Dominion Glass Houses | First Order Dominion of Alpinn

[Renata Westaway]

BRIEFING ROOM - FIV CONCORDIA - THE ALPINN SYSTEM
0700 LOCAL TIME​

“Good morning.”

The gravelly voice of Renata Westaway cut the chatter in the room and on the lines connecting to the briefing room short. She stepped to the center of the dais and keyed the controls on the podium, causing a scale map of Alpinn to appear in three dimensions between herself and those gathered in the room.

“We’ve received reports from Dr. Parker Lascelles that an asteroid, designated Aurek-47 -- here,” she said, and an asteroid lit up in the map in vivid crimson against the blue-black background of represented space, “has broken free of the asteroid belt and, according to his calculations, is now on a collision course with Alpinn. Our astrographers have more or less confirmed this trajectory based on their quick-and-dirty calculations, and even with the margin of error, we’re looking at a catastrophic event for Alpinn.”

The woman craned her neck to study the map. “The First Order Armed Services is meeting here aboard the FIV Concordia to develop a plan to destroy or divert the asteroid. Meanwhile, I and others will be going to the planet to meet with the Alpinn Mining Corporation’s Board of Directors to ascertain just why in the hell they haven’t evacuated the population. Although they have not agreed to a general evacuation, the First Order has identified several key personnel that must be extracted. These individuals are key to First Order interests independent of Alpinn’s fate.”

Renata frowned and spread her hands. “There are several thousand people on Alpinn, mainly working-class miners. There are very few privately owned ships, and for the miners their existence here is regimented almost to the point of a prison, though as far as we are aware this isn’t one. Our best intelligence suggests that the Board is just placing profits over people. We’re willing to play their game for the time being, but there will come a point where evacuation will no longer be a request.”

Another beat and Renata shut down the map. “You have your assignments,” said Renata. “Some of you may be tasked with other items aside from what we talked about here. Good luck, if you’re going down to Alpinn -- for goodness sake, be sure to get off the planet before that rock hits.” She gestured to a countdown clock over her left shoulder, indicating about six hours to impact. "Be safe. Be smart. Be fast. Dismissed."

Spoiler: Background & Objectives

In the far reaches of the Alpinn system, a company of illegal miners makes a deadly mistake. An overpacked mining charge detonated deep within a massive asteroid split the rock, sending more than half of the asteroid hurtling out of its orbit. An observatory on Alpinn picked up the new course and the chief observer, Dr. Parker Lascelles, raised the alarm to the Alpinn Mining Collective Board of Directors that there was a good chance the asteroid was now on a collision course with the planet.

His alarm rang on deaf ears, and though Dr. Lascelles tried to raise concerns with the government of Alpinn, he was labeled a hysteric. In a last-ditch effort to save his homeworld and his people, Dr. Lascelles sends a coded message to the nearest government with the technology and manpower to do something: the First Order.

The First Order must now race against the clock to prevent or mitigate a disaster of existential proportions for the people of Alpinn.

Objective 1 (Government/Capitalists/Others)
Convince the Board of Directors to Evacuate
Ruthless capitalists with a thirst for profits, the Board is hesitant to order an evacuation and ruin the reputation of Alpinn, let alone to devastate quarterly profits by calling a work stoppage. Whether by appealing to their bottom line, applying brutal logic, or deploying blackmail tactics, you must convince the Board to shut operations down and order an evacuation unless other mitigation tactics fail.

Objective 2 (Starfighters/Navy/Military/Others)
Destroy or Divert the Rogue Asteroid
The Rogue Asteroid, as First Order operations has labeled it, is hurtling straight towards Alpinn, and an impact would be catastrophic. Your mission is to prevent that from happening, but just blasting the asteroid won’t do the trick. Not only is it resistant to turbolaser fire due to the presence of impervium in its makeup, but it’s close enough to the planet that unless extreme firepower is brought to bear, the result of several large asteroids impacting the surface would be more or less identical to the consequences of just one massive asteroid impacting the surface. But working together, perhaps the First Order military can think of something to stop or safely divert the asteroid.

Objective 3 (Knights/Medical/Government/Others)
Keep Calm and Evacuate
The people of Alpinn have not yet been informed of the dire situation in the system; the Board is wary of warning the people because there would be no way to get everyone offworld without outside help, and spreading the news now would cause massive civil unrest. The Board has agreed to evacuate certain key personnel -- mostly Board family members, mistresses, and staff -- as well as the planet’s schools. Your task is to assist with the evacuations and try not to spark a panic in the process.

Objective 4 (Anyone)
Bring Your Own Objective

 

[Delilah Graham]

OPERATION: SHADOW VACCINE​

Delilah was aboard another ship in the system, listening to the briefing from Moff Westaway. It was funny how things worked, she reflected. The Bureau had had its eye on Alpinn for weeks, having tracked a certain wanted man to the mining world before the asteroid problem was a twinkle in anyone's eye. The plans had been painstakingly worked, the surveillance lovingly crafted, the beginnings of the traps laid with care.

And along came Aurek-47 to ruin everything.

She opened the channel to the operative team: Aurelian Dash, The Major , and Isobel Nakano. "This is Graham," she said tightly. "Welcome to Alpinn. I am now at liberty to disclose that Aurek-47 will be making contact in approximately six hours, so you'll need to move fast. We've tracked Doctor Molokov to an underground facility. Unfortunately, our efforts to bring him in were predicated on us having the time to create a trap for him. Because we no longer have that luxury, you will need to infiltrate the facility, apprehend Dr. Molokov and extract him before impact."

She sent a tightbeam to their datapads with the dossier. "As you know, the Bureau believes that Molokov's research into the Blackwing Virus was responsible for at least one deadly outbreak in the Outer Rim. His presence here and his efforts to remain clandestine suggest that he has not stopped tinkering. In any event, you will bring him in and eliminate any samples of the virus he may have in his facility. If Alpinn is destroyed, there's no telling how long the virus can remain intact and in what circumstances, so it is critical to eliminate that risk. Molokov is likely to be a resistant evacuee, so I leave it to your discretion how best to get him offworld -- preferably alive."

She paused and her voice softened. "I'm aboard the FIV Monitor, ready to provide operational and logistical support if needed. Be careful, team. I need you back, safe and sound and preferably not infected with the Blackwing Virus or whatever else this mad virologist is cooking up in his labs. Unless you have questions, I'll leave you to prepare."

 

[Resurgent Narrative]

The obvious answer was to destroy the asteroid, but the long of it was how to cut the asteroid to a point where it could not harm those living on Alpinn. Divert it away, so that it does not go on to impact other systems. The Concordia had arrived with at least eight hours to go, and even then it didn't feel like it would be enough. Commander Tae Sun-Shin had at her disposal a small number of ships and on request the equipment in which to drill deep into the asteroid itself. A single, well placed, well timed explosive would cause the asteroid to break apart the chunks would be enough for corvette captains to target with relative ease.​

​

There was of course the risk that something could go wrong and in that event a secondary line of ships had been brought up in which to focus fire on the asteroid but given its rapid speed they'd honestly only get one shot at it before the unthinkable. Due to the mission, the First Order recruited volunteers from its armed forces. Thus a mix of men and women from each branch of service and at least two civilians who were more than familiar with how to operate the machines that were to be used to drill. ​

​

Among the volunteers had been Major Vir Aetos. ​

​

"Major." Tae addressed with a sad smile, and then to the others. She was of course grateful that they were brave enough, they being the seven men and women who had arrived. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for volunteering. If there are any last requests please make them known here and now. I will do everything in my power to see that it is done." As macabre as it might have sound, there was a very real possibility that none of these souls were to return to the Concordia. The Concordia herself was on the last line of defense, it would be up to her and her crew to stand between Alpinn and the rogue asteroid.​

​

"We've assembled everything that you will need, including a few extra provisions for the operation." Tae began the briefing hands behind her back as she stood in an at-ease position. All of them now assembled around the holo-table where the computer began to play out the scenarios. Commander Sun-Shin went through the steps that they were to follow, there would be a medical droid on hand for them as well as a repair astromech to ensure that their equipment would see them through. "May the Balance Guide you, my friends."​

​

Vir Aetos watched as the others began to head out of the bridge. He stopped, and looked at Commander Sun-Shin, and handed her a small envelope. "What's this?" She inquired.​

​

"Give it to Renata, just in case."​

​

"Of course."​

​

"Thanks."​

​

With that, he turned around and disappeared down the corridor just as well, the doors closed behind him and Commander Sun-Shin was left with a feeling she could not yet describe. Her heart sank and she recalled her duties, so, she put away her emotions tucked them neatly into little boxes and relayed the information to the fleet. The larger ships would stagger out ahead of the Concordia, the smaller ones would move to eliminate any other rocks the blasted rogue may have brought with it. Starfighters would be assembled to prevent even a single pebble from escaping their sight. ​

​

The First Order would get this right, they had to get this right. ​

​

Somebody else would get it wrong, and make a mistake.​

​

They could not afford it, they would not afford it.​

​

In War, Victory.​

​

In Peace, Vigilance.

In Death, Sacrifice.​

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​

​

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Solitude​

On the far side of the planet, behind a moon, shielded from sensor sweeps in part because of the geography and in part because of the ship's stealth capabilities, Natasi Fortan slipped into the system unnoticed. Her hands finessed the controls and maneuvered the ship through the system, speeding towards the surface of the mineral-rich world. From the briefing she had received, Alpinn's mining conglomerate, imaginatively named Alpinn Mining Corporation, controlled the vast majority of the subterranean mining interests. There were independent, individual and family mining efforts, dotted around the surface of the planet, where veins were insufficiently rich to justify the expense to legally run the settlers off their land and mines.

One of these subsistence mining homesteads was Natasi's target.

The Supreme Leader had paid a lot of money to locate the place. Worth every penny if the gamble paid off, she knew, but though she was confident that she would be leaving Alpinn with the person she sought, she wasn't sure whether it would be on the terms she wanted. Why had he left? Where had he been? And what kind of life was he living now?

It was cruel, she reflected as she brought her ship stealthily and quietly into a landing. Most people didn't live to see their entire lives shattered in one fell swoop, one cataclysmic event that changed everything. Rarer still for it to happen to the same person twice; Natasi herself as among this exclusive club, having witnessed the destruction of Herevan Hold and the end of the nation she had built in fiery sacrifice. Natasi powered down the ship and pulled her gloves on; it was cold on the surface, where the sun was just beginning to rise on this part of the planet, painting the sky in fiery pink.

The man Natasi had come to find? He was about to join Natasi's club, whether he knew it or not.

After slipping her blaster pistol into a thigh holster on her plain black uniform, Natasi shrugged into a heavy black hooded cloak, tying the coat-like wrap around her midsection and pulling the cloak up to cover her head. Mist billowed from her lips as she stepped out into the cold morning air. It was a trek to the homestead. She set off with her datapad compass guiding the way.

For the moment, she was alone. It was a rare pleasure, one to be indulged as she made her way towards her destination, apprehension and hope weighing in equal measure on her spirit.

 

[Orum Berik]

Alpinn Mining Corporation Headquarters
0730 Local Time
5.5 HRS Until AUREK 47 Impact

The Director read through the briefing once more. He spared a glance outside as the nondescript, unmarked land-speeder deftly weaved it's way through the dingy streets to it's destination- the Alpinn Mining Corporation. The conglomerate's headquarters- large, bright, shining, ostentatious, and towering over the horizon- stood in stark contrast to it's dilapidated surroundings, it's denizens mired in squalor as they etched out a meager life.

Well, I suppose it's all that they have left after those leeches suck them dry.

Orum Berik snorted. He knew why he was here, and it took all of years of professional detachment to not take immense joy in his duty. He had only met Renata Westaway once, when he had met with the Supreme Leader and the Moff Council. However, she struck him as more then capable of appealing to the Board's better angels. No, no- you called the Director to deliver a message: that they could either toe the line, or face the hell and the high water.

And in this case, he was the hell and the high water.

It was often difficult, in this line of work, to separate duty from personal feelings, but in this rare instance they neatly dove-tailed together. Orum had been born and raised on Nar Sharddaa. He had long closed that chapter on his life, but nobody grew up on the famed "Smuggler's Moon" and came away unscathed. Growing up in the shadow of the Hutts was the only time he had seen anything on the scale of malignant, rapacious greed like this. With people like these fiends, there was never enough. They always needed more. Even as the asteroid threatened the planet with oblivion, the concern was for the bottom line, the shareholders.

But after this episode concluded, the Director felt very confident that the Board of the Alpinn Mining Corporation would come away with a healthier perspective on governance.

"Sir?" The Director looked up. "Sir, we'll be arriving momentarily."

"Excellent. I believe Moff Westaway indicated in the briefings that she would be at the meeting as well? Notify her staff that we have arrived- we will exhibiting a united front, we will go in together. Additionally, ensure that I am appraised of the status and location of all key personnel during the evacuation."

"Very well, Mr. Director."


Resurgent Narrative Renata Westaway

 

[Rolf Amsel]

Grease and grime coated the man's brow as his azul gray eyes peered at a small screen on the strange looking device he held in his hands. Somewhere between a drill and a camera, it emitted a low dulcet tone despite its operator's attempt to point it every which way. It was near pitch black, the cavern walls around the man seeming to absorb the light shining from a solitary beam emitter attached to the rugged duraplast helmet. The tone rang true for another several moments before it was abruptly cut short followed by a defeated sigh, strange device finding itself tucked into a belt and a shuffle of feet ensued as the man traveled back along the route he'd come by.

-
​

It had been another day of frustratingly difficult work and yet he still had nothing to show for it. You have a hot meal and a roof over your head. Suck it up. The man's interior dialogue eliciting a quiet relaxing of his shoulders. It had taken him almost half an hour by landspeeder to make it back from the newly dug mine. Cavern. Unfortunately his efforts had gone unrewarded. Another dead end. Before he'd even gotten two feet into the door of his pre-fabricated shelter that was masquerading as a home, a loud chime sounded.

You have mail.

"Great." he uttered. "Probably bills again." It wasn't that he couldn't afford the bills, in the slightest. Money had gotten tighter over the last few years as claim after claim dried up before his eyes, but he still had a decent nest egg stashed away. No, it was the frustration of failure that ate away at the man's resolve. Ignoring the chime he quickly doffed his grungy coveralls and stepped into the small refresher. It was a welcome sensation, the heated water washing away the day's work. Had he looked between his feet he would have seen a sheen of silvery white dust along with darker grit washing away in the torrent. It was one more thing about Alpinn that irked him, the fine white particles of sand and dust that seemed to cling to everything. Though he clearly resisted the warm water and hot steam filling the refresher slowly but surely began to wash away the troubles of his mind.

-
​

Technically he'd called an early day but when things just weren't panning out... What else did he hope to find? The mineral deposits he'd been so sure of weeks before had come up empty. The shower, a modest meal of chili and a flagon of cold, home brewed ale had seen his mood improve to the point of leisure. Now clad in a weathered pair of jeans and an untucked rough fabric shirt, he'd taken up position on the front extension of the prefab shelter, a porch of sorts screened in by low grade shield emitters to keep the bugs out. Seated in a comfortable chair, a tall glass of amber liquid resting on a nearby table, Rolf Amsel sat comfortably with book in hand. Well, it was a datapad really, but reading it was. Nothing particularly of note, the book was a thriller set in an ancient era when slug throwers and wheeled vehicles were all the rage. Taking a sip of the amber liquid he replaced the glass and fell back into cadence with the words on the display pad.

Natasi Fortan

​

 

[Renata Westaway]

Renata was in a foul mood.

To start, there were rumors that she was about to be sacked as Foreign Secretary.

To add, she was being tasked with convincing a bunch of ruthless capitalists to let her help them get their workers offworld.

Lastly, she had just a few hours to accomplish it.

"Kriff," she muttered to herself, glancing at her watch. The face had an overlay reflecting the time to impact for Aurek-47. Just over five hours now. "Mother kriffer."

"Ma'am," said Reardon, sitting to her left in the cockpit of the shuttle. "Director Berik's team called ahead to let you know he's arrived. I let them know we're five minutes out." About five minutes later, Renata and Niles Reardon were piling into the back of Orum Berik's speeder. She settled opposite the Director and offered her hand. "Good to see you, Director. Here's how this is going to go. You know the good-cop, bad-cop routine. You're the good cop." She waited a beat, then said: "That's a joke. Obviously. But you're only going to be the bad cop for about..." She glanced at her wristwatch. 05:03... 05:02 "Two hours or so."

Renata inclined her head, all hard angles and one angry green eye. "I am not going to sit here and let these laserbrains condemn twenty thousand people to die because they can't be arsed to declare a bank holiday and let these people leave. So in about two hours, I'm going to take this planet. Hell, the people in this car could probably take this planet, but I'll call in reinforcements from the Concordia if I have to." Her fingers itched for a cigarette, but she resisted for the time being. "So we can double-team these jerkovs for a little while, but if they don't agree by the cutoff, you and I may be perpetuating a coup. Are you going to be OK with that, or do I need to find another bad cop?"

 

[The Major]

OPERATION: SHADOW VACCINE​

They were getting quite deft at managing rapid, decisive movement. Sybil had taken the liberty of timing their operations from debrief to deployment, and it was quite pleasing to her sensibilities that in each effort this trio managed a whole whooping 10% efficiency gain. Not even the protective gear and rebreathers they were encased within seemed to slow them down.

Work, work, and work some more until you died seemed to be her order of the day.

The Major had often pondered during her lonely watches if there wasn't in fact a debt that she had to clear with whatever First Order treatment facility was responsible for her care. As the trio of agents inserted into the facility after navigating a sewer system and a network of HVAC ducts she was beginning to doubt such baseless assertions. It wasn't just her own neck on the line during these romps: Agent Dash and Agent Nakano were called upon on every muster so far. To be the perfect blend of capable yet expendable no doubt entrenched their usefulness to whatever agency was ordering this wetwork.

They were speedy, but not exactly the most discreet. As it happens: Doctor Molokov had some credits to hire guards, and once they happened upon the operators chaos broke out in the hallways.

What an quality rebreather, thought she. It didn't jump around or slide down her nose when her blaster shotgun pumped a goon through some lab equipment.

Aurelian Dash | Isobel Nakano ​

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi felt lucky that she had chosen to worn a significant pair of boots. Alpinn wasn't exactly flat, and while Natasi didn't consider it a hike, it was more strenuous than a stroll, too. Twenty minutes into her jaunt, she crested a hill and saw it in the middle distance: the prefab shelter that Rolf Amsel was currently calling home. It's a long way from Loch Weald, she thought as she paused to take in the sight. It was... shabby. Hardscrabble.

Her heart gave a painful squeeze. It wasn't what one of the biggest heroes of the First Order deserved. The commanding officer of Fortan's FIST, subjected to this... squalor? It was unconscionable. Not for the first time since her resurrection, her mind wandered to another First Order hero, albeit one who, unlike Amsel, had a tarnish to his honor. Ludolf Vaas had been exiled from the First Order following conduct unbecoming on the battlefield, and it had taken all of Natasi's political capital and goodwill with Sieger Ren to accomplish that. Her final gift to Vaas, the man she had once loved, and his wife and their daughter, was a life together.

They'd never know. Natasi had never told another living soul.

But Rolf Amsel deserved more than the cold, lonely exile here. Even if the world wasn't possibly doomed, it wasn't what she wanted for him.

Her trip down memory lane took her down to the foot of the ridge, where she would no doubt be visible to Amsel if he looked up from his book. She moved quietly, approached to where she could see his features clearly. It was him. Natasi inclined her head, tugging the hood up so that it continued to obscure the top half of her face as well as her hair. She raised her voice, a most un-Galidraani shout, and called: "Colonel Amsel!"

 

[Elisea Apollodor]

"We should be evacuating everyone," Elisea started. "I hate this already."​

​

She complained quietly to her fiancé Nylea Apollodor as they were taken down to the planet with roughly seven hours on the clock as they touched down. "Okay, here's your list, I have mine." She then looked over behind her at Hazel Zanteres . "Here is your list, again - whatever you have to say, we just can't actually tell them what's happening."​

​

"I, yeah, I hate this, trust me but this is hand we're being dealt." Elisea added with a sigh as she gave Nylea a kiss on the cheek. "We should split up, there's a few speeder bikes here." She gestured to the set of speeder bikes that had just been set out by other members of the evacuation team. They arrived on shuttles where a landing pad was being established as a point of entry and another for exit. Elisea got onto her bike and looked between the two. She knew the history, she knew the relations but as it stood Hazel had been welcomed into the First Order by a bloody Moff and there wasn't much else Elisea could do.​

​

Hazel would have to work to regain any modicum of trust from Elisea.​

​

Nylea? Not a chance, at least that was what Elisea knew. ​

​

The Avalonian had put out a call to any who could assist within the area but she was unsure if anyone would take the call. ​

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

​

Everything was wrong. Nylea regretted coming along this time.

It didn't stop at the fact barely anyone was being evacuated. A potential disaster awaited the people of Alpinn and they couldn't even know what was happening. That alone was enough to make sure today would haunt her for the rest of her life, but that wasn't even all.

Hazel was here, too. The hope the echani had that their run-in would be a one-time event ended up being in vain and now she was once again in the direct vicinity of her best friend's almost-killer. It simply took too much out of Nylea to keep her cool while both of these circumstances played out simultaneously. She doubted she'd make it through if Hazel stuck by them.

If she saw the hapan again before takeoff, or had any reasonable suspicion she'd end up appearing again, Nylea would go home. An empty cup cannot continue to pour, she had been told recently, and it was a saying that stuck by her. Hazel drained her cup empty far too quickly.

"That makes two of us," Nylea replied, already sounding tired somehow. She wouldn't bring up how she felt about Hazel being here too, even if Elisea was already very much aware of how she felt about her. Her fiancé had enough to worry about today as it stood, they could discuss the topic back home, including how she felt about helping these operations in the future.

"Mhm. The quicker we are done, the better," she added as she glanced over at the speeder bikes for a moment. The echani gave the Avalonian a kiss back, followed by a short-lived embrace, before getting ready to mount one of the bikes. Though it was meant as a form of reassurance for Elisea, it probably helped herself more than anything. "Stay safe, okay?"

Elisea Korrado | Hazel Zanteres ​

 

[Vakim Duval]

Objective 3:

Location: Mining Capitol of Alpinn; Overseeing and assisting in the evacuation
Troops: 48 Stormtroopers of the 12th Unattached 'Storm' Platoon
Equipment: SE-44C blaster pistol, stun grenades, plain clothes, weapons concealed
With: First Order Allies
​

Vakim Duval didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. The partial evacuation was an issue big enough on its own to give any person a second thought, but the high command had sent them here under armed and underdressed. They were for all intents and purposes a vanguard in an evacuation without heavy equipment. What if word got out and panic ensued? Exactly how were they supposed to evacuate the school children without alerting any parents? The whole thing was one big headache. Duval checked in with his men. They were spread out watching the various Imperial Medic and Imperial Knight personnel carrying out the invasion. Doing their best to blend in and not raise any questions from the other locals just getting on with their day.

"Anything out of the ordinary?"

A group of voices all chimed in from various sectors of the mining town giving the all-clear. Nothing had gone terribly wrong so far. Duval checked his watch. Only a hair over five hours until this planet was a wreck or the navy was bragging about their heroics. Hopefully, the Foreign Secretary and her associates would be able to convince the Board of Directors to see things the way the First Order did. If not, Vakim brought his hand down to his blaster and fingered it nervously, the 12th Platoon would be ready to impose the will of the Supreme Leader. He looked down as his commlink came online.

"Lieutenant, the Foreign Secretary has arrived at the Board of Directors meeting. We have eyes on the outside of the building and will notify you if we see anything out of the ordinary."

"Copy that, stay out of sight."

Good. The two men Duval had stationed to watch the meeting must have found a good perch. Nothing would go wrong here. If the First Order was to succeed in completion today everyone must work together. Everyone must embody order. Everyone must be unified. All must work as one. The clock was ticking.

 

[Isobel Nakano]

Isobel ducked into a doorway in the hallway, narrowly avoiding a blaster bolt from Molokov's hired guns. Their progress had been delayed as Molokov's facility had gone onto high alert. Isobel didn't like it; she was used to doing things quickly and quietly; she was part of the clandestine services, after all. She leaned out from cover and returned fire, catching one of the goons in the face with a blaster bolt and another in the throat. No, Isobel didn't like this kind of work; it was inelegant, required no finesse, had no challenge.

But sometimes you just have to kill a guy.

Clear, she signaled over her shoulder to her comrades, muted by the rebreathers they wore to protect against any biological nasties in the air, and proceeded up the hall to the intersection. She swung her blaster to the left and to the right and, seeing nothing in the way of a threat, dropped to a knee to rifle through their pockets. She helped herself to a few spare power backs and the assault rifle the guard carried, slinging it over her shoulder before continuing her process. She also lifted his ID card; with any luck the lanyarded plastic would get them access to some locked doors. There was still some room for finesse.

She looped it around her neck and moved forward, leading the way up the stairs. They had reached the lab level, but Molokov's men weren't giving up easily. A swarm of them emerged from behind Dash and Shepard below, and cluttered the hallway ahead of Isobel. "I've got company up here," she called, struggling to be coherent around her breather as she ducked back down the stairs, crouching on the landing and peering up above. "Four, five, six bogeys!" She raised her blaster pistol and fired several rounds, but ducked back down as Molokov's goons returned fire.

Aurelian Dash | The Major​

 

[Matma Bernu]

FIV Concordia
5 Hours Until Aurek-47 Impact

Deep in the recesses of the cavernous vessel, an Imperial Knight sat, cross-legged, meditating. Had the crew of the Concordia not been scurrying to and fro, they may have had some questions for the Chiss- but as it were, the conundrum that was Aurek 47 wouldn't solve itself. Currently, Matma Bernu was attempting to harness a nascent power, used only reflexively during the skirmish against the scales on Skye- Battle Mediation. The Knight-Commander had surmised as much in the after action report, and encouraged Bernu to learn how to harness the ability.

Sweat beaded his forehead as he attempted to expand his presence in the Force- to permeate the whole of the Concordia, to connect to the people. Battle Mediation was traditionally used to boosted the morale, stamina, and overall battle prowess of anything ranging from an individual, to armies, to even entire fleets. It also allow for coordination on a truly staggering scale, allowing the user to coordinate fleets, allowing them to perform at maximum efficiency, acting as a single entity with the ability to counter every enemy move quickly and effectively. Conversely, it reduced an opposing force's combat-effectiveness by eroding their will to fight. Given the operating environment, the Knight-Commander felt that this mission would serve as an excellent field test- and the final trial for the Novice vying to be a Sentinel.

Having successfully connected to the minds of the crew, Matma began the hard part- simultaneously coordinating among the Concordia, embuing them with feelings of hope and mission success, while simultaneously eliminating feelings of doubt and despair. He didn't know how long he could hold this connection- but for the sake of the people of Alpinn, he'd have to try his best.

Resurgent Narrative

 

[Resurgent Narrative]

A small shuttle departed the Concordia's hangar headed for the asteroid with six hours to go, and Vir Aetos quietly mediated on what laid ahead of him. It wasn't until someone touched his shoulder and told him they had arrived with five and a half hours to go. They disembarked from the shuttle as their equipment was sent down from transport shuttles. Suits secure, mag-boots locked as they set up on the asteroid. There was a lot to do and time was ticking away, the team discussed the options.​

​

Where to drill, how to drill, how far it could go, and how many spare bits they had.​

​

Operators on the drill and Vir readied up the explosives, and the drills whirred to life blasting rocks and rubble, left, right and center. Hammers, axes, and other handheld equipment would work to push ahead of the drill when it got stuck. One, two, and again, one and two, and Vir looked at the time as it ticked down. It would be his job to go in and not only plant the charges but make sure that they detonated. ​

​

Back on the Concordia, Commander Sun-Shin received word that the team was working on the asteroid. She relayed the information to the appropriate parties. The envelope that Vir handed to her rested on the console in front of her and Sun-Shin prayed that she would never have to give that envelope to Moff Westaway. The fleet reported back that they were ready, outlying rocks were on screen, the fighters would have their signal to begin runs to ensure they were eliminated. ​

​

They were given a method to utilize so that the rocks didn't fly back or go off course. ​

​

Never before had Sun-Shin felt so nervous, they only had one shot to get this right. She felt the calm sensation overwash her emotions but it felt unnatural and she realized that Matma Bernu the Imperial Knight was most likely responisble. Even so, all they could do was wait, wait, and see if the team that had departed would be successful in their efforts.​

 

[Orum Berik]

Alpinn Mining Corporation Headquarters
0730 Local Time
5 HRS Until AUREK 47 Impact

The Director stared at Moff Westaway, stonily. Then looked at her aide, Niles Reardon. Then, he chuckled. That chuckle turned into a deep, genuine belly laugh. As it petered out, Berik, wiping tears from his eyes, pressed a button. The partition lowered, and his aide handed over a briefcase. Taking it with a murmured 'thank you', the Director opened the contents, taking out a sheet of flimsiplast and handing it to Renata.

"The Office of Internal Services has constructed a dossier on each and every member of the Board- which you have in your hand. We have also constructed an escalating scale of consequences, should they choose to double down on their current path. We will start with rank intimidation and blackmail- being that the First Order will be in custody of their loved ones and mistresses, per the evacuation procedures. Our office also has several assets prepared to gain a controlling interest in the company and simply force them out. And if those options do not convince them to begin evacuating..."

The Director smiled cruelly.

"...I am prepared to take on the more esoteric options my staff has provided. Weston, now it was you who recommended we simply disappear the Board, replace them with more pliable members, and ship them to the Kessel system to enjoy the hard labor that they have subjected the good people of Alpinn to?

"Yessir!"

"And Kessel is currently under control of the Bryn'adul, correct?"

"Yessir!"

"Splendid. Communicate to Lt. Duval and his men that we will be entering the building- in case they try to be difficult. Keep Project Harbringer on standby as well- she is difficult, but you know how to handle her." The Director clapped his hands and closed his briefcase.

"Now Moff Westaway, I do believe we have a coup to start, and we are on a tight schedule. Let's not keep them waiting."

Resurgent Narrative Renata Westaway Vakim Duval

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Another day, another mission, and this one was certainly not one Hazel had experienced before. Sure, she had helped evacuate people in the past, but having the loom clock of a potential asteroid collision was a first for her.

The Hapan sat behind Elisea and Nylea, quietly listening to the conversation that played out between them. It hadn’t surprised her in the slightest that specific personnel were getting evacuated first. That was just the state of things, the more important and wealth were at the top of those lists. With the caveat that they’d also ensure the safety of the younger generations.

She was tempted to chime in after Elisea, but was interrupted as the woman began handing out the lists. Hazel took hers when offered, and gave her a nod. “I got it, get everyone listed evacuated, and don’t panic anyone.” Easier said than done, if Hazel’s experience with this type of thing said anything.

Their shuttle had soon landed, with everyone hurrying to disembark. Roughly seven hours remained, enough time to hopefully get people evacuated before the worst case scenario happened.

As she walked over to her speeder bike, Hazel glanced over at Nylea. Oh how it must burn within her that the Hapan wasn’t going anywhere. Hoping that she would, only to find Hazel had been attached to Korrado’s group for these missions.

Much like how the clock ticked down on Aplinn’s survival, Hazel wondered how long it would be before Nylea’s patience would go too. And would she risk such an outburst? Potentially directing ire at Elisea from the higher ups, for not keeping someone under her charge in check. Tempting as it was to push Nylea’s buttons, Hazel did genuinely desire to do her job. But she wasn’t a fool to not realize that the fuse would eventually reach its end.

Elisea Korrado | Nylea Apollodor​

 

[Phoenix Edorath]

Tag: Resurgent Narrative | Matma Bernu
Gear: Armor | DC-17m | DC-15s | Tactical Knives
Muse Soundtrack: Dan Vasc "The Final Countdown (Cover)"​

This whole thing was a karking mess. It always was when those in power sought to protect their greed over the lives of the people working to provide them with those fortunes they so coveted. They were already behind in beginning a full scale evacuation, but given the force of nature that Moff Renata Westaway was alongside Orum Berik, she had no doubt those fools would soon be brought to heel.​

For the sake of the miners and their dependents, she hoped they gave them no quarter.

​

What remained was the discovery of a solution to the problem of the asteroid. Problem was perhaps putting it way too lightly, the commando mused, eyes flicking between the briefing that had been given and the data now streaming to her datapad. Phoenix shook her head and stepped over to one of the large blank monitors on the wall, bringing up the scans done of the asteroid designated Aurek-47 and it's projected trajectory.​

"Frak." she swore softly under her breath, fingers coursing over the screen as she manipulated it, looking into the detailed information about the asteroid's composition and what explosives had been used to begin this catastrophical process. Because if those had worked once, perhaps they could be of use again.​

Formulas floated along one side of the screen as she began running calculations in conjunction with the other scientists and technicians. Destroying Aurek-47 or breaking it apart would be nearly impossible and make the catastrophic event even more apocalyptic for Alpinn. She winced, and bent her head to the task of figuring out how to perhaps knock it out of its' current trajectory.​

If they could get it to effectively slingshot around Alpinn, a longer term solution could then be reached without the looming threat of the destruction of an entire planet and its innocent population. While normally her expertise with all manner of explosives and demolitions was reserved for the battlefield, her training and education had been oppressively thorough. Phoenix would be damned if she allowed anything to happen to these people on her watch, and would utilize every bit of what she knew to help.​

​

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[Rolf Amsel]

Rolf was fully engrossed in his literature. A particularly compelling rise in the drama had drawn him into obliviousness at Natasi's approach to his humble, abject home - until a raised voice reached his ears across the empty approach. Eyes darted up from the pad, squinting as he tried to identify whom was approaching while a sharp stab of concern buried itself in the pit of his stomach. Colonel. There were only a few people who would have known who he was, much less track him down after his escape from Dosuun. None of them likely to bear good will towards the former First Order officer. Data pad forgotten he reached beneath the short table, fingers wrapping around a concealed weapon before rising to his feet. The woman's features grew clearer with each step. When it finally registered, his jaw dropped for a mere moment before his fingers clasped tighter on the grip of the weapon tucked behind him.

Natasi Fortan. Accompanying the woman, walking in lock-step, ghosts of his past. For a moment his mind questioned if he was in fact seeing a ghost. The Concordia. Dosuun. The First Order. It sent a chill running down his spine, eyes sweeping right to left as he sought some sinister plot or apparent motive for the Grand Moff's unexpected appearance. None would he find. A terseness set in along his stubble ridden jawline, blue gray eyes delivering a cool appraisal. A storm of emotion welled within the stoic soldier but his expression gave no quarter. "To what do I owe the pleasure, your excellence?" He stood, guarded and unflinching. "I admire your tenacity - couldn't have been easy finding me." That was one part circumstance, one part intent.

The last several years were complicated at best, convoluted at worst. The escape, the search, resignation - and now his new life. If he could call it living. "A little out of the way for the Grand Moff to be trouncing about out here."

Natasi Fortan

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi approached the porch, pulling her hood off to expose her hair and face as she came to within comfortable speaking distance of her onetime senior military adviser. She bypassed the first question for the time being, instead lifting her chin to address Colonel Amsel in a direct but pleasant nature. "Yes, it cost rather a lot to trace your steps," she confirmed, clasping her hands behind her back. "It made me wonder why you took such measures to disappear. As I recall you were a decorated soldier, a trusted adviser to the head of government, and a recipient of one of the First Order's highest meritorious honors. Not really the kind of person you expect to see taking efforts to disappear."

The Supreme Leader unclasped her hands and folded her arms around her midsection. When he referenced how far she had traveled, Natasi almost laughed. The humor was there in the huskiness of her voice as she said: "Colonel Amsel, you have no idea." She looked around the homstead, as if expecting to see more from up close than she could see from the approach from a distance. But no; what she saw was, apparently, what there was.

There was a lot she wanted to say, but she weighed her options. She hadn't known what to expect from him; she was reasonably sure he wouldn't be hostile, so she hadn't brought guards. But she wasn't sure whether to take that as a sign of encouragement. "I hate to stand on ceremony," said Natasi, "But you may like to know that I'm no longer a Grand Moff. There is no Grand Moff of the First Order. You're looking at the Supreme Leader, actually," said Natasi, having the good grace to look abashed. "It's rather a long story and I'm happy to share it but there are other rather more pressing matters."

Intellectually, Natasi knew that she was in little danger. The asteroid was hours away, she had plenty of time to get back to her ship and scarper. But emotionally, Natasi couldn't shake the feeling that she was tempting fate just by standing here. "I came here for two reasons, actually," said Natasi. "The first of which is that the First Order is in need of talented leaders, and there's no one better than you when it comes to what you do." Nastasi uncrossed her arms, spreading her hands as if to show that she was coming at him unarmed, on the up-and-up. "We did great things together, you and I. I think we could do it again."

Rolf Amsel​