Dominion Law Ant-ar-der | GA Dominion of Antar

[Alicio Organa]

"You can see it, right? We need to follow it,"

Alicio gave Auteme a puzzled look. It was a beautiful sight, but he didn't feel any of her compulsion to follow the white quivry. Still, he nodded, tasting the Force moving strangely around them, and deciding to let it carry them where it would.

The two politicians followed the beast a short distance from the crater, where Alicio found a soft frown. Laying awkwardly in the grass, heaving with labored breaths, was a white fawn. Still with the fluffed fur and bright spots of youth, the young quivry was flat on it's side, a cluster of spiked crystals glowing with the Force, embedded a few inches into it's belly.

As they watched, the crystals seemed to bury themselves a little deeper, as if they were attracted to the electromagnetic energies of the young quivry. The large buck turned it's head up towards them, silent and stoic.

"Oh no," Alicio murmured, looking to Auteme. This wound was far beyond his capabilities as a healer alone.

- Auteme -

 

[Auteme]

Alicio Organa
​

Auteme finally managed to take her eyes off the enormous quivry. Up close she could see that the creature's fur was a stark white, though mottled slightly, as though it were reflecting the stars. The fawn was the same.

The crystals that had struck the young quivry seemed to have been broken off from a small meteorite that had made a crater about a half-meter across next to the fawn. Now it bled out, slowly, as the crystals grew in its gut.

Auteme knelt by the fawn and reached out, feeling its body rise and fall with its pained breaths. Once again she was struck by how strange Coruscant felt in comparison -- she needed to wander again, to find and give life...

Her mind wandered for a moment, but she soon returned. "Been a while since I did this," she murmured, "Alicio -- you, ah, know how to heal, all that. Focus on the internal organs, I'll remove this and seal the wound. Alright?" She gave an encouraging smile, before reaching down to the crystal. With a flick of her hand, her sleeve seemed to extend into a medical glove, and she took hold of the crystal with it, the other braced against the fawn's side.

"Three, two, one-" she pulled.

 

[Alicio Organa]

It was as if the heart of the meteorite had been drawn to the fawn.

It had the same signature as the larger buck, that feeling of the world, though smaller in scale. Whatever these shards of bright crystal were, they were pulled in by it, piercing the flesh hungrily. It would be a cruel way to die, but the young animal seemed to bear it with tranquility.

"Alicio -- you, ah, know how to heal, all that. Focus on the internal organs, I'll remove this and seal the wound. Alright?"

The Count was pulled back to the scene, giving the Chancellor a grim nod. "I... will do my best," he said, his words unsure, even as he set his jaw, and turned gunmetal grey eyes to the task at hand.

As if he were flexing a muscle, preparing to lift, Alicio let his presence in the Force flow freely from him, a pressure like the seafloor tickling his shoulders, making his poncho flow as if he were underwater. He let that power flow up and down his arms, testing his strength, assuring himself of the power that rushed within.

And he gave it, freely.

As soon as the crystals were out of the quivry, Alicio got to work, sharing his life force with the small creature, a sensation like pins and needles pricking his hands. He let healing flow into the creature's punctured lung, it's torn guts, knitting together soft tissue as he could.

He wasn't a healer, not like Amani was. But the Force was a powerful Gift indeed.

He did his part. It was all up to Auteme now.

- Auteme -

 

[Auteme]

Alicio Organa
​

Auteme waited a moment, allowing Alicio's energy to pour into the quivry. Once he'd finished, she pulled the wound closed, and drew a line across it with her hand. A soft-glowing thread stitched the wound up. After a few moments it faded to nothing; there was no trace of the injury, only a faint mark that lacked the same white coat of fur.

She placed her hand on the quivry's side. Its chest rose and fell; its breathing was still weak, but it was steady and growing stronger. She swept up the crystal into a woven cocoon to keep it away from anything that might make it grow, and then turned to-

The massive quivry was gone. There was no trampling of the grass, not a sound of movement, not even a hint in the Force. Suddenly she felt very silly for having followed it out here. She didn't know what it was, why it had appeared, if it was even real.

She went back to the fawn and helped it up. It dipped its head in thanks, then trotted slowly off into the darkness.

"Well, ah, nice work." She scratched her head. "Let's head back. We can... tell everyone what we saw at dinner, maybe."

She started back towards the crater, before looking to Alicio. "Any idea what that means?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

Their combined efforts seemed to do the trick, the pair of Force-sensitive politicians pooling their energy to heal the grievous injuries of the young fawn. Alicio didn't even notice that the massive buck had vanished into thin air, so focused was he on the well-being of the little one.

But eventually, as the tiny fawn was able to thank them in it's own way, and depart, Alicio noticed the missing taste, and turned his gaze around, before realizing the gesture was useless.

Auteme suggested going back, and Alicio dipped his head in a reverential nod. "We shouldn't stray too far from the group. I'm sure there's more to do."

"Any idea what that means?"

He paused a moment, his eyes distant a moment. "Well... I suppose I could imagine a parable, about the Alliance being here to heal the wounds inflicted by unwanted invaders from the stars. About how the Antarians will help each other to survive, despite our impact." Then, he smirked.

"But I think I'll be content if all this is nothing more than saving a baby animal."

- Auteme -

 

[Auteme]

Alicio Organa
​

Auteme cracked a smile at the joke, though she had a split second to remember to chuckle, realizing he couldn't see it. "Sometimes that's enough."

They returned to the crater. Alicio wasn't entirely wrong; a few of the Gotals were scouring the field for any last embers that needed to be put out, but for the most part things were winding down. The few remaining quivry trotted east, and the Gotals gathered back towards their speeders.

After a short talk, it was decided that they had traveled enough for the day, and that they would leave the quivry to recover for a short time before resuming the hunt. The group set up camp not far from the crater and began a leisurely 'evening'.

At the gathering before they ate, Auteme took the time to tell their story, doing her best to give the details of the quivry and the fawn. The Gotals listened with grave intent. Pocvi explained they knew of the great quivry; he couldn't quite translate their word for it to Basic, so he just called it "leader". The leader rarely revealed itself to anyone, so their meeting was considered fortuitous. A few stabs were made at interpretation, but most of the elders said that they wanted more time to think about it, and that the story might be better told in the morning.

Over dinner there was a discussion over law enforcement -- that sort of authority was unnecessary on Antar IV. There weren't exactly laws to enforce, after all. Matters of community safety and justice were handled by the community; no specific position existed for it. Despite this, it wasn't an entirely alien concept; a few of the Gotals with them described their time as bounty hunters out in the galaxy. While most held mixed feelings about that specific line of employment, they also agreed that it might be expedient to have someone designated as a sort of local liaison to the Alliance Marshals, at least at a local level.

"It could be an elected position," Auteme suggested. "We could keep it local, at the community or municipal level -- and they could be recalled at any time by the populace. I think that makes sense."

"I do not think we should create the arbitrary lines of voting districts, or create that sort of unnecessary bureaucracy for this," said Sar'lim. "And if you were to leave this system of 'election' to our hands -- I do not think many would feel compelled to vote. Mobilization, community protection, politics; all these things are more than ballots."

"Hm." She took a sip of the soup they'd served -- a rich broth, filled with mushrooms and vegetables and a somehow bitter-salty spice.

 

[Valery Noble]

Antar IV | BYOO

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic DeadpoolMLP Andromeda Demir

"We'll be landing shortly," Valery told the group who had joined her inside the shuttle. They had all been summoned very last-minute for a mission Valery hadn't explained much about yet, due to a lack of time. But if they had kept up with the news, they knew the Gotals of Antar IV had traveled to Coruscant to request membership. Those discussions were ongoing between members of the senate, and representatives of the moon, but it only made sense for this mission to be connected.

"A long time ago, there was a Gotal terrorist group known as the Roshu Sune that caused a planetary crisis by setting of bombs all across the planet. As far as we knew, they've been gone for centuries now, but intelligence reports we just received showed us that isn't quite the case. Not with Antar IV seeking entry into the Alliance," Valery explained, hoping that they'd begin to understand what was at stake now.

"A small group of them have entered an Alliance embassy and are holding the people there hostage. Their demands are that the negotiations between Antar IV and the Alliance are stopped immediately, or they will start killing hostages." Valery frowned and kept her eyes focused on the viewscreen, as they finally made their landing. She hadn't brought them down into the spaceport, as most other ships would, but landed somewhere closer with special permission from Antar IV officials.

"It's our job to secure the hostages today. Any questions before we begin?"

 

[DeadpoolMLP]

"What's our time frame before they start killing?" Jonyna asked, her more casual demeanor non-existent at the moment. While those who knew her would doubt it, Jonyna did have the ability to be serious. This was one of those times. "Also, what's the location look like? I have a saber that can be silent if need be. I assume negotiation is off the table at this point..."

Having left her swords back at the temple, Jonyna had brought her sabers. She figured Claire would be best here, given it's lack of the iconic hum.

Valery Noble

 

[Andromeda Demir]

​

Andromeda knelt, readjusting her boots for the third time. There was nothing wrong with the boots, of course, but she had to do something with her anxious energy. She listened to the briefing, dark brows furrowing in concern. She had her own questions to ask, but waited for DeadpoolMLP to make her inquiries. She was interested in the answer to her questions about the timeline they had been given and the location's layout.

Her comment about negotiations caught her off guard and she looked up from her boot fasteners, reaching up to bat a lock of glossy black hair from her face in irritation.

"Is it?" Andy asked dubiously. "Even if they're unlikely to concede, shouldn't we at least try to resolve the situation peaceably?" She finished her fasteners and then stood, slinging her small pack over her back, reaching for a handhold as the ship swooped in for a landing. "At the worst it could make them lower their guard if they think we're looking to resolve the standoff bloodlessly."

The Padawan undid her ponytail, shook her hair loose, then re-gathered and re-fastened it, this time keeping all the strands tight in her fist til they were set in place. Finally, she tugged on her gauntlets to complete her lightly armored outfit, first one, then the other. "Besides, it would be helpful to get some visibility inside the building, see what things are like inside before we go in." She chanced a glance at Valery Noble and said with a sardonic half-smile: "Don't suppose we've got schematics for that building, Master?"

Dreidi Xeraic | DeadpoolMLP | Valery Noble​

 

[DeadpoolMLP]

"Even if they're unlikely to concede, shouldn't we at least try to resolve the situation peaceably?"

"They're terrorists. I've dealt with their type before. If they're taking hostages, they aren't going to be ones to back down from their threats." Jonyna argued, her tail flicking in worry. Folks like these had very little to lose if they were going to these lengths. "Unless we can identify the assailants, I doubt we'll be able to reason with them."

Andromeda Demir

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Nightsister Energy Bow, Lightsaber
Objective: BYOO
Tag: Valery Noble | Andromeda Demir | DeadpoolMLP

Dreidi was focused on her handwraps, tightening them as she listened to the mission from Master Noble. It was a hostage situation, Dreidi understood that things would be tense and it would be tricky to deal with those that actively disliked them. The Jedi were all a part of the Galactic Alliance, they were the enemy of these terrorists. Attempting to change their minds would not be an easy feat.

"If their intentions were to kill hostages, they would have already started killing them. Not attempting negotiations and jumping straight into violence isn't our ways, we should be seeking peaceful alternatives." Dreidi stated as she focused on making sure her bindings were tight and comfortable. It was a relaxing tactic that set her mind to focus on the mission.

Looking up once she was happy with the feel of them. "As long as I can get a visual on the room, I could teleport inside. But it would likely set them off and get them trigger happy." Dreidi stated, attempting to figure out how she could be best using her skills, "I doubt I could cast any Magick before they got a chance to harm or kill a hostage. Unless there was an area I could teleport to that would be out of their sight."

It was a lot of risk for herself since she would be in there alone. "I'm just spitballing ideas, however, I am sure Master Noble has a more practical plan for us to use." Turning to Master Noble, Dreidi bowed her head, allowing the Jedi Master to give her input to everything that was being said.

 

[Alicio Organa]

It was strange to think that 'elections' were a foreign concept to some in the galaxy.

Alicio had found a quiet place at the fire's edge, listening intently to the stories of the mysterious white quivry. The tales seemed to be more mythology and legend than taxonomical fact, a notion that made their experience that much more special. The Count turned his head to the Chancellor, a warm smile on his face. He and Auteme had worked together on multiple fronts to make the galaxy a better place, but always in meetings, or in passing at the Senate Offices. This memory of theirs was more personal. They hadn't been fighting for the rights of millions of sentient beings. They were saving the life of one, under the watchful gaze of something otherworldly. Or, perhaps extraworldly was a more accurate term.

Alicio chewed something tacky and non-perishable, staring into the flames with a far-off expression. "It is... ideal, to have the people vote for their representatives. But I agree; if the infrastructure isn't there, it would be unrealistic to expect democracy to work immediately."

"This group is being trusted with Antar IV's introduction to the Alliance. Perhaps you would also be trusted to choose a... Security Liason." Alicio winced; he was awful at naming things. "Someone that could be trusted to create a network across the planet. If not to actually police, then to... observe. Report to the communities. Interface with Alliance security personnel."

Alicio sipped a bit of his soup, his previously-troubled face neutralizing as he seemed to enjoy it. It wasn't a perfect solution. Far from it. But Alicio didn't have any other ideas.

"This all is... coming from a place of care, I'm sure," a grey-bearded Gotal, Narmanda, offered in his bleating tongue. "But I don't see the point. We have lived long enough on our own, without need for such structure. If there is an issue, our communities can deal with it, or contact your- ah, the Alliance ourselves."

- Auteme -

 

[Auteme]

Alicio Organa
​

"I think... our concern comes down, ultimately, to legitimacy and proper consent. We shouldn't have Marshals coming here all the time at just anyone's request- ah, not that I expect that they'll be here often- but we also need means to ensure proper conduct. The introduction of law enforcement is... fundamentally an introduction of violence. Even if that may be justified, it's still violence. We need to make sure there's accountability, at least from our side."

Auteme thought about it for a moment, but Sar'lim cut in to propose a middle ground. "We could have... an official form of some kind, that anyone could fill out. Requests Marshals. Maybe requires signatures from a few other people, to make sure it's legitimate. We don't technically have citizenship, I mean -- you can tell if you're from here pretty easily," she and a few others chuckled, "but I don't think that'd be a problem.

"Some of the bigger cities and towns have a form system for a lot of things -- requests for specialists, help, or things. It smooths out production and distribution once a community gets too big. I don't think it'd be super unfamiliar to most of us." A few among the group nodded.

"Would that create a lot of overhead? Build a bit of bureaucracy?"

"Well, we're not the ones processing the forms, are we? That's up to your Marshals. And- well, I don't think we'll need to use it much."

Auteme thought about it. "To be honest... that's nothing. I mean, the Alliance government employs billions. Managing one form for this is... insignificant, logistically speaking."

 

[Valery Noble]

Antar IV | BYOO

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic Andromeda Demir Jonyna Si

Valery listened quietly to the ongoing conversation, and offered them all a smile for the suggestions they offered. This was a complex situation with lives at stake, so every opinion and idea to handle it was welcomed. That said, Valery did have a few more things to share that could help. "At least one of us will have to talk to them as negotiator. It's standard practice in Hostage rescue missions because it not only gives us a small chance to resolve the issue, it's also a method to stall if they aren't cooperating at all."

She looked between Jonyna and Andromeda, and dipped her head. "That said, we're not going to meet their demands, of course. So while one of us negotiates, we'll be getting in position to enter the building and secure the hostages." Valery brought their shuttle down at this point, and only after they were safely on the ground, she activated a projector that displayed a map of the 3-story building they were potentially going to enter.

"Download these schematics, and use them as needed. We could enter from the roof, through various doors at ground level, or even go for an insertion through the windows. Or..." she glanced at Dreidi, "You could find a way to teleport into one of the rooms and make your way over to the hostages from there."

 

[Jonyna Si]

“I’d prefer a roof entrance myself.” Jonyna reasoned. “If we teleport in, regardless of how we do it, it’s gonna take us a moment to find our bearings. We want to coordinate this as well as we can, and I’m an expert climber.” She pulled Claire off her back, presenting it to the group. “On top of that, Claire here doesn’t make a noise when I use her. Combined with my swords, that’s three stealth options for us to strike from above. I assume they have all three floors locked down?”

Valery Noble Dreidi Xeraic Andromeda Demir

 

[Andromeda Demir]

​

Andromeda glanced between the two other padawans, dark eyes searching. Even before Jonyna spoke expressing her preferences, Andy was mentally committing herself to the role of negotiator. After all, she had been the one to suggest; if it went badly wrong, it would only be fair that that happen to her. Besides, she suspected she was the least capable of the trio; Jonyna seemed confident in her combat ability and Dreidi could friggin' teleport. Both too valuable to lose if things went pear-shaped.

Andromeda Demir was only a miner's daughter from Irvulix.

"I'll do it," she declared solemnly to Master Noble. "I'll negotiate with them. Or rather, I'll try to keep them talking and distracted and stall them." She downloaded the building schematics as she studied the rotating image before her. Andy hung her lightsaber from a small fastener inside her cloak. Best not to present with a weapon at the forefront, but she'd have to be suicidal to leave it behind.

"Let's stay in touch," she said, indicating her comlink earpiece. "Looks like secure channel 01-138-A is open?"

Valery Noble | Jonyna Si | Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Narmanda seemed less-than-enthused as Auteme spoke. But only a brief silence accompanied her words. "I see."

Sar'lim's solution caused Alicio to hold his chin in thought. "That... could work," he said, finding an optimistic grin. "There's a pre-existing framework, and the Alliance is more than capable of dealing with the paperwork." All considering, it would likely be one of the easiest planets the Alliance would have to manage, at least on the bureaucratic side. Defense and immigration was a different matter.

"Yes. That could work."

Alicio dunked his hardtack into the soup, giving it a ponderous chew. "I'd like to reiterate that we want to... disturb your world as little as possible. I've been... constantly surprised, delighted, even, at the balance that's been struck here. This... planetary community... is special. A rare gem, that the rest of the Alliance, the rest of the galaxy, would do well to learn from." The Gotals around the dinner gathering nodded, finding little smiles of pride. "Thank you for sharing in your hunt with us. But I have a feeling our journey will end soon." His eyes glimmered, specks of the future swimming in his blue-grey irises.

"Is there anything left to be discussed? Before that time?"

- Auteme -

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Nightsister Energy Bow, Lightsaber
Objective: BYOO
Tag: Valery Noble | Andromeda Demir | Jonyna Si

Dreidi downloaded the schematics and examined the layout of the area. She was assessing where it would be best for her to approach, if she was to teleport then she would need to be in a prime position to engage discreetly with the hostages. The issue was she couldn't teleport them out, she would have to figure another way to get them out. An invisibility field around them was possible but then Dreidi would be definitely out of commission in terms of fighting.

Her mind was in deep thought since she wanted to fight and prove herself but needed to be honest about what she could offer. "I... I could teleport in here." Pointing to a discreet area where she could enter next to a pillar, "from the roof, I should get line of sight then teleport in. While Andromeda talks to them, I could cast an invisibility field around the hostages so they can escape. However, once I get them out, that's me done. It'll be too much for my body to push on. But then Valery and Jonyna could jump in and deal with the Roshu Sune."

It was hard for Dreidi to offer a strategy that meant she wouldn't demonstrate much but she also knew that this was a solid plan that limited the harm. "Teleporting there is the easy part. You get use to teleporting places quickly, so I have no issues with that. Casting the invisibility field will take some time and be very draining for me since it would need the hostages to be all connected and working as a team." Magick offered her a lot of ways to approach things that most Jedi didn't know how to do but it was draining on her as well to attempt these things when not on Dathomir.

"If we think that works then I am ready to go," Dreidi nodded her head firmly.

 

[Auteme]

Alicio Organa
​

"No military," piped up Narmanda. Grunts of assent came from those assembled. "Maybe in the future. But the Antarian Rangers have long since left here."

Auteme nodded. "Of course. Is there anything else?"

A brief silence followed.

"Then, I think we'll have a quiet night. It's been a busy day," she said, smiling.

The evening was quiet; the elders told stories of their world, a few with the great quivry. They shared their developments and discussions, traded a few more ideas. Eventually everyone trailed off to bed. Auteme went to sleep, still somewhat surprised at the simplicity of their solution. It seemed about right. Would it work?

Sounded like a morning problem.

Their morning was leisurely as well. As it turned out, Alicio's hunch was right -- in the distance, the glow of the sun began to take the horizon. Their pilgrimage was cut short not by any particular cosmic event, but rather their own slowness; the total eclipse depended somewhat on the group's own movement, and with the stoppage of putting out the fire (and, Auteme suspected, her own slow pace) they'd ended their journey early.

Narmanda, Pocvi, a few elders and many of the younger Gotals stated their intention to continue following the herd, but all gave their blessing for the Alliance delegation to take their leave. They gave Alicio and Auteme a pair of matching quivry horns, old, twirling and polished, but still smelling of wild grasses and open skies.

Sar'lim accompanied them back to Temba Port, but Auteme found herself feeling a little incomplete as of yet. She spent another day there, gathering her thoughts, meeting the locals, playing in the street with children. In time her aides urged her back, and she left Antar once more, and once more wondered when she would return.