Private Sword Mountain

[Michael Barran]

Sword Mountain - Carannia's Watchtower
The Druid's Domain
Altitude: 3.48km
Gravity (Valley Floor): 114%
Gravity (Michael's House): 136%
Gravity (Summit): 145%

Carannia, one of the Empire's last bulwarks of the once-prominent Pellaeonist fold.

Serenno's beacon of calm in an Age of Strife.​

However, this planet, this city is home to an Empire-in-waiting, such that even the King's political rivals cannot revoke or withhold it, but the private pact between the King and the Empire's Lord-Regent has seen to the hopes of a Pellaeonist near-future, with the former surmised as wisely taking his time to prepare for an ascension unlike any his predecessors enjoyed before. In the eyes of many in the know on the matter of internal-politics, the time spent preparing would certainly be time spent wisely, especially in the predictions of the Triumvirate's life-expectancy; fated to have a much tougher time in leading the pack than Fel and Tavlar ever had, and though the task was no less gargantuan for leaders who could rally the Empire more proficiently than the old men of the Tarkinist Administration, the uncertain future they'd experience would no doubt be filled with difficulties as a result of their lacking such Felist prestige.

Not even men like Lord Michael's father could change this fact for long, but this was always a habit of the old man, ever one to delay the inevitable, even going so far as to unleash apocalyptic levels of firepower into such vainglorious efforts. But in an arrangement between the Empire's Lord-Regent and Serenno's High-King, a wiser means of obtaining Imperial harmony within had been found, and in the process of maintaining his quiet peace with the Pellaeonist Clique, the old man would find his wiser means of maintaining Tarknist authority and longevity along with it.

It won't be an easy era for the Empire by any means, but the peace between Barran and Dooku will go a long way, and not only for the Tarkinist Administration in power, but also for the Pellaeonist power waiting for their moment to shine. The political fringe of the Empire has challenges aplenty, but so long as they play the role of peacekeeper within and without the Empire, Serenno and Nirauan will both stand strong in times of political and existential uncertainty. Adding to the peace of mind of Lord Erskine and King Lucien however, strange as it seemed to any who understood Imperial power-dynamics, would be the presence of another, younger Barran; one who had been brought under Serenno's protective umbrella, only to become the planet's most-vigilant protector in turn - a warhound of the cause.

One who has been growing more powerful with every season, making good use of the lessons imparted by Dooku in the years since declaring for Pellaeonism in 870 ABY, but even in his progression and improvements as a powerful warrior in his own, the battles Lord Michael has endured along the way have not been easy by any means. With great power comes ever-greater challenges, and the greatest of opponents along with it, a curse of which that appears quite similar to that of his father, gifted with the throne-adorning sword until death by the sword of another.

A curse of which the Wanderer is all too aware of, especially after his recent deployment on Ilum, soon to be drudged up in an impending encounter with a student of the Serennoan chapter.

A hybrid-born Imperial Knight-Errant of Atrisian and Mirialan descent.

 

[Michael Barran]

1st post

CAIRN_ONE
IMPERIAL KNIGHT OF SERENNO
DRUID-GRANDMASTER OF THE HIGHLAND BROTHERHOOD

TAGS

Aoki-Barran Mira

BORN OF BRIGHT STARS II: ERADICATING UNCERTAINTIES - PART 1

Highland House, Southrest Plateau,
Carannia, Serenno (Spring of 877 ABY)

So that's how it feels to be the last of the Barran line?
Brutal.
​

Conflicted, though doubtlessly still bound by love and obligation for the father Lord Erskine once was, as any well-adjusted son would if they were to walk a mile in Lord Michael's shoes, and in the process of thinking through everything properly, this realisation disgusted the Druid like nothing else had before. Surviving a deployment like Ilum was never expected to be easy by any means, but what it revealed about the flaws and weaknesses that still remained within and without, as much the very concept of weakness vexed him, was seen by the Lord-Regent's successor as the most frightening revelation of all.

The short,"Preview", alone was horrible enough....
Let alone what it might be like when his time actually comes.
​

The haunting tragedy of token-burying his older brother had been nothing shy of life-changing to say the least, but the very thought of losing the hero who raised him and cherished the process of nurturing the lad's ambitions, as much as it disgusted the Wanderer to admit it, was almost too much to bear.

Even worse that I still depend on the survival of a man I detest now.​

Before Ilum, the last time Lord Michael saw Lord Erskine was almost ten years before that fated morning, lying bleeding on the floor of the Grand Imperial Assembly's conference hall after surviving Irveric Tavlar's bombing-assassination, growling in agony with his back and left arm peppered with shrapnel and wood-splinters; and to see him again in the flesh after so long, and much worse off than before, was affecting the Druid's psyche in ways he never could have anticipated before. Even after the measly few moments he had to look on his father's face, the way the blood and snow covered the Lord-Regent's clothes reminded the Druid of the friends he lost on Carlac, devastating Barran's morale over the course of four days when it all finally began to contextualise in his mind, though the initial shock had knocked his thoughts around so heavily that the shock delayed the four-day process by another three.

Functioning with abnormal levels of calm and focus all the way back on the return journey to Carannia, behaving like the worst was behind him. But that would all change as soon as his backside dropped into the corner-suite couch of his reading room, no longer able to keep himself from thinking about the old man, no longer able to distract himself with tasks, exercise, socialising with subordinates, Holonet newscasts and the likes - no longer able to keep himself from locking the front door for a few days.

But eventually, and after the first few restless nights of grim, patchy sleep on home soil, the Druid would finally find a long, restful REM sleep in the early-evening, waking up sluggishly at the very early-beginnings of the next day's sunrise. Remaining quite exhausted by the time he was presentable and fed for the morning, Lord Michael would start his day keeping up to date with the Galaxy's many happenings on the large screen in his study, wondering what had been missed in his brief reclusive stint and swiping from one publication to the next in the attempt to find out, sipping on a tea-refill as all of his senses gradually came to life. However, waking the Wanderer to peak alertness was the late detection of an Imperial warrior approaching the house on foot, retaining not only a strong Midichlorian output but quite the distinct, recognisable presence to add to the urgency that shocked the Druid into waking coherence.

Is that- Mira? But why- ooooh....

Questions about Ilum, questions about my father.​

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

I Can't Tell Anymore What's Wrong & What's Right

The sun rose above a beautiful scenic landscape. The hills were lush and green, waterfalls roared in the distance, and a the sunrise batched the sky in many colors. A lone house, white like marble with perfect, rich architecture, was carved into a hill. A lone figure approached the building. Her Atrisian robes were black, with flowers and vines embroidered through them. Clear, see through fabrics danced in the wind, attached to her, as she adjusted the hat's brim the block out the rising sun. Her speeder was only several meters away, and beneath the fancy robes were a sturdy set of hiking boots. Her wakizashi and tanto bounced on her hip, as well as her imperial lightsaber. She sipped the coffee in a travel mug she carried. She usually spent her mornings with a small breakfast, coffee, and meditation under the rising sun. Today, she woke up too early for even that, and after a restless night. She had given into a lack of sleep and trained, only to fall asleep during training. She still woke up before the sun rose, however, and she was not hungry.

She needed answers.

The voice, the guidance, she had heard at Ilum had invited her to him answers. And here she was. The Half-Mirialan approached the building and gazed up at it, embedded in the mount. She paused, all of her fears and secrecy coming back to her. She had always been in the closet concerning her doubts about the Empire. She tried to keep the doubts locked away, fearful of being branded a traitor. Especially fearful of losing her sensei in the process of being cast out. She had lost each and every member of her family to death. She was horrified at the thought of losing Tish Cowen in any form as well. But after the defiling of Ilum, and all she had suffered there, she was past her breaking point. There had been one ally offering a distant voice of aid within the Empire, and now she needed to run towards it. Despite all her fears and insecurities...

She continued to walk up the dusty road, approaching the door. Now standing right in front of the door, she gulped and tentatively knocked on the door, skiddish as a cat. Where had Aoki's usual composure gone? Where was that calm and graceful aura? She was truly terrified, and she was struggling to cope.

The water from the shower drip dripped as she struggled in front of the refresher mirror. A towel was wrapped around her as she messed with her hair. No matter how much she changed hairstyles, no matter how much she worked, she still felt ugly. With a sigh, she set down the hairbrush and daintily lifted a finger. She traced it along one of the largest scarrings on her face.

The impact of shards from her destroyed family sword had deeply scarred her, physically and emotionally. She traced her finger along the scarring over her eye. If her face had been an inch more to the left, she would have lost her eye. But the entire right side of her face had been sprayed by steel sharpenels.

Her face was peppered with the scarring. As stoic and disciplined as she was, Mira still had always cared for her appearance. She wanted to not only only look mature, but beautiful as well. A proper gentlewoman. And now...

Her lowered her hand, gripping the brush again. She lifted it and tried to work on another hairstyle that both was proper, and could draw attention away from her scars.

Standing at the doorway, she tried to stay upright. She had gone for a far simpler letting her hair down, hoping the flowing hair and the long veils of her headwear would outshine her scars. She reached daintily out, ringing the doorbell. She gently lowered her arm, looking up with nervous anticipation. She closed her eyes, remembering...

The click of the safe echoed in her ears. She frowned, shoving yet another box under her wardrobe. That was the last time she would have laid her eyes on her father's lightsaber, at least in a while. She was... unworthy.

She stood up, dusting her robe off as she turned and walked through her bedroom. Lit only by the wide window's moonlight, the room was a neat and tidy one. Minimalist by design, only one or two tapestries or murals were on the walls. They were perfectly aligned and cleaned. The only rug in the room was the one laid below the floor level, Atrisian style bed. The bed itself had a single pillow and blanket. While the flowery, traditional sheet was pretty, it was not overbearing. In the corner stood an Atrisian harp, and the wall had one wardrobe and one closet.

On the table beneath the cherry blossom tapestry, an old case was laid across it. Mira approached with deep sadness in her heart. She reached for the latches. Her hand shook for a moment, then she undid them. With a silk touch, she opened the case and gazed into a harbinger of lamentation.

Utaken, her family's sword. The katana was old, brilliant. But now... the songsteel blade had been shattered. She had not been able to collect all of the pieces, but the shards she could dig up in Ilum's snow were laid alongside the broken sword. Half a jagged blade was still connected to the hilt. It was something that could make her weep. And she seldom wept... She turned her face, closing her eyes as she closed the case and locked it tight. She pulled the case off the table with care, turning to hide it too beneath the wardrobe.

She was unworthy.

Her memory was interrupted when the door opened.
​

 

[Michael Barran]

2nd post

CAIRN_ONE
IMPERIAL KNIGHT OF SERENNO
DRUID-GRANDMASTER OF THE HIGHLAND BROTHERHOOD

TAGS

Aoki-Barran Mira

BORN OF BRIGHT STARS II: ERADICATING UNCERTAINTIES - PART 2

Highland House, Southrest Plateau,
Carannia, Serenno (Spring of 877 ABY)

She's been through a lot, an' don't forget.... Be kind, be understanding.​

Glad to be dressed and presentable for visitors, the Wanderer couldn't help but chuckle as he stubbed out his cigarette and stepped out of the study, seeing that being asleep for another hour or two would have been quite inconvenient under the circumstances, though the residual effects of the war-paint were still presenting the risk of conversational hindrances at the time. Certain flashbacks from what was seen and unseen alike, conventional memories in visions of what the Druid had seen, but what had also bled through were visions of what the Entity had seen, things of which Lord Michael had been much too unconscious to comprehend or react to at the time.

Would be great if I could go jus' one day without recalling that though.... Brutal.​

Priest-King Yorunarr had assumed Lord Michael's reclusive state to be an uncommon side-effect of substance withdrawals, thinking the psychedelics in the war-paint to have greater ramifications, though in the Woad's vehement assurances that this was far from being the case, the Novanian finally understood the gravity of his traumas from Ilum. The Shaman had been to the darker parts of the Druid's memories before, and knew well enough when to drop certain subjects around him, and in seeing the extent of the recent traumas in their recent Holonet video-calls, the Godseer would pry no further into the Wanderer's most recent affairs. Michael would tell Yorunarr everything he needed to know in due course, he just needed a few cuts on his soul to heal up first, an urge for healing the Arkanian knew all too well, and thus would never to begrudge it of his closest friend from the human caste.

~=You have a visitor, my friend. I hope for your sake that you've woken up by now.=~

~=Wide awake, Yorunarr. Go back to sleep. I'll be down at the Hookah Den later though. About time I made myself more sociable again.=~​

With no further reply from the other participant of their telepathic connection, the Woad smirked with a satisfied nod to himself as he steadily made his way toward's the house's cosy entrance, gladdened to finally announce his escape from self-inflicted seclusion. The quicker he recovered from his despairs, the quicker Barran could prepare for everything else life had to throw his way, and readiness was something for which Lord Michael was renowned greatly for, with many assuming his decision to station the Highland Brotherhood on Serenno being a great example of this, even though the truth was a late-reacting desire to be the well-prepared Colonel he would learn to embody eventually. Everything else was to be easy, or at least in comparison to the real hardships the Druid was expecting to face in the future, as it was for this that Lord Michael prepared most-diligently, knowing how difficult it would be to do so down the line.

Then the door awoke with the life of polite knocking from the other side, and just as Michael was reaching the top of the stairwell at the back of the foyer, so it wouldn't take the Wanderer very long to answer and host his first visitor in almost a week.

'Welcome, Mira. I kne-'

But when he opened the door, Barran would find his eyes assailed by the glow of Serenno's sun, still sensitive to light in their recovery from the intensity of the war-paint's physical effects, much like his mind was from those of psychological nature; and much like the sun had with immediate effect, the strain from the glowing of his irises had pained him in the first hours of breaking free of the magic's hallucinatory effects, a harsh struggle on it's own that resulted in a prompt visit to the NIV: Tigress' med-bay. And despite the fact Lord Michael had been phased out of the painkiller applications, he could still feel it from time to time throughout his reclusive state, subconsciously using the time to heal his eyes whilst he tried his best to face and supplant the issues plaguing his mind.

'Gyah! What the-? Was the sun always this bright?'

The issues with the mind were healed enough to embrace the outside world, just a shame his eyeballs didn't agree very much with that, the Hookah Den was always nice and deserted in the afternoons.

'Oh well, I guess I'll be handling matters at night for a while then.... But anyways - come in from the wind. I'll brew us some tea in the kitchen.'

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Mira was... taken aback when the individual opened the door. She recognized his Force Signature and voice, but everything else was... Both his behavior and appearance. He seemed quite out of it, his skin pale from lack of sunlight. He at least was well kempt and dressed. His reaction to the morning starlight was amusing, but unbecoming of someone of such high prestige. Then again, she could assume that in his own house, he felt more able to cut loose. After all, Mira was willing to let herself drown in her pool of blues in her own room.

Mira showed no signs of any of these thoughts, however, as she politely bowed.

"A pleasure, Sensei Barran. I am honored to be your guest. Tea sounds lovely."

Before entering the building, Mira removed her boots. The Atrisian tradition of removing footwear was hardly practiced in the Empire, but it was a sign of respect she followed regardless. As she set her boots safely aside, her bare feet were bitten by the cold floor. The entire house was dark and cave like. It was very quiet though, and she enjoyed that. The strange mix of darkness and serenity made for an interesting atmosphere. She pulled her hat off and gently hung it on the nearby hatrack. The see through fabrics rippled as the hat rested. Every movement the girl made was soft and graceful. She followed Barran, gazing up at the lavish yet darkly lit architecture with discomfort.

As the tea was being made, Mira pulled her hair further over her eyes, attempting to hide it in the shadows of the house. She gazed with the pretty side of her face at Barran, feeling the great divide in rank and significance between them. She was scared, but only her jumpy emotions through her Force Signature gave it away. Externally, her eyes shone in disquiet, but she was perfectly calm in her body language and posture. She spoke up.

"I would like to thank you for helping me at Ilum. You and I both know how we felt about that place."

Mira was a very prim and poised individual, but she also was direct. Not only was a dainty Atrisian, she was a straightforward Mirialan. She was digging straight into it. Why she came.

"Needless to say, I have questions about that battle still. About everything, if loyalty allows me to speak in light of it all."
​

 

[Michael Barran]

3rd post

CAIRN_ONE
IMPERIAL KNIGHT-COMMANDER OF SERENNO
DRUID-GRANDMASTER OF THE HIGHLAND BROTHERHOOD

TAGS

Aoki-Barran Mira

BORN OF BRIGHT STARS II: ERADICATING UNCERTAINTIES - PART 3

Highland House, Southrest Plateau,
Carannia, Serenno (Spring of 877 ABY)

'A pleasure, Sensei Barran. I am honored to be your guest. Tea sounds lovely.'

Ah, I forget too easily.... Atrisian. An' that means-
​

Briefly chancing the light to look down and check if she was removing footwear on entry, Lord Michael would hear the confirmation before he could see it, understanding Mira to be a greater adherent to her father's culture than just the colloquial and stylised traits at the surface, especially when the would-be Knight placed her boots to one side as she crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her. However, in realizing how cold the floors must have been in the foyer and on the stairwell at the back, a quick swipe at the thermostat would warm all the flooring from there to the kitchen just in case, going the extra mile for one who would so politely adhere to cultural norms in the process of respecting the cleanliness and upkeep of Highland House in such a fashion. By the time they made it to the kitchen, the floors would be warm there also, and to the extent it made the usually-airy kitchen more bearable to sit and converse in for the lion's share of the discussion.

Offering a seat at the dining table with a silent gesture, Lord Michael stayed on his feet to brew tea as promised, listening intently as Mira started their conversation with,'I would like to thank you for helping me at Ilum. You and I both know how we felt about that place.', wasting no time in getting to the very heart of the matter in the process, though fortunately such behaviours were always encouraged by the likes of the Druid. There was much and more that Barran wanted to say on the matter of Ilum itself, on this matter they most certainly accorded, but as for all the truths that tied in with those on their recent battle in the snow, this was yet to be seen.

​

'Needless to say, I have questions about that battle still. About everything, if loyalty allows me to speak in light of it all.'

Placing the filled cups on saucers set into his serving-tray, Lord Michael then reached into his pocket for an archival chip, placing it into a small holographic port and setting it between the cups as he responded,'I had thought as much when you knocked at the door. Though with that being said, that would make two of us, though mine own would differ to those you would have for the Lord-Regent - but we'll get to that.', carefully serving each cup at the table nearest it's relevant occupied seat. Then just as the Druid turned his back to sit at his own seat, the small plinth was switched on to reveal his father's Imperial archive-file, still somewhat incomplete without the redaction considered, but with enough still there and with enough security-clearances to see what sort of man Lord Erskine had become.

'Making it worse for us is the fact all who survived that day, and as strange as it sounds to say an' hear, are being summoned by the same man for an awards ceremony. But again - we'll get to that.... Let us begin.'

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Mira daintily lifted the tea to her lips, sipped softly, and lowered the cup to its saucer. Personally, she preferred coffee (with so much creamer some would consider it heresy), but she was not the kind to rudely refuse hospitality. As Michael Barran spoke with surprising sympathy, Mira felt a little more confident in confiding in him.

And yet, Mira was not as overly bitter towards their leader as Barran came off to be. Her questions dug into far deeper ground, into bedrock. She looked down at her cup, feeling it all overwhelm her in this moment. She shut her eyes and swallowed, keeping herself from crying.

"I-..." She gulped again, her calm demeanor failing for a second. She sighed deeply, opening her eyes and gazing into the teacup, "Where do I begin to start?"

She bit her lip, looking at the bandages covering her face. She shamefully looked away from both her reflection and from Barran. She contemplated, trying to figure out how to properly word her doubts. Yet, in the back of her mind, she heard a little voice groaning, Forget the formalities for once!

She only now realized how terrible her posture was at the moment, but she let herself slide. Quite frankly, her hair was a mess and the bandages on her head were sloppy. She had been losing sleep, and it was taking its toll on the usually proper Atrisian hybrid. She let out a deep breath, letting herself go.

She turned and looked at Barran, rare intensity in her one visible eye. Injustice. Evil. Damnable action and consequence. "Who in their correct mind would order a super weapon to fire so recklessly, at their own troops?"

Her hands were laid flat over her lap. She tightened them into fists, "Is the Empire, the same Empire freely using internment camps and silencing free speech, even concerned? I can assume that the moff who gave the order is not to receive justice for his vile actions that day? An Empire so dedicated to control, cannot control the evils of its own army."

Oops. It was all spilling out now. "Who was the sithspawn who ordered this campaign anyhow? Ilum of all places, defiled. Does anyone here have the slightest respect for religious places and how the Force itself is grieved by a mass drilling? Or is the Empire too caught up feeling petty?"

She winced, looking back at her literal fight with the blind Jedi there. She lifted a hand and placed it over her heart, "Am I no better than them? I obeyed every command, I went to Ilum..."

She closed her eyes, though this time a tear escaped and slipped down her cheek, "I joined the Empire because of how effective it was at maintaining peace and order, and even engaging the Maw while the Galactic Alliance and Silver Jedi Concord coward. And I believed that the Empire could be noble... But I cannot ignore it any longer. The labor camps sicken me. And I cannot ignore the corruption and apathy of the moffs. The Empire has its hands drenched in innocent blood."

She lifted her hand, her trembling hand, "The Defiling Of Ilum has opened my eyes to it. Why should I choose to continue to trust in an Empire I fear speaking my doubts of for fear of punishment?"
​

 

[Michael Barran]

4th post

CAIRN_ONE
IMPERIAL KNIGHT OF SERENNO
DRUID-GRANDMASTER OF THE HIGHLAND BROTHERHOOD

TAGS

Aoki-Barran Mira

BORN OF BRIGHT STARS II: ERADICATING UNCERTAINTIES - PART 4

Highland House, Southrest Plateau,
Carannia, Serenno (Spring of 877 ABY)

'I-...'​

It was clear that Mira was still quite shaken up by the events that transpired on Ilum, and judging by the medical reports and by the scarring he was finally able to see, there was much and more his guest would have to say on the matter.

'Where do I begin to start?'​

Bandages covered parts of her face, but in the moment Aoki's undamaged eye locked onto Barran's gaze, and dewy though it was in her anguish, the Goidelic mutt could see a unique, juxtaposing fire in the young hybrid's glare. Such juxtapositions were seen in Lord Michael, though in a more-constant fashion than the usually-reserved Mira, and all down to the way the Druid looked when his eyes locked onto those of others; cold, pale blues on beds of cobalt as irises, but with a set glare that always seemed to warn of the fire in his demeanour, and of that which burned from within.

Calm furies both.

And in this realisation, the Wanderer knew he had found his worthy subordinate.

Well, well, well.... It would seem Lady Raina was right in her choice in the end.
Knighthood will suit this one quite well, I dare say.​

Sitting back as his would-be shadow inquired,'Who in their correct mind would order a super weapon to fire so recklessly, at their own troops?', the Druid took his turn to sip tea and listen whilst the Knight-in-the-making gloriously threw caution to the wind. Yet even as her rage boiled up within Aoki's soul, and to extremes so easy to detect that the same rage was threatening to bring Barran's own to the fore, the restraint, the self-control and focus of the young Hybrid was proving to be quite the wonder to behold in action as she pondered,'Is the Empire, the same Empire freely using internment camps and silencing free speech, even concerned? I can assume that the moff who gave the order is not to receive justice for his vile actions that day? An Empire so dedicated to control, cannot control the evils of its own army.', still keeping her tone controlled and respectful despite the circumstances.

Aye.... The old man might take issue with that sort o' caper.
Or at least, the old man I remember anyways. Interesting point.​

But when the young Hybrid pressed deeper on the matter, querying,'Who was the sithspawn who ordered this campaign anyhow? Ilum of all places, defiled. Does anyone here have the slightest respect for religious places and how the Force itself is grieved by a mass drilling? Or is the Empire too caught up feeling petty?', the Goidel understood there was much to explain to that line of questioning, and perhaps more than anything else on the matter. Lord Michael felt the same way to a degree, understanding they had no place deploying there despite the justifications he knew Lord Erskine had at the ready for all with questions and condemnations at the ready for him in turn, remaining silent with this in mind as the Knight-Errant continued,'Am I no better than them? I obeyed every command, I went to Ilum...', letting it all tumble out in the confidence of Highland House's seclusion.

'I joined the Empire because of how effective it was at maintaining peace and order, and even engaging the Maw while the Galactic Alliance and Silver Jedi Concord cowered. And I believed that the Empire could be noble... But I cannot ignore it any longer. The labor camps sicken me. And I cannot ignore the corruption and apathy of the moffs. The Empire has its hands drenched in innocent blood.'

The tears were affecting Lord Michael, feeling that pain for himself and knowing for a fact Mira was doing all she could to control it, but despite what it might have meant for Aoki in other chapters under the Warden's umbrella, what was being said was contrastingly helping her pass the ideological requirements for Pellaeonist initiation. And though Barran's process was in no way as fluid as his subordinate's had been, it had all been born of that same disillusionment, disdain and disgust alike, this the Laird and his Shadow would learn they always had in common.

'The Defiling Of Ilum has opened my eyes to it. Why should I choose to continue to trust in an Empire I fear speaking my doubts of for fear of punishment?'

'First an' foremost.... You - fear - none, fear itself is an inefficient fuel.', the Wanderer responded, pausing to hold his subordinate's gaze with a resolute, though warm-hearted calm for a moment as he considered all that Mira revealed in her honest approach to the discussion. It all pertained to the same group of issues, and all these issues had been burning in the back of the Druid's mind for a while, seen perhaps in the bags under Barran's eyelids, showing signs of war-weariness akin to those seen in the eyes of his father. However, (and much like the Lord-Regent in this regard also) Lord Michael was infamous for fighting beyond the point of despair, heard in confidence of his voice as Barran continued,'The King of Serenno has never once feared COMPNOR, an' this is an example I swear by.... Sooner you adhere to this, sooner you overcome everything.', flashing a reassuring smirk as he let his answer sit with the young Hybrid warrior for a moment or so.

'The Empire you still believe in, strange though it may seem to think now - it awaits our approach on the future's horizon.... Dooku's Empire.... A Kingdom of conscience.'

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Listening to the elder Knight, Mira felt relief sweep over her as she was assured that she had nothing to fear here. These walls were safe, and she could speak of her doubts freely. The claustrophobia of COMPNOR and the ISB breathing down her neck was relieved, and she realized that she was in the presence of someone who actually thought like her. It was something she had considered impossible, even when she first entered this house. But now, she was free to speak of her disgust with the Empire... she was free.

She breathed a long, heavy sigh of relief. A graceful hand was held over her heart and she visibly relaxed. She was still sitting straight up, graceful and proper. But her shoulders were no longer tense, and she moved more fluidly as she lowered her head, then raised it again.

"Thank you, sire."

She wrapped two elegant fingers around the teacup, lifting it to her lips and sipping it. The hot tea did wonders for her throat, tight from holding back any ugly crying. She lowered the cup, another couple tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked to Michael Barran , "My questions stand."

She heaved another sigh, struggling to keep her usual composure. "The Empire has sinned. They fire at their own, they silence speech and execute their opposition. Heavy taxes strangle the remote regions of the Empire, and the military is absolute in following even the most vile of orders. Now I hear of prosecutions against even the most loyal of Chiss for the rebellion of a few, and I can sense the... speciesism... in their grand moff. I am half Mirialan myself, you must understand how this scares me."

"I joined the Empire for justice and order, not this. Not all this."

She gazed into Barran's eyes. The gentle and snarky man was met with the rise of steady anger in her eyes, "I do not want justification for this. The ends do not always justify the means. But how can we, can can I, justify serving such a corrupt and vile order? Firing at our own, prosecuting innocents, despoiling sacred grounds. How dare we?"

"Whatever alternative you have," She daringly challenged, "Is slow moving and ineffective for you to allow this to continue. So tell me, what is your justification?"
​

 

[Michael Barran]

5th post

CAIRN_ONE
IMPERIAL KNIGHT OF SERENNO
DRUID-GRANDMASTER OF THE HIGHLAND BROTHERHOOD

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Aoki-Barran Mira

BORN OF BRIGHT STARS II: ERADICATING UNCERTAINTIES - PART 5

Highland House, Southrest Plateau,
Carannia, Serenno (Spring of 877 ABY)

'Thank you, sire.'​

Seeing more relaxation again, the Wanderer nodded in silence as he reached for his cup to drink in unspoken observance, politely sipping at the still-boiling tincture as his would-be Shadow resumed,'My questions stand.', still trying her utmost for the answers she rightly deserved. Seemingly in an effort to get the most harrowing, the most vexing of issues out the way first, it was clear at least to Barran that Aoki was seeking the very beating heart of the truth, and in this revelation, the Woad found himself endeared to the driving force that brought it all to the fore in such a way. As not only had he found one he wouldn't need to lecture on matters of morality and malice along the way, but in the same individual, one who wouldn't require a single moment of vetting either; a blessing he was beginning to think would never happen in his lifetime, or that of the Empire for that matter, giving the Druid all the more reason not to disappoint the young Knight-Errant in these moments.

'The Empire has sinned. They fire at their own, they silence speech and execute their opposition. Heavy taxes strangle the remote regions of the Empire, and the military is absolute in following even the most vile of orders. Now I hear of prosecutions against even the most loyal of Chiss for the rebellion of a few, and I can sense the... speciesism... in their grand moff. I am half Mirialan myself, you must understand how this scares me.'

The long sigh was enough for the Druid to know the true extent of the effect these issues were having on the would-be Knight, but when Mira continued,'I joined the Empire for justice and order, not this. Not all this.', the rage that showed in her eyes would more acutely contextualise the weighed she carried on her shoulders, and to a new extreme of the likes Lord Michael should have expected regardless. It was a rage of the likes the Woad knew as a rage he knew personally, giving Barran all the more reason to listen intently as Aoki pressed,'I do not want justification for this. The ends do not always justify the means. But how can we, can can I, justify serving such a corrupt and vile order? Firing at our own, prosecuting innocents, despoiling sacred grounds. How dare we?', jabbing deep at the beating heart of the issue in a defiance that suited the young Hybrid in an Imperial light, an embodiment of the very same realm Lord Michael was fighting to see someday.

'Whatever alternative you have,'

Bearing the strong defiance of old Tavlar, bearing the heartful, burning wrath of Dooku's justice, then the power of Fel's forward-moving momentum; then finally, the traits of old Barran's wild, brazen audacity would begin to bear the brightest soul-glowing hue of all, an intensity that marked Aoki's readiness with a clarity that many Imperial Knights still lacked by then.

'Is slow moving and ineffective for you to allow this to continue. So tell me, what is your justification?'

And in the hands of such a raw conduit, the Wanderer knew the very spirit of the,"Hearts and Minds", strategy would find use to devastating effect.

'Hmmm.... My justification. Good question.'

Placing his cup down, otherwise finished to pour more but sidetracked by the Hybrid's urge to tackle the heart of the issue, the Woad took a moment to look his future-subordinate in the eye for a few moments before answering,'Ya see, the thing is.... There is no real justification to offer, only the plan - a plan of which that considers the Empire that rises from the ashes of my father's reign. Though I'd be remiss to avoid the fact others will have similar plans of their own.', watching for a reaction to the revelation of competition within the Empire itself. But in seeing Mira's expression remain as stone-like as it had when he initially answered, Lord Michael continued,'Good.... Now I could've given you excuse after excuse just there, but you know as well as I that Serenno's diminished influence has a greater part to play in our current predicament.', contextualising their place at the extreme political fringe with no legal means of establishing a political party to challenge the status quo any more.

'However, we should be ready to rise, and to replace everything that ran this Empire so deep into the ground in the first place.... And as you'll see for yourself by now, this will require quite a lot of work, and the support of all the Empire's regular citizens.... Yes, the normal people of the realm. The Empire's greatest untapped resource, but I'll be needing you t'hold that thought for now.'

Little more than a revolutionary clique by then, but what wasn't known to the would-be Shadow was the fact these conditions were familiar territory to the likes of the Wanderer, having known other such examples under different banners over the years. After all, Barran's very reputation was built on overthrowing governments and resisting unchecked authority, but peacefully accepting the status of successors, the Pellaeonists had been given no other choice but to rise to prominence in a slow, quiet, bloodless revolt. Even in the way Serenno handled matters of clandestine, secretive nature, no Imperials were to perish at the hands of Dooku's clique, not even with probable-cause to act in the Empire's best interests, all they had were the cuffs and the laws of the realm.

Though for how long, none could say, but fate always had a way of making life more interesting.

'After all, both IMPAF and the Moff Assembly are lost causes - but what of the people, Mira? I'm sure you wish the best for those for whom we continue our good fight, and so do I.... And we must fight on with this in mind, at all times.'

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

As she listened, she had to think. At this point, it was very clear that indeed, the Empire was corrupt. And indeed, reform was coming too slow. And yet... here Michael Barran was, offering a sliver of hope. He had a plan. Something big would come. But would she have the patience for it? Could she? The very civilians that Michael spoke of, could they afford to have the patience? They were being crushed every day? And yet... despite everything... Mira felt hope still faintly lingering in the air.

Mira sighed, looking down at the tea. She lifted it to her lips again. My trust better not be wasted on you, Barran.

She lowered her cup daintily on its platter. She began to speak. "The common folk finally involved? The people finally thought of? It is all that I could have desired. But why now? Why not earlier in time?"

She narrowed her eyes in thought, "I understand that the Pellaeonist Party was forcefully disbanded once. Yet they are still spoken of and whispered about. You - I - still exist. If we are truly on the rise again, what could possibly salvage us from a history of Tarkinist fear mongering and brutality?"

"I want to believe that there is hope. I do." She looked to Michael again, "If it truly on the brink of breakthrough, then what is it? Can I trust such a plan?"
​

 

[Michael Barran]

6th post

CAIRN_ONE
KNIGHT-COMMANDER OF THE CARANNIAN ESOTERIC CHAPTER
DRUID-GRANDMASTER OF THE HIGHLAND BROTHERHOOD

TAGS

Aoki-Barran Mira

BORN OF BRIGHT STARS II: ERADICATING UNCERTAINTIES - PART 6

Highland House, Southrest Plateau,
Carannia, Serenno (Spring of 877 ABY)

She never expected this.... But then again-
In the beginning, is there any way one truly can?

After all, I never expected such plans either.... How could I?​

'The common folk finally involved? The people finally thought of? It is all that I could have desired. But why now? Why not earlier in time?'

With eyelids narrowing in mild suspicion, as would any in her position at that point in time, Mira's gaze searched deeper in that of Lord Michael's sort, holding his wild-eyed confidence to account with every moment their focus remained mutually focused on each other. The would-be Shadow was more than deserving of her questions' pointed nature, making it all the more apparent to the Wanderer that his subordinate fitted Serenno's honourable mould, but there was a wrath that Barran liked about Aoki's demeanour too, erasing any such doubts of combative or personal meekness with each verbal and physical display of conviction throughout her personal inquiry. But then the would-be Knight furrowed her brows in earnest thought, letting the weight of the Knight-Commander's words truly start to impact her mind as the Druid intended, difficult though it would've been for Mira to accept at the time.

'I understand that the Pellaeonist Party was forcefully disbanded once. Yet they are still spoken of and whispered about. You - I - still exist. If we are truly on the rise again, what could possibly salvage us from a history of Tarkinist fear mongering and brutality?'

'I want to believe that there is hope. I do.', Aoki continued, returning her gaze to that of Barran's own with renewed conviction, bracing in readied expectation of the wildest, the silliest and the most maniacal of ramblings, as any would and had in the young hybrid's shoes before. Letting her conclude without interruption, Lord Michael held Mira's gaze as she queried,'If the plan is truly on the brink of breakthrough, then what is it? Can I trust such a plan?', letting his subordinate address the beating heart of the matter, pondering the nature of the would-be Shadow's inquiry as the real questions were put forth once and for all - the very beating heart of the problems she faced daily before this moment.

'Well, it all pertains to King Lucien's old-time take on the,"Hearts-and-Minds", strategy. And as we both know, this almost always means the deployment of resources across war-torn lands, distributed among civilian populations - swaying the hearts of the meek and the humble alike.... Its this which guides my plans for the future, but with that being said - COMPNOR still present their challenges in abundance.'

Thinking on the reports from his Highlanders' most-recent clandestine operation, though knowing there was much to incriminate before such events came to pass, he matter of the Tion-Cluster debacle still clung and cloyed at Lord Michael's mind by then, though sadly it was just another of the many issues of Imperium that irritated Barran greatly. And yet, for the young Atrisian's sake, the Woad's pause was brief, as there was more he wished to say still, more than what was on his mind beneath the surface.

'But I quite like it that way, Mira. I'm sorry, but that's just the Goidel in me. But still, this attitude of mine appears still to bear fruit of it's own.... For we present challenges of - our - own.'

King Lucien had always spat in the face of authorities he never recognised, and in the moment he first met Lord Michael, he knew Lord Erskine's second son to be of a very similar disposition, even if only in his own post-Tarkinist way. The urge to embrace Aleckist revolutionary ideals, and to be the first Barran of his kind for the first time in almost two-hundred years, had not only proven effective for the Druid in those days, but in his wild, tribalistic magnetism, had proven effective enough for the King of Serenno to embrace the thought of fighting for his right to succession. They were on the very verge of standing against both the Tarkinists and the Felists who ruled over them, but in the decision to confront the Emperor personally, King Lucien had achieved more in one night than an entire decade of rebellion ever could.

'As COMPNOR forever peek over our shoulders, always watching to see what intentions we hold, I always pondered on this before I took action of sorts - who, o' who is forever peeking over theirs?'

Lighting a cigarra, Barran looked out the window a moment to consider how best to reveal the nuances of the plan on which he had been brought up to speed, a plan concocted by the most unlikely of mentors at the time; and with the help of both the arch-Pellaeonist and the widow of Irveric Tavlar alike, empowerment would mean more than that of knowledge, granting instruction in several fields both as part and apart from the Force. Means of harnessing the opposing powers of Goidelic druidism and Midichlorian control, means of learning the deepest, most obscure Form 2 sabre-fighting techniques and incorporating them into his Meyerite form accordingly, it had been clear to more than just the Woad that he benefited greatly from his time learning under their guidance, and it was all born of the mere privilege of being brought and kept in the loop.

And just as Lady Sybila and King Lucien had aided in Lord Michael's growth as a Pellaeonist power in his own right, the Wanderer had every intention of actualising a similar sort of champion in Mira, fully intending to nurture the makings of a true Imperial hero.

'People always think the best clandestine organisations would be the SIA or the ISB and COMPNOR respectively.... All quite potent for sure, but nowhere near as potent as the Empire's very own citizen-communities. It's not even close competition either, Mira. And though I'm sure you'll see where I'm going with that - I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact my Highlanders have their own hat to throw into that mix of competing institutions.'