Dominion Beltrix and the Beast [GA Dominion of Beltrix III]

[Orn'om]

A Battle for Democracy
Beltrix and the Beast

All Eyes on Beltrix

Suggested for: Members of the GADF and SIA



All eyes on Beltrix as Civil War rages in the “Six Local Systems”. Beltrix has become a battleground for Democracy as Imperial sympathizers fight to keep the sector out of Alliance hands. Imperial Agents have fanned the flames of war by supplying weapons and ships to the sympathizers, putting the people of Beltrix on the backfoot. In response, an Alliance Peacekeeping Force has descended on the world to ensure the safety of its new constituents and to put an end to the civil war by any means necessary.

Silver Linings

Suggested for: Members of the New Jedi Order and GADF



According to reports from the Jedi’s information network, millions of Chiss are fleeing Imperial persecution of the Chiss people in the wake of a failed Chiss rebellion. However, due to legislation passed by the Senate in the ‘Iron Curtain’, many of these families have had their refugee statuses revoked. Even in Chiss Space where the Ascendancy maintains political and military control, the remnants of the Aristocra have taken similar steps, decrying the Chiss Reclamationists and denying entry into the Ascendancy to many ex-Imperial Chiss. This has created a Refugee Crisis on the Alliance’s eastern border where pirates and slavers have taken advantage of desperate families and taken them into bondage. In an ironic twist of fate, Alliance humanitarian law requires the GA to take in and offer asylum to any and all peoples rescued from slavery within their borders, offering the rescued Chiss a silver lining.



One of the largest shadow stations for a local slaving group has been uncovered in the Bormea Sector by the Jedi Shadow Network. A small customs force is all Chancellor Auteme and Vice-Chancellor Pryce can convince GADF High Command to send to aid the Jedi in their assault on the slaver station. May the Force be With You.

BYOO

Suggested for: Anyone!

There are as many stories as there are stars in the Galaxy. Write your own here!


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[Valery Noble]

Beltrix III

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

While her duties at the front of the war never ceased, Valery found herself working together with the SIA more as well recently. Partially because of her relationship with Aldric Laurent, who she was joining again today, but also because the current state of ongoing conflicts required a lot more missions in the shadows. From investigations in Maw territory to find a route for their capital to handling the Cold war with the Empire.

There was an abundance of covert operations.

"According to the intel you showed me, our target should be close," Valery said as they quietly made their way through city blocks to reach a weapons depot. The Empire had been delivering weapons for sympathizers but not all those shipments went undetected. Their task was simple — neutralize one such storage facility to stop the spread of weapons to those fueling the civil war.

"How do you want to proceed?" she asked with a professional tone, but she shot him a smirk right after. As someone without an official position in the SIA or other branches of the GA, he outranked her here, so she enjoyed teasing and pushing him into that leadership role just a little, even though they planned and worked closely together.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri would’ve been content with a mission that didn’t involve killing anyone for once. It was part of the reason why she had signed on to help Chiss refugees. Or so she thought.

She soon realized she would be doing some killing after all. Slavers were taking advantage of desperate refugees, who would sell themselves into bondage just to escape political repercussions. The situation was very bad, to say the least, but they had been given full permissions to rescue the enslaved Chiss from the shadow station in the Bormea Sector where they were being kept.

Miri boarded the next flight to the station, and was among the first Jedi to arrive. She began to dispatch the slavers aboard as quickly and efficiently as possible, leaving a trail of gunsmoke in her wake. She certainly had no love of slavers, but she also wanted to get this over with. Killing was still killing, no matter who did the dying; killing was a dirty business that left one sleepless at night.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Calix of Thyrsus]

OBJECTIVE II - THE JEDI BROS POWER HOUR
Uncharted Shadowport | Bornea Sector
[ Armor ] [ Lightsaber ] [ Blaser ]
Jand Talo (Stabby Bro) Jasper Kai'el (Dude Bro) Thelma Goth (Goth Bro)

Jand had said that he wanted to see Calix's armor.

Well, now the Nagai was seeing it.

If Jand were an artist with a blade, then the Thyrsian was just a wrecking ball. While Julius Sedaire had been able to refine some of Calix's natural talents, the afro-headed youth still wielded his lightsaber as though it was a sledgehammer. The wild, chaotic energy of Form I mixed with the raw power of Form V made for a terrifying visual, as the Echani cast aside any semblance of finesse.

Blade and blunt. That was Calix.

The customs enforcement squad had offered the station the chance to open its doors for inspection.

They knew coming here that this was likely a pirate stronghold. It was an uncharted post. There were no hyperspace beacons indicating its location. All the hallmarks of somewhere off the grid -- precisely what a slave port in Alliance space would need to have in order to operate.

The requests to submit to customs and revenue enforcement had been met by resistance. So then the customs agents had taken a step back and let the Jedi take a stab at it.

Luckily for them, the Nagai excelled at stabbing things.

And the young Thyrsian? Smashing would be more apt a term. Wielding the blue blade as though it were a bat, the dark-skinned Echani was both brutal and efficient as he hacked his way through a field of blaster fire. The strength enhancers on the polished, obsidian-like armor that he wore further embellished the savagery of his strikes, as the armored teen took point. With the shields on his armor, he seemed to pay scant attention to any trappings of defense, soaking the incoming fire as he pressed forward in a path that cut a wide swath.

With luck, Jasper or one of the other Bros would reel him back in. Otherwise, as the boy started to build up momentum in his head-on approach, he was just as likely to hit the oppressed people that they were here to save!

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Beltrix
Tags: Calix of Thyrsus, Jand Talo , Thelma Goth ​

Jasper hated slavers. He hated very few things. It was uncharacteristic of a Jedi, after all, but there was a special place in hell for those who practiced ownership of sentient beings. when word came that a crisis had broken out and that ex-Imperial chiss refugees were being enslaved, he wasted little time signing on to join the task force to liberate them. He was joined by Calix, whom he was familiar with, Jand, someone he had really been meaning to work with, and Thelma, a new arrival to the Jedi Order, and a reclusive one at that.

They were advancing on the facility now, standing down a wall of blaster fire. To anyone else, it was complete chaos. To Jasper and his allies, this was another day in the field. That didn't change his emotions on it. Calix seemed to have strong feelings as well. He was barreling through blaster fire one might expect a wrecking ball to do to a building. It was quite the feat, but Jasper knew that they would need composure, no matter how much he truly wanted to let loose on these scumbags.

"Hey," Jasper began, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder while continuing to deflect blaster bolts. "Let's keep level heads. These guys are scum, but getting reckless could put innocent lives at risk. We need to stay composed, okay?"

Jasper then turned to Jand, though his primary focus was still on the wall of bolts that lie before them.

"I don't think we've worked together yet," he stated. "It's a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance. Not the strangest place I've met people." Jasper turned to Thelma, who seemed to be keeping to herself. "And you're Thelma, right?"

The least he could do was break the ice. The group would need some form of communication if they were going to be successful.

 

[Thelma Goth]

"And you're Thelma, right?"

Jasper’s words fell on empty air. Thelma had barreled on ahead in a seemingly suicidal charge straight into the line of fire, deflecting blaster bolts as she went. She disappeared around a corner for a few moments, then reappeared, weaving between pillars, crates, and whatever else she could use as cover, all the while slaughtering every slaver she came into contact with.

Eventually she circled around, returning to the main group. She’d left a trail of maimed bodies in her wake, and yet there were still more slavers shooting at them.

“What?” she asked, blinking as if coming out of a trance. “Were you talking to me? I didn’t hear what you said.”

Calix of Thyrsus Jand Talo Jasper Kai'el​

 

[Tris]

Silver Linings

She'd been in and out for the last few days. After being captured in that first battle Tris had spent months in a Force User cell. She'd been surprised they even had any considering the Empire's policy when it came to any Force user that weren't their Imperial Knights. They'd kept her in some kind of stasis the entire time, able to see, hear, and feel but unable to move. When they shackled her and threw her into the internment camp she thought she'd have a chance but- Well somehow they had escaped and someone had thought to drag her with them even in her useless state.

Now they were on a slaver's station, corralled into containers like nerf to a slaughterhouse. She wondered what the slavers would think if they knew they'd captured a Nightdragon.

She wondered what they would do if she could use the Force. The collar by now had left her neck discolored she was sure and every time she tried to use the Force she was pricked with some sort of poison or chemical. It wouldn't kill her but she would be wracked with pain and unable to focus on using the Force. That compounded with the suffering around her...Well, it was suffocating.

"Chaos blind you," she muttered, half awake from her last bout of collar-induced shock.

 

[Ari Naldax]

Objective: Intercept Approaching or Escaping Slave Ships
Equipment: PTL-B9 "Heavy B-Wing"
Allies: GA, R9-K4 "Keeper",
Enemies: Pirates, Slavers, and all sorts of scum and villainy
Commanding: 1x Squadron of 4x PTL-B9 "Heavy B-Wing" Patrol Fighters,

"Incoming Ship, Action-series. Looks like an Action VI. Getting Life scan readings - Five crewmemembers, 3 to little... Ktah!" The Chiss pilot serving as Ari's WSO, who usually flew on her wing, exclaimed as she was looking at the readings. "These things aren't supposed to carry any passengers - that thing's carrying almost a thousand!"

Ari's mouth contorted into a frown as she guided the heavy B-wing into an intercept course, That could mean only one thing - and that was why they were here. "Rangers from the HPD have it marked as a serious target of interest. Everyone else keep patrol routes. This one's mine." That last phrase had a bit of a growl on it as Ari took a predatory grin, swooping down in on the lumbering freighter, strafing it's engine compartments with a flurry of Ion bolts as it began its approach to planetary space. It was rather easy prey, and she was surprised it hadn't been an interceptor frigate in disguise. As she began to spin the massive B-wing's wings around its cockpit as she pulled back into her planned patrol route, she looked as the INTERSEC Corvette assigned to the mission approached the Freighter.

None of the Rest are going to be that easy.

 

[Tallara]

---

---

Valery Noble Aldric Laurent
FLEETING MEMORY | LOST KNIGHTS
FRUMM HOUSEHOLD | IMPERIAL WEAPONS STORAGE FACILITY​

---

---

"Careful, Viceroy." She kept close, stepping with old Frumm as he hobbled down the front steps. Her quiet years of service had made her patient, and yet with the regular reports of combat, she found a small excitement growing in her chest. She knew down to the second the last time she'd seen action. There wasn't a scratch on her armor. Her saber and pistol were in perfect condition. Not a day had gone by where she had not trained. She felt ready; she felt deadly, even after all this time away.

And how far away she was. The old Knights Obsidian were long gone; the collapse of the Confederacy having gone by in an instant. But Tallara had a duty. Her orders had been clear -- protect and serve the viceroy of Beltrix III to the best of her ability. Even as the memory of the nation faded, and the old man began to withdraw from political life, she always stayed close. Loyal little Tallara, his son called her.

"Eh- yes," Frumm said, reaching the bottom of the steps. "Start up the speeder, would you?"

"Of course, Viceroy."

"Don't call me that."

"Yes sir."

Tallara had begun to worry that his mind was beginning to slip. Perhaps it was the stress of the moment; his responsibilities catching up to him, making him irritable, somewhat frustrated at her presence. She, of course, was very good at concealing her presence, and did just fine without intruding on his important affairs.

"We're headed to the storehouse?" She opened the door, and he grumped in. She moved quickly to the other side, and started the small luxury speeder's engine.

"Yes. My son will be there. You're to patrol the area a little while, whilst the weapons are loaded up."

She nodded. He glanced at her sideways, and snorted. "You barely know what's going on, do you?"

She straightened in her seat, and began to drive. "I know exactly what I need to, sir. Your safety and needs are my highest priority."

Frumm grunted. "You could do with some original thoughts, that's what."

"Sir?"

"Whatever. Shut up and drive."

 

[Iris Arani]

"Jasper and Jand can look out for the others. I believe that much."

She glanced to Domxite on her shoulder, nodding once to the droid. Multiple angles of attack. That was the plan. Break apart the facility and get as many out as possible. With the limited backup, well. Chaos was their best bet. She glanced to Silas, nodding once. Together they could do this, right? She had faith in him. His skills. They were trained by the best after all.

Iris dropped like a shade onto one of the rear guards. Most of the attention was on the commotion in the front. Something about a slaughter?

Concerning. Later, though. The tricks she learned on Denon proved to be plenty useful as she knocked out her guard then slipped right towards one of the containers. Her blade flashed through the lock before the Force pulled them apart as quietly as possible. Only to reveal the harrowed blue faces of the Chiss trapped within. The colors alone told her their state.

Most were too weak.

"Keep an eye out Silas. Domxite, start working off their collars." The droid beeped an affirmation before hopping from her shoulder to start undoing the collars around their necks. One by one, freeing them all.

"Any who can, help those who can't get out on their own. We're leaving out the back. Look for the Alliance shuttles. Domxite here will guide you. If you can fight, be ready to. We're getting everyone out."

Silas Westgard | Tris

 

[Jand Talo]

SILVER LININGS
Equipment

Calix's armor was impressive, it seemed durable but flexible, while offering some enhanced performance. And while it wasn't for the Nagai personally, who still preferred the Jedi robes, Jand could see the benefit of the outfit. It suited Calix's approach to combat, supplementing his combat, though Jand did wonder if the Echani might have become reliant on it.

Nonetheless, Calix showed his brutal combat.

With blue bladed lightsaber active in his right hand, and a Tehk'la blade in the left, Jand stalked through the hallways behind his fellow Jedi. He didn't rush forward, not when the others were pushing, but instead remained to the flank and guarded the rear. With the speed the group moved, it wouldn't do well to be caught from behind from enemy maneuvers or accident.

Ahead, Jasper - a newer Jedi acquaintance of Jand's - called for the Echani to calm, to avoid recklessness, and the Nagai couldn't disagree. Power had to be tempered by control, or it wasn't efficient. The older humanoid with the robotic arm then turned his attention to the pale Nagai, as he spoke and gave a more formal introduction while deflecting blaster-fire.

"Yes, this circumstance does seem to be quite typical," Jand replied, as he caught movement behind the group. There was one thing Jand was curious about, regarding Jasper. "If I recall, you were eating a sandwich during the underwhelming brawl between Kai and Silas... what was on it?"

The other individual in the group, however, was nowhere to be seen as Jand stepped toward the flanking group of slavers.

"It appears Thelma is currently breaking formation..."

Jand began to deflect blaster-fire himself, as he kept the pair ahead free from rear attack. Each bolt was swatted, with several being sent back to the shooters, before Jand threw his Tehk'la blade - the sharp dagger flew forward, stabbing a slaver through the chest - and then used the Force to center in on the familiar weapon; and with a pull of telekinesis, the blade whipped back into Jand's hand, as he used his lightsaber to simultaneously slice another slaver that got too close.

Then, with a more practiced application of object control, Jand threw the Tehk'la blade again...

* Slash, shirk, stab! *

--and using the Force to move the deadly dagger through the air, he moved it through the flanking slaver ranks. Each time the blade came back, caught, and was thrown again. Not too dissimilar to a child's yoyo... but covered in blood and ichor, and used for death. From nearby, the return of the mysterious Thelma was noted.

"Thelma is back."

Allies: Calix of Thyrsus | Jasper Kai'el | Thelma Goth
Engaging: Slavers​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shadow Station | Bormea Sector
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<I wish these thugs would just surrender,> Kyell said as his blade of violet plasma deflected another bolt straight through the chest of a slaver who tried to shoot him. Miri was right behind him, providing cover with her blasters while he took point and kept them both shielded against enemy fire and thugs trying to get too close.

He had hoped that an assault like this with other Jedi would spark surrender or at least an escape attempt, but many slavers engaged them like they had nothing to lose. Perhaps they felt cornered and would rather die than be taken captive, but it placed the Jedi in a difficult position. Kyell didn't want to kill even though these people were some of the worst in the Galaxy, but with the amount of pressure on him, there was no way he could realistically take them out in any other way.

So with precision and a desire to at least make it quick, he moved through their ranks and made sure they would not be able to cause harm again.

<I feel great fear down lower in the station. Perhaps a concentration of slaves?>

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Valery Noble | Tallara
​

Beltrix was in the midst of a civil war. Yet another battlefield in the cold war between democracy and imperialism. And it was in the arena of clashing ideologies that agents such as Aldric Laurent found themselves most often occupied. Today it was infiltration and neutralization. Tomorrow was anyone's guess. But his skills were in high demand no matter what. Someone who could get his hands dirty so the rest didn't have to.

Thankfully, he wasn't doing it alone.

"Just another block," Aldric confirmed, moving almost in synch with Valery, "We should case the area first. I don't wanna jump in head first only to find it filled with Imperial arms dealers." Simple enough, but he always preferred to be as meticulous as possible, at least when the situation allowed for it, "We'll go around the back, see if we can find a more subtle path in." The agent finally broke into a smirk of his own, before they crept up to the next corner. "There it is," He nodded towards a disconcertingly inconspicuous facility.

"You do remember that job on Eriadu, don't you?" That was the kind of mess was hoping to avoid.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<Indeed. I can think of plenty of things I’d rather do, places I’d rather be...> She blasted a slaver who had just come out of cover before he could even fire a single shot at them, then blew the smoke from her barrel. <I’m glad I’ve still got it, at least.>

<I feel great fear down lower in the station. Perhaps a concentration of slaves?>

<Or a more cowardly stripe of slavers.> But Kyell was probably right. <This level’s clear. Let’s go down and clear out the next one, then free them. Does that sound like a plan?>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Valery Noble]

Beltrix III

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent | Tallara

"Yes sir," Valery said in response to his plan, almost with a little too much excitement in her voice. This mission was incredibly serious and the consequences of failure or success here could not be underestimated, but she just enjoyed working together with him way too much. They had always made a great team but now that their relationship had grown far beyond colleagues, they were capable of even more. "I'm sure there will be some imperials or at least armed sympathizers. Maybe not trained, but they'll have a lot of firepower," Valery added.

"You do remember that job on Eriadu, don't you?"

She blinked, "Yeahhh, I didn't know it'd be that heavily fortified, but we still made it out, right?" she smiled a little more nervously for a moment, as she still felt some guilt over that whole thing.

Luckily, her attention could be drawn to something else, as they rounded a corner and spotted the facility up ahead. From afar, it didn't look like much but the guards patrolling the area confirmed it all. She could feel more of them inside too, but nothing really stood out as overly troublesome. "I don't sense an army in there, so we can probably take them if you want to engage. But we can try to sneak in, take out the patrol and plant some explosives too."

It was his call, as far as she was concerned.

 

[Calix of Thyrsus]

OBJECTIVE II - THE JEDI BROS POWER HOUR
Uncharted Shadowport | Bornea Sector
[ Armor ] [ Lightsaber ] [ Blaser ]
Jand Talo (Stabby Bro) Jasper Kai'el (Dude Bro) Thelma Goth (Goth Bro)

Drazan Barsto was the man's name.

At thirty-six, he was scraping the bottom of the grog barrel. His wife had taken everything in the divorce, leaving him with only the shirt on his back and a one-way ticket to the void.

All he needed was one big score and he could get his life back.

He didn't like what they were doing. It had never been his intention to get involved with slavery. It was just... merchandise. Moving merchandise paid well. Move some merchandise here, then on to markets in the southern systems and he could make enough money to finally claw his way up from out of debt. All he needed was one big score.

He hadn't wanted this. He hadn't wanted any of this.

First the Galactic Authorities, now the Jedi were involved. The used and shoddily maintained blaster carbine that Drazan wielded jammed in his arms. Cursing his luck, the man cast it aside. Tibana smoke choked his lungs. Blaster bolts and lightsabers seemed to flash on every side.

Reaching back to the waistband of his trousers, the man drew a hold-out blaster. To be honest, he wasn't sure that it even worked.

He wasn't trying to hurt anyone. He just wanted to escape.

Escape and then all he needed was one big score. That was it. Then he could walk away.

As Drazan turned, all he saw was a flash of blue as something like a afro-haired demon suddenly appeared through the haze.

[ post theme ]​

The man's scream was raw, viceral.

It echoed through the hangar bay, before it ended abruptly. A hand reached up, spreading a bloody smear across the black, polished metal of the boy's armor.

Then it fell back to the ground as the Thyrsian looked down at the corpse and a smile lit up his face.

He could feel his Echani blood stirring in his veins. Childish laughter slipped from his lips. "heh," Calix uttered coldly, gripping the lightsaber with both hands as he seemed to pause and scan for another victim. "This is fun."

The boy was about the plunge forward again when a hand suddenly snapped him back.

Anger lashed out, as the boy whirled as though about to swing on whoever had taken him by the shoulder. In that instant, Jasper might have thought that it was just a trick of the light that the boy's usual silvery-blue eyes instead glowed with a gilded malice.

Then, realization seemed to set in.

It was Jasper.

It was just Jasper.

The expression softened, as the boy blinked several times -- as though clearing the fog of war away from his eyes. The pale blue appeared again, as Calix listened.

"Let's keep level heads. These guys are scum, but getting reckless could put innocent lives at risk. We need to stay composed, okay?"

Keep level heads. "Oh," the boy uttered, suddenly realizing that he was out of breath. Nodding several times as he gulped down air, the Thyrsian answered, "Right, yeah."

Glancing back at Jand, the boy then seemed confused as he looked back at the direction that they'd come from.

Why was he so winded? They'd landed. Calix had jumped out of the transport and then...

...and then Jasper had grabbed his shoulder.

No, that didn't seem right. It was just... a blur.

Taking a deep breath, the Thyrsian just put his head down and ran alongside the Nagai as they seemed to re-group and plunge onward. "Stay together or split up?" the young Echani asked.

Pros and cons.

Cover more areas of the shadowport. But, there was more security in numbers.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Beltrix
Tags: Calix of Thyrsus, Jand Talo , Thelma Goth ​

"If I recall, you were eating a sandwich during the underwhelming brawl between Kai and Silas... what was on it?"

"Oh," Jasper frowned, trying to recall the day they had met. "I... can't remember. Maybe I'll need to find that place again. You could tag along if you're curious. I go to lots of joints in the undercity back on Coruscant in my spare time."

Jand was quick to point out the obvious return of Thelma. He was a very blunt, straight forward individual from what Jasper had observed, and he couldn't help but find it rather amusing. It certainly set him apart in a unique manner, aside from his high skill in melee combat.

“What?” she asked, blinking as if coming out of a trance. “Were you talking to me? I didn’t hear what you said.”

"I... eh, never mind," Jasper shrugged. "The thought passed."

Calix seemed to come back to his senses as well, which was reliving. It was almost as if he had slipped into some kind of trance. He had heard of such things, but just the kinds induced by copious amounts of drugs. Having it occur naturally was certainly odd. Still, he had Calix back to reality.

"I say we stick together," he stated. "We'll be more effective as a unit. Silas and Iris have already gone in to free as many people as they can. Our priority is up here. Splitting up may let us cover more ground, but the last thing we want is for one of us to be picked off without support. We'll move fastest if we maintain group cohesion. Eventually, these scumbags will get overwhelmed. We need to keep the pressure on them and make sure it's focused."

 

[Thelma Goth]

"Thelma is back."

“Facts.” Thelma nodded. But as she overheard the rest of the conversation between Jand and Jasper, her confusion only grew. “What? Sandwiches? Who?”

Man, was she hungry.

"Stay together or split up?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but Jasper beat her to the punch. Making a face at his suggestion they stay together, she countered, “Split up, so I can—” Oops. “Uh, I mean… so we can divide and conquer.” Nice. "I work better alone."

Calix of Thyrsus Jand Talo Jasper Kai'el​

 

[Jand Talo]

SILVER LININGS
Equipment

Jand's connection to the Force had improved somewhat, under the tutelage of a Jedi Master, and it allowed him to sense things a little more easily around him. So when an underlying shadow began to permeate through the area, like a shadow that stretched in a low sun faded but present, the Nagai was curious as to the source. When his instincts brought his gray eyes to Calix, he was unsure if that was accurate, until he witnessed the laughter and seeming intense change in the Echani...

When it came to combat, Jand could understand the anticipation and thrill, but even Calix's response seemed too much.

It would be something to observe.

Jasper had it under control, as Calix's focus was brought back, and the fight continued. Though, when Thelma responded to Jand's comment about her return with the statement facts, the Nagai inclined his head and added:

"Yes, it was factual," The pale Padawan deflected a blaster bolt. "It is why I said it."

Thelma was an odd one.

Jand had yet to work her out, mainly because they barely knew one another.

When it came to suggestions to progress through the slaver forces, Jand considered the ideas to split up or remain together. Jasper seemed inclined to act as the lead of the group, potentially due to his age and some sense of responsibility that came from it, but ultimately Jand didn't much care:

"I am ambivalent. I will do whatever is decided."

Then, without further discussion, Jand resumed the fight, his blue blade and dagger combination cutting swathes through the enemy...

Allies: Calix of Thyrsus | Jasper Kai'el | Thelma Goth
Engaging: Slavers​

 

[Silver Shield Group]

​

BELTRIX III - PRAGGAR-THRACK INTERNATIONAL SPACEPORT
DOCKING BAY 3C

​

There were six of them. All human, all male. Early twenties. And they all had the perfectly coiffed, neatly trimmed haircuts emblematic of young professionals. Or university students. Even their flight suites were pristine.​

​

After about three minutes of watching them, SR-5599 decides that there is no way in Corellian hell that these guys are smugglers. They're nimrods who got caught smuggling, sure, but they weren't smugglers.​

​

The obvious joke was that the Empire was not sending their best - but frankly SR-5599 doubted they had sent them to begin with.​

​

They had been corralled into a corner of the landing bay, tucked between empty shipping containers, handcuffed and left on their knees. After a series of inelegant scoots and shuffles, they had come to huddle together, then began to whisper urgently among themselves.​

​

A more engaged contractor probably would not have allowed this. As it stood - he was incredibly bored. The rest of SR-5599's dispatch were tearing through their rented shuttle and piling up contraband for cataloging and then disposal. The fun stuff. And he got stuck with these chumps. So yeah, he wanted to see where this went, and watched them do their thing, hands folded neatly over the rifle slung across his chest.​

​

One of them - a little chubby, thick necked, noticeable dimples - rose a little bit, then said. "I've got to use the refresher, sir."​

​

"No."​

​

Dimples thinned his lips and slowly settled back down. The huddle resumed. Dimples was met with harsh, hissing criticism from the rest of the group. Eventually a new representative was elected, who teetered up next.​

​

"Sir," this one, whose face was a touch too small for his head, began, "Where are you from?"​

​

SR-5599 sighs. Thinking of home made him think of his parents, and he did not like to think of his parents. "Eriadu."​

​

Smallface means to nod solemnly, but is clearly a touch too excited by this answer, and ends up bobbing his head too quickly, like some kind of idiot bird. "Oh, oh, that's a good world. An Imperial world, sir, if I'm not mistaken. A good, Imperial world."​

​

The rest of them murmured their agreement, affirming that Eriadu was a good world, a great world. They also all kept saying 'sir. Sir, sir, sir.' Like a flock of idiot birds. SR-5599 had detained plenty of people. It was the ones who overused and overemphasized the honorifics that made his skin crawl. Worst way to cozy up was to overdo it.​

​

"It's fine," SR-5599 conceded.​

​

"I wish I had been from Eriadu, sir. We're from Tuttin IV. The Imperial movement there's very small. The government is weak."​

​

Dimples nodded in a sagely way. "Very weak."​

​

His immediate neighbors shushed him.​

​

"Uh-huh."​

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Smallface continued, unphased. "Do you consider yourself an Imperial too, sir?" Smallface continues.​

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SR-5599 shrugged. "I don't like to get political."​

​

He had at one point. He had all sorts of opinions on foreign policy and infrastructure and immigration and all that stuff. Then he got the suite installed at the Eriadu campus and all that stuff felt less important when he got out of the tank.​

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In any event, that wasn't the answer Smallface wanted. Ill-concealed annoyance flashed briefly across his face. "You must appreciate the Imperial ideology, having benefited…?"​

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"It's alright," SR-5599 reiterated, and repeated his shrug.​

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Smallface thinned his small lips, "Tuttin IV hasn't benefited from Imperialism like Eriadu has, sir. That's why we joined Young Imperials, so we could help the movement grow."​

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An eyebrow cocked beneath his helmet. "You joined what?"​

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"It's our campus political organization," someone in the back of the group clarified, and was awarded with an elbow in the gut for their contribution.​

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"When we heard about the movement on Beltrix III, we knew we had to help," Smallface quickly continued, "Imperial solidarity is important."​

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"Very important," Dimples wisely echoed.​

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"So if you also sympathize with the cause - if you want for, for Beltrix and Tuttin what you had on Eriadu. You should help - you should let us go. Sir."​

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SR-5599 watched them for a long, quiet moment. "I'll think about it."​

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Dimples' head shot up. Smallface's eyes went wide. "Really?"​

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"No, I fucking won't," SR-5599 snapped. "Any more questions?"​

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There was a collective deflation among the Young Imperials as hope ebbed. A short, weedy fellow with serious eyes cleared his throat. "Sir. What's the penalty for smuggling on Beltrix III?"​

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"What were you smuggling?"​

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"Allegedly smuggling," he quickly corrected, throwing a nervous glance over his shoulder, "Let's say - hypothetically - guns, ammunition, personal armor."​

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Data scrolled across SR-5599's field of vision. "Mhm. Hypothetically, sure. Then, hypothetically, you would look at a minimum of ten years, maximum of fifty."​

​

Poorly stifled gasps and whimpers rippled out from the Young Imperials, like SR-5599 just threw a stone into their midst. Weedy swallows, "That's not-" his voice cracked so he stopped before trying again, "That's not too bad."​

​

"I guess it's not the worst," SR-5599 replied, adding: "On Eriadu, they just shoot you."​

​