Galactic Alliance: A Little Bit Fancy

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The man didn't remember him. That was alright, most people didn't.

'We served together a few times." Cyril shrugged. "Back when the Dreadguard were in full swing. A few of you stragglers ended up here." He paused. "I've got to be going anyway. Have a good time son."

With that, Cyril moved to leave the party. He'd spent enough time here to seem social, and his writer could only stand to write one character per thread.

[member="Marcus Foster"]

 

[Placeholder 0133]

Rook had received an anonymous tip that one of his brothers was attending the party. The soldier himself had not ended up being invited to the party. It was for the important people - not a no name with next to nothing on his record. He'd come anyway. It was not so much the party that interested him, as it was [member="Marcus Foster"], one of the few men that had quite literally walked into the gates of Hell with him. A man Rook had very much assumed was dead after the Netherworld events played out. A man he considered family.

This bouncer was not going to keep him out.

"You need an invitation sir."

"I'm a member of the Galactic Alliance, sir, and I'm with someone."

"Yeah? So's everyone else in the back of the line. Get on outta here boy."

Rook blinked up at the burly Nikto. It wouldn't be right to shoot the alien; there were laws about that sort of thing here. Not that Rook was the type to abide by all of them. He'd at least had the decency to dress up for the event. The soldier was clad in a black suit; the kind men wore when they went on business. It was nothing fancy, but it fit the look of the place.

"Look...does twenty credits get me in?" He sighed, exasperated. The Nikto lofted a scaly brow. "How about thirty?"

Rook grimaced. "Fine." He grumbled, offering a credit chip. The Nikto pocketed it with a greedy smile, and motioned the soldier inside.

The place wasn't exactly chaos, though Rook suspected it would be later in the evening. People were gathered around in their particular social throngs, discussing politics, morality, the stock exchange, all things he could have cared less about. For about half an hour he wandered about looking for Marcus. He was about to give up when he caught sight of a familiar face at the bar.

Between the business women, the Jedi, the soldiers, and others stood the man he'd come to see. For the first time in almost a year, Rook could not help but feel elated. He all but ran to his friend's side; shoving past various beings along the way. It felt like an eternity, and then he finally arrived at the bar.

"Pappy." He quipped, side-stepping up to the man. "Marcus!" He'd actually managed his friend's real name this time. He stepped forward to throw his arms around the man who might as well have been his sibling, causing quite the scene as he did so.

"Hey brother." He mumbled in greeting, releasing his old friend from the embrace that had likely made him lose his groove. "How are you? How's Miranda? I didn't know you were still breathing."

Danger Arceneau, Coren Starchaser, Alric Kuhn, Belis Toobin, Chevu Visz,Kaili Talith, [member="Marcus Foster"], [member="Spark Finn"]

 

[Ibaris Varanin]

A schoolteacher? She couldn't imagine it - no, [member="Alen Na'Varro"] was something else, entirely.

"Alen it is, then," she said, after a short few notes of a laugh, "thank you," was her response to his observation of the way she dressed, and her head was sneaking a turn, she could swear there were eyes on her. There was no more likely person than [member="Liam Quez"] to stare like an idiot, which was exactly what she found him doing...

Hey! What's that look for? She thought to herself.

...the glare didn't go unnoticed, nor did Alen's question. She stuck her tongue out at the farmboy and made a very unladylike face, as if to say, 'what're you gonna do about it?'.

"I wish," she said, ruefully, turning back to the older man, "time just got away from me," came the words of admission, a vague catch-all for her activities over the past many years, "but it's a taste I'm still no less interested in acquiring."

Mama had been great for getting her learned in some of the best supportive abilities, Quietus had been putting purpose to her most longstanding of interests, but Ibaris was sorely lacking in the area in question, and she was not so far off of twenty years of age. The last time she'd even so much as laid hands on a blade that was more tool than weapon, she was seven years old and Papa had seen fit to remove her from the situation... and yet, firearms were an entirely different story; that thought alone, amusing as it was, made her pine in some small way for the amenities aboard the Chimaera.

"You wouldn't happen to have any thoughts on how to go about that, would you?"

Only then did she give him a grin of her own.

 

[Ilias Nytrau]

"Not a problem," he said with a chuckle, mid-handshake, "seems I'm still in the business of saving lives, one way or another."

Another laugh. Not that he'd ever been in a profession that was strictly geared toward such, but bringing the fight to the enemy saved the lives of others that couldn't do it themselves. Roundabout, but it counted in his mind. Back to the question at hand.

"Well enough. Oversight of all the pickup, move, and builds initiated by my predecessor, so on and so forth, taking care of the family, you know the drill, yeah?" He took a pull of the liquid in his glass, a rather decent red - though wines weren't his go-to - and swallowed, "What about you, Dashiell?"

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Mya Jesel]

[member="Spark Finn"] [member="Coren Starchaser"]

Mya shook Spark's hand, confidently, but not overwhelmingly so. She always aimed for that right balance of delicacy and strength. That conveyed a lot about her and people generally trusted it. "Pleasure to meet you, Spark."

She turned as Coren approached and tried his horrendous pick-up line. Honestly. She had heard ones that bad from students at the LAA, but from Coren Starchaser himself? She raised a disapproving eyebrow and took a drink of her Corellian ale.

"Well, Mister Starchaser, it seems I should I have taught some classes on how to hit up women at a bar instead of the intersection of politics and freight-hauling." She took another drink. "Maybe more than one person would have showed up."

She leaned back on the bar, and turned too look over at [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] and shook her head. "Never met him, but I will follow you." She waited as Coren did his back-slapping thing and greeting before offering Jacen her free hand. "I"m Mya Jesel."

 

[Liam Quez]

Guess I’m pretty obvious, the girl named Chevu realized that I had been staring far too long at Ibaris. How rude of me, I guess its okay though, I mean I am blonde as well. I placed my glass back on the counter getting another refill of juice, at least I’ll be hydrated and probably bouncing off the walls from the sugar. Though no one really has to endure this except the girl who decided to dress up tonight. Remembering this, I quickly chugged the next cup of juice and then asked for another promptly. Going off and getting all cute without me knowing? How dare her! As I sucked down the next glass, she caught my eyes and in typical Ibaris fashion decided to stick her tongue out at me and then give me the most unladylike face.

There you are, the Ibaris I know and l…grrr damn girl.

Chevu mentioned something about Ibaris, which drew my attention back to her quite easily. I nodded my head towards Ibaris and shrugged. I didn’t need to indulge Ibaris, if she was still looking that she was getting to me. My tone was casual as I waved her off. “I work for her, or something like that. We’re partners I pilot, she nags you know that sort of stuff.” I shrugged once more, cool guys shrugged right? Especially when they were talking about chicks that got under their skin. “I didn’t expect her to be here, but I guess this is her type of thing now that I think about it. She grew up with stuff going on around her…she’s a princess.” Assumed that title really, her mom which I found out at a later time was the Queen or something of Eshan, so yeah she’s like a Princess – but it’s a nickname really.

Trying my best to get the topic of Ibaris Varanin-Jacobs, off the top of the list, I played it cool in my bow tie and nodded slightly as I gave Chevu a little sly grin. “So what’s your story? You here with anyone?” A bit forward, but no one ever claimed that I was one to beat around the bush.

Badum-tiss~

[member="Chevu Visz"] [member="Ibaris Varanin-Jacobs"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Spark Finn"]
[member="Mya Jesel"]

“Haaaave you met, Jace?” He tossed Spark a wink. Besides, the Jedi needed to sink or swim, really.

*

Jedi reflexes were useful for more than just swatting away blaster bolts. On hearing the universal, if cliché, call of the wingman Jacen turned on his stool and offered a friendly smile. However one of the women looked none too impressed with Starchasers introduction, and the other one just looked uncomfortable being here.

He swapped his glass between his hands and shook the offered hand. “Pleasure you meet you Mya and…” he left an opening for the blonde with glasses to introduce herself. “What brings you both to the Alliance then?”


*HIMYM tribute level 9 achieved.

 

[Kaili Talith]

Everything was loud, or well, louder than Kaili was used to. She wasn’t a party girl nor had she ever been one either. The sounds and music from the gala brought the comfort of company at the expense of insecurity. Had she dressed up enough? Was her hair too short? Too long? Was there any kind of social code to follow here? Maybe she was being rude by showing up in what essentially doubled as her work clothes.

A look of worry went back to the shuttle that had left her. It took off into the evening and Kaili knew that the momentary comforts of being able to rush back to change her outfit was gone. She was ultimately forced to accept the consequences of her wardrobe mishap, if it was to be counted as such. The question still burned and lingered at the back of the young girl’s mind as she forced the gates, or rather doors, open to let her into the home of Cricket and her dad.

First step in and she already felt like the odd one out. Dresses, tailored suits, decorated outfits that made Kaili feel oh so inadequate when compared to them. Nonetheless she went further into the crowd.

She didn’t know anyone, perhaps that was what she got for going to such an occasion on a lark.

Wait, no, was that Liam?

Yes! Yes it was!

Eyes darted to each side to find the rest of the BP Ensemble but she found nobody she recognized. Which was weird, wasn’t it? Liam was always around Ibs and Ibs were... Well, clearly not here.

Nevermind the blonde in the dress.

Sneaking next to the boy she didn’t really say much other than the usual.

“Hi, Liam.”

It was... Good enough. Maybe?

Or was it? Yeah.

Probably.

[member="Liam Quez"] // [member="Ibaris Varanin-Jacobs"] // [member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Krayn]

“You’d do best to remain among them for some time.” The Supreme Leader’s words played within Belis’ mind as he was ushered across the estate by the Alliance soldier. Buck was his name from memory. “Learn what you can of their command, their numbers and their potential. Then report back to me.”

“—As I was saying the Republic is grand and all, but the Alliance, that is where it is at. Real action sir, actual action rather than the empty words of the bureaucrats. No offense.” Buck continued his constant barrage of words, mostly ignored as Belis’ eyes darted between face and face, trying to recognise someone, anyone he could start leverage upon. “This is Commander Starchaser.”

Belis found himself face to face with a man whom he was unfamiliar with completely. Yet the surprise would not be written on his face, instead he offered only a smile and a small bow to [member="Coren Starchaser"]. “Thank you Buck.” He spoke to his soldier friend who waved and departed the small group around the pair allowing Belis to turn his attention fully to the person before him. “I don’t believe we have ever had the pleasure. Belis Toobin, Jedi Knight of the Republic and you are Commander Starchaser I presume?”

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Right, so his wing managerial tasks were done, he got the wallflower known as [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] talking to [member="Mya Jesel"], and hopefully not stealing [member="Spark Finn"] away from him. Sometimes it was easier being Coren then not. He was known to be a bit more open with people, able to blend into any group he had a little bit of experience with. And that was what he was doing here, he was matching a Sullustan’s accent, despite his Corellian mannerisms. It threw people off just enough for him to have an easier time, and control the initiative rolls.

He watched the pair approaching, listening to Buck, was that his name? Barnes? Would he be getting a metal arm and helping the soviets in the Republic? Hopefully not.

Jedi. Of the Republic. Gag. But right, he had to be polite. “Depends if I’m Commander or not based on what you’re looking for. And how you got here.” Coren wasn’t sure Na’Varro was inviting people from off world, but who knew? Rumor mills and all that. When did the invites go out, [member="Alen Na'Varro"] ? Coren had almost as much patience for Jedi as he did Sith.

[member="Belis Toobin"]

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Mya Jesel"] [member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Belis Toobin"]

She clutched her hard cider like a lifeline.

#gulp_socialsituations

Mya seemed okay though, a natural social butterfly, something opposite on the spectrum of the slicer. She snuck a glance over her bony-shoulder and saw some dude talking to Coren. She'd have his back if he needed her. She turned back to Jacen and realized he was waiting for something.

#awkwardsilence

Mya and....

#Ohhhhhh

"Spark. Spark Finn," pale-cheeks colored. Feth, still easier to steal a space station. Hand clutching her comm came up to adjust the black-rimmed glasses further up her nose. "The Alliance? I've been working Underground with Coren and the sith are a real pain in the ass. This seemed like a good group to start getting traction on slowing the sith down and eventually, stopping them."

#boom

Her turn to ask a question? Oh yeah, social situations. "So, uh, what about you, Jace?"

She was guessing he worked in the cantina.

 

[Mya Jesel]

Mya shook [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]'s hand before stepping aside to let Spark introduce herself after a short pause. She seemed uncomfortable in this situation, which could make sense if she had worked with the Underground. Mya knew almost nothing about the organization, even after dropping inquiries all over the Outer Rim with her freighter contacts. She supposed her people were all too far on the right side of the law to know much about a shadowy resistance movement that One Sith sympathizers referred to as a terrorist organization.

But it would make sense now that she knew Spark and Coren were involved there and how perhaps the Galactic Alliance had gotten so many resources together so quickly. It had a pre-existing net of resources and contacts to draw from. Undoubtedly that was how Danger Arcenau would deign to involve in a political start-up. They probably had prior dealings.

How was she involved with the Alliance? Well, now that was an interesting questions.

"I'm an elected representative of the Susefvi government and appointed liason between the Alliance and my homeworld and government," She took another drink of her ale, "Working on bringing my local industries around to offer work for the Alliance as leverage to encourage the legislature to ratify a bill to formally join the Alliance."

[member="Spark Finn"]

 

[Marcus Itera]

This Jedi fella wasn't anyone he had ever met, but his very demeanor felt familiar. The way he said his name with an almost fatherly tone, it was a bit much considering the circumstances. With shot glass still in hand, Marcus kept a fairly genuine smile upon his visage as the man uttered a few more words, said his name once again, and then departed almost as quickly as he had arrived. In short, it wasn't something you experienced on a daily basis.

"Who the feth was that?"

Miranda snorted. "Apparently his name is Cyril Grayson, Jedi Master of the Republic. Used to be part of the Ession Reformation and he's somehow attached to Project Dreadguard."

Dreadguard.

"Find all the files on him and store them for later. I'll be wanting to read through some of those." Marcus finished his glass of whiskey, "Did anyone seem to notice what happened?"

"Not really."

It wasn't long until another face appeared. This time it was much more familiar.

Marcus spotted the man crossing the room almost instantly. He looked a little older and worn than their last excursion together but the two men strode towards one another at increasing speed before they crashed into each other with a hug. Professionalism went out the window a long time ago anyways, and it was required that you give a brotha' a hug.

"Is this who I think it is?"

"Rook." He could hear the smile in Miranda's voice.

[member="Rook"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen returned from the ladies room with a somber nod to the bar man. She grabbed a drink and ignored the company nearby. Social butterfly, she was not. Roberts was all business today. Well, until she felt the familiar tingling of a fellow Corellian female. Oh my? Maybe there really was cause to celebrate today. Mm. Now all she had to do was find her.

Oh, [member="Rekha Kaarde"]. Come out, come out, where ever you are.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Kelly Perris"]


"Roughly the same thing I've been doing. Wrangling my son and business sentients seems to require the same set of skills. Surprising really."


Finishing his drink, Judah kept the empty glass in hand. Eyes scanned the crowd to see who else might be in attendance he knew. It was difficult to pick out some folks, the party had a way of blurring folks together unless they really stood out. Naturally, one flame haired person did stand out, [member="Danger Arceneau"] . She was with a man he had never seen before. Her husband? He'd never seen the woman wear a wedding band. Or mention a partner.


Interesting. Judah would make it a point to see her before the party ended.


"Quite a bit of research and development going on. I've been working on a new biofuel. Inexpensive, works with existing mechanical systems. I know you didn't come to this Gala to be bored by work though, so I'll keep it to a minimum. In fact, don't let me hold you up at all, I think my newfound friend who over indulges in crab cakes may be gearing up for round two."

 

[Judah Lesan]

A tuxedo, Remy Steele was in a tuxedo. It was either a really cold day in Hell, or he really liked [member="Rekha Kaarde"]. The man never dressed in a tux, and certainly never for a woman, yet here he was. Sullust was not a place he liked to be often, but found himself there on occasion. Tonight it was some fancy dinner party where he was supposed to meet the woman he was... what was it they were doing exactly? Right clarifying that was on the agenda for the night.

One thing a tuxedo would not keep Remy from was his Sweet Theeds and Whiskey. He could care less about the host of the party, and went right for the bar. These rich guys always had good stuff, and Remy was after his usual. "Corellian Whiskey, give me a big glass I guess, and I'll need an ash tray." A Sweet Theed was pulled from the inside of the tux, and once the end was snipped off, Remy lit it with a wooden match. Yes, he carried a match book with him. He was old fashioned that way, a true classical antique. Now, where was his date for the night?

 

[Alexandra Porte]

Well the gala was a gala, and a fancy one at that, which meant there were a lot of faces that Russo didn't know as she wasn't one to hob nob with the VIPs very much unless her duty called for it. Still… it was a chance to meet others within the Galactic Alliance away from daily activities. Strong bonds and friendship would be the back bone of the rag tag new faction.

"How about a drink for Torch and Jenkins. I wished they were here. Then we can mingle."

Alex squeezed [member="Damon Riggs"]' hand and flashed the handsome Coruscanti one of her sweet smiles. she only reserved for him. "Oh I'm sure they are here in spirit probably exchanging bets and laughing at us knowing them. Those two were quite the characters, and yes a drink to honor them is a must."

Kyle Torchwood had been Russo's XO and wingman. He was one of the many lost during the Battle of Coruscant including Riggs' First Officer and best friend, Marcus Jenkins.

Two shots of whiskey were ordered and after they were poured, Russo handed one to Riggs, then picked the other up and raised it.

"To Torch and Jenkins… Force help the ladies in heaven," she toasted, then clinked the shot glass with his and downed the amber liquid like it was water; the oh so familiar and comforting burn of the the richly-flavored spirit felt good going down.

 

[Damon Riggs]

"I'll drink to that!"

Riggs chuckled. Russo knew how to turn his mood around. Maybe Jenkins had been right to punch his captain and throw him in the Laz escape pod. Yes, he'd robbed him of the distinction of going down with his ship, a captain always did, but he'd saved him for Russo. Russo was by far the best thing to happen to him, and soft kiss after the toast was enough to convey that thought.

"The best day of my life when I found you again. I love you, Alex."

They'd already come to that conclusion at a very nice resort on Dac. Riggs had sprung for some well needed r and r for the two, and it led to some great memories.

"Well we better go make an appearance. [member="Coren Starchaser"] and his crew are here. He's clearly tight with a few, and we need some friends. Seriously, because my first officer is like a brick. The guy can't take a joke, or anything."

With his arm extended, Riggs led Russo to where the military commander was mingling.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Mya Jesel"]
[member="Spark Finn"]

"The Alliance? I've been working Underground with Coren and the sith are a real pain in the ass. This seemed like a good group to start getting traction on slowing the sith down and eventually, stopping them."

"Heard they did some good work," Jacen replied with a smile. Actually slowed the Sith down as they expanded, sounded like dangerous work."

"I'm an elected representative of the Susefvi government and appointed liason between the Alliance and my homeworld and government," She took another drink of her ale, "Working on bringing my local industries around to offer work for the Alliance as leverage to encourage the legislature to ratify a bill to formally join the Alliance."

"Uh uh," Jacen replied, nodding. He was pretty certain that he understood most of those words, but the meaning was entirely lost on him. He decided not to ask any follow up questions.

"So, uh, what about you, Jace?"

"So I've worked for private military contractors, and have been trying to do some damage to the Sith advanced around the fringes. I'm a Jedi Knight now, but I left the Republic Order. I've got a lot more respect for Grand Marshal Rhen. I genuinely think we'll make a difference. What's Coren like to work for?" he asked in return.

 

[Aran Finn]

[member="Ibaris Varanin-Jacobs"]

"You wouldn't happen to have any thoughts on how to go about that, would you?"

Alen had to chuckle at that. Ibby wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted, even if it was in a roundabout sort of way. The middle-aged Jedi-ish Master felt his answer forming before he applied any critical thought to it. Heck, this is what he wanted. For the child of Ashin Varanin, the strongest warrior he had ever faced one-on-one, he could find the time for a training session or two.

"Come around tomorrow. Early." He figured he'd need to give the youngster an exact time. "0600 sharp. Wear comfortable clothing, and get rid of any sense of entitlement you might have left."

The man paused, then finished with an afterthought.

"And try to come up with some excuses regarding the bumps and bruises you'll likely be leaving with." The bearded man chuckled. There was hard training or no training, that was the Na'Varro way. "Anyway kid, I've got to go mingle. You should go deal with that blonde kid with the eyes that keep popping out of his skull."

Once again, he resisted the urge to ruffle Ibaris' hair, instead simply moving off through the crowd and towards the bar. He ended up behind [member="Danger Arceneau"] and [member="Alric Kuhn"] ... he hadn't known that they were an item. Clearly, there was a gap in his intelligence network that needed filling. Smiling calmly, but with a hint of mischief in his eyes, he placed a hand on each of their shoulders. Not too heavy, and not lingering too long, just a friendly way of getting their attention.

"Miz Arceneau, Mr. Kuhn, welcome." He held out a hand for Kuhn to shake first, before moving it across to Arceneau and offering her a kiss on the cheek. "Alen Na'Varro, good to finally meet you."

He drained his wine and indicated to the bartender that he wanted something a bit more stiff. As with all handwaved hired help, he knew exactly what Na'Varro wanted ... must be telepathy or magic or some chit. Anyway.

"I hear you can hold your liquor, ma'am." Alen grinned, eyeing Arceneau with a hint of challenge. "I wager I can hold more."