Private &nbsp; Second Generation | HIGHCOM

Kiff Brayde | Kirk Tektus | Cypher Rage | Vemric Keldra

He'd just returned from an inspection on a number of The Confederacy's border worlds when the Vicelord had summoned him. It had been a little over a month since he'd set foot on Illyria and he was excited to return to his home, yet the station of Exarch was ripe with the potential for disappointment. He was used to it. No, some would even say he craved it. His life had become such a fast-moving routine that whenever things did finally slow down he always felt as if he should be devoting himself to something more. Blessing and a curse, he supposed. News reached him that the Minister of War, Caesar Kenway , had decided to retire from the position. Good riddance. Minister Kenway had never been a particularly bad man to hold the office, in fact he was often sensible and well spoken. However, from the first moment that the man took the position Adron had taken a bad taste in his mouth, specifically when the man attempted to form a Penal military force. That had been a nightmare that the Presidium had to recover from.

Of course none of that mattered any longer. They were pressing on to the future and that in it's own right held a hall of mysteries and delights flooded with disappointment and monotony.

So the next task at hand was to select a new Minister, one that would act in the best interest of the Presidium. There were options to be combed through. His Master, the Vicelord had selected Adron over Srina and John to aid him in this decision. Most likely because Adron had been one of The Confederacy's more competent Ministers in the short time he held the office. It was no small help that his budget at the time had been extremely generous. He attributed that to the martial war machine they had been crafting, along with no small help from the Ministry of Commerce whom his wife, then-girlfriend, bled dry credits like a hunted animal losing his life source.

Moving through the halls, the Exarch's eyes were firmly fastened on the datapad in his arms. He'd been reading over the files of those set before him, taking special note of the more prominent military officers and their achievements. He looked to some names and began mentally crossing them out.

Too much leave taken in a single year. No.

Too few theatres of combat engagement. No.

Lack of personal responsibility while in command. No.

The further down the list he went he only found himself disappointed. There were candidates, yet they were few and that disappointed him. It seemed the military simply needed more officers, more competent officers. He didn't care to spare any further thought on the matter. He pulled the glasses from his eyes, folding them into his pocket before tucking the datapad under his arm.

Finding the conference room, Adron stepped inside to be greeted by his Master, his ally, his friend. A harsh word on any tongue, especially his own. No, Darth Metus was his friend. He held a loyalty to the man that no other had received.

No other had been worthy.

He clasped the man's forearm in like greeting before nodding. "Of course. I appreciate your request of my council." He said, before setting the datapad on the table, taking his seat. When the Vicelord mentioned his wife, Adron could not help but chuckle lightly in response. "Fire, as ever. She is doing well, still adjusting to the requirements of the title Queen but doing well despite it. As for Aries? Strong and willful. He grows larger by the minute. Too many of which I have not been there to witness." He revealed, showing the slightest bit of remorse at the days he'd been away from his son. Still, it was for his son that he spent so few days at his home. He must ensure The Confederacy remains powerful. If only so that it makes his son that much more protected.

"And you? How fare your myriad of children?" He said with a slight laugh. "My father once told me it is truly a King who allows his seed to spread like the spring crop but...well you certainly see your legacy well protected." The man set the datapad to stand by before looking to the Vicelord pointedly, turning the topic closer to the task at hand. "Seven primary candidates. Some forty or so secondary that are of little consequence when compared to the main roster. Our next Minister must be proactive or else the military budget will have to be lowered to reflect the inactivity of the past term." He counseled. "Unused credits are wasted credits."

"I will be sure to watch over this next Minister closer than I did the last. We will have results." He said.

Kiff Brayde · Nov 6, 2020

I N T E R V I E W

Tag:

Ettiene Kharne | Kirk Tektus | Cypher Rage | Vemric Keldra

It was strange, wasn't it?

Not even a week earlier, Kiff had made his first trip to Naboo. Then, it had been to attend a private meeting with the Grand Marshal of Naval Command, Amelia von Sorenn. Kiff knew that the women had no love for him, and had sought to repair that fragile relationship. By the looks of it, Kiff hadn't been fired during the interim between then and now, so that meant his meeting hadn't gone terribly.

But this time, Kiff was here on more official business. Then, the Anthem had still been under construction, and Kiff ad actually partially embarrassed himself in trying to find the Grand Marshal's office under Lake Theed only to discover that it was still under construction. He had been forced to retrace his steps out of the Anthem and to an adjacent, aboveground building that the Grand Marshal had been temporarily working out of, barely making it to their meeting on time. But now, as he walked through the halls of the mostly-complete underwater headquarters of the Confederacy Armed Forces, he was reminded of the ambiance that Naboo's sun shining through Lake Theed gave. It was that peaceful, calm, and almost isolated atmosphere that always caught Kiff off guard.

But there was a chance, however slim, that this could become his new working quarters.

Word had gotten around High Command and the lower ranks just outside of it that the Minister of War who'd served ever since Kiff could remember, Caesar Kenway, had recently retired. The information to why was mute, but Kiff supposed that after decades of battle and fighting, the man wanted a well-deserved rest. And if that were the case, all the more power to him. The High Marshal of the Bassadro Sector Armada knew a little thing or two about the stresses and trauma that came with war.

But more important than that, High Command was now convening to interview potential candidates for the new Minister of War. And Kiff, apparently, was one of those candidates. Did Kiff think that he had a good chance? He was a betting man, and if he had to, he wouldn't have bet on it. Despite his extensive and highly successful service record in multiple theatres of engagement, he knew that most in High Command looked down on him, or at the very least were indifferent to the unorthodox High Marshal. But if there was a chance, Kiff was here to at least try to seize it. He would present himself in his full light, and maybe, just maybe, he could get this position.

They were slim odds. But however slim, Kiff knew that meant there always was a chance.

He wasn't the first to arrive in the conference room, not to his surprise. Standing there were the Vicelord of the Confederacy and one of the Exarchs, Adron Malvern. "Vicelord, Exarch, Sir," Kiff said, giving a brief salute before taking a seat in the highlighted area reserved for those attending as interviewees. He didn't comment on the slight awkwardness of the situation, being that he'd never been in the same room alone with a Vicelord and an Exarch before. But, he reasoned, if he wanted a chance at this position, he'd better get used to it.

Ettiene Kharne · Nov 6, 2020

A N T H E M

Tags:

Amelia von Sorenn | Kirk Tektus | Cypher Rage | Vemric Keldra |

Kiff Brayde

Alden had been out of the spotlight for a moment now, his presence diverted elsewhere by certain intricacies here and there. Some were upon the direction of the Confederacy, herself, and yet others held no sway in her direction. Was that what was to be expected of the sitting Deputy Minister of War? Perhaps, but there had ultimately been something larger at work. And it had been those inner workings that had led to his taskings more and more often taking him far from the capital of Naboo, and even further yet from his home of Eiattu.

Even with as closely as he had worked with Caesar Kenway, the man’s sudden retirement had come as a bit of a surprise to him. Certainly the man couldn’t man the position forever; everyone had to step down at a point. And Caesar was aging and as such was having to deal with certains factors and grievances that came with such. Alden could only expect that his stepping away from the esteemed position had to do with his shifting focus and where his priorities therein lay. And there was nothing that could be faulted in that.

What Alden hoped for, though, was that his own time within the ministry would allow him to fill the vacancy adequately until such time as the Vicelord and his council settled upon a new name to take over the reigns. Whether that name would be his or not, was not his decision to make, and he knew he would continue to serve diligently and to the best of his ability for as long as he served the Confederacy of Independent Systems and in whatever capacity was deemed appropriate for his experience and his own skill set. He could only affect what he held within his own control and that was simply himself, and his merits that shown through his records through his years of service thus far to the Southern Systems. The decision that would be made in selecting the next Minister of War fell, ultimately, on the shoulders of the Vicelord,

Darth Metus and Alden had already proven time after time, he would support whatever decision made whether he personally agreed with it or not for it was the livelihood of the Confederacy that mattered far more than his own personal ambitions wherever it was they stood at a given time.

This, now, was the first time that Alden had made his way to ANTHEM upon its completion. It was securely nestled out of sight, yet that didn’t take away from its significance. Not only to the CAF High Command, but also toward the Presidium as a whole.

As he entered, Aldens gaze would fall upon three people he clearly recognized. First, they would see the Vicelord. He was a man whose presence in and of itself demanded a level of respect and attention. And to Alden that was an admirable quality to be held in a position of leadership. Especially one of such significance. Next, his gaze fell to the Exarch,

Adron Malvern . That was a man whom he’d shared a significant amount of time with, having had an on and off again apprenticeship under him. Beyond that, there was also a certain level of familial ties for Alden was married to the Exarch’s sister, Faye Malvern, who also served presently as the Confederacy’s Minister of Influence. There had been points where Alden’s and Adron’s relationship with one another had seen strain, but presently that relationship was strong and a level of respect lay between the two men once more.

Finally, Alden’s eyes fell to the young High Marshal from the Bassadro sector of Confederate space,

Kiff Brayde . He was headstrong and proud, but personally Alden questioned the man’s dedication to his position within the CAF. He had intended to set up a meeting at some point simply to feel out and get a better understanding of the young High Marshal - possibly even mention a world or two about a certain gambling addiction his office had been made aware of - but the stars had simply never seemed to align correctly to organize such a thing. Alden wouldn’t question his reasoning for being here, but he did find it curious.

As he stepped further into the room, there would be an heir of confidence and comfortability surrounding him. Having served as Deputy Minister of War for the time he had, had allowed for him a number of occasions where his path had crossed with those within the highest echelons of Confederate leadership. That didn’t, however, mean he would disregard certain customs and/or courtesies as he would give the men their proper respect. “Exarch,” he stated as his eyes locked on the man, knowing it was customary to interact with the Exarch before going up the chain further in introductions. “Vicelord,” he continued, recalling back to all his military knowledge from his years in service before his own retirement from that life and later appointment to the ministry of war as the Deputy Minister. He was a civilian now, yet he still found himself executing certain military practices that were so ingrained in him from all that time before.

Cypher Rage · Nov 6, 2020

N A B O O

It felt like a dream.

Perhaps it was. The retirement of Caesar Kenway had indeed been a shock, however it was one that came with mutual understanding. The man had fought tenaciously during his years of service, through wars many would prefer to forget. As would he. However, it was quite odd to say the least.

Nonetheless, as he walked the halls of ANTHEM he couldn't help but rethink his role within Confederate society. Sure, he may have fought at battles such as Kuat and Zonmira but, he was noticeably absent from most important events which would have required a person of his rank and statue to be present.

Perhaps that could all end today.

As he entered the room, he immediately sized up all those who were in attendance. The Deputy Minister, the High Marshal of the Bassadro Sector Armada, the Exarch named Malvern, all of whom the Serronan knew from his multiple tours of duty. And of course, there was the Vicelord.

"Exarch Malvern" He spoke softly ever wise of his words, and their impact on his standing within the room. "Your Excellency" He offered both men a sharp salute before turning to take his place. He offered a smile to both the High Marshal and Deputy Minster before taking his seat.

ATTN:

Kiff Brayde | Vemric Keldra

Luna Terrik · Nov 6, 2020

A N T H E M

Location: Naboo – Vicereine Hill
Time: - - - - Hours
Equipment: Officers Uniform
Objective: Speak.
Tags: |

Adron Malvern | Cypher Rage |

Kiff Brayde | Vemric Keldra |

It felt like trips to Naboo were becoming quite more frequent for the Grand Marshal. Only a few days ago was she here running the security and attending an extremely interesting set of meetings attended by some…very clashing heads of state. With her allegiance playing mediator, that led to a number of stressful situations. There were a number of times that it felt as though the meetings could completely fall apart. Thankfully, due to the leadership that had steered this great nation for so long, it seemed as though the Confederacy would have new friends for quite a long time.

That was supposed to the end of her travels for a time. A quick flight back to Scarif to oversee the new training of a number of green squads. Supposedly Locke and Key would be producing new blaster rifles soon as well. New equipment was always welcome, but there would be plenty of testing that they needed to go through before being rolled out corps wide. Tedious work, maybe, but welcome work none the less.

But then…the letter came.

The first day back at Phoenix Camp was when it came across her desk. A letter of resignation coming from the Minister of War himself. To say that she was surprised by the timing would be an understatement to say the very least. As far as she had known, Ceasar hadn’t been intending on stepping down for a few years to come. But there it was, laying open on her desk. His resignation, and the open seat that was now sitting above her.

It was only natural that the invitation back to Naboo, alongside many of the other highest ranking officers in the Confederacy, came soon after. There was no mistaking why the invitation had come. The Vicelord wanted to fill the seat as soon as possible, and the most qualified candidates were being invited to give the reasons why they should fill it. And Luna was being given the very same opportunity.

The thought of going back to Naboo for these interviews was gave her pause. She was young, at least compared to some of the other names on the list. Half her lifetime had been spent in the military, however, whether it be the navy or with the Dauntless. So there question that she had the qualifications, but…whether or not she wanted to finally take that step back away from the battlefield, into a position where she might not ever see it again sent her mind into a flurry of thoughts and doubts.

A thought that had crossed her mind that her eyesight, at least in her left eye, had been getting worse and worse as time went along. Her injury from all those years ago had begun to effect more than just the peripheral vision. The medics said it might be a just a few more years before the blindness would completely takeover. Of course, they were in the time of cybernetics. It might be as simple as placing a cybernetic enhancer over her eye to allow her to continue to work in the field.

But the thought of being a detriment to her squad, to her brothers and sisters, was a constant her for her these days. Here was a reason she had taken a backseat to some of the recent conflicts. She didn’t want her worsening condition to put others in danger. For the moment, it wasn’t. She was still quite able to complete her job to the utmost of her abilities. However, there would come a time soon when she couldn’t. And there was quite a lot she could do for the Dauntless and the Confederacy in general if she was able to take the now opened seat…

A battlefield was ingrained in a soldier’s blood, but it was the good ones that knew how the time to take a step back. Maybe this was hers.

Then the task became to comply her resume. Something that had not been done in a while, there was quite a few changes that needed to be made. She had spent the next few nights, hunched over a holopad with

Tyrias Aran leaning over her shoulder to make sure that eventually the Grand Marshal did get some sleep. There were questions that needed to be answered, as well. Chief among them…

How much of the First Order service record to hold back for the..private, interviews.

They were not her proudest times, being nothing more than a bright-eyed pilot in search of some fun and danger. She knew not how many crimes they committed on Kaeshana, nor Rakata Beta, or Mikko. The question at the back of her mind always bugged her, that if the accident didn’t happen, would she still have left the order. Knowing what she did now, that would be answered in a heartbeat, but back then…

But no, there would be no expunging. The Minister of War position was about more than just one part of the military. She needed to show that she could engage in all facets of war. Army, navy…political. She even dug up her old captain’s reports from her two engagements as a naval captain. Everything was neatly organized onto one datapad, and her uniform ironed the night before.

Preparation always had been how she combated nervousness, so as she strode through the doors of the meeting room, there was not a hint of it within her system. Giving her Exarch, and the Vicelord both a salute, she noticed that she was not the first to arrive. “Vicelord, Sirs. (

Darth Metus ,

Adron Malvern )” She spoke toward the pair at the head of the table, before looking toward the brown haired man next with a slight smile. “Deputy minister. (

Ettiene Kharne )” Giving him a nod, she remembered back to the few times she had met the man before this. Well headed, good natured, all things that would fit well in the position. After the first two introductions, the Grand Marshal moved to make her way to her spot at the table, but not before stopping to extend a hand toward the youngest member of the current attendees,

Kiff Brayde . “Good to see you again, High Marshal. I’ve heard quite a lot about your command since we last met.” There was a genuine nod of respect and smile given, then she took her seat next to Cypher Rage. Another good man that she was happy to be sharing the room with. A few more would arrive between now and beginning of the meeting.

And she could barely wait to start.

Amelia von Sorenn · Nov 6, 2020

OMNIA MUTANTUR

Anthem
CAF Headquarters, Vicereine Hill
Theed, Naboo
Confederacy of Independent Systems

In the intervening weeks since her last meeting with High Marshal

Kiff Brayde in what had been a temporary office until the construction of Anthem had been completed, she had finally been permitted some time to settle into the newer office and inspect its furnishings and trappings, all while still managing to catch up on any paperwork that had remained. Still, day by day, it seemed that the never-ending flow of flimsiplast sheets, datapads, and all manner of forms filled the corners of her office - and yet she was still doing her utmost to ensure that, at least this time, she stays on top of the ever-growing piles to in the very least, keep them more manageable. The news however that the Minster of War Caesar Kenway had retired from the position was one which seemed to take many by surprise - and perhaps, in his own way - it was a means for the gentleman to regain some control over his life by stepping away from a position of war and death. Amelia couldn't fault the man though, and as much as she detested the paperwork with her position and the continued conflicts it seemed that the Confederacy found itself in, she understood that perhaps he was just tired of dealing with such a continued hardship and wanted more time with himself or his family. Still, she could not say in full as she had not known the man well, perhaps only conversing with him only a dozen or so times - may be less - during her tenure as first the High Marshal of the Capital Sector and now the current Grand Marshal of Naval Command.

Of course, it went without saying that such a monumental revelation had produced its fair share of ripples across a number of venues, even going so far as to shake the Confederacy itself - that such an individual so dedicated to the position and profession had decided to step down. In that decision, a vacuum had been created, and now it seemed that the emptiness left in his wake had to be filled - and only a handful of individuals seemed suited for that position. For her part, Amelia did not feel that she was suited to act as the Minister of War - though if it were thrust upon her - she would willingly accept the position. She had no machinations though, no true desire to ascend higher than the position she had - after all, she could not imagine herself stuck in some office all the time and not standing upon the bridge of a Battlecruiser or Star Destroyer in the middle of a pitched battle. The paperwork she was dealing with now was more than enough to see her have no desire to attain a position that without a doubt, had more paperwork than her current placement.

Still, she would act as she must, and having been summoned to the proceedings to ascertain and appoint a new Minister, she would be there. The new office was taking a bit more getting used to than the temporary one she had been enamored with - though the lack of blinding sunlight pouring in through the windows was a plus. Often, she found herself standing by the windows now, admiring the life in the lake as it slipped by and did its best to become accustomed to and acclimate the newest addition to Theed Lake. The location of Anthem was also strategic - placing the beating heart of the Confederacy's Armed Forces beneath the waves would ensure that it was not a target sitting out in the open to be picked off - at least now they had a chance to ensure the survival of the facility from Orbital Bombardment. And though she likely should not have been thinking in such a manner - it was something to worry about given that not long ago the previous Capital had been placed in peril - first with a handful of Bounty Hunters infiltrating Geonosis, and then with the Agents of Chaos managing to carve a path to the Capital for their own goals.

Shaking those thoughts from her mind, her attention was called away from the large window when a voice spoke up behind her. Golden-yellow hues fell upon the six-armed Human Replica Droid that stood in the corner near her desk.

"Ma'am, the meeting is set to begin shortly."

"Thank you Kassara."

Amelia spoke before she moved towards her chair, a delicate touch lightly pulling her coat from its back as she pulled it on over her shoulders. She felt that the meeting - while important - did not dictate that she wear armor, and after all, with more time actually spent in an office setting, she had adopted attire that was more suited for comfort while also still matching her own personality and tastes. As she took a moment to stand in front of a mirror that she had tucked away on the far wall - preening over her appearance to ensure that she was presentable for the proceedings - she had to permit a chuckle to slip free. Given that the Vicelord

Darth Metus was also going to be in attendance, she'd likely draw his attention - at least for a moment of distraction. Running her hands down along the length of her coat and pulling it snug against her form, she tugged lightly at the cuffs to make sure they rest perfectly at her wrist before she turned back to Kassara.

"What can you tell me about the others that will be in attendance?"

The Human Replica Droid would perk up, producing a datapad from one of its many arms - handing it off to Amelia in the process. It had been preloaded with the other's profiles, resumes, and all manner of information that she was capable of gleaning from their records. Gently taking the datapad from Kassara's possession, she began to carefully look over the handful of names as she finished preparing herself before leaving her office - Kassara quickly in tow behind her as she reviewed the other applicants. For her part, she already had one specific individual in mind for the position, and it was likely that individuals would either be surprised or at the least understanding as to why Amelia had their name on mind for the position - while having no intention of putting her own name forward.

"Ah, I see High Marshal Brayde is one of the applicants. Though he has had an exemplary service record - save for a few mishaps and needs for correction - I still feel that he requires additional experience."

With a soft sigh, she looked to Kassara, making sure that the two were alone before she decided to confide in the droid - providing an insight into her own future at the same time.

"Between you and me Kassara, this does not leave this room. While the High Marshal is brash, arrogant, and still acts as though he is in a frat house party twenty-four hours every day, should he find his way away from this mentality and actually grow up and take his responsibilities more seriously, he is the only individual at this moment in Naval Command that I could potentially see taking on the position of Grand Marshal of NAVCOM in the event that I step down or take up another posting. However, he is not ready, no, not yet, for such a responsibility."

That was part of the reason why she had been tough on him, treating the young man with a colder shoulder than most - and why she was not ready to even place her name forward for the Minister of War position. She could not, and would not trust the NAVCOM Grand Marshal position to just anyone, let alone a frat bro that was still focused on partying more than doing their job properly. With a heavy sigh, she stepped out of the office and began to scroll through the other names again. There were some that she recognized and others that she did not - though in likelihood because she seemed to keep her circle small and traveled rarely between others. As she came across another name, it took nearly all that she could to even hold herself back from snapping the datapad in half at that moment.

" Cypher Rage , this would be the worst individual for the position. Incapable of following the simplest of commands and presenting himself at a position higher than his rank. It is not his age that is the problem here, it is that in the long run - he still has more growing to do to even come near the current mentality and seriousness that High Marshal Brayde is currently at - and even then, I'd still not trust him with such a storied position. I suppose though if the Vicelord wanted the CAF command to function more akin to Warlords with individual fiefs within the Confederacy, this individual would be perfect to place as the Minister of War."

Amelia would not hold back, for the handful of times she'd interacted with the individual, he had been unpleasant to deal with, to say the least, and to voice any more thoughts on the matter in polite company would likely have caused a proper lady or two to feint - perhaps even a proper gentleman would find themselves lightheaded at all that she had to truthfully say about the individual. As she had thought on that positioning, she had to take a moment to pull her emotions back - as those normally golden-yellow hues had for the moment turned into a brilliant, vibrant blue. Collecting herself, she once again stood tall, a soft sigh escaping as her eye color slowly shifted back to its normal coloration whilst she carefully handed the datapad back to Kassara - a set of handprints firmly impressed upon it now as the cracked screen flickered.

Stepping forward to the door of the Conference Room that had been allocated and reserved for this moment, she took one last moment to look over herself and ensure that she was presentable before stepping forward. The door hissed softly open as she stepped through the threshold, her golden-yellow hues slowly scanning the room before she looked over her shoulder to the six-armed droid behind her. Giving a soft nod, she offered a smile.

"Thank you Kassara, that is all for now. You have leave the rest of the day, I'll see you tomorrow."

With a quiet bow of her head and a multitude of clasped hands, the droid bowed before stepping away as the door closed behind Amelia. The woman's attention shifting back to the room and all those individuals that had already taken their places around the table. First, she settled upon the Vicelord and Exarch

Adron Malvern , giving both a quiet and respectful nod to the two individuals as well as their positions. Then her attention carefully moved from one individual to another, her face stone-cold and void of any real emotions as she regarded each individual in kind as their position demanded.

"My Lady, and Gentlemen. I apologize for my tardiness - paperwork had consumed much of my attention until this point and if it were not for Kassara, I'd have forgotten and missed the meeting altogether. It is a pleasure to see you all again."

Amelia had blatantly lied - as there were only a few individuals that she was pleased to see in the room - while others she could have gone another month or two without having to deal with them. Carefully taking her place, she found an empty seat with at least two seats on either side that had no occupant for herself to be somewhat secluded in what seemed to be a largely crowded conference room. As she took her seat, her attention fell upon her fellow Grand Marshal - her presence eliciting a soft smile from Amelia specifically for the young woman - even going so far as to reveal a slight hint of her fang before the emotionless resting-queen-face once more settled upon Amelia's facade.

While she was more than ready to get on with the proceedings, she also understood that there were still a few others that had yet to join them - and she hoped that they would join in a timely manner. It was one thing if she was the last individual to arrive in a tardy fashion, it was completely different for someone else to steal that thunder - a fact that she would widely consider being rude.

Luna Terrik | Vemric Keldra | Kirk Tektus

Chaos NaNo: 2,123

Darth Metus · Nov 9, 2020

I N T E R V I E W

Of course, I appreciate your request of my council.

The liege of Illyria was identical to his alabaster counterpart, in that they were both grace personified. While

Srina Talon carried herself like a wintry breeze, Adron Malvern was the mountain. Stalwart. Professional. Dependable. It was his hands which had orchestrated the Galactic Empire's response on Tatooine. Moreover, it was his hands which had nearly laid low Srina years prior. On that day, Adron had earned Darth Metus' respect. Yet, as their arms clasped, it was evident that he had earned his friendship. The years had done nothing but strengthen the bond between Master and Apprentice, so much so that Darth Metus understood the man's longing of home. Duty rested upon his shoulders, and he would always fulfill it.

Thus. "Of course. I could think of none better to join me." he began, offering a smile. "I'm glad to hear that your Queen and your Son are doing well. After this, take a week and go home. Forward me your efforts, I'll cover for you." Knowing Adron, he'd return home and work from his office. How did he know this? Because that is exactly what the Sith would have done personally. "As for me...the children are doing quite well! They are all over the place, but doing well. I'm fortunate, that's for certain."

The clatter of the datapad upon the table focused the men to the matter at hand. Duty bound them - and a void they would fill. Seven Candidates. Adron spoke true about monitoring the efforts of the successor. While Caesar was exceptional where he acted, it was certainly felt when he did not. Thus, the Sith nodded his head in agreement. "There will be no waste. Not this time." Shortly after the words formed and fell from his lips, the applicants entered.

Kiff Brayde , a young High Marshal.

Ettiene Kharne , Deputy to Caesar.
Cypher Rage, Fleet Marshal.

Luna Terrik , DAUNTLESS Grand Marshal.

Amelia von Sorenn , NAVCOM Grand Marshal.

The two remaining of the seven had not made their appearances known. In the mind of the Vicelord, their names had been stricken from the list. Now that the options were before them, the Sith leaned back in his seat and motioned with an open palm. "At ease. Be seated." he began, allowing time for each to be situated.

"As you are aware, Minister Caesar Kenway has retired. His position carries the responsibility of representing and accounting for the actions of the entire Armed Forces. This is a role that transcends mastery of the battlefield. It requires the ability to navigate the mire of politics as well." As a former Mand'alor, this was a reality that the Sith had to learn. Quickly. In order to succeed as Vicelord. Whomever was chosen as Minister would need to do the very same. But first, an introductory question.

"To begin, I will have your report regarding the following theaters. The Chaos Insurrection, consisting of the attacks on Ryloth, Siskeen, Rodia, and Talay. Where were you? How did you respond? What actions did your units take?"

"Next, I will have your report regarding our Campaigns against the Mandalorian Empire. Where were you? How did you respond? What actions did your units take?"

"Lastly, if you were called upon to convince me to increase spending upon the Confederate Armed Forces, how would you do so?"

He then motioned towards the Exarch at his side. "Once you have answered, the Exarch will make his own inquiries of you."

581

Adron Malvern · Nov 9, 2020

MoW

Tags:

Kiff Brayde |

Amelia von Sorenn | Cypher Rage

When the Vicelord made an offer of a week's leave, the Exarch chuckled a bit at the offer. He could have said something along the lines of, "I will consider it" or " let me think about it" however the Vicelord would see directly through the kind words to what they would truly be. "I will return to Illyria soon and the work will be easy to see from the comforts of my own office. The farther I am from Naboo, the easier certain things get. When I am within a few steps of every Ministry we have? They seek to take advantage of my presence." He said lightly.

With the pleasantries set aside, the candidates would enter and the Exarch would offer them each the same greeting. A firm nod of the head. His eyes met each one, almost as if measuring the first gaze from them as criteria for the position they were hoping to obtain. Once his master had commanded that they be at ease, the Exarch pulled up his datapad. Two names missing. His eyes returned to the group before he tapped both of the names, deleting them from the list before him.

When his Master revealed the questions that came next, Adron nodded his head approvingly. Very good questions to be asked. He recorded the questions on his datapad, keeping them there so they would stay prevalent in his mind. The Vicelord had given him leave to ask his own questions of those before him. For now, he would simply listen to those gathered here and once they had answered the first round of questions, then the Exarch could place something more before them.

He wondered.

What was more important to these men and women? Glory, honor, victory, or regulation?

Time would tell.

Ettiene Kharne · Nov 9, 2020

A N T H E M

Tags:

Amelia von Sorenn | Cypher Rage |

Kiff Brayde

Time seemed to pass by slower and slower as those gathered awaited for the meeting to begin. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. All leaving room for any sort of nerves to set among any of the prospective candidates assembled here. Where at a time before he filled roles of leadership as a Squadron Leader and later High Marshal in the Confederate Armed Forces’ NAVCOM and current Deputy Minister of War, he would have seen his nerves ravish him, now he found a semblance of comfort in these situations. He’d been thrust into them seemingly all the more frequently as his position with the Confederacy grew. And then further by means of who he’d come to marry in Faye Malvern, the current Minister of Influence for the Confederacy. She was a master of diplomacy and Alden had taken every opportunity he could afford, to learn and grow under her undeniable expertise.

Still, though, he couldn’t really say that he much enjoyed the wait and inevitable suspense that came with the nature of all of their summons. There was a strong probability, near certainty, that one of those assembled here today would be named @Caesar Kenway’s successor. It didn’t mean that the selection would happen today, nor did it mean that it would even be one of them period. But the chances were much stronger in selection of one those gathered. Then again, there was always the chance that the Vicelord,

Darth Metus , along with his council of

Adron Malvern , would find that none of them were acceptable to fill the vacated position within the Presidium.

Alden, however, would not allow his thoughts to dwell further upon the matter. That was a decision to be made by those with authority over his own. Did he feel he was the most fit and well suited for the position due to his experiences both within the CAF’s ranks and now, currently, within the Ministry itself? Certainly. He’d gone out of his way to learn about certain tricks of the trade from the recently retired, Kenway, as well as the intricacies of diplomacy from his wife. He could also lean heavily upon his years of experience from service to the Confederacy and his time before he’d found his way home. Where at first he may have held a certain fear that the truth of his identity, or even his past, would have waylaid his future, Alden had come to realize a pivotal truth in his time here. The Confederacy had proven to care little of that, nor had they held that past against him. It had been the Exarch, the very same one that sat before him now, that had aided in his realization of this all those years ago.

When given the command to do so, Alden took his seat, though careful and attentive not to portray himself with too relaxed of a posture even upon the permission to be at ease. There was a certain respect that must always be shown in the presence of one’s superiors, and especially so in such a formal reporting.

Alden was forced to think back on his experiences in the Confederacy as the Vicelord opened with three unmistakable and plain questions. The first two delved into the past and the role each had played in the engagements of the Confederacy and her adversaries. Of both the defensive mounted against the insurgent force known as the Agents of Chaos and of the aggressive assault against a virulent Mandalorian Empire. Both fronts were something Alden had found himself a part of. Against the Mandalorian Empire, Alden had still served respectfully as a valued asset of the Confederate Navy, commanding his squadron of fighters against a radicalized enemy which threatened the very prospect of life itself while decreeing they stood to protect it. In the standoff against the insurrectionist, Alden had established himself as the Deputy Minister of War and sought to the security and diplomatic relations with the people of the Siskeen system.

It was simply the last question that the Vicelord posed that gave way for some calculated thought on behalf of the Deputy Minister. It’s something that, in actuality, Alden had not rehearsed prior to his arrival here. It is something that he and Caesar had never discussed amongst each other. But, it was something that was absolutely necessary. For any arm of the armed services, the budget would be critical. It was how they paid their servicemen. It was how they sustained their programs to train and to maintain their fleets. How they went about upgrading their technology and their resources to ensure that each and every man and woman that wore the uniform had every advantage possible afforded to them at all times to be the most effective they could ever be. But it was more than that too. With everything that it was, it would be on Alden to convey his thoughts and beliefs in such a way that would be concise and clear, and allow for himself to stand out among the others that had been summoned the same as he had been.

Alden rose, seeing as no one else had. He disliked the prospect of being the ice-breaker and going first. Essentially to set the tone for what would come after, but perhaps it would be expected that he would speak first. After all, he currently held the most experience directly related to the position after serving as deputy to the Minister for quite some time now.

He looked first to the Exarch, then to the Vicelord. Taking a deep, meticulous breath in and exhaling it, he spoke. “Vicelord,” he began, his voice airing with it a semblance of confidence yet not overbearingly or egotistically so. It was the tone of a man knowledgeable on the topic in which he was about to speak. “During the liberation of the Galaxy from the heel of the Mandalorian Empire, I was on the front lines of the engagement. Notably on Eshan,” he continued, deriving particulars from events long past, “I led Sabre Squadron in the swift neutralization of enemy forces in orbit prior to the emergency engagement of defensive maneuvers in order to cease the planetward advance of a dropship which carried thousands of troops to the surface to reinforce wavering opposing forces of the Mandalorian conquerors. It was this engagement that saw to my promotion to the rank of High Marshal, which I served until my retirement from the Confederacy’s Naval Command and further appointment to the position I currently hold.

Acting in the interests of both the Confederacy and the Minister of War, during the insurrection of Ryloth and Siskeen by the terrorist organization, the Agents of Chaos, I was appointed the representative of the Ministry of War, in place of, then Minister, Caesar Kenway, as a member of the delegation alongside other notable members of Confederate Command to include the Minister of Influence and the Exarch,

John Locke . My efforts in this diplomatic negotiation saw to the unraveling of lies posed by the Agents of Chaos in their terrorist onslaught of the peaceful planet of Ryloth while maintaining the peaceful terms brought forth by the representative of Siskeen. Ultimately, the efforts over Siskeen saw to the continued relationship of Siskeen and her people with the Confederacy amidst inconsolable efforts by the Agents to dissolve them.”

Alden paused, taking the moment to further collect his thoughts before proceeding further. “You will see I have provided my service record and resume for your review to include achievements earned both within military service to the Confederacy and as the Deputy Minister of War.”

It was time Alden answered the most difficult and final question posed by the Vicelord. If called upon, how would he, as Minister of War, convince the Vicelord to increase spending upon the Confederate Armed Force? The question seemed simple enough, but it wasn’t so. There was a fine diplomatic line that needed to be toed in order to convey your need and the importance of your request without causing insult or worse to the one in which you submitted your request. There was a lot more to the answer than a simple span of words to pleasure the man’s ears. Instead Alden would be completely honest with the path he would take.

“In order to convince you of the need of increased funding to the Confederate Armed Forces, I would come to you with hard numbers and factual figures as gathered through the tireless research and intelligence gathered from within the Confederacy’s borders and outside of them. In order to continue to function as the Galaxy’s premiere force in the defense and protect of our own people, I would go beyond all measures required to ensure evidence would be sufficient enough to make an infallible funding request. You would not simply have to trust my word for it, but you would also be presented with the evidence to support such an action without need to question whether the decision made was the correct one or not. It is on me in the position of Minister of War to ensure all evidence and numbers are compiled clearly and concisely for review by your office if deemed appropriate and then seen to be approved or denied per your confidence.” He was satisfied with his answer, yet he couldn’t fully say that it was the most well rehearsed. But what was said, had been said now and there was nothing in his power that could be done to reverse it even if he desired such to be done.

“Vicelord,” he said. “Exarch,” he continued, addressing both of the esteemed men before him. “I trust you find comfort in my words and with the resume and record I presented you with. If you have no further question at this moment, I will give way to the next among us to present to you their case. Thank you.” With that said, Alden would await any command or acknowledgement before once again returning to his seat from earlier.

Luna Terrik · Nov 9, 2020

A N T H E M

Location: Naboo – Vicereine Hill
Time: - - - - Hours
Equipment: Officers Uniform
Objective: Recount.
Tags: |

Adron Malvern | Cypher Rage |

Kiff Brayde | Vemric Keldra |

As the rest of the candidates to the position began to make their way into the room, Luna instead started to look more into the holopad she had brought with her. Notes and notes were scribbled seemingly in organized lines, going over the more detailed parts of her history within the Confederacy. In red, words in a much more…unorganized fashion were written out, the best she could remember of the time she spent with the first order. She had been so young, and it was so long ago, that some of the details were more…fuzzy, than others.

Not Kaeshana, however.

Kaeshana would never be erased from her memory. She suspected that if her wingmates still lived, such a battle wouldn’t be erased from their memories either. That was just the way that some of these engagements worked within a soldiers mind. There was always some sort of psychological trigger that implanted a battle on one’s mind. Luna had quite a few on hers that would stay forever. A lot were for worse, rather than for the better.

When the Vicelord began to speak, that is when she set aside the holopad to fully place her attention on the man. His words on what exactly the position would require were ones that she had already taken under consideration. Of course, she had spent plenty of time on the battlefield and was, perhaps, well enough on it. Not nearly perfect, but certainly well enough. It was in the world of politics that she more than certainly still had room to grow in.

But before her mind could start to linger on that, the first rounds of questions started to come in. She most certainly would’ve liked to be first to answer, but when the deputy to the former Minister began to speak, Luna moved to settle back into her seat and instead pull the pad back out, scrolling to the appropriate page to refresh exactly what she intended on saying. Once done, her attention focused back on Alden and his answers.

They were good, clean answers. She knew of the man’s service before moving into the politics side of the military. Alden was a good man. It took braves ones to sit in the cockpit of a starfighter. She knew that, perhaps more than he knew.

As he finished, she began to sit up just a bit straighter in her seat. There would be no missing of the opportunity this time. Commandos learned how to capitalize on those, and this opening would close rather quickly if she didn’t attack it. “If I may, I’ll speak next in line.” The Grand Marshal leaned forward in her chair clasping her hands together in a way to calm her own nerves. It only figured that actually speaking about her time holding a blaster rifle would be more nerve wracking than actually being out in the field and doing so.

“Speaking on the Chaos Insurrection, my dauntless were involved on three of the four theaters of that..wretched war. Ryloth, Rodia, and Talay, and I shall speak on each in turn to let it be known how my forces were used. Firstly, with Ryloth, Dauntless were deployed to the capital dome under the false public face that we were there for a military parade of sorts, after spending the week with the Rylothian planetary guard in training exercises. While this was what occurred, it has become common knowledge that my men were there because of the oncoming threat from these agents of chaos. As soon as they attacked, my men were focused on the dual objective of getting the people within the dome to the safety bunkers, and forcing the attacking forces out of the capital.” There was a pause, allowing the redhead officer to lick her lips as the details of the battle continued to flood back to her. “I myself was on the battlefield, spending most of the time coordinating the various squads I had deployed within the dome. As for our success, I would say it was..as well one could hope for with the sudden appearance of the sandstorm. 95% of the civilian population was saved, and the attacking forces were either pushed outside the dome, captured, or were killed in their attack. I was forced to evacuate when the storm pushed into the dome itself..but was attacked by a terrorist missile launcher, providing me with quite a few new scars after the speeder flipped. It resulted in earning my second purple star in command of the dauntless.”

Another breath, this time to steady her hands once again as the memory of her dragging her bloodied and broken body into an abandoned building flashed through her mind. It was worst than Eshan, and most the certainly the worst injury she had experienced in the field. But there were still two more theaters to speak on. “Rodia was..interesting, to say the very least. We deployed ninety divisions of the previously named Dauntless Soldiers into combat, knowing full well it was the next target of a the agents. The force they brought was pathetic, and we routed them off the planet quick enough. Their priority targets, the dome itself and the factories, were both secured and they were able to destroy neither. For Talay, we suspected it was also a priority target, and one of my most seasoned squads of commandos was deployed to secure a long abandoned communications platform. Omega squad entered into the facility, made their way to the top of the command center, and were able to restore power. Unfortunately, doing so also triggered the security measures on the station, and they, along with the Shadowfeed agent that had been deployed, had to evac as quickly as possible. They retrieved a code while there, one that is still being deciphered as we speak. For my part, I was on Rodia coordinating the trap efforts, and then was involved within the cleanup and POW security and transport.”

The second question the Vicelord posed forced luna to think back quite far, to the very beginning of her time with the dauntless commandos. The Mandalorian wars were one of the first tastes of ground combat the flightless angel had ever received, beyond the two engagements that she had beforehand fighting rebels and pirates. Quite a leap as it was to suddenly be fighting some of the most well trained warriors in the galaxy.

“Eshan was my first major deployment as a Dauntless commando. As you know sir, I worked as a naval engineer and captain for my first two years as a confederate before being transferred to the dauntless. As the captain of one of the twelve men squads organized in the very beginning, mine beind dubbed the omega squad, we deployed into the refugee camps near the city itself. Our task was to sweep through the camp as quickly as possible and snuff out any insurgents that might be hiding within the civilian population. Your daughter, Allya Vi’Dreya and I, along our squad, carried out this mission the best of our abilities. This battle would be the first of the two I earned purple stars in, as a piece of the……falling star destroyer caught my helmet and proceeded to smash it quite well. Still, the mission was completed, and after a short time in the local bacta tank, I was redeployed to the planet of Bresnia soon after.”

“The other major battle with the Mandalorians I was involved in was Taanab,” it was good to leave out the smaller battles. Anyone could look up the reports of the battle, and she was sure that they both had before quite thoroughly. Better to keep on topic instead. “Taanab was my first battle as the commander of Dauntless forces. Omega squad, alongside two other dauntless commando squads, deployed to the outskirts of the capital city and set up a forward operations base for the siege in the city. Standard procedure. AA turrets, a small comms tower, the works. We didn’t see much of the battle, at least, not ones we could fight, as the only opposition to our objective was the constant harassment of Mandalorian air support. After some timely air support of our own, the base was completed and my squad pushed toward the city. It was mostly cleanup duty from there, but a very successful operation none the less.”

That was enough of speaking on the past. Metus’ final question looked toward the future, one that admittedly Luna had pondered on long and hard even before the opening of the position. The secured of the Confederacy was compromised. How the agents had been able to strike at the heart of their territory was still under debate, but there was no questioning that the tightness of their security needed to be upped. Spending was always a point of contention, however, and getting politics to agree on something was a magic trick in of itself.

Weaving the right words together, however, could prove quite influential. “Security of this great nation should be our upmost of concerns. I believe that how the insurgents were able to practically walk into the deepest parts of our territory should give concern to every person in a position of power. But the trust is, it is on us for not putting our best defensive step forward. For a safe and secure society, every part of it’s security forces must be properly equipped and readied. In terms of the Confederacy, that means that the Shadowfeed, Dauntless, Confederate Naval, Droid armies, listening networks, engineer corps, and everything in between needs the funding that will allow the division to purchase or develop the proper equipment and training to put their best foot forward. I believe that we failed on multiple layers in terms of the first agents attack, but Rodia showed what a well-supplied and coordinated effort could do. Given the opportunity to fight for that to become the normal, you would see me fighting ever political battle needed to secure that. My methods would need some..direction, but I can provide the insight on a battlefield that only twenty years living on one could provide a person. I find that politics can be very..emotional at times, and I know well enough how to manipulate those emotional feelings as a leader.”

And those were her answers. They were the best she could give, and the most detailed that she could manage. If there was one thing about being a command that had never gone away, it was the memory retention. “I leave the floor to the next candidate. As the Deputy minister also said, my resume and record of service has also been provided.”

Amelia von Sorenn · Nov 13, 2020

NIHIL INTERIT

Anthem
CAF Headquarters, Vicereine Hill
Theed, Naboo
Confederacy of Independent Systems

With that, the meeting had apparently begun, and the questions that were poised were, for the most part, a retracing of history - visiting old wounds that for many, should remain closed. It was, however, understandable that such questions would be spoken into being for the sheer fact of judging and gauging the best individual for the newly open position of Minister of War. However, it should also be noted, that the person whom would hold such a position should not be one that was eager to seek out War, to throw countless lives away for some intangible belief of Honor and Glory - or at least, that was the thought that had always remained firmly within Amelia's mind. She had never sought out war - nor could she have even fathomed that one day she would stand among the upper echelon of command - or even where she was now, sitting patiently to speak her part for a position that she did not seek out. Still, she did not seek the position - for there were things still that she thought she could accomplish in her current posting, nor was still really suited for the more political side that such a position would demand. Rather, she was there to speak her piece, and part of that was to endorse another individual in the room for the position, an individual she thought more deserving of the position that even herself.

Nodding quietly her understanding of how the proceedings would be handled, she carefully settled into her seat - though not in such a manner as to appear that she was slouching or lounging in the chair. Rather she leaned back just enough so that she could comfortably cross one leg over the other, resting one knee atop the other as she brought her elbow to rest against the armrest - her chin carefully cradled within the 'thenar webspace' of her hand as those golden-yellow hues first settled upon

Ettiene Kharne as she intently listened to the young man speak of his qualifications. True, he was the current Deputy to the Minister - though Amelia knew little of the young man, nor did she entirely feel comfortable with endorsing an individual to such a position. She was sure that perhaps given more time, she'd have been provided with a better understanding and relationship - however, that was not the case. Still, she had to wonder as to what words would come out of two other individuals specifically, and for a moment she found her attention shifting in a rapid glance between the High Marshal of the Bassadro Sector

Kiff Brayde and the Fleet Marshal Cypher Rage - both of which had potential, though it was still raw and needed more refinement.

Once more she found her attention settling upon her fellow Grand Marshal,

Luna Terrik - A woman that she had a much more developed history and relationship with given how often the two had worked closely in more recent events - specifically in the expansion of the Confederacy when dealing with criminal elements such as Warlords and Pirates, as well as the Chaos Insurrection. The woman watched carefully, listening the entire time, for now, was the moment to do such - as her turn for speaking would apparently arrive in short order - and yet, she still seemed to not be too worried as to what she would speak, even have noted that so many others had arrived with datapads and sheets in hand, she had merely arrived with her memories and they were such that they stretched back eons. With the young Grand Marshal finishing her own turn, Amelia nodded quietly - and were it appropriate, perhaps she would have even clapped at the conclusion of Luna's speaking. Though such a gesture could surely wait for a more appropriate venue and timing.

When it was rather apparent that no others were going to speak just yet, it quickly fell upon the woman that it would be her turn to hold the floor. Of course, it only served to bring memories flooding to the forefront of her mind - and many of those memories were such that she wished she were capable of wiping them from her mind and perhaps even, erasing them from having ever existed in the first place. There had been a time that many of those that she faces could have been a friend - she had even met a few of them and called them as such - though the events that they took part in seemed to push them further apart and destroyed and kind of working or personal relationship that may have developed had they not found themselves on opposing sides in an everlasting conflict that still consumed the Galaxy. In short, she detested the fact that she was in just a position that she would one day find herself facing down an individual she had once called friend and in grim reality, ordering their destruction from the bridge of her vessel.

Shaking such thoughts from her mind, she carefully brought herself to attention - straightening herself out - so that she was more presentable and no longer sitting back as she pulled herself forward. Lightly tugging at her coat to straighten out any such wrinkles, she carefully placed her arms along the edge of the table, so that her elbows were not on the table itself. Her hands slowly clasped together - fingers intertwining with one another to form a strong bond to keep her hands firmly closed as she carefully took in a measured breath. Permitting it to slip from her barely parted lips, she focused on the questions at hand - first repeating each in kind to pull the collected memories to the forefront of her mind - doing so in an ordered timeline of the events as they took place.

"What actions did I take in the Confederacy's Campaign against the Mandalorian Empire? How did I react? Where was I? What actions did my units take?"

The words slipped from her lips as she carefully judged each question in and of itself. Her eyes closed for a moment - as if she were holding back the floodwaters as it were as the memories poured forth. There had been a time when she had worked with Mandalorians - albeit a lifetime ago when she was still on Alderaan. They had assisted that world in shaking off the hold of the Republic - though she was never truly trusting of the Mandalorians, and her own weariness of them was paid in return when they had come to claim Alderaan itself not much longer after they had assisted that planet in claiming Independence from the Republic. She had not truly trusted any Mandalorian since - even though she currently sat in a room with one that leads the Confederacy - she was still wary of a great number of them given how one individual in particular - whose name she would not speak ever again since it seemed that some ethereal hand had removed his existence from the Galaxy. Slowly opening her eyes as she focused herself, she nodded once she had the memories in place, and the words chosen as to how she would convey the events that had unfolded.

"The Confederacy of Independent Systems Campaign against the Mandalorian Empire was my first engagement acting on behalf of the Confederacy in the capacity as High Marshal of the Capital Sector. The Fleet in question that I had commanded during that engagement had been a detachment of the then Hellknights - now currently known as the Hellknight Corps that is based and active out of the Trendivar System on the border of Wild Space. Our primary objective - codenamed 'Meteor' - was to meet the Mandalorian Fleet head-on and engage them with the intent of either driving their fleet from the system or total destruction of their assets in orbit."

She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts and pushing the emotions away as she carefully studied and went over the events that she remembered. The penultimate climax of Eshan was one that she would not forget, though it was the steps that lead up to what had happened that she still had trouble reconciling with - though she also understood how one could command such an action given the ultimate command that she would give by the closing of the conflict.

"My vessels were organized into four groups - Asmodeus, Avernus, Dis, and Erebus - organized to ensure the maximum effectiveness of their strengths while attempting to mitigate their weaknesses for the duration of the engagement. They were formed up with the core of the fleet protecting Avernus group to ensure that the Carriers faced as little incoming fire as possible - with all Squadrons having been launched in preparation to screen against enemy Fighter patrols and attacks. Though we did push forward and managed to make some headway during the conflict, we were otherwise incapable of preventing the Mandalorians from crashing a Star Destroyer onto the surface of the Planet. During the conflict, I ultimately made a rather difficult decision."

Once more Amelia paused as she weighed the gravity of the choice she had made and the command that was given that day. It was not her proudest moment and it was something that she would never take lightly given the weapons that had been unleashed.

"I ordered a tactical strike against the remaining Mandalorian Fleet in orbit utilizing a number of Phlegethon series Thermonuclear Devices in a bid to push their fleet from the system. If that gambit worked or they had merely tired of fighting and dying, I cannot say. I know for certain, however, that the Confederacy carried the day - despite the damage that was done to Eshan by the Mandalorians."

Straightening herself out as she closed her eyes for a moment once more, she slowly took in a breath, holding it for a moment before finally exhaling as her attention once more focused. Eshan however had not been the last that she had dealt with Mandalorians - however - the Mandalorian Empire seemingly fell apart not long after the Battle of Tanaab, though she had not taken part in that follow-up conflict.

"I was not present at the conflict that took place at Tanaab - having returned to Confederacy space with my vessels to resupply and await a potential counter-offensive by the Mandalorians. The reports that had come in from that time I had brushed off - specifically the mentioning of some two-million X-wings being deployed".

It was still unbelievable and had to be, laughably, a joke or mistake in the report by whoever had written it as to the events that had happened at Tanaab. The next thing you know they would be saying that those X-Wings were also piloted by two-million Ewoks. Shaking that absurd thought from her mind, she refocused - adding a final point in the conflict with the Mandalorians and their actions that ultimately saw them removed - for a time - from the Galactic Scale until more recent times it would seem.

"In my current position as the Grand Marshal of Naval Command, I was present at the Invasion of Taris during our conflict with the Network - arguably a semi-successor state to the previous Mandalorian Empire. That conflict however was shortlived, with the Confederacy of Independent Systems freeing Taris and ultimately removing the Network and Mandalorians from the Galactic Scale - at least for a time."

While the older stories stung, they did not sting as much as the newer ones, and that is where she found herself now. As the woman finished reporting on the events of the distant past involving the Confederacy's prior conflict and campaign against the Mandalorians, her mind now had to focus on the more recent events that had unfolded within Confederacy Space itself. Those were the most difficult memories to confront, though they still needed to be confronted - even if she'd rather not revisit them so soon merely to prove her worth for a position. With a heavy sigh and an even heavier brow, she focused on the question, carefully contemplating it as she once more spoke it in return to ensure that she properly understood what had been breathed into existence by the Vicelord.

"Where was I during the Chaos Insurrection? How did I respond? What actions did my units take?"

Keeping her hands clasped together, they began to ball more into a fist as she confronted the more recent memories - closing her eyes as she focused on centering herself and pushing the emotions to the back of her mind. As she carefully opened her eyes once more to face the attention of the room that had fallen upon her, those golden-yellow hues carefully scanned over every face that peered back upon hers. The events of those days had been difficult for so many reasons and even though - in her mind - the Confederacy had succeeded in their objectives - they had ultimately lost the conflict itself as former friends had made the Confederacy bleed. That was the most difficult thing to confront, that it had not been some unknowable enemy, it had not been some unstoppable juggernaut of a war machine - no, it had been former friends and colleagues that they had once worked side by side with to bring peace and prosperity to an otherwise chaotic and destructive galaxy.

"I was present at Ryloth - in the capacity as the Grand Marshal of Naval Command, I was at the time commanding the E'care Shukur which had been stationed in orbit above Geonosis when I had received the call of an attack on Ryloth by a terrorist cell. I did not, at that time, know the severity of the assault and was expecting to jump into the system and come under immediate fire by an enemy fleet - that however did not happen - at least, not at first."

Amelia took a moment to provide herself a small window to focus on how she wanted to present the events that had happened - or at least - as best that she could remember them given that she did not have the full report in front of her. Shifting her attention to move over each of the faces in the room, she closed her eyes briefly to collect her thoughts before continuing. The events that had happened were still difficult to come to terms with given that an individual that had allied themselves with the terrorists had been more than willing to crash their vessel into the planet in a bid to irreparably destroy the atmosphere and ecological system of Ryloth.

"When my fleet arrived at Ryloth, an individual that I later learned was named The Monster had ordered their vessel to engage the Butcher of Eshan. Vessels that were affiliated with the Agents of Chaos had also arrived - however - they had not yet engaged. I attempted to maintain a ceasefire, at least until we were capable of removing the civilian population from the Capital BioDome that had already suffered damage due to the ongoing terrorist attack. During the engagement, the unaffiliated vessel - having taken considerable damage - sacrificed itself by ramming into the vessel under the command of the Butcher of Eshan. At this point, the vessel - either the entirety of it or some portion of it - had turned towards the planet with the intent of destroying Ryloth's Atmosphere which would have rendered the planet inhabitable for the foreseeable future."

Clearly remembering the events was taking a toll on the woman, though Amelia pushed forward. She still couldn't believe that even at such a moment as the fate of a planet was at stake, the Agents of Chaos were still intent on engaging and fighting.

"It became apparent in short order that the Agents of Chaos had no intention of assisting in our efforts once I had ordered that our vessels utilize their tractor beam projectors and weapon systems in an attempt - which was ultimately successful - to render the debris' impact less lethal than it otherwise would have been, including, preventing the Atmosphere of Ryloth from having been poisoned. However, during the apparent destruction of debris, a number of vessels under the command of the Agents of Chaos had been rendered disabled - and though we offered assistance in recovering, returning, and repairing these vessels in a bid to prevent further bloodshed and conflict, they did not share the same view. Their fleet commander was prepared to fire upon our unarmed craft that were attempting to render assistance, when this became clear, I diverted those vessels planetside to assist in evacuating the Twi'lek populace from the Capital BioDome - as well as further provide additional assistance to Grand Marshal Luna Terrik and the Groundside forces under her command."

As she paused again, she noticed that she had dug her nails into her own hand from how tightly she kept them clasped together, though the wounds themselves had already begun to heal and close, she did her best to otherwise keep this hidden from those that the table. Nodding quietly, she would continue, as the Ryloth story was coming to a close - there was still the events of Siskeen, Rodia, and Talay to cover - and unfortunately, she had only been present at one other such engagement, once more coming face to face with the Butcher of Eshan and their otherwise apparent invincibility and magical powers.

"My order to maintain friendly terms and provide the vessels that had mustered under the Agents of Chaos a chance at withdrawing stood until the very last moment when it was feasible to remain peaceful. When it became clear that they were not going to leave without a fight, I issued a general order to engage the enemy - focusing on attempting to cut the primary force off from additional reinforcements or resources that they may have brought. However, our primary focus was on covering a medical relief fleet that had come to render assistance to the Twi'lek population - as our main focus was on ensuring the safety of Civilians. Unfortunately, due to the events happening near concurrently with one another - I was not present at Siskeen. From my understanding though, there was little that I could have done, and I was greatly concerned upon learning that two of our own had nearly been murdered in cold blood by the Agents of Chaos - with one being robbed of her sight in the process."

Taking a moment to pause and catch her breath, she went over what came next, and it was clear that the events that she could remember were more than likely different than what others did. The Chaos Insurrection, as it was so dubbed, had been a trying time for the Confederacy - even going so far as to cause the Confederacy to relocate their capital from the planet of Geonosis to Naboo - albeit the decision was one that made sense and now placed the capital closer to the center of the Confederacy than Geonosis had been at the far edge near Wild Space.

Though it was rather common to see her cradling a glass of some strange red or otherwise brightly colored ichor in her hands, that day she had arrived without any - though it was far from uncommon for her to consume other liquids or foods, she merely preferred her species's unique diet. Still, she was capable of consuming other foods - and at that moment she would - as she so carefully poured herself a glass of water to assist in driving away both thirst and any kind of dryness that would otherwise make it difficult to talk in the longe run. As she brought the glass to her lips, she took that moment to collect her thoughts and words on the events that she was to convey next, only prepared to do so once the glass of water was carefully placed on the table in front of her.

"In regards to the events that happened next during the Chaos Insurrection - with it clear that the Agents were attempting to cut a swath out of the very heart of the Confederacy and render the Capital holding on by ner a string - I focused solely on the planet of Rodia and left command of fleet elements at Talay under the capable command of High Marshal Kiff Brayde to turn back any vessels that the Agents deployed to that planet. During the course of the conflict, I had once again - and to my chagrin - engaged the Butcher of Eshan in combat. However, I should note, that after a failed boarding attempt, my memories of the conflict at Rodia are somewhat fuzzy and I am otherwise incapable of providing a detailed account as to the events that followed and their conclusion beyond the simple fact that I am currently sitting at this table conversion with everyone here."

As she finished speaking on the events of Rodia - or at the very least - those events that she could remember, she once more brought the glass of water to her lips to finish off the portion that she had filled the drinking vessel with. Doing her best, to gracefully and not just knock it back via tilting her head back, she finished off the drink before carefully setting the glass back down on the table. As she lightly pushed it forward, she thought on the last remaining question that had been poised in the little interview for the position of Minister of War. It was one that she wasn't too eager, or really too knowledgable in its intrigues - rather - she felt such words were better suited for a politician, and perhaps that's what was needed most for the position, to be a politician first, something that she'd never truly be able to do.

Taking a moment to think over the question and better prepare her words, she lightly tapped her fingers against the table, more so for her own benefit rather than anything else given how much time she'd already taken in answering the previous questions. A gentle sigh would slip from her lips as she shifted just slightly, switching the placement of her legs so that they were stilled draped one over the other, remaining cross as she leaned back just slightly to make herself more comfortable. Bringing her arms up, her elbows would come to rest on the armrest of the chair, her hands brought together as she steepled her fingers - both index fingers lightly tapping against her lips as she thought before finally speaking.

"The matter of the question - as to how - if called upon, I would convince you to increase spending on the Confederate Armed Forces is an answer that I am not prone to ponder even when I am neck-deep in the trappings of paperwork produced for the office in which I currently hold stewardship. I would be hard-pressed to make a moving oratory that would see credits flowing from other departments into our own - or see a new tax or tariff levied so as to ensure adequate funding or increased spending on the Armed Forces. All I would be capable of doing is imparting a lesson - one that we should all remember and perhaps it would be enough to ensure that more spending would be provided."

Bringing her hands down so that they would rest in her lap, her golden-yellow hues fell upon the Vicelord, almost as if she were looking directly into him and that it was only the two of them sitting in that room.

"The Confederacy of Independent Systems almost lost its Capital of Geonosis twice within a year. First during the events when a group of Bounty Hunters attacked the City in a bid to exfiltrate one of our own right out from under our noses during a meeting of the Viceroyalty. Second during the Chaos Insurrection when the Agents of Chaos - many of whom were former friends and personal acquaintances of ours - struck deep and carved a bloody path through the Ryloth, Siskeen, Rodia, and Talay Systems in a bid to isolate and effective cut off Geonosis. Both times we were lucky, both times we were granted the favor of blind luck as the wind was sucked from their sails. By no means though would increase spending on only the Confederate Armed Forces would be capable of staunching such a bleed again should the next upstart group decide to make the proverbial 'Big Man on the Block' bleed and prove their worth in Salt.

As my esteemed associate, Grand Marshal Terrik has said, all divisions within the Confederacy of Independent Systems require additional funding to ensure that such an event does not occur again - or in the event that it does happen, the damage and fallout of such will be far more minimal than we have seen in the following months of the Chaos Insurrection. We must ensure that not only does NAVCOM, UNICOM, and Dauntless have sufficient funding or increased spending, we should also see to it that Civilian Organizations such as the Hellknight Corps and the Enclave, as well as Independent Contracts such as Breshig and the Dire Wolves receiving additional funding and support from the Confederacy.

It is my understanding that - in such a matter as the operation of our Armed Forces - that they are allocated supplies, material, and other manner of support from our Independent Systems with only a token of - for lack of a better term - Federal focus. And even then, our own forces may not be permitted to properly operate within a System without that System's full support or approval - however, those organizations such as the Knights Obsidian and those that I had mentioned, are, generally speaking, an exception to this approval. These other groups can maintain the internal peace and stability of our Systems whilst we maintain our Armed Forces at more frontal locations that require attention - while also providing support and general approval for certain Civilian Organizations to operate in theaters that would otherwise be a drain on the resources of our Armed Forces.

However, I should note, that I am not the one to convince you of such needs - and I am sure that there are those better suited and more capable than I that can further convey the need for additional spending on the Armed Forces. After all, I had come merely as a formality, with no forethought, desire, or even inkling of ambition to take on such a lofty position as the Minister of War. There is, however, an individual within this room that I feel would be better suited for the position than I - and that is difficult for me to admit."

Amelia slowly sat forward as she straightened herself out, this time her attention was no longer singularly upon the Vicelord - rather it was once more upon the room as a whole. As she brought her hands up from her lap so that they came to softly rest against the table, she looked over each of their faces, a soft smile threatening to tug at the corner of her mouth until her golden-yellow hues fell upon her fellow Grand Marshal. Then the corner of her mouth pulled into a soft smirk just for her to see - even flashing that hint of a fang that shown she had something up her sleeve before she once more turned her attention upon the others.

"If you'll permit me a moment - this position is one that should require the utmost attention to detail, dedication to their craft, and the approval and respect of an individual that they can muster to the position. I do not advocate to take the position myself as I feel that there is still much that I can do as the NAVCOM Grand Marshal - nor do I feel myself ready for the additional responsibilities that Minister of War would place upon my shoulders as such that I may not have the time or otherwise capability to lead a fleet into the fray to ensure the protection of this Confederacy. Personally, I feel that two others at this table still need work and such a position may be akin to throwing one into the proverbial fire as it were. High Marshal Brayde is young and brash - that much is true - however, I feel that given time and the proper guiding hand and additional attention, he would be a suitable replacement to one day in the future, take the position of NAVCOM Grand Marshal - this is not that day though, and in truth, I believe it is still far off.

As for Fleet Marshal Rage, there is still much for him to learn as well, and perhaps once day, when his own fires and excitement have cooled and he is ready - then he should be granted command as a High Marshal; however, as I stated with High Marshal Brayde, today is not that day for Fleet Marshal Rage either. No, today I am here to ensure that the right person is provided with the chance to one day take a position which she deserves, though should not step over another to obtain.

Vicelord Darth Metus and Exarch Adron Malvern let it be known, that I, Grand Marshal Amelia von Sorenn, am endorsing Ettiene Kharne the current Deputy Minister of War to be granted the Office of Minister of War - and with that, I am further endorsing that Grand Marshal Luna Terrik assume the office of Deputy Minister of War beneath Minister Akaran. I believe that these two would be the best suited for this position - however, I also understand that ultimately the decision of such is your prerogative and you may even fancy the choice of placing an Ewok in the position. I, however, will stand by my endorsement."

With that, Amelia once more settled back into her seat, straightening out her coat and pulling her hands back down into her lap. She hadn't wanted the position, though she also knew that Grand Marshal Terrik would be a suitable fit - she didn't want the young woman to step over someone that had arguably been waiting for their chance to advance and perhaps had their own views, desires, and direction in which to take the Ministry in the coming years. With a quiet nod, she turned her attention inwards, focusing on those memories that still remained at the surface, and how, the rest of the proceedings would go now that she had spoken her part.

Chaos NaNo: 5,164

Kiff Brayde · Nov 13, 2020

I N T E R V I E W

Tag:

Luna Terrik | Cypher Rage |

Amelia von Sorenn
Word Count: 2,475

Kiff sat in his chair, one elbow propped up against the surprisingly large armrest that these High Command chairs had. Had they really sunk this many credits into just the headquarter's upholstery? Given Kiff's own spending habits, it wasn't the most egregious of financial decisions and one that the Armed Forces could probably afford to make, but there was something different between this and what Kiff did. When Kiff spent credits in excess, it had never been for him; it had been for the officers and crew members under his command. But adding decorative ornamentation and furniture to an executive conference room?

To whom did that serve?

He watched and waited as the other candidates filed into the room. The first was now-Deputy Minister Alden Akaran, a man Kiff had served alongside multiple times and in his opinion was the most level-headed candidate, not to mention being the only one who besides himself had commanded both naval and ground forces as well as having fought as a foot soldier. "Exarch, Vicelord," the deputy minister said in deference to the two men sitting at the table, without so much as a glance towards Kiff. He didn't take much offense to it; the man was probably nervous, and besides, he was interviewing with the Vicelord and Exarch, not a High Marshal from the Bassadro Sector Armada.

The next to enter was Fleet Marshal Cypher Rage, an. . . interesting figure that Kiff had fought alongside before. His impressions of Rage had been extremely varied, but if he had one thing to say for the Fleet Marshal, it was that the man had potential so long as he harnessed it. "Exarch Malvern, Your Excellency," he said to Exarch Malvern and the Vicelord respectively, giving a sharp salute before taking a seat and flashing a charismatic smile towards Kiff and Alden, to which Kiff returned a nod.

After him came Grand Marshal Luna Terrik of the Dauntless Corps. Kiff had to admit that he had heard little of the woman in charge of the Confederacy's special ops forces. "Vicelord, Sirs," she said in the same manner of deference. "Deputy Minister," she said in acknowledgment to Alden. He expected the Grand Marshal to take her seat after that, but surprisingly, she instead turned towards him. “Good to see you again, High Marshal. I’ve heard quite a lot about your command since we last met," Terrik said, giving a nod of what appeared to be genuine respect and a smile before sitting down.

Kiff was slightly taken aback by the show of genuine warmth, but at the very least he managed to return the gesture. "Likewise, Grand Marshal," he said with a smile and nod towards the now-seated Terrik.

The last to enter in a rather melodramatic fashion was the Grand Marshal of Naval Command herself, Amelia von Sorenn. Especially after his meeting with her, Kiff knew more about what exactly she thought of him -- that was, the misconception of some university graduate who'd rather be partying than paying attention to his duties as High Marshal. It was true that he wasn't some uptight snob of an officer who didn't know how to have fun, but to allege that he neglected any of his duties was completely opposite of the truth.

"My Lady, and Gentlemen. I apologize for my tardiness - paperwork had consumed much of my attention until this point and if it were not for Kassara, I'd have forgotten and missed the meeting altogether. It is a pleasure to see you all again," she said with that same vocal tone that she seemed to use, breathless and almost as if it were a whisper.

Once all had sat down and gathered, the Vicelord seemed to be ready to call the meeting to begin. The man leaned back in his seat and gestured towards the rest of the attendants, some sitting, some still standing. "At ease. Be seated," he commanded, and immediately everyone who was still standing took their assigned seat.

"As you are aware, Minister Caesar Kenway has retired," the Vicelord began. "His position carries the responsibility of representing and accounting for the actions of the entire Armed Forces. This is a role that transcends mastery of the battlefield. It requires the ability to navigate the mire of politics as well."

"To begin, I will have your report regarding the following theaters. The Chaos Insurrection, consisting of the attacks on Ryloth, Siskeen, Rodia, and Talay. Where were you? How did you respond? What actions did your units take?" Kiff's mind instantly flashed back to the Battle of Talay at his words. The victory they had won over insurmountable odds.

And the loss that he had suffered.

"Next, I will have your report regarding our Campaigns against the Mandalorian Empire. Where were you? How did you respond? What actions did your units take?" Those words reminded him of a simpler time, back to when he'd only been Captain of the Benevolent Pride. That had been nearly half a decade ago, but it felt like an entire lifetime.

"Lastly, if you were called upon to convince me to increase spending upon the Confederate Armed Forces, how would you do so?" Those last words surprised Kiff, but that did not mean he was prepared for it. He had regularly fought in budget battles with the Grand Marshal's office, and doing so with the Vicelord wouldn't be much of a step up in terms of technical skill.

At those words, the Vicelord motioned towards the Exarch at his side. "Once you have answered, the Exarch will make his own inquiries of you," he concluded before turning the time over to the applicants.

Alden Akaran, Deputy Minister, was the first to begin. Kiff swiveled, intent to see what the man would say. He talked of his roles in engagements over Eshan in response to the Vicelord's questions about the Confederacy's campaign against the Mandalorian Empire, but he was surprised to see no mention of Tanaab, another major engagement that Kiff had fought at. The Deputy Minister then moved on to talks of negotiations with the Siskeen government during the first insurrection campaign that the terrorists had launched against the Confederacy. He noticed that there were no further mentions of combat after Talay, but still, the negotiations were an example of the diplomatic and political skills that a Minister would need, and its mention could probably score points with the Vicelord.

The next to speak was Grand Marshal Terrik, almost following the order which the officers had entered in the room bar Kiff and Rage. Terrik spoke of her command over engagements across Ryloth, Rodia, and Talay, although the last's fighting had primarily remained in orbit thanks largely to Kiff's efforts. After extensively reporting on her successes there, she moved on to Eshan and Tanaab, both of which Kiff had fought in as well. He largely tuned out to the fine details, but overall the picture was painted of someone who was competent at her job as a soldier and commander, a claim that Kiff had no reason to deny.

The third to speak was the mysterious, uptight, and superior-minded Grand Marshal von Sorren. He had noticed her give him a quick glance as the procession of the meeting had played out but had paid little attention to it. She launched her portion of the interview by going into extensive detail of her role in the engagement over Eshan, particularly her use of forces from the Hellknights Corps, a mysterious organization that von Sorenn had complete command of, which often had led to Kiff wondering if the Grand Marshal even paid attention to the navy she commanded over.

She then talked of her absence over Tanaab briefly before going once more into extensive detail over the Taris, Ryloth, and Rodia engagements. Kiff narrowed his eyes as she told her stories, particularly the bit about losing her memory over the events of Rodia. Was that not a serious medical issue that needed to be looked at? And couldn't she have just looked at the records and reports filed to fill the vacancies in her memory? Regardless, he made no mention or generally any sign of outward concern, and kept on listening. He nodded at the mention of his service over Talay, but that nod stopped when she talked about him once more. ". . . Personally, I feel that two others at this table still need work and such a position may be akin to throwing one into the proverbial fire as it were. High Marshal Brayde is young and brash - that much is true - however, I feel that given time and the proper guiding hand and additional attention, he would be a suitable replacement to one day in the future, take the position of NAVCOM Grand Marshal - this is not that day though, and in truth, I believe it is still far off. "

What the feth?

Had the Grand Marshal just passive-aggressively attacked him and his record in front of everyone present? Talked down to him as if he were a child, not a High Marshal in the Confederacy of Independent Systems? He knew that the Grand Marshal held an unfavorable position towards him, but his already-low expectations had just become lower. He didn't know what had possessed the grand Amelia von Sorenn to level this at him, but Kiff could feel his knuckles tightening at the armrest of the chair, and he fought to quell the rising tide of righteous indignation that was beginning to swell.

She thought him to be too young? She thought him to be brash? Then maybe she should've considered that a new approach to the Confederacy is what exactly was needed now, not orthodoxy and mediocre complacency.

He felt the eyes of the room turn onto him, and he realized that it was now his turn to speak. Luckily for him, he'd come prepared. "Before I get started, I want to give you this," he said, fishing into his pocket for two data chips that he then slid across the table to the Vicelord and Exarch respectively. "On those datachips are a complete transcript of my Record of Service for reference, for ease of access." He gave a nod of affirmation and let the hand that had retrieved the datachips now lower and rest nonchalantly on the table.

"My first foreign engagement was over Eshan," Kiff began, "as the Captain of the Benevolent Pride, and Adjudicator-class Star Destroyer. I was apart of many who served and fought in the orbital engagement there, but in particular, my crew and I were awarded credit for the destruction of the Pitiless Spirit, an Indomitable-class Battlecruiser that served as the flagship of the main component of hostile forces present. I also served over Tanaab as a recently-promoted High Marshal. My fleet, Task Force Broken Crown, made up a large portion of forces present, and I can personally attest that each man, woman, and being that served under my command did so exemplarily."

"As for the most recent campaign of terrorism within our borders? Ryloth was a surprise for all of us, and the sheer distance between the Bassadro Sector and the former Capital Sector made any response from my forces impossible. What I did do, however, was immediately lock down the entire sector and drastically increase security measures, especially among the many parsecs of vulnerable border space and systems. I don't think I have to point it out, but the Bassadro Sector remained completely secure for the entirety of both terrorist campaigns."

"However," he continued, "I did fight over Talay. And without my presence there? It's a safe bet to assume that Talay would have fallen. My forces waited on the rimward edge of Talay's solar system, removed from the planet itself, and when the terrorists arrived we ambushed both of their forces in the rear. My forces were able to swiftly eliminate the first and largest fleet with only the loss of two flak corvettes. And I made the decision to sacrifice my command ship, the Victator, in order to stop the impenetrable terrorist flagship. In this, I stayed on the ship during the fatal microjump and after it until all else had evacuated except for the valiant Commander Jol, who valiantly chose to give his own life in place of mine to ensure the destruction of the terrorist flagship." His voice was somber at the mention of Jol. It was a pain that lived with him every day, but he had rarely spoken the man's name out loud, much less in a room full of all of his superiors. Nevertheless, he pushed through the discomfort and continued.

"You want to talk about funds?" he asked rhetorically. "Here's the thing. I care personally about the wellbeing of the people who serve under my command because I can empathize with them. I've captained ships that were part of larger fleets, I've fought as a foot soldier in multiple battles, and I've commanded my share of ground units. They are always at the forefront of my mind, and that is the case with my budget and spending as well. While some may write them off as parties and wastes of credits, my efforts have single-handedly resulted in the highest crew morale out of any sector armada, even with the rigorous service and duty that we've had both as a border sector in a region of high contention and the various intragalactic deployments that we have carried out."

"In short? You would know that any budget request I would make would be of the utmost necessity because I would strive to spend every credit that the Ministry of War receives in the most expeditious and efficient manner possible. Not a single credit would go wasted, and I would ensure to focus not on the usual and obvious stuff -- material, ships, weapons, et cetera -- but to make our Ministry the strongest possible military coalition in the galaxy that it is built from the ground up with well-trained, patriotic, and high-morale soldiers and crew. I would breathe a new life into the Ministry in terms of efficiency and budget spending, and with me as Minister, well, you might not need a budget increase at all."

"Thank you, Sirs, for your time," Kiff finished with a nod to both the Vicelord and his Exarch, adding an undertone of humility into his voice. "I'll turn over the discussion to whoever wishes to speak next."

He neglected to respond directly to the obvious attack that the Grand Marshal had made against him, instead choosing to appear unfazed and unaffected by it, and go by the more unconventional Should the appropriate forum make itself clear, he would have ample time to defend his record and service. But for now, he would let that record speak for itself.

Adron Malvern · Nov 21, 2020

FATE

Tags:

Kiff Brayde |

Luna Terrik

Now this had been interesting.

The Exarch was careful in listening to those before him. As the candidates spoke of their military records his eyes flitted to his datapad to make sure there were no embellishments of duties. In the end it had been an unnecessary precaution but one he would have taken again if needs be. He looked to the group before him and when finally they had all offered their words he looked to the Vicelord to be sure they were ready to proceed. Adron pulled the glasses from his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes adjusted to the sight before him. "Very good." He explained.

"All very good candidates. Even the suggestion made by the Grand Marshal

Amelia von Sorenn was a valido ne. However, the Office of the Presidium will keep it's own council on who is to ascend into the station of Minister of War. Each of you, though loyal to the Confederacy and capable military officers, will be considered off of your own merits, not the endorsements of your cohorts." He said pointedly. With that matter settled the Exarch placed the datapad flat on the table as he clasped his hands together. "My next question is one born from scenario and each of you may go into as great or as little detail as you wish."

"I want you to consider that while answering this, you will be doing it as if you already occupy the office of Minister." The Exarch tapped the desk, revealing a holo emitter in the center of the desk that came alive. It showed an active Map of the galaxy, the Confederate territories marked by purple hexes. His hand floated to the map where the planet of Atrisia laid. "It is before 0800 in the morning. We receive a distress beacon from Atrisia. They face an invasion force of moderate size, capable of penetrating their planetary defenses within a week." He began, however he did no end his words there. His finger instead moved to Eiattu 6 on the Western part of The Confederacy. "Moments later another alert comes through. An invasion force of small size has assaulted Eiattu six. While it may be able to hold out on its own, it is unclear how many reinforcements may accompany the enemy there. If we are not careful the world could very well fall in time."

"An hour passes and another beacon is activated...here." He said, pointing to Kamino. "A savage horde has been unleashed upon the world. Seemingly invulnerable to conventional warfare. In under three days the entire population of Kamino will be dead if support is not lended."

"Now...a day has passed." He held a hand out to Naboo. "On day two, before you've had your morning coffee an insurrectionist force appears on Naboo using terrorist tactics. Size, troop movement, and technology all unknown. In fact all you do know is three dozen Viceroys were just killed in a suicide bombing." The Exarch kept the map on the screen before turning his eyes to the Ministers before him.

"In twenty four hours, three planets will be under threat of falling and our capitol will be in disarray. How will you defend our Confederacy?" He demanded.

Amelia von Sorenn · Nov 23, 2020

RESPONSE

Anthem
CAF Headquarters, Vicereine Hill
Theed, Naboo
Confederacy of Independent Systems

Amelia remained quietly seated, settled, and intently listening to those that spoke after. She did not lounge, nor did she slouch in her seat - maintaining an ever present and near regal appearance. With her legs remaining crossed, her posture saw her sitting high as the High Marshal of the Bassadro Sector spoke on his own record and achievements. It was clear - more than apparent to even a casual observer - that she and the High Marshal weren’t exactly what one might call friends, as there was nothing more than a work-relationship that kept the two close to one another given their respective positions and ranks. Yet, it should be noted, that was not her job - and she felt she owed Kiff Brayde nothing less than the honest truth. She was not there to be friends with those that she commanded - she was there to ensure that they survived. And, while she could appreciate his concern of the well-being for his subordinates - it was the way and manner of his behavior in which he approached such endeavors that bothered her so.

Golden-hues fell upon the Exarch as the esteemed gentlemen began to speak. Nodding quietly, Amelia was more than understanding as to the deferment that the Presidium would ultimately make their own decision as to the position in question. While personally she had hoped to avoid a lengthy and drawn-out process, Amelia was more than willing to approach the proposed scenario that was poised before them. It was a straight forward setup, one that was intended to test each of their capabilities and their means of approaching such a catastrophic event. She could appreciate and respect that the Exarch was being as thorough as he was - and she was, if nothing else, more than eager to accept such a task as to tackle this bold scenario that played out on the map before them.

As the map came to life from the holo-emitter that had been embedded within the desk, her attention once more shifted, moving from the Exarch to the map of the Galaxy that was now being projected before them. She watched carefully as the young man began to manipulate the map and lay out the scenario that they would be focused upon solving, and it was a rather complicated one at that - truly, it had been well thought out to gauge their responses and how they would face such a catastrophic event that might occur within the heart of the Confederacy. Though, she had already seen such an event unfold twice already - once when Geonosis had been beset upon by an unknown force of Bounty Hunters intent on kidnapping one of their own - and she’d even found time to read the reports of the strange events and monstrous creatures that had appeared on Geonosis. An event that was only stifled and pushed back due in part to the efforts of the Knights Obsidian.

She had already begun to go over the scenario in her mind - focusing on the key aspects as they had been laid out before the group that had been gathered around the table. The events of the day had taken an unexpected turn, from a simple interview for the position as the Minister of War to now; answering a proposed ‘what if’ scenario as to how - in the position as Minister - that they would properly and effectively approach and handle the situation to ensure the protection of the Confederacy. As she remained seated, she carefully studied the map in greater detail, now leaning back a bit to provide herself a better look at the map without the need to peer upward and put a noticeable crink in her neck. Shifting just slightly, her hands moved to rest on the armrest of the chair she had found herself in from the outset of the interview, though she kept that regal facade on for now to keep up the appearance as a prim and proper young woman - despite her own record of bloodshed and getting her hands dirty when it came to conflict.

A soft smile crossed her lips as she slowly looked over the map, focusing first on the Bassadro Sector and its newly acquired gem of Atrisia - though given that the Confederacy was already in talks with the Galactic Alliance to peacefully hand the world over - a decision that she was vehemently against given how much Confederate blood had been spilled on the world in the last few years - it was still, for the time being, a Confederate world. In this scenario at least it was, in the long run, facing the least amount of threat given the timetable provided. If Atrisia had a week before its planetary defenses fell, that meant - in the course of this scenario’s timeline - that the Confederacy had a week to respond - though in the blunt reality, it meant that they had a few more days in which they could plan, prepare, and enact a measured response, rather than just jumping into the fray.

It was the other proposed situations of the scenario that bothered her more - in terms of what little time they would have to act - though she understood that was the point. How could one be the Minister of War and otherwise be incapable of rapidly producing a solution and enacting that solution when it came to solving and otherwise executing a plan of reprisal as needed. The Exarch was a sly one - she would give him that - in how he set up this scenario. It was a test of not only time management skills, it was a test of planning, logistics, risk management, and even morality - all were being tested to see how the proposed individuals for the Minister position would react, and she could greatly respect that.

Amelia would desire to allow others the chance to speak before her - though only so much to the point that her own mind was already racing as she carefully studied the map. A scenario in which the Confederacy faced the possible invasion and loss of three systems whilst their Capital was attacked in a near simultaneous strike was something that many could potentially flounder upon in terms of making a dedicated decision and executing any such plan. The stress of such a situation would even cause many to freeze, though perhaps that was also part of the test of the scenario poised by the Exarch - to see if any in the room would freeze.

For her part, she also understood what it meant to take a moment to breath, to permit yourself that moment to collect your thoughts and ground yourself to ensure that whatever plan you enacted, it did not come from a place of pure, raw emotion. One needed to approach such a situation with a calculated and decisive plan rather than just simply implying that they needed to ‘shoot everything that wasn’t a Confederate’ - such thinking belonged to the Bryn’adul, not the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Even in the face of such a - albeit even in a hypothetical scenario - one still needed to remain calm and permit a still, measured response rather than to act purely on emotion in how to approach the problem.

That is what she was focusing on - a measured, clear minded response, not based in emotion - as she stared quietly at the Galactic Map before them. Carefully studying the map, she slowly moved her attention between the various pulsing hexes that marked the systems that were under threat in this particular scenario. The new Capital Naboo, facing an insurgent terrorist attack with dozens of the Viceroyalty having been killed, all while the enemy, their total forces, and even their technology that they utilized was unknown.

That alone - had it been the only challenge to overcome in this scenario - would have been worrying enough; however, it was not the only such challenge that proved to be a rather complex and risky endeavor - in terms of lives lost - if any plan that was executed was not one that would render the results needed or desired. Two other such theaters that proved their own challenge were Eiattu Six and Kamino - both worlds of great prominence in their own right - and each having their own unique place in history. Kamino, well known for their cloning technology and in their hand in the creation of the ancient Grand Army of the Republic - a target that any seeking to invade the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which would be a great boon and prize to hold. Though, she had to wonder, scenario or not, what kind of attacking force would be solely bent on the full eradication of all life on a planet - though the answer to her own question was quickly forthcoming. The Bryn’adul were such a threat to the Galactic stage - a destructive, consuming mass of monstrosities that would focus on rendering a world uninhabitable beyond their own twisted definition of survival and living. If the goal was to focus on a means to prevent, delay, or otherwise overcome a threat that was seemingly invulnerable to conventional warfare, then the answer would need to be just as equally unconventional as the enemy.

The threat to Eiattu Six seemed to be the most dire in any circumstance - though facing an invasion force that was deemed to be small in its scope - the lack of any information on possible reinforcements is what worried Amelia the most. That would be the primary focus to deal with - in any of these instances - the unknown factors that would likely also develop during the duration of any such operation or attempt at stepping in and preventing further widespread destruction and devastation to the populace on each of the worlds. After all, Atrisia had already seen its fair share of continued decimation over the last scant few years - let alone during the time when the Confederacy had just recently brought it into the fold. They had only just added the system to their burgeoning Confederacy when an Invasion force - not much different than what was being described in the scenario - had struck the planet and left it in near ruins after unleashing a virulent virus that swept through the population - and the personnel of the Confederacy as well.

Once more she carefully studied the map that was before them, slowly moving those golden-hues over each hex and the neighboring hexes nearest those worlds afflicted in the scenario by some calamitous event. Bringing her hands together to rest in her lap, she bowed her head for a moment - closing her eyes in the process - as she began to carefully think over any and all plans that would come to mind. She thought out the processes, making sure that she was not acting hastily, too cautiously, or in any such manner that would render potential plans inert or ineffective in the grand scheme of things. Not only that, she wanted to ensure that any such plans would be flexible, capable of shifting and changing as demanded by the situation on the ground - as it were - even with this scenario being an apparent mental exercise in their capability of facing such a situation in the unlikely event that it could occur.

Slowly she opened her eyes, a soft sigh slipping from her lips as her hands came to rest on the armchairs of the seat she had taken for the meeting. Carefully slipping her legs free of one another, she slowly pushed herself up until she was standing, the chair gently resting against the wall and out of the way as her golden-yellow hues fell upon the map once more. She brought one arm up, crossing it across her bosom whilst the elbow of her right arm rested in the palm of her left hand. Her finger lightly tapped against her lips as she seemed to study the map more intently now as though it were not a scenario - her mind slipping into a moment in which she acted and thought of this scenario as currently happening and that those few in the room were the ones that needed to act then and there without a second thought or moment of hesitation.

“In Twenty-Four hours we have the potential of losing three systems whilst the Capital of Naboo is left in ruin from the activities of unknown assailants of unknown strength and capabilities beyond what has been established.The primary focus here being the defense of our Confederacy in the face of such an action - within the given parameters of this scenario.”

While she momentarily looked towards the Exarch for a confirmation - it otherwise was not entirely needed. Amelia knew the scenario that was laid out before them, and at times it merely helped to repeat the words back, to show that you had in fact been listening to the individual when they had been speaking. She began to slowly pace back and forth between the two chairs that had flanked her when she had previously been sitting, her attention never seeming to break away from the map as she moved from right to left, then back again. A soft smirk growing as it tugged at her lips - plans upon plans upon plans, forming in her mind as she came to a stop once more before the map. Her attention fully focused upon it now as she stepped forward towards the table.

“If I may, Exarch Malvern.”

Amelia said as she leaned forward, bringing herself closer to the map, inspecting it closer as she finalized a few stray and errant threads of thought before she was finally prepared for her own answer as to how - in this instance - she would protect the Confederacy. Straightening herself up, she lightly tugged on her coat to ensure that she still appeared presentable before clearing her throat. Her arms settled at her sides as she clasped her hands together in front of her before motioning with her right hand towards the map in a slow sweeping motion.

“At the outset of the events that are set in motion, Eiattu Six is the most in immediate dire - though the initial report states that they are facing a small invasion force - it is the unknown reinforcements that serve as a potential foil and problem to any additional Confederacy vessels or forces that we may deploy to the system. With the possibility that it would potentially fall in an indeterminate amount of time - our first focus would be to ensure that this planet is secured - both from neighboring systems as well as from within the system itself.

To this end, The Rimma Sector Armada and Seswenna Sector Armada would be working in tandem with one another, serving to act in a unified Over-Sector for the duration of the threat to Eiattu Six. The Rimma Sector Armada would establish a cordone in the Naalol System - with the bulk of a single Confederate Fleet holding the system for potential strikes that may seek to drive us away from or otherwise pull our attention from Eiattu Six. Additionally, the Rimma Sector Armada would detach two Attack-Lines - one consisting of a single Providence II-class Carrier/Destroyer supported by two Providence II-class Attack Carriers, and four Munificent-class Cruisers to the Nkllon Hex - positioned to the Galactic North of the Eiattu Six System. Its second fleet will consist of four Munificent-class Cruisers and three Saboath II-class Assault Cruisers, which is to be stationed in the Ogem/Loovria Hex to the Galactic South-West.

This smaller fleet is intended to be a baiting fleet - a valuable prize while our larger fleets remain within the Naalol System and Nkllon System to usher any potential reinforcements for the Eiattu Six invaders away from those systems. For their part, the Seswanna Sector will deploy the E’care Shukur to the neighboring Qat Chrystal System - supported by Munificent-class Cruisers and Saboath II-class Assault Cruisers - this will serve as our primary force in immediately dealing with the threat at Eiattu Six. Additional fleets would be stationed in the neighboring Tshindral/Sullust Hex - predominantly to protect the valuable shipyards at Sullust - as well as in the Echnos/Dorvalla Hex as a means to further funnel the enemy towards the Ogem System or Loorvia System.

Our primary goal - once we’ve shown enough force in the sector - is a two pronged assault, initiated by the E’care Shukur’s fleet jumping into the System and engaging the enemy forces. In the event that those enemy forces decide to stand and fight - additional forces may be sent to Eiattu Six as required, however, our primary fleets will remain in place to secure the neighboring systems from attack or raids during this operation. Furthermore, if it appears that the enemy takes the option to flee towards the Ogem System or Loorvia System in an attempt to push through the smaller fleet stationed in those areas - we will move accordingly.

A fleet from the Tshindral System would then jump into the Eiattu System to secure and mop up any remaining enemy vessels that did not flee. At this time, the E’care Shukur and its supporting vessels would then jump to the Ogem System or Loorvia System to further engage this invading force and drive them off from our borders. Should it be rendered necessary - lightly armed scout vessels and patrol craft would then be deployed to the neighboring Abraxas, Dasoor, Jalarren, and Tibrin Systems to monitor any further potential activity targeting the Confederacy’s Southern Systems along the Rimma Sector and Seswanna Sector borders.”

Amelia took a moment to permit herself a second or two to breathe, collecting her thoughts as she carefully poured out another glass of water. Setting the carafe aside, she brought the glass to her lips and took a slow sip from the vessel - cradling it in her hand for a moment before carefully setting it down on the table, though not out of arm's reach. Her attention once more returned to the map before them as it flickered its ever present glow - the purple hexes seeming to ebb as she carefully studied the scenario that continued to play out. Now that she had Eiattu Six taken care of, she could focus on the other problem systems - next would be the events that were transpiring on Naboo. That would be the next most immediate threat that would need to be overcome - an assault on the Capital of the Confederacy itself.

“The second most immediate threat following the initial invasion of Eiattu - would be the insurgent terrorist assault on Naboo itself. As an added precaution, it should be treated that the invasion of Eiattu Six, Atrisia, and Kamino be perceived as an attempt to draw forces and resources away from Naboo in a coordinated effort to further weaken our capabilities to protect the capital. However, in this event, we should not only fall back on larger formations, fleets, and overwhelming presence - rather - we answer their form of warfare with a similar form and meet them head on with a more unlikely and unconventional response than what an insurgent force is likely expecting.

We focus on securing the space around Naboo - a full blockade of the planet preventing any traffic from further entering the system or from arriving or departing from the surface of the planet that has not been thoroughly inspected and vetted by the Confederate Armed Forces. We begin a general evacuation - bringing any civilians to the outskirts of Theed - once they’ve been processed and checked out to ensure that they have no ties to the insurgency, we transport them away from the initial conflict area. Those with life-threatening or needing immediate medical attention will be evacuated to the City of Spinnaker - all others will be evacuated to the City of Selton where they will be quarantined and kept under close observation until the cessation of the insurgency in Theed.

The Knights Obsidian - specifically the Lotus Chapter - should be activated to assist in containing the threat to Theed itself and overseeing the medical relief and treatment of critically injured civilians and Confederate personnel currently engaging the enemy. As a means to respond in kind to the insurgency - specifically their unknowns of size, movements, and technology - we deploy in kind forces that are more suited to handle such situations. We deploy Dauntless units to hold the outer perimeter of the city to contain the insurgency within Theed, with further Dauntless units supporting additional forces that will begin working their way through the city itself. The First Caria Regiment - Forlorn Rangers, renowned for their Small-Unit Tactics, Pathfinders, and Sniper-Teams - will be sent into the city to begin working their way through, block-by-block. Further additional support will be established via requesting additional assistance from members of the civilian organization known as the ‘Enclave’, with an explicit request that they attempt to take prisoners if possible for intelligence gathering on the insurgency’s forces, movements, and technologies they are utilizing in this attack.

In this instance, our first and foremost priority should be the civilian populace and ensure that their safety and security is paramount. Additional small units can be broken away to secure potential soft targets, as well as securing and surviving members of the Viceroyalty that are still in the Presidium or may have become trapped during the initial suicide bombing. All other efforts would be focused on securing any position, supplies, resources, and materials of the Confederate Armed Forces - including securing and setting up a fall back and last stand position within the halls of Anthem itself - with a planned transfer of command in place should the unlikely event happen in which Anthem is overrun. This would ensure that no false-commands are issued or carried out that have come out of Anthem in the event it has fallen, thus preventing further catastrophy or disarray.”

Amelia would pause for a moment, once more permitting herself a means to collect her thoughts and departmentalize each event and focus on a singular front at a time - boxes on shelves - as it were. Bringing the glass to her lips once more, she continued to study the map as she slowly sipped the contents of the drinking vessel before it was once more resting upon the table. Bringing her hand up, she motioned towards Kamino, a world that was just as important to the Confederacy and its previous Capital and surrounding Systems. It was sitting at the far edge of the Confederacy, resting within the newly established Frontier Sector that seemed to border along Wild Space.

However, just because it sat so far removed from the now Capital of the Confederacy, did not mean that it was entirely or otherwise incapable of being relieved in such a scenario as an assault on the planet. Too often it seemed that the primary focus was to utilize the Confederate Armed Forces and nothing else to respond to a threat - be it internal or external - without any kind of regard or nod towards additional available resources that were at the disposal of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. And, nestled in the Frontier Sector, was one such resource that could be activated to alleviate some pressure and potentially prevent the Confederate Armed Forces from being overstretched or overburdened in such an event as a multifront invasion.

“Kamino would be the third most at risk - with a limited time table - there is the potential that the Confederate Armed Forces would not be able to reach the planet in time to render any true assistance in the event of a multifront invasion. However, we have additional resources that we can call upon waiting in the Frontier Sector - specifically, The Hellknight Corps. In more recent years, as the Grand Marshal of Naval Command, I’ve kept a token Fleet presence in the Frontier Sector and provided additional support towards civilian organizations that know the region better than our own fleets. In this instance, with Kamino facing an invasion from a force that is seemingly invulnerable to conventional warfare, then we must answer them - again, as on Naboo in this scenario - with an unconventional response.

The bulk of the weaponry utilized by the Hellknight Corps is slugthrower based technologies - providing a unique surprise given that many technologies that are utilized on the battlefield are expected to come face to face with our conventional armaments such as blaster rifles and blaster cannons. In this instance, the Hellknight Corps could be activated, their overall structure falling within our established military hierarchy with their commands directly provided by HIGHCOM - their sole focus and only goal would be to secure Kamino - or in the event of overwhelming odds - they are to hold the line until we were capable of evacuating all Kaminoans from the planet to ensure that the species is not rendered extinct at the hands of these barbarous forces.

Following a similar plan as Naboo and Eiattu 6 - our first priority would be to secure the space around the planet itself - ensuring that we would have the room and capability to begin evacuating the civilian populace from the conflict zone. Additional forces would further secure the neighboring Rishi, Manda, and Scarif Systems while establishing and deploying scouting elements into the neighboring systems within Wild Space that the Kamino System borders. This would ensure that we are not overtaken or otherwise surprised by any additional reinforcements that this enemy may have laying in wait.

With Space secured, landing troops to turn back the tide and secure the major cities of Kamino would be the next priority. The Hellknight Corps would deploy via Drop Pods - while their more specialized units would focus on engaging the enemy in the skies above as well as the seas below - with our penultimate goal being the eradication of this invasion force. Once Kamino is secure, additional follows would include sweeps of the neighboring R-Duba, Rothana, and Abrion Major Systems for any stragglers, reinforcements, or attempts at regrouping for a further renewed assault on Kamino.”

As she finished with her answer as to how to approach Kamino, she pulled her seat back into position - lowering herself as she leaned back and permitted herself a momentary reprieve to collect her thoughts once more. Her attention, however, never left the map - as she now focused on Atrisia and the invasion that it faced. She was less worried about Atrisia in this scenario, with it being capable of withstanding the invasion force it was facing for at least a week, it game them time to react - which was always a boon to have - though she also didn’t want any kind of plan in which they would take too much time planning.

With the planet being nestled at the far edge of the Bassadro Sector, bordering along the current Galactic Alliance - a response to this needed to be measured - and enacted in such a way as to prevent any kind of misunderstanding with their neighboring Galactic Government. In such a situation, the last thing they would need, would be any kind of misunderstanding that would result in not only the Confederacy needing to secure Atrisia from unknown invaders - it would also be to see the Confederacy needing to defend against an incursion from another Galactic power.

Remaining seated, she kept her focus on the map before nodding quietly, speaking up when she had collected her thoughts.

“Arguably, Atrisia is in the least amount of immediate danger within this scenario - due in part to the intelligence we’ve been provided. The planet itself is under threat from an invasion force of a moderate size - with their own planetary defenses capable of holding out for up to a week - which provides us needed time to not only act immediately upon the more prevalent threats to Naboo, Eiattu Six, and Kamino, it provides us a moment to breathe, regroup, and prepare for a more formidable strike to drive off the invasion that Atrisia is facing. However, it would go without saying that we should not squander or otherwise over rely on this timeframe - as things can change in an instance.

To this end, we should spend no more than two days building up our forces in the neighboring Phu System and Abregado-Rae System, with the intent of focusing any enemy’s attention on these two systems. Our plan of action in this instance would be to establish a larger threat to the invading force in these two systems, with two fleets drawn up from the overall Bassadro Sector Armada - ranging in a similar composition as those fleets to be directed in the Eiattu Six threat. However, full composition of those fleets would remain in the purview of the High Marshal of the Bassadro Sector.

In this event, it would further serve us to reach out to the Galactic Alliance - inform them of the situation and request that they station their own forces in the neighboring Eufornis Major, Questal, and Thracior Systems - so that their own systems may not fall prey to any stragglers or remnants of the invasion force that we drive from Atrisia. Additional support would come from the Kooriva Sector Armada - with a fleet detachment from that Armada being stationed in the Bardotta System - from which needed elements can be detached and deployed.

The overall plan would see two fleets moving into the Atrisia System from the Phu System and Abregado-Rae System - their primary objective would be to distract or drive off and naval elements of the invading forces - while elements from the Kooriva Sector detachment would be deployed into the system at the aftermath - to assist in mopping up or hunting down and fleeing vessels that might attempt to regroup, call for reinforcements, or otherwise attempt to slip into Galactic Alliance space. This would clear the way for additional reinforcements to be landed planetside - with Dauntless and UNICOM forces establishing forward operating bases. Much like in the other theaters, our primary focus upon arriving planetside would be to secure the civilian populace for evacuation - either out of the conflict zone, to an orbiting moon, or in the worst case scenario, a neighboring system.”

Amelia nodded quietly for a moment, satisfied with her response as to how she would react in the event that such a scenario would take place. However, she also understood that not everything was fool proof - or that she had all the answers - as anyone else in the room may have an insight to a situation that she may have missed.

“I must add - that even with such preparations and immediate response - any such plan that I may have established or postulated, cannot be fully relied upon in the exact moment that it is enacted or meets contact with an enemy force. Nor, should it be further noted, do I have all the answers and insights as to how the scenario should be approached or treated in any such manner that would result in a positive outcome with negative loss.

First and foremost - in any and all of these cases - our primary focus should be on the civilian populace, ensuring their safety and security beyond and kind of measure to secure or protect such infrastructure as personal belongings, buildings, or anything that would be deemed as non-essential to our own forces or for utilization after an invasion in rebuilding. We can always replace structures and personal belongings - we cannot replace those civilians, nor military personnel that we may lose in the course of an invasion or insurgency.

Likewise, I understand that I do not have all the answers when it comes to this scenario. I have answered to the best of my abilities, and understand that my fellow commanders in this room may have a different insight, or different means to deal with this situation. I can only state that I feel confident in my position, in the answer that I’ve provided as an attempted solution to the scenario at hand.”

The woman once more began to pren herself in a manner that was appropriate for the setting as she ensured that she was once more sitting high in her seat. Slipping her right leg over her left, she pulled her coat down slightly to smooth out any wrinkles as she leaned carefully back, her arms coming to rest along the arm rests as she nodded towards the Exarch - her golden-yellow hues shifting over the others that were still sitting in the room.

“With that Exarch Adron Malvern , and Vicelord Darth Metus , I leave the floor to the next individual to speak on their answer to the scenario that the Exarch has placed before those in this room.”

Amelia offered a soft, sly smile as she returned to her calm and collected demeanor - the smile slowly fading away until it was once more replaced with the ever present resting ‘queen-face’ that so often graced Amelia’s facade. She didn’t mind if others thought her unapproachable or cold-hearted, she had more than earned her right to push others away in terms of any kind of relationship given her own lengthy lifespan and the multitude of loved ones she had lost. That was what had driven her answers - the loved ones she had lost.

If any such scenario had come to light - she had hoped that her answers would be just as rapidly dispatched as what she had stated then and there. Her focus would always be on the civilian populace - on their safety and security - placing it as an utmost priority beyond any kind of other military objective for completion. It was simple - or at least it was in her mind - if the Confederacy couldn’t protect its people, nevermind any kind of infrastructure, then what was the use of the Confederacy?

However, she also understood the stark reality, the blatant truth that was being painted upon the Galactic stage - Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit - Everything Changes, Nothing Perishes. The Galaxy was constant changing, and it was rather apparent given the more recent years - seeing the Outer Planets Alliance collapse in on itself which resulted in the Confederacy turning its attention further South. The Core Worlds reestablished themselves - though for how long was anyone’s guess really at this stage - and even the Eastern edges of the Galaxy faced an ever present threat that was terraforming and changing entire systems to suit their needs.

What would - or could - happen next was left to anyone to fathom, given the events that were still transpiring and those that waited for their turn in the shadows. She had come into this meeting not expecting or otherwise desiring any kind of advancement beyond the station she currently held. She was comfortable in her position as the Grand Marshal of Naval Command - though perhaps that was a problem in and of itself. If everything was changing, then why was she choosing to remain stagnant in her current position? Perhaps she had also had her own desire to remain in command - to be able to stand on a bridge and retain that modicum of control and order even in the most chaotic of situations such as a fleet engagement. Perhaps she could find herself ready to take on the responsibilities of the Minister of War - though that was something that she would have to wait and see to find the answer out.

She was still confident in her other cohorts that were in the room - now more than eager to listen to the Deputy Minister’s and fellow Grand Marshal’s response to the scenario. And though she had just scathingly chided the High Marshal in front of the others - perhaps something that he would need to apologize for in her own time in a more appropriate manner and venue - she was just as curious as to how the High Marshal would respond to the scenario.

All she could do now was remain patient - to wait and see as to who would step up next and respond. With her own focus now shifting from speaking to listening, she carefully sat forward, bringing the drinking vessel nearer to her as she filled it with water once more from the waiting carafe. Bringing the glass to her lips, she sipped slowly, her golden-yellow hues peering over the rim across the watching and waiting faces before the vessel was permitted to rest in the palm of her hand as she sat it in her lap. Now, more than ever, eager to see who would take the floor next.

Kiff Brayde

Chaos NaNo: 6,207

Kiff Brayde · Nov 24, 2020

I N T E R V I E W

Tag:

Luna Terrik | Cypher Rage |

Amelia von Sorenn
Word Count: 3,252

Even as Kiff gave answers to the first volley of questioning, more questions came.

He couldn't blame the Exarch. If it were up to Kiff, he'd want the person with the most direct control over the entire military to be the most thoroughly-vetted man or woman in the Confederacy. So many governments, administrations, and military divisions both past and present had fallen to the wayside from neglect or ineptitude of its commanders. That was something that Kiff could testify to. He'd seen larger examples and smaller examples of it, but all the while he'd strived to ensure that what did fall under his command -- which, at the moment was the Bassadro Sector Armada -- was the smoothest running military machine in all of Naval Command.

And in many ways, it was. The sector armada had an unprecedented level of standardization, organization, and modernization that most of the other sectors couldn't compete with. The causes of this were vast. The Bassadro Sector was one of the largest in the Confederacy and thus was often given priority in shipbuilding queues solely for its gross need of material and starships.

The Bassadro Sector was also the headquarters of one of the Confederacy's prime shipbuilders, Roble Manufacturing, which had been so heavily invested in the modernization process -- as well as the construction of Kiff's flagship, the CNS Storm King -- was located on Fondor, smack dab in the middle of the sector. Not only did that mean they often received ships from the modernization program fresh out of the docks, but Kiff suspected that its director, Alban Roble, had lobbied to High Command for increased investment in Fondor's, and by extension, the entire Bassadro Sector's defenses; he'd asked as much to Kiff, who'd referred him to his superiors whilst promising he'd see what he could do.

Thirdly, a lot of it had to do with Kiff himself. It wasn't exactly a humble gesture to admit so, but it was the truth. Kiff had worked on creating standardized lines of battles using the most modern ships the Confederacy had available, each different line configuration suited for a different style of warfare or purpose. He had made sure that each captain knew their role in the line, and that each commander knew the role of the line. In that, assembling fleets and responding to threats took little time if any at all; which was the crux of what the Exarch was now talking about. Response in the face of adversity.

Kiff watched along with his fellow candidates as a holoprojector in the middle of the table whirred to life, a bright blue glow illuminating the room before it condensed and focused into a map of the galaxy, partitioned by the various sectors that had been established for defense and administrative purposes. He could see the Bassadro sector, highlighted in red, as well as the yellow highlighted Capital sector and the blue highlighted Arkanis sector, named after his homeworld of Arkanis. Exarch Malvern used his hands to manipulate the map before it began to spin and zoom into a single system, one that Kiff knew very well from months of tension, patrols, and reports as it had its brief moment as the sector of interregional galactic politics: Atrisia.

The outline that the Exarch presented of this hypothetical situation on Atrisia was simple: an invasion force, most likely of Galactic Alliance origin, had besieged the planet and was estimated to force Atrisia in its currently unassisted state to capitulation within a week. Kiff checked that in his head -- the Exarch had said penetrate the planet's defenses, not force it to capitulate. Likely that meant that the battle was still in orbit. The simple remedy there would be the sending in of a war fleet, preferably fast-response and stationed nearby, from the Bassadro Sector Armada.

Fondor was only a jump away, after all, and the Armada could keep a steady supply of ships ready. Most likely he'd move to completely lock down the entire Galactic Alliance border whether or not the attack was coming from their northern neighbors; he had an inherent distrust of the Alliance and its motives, and as for those the Galactic Alliance had made it clear that their eyes were on the Core Worlds in Confederacy perception. Fortunately, the Bassadro Sector Armada had drilled for exactly these types of situations, and so it would be a grav-ball in the park to handle that.

Now the Exarch had moved onto another system and another threat. He explained that they were happening almost exactly concurrently, except this time it was the world of Eiattu Six, near the edge of the Seswenna sector and the realm of current Confederacy expansion. It had been called 'the Red War' a name that Kiff didn't understand the etymology behind, but it was below his pay grade anyway. He personally hadn't taken part in that -- his duties in the Bassadrok sector for the most part kept him tied down there, unless an occasion arose like Talay. But he had sent Commander

Verin Oldo of the 513th in deployment over Balis-Baurgh; really a walk in the park for a veteran officer such as Oldo, but some good hours he could put on the log for when he'd be in the same position as Kiff.

The threat on Eiattu Six was explained to be smaller than the one on Atrisia; the initial 'invasion force,' which was likely a large cartel, private gang, or some other crime-related fleet given the regional instability that had been caused by the power vacuum in the wake of the dissolution of the Outer Planets Alliance. The Exarch allowed that the world may be able to hold out on its own, but that it would be unclear if or how many reinforcements this second invading force would have. Most likely a dispatch of an attack line, given that in this hypothetical scenario Kiff would've implemented his standardized lines across Naval Command, would be able to switfly reinforce Eiattu Six.

The third threat, now around an hour later, would be coming from Kamino. As with the first, ambiguity of the opposition was the key move that the Exarch played. An unknown assailant had assaulted the water world of Kamino, and its estimated that it would only be three days before the entire Kaminoan population was dead. But although the Exarch did not name the threat, his descriptors -- savage horde, invulnerable to conventional warfare, and the fact that they seemed to be focused on a full genocide of Kamino's population -- lent itself to the idea that, combined with the position of Kamino on the galactic map, that these attackers were from the Bryn'adul. Kiff hadn't engaged them in open combat, but he'd read reports from contingents that had faced them across the galaxy, most concentrated over the star systems of the Silver Jedi Order. In fact, the Confederacy, Silver Jedi Order, and Sith Empire had signed a temporary alliance to rid the galaxy of the Bryn'adul and stop their genocidal rampage, a treaty with political ramifications that were being echoed back north in the Bassadro Sector as tensions once again had risen with the most recent address by the Councelor of the Galactic Alliance.

That was not important. What was important was that the Bryn'adul, unlike the pirates of Eiattu Six or even the Galactic Alliance invasion force, was the most dangerous of the three enemies presented so far. If Kiff were in charge, his move would be to prioritize evacuation -- send whatever non-organic aquatic forces the Confederacy had to serve as cannon fodder and redirect the Bryn'adul from their massacre of civilians. Once Kamino had been safely evacuated, then a full cordone of the planet and complete reinforcement of the sector, as well as the surrounding sectors, would bee made. Possibly even pulling reinforcements from inward sectors that could handle the temporary renting out of war materials. And once the one had been securely held? They would go on the offensive. No Confederacy world under the administration of Kiff Brayde would be subject to annexation or annihilation by a foreign power.

And for the final calamity that would befall the Confederacy? A terrorist attack on its capital. Not unlike the one that Kiff had gone through back when the Confederacy's capital was still located in Golbah City on Geonosis. It had been different times then, but even knowing what he did now, there were numerous actions he had performed there that had saved millions of lives; locking down the entire city and immediately going on the offensive to hunt the terrorists down. And although it seemed that these terrorists in this hypothetical situation had progressed beyond that initial level of containment and eliminate, they would be met with the same vehemence. Lockdown of capital hill and Evac of important personnel, prioritized by importance and level of combat experience. Full shutdown of Theed with a simultaneous military campaign consisting of of UNICOM and Dauntless troops to either secure the city or eliminate and capture the terrorists.

In the span of the Exarch's introduction, Kiff had already secured the rudimentary idea of an effective response, if not the effective response. But before he could be the first to reply in order to show initiative, the ever-insufferable Amelia von Sorenn, Grand Marshal, had to beat him to the draw. Typical.

Kiff resigned himself back to sitting in his chair and waiting as the Grand Marshal detailed her plan. And waiting. And waiting. The Grand Marshal seemed to drone off forever, detailing an extremely detailed plan as if it were some sort of high stakes holodrama heist. Kiff could appreciate wanting to have everything thought out, but the more intricacies one had, the more complications and ways their plan could go wrong they'd face. Kiff knew this. He wasn't sure if the Grand Marshal did.

But finally -- finally -- it was over. And finally, Kiff would get a chance to put in his idea of what to do.

"Exarch Malvern -- if I may?" Kiff asked, waiting for permission from the Exarch. Getting the nod, he cleared his throat and leaned forward in his seat, planting his elbows on the metal surface in front of him and hunching his shoulders slightly, giving off a sudden increase in intensity and energy that was in every way intentional on Kiff's part.

"Right." He began. "Let's start with Atrisia. From your details, Exarch Malvern, most likely this force is from the Galactic Alliance. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't exactly change much of my planned response." He picked up another datacron out of his pouch and slid it towards where the Exarch and Vicelord were sitting. "On that," he said, pointing to the datacron, "is a full list of the Bassadro Sector Armada's fleet composition. I've taken the initiative to establish a standardized armada of battle lines, organized by their purpose, size, and other criteria, in the absence of any universal standard fleet-comp from NAVCOM." He ended that sentence with a brief flickering of his eyes over to Amelia, meeting hers, before again turning to look at the Exarch and Vicelord.

"This particular scenario is one that I've drilled the Bassadro Sector Armada over since before the rise of the Galactic Alliance," he continued. "I mean, I'm not gonna pretend anything: the Galactic Alliance is the largest external threat to my sector. I can't count the number of times they've made overtures of invasion in accordance to their 'divine mandate' of seizing the Core for themselves, and I'd trust them about as far as I can throw a Star Destroyer, not very far." His tone was very dry, with humor that was watered down by the practicality and the grimness of the situation, both real and hypothetical. "In most of our contingencies, Atrisia has always been the first to be attacked. So in this situation, we'd be ready with the response. A full Heavy Attack Line would be deployed straight from Fondor immediately upon receiving the ping from Atrisia, with directives to engage and destroy hostile forces. Atrisia is located so close to Fondor that it can be constantly fed a supply of reinforcements as needed be. In addition, the entire Galactic Alliance border would immediately come under complete lockdown."

His eyes turned from the Exarch's, then to the Vicelord's, then back to the Exarch's. "An attack on that scale would likely signal one thing: the Galactic Alliance has prepared for complete and total warfare, either for the Core Systems or even beyond their mandate. Heavy fighting would ensue, but the Bassadro Sector Armada has some of the best officers and resources that the Confederacy has to offer. I can personally vouch for that. And in the slight chance, they can't completely stem the tide of the Alliance, the Kooriva sector would be called to reinforce -- although that is a highly unlikely scenario."

"As for Eiattu Six?" He quietly cleared his throat. "The opposition in this situation that you described will most likely be power-hungry criminals, pirates, mercenaries, the like that have grown in the power vacuum in the wake of the OPA," he said, sure of his conclusion as he looked at the Exarch. "Again feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. But assuming that I'm Minister of War, I'll have implemented those standard lines of battle Confederacy-wide. You said that Eiattu Six would be able to hold out on its own and that the invasion force was small -- the only complication being a potential unknown of reinforcements. To that end, I'd only send in a standard Attack Line as reinforcements as our own, enough to soundly defeat the pirates and establish a secure presence around Eiattu Six to ward off any future attack. Patrols would be increased, and I'd coordinate with Shadowfeed to try and get better readings of any future hostile fleet movements in the sector, but the threat is far too small to warrant an entire military campaign," he added, alluding to the intricate response that von Sorren had devised. "It would be a waste of military resources to dedicate them to such a large operation for such a small threat. Particularly if they would be sorely needed elsewhere."

With that, Kiff turned the holomap for the first time, recentering it on Kamino. "Now, your description was pretty ambiguous, and I could be wrong, but it's probably the Bryn'adul that are attacking Kamino, right? Them genocidal freaks?" Kiff scarcely waited for an answer. "Whichever it is, and I'll assume that they are Bryn, our first priority would be the evac of all civilian lifeforms on Kamino. Send in whatever non-organic aquatic forces we have to give the Bryn something to shoot at while we get civvies off-world." Kiff knew that he was speaking heavily in military jargon, but he knew that the two men in front of him were likely well-versed in it. Might as well not put up a facade and show them the real deal. "The next part would probably be controversial, but then we'd ditch Kamino. Establish a heavy orbital cordon around the planet and the sector, reinforcing it with whatever we have until it's a wall of starships that the Bryn can't smash through. During this time I'd prioritize working with the Ministry of Science and Confederacy-affiliated Corporations to devise weaponry that can send the monsters packing, though I'm aware that it's not like we're defenseless. Once that tech is ready, we go on the offensive, driving the Bryn back to the chit-hole they came from."

"In this response, I'm preparing for the possibility of full-scale warfare with the Bryn'adul," Kiff said by means of explanation, his tone becoming more somber. "It's my opinion that they are currently the biggest external threat we face, more so than petty pirate fleets or even the Galactic Alliance. Thus in this single day of concurrent attacks, most of the Confederacy would be called to answer at Kamino. The entire Frontier sector's forces along with those of the Vylmira, Arkanis, and Mara's. With them, I'm not taking any chances." His voice was decisive, a notable departure from the usually casual demeanor of the High Marshal. But the threat that he spoke of, and his conviction on it, was completely real.

"Day Two," he narrated. "Insurrectionist force on Naboo. I was there at Golbah City when the exact same thing happened, and I'd do the same things as I did there, the things that save millions of lives: first, a complete shutdown of the entire city of Theed, including Golbah Hill. Any and all craft are to be grounded, and those that don't comply get shot down," he said coldly. It had been ruthless tactics, but they'd proven effective over Golbah. All citizens had complied, but those who had wished to do the Confederacy harm hadn't. "From there, I'd treat it same as if the entire galaxy had shown up uninvited on Naboo's doorstep. Immediate evacuation of civilians from Theed, prioritized by governmental importance and fighting capabilities, pulling in whatever resources I'd need from the Capital Armada to do so." He gave a flick of his hand, and the rotating galactic map zoomed in rapidly until it was a holoprojection of Theed. "Dauntless and UNICOM units alike would both oversee evacuation and be used to bring in these terrorists, alive or dead, so long as they can't kill anyone. And after the fighting is over, I'd spearhead a formal inquiry into the Ministry of Influence, Shadowfeed specifically, into why this is the third consecutive major terrorist attack that they were unable to give us any warning about."

Kiff closed off the holoprojection, returning attention to him while returning controls of the projector to the Exarch. "I ran the standard officer's career track at the Arkanis Naval Academy, but I took some standardized courses as well, including one on starship engineering. In that class, I was taught an invaluable lesson: the more components that a piece of tech has, the more problems it will have as well. That's why I strive to make things as simple and as streamlined as possible. This isn't some sort of heist, and this isn't some grand game of Dejarik in which I get to show off my fancy moves. When I'm in charge, I play my moves simple, efficient, and effective."

"Because this is the lives of Confederate citizens at stake," he closed. "And when it comes to that, I don't play games." His final intonation was one of finality and resolve, with an undertone of menace that was not directed towards any in the room but towards these hypothetical antagonists that the Exarch had described. Kiff may seem to be on the outside a boy who liked to do nothing more than party, as the Grand Marshal had so eloquently described, but on the inside? He'd grown up on the streets of Arkanis. He'd experienced loss, he'd experienced blood, and he'd experienced the true horrors that warfare and combat had to offer.

But more than that? It had been the Confederacy that had lifted him out of that chit-hole. The Confederacy had bestowed upon him a ladder which he had climbed the ranks to success as a Naval officer. And for that, he was eternally in debt to the Confederacy. So he would pay that debt back with every breath he took. And maybe someday, his life, whether he was Minister of War or not.

"Exarch, Vicelord, Sirs," he said, nodding to both of them. "I yield my time."

Luna Terrik · Nov 25, 2020

A N T H E M

Location: Naboo – Vicereine Hill
Time: - - - - Hours
Equipment: Officers Uniform
Objective: Speak.
Tags: |

Adron Malvern | Cypher Rage |

Kiff Brayde | Vemric Keldra |

The exarch was plainly right about the situation that everyone was in.

Every single person in this room could step up to the plate in terms of taking on the minister of war mantle. Every one. Some were younger and didn’t have the experience that others did, while others may not have played games in the political theater, but every one possessed the overall knowledge and intiutation to sit behind that desk and command the military forces of the confederacy. That’s what made this meeting all the more important. Having all of these faces sit in one room might reveal the weaknesses that cut them from the list of viable candidates as the stress of the situation got to them. But the Exarch knew that was not likely to happen. If these men and women didn’t fold in the face of combat, the last thing that would scare them would be a meeting.

That didn’t mean that nerves weren’t going to be struck. Luna could tell such was happening in a few of the candidates introductions, perhaps the ones that felt as thought they had more to make up. It wasn’t her place to judge such things. This was time to focus on putting her best foot forward into the candidacy. And If she was passed over for another choice? She’d go right back to Scarif, to her men and women, and continue to prepare for the next threat to the confederacy.

But there was just so much good she could do for all of the military forces from that seat, that not attempting to get there would be foolishness of the highest degree. Only then would she truly be letting those down around her.

The rest of the interviews gave their answers in quick succession before the Exarch started to speak once again. It seemed as though the Vicelord was there to observe more than interact, not that she wholly minded. At least her and Adron had interacted in the past, so much so that the brain workout that was coming next didn’t surprise her in the least.

There seemed to be soft torrent of activity as Adron began to lay out the situation, either to focus on the map projecting into the middle of the room, or to pull out holopads to take notes on exactly what would be unfolding. And notes would be needed, as the rehearsed situation that was laid out had more moving pieces to it than one could reasonably keep up with fully if put in front of them. With the number of planets and different forces suddenly behind their lines, keeping up with all of it would require a mind able to split its attention in multiple places at once.

A silence overtook the room after the man spoke as each of the candidates began to formulate plans within their minds of how they would react to a situation such as this one. It seemed as though no one wanted to be first, or to forget any part of the information that had just been given out. For Luna’s part, she did what she always would do in a situation such as this one, albeit, on a much smaller scale with just the dauntless. First and foremost, threat assessment and identification.

Kamino was the easiest to identify. An unrelenting hoard, unable to be beaten with conventional weapons, focused only on killing every single person on the planet. The bryn’adul. A slight smile appeared on her face upon such a realization. Unlike most in the room, she had actually had the chance to fight these creatures, though knowledge of how they had fought on Yurb may or may not actually be useful in a situation such as this one.

Next was the capital, Naboo. Now, there was more than likely two groups that would pull of an attack such as this one. It wasn’t the northern nation’s MO to try something such as this. Instead, it was the Chaos agents, or a warlord of some type from the outer rim regions. The second made less sense than the first, but the first had supposedly been disbanded. There was always loyalists, however, and if she had to put her money on who would be responsible for something like this, the agents were. They had personally sought to hurt the Confederacy before, this seemed no different.

That left Eiattu 6 or Atrisia as the two invasions that had the least likely to pin down attacks. Atrisia had two likely culprits. Two nations up north that had done little to quell tensions, the Galactic Republic or the New Imperial Order. A fully fledged invasion was much more likely to be one of them than some sort of rebellion. If she was guessing, than it would probably end up being the Imperials. It only made sense for them to hate a Confederacy with force users running around when they had practically…committed genocide on their own. Eiattu 6 was a much different story. With the fact there was unknown numbers being thrown into the fray, it was extremely hard to make an accurate guess. She had heard rumblings that the First Order might be attempting to reorganize itself in the wake of the Outer Rim groups falling apart, but for them to be as bold as to outright attack them, with a small force at that? No, it didn’t make sense, which left a power hungry warlord attempting to gain some measure of power over a lightly defended planet on the edge of their territory.

Threats identified, and not to be assessed with the rest of the information. As her fellow Grand Marshal began to speak, luna began to rank the threats in her mind of most importance to least importance, as in, which would need to be responded to first and foremost before the others. In terms of a timeline, Atrisia, Eiattu 6 and Kamino happen within an hour of each other, which would leave plenty of men scrambling. With the capital being hit the day after, that left her with moving the troops the day before to figure out. In terms of the level of threat, considering all the factors, the list of planet that needed responses from most to least would be Kamino, Naboo, Eiattu 6, then Atrisia.

By the time she had put this together and was finished putting together a coinciding plan, the youngest of the group had made his plan known. Both the grand marshal and him had generally the same idea with a few differences here and there, and Luna would be no different with her plan of attack. Now, with the floor open, she stepped up to lay her plan out to defend her confederacy from such an overwhelming threat.

“I’ll take the next stab at this, if I may.” Standing, Luna first manipulated the map at the center of the room to focus on the water world, starting with the threat that seemed most intense. “The first thing I did when attempting this exercise was rank each of the attacks or invasions in terms of most necessary threat to respond to quickly, or which ones posed the biggest threats. Kamino stood out to me as the not just because of the invasion going on there at the time, but what the larger implications of losing that planet would be.”

A pause, a drawn breath, then continued. “I agree with the fleet Marshal, that the threat here would be the Bryn’adul. Now, I have had the unfortunate experience of actually fighting these monsters first hand on Yurb, and have spoken with members of rangers in the silver jedi about their experiences as well. This means while I don’t fully understand such a threat, I do have a step up, which means my dauntless do as well. Conventional weapons will not kill these things, and honestly, will barely even slow them down. That doesn’t mean we haven’t figured out a few ways to force these things back, however. Breshig War Forge did a wonderful job of providing both cryo and pryo weapons to fight the monsters on Yurb, and would be essential here as well.” Now..to actually lay out the plan of trying to defeat such a threat that had, so far in the galaxy, shown it wouldn’t be slowed. “Immediately, the Frontier armada will go on alert and intensify patrols near the south-western part of our territory for any sort of monster activity. Reinforcements much not get to the planet if we are to even have a slight chance of fighting them back. Further in, both the Vylmira and Mara sector armadas would begin mass deployments to the Kamino region. Both would be coordinated by either Lord Commander Voph or the Grand Marshal of NAVCOM, creating a barrier around the planet and securing it from any sort of extra reinforcement.”

With the space controlled, the ground battle could begin in earnest, but simple droids and conventional fighting methods would be useless here. That didn’t mean the Confederacy didn’t have plenty of options, however. “Both the Dire Wolves and Breshig War Forge would be contacted and ordered to move on the planet. Of the independent contractors that work in the Confederacy, none are more equipped than those two to combat such a threat as this one.” It wouldn’t be enough with just them, and she knew it, and now to continue playing her hand. “It would then be up to the Arkanis fleet to consolidate it’s forces, transporting both half of the entire Dauntless force free at that time, around thirty six squads, as well as a detachment of our Solanaese witches. I believe that combined, these two groups would be able to handle the threat better than any other of our forces on the ground. Especially the witches, whom I have personally seen combat threats much….stranger than this one. And during this entire time, the Frontier fleet continues their scans, all the way from Cantoi to Wrea. We need to know if the Bryn are continuing past Kamino downward. And we must stop them at Kamino, because the moment they gain a foothold..they will be all the harder to remove.”

One down, three to go. Perhaps the hardest of the four was now in somewhat safe hands, and now her attention turned to the capital. Even though it’s attack was a day behind all the others, it made sense as the second most necessary threat to quell quickly. “In the threat assessment done, Naboo was next in line, despite it’s timeline happening a day later. Thankfully, in my mind, there is little to no overlap between the forces I plan on deploying here and to the last two planets. Firstly, the moment that this terrorist attack happens, the planet needs to be shut down from air traffic. That task would be left up to the Capital sector armada. This attack, most likely carried out by some remnants of the agents that terrorized both Rodia and Ryloth, would fit their motive well enough. Because of this, I doubt only one attack would occur. That means that the only people that should be allowed to leave the planet would be the viceroyalty themselves. A lockdown such as this would also include completely shutting down traffic to Theed, where the Knight’s Obsdian Thorne and Acanthus chapters would be deployed to snuff out the threat as quickly as possible. Dauntless squads would also be deployed, but in this situation, I have them working as security instead of investigators. Besides, by this point, half of that division would be on Kamino.” This would be enough for Naboo, at this point in time. Two branches of the Knights would be plenty to quell the threat there, and with a blockade in place, they wouldn’t be leaving any times soon either.

“Finally, we come to Atrisia and Eiattu 6. Let us start with the larger threat, Atrisia.” Again, the holoprojector turned to the planet, giving Luna time to take in another slow breath and regather her thoughts. “On the first day, Kamino would be the main focus. Not to say that these two last planets would not have my complete focus, but both feature parts to them that lessen their importance than Kamino. For Atrisia, as you said, it can defend itself for seven days. That’s even without actually making our own moves. Namely, the previously mentioned Bassadro armada.” Luna tuned to give a little nod to the youngest in the room, a subtle motion that she knew of the man’s fleet’s importance, and respected it as so. “Like Brayde said, his fleet is trained for this, and while I disagree who is attacking here, as I believe it’s much more likely to be the New Imperial Order, they are equipped to deal with this threat just as well. Combining that with Grand Marshal Kalypso’s Bassadro and Kooriva droid forces, and I believe that threat would be turned away as swiftly as they came.”

Another swipe of her hand, and the final planet came into view. The tiny planet had little defenses, which was unfortunately reasonable for a border world who just joined the Confederacy. “on Day one, Eiattu 6 is the least of our concerns, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pose it’s own unique problem. Frankly, we don’t know who this threat could be, meaning we don’t know exactly what they’re capable of. With this in mind, I would follow the line of reasoning my fellow Grand Marshal put out. Combining the forces of the Rimma and Seswenna fleets, a task force would be deployed to the planet to combat and quell the threat there. Additionally, the Rimma droid garrison and Lotus chapter of the Knights Obsdian would be deployed to the planet. While the combined task force ended the threat at that planet, the fleets would then begin to spread out among their borders on full alert, much like the Frontier fleet to the south. Both would be watching for any sort of suspicious activity, as well as deploying patrols every few hours.”

The plan was laid out, and with another final breath, Luna moved to sit in her seat once more, placing the datapad down in front of her. “I believe with this plan, the threats are all taken care of in ways that would ensure that they are stopped exactly where they are. Kamino would still take my biggest attention after the Capital. I have seen what those monsters can do, and if they are not stopped there…it would get much, much worse beyond that.” Slowly nodded, the redhead then swallowed lightly, motioning to the holo in front of her. “I cede the floor.”

Ettiene Kharne · Nov 25, 2020

ANTHEM

Tags:

Kiff Brayde | Cypher Rage

Alden took a mental note as each candidate spoke of their respective records in the service and how each would approach the Vicelord with a request to reappropriate funding toward the Confederate Armed Forces. He raised a brow as Amelia spoke, not to the template set in place by the Vicelord with the questions he had posed, but toward her endorsing of candidates, although it may have not been intended to be so, her discredit of others summoned here this day. Cypher and Kiff were the two notable candidates among the gathered that saw the NAVCOM Grand Marshal suggest they not be considered. Though her words were weighted in a certain truth, Alden was not sure how it was that the Exarch and the Vicelord would react in regards to her statements.

Some of the words she spoke did, however, bring a certain confidence and reassurance to himself inwardly. In fact she had stated in her moment on the podium, that she endorsed him to be the next Minister of War and the Dauntless Grand Marshall, Luna to be his deputy. Having spent the better part of the last year in his position as the Deputy Minister, Alden had discerned that the Vicelord was a man that came to his own decision, with guidance in such matters, brought by a small council of select personnel. Or those that proved to be the subject matter experts in whichever field the decision pertained to. Whereas this may have been the martial field of responsibility, this decision was above any of their levels as candidates. It was an honor just to be in the running for the consideration of such a position.

Whether or not Amelia’s words would hold any sway, was yet to be seen, but Alden strongly doubted it. If anything, he suspected she may have written herself out of further consideration for the duration of this interview session.

Alden further observed as the Exarch rose upon the conclusion of the High Marshal, Kiff Brayde’s, introduction and career brief. And thus began to speak.

The Exarch addressed Amelia and her earlier statements just as Alden had predicted, before he moved forward to raise the next series of questions.

Thumbing a series of commands, Alden watched as Adron summoned a galaxy map centered on the territory held by the Confederacy of Independent Systems. As the Exarch briefed them of a hypothetical scenario, Alden listened intently, taking in and studying each detail. In a way this brought the Deputy Minister back to the time he first met with the Exarch. Adron had done something vaguely similar then, only fully by manipulating the subconscious thoughts of himself and feeling his mind with horrific visions. It had been a test then, just as this was meant to be a test now. Only this time, Alden had grown emotionally and mentally. He was able to think more clearly and truly break down what was happening in the display and situation before him.

As he finished and then proceeded to direct the candidates to detail how they would react top each given phase of the hypothetical situation, Alden would give a moment for each of the others to go before them. A time in which he would listen to, study and analyze their courses of action as they saw fit. Notably, the courses of action proposed by Grand Marshal Terrik and High Marshal Brayde drew a certain curiosity from Alden. Certain phrasing from Brayde had led to Alden fearing for the fate of Kamino should he be the one in charge of the Confederate Armed Forces. And subsequently, he became somewhat suspect of the Bassadro Sector Armada’s ability to execute. Alden couldn’t understand why, if Kamino was the target of an incursion, and the objective was to defend a territory they were sworn to defend, why Kiff would so quickly condemn it to damnation. Were they now to give and turn to the barbaric ways as executed by empires of history's past? Further, Brayde’s behavior toward his superior was caught by the Deputy Minister. In the way the High Marshall almost appeared to go out of his way to emphasize his merit for being here. Even if it meant further losing his sense of professionalism.

To Alden, the position of Minister of War was a position that one had to remove that kind of emotion and childishness from. The behavior also reinforced within Alden the words that the NAVCOM Grand Marshal had spoken before. Kiff still had growing and maturing to do, but Alden didn’t know if that was something the Exarch and the Vicelord would be taking into consideration when making their decision going forward.

Although Luna’s proposal was well thought out and took much into detail and planning, it seemed, at least in Alden’s mind that the Dauntless Grand Marshal had missed a key point in this exercise. It seemed that even though she had stated a plan, it was as though she was willing to wait considerable time to implement any action when a threat was brought forward to the Confederacy. Even though a system was suffering an invasion of a maligned force, so much as to call out in distress, she would be willing to wait it out before moving to supply any forces in aid. Was that something the Vicelord or the Exarch wanted? The risk of more deaths than necessary for simply choosing not to mobilize upon the distress call? He surely hoped this would not be the case.

But finally it was Alden’s turn to speak. And he had calculated a response for each step of the scenario in the order in which the scenario had been levied upon them.

“Vicelord. Exarch,” he said, rising from his seated position, “if I may?”

He waited for the appropriate acknowledgement before he continued. He hand extended and he brought the map around to its initial setting. “It’s the early hours of the morning when we receive a distress call from Atrisia. It would be my first move to activate the Bassadro Sector Armada. There are multiple COAs, courses of action, that have been planned and approved among each of the Confederate Armed Forces AORs, or areas of responsibility. Each sector High Marshal is aware of these as they are the ones that should have drafted them based on any number of scenarios that they plan training around. As this is High Marshal Brayde’s area of responsibility, he would immediately be the supported commander of this engagement. From there it is on High Marshal Brayde to respond, assess, modify and re-engage as necessary. Meanwhile, HIGHCOM, with assessments and intelligence being fed in through Shadowfeed and the Supported Command, would make further calls based on how the situation was unfolding.

Dauntless and UNICOM would also be activated with the respective commanders of those forces located within the Bassadro Sector commanding their forces to employ in the Atrisia system. This would be a joint operation through every facet of the engagement.

Further, the Kooriva Sector of the Confederate Armed Forces is assigned as the primary in support of operations in the Bassadro sector. They become a supporting command to the supported command in the Bassadro Sector.

Next, a series of defensive posturing would happen all across Confederate space raising the alert status across the entirety of the Confederate Armed Forces. The Bassadro Sector at this point would find itself at the highest posture while the rest of Confederate Space would be placed into a moderate defensive posture. The plan here would be to monitor the progression of the engagement in the Atrisia system, and act accordingly to how the skirmish unfolded.

Now we have another distress alert coming through, this one for the planet of Eiattu 6. Immediately the posture here is now heightened to the highest posture. In turn, the Seswenna Sector of the Confederate Armed Forces is activated to respond, assess, modify and re-engage just as happened in the Bassadro Sector for the incursion on Atrisia. We know this force is smaller in scale to the incursion on Atrisia, but we must not leave it to chance which is while the forces in that theater have been activated. This is an unknown enemy and we cannot be certain of its reinforcement capability. For now, only the Seswenna Sector has been activated in defense to the incursion of Eiattu 6. If hostilities increase and the situation becomes dire, the Rimma sector has been put on alert to act as the supporting command to the Seswenna sector.

With this second major attack on Confederate soil, the defense posture is further raised across all of Confederate space.”

He paused and rotated the map slightly at this point to focus on Kamino, where the next distress call was coming in from.

“With the posture at this point having been raised across all systems, we are better equipped now to immediately press the evacuation of the civilian population of Kamino. This would simultaneously come with the full activation of the Frontier Sector as the supported command with the Arkanis, Mara and Vylmira sectors activated as supporting commands to the supported command. We immediately know that this is the largest and most significant threat thus far. And with our intelligence showing that this enemy is virtually unabated by conventional warfare, we will need increased presence here. Further, I would press for the independent contractors of Breshig War Forge and the Dire Wolves be called upon for involvement in combat of this threat.

I would next move to begin the preemptive evacuation of neighboring systems to Kamino to safeguard from the likelihood of future attack.

Further I would work with the Minister T’shkali of the Ministry of Science to mobilize the production of unconventional weapons such as cryo or pyro weaponry to better combat this new enemy while supplying forces in this engagement with all unconventional weaponry at the CAF’s disposal.

I would also work with Lord Commander Voph of the Knights Obsidian to activate the Knights Obsidian in support of this defensive operation if not already engaged.

Just like the previous two fronts, this front would be assessed, modified and re-attacked continuously, further devising appropriate tactics and measures to quell this threat.” He paused and took one step back from the map. “At this stage we have effectively activated seven of our twelve defensive sectors of the Confederate Armed Forces, while an eighth stands ready to be activated in defense of the Seswenna sector should it become necessary. All sectors have been raised to the highest defensive posture and that enforces a continuous military presence throughout all of Confederate space and along the borders.

Per Vicelord implementation, I would recommend severe restrictions on travel throughout the Bassadro, Seswenna and Frontier sectors. Travel throughout the systems affected must come at the approval of the Presidium or its delegate for the matter.”

Alden took in a breath as he prepared for the next phase of the scenario set forth by the Exarch. “Day two and Naboo is hit in the early hours of the morning. Theed has been attacked by a force implementing terrorist tactics. Thirty-six Viceroy dead by suicide bombing.”

He paused.

“Immediately Theed will be put into lockdown. No one in or out of the city without express approval. Capital Sector Forces are activated and travel on and off the planet is severely restricted. Important figures are escorted to secured facilities and defended. A stay at home order is issued and Theed virtually falls under martial law while local law enforcement, along with UNICOM and Dauntless force of the Capital Sector patrol and sweep the city first, and then planet, for further pockets of these terrorist forces.

Meanwhile, a fleet from the Capital Sector will be positioned over Naboo effectively setting up a barricade of the planet to cut any offworld supply and support lines for the terrorist forces.

As Minister of War, I will again coordinate with Lord Commander Voph of the Knights Obsidian to implement Knights Obsidian forces on Naboo and swiftly nullify any further threat.”

He stepped back from the map and looked to the Exarch, then to the Vicelord as the map faded from sight. “It is my belief that with this course of action, the Confederacy and her systems can be effectively defended from these attacks with the fewest casualties possible. And no system would need to be lost or be without their requested aid.

If that is all for now, I will cede the floor.”

Adron Malvern · Dec 30, 2020

WAR

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Kiff Brayde |