Love Gods [CIS Dominion of Aikhibba | W-40]

[Adron Malvern]

Objective: Defend this position, create a distraction

Location: Aikhibba City
Tags: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]
Post: V

As Adron watched the last of his Commando Droids fall to the ground he could not help but think he could have planned this better. Perhaps it was his brashness that led him to this moment but it would have to be his whit that got him out. The Praexium's soldiers had fallen from an organized assault and instead turned into a relentless swarm threatening to overtake the raven-haired Sith. It seems they mistook Adron for the main assault and had devoted far more soldiers to him than was tactically sound. In this scattered array the Exarch was able to cut down soldiers with little to no resistance. Their strength in numbers had become their undoing as the mass of them could not even tell where the attacks were coming from because of the thick crowd.

His amethyst blade cut into soldier after soldier. He would move to dispatch a small team before shifting through the crowds once again, abandoning his former position for a new target.

His body moved without command. Each swing of the lightsaber was becoming nothing more than a reflex, drawing from the hunger of his hellish armor. Realizing he was about to be encircled, Adron's left hand fell to his belt where his second lightsaber rested. It had been some time since Adron had tried to utilize his second blade, but in this moment he felt drunk with power.

A snap-hiss erupted as the second blade came to life. It had a ray that seemed to come from the sun itself as the yellow hue mixed oddly with the purple one that came from his primary blade. His breathing, which had been rushed, was calming as he gazed at the soldiers before him. They saw a reaper with nothing but the deadliest intent to claim their lives. It was in this moment where Adron was realizing his potential in The Force, in this moment where [member="Darth Metus"] teachings were showing themselves at their finest. Right now he held the power of a true Sith, a Dread Lord.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Objective: Diplomacy with the Aikhibbans (and failing miserably)
Post: 4
Allies: Assisting [member="Taramaz Laurs"] in his escape

Mr. Laurs chose to wait on Tmoxin’s ship for the time being, and the redhead was just about to board, when a Confederacy soldier approached her.

“Viceroyal Temi, Ms. Rato is demanding you speak with her now.”

In her mind this dignitary of Aikhibba did not deserve the right to demand that Tmoxin stop everything to converse with her, but she did consider the woman deserved the right to more humane treatment than her rather violent takedown by Mr. Laurs. She pressed a button on her datapad and Taramaz would hear her voice inside the Stingray: “I know there are still evacuation procedures to follow, Mr. Laurs. Clean yourself up, compose yourself and head back to the rescue operation.”

The Dark Jedi followed the soldier until she was taken to Ms. Rato’s holding cell.

Bruised and battered, there was still a resounding dignity to Aikhaibban. And here sharp tongue was reserved now for the Hapan, not the abused man who’d turned upon his captor.

“For a woman who claims to understand a complex hegemony, your words are hollow. You betray your sex, and you’ve only lied to me about diplomacy. Ms. Temi you are a disreputable woman and I’ll make sure the entire galaxy knows it.”

For the first time that day, the redhead was speechless and despite her urge to storm into the cell and give Ms. Rato a well deserved slap, Tmoxin did consider how her own silver tongue had been coated with betrayal from the get-go, even if it betrayed her own ideals of Hapan dominance.

“And how do you plan to do that?”

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

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Location: Aikhibba | Ship: [SIZE=11pt]Scimitar-Class Star Courier[/SIZE] | Tags: @Aiden​

Objective: Extracting cells of the resistance, victims, and those that wish for a better life. Now en route to the Space Port. ​

Naedira kept moving, kept fighting, until it seemed that [member="Aiden"] finally got tired of treating the mission like a spectator sport. She didn’t have the same precognitive gifts that he possessed and thusly didn’t realize that there was more of a threat left alive than she had originally anticipated. One moment the Minister was standing nearest to the Dauntless and one moment he was gone. She could feel the flow of the Force wax and wane and her eyes tracked the blue-white energy.

The sudden gore, the snap-hiss of his lightsaber didn’t cause her to blink, however, the Dauntless were another story. They had frozen in place. For the Knight Obsidian…Death was a natural occurrence of events. No matter how fantastical. No matter how swift. Naedira did not hold the notion of passing on at arm’s length. She wasn’t all consumed by it and for the most part, simply accepted the fragility of life. No one was promised a tomorrow.

The explosion of bodily fluids, bone, and meatier chunks caused her to raise a telekinetic shield. The Dauntless Commandos were sprayed with what equated to a bio-hazard. Her head tilted, but, she didn’t bother verbally acknowledging anything else as she turned on her heel to continue on. What words could follow something like that?

‘You need a bath. You'll never get all of the skull fragments out of your hair.’

That was sufficient. She brought up her holo-comm to check their coordinates and motioned that they ought to follow the river before they broke off into the more narrow alleyways. If they hurried, it would be a straight shot to the safe house and they could hopefully evacuate before the storm set in. The Dauntless checked their corners, high and low, while Naedira used the Force to try and sense any other incoming hostilities. So far so good.

The designated location placed them smack dab in the middle of an empty courtyard. Naedira could feel the presence of life. It was a flickering light in the darkness of her mind’s eye and it let her know where she ought to look. In the shadows between the older, more dilapidated buildings, there seemed to be a fair concentration of people. “We’ve arrived from the Confederacy at the insistence of an emergency beacon. We are here to guide you from this world if you choose to depart. No one will be removed against their will.”

At first, nothing happened.

Naedira sighed behind her mask. Of course, they were scared. In an oppressed world full of tyrannical law and the most severe consequences for the slightest infractions—who wouldn’t be? Hesitantly, she reached up, and removed the hexagonally pattered hood of her armor. Without it she lost the HUD and her anonymity. “We understand your fear. You must put it aside. Our window of opportunity will soon close…”

As soon as they absconded with the group that wished to leave [member="Darth Metus"] had mentioned that he would be shutting down the largest spaceport. Naedira did not know how. She did not question the Vicelord. Regardless, she knew that between that decision and the storm it would only be a matter of time before they would need to find an alternate mode of leaving Aikhibba.

Her words seemed to have stirred the locals because one by one they began to pour from what appeared to be abandoned housing. Not so empty, Afterall. The group was much larger than they had been led to believe. Men, women, children—Whole families. They looked mostly well kept, a little smudged, tired, but healthy enough to hold their own while they traveled. Some held luggage while others were pulling small repulsor-lift carts full of items.

“We…We are ready. All are accounted for.”

Naedira frowned. They had been instructed to liberate these people. Not, their personal effects.

“Let us move. If anyone gets slowed by what they carry—they will need to leave it behind. The Confederacy will provide.”, Naedira responded, curt, but not at all unkind. Chocolate eyes darted to the right. She thought she saw something, but, whatever it was seemed to be gone now. Perhaps a stray animal? Silently, she moved her hand in the air, and the remaining Dauntless shifted to re-evaluate their position. “Stay behind us but don’t dawdle.”

The Dauntless would carry up the rear. She assumed that Aiden wouldn’t care about where he was positioned, just so long, and they got the job done. The civilians had yet to realize that there was a tooth hanging from his dark hair, otherwise, they would have probably taken a lot more convincing.

Her eyes flowed over their newly acquired refugees. There were probably about fifty bodies not including the children. Other Knights Obsidian units would be performing similar extractions. The idea to execute at the same time gave them all a wider margin for success. Once the people were ready, Nae headed back the way they’d come, taking the easiest, and most direct route.

Her gaze flickered toward Aiden briefly. Everything felt…Too quiet. Especially after their little showdown on the bridge. At least the spaceport wasn’t far.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Location: Aikhibba
Objective: BYOO
Post: 5

Aiden had largely ignored the other soldiers accompanying them once the enemy had been dispatched. The moment he heard [member="Naedira Darcrath"]'s voice, the large Sith smirked slightly and began removing clothing. No sooner had Naedira's voice gone silent than Aiden's pants and undergarments had dropped to the ground. Without a word or gesture, Aiden walked towards the nearby river.

Allowing Naedira and her team to carry on, Aiden took his time carefully picking bits of bone and flesh from his hair. It certainly was no substitute for proper bathing, but it would accomplish the purpose of foreign object removal. After approximately five to seven minutes had gone by, Aiden's soaked form emerged from the water.

Once the caramel skin of the Minister had been adorned in pants and overcoat once more, Aiden utilized Naedira's presence to localize her precise position. A gentle chill did wash over his wet skin, but it began to abate as Aiden utilized the Force to warm the molecules of his skin. It was actually something of a precarious process, but he had a few minutes of walking to do so.

Arriving in the center of the square just as the refugees emerged from hiding, Aiden allowed his silver-green gaze to roll slowly over those assembled. The last thing they needed was to be stabbed in the back by a so-called refugee. As Naedira approached him, Aiden reached up and realized he had missed an errant tooth from his bath. Pulling the bone fragment free, the Minister tossed it aside as he turned to fall in step with the Executor. "You are uneasy."

For his part, Aiden kept his gaze roaming the area. Had he been more attuned to Naedira's thoughts, he would have agreed with her assessment. "I sense it too. Something is not right." The Sith Lord knew not what it was, but he would maintain vigilance as they closed with their objective rally point.

 

[Kip Ridel]

​

[SIZE=11pt]Objective: Survive and Escape[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Post: 3[/SIZE]

[SIZE=18pt]Some time ago...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Although it had been the quietest month since the end of the rebellions, Marjorie could not shake an overwhelming sense of dread. The Halefjord Company post had been, for all intents and purposes, a low-key station. A small outfit of soldiers was all that was necessary to keep watch over the small, private spaceport. Shifts were generally flexible and the risks, with the exception of the occasional blaster fire here or there, were minimal. The bombings had long-since ceased. The raids on supplies and stores, completely quelled.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]So why, then, did the Praexium see fit to assign a notorious hard-ass to oversee operations at a low-risk, low-value location such as Halefjord? Why did it have to be Elena Malore, whose reputation of draconian policy and strict discipline remained a particularly unfavorable water-cooler topic? Whenever a disagreement with a superior occurred or whenever gossip and drama spread throughout the company, the prevailing phrase of comfort was, "Well, at least we don't have to deal with Malore."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Truth be told, Marjorie had no sympathies for the Praexium agenda. She was an administrative assistant long before the sickness and the rebellion. The work suited her naturally. She was organized and good-natured. A people-person by all accounts. But it was the loss of her father and brothers to the disease as well as the Praexium’s abduction of her lover that pushed her to join. In doing so, she told herself, she would hold out for a short time longer until such a time as she could manage an escape.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Her stationing at Halefjord, then, was a relief. Most of the day-to-day work involved administrative tasks with one or two easy patrols. But all of that was about to change. She, along with her fellow soldiers, stood in two orderly lines in front of the entrance of the Halefjord Company building. Ten feet away, an armored vehicle's front-hatch descended into a ramp, revealing the darkened depths from which Constable Elena Malore would emerge.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The woman was escorted by three others, each markedly perfect from their stride, to their uniforms, to each individual strand of hair. Constable Malore took the lead, with confident and deliberate steps toward the two lines of the Halefjord company. Then, she came to an abrupt halt.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Silence. A chilly breeze washed over the company while Constable Malore's equally frigid eyes landed upon Marjorie. Instinctively and almost imperceptibly, a shiver traveled through Marjorie's body. At that very moment, Malore had picked her victim.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"New to the weather, Ms..." Elena said. Marjorie didn't respond. Instead, the mused tones of a ChompWhite advertisement sang through the air. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]Chomp [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]right[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]! ChompWhite![/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]A twitch of agitation flashed on Elena Malore's hardened face. She stomped up to Marjorie and stopped just in front of her. Her blackened eyes stared right through Marjorie's soul. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"Implication, Marjorie," Malore commanded, "requires contextual inference." She stared hard at Marjorie, whose trembling had grown much more noticeably. Malore turned away from her and walked down the center of the two lines.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"Civility is paramount. It is our nature, as the fairer of our dimorphic pairing, to rise above our baser instincts. It is what separates us from animals. Civility is preceded by manners and it is by means of contextual inference that we ascertain the appropriate manners to maintain proper civility.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Malore paused at the end of her speech and turned around sharply, glaring back at Marjorie. “That means, Marjorie, that if a person offers an ellipsis at the end of a name inquiry, the appropriately polite response is to offer your name!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Elena stomped over to the quivering woman and stood face to face with her. For a moment, Marjoie caught something flashing on Elena’s face. Was it a smile? This woman was clearly enjoying the torture.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Elena must have noticed her own smile. She immediately hardened her face. “Now, Ms…”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Uhhhh….M-m...Marjorie, Madam.” Marjorie’s voice quivered out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Elena froze, stared hard at Marjorie, then nodded approvingly. “Ms. Marjorie. I see this company has some work ahead of itself.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The stalwart Constable made her way down the lines again, inspecting. “You’ve grown sloppy. Half of you are slouching. Some of you have wrinkled uniforms.” Elena tugged at the fabric of a woman’s top, pinching the wrinkled portions.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Civility must be met with decorum. You will settle for nothing less. We will make a woman out of you. Is that clear?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“Yes, Madam!” The group shouted in a fearful unison. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]-----[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=18pt]A shorter time ago...[/SIZE]

A palpable silence permeated the chamber-like office of Constable Elena Malore, who stood robotically at the perfect center of the room. She had spent the past five minutes sizing up, or rather downsizing, her recent guest who, much to her apparent agitation, seemed smugly unfazed. Surrounding her were two other women, with Marjorie standing at her best attention at the door.

Kip Ridel, meanwhile, was assessing the larger game. He was piecing together the game set out before him, learning the rules. Learning the moves of each piece. Most importantly, he noted the subtle twinges on Malore’s face the more he politely bucked her authority.

“You have a very nice building, Ms. Malore.” Kip said with a cocky smile.

“It suits.” Elena said, passively and unblinkingly. “Kip Ridel. The Confederacy of Independent Systems has a number of qualified diplomats at their disposal. Yet here you are.”

Kip laughed with genuine amusement that rang awkwardly in the still air. “Ah, yes. It seems some of the qualified diplomats are having quality discussions with a few of your superiors. Sadly, your call was answered solely by me. So here I am.”

“Here you are,” Elena echoed with a hint of a tsk. “Such an odd man. I expect that you understand our circumstances.”

“Awareness and understanding has such a fickle line, Ms. Malore.” Kip replied.

Elena Malore crossed her arms. “No doubt you have offers and remedies.”

“Thoughts and opinions, Ms. Malore.” Kip said. “But we’re not at the stage of offering.”

“Pity.” Elena spat back at Kip. “I’m disappointed, to say the least.”

“It was my understanding that negotiations were off the table.” Kip replied.

This time it was Elena’s turn to laugh. She scoffed a few single “ha”s, with a brief echo of laughter from the other women in the room. “Typical of your kind, unable to discern what is appropriate in spite of what is said. And, as usual, woefully underprepared. Have you come all this way to waste my time?”

Marjorie’s warning echoed true. There was little for Kip to offer. Malore was looking to make an example out of him, and all measures she was succeeding.

“Cloning.” Kip stated firmly.

Elena detected the chip in Kip’s bemused tone. She was getting to him. She walked toward him, sizing him up coldly, before passing right by him. “Make your offer, and I shall decide about whether or not I should punish you for wasting my time.”

Kip’s facade had, indeed, crumbled. His eyes spoke business and his smile shifted into a firm line. “The Confederacy of Independent Systems had a vote recently to allow cloning for economic purposes. I imagine the restoration of your male population would have dramatic economic boons.”

“I see,” Elena said, passing Kip from behind. She turned around and faced him squarely. “And I imagine, for their generosity, that the Confederacy hopes to tax some of our - how did you put it - economic boons?”

“Nothing is free.” Kip replied.

“Indeed.” Elena added, stepping uncomfortably close to Kip. “I have decided…that you have wasted my time. As you eloquently put it, nothing is free and time is money. How do you expect to compensate me?”

Kip could feel the tension between him and her as tangibly as a Jedi does to the force. His eyes made a gesture of sizing Elena up and his smile returned to his face.

Instead, Elena scoffed and turned, walking away from him. “That’s what I expected. Typical. Marjorie. See Mr. Ridel to floor three. Prepare him.”

“Prepare?” Kip inquired.

Elena stopped walking and turned back toward him. “Of course. Animals should not be allowed to run free. It isn’t proper.”

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

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Location: Aikhibba | Ship: [SIZE=11pt]Scimitar-Class Star Courier[/SIZE] | Tags: [member="Aiden"]​

Objective: Space Port​

​

​

Naedira hadn’t blinked when the Minister went bare-arsed into the river but her step was less sure for half a second. Squaring her jaw, she pushed down a warmth to her cheeks, and carried on. In what society had [member="Aiden"] been raised that it was acceptable to strip naked in the middle of what equated to a warzone. She moved her hand in the air and the Dauntless Commandos followed her lead fairly effortlessly. A quick exhale brought her thoughts back to the mission at hand and they were soon on their way to pick up the refugees.

It was easier to find them than she’d anticipated. They were ready to go. One large caravan of fleshy bodies without much physical protection, but, moving swiftly. They were making food time but something definitely felt off. The closer they got to the spaceport that was equipped with enough Stealth Ships to get these people on their way Aiden spoke up as well. Part of her was surprised he’d noticed how she was feeling at all. “I am.”

“I can feel it in the air. It's dense but…”

It smelled of ozone.

Naedira glanced upward at the sky and for a moment thought she could see a rolling skull in the dark storm clouds. They billowed outward from the focal point. There had been quite a bit of talk about what would finally take down the structures that would stop the flow of traffic to and from Aikhibba without Confederate assistance. The Knights had been told it would be impressive. Hard to miss.

No one could miss this elemental disaster. The closer got to it—the more she recognized something about it. There was an underlying force signature that made it obvious. No wonder it had come on so fast and basically out of nowhere.

The closer they got to the center of the storm the more the wind picked up. Lightning lit the sky and the air howled in their ears. Almost as if it had suddenly become ravenously hungry. Naedira was growing concerned. Would their ships even be able to take off in this gale? She wanted to say yes, but, the colder the breeze grew the more she felt doubt prickle in the back of her mind that told her just to hurry up.

Chestnut eyes kept darting back and forth. Much like Aiden, she didn’t trust the refugees at their backs, but there were too many open spaces as they crossed a field that would lead to the extraction point. Rain began to fall, freezing cold, but the Knight seemed not to notice. The Nabooian female trudged along through steadily growing puddles with a pointed step. She was more focused on beating the elements. “Almost there!”, she called to the people that were following them.

When she turned around a thunderous boom sounded and for a moment it felt like her heart stopped with the sound. Her ears were ringing and wind forcibly shoved her into Aiden. He was solid enough not to be moved, hopefully, but for a moment Naedira was distracted by something that had never happened before. A flash of the future. She could see it with startling clarity. Lightning arching down from on high. Electricity in its purest form, too much for her to absorb, would course through their veins. Shriveling cells blackening tissue. Thunder would pound all around, felt through vibrations, over sound. She couldn’t hear anymore. Her eardrums had burst.

As soon as she pulled away from Aiden the vision stopped. She drew a startled breath and glanced at the sky. Chit. Chit, chit. “We need to move. Now! Everyone pick up the pace! Get inside the facility!”

The Knight punched a code into her comm and keyed the frequency she needed to hail [member="Darth Metus"]. “Vicelord—Lesson the storm! Our ships won’t make it.”

A familiar crackling filled her ears and tendrils of bright light struck the ground in rapid succession. Her frown deepened. Chain lightning? Her hand snapped out when it appeared from what seemed to be nowhere, right in front of Aiden, and with a grimace, she endured the absorption of energy. Both of her palms would be mildly burned now. “Unless the storm calms down it's going destroy this spaceport and everything in it. We just need a window to load and take off..”

Her brow furrowed as everyone began to rush indoors. They were scared. Naedira didn’t have the heart to tell them that it wouldn’t save them. The lightning seemed to have a mind of its own.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Location: Aikhibba
Objective: BYOO
Post: 6

Aiden nodded in agreement to [member="Naedira Darcrath"]’s description of the feeling rippling through the air. However, Aiden had been exposed to a great many abilities and manipulations of nature with the Force’s more destructive, ravenous aspects. Each individual Force User that contorted nature in such a manner left a distinct mark in the ether of the Force. It was like sensing someone’s presence but somehow more...visceral, more real.

As a gust of wind did rip across the area, Aiden braced himself by leaning forward, but he soon found Naedira’s own body swallowed in his grasp. For a moment he was frozen...mostly because she did not immediately recoil. Senses already rolling steadily over the area but content to remain in a support role, Aiden did nothing to aid the woman. Not yet but...he saw it just as clearly as she had. Had they shared in the same vision somehow? The Minister barely had time to conceive the idea before Nae pulled away and the vision ended.

What happened next was not...panic but urgency. Remaining stationary, Aiden allowed his eyes to transfer from Naedira, to the refugees, to the Dauntless. The taste of this action. He knew the practitioner before Naedira ever engaged her comlink.

While he had been happy to take a backseat in this operation, he intervened directly now. ”Cancel that, Metus. We will be fine.” No sooner had he spoken into his own comlink than he watched the woman that commanded a curious amount of his hidden affection endure pain in an attempt to protect her charge.

Accustomed to the dark side manifestations of [member="Darth Metus"], Aiden’s lips curled into a mildly irritated expression for a moment. His introduction to CIS had been to witness a Force Wraith overtake the body of Exarch Talon. As he had then, Aiden intervened only when it became clear that it was absolutely necessary.

Even though Aiden rarely hid his existence in the Force, he had certainly grown accustom to muting the depth and intensity of his experience and command over the Force. That ended nearby immediately in the wake of Naedira’s injury well outside of an actual combat situation. He would refuse to let the woman fail or come to harm due to forces beyond her own control. It was where he drew a hard line; where his muted affections manifested into definitive action.

The entire area became saturated with dark side power as the Sith Lord’s eerie eyes began to glow far brighter than any of his kin save Elora, his younger sister. Tendrils of Force lightning crackled around the large Sith’s knuckles as the intensity of the storm in their area intensified momentarily before rushing outward, creating an atmosphere of surprising tranquility and serenity around the group.

When Aiden next spoke, there was almost a second, ethereal voice speaking in Ancient Sith while his normal deep baritone spoke basic.

”Go, Naedira. I will keep your path clear.”
”Go, Naedira. I will keep your path clear.”

No sooner had the words left his lips than the tendrils of lightning erupted up his arms as the Sith Lord’s body rocketed skyward. Extending his arms, Aiden manipulated the very fabric of nature to maintain safety of the group behind him. He would help them punch through the storm into the upper atmosphere. Metus could lessen his efforts if he wanted, but it would ultimately be unnecessary. Aiden needed only to directly control a small number of molecules and currents to ensure the safe travel of the group.

Metus’ actions were far more widespread, requiring a greater degree of concentration. In that moment, their respective efforts were more complimentary than anything else.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Objective: Diplomacy with the Aikhibbans (and failing miserably)
Post: 5
Allies: Assisting [member="Taramaz Laurs"]

Even for a Hapan, Tmoxin had to admit that what had been going on within the government of Aikhibba was inhuman at best, downright bizarro at worst. And despite her penchant towards nonchalance over her enemy’s plans, she was unsettled by Ms. Rato’s words.

“Whether I attack your assets personally or take the entire Confederacy to the intergalactic court on Coruscant, you will not see the last of me.”

Tmoxin stifled a laugh. “Intergalactic court? Do you think the Republic operates as it used to. From my knowledge, the New Republic is just a shadow of what it was. And Coruscant cares only about Coruscant. The Southern Systems has grown in power, influence and alliances. If you were to embark on any kind of larger attack - be it militarily, legally or even through a trade embargo, Aikhibba could essentially be choked off. Left to hermitize. And after what you did to the male population on your planet, growing the population of your planet will be challenging.”

She had walked into this holding area, feeling sympathy for Ms. Rato, but now she only felt a cold rage over the woman’s bold threats.

“Perhaps you will be the court martialed one, but if you want to see more of me, I assure you, you will have a bloody battle upon your greedy and bruised hands.”

She could hear Ms. Rato grumbling, threatening, complaining behind her, but Tmoxin turned on her heel and left the room. After a quick appraisal of the rescue operation, she made her way back to a Confederacy staging area. Again her curiosity piqued over what had been done to Mr. Laurs, but the Hapan would not pursue it. Not yet. Once the two finally reconnected planet or assignment or even in downtime, she may be able to gage his psychological damage.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​

​

Adron stood silently in the center of what was once a thriving market district. His amethyst eyes scanned the area and was met with the still silence of conquest. The Praexium soldiers who had descended on him laid lifelessly before his feet, unmoving under the small fog of dust and blood that had taken over the air. The only sound that could be heard was the low hum of his two lightsabers, which were held firmly in his hands. Hands that had grown red and stressed from the tight grip he had maintained. Finally he let out a shallow breath, letting the effects of his assault weigh down on him. Crimson Dread had been sated for now so he did not feel that deep burning that came when his armor was disappointed in his actions.

The dust and dirt finally cleared to show Adron all of his enemies had been defeated. He cut the power from his lightsabers, glancing down at the hilts of the blade before looking up to the skies. The Confederate fleet was looming over the planet as if awaiting the order to truly bring this battle to an end. Since he had not heard otherwise from his comrades he assumed the operation had gone as planned. His distraction had given more than enough time for the men of the world to be freed from their camps and he had taken down a sizable portion of their security forces to boot.

The soft clapping of metal against dirt forced the man to look over his shoulder. A small squad of Commando droids approached him from behind, likely to support his defense of the area. Turning to them he clipped his lightsabers to his waist, looking to the droids with a contempt filled gaze. They had been late but that was not the source of his agitation, that lied in their very existence. "What's left of The Praexium has been pushed to the back foot. Their main forces are scattered and this battle is ours, get my ship." He ordered, turning away from the metallic soldier as he looked over the carnage he had wrought. A small smile came over his lips, of course it was quickly replaced with a stoic gaze.

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

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Location: Aikhibba | Ship: [SIZE=11pt]Scimitar-Class Star Courier[/SIZE] | Tags: [member="Aiden"]​

Objective: Civillians evacuated. Departure imminent. ​

Naedira had never before been close enough to the Minister to know what he did or didn’t feel like. His recent jaunt in the river had spoken volumes but with so much Force related energy moving through the air the sudden connection was almost as electric as the storm. She was gifted with the impression of silent support, strength, and something else that she could only describe as male. The rest was swept away by a mottled vision that spelled little more than agony for everyone involved.

The lightning didn’t discriminate. It had been born of the Vicelord’s power and had no care in any world of which organic being it turned into a crisp. Diplomacy efforts must have been futile, because this, felt like the initial plan. Scorched earth.

Her immediate thought, to secure their charges, was to lessen the intensity of the storm. This led her to reach out to Darth Metus directly, however, [member="Aiden"] stopped the call. She didn’t have time to question it before the chain lightning snapped across the ground like a runaway train. There hadn’t been a thought involved when it came to standing in the way. Nae knew that her skill with energy absorption was imperfect but it was her duty to protect those above and below her station. Even if they didn’t need it. Through her glove, the heat, the energy burned and she could only grind her teeth.

What happened next was unexpected. Aiden had kept to the shadows thus far. He let her move, fight, and command almost with impunity. When he acted it was not small. Power that burned black spread through the area like wildfire and Naedira brought up her hands to protect her face when the weather briefly got worse. All at once—it stopped. Suddenly, the wind eased, and she could breathe again. When he spoke she could feel the Darkside crawl up her spine. She could hear him, and yet, she could not.

Regardless, she mutely nodded head and called for the refugees to follow her. They darted around the Sith Lord with a fair dose of apprehension mixed with awe. Naedira was given the impression that they didn’t see too many practitioners of the Force, let alone, one that could command the weather on a whim. Once they were all ushered into the starport she was able to direct them toward the shuttles that would take them to the Fortressa.

Aiden was still controlling the storm so they were able to take off, but, Naedira didn’t want to leave him behind. As powerful as he was the rest of the teams had already actively evacuated their groups, and according to comms, things were going to get a lot worse on the ground before they got better. Nae reported an update to [member="Adron Malvern"] and discovered that he had indeed managed to push back the Praexium. Perhaps, that was why they hadn’t seen more. It was a mix of good and bad news. Thankfully, however, her ship wasn’t far away—but the storm that Darth Metus had caused would rage hard enough to destroy the spaceport once the Minister stopped interfering.

“They’re safe as houses. Mission accomplished—Let’s get out of here!”, she called to Aiden, still, needing to raise her voice. Though he had made the area around them relatively safe she could still hear the winds howling just outside of the vicinity. Naedira could feel an oddity, with two flavors of power running rampant, versus just one, and neither one of them were her own. It felt as if she’d been cooked backwards. Freezing on the outside and burning in the middle. “It has been confirmed that diplomacy efforts have failed entirely. The main governing representative was jailed by [member="Tmoxin Temi"] and the Minister of Influence [[member="Kip Ridel"]] has not reported in. But, our purpose is served. Our sectors have been cleared of civilians. Aikhibba will soon be taken under Confederate control by force.”

Naedira didn’t know how the Minister would maintain his area of calm whilst they made it back to her ship. They’d only barely had enough space in the shuttles for the civilian population. Once the spaceport was gone there would be no way to escape, nowhere to hide, and no mercy. Chocolate eyes settled on Aiden whilst he commanded the Darkside in a way that looked effortless.

Briefly, she glanced at her hands. They were both red and raw as her gloves had been burned through. It made her feel…Thankful, for his interception, yet childish, for her interference.

He didn’t need her to protect him. He never had.

When he was able the pair began to pull away from the spaceport and returned on foot to her ship. Once they escaped the radius of the storm it was pretty easy travel. No one stopped them, this time, too concerned about the Droid Army that had appeared on the horizon. Naedira reached for the controls of her stealth ship without thinking but verbally engaged auto-pilot instead. Her hands would only get worse the more she tried to use them.

“We aren't required for the next stage…I’m ready to go, but, where to?”

 

[Queen Bots™]

AIKHIBBA​

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"Some would call this place a paradise. Not me, obviously, because my wife would kill me...But some would. At least, until they realized they can't leave." - Knight Obsidian Orion Dray​

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| . | Mission Log | . |

What a mess. ​

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These would be the words typed into the mission logs that the Knights Obsidian were so fond of keeping for clerical purposes. Most of their ranks were tired, beat, and ready to return to Geonosis for that sweet, sweet hazard pay. Nevertheless, they were thorough and did their best to document the various missions and activities they had participated in. The higher-ups had always anticipated that diplomacy would be a hard sell. [member="Tmoxin Temi"], [member="Kip Ridel"], and several others had done their best to try and make the Praexium see reason but their offers had been rebuked. In the interim, several other groups, set about to evacuate civilians and release the prisoners from their gilded cells. A strike team would have been sent in specifically to save the Minister of Influence from his fate but others, like [member="Taramaz Laurs"], were freed beforehand. ​

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The coup d'état that sealed the fate of those who opposed the Confederacy was the planned destruction of the largest starport. It would be hard for the Praexium to flee and regroup when they had nowhere to go. [member="Kyber"] had tackled the Praexium HQ and the massive Droid Army of the Confederacy would soon swarm the rest of the governmental buildings to weed out any stragglers. Not ever battle resulted in violence, however, many did. Any threat to a way of life no matter how unnecessary or inhumane was always met with heavy opposition. No matter the state of Aikhibba after the biological attack, no matter the toll, no sentient being deserved to be kept in such depraved captivity. ​

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The Vicelord detests slavery of any kind. If this does not count his Viceroyals will be very hard pressed to decide what does. Since the Praexium have been pushed back, brought to heel, the CIS will install a Viceroy that is more suited to bringing a broken world back to glory. The best CIS scientists will try to figure out what sort of weapon destroyed most of the population, however, it will be difficult without a sample of the original. They will also devise the best way to correct any genetic anomalies leftover from the limited gene pool. The civilians that were evacuated will not be forced to return unless they wish to once the climate has stabilized. For some, it is their home, but for others, it is a nightmare. The Confederacy will give them all something that the Praexium never did. A choice. Free will. ​

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| . | Mission Log Amendment | . |

The Confederate Defense Force [CDF], as well as the Knights Obsidian, will need to monitor this world closely in the future. The Praexium is on the run, however, they are not yet wiped from the face of the galaxy. The Confederacy has won the battle, however, the war will take a long time to settle. They will remain on their guard.

[End Log]

Spoiler

As always, thank you for an awesome story! Please feel free to keep writing your stories. This is just a summary for faction purposes so that we may comfortably turn in our thread for the month. You all did wonderfully. Any questions, pretty please, DM/PM a member of the CIS Admin or Creative Team. Thanks bunches!

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Location: Aikhibba
Objective: BYOO
Post: 7

Aiden could hear Naedira, but that wasn't the easy method in which she communicated with him presently. With the entirety of his presence unleashed upon the surface of Aikhibba, there was a closeness that he'd not previously been aware of. This was not the result of some type of force bond or other connection built out of intimate knowledge of a person. It was...different, almost foreign. It was like someone or something had manipulated the very fabric of the Force such that the presence of [member="Naedira Darcrath"] radiated like a beacon in his mind. Along with the sensation came an awareness of her emotions and an impression, though muddled at times, of her thoughts.

This was not one of those times. He could feel her urgency and...concern? That was the perplexing thought. Throughout their interactions, Aiden could count on one hand...with two fingers the number of times Naedira had seemed to warm to him in any way. The reality was not a problem as he appreciated her focused approach to life and her profession. Aiden neither needed nor fell for cuddles and hearts. It was the thoroughly competent mixed with desire to belong to something greater than intrigued him. Could this also mean a deep emotional connection? Absolutely, yes.

Allowing his body to slowly drift down towards the ground, Aiden maintained control over his actions. He could and would maintain the focus all the way through his journey to Naedira's ship. Though the tendrils of lightning cascading up his arm dissipated well before. Once he could be sure the refugees were safely away, he released his control and allowed the storms in his eyes to dissipate. The bright hue of his silver-green eyes remained for several moments as he turned his gaze to Naedira. He had no words for the woman during their walk.

Once they were back aboard her vessel, Aiden exhaled softly, turning his head to regard the woman in silence for several moments. His eyes darted to the woman's hands before he reached out with one of his own. It was warm from the current of heat and raw energy that had previously been coursing through them. With a tenderness that surprised even himself, Aiden placed his hand on her closest arm. "Don't. Allow me."

As his hand withdrew, Aiden turned his attention to the navicomputer. The Sith Lord did not like to pilot vessels...at all. However, it was a skill he was learning to develop with increasing proficiency for sake of functionality. What he could do, however, was engage an autopilot like nobody's business.

Once he'd entered in a set of coordinates, the Sith Lord engaged the autopilot and glanced back at Naedira. "Let me handle the destination. There is something I think you might yet enjoy seeing."

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

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Location: Aikhibba | Ship: [SIZE=11pt]Scimitar-Class Star Courier[/SIZE] | Tags: [member="Aiden"]​

Objective: Job well done...No one died? Cept, the Prax.​

Naedira watched as Aiden dropped through the air like a slow stone. He had cat’s eyes. Reflective, bright. There was a short moment where the Sith Lord seemed unearthly but she tore her eyes away after a long moment. There was something different about him when his presence washed over the area. As if a curtain had been lifted, a seal broken, and she couldn’t tell if she was intruding or not. It was silly. Of course not. They were on a mission together—Not alone.

Nevertheless, from this point, she stayed close and followed his lead. It gave her plenty of time to think and observe. The walk to her starship was fraught with high winds and rain that didn’t seem to want to lessen up completely, however, they weren’t being shocked to death. At this point, Nae would take what little luck they seemed capable of getting. They’d encountered a minor setback, and the storm was terrifying, but otherwise, they’d completed everything they’d set out to accomplish.

Hopefully, once they got off this rock, they wouldn’t have to see it again for a long time.

They didn’t speak much during the way back. She didn’t mind. Sometimes, there were people in her life that she didn’t need to talk to in order to feel comfortable. She had long since grown used to the Minister tuning her out, for better or worse, so it didn’t feel any different. But, the power slipping from his every pore? That was definitely different. Once they in the relative safety of her vessel she was able to breathe easy. Well, easier.

The Knight was surprised when she was stopped from getting the ship going. Normally, she handled transport, from the controls to plugging in the destination. Naedira wasn’t particularly fond of using the auto-pilot but sometimes it came in handy. She almost jumped at the touch to her arm. It wasn’t the fact that someone was touching her, or even that Aiden was, it was simply the quiet invisible current that passed. Was his connection to the Darkside lingering? Naedira didn’t know.

Chocolate eyes found his in the muted lights. Silent, pensive. She nodded at his words and let her hands fall from the controls so that the Minister could handle it. The contact had been brief, just like before, but she found that it lingered. Warm. The raven-haired woman did her best to shake off the almost dazed sensation that ran through her and instead focused on what would come next. “As you wish…”, she trailed off, professionally obedient, though some small spark of inquisitiveness had begun to burn in the pit of her stomach. Unusual. She was a creature of habit. Deviating from her typical routines was abnormal, to say the least.

“Let’s go then. Color me curious…”

At some point, perhaps once they hit the stability of hyperspace, she would need to take the lift down to the ready area and head over toward medical. She could have tried to heal her own injuries, but, it was not a skill of which she excelled. It was typically painful and things didn’t always turn out as intended. With such minor burns, it would be best, to let bacta serve its purpose. Regardless, she left Aiden to handle initial flight protocol and moved to strap herself into the passenger seating not far behind him.

Who was she to deny her superior?

[Naedira Out]