Fruit of Your Labor [Iron Empire Dominion of the Redoubt Cluster]

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Caelag Vass"] | [member="Douglas Reed"] | [member="Ylva Solveig"] | [member="Zeradias Mant"] | [member="Dracken Pryce"] | [member="Lyle Baelor"]




"I just like watching, I can't say I'm any expert in telling their life story from a distance. "



The teenage girl was suddenly reminding him of days with [member="Myra Elspeth"] .Playing little games at the expense of other party goers without their knowledge. A small smile touched his features, wishing Ellie could be present now. Distance was a bit of an issue and it wasn't like she could make an appearance in days anymore.


Iced azure eyes took in the brown-haired woman across the room. Makai was silent for a long moment, staring at the other for some time. A sip of his drink as a description slowly formulated in his head about the stranger. Part of him was certain the stranger was a friend of the teenage girl, hence the hint at telling if his observation was 'correct or not'.


"Higher ranking military, you can tell by the posture. Blind....she probably navigates by 'auras' or something, at least thats how my sister navigates independently. Considering the cape and the ornate eye covering she wants people to notice her, to take note of her status within the Iron Empire."


"Looks a bit awkward and unsure, this isn't her usual scene. Not handling it too terribly though. What else can I say? Probably single. Career driven.Probably has her sights on running an entire branch of the military. I'm going to go on a limb and say she's a good shot despite her visual issues. "


Turning to the teenage girl, shaggy head inclined towards the brown haired stranger.


"So what did I get right and wrong about your friend?"

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Many familiar faces were in the sea of people, Lady Aster with Makky, Vass was not fair and Mant's strutting his stuff. From this distance it was the most animated Théo had ever seen him which prompted a smile. And then he felt the nudge at his side, a hand secretly brushed against his to place something balled and soft on his palm. He knew who it was that had done so, Boo's presences to Théo more than familiar to him.

"I was worried", he said softly, Tonks had not known of Boo's location and so Boo had been missing for a short while. However, his concerned vanished upon seeing the young man standing in his best clothes for the evening, he looked far more grand than Théo which pleased him greatly.

"You look good", he said now looking down into his palm to discover the missing socks. Boo had freed Dobby! presented him with socks.

Théo could not help but break into a full grin, "How did you know?", he turned looking for the nearest vacant chair and found one through the parting sea of people. He lead Boo through them all and sat kicking off his black leathers, to quickly put the socks on before anyone saw and he felt much better for it. "How did the evening go with Makky the other night?", curious to see if the two had gotten on okay, he had not the chance to ask Boo until now.

Once they were ready to join the throngs, "There is someone I need to find and .. for you to meet". His eyes looking for Ylva once more. "And maybe protect me from", after all Théo was not suppose to be here tonight.

​

[member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Zeradias Mant"] | [member="Ylva Solveig"] ​

 

[Rasul]

CSILLA​

851 ABY - Fruit of Your Labor​

---

​

---

"Mister, please!" He pleaded, looking up to the man. "I need to get into the Conference Hall, if I don't, I'll never hear the end of it from my supervisor!"

The heavily armed guard simply looked at the boy, smiled, and stated: "I've told you twice already, kid. Scamper, or I'll make you regret approaching my station!"

The Mandalorian gave a depressed huff in reply, pulling up the loose hood attached to his dark jacket, and pushing past the disgruntled crowd to the side of the building. Blockades crisscrossed each opening to the side of the building, stopping any would be agitator from getting too close to the hall. What these guards were not prepared for however, was the skills and knowledge of a small IISB agent. Skillfully, Mij carefully located a blind spot in the buildings security and quite literally jumped through the hedge landing directly onto the back of an unsuspecting guard.

"Oof." He pouted, landing on the ground behind the guard. Looking upwards, the last thing he saw before cold darkness was the sight of a blaster barrel.

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

"Close but not quite," Aster smiled and took a slow sip of her drink.

"High Colonel Vass does not wear her eye wear for the attention but because she is a Miraluka and secondly, I don't believe your guess about her ambition is correct. Though I've only met her twice before today, she give me no such impression but that is simply my impression of her so I might be wrong," she admitted then paused as she began to think of the next conversational topic.

Deciding that she would rather learn more about him than have the opposite happen and risk him changing his demeanor around her, Aster thought carefully about her next words. "You have a sister? I'm a little jealous," she said, purposely not asking for his name to avoid having to give her own and played with her now empty glass.

"I'll take that for you," her Wolfsglaive said as he tenderly removed the glass from her fingers and handed it to a passing waiter.

"Thank you, Rourke," the teenager shot the man a soft smile and turned to back to [member="Makai Dashiell"] and gently bit her lip, forcing back what she considered her 'silly smile'.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The young Pantoran had been held as a slave by the One Sith, traveled in the company of [member="Zambrano the Hutt"], and walked around with a spellbook authored by a sorceress of the ancient Sith Empire...

...and Théo was just now worried about the young Pantoran?

"-tt-" the youngling uttered. How did he know? It was his job to know!

Honestly, padawans were completely under-appreciated by the Hutt-farts they served. "Fine," the boy remarked, offering no specific details on the evening in which [member="Makai Dashiell"] had been responsible for supervising him.

No deaths had been reported (yet). No cities had been sacked (that anyone knew of). Boo had gone to bed on time (at least so far as Théo was aware). Given the mission objectives that the Pantoran understood this so-called baby-sitting was supposed to achieve, then Théo could sleep soundly believing it was successful in its task.

The next comment sailed over the boy's head.

Someone that Théo needed Boo to protect him from? How did that even make sense? Wasn't Théo some bombad Jedi Master-Blaster? Seriously, Boo was eleven. Just what kind of protection was he supposed to offer a Jedi?

Blinking vacantly, the boy just said, "Protect you? I didn't really bring the right gear for that."

If he'd known this was supposed to be some kind of mission or assignment, he'd have dragged out the sniper rifle. As it was, the Jal Shey scope was in his closet under the pile of clothes that were supposed to be in the laundry, but were just on the floor in the room instead.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"You've met her twice and know her career aspirations? Impressive. Nice to see I got a few pieces of information correct. I didn't think the eyewear was completely for attention, just commenting on its ornate nature. Its different but not in a bad way."


Questioning circled back to him. Nearly everyone in the Iron Empire seemed have a bad habit of it. Makai still hadn't figured out why. Either the mass population of locals were trying to hide horrible secrets about themselves or they were trying to figure out his intentions as an outsider. If he had to be honest with himself, he did stick out horribly in some situations.


"Don't be, she's older and thinks she's always right." Makai paused slightly, watching the bodyguard take away the empty glass. Definitely the daughter of someone important. Governor he was now guessing. "We adopted each other so sadly she got to miss out on the awesome scale gene."


There was a hint of self-deprecating humor behind the scale comment, typically finding it easier to joke about how he looked rather than avoid it. Lucky for him he had to wear long sleeves and pants most of the time in his Iron Empire travels, giving strangers only a glint here or there.


Iced azure eyes took in [member="Aster Rose Baelor"] . Clearly the teenage girl was waiting for an entire line of questioning or a comment on the entire bodyguard thing. He was used to such a thing - how many times had bodyguards tailed himself and [member="Myra Elspeth"] when they were trying to be alone?


"Do you go to school in the area or are you a liberated woman?" Boyish grin graced his features.

 

[Rasul]

CSILLA
851 ABY - Fruit of Your Labor

---

His eyes fluttered for a moment, adjusting to the overwhelming and bright light. The room was empty, and there were no windows leading to the cruel out side world. The young Mandalorian reached for his head, but ended up hitting himself directly in the face with the durasteel stun cuffs.

"Ow!" The youth shouted, pushing his hands away from his face. He faced towards one way mirror to his left, where some Imperial Guard was probably enjoying watching Mij wiggle. "Listen here, you little doshing idiot! I am an Imperial Security Agent, and if you do not let me out of his holding cell this instant, I will make your life a living hell!" Moments passed into minutes, and minutes passed into more minutes - no one was coming.

He had practically given up when the door swung open, revealing an irate Lieutenant and an apologetic guardsmen.

"This is the final time I am going to tell your damned Agency, if you just flash your kriffing ID's, I wouldn't be throwing you into my cells weekly!" The short tempered man yelled, stomping over and unlocking the stun cuffs. With his expert skills, Mij skillfully tuned out everything the older man was saying - carefully smiling and nodding to everything he said. After the man was finished chastising him, he simply said:

"Send the bill to my Supervisor." and pushed out the room. From behind, the teen heard the Lieutenant yell:

"I don't even know your name, kid!"

Some Time Later

As it had turned out, some recent renovations had been done to the Conference Hall, and a small holding cell had been added beneath the building itself - likely for drunk Corporate men who couldn't manage to keep their hands to themselves. "Freedom!" He mustered, spreading his arms out and taking a few steps forward into the hallway. Turning on a heel, the youth reached for his hair, pushing it back into place before marching towards the hall itself. "I could go for a stiff one, after all that." He thought to himself, looking around the musical room before spotting a small bar near the side of room.

"Perfect."

 

[Zeradias Mant]

Zeradias let off a polite smile before indicating to Vass to drop the salute. He was used to the formality, even when it wasn't always necessary. Though it nay not be the time or place, he still was satisfied that it was being done all the same. It was a sign of a respectful and disciplined troop.

"About as well as one can be.", the CNO responded. It was a cryptic answer that neither revealed if he was well or the conditions surrounding his well being were not. It was whatever one interpreted it to be. It was most often seen as a positive comment, and who was he to stand in the way of positive thinking?

"Curious, frequent deployments aside, what is your function?", he asked. He would have specifically referenced her lack of vision as a stem of his curiosity, but he opted to be more sensitive and refrained from doing so. If they played a part in what the young colonel did, she'd likely say so.

[member="Caelag Vass"]​

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

'Well, that's the feeling she gave me at least. When we first met, she seemed more concerned about defending the defenseless and was not afraid of self-sacrifice," Aster recalled the first time she met Caelag. The woman had made quite an impression on the teenager with her acts of bravery. "Had she wanted to-," Aster stopped herself before she said too much and was unable to conceal her identity any longer.

"Adopted each other? That sounds very cute," the teenager smiled and chuckled at [member="Makai Dashiell"]'s joke. "Scales? Is your mother a mermaid?" she returned. "If so, I'm envious."

"I'm a liberated woman," Aster answered, offering no more than what she was asked. "What about you?" she asked. The less she had to speak about herself, the less likely she might accidentally let something slip and plus, the lives of those in the Iron Empire interested her.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Mij Kelborn"] | [member="Aster Rose Baelor"]


"Nah, no mermaids. My Dad just had a thing for sea creatures apparently."


Makai couldn't help but to smile at his own lame joke. There was no need to go any further, to mention or explain more about the scales or mermaid thing. Clearly the teenage girl was being just as evasive as he was. He was trying to figure out why. Clearly she already stood out - there weren't any other teenagers here with a fleet of bodyguards. Clearly someone important, not that it was going to matter to him. Perhaps in the past the girl had problems, perhaps someone who didn't quite agree with the politics of her family.


He didn't know the ins-and-outs of Iron Empire society to have a clue.


"Hm? Oh yes, I'm a liberated woman as well."


Another boyish grin. Another lame hallmark of a joke.

 

[Caelag Vass]

• Wearing: Military Dress uniform, Purple cloak w/hood (down), Ornate eye-crown
• Post 5

"I see, Sir." Caelag brought her arm down from the salute to rest, her 'eyes' staring right where the CNO's would be on his face. It would be rude to look away, even if it didn't matter, and she had a sphere of view regardless of where she looked. The whole while she was unaware of Aster and Makai's disturbingly accurate descriptions of her, rather thankfully as she would have likely reverted somewhat closer to a school girl than a hardened soldier at how easily she was read. Though, somewhat thankfully and somewhat disappointedly, it seemed Admiral Zera did not have the same level of insight when it came to her ability.

So, she cleared her voice softly, and spoke clear as she could without wavering her voice in nervousness. She could handle a polite talk, yes? "Well, Sir, as a field officer I coordinate large scale engagements in the lack of any general officers within the region, however I am best suited to coordinating my own regiment from the front lines. I am also particularly trained in infiltration, alongside the members of the platoon I join directly, and gifted with my personal sniper-class blaster rifle, despite my physical disabilities. My natural connection to the Force allows me to see... life for lack of a better description, far clearer than one who would rely on their eyes alone, making the use of a spotter unnecessary in large scale engagements and only necessary should targets need be identified. Furthermore my sight is able to penetrate most walls, allowing infiltration into enemy encampments not protected by ysalmari, voidstones, or other force-negation techniques as simple as breathing."

"I also have a surprising ability to survive getting shot, much to my relief." Had she rambled? Had she answered the question? One could certainly hope for the best answers to the questions.


[member="Ylva Solveig"] | [member="Zeradias Mant"] | [member="Makai Dashiell"] | [member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

All seemed to be going well for the military gathering. Good. It meant her night was going to be an easy one. It made her uncomfortable being this deep in the Redoubt Cluster. There were rumors of pirates that called this area their home and she doubted they would stand the Iron Empire bringing peace to its residents.

 

[Zeradias Mant]

Zera nodded slightly in acknowledgement of Vass' remarks. Though he himself found him skeptical of her proficiency in firsthand involvement, he also knew she would not have obtained her current status if she spoke falsely. While he would have liked to spend more time with each and every one of the troops, it was now time for things to begin. With a polite farewell, Zera took his leave of Colonel Vass' company and returned to the stage.

Captain Black was already there and ready to go.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the ceremony is about to begin."

Zeradias posted himself at the center of the stage. He would be the one pinning awards and promotions today.

"The following persons, if present, report to the stage: Agent Aurren Ulgo, Agent Rhan Elysar."

"For meritorious service with the Iron Imperial Security Bureau and Iron Imperial Army, Agent Aurren Ulgo is hereby advanced to the rank and grade of Special Agent and Captain. He is also awarded the Letter of Commendation. Special Agent Ulgo has served in the following conflicts: the Battle of Roxuli, the Contingency Raids, and the Olstyn-Mandalorian Uprising."

"For meritorious service with the Iron Imperial Security Bureau, Agent Rhan Elysar is hereby advanced to the rank and grade of Special Agent. Special Agent Elysar has served in the following conflicts: the Battle of Roxuli, and the Olstyn-Mandalorian Uprising."

After the citations were read the the awards and promotions bestowed, the crowd erupted in an applause of support. With a personal congratulations from the CNO himself, they were allowed to bask in the praise of their comrades before being shown off stage. These were to be the first of many, and many more were certainly to come.

[member="Aurren Ulgo"] | [member="Rhan Elysar"]​

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

"Hm? Oh yes, I'm a liberated woman as well."

Aster laughed. She had not expected that to be the young man's answer.

"I see," she nodded. "And how are you enjoying being a liberated woman?" she asked holding back a chuckle. It was not often that she had a chance to joke with others. People seemed to prefer her more serious and predictable persona.

Temporarily shifting her attention from [member="Makai Dashiell"] to the stage, Aster watched a man announce the awards and their recipients. Although she was careful not to show it, she was thankful that she had not been given the responsibility of assisting on stage.

Without noticing it, Aster began to lean against Rourke. After recent events, he was one of few individuals that made her feel safe.

 

[Zeradias Mant]

It had appeared neither of the special agents were in attendance. Though only fractionally disheartened, Zeradias understood the clandestine nature of the work and that some preferred to stay out of the limelight in order to maintain their ability to stay in covert operations. After the citations were read and the awards given out in absentia, it was time for the next round.

"The following persons, if present, report to the stage: Spaceman Makai Dashiell, Flight Chief Douglas Reed."

"For meritorious service with the Iron Imperial Navy, Spaceman Makai Dashiell is hereby advanced to the rank and grade of Flight Sergeant. He is also awarded the Iron Imperial Achievement Medal. Flight Sergeant Dashiell has served in the following conflicts: the Battle of Roxuli, and the Olstyn-Mandalorian Uprising."

"For meritorious service with the Iron Imperial Navy, Flight Chief Douglas Reed is awarded the Iron Imperial Achievement Medal. Flight Chief Reed has served in the following conflicts: the Battle of Roxuli, and the Olstyn-Mandalorian Uprising."

Though several echelons lower on the command totem pole, these two servicemembers garnered the attention of the grand admiral, who'd read over their citations previously when they reached the approval stage. If they were present and joined him on stage for their public promotion pinning and award, Zeradias would do the honors himself, both thanking and congratulating each on their way.

[member="Makai Dashiell"] | [member="Douglas Reed"]​

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Zeradias Mant"] | [member="Aster Rose Baelor"] | [member="Mij Kelborn"]



"Its fine. No one opens the door for you anymore, I suppose that is the price we have to pay."


Eyes caught the small movement of the teenage girl leaning against one of her bodyguards. It was slight, perhaps she wasn't aware of it in some way. Yet there was something different. Not everyone leaned against their bodyguards in such a manner. It suggested a closer relationship. He was caught a bit off guard, unsure if he should excuse himself out of their moment or continue on in conversation. It would be rude to leave the second party out, right?


A mental groan when he heard his name called. He was thankful in a way - it would give him an excuse to leave a potentially awkward scene. What if the girls' father showed up? Makai didn't need a front row seat to an awkward encounter.


"Uh, excuse me...I'll be back shortly."


The downside was he was still going to have to hit the stage. Shoulders squared up as he mentally prepared himself. Should only take a moment. Seemed the presenter was pushing them through at a decent rate so there was no awkward lingering. Hand shake there, a few words there, pinning of a medal or two.

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Aster chuckled.

"Maybe you've just been unlucky," she smiled, pausing as [member="Makai Dashiell"] was called up.

As the teenager and bodyguard watched the boy make his way towards the stage, Rourke carefully pushed Aster off him.

"Princess," he uttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. "This is inappropriate," he frowned. "I value my position."

"I do too."

"So that's why you need to stop. My family depends on my income and my position is their pride," he said and gestured at another member of the Wolfsglaive to replace him as the princess' guard.

Aster watched in silence as the men switched positions, the machine uprising had made her feel so useless and the sacrifice her Wolfsglaive had made to protect her left a gaping hole in her chest. And it certainly didn't help that her position had made it difficult for her to make any real friends. Beneath her well constructed mask, the teenager tended to be rather lonely and yearned for the companionship of another.

 

[Zeradias Mant]

Now that things have started, it became clear that the people's preference was on the banquet below. Zeradias nodded to Black, and the next pair was called up.

"The following persons, if present, report to the stage: Warden Ylva Solveig, Colonel Caelag Vass."

"For meritorious service with the Iron Imperial Army, as well as her service in assisting in recovery efforts of the Crown Princess, Colonel Caelag Vass is awarded the Iron Imperial Medal of Merit. Colonel Vass has served in the following conflicts: the Annexation of Ilum, the Battle of Miasma, the Battle of Roxuli, the Contingency Raids, and the Olstyn-Mandalorian Uprising."

"For meritorious service as a Warden of the Iron Empire, Ylva Solveig is awarded the Iron Imperial Achievement Medal. Ylva Solveig has served in the following conflicts: the Battle of Roxuli, the Contingency's Descent, and the Olstyn-Mandalorian Uprising."

With a smile, handshake, and small words of thanks and support, Zeradias gave the colonel and her conversation partner their awards. If it wasn't becoming obvious, the those being recognized were being called up in ascending order. There were only three names left, and though they were the most decorated, they were likely to be the least interesting for the general crowd.

"The following persons, if present, report to the stage: Praetor Theodred Heavenshield, Grand Admiral Zeradias Mant, Crown Princess Aster Baelor."

[member="Caelag Vass"] | [member="Ylva Solveig"] | [member="Aster Rose Baelor"] | @Théodred Heavenshield

 

[Caelag Vass]

Was Caelag relieved to be done speaking? Perhaps, perhaps she was simply relieved to be able to focus on the formal events. Though, thankfully, it seemed the Iron Empire didn't care much for lengthy speeches or formal extravagance, as the procession was going by rather swiftly. Truly she could appreciate this, the less time she spent under scrutinizing gazes the more she could tolerate the event. She gave quite acknowledgement to those proceeding her, recognizing their achievements while calmly waiting for the next. Admittedly, though not unexpected her own call to the stage caught her somewhat off guard. Though she knew full well her efforts given to the Empire's successes, the woman was ever still harsh on her actual, personal achievements in these regards, and being asked to come up for recognition was somewhat a shock.

Not that she let that show, as she took calm, evenly placed steps to the stage. Passing by [member="Makai Dashiell"] on the way, she gave a polite nod to him, before coming to stand before [member="Zeradias Mant"] yet again. This time, there was more formality, and she was rather quiet as she received the award in question. Medal of Merit, she would definitely refresh her memory on that one, as of yet she hadn't yet heard the name. Ah well, for now she was happy to receive it, shake the Admiral's hand, and receive his thanks. Admittedly, she couldn't hide the faint smile on her lips as she bowed her head to him, and moved aside to let [member="Ylva Solveig"] have her turn. When dismissed, she slowly made her way off the stage, raising a hand once eyes moved off her (at least in the general public) to place a thumb on her lip.

When was the last time she'd been... acknowledged like this?

When she heard [member="Aster Rose Baelor"] being called to the stage in turn, Caelag immediately, if casually as possible, moved towards the line the bright spot of light would move through. When she could pass by the girl, she'd whisper quietly to her. "You'll do fine Aster. You've done fine. Be proud of that." With that, she gave her guards another nod and moved off to the side.

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Called to the stage, Aster put on a regal expression as she made her way through the crowd. As Crown Princess of the Iron Empire she had expectations to live up to and had an act to perform to maintain her illusion of perfection.

"Thank you, the same goes for you High Colonel Vass," she smiled delicately with a polite nod of her head in response to the woman's words. [member="Caelag Vass"]' words were a nice surprise that had filled her with a gentle warmth. It was nice to have someone who cared about her.

Careful not to trip in her high-heels, Aster made her way up the stage. Were she to stumble and fall, she was sure that someone would send an image or video of her embarrassment to the media to be printed and talked about.

Stopping next to [member="Zeradias Mant"], Aster scanned the crowd for [member="Makai Dashiell"], curious as to how he would react to her position as Crown Princess of the Iron Empire. Hopefully we can still converse like we did before my identity was revealed, she thought and removed her gaze from the boy.