choice but to listen—but so far she hadn’t been an active participant.

Seeing that they were now looking to her for answers, she blinked and straightened in her chair.

“Well, I can tell you right now that the Empire is interested in restoring the ancient cityscape Ord Tiddell was once known for,” she replied, not sounding very certain. “Hence the vigorous extermination of the invasive stone mites. On the other hand, if there were to be a flare-up of the species—not that I’m implying the reclamation efforts will be anything less than successful—perhaps it would be better to invest in more spread-out, rural building plans. Or you could compromise, and do some parts of the planet urban, and some parts rural—it should be large enough to hold both types.”

The colonizers exchanged glances.

“Is that your professional opinion, Miss Hoole, or is it the will of the Emperor?” someone asked.

Inanna smiled even as she winced. Someone else with more power, more influence, and more clout was supposed to be here to properly manage the negotiations, but they had yet to show up. That left her as the only SE person they could interact with, and so far she had only proven how ill-equipped she was to deal with this situation.

“You all are the real experts here,” Inanna admitted. “I don’t know the first thing about city planning or developing, hence why I have been simply watching and listening to all of you in order to learn. I’m only here to... safeguard the interests of the Empire.” And even then, that was up for debate.

“That still does not answer my question. Are we to take your word as law, then?”

No, please no. Responsibility for the future of an entire planet is not what I’m being paid for!

She spread her hands. “In the absence of an official of higher rank… yes.”

Lily Kuhn Orion Darkstar AMCO Talger Gilham Obinmiux R'avfa

 

[AMCO]

Objective III: Tinker with some Stone Mites; await exotic samples.
Location: Darkpyre-class Multipurpose Security Station orbiting Ord Tiddell
Writing With: Orion Darkstar | Obinmiux R'avfa | I Isaac Marone (?)
Post Number II
---

Observing the disassembled specimen with interest, Adrian did not turn towards the Sith Apprentice in acknowledgement, though he did allow the man to establish a tenuous link with the outer reaches of his mind. One could not be too careful when dealing with fellow Sith, regardless of rank.

"They are an effective weapon, under the right circumstances. Beyond hardy and difficult to properly exterminate if given time to establish a presence; I dare say faster reproduction would make them even more capable, in that regard - perhaps even spore-based dispersal."

Turning towards one of his researchers, he waved his hands at the almost-dead specimen, speaking out loud for the benefit of those present. "Commence testing of potentially lethal substances, starting with this one. It should go without saying, but favour substances that are harmless to humanoids and the surrounding biosphere and those that can be cleaned up quickly."

Frowning slightly as he heard how few specimens there were left, he glanced over at a holographic representation of the planet, a focus placed on the former capital. He would find himself in need of more specimens, soon - perhaps it was time to relocate to a forward research post.

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

Objective I | You've Got the Bug
Location | Ord Tiddell, Hillside
Post | 1

One last sip of caf was all that the Inquisitor was able to take before the transport came to a halt outside of one of the more notable dens of these stone mites. The strong taste couldn't overpower the bitterness that she felt being stuck with the extermination squad. The thought of being brought onto a planet to simply guide an extermination effort hardly seemed like a good use of someone of her talents.

Then again, it wasn't exactly like there were any Jedi out here handling problems like this for the citizens of the galaxy. They had far more altruistic endeavour to attend to, like partying with Wookies.

But, as always, complaining about it in her head probably wouldn't lead to any results. As much as she wished it would.

For now Jorryn would have to play her part as a public servant, latching the re-breather around the back of her head as she ducked out beneath the transport exit as the rest of the squad with her began to deploy the oxidizer machine. Knowing the weakness of these creatures was certainly a boon, but even then the insects had numbers and mindless determination. That was where Jorr came in, the force powers of the Sith making sure that any stone mites that managed to slither away would get chucked right back in to choke to death with the rest of their kind.

"Hurry up with the machine, I'd rather not spend all day killing bugs." The words were delivered coldly through the rebreather, a tone that clearly suggested she didn't want to be here. If the troopers needed to be inspired to kill a few insects then they would have more issues than a few words could fix. "And if you get any of that foam on me, the mites won't be the only things getting exterminated."

 

[Arjant Clevenger]

Tags: Lily Kuhn
Objectives: Exterminate

If his memory was right, any world with the word "Ord" in its name was a strategic location with military installations and used as a network to stage military campaigns and other expeditions. This world, however, was short of that description in every corner, every last square footage. This supposed ordnance depot was a wasteland. Barren and infertile. Where there were supposed to be military outposts to house soldiers and city plazas for the common folk to crowd its streets was literally nothing. Well, almost nothing. There was some design of a city layout by carefully examining the way how the terrain was engineered and structure, but its towering skyscrapers? A ruin thanks to a weak foundation.

How interesting the complex structure of a city and surrounding settlements, with a population estimated in the millions (probably an ambitious colony thousands of years ago), would be humbled and devastated by creatures only two feet in length or less.

Reynalv was honestly surprised to see this planet still intact when it has been untouched for years. What did he mean by intact exactly? If these stone mites feasted on stone, obviously, and metals, then they would have enjoyed to feast their way to the core of Ord Tennill. Compromise its crust and other geological components to support a friendly ecosystem. It would be effective and a quick process to eliminate these pests if they destroy the hive and its monarch; only, sadly, these creatures did not have that kind of behavioral pattern. They were independent from one another, yet all shared the same goal.

Gluttony.

Though maybe there was some hope in this world. It would be capitalistic venture for investors and other corporate figures to finance a project to bring this planet to its former glory and more. When one had a strong economy such as the Sith Empire, there would be a rush of investors to give a loan and help in anyway they can, so long as they get their credit back with an interest.

It was one of the few objectives for Reynalv to come and actually see the world for himself; or maybe it was the only thing he came looking for. The world itself wasn't anything impressive. Though it did impress him to see a woman of a regal background to have her feet walking on its plains. "Miss Kuhn, is it? Might I ask what a woman of your class is doing here? I am impressed to see you away from a more...comfortable space and here on this barren rock."

 

[Eldaah Aderyn]

Objective I/III: Gather stone mite specimens and test solutions

While her Master was busy attending to other duties back on Bastion, Eldaah and several of the alchemists and researchers from the Order of Shadows and Spaarti Creations had joined the expedition to Ord Tiddell. The planet was overrun with stone mites, a pest that had destroyed civilization on the planet centuries ago, literally eating away the foundations of cities. Thick armor plating for a hide and a potent acidic saliva, rumored to have been bioengineered by the Arkanians millennia ago, the creatures were fascinating.

The various researchers had brought along several different solutions to the problem as the Sith Empire was seeking to establish a colony on world. One proposal was to just let the World Despoilers loose on world, consume the surface as it were, to thin out the numbers drastically. Another proposal was to engineer a virus that would alter the stone mites to consume one another, once again thinning out their numbers. On and on the list went, with the virus and a new oxidizing agent being tested presently.

Eldaah had another objective on world, one connected to the secret work being done for Project OPHION. Specimens were to be gathered and dissected, with a particular care to be paid to the digestive system of the creatures. Cutting the creature currently on the table in front of her was proving difficult... with a snarl she brought out her lightsaber and discarded the cutting laser she had tried and failed to pierce the hide with.

This should do it, she thought.

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Objective III: Dissect Some Mites and Get Results
Location: Ord Tiddell, Wasteland of Stone and Metal, Considered Lagabee
Writing With: AMCO | Obinmiux R'avfa | I Isaac Marone | Eldaah Aderyn (?)
Post # 2

The desecration that the Stone Mites caused was impressive. More so, the puddles of acidic saliva that began to become more common as Orion and the Surgeon wandered deeper. Finally, they cam to a halt. The metal grate he spotted from the distance was held up by a giant boulder sized stone underneath. He wasn't sure why the stone remained. The mites were congregating beneath his desired specimen like a nest of unquenchable hunger. He bent down to examine the situation closer, but couldn't tell anything different about the rock. it piqued his interest. For now, he stood back up and lightly tapped on the back of the dangling specimen. His hands moved across the shell careful not to touch one of the three tails. If he hadn't it would otherwise mean a nasty shock to the skin. The one head that kept them on the rusted durasteel metal, squelched up another acidic effort to burn away the bars that crossed over one another. Orion liked the thought of spinning the acid with other liquid compounds that he had back on his ship. Maybe he could find a way to utilize the mites acidic approach for their own gain. He retracted his hand quickly as the other two heads swung closer, wiggling to find a way to attach itself back onto the metal. The specimens lived in one shell together. This allowed them to fend off prey with their tails and nasty pincers. The clever design in their natural effort to exist was spectacular. At least, Orion thought. He was here for the empires benefit and his own. This on site expedition could proved incredibly useful for his studies later on.

"Stotis." Orion gave the order. The Surgeon moved quickly to the poor mite. Its six legs working quickly to arrive at its victim. The two appendages that lifted from its back were like sharp daggers. They stayed steady before the surgeon gently gripped between one of the mites heads and the shell. The sound of a metal clank took place as the surgeon forcefully yanked. The mite was retracted from its feast. The Surgeon's second arm turned it to see the underbelly of the mites body. A few crinkled soft spots revealed themselves and the other two extremities quickly lashed forward ripping through the underbelly of the first neck. Orion grinned, he hoped the Surgeon was capable of dealing with any burns that could melt its very own flesh if the claws dug too deep. Then as if the Surgeon instinctively knew what to do next it ripped violently upward to begin the extraction. A contorted translucent film began to detach from the mite and its shell. The gooey substance dripped off the lengthy body part. It tried to squirm free, but to no avail. The Surgeon made quick work to begin an incision at the base of the first puncture hole. The pincers at the top rapidly moved back and forth trying to cause pain to the surgeon. All the tiny mandibles found were air. The surgeon dropped the base of the shell on the ground and backed away before beginning. Its head looked to Orion briefly, before he gave an approving nod.

The Surgeon lowered the insect towards its main two claw like arms. They looked sharper then what punctured the mite to begin with. It slammed another spike at the bottom of its body and turned it horizontally stretching the body of the mite completely. The first claw like finger cut fully down the body, avoiding as much of the shell as possible. The protective carapace unlatched from the mite and Orion removed a small box from the side of his waist and caught it before reaching the ground. He knelt down observing the metallic shell inside the case. The under layer almost looked like a cooling agent resided between the mite and its carapace. Her looked up at the Surgeon as it continued to work. Orion had already given it orders to provide enough of the acid in the vials now set to its side. He closed the case of the protective shell and placed it in the company of his Surgeon. He turned back to the curious boulder. Mite after mite seemed to huddle over it. What was more strange was that the rock remained intact. Orion grabbed onto the metal grate and tried to remove it from the base of the boulder. With enough effort he pulled and the rusty piece broke free. He tossed it to the way side, attracting more mites to sluggishly change their course.

He stepped significantly closer to the large earthly foundation. Nothing proved it was any different from the other piles of stone that remained a well suited meal for the infestation at hand. With a few places opening up from the mites, he caught on to tiny engravings toward the bottom side of the heavy rock. Orion placed his hand onto the hulking mass and as quickly as he touched it a ripple of energy forced his hand backwards. His eyes widened with surprise.

What the..? What have I found?

Orion never heard of anything quite like this before. He was a common knowledge seeker. He had even been to multiple sith tombs in search of something extra to bolster his own offensive capabilities. To have something out in the open such as this, giving off energy that it did; was a very rare find. He had no choice but to entertain those above.

"Uh, Lord Vandiir." Orion didn't like the idea of calling others Lord. Not since his last master. "I don't know how to explain this, but I think I may have found something. The energy on this thing is crazy. The mites are rejecting it. You might want to take a trip down here and have a look yourself. Plus, we could use the man power to tip this thing over on its right side. I wouldn't want to use any crazy force on this thing. Chances are we got a tablet of some sort embedded down here." Orion communicated through a direct line to the Darkpyre-Class Multipurpose Security Station. He hoped the message found them well. Orion looked back at the surgeon and watched as the green liquids began to find their way into the vials from before. He smiled as the Surgeon picked up the other two mites from the same shell. It would begin again.

It was a good day for science.

Lily Kuhn | Talger Gilham | Inanna Harth | Adriana Fortemps | Reynalv Phibos ​

 

[Lily Kuhn]

I'M JUST A GIRL

Objective: Remove the Infestation
Post: 1

Maybe it was because she had to raise a baby boy of her own, or maybe it was because she was tired of being treated like just another pretty face, but whatever the reason was the question burned right into her. She turned, long auburn hair swaying slightly at the force with which she about-faced, and Reynalv Phibos was met with a very confused Lily Kuhn. No, she wasn't actually confused, she understood perfectly well what he had said, but the expression that she wore was most certainly the kind of questioning stare which more than a little implied that she'd been offended in some way by either his question or what he'd thought was a compliment - or perhaps both, if she was being honest with herself.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, before looking from side to side as if she were searching for something or someone else. "I don't believe we've met, but I'm overseeing this," she said, pausing briefly to gesture to their surroundings. "This is an egalitarian effort to reclaim the planet for the people of the Empire and its displaced citizens, and I work in the Imperial Diet for the interests of its people." She explained as she placed her hands on her hips, a pistol, the one she'd used to shoot a hole through the midsection of the stone mite she had killed just moments ago, held in her right hand with her fingers away from the trigger.

She looked the man up and down, frowning. She'd met men of his caliber before, the type that looked at her and saw a fragile woman that surely would never be caught dead out in the dirt, downright impressed when she was. The type of man she didn't want her son to grow up into being. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name, Mister..?" She asked, hoping that by reminding him that he hadn't introduced himself that he might realize the sort of impression he was setting, though she had rather low expectations that a man that dressed in clothing more expensive than her own might be able to discern that she'd taken issue with his presumptuous association of her with some stiff stereotype. Even when she'd been the Empress of Teta she'd served in armed conflict, not that she'd expect him to know that - though she hadn't quite expected to have been recognized by someone she did not.

 

[Fera Thul]

Objective II: Location Survey and Scout
Location: Orbit of Ord Tiddell
Tags: Talger Gilham

Ancient in design, but retrofitted to be stay modern, the Gladiator-class destroyer floated high above the planet of Ord Tiddell. Onboard were many bodies ready to begin the mission of scouting and surveying for a new plot of land for a Thul embassy to the Sith Empire. It was dangerous work, allying with the Sith, but the planet of Alderaan had become weak and a tool under the Galactic Alliance and the planet's leader. It had always been a Thul destined to bring Alderaan to a golden era, a shining beacon of strength and power. At last, though, house Organa continued to beat back the attempts of the many past Thuls, eventually leading up to a treaty of peace. Countless hours in the night of reading on the history of his family, and vigorous training made Fera realize he no longer agreed with this treaty.

Now here he was, surrounded by Sith loyalist, prepared to throw his weight in the glory of the empire for the promise of power in return. With that power, Fera would go back to Alderaan to challenge for the throne.

"Bring us over the eastern hemisphere of the planet, and begin scanning landing sites for the shuttles to land." Fera ordered with a low voice.

The officer next to him, dressed in the fashionable Thul uniform nodded with a bow and rushed off to issue the commands to the operators on deck. Words were whispered with barely a breath used, hands quickly moved across buttons and controls, and the sound continued to be quiet on the bridge. Just the way the man liked it, quiet, a place to think and plot.

 

[Arjant Clevenger]

He was no Lorrdian or was adept in the arts of Kinetic Communications, but from his background - a life of politics and elite norms in regal court - was able to interpret that he gave a slight towards Lily. Her tone and facial expressions was enough to convey that message, and she probably didn’t care if it did not was unapologetic for it. Did he meant any offense? Not really; if he did doubt her skills and capabilities, he would have voiced them strongly in a direct manner. Although he couldn’t pass the question: could she really see this project finished?

His face did gave an amused smile with his eyebrows raising up momentarily when the Tetan noble placed her hands on her hips, but his eyes caught the sight of her blaster; the reason why he was amused.

“I understand this is your project, but many people would opt to be in a secluded, comfortable place away from this world and have a staff doing most of the work. Especially a former Empress as yourself, it’s why I am surprised.” Reynalv knew how bureaucracy work and he knew that there were sloths within it, no matter how high or low they were in the pyramid. Both of them came from family of royalty and wealth, although Lily definitely outclassed him in both cases.

“And do pardon me, my name is Reynalv Phibos of House Phibos from Serenno” he said, expecting Lily to not be familiar of the House he hailed from on Serenno. It was a minor House, shadowed by the other reputable Houses that swayed the politics in the Serennian Courts. “I hope you’re not thinking of shooting me with that blaster, Miss Kuhn. That frown on your face tells me all,” Reynalv said, meaning what he said as a joke than something serious which was carried by his lighthearted smile. An icebreaker between them, and hope to get something more than just a frown from Lily.

“So what exactly you have in mind to desist this infestation, Miss Kuhn? If it were up to me, I’d bombard it from orbit. Create something out of its ashes; I mean, it looks like this has been going on for centuries.”

Lily Kuhn​

 

[Talger Gilham]

Objective: II - Reestablish Civilization
Location: Ord Tiddell
Tags: N/A

​

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Praetor Gilham peered down at the holographic outline of the settlement's boundaries from under the shade of the tent he had erected. Though a temperate world, Ord Tiddell had proven to grow quite humid during this stretch of its summer season. The Praetor had stripped down to just his breeches while leaving his adequately toned chest bare, the ink of his Oath tattoo visible across his right bicep; the rondel of the Sith Empire was encircled by a wreath of laurel. It had seemed like an eternity since he had sworn the oath to serve the Empire and received the tattoo that denoted him as a loyal citizen and servant. All members of the Imperial government and military received one, it was just as much ritualistic as the tattoos the Sith adorned their flesh with. ​

​

Gilham looked up, spying that the loggers and their labor droids had cleared the desired acreage of the forest from the surrounding riverside. Now those felled trees were being hauled back to camp, to be fed into miniaturized molecular furnaces and repurposed into building material for the groundwork of the settlement. The major structures would be primarily prefabricated, while the roads and thoroughfares would be laid after the building sprawl had been settled down. Already more labor droids were beginning to dig up the ground and lay thick slabs of ferrocrete supported by durasteel rods into the sediment.​

​

Wouldn't be long now, he could call in the order for the prefabricated administrative center, barracks, medical center, and housing units soon.​

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

Location: Landing site, Ord Tiddell
Objective: II - Re-Establish Civilization
Kit: Skystas Rieve iv Tave Daboti Dvasi
Post: I

---

A synth-hide boot kicked the top layer of dirt, sending a plume of dust into the air.

Poor soil quality.

The figure slowly ambled around the perimeter of the main Imperial landing site, his head bowed as he studied the ground. He bent down after a few steps to examine a stone-mite carapace. Using his datapad stylus he flipped the dead insect over, observing that it had been killed by blaster rather than a predator. To his knowledge there wasn't a creature in the galaxy who liked to feed on the mites.

Large stone-mite population, appears unchecked.

Shaking his head, Aerarii Tithe closed his datapad and headed back toward the Imperial landing site. Sith-Imperial engineers were working quickly to establish an austere compound using prefabricated components delivered by shuttle. Piping was being laid around the exterior of the settlement to install an oxidizer foam sprayer system, one of the few means of controlling the insidious infestations.

The Moff was a long way from Sector Group II back on the south-west border of the Empire. Today he was acting in his second role as Chair of the Foreign Investment Committee. Ord Tiddell was expected to be a challenging and expensive resettlement operation, and private corporations may be willing to invest their resources in return for exclusive rights, allow to Empire to redirect assets to the war efforts against the New Imperial Order. If Tithe’s assessment of the planet was favourable, Sith interests would be allowed to take on the work. But if the planet was deemed too risky, foreign corporations could be the solution. Allow them to carry all the loses.

Besides, if the outsiders succeeded, the Empire could always seize their property once the hard work was complete.

---

Talger Gilham | Inanna Harth | Fera Thul​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“You’ve all heard of the poor soil quality here, I presume,” one of the colonizers remarked. “The stone mites may feed on steel and stone, but the acid they secrete in order to digest it is just as harmful to plant life. The earth has been soaking in the stuff for so long, it won’t take any seeds we plant in it.”

“But we can bring in fertile soil from elsewhere, or treat the soil in order to restore it…”

“That would take time. Years, decades, perhaps even centuries—we don’t know enough about the stone mites to be sure.” The first colonizer leaned forward, her eyes scanning the faces at the table. “As for bringing in new soil, that will be expensive, not to mention risky. If the stone mites do come back—”

“They won’t come back,” a new voice replied.

Inanna turned to see one of her superiors, Paul Dimiter, entering the room. He took a seat at the head of the table and regarded the potential investors with a smile.

“Ladies, gentlemen… My name is Paul Dimiter. I’m here on behalf of Moff Tithe as Chair of the Foreign Investment Committee. I come bearing good news! Our imperial science teams have already progressed greatly in their study of the stone mites. Rest assured, the species will be totally eradicated, and this planet will soon be ready for rigorous colonization...”

As he continued to pitch the project to the corporate heads, Inanna felt a mixture of relief and unease. She was glad the situation was no longer in her hands—if he hadn’t showed up, she would’ve been seriously considering a career change. But while he seemed to have things under control, the fact that Tithe hadn’t come himself rather than sending a sleazy representative like Paul didn’t sit well with her. On the other hand, she didn’t know enough about her employer’s preferences and habits to be truly suspicious.

She did know better than to believe him when he said they already had everything under control. He was just saying that to speed up the proceedings.

And speed up they did. Over the course of the next hour, Paul convinced a room full of undecided businessmen that they not only wanted to invest in the colonization efforts, it was in their best interests to do so right away, lest someone else younger and hungrier gobble it up first.

Land was allotted to the agriculturists, to be made into greenhouses built with materials that didn’t contain silicates or complex metals. But the bulk of the settlement would be devoted to industry, seeing as it would take too long and cost too much to restore the soil on the entire planet. Ord Tiddell would become a manufacturing world, making whatever tools and technologies the Empire needed… without the Empire having to pay a single red credit for the actual colonization efforts.

“Miss Hoole,” Paul addressed her quietly. “Would you mind going across the hall to the comm center? I believe the contracts should be drawn up by now. I want them signed quickly.”

Assuming she would have to ask the comm people to send the contracts to each investor’s datapad, she left the room and started to cross the hallway, only to bump into a male Zeltron. He let out a shocked gasp as the stack of papers in his arms fell onto the floor, pages fanning out and fluttering in the air like falling leaves.

“Goodness, I’m sorry,” she said, bending down to pick up the forms. “I was in such a hurry, I didn’t see you there.”

The Zeltron didn’t say a word and would hardly look at her as he knelt to gather the papers. She could smell a faint chemical odor on him and recognized it as one of the special ointments used to stifle the natural pheromones Zeltrons produced. Taking this as a sign that he definitely didn’t want to be bothered, Inanna turned her attention to the content of the unusual physical pages… and realized what it was for.

“Oh, that’s cute,” she muttered. “Real, physical contracts printed on paper.” With a wave of her fingers, she telekinetically sifted the papers together into a single neat pile. “I’ll take it from here, sir.”

The Zeltron still wouldn’t look at her and merely nodded his head in acknowledgement as she took the stack of contracts from him. Inanna watched him return to the comm center with hunched shoulders, wondering if he’d learned from experience that it was better not to speak to his superiors under any circumstances. By the Force, she hated it here…

Returning to the briefing room, she approached Paul’s seat and set the stack of papers in front of him.

“What’s this?” he asked, his expression bewildered.

“The contracts you asked for,” she replied.

“I didn’t ask for paper contracts,” he said, glancing at the pages. “Or contracts filled with errors, for that matter. Whoever made these should have their vision checked.” Looking up at her, he smiled. “Miss Hoole, I hate to bother you, but would you mind going to the comm center and having these digitized? I’d really appreciate it...”

Pursing her lips, she took the papers and left the room again, feeling the puzzled glances of the investors following her. Once she was out, she moved farther down the hall, checked to be sure the coast was clear, then began skimming through the pages for herself.

She wasn’t exactly fluent in legalese, but she could make out enough of it to tell that each one included specific clauses designed to keep any and all responsibility away from the Sith Empire. If the attempts at re-establishing civilization failed, the blame and loss would be pinned on the investors instead. The investors, who she was quite certain were being lied to about the actual odds of success…

Setting the papers under her arm, she headed for the comm center. The door slid open, revealing the Zeltron, a female Balosar, and a couple of Human men.

“I’m sorry to bother you all, but there seems to be a mistake,” Inanna said, holding up the papers. “These were supposed to be sent to the datapads of the investors, not printed out. There also seems to be some significant grammatical errors…”

The Balosar glanced over her shoulder at the Zeltron with a look of pity, while the two Humans shrugged their shoulders and minded their own business. Paying his coworker no heed, the Zeltron faced Inanna.

“Were you the one who typed these up?” she asked.

He nodded. After a few seconds ticked by, she realized he was awaiting punishment.

“Sir, I would appreciate it if you would help me resolve this issue,” she said gently, holding out the papers to him. “We don’t have much time. The investors are waiting.”

Carefully, he took the papers from her, then pointed to an ancient-looking printer. “This was brought in yesterday,” he said, his voice as soft as a field mouse. “I was ordered to print out the contracts.”

“Who gave the order?” she asked.

“My superior, Niko Tolsto.”

“Did Mr. Tolsto give an explanation for why they had to be printed out?”

He shook his head. She frowned.

“Well, let’s… get them digitized, then,” she said.

“There’s no need for that,” he replied, walking over to his computer desk. She watched over his shoulder as he pulled up the contract file. “You said there were errors?”

“Yes, according to…” She trailed off, her eyes scanning the words on the topmost page.

The grammatical errors were all coincidentally (or conveniently) located in the clause sections.

“...Mr. Dimiter,” she finished. “It’s in these areas.”

The room filled with the sound of typing. Inanna sensed the female Balosar approaching her from behind.

“Do you know what’s going on here?” she asked, in a tone that suggested it was a sardonic, rhetorical question.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Inanna replied. She didn’t sense any ill intent from the woman, but then her padawan-level Force Sense wasn’t exactly fine-tuned.

“Some of them are using blasters,” the Balosar replied. “All you have to do is look the stone mites up on Wookieepedia to see that blasting them won’t work. You either use oxidizer foam, or the Jedi technique of Morichro. Either there are a bunch of idiots down there who didn’t bother to do even the bare minimum of research, or they have no intention of actually eradicating the stone mites for good.”

Inanna didn’t realize she was gripping the back of the Zeltron’s chair until her grasp began to tighten, jamming the hard edges into her palms. “Why would they waste their time, then?” she asked. “Why would they send people down to blast them pointlessly, and set up all these meetings with colonizers?” Colonizers that they were intending to bamboozle, judging by the contracts.

“To cover up something else,” the Balosar replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Probably biological weapon studies involving the mites. They’ll say they came here to try and colonize the place, and maybe someone will bring in a big oxidizer for show, but it’s all a ploy to get the scientists in here while keeping the whole operation somewhat low-key.”

“If it’s supposed to be a secret, how have you already guessed it?” Inanna asked pointedly. The last thing she needed was for this to turn out to be yet another test of her loyalty.

“I don't know if it's true. That's just the conclusion I've drawn from piecing things together. I do pay attention when I'm at work.” She gestured. “It’s all open secrets when it comes to the Empire, anyway. Galaxy’s a big place. Hard to keep anything under wraps.”

“I fixed the errors,” the Zeltron said. He looked up at Inanna with knowing eyes. “Do you need me to make any more changes?”

Inanna was frozen. She wanted to curl into a ball in the corner and initiate her own permanent Morichro, going to sleep forever.

“No,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “Go ahead and send it.”

Aerarii Tithe Lily Kuhn Orion Darkstar Talger Gilham AMCO Obinmiux R'avfa Adriana Fortemps Reynalv Phibos Eldaah Aderyn Fera Thul

 

[Lily Kuhn]

Objective: Remove the Infestation
Post: 2

She winced inwardly at the mention of her past - it had been, what, five years since she'd been the sovereign of the Empress Teta system? She'd abdicated the throne and faded from public eye to raise a child, and during that time she'd worked the kinds of jobs she hadn't ever had to work when she was growing up, the sort she'd been "sheltered" from by being born into a rich and affluent family, but based on the man's perspective it was doubtful he'd considered the possibility of her doing anything besides sitting on a golden throne in a pretty little dress; the fact that he was so insistent on his expectations of her sitting in comfort rather than getting a more hands-on approach was more than enough evidence for her. She was rather unsurprised to find out, as he introduced himself, that he was an aristocrat of noble birth; it was almost in their blood to care about status over almost anything.

It was, of course, of no surprise to her that he'd make some stupid joke at her expense - it was like he was trying to be a stereotype. She rolled her eyes inhaled deeply before he steered things back to something relevant to her, which was of course the plan behind the removal of the stone mites from the surface of the planet. "Planetary bombardment most certainly would not have solved anything, it would have killed the stone mites at the expense of the planet's environmental stability and rendered it uninhabitable for decades. That's assuming turbolaser bombardment, or whatever poison you'd pick, wouldn't destabilize the planet's crust and shifted its tectonic plates." She answered flatly, pausing to aim her pistol at another stone mite that she caught out of the corner of her eye - firing it, and sending the parasite end over end across the ground. "Instead we are manually removing a percentage of the infestation until it reaches a level which is manageable for the Yuuzhan Vong terraforming to become a viable means of their eradication." She explained, turning her attention back to Reynalv Phibos.

"While I am not personally familiar with the effects of terraforming, particularly the Yuuzhan Vong variety, on the stone mites, the general result is similar to an extermination - it promotes the development of deformities in their spawn, and it outright kills many of them - the only issue is that it isn't viable until we've thinned the numbers a bit." Lily noted, turning towards where mite she'd just shot was lying, evidently checking if it was still alive or not. "Some scientists and other curious minds are collecting these things, live samples, for future testing - for what I do not know, nor do I truly care - so the more delicate approach, initially, was preferred over a massive oxidizing shower. As for why I am here, rather than sitting behind some office on Bastion, is because I personally care about the plight of our people. I may not have actually gotten my hands dirty directly while I was wearing a crown, but I have worked in shipyards and in ships since then. I want a job done right, so I am here to make sure it is followed through."

 

[Arjant Clevenger]

The roll of her eyes was so obvious for him to catch, telling him this woman was direct and straightforward unapologetically; at least he assumed so given the little time the two nobles had with each other. Was it something wrong he said? Perhaps it was him being curious and surprised about the former Empress of Teta taking lead on this project and getting her hands dirty that caused him to choose his words poorly, thus leaving a bad impression on his part.

Culturally, from his upbringing, the nobility of Serenno weren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty either despite gender. His folk took pride in being independent, always able to be self sufficient without needing the aid from Republics or Empires. In fact, one of the many things they took pride in was expelling the Sith from Serenno in a different era long time ago. Any nobility not of their own they often viewed as somewhat inferior because of the capabilities they lacked in. It wouldn’t be honest if Reynalv didn’t doubt Lily’s skill set at first, but he was wrong to make these assumptions about her. His eyebrows did perk at the mention of working in shipyards.

Fortunately he didn’t speak more words that would offend her.

“I see...I do apologize for my words earlier, Miss Kuhn. It’s a rare thing to come across a woman of your caliber within the bureaucracy of the Empire, I sometimes judge too quickly from my own experiences. It’s an admirable quality,” he said, hopefully his apology was adequate enough for them to get on the better foot; maybe that pinch of a compliment of her class of woman would help.

“I only suggested turbolaser bombardment for efficiency. A bit overkill and harmful as you said, but it begs the job done. What tools would you propose using in removing these parasites manually? And maybe something bigger than a blaster pistol, hmm?”

Good start on the right foot?

Lily Kuhn​