Initiation - Locating The Palace of Piethet Brighteyes [PM to Join]

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas"] [member="Torvas Vief"]

Onboard the ISS Mikoshi, Kitsune sat peacefully inside of her private quarters. Holding her personal datapad casually with one hand and a tea cup in the other, she analyzed the files of Torvas Vief. The newest recruit that someone had plucked from the flocks of purposeless and worthless sheep. But she saw something more to Torvas Vief...potential.

Potential which could be exploited for her own gain and purpose. The purpose of the Inari Shogunate.

Currently, the purpose was discovering the vast hordes of wealth aboard the treasure ship, the Palace of Piethet Brighteyes. To the sentient beings of the galaxy, it was a myth and a legend. Even in 13 ABY, Imperial Admiral Kosh Teradoc of the Galactic Empire was beguiled by a member of the Wraith Squadron, Garik Loran, that such a treasure existed. Thus, after this particular event, the Galactic Empire was further ridiculed, especially Admiral Kosh Teradoc, and furthermore, the existence of the Palace of the Piethet Brighteyes was discredited. But Kitsune knew that in legends and myths, there were facts.

Facts that could be profited from.

The ISS Mikoshi idled on the fringes of the Bespin system. She waited for Torvas's arrival.

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

The Shistavanen was probably the best man (wolf?) for the job, considering the fact that Kitsune was looking for someone to exploit for her own gain and purpose while, at the same time, he had been looking for someone to lead him in what seemed like a lawless and disjointed galaxy. Strength was something he admired, and he looked for someone to wield his own in service of.

Eventually he had come close enough to the aforementioned vessel to open communications. Glaring down at the screen in front of him, he pushed a control with his paw and allowed the individual on the other end to view the minimalist-designed yet elegant trappings of his shuttle.

"This is the Needle Rat requesting permission to dock."

Having come from the Bespin system, Torvas' shuttle would have certainly checked out. While other pilots would have just flown right up and felt the need to rendezvous with the fleet, he was far more professional. It was, perhaps, because of his years of dealing with those who weren't.

Under his watch those vessels that didn't identify when asked got shot straight down.

"I have orders to approach the ISS Mikoshi and meet with the Mistress Daimyo."

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]

The chief engineer in the hangar bay nodded as he got the message from the command bridge and initiated the docking protocols of the ISS Mikoshi by activating the two tractor beam projectors, which slowly decelerated the Needle Rat and brought it smoothly inside of the hangar bay. The chief engineer sighed as the shuttle touched base inside the hangar and initiated a full-system scan of the Needle Rat, searching for any abnormalities and passengers aboard the ship. Content that only the known sentient being, Torvas, and a droid companion was found along with the fact that there seemed to be no deviations in the energy and magnetic flux fields that would have indicated any lethal weapons on board, the chief engineer sighed in relief.

The circular and elegant command room was situated several meters above the base of the hangar bay and was emplaced into the wall, overlooking the entirety of the room. Here, the chief engineer could deftly monitor all of the occurrences in the hangar bay visually, and the computer systems of the command room were equipped with the necessary facilities to monitor all of the ISS Mikoshi's systems. Of course, no systems could be altered without direct orders and confirmation from the Goddess Kitsune herself and cautionary measures were placed in the event of security breaches within the hangar. The chief engineer lifted herself from her chair and nodded to her two seated technical advisers, which were monitoring the ship at the moment, and left the command room.

Slowly descending from the command room in a secured turbolift, she stepped onto the hangar bay and only a few meters away from the hallway which led to the interiors of the ship. Immediately flanked by two heavily armored guards, donned in white heavy battle armor and equipped with two Kiyohime-class Blaster Rifles, she went to greet the incoming visitor.

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

As the shuttle landed, the wings on the side folded up in the usual manner of that particular class of vehicle. Only after they were completely in place did the nose start to open and thus form a ramp that could be used to walk down. Once the ramp was in place, which generated quite an impressive sound in its own right, the sounds of footfalls slowly descending the aforementioned metal passage echoed throughout the bay.

Curiously, it had seemed as though Torvas was actually first before his droid. While his mechanized copilot was indeed with him, it seemed that the unarmed Shistavanen was either incredibly trustworthy of the situation or simply believed in facing every situation head-on regardless of what it might hold.

Irrespective of the brashness of his entry, he gave off a sense of dignity and professionalism. While they might have taken his rapid ion blaster away from him, Cloud City's police chief hadn't taken away the fighting spirit that he had long flaunted.

Despite catching a glimpse of the very impressive weapons that the landing vessel's guards brandished, he made no aggressive move at all yet. Instead he stood there and waited to be greeted in the appropriate fashion. Having adjusted his flight jacket as best as he could, the canine man continued to step forward and then finally came to a total halt. While he had expected to meet the Daimyo herself, it seemed as though he were to first have the dignity of speaking to her engineer.

"I was not briefed as to your name, though I understand that names have power and I realize you may not have wished me to know who you are. I am Torvas Vief; former officer of the law."

His mannerisms were still quite professional, though his voice carried with it a guttural sound that was of course a product of his canine heritage. Looking forward he leaned over and non-verbally requested that his droid not introduce himself before they had received further instruction.

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]
The chief engineer paused as Torvas disembarked from his ship. Almost immediately, all activity inside of the hangar ceased as every single member of the crew gave Torvas a condescending and angry look: for the isolationist and strongly xenophobic society, which was not against aliens like the Empire, but rather, all outsiders, having a non-Human outsider boarding the sanctum and holiest place in the Inari Shogunate was abhorred. Several engineers within the bay menacingly grimaced as Torvas waited on board his ship. If he were to step foot on the ship itself, there was a high possibility that he would be executed on the spot by the nearest individual.

Fortunately, the chief engineer had enough authority to quickly dispel the hostile atmosphere with a single brief introduction, "Welcome, Torvas, to the Inari Shogunate and the ISS Mikoshi."

Almost immediately, everyone in the entire room resumed their activities, although a few remained, either out of curiosity or suspicion, keen on Torvas's presence. The noise of long-term repairs and small engineering projects soon overwhelmed the room, although the chief engineer, with excellent enunciation and voice projection, was able to state to Torvas clearly, "Follow me."

The heels of her shiny military boots softly clapped against the lackluster hangar bay floors until reaching an elaborate and expensively decorated lobby room. In the lobby, there was an assortment of fine leather chairs, although it seemed that the room was prepared for his arrival and arranged to accommodate Torvas and the chief engineer at a small duskwood table.

She sat down on the opposite end of the table, with her two guards standing behind her, and motioned for Torvas to be seated directly across from her.

"Take a seat. I'll answer any questions you have."

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

In a twist of fate, Torvas welcomed the sneers. He was brash enough to continue walking forward down the ramp without allowing those aforementioned stares to interrupt his chain of thought. Eventually, though, the chief engineer had dispelled it all anyway and he had thus been allowed to walk on the deck of this most holy sanctum of a vessel.

To some degree he admired that level of devotion. Even here on the deck in this room the people here must have considered this vessel to be that special if they were so ready to kill him in cold blood just for walking on it. Ironically, he thought that this meant that he was going to fit in quite nicely.

One of the things he noticed, however, was that the brief introduction didn't really include the other individual's name. Perhaps when he had suggested that names have power he wasn't too far off.

Eventually he started to follow when ordered, having taken in the sights of the engineering projects that were even now surrounding him as he had left.

"My droid comes with me."

It was spoken as though it were an order in spite of the fact that he had no authority here. Torvas figured, however, that the chief engineer would have a great deal of respect for strength and therefore he did not ask so much as announced.

Though his canine features didn't show it too much, with the exception of his ears rising up over his head, Torvas was surprised to see this opulent of a room. It was remarkable compared to the elegant simplicity that he was used to back on Cloud City.

Soon he was seated, though his droid Eight-Cee would have actually stayed behind had he been so ordered.

"Questions? Well, I will admit that there are many that I have. It is not every day that one finds a race so bold as to state that their individual leader is a divinity. There are fewer peoples who would construct a meeting room so...pleasant when they are otherwise deadly. I will admit that this display has, thus far, impressed me."

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]

The chief engineer simply nodded upon the bringing of the droid, but looked back at the command room for indication of the droid's status. Her subordinate officer gave her a nod, signalling that scans had indicated no presence of anything lethal or deadly and the lack of a signal scrambling and jamming system. She turned back at Torvas and simply proceeded to the lobby. As Torvas and the chief engineer exited the hangar, a group of sanitation workers began scrubbing and cleaning the path Torvas and his droid had taken.

As they were seated in the makeshift meeting room, a maid dressed in a simple white silk and armorweave kimono with blue decorative pieces came from the shadows with a duskwood tray. On top of the tray lied two white jade cups and a steaming teapot, and the maid carefully placed the cups in front of the chief engineer and Torvas, before proceeding to pour a small amount of green tea in both. The chief engineer immediately took the cup and smelled its aroma; satisfied, she took a sip and the maid bowed in response before disappearing once again.

She replied formally, "Thank you. I am here to brief you on the mission we have in store for you today. You have been brought to the ISS Mikoshi in order to locate the treasure ship, The Palace of the Piethet Brighteyes. Yes, you may know of this ship as a figment of legend but we have calculated, based on flight records and extensive research about the ship itself, a rough estimate of where it maybe. As you know, luxury is a commodity which must be purchased, and the Inari Shogunate is seeking the wealth it needs to finance its ..."

She pauses for a moment to add emphasis, "Endeavors. If you do not have any other individual questions not pertinent to the mission at hand, I'll simply continue."

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

At one point Torvas was quite armed, and naturally so to was his droid before being turned over to him. However, he was poor of weaponry ever since leaving Cloud City and therefore the aforementioned traffic control droid easily passed all of those scans.
It was...distasteful to Torvas, but he knew things would improve in the long run. If nothing else he at least had his claws and fangs to rely on, and that was more than could be said for most folks.

Looking toward the sanitation workers, he paused for a moment and blinked, "Should we have undergone some type of ritualistic cleansing before stepping foot here?"

This seemed to be the last of the questions that he had that did not directly pertain to the mission, and thus his query had incidentally answered her and allowed her to continue, though he did have one other comment.

"I have heard of The Palace of the Piethet Brighteyes and while she may be a thing of legend, all legends are based in at least a little bit of fact."

He remained silent for a few moments, mulling it over. Admittedly this was a much bigger and more.... unique job than he might have otherwise thought that it would be. He figured that he would have just been given the same types of tasks that any bounty hunter or scoundrel would have to prove his salt and improve his standing with these people.

Torvas was, fortunately for him, very wrong indeed. Treasure hunting was something for a better class of rogue, and ultimately Torvas hoped that he would have shown sufficient potential here to actually make it as one of them. It was going to be incredibly difficult, and he recognized this only all too well, but he knew that he simply throve on challenges and welcomed this like any other.

With that, he ceased his internal monologue, waiting for her to further describe what his role would be in the mission. He figured he wouldn't have had to say; she would have simply continued if he provided no further input.

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]

The chief engineer paused for a moment and noticed that Torvas could have felt offended by the staff cleaning after him. She stated, "The ISS Mikoshi is maintained to be a completely sterile environment and thus, utmost sanitation and cleanliness is necessary. In addition, although your intentions are pure, it maybe possible that you may have brought harmful biological or chemical compounds within the ship and thus compromising the environment we have carefully crafted on the ISS Mikoshi. I apologize if this was offensive in anyway, Torvas, but it is simply standard protocols that we must do."

She bowed her head and for the first time, directly addressed Torvas for the first time.

"Your reputation precedes you, I hope you do understand that this is both in a positive and negative capacity. Your skills brought you here, but outsiders are viewed with extreme disdain. You will have a difficult time progressing, and Humans were only newly introduced to the Inari Shogunate. They have comprised of a large portion of the lowest ranks and positions; race is of no issue, however, your current status as an outsider makes many wary."

She took another sip of her tea before placing it down beside her. She retrieved a nearby datapad and began scrolling through a variety of files, most likely of Torvas's backgrounds and skills. Without looking up, she stated, "The reason why we quire your presence is due to the fact Kitsune is seeking the assistance of an outsider. You see, the Inari Shogunate's status is current completely isolationist and non-interventionist, with painstaking measures to prevent discovery of the Inari Shoguante as well as means to keep its existence veiled in secrecy. Our goddess has done an extraordinary job of concealing this fact and working for the betterment of the Inari Shogunate, while maintaining her guise as one of the Shadow Dynasty's commanding officers. However, she requires assistance in the seeking of this treasure ship: the involvement of those within the Inari Shogunate would compromise its secrecy."

The chief engineer paused and looked behind her into the shadows. The maid returned into view and bowed. Before the maid could respond, she requested, "Bring me Amanojaku."

Before the maid could bow, Amanojaku revealed himself from the shadows of the corridors. He smiled and was dressed in raggedy armorweave clothing. He simply nodded at Torvas to follow him down the corridor he emerged from. As they walked, the corridor sealed completely, immediately sanitizing Amanojaku, Torvas, and the droid with an array of noxious gases and ultraviolet beams instantly sterilized Torvas and his droid. The gases and beams were not harmful in anyway, but it was certainly surprising. In the meanwhile, sanitation workers began sterilizing the entirety of the room they were just in.

Bringing Torvas to a spartan room with a sleeping mat, several plastoid weapon cases, and finally, a set of armorweave martial arts training uniform, or a keikogi. There were a built-in locker which was embedded in the wall, while another door leading to a compact refresher. He simply pointed into the room and stated, "The cases have everything you need. Kiyohime-class Blaster Rifle. Two Janjanbi-class Slugthrower Pistol. Twelve II-EEa Phobium-based Powercells. Six Hitodama-class Grenades. One Kosenjobi-class Personal Projectile Launcher. And one sharpened force pike. Your other belongings will be brought to the room in a few moments. You have been given a human servant by the Goddess to assist you. We will be traveling into hyperspace in a few moments."

He nods before letting Torvas settle into the room, as well as get dressed.

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

"My questions were purely of a practical nature; I did not feel offended, but rather asked if the reason I was being cleaned had to do with...other matters." In addition to sterility, Torvas assumed that they also had to keep the place cleaned for spiritual reasons and therefore made the offer that he did. "Regardless, your apologies are unnecessary. A man of my capabilities is not so easily insulted."

Once more, her words were taken more as a challenge than as something to disappoint him. "I realize full well that outsiders are mostly unwelcome here. That simply means that I will have to work that much harder to prove myself, and I welcome that fact."

Should she have been paying close enough attention, she might very well have noticed that he was wagging his tail in response to what was being said, though he had no idea whether members of her species would pay close attention to things that were more geared toward communication with fellow canines.

Having listened to his orders, Torvas didn't speak another word. He felt they were unnecessary, and anyway he believed that he had understood everything that she had said. Considering that he was an outsider it was surely doubtful that he would have shown anyone else the location of the fleet.

He wasn't going to do anything that could have jeopardized their secrecy if they were going to be so kind as to give him a job, and beside...having heard the way that the chief engineering officer had been speaking, Torvas was truly starting to believe that Kitsune was, indeed, a goddess.

Once Amanojaku arrived, Torvas bowed politely and followed him. Admittedly, he wondered if those beams were so harmless to the others. He was a canine and therefore lacked exposed skin. Naturally his droid was mechanical, and therefore not at risk for cancer. The others, however, were furless humanoid organisms and he thought that exposing them to ultraviolet radiation might not have been for the best.

These thoughts were, however, kept solely to himself.

To be honest, he was pleased that the room that he was brought to was so simple. Elegant simplicity was much more his style, judging by the fact that the interior of his ship Needle Rat was decorated in the classical Imperial style. "I am grateful to your generosity. This will be more than sufficient; while I do not believe I require a servant, it is in incredibly poor taste to reject a gift from a divinity. Where will I meet the individual in question?"

As soon as Amanojaku answered his question and left, Torvas would have busied himself getting dressed and readied. A keikogi was certainly a good garment to wear if he was going to be seeing any heavy violent action for sure, and the weapons that he had been provided with were certainly first rate.

He was surely a fan of melee attacks, especially those making use of his own natural fangs and claws, so the force pike was a nice addition to the lot. Still, he was not one to think that things would be 'easy' by any means. Underestimating something was a sure way to loose out.

 

[Kitsune]

A few moments passed aboard the ship: it was hard to tell if it was minutes or hours, as time seemingly was internalized, as well as everything else on board the ship. Everything seemingly relied on the subtle nods, gestures, and carefully chosen words expressed by the entirety of the crew and subsequent guards aboard the ship. And noise was restricted to a bare minimum, and the ship was surrounded in a holy atmosphere of purity and peace. Absolute tranquility.

Soon, Amanojaku knocked on Torvas's door before nodding for him to follow him. He immediately left to the hangar bay and entered, where a single unidentifiable civilian shuttle was awaiting. He nodded once more before leaving from the hangar bay. Inside of the hangar, there was absolutely no one and two Samurai stood outside of the ship and next to the landing ramp. They held their hands on their katana and awaited for the last passenger to board the ship.

Inside, the ship was unremarkable in all fashions with exception to the extensive air lock systems that secured the cockpit and the passenger bay and its crew: the crew were seemingly normal in comparison to the rest of those on the ISS Mikoshi, yet they seemed sophisticated in some matter. There were three pilots, dressed in full flight suits and stationed in the cockpit, while four Samurai stood in the passenger bay, which was converted into an office. Kitsune was seated at the desk facing the airlock and at the aft of the ship, reading from her datapad. Without looking up, she stated, "Welcome Torvas."

 

[Torvas Vief]

Honestly, Torvas had gotten used to the fact that space travel could sometimes be awkward, that was as far as the passage of time went. It had a great deal to do with the idea of time dilation, which was only made all the worse by the use of hyperdrive technology to propel spacecraft. As a result, he didn't question the fact that time just seemed to be internalized.

Then again, there were few places more pleasant than this to spend time in. While he naturally still felt odd considering that wolves were territorial creatures and he had been thrown out of Cloud City - a city which he was sworn to protect and uphold - this place did indeed have a holy atmosphere that he had deeply admired. He would be proud to defend this order as much as he did his last.

Following Amonjaku as he led them out to the landing ramp. Once he boarded the ship, he noted the extensive airlocks but understood them. It was good in case something was to happen the pilots or crew could be independently protected. However, when he finally came to face the woman that was reading from a datapad, he immediately realized that it was to keep this compartment clean from beings lesser than her.

He was soon averting his mere mortal eyes from her. Torvas got down on one knee and bowed his head after having taken a single additional step forward.

He was a particularly spiritual man and it was soon clear that he truly had believed he was meeting a goddess.

"What is your bidding, my Mistress?"

Rather than share a greeting, the Shistavanen spoke the only words that he had felt were necessary for this meeting in her office. She was his new Mistress, and she was someone who seemed just ready to use as much force as necessary to maintain order. Despite having only met her now at her desk, should she have just said the word he would have gladly killed on her behalf.

At times, it would seem, having the reputation of a Daimyo carried with it a great deal of prestige.

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]

"Mistress?" Kitsune inquired curiously. That was a first, really. She had never been called a Mistress before. Not that titles really mattered to her, but the necessity of titles were important. "I would prefer if you could just refer to me as the Goddess in front of others in the Inari Shogunate or just Kitsune in private. I don't particularly care about the rigidities of social protocol, but in the Inari Shogunate its a must. And thus, a term like Mistress sounds degrading."

"But, please. Have a seat." Kitsune stated, before motioning with her hand in the space in front of her. Immediately, a guard pulled the chair in front of Kitsune's desk and bowed before returning to his position. "We probably have departed by now, so could you tell me more about yourself in the meanwhile? And also, why you decided to join us in the first place."

The shuttle would arrive quickly to the hyperspace location along with its escort of two Rogue-class Starfighters, only to meet the unexpected.

 

[Torvas Vief]

"There was no offense intended by my manner of address. You will have to excuse me; I have a history of a member of a professional police organization. Mistress is the feminine form of Master; in the Bespin Wing Guard it does not carry the negative connotation it would otherwise. The derogatory term is a modern invention. Irrespective of this, I find that even in private it would be unusual to address a divinity by a name, but I will do as I am asked without further question. You have my apologies."

For the time being the Shistavanen didn't actually stand, but he eventually did once he was asked to take a seat. Having sat down, he looked up slowly though still felt unusual having actually looked at her. Unlike her, he was someone who felt everything needed a strict rigid social protocol and in his world every decision and action needed to be guided by a complex set of rules.

"To be honest I am under the impression that you know most of what there is to know about me at this point. For the last two decades I protected Cloud City from the criminal element that constantly threatens to wreak havoc and ruin there. Unfortunately the current Baron Administrator's office felt that I was a little too...heavy in my manner of dealing with individuals."

He looked up to her once more. "If I may be perfectly frank...they were far too soft on crime. What is more civilized - a society that kills a criminal in self-defense to protect innocent people, or a society that allows them to run free and terrorize the citizenry? Needless to say I ventured here and wished to join your organization because it had at least appeared to be one that actually still valued order."

Having felt a slight motion underneath him that was mostly eliminated by way of their vessel's inertial dampers, he allowed his tail to wag slightly. "Have we dropped out of hyperspace?"

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]

"None was taken, but a mere cautionary warning. Social structures and practices within the Inari Shogunate are complex and difficult to learn in the first place. And well, those among us look at outsiders with even greater scrutiny, so only a cautionary notice. I'll tell you frankly, I'm ruthlessly pragmatic. I have no care about frivolous social practices, standards, and rules unless they suit my needs. This is what our society is. Of course, the rest of the Inari Shogunate may have an entire system of honor among themselves, I do not have the luxury of such things. Honor is for those who are privileged, and leaders are never privileged." She explained to Torvas as he was seated.

"Of course, the formalities within our society are also tedious, but they vastly improve law and order within it. Thus, a necessity for those below me, but not for myself." Kitsune continued. She placed down her datapad and looked directly into Torvas's eyes.

"You see Torvas. I have read over your dossier. I have read over your files. And particularly, I do not care about why you were asked to leave. From what I can tell, you excel at what you do, and I require your talents at the moment. There is nothing more, and nothing less...But that is only for now. It is up to you to prove that you, yourself, are worthy to be among our ranks." Kitsune continued, and picked up here datapad once again.

As the ship slightly dipped below due to the ship emerging from hyperspace, Kitsune rose immediately and nodded to the Samurai. Kitsune answered his question: "It seems as if we have arrived. We will be docking with the ISS Last Ronin and proceed with our mission. This shuttle does not meet the requirements necessary for the operations that follow."

The Samurai swiftly opened the airlock system and blast doors before waiting outside in the intermediate corridor. Two of the three pilots, as one was piloting the ship, stood outside of the cockpit and bowed as Kitsune exited from her personal quarters. She nodded and descended down from the boarding ramp and into the Consular-class Cruiser (Charger c70 Retrofit) ISS Last Ronin. From the port view you could see three Arquitens-class Light Cruisers as well as 120 V-19 Torrent Starfighters and 30 Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 Starfighters.

As soon as you attempt to board the ship, Kitsune turns around and states, "Oh, you are staying here. You are leading the fleet into the upcoming incursion. I'll be assessing your tactical finesse and leadership abilities. You will be brought to the forward most Arquitens-class Light Cruisers."

She disembarks, leaving you to assess your decision of coming here in the first place and now, the doubts of leadership.

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

"As I am sure that you had realized by now, I am one to deeply respect complex social structures. To that end, I am glad you offered the warning even if you, yourself, were quite the pragmatist."

Bowing his head respectfully as he continued to listen to her instructions and comments on the issues that were at hand.

While the Inari Shogunate certainly seemed quite different from the lifestyle that he was thus far used to, it placed a huge emphasis on order and respect and those were two things that he very deeply valued.

"I trust that I will continue to excel at what I do here as you said that I had done there in the past, regardless of whatever reasons I was rejected. The fact that I have to prove myself means that I will simply have to work that much harder in order to ensure that I am indeed able to prove myself."

With a gentle wag of his tail, he nodded silently in understanding of the fact that the shuttle that they were aboard wasn't going to be sufficient in completing the mission profile that he had needed to complete. It was, however, her next words after the docking maneuvers were completed that were, indeed, a bit more shocking to him.

Rather than show the various obvious doubts of leadership and skill that came anytime that a great deal of responsibility were thrust on someone's shoulders, the wolfman allowed himself but one comment as she was leaving.

"My droid comes with me."

It was a show of strength, but not of defiance, given more as a statement rather than a request or a demand. Turning around then as she was disembarking, he turned around and allowed himself to get ready for the coming expedition.

Considering the fact that he was not a starship commander it was strange to him, but he didn't lack leadership experience or time in space. Exhaling deeply, he did his best to shrug away the giant emotions that were lingering above him and he equally did his absolute best to ensure that he would not illustrate any of these to the world around him.

Then again, it was certainly difficult to do. How many other people could say that they were genuinely on a mission from a Goddess? Torvas certainly had a great deal to leave up to that was for sure.

As he started to walk forward on the deck, he did his best to respond to the situation in a responsible and professional fashion in spite of any feelings of doubt that he might have had. "Status report!"

He trusted that someone, anyone, might have heard the order and at least updated him on the situation. With a fleet this size there was surely plenty of news to deal with...

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]

Kitsune simply nodded from Torvas's words and stood there as he disembarked from the ship. As soon as he boarded the next vessel, Kitsune turned around and returned to her quarters. She ordered, "Fall back to the rear of the fleet."

The pilots bowed before returning to the cockpit to execute her orders. The Consular-class Cruiser (Charger c70 Retrofit) ISS Last Ronin did a quick turn before looping in a 180 degree turn and reversing its previous direction.

...

As soon as Torvas was brought to the leading Arquitens-class Light Cruisers via the shuttle, the shuttle disconnected from the docking tubes of the Arquitens-class Light Cruisers and returned the rear of the fleet alongside the ISS Lost Ronin. As he approached the deck, the entirely human crew of the ship bowed and returned to their positions. The two Rogue-class Starfighters idled beside the shuttle.

The previous captain of the ship, who was now relegated to the role of an adjutant, approached Torvas and bowed once more. "Greetings. I am one of the Heads of the Nezumi Clan. I previously captained this vessel, and the entire crew of this ship belongs to my family. Other families of my Clan commandeer the other two Arquitens-class Light Cruisers as well as all the fighters you see here."

After the brief introduction, he continued to give him a status report of the ship, "All systems are fully functional. Our current heading is 0 degrees from the starboard and we are approaching the rendezvous point shortly. We are expecting a force of equal size and firepower protecting the Palace of the Piethet Brighteyes. They are a group of pirates who currently protect the wealth. For what reason they have remained sedentary this entire time is unknown, although we suspect the influence of the Force."

"What are your orders?"

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

Secretly, Torvas had hoped that they wouldn't touch Needle Rat since he poured so much work into her, but then again if you couldn't trust a Goddess and her crew then who could you trust? Being fortunately accompanied by his droid as he continued to walk forward toward the lights around him.

This particular arrangement of ship was a bit difficult to get used to at first, but soon enough he had his bearings. As someone who had grown from a species of canines, Torvas couldn't distinguish certain colors so it was mildly drab at first even though he figured that others must have seen it brilliantly.

Once the previous captain of the ship bowed, Torvas returned the gesture though his wasn't as deep. It was a polite gesture born of protocol, and was not one of submissiveness. The Shistavanen figured that he was going to have to illustrate some strength to avoid looking as though he were one who was unfit and unsuited for commanding a vessel such as this one, let alone the fleet of vessels that aid it.

Continuing to walk should his adjutant and first mate continue to do so, he listened to the assessment of the situation.

"Should I understand what you are suggesting to me, the pirates that currently protect the wealth are being held back by the Force? If that were the case, would it not be wisest to attack immediately upon arrival before they realize what hit them and before they had an opportunity to group up beyond what they already are?"

He then nodded again, "The sacrifice of your family will never be forgotten." The comment was added as an addendum to the previous commentary that he had shared with him.

Naturally he wanted to get through this confrontation with as little loss of life - on their side - as possible. That was why he was suggesting the attack as he had, though he wasn't going to finalize it as an order until he had all the information available that he could get.

In a way, since they were going to be fighting pirates, this wasn't going to be that different from police work. He felt he could eliminate these criminals as he had done so many times before...

 

[Kitsune]

[member="Torvas Vief"]

"In order to clarify, the pirates are controlled by some outside entity, possibly from the extension of the Force. Kitsune herself has detected discrepancies in the Force around the site, and thus, is most likely true. We don't know how they will react to an external stimuli." He stated matter-of-factly. He didn't mention anything about Torvas's statements regarding his family, although it was evident that he was pleased and content, relaxing his tense disposition and body language.

"If you give us further orders regarding our modus operandi of entering this situation, in a tactical sense, we will do our best to accommodate." He added, nodding in agreement with his sentiment.

...

Meanwhile, Kitsune waited for Torvas to engage, and decided that it would be best to investigate into these matters privately. Sending out her two Rogue-class Starfighters as initial reconnaissance, they approached the large ship unharmed and untouched by the pirates. However, suddenly, as soon as they reached close viscinity to the ship, tractor beams were immediately initiated and the starfighters were slowly pulled in. The Rogue-class Starfighters luckily were able to avoid being tractor beamed inside of the vessel and barely escaped back to Kitsune's side.

Kitsune, wanting to investigate further into why they would tractor beam the ships rather than attack, commed Torvas's fleet and stated, "This looks like it will be a boarding action rather than a direct confrontation on the naval field."

 

[Torvas Vief]

[member="Kitsune"]

"I understand what you are saying. There are things in this universe we do not understand, and perhaps there are some that we very well should not." With a bit of a carefully placed exhalation that seemed entirely canine in every sense of the word, Torvas started to look over a display screen.

Admittedly he was not used to this technology, since his vision required a few special considerations, but he was doing quite well with it as he planned out a tactical position that he would, in a few moments, share with the individual. "Having seen the size of the pirate fleet that were are viewing, it should not be difficult to provide a plan of attack that takes into consideration the information you have shared with me."

He looked ready to take on a greater dissertation, and wanted to share his thought out plan with the other individual. Despite his previous trepidation, he was now getting into the role that had been chosen for him.

That was until a com-link interrupted his chain of thought. Looking up and sharing a polite gesture with the aforementioned Goddess, he blinked and with that was forced to throw his entire idea out the proverbial window.

"I appreciate the information, and will begin planning a proper boarding action."

Turning around again toward the individual who was previously the commanding officer of this ship, Torvas allowed his tail to completely droop. "I trust that you could bring me a strike team of your best officers and men to take these criminals on directly. Am I right in this assumption?"

Finally he allowed himself another brief pause before speaking once more, "It goes without saying that I will be fighting alongside the team personally, as will you." While he didn't say anything further on the matter, it was also a foregone conclusion that his droid companion would accompany them as well.