Dream a Little Dream of Me

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

"Folks, I think we're about to reach Nibelungen. Prep for a warm welcome."

They all had history in this system, grim history. They'd run an insurgency against a rogue Jedi dystopia, then squared off against its conquerors - the Ancient Eye - in a gigantic mess featuring ships from all over the galaxy. Jorus Q. Merrill and associates were not, repeat not, welcome in the Nibelungen system. Jorus turned to the camera.

"There's some past here you should know about, Kryze. I'll send you the file. Bottom line, we hit the Nibelungen system, we'll get scorched and it'll be a fairly serious diplomatic thing. We're not welcome here."

The D'Lessio hit realspace, and sensors tracked the Sith infiltrator making its way toward the safety of the ecumenopolis.

"This is Sith-aligned territory. Ancient Eye conquered it a little while ago. Sticking around just long enough to see-"

Shields dropped by seventy percent, a long-range strike from system defense forces.

"-yeah, we're leaving. Sending you the total package now, Kryze. Call me if you want to talk it through."

The D'Lessio hit hyperspace again, back along the Triellus, back toward home. A home that felt decidedly less safe these days.

 

[Shia Kryze]

Obora-Skai

Port calls from Mandalorian warships were not exactly welcome on the borders of their space. But Shia had talked, and talked, and there was now some discussion about mutual defence treaties, about the possibility of protectorate status and the convience of having the Sith Empire, at least, off their backs.

All diplomatic nicieties, of course, but somewhat unexpected - so unexpected they'd permitted the Huntress to remain in a distant parking orbit while they talked. Slow she might be, but she'd managed to make neutral territory in the time a chase went across the galaxy.

"Package recieved, Merrill. Good hunt. I am going to head back to home port now. But I would be interested in your evaluation - and what past I should know about with the Ancient Eye, they're a new player to me."

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Shia Kryze"]

"Major battle a couple months back, maybe twenty klicks a side. I'll send you the sensor logs. Long story short: Ancient Eye and Sith versus Coalition, Republic Remnant, Resistance, and Galactic Alliance, all at Nibelungen. We still don't know a ton about them other than that they're conquerors good enough to take down five city planets ruled by entire Jedi Councils."

 

[Shia Kryze]

Shia let out a hollow laugh. "Excellent. That might actually be helpful, even if they didn't do it." She bit back on what she wanted to added, there was such a thing as too much honestly. "A contender then, at the very least. Okay. I'll continue investigations from my end, and regardless of whatever else happens I'll share the information with your authorities. Good hunting, sheriff. Kryze out."

Sometime later, the Huntress broke orbit with another exchange of (on Shia's part) not at all false pleasantries with the planetary representitives and set course back to Mandalore so she could deliver her report.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Shia Kryze"]

"Oh, I wasn't talking hypotheticals, and that wasn't me stretching things either. That's exactly what they did at Nibelungen. The regime they broke was a bad one, one I'd fought for a while, oppressive self-righteousness to the core - but it was a bad way to go. My sources say human sacrifice is a thing now. On that note, good hunting, Kryze. Out."