Faction Children of Shiraya: Baptism of Fire

[Axile Volzap]

​

"Stuck on you, 'til the end of time," Axile murmured as he sketched. They were rough composites of the garden. Each of the fountains, with each sketch focused mainly on the woman (he was currently unaware it was a representation of a Goddess) in the various forms of dance, and the various other sections of the area, such as the paths, and barricades. Without an aerial view to capture the scale of the garden he would be unable to compose a schematic of the garden itself, but these rough sketches were enough to get a rough idea of what the garden looked like, and where each landmark was.

You're everywhere inside of me.

He hummed as he finished his compositions. In total there were five stacks of paper. If he made the effort to further outline, shade, and even add colour to his sketches then they might even be worth selling. But he had no intention of selling these papers. He doubted the Ee'everwest's would appreciate these drawings being made public. Besides... they were only to pass the time until the other guests had arrived. As time passed he noted the arrival of Stardust Solus Skirae . First it was the sound of her speeder that caught his attention, and as he looked up it passed over him in the direction where he sensed the Ee'everwest's and their guests were convening.

There were other dignitaries arriving too. But none stood out quite like the Twi'lek, and her bike. After he finished his sketches of the garden he put away his pens, and stacked the paper inside of a folder. He replaced them back into the bag was wearing, and then stood up to make his way to the naming ceremony.

 

[Stardust Solus Skirae]

Rixa Numeck Svana Neoma Axile Volzap

She took the hand of the fellow vod and shook firmly with a smile upon her face, she took a look around watching the sectors before she turned back to answer his question

no, I dont think I could bring myself after...recent events

It wasn't that stardust hated them, she distrusted their effectiveness was the appropriate way to put it

I am stardust solus skirae, minister of defense, I thought I'd come and accompany the queen to this event and seeing there is fellow vod here I feel confident in her protection

She would not hide her intention for coming, turning to face the queen she bowed respectfully and chuckled

I've already got men watching like hawks your highness, but let's not worry about that yes? We are here to enjoy this most wonderful day and I am eager to see how this ceremony plays out

Glancing among the crowd she caught the eye of Axile Volzap and her eyes narrowed, he seemed to be packing up a painting of sorts nothing out of place...maybe stardust was being jumpy...either way she looked away and that smile returned

shall we head that way?

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

With bundles of fidgety energy in each arm, Baros watched as the priest went about the ritual. It was something he was only slowly becoming familiar with. He could not help but note the eyes that were boring into the back of his head. He was the outsider, the interloper, was the term that he had started to hear whispered about the parts. Still, he was here by invitation - necessary for anyone outside the family. They could just suck it up.

"By Shiraya's Light, I grant you the word's of the Zalaaca.
Wisdom. Grace. Poise be upon thee. Eldest of your line.
May you guide your siblings in safety.
May love be your first recourse.
May forgiveness be ever ready in thine heart.
I name thee, Briana Sarnae Ee'everwest Sal-Soren."

The priest placed his thumb into a small pottle of silver paint and daubed it upon the raven haired babies forehead. She wriggled with a furrowed forehead, clearly irritated by the alien substance upon her brow. The priest then turned his attention to the boy in Teyla's arms.

"By Shiraya's Crescent, I grant you the word's of the Bursa.
Valour. Justice. Serenity be upon thee. Defender of your line.
May you stand when others fear consquence.
May honour be your garb.
May patience guide that words and deeds.
I name thee, Brandyn Jaggen Ee'everwest Sal-Soren."

Again the thumb dipped into the pottle of moodlight coloured paint, and a small crescent smeared across the boys forhead. His hand was already trying to reach for it and mess up the shape. Baros himself clearing his throat lightly at the name of his son, remembering his brother Brandyn who had died at such a young age. The priest walked back towards Baros, and to the youngest of the three. The one to whom Baros already held such an affinity, if only for her lack of connection mentally with their mother. He could speak with the smallest of the children on the same level, there was something special about that.

"By Shiraya's Path, I grant you the word's of the Igitz.
Subtlety. Cunning. Adaptability be upon thee. Hope of your line.
May you rise as the goddess
and may you stand astride the beams of your goddess.
May your setting be with joy, and renown.
I name thee, Blaire Ostana Ee'everwest Sal-Soren."

Finally, the last splodge of paint was applied to Blaire's head in a V pattern. She simply watched with her big eyes and made no fuss. Baros felt his heart swell. With Teyla by his side, Baros turned to face the small crowd that had gathered in the family temple.

The priest spoke his final words. "May they bring favour and delight to their family, and earn the esteem and praise of their people, their Naboo. I present...Briana, Brandyn and Blaire Sal-Soren."

| Teyla Sal-Soren | Alora Ee'everwest | Ofira Ee'everwest | Svana Neoma |
| Rixa Numeck | Axile Volzap | Stardust Solus Skirae | Caius Bardot |​

 

[Eline Djo]

​

Wearing; More appropriate kid-wrangling outfit (dress trousers, silken blouse, flats)
Tags: Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Ofira Ee'everwest | Alora Ee'everwest | Caius Bardot | Axile Volzap | Rixa Numeck | Svana Neoma | Stardust Solus Skirae

She had never been to a ceremony such as this, the coronation a week prior being a much more familiar affair, regardless of whether it was styled at all the same as the last one she had bore witness to, in a place she wasn't certain she could call home anymore. More and more, Naboo had been earning that place in her life, and it was hard to say if it was just the closeness and warmth of her sister's family, the picturesque natural design of the world itself, or both that ushered that in, but she was under no illusion that it was perfect. Just... different, and life here had done well enough to keep her busy, and feel useful enough, in particular when she had begun to take to her sister's children.

Eline adored them, in her way - young, impressionable sponges, that evoked enough fulfilment to stay her curiosity for an inexplicable something that had been pulling on her for too long, that beckoned in the dark, unsettling, cold beyond of space... and because she loved them, because family had altered in definition in the years since leaving Hapes behind. Because of the way the two eldest of Teyla's now five children showered her with affection. Because it wrapped an allaying layer around all that tortured her within.

Not that those things were all gone. Too many fears, too many secrets... but there would be a time for it all.

She had never been to a ceremony such as this, but neither had Careina and Marcus, and it was just as important that they know this side of their heritage, along with the others. She could educate, and she would, and with the heart to understand that the union which bore today's baptismal subjects was yet painful for the father of the two at her hands to watch, or even acknowledge. It had taken her a long time to see others for who they truly were without their outer presentation unfairly impacting her assessments - she still held a preference, of course - but she saw a not too dissimilar battle raging within Damon Riggs , a darkened valley that she had once lit the path in, when Teyla was in the same place, a call to shoulder her grief alongside her, that Eline's since-acknowledged empathic reach would not allow her to ignore. And in doing so, had unintentionally gleaned a deep sense of more than her sibling was ready or willing to give. Too. Many. Secrets.

Smiling warmly, firmly, Eline turned her head, in her crouch with the twins, answering to another 'Why?', this time from her niece:

"Why is your mommy doing this? Because..." her lips pursed lightly, "...because it's important, my brilliant little sanil,* for legitimacy."

Then came Marcus, again: "What's... lejimma... legi-missy?" Eline had to bite her tongue. It wouldn't be fair to laugh.

"It means to... follow the rules, my dear prge,**" she informed, brushing back an errant strand from the boy's forehead, as she had done countless times, as if his hair had its own mind, wild as his soul itself, "the law, written and unwritten."

His little brow creased, as if struggling again to grasp understanding, but it settled, satisfaction enough at the answer given, or perhaps tiring at the results of his and his sister's unyielding inquisition. Careina, after a moment or two, concluded, in her own words, that her mother liked when rules were followed... and to that, there was much more that Eline understood in Naboo society, and saw over the course of time, that made her withhold speaking an answer, instead giving her niece a very affirmative nod. Then, just as another question seemed to leave their young lips, the ceremony began in earnest, which made Eline encourage them toward silence, to watch, to listen, to feel. There would be time aplenty for the indulging of their curiosity, their thirst for knowledge, when all was said and done.

And what was said was beautiful.

---------------------------------

From: X
*sanil - beauty
**prge - fire

 

[Mina Ee'everwest]

Location: Naboo [Evenfall]
Objective: Naming Ceremony
Wearing: XXX
Tag: Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Ofira Ee'everwest | Alora Ee'everwest | Caius Bardot | Axile Volzap | Rixa Numeck | Svana Neoma | Stardust Solus Skirae + [OPEN]
________________________________________________________________​

She knew where she was supposed to be.

That wasn’t exactly where she was, though, she had a good reason. She wasn’t feeling well. A typically fair complexion appeared to be a little flushed, though, she had managed to finally make it down from her quarters. She had a fever that didn’t want to stay gone, but worse, was the churning feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something simply felt off. Mina didn’t know if it was something she had eaten or if she had simply woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

As it stood—She couldn’t miss the naming ceremony.

She just couldn’t.

Wilhelmina held delicately onto the railing while she walked in a pair of appropriate peach-pink flats and a floral cocktail dress that observed both reverence and joy for the affair. This was to be a beautiful moment, serious, and very much so worth every bit of discomfort. She had stressed over what to wear ever since the younglings had come to be. The media tended to put their noses where it wasn’t exactly wanted and she didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. Especially, when the Royal Houses pulled on tradition. Doubly so when their new and wonderful Queen had kindly accepted an invitation. In the end, she wound up in a light strawberry shade that was touched with romantic embroidery, with intertwining ribbons, and intricate clusters of flowers.

Soft layers of chiffon and delicate frills made a feminine silhouette that was neither too provocative nor too boring. Hopefully, she had snuck in unnoticed. Mina listened from afar while the priest began the ritual. She always felt the burden of knowing there was a discourse between those she loved and many officials on Naboo—But she tried to support her family.

Her voice was small, though. She was too young to make a difference.

Slightly unsteady hands clasped in front of her while she listened and watched. The family that Teyla and Baros had made was complicated on the outside. On the inside—It was like a storybook. There was excitement, adventure, and adversity. Love. A little too much adversity, sometimes. All Mina could do was sigh in contentment while the infants received their names. They were so small.

It was hard to believe they had all, once upon a time, been that tiny.

Hazel eyes drifted from her family toward a very family dark head of hair. Svana Neoma , Queen Liviana, was not far away. There were likely a dozen and one guards speckled all over Evenfall. Some she could see. Some, not so much. At least, she guessed not so much. Mina had always wanted to say something to the young woman who had risen above to rest to lead them, but she always stumbled when the opportunity presented itself. Her mouth just stopped working.

She couldn’t very well approach her now. Not during the naming ceremony, and certainly, not when only the Grace of Shiraya and well-applied make-up kept her from requiring a bag over her head as an accessory.

As much as she wanted to feel the elation of this day; she couldn’t. She felt all wrong.

Something wasn’t right.

 

[Alora Ee'everwest]

Tags: Ofira Ee'everwest | Mina Ee'everwest | Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Rance Valere | Caius Bardot

A faint, one-note hum rose up but never left her throat, a melange of curiosity growing weaker, and a touch of vague amusement, neither sentiment reaching as far as her eyes. She turned her head aside and down, speaking low, exclusively to Ofira:

"They will let anyone into law enforcement these days..."

Deadpan, with just the slight mirth on her lips, which died as soon as it was born, when the ceremonial call sounded. Alora laid a hand on her sister's shoulder, watching after Teyla and Baros as they went to assume their positions for the ages-old ritual; eyes, bodies, turned and followed, releasing the officer from their interest and judgement... not that it meant she would forget he existed.

"Come now, there's more important matters to give our attention to."

Her hand slipped from Ofira's shoulder, and she turned away, moving to observe the ceremony from a clearer, closer position, as granted to family. The ceremony was, of course, beatific, reverent, a collection of moments that were exactly as they should be - timeless - but it was bittersweet, hearing the names of the babes intertwined with those that should have been here to bear witness to this celebration of sacred life, and legitimization, to be added to the family roll. To witness it, to see the radiant love that cocooned them, was like looking into a mirror that reflected doubt on her own sure decisions....

She closed her eyes, as if to better take in the fullness of this point in time, but within, she waged war with herself. This step, by tradition, was proper, yet it was not in the order it should have been, and so the people talked, the walls had eyes, but judgement was not her domain. In truth, she wanted for the well-being and happiness of her family, more than anything, but...

"Shiraya, give me strength..."

A plea, in the faintest whisper. Her eyes opened, seeking out the person she ultimately saw as responsible for the whispers surrounding her House. She would have a word, soon enough. She could only hope he would understand.

 

[Ordon Trozky]

​

Tags: Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Alora Ee'everwest | Lenna Praxon-Trozky

He felt as if he shouldn't be here.

With both of his twins in the 'terrible twos' and feeling under the weather, and his wife bearing twins once again, he felt strongly that he should be at home supporting her, having a hand in their care, being a father as he was, but all he could manage to do was drive her and the help mad with his own fretting, his own concern. Being a parent was one of the greatest challenges he had ever faced, even after losing his home, and becoming a refugee, displaced from the world of his birth, which had been ravaged beyond recognition. Despite it all, his family was whole and safe, and those of his house, his people, that had evacuated with him were adapting, whether they had followed him to Naboo, or resettled elsewhere for reasons of extended family, or for locales most beneficial to the family business, as so many suffered losses that they needed to recover from in the wisest manner possible. Some were not so lucky as to be able to do even that, the obvious infrastructure loss being too great of an impact, and the loss of life being a finality, making some of the organizations no longer a going concern, and some of the houses extinct, of the many that made Brentaal IV what it was.

Was, and might never be again.

His own adaptation wasn't easy, at least from a mental and emotional stand point, but his house had always been wise with their credits and investments. One of his own, one of his first was in the very business owned by the father of the children being celebrated today, and it had turned out to be a sound investment...

...even if Baros Sal-Soren had hardly grown alongside his creation, but the conflict over that fact was with Ordon's own psyche. Counsel him as Lenna might, he felt responsible... but the woman in his old friend's life gave Ordon some small hope. Gave him pause. The Ee'everwests were good, as he had come to know, at first in placing implicit trust in his wife's opinion and word, then again by knowing them personally, better and more willingly than he once had - though he and the late Kintel Ee'everwest had run in the same overarching social circles in their youth, the two heirs had never quite seen eye to eye, at the time. Now he would, and now Alora stood in her brother's place.

Tragedy bound them, one way or another.

Observing the ritual brought forth the memories of their own small ceremony, marking the lives of his children, over two years before, and light-years away. He had to set his jaw, steel himself, for the heavy emotions this brought up, that had only so much to do with the fact that the future he saw for their lives in that other place was gone. It was more than that. It always would be. Pain supplanted steadily by the wild growth of unrepentant love. You just... never see it coming.

 

[Caius Bardot]

​

Objective: Naming Ceremony
TAG: Alora Ee'everwest | The Whole Clan


Well that hadn't taken long at all, now had it? The hushed whispers, the side glances - and the interested, lingering ones as well, and plenty of scoffs to go around. And yet these things only made Caius smirk as he continued to make his way through the crowd, not at all deterred by his reputation. Clearly it had reached all the way home, not that he had expected any different. But that was all behind him now, he had grown, he had come home to take his place among his family.

And to see just how much his presence could make a certain Ee'everwest squirm.

But for the immediate moment, there were more pressing things afoot. The entire reason Caius was here was due to the ceremony going on. Well, it had been his in at least, and he would not disappoint. He had followed the crowd and taken his place, watching and listening intently as these children - triplets! - were given their meaningful names. It was a touching moment, even for him, despite all of the negative things he had ever felt due to a single member of this family. He was here, he was supportive, and then he stepped away as soon as he was able to do as such.

On his exit however, it had not been difficult to catch the eye of the one reason he was really here, and would never admit aloud to anyone. The eye contact lingered, and a smoldering smirk touched Caius' lips before he looked away and made his way from the room. Now she would know he was here, but propriety called for her to remain with her family for now.

They could catch up later...Would catch up later.

 

[Chronicles of Shiraya]

Settled in until the final blessing, Tarmont grumbled to himself about his cramped position, the agonizingly slow production and the self-important pomp of it all, before he started the countdown.

“Ten…”

A deep breath.

He continued to whisper.

“Nine…”

He could see them from his vantage point, the family gathered around the children, with the Queen in attendance… all of them oblivious to the ruckus about to be caused. Tarmont thumbed the button that controlled their exits, thoughtfully.

“...Five.”​

The previous year and what the endless possibilities of the future might hold after today, settled in his mind. There had been so much upheaval and turmoil, that Tarmont almost deemed his homeworld a cause lost beyond hope, until the rally cry of the Eternal Flame called him.

“Three…”

And while many who were too ignorant to know better, were content to continue letting the same system that had seen a monarch murdered in another's vile lust for power, go on uncontested, he would not sit idle by with them. Ending the monarchy and the aristocratic system that controlled their planet, to uproot the weeds before they took, was the only way to give people like him a real voice. Up in their golden towers, they never noticed the effects of the games they played.

No longer would the majority sit in silent solidarity.

They would be heard, seen.

“Two…”

The blessing came to an end.

“One.”

Today was the day, the hour cometh upon them.

He raised his arms to cover his eyes, three consecutive flashes setting off and the sound of a long ‘snap-hissssss’ echoing throughout the room as the exits closed, locking them all in; prepared to go down with them, if he had to, if that’s what it took for the dawn of a new tomorrow. There was no family waiting for his return, none to lament his death. There was only the cause.

Breath in. The seconds ticked.

Level yourself. Get a clear vision.

His finger flicked off the safety, the butt of the verpine sniper rifle pressed into his shoulder.

Head shot? Chest shot?

He took aim, waiting for a clear alignment… positioning them in his crosshairs.

Three head shots. Quick, painless.

Breath out.

The rifle bucked back against his shoulder, three shots ringing clear.

Spoiler: Tag

Mina Ee'everwest
Alora Ee'everwest
Baros Sal-Soren
Hisashi
Chant Sindhu
Ofira Ee'everwest
Rance Valere
Abel Denko
Caius Bardot
Daeryn Neoma
Nadia Souchon
Octavia Bardot
Merrick Sato
Valah Hagen
Axile Volzap
Osenia Ee'everwest
Teyla Sal-Soren
John Locke
Stardust Solus Skirae
Svana Neoma
Aeson Rora
Eline Djo
Luca Ioneşti
Rixa Numeck
Ordon Trozky

 

[Rixa Numeck]

The reaction was instant. Rixa may have been more favorable towards the finer things in life, soft beds, expensive booze, nice clothing and all of that but deep inside he was still a Mandalorian and even though it wasn't official yet, the woman beside him was in his charge for the moment. If something happened to Liviana then there went the big payday he was chasing on Naboo. The sound of the weapon discharge was unmistakable to him. It was Verpine, high end, very lethal in the right hands.


Rixa grabbed the Queen by the back of her neck and forced her down into a low crouch. "Sorry your Highness, but this isn't the time to be gentle." He muttered unapologetically as he steered her out of the open and towards one of the exits at the back. He rushed to the door but was met with sudden resistance when it refused to open. "Shab." He said as he gave the door a hard boot and it didn't budge.


"Stay down!" He yelled at her. Verpines were versatile and whoever was shooting the one up above could have had it loaded with something strong enough to break through any of the pillars that lined the walkway they were hiding behind. Her handlers weren't going to be happy about it but he gave her a slightly overpowered shove into a small nook that kept her shielded from sight for the moment. What a day to leave his guns back at the hotel room he had rented with his partner. Taryn wasn't going to let him live this one down when he got out of this.


He reached behind his back and pulled out the only weapon he had on his person, the beskar karambit that he had forged himself on the day he completed his trials and became a full fledged Mandalorian warrior. He may not have been able to shoot anyone but good luck to anyone that got anywhere within arms reach.


======
TAG: Svana Neoma

​

 

[Caius Bardot]

​

Objective: Protect the Family


That was a sound that had not only stopped Caius dead in his tracks, but had made his blood run cold as well. Shots fired, within the halls, during this sacred ceremony. There was panic flaring to life from those who were still inside, and the mad scrambling to escape begun after the second shot had rang out through the air. Somewhere in the back of Cai's mind, he knew that the young Queen of Naboo was within and that she would certainly be a target, but the eldest Bardot could not bring himself to care enough to seek her out and offer his aid in protecting her.

No, there was only one other body that he was immediately concerned for, and it had caused Caius to start fighting his way through the crowd that was attempting to run him over to get to the exits. Moving against the flow of panicky bodies was by no means easy, but Cai was large and managed to make progress. "Alora!" he knew his voice would carry, and he knew if anyone would recognize the sound of his voice it would be Alora Ee'everwest . Yes, some part of him, in the back of his mind, was worried about the lives of the other people in the room - trapped in the room, if the growing screams of panic were anything to go by. But for Caius, right now his priority was Alora.

And her family, considering they were the ones getting shots fired at them. But first and foremost, he had to reach them. Then he could worry about helping protect them as well as figure out a damn way to get them all out of here before things got any worse than they already were.

 

[Rance Valere]

Everything seemed to be going just fine with the ceremony, when a click sound from behind him drew Rance's attention. The door had just closed behind them. Odd. A frown formed across his face as his eyes scanned across the room with the turning of his head. A double take brought him back to another closed door. "Sticks," he whispered. The wizened old officer grumbled something about keeping quiet.

His attention was brough to bare on the woman he encountered before. She looked, happy? Her eyes glued to the proceedings before them.

Why are the doors closed?

Why would you close doors?

He turned to go back towards the door, but Sticks hand was quick to Rance's shoulder. "Where're you goin' kid?" He said in a corner of mouth whisper. "And don't you go saying you gotta use the facilities."

Rance made the judgement call in that moment to shrug off Stick's hand. An action that simultaneously clearly hurt and infuriated the older man, but Rance had already pushed through the group of officers that were standing guard. His head tilted as he approached the door, and pressed the button to open it. Nothing happened.

"Oh no..."

He didn't even had time to turn and say anything before the shots rang out around the room. Instinctively he flinched, ducking away from the sound. But he was also wheeling around and scanning the area above and around, looking for anything that was out of place. There. Something moving high up...in one of the windows near the light fixtures...

People were ducking for cover and running for doors that were failing to open. Guards had blasters trained to the ceiling but searched in vain for a target, while their hands and bodies tried to cover as many angles as possible and keep the aristocrats safe.

"Kid! Up there!"

Sticks was pointing to a ladder that went up behind one of the pillars. Nodding Rance set out in a sprint for the pillar, dodging between the overblown gowns and frocks that now became more distraction and obstacle than they ever were a good choice in fashion.

Rance tapped his com link as he ascended the ladder.

"This is Officer Valere. In pursuit of potential suspect. Possible escape routes around the roof. And someone get those damn doors open."

| Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Ofira Ee'everwest | Alora Ee'everwest | Caius Bardot | Axile Volzap | Rixa Numeck | Svana Neoma | Stardust Solus Skirae + [OPEN]​

 

[Ofira Ee'everwest]

Ofira​

TAG: Rance Valere
Wearing: [X] - [X]

------------

Everything had been going so well. She had gotten away from the detective, Alora was suspicious but none the wiser, and the triplets' naming ceremony was beautiful. Those little faces, all with names of their own now. It was nice to see Teyla supported by her own family - not blood bonded, birthed family, but her own, created family. It was a little bitter sweet for Ofira, but beautiful regardless.

Unfortunately that beauty of the moment wasn't meant to last. While the doors had not been noticed by the young woman at first, the shots that rang through the air first caused Fi to gasp, then duck for cover. By no means was she hiding however; she was quick to find a position where she could be shielded (and relying heavily on the rest of her family to protect each other) and still have the ability to look around.

The shot had come from above, and while she didn't spot the shooter at first, she did spot the current bane of her existence, the detective. He was onto something, and Fi followed his line of sight towards the upper level. A very unlady like slipped past Ofira's lips, and without a second thought she was moving towards the ladder. When she reached it, the fabric of her dress was hastily stripped from her frame, and not in an indecent sort of way. She was wearing covering undergarments that were easier to move in. The corset put a little strain on her torso when it came to climbing, but she didn't care as she ascended the ladder.

No one was going to get away with shooting up the place, especially with her family inside. All she could hope for was that the detective on the same trail didn't get in her way again.

 

[Axile Volzap]

When it came to those who were gifted (or cursed) with the ability to control, or use the Force, there also came the odd phenomena of feeling like time itself slowed when a user begun to use their abilities. In reality the same amount of time passed (as it did for everyone else) but in those split one or two seconds- as the perp fired their rifle; Rixa Numeck pulled the Queen to the ground; and Rance Valere begun his ascent to where the shots came from- Axile felt, saw and acted accordingly as his senses were heightened to razor sharp focus by the power of the Force.

In those precious few seconds where doors closed around, and others leapt into action, the new Minister for Architecture (and Obsidian Knight) lifted his gaze to where the shots came from. His left hand begun unclipping the curved Lightsaber that was hanging from his hip. At the same time his right hand would rise into the air.

It was just as Rance begun climbing the ladder that Axile exerted the Force to pull the assassin out from where he had been hiding, and with his powers, attempted to bring him out into the open for all to see down into the gathering.

Teyla Sal-Soren Chronicles of Shiraya Baros Sal-Soren Ofira Ee'everwest Alora Ee'everwest Caius Bardot Svana Neoma Stardust Solus Skirae

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

​

The shots rang out, and Baros' instincts set in. After years of working along side Teyla and then Jannus, while in the search for the TBK and then the Disciples, Baros had honed his life saving reactions. He knew what threats could be posed, and his body had already tensed, and his back turned to face the direction of the shots, keeping the children in his arms sheltered the best he could. His next act was to step between where the shots came from and where Teyla stood just a step away. The feeling of his reactions all being too little too late flooded him. If the shots had been meant for Teyla...she would already be dead.

His eyes locked with hers, and a quick visual inspection confirmed what he was about to ask anyway. "Are you hurt!?" He said, pushing her not so gently towards a space behind the nearest statue of the goddess Shiraya.

From behind the statue, Baros looked about to see that those responsible for dealing with issues such as this, were already in action. How this had been allowed to happen in the first place? That was something he was already fuming over.

How many gunmen were there? He did not know. They needed to get out of here, fast.

"We have to find away out," he said while looking at the masses of people trying and failing to exit from the doors, "somehow."

Teyla Sal-Soren Chronicles of Shiraya Axile Volzap Ofira Ee'everwest Alora Ee'everwest Caius Bardot Svana Neoma Stardust Solus Skirae

 

[Svana Neoma]

Queen Liviana​

TAG: Rixa Numeck | Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Mina Ee'everwest | Alora Ee'everwest | Stardust Solus Skirae
Objective: Naming Ceremony

It was as if everything had happened in slow motion. One minute, the ceremony had been completed, and three new, beautiful lives had been given their names and place among the people of Naboo. The next, terror reigned, and settled over the ceremony like a thick, suffocating blanket. The first shot fired had startled Svana, and confused her. Had she heard it right? Had that actually been gunfire here, in such a sacred place during such a sacred moment? And then another shot sounded and the young Queen went numb.

Even when Rixa had grabbed hold of her, there hadn't been much of a reaction from Svana. Her body had resisted of its own accord, like on autopilot, though as soon as she knew it was him she had cooperated as was needed of her. But the numbness was persistent, and the confusion only swelled more and more deeply. Were those shots fired intended for her? Or someone else? The Governor was here as well...was it a plot to take out the figureheads of Naboo? Or was it all just to make a statement, a point...to terrify the masses and let them know that no one in power, or lived among the nobility were safe?

"I can't just sit here and hide." Svana finally found her voice and directed the words at Rixa. "The people need protected. There are children in attendance to this ceremony. I have to help them find a way out." Yes, she was Queen of Naboo, but what did that mean if she just hid in the corner while everyone else panicked and were still targets? She had been simply Svana for a heck of a lot longer than she had been Queen Liviana, and her drive to protect and take care of people had only gotten that much stronger since she had been crowned.

And so she stood, and gave Rixa a very pointed look. She would go through him if she had to - or would at least try to.

 

[Teyla Sal-Soren]

The Force screamed in her ears, a dark tide cutting through the calm serenity from moments ago. Being the sort of woman who would fight the devil himself if he dared to come after that which she loved, Teyla didn’t waste any time. Stepping forward to warn Baros while hugging the bundle close to her chest, Teyla realized all at once that she was too little too late. Already, shots began ringing out and bodies hit the floor. Terror filled her eyes, and for a brief moment she was frozen in shock until Baros reached her, ushering them all behind the statue of the Goddess.

“I-I’m fine,” she assured, eyes locking briefly onto Baros’ in disbelief before trailing over to the body at their feet. The Force felt muddied around her significant other, and a tightness seized around her heart. “The priest was closest to you,” she observed, her gut knotting with understanding.

Teyla wanted to panic, and could feel that natural instinct rise up inside her. Her reflexes in the Force had been too slow to intervene and protect Baros… now a man was dead. Her fear burgeoned and the vision of Baros’ death from months ago, swam before her eyes.

Was that future yet a possibility?

Somehow, Teyla managed to bite back the powerful emotions that rose and fell inside her chest like a mighty tide - eschewing panic for a cloak of cool calm and collect. Right now, she was not afforded the luxury of anything else.

Reaching out with the hand that did not cradle Brandyn, Teyla pushed with the Force to create an alabaster energy field of protection around them.

“Sera,” the android tilted her head in response to Teyla’s address, “Go and find my sister Eline, make sure Careina and Marcus are safe.”

Sera bowed her ebony head, “I will see it done.”

“On the other side of the statue,” she instructed, looking back to Baros, “there’s an override panel… if we can get to it, then we can get the doors back open."

Baros Sal-Soren | Rixa Numeck | Ordon Trozky | Mina Ee'everwest | Alora Ee'everwest | Ofira Ee'everwest | Svana Neoma | Stardust Solus Skirae | Axile Volzap | Rance Valere | Caius Bardot | Eline Djo ​

 

[Rance Valere]

"Rance...your noble girlfriend is coming up the ladder after you...in her undergarments..."

Sticks' words that came through Rance's earpiece made him pause at the top of the ladder and glance downwards towards the woman coming up the ladder. For a moment he thought about pulling his blaster on her, thinking maybe she was in pursuit of him. But that didn't make sense. Or did it? He had no time to hesitate. He did not know where this woman stood in conjunction with the shooter, but he did know the shooter was a danger. He decided to roll the dice on the noblewoman.

Valere turned, and took off in a sprint around the rounded accessway in the ceiling of the temple. He could see through the fleeting gaps in in the structure of the building that the gun was still pointing out of the opening. He wasn't yet aware of the shooter being held in place by a Force User in the midst of the group down below.

As he approached the open door to the elcove where the shots came from, Rance stopped, blaster pulled and at the ready. He counted a few moments away, heard no movement, and then turned the corner. The gunman was still there...still...trying to move but unable. Rance grabbed the man by his shirt collar and pulled him backwards through the door and away from his weapons.

"Naboo Security...get down on the ground, hands behind your head...do not move or I will be forced to shoot."

| Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Ofira Ee'everwest | Alora Ee'everwest | Caius Bardot | Axile Volzap | Rixa Numeck | Svana Neoma | Stardust Solus Skirae + [OPEN]​

 

[Rixa Numeck]

Rixa wasn't about to have the Queen tell him who needed to be protected. She was knew to this world but he had been born and bred in it. "You are going to do nothing except what I tell you!" He said to her a bit more harshly than he had intended. "You can't protect them, you can't help them in this moment, you can help them in the long run. Naboo needs a serving Queen, not another dead one." He looked her right in the eyes and knew that this woman was dedicated to helping people trapped out there but that wasn't what she needed to do.


"Don't make this difficult Liviana. You can help once the assassin is dealt with, but I'm not telling you anything the Captain of the Guard wouldn't. For once he might actually agree with me and what I'm suggesting." He said as he moved her back against the pillar and out of the line of fire. She could try to go through him if she wanted to but he was a Mandalorian in peak physical condition and she was some newly minted Queen. "Do not move from this spot."


This was why he hated bodyguard work. The Principle never followed orders and always made things hard for the bodyguard. Sure Rixa hadn't been hired yet to be a bodyguard but she should take his advice and listen to him in this situation. Combat was what he knew, not as well as his brother and most other Mandalorians but he still knew more than the Queen of Naboo did.



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TAG: Svana Neoma

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[Alora Ee'everwest]

Tags: Ofira Ee'everwest | Mina Ee'everwest | Teyla Sal-Soren | Baros Sal-Soren | Rance Valere | Caius Bardot | Svana Neoma

Her eyes settled on Baros upon opening, studying his face as it was turned toward her sibling, attempting to interpret the nuances of his expression from his side profile alone, trying to see if there was anything other than stark, unrepentant love, but not only was this a difficult prospect at such an angle - she was diverted from it entirely by what was surely an illusion teasing at the edge of her vision, until her gaze turned in full, and grasped the presence of the only face that could - and did in that moment - stop her heart dead in its tracks, outside of those that flame has wrenched from this mortal plane far, far too soon.

Only sheer will rooted her in place, lest her whole body turned, instead of her head and eyes alone. She followed him, mind and vision, appearing haunted in face: here, now of all places and times, parallels she tried so hard to ignore coming sharply into focus. Then, with a characteristic smirk that plunged her deeper into the annals of her past, Caius Bardot moved outside of her view and seemed to vanish into the crowd. Alora's thoughts swam as she dragged her gaze back to the fore, fingers pressing and kneading at her temples, when all of a sudden shots rang out, causing her to flinch and curl, arms folding about her head, snapping her out of the burning roil of her psyche, and plunging her into the present chaos, along with everyone else. Screams, a surge of clamouring bodies, her hammering heart thundering in her ears as her mind scrambled for a foothold, stability, enough to un-cocoon her head, the scene around her appearing to lag for a scant moment, the noises a touch muffled in her ears until an invocation of her first given name all rush into real time, in sharp focus.

An urgent thought pulled her eyes to the fore once again, where Teyla, Baros, and the babes were, finding them safe and alert, along with the body of the priest, blood pooling out, christening the still-fresh stone of the rebuilt Evenfall with its first death. Her name echoed in her ears, against the backdrop of panic, and she whipped around to its source, her mind no longer having room for the questions it begged answers to, only minutes before.

"Caius?!" she tried to move, but deep concern still nailed her to the spot; she twisted to look back at Teyla, finding both her and her chosen half primed to act, then scanning futilely for the remained of her siblings and the Queen she served, her eyes coming back around to the encroaching form of what had once been her greatest regret, now complicated and subdued by time and damning reports, then nothing at all, as if he had just... disappeared. She would have to make room for unpacking all of that, later. "Caius," she repeated, having unstuck herself, moving toward him, as he did, to her, "we need to find the rest of my sisters, and assure ourselves of the Queen's safety."

Though it was more than certain that the royal guard had her Highness' well-being in hand, duty as her appointed Governor demanded an anchor for the elected royal in her thoughts, moreso than when she was simply Lady Ee'everwest, or even just Alora. Though her mind was all business by this point, a nagging thought sought to remind her of how things were left, the last time she was anywhere near the eldest Bardot, making the present collection of moments, in her mind, unexpected. A thought she quashed. Later. If ever.

"The Queen's Hand, and Teyla, will no doubt be looking to secure a way out," she knew enough of her sister's work with the Corellian, and of her training, and of her mind, to have an inkling of how Teyla might act, not to mention her capacity as an Ebony Knight. She briefly searched Caius' face, before finding his eyes - Alora's blue gaze never shied away from direct eye contact, not even with the man before her at any point, and he had never withered, or shown discomfort under that steady weight, "I last saw Ofira before the ceremony started."

Time hadn't made him any less easy to look at, either.... it would be harder to look away.

Strength, Goddess, I beg you.