Come on Over for Dinner [First Order & Commonwealth]

[Gunther Creed]

It felt good to be back in the saddle.

Truthfully the last person he expected to get a call from while he was back home on Panatha was [member="Horus"] the Lord of Admirals himself. Gunther heard some token bits of information about the rising Commonwealth, after ten thousand years of isolation they were stepping into the galactic stage. It was safe to say he was skeptical when Horus requested they meet to discuss what the man called business, he didn't need to outright say it but Gunther almost knew it was some sort of job offer. The collapse of the One Sith Empire into nothingness once more left the Iceman without a job. For the second time in his life he didn't know what tomorrow held. It wasn't a new feeling but he hated it every time it reared its ugly head. Gunther was a well known workaholic he felt more at home on a military base than he actually did back home on Panatha. The direction the empire was going towards the end he felt it in his bones it was collapsing, but he didn't want to believe it to be true. He through the collapse of the Old Sith Empire and at least that was far more hectic than it was this time around.

But at least back then he was prepared to handle the emptiness this time he wasn't. Gunther hadn't actually stepped foot in the Creed Estate in years were it not for the castellan and his family's servants there would've been a foot of dust on the furniture. There were powerful politicians and lords who lived and worked out of there home, but Gunther lived wherever the army needed him it was just apart of the job. After he finally met the reputable Horus and gauged the kind of man he was, he liked what he saw. A no nonsense commander with years of experience and even after all this time a passion for the job still burned like a fire in his heart. From the very beginning Gunther knew the two men would become good friends in the future, he clicked well with the Lord Admiral. When the offer finally came to join the ranks of the Commonwealth Marine Corps he readily accepted. In the weeks after he relocated to a nice home located on one of the main Marine Corps bases and spent the next several months getting acquainted with the new military he was to serve as a commanding General.

It was important to him to learn the Commonwealth both inside and out in all aspects especially its culture, if he was to earn the respect of its people, his fellow officers and subordinates he needed to embrace their culture as his own. After months of intense study and education into his new people, the military going's one, regulations, etc, he felt as ready as he could be. When the Omega War broke out he ran the planning and operations side of things at a distance back home on Alexandria and spent most of his free time learning. It was important to Gunther to be productive in everything he did and when he received the call to come to the First Order banquet celebration and memorial, he wasn't pleased. There were a thousand different things for the marine corps General to be doing rather than feasting, but as one of the only corps general officers to attend he needed to proudly represent a people not to far back he was a stranger to.

Gunther wore a full black dress uniform with the four general's stars proudly pinned to the collar with a full chest of medals most of them from his distinguished and honored service in two Sith armies. It was an interesting custom the Commonwealth had in the military to let officers of other armies proudly wear their medals, they recognized achievement. Gunther was surrounded by army security in the elevator every man dressed to the nines, his senior aide, close colleague, and fellow Sith veteran Lieutenant Colonel Richard King stood by his side. For a man of his stature and position Gunther didn't go anywhere without an aide even a formal banquet. "According to the seating chart they've got you sitting at the Lord Admirals table tonight sir." Richard said, glossing over a datapad gripped in his hands.

"As always stay close by I'm not going to sit through this excruciatingly long evening. When I give you the signal pull me out using one of our excuses." Gunther replied. It might've been the right decision to come and represent the marine corps and his nation, but it didn't necessarily mean he needed to stay to the very end of this evening. The general was already up for a few days straight, the plight of officers. Finally the doors of the elevator opened and Gunther put on his warmest face and began mingling out into the crowds of people, greeting various dignitaries and officers alike. There were still plenty of rounds he had to make to the various figures, all apart of the appropriate political moves to be made for the night. It was quite hard to miss the Iceman through the crowd if his own dominating personal presence didn't have an effect, the six foot nine tall warriors frame that painted him more like a front line grunt than the four stars on his collar did as a general certainly did.

After some time networking through the crowds finally Lord Admiral Nelson came in sight and immediately he approached the man so he'd see him coming first. As soon as he reached him Gunther snapped a crisp salute "Lord Admiral, how are you this evening sir?"

 

[Progflaw99]

Rarely late for the party, and certainly not this one, Major Amsel had hit the bar early. Full dress uniform looked good on the Major, his medals polished and aligned meticulously. He was handsome and he knew it, but somehow he always managed to show up to these events alone. Several drinks in and he was finally starting to feel a little less awkward about being absent during the Omega Conflict, the entire reason for the banquet to begin with. He'd been prepared to go up until about three days prior. At first Rolf had brushed it off as a cold but by the second day he knew this wasn't a cold. He'd caught a nasty flu that progressed into pneumonia. Had it been a simple cold he would have sucked it up and pushed forward as troopers do but pneumonia was a different beast entirely. As such he'd been on bed rest while the rest of the First Order forces had been deployed. Since then he'd recovered but not in time to catch up to his fellow troops. The fact he hadn't participated certainly didn't keep him from drinking in celebration of his comrades in all branches of the First Order's military.

As if to cement that, Rolf took a long sip on the glass of whiskey he'd just gotten from the bar, eyes scanning the room. Familiar faces all around, and then... there were others. Commonwealth forces. He knew little of the Commonwealth but they recently come on to the galactic scene. Not terribly unlike the First Order they did have quite the military driven hierarchy but beyond that, he knew next to nothing. During the Omega Conflict he'd read that the Commonwealth had broken off their attack to aid the First Order, recovering survivors from some of the ships lost to the Rogue Sith, one such survivor [member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] he saw speaking with an older man. Definitely military. If he'd done his homework correctly, he was speaking with one of the highest ranking officers of the Commonwealth, [member="Horus"]. As he scanned back to the right he recognized [member="Valessia Brentioch"] from their humanitarian efforts on Tel'erra. She'd been one of the few government representatives to make an appearance as a showing of good will towards the locals. Narrowing his eyes with a sly smirk he raised his gaze from where it had dropped a bit lower than usual. She was an attractive one.

In part due to the liquid courage, the other accredited to his outgoing nature, he stepped off in their direction, approaching the small group and listening as they talked. Stopping just short, he waited for the right opportunity to jump in and greet the woman. Until then, he was happy to sip on his drink.

[member="Jude Falkrowe"] | [member="Sasha Starkos"] | [member="Jacen Konshu"]​

 

[Alleycat]

"I am an industrialist, Miss." Jude's glance skipped between the two. "I live a simple life." He chuckled. What a lie. The agent's eyes fell upon the empty glass that Sasha played with in her hand and he nodded at the bartender. "Drinks for our Commonwealth guests, please. They've seem to have liked our taste for alcohol." His head tilted back towards the duo. "So, let's be honest here, you want to tell me that you do not enjoy such events back home in the Commonwealth ? No soldiers to be awarded ?" Tiny bits of information gathered through small talk often ended up as the missing pieces of a larger puzzle. For a moment, he hated himself. The Security Bureau had gone way under his skin.

Simple my… This is not the simple life, and you sir are not an industrialist?! the spirited Corellisi mused to herself, killing the urge to roll her green gems at the dirty blonde. This Jay was definitely something else alright. What exactly was still a guess, but most likely one to keep at arms length for sure.

"Being a good soldier, doing ones duty, is it's own reward though, yes? The military is the rock the Commonwealth is built on, after all. We consider the kinds of bravery that others might reward as common facts."

She nodded hellos to Sasha Starkos and Jacen Konshu. Sharp, grey-green eyes looked up at Jude Falkrowe then, calculating, assessing. While her tone was casual and conversational, there were layers of meaning. She wasn't parroting propaganda. Game recognized game.

Sasha flashed a small smile at [member="Zee"], then turned towards the bar counter and nodded a thanks to the bartender for the new whiskey-neat as she exchanged her empty one for the full one, though didn't take an immediate sip rather just held it within her white gloved hand for now. The Marine sergeant didn't want to get sloshed quite yet, maybe not even tonight the way things were starting out, though it would be nice to be able to let herself have a little fun.

"I didn't say I did not enjoy such events just that simpler was better in my opinion," Sash answered [member="Jude Falkrowe"] keeping her face neutral yet pleasant, then motioned to the drink. "Thank you by the way… Your whiskey is indeed most favorable."

Not quite up to my high Corellian standards, but up there. I'll give you that.

"Excuse me," she says asserting herself between Starkos and Falkrowe, "Valessia Brentioch, Representative of the First Order. Welcome to Dosuun," she says to Sasha and then Jacen Konshu, "certainly hope you've been enjoying the evening here." She looks at Jude for a moment and excuses herself again, "my apologies I overheard you were an industrialist? With which corporation might I ask?"

Rather expertly a dark-haired woman by the name of [member="Valessia Brentioch"] slipped in between herself and [member="Jacen Konshu"] separating the two Commonwealth soldiers. "Hello... Nice to meet you. I'm Sasha, and these are my fellow soldiers, Jacen and Zee."

Sasha exchanged a look with her dark-skinned companion after the quick introduction leaving formalities of rank and such out, then took a small sip of the neat whiskey to hide a smirk that wanted to grow wild on her face. This was starting to get interesting with the representative's follow up question for Jay.

In part due to the liquid courage, the other accredited to his outgoing nature, he stepped off in their direction, approaching the small group and listening as they talked. Stopping just short, he waited for the right opportunity to jump in and greet the woman. Until then, he was happy to sip on his drink.

While Sasha waited with baited breath to hear his creative answer no doubt given his performance so far, the tall redhead gave a respectful nod to [member="Rolf Amsel"] as the uniformed officer of the First Order joined them. Well one thing could be said for the faction, their uniforms were cut well.


[member="Horus"] [member="Gunther Creed"]

 

[H3xle]

Jacen nodded with [member="Sasha Starkos"]'s comments, but remained silent. He couldn't keep a small smirk on his face to match Sasha's at the intervention of the First Order representative, [member="valessia brentioch"]. He nodded as the First Order officer, [member="rolf amsel"] strolled up to their group. In the matter of a few moments, the pair had become inundated, even surrounded, by First Order personnel.

He glanced for a moment at Lord Admiral [member="horus"], making sure that he was doing well. He seemed to be deep in conversation with a massively armored person. If they hadn't been on the opposite side of the Galaxy, and in unfriendly territory, he'd almost say the man was a Mandalorian. Purely based on intel briefings, as he had yet to meet any of that warrior culture.

Jacen brought his attention back to his small group, his eyes slowly roving between Rolf, Valessia, and [member="jude falkrowe"].

 

[Valessia Brentioch]

The Representative gave the soldiers of the Commonwealth a smile and was about to address @Sasha Starkos when her eyes caught the uniformed figure of [member="Rolf Amsel"]. She recalled him briefly from Tel'Erra, shame they hadn't had the chance then to get to know each other. Returning her attention to the soldiers, "a pleasure to meet you all." From what she had noted from the Omega Crisis reports or at least what she had skimmed of it the Commonwealth and the First Order shared a few traits.

"Major Amsel," she says softy breaking through the round of introductions, "you were at Tel'Erra, were you not?" And then gives those there a look, "excuse me." Valessia politely excuses herself to walk around the group, so that she might stand beside Major Amsel, "sorry I'm Representative Brentioch." In case he hadn't remembered her from their brief time on Tel'Erra. The diplomat was still waiting to hear [member="Jude Falkrowe"]'s answer of course, as a woman who aimed to become Minister of Industry and Trade she made it her business to know of industrialists within First Order space.

 

[Horus]

It was awfully nice being praised, Horus mused to himself as the man before him unfolded into a fit of excitement, that was, until he hugged the Lord of Admirals. The room immediately around them suddenly grew tense. The spooks that had remained at the table jolted up from their chairs, but when the man released Horus from the bear-hug the spooks regained their composure and sat down.

"Good to hear, son," Horus said to the Lieutenant, throwing in a futile attempt to brush the tears from his otherwise immaculate military attire. He nodded his head and turned his gaze downward, "Well, ahem, if you may excuse me, Commodore," Horus said, turning his eyes onto Carlyle. He was half a step from briskly moving on when he saw a thunderous giant of a man divide the crowds. Gunther Creed.

Horus was a full foot shorter than the Iceman, they looked an odd bunch together. The Lord Admiral returned the salute, "Tired but fine, better than being on the cold deck of a ship, but not as good as a warm bed." There hadn't been a day where Horus had time to relax since the Omega Crisis. From the crack of dawn to the last light of dusk, he was working to better the Commonwealth and keep its enemies at bay.

"Come grab a drink," Horus offered, motioning him towards the bar. The Lord Admiral himself began to make a slow beeline for where the enlisted stood, seemingly surrounded by First Order personnel. He stood behind Sasha and Jacen as they hindered Horus' path to the bar, his gaze looking to Zee if she had the wine. Although Horus was not physically imposing at five-foot-nine, his mere character and military record was. As for Gunther, it was both, he was six-foot-nine, a giant among men, rippled with muscle and a scowl that could kill. A General of the Marine Corps and the Lord of Admirals. An unlikely pair.


[member="Gunther Creed"] | [member="Sasha Starkos"] | [member="Jacen Konshu"]
[member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] | [member="Jude Falkrowe"] | [member="Zee"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Delete.

 

[Gunther Creed]

They were quite the odd pair together Lord Admiral and General. Horus Nelson was a full foot shorter than Gunther and far less in weight. Horus looked paper thin and perhaps frail even albeit understandable for his old age. But the mans physical appearance was overshadowed by his own dominating presence similar to his own, the minute Horus stepped into a room all eyes shifted to him, even here he commanded the room like the bridge of a destroyer. As soon as the man mentioned being tired Gunther could feel tiredness attempt to creep over from the fringes of his mind. Sleep deprivation was a part of the job for those who did it as efficiently as Horus or Gunther did it. There were a thousand different things to do at any given time and so much more they wanted to get done. While some would call it straining yourself he saw it as being productive, efficiently using the time allotted to you through the course of the day.

A drink. After a really long week and the many days and nights of being awake a drink sounded great, especially with the rumored great selection that his aide told him they had at the Grand Hotel. "Certainly, lead the way sir." Gunther said, but just as Horus began to move he gave him the motion to hold on for just a moment. It suddenly became painfully aware to him that with all the NI spooks of the Lord Admirals detail, the elite marine security of his own detail, and the presence of his senior aide that the two distinguished military officers had quite the mob following them around. It made moving through the people in this hotel a lot harder especially with both army and navy working around them to maintain a safe perimeter. The security could hold off for now at least and besides, if anything were to happen he'd be more than willing to risk his life for the Lord Admiral, for now he was under his protection. "Lets hold on for just a moment. I don't think we need an escort to the bar. Gentlemen could you give the Lord Admiral and I some space, stay and hold our table I don't think we'll face any danger I can't protect him from here." While the spooks did ultimately answer to the Lord Admiral his word did carry enough weight to get the idea in their heads. Additionally it also helped that he had such an imposing build. After seeing the crew of army and naval men give each other looks of concern they finally nodded and gave a salute which Gunther returned. "Thank you gentlemen we won't be long." Gunther sighed as they walked away, sometimes security was just a pain.

But as they walked towards the bar their path was blocked by a gathering of first order officers who surrounded multiple enlisted personnel. It was surprising that the group even missed his own massive frame and still managed to block their way. While he did have patience Gunther was partly curious to see what was going on, so he tossed a look at Horus before looking back at the group and spoke in a sharp military tone at the commonwealth enlisted "Attention!"

[member="Horus"] | [member="Sasha Starkos"] | [member="Jacen Konshu"]​

[member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] | [member="Jude Falkrowe"] | [member="Zee"]​

 

[Alleycat]

When Representative [member="Valessia Brentioch"] moved off to stand and converse with the First Order officer [member="Rolf Amsel"], of yet to be introduced to the group, Sasha took a step back closer to [member="Jacen Konshu"] and was glad [member="Zee"] was there as well. Maybe the petite NCO would give [member="Jude Falkrowe"] known as Jay to them a run for his money. The blonde could certainly hold her own in a fight.

It wasn't but a minute more that the spirited Corellisi though she smelled the Lord of Admiral's fatherly aftershave waffling about behind her. The tall Marine sniper's copper-red head turned to find [member="Horus"], the elder statesman of the Commonwealth, standing there with a massive man next to him known as General [member="Gunther Creed"] or more so the Iceman.

"Attention!"

Immediately Sasha turned full on to the Admiral and General, switching her drink glass over to her left hand allowing the redhead's right to come up for a crisp salute heels clicking together as her dark jade eyes looked straight forward between the two men; the Marine sergeant's military cap still clutched under her left arm.

 

[Zef Halo]

The trio's conversation was interrupted by the intrusion of an alluring woman of dark hair that matched the color of her eyes. Valessia Brentioch. Before he could respond to her direct question another figure stepped in the fray - a short haired brunette. Allegiance - the Commonwealth. The woman's attitude and direct counter to his words, unlike the reluctance of the soldiers before him made him contemplate conclusions and had his smirk widen even more. Jude kept his eyes upon the newcomer from the Commonwealth welcome gathering the small bits of information that the woman uttered.

"Primo Victorian Shipwrights." He said an honest lie, shifting his eyes to Valessia who had asked about his workplace. The sudden appearance of a military officer of the First Order Army saved him from going into further details and Jude shifted his attention back to the Commonwealth delegation. That is when Sasha had appreciated the whiskey that the First Order provided and silently Jude raised his glass in a sign of toast. "To the good things of life." The agent took a sip of the whiskey and caught the movement of Valessia shifting her position to be closer to the newly arrived officer - Major Amsel. It was becoming crowded over here, not the best situations for information digging.


"Attention!"


A tower of a man's voice rang behind him and Jude turned his attention to its source - a tower of a man that accompanied none other than the Lord Admiral of the Commonwealth - Horus. It was by far too crowded now. The reaction that came from the military personnel of the Commonwealth that he had just been speaking with almost made him chuckle. Jude was always bad with conduct, quite bad, a rebel always.

"Gentlemen, my deep appreciation and admiration for your actions at the Omega crisis." The agent nodded his head at the two newly arrived men, his smirk still on his face but once again mentioning the Omega did not fare well with the plague of thoughts in his head. Don't speak too much. People would talk on their own, usually. Silence tends to be the most comforting environment. Nonetheless, Jude was considering the option to excuse himself soon enough.

[member="Gunther Creed"] | [member="Horus"] | [member="Valessia Brentioch"] | [member="Jacen Konshu"] | [member="Sasha Starkos"] | [member="Rolf Amsel"] | [member="Zee"]​

 

[Valessia Brentioch]

Just before the shouts of Attention were made, Valessia had caught the mention of Primo Victorian Shipwrights. She waited until after the Commonwealth had passed through saying as they did so, "you have our utmost gratitude and that of our nation," clearly, as the Commonwealth had been invited to the banquet but her eyes wandered toward [member="Jude [/FONT][/SIZE][FONT='trebuchet ms'][SIZE=14px]Falkrowe[/FONT][/SIZE][FONT='trebuchet ms'][SIZE=14px]"]. She hadn't realized the old woman was keeping such good help around these days. Primo Victorian had quickly become one of the First Order's go to designers and now manufacturers for their naval vessels. Returning her attention to [member="Rolf Amsel"], Valessia kept Jude in her peripheral vision.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"It's ghastly, isn't it?" said Pierce in a low murmur, his grey eyes twinkling with mischief. "It's about fifty feet from regulation, but apparently he's one of my cousin's kitchen cabinet, so he an do no wrong. Or, I suppose," he said grudgingly. "His skill behind the stick of a TIE Fighter is such that certain regulations can be... overlooked," he muttered. "As you can see from the fact that I am, in fact, as smooth and hairless as a baby's bottom -- not to mention the crutches and scars -- my skills have not yet acquired that level of recognition." He sighed fondly as Lilith got the drinks, his eyes catching another glimpse of his brOTP across the lobby. "He really is the most terrific fellow, though, and I can say so because he's been walking out with that woman next to him, Sioux, who is actually the most terrific lady."

"Jolly good," said Pierce as Lilith beckoned him to lead the way. "Might as well lead the way, everyone hops to when a cripple wanders through," he said with a smirk, and his words turned out to be prophetic, as people saw him coming and cut a wide berth for him, and [member="Lilith Sedarri"] in tow. He bowed to Sioux, taking her hand and leaning in to press a courtly kiss to her knuckles before shaking hands with his commanding officer and best friend. "Ms. [member="Sioux Chambers"], Colonel [member="Roderik von Brinkerhoff"]," he said to them, gesturing to Lilith. "May I introduce my friend? Ms. [member="Lilith Sedarri"]?"

He smiled across at Lilith and reached to take a glass of wine so that she would have a free hand to shake, if she so desired. "Would you believe I met Ms. Sedarri at the ballet?" he asked Sioux and Roderik. "Of all places, can you believe I was at a ballet?" Sioux looked as if Pierce, with his posh accent and fussy Galidraani expressions, likely attended the ballet every night -- or at least when the opera wasn't in town -- but was very kind to Lilith. "Of course, one ought really to introduce her to Brenner -- [member="Nils Brenner"], another one of us, recently tried to tell me a ballet could be done just as gracefully in snowshoes. If we encounter him you simply must set him straight."

 

[Progflaw99]

"Indeed I was Madam."

The Major turned to the side, smiling as the woman seemed to recognize him. Good, he wasn't the only one who had a penchant for names. Rolf took another sip of his whiskey, savoring the taste as he waited patiently for [member="Valessia Brentioch"] to excuse herself from the small group of First Order and Commonwealth personnel. He moved his whiskey from one hand to the other, extending his right hand politely towards the woman as if in true Victorian fashion he would kiss the hand as it was offered. Was that too forward? Perhaps, but that was the thing about whiskey, it suppressed that mental barrier you normally had up in situations like this.

"A pleasure to meet you, Tel'erra wasn't exactly the most conducive place to exchange names now was it?" He chuckled at that.

Even for a soldier used to combat, the hectic pace and environment at the relief camp they'd set up had caused Rolf a headache. Logistics was the main cause of his stress that day but there had also been a minor incident regarding the vaccines. Thankfully that had been taken care of exceptionally by one of his other acquaintances and fellow officers, Major Leona Eldrel. Making eye contact with the woman before him he lifted his glass halfway.

"To acquaintances."

Tilting the glass he once more enjoyed the slow burn in his chest. Taking a short breath he spoke.

"So, how are you enjoying the fanfare so far? Can't say I'm much for social events but the whiskey is good, as always."

He noted the Commonwealth soldiers standing to attention, one of the soldiers snapping a crisp salute. He found it almost amusing. Whatever they put in her cereal, he wanted some. It was a perky salute if he'd ever seen one. Turning back to Valessia he smirked. Ah formal events. Having the Commonwealth so close was a little strange for the Major, it made him wary and somewhat on edge. The calming atmosphere and alcohol helped however and he was finally beginning to feel pretty good.

[member="Jude Falkrowe"] | [member="Sasha Starkos"] | [member="Horus"] | [member="Jacen Konshu"] | [member="Gunther Creed"] | [member="Zee"]​

 

[Marzena Vaas]

Marzena lifted her glass of cider to [member="Asharad Graush"], upon learning that he would be honored at the banquet tonight. That was exciting. She offered a nod to go along with the Supreme Commander’s invitation for Colonel Graush to join them at dinner. The more the merrier. It would certainly be a better option than sitting alone in the corner.

As [member="Ludolf Vaas"] turned to walk away, Marzena’s hand looped around his arm. The dining room was just as lavish as the reception space, tables covered in fine linens and perfect place settings. She glanced up at the podium for a moment, and then lowered herself into the chair that her fiancé had pulled out for her.

“You know, I think she’s hungry too.” She smiled fondly at Ludolf, and gave her stomach a tiny pat.

Marzena could feel tiny movements within, they usually came in the form of flutters, but every so often there was a distinct kick. It definitely felt strange and jarring, but it brought her comfort and strengthened the bond she felt with their child. She had attempted to share these moments with Ludolf, but so far, the movements were not quite strong enough to be felt by him. It would happen soon. After all, she could feel that the baby was growing stronger each day.

She placed her palm against her stomach, and blinked a few times, determined not to get emotional right now. Instead, she glanced down at the menu that sat atop her plate. There were a few options that stood out to her; of course, she would start with the mixed green salad. But she was torn between the entrée selections.

“What are you in the mood for?” She turned to the Supreme Commander, fixing an affectionate gaze on him.

 

[Valessia Brentioch]

Luckily for the Major, Valessia was good with names and faces, the Representative gave a chuckle and admitted, "no unfortunately, in fact, it left little room for anyone to exchange more than a title." Truthfully that was the nature of the beast and of who they were as members of the First Order. As she offered her hand, he kissed the back of it. A gesture so rarely seen these days and Valessia was flattered by it, perhaps a little bubbly now wouldn't be so bad. And so, she took a flute of champagne from one of the wandering trays held up by a waiter.

She raised her glass to his, "to acquaintances," and then took a small sip, oh this was definitely the good stuff as she examined the glass. Peering over it, her eyes landed on Rolf once more. Valessia didn't mind his forwardness at all it was a change of pace for her, a nice change of pace now that she thought about it. She took another sip of her champagne and smiled, "it's elegant but I expect no less from our Grand Moff, she knows exactly how to put on a lovely evening."

The atmosphere in the ballroom was lively enough and the crowd seemed to be getting a little larger with each new member making an appearance. "Usually I live for events like this, but given that I had no active part in Omega, it feels," she pursed her lips together, "odd." Taking a breath she adds, "but I am glad to be here for the members of the military both of the First Order and the Commonwealth."

Valessia doesn't ask him if he was at Omega, she presumes he was - but feels out of place to ask him. Instead, she takes a sip of champagne and resists the urge to ask him about - work. Tonight was a night to relax and celebrate, "were you at the ball?" It happens to fall out of her lips, it was her ball but then she gathered most people were there to drink and dance. Even if she had managed to raised a lot more credits than she had initially hoped to that night.

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

 

[Zef Halo]

A good intelligence agent knew when to retreat. He had fun but he truly failed in delivering any results. Pushing his luck more could backfire greatly. The blonde was not gonna blow off any future possibilities by being a rookie. He really wished to, his curiosity craving to know more about this mysterious government known as the Commonwealth shuffled within but he kept it under control. It was a good opportunity to make his exit from the overcrowded bar lest someone could remember him all too well.

Jude covertly tapped into the Force and shrinked his presence to the outside. Just another suit in the pool of suits as he nodded out of respect excusing himself.

"The ceremony is about to start and I would like to join my fellows! Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, it was a pleasure!"

He casually made his way into the crowd fully engulfed in his row as he mixed up with the rest of the crowd. The blonde took a look at his half full glass and the preparations for the beginning of the ceremony and realized that perhaps he was wrong, perhaps he was not strong enough to keep the demons from the Omega crisis at bay.

Jude's face shifted towards the exit.

[member="Valessia Brentioch"] [member="Rolf Amsel"] [member="Zee"] [member="Jacen Konshu"] [member="Horus"] [member="Sasha Starkos"] [member="Gunther Creed"]

 

[Wolf]

Wolf chuckled at [member="Samka Derith"]'s response to his teasing. Indeed she spoke the truth, and Wolf would have rathered no one else by his side during the Omega campaign. He smiled as she went on to explain her own health following Omega, which seemed to be perfectly fine. He raised an eyebrow as she said her preferred name. "Sam?" He smiled, "Good. Well then, Sam it is. And that is good to hear that you are well. Easy for some, I suppose," he rolled his eyes jokingly, though there was a genuine sense of relief that she had made it out in good health.

It highlighted to him again the difference between the individualistic Sith and the collectivist Order of Ren. Having care for their fellow Knights, was this another distinctive attribute of their Order? Or should the Order of Ren have a cold and detached collectivism, one that should not leave itself open to the potential weakness of emotional attachment, that could hold one back if the time ever came they might have to act against one another, or make difficult decisions on the field? Wolf would have to save that thought for later, this was certainly not the time, as he finished his champagne, motioning to the waiter to bring him another. He would offer flutes first to Sam and Sara if they were so inclined, before taking his second.

"Well since you are in such good health, Sam, once I am back on my feet we shall have to cross blades." He meant what he said, he had never had the chance to personally duel the girl, and he spoke with an assurance that he would soon be out of his predicament, but a part of him knew that may not be the case. The injuries to his spinal cord could be permanent, but Wolf was not one to show a lack of good spirits in the company of others. His dejection and pain at the loss of his ability to walk were confined for his most private moments. There would be no trace of it in public.

He motioned back towards [member="Sara Lee Jones"], "Well, Sara, any familiar faces in the room? I would assume there are others from the Starfighter Corps present. Perhaps you could introduce us to someone?" Wolf was not here entirely for pleasure, it also provided a good opportunity to establish useful contacts with other people in the First Order, from different areas he would not usually interact with. He suspected Sam may also share the same interest as he did.

 

[Sara Lee Jones]

She let [member="Samka Derith"] and [member="Wolf"] talk while she looked around the room, she received many nods and gave them back with a kind smile, she spotted some of her fellow star fighter pilots, she saw one man she, in the back if her mind, had worried about. The annoying yet that type you keep around because of their good spirit and humor, [member="Pierce Fortan III"] alomg with him was [member="Sioux Chambers"] and [member="Roderik von Brinkerhoff"]

She perked up looking to wolf as she smiled"ah yes in fact I see two of my fellow pilots please both of you come meet them" she said as she started weaving through the crowd, she came up to the group and gave a smile" Pierce! Good to see you didn't die on us don't know what I'd do without the daily annoyance from you" she said in good humour and looked to Roderik " colonel sir " she said and saluted" it's actually good to see you two again" she said with a smile" oh before I forget" she said and motioned two the two if they followed" wolf and samka derith, Knights of ren " she said and looked back to the group

 

[Roderik von Brinkerhoff]

Roderik's eyes followed [member="Sioux Chambers"] to the decorative planter as she reached out to touch a leaf. Her delightful curiosity sparked a smile, which grew as a waiter brought forth a water. Just as soon as it arrived Sioux had plucked it away and offered it to a gracious Roderik, while at the same time spotting and pointing out [member="Pierce Fortan III"] in the crowd.

"Pierce is a resilient one." He assured Sioux, shooting her a look of piqued interest. "Accident? Which was worse, that, or the crutches?" He smiled a bit more as he took a sip from the water, and the two moved on to meet with Pierce and his date for the evening. They met each other and exchanged greetings quite jovially. He shook Pierce's hand carefully, before turning to face [member="Lilith Sedarri"] upon her introduction by Pierce. He shook her hand politely, smiling further. "A pleasure to meet you." His smile shifted into a grin as he looked back to Pierce.

"Nils has a lot of peculiar ideas, it's true." His grin intensified a little bit at the mention of their comrade, [member="Nils Brenner"]. "You'll have a chance to set him straight on the matter. He's present - somewhere." He said to both Pierce and Lilith, before adding to the two and Sioux. "Shall we take our seats?"

The group set out through the lobby before being approached by another of the Battle of Omega starfighter veterans, [member="Sara Lee Jones"]. She had been severely injured, as had Pierce, and many others. He returned the Lieutenant's salute with a casual salute of his own.

"Good to see you looking well again, Jones." He looked over at [member="Wolf"] and [member="Samka Derith"] as the Lieutenant introduced them, nodding to them each in greeting. "Ah, Knights! A pleasure."

"We were all en route to our seats. Seems the banquet is set to begin shortly. Care to join? I'm not entirely sure what the seating situation is like, to be honest. Is it assigned?" He turned to Sioux, as if to ask pose the question to her.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Sioux followed along behind [member="Roderik von Brinkerhoff"] with [member="Lilith Sedarri"]. "I just adore your dress," said Sioux. "I don't think I could quite pull it off with my complexion, but it looks delightful on you." Sioux admired the dress from afar, noting how well it paired with her shoes and handbag. She didn't seem a bit like the Dirty Duchess at all -- which rather worried Sioux. Had Pierce's brush with the vacuum changed him? But then again, looks could be deceiving. Lilith could be as tawdry and trampy as the Dirty Duchess herself. In fact, Sioux recalled thinking that the Dirty Duchess was rather different from the cheap women that Pierce had seen before. Maybe this was part of a pattern.

Sioux regarded Lilith out of the side of her eye for a moment before Roderik addressed her. "Sorry, what?" she asked.

"Oh -- no, the seats are not assigned. But we can sit together, I hope?"