Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]
SECTOR: Lohopa MISSION: Obj 2 TAGS: OPEN
A bit confused, Connell just seemed to zone out for a moment as his ship just flew right on by without anyone else following.
I guess they are going to do what they are going to do.
With a sigh, the young Jedi Knight brushed off the situation, he had a job to do and was here to get it done. Running through the access door and down the stairs, there were two flights before he reached a family of four. The father was trying to grab the kids as his injured wife was on his back. Connell assured them he was there to help and lead the way, the younger child hanging off his back. When they went down some more floors there were more who needed help. Connell was busy, almost in over his head using every trick his father taught him to keep them safe.
It was draining though…
It took the better part of a half standard hour before they reached ground level. Connell doubled over catching his breath amid a myriad of "thank you"s, some even standing up for him from naysayers. Well it was true, actions indeed do speak louder than words. The populace did not have to be happy with the Galactic Alliance, or the New Jedi Order, but at least they would know that their best interests were kept at heart.
The thought brought some dignity, some motivation to Vanagor as he stood erect and looked around. Deciding where to go next.
If you are on OBJ II or could use his help, Connell is available but for the rest of the thread, Connell can be considered rescuing those in danger.
Corrine was the first to answer Und'a Ka'ar
with her own question. "Would you be as outraged had this happened on the other side of the Alliance? The fact of the matter is the attack happened, and now we are here. I have no doubt of the strength and resilience of the people of Lohopa II, as history certainly dictates that fact for all to see. But now is not the time to splinter at the first sign of pressure. The Mandalorian people will look upon weakness and put more worlds in the path of their war machine if we cannot present to them a united front." she said, her passion clearly showing. This was what made her popular on Corluag. She was a firebrand.
"I spent twenty full years in service to the Alliance. I retired as a brigadier general. In that time I saw so many things that would challenge anyone's faith in the Alliance. I was there when the Brotherhood of the Maw struck at the very heart of the Alliance. I was there when the Alliance stuck back to the very core of the Maw. In that whole time I knew that we would lose valiant men and women to war, but it never compromised my ideals. The Alliance is a shield to its people, but even the strongest shield can falter to a strong enough attack. Even our most vigilant watch can fail. The matter of fact is that this attack was a shocking betrayal, and one that we were not prepared for. These things happen when we are stabbed violently in the back the way we were. We had no way of knowing that the Mandalorians were plotting to destroy the trust we had built up with our previous cooperation."
Corrine paused, "My officers and soldiers were perfectly aware of the risks they took by volunteering for the GADF. I knew that I could die, but I remained steadfast. Fear is a path to disunion. The people of Lohopa II are right to seek answers, to be heard, it is their right as a member state of the Alliance to demand government accountability. The only answer that I can truly offer with 100% certainty is that we were not prepared to face a threat from a prior ally. My support for the Alliance is not predicated on fair-weather conditions, though. Even the most halcyon of days comes to an end. Pragmatically, even with the people of Lohopa II being as resilient at they are, they stand to be better protected and served as a member of the Alliance. Your duty, is to serve the people of your world, and to break away from the Alliance puts them at a much greater risk of invasion. These are not browbeaten soldiers or wild animals like the Brotherhood of the Maw, these are hardened Mandalorians on the war path. WE, as the Alliance, must stand united against their aggression. United we stood against the Maw, and united we WILL stand against the Enclave. There is no clearer path than that. Betrayal is rewarded justly, and I have full confidence that the GADF will reward the Mandalorian's treachery tenfold."
Like Valery, BB-610 also had a soft spot for young ones ever since he'd met Vera. So innocent and unburdened by the harshness of the galaxy, to see them in such unbridled panic was devastating for him. Thankfully, he was more than confident in their ability to save them with somebody as maternal as Valery and somebody as sympathetic as Loomi, so when the former had suggested the trio to work together, BB-610 had jumped at the opportunity.
The droid nodded, eager to get started. There was always a nervousness to these things, but long gone were his days of quivering in fear. BB-610 turned to Loomi, knowing her tendency to hesitate and doubt herself; something he was all too painfully understanding of. The astromech chirped happily, telling her that she was going to do great, his tone positively beaming. He glanced back to the burning cities beneath them, trails of smoke growing thicker from roaring fires that spread quickly from building to building.
The kids were screaming, crying, begging until their voices had turned scratchy. BB-610's core swelled with concern, finding the entire scene increasingly difficult to watch. He bweeped, saying that they needed to try their best to not intimidate the children when they reach them.
Lohopa had set itself on fire, and like many of those who'd been dispatched to help quell the rioting, Cora held no small amount of sympathy for the civilians and their plight. War was terrifying, as was the prospect that the Alliance would be unable to keep the Mandalorian threat from razing their world to the ground.
Ukatis had done nothing to instigate the crusader's ire. It had been simply caught in the bloody crossfire, and Lohopa was worried that it would be next.
Yet, as she levitated a crate in front of the door that was in danger of being broken down by rioting civilians, Cora couldn't help but keep a bitter through from rising to the surface of her mind.
These people are lucky that their home is still intact.
The team she'd been dispatched with had been broken up during the chaos, and Cora found herself shielding a group of civilians from the onslaught in the back room of a bar. The owner was a well known Alliance sympathizer, so his business was an understandable target for violence.
"H-how long do you think this will last?" A woman asked, cradling her toddler as they sat in the far corner of the storage room. Almost everyone here had taken shelter from the riot as it spilled out into the the side streets.
"I'm not sure." Came the Jedi's honest answer, words brusque as she concentrated on telekinetically directed another crate beside the first. "What we can do right now is barricade ourselves in and wait them out. They'll get bored soon enough, I hope."
"Hope." A man sneered. "That's what you Alliance types run on, ain't it? Hope won't save us when the Crusade comes knocking."
Corey bristled, and chose not to answer that. She'd been raised to believe that it was the god-given duty of nobility to protect their people. If they failed to do that, then the people had every right to rebel.
"Comms are still working." She noted briskly. "That's a good thing."
<"We have trapped civilians over on 68rd. Schrader's Pub. Rioters trying to break in. Requesting assistance.">
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation] SECTOR: Lohopa MISSION: Obj 2 TAGS:Corazona von Ascania
"What the Frell? What are you doing?" A human yelled as he was being levitated off of a constable's speeder roof. This was no doubt the work of someone capable in the Force, and it was indeed true, the Jedi, Connell Vanagor stood calmly and put the man down several feet away.
Stopping you from making a bad mistake.
There were now more who were gathering, almost trying to their hand at cornering the young Jedi Knight into an alley. He was having none of that. Pulling a lightsaber was not an option here, the people were violent, but they were just a populace, and angry populace but one nonetheless. He was limited in what he could do, but there was an option. The Force. This crowd was not giving him an inch, their catcalls, their angry cries and hissing barbs were a result of fear, so he needed to quell that but in a non-violent manner. Sending them back with a push would just anger them further, a trick of light would not work nor would any attempts at mind tricks.
Slowly spreading his legs and lifting his hands brought apprehension from those around him, his concern of many of them claiming he would bully them was falling in line until…
… rain…
There was no pitter patter of droplets, nor a torrential deluge, but a formidable downpour that drew their attention and stopped his would-be attackers in their tracks. "We have a right to be heard!" What looked to be the organizer was yelling to the collective tune of "yeah!"
"You can't protect us so you'll attack us!"
"We're afraid of our safety!"
"Go ahead! Tell us we're wrong!"
Now Connell is gaining a footing, standing erect and looking at everyone before jumping on top of a dumpster. You're absolutely right! All of you! Except the part about us attacking you, that will never happen! You have absolutely EVERY right to be heard, to bring your voices to the government! Do so!
Holding out his hands, disheartened at his surroundings.
This? This is not the way! You're hurting yourselves! You want to talk to the government? TALK TO THEM! If they don't listen? VOTE THEM OUT! Get your Senators involved. Right now there are people in the Capitol Building holding others hostage! YOUR OWN CITIZENS! This is not helping anyone! Help them! Help us help them! The young Jedi Knight was inexperienced and impulsive, but he was not wrong, his impassioned plea seemed to be winning some… most of them over.
[We have trapped civilians over on 68th. Schrader's Pub . Rioters trying to break in. Requesting assistance.] Activating his headset microphone comm-link, Connell looked off in the distance.
[This is Vanagor, I'm on my way!]
Looking around, he was now getting angry. I have to find, and get to Schrader's Pub on the 68th. Am I abandoning you? Am I going to have to come back?
The mood was still volatile, but seemed to be more calm among them, more understanding of what the Jedi was saying, leading a few of them to wonder if he mind-tricked them. The general consensus of the group was that he was okay to leave them, the confirmation came when two of them helped give him directions to the Pub in question. "You're not that far away, just around the corner and down three blocks."
Thank you. Running off being assisted by the Force, Connell sprinted around the corner and down a couple of blocks.
There it was, the old'ish building looked to be quite the attraction. Too bad the rustic Pub was being overrun with rioters and looters. This was now seriously dangerous as he saw those who were trying to knock down the back doors. Walking up to the front door ignoring the looters jumping out of the side windows that were already smashed, Vanagor lifted his hands again and through the Force pulled the oxygen from around him and started to compact it, moving it back and forth, gusting it in and out of the place until finally the rioters were knocked backwards and all attention was on him.
Tapping his comm-link he spoke. [I have backed the rioters from the door, so you are safe for the moment. Stay vigilant though as they are now focused on me.]
How did father handle this?
Getting into the bar and rescuing Cora and everyone else.
As the planetary unrest continued to unfurl the Ministry of Justice had assembled a temporary taskforce dubbed Response Group Aurek, its sole purpose was to bolster the planetary law enforcement and disperse the rioters where possible. The majority of the taskforce comprised police droids while a minority of the contingent were biological officers of the far-ranging Sector Rangers.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
The metallic footsteps of a marching police droid line slowly began to make its way through one of the largest accessways, their blaster carbines held to their lifeless chests the barrels pointed diagonally away from both rioters and fellow droid. A pair of LAAT/le gunships focused their spotlights into the crowd to both illuminate and deprive them of unobstructed sight of the droids and gunships. Orange light of flames flickered off their white and black exteriors eerily.
"Attention!Attention!" spoke the century of droids in unison "By order of the Ministry of Justice this assembly has been deemed unlawful. Disperse or you will be arrested." their command echoed throughout the area. In response debris was thrown at the droids, bouncing harmlessly off their chassis. Some heavier objects made a police droid stumble backwards but it was quickly righted by the droids behind it "Attention! Attention! By order of the Ministry of Justice this assembly has been deemed unlawful. Disperse or you will be arrested." their blasters, of course, were set by default to stun. The Ministry had no interest in killing its own civilians.
The armored doors of the gunship slide open smoothly to reveal two teams of Sector Rangers in each of the gunships, their hands gripping hold-bars while their free hands rested on their blaster pistols. It was better to be prepared than caught flat-footed in situations such as these.
"Aurek has made contact, Arbitrator." reported a Human assistant in the control room of one of the larger headquarters of the planet's law enforcement, already cleared by the Ministry of Justice. Sssar Taszzn's coiled body was stak still as he watched the holotable's livefeed of the movements of the taskforce "Dispersal orders have been relayed. Ranger teams standing by for escalation." Sssar's large head nodded in acknowledgement "Underssstood. Maintain the current courssse. Prep teamsss for sssmoke." the human began to type away on his terminal "Acknowledged."
Aurebesh flashed across the visors of the Sector Ranger's "Prepare Riot-control smoke deployment." and in response the activated their respirators with a hissing noise as purified air rushed into their lungs. "Ready.. smoke!" shouted the Sector Ranger captain "Ready smoke!" the rangers replied. The teams pulled one grenade a piece from their belt mounted pouches "Hold!" the captain commanded "Hold!" responded the rangers.
"Attention! Attention!" the warning from the cohort of police droids began their warning declaration again.
This was a very complex situation. Some of the people on Lohopa II wanted to split from the GA. From what she understood, that was something they were allowed to do, but the entire thing wound up insighting violence. It didn't make any sense to Loomi. Attacking incoming GA officials, sure, but these people were burning down their own communities.
And children were the ones caught in the cross-fire.
"W-what kind of infastructure does the city have?" the girl asked. "Th-the planet is mostly urban, right? Maybe a path below the ground isn't as dangerous."
She gave Bee a gentle pat on his head as he began to visibly fret over the distress of the children. She was worried too, but they had to compose themselves so that they knew everything would be okay.
Jace sat there listening to the other senators give speeches he sat there in a simple suit the people of had abbadon didn't appoint Jace senator because he gave great speeches he got results. The people of this planet lost their belief in the galactic alliance and wanted to be independent again he understood that sentiment he heard murmurs of such rumors from even his own people in the center of alliance space. He calmed the minds of his people without problem. But he knew lohopa II would be a different beast a rather patriotic speech senator montaigne we all appreciate your patriotism and duty defending the galactic alliance and your help against the maw he stated sitting there as he looked back at the senator of lohopa II with his usual cold demeanor he had become known for all galactic powers suffer setbacks and defeats but the fact that the mandalorians where former allies was no reason not to keep an eye on them we should have been on alert of a possible attack the moment they attacked kashyyk or by the refugees of ryloth but we wheren't.
He let his words sink in a little bit I'm not saying we should have stopped them at kashyyk or ryloth but we should have kept a watchful eye on them been prepared for something incase but we let peace dull us we looked inward to try and repair the damage the maw had done. There is no solid answer besides we where to trusting of former allies and we didn't have time to bring the full might of the galactic alliance to bear in defending those planets. He remained sitting what he said was truthful and to the point if I am wrong I welcome those speak up who will do so. He would wait sitting there to be proven wrong for several moments if you and your people decide to stay it must be a majority vote or universal entirely the problem remains we would not be able to offer special protections to your planet otherwise every border planet of the alliance will demand such promises or leave and we will be spread to thin to defend anyone and will be picked off planet by planet until there is nothing left. He said sitting there he didn't speak honeyed words he layed it out plainly for everyone to mill over. Jace had a couple of ideas but he would now wait for others to speak he remained almost impossible to read as he sat there looking around the room.
Alicio sent an ambivalent look Senator Laveaux's way. She didn't show it, but he knew she was enjoying this.
It seemed three of the newest members of the Alliance Senate were the first to offer their opinions. The new representative of Obulette's step-by-step plan was dispassionate, cold, as if he'd forgotten the representative from Lohopa was in the room. The freshman senator from Corulag buried the opposition in a sea of good points, made moot by their sheer quantity. One didn't convince someone of your side by beginning with an accusation, and showering them with disagreements and why they were wrong, as correct as it may be. Finally, the new senator from Had Abaddon added onto Senator de Montaigne's points, specifically highlighting the parts that made the Alliance seem weak and inept.
Oh dear.
Alicio's frown had only grown in the time it took the other politicians to speak, until he found a time to cut in. He stepped forward, and bowed to the Lohopan. What Und'a cared about was safety. So they had to talk about safety. "Senator Ka'ar, to put it more succinctly, Lohopa II's exit from the Alliance will cause a heavy blow to the Core. Other worlds may secede under similar premises, weakening the Alliance in a time it cannot afford weakness. Perhaps you would be safe from Mandalore's children, but not from the Sith, when they pounce on a disparate Alliance, and gobble up what is left of us. All of us."
"As Senators de Montaigne and Colis have stated, they were surprise attacks. We will not be surprised again."
Going against their own people wasn't something Vitiion had been expecting. Well, the GA's own people. She might have worked for them, but that didn't necessarily mean she saw the people of Iohopa II or the people stuck in the enclave as one of her own. They were just the people she was meant to look out for. Honestly? She couldn't blame the people of Iohopa for reacting the way they were to the Mandalorian threat. If people who were meant to protect you weren't able to do their job, then why would you want to be associated with them? She shook her head, snapping out of that thought, it wasn't going to help her with the mission.
Close-range encounters weren't her favourite. Dealing with people, getting up close to them was far more personal than she liked but there wouldn't be much she'd be able to do staying outside of the embassy. The C.R.I.B wouldn't do too well against organic people anyway. Her electro-blade would probably be somewhat decent...Though she'd have to focus on just shocking people with it, as opposed to actually stabbing them. Too many stabbings would be a bad look for her...well, the GA as a whole, but in her eyes it was more important that she didn't go around waving it around. Of course there was the..."G.O.O gun" she had on her person...but the name was so ridiculous, she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to use the thing.
Either way, the Atoan listened to Lt. Bren Alazar
address his men, alongside Aiden Rennek
and Alexander Hayes
talking about old times. It took every ounce of her willpower not to make some kind of snarky comment about how long old times must have been. Instead she focused on the aspect of what Aiden had said about casualties, shrugging her shoulders as she prepared to head out with the group. "I doubt the kidnappers are going to care. Either way, this situation is going to be bad for the Alliance." At least that's how she saw it. Only in a perfect universe would they be able to get through the mission with nothing going wrong. Either they'd end up hurting a hostage taker, or a hostage would get hurt, or something would go wrong. All she was focused on was doing her mission.
Amani recognized him after he reintroduced himself. "Well, we've got a whole hospital here in need of help. Likely some more thugs on the way too." She gestured to the door, all business as she ushered him inside. Just as the Chief Healer was ready to relax her guard, another arrival distracted her. A man of towering height, his identity hidden, and two young civilians. He spoke matter-of-factly. Amani stepped forward, demanding an explanation, "And just who are you?" The situation had her a bit more on edge than usual. Though she tried to remain diplomatic, the tension was exacerbated by the arrival of more armed strangers.
"Stand aside. These kids require medical attention. There's an army of rioters coming this way, likely looking to loot the place. We're going to stop them."
Amani did not stand aside. She stepped in front of him, "Let me see them. I'm a healer," Sounds of distant riots gradually loudened in the distance, "I know. The last few were kind enough to spoil the surprise." Whoever these guys were, they could prove useful, or make the problem worse, as far as she was concerned. They needed the defense, but they had to keep a steady hand over the clash to come.
"I don't plan on using it," Amani defied, "We're here to keep the peace, not start a war." She looked at the stranger's troops, "Those weapons do have nonlethal settings, don't they?"
[Any text in brackets signifies comm-link usage and not face to face conversation]
Walking over to the back of the shuttle, Bren grabbed a couple of bandoliers and walked back to the group dropping the loaded belts to the ground. Flashbangs… your concerns aren't lost on me. I want little more than to arrest those responsible and do so peacefully but our responsibility is to the safety of those hostages and everyone else in danger. None of these sentients asked to be put in this situation but if we don't ensure the safety of all, what are we doing here?
Bren saw the two Jedi (@Makko and Colette
) standing near Alexander Hayes
and Aiden Rennek
and figured they would splinter. So his focus went back on those close to him. . Alright, Speedo, you and Cren will tail and set up sniper positions providing "Overwatch" in open areas. Be the eyes in the back of our head. Unless you want to be with Speedo? You're a sniper by trade as well, right?
He dropped the question to Vitiion Daivik
. Either way, let's move.
The group led by Bren started to move on the entryway to the sewer system. The screàms, sounds of weapon fire were replaced by dank conditions and the smells of… a sewer. It was quiet though, leading up to a huge open area. The Sniper group indeed set up position as the main group was ready to go at this point.
["Group of three to your right, armed, hold position they are coming your way but do not look to know you are here."]
"Let us dispense with dissembling and pretense," the interim Senator from Obulette spoke up again.
"The Galactic Alliance knew very well that the Enclave would respond violently after we meddled in what they considered to be an internal matter.
We declared war upon them, after all. The result was as predictable as the tides.
This was not a back stab, conducted by surprise in the dark.
We stood up to a bully, and the bully kicked us in the crotch. No one should have been the least bit surprised.
Of course we took precautions.
Systems closest to the Enclave were reinforced, in anticipation of violence. But the Enclave wisely chose to create disruption by attacking deep into our territory. Not where we were well prepared to defend against them. Perhaps one of them read a book on strategy and tactics.
You know, as well as we do, that even the most robust of interstellar empires can't have ships stationed at every system. Never mind a Democratic Republic. You would not want such an armada to exist, as it would be prohibitive upon your taxes and oppressive by virtue of its mere existence.
You know that the best we can do is try to predict where an enemy will be- and if we fail to predict correctly- offer aid in the wake of an attack. That is what we have done."
Casteban stood, leaning forward.
"Now you pretend, even as riots erupt in the streets, that the Lohopan people are bold, and unafraid, and capable of fighting off any foe.
Which makes me wonder... why are they rioting?
What has changed, with these attacks, if the indomitable Lahopans have nothing to fear from the Enclave?"
Casteban shook his head.
"Either you are afraid of the enemy, in which case you should stop pretending at a willingness to leave the Alliance... or this is about something completely different.
Perhaps the attacks by the Enclave have become an excuse to enact some other plan of your government, to extort some concession from the Alliance in a time of crisis that will benefit Lahopa. The Enclave aren't the only ones who have read books on strategy and tactics. As every military cadet knows, you attack where the enemy is weak.
He pointed at the Senator of Lohopa.
"So I ask my colleague to skip to the bottom line, and save us all a lot of time.
What do you actually want? Let's start talking about that."
"Sir," Denn offered, "it was good of you to bring these wounded children here. And if people are approaching to harm this hospital, it will be good to have aid."
He looked to the man with earnest eyes, "But you should know, our aim here is to preserve life. Anyone who stands in defense of this building must share that goal, even to their own peril."
He swallowed, "Otherwise, we are only trading lives, not saving lives."
Some might consider that to be a naive way of looking at the world, but it was Denn's philosophy.
"Will you stand with us, under such constraints, Mister... I'm sorry. I did not get your name.
I am Denn. Denn Verdan. A Jedi Knight.
This is Master Serys, the most accomplished healer of our Order. She is in charge here."
He stressed the 'she is in charge here' slightly more than the other words he spoke.
The Chief remained still as stone, the slightest incline of his head signalling his consent. He held out the boy in both arms for her to examine briefly while the little girl looked on from her vantage point over his shoulder, concerned for her brother's life. "He received a slash across the torso by a machete. Some punks were looking for easy prey. I stopped them." A pause followed where the words 'but not soon enough' would've fit, but they were limited to his thoughts.
He looked to Creed similarly masked by an expressionless helmet, who looked back at him with a shrug. "Sure," Thirdas replied knowingly vague with his answer. The other Jedi addressed him next.
"Sir, it was good of you to bring these wounded children here. And if people are approaching to harm this hospital, it will be good to have aid. But you should know, our aim here is to preserve life. Anyone who stands in defense of this building must share that goal, even to their own peril. Otherwise, we are only trading lives, not saving lives."
His head snapped to the redheaded male. "My men and I are here on our own accord. We did not abandon them in their time of need," he replied coldly, challenging their right to question his motives.
"Will you stand with us, under such constraints, Mister... I'm sorry. I did not get your name. I am Denn. Denn Verdan. A Jedi Knight. This is Master Serys, the most accomplished healer of our Order. She is in charge here."
"No, you did not," he stated bluntly. The soulless gaze of his visor returned to the Mirialan. "My men take orders from me alone, and I serve none but the innocents of this galaxy. We bleed oceans so they will not. We suffer nightmares so they will not. We weather storms so they will not. If that is satisfactory, we would be honoured to fight alongside Jedi once more."
His head was inclined a second time, this time intended as a bow.
Making their way inside the hospital, the last two of his men to cross the threshold immediately took to locking and barricading the entrance from the inside by producing a pair of blow torches to weld the durasteel doors shut. A member of the medical staff offered to take the wounded boy from him, but he hesitated to give him up. He was his responsibility. A hospital bed was presented to him along with further assurances, and he relented, lowering the lad down onto the soft sheets and fluffy pillow.
"Go with them," his head turned to the little girl still clinging to his back. "Your brother needs you. You should be with him." Reluctantly she loosened her grip as Thirdas demonstrated great care in setting her down on her brother's bed. She waved as they were carted off by the nurse, and a metallic hand gently returned the wave.
"Creed, Yarrick," he turned to his second and third-in-command. "Take your teams and scour the ground floor for any weak points. Secure the windows and position the men at your discretion. We will be spread thin, so make sure they all have a visual of each other's locations in case they need to reinforce. Double-time it."
With his unit filtering through the building, the commander broke the hermetic seal of his helmet and removed it, turning to the pair of Jedi. His long, blonde Valkyri braid reached down past his shoulders, and where his head was shaved along its sides were tattoos of runic patterns running down the back of his head and all around his neck. Old scars were worn proudly across his bearded face, and he regarded Serys and Verdan with eyes like the blackest night.
"My men call me 'Ironside'," he offered a stoic greeting. He clutched his helmet to his side with his right arm, a fully cybernetic prosthesis. "Chief Ironside."
Watching the Jedi Knight jump out of the ship, the boy decided it was probably best to stick with Master Noble, instead of throwing himself into a riot.
The destressed children were Nir's first thought. The others could figure out how to get them out, Nir would figure out how to calm them.
His first thought was music, but he didn't think right now was a good time. Maybe he could... "You think we could distract the rioters from a song? I could probably rig up the ship's speaker system to keep them busy while you guys get the kids out!"
It was an idea. The best one he had right now. Maybe it was a bad one, but he wanted to contribute somehow.
The Sheev-class stealth ship loitered far above the embassy. It slowly circled, out of sight and beyond any sensors short of a top of the range military installation.
Amani approached without caution to examine the boy. It was a savage act, and seeing it filled her with anger that she was forced to swallow back down. The Jedi master willed herself into focus, and got to work healing his wound. A soothing aura embraced his flesh, slowing the blood flow and knitting some skin back together at a visibly accelerated rate. "He'll still need time to recover. But this should help,"As long as they could keep those rioters from interfering, her tone indicated.
This stranger was still cagey to reveal who he or his troops were, but Amani did not sense deception from him. And in their current circumstances, they weren't in much of a position to deny help. As the Chief reasserted his position, one detail stuck out to her.
Once more? Amani's expression creased in thought, but she said nothing of it. Instead, she merely offered him a slight bow in return, "Then let's not waste time." The mystery soldiers got to work quickly, barricading the hospital and shoring up what defenses it could muster. Amani stepped aside for a moment to explain the new developments to the leading hospital staff, encouraging them to continue their work all the same. Whatever happened, the Jedi and their new allies would protect them. She turned back around to see the squad break off, and their leader finally reveal his face.
Amani stared at him with a tinge of familiarity that she couldn't quite place. Then, suddenly, it came rushing back to her. They didn't interact much during their time with the silvers, and while Thirdas might not have recognized her, she recognized him. "You're Heavenshield," The mirialan muttered, "The little Heavenshield." The ironic descriptor contrasting him with Thurion brought a smirk to her lips.
"I was a Silver once too. It's good to see a friendly face behind that mask."
The man who called himself 'Ironside' clearly led an efficient crew. They set about the hospital, doing their best to secure doors, windows, and other avenues of intrustion.
As they did so, Ironside and Master Serys had a brief exchange. Denn could only guess at the full history being hinted at between them, but he understood this much: Serys approved of this man. That was enough for Denn, and it was good news. They needed all the help they could get, and it was always better if that help didn't present any problems of its own.
Unfortunately for Ironside and his forces, the Hospital was not a structure designed as a fortification. It was festooned with glass, peppered in portals. It was a bright, inviting structure that wanted people to enter into it and get well.
And that meant that no matter how well the troops secured it, there would be breaches.
Many, many breaches.
Denn had a choice to make. He could see to patients, or help to defend this place.
The hospital was filled to the brim with medical practitioners. People who were as afraid as those outside, but had elected to do their duty rather than run riot across the city. They could do the lion-share of seeing to the wounded.
Though he was loathe to admit it, the situation needed a Knight more than a Healer.
He looked to this Ironside.
"Well then, Chief Ironside. it is clear you have greater strategic and tactical training than I do, and Master Serys seems to trust you. Tell me where I am needed, and you'll have me there. I will follow your orders."
The Senator turned as newer faces within Alliance politics were the first to speak up, likely because they were eager to show their worth. But he wished they had remained silent to choose their words more carefully instead. The first words uttered by these people turned into an accusation, and Und'a met it with a cold glare. Still, he remained quiet until the woman had finished speaking and looked between some of them in disbelief.
They hardly seemed to agree among themselves on what happened. But what infuriated him most was Casteban Mecetti
and the approach he chose.
"This is how the Alliance senate addresses a political crisis? With accusations, demands, and absurd claims?" He looked at Casteban in particular, who had the nerve to theorize his people were using this as an excuse, after everything they had already given to the Alliance industrial machine from their mines and profits.
"Every planet that joins this Alliance makes compromises and sacrifices, knowing they are for the greater good. They do so because it offers safety and security, and that is what you failed to deliver. We are not the target of the Mandalorians, and it's only because we're a member of this Alliance that we might become one next. Your single star destroyer isn't going to change that, and neither is a patriotic speech about unity and revenge." He turned to Alicio, who was the only one who seemed to understand the consequences of Lohopa II leaving the Alliance.
"The people are angry, senator. You say there won't be another surprise attack, but how can so many be convinced that they are going to be kept safe?"
