Public Caldera Crisis - Wrong Place (Vjun), Wrong Time

[Kasmion Duum]

THE CALDERA CRISIS grips the crux of the northeastern hyperlanes.
Vessels flee the latest surge of death, seeking dubious shelter closer to the Core.
​

Vjun: a world of acid rain and old tragedy. An objectively miserable place at the best of times, but the only spot around to catch your breath.

A dozen independent ships - evacuation vessels, mostly - had touched down at a gloomy port. A steady drizzle was etching the paint on Kasmion's shuttle. He had a survival kit with an all-conditions poncho, which might or might not keep him safe should he need to step outside.

He dialed down his comms to a very short local broadcast, intending to contact all the other ships around the port. Acid-bleached landing pads looked out over an uneasy sea. Nobody had lived here in decades. Whatever the decrepit nav beacon had promised, there was no fuel in the depot.

"My name is Kasmion Duum. I'm the one in the old Niathal shuttle. I don't know where the rest of you are evacuating from; me, I got far too close to a Sith fleet off Corbos. I'd like to make it down the Daragon Trail to Garos Four." Past the Mandalorian worlds, ideally, but he didn't specify that in case there were Mandalorians nearby to offend. "I don't have much in the way of fuel, but I have a healthy compliment of food and ion-pulse warheads to trade, and room for up to eighteen people if passage is...seriously needed. I'm hoping we can fit our needs and surpluses together and find arrangements that work for all of us."

---

OOC/ Would appreciate those who join keeping the scale limited to individuals, small groups, personal ships, refugee freighters, etc. No fleets or hordes or armies, please.

 

[Varr Rexson]

Vjun. It was a mere stop for Varr, there would be no need for a fleet here, or a horde. Both were already well on their way, a gift from the Sith to the galaxy to remind them all that death was just a door that could be opened and closed at any time. It was close enough to busier worlds that it would serve its purpose. All it would take would be but a single seed, Vjun operated differently than most worlds. Varr's vessel the Exar Kun deposited a single beacon for the cacophony of death that was sure to follow.

When that was complete, the Exar Kun exited hyperspace making haste toward Ossus.

 

[Fallon Draellix-Kobitana]

Location: Vjun
Objective: refugee assistance
Tags: Kasmion Duum Varr Rexson

It had been a stroke of luck that Fallon, the daughter of the Ashlan Prime Minister had been in this system when word of yet another refugee crisis began to unfold, her work as an insurgent for the Ashlan Remnant would have to wait. Her ship was small a personalised starfighter, but she had stansponder access too many Remnant contacts of whom a couple of small freighter captains were close enough to heed her call and were now parked beside her own little Lujian starfighter.

She spotted Kasmion Duum who appeared to be grouping refugees together. "Hey, I'm Fallon, I want to help. I have a couple of Ashlan freighters that can take refugees to our bases further into old Ashlan territory. The Remnant fleet is on its way to the Corbus too to see what is going on there, but my mother has told me she can divert more vessels this way if needed." she smiled.

A small girl pawed at the Ashlan Rosary that hung at Fallon's waist, seeing it as a familiar sign of her people. Fallon was barely a teen herself but she felt much older so would try to help take a leadership role for these poor people.

"Ashla Protect us"

 

[Kasmion Duum]

"Hey, I'm Fallon, I want to help. I have a couple of Ashlan freighters that can take refugees to our bases further into old Ashlan territory. The Remnant fleet is on its way to the Corbus too to see what is going on there, but my mother has told me she can divert more vessels this way if needed."

That changed the equation significantly. Though Kasmion wasn't one to look a gift Nek battledog in the mouth, he mistrusted Ashlans for the simple reason that their glory days coincided with the devastation of his world, which hadn't been too far away. It was a non-specific distrust: he felt the same for all the local powers of his childhood. He was conscious that the bias was more instinctive than rational, but it had just enough rationality to keep him coming back.

Ashlans, then. Just as dubious a refuge as the Mandalorians. And some kind of Ashlan, what, Jedi princess? Yes, he felt the Force in her, as she likely did in him.

But all distrust aside...this wasn't Kasmion's first refugee evac, not by a long shot. When impending doom started lurking in the back of your mind, you took what rides you could get. He clutched his poncho closer against the acid rain. Other people were wearing similar gear or hunkered down under ships' overhangs or protected by force fields. People would take the Ashlan princess up on her offer for certain.

That train of thought screeched to a halt. Corbos, she'd said - he'd missed that. Corbos, to investigate. He was coming from the Corbos region himself. He ran back through all he'd seen on his screens, heard on the comms, and his heart sank.

"What worlds do the Ashlans control these days?" he asked Fallon Draellix-Kobitana . "Do they expect to be targets? Corbos...there's some kind of Ashlan remnant fortress there being ground into the dirt by a Sith fleet. Does that change the refuge you can offer?"

 

[Fallon Draellix-Kobitana]

Location: Vjun
Objective: refugee assistance
Tags: Kasmion Duum Varr Rexson

Fallon's brow furrowed at the questions but had most of the answers and her implant could fill in the rest for you.

"My mother's group controls bases further north towards the old Ashlan core, she also has significant humanitarian resources on New Alderaan, and Lujo" she smiled as she mentioned her own beautiful birthworld deep in alliance space.

"With regards the attack on Corbos, the crusade splintered into several remnants and preliminary reports are that that particular Remnant is descendant from followers of Pietro Demici ." he would be able to see her eyes flicking as she read the information that her implant projected into her field of view. She returned her focus to the chiss in front of her. "So no, not one of ours, Mum wasn't quite as popular as Lord Demici in new Imperial space after the fall." she let out a little laugh, the stories of her mother's final battle with the old man were familiar to her, his allies were most upset. Their fleets had used Corbos as a staging and replenishment point on the way to other bases in and around the Caldera for certain, and it's loss would be felt, but it was of limited impact.

"Anyway, enough of that, what brings an old Chiss all this way out, and how can we help him." she let out a lovely childlike grin as all she wanted was to help them.

 

[Kasmion Duum]

"I'm Keshiri," he said, referring to his Drael-torched homeworld of Kesh, "and only old compared to some. If you have any fuel to spare, I can make trade. Do you?"

An old telepathic trick, that: ask the direct question. Whether they answered you or not, whether they told the truth or not, the answer would take shape and he might just hear that answer whispering.

Someone else interjected - an Arcona pilot, some independent freighter, looking for rations. Kasmion broke his attention from Fallon Draellix-Kobitana long enough to swap a couple of ration packs for a file of nearby nav data, then returned his focus to the Ashlan princess. The Arcona hustled back into shelter, rubbing his spindly arm where acid rain had splattered him.

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Jacen and Ellie the two children she'd pulled of Celanon were sleeping in her cot, she sat on the floor at the top of the landing ramp watching the drizzle and movement of other refugees. She was chewing her lip hands trembling slightly as she recalled the horde. Blinking she force it from her mind, listening to the local comm chatter, her eyes scanning for another Niathal shuttle. A quick check to make sure the children were safe and she pulled her hood up against the acid rain and jogged over to it and its Keshri owner.

She felt...tension...no mistrust, coming from him as he regarded the girl in front of him. Lily approached quietly. "Kasmion?" she asked, interrupting, flashing the girl an apologetic smile. "Lily." she nodded to her ship. "I came from Celanon, already have a couple of refugees on board. I have a solid fuel reserve and space for passengers if needed."

She jerked her head back to the Pilgrims Rest, the name she'd painstakingly painted across its nose, erased by the rain.

Kasmion Duum Fallon Draellix-Kobitana

 

[Iskendyr Yvarro]

A distress signal reaches out to those around Vjun from the SSD Tavlar Military Academy:

​

MAYDAY MAYDAY, THIS IS THE TAVLAR MILITARY ACADEMY. STATIC. SYSTEMS COMP- STATIC EN ROUTE STATIC- HELP- STATIC CHILDREN ABOARD. ENGINES AT MAX. WE'VE LOST CONTROL. MAYDAY MAYDAY. SITH. STATIC. PLAGUE.- ​

​

The sounds of screams, and the undead, blaster fire and a voice, a familiar voice...​

​

"GET TO THE ESCAPE PODS!" More blaster shots, then a scream, and silence, the communication cuts off abruptly. ​

​

Lily Rhodes | Fallon Draellix-Kobitana | Kasmion Duum

Continued At: Caldera Crisis - Galidraan​

 

[Kasmion Duum]

Kasmion?" she asked, interrupting, flashing the girl an apologetic smile. "Lily." she nodded to her ship. "I came from Celanon, already have a couple of refugees on board. I have a solid fuel reserve and space for passengers if needed."

The preponderance of young people and children in this evac situation reminded Kasmion uncomfortably of his own childhood as a refugee. Though he was flying the same model of shuttle, finagling a deal for a portion of her fuel would be beneath him. But a plain offer, simply put-

"I could use fuel if you have any to spare. I have plenty to trade - disabling warheads, good rations."


He cut off, head tilting. Several people in the area were listening to a distress call; he could hear bits of it with his ears, with his mind too, overlaid.

MAYDAY MAYDAY, THIS IS THE TAVLAR MILITARY ACADEMY. STATIC. SYSTEMS COMP- STATIC EN ROUTE STATIC- HELP- STATIC CHILDREN ABOARD. ENGINES AT MAX. WE'VE LOST CONTROL. MAYDAY MAYDAY. SITH. STATIC. PLAGUE.- The sounds of screams, and the undead, blaster fire and a voice, a familiar voice..."GET TO THE ESCAPE PODS!" More blaster shots, then a scream, and silence, the communication cuts off abruptly.

"Rough skies," Kasmion said slowly. "Rough skies..."

He grimaced and started pacing back to his shuttle, options forgotten. In his mind he was much younger, watching a refugee transport break apart.

"If your Ashlan forces have warships to spare," he called back to Fallon Draellix-Kobitana , "that distress call could use them."

 

[Mig Gred]

Ships: Tra'verd-class Line Cruiser Gotal'ur Rang, 2x Directorate "Ghost" Viper Interceptor squadrons (24), 2x HF-3 Aran Long Range Heavy Escort Fighter (8), Echo's Light (OOC: If this is too much please let me know.)
Tags: Kasmion Duum Iskendyr Yvarro Mia Monroe Elise Ahana-Gwyneira Liorra Aloy Vizsla

"I know the rest of Ranger-2 was getting resupplied Dust, but thanks for getting out here." The transparent blue of a hologram, showing the Gotal'ur Rang's captain and AI, Dust, looked back at Mig.

"It's not ideal, but you asked for a quick responce. Fleet has operated much in this sector so you're lucky." Mig just nodded, looking out as the cruiser began to leave hyperspace to the coordinates of the Tavlar Military Academy. The line cruiser quickly started sounding the alarm as pilots and gunners prepped for whatever was ahead.

"Anything on scanners Dust?"

"With all do respect, Alor, who's the captain here?"