Populate Inquest | GA Population of Gargolyn IV

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia froze, the air growing sour with a realization.

"Wait."



"You mean the men that used children?" He had never told her what had been done to him. Not in detail. She never needed them, life as a slave made it really easy to fill in the blanks.

But he wasn't a slave. He was a member of the 'great alliance.'

"You have government members involved in child abusing crime circles." Her voice was monotone. None reactive. This wasn't the first GA senator to be killed and shown with connections to slave rings. Her thoughts were easy to read. H y p o c r i t s. The reality was, he had left GA for a reason. She had left TSE for a reason. No parties were innocents in the wars that had devastated countless. Aradia and Zaavik had problems with them both.


Her chest felt empty. She wondered for a crushing moment if there was even such a thing as a good guy. What was the point of all of this? They were trying to crumble empires and enact change, but Zaavik was right--

His death meant chit in the grand scheme of it.



Her eyes snapped to his. "So it's still happening and they're wasting their time chasing you." Her lips pulled over her teeth in a faint growl.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"Your government members are involved child abusing crime circles."

"I don't know about that. Maybe? His name was the only one I could dig up that wasn't someone I'd never heard of and wouldn't begin to know how to find. I looked into Tambor, Tithe, and others but came up with nothing. Well, nothing other than what you'd expect from guys that rich." Gat Tambor had been the next name on his list, although for different reasons entirely. To think that he voted for the man once-upon-a-time still put a rancid taste in his mouth. Zaavik couldn't ever blow the whistle due to the risk of being asked why and/or how he knew these things.

"They're all bastards, but I don't think every one of them are complicit in that."

The list would have been longer.

"So it's still happening and they're wasting their time chasing you."

"Jedi and Senators have a bad recent history. I'm not the first one to do something like that. I have a hunch I'm not even the latest anymore." Why else would interest in his crime suddenly spike? Not that it had ever been a non-issue, but his gut told him it was getting worse. Allyson knew, last time he heard. That had to mean she wasn't alone in the knowledge. When did suspect become culprit? How? Why?

"You don't get away with murder against the people in control. Doesn't matter what they did or what they deserved. If they want their justice, they won't stop to get it."

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia yanked her hand back.

"I hate this." Her fingers dragged through hair, no longer calm as she sat inside the reveal.

They were suppose to be putting this all down. She wanted to. She really did. But then she heard news like this and she couldn't help the way it made her blood boil. People everywhere sucked.

It wasn't okay. It needed to be fixed, before more kids ended up like him and her. It wasn't about borders anymore. Corruption touched everyone.

How do you purge a whole galaxy of its influence?

Their research for their little homestead at the edge of nothing was left forgotten at her feet. Her hands remained clenched in her hair, her eyes darting to and fro.

"They won't touch you," she swore, her voice low and thick.

"I won't let them."

Zaavik Perl

 

[Shoma Ike]

Objective I: Confidant
Coruscant | Senate Hearing Room​

The pleasantries that he'd expressed were returned in kind.

Auteme would have done well in the Atrisian court. Her poise and demeanor allowed both of them to save face in light of the proceedings. But, beneath the words, Shoma was aware of a subtle shift.

"Yes, I did know Zaavik. Our Order is small, and I make sure to acquaint myself with every Jedi who calls our Temple home."

He could not have described it even had he wanted to. Almost as though someone were muting their presence in the Force. The teen betrayed no expression as he observed the testimony.

Was it deceptive? Or to provide cover for a deception? He would like to assume that neither was the case. And, could not opine as to either question. Least of all in the current proceedings, where his own Force Sensitivity and Jedi training could be called into question.

In either case, Auteme was far more skilled in the Force than he. He could not even have said for certain that Auteme was the one who had used the Force. Merely a feeling of... obfuscation. A feeling which left him with questions that could only be asked based on an assumption, and his own neglected skill.

Neither would serve him well in these chambers.

"Perhaps you could help us extrapolate from your last statement, Knight Denke-Durron?"

Elizie Athacorr picked up the questioning, much to Shoma's relief. It gave him an opportunity to examine his own feelings and try to resolve the question of what was heard and what wasn't.

Or was he missing the point? Should his attention instead be on the interview before him, and whatever mystery of the Force he could not fathom would resolve itself in due time?

Leaning back in his chair, the youth returned his attention as Ziost and Korriban were name dropped. It seemed Senator Athakorr was addressing the bantha in the room head-on. In retrospect, a very Arkanian approach to the inquest. His eyes shifted from the Arkanian woman back to the Jedi woman, as the Atrisian waited to see how this line of questioning would bear out.

 

[Aiko Hayata]

BYOO|Coruscant| HAYATA CORP HOTEL
AIKO HAYATA, CEO OF HAYATA CORP
TAGS//: Ishida Ashina

Music


~My cares are with the home and business; one does not supersede the other.~

That was all that mattered; the duality of both causes dominated her entire life, and without Atrisia and its traditions, her entire enterprise was nothing but a hollow enterprise that had nothing to show beyond profit. Although Atrisian philosophers often spoke of the spiritual balance of complementary forces, and such ideas marked her business. Tradition did not beget innovation but complimented it; it is why she and her forebears had kept rigid to the practices of the Atrisian Zaibatsu.


~And what about you, little one, what are your cares? you seem lost in this path, i did not imagine you to walk with the Jedi.~

She respected the orders of monks on the homeworld, but a lifetime spent pondering the tremendous unknown cast away in an isolated temple had never entertained her mind. Her place and destiny had been in the mercantile side of things, as it had been her fathers and her father's father before her. Jedi were no different in that regard, only that they carried weapons and left the splendour of isolation to deal with the horrors of the great wide galaxy. She supposed that reality drove many a Jedi insane and into the arms of the dark side, some minds weren't equipped to deal with the honest truth of life and all it's horror.


~You might've made a great head of a corporation.~​

​

 

[Auteme]

Shoma Ike Elizie Athacorr DARKCOM ​

The question was almost easy, but Auteme measured her response nonetheless, reviewing every word of her response in a search for any weakness. The Senator of Arkania was not one she had acquainted herself with. While the question wasn't dangerous at its face, any response she gave could open her to exploitative follow-ups. No matter how Elizie Athacorr felt about her, others would pick up the slack. So many eyes, and only her words to distract them.

No -- it wasn't enough. Her gaze hardened for a moment. Instead, she went on the offensive.

"It's terribly inefficient to track someone's every interaction, and I believe that those who seek such... surveillance tactics stand on shaky moral foundations at best. I could not tell you Zaavik's every relationship, nor his every motive for his accused crime; such questions would be best left for when he is captured and brought to justice, whatever form that may take."

She paused, then softened, seeming instantly more amenable. "However, it would be within my power to reach out to those I believe knew him best. As I understand it, not every member of the New Jedi Order is being- interviewed. Given the demands of our various responsibilities, it may be more prudent to be patient, and gather a more complete picture of the events that have unfolded around Knight Perl."

 

[Ishida Ashina]

BYOO | CORUSCANT | HAYATA CORP HOTEL
Beyond the edge of the universe,
there's a kind of real darkness...
where even the light gone astray.
Aiko Hayata

LET THE GUNS GO OFF
​

~My cares are with the home and business; one does not supersede the other.~

Ishida hummed a small note that sounded somewhere between acceptance and admiration. The statement was so simple, so powerful, and so telling. Especially when a house was built from business; Homes like Ashina and Hayata.

~And what about you, little one, what are your cares? you seem lost in this path, i did not imagine you to walk with the Jedi.~

That sound dipped into something more sombre, exposed, and raw. A gravelly sound that shifted to the base of her throat. As if she'd been caught off guard by how transparent her trials were. Usually, the girl was stoic, silent, observant. Not a participant. But Aiko managed to see through that, enough to comment on her hollowed vulnerability.

The Jedi path had seemed straightforward, Satoshi Ashina's teachings had made it all seem so achievable and concerning everything she'd learned on Atrisia –– but ever since she'd left her homeworld, there'd been nothing but conflict, heartache and all those who were not Michael Sardun telling her she was wrong; too harsh, too brutal, too focused.

It was unnerving to hear, especially since Sardun's teachings aligned the most with House Ashina's tenents. Even now in reflection, she was forced to close her eyes. Silent reflection took over, and a span of seconds where she felt too much and too little all at once consumed her in the little booth she and the mogul shared. She might have become uncharacteristically lost if Madame Hayata hadn't continued.

~You might've made a great head of a corporation.~​

And with those few words, that one sentence, Ishida understood why the elusive CEO had taken the care and precautions to meet her in person. Her eyes snapped open.

> Still might. < She corrected.

> Honour to Sensei Satoshi Ashina. < Ishida admitted, by way of explanation. He'd been the most notable Jedi from House Ashina, enough to influence the entire code of a school of warriors. And while that wasn't a lie, the larger rationale had been to find her brother; Inosuke Ashina . Once she'd found out he existed and was still alive in exile.

> And to find my brother.. < she continued, surprising herself by the candidness. Maybe it had been because of Aiko's actual presence, or the compliment that she'd make an excellent head.

To withhold the betrayal of her own surprise, she retained a placid expression. Her mouth drew into a thin line, and she leaned back, eyeing the unlit kiseru on the tabletop. Her brother's existence had phased her, made her question her legal claim to the Ashina empire –– but her father had assured her of his favour. She'd been created to take over, groomed to be his ideal weapon. Although her education was more weighted on the side of violence, exposures to transactions weren't withheld.

> But you're not wrong. It's become more complicated from the days of my ancestor. Many things have, times have changed ––I'm sure you've heard the whispers. < Subtly, her grey gaze shifted from behind the curtain to the silhouettes of Hayata's staff intermingling with the patrons. > The war machine turns.


> The war machine turns. Credits keep it going. The Alliance is desperate to keep face. Especially after the Stygian Campaign. < Ishida kept measured with her approach, even at the reflection on the outcomes of the first war the then-nascent Alliance and New Jedi Order had found themselves in. She'd barely been part of it, but the stories Bernard had imparted about the experiences, tribulations at the outset were hard to forget.


> I'm surprised that you haven't sought to weaponize some of your assets.

Imagine the potency, how impenetrable they might be if privatized and made with the steel of my father's corporation. <

The idea was still nascent, something she'd hem-hawed idly while toying with the idea of taking the mantle from her father. While Ashina steel was incredible, its production had been limited to traditional melee weapons. Scalability was blocked by legacy's isolation, and old money would eventually turn into decrepit finances.

Withdrawing her hand from her sleeve, she rolled her fingers in sequence to gesture talons as a premiere prototype, before she reached for the pipe.

> May I? < She asked with a nod.

​

​

 

[IVI]

THE ENDANGERED DIRECTOR
CORUSCANT | SIA HEADQUARTERS | BASELINE ROOM
Allyson Locke | CLOSED
T E S T

Four walls. One chair. Sterile, empty, silent.

M was not in the room. Nobody was. That was not the procedure.

And M honoured the procedure.

For an interrogation, perhaps, she might have made an appearance. But this was not an interrogation, not at first. She'd hoped it wouldn't turn into one under these circumstances, so she'd gone ahead with the routine baseline examination for an agent that had been a long-term loyalist to the Galactic Alliance and had undergone a level of stress that could threaten the validity of the information they delivered. Loyalty was sacrosanct.

By now, Allyson'd be well-accustomed to the programmatic interview, given its requirement for all undercover or double-agents planted throughout the system. This would not be her first time and, despite all odds, M hoped it would not be the last.

So, standing stoically alongside the unseen questioner and looking in, through a machine, M watched the procedure initiate. For how long she'd remain a silent observer, not indicating for any deviation from the script, remained to be seen.

The duration, tempo and content of the test were based on the spy's response time, becoming longer and more personal if her response was slow. To both decipher loyalty and ensure the double agent's identity hadn't been lost within the mission, the questions varied from deeply personal to nationalistic. Further, to mitigate any distraction and keep the focus on the exchange, the questioner's voice was unidentifiable.

darkness makes me vulnerable. vulnerable.
but brings out one's true strength. vulnerable.
light hurts my eyes. vulnerable.
and points me out in the open but lets me see. venerable.
great distances. venerable.

---

---

​

 

[Faith Organa]

Justice Committee Room​

Evidence, that which can be used to provide proof of a crime. Faith understood this very well it was the legal system throughout the galaxy well in most systems. Bernard and the others followed the breadcrumbs that led them to a reason.

She felt that shiver run down her spine, "After reviewing that evidence, is it your opinion then that Jedi Perl's past presented an obstacle that his training and judgement were overwhelmed when it came to dealing with the Senator?" She wanted to be tactful about it, but in that tact of asking was the past the reason, it could also be twisted that Jedi Perl's emotions got the better of him and he allowed his emotions to rule. OR it could be spun that Jedi Perl acted to prevent other children from being used in the same manner....but were either of these really good reasons to act alone.

Were Jedi not to be in control of their emotions and not let them rule them...?

Faith felt that sinking feeling again one that made her squirm in her seat as she realized she was making arguments in her own mind in regards to this entire incident.

Faith looked over to Aerarii Tithe had he heard the same thing she did? Did he have a question it?

 

[Aiko Hayata]

BYOO|Coruscant| HAYATA CORP HOTEL
AIKO HAYATA, CEO OF HAYATA CORP
TAGS//: Ishida Ashina

Music

Aiko acknowledged the girl's suggestions with a sly knowing smile, knowing all too well about the profit of arms dealing. Wherever or not she would indulge Ishida with the true extent of Hayatas business in weapons, she did not know. Still, Aiko sure enjoyed the girl's enthusiasm about the subject. However, Aiko imagined she'd not be as willing to sell the idea if she knew the extent of suffering it caused the average citizen. Though, of course, the Jedi were one for contradictions, just like any other group or organisation. Although in Aiko's own case, she was pretty transparent when it came to scumbag business practices. Only against non Atrisians, of course. Or when convenient to avoid being sanctioned or charged by anti-corruption authorities within the senate.


~You are a curious little thing, aren't you?~

She nonchalantly gestured for Ishida to take the pipe; she lit up another of her cigarras and offering the younger woman a soft smirk. Aiko had shown the prototype blueprints for the Goro loitering munition drone at a prior company meeting, per usual her sister Saiko had wholeheartedly endorsed the project while older figures in the board of directors disagreed about the usage of it being sold, citing the dishonourable nature in which it killed and the ramifications of making it available on the market and potentially in the hands of warlords. In typical fashion, Aiko torpedoed their concerns, citing company innovation and the pursuit of profit being paramount over silly worries about the product's destructive nature. Why would she wish to worry about what it did once it was in the buyer's hands? what they did with it wasn't her concern; the profit margins were. And she needed a project that would outsell the far expensive dross the Nakaioma clan were flooding the market with. In comparison to the Nakaioma drones, the Goro was far cheaper and, for its price, very appealing to criminals and militaries looking to increase their destructive output for less of an overall fee.


~Don't waste your life pursuing some fairy tale crusade across the galaxy fighting the horrors of the night, when it's time, come home and expand upon your fathers dreams and take it to new heights.~

Aiko paused before looking her in the eye, a serious tone in her voice as she placed her cigarra in the tray and folded her arms in her lap.

~Honour him, it is our way.~​

​

 

[Elizie Athacorr]

Objective I: Confidant
Coruscant, Senate Hearing Room
Auteme Shoma Ike DARKCOM
​

Even before Auteme answered, she was quietly and patiently observing the young woman. The Shield of the Jedi was clearly taking her time to frame her answer, debating internally on how she wanted to respond. Her posture stiffened minutely, a firmness coming to her eyes. Offense or a deflection, she wondered.

"It's terribly inefficient to track someone's every interaction, and I believe that those who seek such... surveillance tactics stand on shaky moral foundations at best. I could not tell you Zaavik's every relationship, nor his every motive for his accused crime; such questions would be best left for when he is captured and brought to justice, whatever form that may take."

Both it would seem, she thought with some amusement. She softened her next words, a deliberate act she was certain, one learned from her time interacting with the Senate... her gray eyes drifted to the holographic Senator of Epoch even as Auteme continued to speak, with one Senator in particular.

"However, it would be within my power to reach out to those I believe knew him best. As I understand it, not every member of the New Jedi Order is being- interviewed. Given the demands of our various responsibilities, it may be more prudent to be patient, and gather a more complete picture of the events that have unfolded around Knight Perl."

Such a well reasoned and... time consuming compromise. One could see it as a mild concession, a small olive branch to the inquest. But they would be wrong. The young Council member must have known some sort of questioning of the sort would be coming her way and she had decided to deflect and stall, to try and turn the conversation.

"So you are implying that the New Jedi Order, and more importantly the Council, do not keep track of the movements of their Knights in any way? Or who they might be talking to or learning from other than their Masters?" she asked. "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, and correct me if I am wrong in this implication, but wouldn't that open up each and every single member of your Order to the accusation of being a security risk to the Alliance?"

She would let her question linger for a moment before continuing.

"If that is the case, Knight Denke-Durron, then how can the Senate or the Defense Force or the SIA trust the Jedi to not reveal secrets, either intentionally or unintentionally, to those that seek the destruction of this nation? I know one answer in the past has been that the Jedi have the Force, that we can trust them to make the right decisions and to sense deceptions, to enact justice, but forgive me, but that answer rings hollow to the many that don't have your gifts."

She leaned forward ever so slightly.

"We want to trust you, I certainly do, but you have to give us a reason to. This goes beyond Knight Perl and his actions, this even goes beyond the reported war crimes committed by certain members of your own Order that went unpunished or investigated that this board will be addressing. So, without the deflection, answer my previous question and then this far more important one... give us a concrete reason or proof that we can trust you and your word."

 

[Ishida Ashina]

BYOO | CORUSCANT | HAYATA CORP HOTEL
Beyond the edge of the universe,
there's a kind of real darkness...
where even the light gone astray.
Aiko Hayata

ORNAMENT
​

~You are a curious little thing, aren't you?~

Her jaw tightened, and she cocked her head slightly at the non-committal observation from the Hayata tycoon. It was a curious thing to say after Ishida’s suggestion, and she wasn’t sure how to go about it. Though, from her experience, the things people chose not to say often said more about their motives than what they did speak.

A small, roguish smirk tugged her lips crookedly up in response and reached for the kiseru and the associated match. She struck it once to ignite the flame, and concentrated on igniting it properly. She wasn’t a frequent smoker, as much as she wasn’t a frequent business-dealer. But there was a sort of elegance to it that she appreciated –– even her mother had looked cool letting wisps of smoke drawl from her mouth. Like a flameless dragon.

Herbal tastes flooded her mouth, woody and floral scents drifting up to her nose before she exhaled and turned them into something spicy. It was almost instantly relaxing, as if she could feel the smoke crawling through her body and massaging her muscles to uncoil.

~Don't waste your life pursuing some fairy tale crusade across the galaxy fighting the horrors of the night, when it's time, come home and expand upon your fathers dreams and take it to new heights.~

Everything that had unfurled into a state of serenity recoiled slightly. It wasn’t an insult, Aiko wasn’t necessarily insulting her, but it still stung. The path of the Jedi was a difficult one to walk, and while many of its tenets overlapped with the requirements of the samurai, it was far broader. More expectant of doing good, not just protecting. Not just being a warrior.

Further, some of Ashina Clan’s tenets were outright contrarian to the Jedi Code. Fear, for example, was absolute. And death was destiny. The Force had no hold on either of those in an Ashina’s eyes.

Her brows furrowed, and she met Aiko’s gaze across the table just as she started to feel indignation building up at the base of her throat.

Or maybe it was the smoke.

~Honour him, it is our way.~​

Whether it was the smoke, or the sheer weight of the suggestion, Ishida couldn’t contain the buildup in her chest and turned to cough into her sleeve. Small puffs of grey curled from her nose.

It had been the smoke, then.

~Time and honour are hard to balance.~ Ishida admitted, patting her lips clean and regarding the ornate design carved into the metal casings of the pipe. For a moment, she looked distant, as if lost in the intricacies of the details.

~Honour doesn’t change. But time does. Father's dreams reside in Hebo and tradition. Legacy can only be profitable for so long.~

The Jedi path was more than fighting dark things in the night. She knew it was right and true, but was it right and true for her? Had Aiko read her like an open book?

~You don’t think it’s possible to be a part of both?~

If there was ever a time to abandon the Jedi path, it would likely be now. When it was under such scrutiny. But would that be cowardice? Surely not everyone was dishonourable within The Order.

​

​

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: IVI //:

Protocol.

It had become familiar to the point Allyson felt robotic. The protocols kept her in line; they kept her safe and allowed her to continue doing what she was trained to do. They were the rules and guidelines that were set before her after she failed in the Empire. Trust was no longer an option; it didn’t exist in their world. It was only a dream.

She entered the room and sat down on the single chair. The room was familiar; it was a place that she used to dread. Knowing the consequences if she failed the test, Allyson knew she had to be perfect. Sitting, she adjusted her jacket, pulling the lapels forward and smoothing any wrinkles out. Hands rested on her thighs and her eyes ahead. A soft hue glowed from her cybernetic eye as the scan moved over it. At times, the Corellian claimed to almost hear the gears and inner workings of the cybernetic within her brain. A strange feature of her disability.

Her thoughts were disturbed, wiped clean as the voice chimed into the room. <darkness makes me vulnerable. vulnerable.> Allyson responded in the same tone as the unidentifiable voice through the entirety of the conversation. “Vulnerable.” The voice continued, not skipping a beat after she spoke. After each statement, she responded with vulnerable or venerable. Both words hit each beat after the voice finished.

She never really paid attention to what was being said. It was assumed to be some nonsense that the SIA used as a line to make sure she was stable. In reality, Allyson couldn’t blame them, especially with her instability.

Allyson stared straight forward; she knew M was here - M was always here. Her eyes fluttered, trying to shake that feeling of eyes watching her as she continued the test.

“Vulnerable.”​

 

[Aiko Hayata]

BYOO|Coruscant| HAYATA CORP HOTEL
AIKO HAYATA, CEO OF HAYATA CORP
TAGS//: Ishida Ashina

~Perhaps so, duality is a concept that can be debated for all of time as long as the wise old men of Atrisia deem it worth philosophising about; I sometimes ponder that when it comes to my own family...~

Her family's whole dynamic was one of duality and conflict, both on the corporate and private sides. Her younger sister Saiko was the yin to her yang, and where Aiko excelled at diplomacy and business, Saiko excelled at the art of violence and shotgun diplomacy. Such contrasts might've doomed the company, but they complimented each other in perfect albeit chaotic harmony and their dynamic at the top had been the driving factor in Hayatas recent success. Maybe her father knew what he was doing when he named the two with such similar names, but then her father never came to see the actual extent of Aiko's younger sisters psychotic nature. And perhaps that was a blessing.

~But we shall lay rest the musing and ponderings of the wider world for now my dear,~ Aiko nodded sagely, withdrawing a chip from her coat sleeve and sliding it across the table. She put her cigarra out with a rub on the ashtray and gently leaned forward to grab the other woman's hand before she went to pick up the chip.

~This data chip is for your father's eyes and ears only, do not try and access it beforehand; I will know of it.~ she spoke firmly and softly, with a slightly mischievous smile on her lips, but she pursed them and leant back once more.


~Go forth in peace Ashina-San, I am most certain I will see you soon.~​

​