Into the Wild [ Alliance Dominion of Dahomey & Kinyen ]

[Veronika Nova]

[member="Iestyn Nova"]

Veronika’s skin rippled with a faint rush of blue over her stripes.

“I would like that.” she told him. A typical human would shine their lover a soft smile of pleasure, but for Lovalla, that was easily identified by the combination of hues that would dance across her skin.

“Will you sing?” she asked, a measure of hope in her voice that matched the inquisitive playful blend of amber and blue. Her hand went reaching down to select choice fruits to place upon her mate’s plate. It might look strange for others, but it was just part of their nature. Seeing to each other's needs and comfort.

Nothing could quite compare to the first time that Veronika heard Iestyn singing. Being a Si’nesh, he was gifted in the craft, his voice hypnotic. It would not be an exaggeration to the fact that when Iestyn sang, the melody was so sweet that none were seemingly capable of eluding that siren call.

Much like Maelibus, Si’nesh’s vocal cords could actually hypnotize and confuse other beings. It was very difficult to shake off the feeling of being enthralled. He rarely sang in public, but when he did… Veronika was simply entranced.

One could say that the first time the Lovalla had heard him sing to her, that mild crush and attraction she had felt had crossed the line into love.

 

[Saffron]

Dahomey


There were three elders sitting in front of Saffron.

They were dressed in leathers and intricate polished stone jewelry. Their hair was separated in thick dreadlocks plaits, decorated with bits of gold and silver plucked from Dahomey’s rich mines. While life may be rather primitive compared to other space faring societies, the tribes of Dahomey were actually very rich in resources. The only difference being is that gold, diamonds, and other semi-precious metals and gems were not considered to be held in such high regard.

That was the difference of culture, one supposed. Throughout the comfortable hut, there were various intricate gold plated statues and decorations. Their jewelry was made of gold, and even the pliant leather that they wore contained gold flakes pounded into the leather in distinctive decorative designs.

“We welcome you to our village, Miss Saffron.” her protocol droid echoed after one of the elders began to speak.

“We are humbled by your presence and present you with a token of our gratitude.”

From the left, a little boy brought forward a small gold plated wooden box. It was beautifully made. He set it down in front of her.

“Thank you,” Saffron said, inclining her head in gratitude. It was all part of the tradition of a host welcoming an honored guest. Saffron knew this. However, she also knew that this meeting was important for other reasons. Most notably, their safety.

 

[Tobias Wrynn]

[03]

His gaze moved to the Padawan and then toward the village. Her words were sage, deceptively so. Her size and features seemed young and almost childish, but there was an air of wisdom around her. The two discussed a neutral setting, and continued efforts to seek a diplomatic solution. It was the best kind of idealism, and Wrynn much preferred the prospect of preventing death. The problem with that was that the world rarely worked that way.

"Potential ally," Wrynn corrected when the woman spoke. "The assumption that the enemy will be receptive is a dangerous one. We lack sufficient information to make that call, Jedi Imperieuse." He holstered the weapon and tucked both thumbs into his belt. "I understand that I'm only a mercenary and my word is essentially nil in this scenario and you are a decorated Jedi Master, but there are lives at stake. I implore you to consider that factor. A Jedi's life may be sacrifice, but we are not all Jedi here." Wrynn was rarely that passionate in his words, and generally he deferred to the more seasoned units when these things came up. Jedi were trained differently, and they thought differently. Their ability to sense and use the Force set them apart from lesser men like Tobias. At times they had the necessary skills for leadership, but they were not taught the same kind of discipline of a enlisted men.

That was not to say Jedi lacked discipline- in most cases, he observed that they were aloof, detached, and pensive. They had some of the same characteristics of a Recon Sniper. They still had a broader emotional range, evinced by Master Imperieuse's emphatic assertion about the Alliance not killing allies. Wrynn had to assume that she did not like the idea of taking a life unless all other option were exhausted.

"I can scout forward and gather some more information to make sure that we're not charging into a deathpit. Give me ten minutes. I will secure a route to the leader so that you can deal with him directly." He tugged the helmet off his head, and deep brown eyes came to rest on the Zahati'i woman, his jaw set.

"Nonlethal pacification protocols," he iterated in an even, gentle, yet stern voice. It was a stark contrast to the metallic voice that rasped from his helmet. "You have my word."

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"] | [member="Isha"]​

 

[Oscar Grant Paxon]

[ 25 ]

Oscar had learned that one-time visions were not always the easiest to understand and they were surrounded by a shell of fake information. The shell would have to be cracked by meditating and looking deep into the Force, but he had no time for that. He had to trust the Force that Kinyen was the place for him to go to get to the Galactic Alliance.

But one thing he was sure about was that the new faction would be his home. He'd seen it so many times that it had turned into his life. A dream without a single Alliance banner was a miracle nowadays.

His ship soon exited the atmosphere of Yutan, after which he would take a quick travel to the planet. He'd probably have to relocate to a hyperlane to get there faster, but he had no worries just yet. He was pretty sure he would reach the planet one way or another, especially if the Force really did wanted him to join the faction.

Then he realised there was an astromech droid on the ship. He didn't speak their language, so he had no idea what the droid was beeping about. He hated not being able to speak all languages. He hadn't learned to use the Force to translate speech, either, so he had no way to chat with the droid.

"Yeah, I know you speak something, but I don't understand you, OK?"

That was in the list of things he would do after getting to the Alliance.

 

[Alesia Rivas]

[ 26 ]

What came next was something Alesia didn't know Jedi did when they recruited people. Balayar used the Force and the girl could feel it. However, she did not see what the woman was doing -- there were seemingly no visible effects of the power she was using. And that maddened her a lot.

"Master?" she asked.

Balayar turned to the girl, biting her lower lip and nodding. "Empathy." Alesia had understood that sometimes people would feel better if they had somebody to talk to about their problems. Somebody who would feel the emotional aspect of the problems with them. She didn't get it at all, but she knew most people accepted this as the universal truth.

When Jedi weren't able to tap into emotions, they would have to feel empathy. And Force Empathy was just one way to do that.

"I feel your sorrows. But I promise you, the child will have the best childhood possible," Balayar spoke, turning back to the mother. Alesia couldn't understand how Jedi even managed to get parents to agree to taking their children away. It sounded so awful, so wrong. Why would a single person want to give their child to the Order, not knowing what their children would do for the rest of their lives?

Alesia sighed.

"And this is our Grand Marshall," she continued showing the child pictures.

 

[Iestyn Nova]

[member="Veronika Nova"]

Iestyn walked along the table, adding a few more bits and pieces that he recognised to their plates. Paired lovalla were not as independent as most species after being together for a few years. Descended from more avian ancestry they still mated for live and almost formed a symbiotic bond. They were a long lived species, by their standards the relationship between Iestyn and Veronika was quite short at five years. Another ten and it could be fatal to be separated for more than a week or two. Even now if one of them died the other would likely be ill and depressed for several years.

A ripple of amusement went across his skin. In a very formal tone he replied. "It had occurred to me that lying down across one of those long boats, letting it drift and singing softly in your ear would be a pleasant way to end the evening. But it seems you were ahead of me on that thought."

He looked down at the yellow fruit he'd taken a bit out of. "This is very nice, I do hope it is edible," he mused quite seriously. He'd forgotten to ask or check if it was compatible with them.

 

[Veronika Nova]

[member="Iestyn Nova"]

"Ahh," Veronika stretched out her hand, plucking the yellow fruit from her mate's hand before he could bite down on it. There was a slight flare of daffodil yellow across her stripes and her spots.

"Not that." she warned, a small smile following the slight widening of alarm from her eyes. That was a Meil fruit, perfectly suitable and harmless for a typical human. However, for a Lovalla, not as much. Iestyn could very well expect stomach cramps and a long day in the refresher drained of his fluids if he ate that.

"I think we have done well for now," she told him, setting the fruit back down upon the bowl he had plucked it from. A nod to both of their plates and she gave him another smile, followed but a silvering of her base color and pale blue of her stripes.

"Come on... let us find a place to eat." she added, the sway of her magenta hair brushing along her shoulders and back. "Have you heard much from your mother lately?"

 

[Saffron]

Dahomey

---

"What can you tell us of the situation here?"

Saffron would ask, CP-38 following suit by translating it into the native language. The first elder, named Vier Ma, was a stout female of great presence. She would be the one who would speak for the village. Her guttural explanation followed suit.

"She says that while there are many Warlords, Warlord T'kur is the one that has been the most trouble." CP-38 began to explain, his hands slightly gesturing as he spoke.

"We have the great river north of our village. It provides us with water and has flowed down our canyon for many centuries. Now, the great river is dry. Warlord T'kur has blocked the flow, damming the river. Without water, we will perish. He asks for high amounts of tribute, and in turn he would allow the water to flow again."

Water rights.

Now that was going to be a dozy.

 

[Asher]

[ 03 ]
[member="Alexandra Russo"] // [member="Asmus Janes"] // [member="Devyn Lynton"] // [member="Choli Vyn"]

---

“This is what happens when you don’t knock on wood, Janes!” Owen exclaimed over the comms as he set off after the Fang fighters. “Like, really knock on wood.”

The flight computer was turned on a flipped to combat mode as Owen proceeded to barrel himself into the asteroid field to the roar of fighters engaging his buddies. Part of him had to admire the construction of the enemy airship but an even bigger part of him knew that now was most certainly not the best time to do so. Mainly because fancy rotors and nice guns had very little importance when they were going to be destroyed in only a few moments.

“R7, I need you to track Eleven for me, alright?” The droid beeped with confidence. “And keep your head down.”

The droid tried to ask why but was quickly interrupted by its own panicking hiss as Owen sent himself in a collision course for a nearby asteroid. See, Owen was not just picked for his wits behind the controls as much as he was picked for his ingenuity. Of course, his mother and father, and sister, and brother, and just about everyone around him referred to said self-professed ingenuity as sheer stupidity and suicidal tendencies. The man continued to laugh them off even to this day. Piloting without staring death in the white eye was not much in the way of piloting at all. Piloting without fear was what merchants did, and if Owen had wanted to become a merchant he might as well have stayed on Naboo.

It was fair to say that he felt quite alive in the moment that he could almost feel it as the rocky surface of the nearby asteroid nearly grazed against the window of his cockpit. Over the comms you could almost hear his loud cackle of sheer ecstatic joy.

“This is what makes life worth living!” Owen happily exclaimed as he came up form underneath the fighters. The R2-unit behind him beeped in confirmation of a lock-on. “Firing!”

From beneath his fighter he witnessed the light blue sheen of a torpedo making way towards one of his intended targets with a bang.

“That’s one less on ya, Nine.” Owen confirmed over the comms as his ship came bursting from out of sight, disappearing as quickly as he had arrived.

 

[Iestyn Nova]

[member="Veronika Nova"]

"I sometimes wonder if we ought to message ahead and ask them to put some things aside, but I don't want to be that alien. And yes we spoke just the other day. Asked when we were going to stop doing dangerous field work and find nice desk jobs back home. The usual."

His mother had, on several occasions, voiced the opinion that they should settle down somewhere within an easy drive of them both and have a kyckling, or two. Iestyn was close to his parents, most Lovalla were and only children were very common, but they could still annoy him from time to time. Their species wasn't very fertile and what would be would be.

He turned on the spot. There was a nice temporary veranda with coloured globes hanging down for lighting. It was actually fairly quiet, most sitting down by the banks of the river.

"Shall we go get a table?" Iestyn asked. Whilst the river would present a nice view he would certainly quite enjoy the peace and quiet further up the bank. It had been a while since he'd been put and about. Not that he was reclusive as such, just that he spent most of his time on the Eyrie on remote sectors or with Vero at conferences where the audience was well used to the presence of the pair.

He'd forgotten what it was like to notice people pretending not to stare when a particularly strong emotion was displayed across his skin. He was capable of masking it to an extent, just as any human could present a stoic visage and hide their feelings. But for the first time jn a while he had Veronika to himself and was feeling buoyed by her company and their surroundings. Not something he wanted to keep to himself. Not after the shared ache and dull hues that followed togoria.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Objective 3
Alexandra Russo // Asmus Janes // Devyn Lynton // Choli Vyn //[member="Owen Holst"]

---

Near Asteroid Field
Incoming bogies, going evasive



[ I'm reading those ships are… chit.. Fang fighters. They have swiivel-mounted wings and can maneuver crazy like. Also those suckers have lasers and proton torpedoes. Watch yourselves, ]

Fang fighters?! The Fang fighter was a model of starfighter used by the Mandalorian Protectors. With crazy manuvering capabiltiees and that swivel mounted wings, these features allowed Fang fighters to perform maneuvers which few other ships were capable of. Fang fighters were armed with wing-mounted laser cannons and a proton torpedo launcher beneath the cockpit -- of which would soon be be firing their way.

Sticking close to Eleven, Choli took her guidance from the experienced pilot. Only thing was, with all the asteroids and space debris out here, it made flying all the more dangerous.

S-foils extended, and the familiar X-shape of the T-70 became Choli's profile. Activating her HUD, she readied herself for a fight.

[ Copy that, Eleven. ]

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Location: Dahomey
Objective: 1 - Engage the warlords
Allies: [member="Isha"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tempest"] [member="Elpsis Elaris"] [member="Kahne Porte"] [member="Lilin Imperieuse"] [member="Saffron"]
Enemies: Warlords
Post: 12/25

An hour or so later, after all minefields having been taken care of around the capital's main approaches, Ugohr returned to the emplacement of his temporarym and also newly designated, headquarters for this mission, the spaceport, with his prisoner in tow. Knowing that spaceport security was already assumed by a third party, namely Firemane, Ugohr could interrogate the warlord being held prisoner as he wished. Security was present in quantity: there was about a platoon of security guards present on location. He brings the prisoner warlord to a security station, where his restraints have been removed and he was to sit down with the Jedi brute in front of him as he is being interrogated about the location of other destroyed villages as well as of other warlords' bases.

"Mesa have a few questions for yousa: if yousa know anything about da other warlords' locations, or other villages yoursa men destroyen..."

"Destroyed villages... we did that?"

"Yes, yousa destroyen a village 25 klicks north of here"

"When?"

"Yesterday"

 

[LT-137]

Munasi Fasona, or as he is known in Galactic Basic; the Stew Maker. From what we have gathered, Intel points towards various local Warlord's contracting this man's services so that the bodies of their victims can disappear without a trace. This process is done through the application of industrial strength caustic sodas and plastoid sheathed barrels, turning the cadavers into a toxic sludge after being submerged for twenty-four hours. Essentially, brewing a sentient stew. One of our local informants has revealed that Munasi is only brought in when a Messenger from a Rival Tribe or Political Ambassador from the more Civilized Townships is killed.

We've been contacted to Locate and Eliminate Munasi Fasona, so the Local populace can rest easier knowing that this monster has breathed his last. While his death may mean little in the short run, the Stew Maker's assassination will ripple through the Tribal Elite of the various nearby Warbands, and result in their inevitable downfall once the Alliance moves into this sector.

Meet with the Informant and find your Mark.

Good hunting Fireteam Aeacus,

The Director
Head of SIS Operations.

Billowing contrails of steam had risen from the surface of Dahomey, as the light of the Alien star had reached its apex. Four figures clad in the obsidian uniforms of the SIS crawled through the sun-baked dirt and sparse pockets of grass, seemingly undaunted by the oppressive heat. Gesturing the Fireteam to come to a halt, the leader of Aeacus pulled himself closer towards the lip of the escarpment and peered down into the compound below. They were ordered to rendezvous with their local informant, however as they had approached the facility one of the SIS operatives had noted an unusual amount of activity. Dozens of dust trailing speeders and technicals had soared towards the informant's estate as the Fireteam had made their approach. Such a sight could only reveal that treachery was afoot, and the local Warlords had somehow known that this man was transmitting information to the Off-worlders. That meant his life was measured in minutes, and as the SIS needed him alive - at least until the hand-off could be made - they would have to rescue the man using only what they had available.

With over twenty hostiles patrolling the outskirts of the compound, many of them taking overwatch positions to overlap their fields of vision, infiltrating the complex wouldn't be an easy task. Retracting his external magnoculars and affixing the device to his utility belt, the former Sun Guard let out a small sigh of frustration. Why couldn't they get the cushy jobs? Ever since they completed their operation on Deneba, and had tracked down a volatile subject in the Outer Rims, the Director seemed keen on sending Fireteam Aeacus on the most Suicidal missions the SIS could muster. Apparently, Naiad and his band of former convicts had garnered quite the reputation with the other Operatives. Some had called them the Expendables, while others had labeled them the Suicide Squad.

No matter what affectation they had been marked with, it was evident to the Sun Guard that the others were jealous of his rising popularity within the shadowy organization. That meant others might rise to challenge him for some infringement on their prestige. When this mission was done, he would have to deal with some brave fool seeking glory.

Until then, he had a job to do, and it was foolish to waste his time thinking of beating his supposed brothers and sisters to a bloody pulp.

Rousing himself from the sun-baked earth, and gesturing for Aeacus Four to follow him in, Naiad began the slow descent down the cliffside to reach the facility below. Each step was carefully measured and taken as lightly as possible - for one wrong move would see his obsidian-clad figure tumble down the steep rocky slope and alert everything within the Informant's compound of his presence. It'd be a rookie move, but with his two teammates covering him from above, they'd be able to handle it while the call for Evac was made. Or, at least he hoped. Once at the bottom, the former Sun Guard shouldered his Nightstinger and activated his suit's stealth systems. The ebony warrior dematerialized as the covert protocols took effect, leaving nothing behind but the ghostly outline of a shimmering mirage. They would not see him coming, and if he played his cards right - they would never know the Fireteam was ever there.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

An informant for the Alliance was in trouble, and Julius had gotten wind of it. Supposedly some Spec Ops unit was en route, but they seemed the sort the Military sent in to die so they could say they did something. And besides, Julius was already in the area that the asset was, just disguised a bit to try and keep his identity a little less apparent. Sweeping hair from his face, he pulled on the gloves of his vanguard armor, and checked the brilliant green cloak that fell from his shoulders, noting with distaste the discarded rags and such he had snuck in with. A battered but lovely pistol slid into the hard-case holster at his side, and he gripped the twin lightsabers in his hands, rolling them around for a moment.

When he sensed the time was right, and saw the face of this "Munasi" walking by, he burst through the building he had been hiding in. By the smell it was a storage place for some kind of chemicals or the other. Immediately as the raggedy door exploded into splinters he was blurring into motion. Unlike some fools, he worked to take the guards out first, the burning energy of Vapaad scratching and clawing along his mind as he subsumed himself in its' seductive pulses and chaotic urges. The first few blows were mere punches, explosively assisted by the Force. Only when blaster fire erupted from one guard did he ignite the sabers in his hands and turn, hair blowing freely in the wind and regard him with blue-grey eyes that spoke of calm death and patient destruction.

The eye of the storm. The center of the roil. Darkness loomed but no longer consumed the man, and he stalked forward with an urgency and bounce in his steps. First one blade came up, igniting in a silver-green hiss of light that snapped out and into a mans throat and pulled back. Then another, brilliant violent thrusting and slashing backward to eviscerate another miscreant. If the operatives were out there, wasting time shatting in holes and tracking things, they would have as good a chance now as if the Nine Hells themselves had opened up and poured forth into the camp. And the mark was running. Julius was giving him a moment to take down the guards. Not much could out-do his pace.

[member="Naiad Solari"]

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"] [member="Charlyra Araano"]
8
Dahomey

Mezrathi translated Elpsis’ words and there were some shared looks and comments.
“They say that yes, it has been bad lately. The Kardok in the swamps are acting more aggressively and organised, and the other creatures have been agitated, even aggressive. Even the herd beasts and domesticated animals,” Tempest translated.

“We wondered what the cause was, but I feel we may know,” Mezrathi said sadly. “Kazuna…Virtue in your language…was one of the village’s most capable members. We believe she had the Force like Tempest, but she says she was attacked by raiders and after that time she become more and more violent, unstable. She left here five weeks ago, but the trouble did not start until just a couple of weeks ago.”

He came forward to Tempest. “All who have tried to enter the Kardok swamps never return. Please, go there, find her and help her if you can.”

Tempest looked to Elpsis for her views.

XXX

“Please, call me Blaze, that is what the word is in your language,” she said. Sometimes the words just didn’t carry over well when translated.

“Please come this way,” Blaze offered, showing her to a futon like mattress near the ground. She poured her some water and offered some bread.

“The days have been harsh and full of trial, but we are not broken. We will never break from our enemies. You are a strong woman, Lyra, I see it in you.”
She held out her hand towards Lyra and the unmistakable sensation of the Force flowed from her to try and soothe and help Lyra rest. Blaze was untrained but had some affinity with healing.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

(8)
[member="Tempest"], [member="Charlyra Araano"]


Well, that certainly sounded very grim. "Not that I'm rooting for Team Virtue and animal enslavement cause I sure ain't, but I think I can kinda understand her," Elpsis said quietly to Tempest after Mezrathi elaborated on Virtue's story. "If we gotta fight her, ok, but maybe we can knock some sense into her,"


At the very least, Elpsis could understand anger and revenge very well. Of course, she was ready to shoot her if needed. "Ok, well, let's go to the swamps then. Uh, what's a Kardok?" It sounded like something dangerous and predatory. In other words, the sort of creature she or Galina would adopt.

 

[Alexandra Porte]

Objective 3
@Alexandra Russo // [member="Asmus Janes"] // [member="Devyn Lynton"] // [member="Choli Vyn"] // [member="Owen Holst"]
(9)

---

Near Asteroid Field
Incoming bogies, going evasive

[ Thanks, Nine! ] Alex keyed over the comm to Asmus as her tail was now clear; Rusty giving a hoot as well, but they weren't out to the woods yet.

[ Nice shooting, Fourteen, ] she added as another Fang fighter winked out on her data screen; one of two that were on her savior's tail. Time to return the favor.

Alleycat inverted and dove, then pulled back on the stick to power up through a teardrop and onto the Fang's six. The brunette pilot thumbed over to the proton torpedoes and got a solid tone when she trapped the pursuing Fang in the targeting box. This was a risky shot being so close, but… Her finger tightened once on the trigger and a single torpedo shot away on a jet of blue flame...

Eleven nudged the stick and shot through the center of the fiery explosion. Clear on the other side that's when she saw Choli flying closer to the asteroid belt, and missiles suddenly shoot out from within one of the asteroids in her direction.

[ Seven, break to port, now! ] Russo called to the young Rogue, biting her lip in a nervous fashion, and hoping someone nearer would take out that surprise enemy position in the forward most asteroid sooner than later before they all got killed. Fighters were one thing to contend with. Having missile launchers too plus the asteroid field to deal with… not good.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Alexandra Russo"] // [member="Asmus Janes"] // [member="Devyn Lynton"] // [member="Choli Vyn"] // [member="Owen Holst"]

---

"Good save guys. I've got a bearing on the missile launcher. I'm detecting energy signatures in there. Must have caught them making a trap for the fleet."

They must have put some bit ordnance in there if they were going to have any real effect. Picking off the odd fighter wouldn't have been worth their time.

"Red squadron are two minutes out Rogues, hang in there." Came a call from command.

Asmus' console came to life as two missiles streaked out of the asteroid field towards him. He turned in sharp, inside their curve and fired countermeasures. He continued on his path towards the field.

"Fangs will have the advantage in there, but we've got to get into the field and hit those missile launchers. We're sitting bantha out here in the open!" he called. Asmus was a born navigator, he mentally mapped a path to get in behind the first launcher without getting into its firing arc. A Fang followed him in as he rolled under a large roid.

 

[Isha]

[member="Tobias Wrynn"] [member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

"Wise words are spoken." Isha said. There was merit to having the Alliance forces scout ahead. He certainly appeared to have things under control. However, Isha would defer to Master Imperieuse's advisement on how to proceed. If ten minutes was all that was needed to scout ahead, they could inquire a bit more from the locals on their condition. Prepare themselves for what measure of diplomacy is required.

Isha had never personally been involved in diplomatic negotiations, so this would be a first for her. How would they proceed and could they all work together for the common goal?

Her ears gave a twitch as the sounds of the surrounding forward operating base. There was certainly a large amount of ambient noise, prompting her ears to twitch in mild discomfort.

 

[Veronika Nova]

[member="Iestyn Nova"]

In comparison, a ripple of amusement went dancing across Veronika's stripes, enhanced by a white glow of her spots. "Tad on the other hand, has inquired to when we will be visiting again. He would like to speak to you about your latest project." work for her parents had always been a grand affair. They preferred field work than desk jobs, and Veronika had inherited that passion. At their age, they couldn't quite continue to wander the universe on long term research projects, but they could continue their work in near by sectors close to their homeworld.

Truth be told, it has been years since they've returned home. On few occasions they met up with Iestyn's friends, a mated pair of whom the female her mate had once pursued . That thought quickly brought a fleeting flare of violet of mild annoyance along her stripes. There really wasn't a way to hide it. Iestyn had more control than she in that.

They ambled towards the veranda. The small secluded area would do well for enjoying each other's company while they ate. A thought crossed her mind. They've been mates for about five years now. Iesyten had done much in terms of joining her on field missions. Did he want to spend some time back home?

"Have you thought about it?" she asked, her long legs slowly taking the steps into the veranda. A small gust of wind lifted the strands of her magenta hair, the thin material of her dress molding to her willowy form. While they certainly were not near their Red Day as of yet, any near human would appreciate the strikingly exotic appearance of the Lovalla.

"Returning home?" she elaborated, sitting down upon the nearby bench.