Dominion Take it With a Grain of Sand [Galactic Alliance Dominion of Jakku]

[Kyra Perl]

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade ​

Spoiler: Story

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She locked the door, turned and lingered on the silence a bit.

"Kyra..." and her voice sounded so defeated -- she felt like she failed her. They'd all be through so much...

She glided across the room and sat next to younger sister. Jade never knew emotions like this and found it hard to connect with her before but now, the budding maternal energy was seeping to the surface.

"First off," a beat. "I'm so sorry, for everything..."

She reached out, and cradled her hand.

It felt like ages since they'd seen each other, and felt even longer since they were able to connect on a familial level. Kyra was always a bright light, and now the Galaxy happened. Their roles, the war....it all happened.

And quite frankly, seeing her sister...made Romi look internally and wonder just what the kark had she been involved in this whole time.

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade
​

Kyra sat stiff in the seat, not needing her empathy to sense Romi's heavy looks behind her back. Any sibling worth their salt knew when they were due in for a talking to. Her fingers gripped at her knees, biting back the slight tingle the spices left over her skin.

Her senses might be dulled, but she was sharp enough to feel stress. Her throat bobbed as Romi cradled her hand, her dilated gaze remaining intentionally ahead. "There's nothing to be sorry for, you can't control a coma."

But she was glad that Romi had pulled through. Not that she could find the words to say it. Her time in sith space had made a lot of words harder to find. Was that how Romi felt? It must be. Kyra had always sensed the disconnect the eldest adoptee had with the family. Duty before emotions.

Duty before self.

Kyra had taken up Romi's mantel when she had fallen ill all those months ago. Kyra would like to think she knew all about how Romi felt in life. She had always been her biggest hero.

She pulled her hand away, rejecting the touch in favor of rooting through her pockets. The leather bomber jacket would be familiar, though it had long since lost Romi's scent.

"I didn't come about that, anyway. I have something on Nida-- I thought it might be useful."

A flashdrive was produced, held out purposely between them.

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She hadn't looked at her

Romi picked up the quiet cue and glared at Kyra from the side...allowing her to retrieve her hand. This felt off.

Okay.

That coma made her realize so much, and it was almost as if she ran away from it all. She'd always committed herself to her duty, and it normally took precedence over any need she may have had; she always put others first, and dealt with her own chit in silence. But, now that she was looking at Kyra, someone who'd looked up to her... was this really the type of role model she wanted to be?

"What is it?" She trailed her hand as it went to pull something. "A flashdrive?"

"What's on it?" she followed up, "Where'd you find this stuff?"

She took a moment to try and figure it out but -- "Kyra."

She stood up, "Look at me." She commanded. She closed in and leaned forward "Look. At. Me."

Her eyes -- "What did you do!"

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade​

Kyra winced, Romi's response reverberating through the thickened confines of her skull. Ouch. She trailed her gaze unwillingly up, meeting Romi's with a deafening silence. She tightened her fingers around the flash drive and raised her chin.


"I'm a Zeltron, I could do worse."

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She was sharp.

"It's not funny." She retorted, twisting her neck in visible irritation.

"Whatever you're indulging yourself on...has you not being yourself." she continued, "Is this some type of way to avoid everything?"

She stepped back, "-- & you really thought I wouldn't notice..." Her real one strength was her ability to analyze and figure shmuck out.

"Lets take a step back from Nida for a moment and talk about you...so what it is?"

She moved in front of the door.

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade ​

Kyra let out a heavy sigh, hearing the physical body block of the door. For the first time she wondered if she could take Romi-- overpower her, push her to the side. The thought brought an inappropriately timed smile to her lips.

"It's not funny."

Well it was a little...

As the youngest she had always been a bit manhandled by the whims of her elder siblings-- always a tag along, never the leader. Well she didn't want to tag a long this time, she didn't want to be bossed around. She stood up, a jitter entering her hand as she faced Romi in full.

"Listen. I'm not here as Kyra, your sister, I'm here as Kyra The Jedi. I don't want those looks, I didn't ask for your thoughts. I wouldn't have even known how to find you if I hadn't snooped on Dad's feed.

"Take the stupid flash drive. Figure out why Nida's like this," she demanded, the proffered piece of metal gleaming inside the hand that shook. "I did my job. Now you do yours."

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

Silent.

She stepped aside -- fine

She wasn't gonna bar Kyra from this. She grabbed the flashdrive and stepped back.

"My entire life has been dedicated to my role as a Jedi. All I know, and have is my duty. If i've taught you that was all to aspire to sister, i'm sorry."

For the most part, Romi has run away from anything that could remotely get close to her...something of hers that'd been magnified after she recovered from a similar situation like Nida. Nowadays, she was finding that sprint all the more difficult.

"Be angry with me, with Nida, with everything...but feel all that comes with it. Don't run." She continued.

"This dysfunction has to stop--" She snatched Kyra's hand and planted it across her stomach, "-- If only for those who'll look up to us..."

Jade was never vulnerable like this...

But this situation in particular brought it out of her each time. As much as she tried to run from it...

"Do you feel it?"

She couldn't. And, that was the scary part.

Kyra tried to jerk back, ready for a scuffle if that's what it took. She had had more than her fair scraps with Yula, Romi wouldn't be-- It all died at the faint echo that reached her through the spice-fueled fog. A pulse of life beat in near perfect sync with Romi's body. It was tiny... fragile, and pure. It remained unreadable for her to pick up at a distance, but touch had always been a bridge. Her brows furrowed as she sunk, with great effort, further into the force. It grew clearer. A little bean of life lay nestled under Kyra's hand.

She gasped, lips parting as she stared at Romi's stomach.

"You're..."

Her thoughts flew backwards, running though reels of memories-- pictures, magazines, all plastered with her sister's face. He was always there-- an assignment turned into something more. A line fuzzled and she was seeing through Romi's eyes. A marriage, full of hope and killed in its cradle. Danger, remorse, pain. And now...

"You're pregnant."

A secret.

Kyra looked up, Romi's fear shining in her eyes. "What are you going to do?"

 

[Samatharis]

Obj: 3 Observatory P2
Barr Vexos | Bastard | Auraya Irath-Ur | Cotan Sar'andor

​

Sam wandered up the sandy footsteps to the edge of Destroyer wreckage. It was a slow hike. Then she climbed up the exterior for a moment to get a good look around. Even with her linen wrap and heavy goggles on, she could still make out the arrival of GA troopers. Far, far below.

"Huh. Guess I didn't miss the party after all? They brought troopers too. Heh."

She smiled under her mask. Then turned around to admire a long lift shaft that dropped straight down into the interior of the vessel. It must have run down and on forever.

"Wow. Big ship. Pfft. Good luck exploring all this. It'd take us months to even map it. Ha."

She sighed and hooked up her grappler. Then she stopped to look deep within the Force. Sensing. Once again scrying other people moving about deep within the vessel. Friends. Hopefully. Then she pulled out her com device and walked over to the edge of the Destroyer's massive hull. Looking down across the far vista at Barr Vexos and deciding to say hello,

~ "Yo. This is Escort One saying hello to our famously arriving GA trooper squad. Calling out to you boys from the top of the world, way up here. Glad to see you made it. Ha." ~

She smiled and undid her mask. So as to speak easier.

~ "We've got a scouting party inside already and from the sense of it, they're making a slow time of it. The presence of cultists is confirmed however. We've got positive sightings on tracks and primitive weapon caches already. No contact yet, but we'll keep you boys informed. Also. Power is intermittent throughout the structure. Some doors are working, some are not. So we are expecting delays with the blast doors we can't Lightsaber open. For now anyways." ~

She turned around and eyed the elevator shaft behind her again. Smiling at the glare.

~ "Anyway. Welcome to our little sandy paradise gentlemen. We'll see you boys inside. Stay sharp. Escort One out." ~

Then Sam smiled and put her com device away. She masked up and walked back over to her elevator shaft. Peering down into the endless abyss below.

"Welp. Here goes nothing. ...Pfft. I sure hope Cotan and the others are having an easier time then this. Karking climbing gear stupid tunnels bah!"

And she quickly leapt over the edge and began her long descent to the bottom. Half-way confident that she'd survive today. Somehow.

 

[Romi Jade]

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She bit her lip as her head fell -- defeated really.

"I-I don't know," and she didn't. "This wasn't suppose to be possible...and now I--." She released the tension in her shoulders.

The lingering effects from the experimentation Darth Ophidia conducted on her body, that Taeli then magnified drastically decreased the chances of her having a child of her own.

Her head rose, "--No matter how I look at it, I can't figure this one out." she glanced off, "It won't be safe...with me or in the royal courts. The moment they find out the truth..." She looked to her sister, imagining what the snakes that lived amongst Hapan royal society would do; they already scrutinized the Jedi's involvement in their affairs...then the engagement...this could be the tipping point.

"I can't--won't marry into it Kyra it's not my place to rule...but I don't want to be apart either."

But then Johannes and the child would be safer if she weren't around.

"I can't even manage relationships with my current family least of all raise a child."

A beat.

"This has to stay a secret for now."

 

[Kyra Perl]

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade ​

Spoiler: Story

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She locked the door, turned and lingered on the silence a bit.

"Kyra..." and her voice sounded so defeated -- she felt like she failed her. They'd all be through so much...

She glided across the room and sat next to younger sister. Jade never knew emotions like this and found it hard to connect with her before but now, the budding maternal energy was seeping to the surface.

"First off," a beat. "I'm so sorry, for everything..."

She reached out, and cradled her hand.

It felt like ages since they'd seen each other, and felt even longer since they were able to connect on a familial level. Kyra was always a bright light, and now the Galaxy happened. Their roles, the war....it all happened.

And quite frankly, seeing her sister...made Romi look internally and wonder just what the kark had she been involved in this whole time.

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade
​

Kyra sat stiff in the seat, not needing her empathy to sense Romi's heavy looks behind her back. Any sibling worth their salt knew when they were due in for a talking to. Her fingers gripped at her knees, biting back the slight tingle the spices left over her skin.

Her senses might be dulled, but she was sharp enough to feel stress. Her throat bobbed as Romi cradled her hand, her dilated gaze remaining intentionally ahead. "There's nothing to be sorry for, you can't control a coma."

But she was glad that Romi had pulled through. Not that she could find the words to say it. Her time in sith space had made a lot of words harder to find. Was that how Romi felt? It must be. Kyra had always sensed the disconnect the eldest adoptee had with the family. Duty before emotions.

Duty before self.

Kyra had taken up Romi's mantel when she had fallen ill all those months ago. Kyra would like to think she knew all about how Romi felt in life. She had always been her biggest hero.

She pulled her hand away, rejecting the touch in favor of rooting through her pockets. The leather bomber jacket would be familiar, though it had long since lost Romi's scent.

"I didn't come about that, anyway. I have something on Nida-- I thought it might be useful."

A flashdrive was produced, held out purposely between them.

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She hadn't looked at her

Romi picked up the quiet cue and glared at Kyra from the side...allowing her to retrieve her hand. This felt off.

Okay.

That coma made her realize so much, and it was almost as if she ran away from it all. She'd always committed herself to her duty, and it normally took precedence over any need she may have had; she always put others first, and dealt with her own chit in silence. But, now that she was looking at Kyra, someone who'd looked up to her... was this really the type of role model she wanted to be?

"What is it?" She trailed her hand as it went to pull something. "A flashdrive?"

"What's on it?" she followed up, "Where'd you find this stuff?"

She took a moment to try and figure it out but -- "Kyra."

She stood up, "Look at me." She commanded. She closed in and leaned forward "Look. At. Me."

Her eyes -- "What did you do!"

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade​

Kyra winced, Romi's response reverberating through the thickened confines of her skull. Ouch. She trailed her gaze unwillingly up, meeting Romi's with a deafening silence. She tightened her fingers around the flash drive and raised her chin.


"I'm a Zeltron, I could do worse."

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She was sharp.

"It's not funny." She retorted, twisting her neck in visible irritation.

"Whatever you're indulging yourself on...has you not being yourself." she continued, "Is this some type of way to avoid everything?"

She stepped back, "-- & you really thought I wouldn't notice..." Her real one strength was her ability to analyze and figure shmuck out.

"Lets take a step back from Nida for a moment and talk about you...so what it is?"

She moved in front of the door.

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade ​

Kyra let out a heavy sigh, hearing the physical body block of the door. For the first time she wondered if she could take Romi-- overpower her, push her to the side. The thought brought an inappropriately timed smile to her lips.

"It's not funny."

Well it was a little...

As the youngest she had always been a bit manhandled by the whims of her elder siblings-- always a tag along, never the leader. Well she didn't want to tag a long this time, she didn't want to be bossed around. She stood up, a jitter entering her hand as she faced Romi in full.

"Listen. I'm not here as Kyra, your sister, I'm here as Kyra The Jedi. I don't want those looks, I didn't ask for your thoughts. I wouldn't have even known how to find you if I hadn't snooped on Dad's feed.

"Take the stupid flash drive. Figure out why Nida's like this," she demanded, the proffered piece of metal gleaming inside the hand that shook. "I did my job. Now you do yours."

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

Silent.

She stepped aside -- fine

She wasn't gonna bar Kyra from this. She grabbed the flashdrive and stepped back.

"My entire life has been dedicated to my role as a Jedi. All I know, and have is my duty. If i've taught you that was all to aspire to sister, i'm sorry."

For the most part, Romi has run away from anything that could remotely get close to her...something of hers that'd been magnified after she recovered from a similar situation like Nida. Nowadays, she was finding that sprint all the more difficult.

"Be angry with me, with Nida, with everything...but feel all that comes with it. Don't run." She continued.

"This dysfunction has to stop--" She snatched Kyra's hand and planted it across her stomach, "-- If only for those who'll look up to us..."

Jade was never vulnerable like this...

But this situation in particular brought it out of her each time. As much as she tried to run from it...

"Do you feel it?"

She couldn't. And, that was the scary part.

Romi's Quarters
Romi Jade ​

Kyra tried to jerk back, ready for a scuffle if that's what it took. She had had more than her fair scraps with Yula, Romi wouldn't be-- It all died at the faint echo that reached her through the spice-fueled fog. A pulse of life beat in near perfect sync with Romi's body. It was tiny... fragile, and pure. It remained unreadable for her to pick up at a distance, but touch had always been a bridge. Her brows furrowed as she sunk, with great effort, further into the force. It grew clearer. A little bean of life lay nestled under Kyra's hand.

She gasped, lips parting as she stared at Romi's stomach.

"You're..."

Her thoughts flew backwards, running though reels of memories-- pictures, magazines, all plastered with her sister's face. He was always there-- an assignment turned into something more. A line fuzzled and she was seeing through Romi's eyes. A marriage, full of hope and killed in its cradle. Danger, remorse, pain. And now...

"You're pregnant."

A secret.

Kyra looked up, Romi's fear shining in her eyes. "What are you going to do?"

Romi's Quarters
Kyra Perl

She bit her lip as her head fell -- defeated really.

"I-I don't know," and she didn't. "This wasn't suppose to be possible...and now I--." She released the tension in her shoulders.

The lingering effects from the experimentation Darth Ophidia conducted on her body, that Taeli then magnified drastically decreased the chances of her having a child of her own.

Her head rose, "--No matter how I look at it, I can't figure this one out." she glanced off, "It won't be safe...with me or in the royal courts. The moment they find out the truth..." She looked to her sister, imagining what the snakes that lived amongst Hapan royal society would do; they already scrutinized the Jedi's involvement in their affairs...then the engagement...this could be the tipping point.

"I can't--won't marry into it Kyra it's not my place to rule...but I don't want to be apart either."

But then Johannes and the child would be safer if she weren't around.

"I can't even manage relationships with my current family least of all raise a child."

A beat.

"This has to stay a secret."

"Not a soul," Kyra swore, Romi's stress gathering into balls of liquid in the corner of her own eyes.

They fell, one after another, Kyra's blinks slow and distant. After a moment she cleared her throat and removed her hand. The world walloped, falling back behind a fuzzy curtain. She swayed and braced herself on the back of the chair.

Their previous confrontation fell to the wayside, her pain once again feeling so petty and small when held up against the galaxy's. It was easier to try and fix another's problems. So she did.

"And you're gonna keep it? There's Praxiums. Praxises? Prax....i? You know, the neutral places, all about learning, no fighting."

Joza had threatened Kyra with them on more than one occasion. The secluded nature of it was a strong enough threat to a 13 year old with a credit card. For Romi, though, it could offer so much more.

"They could help you. With the contents of that drive," she reminded pointing back to it. She let herself back into the seat, feeling the distinct need to stay down after a reveal like that. Her head spun, a fact she forced off with a few hard blinks.

"And then you could-- yanno." She gestured vaguely, stringing the idea along together. "...My mom might actually know a lot about that. I mean she use to be you, right? Then she had us."

 

[Faith Organa]

Location: Sub Committee Room
Subject: Jakku
Tags: Aerarii Tithe | Seto Du Couteau | Julius Loghain | Adhira Chandra | Marlon Sularen

​

Jakku a planet of in the western reaches of the inner rim. A planet of sand, under the gaze of one sun and two moons and some exports. But everything it imported were the necessities top of the list water and food. It had been so for as long as anyone could document.

The words exchanged help without a membership, or bring them in as members and then help them as members of the Alliance. They were located just beyond the current edges of Alliance space. Faith pushed the information from the data pad to look at the next page. What was there to gain? Not much. But then Alderaan looked more for others to trade with their own goods.

From what it sounded like access to the graveyard of ships that littered the surface.

Faith considered the options she heard a woman's voice, a representative of Jakku - Annasari . Her words were strong and hit upon topics that made Faith wonder would Senators squirm in their seats today.

Faith debated the issue in her mind as she did so the Imperator of Byss spoke. His words were equally harsh perhaps not the way she would have formed the questions but he did make a point. She looked across to the representative from Jakku. She just wanted help...at least that is how Faith was taking it. But how would she reply to the Imperator, she would hear the answer before speaking.

Yes her democratic ideals of right and wrong played into her position, it always did and while she understood everything being said she couldn't help but think of people suffering.

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan watched warily as the two cultists dropped their weapons and fled; once they were out of sight he deactivated his 'weapon,' hooking it back on his belt. "I'm no Jedi," he replied, turning back around—the corpse that had just slid off the far wall was proof enough of what he said—before stopping in near-instant surprise. Sure, the skin and hair entirely devoid of colour, the oddly-pigmented eyes, those didn't speak as to who the man might be; the rest of the features, the shape of the jaw, the nose, how the eyes actually sat in their sockets, all of those did.

He was shocked enough he didn't respond for a moment, not until he heard Auraya start stammering out some sort of apology, standing up to follow along behind the albino warrior. "Enough," he said softly, planting a hand on her shoulder. "These things happen. Don't get so hung up on the misfortune of it that you lose sight of your goal. Sit back down." He watched the other man limp further away for a moment, before sighing.

"Damn, things just can't ever be easy, can they?"

He dug into his pocket, pulling out the crystal necklace he'd taken to carrying around. He wasn't much of a healer, and he'd forgotten to grab a medpack before running out like a panicked idiot, but at least with the artifact he could manage to get the two he was with back in shape for fighting and exploring. Once he had it in hand, he lifted his eyes back up, towards the retreating warrior. One Cotan hadn't yet met, but even without an introduction he knew the young man's name at a glance.

"Errant, get back here. You're in no shape to go hunting down a Sith like that."

Bastard Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Maou]

Such a Sham...

Adhira Chandra Aerarii Tithe Marlon Sularen Annasari
Seto Du Couteau Julius Loghain Taega Vrav'lan Seth Saaliche
Faith Organa Mazik Stazi Otto Shule Brama Tagge Gat Tambor

​

"Actually," came the heavily modulated voice of the Corellian senator. His objection was pointedly directed at the 'Lord Imperator' of Byss himself. Rare that a head of state for a system or sector took over the duties of a Senator, but not unheard of. His own Diktat had done so while he was still in recovery after the rogue Jedi Knight Lanik Dawnstar had nearly taken his life. It was, however, in poor taste due to Bysss's recent actions and the internal investigation they were under by the Senate and SIA.

"Reports from our esteemed guests of Jakku and our own probes into the system indicate that even only accounting for the mines and gas reserves tapped by the local Jakku people the numbers indicate that we could see several decades worth of resources from their mines." He set his datapad down after reading off the statistics and shifted his gaze towards his recent Corporate allies and nodded. Corellia wasn't a Corporate aligned world, but the salvage on Jakku was far too valuable. If Corellia could get even 3% of that he could siphon more than enough salvage to his Master, Darth Voyance to fuel their growing fleet. Corporate allies would just be abonus.

"Despite my fact checking of the honorable Lord Imperator, I agree that we, a people at war with a seemingly endless war machine, cannot afford to waste this golden opportunity. We should simply annex the system. Its already along the Starbird and we'd be providing the security they ask for but without the added burden of upliftment and modernization! It is a win, win!" His eyes fell on Annasari and the delegation from Jakku

 

[Thalia Senn]

Viers Connory Kaska Arden ​

She was a sarcastic one, that's for sure. Her lips twisted into a frown, her eyes sharp as daggers. She didnt' appreciate being talked down to. Jend-Ro Quill had said it himself, she was Transcendent. The next generation of great Jedi like Ryv or Coren Starchaser . She didn't need some storming junker with an inflated ego telling her how to punch people.

"Hey! I wasn't done talking to you!" she said as she marched after the mysterious woman. The woman walked with a warrior's confidence, or at least what she imagined it to be, it was a similar walk to Romi's, though Master Jade definitely abused her figure whenever she sauntered from place to place. Even in the enclave when it was just her and Jend-Ro Quill , as if she was expecting one of them to comment on her-

Anyways she needed to figure out who this person was.

The sunlight nearly blinded Thalia for a brief moment as she walked onto the deck. The sunlight seemed to frame the woman perfectly against the backdrop of rolling desert dunes and the occasional majestic shipwreck.

"Did you buy the lightsaber off a Jawa?" She asked accusingly, not relenting on her integration. The sun was so storming bright she had to lift an arm to shield her eyes.

"Do you even know what that is you have strapped to your shabby tool belt?"

 

[Annasari]

R E P E N T A N C E
Sub-Committee Room
Speak for Jakku
Aerarii Tithe | Seto Du Couteau | Adhira Chandra | Julius Loghain | Marlon Sularen | Maou
​

Annasari’s nostrils flared at the imperial’s implications. Before she could speak, the other intervened, and the woman found herself thankful, as her temper likely would have gotten the best of her. Her lips turned upwards ever so slightly at the support. As the last chimed in, the ghost of the smile disappeared. It was a surprise to her that the resources were in such abundance, but further seemed to give them a leg to stand on. The senator obviously seemed to disagree.

“Annexing territory without allowing representation or helping the people of the planet sets a dangerous precedent for your nation. While I have not spent time there, nor worked with your government prior to this meeting, everyone has heard of the dream the golden Starbird represents. Freedom, equality.”

Her gaze passed from senator to senator as she spoke, unyielding.

“Dignity of life. An interesting concept. I’m not sure of your interpretation in the core, but I was under the impression that it is the idea of respect for every sentient being, despite what they may or may not have to offer. How can a nation claim to respect the preciousness of life if they allow people within their borders to suffer - to die needlessly? Especially when that suffering can be stopped so easily, if one could only make room in the budget…”

Her head turned to look at the people of Jakku once more. Gaunt cheeks and chaffed skin accompanied the empty eyes that looked back at her.

“We are born into circumstance. It is unfair; we do not get to choose. Jakku, it’s citizens, are an extreme example. However, when a government is formed, there is a break from that. Those in power are able to choose their founding principles, how they want to shape their government. How to shape the lives of their people, deciding to close the gap in that unfairness, or widen it. As a just one, such as yours, expands out, it is your solemn duty to offer the same privilege to the people who find themselves living in alliance space. Fair representation- democracy. Another of your values, yes? As the Lord-Imperator pointed out earlier, we are much fewer in number than that of other worlds. However, that does not mean those people are any less equal than those of others. They, too, deserve a chance at life. A good one. They cannot have that without a voice to speak for them.”

Anna took a deep breath, centering herself. Her hand floated to her other wrist, touching her scar, a constant reminder of how unfair a hand fate could deal.

“I ask that as you make this decision, to keep the moral duty of the Galactic Alliance, it’s values, and your own privilege in mind.”

 

[Maou]

Julius Loghain Seto Du Couteau Aerarii Tithe Marlon Sularen ​

​

“Annexing territory without allowing representation or helping the people of the planet sets a dangerous precedent for your nation. While I have not spent time there, nor worked with your government prior to this meeting, everyone has heard of the dream the golden Starbird represents. Freedom, equality.”

Kaito frowned. It was obvious whoever this offworlder was wasn't aware of Galactic Alliance expansion law. The mask hid his expression, but he made sure to let the disappointment flow into his voice, a skill he'd been forced to learn wearing his mask.

"I disagree madame. By our own law systems with a population of a certain threshold don't count as inhabited systems. Jakku falls far below that threshold. The only reason we are even entertaining this sham is the mere fact that you and your people from Jakku have brought this petition forward, along with the strategic positioning of the world along one of our most important trade routes."

"To be utterly frank, it would be setting a bad precedent to accept Jakku as a full member. What do we tell to the thousands of worlds still waiting to hear if their moon colony will get a hearing or the few dozen large space stations that wish to claim sovereignty? Do we tell them that according to our laws they do not qualify for full membership after letting the likes of Jakku enter our Senate? Or do we uphold our own laws?" He shrugged.

"We'd be better off taking the system ourselves and opening it for official colonization efforts."

 

[Marlon Sularen]

Location || Sub-Committee Room
Objective || Legitimize my Presence on Jakku by any means necessary
Tags || Adhira Chandra | Aerarii Tithe | Annasari | Seto Du Couteau | Julius Loghain | Maou | Faith Organa

Sularen watched as the Jakku Representative responded still maintaining her stance and stating that the People of Jakku despite being less then even one hundred thousand still had the right to make their own decision followed by Kaito Kiyoshi who replied with stating that giving Jakku membership would cause various Moons and Large Space Stations to demand membership too in which could have devastating results.

"We'd be better off taking the system ourselves and opening it for official colonization efforts."

Now this was interested , while Colonization wasn't on Sularen's mind initially the simple mention of Colonization made Sularen realize that he had an even bigger opportunity here. With the destruction of the Eastern Portion of Sularenopolis back on Byss , Millions of Civilians were left homeless back on Byss and this gave Sularen somewhat of a malicious idea. If Jakku wasn't going to be considered as a member of the Alliance due to it's population and was a potential target for colonization imagine how much planets in the Deep Core could be addressed to this same issue.

This would allow Sularen to expand his influence throughout the Deep Core without even needing to utilize rogue paramilitary groups and his corporations to do so. All he could do was simply move Homeless Civilians from Byss to these underpopulated planes and essentially outnumber their local population with Colonialists from Byss. It would ensure that Sularen's Influence spread peacefully and with minimal opposition from the Alliance and Jakku could serve as a test to determine if Sularen could use such methods effectively without opposition.

Annexing Jakku would be more profitable then he thought and the Lord-Imperator was ready to milk Jakku for what is was worth. However in order to do so Sularen had to play a bit more smarter and still remain smarter. If he were to partake in Colonization Efforts on Jakku he first had to ensure that Jakku was annexed by the Alliance. Thus the Lord-Imperator of Byss sat there and waited for someone to reply hopefully in opposition to the Annexation of Jakku , ready to stamp down on their opposition.

 

[John Shepherd]

Location - Old Imperial Base
Objective: Lootin' and Stealin' [BYOO]
Equipment - Linked in Bio

John took a long breath as he sighed looking at the dead creature at his feet, giving it a soft kick again before stepping over it and making his way further inside the Old Imperial Base. His Eyes scanning each room as he entered it, mostly finding useless items, personal effects that looters and scavengers didn't care for in their years of looting this base. Kohn let out a soft sigh as he just walked along, following the base deeper into the base.

He heard a loud crunch from under his feet. He stopped for a moment and looked down lifting his boot as he saw what looked like a photo. Raising a brow slightly he leaned down and lifted it up, it had been worn out on the edges over the years but the center of the photo was still intact. It looked to be a family of some imperial trooper, he was in his uniform displayed proudly, with his wife at his hip and a newborn held in her arm. John wondered why someone would still use such old technology? Maybe because they liked a physical reminder of everything they left at home? Or they just liked what it represented instead of some holo-image? He would never know, but the question still remained. He went to put the photo back down, but he stopped, and he took the picture out of the wooden frame that it was in and put it into his pack. John wasn't sure why he was doing this he just felt like it was the right thing to do.

Every step that John took echoed throughout the empty hallways and rooms of the base. As he got deeper he finally made it to the underground level. The place had been looted clean, all the surveillance equipment that had been there had been stripped and sold long ago. He let out a sigh, This harkin piece of junk ain't going to be in this blasted base anymore. John thought to himself as he scanned the room, looking for anything of importance as he continued slowly further into the room.

 

[Kaska Arden]

Thalia Senn | Viers Connory

She suppressed a grimace as her light sensitive eyes were forced to adapt to the sudden transition from the dimly lit corridor to the blistering sunlight dunes of Jakku. She'd been so eager to get out of the cramped little makeshift box-cabin that she had left her shades in her pack and was now forced to pay the price. Only stubbornness kept her from trying to shield her eyes as she made it out towards the thin rail that served as a balcony.

"Better than you, judging from how quick you were to reach for those on your chest." Kaska replied bluntly as the young girl continued to dog her heels, peppering her with questions that bordered on insults. Had she been this persistently annoying as a padawan? It was a small wonder Sardun hadn't spaced her on day one if so. She leant forward onto the railing, one arm dangling half over the edge while the other propped up her chin. The steady rhythmic roll of the sand dunes and scrapheaps the only real view for miles around. "You need to learn to boost those retros, kid. A Jedi should only reach for her saber when she means to use it."

Her gaze shifted towards the other occupant, another young waif of a girl, as a metallic sound scrabbled along the floor. Without missing a beat the Nyriaanan made a twisting motion with her free hand, her index and forefinger raised and extended, the gesture controlling a subtle wave of telekinetic energy that scooped the remaining gears and components off the decking of the floor. The items hung in the air for a moment, twisting and tumbling over themselves as if stirred by an unseen breeze, before another motion from the Jedi saw them float towards the other occupant of the observation deck.

"True power is about control, knowing when and where to exercise it." She half turned, lopsided smirk creasing her features. There was no admonishment in her voice. If anything, it was still a lesson she was struggling to learn herself even as a knight. There was however more than a touch of a teasing as she continued, "If nothing else, you should probably ask someone their name before you decide to throw down and try to sai tok them in a hallway, no? That is just good manners."

 

[Viers Connory]

//: Caravan //:
//: Kaska Arden //: Thalia Senn //:

The sound of footsteps and snappy voices pulled Viers from her work. Sighing softly, she was under the impression she had found a quiet place to work on the droid and to enjoy the environment outside of the Enclave. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as a woman not much older than herself come through the walkway and then, following her, a slightly familiar face. Something must have happened by how sharply they were speaking to each other. Viers took the opportunity before she was noticed to grab the droid by the waist and hold onto it as she stood. ​

Lips parted as she decided to try and say something but was distracted by the small lesson, and the parts she didn’t know she was missing floated to her. “Oh.” She exclaimed, somewhat embarrassed as she grabbed them from mid-air. The missing parts were easily fitted onto the ankle of the anthropoid droid. Giving a tap on the small droid’s nose, it booted up quickly and moved its limbs to check to make sure the girl had done what she had promised to do. Seemingly satisfied, it gave a short happy beep, and Viers placed the mechanical creature onto her shoulder. ​

Viers crossed her arms and tilted her head as she looked over the woman who was speaking. It was apparent she was a Jedi, lightsaber, the Force, and some sort of lesson - made sense. A light chuckle escaped the Corellian as she finally figured things out. “Who’s trying to sai tok in such tight spaces?” She looked towards Thalia and the hallway from which the pair had come from. ​

She recognized Thalia somewhat from the Enclave, but she didn’t know who the woman was, “I guess I’ll the obvious question here, what’s your name?” Pausing, she remembered the Jedi saving the lost parts and responded, “Oh, thanks again for catching D-C0’s parts. I’m Viers an this is D-C0.” Hearing the girl say its names, the small droid waved one of its hands as its tail flicked happily.​

 

[Aaris Kolden]

OUTSIDE THE WRECKED STAR DESTROYERS
Objective 3: Your Enthusiasm is Palpatinable
Tags: Bastard Auraya Irath-Ur Cotan Sar'andor

The wind was starting to pick up again. It blew dust into the air and howled through the wreckage of the massive star destroyer that stood before him, adding to the eeriness of everything.

Aaris paused for a moment, taking in the scene before him. It was not his typical scenario, going through wretched ships by himself, however it also was not foreign. The Galactic Alliance was moving in, and even though he personally felt that he would rather be somewhere closer to the front lines of a real war, he appreciated the fact that this was a necessary step.

There was a ship resting outside the destroyer. That means that the others must already be inside, Aaris thought to himself as he began to step closer to the wreckage. He was assigned to assist the others who were going to be doing the searching and investigating, mostly just by guarding them and offering his services if there was ever a need for it. He did not know who he was assisting, but that was irrelevant. He was following orders for the good of the Galactic Alliance.

He reached up and grabbed onto a piece of the wreckage, looking further inside for any signs of life. Nothing. They must already be deeper inside the vessel he concluded to himself. he slowly and carefully began to make his way deeper into the interior, looking for a safe way down into the belly of the ship. As he moved, he activated his comm link on a standard Alliance channel,

"Support team arriving at destroyer now, are you receiving me?" His deep, gritty voice filtered through his dense phrik helmet with a metallic-like sound.

 

[Bastard]

"I walk a path charted only by the winds of change."

Whatever panicked thoughts intruded upon Auraya's mind caught the Imperial's attention. Errant paused and looked back her way. He had long forgotten how it felt to peer upon something horrific like a crushed, pulpy corpse. For a moment, he considered saying something. Anything would be better than watching her struggle with the grim reality she now faced. Unfortunately, empathy wasn't a strong point for him. Years at war with the most heinous enemy snatched such emotion from him and buried it beneath a mountain of corpses. On a battlefield, empathy courted pain. The pain led to hatred. Hate corrupted. It ruined the purest of souls and turned them down a forsaken path.

What would his mother think if she could see him now? Spencer lived a life full of mistakes, most of which could be attributed to the Sith she foolishly offered her heart. Yet, she was a good woman in her final days. She raised him to be better, bring hope to others, and live in balance within the force. Compassion was not the enemy, so long as he tempered the flames and bent them to his will. Serenity brought wisdom, but only in times when it should be permitted. What words of wisdom could he impart upon the young Jedi?

Errant opened his mouth to speak, only for Cotan to beat him to the punch. Good. Surely it was better the Je'daii speak not from memories of the dead but from his still-beating heart.

The Albino turned away, content to return to his hunt. Before he could cross the threshold into the corridor, Cotan's voice sounded behind him.

Errant turned back, brow raised. "The condition I am in holds no importance to the task at hand. I am bound by my vows as a Knight of the Empire to hunt and kill the creature who inhabits these halls. If I am not strong enough to do so, so be it. My life was forfeit the moment I betrayed my oaths to those I hold dear."

He pivoted on his heel as if to move on only to stop mid-step. "How by chance have you come to know my name, stranger?"

Auraya Irath-Ur | Cotan Sar'andor | Aaris Kolden ​

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

LOCATION: Committee Room J-31, Senate Building, Coruscant
OBJECTIVE: Objective I - Decide the Fate of Jakku
ALLIES: Adhira Chandra | Seto Du Couteau | Julius Loghain | Marlon Sularen | Faith Organa | Annasari | Maou

This esteemed colleagues assessed the petition from Jakku, taking turns to ask questions of the assembled delegation and meeting attendees before debating the points raised. Sending aid to the planet and seeing proper elections were common themes, as was a desire to salvage the 800-year-old starship husks which littered the planet surface.

To Tithe, they were at an impasse. Jakku had resources - natural and salvaged - which the Alliance coveted. The hungry military-industrial complex, fuelled by the war with the Sith and recent funding increases by the Senate, needed to be fed, with Jakku a delectable looking morsel.

And yet, it would not be without cost. Bringing Jakku up to the expected Alliance standards of living would be a credit sink, and there was still the question of their ability to contribute meaningfully to the costs of running the Alliance and manning the GADF.

“If it, ah, pleases the Committee,” Tithe announced. “May I propose an outré solution - Associate Membership.”

He transferred the relevant section of the Alliance constitution to the other members of the Committee. As a lesser class of membership, Jakku would be afforded a non-voting Representative in lieu of a Senator, though the Representative could still speak during Senate meetings and lobby with interested parties. The membership category also placed a lesser burden on the planet in regard to contributing to the costs of the Alliance and the maintenance of the GADF.

“Concurrently, we consign the matter to the Standing Committee on Planetary Development and Aid, with a goal to ameliorating the standard of living and seeing full democratic elections, at which point, we can assess full Membership.”

The approach was not without its shortcomings, chief of which would be the reinforcing of a class-system within the supposedly all-equal Alliance. But, it gave both parties what they desired - membership for Jakku and access to the planet for the Alliance - while keeping the risk profile low for everyone.

 

[Thalia Senn]

Viers Connory Kaska Arden ​

Heat not from the blazing sun of Jakku rushed to her face as the older woman continued to admonish her. Who did this woman think she was? Storms she was getting angry.

"Maybe I did intend to use it, thief!" The accusation fell out of her mouth before the woman floated over spare parts to a familiar-looking girl on the deck. She could use the Force? Maybe she was a Jedi then...Maybe-

But no, no way. She was too grimy. Too, disheveled to be a Knight of the New Jedi Order. Sure, they were chaotic in their quest to defeat the Sith once and for all but this woman looked like she just walked out of a junk compactor on Bracca. It appeared their spat had prompted the other girl to move closer to them and her features became more clearly defined. Thalia did know this girl.

"I know you!" She blurted out, pointing at Viers in surprise. "You're Romi's cousin or something! W-what are you doing all the way out here? The enclave is way over there!" She said, gesturing her arm vaguely in the direction of the enclave, only then remembering that the location was supposed to be kept a secret. She cursed her big mouth. A familiar clanking sound came from the stairwell and from it emerged the lanky, tall body of Kujo. A gust of wind caused its cloak to billow and jangled its lightsaber across its black durasteel frame. It was shielding its photoreceptors when it came onto the platform, not that it needed to, and it looked to Thalia and spoke.

"Ah, there you are Padawan Senn. I spoke to the caravan's leader, dreadfully spiteful little fellow, but he said that we are several days from the nearest settlement and when I asked about trading for supplies to get back on foot he promptly called me a fool and-" It looked up as if noticing the other two for the first time. Its photoreceptors flashed blue and then back to white.

"Good day Padawan Viers. Ah! Knight Arden! It is good to see you! My databases indicate it has been one hundred and twenty-seven cycles since your last check-in with the New Jedi Order database. Would you like for me to record an update for once I return to the Jakku Enclave?"

She was a KNIGHT?! By the Red Seas of Knores had she messed this up.

"Oh Kriff," she muttered under her breath, her eyes bulging, staring at the older woman she had been slinging verbal mud at the last five minutes.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Cotan's words proved enough to coax her back into a seated position, and for the time being she opted to set her head in her hands while the two men spoke. She barely paid their actual conversation any mind, though she did pick up on the fact that Cotan seemed to know the name of the man. Errant.​

​

Well, at least she had a name for him now.​

​

The funny thing was, Errant did not recognize Cotan... Which brought many questions tumbling to mind. None of it was her business, of course, but she was somewhat glad to hear he had the same thoughts and voiced them freely.​

​

Though she refused to look anywhere near the puddle of remains, she did begin to calm down in the meantime. This was an unfortunate byproduct of such entanglements... People died, especially when dangerous weapons such as lightsabers and mystical entities such as the Force were thrown into the mix. She didn't have to like it, but she couldn't dwell on it for too much longer either.​

​

There would be a time to lament it later, when they were safe. For now they had to survive long enough to see the sands of Jakku once more.​

​

So she sat and waited to be patched up, silent in her ruminations.​

​

Cotan Sar'andor Bastard Aaris Kolden ​

 

[Aaris Kolden]

INSIDE THE WRECKED STAR DESTROYER
Objective 3: Your Enthusiasm is Palpatinable
Tags: Bastard Auraya Irath-Ur Cotan Sar'andor

Aaris peered down into the dark hole, his hands steadying himself so as to not loose balance. There was evidence that this had been a recent development in the eroded metal, as dust was still settling from the cave in. He felt the undeniable presence of the dark side of the force originating from below, a sign that the rumors from the locals was likely true and there would be some contact with a dark side enemy.

He was not new to the force. Although he would never speak of it in terms of light or dark, or engage with it in the way the Jedi do with lightsabers and such, he had grown with the force as an ally throughout the decades of war and conflict. It was almost like a constant friend to whom he had grown very close to. Many people suspected that he had some type of significant edge in combat... some leaning towards advanced technology in His armor while others leaned towards the force. But it was truly the latter. He had been learning how to function with the force for decades, and it made him a deadly weapon indeed.

His armor was very much utilitarian in nature, with it's primary function being pure protection and the ability to withstand most weaponry, including light sabers, as it was made entirely of phrik... an alloy associated with the Imperials dark troopers. Beyond this pure function of the armor, there was not much in the way of other technology or gadgets. He was, simply put, a walking tank. But one would be misguided to assume that his armor drastically affected his reflexes. He might not be known for his agility, but he continued to surprise his counterparts with his ability to function within the encompassing armor.

Aaris reached out and released a grappling line from his vambrace, striking the far bulkhead across from the canyon. He gave it a quick tug to make sure the metal wouldn't give, then looked down into the hole. Here we go.

He leapt off the edge and down into the darkness, the sound of the grappling line wizzing as he descended quickly into the abyss.

He landed finally at the bottom with a significant thud, his knees bending to absorb the impact. The chamber shook slightly at the weight of the impact from the commando. He looked up to see the three force users, who appeared to be fresh from an altercation, with a significantly disturbing corpse lying nearby. As he retracted the grappling line, he looked over the three individuals. Two of them appeared to be injured. His eyes finally shifted to Cotan Sar'andor , who appeared to be the leader of the bunch.

"I was sent here by the Galactic Alliance to assist you with your mission..." His face shifted back to Bastard , who seemed to be significantly injured, but also had a very unique appearance... he did not appear to be someone who would stereotypically be aligned with the alliance. His arm reached into his cloak which covered his armor and rested upon the grip of his blaster. "Your group appears to be injured... are we to proceed?"