Faction Lions and Cherry Blossoms

[Grand Shepherd Burtch]

Defeat.

Some might actually call the recent operation to uproot the pirates of Spindle IV a success, but not many. The pirates had escaped to a fall-back location, while humiliating the Imperial Navy by destroying or damaging most of their ships for this operation. In fact, the damage had been so severe that it had actually taken considerably longer to perform rescue and salvage operations on their own ships than it had to actually drive the pirates out. In the end, what couldn't be moved was scuttled, and what could was taken straight back to Damascus Station for repairs or repurposing.

Burtch stood at the window of his office as it overlooked the massive shipyards of the massive superstation. Right away, he could easily spot his own ship, HMS Shii-Cho, as shattered hull plates were being torn off her and exposing lightly damaged subsystems. In truth, she was one of the least damaged ships in the fleet and would be back up to fighting status sooner than most. But even as scaffold crews and labor droids torched and cut away at her scored form, he felt as if his own soul was getting cut apart. In that moment alone, it was clear to him that his connection with Shii-Cho was more than typical. There was something special about his bond with his ship and it brought a previous conversation with Martin Dux back to his mind briefly.

He pushed it all aside and forced his focus elsewhere. Docked at a section of the shipyard was the enigmatic Sakura Empire fleet. Kimiko Taiyou and her forces had arrived at just the right time to save the Elysium Empire and push the pirates off of Burtch's forces. There had been no reason for the assistance, and nothing had been demanded in return yet. Out of all the ships that had participated in the battle, the Sakuran fleet had taken the least damage. This put the Empire in an awkward position, as all of their own battle cruisers had been either severely damaged beyond serviceability, or completely destroyed. Kimiko Taiyou had the only serviceable battle cruisers in the area and they would be needed to fight the remaining pirates.

Burtch's new mission, right now, was to convince this woman, a world leader that no one knew anything about, to help them once again. He would need help from the highest order at this time. He strode back over to his desk and hit the comm button, "Lieutenant Krriistaah, please contact the King Rex Valhoun and request that he meets me in my office. And send a similar invitation to Kimiko Taiyou so that the three of us can talk." Much to Burtch's dismay, Rex was here after the navy had been defeated. The arrival of the king after a defeat was never a good sign, but Burtch still had a job to do and he would need all the help he could get to ensure that she joined them in the next battle. Perhaps the king's arrival was a stroke of fate?

 

[Rex Valhoun]

The Makashi Light Cruiser. It was truly an iconic ship, from its' rectangular design, to its' advanced security ad targeting systems. The ship was capable of standing head-to-head against "Destroyer" class ships, much larger than itself. Unquestionably, The Makashi is one of the signatures of The Elysium Empire. Though, today the majestic ship Rex observed was beaten and battered. Its' Durasteel-plasteel laminated layered hull was scorched and dented, and droids were performing constant work all across the siding. This was The HMS Shi-Cho, Grand Admiral Burtch's choice for a capital ship.

The damage had been taken when The Empire confronted Ekun Vagabond. The pirate was outnumbered, but The Empire's attempt to split command into multiple areas of attack had caused confusion, according to the debriefing. Grand Admiral Burtch arrived, driving the enemy back, but suffering losses due to mistakes his subordinates made. Of course, a Dobson was at the center of this. Literally. Brodan Dobson had been leading the center of the formation. His aggressive assault led to the most casualties and damage.

Then there was The Sakura Empire...a mysterious group, The Empire had minimal data on them. Their fleet was just outside of Damascus station, and Rex hoped to get a chance to meet their leader, or at least a representative.

"King Valhoun, The Grand Admiral has requested your presence in his office."

"Thank you, I'll be right there."

"Do you require an escort, sir?"

"No thanks, ensign, I'm familiar with the ship."

Familiar indeed. Just weeks ago it had been a Makashi, this Makashi, that rescued Loreena and himself from the ocean, and the creatures within it, of Castilon.

The King made his way through the halls, at last finding himself at The Admiral's office. "Grand Admiral" he gave a nod to the Chiss man, "How are you doing today?"

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Ki had already been in-system when a meeting request was received. She had been touring her fleet's ships, most currently in a defensive pattern around the gargantuan station, while the few damaged vessels were docked alongside their Elysium counterparts. She would definitely have to send some of her own techs to assist in repairs she thought. The Admiral received an impact award, presented by the empress herself, for a successful, albeit messy first action on his own.

Ki had left Chika with the rest of the after actions and rode her personal shuttle and sped towards the rectangular behemoth the message had originated. She chuckled, bemused at the polar opposite of her own vessels as they pulled alongside and docked. The two guards she had brought followed an assistant sent to escort them through the ship. As they passed other personnel, she could feel the eyes and hear the whispers. She was a complete stranger after all, but, she was enjoying it.

They came before a hatch and the assistant stepped aside as it opened and Ki motioned for her guards to remain outside as she stepped through.

The hatch slid shut behind her and she turned towards the central desk, where two individuals were currently conversing. She offered a polite bow of greetings before speaking,"Greetings, I was sent a meeting request by Admiral Burtch?" she asked quizzically, looking between the Human and Chiss.

Grand Shepherd Burtch | Rex Valhoun

 

[Grand Shepherd Burtch]

"Oh… about how you'd expect," Burtch growled under his breath at Rex Valhoun 's question. He gestured out the window towards all the repairs and salvage going on at the station, "even though some of the ships made it here on their own power, a fair number of them won't be serviceable again. Some of the condemned ships can be repaired for surplus retail for civilian purposes, but most of them are getting dismantled and recycled. As for our remaining combat units, we should be able to field about 30% after all repairs are completed." He rubbed his brow hard with his left hand, and then dropped it to his side in exasperation. He looked Rex in the eye, "there was no reason this mission should have cost us this much."

Burtch's desk chimed and he hit control. Lieutenant Krriistaah's trandoshan voice came in, "Emprezz Kimiko'z zhuttle haz juzt docked with the Zhii-Cho, zir!"

"Very good, Lieutenant. Let her right in when she gets here" Burtch shut off the comm and turned to his king to speak to him, "your majesty, I don't think I need to outline what all has transpired at the battle, as I need to be brief, but it's obvious that we owe this… Empress Kimiko Taiyou , a major debt. We know very little about her empire, but we know that she helped us and unlike all of our bigger ships right now her bigger battle cruisers are currently serviceable. Our fleet is lacking top-heavy firepower and she's our only option right now. We owe her greatly and I am about to ask for her help again. This calls for a king's assistance, sire. Please help me convince her to help us again."

Sometime after Burtch finished speaking, the door to Burtch's office slid open and a nine-tailed woman walked in and greeted them. Burtch returned the bow, “yes, thank you for joining us. The Empire is eternally in your debt today.”

 

[Rex Valhoun]

"I know. This battle was a fluke." He said with a heavy sigh, taking a seat and rubbing his temple with one hand. "Politically the senate is ripping me apart...I don't know if you follow politics like your brother or not. One side is claiming my reforms are to blame, while the other side is pushing for increased military reform. Militarily there have been a collection of enlisted men throwing theories at me, some blaming you, others blaming Brodan, and then of course...some blaming our mysterious friend. To put it simply, everyone wants something different, and it's a real mess. I've protected you from their crosshairs when I can though. You certainly aren't to blame for this defeat, I know that."

Right on cue following his mention of a "mysterious ally", the commlink went off, announcing The Empress' arrival. Then The Grand Admiral asked The Inexperienced King to help him ask The Empress for help again. Rex inhaled heavily, then replied "Of course. I'm surprised she's coming to you, rather than asking for me. Maybe she doesn't know that I'm here...so she's going to the highest ranking individual around. Regardless, I'll handle it."

Sure enough, the Empress made her way into the office. Burtch welcomed her in first, followed by Rex, "Greetings, Empress. I'm King Valhoun."

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

She was taken back, the men introducing themselves hurriedly made her pause a moment. The Chiss was the admiral who sent the invitation, and the Human was the King of this new entity. Her senses felt no ill-will from either and she was comforted by the fact, at least to her, they were equals.

Her reply was directed at both men as she offered a warm smile, hiding the slightest hint of gloating,"It is an honor to finally meet the both of you, and please, you do not have to be so formal, and as far as the debt goes, it was an operation of mutual benefit. But, let us save the formalities for a future conference, when we can talk after peace has been established. How can I be of assistance?"

Rex Valhoun | Grand Shepherd Burtch

 

[Grand Shepherd Burtch]

The Grand Admiral bowed his head respectfully, "on the contrary, this empire would be insulted if you didn't accept an appropriate thank you on our behalf. You alone have saved a significant portion of our fleet from total destruction and the pirates of Spindle IV are bloodied thanks to you and your forces."

Burtch looked meaningfully at Rex Valhoun with a sharp glance. Burtch would not overstep his role with the King by speaking on his behalf. It was the King's duty to ask Empress Kimiko what she would accept as a thank you and to request her aide once again. Burtch would support anything Rex said, but Burtch would also wait for the right timing to ask as to exactly why Kimiko Taiyou had helped them so unexpectedly. Timing was key as to not insult this strange person.

Burtch took a moment to observe Kimiko Taiyou while he waited for Rex to respond. She was a strange creature indeed. Nine tails and feline-esque ears. Otherwise humanoid, Burtch knew that it was considered a scientific anomaly whenever a species evolved to have more than 6 appendages from the main torso. 9 tails suggested a very strange evolution of humanoid, indeed.

We must learn more about her people, Burtch decided.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Rex hadn't even opened his mouth before Burtch jumped in. Though his words were accurate. It would be a disgrace if The Empire were to give no reward to The Empress, so Rex nodded along. Then, when The Admiral shot a glance at him and finished speaking, Rex took over. "Indeed, it would be wrong of us to give no reward. Please, allow us to return the favor somehow. Perhaps a lump sum of credits? An honorary title?"

Rex didn't know where to go from there. He knew nothing of the woman's nation. They could have an entire war and Rex would be clueless to it. He hoped this lack of information wouldn't haunt him later on. As far as he knew, he could be offering aid to a brutal dictatorship...run by a furry woman with nine tails?

He would need to ask many questions to the 9-tailed woman, but hopefully repaying her favor would start this conversation well.

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

She giggled delightedly, the mix of curious thoughts from the two and persistence of repayment amused her as she waved a dismissive hand,"Please allow me to accept your thanks at this present time. I was not intent on reaping a reward for my assistance."

Ki regained her composure and looked at the men with a more serious eye, an ear flicked abover her head as her tails lazily swayed on the cold floor,"Perhaps, if anything, an alliance is in order. The pirates are still not fully defeated and by the looks of it," she motioned to the viewport and the tattered Elysium fleets beyond,"you want and need my help."

She paused, attempting to remember her formal guidance from her advisors on how to be diplomatic. Ki was very lax in her ways, lazy at times, and had been sitting in isolation since the alliance of planets she had formerly been a part of folded. Her thoughts drifted to her people. Would they willingly follow her into a new alliance and work to expand? They never gave her doubt before and followed their Empress to the ends of the galaxy before.

"It will take me time to gather my council and formerly recognize such a thing. I see no reson they would be against it. But currently, I cannot leave you to a worse fate so the Fringe Defense Fleet will remain in a defensive capacity at the moment. Until then, would one of you, or another official be willing to return to Akarui with me as an honored guest and speak on your behalf?"

Grand Shepherd Burtch | Rex Valhoun

 

[General Kaarl]

Location : Damascus Station
Objective : Diplomacy
Tags : Rex Valhoun Grand Shepherd Burtch Kimiko Taiyou

A hoverchair was a rare enough sight that it often drew attention, and the old Nagi General had learned to ignore the stares of the people as he passed by. The chair was custom made, and made no sound as it moved along at a brisk pace, carrying Wulf Kaarl to a meeting he had not been invited to. His private military company had an intelligence section which had suggested he meet with the military leadership of the Elysium Empire aboard Damascus Station. Wulf hadn't liked the idea much, but had compromised by taking a hundred soldiers along as an honour guard and escort force.

The location of the Grand Admiral's office was easily obtained, and a man in a hoverchair wasn't usually a potential threat, however the Elysium's security stopped General Kaarl before he could just barge his way in. "I assure you, I am here to help. Please ask your bosses if General Kaarl of the Sehnsucht Company may impose upon their hospitality." The old man smiled and spoke gently. The security guards looked at one another, and seemed as if they were about to refuse. The General spoke again, this time in a tone of command. "Ask them." He waited patiently to see if he would be allowed to enter.

Public records available would show Sehnsucht Company provided security and hostage rescue services across the Outer Rim, often taking up charity cases on impoverished planets. They had a reputation for efficiency and professional conduct, notable that they only ever employed non lethal methods in their operations. Of course, as a professional military, the company also possesses and uses various state of the art lethal weapons, however their use is restricted to extreme circumstances, and usually only in quiet operations not advertised to the general public. The company had been built up by Wulf Kaarl over most of a decade, and employs several hundred thousand beings.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

An alliance would be a massive step forward for The Empire, which still had many unfriendly faces around the galaxy. That being said he still knew very little about this strange Empress and her people. When she asked if one of the two men would go with her to her nation as a representative. Rex glanced at The Grand Admiral, trying to decide what to do. He wanted to ask for advice, but this was something too important to decline, no matter what The Chiss man would say.

"I would be honored to meet your people, Empress." Rex said, giving a slight bow. Then he heard the beeping of his commlink. His guards were trying to contact him. With a frown, he answered the call, "What's going on?"

"Sir, we have a "General Kaarl of the Sehnsucht company here...he requests an audience."

Rex recognized the name. The General was a mercenary general, much like Monkrove had been, but perhaps more moral than Monkrove. Sehnsucht company was dedicated to anti-slavery operations, and Rex saw them as a potential ally. However he wasn't expecting the general at this time. This time, he looked at Burtch, allowing him to make the decision. This is Burtch's office, after all...

 

[Grand Shepherd Burtch]

Burtch was taken aback by the outright straightforward offer by Kimiko Taiyou to assist the Elysium Empire in their next campaign against the pirates of Spindle IV. He knew from conversations with Dorthea that beings of mutual benefit often came together naturally and quickly, but even so it wasn't common for great leaders to not want anything in return. Often, it was considered rude to not be a little mercenary when relationships were underdeveloped. But Burtch was still getting used to the Empire and how much it had grown lately. With growth came reputation, and for all it's internal struggles, under Rex's leadership, it was a fair and honorable nation. This Empress Kimiko Taiyou probably knew more about them than they knew about her, so for her to come and help the Elysium Empire with no strings attached was a testament to that reputation. Hopefully.

Burtch spoke to Kimiko Taiyou , "well, I personally, must thank you as well, on account of my own honor. We have a confidentially well-designed vessel of great value that uses secret technology that we are not keen on sharing with many. But with what you have done, and are offering to do for us, makes me think that some rules can be bent here. Please accept our new stealth transport as a gift from the Elysium Navy."

Then Rex's comm chimed and a new arrival was announced. Burtch caught Rex Valhoun 's look and he nodded. Burtch key his own comm to his secretary, "This is Grand Admiral Burtch. Go ahead and let him enter."

General Kaarl

 

[General Kaarl]

Location : Damascus Station
Objective : Diplomacy
Tags : Rex Valhoun Grand Shepherd Burtch Kimiko Taiyou

The guards watched the hoverchair General carefully for several long moments, until one put a hand to his earpiece, nodding to himself. That guard then told his companion to stand easy, and they parted to allow Kaarl to enter the Grand Admiral's office. The hoverchair glided in through the entrance and quietly flowed in through the office until Kaarl came into Grand Admiral Burtch's office. He was surprised to see not one but two members of royalty in the room, and pulled up, gathering his thoughts.

"Grand Admiral, please pardon my imposing on your valuable time." Kaarl turned in his chair, and gave Rex and Kimiko a half bow, the best he could do from a sitting position. "Your Majesty, Your Highness." Greeting each of the luminaries politely in turn. Though General Kaarl had some things to say, he did not wish to interfere more with the meeting than he already had by effectively barging in to a meeting to which he had not been invited. He would await questions before he made his speech.

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

She smiled widely, clapping her hands before her in delight, excited at the thought a new visitor, a royal at that, visitng her little slice of the Galaxy. Instantly she began thinking of a welcoming reception, grand dinners, festivities and the like. It would finally be a reason to have her people involved and lively once again.

They were interrupted by the timely arrival of General Kaarl , she bowed in response, and looked between the men as the chair-bound Nagai seemed to be here to speak to the Elysium representatives as well. She chose to wait quietly and see where this conversation led before interjecting herself.

Rex Valhoun | Grand Shepherd Burtch

 

[Rex Valhoun]

The Empress literally clapped when Rex accepted her offer. Perhaps it was customary of her people to react with such emotion, but it was certainly a first for Rex. He simply gave a bow of the head, acknowledging her happiness, then he turned to the other visitor.

"General Kaarl, I wasn't expecting you. I assume you're here to negotiate your contract?"

Mercenaries weren't his preferred option for the military, but The Empire had enough credits, and with The Mandalorian Enclave claiming territory that literally borders The Empire, and with a pro-slavery planet so far refusing to give in to The Empire's demands, it seemed like the best and only option to help bolster the ranks.