Dominion The Cantrosian Two-Step | First Order Dominion of Cantros

[Caio]

Never in his wildest dreams had Caio expected to see such opulence. The amount of aliens on the streets was one thing but the sheer size of some of the buildings and lofty gleaming architecture just took his breath away. Kaza was close to losing her mind with some of the primitive worlders, she'd snapped twice now for jaws to be shut and eyes kept front.

It was ridiculous in some ways. An ornamental waterfall, gilded with gold and statues. The red carpet for more of the dignatories. The feline inhabitants which made Caio's hackles rise. He had the irrational urge to check the soles of his boots to make sure they were clean. Stars, half of these would probably think Coillte was a throwback to the stone ages.

He had to remind himself that despite all the pomp and splendour, there was a credible threat here. The cats didn't look like they'd be much use in a fight if things did go south. He couldn't understand why the First Order was wasting their time here on this planet. Someone could easily have asked why they had wasted their time on his.

"Which ones are ours?" had been the sarcastic question earlier on. Caio was fairly sure as they followed the First Order representatives inside. "Who's she meant to be?" he whispered to Jalik. He could sense the eye roll without even looking at him. "That's the Minister of Defense" he hissed back. Caio didn't seem to appreciate just how far up the food chain that was. "And yer man with her?" "He's the Minister for...well he's a Moff or something"

Mollified, Caio shut up before they got caught, forced to stand to the side while the VIPs greeted each other, both local and off-world. He felt like he was tarnishing the silver with his presence.

Zakar Vass Vidia Vudrirn

 

[Ryssa Yvarro]

Ryssa listened to the hostess Ms. Soutrros the CEO of SoulCorrp as she introduced herself and then the other attendees of the summit. All of whom had an interest in helping Cantros. "Doctor Derzelas, my sister has spoken highly of you," acknowledged Ryssa of FIMS' CMO. "Ah, Mr. Locke or should I address you as Exarch? A pleasure to meet you in person. I'm afraid we haven't had a chance to meet." She knew of Locke and Key Mechanics so it would be interesting to see what they brought to the table for Cantros and indeed, the First Order. ​

​

It hadn't occurred to Ryssa that Djonas Vile would arrive so trust that it was a pleasant surprise. ​

​

"And who is this lovely woman with you Doctor Derzelas?" Inquired Ryssa of Shalita Verd with a genuine smile. The venue itself was lovely, the hostess all the same and thus far things were okay. It was an interesting cadre of personas to be sure, but it was all in the name of business and moving to bring Cantros into the fold for the First Order. When Djonas did arrive, Ryssa couldn't help herself - she was grinning from ear to ear as she waved him toward her. It happened that she noted the presentation being set up by Oxidation Industries' CEO Rusty .​

​

"A peculiar presentation but I am nonetheless interested." ​

​

Resurgent Chronicle​

​

​

 

[Zakar Vass]

Smiling, Vidia and her 'entourage' stepped out of the vehicle and greeted Zakar as he also arrived, hand outstretched for a proper handshake. "Minister Vass, a delight to see you this afternoon. Shall we go in? I believe the proceedings are beginning as we speak."

Smiling in return, Zakar stepped forward and firmly shook the Hapan woman's hand. "Minister Vudririn, a pleasure. And congratulations to your ascension to the Moff Council- I look forward to working with you. Actually, time permitting after this summit, I wanted to speak with you about a possible interagency partnership. I'd like to expand the educational opportunities for active-duty FO serviceman post-primary schooling, and I feel like that my team has put together a very detailed proposal that can..."

Zakar trailed off as he sensed the wave of annoyance and anxiety emanating and building from his chief of staff. "But as you said, the proceedings are about to start. Let us go in", he said hastily. With that, their respective entourages made their way inside. Aidra walked behind him and muttered, "Good that you mentioned the proposal, but you really need to read the room Minister- business at hand first." Zakar nodded as they made their way through the opulent settings into the auditorium. He looked up and saw the program said that he would be speaking next.

Well, here goes nothing.

45 MINUTES LATER

"...And that is what the Dosuun Standard of Education means to us. A structured, holistic environment, wherein every child is given the tools and resource succeed, and the Ministry of Education is empowered make sure that every school and every teacher will have those tools as well. Those who wish to pursue University and post-graduate opportunities will also be given the resources to do so; this isn't the Core, where such opportunities are open to those with the right family name, or lucky enough to slip in. Her Majesty will never compromise the education of her citizens."

"In the First Order, we want to empower all of our citizens through education. Regardless of where they were born, their species, their gender, or their class. We do not believe that access to a quality education is a privilege to be doled out to the moneyed class- it is a fundamental right. Most of all, we believe an educated society, is inherently a better society. Thank you for your time."

Zakar stepped off the dais to polite applause and took his seat.

Caio \ Vidia Vudrirn

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura
Wearing: [xXx]


It had not been easy to remain within the walls of the estate that Eenia had been left behind in. She had been angry, hurt, and felt the sting of betrayal far more deeply than she had ever expected herself to feel. The idea of an Apprenticeship was to learn, was it not? To endure training, and the experience necessary to one day become something greater than she was. And yet Nia had been denied that opportunity, both quite adamantly and childishly in her opinion. She had woke the morning of departure to find that Dimitri had already left, and that had sparked a whole knew line of feelings directed at her Master.

And yet she had remained. Why? Truth be told, even Nia didn't honestly know. Perhaps it was merely because she had no place else to go. She could not run to her brother, they did not see eye to eye where their sister was concerned. She could not run to her sister for not only obvious reasons, but because she had no idea where Anora even was these days. There was nothing for her anywhere else either, and so...she had remained.

She had closed herself off to him however. The bond she and Dimitri shared was deep, rooted thoroughly, and yet she had slammed those doors shut without a second thought. Time and again she had felt the gentle prodding, that request for attention, for awareness, and she had denied him. At least until there had been something Dark that touched their bond too. Something Eenia didn't understand, something that had scared her even though she didn't know what was going on or why. But she had reached out, and continued to reach until she wasn't needed any longer.

And yet, even that didn't prepare her for her Master's actual, physical return home. She was still a woman scorned after all, and Dimitri would see it first hand when he approached her and Savante in the gardens. When he spoke her name, her flat expression was only altered by the lifting of a single eyebrow, and when he continued to speak, she rolled her eyes and looked away from him. "Of course they have," she spoke out, "And if I agree to go, I'm not going to close my eyes for any length of time only to open them and find you've already left?"

Yes, it was absolutely a dig at the prior situation between them, and while she didn't randomly generate situations to bring up her displeasure over the situation, she did not just let it slide either.

***
​

By the time the pair of them were well on their way towards Cantros, Eenia sat quietly within the lounge. She felt no need to initiate conversation, why should she? There was a lifelong lesson, something about if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. And so, she chose to say nothing. Not because all she had were nasty things to say, but because she wasn't sure what she might say if she allowed herself to just speak freely.

A sentiment that Dimitri clearly didn't share. When he spoke up, Nia's gaze turned from the viewport she had been blankly gazing out of. Her expression was still flat, but at least she looked at him. "That makes two of us," she told him, no bite in her tone this time round. "There were plenty of things from that whole venture that I didn't expect, however." Ah, there she was. Right back to her scorned attitude - but she still hadn't looked away.

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn | Open
WEARING: X

DEMONS​

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes at her words.

Letting out a long sigh, he opened his eyes once more. Their soft brown colour had been replaced by a glowing red.
"And what, exactly, came as such a surprise?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft, in response to her comment about a lot of things she did not expect from the venture.

Darkness swirled around the Sith Lord as he got up and moved over to the viewport. Darth Anguis' mocking laughter sounded faintly in his head.
<Wield it. You know you want to.>
Dimitri leaned against the transparisteel at these words in his mind, his hands curling into fists and head hanging low as he fought against the Hydra that started to rear its Dark, reptilian heads.

Finally, he turned back to his Apprentice, still at war with the ghosts of the past.
"Blame me all you want. At least I know you are alive to do so. I barely made it out of there alive. You would not have survived if you had been there in physical form. Not with the odds I faced. Revel in your scorn. But know that we have a job to do for the greater good. Decide now if you want to continue like a petulant child or if you want to truly take up the mantle of a Knight Obsidian. I'll be on the bridge." he said curtly, eyes still burning like red embers as he walked out of the lounge, fighting the urge to beg for forgiveness.

A Dragon never begged.

The yacht touched down in one of Minkaren's landing bays. Dimitri was off the ship in a jiffy and barely waited for Eenia to catch up, before moving towards the festive grounds. He had received enough intel to know that strange things were afoot. Threats have been made, yet he did not know the when and where.

The Obsidian Lord turned to his Squire, regarding the woman that had buried so quickly and thoroughly into his very soul.
"Can we put our differences aside and keep our eyes peeled and the Force close for any sign of danger?" he asked her, some of the malice gone from his voice. It was nigh impossible to harbour any anger against her for long.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura | Open
Wearing: [xXx]


Eenia felt that reaction long before she looked up to witness it in her Master's face. As one who had been tainted by Darkness more than once, she knew what was coming. She may not have been intune with Dimitri's thoughts at the moment, but that didn't matter. She braced herself, ready for that recoil, and it was a good thing she had done as such. The heat of both anger and mortification raced through her veins, and her eyes narrowed significantly. They were going to do this now, were they? Fine.

"It's good to see that you still have such blind faith in me and my abilities. I seem to recall living this long, on my own, without the assistance of some misogynistic Sith Lord patronizing me at every turn."

Did she believe that she would have come out of that last battle unscathed? Of course not, Nia was the furthest thing from an idiot. But did she believe that she physically would have done more good at Dimitri's side than away from it? Absolutely. But his closing statement riled something Dark within the blonde as well. Yet another person to compare her to a child, all for standing up for herself and not merely falling in line and batting her eyelashes. Nia's jaw set, her teeth clenched tightly as her Master left the room, and she did not follow.

In fact, he would not hear nor see her again until the yatch landed and it was then required for the blonde apprentice to leave the craft. She had not simmered, quite the contrary. Her remaining time alone allowed her to sit, simmer, and stew over the entirety of the situation. There was a dimness in her signature, and an unapproachable touch to her as she stepped foot on their destination. Finding Dimitri waiting did not soften her any.

"Of course, Master." there were perhaps a small handful of times that Eenia actually used the title aloud when regarding Dimitri, and none of them had been like that. "We're here to do a job, and to do it well." Which translated to the fact that there would be no problems from her, but she wasn't going to feign delight either.

 

[Srina Talon]

C A N T R O S 7
Tag: Tellu Talon
Location: Capital City of Minkaren
Objective: Mixed: Rise, Rebel, Reflect & Cantrosian Scratch Fever
_________________________________________________________


S R I N A​

Her vision seemed to narrow as she heard the voice of her sister call her from beyond the pale. At least, it should have been. It felt visceral. Nearer. But it couldn’t be. She had interred Tellu Talon herself on Monastery against the wishes of their mother. It was selfish. Some part of her had wanted her younger sibling close at hand in any way she could be. Her halberd was a bridge—But it wasn’t enough.

She shook her head and tried to push the voice from her mind.

Minkaren City required her focus. That would not be achieved while she was letting her imagination run wild with wishes and wants that would not come true just because she willed it to be so. The slender Exarch had survived through so many disasters. If they could have been avoided with a thought? With a dream? A prayer? She would have gone to Temple on Eshan every day. It just wasn’t the way reality worked. Ever. Especially, not for her.

Gone was gone. Dead was dead.

Silver eyes bore burning holes into the clear waters that gurgled almost merrily down the easy brook. It wouldn’t stop. She could still hear her sister screaming. She was better than this. She was Sith enough to withstand anything, anything, that the Force threw at her. Why was this ploy bursting through her defenses as if they weren’t even there at all?

Her name echoed again on the breeze.

Only—This time, it was on the breeze. It was in the air. She could hear it with her own ears. Was it possible that it wasn’t just in her head? Tapping her Holo-Comm she signaled to Gerwald Lechner that something was amiss. Low-level threat. But, on high alert. The Echani finally decided to try and find the source of the disturbance. Her expression was empty, unfeeling. But her sluggish blood had begun to boil just beneath the surface of her skin.

Whoever thought to taunt her with the memory of her sibling would die.

Period.

There was no discussion to be had, no explanation she would accept, and no reason that would still her hand. Swift footsteps took her across the bridge. She moved slowly at first until she caught the metaphysical marker that rang true of Tellu from deeper in the forest. It wasn’t exactly her. But, it was close enough that it gave her heart a forbidden jolt of the cruelest thing the universe could offer.

Hope.

False, hope.

Srina dodged through the trees and foliage as if she had been born to it. Twigs and brambles pulled at her clothing, tore at pallid skin, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she searched. Silver eyes peered through the area with glacial intent. She would find this interloper, the doppelgänger, and be done with this mess. She couldn’t fathom that the terrorist threat on Cantros had anticipated her arrival. They couldn’t be behind this. Only someone that knew her, knew her schedule, would have been able to arrange something so surreptitiously unforgivable.

“Tellu is gone. You are NOT my sister. Come out!”

The gauntlet was thrown. For someone that prided herself on remaining calm in all situations the young woman seemed to close to cracking. Wrath seemed out of her every pore. There was nothing that incensed her more than a mockery being made of her DEAD kin. It hit one of the few weaknesses she had left to target. A low blow—But an effective one.

Her head turned toward the right. The aura was stronger that way…The sound she knew so well. The cry, of her Tellu. The banshee wail.

“Show yourself.”

 

[Tellu Talon]

Var Talon | Srina Talon | Runar Ulfsson
R A G E

She grins as she swings, pissed that she'd been dissed left to rot in the depths of the cold.

Violence isn't the question it's the answer that fits as she hits faster and faster.

Her bones no longer old, broken from her mold, unleashed on the world she loathed.

Soulless, an empty shell that screams, out, the anger so that all around her.

All the trees are cut, crushed, hushed broken, and scattered about.

There she stands, head canted, tilted to the side her eyes are empty.

Devoid of emotion, she feels no fear and only looks like a sickened woman, deadly.

Rags clung to her body like the skins on her bones, know that her anger cracks into laughter.

Hastily her lips draw wide, steadily her head is held back and the whites of her eyes are gone.

The black and the void consume her, the woman before her is a memory that she cannot grasp.

Hatred amassed, her life, bypassed through a ritual from the Cantrosian Sooth Sayer.

Resistance is futile, she is a puppet to be controlled, strings held out invisible to see but there's no doubt.

Tellu Nysana Talon is a cannon but they hadn't counted on her sister to be here.

Is here, right there, for here is her sister among the canopies of the trees the forest that bleeds.

One more time, here comes an encore from the banshee herself kneel before the queen as those say hail, she begins to wail.
​

S R I N A​

​

 

[NAKAIOMA]

The First Order was-- if anything-- a continuously growing market, like many other governments across the galaxy, it had taken to a period of renewed territorial expansion, which with that, of course often meant greater opportunity for increased revenue. From the Nakaioma Dosuun Regional Headquarters, a moderately-sized team of corporate ambassadors, lobbyists and sales staff had been assembled and dispatched to the world of Cantros, following news of the upcoming business summit to be held on the planet. With them, they had the usual assortment of equipment, ranging from samples of their newest generation products, prototypes for upcoming ones, a variety of high production value HoloAdverts, and a collection of physical advertisements, posters and the sort. Though this would all simply be for show, as the real pitches would be made in face-to-face conversations, establishing connections, trust and kinship with the local upper classes.​

Ishii Daiyu, Vice Ambassador for Nakaioma Dosuun; the corporation's First Order branch office, had been put in-charge of the team, as his superior, the Chief Ambassador was visiting the Terminus system on an unrelated matter. He was young for his position, in his early thirties, and still had a full head of thick jet black hair to show for it. Dressed in an all-white suit, a severe contrast to his team's traditional Nakaioma all-black, the jacket unbuttoned and without a tie, he exuberated an aura of young business savvy that many of a similar wealthy upbringing such as his in the Core Worlds did. The man had surveyed the room, regardless of the briefing he had been given prior to arriving on the planet, it always helped to get a feel of the room yourself. Spotting several individuals of note, not limited to but including Mr. Locke, Ms. Derzelas, and the Confederacy's new Minister of Secrets. Lifting a glass of bubbling blue liquid from a passing servant droid's platter, his optical implants swiftly informing him of its non-toxic contents, he took a swig, and thought through his options.​

His team had dispersed themselves into the crowd, socializing with the Cantrosian elite and off-world corporate representatives alike. Sleek black and red suits mingling with the exotic fabrics and color palettes of their potential business partners. Behind him, at the side of the summit's meeting area, the corporate stall had been quickly set-up, the Utsuki flower logo of NAKAIOMA standing out as it was raised above the line-up of products and information on available services that were now already being presented to curious future customers. To his knowledge, which at times could be lacking the full plethora of available information, as apparently the Chief Ambassador was the only one important enough in his department to receive full daily briefings, channels were being opened in the background of all this, for the establishment of corporate local offices on Cantros. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Ishii turned to meet eyes with a young Cantrosian woman, or rather a lady he should say.​

"Ishii Daiyu, Vice Ambassador. What can I do for you, madam?" He introduced himself. It was going to be a long afternoon.​

NAKAIOMA's Current Line of Products

 

[Caio]

Caio was in a form of hell.

They'd been spaced out in and around the auditorium. The platoon had been split into penny packets and were scattered between here and the doors. Others were tailing First Order VIPs. There just wasn't enough of the diplomatic security gang to go around but they still viewed the infantry as interlopers. Despite the heightened security threat, they'd plainly prefer the animals not to be here. For his own part, Caio found they spooked him. He'd heard some were FOSB but they looked nasty and rough and tough enough to take care of themselves and their charges.

By luck of the draw, he was inside which meant he couldn't even get a chance to speak to another. The nearest guard was ten metres away. He also had to endure a deluge of speeches from the various guests and was not enjoying his time as a captive audience. An Cantrossian household guard was the other side of him and the feline had looked at him like he was a slug that had made it inside.

Basic wasn't his first language so he'd have struggled to follow the talks even if he had been interested. His reading and writing was even worse so a lot of the text appeared to him like this bizarre mix where the occasional word jumped out at him. Forty five minutes later, his shoulders slumped a little in relief as the First Order speaker stepped down to applause.

Zakar Vass Vidia Vudrirn

 

[Var Talon]

OBJECTIVE: Family Matters - BYOO

Freedom was delicious.

With the sudden departure of the Malvern Mongrels from the South, Var found himself a beast no longer on a leash. Record? Clean. Accounts? Stacked. It didn't get much better than this for a man who had busted out of supermax. One would think that, with such a newfound lease on life, that he would kark off to the ass end of the Galaxy. Maybe retire somewhere with a beach and some scantily clad women - with even looser morals. Yet, surprisingly? Var was hanging out in the midst of an operation. His Obsidian ties came calling and, for some odd reason, the Echani felt compelled to answer.

Was it the old vestiges of honor rearing their head? Was he beginning to see these folk as comrades? Honestly, he didn't have an answer. But, as he went about his part of the day's operation, something made his skin crawl. It was a name. A name he knew all too well. Bellowed in such a way...like...the word rattled about inside his skull. Var could only identify this as being something related to the Force. And related to his family. The word? His sibling's name. Srina. The so-called Dread Queen.

She who couldn't cook her way out of a paper bag.

The Echani revved his speederbike and took off in the direction of the voice. Simply advising the local Obsidian chain that he was going to take a look into a lead. Nothing major. Not that he needed clearance to look into family business. And after a few moments' ride? He felt two things. One was the familiar "aura" of his eldest surviving sister. The second...was death. Unfeeling death. Var's bike came to a halt a mere stone's throw away from where Srina stood. And he gaped as he witnessed the hurricane brewing in their direction.

Tellu. Living. Dead. Pissed.

"...No."

Tellu Talon || Srina Talon​

​

 

[John Locke]

Location: Summit
Wearing: A suit
Tagging: Ryssa Yvarro | Rusty | Shalita Verd | Fevris Derzelas

​

“John, Mr Locke if you must. I’m not here representing the Confederacy today, just myself and my company. Nothing more, nothing less.”

It was hard to find time away from the Confederacy, from the duties that came with that title, Exarch. A position of trust, of responsibility, of power sure, but also one that came with shadowy chains. You couldn’t see them, couldn’t sense them, but they existed, those bonds of responsibility that held you tighter than any chain of iron. That was the weight of the crown, of those bound to it. John still managed his company, but more and more he did it while managing the affairs of the Confederacy that fought for his attention. Those times he could…retreat from the shadows cast by that position and be the businessman he was at heart, those were some of the times he relished the most.

“It’s been one of my biggest regrets we haven’t been able to meet before, to establish some kind of working rapport. Truth be told, I’m a huge fan of your company’s work and I have ato admit I’m looking forward to see what you’re bringing to the table today.”

The man’s dark eyes lifted, shifting away from the woman to glance up at the others joining them, one a familiar face and one not. This was the joy of these occasions, the new faces you got to meet, the new connections formed. Even if you didn’t meet them again, that one connection could have consequences you never imagined, open doors or opportunities you couldn’t have ever dreamed would come your way. It had happened to him so many times before, a chance encounter leading to a meeting with someone else later. That unknown future was what kept him interested, what drew him back again and again, the vagrancies of chance and the potential. A smile pulled up the corner of his lips as the man winked at the newcomers, holding out a hand in greeting.

“Hi, John Locke of Locke and Key Mechanics, the Confederacy is a long way away from here and I’m trying to fly undercover as it were. Sometimes I have to do what’s best for my company after all. So, what brings the Chief of the Imperial Medical Services to our little gathering? Any new needs that we can help supply you? Unless like me you’re here to see the marvels that Oxidation Industries have come up with?”

Sometimes you came across an inventor who had such a style of their own that they managed to make the entire galaxy sit up and take note. Rusty was such an individual.

John had never actually met him but had heard stories about the designs he’d come up with and now here was a chance to see the reality in action, and the cyborg had to be honest, the truth didn’t disappoint.

 

[Srina Talon]

C A N T R O S 7
Tag: Tellu Talon | Runar Ulfsson | Var Talon
Location: Capital City of Minkaren
Objective: Mixed: Rise, Rebel, Reflect & Cantrosian Scratch Fever
_________________________________________________________
​

It felt like her.

Every part of her screamed in blazing red warning that this was some morbid trick designed to throw her typically calculated sensibilities to the wind. Her family meant everything to her. She had left her place on Eshan and crossed the galaxy to remove those she loved from the crosshairs of a greedy fool. She had lost everything, including, but not limited to three of her sisters and her niece.

That was the moment where everything had turned.

“I will kill you.”, she swore to the wind. It was not a threat. It was an inevitability. Srina rarely broke the façade that she had taken on, but this was unacceptable. All of the enemies that wished her direct harm had seemingly faded away. Perhaps, they’d grown bored. Perhaps, it was simply a result of their own hubris and ineptitude. The galaxy had swallowed them whole. She couldn’t fathom who might be responsible for this heresy, but she had a perfect idea of how their day would end.

At her feet, begging, before she reduced their collective suffering to nothing by returning them to dust.

A faint ping in the back of her mind told her that she wasn’t alone. Specifically, that Var Talon was drawing nearer. Her teeth ground together. Shouldn’t her little brother have been spending the ridiculous sums of money he had squirreled away? Perhaps, teaching one of the prettier Knights Obsidian their ways? Specifically, coitus under the guise of sparring. It wasn’t that she was bothered by his presence, but her heart felt heavy. He had just returned.

She couldn’t lose anything else. Refused, to.

As the motor for the speeder bike quieted, she turned silver eyes back toward the maelstrom she felt brewing through the Force. The wind pulled at moonlit hair that had been bound back with her usual braids and she found her expression growing wan and thin. Srina raised a hand while several trees fell and splayed out in the woodlands as if a bomb had come off. The slight application of the invisible energy that ran through all things kept the falling logs from turning them into sticky, mottled, paste, and meatier chunks. “I do not think you should be here…”, she murmured to her brother.

It was a family matter. Certainly. But, he knew not what she would do.

Srina remained silent for a spare moment as a deep sense of revulsion rolled through her. The thing that she could read screaming through the Force seemed like her sister, felt, like her. But wrong. All wrong.

Could it actually be her?​

“Who…”, she trailed off, softly, but with no small amount of fury. “Who would do this? Who could do this? Who could invade Monastery and bring her back like this? What enemy?”

It was either that or a horrid, rank, amateur.

With a slow shake of her head, the wintry Exarch pulled ahead and moved to approach the hellspawn that seemed to bear a striking resemblance to Tellu Talon. The banshee wail of her name, once more, caused her heart to burn. It was intolerable. She wanted to shriek right back in the direction it had come from. To deny that this could…Possibly…Be her sister.

A revenant? Crazed, half alive?

She walked into the line of sight of the ragged, pale thing, that had once been the jewel of their house. One look spelled a thousand words. Sanity slipped. Was it really her?

“…I’m here Tellu… You don’t have to yell, anymore.”

It hurt to say her name.

It only incensed Srina further.

 

[Shalita Verd]

TEA AND TECHNOLOGY​

Outfit: Outfit | Taozin Amulet | No-Show Watch
Tags: Fevris Derzelas | John Locke | Ryssa Yvarro | Rusty

Fevris brought out all kinds of feelings and yet, the assassin didn’t show even an ounce of them. Instead, the only kind of emotion that reflected even the smallest of care for her partner, was the light touches against the other’s skin. Her own proclivities towards public displays, was closely tied to the fact that the woman was never usually seen in the public eye and for good reason. This meant that she didn’t usually lean towards public displays of affection, however she made the odd exception and from time to time; so a hand would lightly touch the small of the blonde woman’s back in reassurance of her presence. Her mind on the other hand was a completely different matter entirely, especially considering that the woman’s lifestyle usually orientated around work. Simply being in the moment was not a habit that she had quite settled into just yet.

Icy blue eyes settled upon the other woman of whom she had come to learn as Ms Yvarro, a woman who asked about Fevris’s companion. A slow smile curved her lips then as her gaze slowly drew in the other’s presence. The only question remained, was whether or not she gave a lie, a half truth or a full truth. Such a question was important, considering that it was in her nature to lean towards a proclivity to distrust any and all that she met. ”Shalita Verd. Simply put, I am the sister of the Confederacy’s Vicelord.” A half truth, with the act of omission as it were; the Shi’ido thought to herself and offered a hand to Ryssa in a simple exchange of niceties.

After the initial exchange, she took a sip of the champagne that she held, only to offer the drink to Fevris when she noticed that the beautiful woman had finished her own beverage. Alcohol did nothing for Shalita and most often, she only drank it for the simple act of blending in and making everyone else around her feel a little more comfortable. Still, the woman fought with the urge of wanting to stay close to the woman, or simply go about business that she would normally conduct on a normal day. Yet she felt drawn to the woman and a hand lifted to almost rest upon the woman’s shoulder, but the limb hesitated in mid air. Mentally, she gritted her teeth and her hand simply dropped back to her side. She couldn’t help it, she just felt this natural urge to protect the one life that she could never even ponder killing.

Instead, her head angled a milli fraction to the right and nodded softly at the words being spoken by those she kept company with. ”John, you’re hardly a man who could fly under such a radar. You're too well known.” The woman said with a soft smile and she angled her head towards a stall that held all kinds of fascinating objects. Some creatures appeared to be bees and others; spiders of some kind. ”Perhaps we could move this gathering over there and take a look at that gentleman’s wares that he has so graciously displayed for us.” Shalita mentioned, even though her motives were not quite that pure.

Even during her passing glances between the individuals currently present and speaking to each in their little group, she had noticed Ishii Daiyu within her peripheral vision. The night was young and many more people were still making themselves known. Although Ishii’s wandering gaze had certainly caught her attention, even if she hadn’t yet made that fact known. Perhaps, they would make their way around to him eventually, or maybe they wouldn’t. Either way, the assassin would eventually make her way to him. He had peaked her interest, at least for the moment and how he had peaked it, that would be something that the woman would keep to herself. For now anyway, as she wanted to keep an eye on other things.​

.

 

[Tellu Talon]

Runar Ulfsson | Srina Talon | Var Talon
H A T E

Words were heard but it was as if she had been murdered.

Her head canted titled, eyes devoid of life the skin on her bones withered.

Anger consumed her, pushed her, into a wicked grin a twisted sin committed.

Her eyes tinted with a liquid macabre, bled from each side as she stood there conflicted.

Forward she pulled toward the woman before her confusion among her features wherein the banshee settled onto.

A memory firmly rattled disgruntled as it played in her mind over and over again, time after time it only served to.

Renew her anguish the pain and all that remained was an empty woman, a hollow shell of a human.

In the shadows around them a quick look, and then it only took a second to see that the Soothsayer.

Whispered a dark prayer to their maker and moved their hands to control the woman before them.

Revived and alive, made to be used for the gain of one and the expense of another.

Chaos abound did the Nether speak through this necromancer and the evils upon the woman of light.

Tellu Nysana Talon put her head back the sickening crunch of the bones as they crumbled against their own brittle nature.

There with her might, she released the unholy sound - and all around them, rap-a-pop-pop-snap-crackle-drop.

Right then and there here go all the major timbers splintered around them spread out all over.

Over and over far and out and there she goes Tellu Nysana Talon's head goes forward her body sways toward her.

Sister and her brother not far from her but it's hard to see Tellu broken by the taboo voodoo.

Her eyes glow so unnatural the green and the yellow, the sulphur hue.

A grave violated, a woman resuscitated only the Force can help her.

So still the banshee wails, so still the banshee calls all for;

V A R

So still the banshee cries for, insists for her sister;

S R I N A​

 

[Rusty]

There were a lot of faces Rusty didn't recognize. Most of them, in fact, were new to him. The Shard had always been the sort of person who let others come to him, rather than seek out new business. That was just the nature of his work: if you knew, you knew, and if you didn't know, you didn't need to. Not many people had the want or need for his particular brand of lunacy. Nevermind that this lunacy hid a number of very competent, very sane pieces of kit that the discerning customer could pick out and make effective use of. That was the whole idea. The stuff Rusty made that he was really proud of, he didn't want to go into the hands of folks who wouldn't be able to appreciate it, or use it to its fullest.

Or at least, that had been the case. RCFC had made a tremendous amount of money on his crazier inventions, with a core of loyal customers who knew how to find and use the good stuff. RCAA had almost entirely been full of batshit ideas, and probably would be for the foreseeable future. Oxidation Industries would follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, but with a slightly different focus.

Every year, the Shard became more and more disappointed with the standards of the arms industry. It was trending, hard, towards items designed more around squeezing in the latest and greatest bits of tech. That was all well and good, but most of it was superfluous. A specialist didn't need five separate types of sensors that all more or less did the same thing. Nor did they need to pay for it.

The goal of Oxidation Industries was to produce kit designed for the specialist, at a reasonable cost. Take their new light tank, affectionately dubbed Law. A skilled crew with a good commander would be hell on tracks with the little bugger, able to zip around the battlefield with near impunity. What's more, it was cheap to produce, while still being rugged and reliable. The multifuel internal combustion engine was ancient tech, but it would keep running until the heat death of the universe, and could burn everything from moonshine to motor oil in a pinch. Anything it couldn't run from, it could probably kill. Anything it couldn't kill, it could probably run from. All it needed was a sufficiently skilled crew.

Let folks look at the Exploding Boner Spider and think that's what Rusty and Oxidation Industries was about. That was fine by him. He'd still make another fortune off the damn things, despite the expense of hiring skilled alchemists to make them. What's more, he still enjoyed making stuff at the cutting edge of insanity. But the good stuff, the really good stuff, that was still waiting for the discerning customer. And that would be the crux of his new business, rather than a sideshow.

Fevris Derzelas | John Locke | Ryssa Yvarro |

 

[Ryssa Yvarro]

​

"Of course," remarked Ryssa toward Shalita Verd because who these days within the Confederacy wasn't one of Darth Metus' kin. Perhaps it was why the Confederacy and Sith Empire got along the way they did. Both were run by Sith-led families at least for the second it was quite obvious as to why. But no matter, they all generated credits and that was good enough for Ryssa. Rusty and their particular ideas for weapons were quite creative and at the very least gave room for pause, pause for Ryssa to consider just what all the person offered.​

​

Spiders, Bees, and everything in between, "my, my, my I am positively delighted at the level of innovation displayed here by Oxidation Industries." Quietly the woman looked and investigated what she could of what had been on display. It occurred to Ryssa that the business displayed here was of a more insane variety, but one she was sure her family could appreciate on some level or another. Then again, she wondered what Mr. Locke thought of the items put on here by Oxidation Industries.​

​

As she looked around she also happened to notice Ishii Daiyu of NAKAIOMA and made a note to speak with them later on in the evening.​

​

John Locke | Fevris Derzelas ​

 

[Fevris Derzelas]

Location: Corporate Summit, Cantros.
Objective: Networking and business.
Wearing: XxX.
Tagging: Shalita Verd ~ John Locke ~ Ryssa Yvarro ~ Rusty ~ NAKAIOMA

The Doctor offered a smile at Ms. Yvarro as the beautiful lady by her side introduced herself. Shalita's identity was something to be handled with care, and Fevris had learned this early on in their relationship. After all, she had not been Shalita Verd when they first met but Anya Sinter. Here, in a summit that saw members of her faction and of Fevris' own mingling together, a bit more honesty could be allowed but still, not quite all of it. The shi'ido was much more than just the Vicelord's sister after all.

The sapphire blue gaze turned towards Oxidation's stand as its presentation was about to begin, before returning to John Locke. "I am sure we would have many interesting prospects to discuss, but indeed I am very intrigued to see what Oxidation has come up with recently." If they had gone into further detail right then, it would come as no surprise that something the CMO was particularly interested in were Locke and Mechanic's cybernetics. Even beyond the fine business of providing new limbs to those that had lost them, there was a whole world of enhancements awaiting that could improve quality of life drastically. John Locke himself was a testament to that.

But there was much to see here and the night was still young. While weaponry was not something one would assume could interest a medically oriented corporation like her, it was in fact something Fevris was deeply interested in. After all, it was often her job to deal with the results left behind by such instruments - if they left anything behind at all. A smile stretched her lips as she accepted Shalita's own glass, her free hand returning to take a hold of the assassin's own in what was a small, easily overlooked gesture by most people and that would suffice to placate the need for closeness they both had.

The Doctor walked alongside the small gathering as they moved towards the place Shalita had suggested, where they could get a much better view of Oxidation's...striking inventions. Her voice then would reach those around her. "No short amount of creativity, and as always terrifically executed. Impressive." To the galaxy, destruction had become an art that never stopped evolving - for at some point of the other it would always be necessary, regrettable or not. A voice then caught her attention, and her eyes glided to catch sight of whom she recognized to be Ishii Daiyu. "It would seem Nakaioma is also present here tonight. I've recently started following their work, another formidable enterprise."

Spoiler

Noxis Corporation Catalogue:

• Ausrine Surgical Instrument Kit
• Nox-1 Agent, Inzamine
• N-1 Ios, Medisensor and Scanner

Known Agreements:
- Xucphra Corporation, Daegon Corvinus: development, production and distribution of hypoalergenic bacta.

 

[Var Talon]

FAMILY MATTERS

I do not think you should be here...

Normally, the Echani would duck and dive wherever his siblings asked. Such was the pecking order of the Talon household. As one of the babies of the lot, Var seldom disagreed whenever Srina or Tellu told him to do something. But this wasn't a matter of doing chores or attending to his duties. This was family. And the revenant before them? That was his sister too. Var marked the might which emanated from his eldest sister. Even the most rudimentary Obsidian lessons told him one thing - if he didn't help get to the bottom of this, soon?

He would just be getting in the way.

"I can't go, not yet." came his reply. For but a moment, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Srina. His wintry gaze falling onto the being that was once Tellu. His heart told him that it was his sister. But his gut? Cultivated by all the hellscapes he had lived through? That told him otherwise. He drew a deep breath, forcing his heart to shut the feth up so he could focus for a moment. The Echani wasn't gifted enough to blow apart forests or to move mountains via the Force. His talents were smaller. Precise. They made him a damn good enforcer.

And in that instant, the silver of his eyes ran crimson.

Truesight fell upon him. It was a skill he picked up from the Solanceae in passing - and thus, he couldn't keep it going for long. Like a chubby kid on a treadmill, every second ate away heaps of his energy. But this was worth it. Srina stepped forward, speaking calmly to their dearly departed sibling. But Tellu roared. Her body twisted, head rearing back inhumanely. And while the eldest advanced, Var witnessed.

The truth? It would set her free. And the truth that Var saw...

"Sister." he called. Keeping his voice low. "Someone's pulling her strings. I can't get a bead on where the fether is, but I can see it clear as day. Can you get into her head?"​

Srina Talon || Tellu Talon

 

[Srina Talon]

C A N T R O S 7
Tag: Tellu Talon | Var Talon | Runar Ulfsson
Location: Capital City of Minkaren
Objective: Mixed: Rise, Rebel, Reflect & Cantrosian Scratch Fever
_________________________________________________________
​

Var would not leave.

Though, to his credit, she had not directly issued an order. Merely, a hope. That he would have the sense and presence of mind to forget the madness he had seen. To forget the call of his sister that echoed from the breast of a tortured revenant. This ragged, howling creature, was a mockery of everything their sister had ever been. By the bright—It was nigh sacrilege.

A deep-seated sigh rose from a silent space in her core. If ever there was a simple sound that could convey all of the sadness and exhaustion one heart could hold; it was that.

“I know.”

Srina knew that Var could not leave, yet. But she wished he would. The emotion that welled from her false-sister was overwhelming. It burned like a heatwave, hellfire, in the dead of night. Emotional wounds that the Exarch had long since considered cauterized seemed to have suddenly been left wide open while some unseen force rubbed it full of salt. She could feel something flux within her brother and waited, almost patiently, for him to speak again.

When the Force changed, like the wind, she knew it. Could feel it, intimately.

It almost felt bolstering to have her younger brother standing with her. Not behind her, nor, hidden beneath a shielding wing. Despite the fact that he towered over her she had always felt crushingly protective over the youngest of Clan Talon. He was the best of them, truly. Still young enough to see beyond what the pale offered, though, learned enough not to walk into a thermonuclear situation unaware and unarmed. Like this. His stillness told her that he had learned.

Listen, watch, and learn. It was the first thing she had been taught. Watch, and learn.

The strange way that the specter moved caused a shiver of something unpleasant to roll over her skin. The short, jerky movement of her head, the way her joints popped, and the angle at which she turned to look at them was unearthly. Her eyes were alight with something wicked. Never, had they shown that way when Tellu lived and breathed. It made it all the easier to accept the information that Var Talon gave her. It could be, her. It could be their sister.

Her body at least.

Could she get into the head of the revenant which stood before them?

“Yes.”

It was a confident response. She could. She had no doubt that she could. What lingered in her mind was the conscious warning of whether or not she should. Who knew what level of insanity might leech from the disembodied consciousness of their sibling if she pressed through those boundaries? Either way—Options were slim. If this was Tellu and this creature had access to her abilities?

She was dangerous. Not just toward herself and Var—But the whole city they’d come to help.

“If she wails, you’ll need to protect yourself. You remember what it’s like…It’ll hurt like hell.”

The creature seemed to stagger this way and that. Without any real intent. Just a horror that was capable of terrorizing everything around her. Her mind swept through the destroyed tree line while a telekinetic dome kept both herself and her brother from being pelted with shrapnel. <<If you’re in there sister… Help me.>>

Let me in.​

Silver eyes bled gold while her mind began to bridge the gap. Attempting to peel back layers, to part the veil, so that she could find the puppet master. The reason that the image of her sister was being misused and abused in such a way. Srina could not allow herself to accept, yet, that this raving living-dead skeleton belonged to the sister she felt so close to. It was a possibility… But first things first.

No more strings. No more manipulation—She would free this form of Tellu from whomever it was that caused her limbs to move and dance about like a marionette. Enough, was enough.

No more strings.