Parades and Paranoia (TSE Dominion of Jaminere)

[Cassandra Paige]

Objective 4: Always in their own interest.
[member="Itash Mecetti"]

She held the glass loosely in one hand, not drinking more, more a prop than a beverage now.

"Mmm," she responded absently, watching the hints of the parade she could see from this distance. "Anyone with access to the lower levels would need to be carefully vetted. Interns are useful but don't belong there."

Cass leaned her shoulder lightly against the glass, forehead to follow a moment later.

"We have the framework in place. Currently the task is to input and then test the various behaviors. This is for the first iteration of course. I am hoping that following programs will not simply be the same thing with different appearances- but at least partly different behaviors and actions. I've been told that is an unreasonable expectation for the program. I offered incentives to the rest of the team to prove him wrong."

She smiled slightly.

"The appearance parts are easy it's the-"

Cass stood up straight suddenly, attention fully arrested by something in the distance.

"Itash? I thought you said that Jaminere was stable."

 

[Itash Mecetti]

Objective 4: Always in their own interest.
[member="Cassandra Paige"]

"I can share some of my resources with that development," Tash murmured in response while letting the liquid inside the glass swirl pleasantly. It felt good, felt right, inserting chaos into something that had been calm just a moment ago.

"Should speed it all u-"

Head rose up and then tilted as blue eyes reflected the distant shimmer of the explosion, then the fire. It was too far away for them to hear anything but they were close enough that the fire's reach rose up in the air and bathed its surroundings with amber and crimson. "Now that is not something you see all day." For once Itash seemed just as surprised as Cassandra.

"It was supposed to be, yes, but sometimes..." Eyes drew back to the glass with amber as it swirled. "....order has no choice but to make way for chaos."

The frown materialized a moment later though.

"I have men approaching the scene, we will know what has happened soon enough. I don't believe there is any danger to us this far away, but I was planning on showing you the panic room regardless." Hand reached out, palm up, for her to put hers in it. There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them ever since Raykka and all that it had brought them. In manners of security there would be no more opposition or argument.

 

[Delaney Wilder]

[member="Koda Fett"]

There was one truth that Jackson knew when it came to the cards.

They didn't matter.

Not when you were playing the person on the other end of the table. It almost seemed as he warped, shifting and slipping into a persona that had nothing to do with Jackson Singh and everything to do with the man he needed to be now. Extreme empathy... a curse? Certainly, but it had a few advantages here and there. He was lounging on his chair now, face relaxed, but with the corner of the mouth quirking up in a self-satisfied micro-expression.

Too small to be noticed... except if you had four pairs of eyes trained specifically on that same face.

"Why don't we make dis interesting, eh?" Jackson drawled, while casually playing with some of the chips, while eyeing the murderer. "Cash is nice an' all, sure, but someone of ya... stature, well."

Gail squinted -- all four eyes -- at the idiot human.

Did he not know what he was dealing with here? Had he not just seen the body drop as a message?

"Oh? What's that then? Whatcha thinkin, human?" The human was dead already, no? So might as well figure out just what he was trying. It wasn't often cattle had enough spine left in them to actually push back against him. It was an odd experience, but something that seemed to strangely amuse the alien. Enough to not simply reach out and rip their spine out anyway.

"I win... we go outside and ya give me the glory of a duel. Mandallian Sector Shuffle rules, eh?"

 

[Astrid Gray]

Location: The Parade - On the Move
Objective 1: Find the Perpetrators
Nearby: [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

As she was running through the streets, Astrid was glad she had decided on not wearing heels. Her usual style of outfit had also been put to the side for the parade. There was nothing about this that required Astrid to be dressed up, as such she had taken the opportunity to don more casual clothing. A rare treat given she had to be 'dressed to impress' when it came to her duties with SINN.

Which made up the majority of her time.

"Speak to me Ves, do you have eyes on Jerome and the target?" Astrid moved through the crowds as they hurried away, either in her direction or across the way. Fortunately they were gradually thinning out, the populace that had been closest to the parade was finally emptying the surrounding streets.

"I do, but it's getting difficult. They're using the alleys, and they're practically a maze here. Both are about a block away from you, to the right and heading west."

Astrid picked up her pace, eyes shifting from ahead to above every now and then as the camera drones moved around above. She brought a hand up to her ear, gently tapping it with a finger.

"Jerome, do you know where the target is heading?"

"Not sure, could be a building - or they're just trying to shake me. They have yet to do anything direct, even though I see a blast-" The line was suddenly cut out with static, it surprised Astrid enough that she stumbled a bit.

"Jerome? Jerome, come in! Damnit, Ves what just happened?"

"I-I think we're getting jammed. Jerome may have just entered an area where its in effect." Ves paused, seemingly distracted by something. "I just saw the suspect darting into a building, and karking hell Jerome's gone right in after!" She provided directions shortly after.

Astrid turned on her heel and moving down an alleyway that twisted and turned into the backstreets.

"Okay, I see the door ahead of me. Ves, are you able to position your drone to get a look inside?"

"Understood, moving the drone down no-wait hold on, we're getting information from an agent on the ground."

Instinctively Astrid was focused on the situation before her, Jerome; one of her charges/employees was throwing himself in danger. So she pushed on without a set of eyes peering into the interior ahead of time. With her blaster in hand; primed and ready to fire, Astrid kicked the door in.

Probably not the best thing to do.

She had a few moments, the sudden shock of the door slamming open had stunned those present inside. Two individuals, one was Jerome who was in the midst of trying to disarm the target. A Rodian with a thermal detonator in one hand and a blaster in the other. Astrid glanced around, taking in what she saw like snapshots.

Tables. Crates. Explosive Materials.

A workshop for the explosives? A stockpile for their supplies?

Everything happened so quick, as in the following moment the Rodian had headbutted Jerome and aimed his blaster at Astrid. But the young man was spry on his feet and knocked the attacker's weapon hand away.

Unfortunately, he was still able to fire..straight towards a half constructed mine. The explosion caused a domino effect with the nearby materials.

"Jerome!"

There was a flash of light, and it was all Astrid could see. Followed by darkness as the explosion sent her flying backwards across the street, both her back and head hitting a brick wall.

 

[Lemon]

JAMINERE

---

---

---

CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD, SUB LEVELS

Gail scoffed at first, rolling his head towards the ceiling whilst flashing a grin that presented those awfully serrated teeth of his. Tear the flesh from anything with those things. "You..." He accused with confidence, thrusting an index finger towards Jackson, "Have ya'self a deal." There was no way that this puny human was going to best him in this game, and better yet a duel. His hubris may very well be the instrument of his downfall, however. And only time would tell.

The game went on, and on, and on. Nobody found themselves dead during the game, and even Gail wanted an excuse to end up in this fight fair and square- even if that meant being defeated in this little game they played. It wasn't as if Singh was going to be remembered as anything but the boy who tried to take on Gail, but only died trying. A large enough crowd gathered around the table, a mix of fear and excitement lingering in their gaze. The only sound in the room came from this table. Other than that? Everyone may as well be dead, for the didn't make a murmur.

It came to the final hand, all chips presented themselves as a winner takes all scenario. This was it. Maybe Gail was going to take this pot, or Jackson may very well earn his time in the spotlight as he fought the fearsome Gail to the bitter end.

It'd been some time, though. Enough time, in fact, for the infamous Bounty Hunter who lurked out of view to reach an electric port that now had a skeleton key in it's slot. All too many functions were available to the Mandalorian, but instead he oversaw this game through the security feeds. Hell, even Fett was entertained.

---

---

[member="Jackson Singh"]

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Objective 4: Always in their own interest.
[member="Itash Mecetti"]

She accepted his hand with a nod. There wasn't much that they did not do the push and pull dance of control, but on this one thing, Cass conceded. It was the only sensible way of doing things in this case.

Although, the thought flickered across her mind, although it is only a matter of time before...

To herself, Cass smiled.

"I supposed any world will have it's.... noisy moments...." she murmured. As though an explosion ripping through a parade and potentially killing dozens of people was just 'noise.'

To be fair, to Cass.... it was.

"You designed this one to be more comfortable than the one at 01, yes?"

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

THE PARADE - Chase
[member="Astrid Gray"]

Staggering on her feet, Joycelyn managed to keep up a semblance of momentum as she circled around the sensation she was picking up; the chase she could observe. Her troopers were far ahead, pushing ahead through the commotion to secure the Empire's connection to the rest of the Galaxy. She knew, as they all knew, that the way they were viewed was paramount to the power they wielded.

The Vahlacanthix managed to push herself into a mild jog, and then a run. Her shoulder crashed into the side of a wall, supporting her weight for a second as the duracrete corner scraped the exposed and wounded skin. She bit down and pushed on. The sithsword in her hand scraped against the dusty ground when she wasn't actively paying attention to holding it up. Her vision blurred when she focused on lifting it.

Around a corner, down a street. Drone overhead. A door opened ahead, Joycelyn leaned on the corner for a moment, catching her breath as the pain was churned into power.

"Jerome!"

She jerked to her feet and there was a flash of light, a rush of air. Then, a sound so thunderous it sounded almost like shelling. Debris crashed around her, forcing the Sith Knight to cover herself. Smoke, ash and dust filled her mouth and coated her skin as fire licked every inch of the street. There was a crash and a tumble, a building crashing down upon itself.

Joycelyn threw herself around the corner in a renewed state of emergency. Dust was still settling and she could not quite see what was ahead of her. She could see the walls had been blown apart, the ceiling had then collapsed in on itself. All around there were broken windows and holes in walls. From some of the holes, she could hear cries of pain. People peeked out to see what had happened, others ran to help. Joycelyn ran to the collapse of the building itself, taking a com from her belt.

"Explosion near 188th and 32rd. Aid needed, possible agents trapped inside."

She stabbed her sword through one of the nearby steel beams and grabbed on to one of the bigger pieces of debris to shift it, but saw that smaller pieces shifted with it. It was all interconnected. Cursing under her breath, Joycelyn closed her eyes and reached out with the Force. The pain that lingered in her body, the fear around her. Debris shifted, smaller pieces began to float, then larger. It spread out and shifted over to the sides as dust fell to settle on the ground beneath.

Her jaw set so hard she thought her teeth would break.

There - A hand, a sleeve. she gripped the hand as more of the debris shifted to the sides.

 

[Sebastian Thel]

Objective: Evaluate Risk
Allies: [member="Adrian Vandiir"]

While Adrian pushed towards a wider scale, Sebastian was content to play the role of a computer, making his way across the galaxy and accepting work when offered. All the while he remained inconspicuous to most parties, useful only when they needed him and moving on to the next task when they did not. The Trandoshan guard received the command of the Sith and marched his soldiers down the corridor as the manor prepared for the physical retaliation of it's former owner.

Sebastian only hoped that his calculations were correct and that they did not land him at the end of a lightsaber. As Adrian spoke again, he took a breath and pushed his glasses up his nose, flipping his notebook to a blank page. The numbers began again as he set his pen to the paper, reviewing the statistics for the manufacturing facilities of the former estate. Beside him, an analyst flicked through a datapad and brought up a window containing spreadsheets.

On the large, hardcover notebook, Sebastian organized the data into a series of equations. While the accountant handled the funds on a computer screen, he relied on his manual calculations. He shifted his eyes between the page and the datapad, the pressure amounting as he evaluated the figures. If only he was not sitting in a room surrounded by people he had to work with, then it would have been easy. Teamwork was not Sebastian's strong suit.

"My Lord, the manufacturing facilities of Cyclops Microsystems have experienced a decrease in value since the annexation." Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Sebastian allowed his wrist some rest and adjusted his notes. "However, their security systems are now vulnerable, allowing Vandiir Consolidated a chance to infiltrate their facilities." He surveyed the low points on the graph and any discrepancies Adrian could exploit. "I would not advise ruling out espionage as a possible means of claiming their assets." Sebastian concluded.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The parade continued onward, albeit bereft of the Emperor's own gravsled as the investigation into the explosion kicked into gear. Carnifex and his colleagues were moved to a safer location, surrounded by the Emperor's royal Crownguard and other armed protectors. The Saaraishesh fanned throughout the city, tapping into local communication lines and surveillance equipment to catch a whiff of the perpetrators against the Empire. Though several leads had been found, nothing concrete had been brought forth as to who the assassins were or where they may be.

That was until a building exploded not far from the parade thoroughfare where the Emperor had been attacked.

Local law enforcement and Imperial Legionnaires swarmed the area, detaining anybody who just so happened to be walking around the area for further questioning. Construction crews and Force Users began to move aside the rubble, digging through it for salvageable evidence and bodies, dead and alive. The bodies of Jerome and Astrid would be deposited into the hands of the medical officials who had accompanied the mad scramble to the site, while those of the terrorists would be placed in stasis as soon as possible. Dead or alive, they would still serve to answer the questions that burned within the minds of the Saaraishash, and the Emperor himself would undoubtedly like to see some measure of justice delivered.

Undoubtedly new propaganda would surface that detailed the incident, calling the actions of the Emperor and his retinue brave and heroic while decrying and demonizing the actions of the terrorists. What wouldn't be mentioned is that all of the assailants involved were working on their own accord, acting out against oppression without any foreign backing. This narrative would be altered to include evidence discovered at the crime scene that linked these assassins with the League of Voss, further spurring on the public's hatred of the resistance group that continued to harry the Empire's forward advances.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

Location: The Parade
Nearby: [member="Tabigarashu Madara"]

For a brief moment Lord Fa leaned in, letting his beak gently brush the side of Hirou's nose, before retreating again.

"Only because of you, Hirou." In truth the Nezumi reminded him of his youth. Before the path of the Sith had swallowed him whole. When he had been a smol birb playing with his equally smol playmate, Misha. Of course, the path of the Sith demanded sacrifice and it had been no different there. From one day to the other Tai had lost a playmate and earned two equally ruthless teachers.

The path towards becoming a Sith had only begun.

Lord Inquisitor Saarai watched impassively as around them the machine of the Inquisition, the Assassins and Zambranos' personal guard turned to motion. But his thoughts went back- away from Hirou or the moment, towards the faceless Inquisitor that had convinced him that having his own sled before the Emperor would increase security even more.

They moved away, letting the Dark Lord do his work, while Hirou and Tai would do theirs.

"I need a name, Knight Madara." Lord Saarai murmured softly as they were swallowed whole by an ocean of white, the Inquisitors on the scene. "The Saaraishash has been compromised."

Soft, very soft.

No one needed to know yet.

"I need to know where it began.... and where it ends."

 

[Itash Mecetti]

Objective 4: Always in their own interest.
[member="Cassandra Paige"]

"Oh, yes." He replied as they left the bright yellow explosions behind. "You will love it. Comfortable, it has all the necessities for an enjoyable stay while the chaos outside subsided and we figure out what happened." The panic room was heavily reinforced- beskar plating, recessed electrical system, back-up security platforms, Didact had gone all out with this design.

It was probably one of the best security foundations they had constructed since Didact's inception.

Tash was rather proud of it.

A lift took them straight to the locale, through several checkpoints and biometric scanners. Until after a few minutes Tash settled down in a comfortable couch with some red wine in hand.

"Now... let's discuss hiring options." His eyes and that grin tugging said that he was entirely disinterested in business now.

 

[Tabigarashu Madara]

Hirou scampered back to Tai Fa's other shoulder after the quivering nose boops, beaming and clearly proud. But the following words sobered the Nezumi, and they nodded, back straight and motion firm.

"It shouldn't have come to this," Hirou agreed.

While most people considered the nezumi silly little things, they could be the staunchest, most loyal of friends. And Hirou took their job as an agent of the Saaraishash and friend to Tai Fa very seriously.

Someone should have known. So either mistakes were made.... or someone did know. Both were concerning, but the second was down right alarming. Hirou rode [member="Darth Saarai"] 's shoulder, understanding entirely the implications. And also the trust being placed in their hands.

"The Tabigarashu clan can be trusted," Hirou said without hesitation. While they were not the technical leader of the clan, their close relationship with Tai Fa, and the fact that it was that connection that had brought the clan so far meant that Hirou was afforded no small amount of respect and consideration. "And we can go where others cannot, move without being seen. We will find them for you, Lord Saraai. We are small, but we do not give up."

Again, Hirou nodded.

"We will find them. And bring you their name."

It would not be an easy task. Or a safe one. But Hirou did not balk. Someone, somewhere, had known about this, and managed to keep it from two branches of the Imperial network. Who? Why?

Only time would tell.

 

[Astrid Gray]

Location: The Parade - On the Move
Objective 1: Find the Perpetrators Save Astrid
Nearby: [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

One moment.

That was all it took for everything to go wrong. Ves had turned away, distracted by the influx of information that was being funneled their way by the Empire's agents. Astrid's voice; yelling for Jerome was the thing that snapped her attention away.

She had never heard her boss sound so panicked. Astrid had always been collected and cold when it came to her work. It was the only version of her that Ves was familiar with, and that single word managed to terrify the young woman.

Then the explosion went off, shaking the ground beneath her feet. Ves' expression fell, her face growing pale as the realization quickly dawned on her. She wanted to move, to run but her feet were planted to the ground in shock.

"Explosion near 188th and 32rd. Aid needed, possible agents trapped inside."

Ves blinked, hearing the voice calling for medical aid. Subconsciously she connected the location with the very place Astrid had been moments ago. The fear and terror were forced aside as she ran towards the chaos.

By the time she had reached the location, Jocelyn had managed to pull Astrid from the rubble. The woman was barely conscious, and Ves was almost convinced she was dead if she didn't see her moving in the Zambrano's arms. But that's when Ves froze, a stray thought crossing her mind.

Why did she look...shorter?

The answer came to her when Jocelyn turned, revealing Astrid's form more fully.

Her legs were gone. Their messy state made it impossible to see the extent, but Ves could only assume everything below her knees were gone - maybe the knees too.

"T-this way." Her voice was barely a whisper, forcing out a cough to try and speak up some more. "This way, the medics have set up at a spot nearby."

She couldn't bare to look at Astrid more, even if she did still glance back every now and then. Instead, Ves focused on leading the way.

 

[AMCO]

Objective IV: Fortune favours the pragmatic
Post Number: 4/7
Allies: [member='Sebastian Thel']

For most, business was about the bottom line. About squeezing as much profit as possible out of the assets at one's disposal. Some did so through legal means. Some did so through crime. More often than not, the truly successful found a.... compromise, between the two.

Vandiir Consolidated Holdings was no exception.

In order to ensure that some of their more morally dubious activities never see the light of day, as well as make acquisitions in the name of profit, the company employed a disproportionately large intelligence division. It was expensive. It was amoral. It was effective. They would know what to do, once they had their distraction. Their opening.

Leaning back in his chair, he decided to allow their small gathering to continue undisturbed. Perhaps they would come up with something he hadn't thought off, or perhaps not. Either way, the wheels were already in motion. The die had been cast.

...

Maintaining the illusion of attentiveness while ignoring the current discussion, his focus returned when his assistant looked up from her datapad, nodding slightly at him. "Ahh, you have all been most helpful, but it seems I am needed elsewhere." Rising quickly from his seat, he made his way out of the room and into the splendid hallway. "Sir. we have detected nine unauthorized signatures heading this way from the south, but the Imperial garrison seems to be focused on cordoning off the capital. We are on our own." Dismissing her concerns with a wave of his hand, he made his way onto the southern balcony, placing the holoprojector on the polished stone and activating it.

"This is Aurek One. Three gunships with two escort craft each en route to your position. ETA 3 minutes. Position uncompromised. Awaiting your orders, my lord." At that, he smiled broadly, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of the sun on his skin. "Lieutenant... no survivors." It was a shame they came from the south. That region was comparatively populous. Oh well, victory always came at a price.

Diving down from the cloud cover, the eight blurry forms descended upon their unsuspecting prey. As blue bolts shot forth from their sleek black forms the escort crafts attempted to meet them, but it was too little, too late. The inexperienced pilots within no match for the finest pilots money could buy. They lacked the manoeuvrability of the interceptors and were cut down before they even managed to face their foes. The Jaminere-made fighters crashed and burned, chunks of smouldering durasteel striking the ground, rending through the flesh of the those unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of the hail of debris.

One minute. How delightful. He could see the vessels approaching fast, but now only the gunships remained. And then the first fell. The concentrated fire of the interceptors, unimpressive on their own but formidable in groups, overwhelming its shields and tearing through its hull. Then the second. And finally the third. The final one so close that he could hear the whizzing of masers, the shield fizzling out, the engines exploding. He could feel the panicked final moments of those onboard. Those who had thought themselves the predators, but learned too late that they were the prey. Sipping from the crystalline glass a frightened servant had brought him mere moments ago, he smiled cheerfully. Fine wine, fine company, and a fine view. Could this day get any better?