Heartlines & Landmines [Naboo Aftermath | Protectorate]

[Feena]

From the sound of it, they had lost more than she originally thought. Her gaze had been fixed on the ground, the wall, the outer city, the gungans had lost much as well. Her glaze never left the holoprojections, even as food was served and laid out in front of each of them. She leaned forward, elbows on the table, fingers laced together in front of her face. She'd forgotten all about table manners. This was no longer breakfast to her. This was a meeting. Serious. Nothing else mattered.

"If you could tell us, in your opinion, Lord Protector," she spoke up when he was finished, "How safe are we now? Considering the significant losses our enemy suffered, would you also feel confident in saying we are out of danger for the time being? I apologize for launching into this matter so quickly, but there is much to do still. I have to know how safe my people are. That is priority number one for me."

She could raise credits to repair bridges and buildings, but she could not buy back lost life. Too much blood had already been spilled on Naboo's soil. If more was to come, she had to know. They won, but it wasn't easy. It wasn't close. She was still feeling the drain on herself as it was. If another attack came too soon, she was not confident they would pull through again.

[member="Ayden Cater"] [member="Andromeda Versai"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Ysanae Vela"] [member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Ayden Cater"], [member="Andromeda Versai"], [member="Ysanae Vela"], [member="Sarge Potteiger"]


So apparently they were getting to business now, something Siobhan was fine with. The Countess listened to the recitation of the battle for Naboo with a stoic expression on her face. If she felt anything, it would not be detectable on her expression, which seemed inscrutable. The truth was she felt little, as odd as that may seem coming from a woman who so often seemed governed by her emotions, but then she was used to bloodshed.


As they say, war is hell, a cruelty that cannot be refined. The early days of Omega Pyre had been skirmishes with warlords and corsairs, easily won victories. The epic battle against zombies on Denon had come at a price. But even Eriadu, the first large-scale military invasion of the then-young Protectorate, had only caused light casualties. Her leading a column of AT-SEs to do battle with the Tarkinites' tanks while Sarge cut off their reinforcements by blowing up a bridge and Jorus rained down death from above in an Inimica had been good times.


Then came Roche...a pure bloodbath. The battle that had earned her the moniquer the Butcher, though she felt no regret for her actions, just a feeling that she could have done better. The war with the Bando Gora Reavers had been a gruelling struggle of attrition, from the first skirmishes on Naboo to her duel with the Primarch and to the meat grinder that was Gehenna. Presumably this thread takes place before Firemane conquered Gehenna a second time and killed the last monsters, while Siobhan lost more limbs, but the first invasion had been the bloodiest ground battle fought by the Protectorate under her command. Still, the Bando Gora had been eradicated. Victory justified the measures taken, at least in her mind. The list of killing fields spread across the stars could go on and on, the Druckenwell calamity just being the latest planetary holocaust, though the one that was the most deeply imprinted in her mind.


"Victory was achieved and Naboo held. That's what matters. The soldiers that fell didn't die in vain. But CIS, or whatever they call themselves this week, may be licking its wounds and their fleet's a load of scrap, but Naboo's still a prize target. What measures are being taken to improve the defences for Theed and the planet as a whole? Naboo's one of the most heavily fortified planets in Protectorate space, but clearly there's still room to further strengthen it. It's too tempting a target, both economically and strategically, for a renewed invasion to do otherwise."


If the CIS/ASA/ACA did not make another attempt, there was still Fringe. It seemed unclear to Siobhan what OP's current relations with them were. She could not recall an armistice being signed after Eriadu.


"And what's the current status of the clean-up? If wanted, Firemane could assist in repairing the damage and we have several designs to help strengthen the planet's defences - turbolaser cannons, defence turrets, tanks. Even hold-out bolters as protection for VIPs against assassins."



She would not describe the exact designs since launching into a description seemed presumptuous to her. But Firemane's turrets and turbolaser cannons were probably as popular as the various bolter variants they sold. Speaking of bolters, she imagined personal hold-out bolters would be of use for the Naboo nobles and royals to protect themselves against assassins and such.

 

[Ayden Cater]

[member="Feena Mason"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Ayden shook his head. "I do not believe Naboo is at risk for another invasion for some time. It speaks to the straits the System Authority finds itself in that they utilized scrapheap ships to try and cover their landing craft. The loss of Druckenwell hurt them more than they'll let out. Reports indicate that they've begun building several new shipyards in their territory, but it will still be weeks, perhaps months, before they return to pre-war shipbuilding capacity. They can't put together a heavy enough fleet to engage Naboo's defenses directly right now. This was a desperate attack."

He paused for a moment, as if considering something, before continuing on. "In addition to the fleet presence normally kept in the system, I'll be assigning three more battle groups to the sector as added security. If they try to come back, they'll find themselves in an even worse position than last time."

When Siobhan began to speak, Ayden looked and her and quietly nodded at several points. "I would agree that there's still room for improvement. They attempted to bring down the cliff-side under the palace. The only reason it held through their light bombing was because of the reinforcements put in place to prevent erosion. If they came in with a heavier bombing run, the palace itself could be in very real danger. I'd suggest addition some structural reinforcements and shield emitters to prevent that from happening in the future." He'd leave the matter of deciding to purchase additional defenses for the planet to Feena. He didn't imagine she'd go too overboard with such purchases. Naboo was famed for its peace and tranquility. It was hard to imagine the Queen would place a few giant turbolasers in the middle of the city.

 

[Loxa Visl]

Silent during this exchange, all the Windtalker could do was listen and listen well. Many words, statements, and a great deal of entire sections of dialogues were lost upon her. Words yet to be learned, phrases as foreign to her as the dignitaries she faced, situations of great mystery - war was not something an Ambassador trained primarily to keep the peace was privvy to. Certainly not at this scale, something that [member="Sarge Potteiger"] could attest to.

A slow, steady sigh left through her nostrils as she gave Princess [member="Andromeda Versai"] a weary glance. At least the talks had commenced, yes? That, there, was an accomplishment in and of itself. If not for pressing the matter, they might perhaps still be eating in that awful, tense silence. The Queen, [member="Feena Mason"], had at least handled the transition with as much grace as could be expected, and for that Ysan was glad. Later she would have to take a few minutes with he Princess for the short, simplified, translated version of everything that was currently being discussed. It wouldn't do to muddle the exchange with questions.

 

[Soleil Ishtar]

[member="Ysanae Vela"] [member="Ayden Cater"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Feena Mason"]

"I see, thank you Lord Protector," Princess Andromeda would say in turn, grateful for the update and delivery of what their options were for the future and continued safety of Naboo. She'd meet Ysanae's gaze and give a subtle nod. It was a a start.

"What of the Gungans? Was any damage done to Otoh Gunga?" she'd ask, wondering if perhaps the depths and protection of water had managed to protect the Gungans from the assault.

 

[Feena]

It was good to hear that the likelihood of the CIS, or ASA, or whatever it was they called themselves attacking once again was minimal at best. Even so, she was not willing to count them out just yet. Both sides were damaged. Both sides hurt. That made them a target for any of the other factions that might wish to take advantage of their injured state.
Maybe she was being paranoid. Maybe. But she had to worry about these things. It was her duty to worry.

"The gungans? I was informed that Ootah Gunga was taken during the invasion," she answered, "Mass casualties. A 'slaughter' is the word that was used."

The Queen shook her head, thinking back to the ex Gungan General she had briefly spoken to. The haunted look in his eyes. The fact of the matter was, when it came down to it, the capital had taken priority, or so it seemed. And she wasn't entirely comfortable with that fact.


[member="Andromeda Versai"] [member="Ysanae Vela"] [member="Ayden Cater"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]