Dominion Altierior Motives | Galactic Alliance Dominion of Altier

[Lyrrin]

Objective Deadlines​

Tags: Valery Noble Alexander Hayes

Lyrrin heard Valery's voice and the shouts of someone, or multiple people, but he was so dazed it was hard to make out what happened. The agent's spacey expression went to the face of the woman he had been questioning and narrowed "Alright well now you're definitely in trouble." he seemed to be convinced that she had made some hasty take down attempt. Karri lifted herself up and tried to move away from Lyrrin but he grabbed her ankles with both hands and as she started to try and trudge away "G-get off me! Whats wrong with you?!" Lyrrin's slow mode of ground-based locomotion made a ruffling noise against the pavement "My head hurts too much to chase you so we're not going to do that whole chase thing." Karri tried to move her legs up and down to stomp on the Farghul's arms but it was no use as Lyrrin's grip was iron and his weight was lead "Let go creep! I didn't do anything! I was pushed! Stupid alien!" she retorted and then took a swat at Lyrrin's head at which he winced and glared up at her "Oh ho ho, when she comes back and she heard you hit me you're going to be in sooooo much poodoo."

Meanwhile...

The suspicious man who had been running away from the now obviously Jedi Valery had no expected to be cut off by a metal arm as he ran down the ally way. Before he knew it there was a man on his back telling he had been arrested "Enforcer scum. I got friends in low places, you'll sleep with both eyes open."

 

[Sonya Provost]

Desric Terassi​

"I should hope so," Sonya dipped her head. Desric seemed confident in his success, which made her feel more confident in his success in turn. Whether his confidence came from sheer chutzpah, or more external influences, couldn't be determined. But she of all people certainly wouldn't rule out the latter.

The Montitian senator kept her eyes off Desric as he mustered up his response, but took note of the few moments of pause. She was admiring one of the artifacts behind a wall of glass, only looking back at him once he spoke. A perfectly moderate answer, not swaying much to either side. Keeping his cards close to his chest, she wagered. Fair enough. Not that it kept all emotion from slipping through, intended or otherwise. "Too true. Hopefully an external investigation will gather quick results."

Sonya withheld from making a more biting comment on the Alliance's efforts to investigate previous corporate controversies. Events regarding Denon were still fresh in mind.

 

[Kel Se'Taav]

Location: Blackridge Outpost, Altier
Tags: Aurorae ; Corazona von Ascania ; Cailen Corso ; OPEN
Objective 1: Dealbreaker
Soundtrack: Lockdown

​

The smug grin on the Rider's face disgusted Kel, but he bit his tongue and instead offered a reluctant bow; The thug merely cackled at the Bothan's gesture.

"Cute," the thug spat.

"Where's Chessik?" Kel demanded, refusing to waste any more time than necessary. The Riders were already off to a bad start; Their leader, the aforementioned scum by the name of Chessik, was to meet Kel and his operatives on the landing pad and escort them into the building.

Instead, he was greeted by an oaf of a man, a Zeltron by the looks of his pinkish skin and less-than-hospitable temperament. The Rider held the Senator's gaze for several uncomfortable moments before grinning even bigger than before.

"Chessik's inside, figuring how many Credits the Alliance'll pay for engineers and a Senator."

"Cute," Kel mocked as he balled his fist and slammed it into the unsuspecting bandit's temple. The Zeltron fell to the ground, barely making a sound before one of the operatives delivered a single blaster bolt to his head.

Kel stepped over the corpse, his entourage on his heels as he tapped his comlink.

:: "Deal's off. Find our people, now." ::

 

[Cailen Corso]

Location: Blackridge Outpost, Altier
Tags: Corazona von Ascania ; Aurorae ; Kel Se'Taav
Objective 1: Dealbreaker
Soundtrack: We've Got Your Back

"It's okay," Cailen whispered, offering her a consoling smile. "Really, I'm fine."

It certainly didn't feel great, but his nose wasn't broken or bleeding. He knew Cora was out of her element, and admittedly, he was nervous himself. Any moment, Aurorae would give the word. Cailen gripped his lightsaber firmly, ready to ignite its blade on their leader's mark.

 

[Aurorae]

:: "Deal's off. Find our people, now." ::

"<Keep your targets clear. Move in, now.>"

The alert was given. As soon as Aurorae spoke the charge on the front door blew it from it's hinges. Loud and bright, but it didn't send the door flying. Rather, made it fall flat to keep from accidentally harming anyone. Eyes looked towards the door just as the Shadow stepped in, white saber light up. Mask, dark. Then the flashbangs hit. From the vent, from the window, from the other door. The soldiers moved in to breach right on cue.

Silenced blasters went off, one after another. Picking targets blinded and disoriented. Aurorae brought up her own blade to start cutting through those close enough for her to bring down. Lightning quick.

It was over as soon as it started.

Cailen Corso | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Altier

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Lyrrin Alexander Hayes

Even though she could feel that she was closing in on her target, Valery knew she had taken a long way around by going left. It didn't matter much, as her Force-augmentation could allow her to catch up quickly, but Alex would undoubtedly be the first to intercept the runner. She had no doubts about the Marine's ability to stop the man, so she was hardly surprised to see the runner on his rear while Alex stood there holding up his cybernetic arm.

Oh, that must have hurt.

"Good catch," she said as she slowed down and looked at the man, who Alex began to restrain. He wasn't resisting at all anymore, knowing that he'd never escape, so within a few seconds, he was ready to be moved back. "Let's head back to Lyrrin, I think he's keeping the others where they were," Valery said before she'd wait a moment so he could catch up. The two then circled back around and...

Found Lyrrin tackling an innocent woman to the ground.

"...Uh, Lyrrin?" Valery asked, clearly confused. "We got the runner. Did she try to escape after she was pushed into you as well?" Why else would he be holding on with an iron grip like that?

 

[Desric Terassi]

Sonya Provost || + Other People​

Only time would tell whether Desric won the vote, but dining, golfing, and in one case fencing with the key players had left him confident. From what he could tell his two opponents were wasting their time reciting policy.

Nodding firmly, Desric opted for a somewhat less tactfully neutral answer.

"We are in agreement, then. A resolute, impartial investigation is essential."

A somewhat rare stance, for a soon-to-be-Corporatist, but Desric was not some profiteering jackal. If Hayata Corp had been putting lives at risk for a quick profit, that was unacceptable. He would not be voting to repeal SILK anytime soon, but it was entirely possible that he could be moved to support an amendment, say, clarifying responsibilities.

"If the failings are sufficiently dire, a broader evaluation may be necessary."

Globex's Board of Directors was unlikely to raise a fuss - they already adhered to various ethical guidelines. If anything, forcing similar rules on competitors would be a net win for their own endeavours in the region.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

OBJ II | Aurorae Cailen Corso Kel Se'Taav

If the calm before the storm was disturbing, then the storm itself was downright chaotic.

Dead silence gave way to a host of explosions; charges and flash bangs went off all at once, taking both the thugs and engineers by surprise. Radios crackled to life as the Blackridge enforcers fired back, but their staccatos of blaster fire were cut short by a white lightsaber or silenced shots.

Even though she knew it was coming, Cora was also startled. Her body tensed when all hell broke loose, and she followed Cailen out into the fray. Fortunately, Aurorae and the soldiers were taking the brunt of the combat.

With the guard's attention occupied, Cora kept low and managed to sneak to the group of huddled captives. Eyes wide and hands trembling, she worked the restraints from the lead engineer's wrists. They were nothing particularly special—physical rather than electronic slave bindings—something a knife could slice through easily. Her saber had been traded for the tactic blade at her waist as she cut another hostage loose.

"Let's get you o—"

She dove to the side, barely yanking them both out from a spray of blaster bolts. One of the Blackridge Riders stalked closer, weapon in hand. Shifting to a more stable position with one knee and one foot planted on the ground, Cora reached for her lightsaber.

Hands still trembling, heartbeat thundering in her ears, she froze.

 

[Auteme]

Alicio Organa Dominique Vexx | Sonya Provost Desric Terassi Elizie Athacorr ​

"Well, it's just a horrible thing that's happened here. Obviously not an accident. The people of New Deadline have operated their plant for years without issue. And now -- well, we really don't know what happened. We've only done just enough to help them. It's really hard to say what we can do. I admit, my faith in Hayata- even limited as it is- has been shaken." She feigned disappointment, but even for all her accumulated acting skills, she wasn't fooling anyone.

"We've all been so occupied the Maw, that stories from worlds like Altier slip through the cracks. Our markets have never been more open-" well, except under Tithe- "yet, we simply don't see the effects, see what strength we gain from further uniting the galaxy. Every corporation with a voice in the Senate has seen record profits this year, but every world they've brought into the fold lags behind the Alliance. It's troubling. It'd be best if we better understood what was going on -- if the Alliance took a more active role in helping worlds join us."

 

[Cailen Corso]

Location: Blackridge Outpost, Altier
Tags: Corazona von Ascania ; Aurorae ; Kel Se'Taav
Objective 1: Dealbreaker
Soundtrack: We've Got Your Back

The narrow hall was illuminated with a bright cyan glow as Cailen ignited his lightsaber. He rounded the corner just moments after the breaching charges exploded, following right on the heels of the GADF agents. In mere seconds, the soldiers had dropped nearly half a dozen targets.

Several disoriented bandits rubbed furiously at their eyes, blindly firing their blasters into the fray. Cailen snapped his lightsaber up, deflecting a few haphazard bolts back to their senders. The Padawan winced as the bright-red projectiles struck their marks and their bodies collapsed to the hard duracrete floor. For a brief moment, he glared at them, his mind not quite able to comprehend what he'd done with such instinctual precision.

An unexpected flurry of blaster bolts from the rear broke his trance, snapping him back; Another Rider, lucky enough to have avoided the worst of the flashbangs, had circled around the team. The man snarled, turning his blaster to Cailen and firing a volley of bolts. The Padawan swung his lightsaber, deflecting or dodging most of them, but one grazed his forearm.

Cailen gritted his teeth as it seared his flesh. He focused on the movement of his saber, sending only a few more shots into the wall behind the attacker before finally landing one center mass. The impact knocked the man back, his lifeless body slumped against a crate.

The room was silent once again, but Cailen couldn't hear it over the beating in his chest.

 

[Aurorae]

She froze.

Across the room Aurorae could feel it. In the practically blink of an eye that this breach was, Cora froze. Fear, panic. They dyed the Force in a way she could see all too well. Her white blade flashed through another of the thugs as she tried to figure out some way to help. To get across the room, to not sabotage the soldiers and keep the civilians safe while also protecting the Padawan.

Everything was just too quickly happening for her to. Thankfully, though, Cailen was on it.

A wave of relief. Followed by a bitter silence.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Aurorae shut down her saber. "Clear. Start evacuating the civilians to the roof. Padawan Ascania, help them. Padawan Corso, tend to your wound." The other feelings she could see. The rush of adrenaline, and the panic it staved off. It'd hit him soon. Give him a task, keep him moving, keep him focused elsewhere. Until they were back in the shuttle, Aurorae couldn't afford to let both Padawan's fall to panic.

"Move!"

Cailen Corso | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

OBJ II | Aurorae Cailen Corso Kel Se'Taav

And just like that, it was over.

The overabundance of silence was disturbing. Cora was still frozen, eyes anxiously taking in the sheer number of bodies around them. One lay at her feet, his hand limp near her boot. Her stomach churned.

If it hadn't been for Cailen's deft maneuvering, she likely wouldn't have bee standing.

Despite her ringing ears, she heard Aurorae's orders. Her words didn't quite register at first.

“Move!"

That startled Cora into action.

"You're wounded?" She turned to Cai with worried eyes while cutting another hostage loose. Drawing her knife away, she reached out to touch his arm on reflex—then pulled back just as her fingers skimmed the edge of his sleeve, abruptly returning to her removal of the engineer's bindings.

She'd wasted enough time already, not to mention a handful of shameful blunders. The heat of her own embarrassment colored not only pale cheeks, but now it reached her ears. Cora couldn't believe that she'd frozen at a critical moment.

"Erm…follow me, please."

The engineers exchanged looks, unsure of what to make of this bumbling child. Still, they followed as she made for the roof- perhaps comforted by the attendance of the more professional soldiers and Jedi.

 

[Kel Se'Taav]

Location: Blackridge Outpost, Altier
Tags: Aurorae ; Corazona von Ascania ; Cailen Corso
Objective 1: Dealbreaker
Soundtrack: Lockdown

​

"Chessik's here somewhere," Kel said, waving his operatives forward. The Senator's team crept on, shadowed in the dim light. They checked room by room for the Blackridge lieutenant, dropping nearly half a dozen insurgents by the time they reached the second-floor landing. With every resounding 'clear,' the Senator's determination intensified.

Blaster fire rang out on the floors above, halting the Bothan's stride. Rapid. Unsuppressed. Riders.

Then silence...? A knowing smirk spread across Kel's face, but he contacted Aurorae's team, nevertheless.

:: "Ground team, provide sitrep. What's your status?" ::

 

[Sonya Provost]

Desric Terassi
​

That earned a curious grin from Sonya, a look that almost seemed to indicate she was impressed. Certainly not the sort of answer she'd have expected from Desric, but certainly a welcome one. He was more rational than some of the others, at the very least. Which could also make him more of a threat, in the event that he ever strayed away from his current opinions.

For all she knew they were nothing more than empty words. But Sonya aired on the side of marginal optimism this time, until she had reason to be proven otherwise. Desric made for a far more intriguing piece of the puzzle than most, "Naturally. It sometimes feels as if sensibilities are in short supply. A reminder that we have these checks in place for a reason would be... most welcome."

The Montitian's attention was caught by her aide further away, miming some indiscernible sense of urgency to get her attention. Sonya smiled flatly, and looked between them, "I'm afraid something new requires my attention. Forgive me, Mr. Terassi, we'll have to speak more another time."

She took a step past him to leave, stopping a moment to add, "Perhaps on the Senate floor? I look forward to seeing you there," Another smirk crossed her lip as she glanced back at him, before she departed.

 

[Cailen Corso]

Location: Blackridge Outpost, Altier
Tags: Corazona von Ascania ; Aurorae ; Kel Se'Taav
Objective 1: Dealbreaker
Soundtrack: Quiet Watchers

"Padawan Corso, tend to your wound," Aurorae ordered.

"You're wounded?"

'I'm wounded...' Cailen repeated in his mind, glancing down at the singed fabric. It wasn't severe by any means, but he tensed his arm as Cora's fingers drew close to the burn.

He steeled himself, but she pulled her hand away when her fingertips graced his sleeve. Cailen breathed a soft sigh of relief, turning his own attention to a group of engineers. Several of them had slowly risen to their knees, but quite a few remained prone, their ears likely ringing still from the breach.

Cailen snapped their manacles with a utility knife and removed their gags. The poor people must have been held for several days by the looks of their raw wrists. Their lips were chapped, likely from a lack of food and water. He offered a pair of older workers his canteen, which they gratefully passed around to those who were strong enough to drink.

"We're going to get you out of here," he reassured them, leading the group around the bodies that littered the floor. Cailen kept his eyes high, unable to bring himself to look at the corpses - especially the man by the crate.

The one who tried to kill Cora, who shot him in the arm. Cailen was glad the Rider was dead, but unsettled it was by his hand.

"C'mon," he said to the group, trying to maintain his composure as his adrenaline leveled.

"There's a ship waiting on the roof."

 

[Aurorae]

"Padawan Corso, your wound."

For a moment, Aurorae was fine with him tending to the captured. Until his gaze drifted to the man he'd killed. Whatever his feelings, she refused to let his attention drift. And, he'd already ignored the command once. Her gaze again shifted, watching as Cora seemed to snap out of it. Focus, at least on helping the others get out. With the soldiers, of course. She followed behind, letting her mask scan their surroundings and send updates to the others.

So far, clear.

:: "Ground team, provide sitrep. What's your status?" ::

"<Heading to evac. All accounted for. Send in the clean up team for the supplies.>"

Usually she'd stay for that. Help clean up any others to keep them from escaping. But.. There were the Padawan's to handle. The ship from before and a second landed on the roof, a second team already coming off to start picking up on the material retrieval. The wounded loaded up in one. The Padawan's and the Shadow, the other, smaller shuttle.

All so they could talk. Once the doors shut, she turned her helmed gaze towards them both.

"So. What happened."

Corazona von Ascania | Cailen Corso

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"So. What happened."

Cora flinched, head cast down in shame. Here came the reprimand.

"I-I apologize." Her voice caught in her throat, barely above a whisper. Fists clenched, she struggled to hold back the flood of embarrassment and guilt that threatened to sweep her away.

Swallowing thickly, she found her voice again. "I panicked, and Cailen had to save me. As a result, he was injured." Her watery gaze flickered to her fellow Padawan with remorse.

He was younger, and yet he'd held himself together far better than she had. Despite Aurorae's lack of malice, Cora felt as if she were standing in front of her father, awaiting punishment for her failure. Her body tensed in reflexive anticipation. How many lashes of his cane would fall across her back this time?

Her only solace was that the hostages were largely unharmed by her blunder. She'd been fortunate, in that regard.

"I-I'm sorry." She muttered again.

Aurorae Cailen Corso

 

[Lyrrin]

Objective Deadlines​

Tags: Valery Noble Alexander Hayes

Lyrrin looked over to Valery as he was hit yet again on the head by the angry Karri "She's trying to get away! Stab her with your lightsaber or somethin!" he winced as he was struck again "You hit like a Jawa - ow!" the woman kept trying to get away from the apparent Jedi and Lyrrin. She had no reason to believe that either of them would be lenient with her or her possible involvement with the man that had just been recently captured by Alexander - unbeknownst to her of course.

The Farghul agent struggled to get to his feet without letting go of the Human's ankles, a feat that was only made possible by his tail which acted like a weaker arm to steady himself "You're ow! Under arrest for the - stop hitting me!" he complained at the fervent strikes and slapping of his head and ears "Valery!"

 

[Kel Se'Taav]

Location: Blackridge Outpost, Altier
Tags: Aurorae ; Corazona von Ascania ; Cailen Corso
Objective 1: Dealbreaker
Soundtrack: The Hunt Begins

​

"<Heading to evac. All accounted for. Send in the cleanup team for the supplies.>"

Kel looked to his lieutenant, who simply nodded and made the request through a separate comm channel. The Bothan had more important scores to settle. His boots thudded rhythmically on the duracrete as he stepped up the stairs, finally reaching the fourth floor. If Chessik wasn't among the dead, then that meant the insufferable bastard escaped, or was never there to begin with.

Either reality would pose a major risk to Alliance interests on Altier.

The entire floor smelled of charred stone and death. Blaster-singed flesh was a scent the old man knew all too well, his years in service on Bothawui and the GADF having exposed him to countless battles.

Kel stepped carefully around the bodies as his agents checked for any survivors. The Bothan approached a particular Rider, a bald-headed man lying face down in the heap. A single exit wound on his torso had taken him out.

'Clean shot,' the Bothan remarked to himself.

He knelt beside the body, rolling it over with the barrel of his blaster.

"Got anything, Sir?" the lieutenant asked. Kel shook his head, sighing as he rose to his feet.

:: "No hits on Chessik," :: Kel grumbled over comms.

:: "Ground team, the building is secure. I'll see to the clean-up. Fine work today, everyone." ::

He gave his men a prideful grin. Chessik may have gotten away, but he wouldn't get far. Kel would make sure of that.

Then, as if on cue, one of the operatives called from across the room, "Sir! I've got something!"

The trooper raised it in the air, and Kel couldn't help but crack a devious smile: In the soldier's hand was a bloodstained holopad, its screen faintly glowing against the darkness.

"No, he won't be getting far at all," the Bothan remarked with cold tenacity.

FINAL POST​

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Grand Hall, Galactic Museum
Deadlocked​

And there it was. Dominique's mask was held firmly in her metaphysical grasp as the Chancellor went on describing what she perceived ailed them collectively. Naturally, this 'horrible thing' of Altier was merely an excuse. Humorous, that, if only the joke would not come at Dominique's own expense. A solution in search of a problem.

"I agree, Chancellor," Vexx replied smoothly when the woman was finished, "the Alliance should play a more active role in helping its member worlds. New or old. Those with the greatest need may at times seem the least remarkable and easily overlooked." Not that the Senator of Denon had suddenly become a convert to the ways of the Jedi. "Though, I cannot say how the record profits of well-to-do companies stands opposed to this. Surely an economical solution would enable the Alliance to help more of its worlds sooner." A lone finger tapped her lips for a moment. "As I recall, predecessors of the Alliance practically bankrupted themselves rebuilding entire worlds. A laudable goal in the moment, but did it accomplish something worthy of the price?" The Senator smile and gave a small shrug. Perhaps something for the scholars to debate elsewhere.

"Perhaps what the Alliance requires are... standards of economic engagement with new worlds? To prevent such young worlds from being exploited. Not, you understand, that I believe Hayata has engaged in anything so insidious. I would like to learn more of what occured and how before smearing their reputation. Nonetheless, I hear your concerns, Chancellor, and I do not see why discussion cannot benefit us all." After all, Denon had many corporations. New members could certainly benefit from a mutually beneficial arrangement. Why should the Chancellor and her be at odds? Surely they could strike an accord as well. A working arrangement the ensured the Alliance didn't stall and collapse in on itself too concerned about what might possibly happen.

Auteme | Alicio Organa