Dominion A New Age | SO Dominion of Ryoone

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

As one of the signatories to the Najarka Accords, Malum had watched with keen interest as it seemed their newest Imperator sought to tear it up in a fit of fancy... alas, that was not fair, he had read over the brief just as well as any of them, it was a well thought out manouvere that only had its fatal flaw in one matter most important.

That it exposed a difference of opinion between two who really should not have such public differences of opinion.

Though considering Malum had dueled a once Emperor of the Sith, perhaps he should not be one to judge.

He smirked a sly smirk beneath the mask, as he watched the resounding cacophany that was about to break across the command room, he had to give credit to the once Slavemaster General, their purpose had been elucidated for quite sometime, even to the surprise of many down below, and across the empire, and to perhaps even greater shocks, they had kept to them. The Third Legion remained above Ryoone, menacingly facing off against the Commonwealth's fleet, that was quickly arriving from all quarters.

If the once Sephi had wanted to safely make a splash, he struggled to think of a better way to do so. Well, apart from taking the newly constructed armada, and launching it unsupported against the Alliance's frontline... he had said safely, though. There was a matter of most import when it came to stand offs of this nature, however, if you wished to portray your vaunted strength with them...

...You could not, in any manner, back down.

That might have been the ingeniuity of the Sephi's strategem, however. The recency of one's appointment was often when they were most cautious, but, if one could turn away from their fears for a moment, they would realise too, the recency of one's appointment, was just as often when the appointer would have to be just as cautious. There was prestige in becoming Imperator... as there would be shame in demoting one, showing the Empire weakness, even in that weakness being appointing a lunatic to one of the highest military offices.

Suffice it to say, even for one that did not care for the consequences of opinion, as their Emperor so often was.

There would be no recrimination from that quarter.

And that would be if the Emperor even cared for the Commonwealth that had by his own measure only survived Sith liberation by the virtue of connection to one of the Dark Councillors.

The very same, that now appeared before them.

As too, the familiar face of Lady Ivarro, he could not help but narrow his eyes behind the mask.

The one who kept voting down his bills in the Assembly...

...He supposed he could hardly take much issue with that, half the Empire voted against him. Still, he could not deny there was part of him that wished to deliver an appropriate level of force, from the hand of another, for that slight.

A planet would do more than well enough, no?

Alas, that part of him had to long stay quiet now, for duty compelled him to a course that would have made the younger him choleric in humours. It made him particularly melancholic at the memory that a younger him, would have only been a scant half a decade ago...

He allowed a wistful sigh through his nostril, as the veil broke, emerging out from nothingness, the Heir of Darth Marr, Lord of the Tsis'Kaar and Dark Councillor of the Sith Empire strode, armoured in ever, the blackened plate and mail that was his very form and function, the black knight of the Sith that could just as easily plant a dagger in your back, the daggers were hidden, but held within the sheath at his side, the beskar glinted menancingly outwards.

"Lovely, Imperator, alas, it would seem your maps are outdated, outside of the control of Jutrand this world may be, but outside of the control of Dosuun it is not," He turned a masked gaze towards Lady Yvarro, "And Dosuun has firmly bowed their heads in submission and fealty to our Emperor on Jutrand, as cemented in treaty and blood," He turned his head back to the newly made Imperator, "The misunderstanding has been wrought, yet, no mistake has been made, continue the Shattermarch onward," Now he turned his gaze to the fellow Dark Councillor in the room, a silent offer, in her cause, "I am sure that our friends and allies in Dosuun shall be more than accomodating when it comes to matter of reinforcement and supply, and this... misunderstanding forgotten."

He brought his focus back to the rest of the room, gazing upon them all with a challenge.

"Does anyone disagree?"

Lirka Ka Commodore Helix Taeli Raaf Ivalyn Yvarro Delsin Shaw Serina Calis
Mentioned: Darth Empyrean

 

[Rae Cooke]

//: Serina Calis //:
//: Attire //:

Things were getting interesting fast. Rae had been once again chosen to follow Serina into a room full of people who could probably tear her head off with a thought. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. After the mission on Kamino - she was unsure if Serina would want to do the same. Today, she was without a helmet, using the HUD in the esper eye she had in her left socket. It was more accurate than anything a helmet or a visor could display.

As she stood near Serina, she watched the woman. It wasn't hard to see that she was unhappy with where she was or how things were handled. Unfortunately or fortunately, Serina wasn't in charge. Voices carried authority and spoke of things she wasn't fully aware of. Still, everything was locked away - recorded and classified using her cybernetic. She would filter it and review the data later - without her Benefactor knowing.

More faces filtered in, Ivalyn Yvarro, Taeli Raaf, and Malum of House Marr. The last one of this interesting trio was the one that surprised her the most. She fully expected Ivalyn because of the Commonwealth and Taeli, who had connections. Rae tilted her head away as more and more people who knew who she was continued to show up. It was unfortunate that she didn't wear a helmet today.

Rae did her best to not meet Taeli's gaze - this should be easy enough with the woman obviously preoccupied with the situation unfolding. It seemed the third legion had overstepped their boundaries.

Curious and with the agreement explained, Rae looked at Serina and raised an eyebrow. She could tell the woman was still upset, but there was really no way to comfort or calm her frustrations. Remaining close, Rae adjusted her stance and kept quiet.

Looking back around, Rae exhaled softly as she remembered a particular meeting in which the young woman at her side was taught a few harsh lessons. She had gotten her revenge on one of the women, but the other was in this room, trying to defend her world. This would explain the current behavior she felt from her benefactor.

Another gentle sigh as she cleared her throat. If Serina glanced towards the trooper, which she heavily doubted the woman would, Rae would give her a stern nod, showing her allegiance to the girl.

Spoiler: tags

Lirka Ka Darth Malum of House Marr Taeli Raaf Ivalyn Yvarro Commodore Helix Delsin Shaw

 

[Serina Calis]

"Vengeance."

Tags - OBJECTIVE ONE: Lirka Ka Commodore Helix Ivalyn Yvarro Rae Cooke Darth Malum of House Marr Delsin Shaw



She did not speak when Darth Arcanix bored.

She did not speak when Lirka failed.

She did not speak when Ivalyn entered—graceful, proud, still so very unaware of how little grace meant when a woman like Serina Calis turned her gaze to you.

She did not speak when Delsin brought practicality.

She did not speak when Darth Malum finished his challenge with the weight of a Dark Councilor's voice—

"Does anyone disagree?"

But when Rae gave her a nod of support, which Serina returned with a nod of her own...

—She stepped forward.

No sound. No declaration. The movement was enough.

The great helm of the Arch-Commandant turned, her segmented cape splitting at the base like molten wings as she took one precise step into the center of the council circle. Six violet eyes glowed faintly, their light glinting off every reflective surface. She was not just a woman in armor. She was a sovereign blade encased in perfection, her voice unsheathed like a weapon of exacting legal devastation.

And when it came, her voice was not a shout. Not a scream. It was cold. Slow. Terrifying in its precision.

"No," Serina began, "there has been no violation."

The silence that followed stretched like drawn wire.

"Only ignorance," she continued, her voice a velvet scalpel. "A misunderstanding, yes. But not of action. Of reality."

Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

She lifted one clawed finger and gestured slightly. The holomaps hovering above the central table flickered—then reoriented with a single command from her embedded systems. The maps shifted. Recharted. A sphere of Sith space emerged in pale violet, surrounding the known positions of the Dosuunian Commonwealth's declared territories.

Then—red lines flared outward from the center. The marks of the Planeshift.

"You see," Serina said, "the treaties ratified by the Assembly—and recognized by this Commonwealth—clearly define their sovereign domain across eleven specified systems."

With a thought, ten systems blinked in white: Dosuun, Mephout, Seoul, Needan, Crystal Nest, Baralou, Alpinn, Tholon, Sky Absit, Najarka, and Varada V.

All were neatly clustered.

"All of which," she said coolly, "as of last quarter-cycle, have remained precisely where they were when the Najarka Accords were signed. But…"

Another slow gesture.

A second cluster of worlds blinked into view—Ryoone among them—outside the original bounds.

"Ryoone," Serina murmured, "was not one of them."

A new line blinked to life: the drift. The path of celestial movement. The red arc swept dramatically from Ryoone's former position—outside the reach of the Sith Empire—to its current place within the boundaries of what was now clearly, indisputably, Sith-controlled space.

"The Planeshift," she said, "is not a political event. It is a cosmological reordering. And as of now, Ryoone is now within our domain, as per the new star charts authenticated and distributed by the Sith Empire. The treaty specifies territory. Not intent."

She turned her head slightly toward Ivalyn, but did not step closer.

"I do not violate the Accords by operating on Ryoone, Grand Vizier. Because Ryoone is not part of your nation. It was not annexed. It was not claimed. It moved. And in so doing, has placed itself inside the field of influence where this Empire has sole jurisdiction, according to law, to the Emperor's own decree."

She paused. Let them absorb it.

"You have no legal right to be on Ryoone under the auspices of the Accords."

Serina's voice lowered, honeyed now. Dangerous. Now was the time for a more, personal blow.

"You are not here to correct a violation. You are here because you feel you are owed an apology for an accident of astronavigation. You are wrong."

Another shift on the map. Points of proselytizing technology glowed along Ryoone's volcanic plains. Transmission towers, vox pylons.

"Furthermore," she said, "The Accords clearly permit the proselytizing efforts of the Eternalist Church within all recognized boundaries of the Commonwealth. Ryoone, I reiterate, is no longer one of them. So not only are these efforts legal—they are mandatory, by decree of the Emperor and under the explicit cultural-mission mandate of this Legion."

Now, Serina's gaze swung toward Lirka. There was no warmth in it.

"I do not answer to the mistakes of an Imperator who failed to cross-check her data with the updated charts. I answer to my orders. And they were clear."

She faced the table once more, arms now folded behind her back, spine perfectly straight, each syllable sharpened to a cutting point. She was going to make a statement.

"From this moment forward, any interference with the Third Legion's operations on Ryoone will be interpreted as obstruction of the Emperor's sovereign directive. Not simply a violation of military chain of command. But a hostile act against a lawful operation of imperial governance, enforced by the Accords, decreed by the Emperor."

She had now strategically escalated the situation. Either the Commonwealth would have to comply, or they would be forced to war. If Lirka was to try and contain Serina, Lirka would lose some favour with her own legion, for a botched start to the campaign because of a Legion's own Imperator backing down would not be a great showing, an excellent start if Serina wished to take the legion from under him. If Darth Malum tried to simmer things down and defy, or if Darth Arcanix came to rescue her precious Commonwealth, they would do so in defiance of the Emperor's own decree...

"If the Commonwealth wishes to submit a formal territorial dispute to the Assembly and renegotiate the Accords, they may do so."

Her helm tilted. Mockery, almost—if Serina were ever so undignified as to laugh.

"But until the Accords are renegotiated, this planet is ours. You are guests."

Then came the final blow. Serina turned slightly toward Darth Arcanix—this, at last, was for her and Darth Malum.

"And you, my Lady, would do well to recall that I am the Arch-Commandant of this Legion, appointed by the Emperor himself."

A beat.

"But if you question the mandate of the Emperor and the rightful law that we operate under..."

Another pause. The six eyes of her helm shimmered faintly, one after the other. A slow cascade. Not blinking. Hunting.

"It will be him you have to answer to, not me."

"We shall do as decreed."

She stepped back into the shadows, a wraith of imperial law, menace wrapped in poetry.

And said nothing more.

 

[Delsin Shaw]

OBJECTIVE I: Council of Commanders
TAGS: Ivalyn Yvarro | Serina Calis | Lirka Ka | Taeli Raaf | Commodore Helix | Darth Malum of House Marr | Rae Cooke |

This addition of new individuals coming forth and speaking was interesting. Whatever I had spoken was completely ignored. There was no hatred about it, as the Council members who came forth spoke of miscommunication. However, it was Serina that came forward with an ultimatum. I could only reply in one way.

"Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast."