Junction Crisis on Kuat Part I - Sedition | NIO - Euceron GA - Myomar

[Mirana Praji]

The Chancellor's Suite + Coruscant

Aerarii Tithe // Auteme // Annasari // Elizie Athacorr // Mazik Stazi // Other Senate Chairs

As always, the Vice Chancellor had chosen to stand rather than sit among the other Senators. She positioned herself to Tithe's right with the Senate Staff resting comfortably in the cook of her left arm while she observed the proceedings. It was difficult to deny that this show out from Kuat was all but inevitable. Before Adhira had even took power she was personally tasked with keeping Loghain in line. The Senate went so far as to create a committee to ensure that he did not act against the Alliance. For so long he had toed the line. Now, though the Kuat leader threatened to throw the Alliance into a civil struggle for control of the strategic shipyards his planet possessed.

She listened, stone faced as the Senators went back and forth, trying to decide what to do. She most admired Auteme's proposal and was about to voice her support when Senator Stazi erupted at the Chancellor over his perceived penchant for financial gain. He was not incorrect in his observations. Still... "Calm yourself, Senator Stazi," the Speaker's Staff loosed from her arm and though she did not slam it to the ground as she would have done to restore order in the Senate Chamber, it still made a very final-sounding thud against the carpeted floor.

"Julius Loghain has been a thorn in the side of the Alliance since its inception... perhaps not as infuriatingly obvious as the Sularens, but twice as effective in his attempts to undermine our democracy," she opined, "my ungenerous opinion is that his rule should have been brought to a swift end years ago." She cleared her throat as if something unseemly had just escaped, something the others weren't supposed to hear. But she composed herself.

"As it is, he remains in power... the people are tired of these constant wars, to emerge from one only to fling them into another would shake the morale of the citizenry to its core... I concur with Senator Denko-Durren. We would be remiss not to capitalize on our Chancellor's proclivity for financial sabotage." Mirana nodded knowingly at Aerarii Tithe ​

 

[Rexus Wenck]

THE BRUTE

New Imperial Order
'​

Romulus

'
Prefsbelt Command: Special Warfare Division
Maijan Paisea​

​

Each press of his palm leaked more oxygen from his boots, pressing him forward. 95%....94%, Rexus' eyes kept on that pressure gauge, before turning to watch MALLET approach the gargantuan ring. They had stuck out of sight, aiming for one of the large communications dishes, which obscured viewports. Already, the advanced DARKSABRE armour began to run scans, simulations. Prying the immediate sector for an in. As the distance was closed, Rexus manoeuvred himself foot first, and reached down, flicking on the magnetic seal of his combat boots. The armour seized momentarily as it was powered on, before the clunking of metal hit. They were on. Comms were still dark, and Rexus raised toward his cohorts a clenched fist. Regroup here. They did so, over the next minute, unfurling their weapons from their backs, and clenching them. The MALLET forces, embarked on the station, and began to press toward the antennae.

Now physically on the starship ring, Rexus' feed went wild, disseminating information and displaying the immediate vicinity. It wasn't exactly sophisticated. They would need an upload for it. Still, as they trudged forward to the dish, they stopped. Maintenance hatch. Rexus gestured to the Stossjaeger sergeant, who obliged with one of his subordinates. The Stossjaegers chosen for this mission were attired in their distinguished armour, albeit painted a jet black, it almost seemed like light was absorbed into them as they worked. Two got down, and began to pry at the plating around the hatch, exposing the wiring. Some tinkering with a fusion cutter gave an in, as the hatch was opened. Rexus raised a palm, and gave a nod. He was first man in. Dropping in, Wenck landed with a thump, and a whirr as the servos of the DARKSABRE combat armour absorbed the fall.

External Maintenance Zone Gamma 40, scrawled in faded letters on the wall. That was where the MALLET had entered. Good. Meant that they had a reference point. He returned to the entry, and gave a thumbs up. The others followed their leader, as Rexus gestured to the Stossjägers to open the next. It took a moment of mechanical manipulation, but it worked. The airlock unsealed, and MALLET entered, with a hiss.

“Right, mission from here is simple.” Rexus growled, turning to face the squad, “We find ourselves a security terminal. Get some intel, and then we-.” The airlock unsealed, and there was a blast. Before Rexus even recognised what happened, the dull thud of a hapless KDY engineer lay dead. Perfectly hit in the chest. Well that was one way of doing things.

“Stick together, and move.” Rexus commanded, pressing into the ring. From behind him, he heard the deliberate sickening crack and crunch of Twigg’s close to two tonne weight against the dead workers skull, splattering it.

Some things never changed.

 

[Keiran Varn]

REBEL ALLIANCE
LOCATION: KUAT WILDS OUTSIDE THE CITY
EQUIPMENT: SINGLE BLADED AMETHYST LIGHTSABER | DC/04 PARTICLE BLASTER PISTOL
OBJECTIVE: PROTECT QUINN VERONE
TAGS:
Zav Traros | Djorn Bline

​

Nothing yet. Keiran didn't like it, it was too quiet. A cool breeze made the folds on his army green poncho. The Jedi removed a pair of macrobinoculars from a large pocket on the front of his garment, the world around him becoming illuminated a neon green colour as he put them to his eyes. It hadn't been too long since he'd officially resigned his post in the Galactic Alliance Military, and the memories of the mission to Centares still echoed in his ears.


Zav Traros , A member of his unit the War Hogs had joined thim on this assignment. A capable demolitions trooper, he wondered how much he had left behind when he'd left the Army. Keiran and his master/commanding officer, the divergent Jedi Traden Avarice had their own baggage. Their relationship with the official New Jedi Order had been extremely strained after a meeting on Tython and while he hadn't offically left, the Rebel Alliance gave him some much needed space.

"Quintus is secure, for now. Let the others deal with him. Me and you have to go and parlay with local resistance in the jungles surrounding the city, it's possible that we might encounter some trouble but we're okay for now." He informed his companion evenly.

The outskirts of Kuat City displayed the common characteristic of being encroached on by the more natural, untamed elements of the planet as opposed to the clean manufactured nature of the great metropolis and the shipyards in orbit. Here were less populated settlements, the dregs of Kuati society took residence in these areas and it was clear to see the juxtaposition with the spectacle that was the high rises that pierced the sky in the distance.

Vines and shrubbery became gradually larger and more consuming as they continued on into the wilds. Densely packed woods were a pain to navigate, but he had been given ample instruction and notification of the location of the local rebels. "Not too long now, a few metres north and we'll see signs of their camp." He added.

"War Hogs, report in."

His comm immeadiately started to crackle as Keiran nearly tripped over a branch fumbling with the unit. The voice of his Master came through from a control base somewhere in the city. He put it closer to his face. "Reporting master. Me and Zav are heading towards the rebel position now, no hostiles just yet."

 

[Jordi Massad]

2nd post
SCIMITAR
Objective 2: JOIN OR DIE
COMPNOR

Tags: Kolson Vrask Don Belkora Rika Hiro Kazimir Tragovic Djorn Bline
Thane Nuruodo'kal'brast Rexus Wenck Atticus Draco Iseri Tanaka Hal Vaiken

Opposition: Traden Avarice Keiran Varn Iris Arani Monos
Phaineve Halseigh Maijan Paisea Kalie Alverez

Jordi's Loadout
Rucksack
Disruptor Pistol
Kandaran-Durasteel Switchblade
Garotte Wire
Camcorder
Wall-Piercing Vocoder
Burner Datapad
Surveillance-Camera Jammer
Cigarettes
X3 Bacta-Patches

Briefcase
High-Powered Slug Sniper-Rifle
Adjustable Bipod
X2 Ammunition Clips
Long-Distance Binoculars
Night-vision/Thermal Goggles
X8 Sticky-Charges
X8 Detonators

<"Little Angel to Scimitar, beware of heavy SIA elements within Kuat, our asset is on the ground, as are other elements and options, proceed carefully over.">​

Massad had been trying to follow a particular presence into an alleyway, one such individual who had been tailing him, but had to peel off to snigger and not be seen or heard in the process. Muttering,'Bismillaaah, Jordi.... Your fault for forgetting he holds that callsign in the first place.', Jordi took a second to recompose himself before returning to the alleyway, and having made a point of keeping his eyes on the alleyway in question throughout, the Kandaran knew the one who'd tailed him from the batthouse was making no wise attempts to escape while they still could. Fortunately for the COMPNOR operative, the Kandaran-steel switchblade was still in his pocket after the bathhouse interrogation, still slightly bloody after Jordi had wiped it on the t-shirt the dying gangster was wearing as he gurgled and choked his way to a nasty throat-cut departure.

<"Copy that - Little Angel! I've cornered a little tail, believe it or not. One I suspect to be from the lower-rungs of the SIA's career-ladder, and I will kill this one for getting in the way of my main task. I hate distractions almost as much as I hate boredom, but you already know this.... Initiating comm-silence until I get more intel. Scimitar out!">​

Finally walking past the threshold between pathway and side-street, Jordi would see the hoodie-wearing agent at a distance, but in taking a few paces towards his enemy, a gunshot was heard; whizzing by his left ear, the Kandaran's good fortune that the one tailing him had missed wasn't lost on him, dropping behind a power-generator as his own disruptor-pistol was being drawn from the left inside-pocket of his designer-label raincoat. The surreptitious drop before drawing the pistol had cost him a good return-fire opportunity, but Massad also realised something else in that moment; looking stylish in the field and being able to hide one's weapons well might work well most of the time, but in situations when it doesn't, set-backs like having no right-hip holster can ruin one's chances of getting the drop on better opposition every time. The Kandaran had to find his perfect blend of militaristic and clandestine along the way, and with this new understanding of the augmentations he needed to make to his loadout, but Jordi would find himself glad for finding out sooner instead of plodding on to deathly outcomes of almost every variety.

'Nervous shot like that only means one thing - THE MARK OF A ROOKIE AGENT IN THE FIELD!!!!'

'N-No I ain't!', the agent tried to exclaim, with fear forcing their larynx into giving their desperation away, but it was all too late for them, talking when he should've been laying down suppressive fire from the drop would cost the rookie his life, almost like the poorly-considered approach to the alleyway, but it had only nearly cost the Kandaran his life that time. Snapping up in a late-reacting recollection of his former warfighting capabilities, Massad's traditional dagger-wielding hand would briefly keep the switchblade in a neglected state as it drew up out of his left trouser pocket, snatching upwards towards the magazine-housing built into the underside of the pistol's grip, silently praying that he would fire in an effective-distance of which would have to gambled on it's complete success. Then, from a crouching position, Jordi would wait for the greenhorn to talk some more before making a point of using his small element of surprise properly, the beloved little surprise-window he remembered stemming from a staunch preference for using against kidnappers and unstable holdouts alike.

'How the fuck would you know from ONE missed shot-'

Dead before he could even fire a second shot in anger.

Easy.​

Jordi no longer needed to gamble, he knew where the target was by then - the opposing agent had talked too much to safely conceal his exact position from the Kandaran. With little more than being sure that remaining behind cover to face the direction the voice was coming from, and by keeping his pistol pointed straight at chin-height whilst kneeling in one-knee'd poise, all it took to take down his foe was a simple, (though well-drilled), quick destress of his knees to a half-crouching/half-standing shooter's stance; and as far Jordi was concerned, the three shots he fired as soon as visual had been attained were just the icing on the cake, snapping back down behind the lower-floor power supply with a smile on his face before he even checked to see if his assailant was still alive. Within moments, the rookie-agent would be heard gasping for air in the most gruesome of ways, confirming the Massad's safety for the most part, and almost as soon as the agent's body had been heard hitting the ground hard from a 20 metre distance.

'Honestly, man? You talk too much, feel too much also.... Your fear killed you today, not me!'

The busy city street behind him looked and sounded like the people Jordi had walked past to get to his enemy had long since fled the scene to avoid any stray blaster-trails that might wound or kill them, though Massad knew he needed to escape soon if he wished to keep working on his leads, intel and hunches for the rest of his time there. 'And to answer your question, saying as I've never been one to deny such a simple last request-', the Kandaran continued, standing up with a lazy confidence in his sense of sensible judgement, then lighting a cigarette with his left hand to test for signs of hubris made manifest. As he approached with right hand putting the disruptor-pistol back in his jacket pocket, Massad would kindly stop next to his dying assailant and kneel down to drawl,'I was wide open, man. And with the shadows of this alleyway working in your favour, against mine and my eyes alike too.... You had,"The drop", on me - and you still missed. Rookie shit.', before abandoning that kindness completely to lazily force the rookie to shoot himself with his own pistol.

Not wasting any more ammunition on you, might need it for someone better.​

Sirens could be heard from a few streets away, but Jordi had found an open back-door to a basement pub as he looked to his left, and still had time to scavenge his foe for anything that signified their allegiances and affiliations more easily; and then, further improving his chances in that moment, the Kandaran would smile and look to the skies at the fact it didn't take long to find their agency badge, a confirmation of SIA's presence within Kuat city, a confirmation that Massad would constantly find himself surrounded by watchful eyes if he continued to walk the streets as he had been after the bathhouse. The underground dive-bar was his only real choice, as the sirens were being noted to be approaching fast, and people were seen braving the formerly-silent streets again already, a situation of screams and fleeing that would surely give his exact location away this time.

 

[Zav Traros]

Writing with: Keiran Varn ; open to others

---

He accepted the position as readily as any in the warthogs, yet Zav still found it to be an adjustment. Loyal to the Galactic Alliance, the War Hogs had joined with the Rebel Alliance just days after arrival.

He still remembered the transfer.

They'd asked him what he would do for the alliance, and Zav had answered 'anything and everything'. Made a bit more sense now, looking back on it. The officers back at his old base had been acting funny; well more so than usual, anyhow. He didn't think much of the deployment when he left; well he was excited, but he hardly expected the job to take the turn that it did.

And well, when asked whether he would join the War Hogs in the Rebel Alliance, Zav agreed and recounted the same answer he delivered to those officers back at his old base.

Now here we was, with his credits where his mouth was. Figuratively, anyhow.

"Quintus is secure, for now. Let the others deal with him. Me and you have to go and parlay with local resistance in the jungles surrounding the city, it's possible that we might encounter some trouble but we're okay for now." He informed his companion evenly.

"Well, that's real good to know. On both parts." Zav replied with candid honestly. He sure didn't have any answers on the task, and was glad to hear that someone had. There was something to be said for younger, fresher thinking; Zav's first thought was of battle. He was trained for it, and had spent enough years to just start getting set in his ways. Go figure; the military gave him explosives and blasters, and naturally the gut instinct was to use them to solve whatever problems he had. Yeah simple; but a very effective solution for most problems a trooper faced.

Except he wasn't a trooper now, and this wasn't warfare. It was an operation, and there was more to it than blasting bad guys.

Though that was the coolest part, not gonna lie.

"Yeah yeah, that's pretty apt. Counter-operations is all kind of new to me." He added, sure that there'd be a lot to learn.

"War Hogs, report in."

"Reporting master. Me and Zav are heading towards the rebel position now, no hostiles just yet."

Keiran reported in with a report on their situation. Better that he was on the comms really, the younger man had a better report with Traden. He ought to, Zav figured, being that Keiran was apprentice to the squad's leader. Zav was the kriffing new guy, not that the War Hogs disregarded him for it. Quite the opposite; Zav had known nothing but camaraderie since he met them all. A welcome no doubt bolstered by the leap into the rebel alliance they had all taken.

Alliance support lost to them, they only had each other now. No small wonder, Zav mused, that he still felt secure with full faith in his team. It was the best crew he'd joined in a while.

 

[Phaineve Halseigh]

[Kuat City.]
[Captain Phaineve Halseigh - War Hogs - Rebel Alliance]
[Mission: Protect Quintus Verone. Investigate Endangered Officials]
[Partner in Crime: Monos ]
[ Thane , May the odds be ever in your favor.]

---

The door unlocked with a short, measly click, as if it were frightened by what was to come next. Light from outside hallway made its best efforts to squeeze through the crack in the door, seeping into the darkness beyond. It illuminated little; at the same moment, the music blasting over the room's speakers prevented her from hearing the intruder's movements.

Until her ears caught a buzz amidst the chaos-- the violent discharge of a disruptor weapon, then an electronic scream before the music stopped in its tracks.

Phaineve's fingers tightened around the grip of her pistol, while her thumb fiddled with a dial above the trigger, adjusting the Feverwasp for its non-lethal setting-- whoever this was would be best taken alive and turned in to the Rebel Alliance for interrogation. That was, assuming she could catch them. The captain caught a chilling exhale brushing past her lips as she let the door draw open. A shiver followed. After a brief moment spent regaining her composure, she managed to slip inside the living room, quickly and silently pressing her back against the wall. She took another tense deep breath, and moved another step, then another.

The captain paused; her comm link sounded a meek chirp.

– Ladybird! Watch light! Bring care! –

Not long after, a light erupted from the apartment's hallway; as Phaineve crept into a more advantageous position to stare out from the living room, she found that its source was the bedroom. Gods bless you, Murgle. Her eyes squinted in search of a figure illuminated by Mox's handiwork, but the doorway appeared unoccupied. A feeling of dread rushed from her brain and froze the blood in her hands. Though shivering, Phaineve lowered an eye to peer down the Feverwasp's scope and into the gateway of light just down the hallway. If the intruder truly was in the bedroom, they were surely in a position to catch her passing or entering the doorway. "Won't fall for that..." she muttered uncertainly. The sudden spark of a notion, that the assassin had already taken up a new vantage point, caused her to flinch again. Either paralyzed by fear or standing resolute with confidence, she resolved to maintain her own position nonetheless. She wouldn't be the one to spring a trap. And if the situation devolved into a firefight, it would be on Phaineve's terms.

...she hoped.

"Come out, come out wherever you are..." A half-sarcastic, half-genuine mutter found its way out of her throat. "You know it's rude to keep a girl waiting..."

 

[Iseri Tanaka]

Kuatian Orbital Communications Uplink, Kuat City, Kuat
With Iris Arani ​

"I have to report this in. I'll let you leave, but you can't go any further."

The Jedi’s words brought a genuine smile to his lips, as small and fettered as it was as the agent sought to rein it in from the very instant he felt it coming, but genuine it was all the same. This was what created the soft spot he felt for the Jedi. That common kindness that they radiated, a light and a warmth that shone even upon their potential enemies. The easier thing to do in such a situation would be to strike first, while such an enemy was unprepared. To ensure that their mission would be brought to an end at the instant they drew their last breath. It was the sort of finality that made sense on paper. Just an act of efficiency that made their defense of the uplink a certain success.

Instead, Iseri had been offered to leave on his own accord. A chance to save life and limb and leave unscarred except for wounded pride. Such a proposal embered in the agent’s mind, for longer than he’d liked at that, before it was extinguished.

No, his mission would succeed. It must succeed. This was bigger than simply receiving a blemish upon his record with the ISB. It was elevated beyond career health, or even that of doing the duty that any citizen of the Empire was expected of. Tragedy could be prevented. That was the duty of any sentient being to carry out, to their own peril at that.

“What is your name?”

Inquired Iseri as he relinquished the bag from his grip, leaving it to sit by his feet. A sign that his intention wasn’t to make the attempt to barrel on past them and seize the lifts as swiftly as possible. Such a stratagem wasn’t likely to succeed. If the Jedi had seen through his deception, they must be able to anticipate something as rash as that. No, they could not be outwitted and using violence at such times was but a crutch. To have them see reason, now there exists an opportunity. Everything they had said and done in their brief encounter so far told the tale that this Jedi was level headed. Perhaps they could be made to understand.

“Let us go from potential enemies to acquaintances. You can call me Iseri, and you have likely guessed at whose benefit I am here for. If you haven’t it matters little. What does matter is that all I have told you is true. What I do tonight will save lives. Ten, a hundred, a thousand? Who can say. But if it were even one, would it not be worthwhile?”

 

[Faith Organa]

Location: Chancellor's Office, Coruscant

She sat at the table her hands and fingers steepled together as she listened to each of the others, Aerarii Tithe Auteme Annasari Mirana Praji Mazik Stazi Elizie Athacorr

How many times had she sat in the Chambers looking across to Julius Loghain and listened to his support of aggressive actions, how often did she remember just how close Kuat was, and yes the concern over one of the most precious of commodities the shipyards of Kuat. Annasari's words brought up many things, the unmaking of a king....in this case who was the kingmaker, Julius, the NIO..some other shadow that had yet to lift its head. Cartels were active again, it seemed to Faith that the dark shadows that sucked away the life of the people were growing in strength once more. Was there someone in the shadows, or was this just pure ambition on the part of them all?

"I don't think we can afford to fight a war with the Maw and the Imperials. But it is clear that the Imperials are taking an action whether it be with arms or an impact to our economy, it is nonetheless a statement a move." She was repeating a bit of what had already been spoken. "If the two are not working in concert is it only a matter of time before they reach detente and look at how to be rid of what stands in their way, the Alliance"

"We could use Loronar for ships Kuat may do it best, but Loronar has had some designs. But all that takes time. What do we do today to solve or put off the inevitable." She looked at them all, "it is only a matter of time, you surely you know this. They will come for us again, wear us down, until they begin taking ever sector in Alliance control."

There she was running off at the mouth again thoughts of all the possibities.

 

[Maijan Paisea]

TASK FORCE XESH

THE ILLUSIONIST
KUAT | DRIVEYARDS | RINGS
Rexus Wenck

​

A hand raised on the makeshift platform. An overturned container with a hard-to-read label that at one time had clearly declared the contents as POWER COMPENSATORS. Now it just looked like Lucio Jarlman was standing on top of a gunmetal crate that contained PVER CCNPSIOS.

The crowd’s anxious and eager conversation dropped in decibels to mere murmurs, respecting the Brotherhood leader’s call for attention.

Now midway through the crowd, Maijan focused her attention on the self-appointed leader. He had the kind of countenance that made you want to believe what he was saying. Endearing crags from a lifetime of dedication to his engineering craft, a strong jaw, and eyes that somehow managed to make it seem as though he was seeing the entire group of strikers while connecting with each one individually. A face she had no problem imprinting to memory.

Even without talking, Lucio managed to capture the attention of those that had chosen to lay down their hydrospanners for his promised outcomes.

With all the attendees focused in one area, Maijan took the time to regard those that weren’t regarding the leader with anticipation. A few guards, loosely outfitted in the basic necessities of armour, hung around the perimeter. Likely representations from corporate, if she were to assign them to boxes.They looked equal parts bored and professional.

But there were more individuals in grey coveralls that brandished blasters. Either at their hips, or the more official positions had them slung over their shoulders and hanging around their abdomen. For every one corporate-looking weaponized chaperone, there was at least one fella in coveralls with a blaster.

“Brothers —” Lucio began, his voice smoothly cutting through the anticipation and covering the collection. Like the moon on water, just the introduction rippled through the audience.

Just behind the makeshift podium, off to the side, Kari Ingram smiled proudly and gave a subtle nod. Quietly delighted with the face he’d chosen to plaster on posters that promised fair wages and better benefits.

Back in the crowd, the raven-haired mechanic, Orron, turned to his friend and hissed “Sst. You seen Owet?”

“Huh?”

“Owet. You seen ‘im?”

His colleague, unbothered, swatted at the air to encourage silence from the growing distress from Orron.

“He was lookin’ forward to this. I can’t see ‘im anywhere. Remember? He asked us to save him a spot?” Orron pressed.

Nej was listening intently to the expected introduction from Lucio, and hushed Orron. When the dark-haired worker refused to let it go, he finally offered a solution. “Give him a call then.”

Obliging to the suggestion quietly, Orron pulled out his datapad in full frustration and dialled the outgoing number to his fellow striking brother. His frown deepened and his panic grew the longer his attempt to connect with his friend went unanswered.

Elsewhere, a tone rang out from the pocket of a skull-crushed KDY engineer.

 

[Julius Loghain]

​

Julius rubbed his chin in thought. There was a lot to take in. Both from Rausgeber and Tambor. But their words manifested into ideas, plans and plots.

There was a minute of silence before he spoke.

"The situation is delicate, I will admit. The Bureau's involvement may not be enough - that is true." he nodded, "We'll need to utilize every tool in our disposal but without bringing the whole might of the Empire here. A full blown out war is not a risk I am willing to take, and I assume the Emperor would agree... at least at this stage."

"The narrative needs further time to settle and it requires the Alliance to be provoked, to take a vile retaliatory action to ascertain in the minds of the nation that it is our enemy."

"Much of what both of you have said has merit. Let's see..." The Lord-Regent tapped a button and a holoprojection materialized with infographics of various economic and financial data, "As you know the recent tax breaks to Kuat's rivals has hit our competitiveness in the market... which has further strained the nation's opinion of the Alliance but it has also affected our profitability..." another button was tapped and the commodity market was shown, "Recently there has been a massive spike in the spot prices of starship raw materials with the forecast of futures not showing any sign of normalizing... my suggestion would be to further cut the supply of these materials within the Empire while signing a... staggering order of vessels to be produced for the Empire. This should create an even more sympathetic look towards the Empire among the masses and solidify my popularity which coincides with Admiral Rausgeber's suggestion of tightening economic links between us and the Empire."

"I'm well aware that this hit on the markets will affect Kuat's competitors only in the short-term before the other ship producers find new material supplies within the Alliance or elsewhere. However, it can give us sufficient time for, say... covert actions by the Empire to cripple material suppliers in Alliance space, thus prolonging this impact-- Surely, Director Tambor, the Trade Federation can offer sufficient loans to the Empire if needed for such an order."

Tapping another button, an infographic of the Kuati Patriotic Front and the Kuati Defence Force's inventories materialized, "As the Admiral pointed out, there has already been strides made in both training our military and rearming it, however... more needs to be made. In the event of a heavy incursion by Coruscant, our ground forces lack heavier weaponry in comparison to our navy - AT-ATs, SAM platforms, Ion cannons, and... even ballistic missiles. Should the navy be compromised, then the ground forces should be made ready to prolong the conflict long enough for a potential Imperial intervention... at the right time. It is paramount we remember that the longer a potential conflict with the Alliance lasts, the stronger the narrative."

"...but all this is for naught, if I do not clean Kuat's house." another tap of the button and a myriad of faces appeared - Loghain's allies on Kuat - the Kuati Transitionary Council among others. Men and women with which he held mutual interests but often came to blows within the constant vying for power after the coup. "For a few months know, as you may be aware, Admiral, the Bureau and the Kuati Patriotic Front have been preparing Operation Poniard or as it is commonly known among the KPF - Night of the Guillotine... the Transitionary Council along with other influential members of Kuat's elite with which we deposed my sister Elaine have always sought more power, along with my removal. This needs to end now. If we are to be able to mount a unified front against the Alliance, then my rivals need to be purged."

Gat Tambor Caarlyle Rausgeber
Kalie Alverez

 

[Atticus Draco]

W H I T E C L O A K
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
KNIGHTS OF THE EMPIRE
Civilian Garb | Partial Imp.Knight Armour Plates | Lightsaber
ALLIES: THE EMPIRE
ENEMIES: THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE
Tags - Jax Thio

As the speeder raced through the warehouse district, Atticus let out a relaxed sigh. They were just about out, and security hadn't been alerted to their presence. Traces of them were likely to be found in the wake of their escape, but by now, they were to the wind and had nothing else to worry about...

On the edge of his mind, he could feel someone's focus landing on him. And he reached out tentatively, instinctively, feeling through the Force who they were before his eyes shot open, the Knight Errant suddenly alert as he nodded his head in direction of the driver. "Someone's tailing us," he'd say. The trooper driving the vehicle was a veteran of the Crusader Fleet. Fought across half a dozen worlds in service to his force-wielding commanders. When one of them warned of something, he didn't question it. He just had to obey, as fast as his mind and body would let him.

Atticus determined this, and in his own ruminations he'd have thought this would lead to catastrophic mistakes. Specifically in their case, a turn too soon, and crashing into a wall or another vehicle, but the trooper's state of mind was sane. If not a little anticipatory of the coming minutes, which, the White Cloak couldn't fault him for.

"Make contact once you've made the delivery and got distance from the drop."

"Sir?"

A surprised look, switching back and forth to his youthful commander ands back to the road.

"I'll handle the tail."

The side of the speeder opened, and the Knight leapt out. Force-aided, he lurched out, rocking the vehicle slightly before skidding across a shortened rooftop. But high enough to see the road behind them. His armour plates were hidden beneath his clothing. The whole operation would be for nothing if they were all suited up in their uniforms in place of civilian garb.

He'll sense me. Likely.

Black hilt pulled from his jacket, he thumbed the button, waiting to get a good look at his follower before he attacked. Better to depose of them quickly, in hopes of stopping them from alerting others.

 

[Iris Arani]

"Iris."

There was no reason to lie about her name. The Padawan didn't betray any emotion outwardly. More, she wasn't even sure what to feel in the first place. Iseri Tanaka wasn't lying. Everything he said he firmly believed. Saving peoples lives. But if that was the case, why was she there to stop him and people like him? The internal debate continued as she listening to the agent's words.

Her master Valery Noble had always taught her to think for herself.

"Tell me what you plan to do, then I will decide."

 

[Iseri Tanaka]

Kuatian Orbital Communications Uplink, Kuat City
With Iris Arani ​

“How wonderful it is to meet you, Iris. Even in such interesting circumstances.”

This, too, was spoken truthfully and without the intent of flattery. How often was it that one could speak with their supposed foe face to face as opposed to looking at them through a cold, indifferent holo projection of them, if at all? In this, and especially his former line of work, such opportunities rarely presented themselves. It would be folly to not seize such moments.

His former time in Sith Intelligence had painted their opponents in a monstrous light. As zealots who sought to impose their own view of things on the galaxy. As the chief threat that existed to the galaxy, and the health of the Empire. That they would see the Imperial ideal snuffed out from the galaxy.

What such a tale failed to tell was the reality of things. That these monstrous, religious zealots with their laser swords and mastery of ‘the Force’ held more in common with him than propaganda would tell. They were just another person trying to make their way in the galaxy.

“My plan involves nobody getting hurt. Even by extension. Merely inconvenienced, but only for a time.”

Iseri spoke the words and a moment later realized how vague and hollow they were. If he were to convince (Inser their name here), more would have to be given. Details would be the currency under which he may purchase their belief, and by extension letting him pass.

The real trick would be not paying too dearly for what he sought for.

“An interruption in planetary Holonet communications, done at an undisclosed time for a purpose I'm not at liberty to say. People will suffer only a lapse in connection on their Holopads. The worst that anyone will suffer is missing their favorite Holo-drama.”

That was the plan in a nutshell. The fewer communications that got through would be beneficial to the goals of the ISB, and their backed regime on Kuat. It would buy valuable time for all the pieces to make their moves when the time came without interruption. Interruption, in this case, meant the local population impeding their way or questioning their decisions before the deed was done.

“Nothing more sinister than that. You may even tag along if you prefer. To see I am of my word.”

 

[Iris Arani]

Go along with him?

Iris knew little of the importance of Holo-dramas to the common people. But for it only to affect people that way made no sense for why Iseri Tanaka would be here. Why all the secrecy and lies just to shut down some video streaming? The young Padawan didn't know much, especially about technology like this, but she knew the reason was far more important than that.

Why else would he be so determined to get upstairs.

"If the world goes dark, you'll be able to take over without resistance." No, not no resistance. Futile resistance. It was a guess, born from a feeling the Force had given her. But enough for her brow to knit together.

"Am I wrong?"

 

[Thane]

P A G A N
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU
FIELD OPERATIONS GROUP
Bodyglove | Vambraces | Tactical Gear | Pistol

DANGER
​

The lights sparked to life in the bedroom and the sensors within his goggles immediately cut the thermal vision to visible light spectrum to save his vision from temporary blindness before the Chiss flicked them up to bank on his species natural vision once more. Blind luck or they had eyes or scanners on exactly where he was. He glanced down to the tacpad mounted to his left wrist and set a timer for one hundred and twenty seconds, if he couldn't manage to find the intel or seize the mark by then, he needed to leave immediately or else the Alliance would be well on their way to assail him. Though the Kuat Regency gave the green light to hunt down and pull Verone, either this was entrapment or the Galactic Alliance had the area scoped out for an operation like this.

Regardless, the deck was stacked against him and contrary to the military doctrine which the Empire had often employed of overwhelming firepower, air and space superiority and a quick nine line out, they were as deep into the Core as they could manage, there was no hope for him now beyond his wits and what he could entrust to his ability and equipment.

He couldn't assail the one controlling the apartment's life dashboard, but he could in fact incapacitate who ever was in the immediate vicinity to assail him, his best hope now being to utilize whoever it was as a hostage to secure his safe passage away from the apartment, as risky as they might prove, certainly for his career tracking fresh off the heels of a successful or at the very least, fruitful investigation on Centares.

But dead men didn't have careers to worry over.

"Come out, come out wherever you are..." A half-sarcastic, half-genuine mutter found its way out of her throat. "You know it's rude to keep a girl waiting..."

He remained exactly where he stood, he had full control fo the room, full sight of the sole entrance to the room barring the windows and viewports that looked flush over the city from the complex, he had all the initiative from here but anyone with any basic military knowledge or the equipment, could force someone out of a room.

He was cornered in and thus...he sought to corner her. He snapped his blaster in the direction of the cold, flouresent light before shooting it out, plunging the bedroom into darkness once more. A moment later, he snatched a nine-banger flash grenade from the webbing over his bodyglove and lobbed it from the room before throwing his goggles over his crimson eyes once more. As soon as he heard the first 'bang' from the grenade he turned to enter the hallway, vambrace out ready to fire a stun bolt into whoever was sent to assail him, following the aural path of the voice he'd heard moments prior.

 

[Kalie Alverez]

ACTIVE SIA AGENT: KALIE ALVEREZ
LAWYERS, GUNS, AND MONEY: RECORD LOGHAIN'S MEETING WITH NIO REPRESENTATIVES
TAGS IN THE MEETING: Caarlyle Rausgeber Gat Tambor Julius Loghain
SIA TAGS: IVI Lyrrin Valery Noble
ENEMY TAGS: Hal Vaiken Don Belkora Rika Hiro others...


Kalie's eyes widened as she realized Hal Vaiken was pulling the trigger. She was usually able to cast an innocent spell upon such assailants, allowing for them to drop their guard and providing a window for her to take advantage of, but it was clear that he was not interested in taking her into custody even as she had willingly surrendered to him.

"Wait!" She exclaimed in shock as she stretched out both hands towards the trooper, trying to to show him that she was not an aggressive combatant.

But it was too late.

The two shots pierced through the room, impacting her upper body as the blue stun bolts washed over her.

Time seemed to slow down as she stood there for a moment, stunned, but not due to the blasts… A suppressed memory had been ripped from her subconscious and brought into her mind in a shocking display… She witnessed an image of herself… broken and crushed… in a dark stormy street. She saw an image of Don Belkora standing in front of her, speaking to her as he readied a blaster in his hands… Rika Hiro holding her limp body up and presenting her before him…

Don Belkora said... (reference here)

"You lot think you're hot shit, don't you? funny that you think we wouldn't know Ms rats would come scurrying out of their dens, hell, I knew you'd be here, hell I'd wager I know everything about Ms little runts running about the Tingel arm."

"I even know what fucking path you'd take, funny ain't it."

Belkora chuckled loudly, gesturing for one of his men to grab the datapad from Alverezs bloodied hands. Yubari hovered in the backdrop, ever the vulture in wait standing around for a signal, an acknowledgement, anything.

"You're out of your depth, all of you."

He turned to his man and nodded for him to dispose of the datapad.

"Especially you."

Belkora pulled out a pistol, toying with it in his hand before placing the sight on the broken woman's head.

Two lonely shots echoed out across the desolate streets.

The two shots… they had been stun rounds as well. Those two shots fired by the trooper had triggered the suppressed memory and forced it to resurface.

Kalie stood there for a second, staring at the stormtrooper in front of her with a look of deep confusion. Then her mind shut itself down as a built-in safeguard kicked in, her eyes going blank as her body collapsed to the ground, everything going dark.

 

[Iseri Tanaka]

Kuatian Orbital Communications Uplink, Kuat City
With Iris Arani ​

"Am I wrong?"

“You know I couldn’t confirm such a thing. That would be giving too much away.” Iseri countered, his expression remaining forcefully neutral. He feared what may have been read from it otherwise. Surprise, at how they had connected the few dots they’d been given and still made out part of the picture? Or perhaps concern, at how perilous close they were to figuring out one of those concealed pieces of information any intelligence agent ought to have closely guarded as a Kryat Dragon to a clutch of their eggs.

That being, who they worked for.

It wasn’t as if such a thing couldn’t have been riddled out, especially by one as perspective as his new acquaintance. Just how many organizations could field agents to carry out clandestine operations? The Maw wouldn’t have chosen such discretion. This held in the backdrop to the rising tensions between a certain Empire and the Galactic Alliance only clarified the thinly veiled. On top of it all, Kuat sat on the doorstep of whose domain?

“All I’ll say is that in such cases as you speak of, some of the most imperiled people are those in the wrong place at the wrong time. They see frightening images across their screens. Fear makes people act rashly. Some believe it is wise to do something about it.” Iseri shook his head, only now noticing he’d been pacing around since his silence was broken. Or had it been all in the pursuit to break eye contact with Iris, as if there were a lingering fear she may discern the rest of his secrets by some means of the Force?

Iseri knew not, nor did it truly matter. Due to the sudden interest to be taken out the nearby viewport. It wasn’t a spectacular sight, nothing more than the sight of the speeder park on the ground level of the complex. Yet it still claimed his gaze, but not his attention. That remained ever present on the task at hand, and the question he dreaded to hear the answer of. All of his options had been exhausted, except one. The one that sat tucked within the folds of that bag a few paces back on the floor.

“All they accomplish is leaving widows and children without a parent.” He had seen it too many times before.

This time was different. Something could, and would be done. “We, together, can prevent that. Let me pass, or tag along. Either way I will see it done. Either way you save a lot of lives.” Iseri spoke earnestly, true belief propelling his proposition to the Jedi. What he was sent here to do would, indeed, save a few lives from being thrown away in futile resistance. The fact that such a thing was a byproduct of his assignment was what the agent would call a happy coincidence.

Because, amidst it all, Iseri never forgot the point of it all. To bring another world into the fold of the Empire. Such a thing ought to have been as bloodless a thing as possible.

 

[Iris Arani]

“You know I couldn’t confirm such a thing. That would be giving too much away.”

"I don't." Secrets. Spies. Missions. They weren't her world. She wasn't here as counter intelligence. Just a natural empath. Someone who could tell the intentions of another. That was her use. The more Iseri Tanaka spoke, the more she saw that the man truly believed everything. This would save lives. There was no doubt or trickery in his colors. Yet, it felt wrong. As if it was going to rob them of something important.

"Lying to people to save them shouldn't be the way. There has to be something else you can do." That was the line she wouldn't cross. What people should know, what they shouldn't, that wasn't her choice to make.

"I can't let you pass. Please, turn around and leave. I'm going to call my master and report this, but you don't have to be arrested."

 

[Seto du Couteau]

Seto Du Couteau, Senator of Empress Teta
Location: Chancellor's Suite, Coruscant
Action: Listening and Speaking
Attire

​

​

War, what a terrible word to hear at such a time of day when the young Du Couteau heir would be trying on different outfits and visiting different tailors. Instead I’m stuck here discussing the collapse of the Galactic Alliance at the hands of the New Imperial Order. Seto wearily mused, there was hardly anything “new” about the Imperial Order, just a fresh coat of paint to cover up the past. Just like the Galactic Alliance. Though even as Seto took a rather negative view he had a sense of hope with the Alliance, his own life-time had seen their predecessors never given a fair shake.​

​

The previous Republic and Alliance fell due to their own inadequacies, while outside pressures existed to exacerbate their short fallings, it was ultimately due to their actions. And if we as the current Alliance wish to see another year, we best not allow our own imperfections shine brightly to be easily targeted. To him it was all about optics, perception and above all else, the emotions such images can produce. As long as the public believed, the weight of their faith would continue the momentum of the Alliance.​

​

Just like the Alliance Credit, or with any Currency, as long as the public maintains their faith with our banks, things will smooth eventually. Seto drummed his fingers along his forearm as he quickly glanced at the report on his data-slate. The Senator of Arkania spoke rather passionately near the end, drumming up the victory over the Maw as a place to draw the strength needed to inspire any Alliance Worlds from teetering over the edge. It was a good idea, and one that had already bore many fruits such as the current market’s bull run.​

​

Senator Annasari had reason to purpose a new leader, a new king per-se for Kuat, it was clear that the people of Kuat held a strong sentiment to the noble class. Centuries if not eons of Feudalism. Seto though hid a sheepish smile, he thought of the empty of Tetan throne, Empress Teta no more but simply Teta. It was a difficult thing to convince the noble ruling party to forgo an Empress to better maintain a relationship with the Industrial Bloc of Teta. Of course some. . . .Force manipulation never hurt. The young Du Couteau heir wondered a tad if the same thing could be replicated on Kuat.​

​

The discussion began to grow in intensity as Senator Stazi spoke abruptly and even physically assaulted the Chancellor’s desk. His words contained the energy of the fleets he commanded, it was clear that further discussions of “soft” approaches would only be met with indignation from Senator Stazi. Who could blame him? The Imperial Order have not been exactly subtle with their aggression towards us. ​

​

Seto looked towards the next voice, the Vice Chancellor herself urged Senator Stazi to cool himself down. The tactic of financial sabotage was obvious but it was the mention of the former Senator of Byss that caused Seto to raise an eyebrow. He figured the only recourse for Kuat was to select a new Senator and a referendum to change the ruling party on the planet. And now with Byss mentioned that was clearly the move the chancellor’s administration were heading to make.​

​

Senator Organa spoke up quickly after the Vice Chancellor and showed her support for the proposed idea of financially weakening Kuat. Further expressing her concerns of the threat the Imperial Order posed not just to the neighboring systems, but the greater Alliance as a whole.​

​

“Before any overt actions against the NIO are conducted we must first better understand the enemy we wish to engage with,” Seto began, his eyes turned Senator Stazi briefly, “-Our Imperial neighbors are fueled by war, impassion by war, driven by war, and of course their economy is solely based for war.” Seto explained quickly.​

​

“-So, if we choose to directly confront the Imperials in the arena they have set up, we will find ourselves climbing an uphill battle.” Seto added, “-I believe the best move forward will be to deprive the Imperial Order of their precious resource of ‘War’ for as long as possible.”​

​

Seto turned to face Chancellor Tithe, “-Instead of trying to make Kuat a productive member world for the Alliance, let it become a sinking muck pit that wastes the resources and credits of the Imperial Order. Let their economy drive itself to the ground as they wait for us to declare war on them.” Seto suggested.​

​

After all the Southern and South Western Borders have opened up to us, the CIS may have dissolved as a galactic government but their member worlds remained strong and ready to join the Alliance. That region of space had been virtually untouched by war, and had only been growing in prosperity. Seto could only imagine how much busier the trade lanes would become once they expanded further south and west.​

​

|| Aerarii Tithe | Elizie Athacorr | Auteme | Annasari | Mazik Stazi | Mirana Praji | Faith Organa ||

 

[Monos]

KUAT

WAR HOGS BLACK OPS - REBEL ALLIANCE
No longer hiding in Quintus Verone's apartment.

Thane Phaineve Halseigh Traden Avarice

​

The durasteel ventilation grate fell on the floor and the agile Anzellan swung down with ease using his rope launcher – just as the flashbang grenades exploded. His timing couldn't have been worse. Even with his welding goggles on, the Anzellan's naturally hypersensitive eyes suffered significantly from the unexpected visual assault and the tiny figure fell on his back with a loud bang. - Ooof! - Still on his back, Mox immediately tears off his goggles and begins rubbing his closed eyes, muffled cursing accompanying the rather ungraceful scene as the rope is reeled back into its forearm-mounted housing.

His ears also ring for a moment, but after a couple of seconds spent with frantic shuffling, the world around him is beginning to clear up and he pushes himself to a sitting position. Outside, an urban airspeeder rushes past the balcony and a subsequent gust of air and noise floods the apartment through the open door behind Mox. A stack of papers in the living room is swept up by the sudden disruption of air pressure and little Mox instinctively places a finger on his wrist, ready to disengage with his jetpack from his circumstances through the opening at a moment's notice should he become the target of the mysterious infiltrator at this point.

Even though things are heating up, his first thought is how embarrassing this entrance must have looked like from an outside perspective. If nothing else, he hopes it confuses the hell out of the infiltrator.​