Skirmish Blood brings family together

[Diarch Rellik]

Location: The Sanctum of the Brotherhood – Archon's Office

The doors opened calmly. The threshold of Archon Zara Saga's private sanctum gave way to two who required no permission. Diarch's Reign and Rellik. Rellik took in the room with a brief glance. Every inch of it bore Zara's presence in HIS opinion. Disorganized. Blades, alcohol and nice fabrics laid about. It filled him with some emotion between disgust and love. Somehow. It was clear no one dared come in here often. Yet, the two Diarch's did not need to ask to enter.

Before she could begin her "Are you here to scold or berate me again. Have I not had enough. You two have not done anything for blah blah blah." Rellik spoke first.

He stepped forward, precisely far enough to respect her space, but near enough to show purpose.

"You were right." He said softly. Despite how rambunctious and annoying she was, he loved her as a daughter or younger friend. With all of his heart. "At the Chancellory forum. You spoke what many would not. About the Jedi. About how we need to rise to the occasion." He gave a soft jab to his brother's chest and laughed. "Little do you know, trouble. That we have already been hunting and killing the Jedi in our space." He turned back to her more serious. "You should have come to us directly. We know you are strong but we do not like risking the lives of our own. So here we are. Subservient to you outbursts. We ask you come on a mission with us. To satisfy your wants." As he said the last sentence he was more exaggerative and flamboyant in his expressions. In an almost mocking way. Even going so far as giving a small bow.

"So, my brother and I have created a hunt for Jedi, just for you." He looked at her with almost puppy dog eyes. Hoping for forgiveness. "Please, remember we love you, trust you, and will fight by your side. The forum is its own place but don't forget that here together. It is a whole other world. Have we spent so much time apart that you have forgotten who we are?"

His last words were serious. Zara was one person he never expected such outbursts from but recently she had been slipping from family to rebellious youth. What happened to the sweet Archon of Light who trusted them, valued what they said and grew up with them. The sister who the Diarchs would do anything for. - It seemed the second they gave her the autonomy of being an adult that she forgot about them. Forgot about the journey they all took to where they are now. - They missed her, missed the girl with the fire in her eyes and heart who would stand with them. The girl who was burning with life, who was fearless, with the wind taking off at her heels. How he missed the girl he pulled up off the rebar in the arena and held in his arms. That was the last time he looked into her eyes and he saw Zara. So much happened around him he did not realize. That... would change. The Diarchs and her were cut from the same star. He knew who she was, he just needed to remind her of who he was.

This was a story of two older brothers trying to bring their sister back into the loving embrace of their family by trying to appease her. They would find her, whether it was a dream or if she was truly beside them. He wanted to bring her renegade heart home.

Zara Saga Diarch Reign

 

[Diarch Reign]

​

Location: Zara’s quarters | Bastion
Tags: Zara Saga Diarch Rellik

---

Reign’s fury had cooled in the time since the Forum outburst. Truth be told, he couldn’t disagree with Zara, and that made him all the more mad. If it had just been he and his brother, the fight would have been taken to their enemies from the onset. Yet now there were people who looked to them for protection.

But he was here to swallow his pride, he loved the rebellious Archon, as he loved his daughters. She was close to his wife, and was considered a member of their family. This schism between them needed to be healed, and Reign needed to kill something.

“I can’t condone the public outbursts, but you know that.. however, I wish you would have come to me, to Nocturne. I know I stand as this disapproving force in your eyes.. but only because I see the same fire there that burns inside me.. I know it must be tempered, or used, before it consumes you.”

His green eyes locked onto the wayward Archon, but it was not the disapproving look of a father. It was a look filled with understanding.

“I do agree though, at least privately, that the Jedi have sat too long untouched. Rellik is not lying, we have dispatched a number already.. however, we have a larger quarry to hunt today. Come with us, together, and root out the stagnation of the Jedi. As a family.”

Gone was the glare, there was a fire alight in Reign’s eyes. The promise of violence, of death.

“I’ve sat on my ass for too long as it is”

 

[Zara Saga]

​

Zara didn't move at first. She stood in the center of her sanctum like a queen without a throne, the long drape of gold and black fabric slipping lazily from one shoulder. Her eyes, stormy, intelligent, and tired, watched them both like strangers at her door. When Rellik spoke, her expression flickered for just a moment. And when Reign added his gravelled, quieter voice, that flicker deepened, but only slightly, before the arch of her brow returned. It was cool, controlled, not cold, but far from warm.

"Outburst," she repeated softly, letting the word sour as it rolled off her tongue. She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, like a feline that couldn't decide whether it would swat or curl up. "I spoke. I didn't scream. I didn't weep or beg. I said what no one else had the spine to say." Her gaze flicked to Rellik first. "If that bruised your pride, brother, then you'll have to learn how to bleed quietly." She turned toward Reign then, but her voice didn't soften. "And you, of course I didn't come to you. I'd be met with a sermon. Another warning to temper myself, to think before I speak, to remember how heavy the crown is." Her lips twisted, not quite a smile, not quite a sneer.

Her eyes drifted toward the floor for a moment, as if memory itself tired her. Then, sharp again: "You say you love me. You say you trust me. But you don't listen. Not unless I drag your attention in front of the Forum and set fire to your politics. That wasn't rebellion. That was necessity."

She stepped closer now, enough for them to hear the steel beneath her tone. "I know I'm right." Her voice cracked there, just once, like a bone splintering under pressure, but she swallowed it down. "You've both gotten comfortable. You sit in your thrones of consensus, and you let Laphisto whisper in your ears, because his words are soft and don't cut like mine do. I'm not him. I won't be him. You don't want me to be."

She paced past them now, circling like an orbit that refused to settle. Her hair caught the light, gold against the chaos of her sanctum. She stopped behind them, letting silence linger long enough for them to feel it.

"And now you come offering me a hunt. A token. A promise of blood and duty, as though that'll sew up what's torn." She turned back toward them, eyes sharp as broken glass. "I'll go. If that's your order. If that's all I am now, a soldier to point at the next Jedi corpse you want. But don't mistake my compliance for healing." A breath escaped her, too long held. "I'll come because I want the Jedi dead. Not because I believe in whatever throne you're sitting on these days." And then, almost too quiet to hear, she added, "But I'll remember you tried."

Her shoulders eased, just enough to suggest exhaustion, not surrender. Then, Zara folded her arms across her chest and waited for their answer, not as a sister needing reassurance, but as a commander awaiting her next command.

Diarch Rellik | Diarch Reign​

 

[Henna Ashina]

“I want it live.”

Henna strode into the comms room with the fury of a thunderstorm. Inosuke beside her, they had been made aware of the activity within the Brotherhood’s Sanctum.

Their outreach over the last two years had not been for nothing. The Lightsworn’d host had not swelled to numbers that would rival a planetary defense force, but they had gained more than just ships and swords. The Fel bloodline had pledged their fealty against a common enemy. The Diarchy operated on old Imperial grounds - and there were those who still aimed to hold the Iron Sun against the stars. Feeding information from Diarchy space back to the Jedi, every once and a while they offered something more.

The bug had only been in place a week or two - since news of the Archon’s call for blood had went out. In truth, Henna had no taste for the intrigue of it. She would have much preferred to watch the Diarchy with her own eyes, far sight granting her ethereal access amongst their own. Yet as her duties grew, she knew the tech became a necessary evil. It was more reliable, too, in truth - she still suspected there were those abroad who were tampering with her seer’s gift. So she had given. An Imperial loyalist had slipped into Zara’s quarters, no one ever the wiser, and left a live feed for the Lightsworn to monitor the escalating situation.

It had finally reached its pinnacle, evidently.

"And now you come offering me a hunt. A token. A promise of blood and duty, as though that'll sew up what's torn."

Henna slammed her fist against their slicers console as the words rang through the room. She shut her eyes, grabbing the thing, looking for an anchor. It seemed impossible. Darkness to their east, darkness to their west, darkness to the north. Then the flash came at once; home. Ships dropping from the atmosphere over Hapes. Golden orbs moved in observance of possible futures. Not one saw an Alliance arrival in times to stop the palace from burning.

“They’re coming to Hapes.”

The seer looked up to Inosuke, desperate. It was a bold move for them to chase the creed beyond their own borders. Hapes was a prime target - politically valuable, on Alliance borders, though not without their pride.There was no path in which the planet willingly gave up their Jedi. The palace would burn.

“Warn the consortium and rally the troops.”

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik didn't smile. His offer of appeasement was spat in his face. He silently clenched his fist as Zara paced around them. He was running out of brotherly love. Dare she lie to them, to their faces now. She did not scream - than what was her cries. Her voice at the forum was thick with a venom, she looked directly at the Diarch's as she spoke. How dare she say she did not cry out as if her voice was not a sunburst of anger as she said "Where is the fire that Kakus lit? Where is the will that began all of this?" What was it then when she openly called for rebellion. "Let me speak to those who truly matter: You. The citizens of the Diarchy, the real lifeblood of this great machine. Do not let your Diarchs be soothed into stillness. Demand from them the clarity you were promised. Do not insult the blood we've already spilled by giving away what others died to earn. The Diarchy was not built on compromise. It was built on vision. Bring back the fire. Or let the people light it themselves." What, did she think he forgot her passion. Her call for the people to Light it themselves.

If it were anyone else, Rellik would kill them. Here, in their office with his brother. He would show her the depths of brutality she wished to see. - Yet, she was special to him. She was here from the beginning. Risen from a young girl to the fiery spirit that stood before him now. He remembered his youth. He remembered days full of restlessness and fury. Nights drunk on dreams. A man who hungered for glory. His father beat and abused those lessons out of him. Was that what he needed to do now? Was there a better path. He hoped so.

His jaw clenched. His steps closed the distance. And then, he put his hands on her shoulders, not gently. Not with love. Not with comfort. But with weight.

"Why do most men commit to bloodshed, Zara?"

His voice was low, dangerous, level.

"We all posses a side that is barbarous but it is a double edged sword. It can win precious things like freedom, friendship, and love. Yet, can also damn those to lives of revenge, murder, and zealotry that leaves them without ever accomplishing something greater. Some think there are things more precious than these all combined. Some are driven to pursue it damned the outcome. They pursue it all solely for their own sake and no other. Their dream holds dominion over the entire galaxy. Think of the emperor of the Sith. Dedicating his life to the forging of his ideals. What has he accomplished? We hold nearly as much space as he does. Is that what you want? To be proud of savagery and winning nothing? - Many can pursue their dreams in solitude, other dreams are like great storms blowing thousands if not billions in their wake. These dreams can breath life into men and can cage them into suffering. They live and die by it. You are an Archon and must choose if you wish to cage or free those within the Diarchy. That, is what we are here for. Not some trivial pitty party. I have tried to appease your insolence and bring you back in the fold but I will hide the meaning no longer. You are high archon of the brotherhood. You will either lead, or be swallowed by your own ambition."

His hands slipped from her shoulders.

"I will not coddle you anymore. You are either a leader, or a warning. Pack your things. That. Is an order."

Then, softer but no less serious.

"And whatever you think of my throne... remember, I built it for all of us. Including you. I have been hunting Jedi, Sith and more while you sit and moan about oh woah is me. What, have you lost so much self respect you forgot that you are a High Councilor to the point that Reign and I need to take you by the hand to kill Jedi? Pathetic, Meet me at the the Sloan Naval Academy. We take my flagship to the hunt. Be on time... and sober. Be fearless, be strong. Be Zara Saga, or lose yourself to this drunk mess that will accomplish nothing. Either way, I am off to the Hapes cluster to kill those Jedi you believe we think so sacred."

His words were laced with the same venom hers were at the forum. He would not be swayed and deluded in what she has said and done. There was no level of manipulation that would sway him from his task tonight. Zara, could see the vision, know the Diarch's are willing to help her. Or be damned. He turned and left the chamber to ready his flagship.

Zara Saga Diarch Reign Henna Ashina

 

[Diarch Reign]

​

Location: The Crucible on route to a shuttle
Tags: Diarch Rellik Zara Saga

---

Reign had not stayed to hear all of Rellik's rebuttal. He knew what his brother would say, and before he launched into another "sermon" he left the room. His anger at the young Archon was threatening to spill over, and rather than lose himself and do something he may regret.. he walked away.

That was not to say he was done however, as when he reached a safe distance his fist struck out in a force amplified blow to the wall. Leaving a dent in the durasteel. He was livid, and woe be to any enemy that was in his way now. For if he was ready to strike down one of his own, the enemy would have no chance.

He practically stalked on to his shuttle, the air around him seeming to shimmer with his fury. As he directed the pilot to the naval academy, he pulled out his lightsaber and began practicing his forms to let off steam. Each strike giving him clarity and soothing his rage, he would hold on to it.. for later.. but right now it served him no purpose. He was not a slave to his emotions, like the Sith. Nor did he disregard them, as the Jedi would. He acknowledged his rage, and the cause.. and saved it for later.

Reign arrived at the academy and immediately went to where Rellik's ship was docked. The Diarch had never been to Hapes, but it would be a trip he would not soon forget.

 

[Inosuke Ashina]

High Lord of the Lightsworn
Sworn Navy Flagship
Hapes - Orbit
Present Time

​

“Warn the consortium and rally the troops.”​

Their response was quick. Mobilizing from Atresia, the Sworn Host made it to the neighboring Hapes long before Diarchy ships could arrive. It gave them enough time to convince the Consortium to deploy the Royal Navy rather than sounding the alarm to the Alliance. Given the hostilities emerging in the Core, Alliance fleet response times were unlikely to be sufficient. Thankfully, Henna knew her people and their dispositions well; coupled with her renown, she had more than enough influence to persuade the Queen Mother. Had it been only Inosuke, it was unlikely the plea would have gone their way.

As Diarchy ships entered the system, the Sworn Flagship would immediately hail them. Inosuke's full-bodied likeness would transmit live across their holoprojectors.

<"This is Master Inosuke Ashina. You face the combined force of the Sworn Host and the Hapan Royal Navy. This will be your only warning; abort all aggressive maneuvers and return to the Braxant. Should you refuse, you will, in turn, forfeit any option for surrender.">

No one expected them to comply; it was merely on principle that the ultimatum was given. Henna's vision, as she described it, seemed contraindicative to any peaceful resolution. Not to mention the stated motives of the Diarchs themselves. A palpable tensity buzzed in the Force, the immediate future clouded, yet all too recognizable as the feeling of impending conflict. Nevertheless, the channel remained open to response, even for the slightest hope of negotiation.

"Tell all Jedi to begin pre-flight preparations, and send an engineer to prepare my ship. We'll attempt to meet them before planetfall."

Lightsworn comms officers quickly began conveying the High Lord's orders across several channels.

Defensive advancement began, preempting the Diarchy's response. Battle Dragons took two echelon formations at the flanks of the Sworn fleet. Two smaller detachments from each force remained behind in a screen formation over Hapes. Their retaliation would need to be fast and efficient, should the Alliance catch wind of this engagement and show up before it was over, victory for Hapes would likely be guaranteed. All the same, it could easily turn into a two-front battle for the Lightsworn. The GADF wasn't going to take kindly to an illegal militia operating in their place.

Time was of the essence.

_____________________________________________________​

Diarch Rellik | Diarch Reign | Zara Saga | Henna Ashina​

 

[Merion Oreno]

Realspace yanked away the familiar frisson of hyperrapture madness as Merion decanted alongside the Diarchy forces. He flew an updated TIE Exalt, straightforward and reliable as a mastercraft sword, a far cry from the blazingly complex Khopesh expeditionary craft where he spent most of his career.

For the moment he hung back with Rellik's flagship, not eager to incur his hundred-thousand-and-first death. He breathed futures and felt a chance of true disaster but not a certainty; his Isopteran senses did not suggest a guaranteed apocalypse today.

"This is Master Inosuke Ashina. You face the combined force of the Sworn Host and the Hapan Royal Navy. This will be your only warning; abort all aggressive maneuvers and return to the Braxant. Should you refuse, you will, in turn, forfeit any option for surrender."

Ashina was a known name, partly because his surname was almost a homonym to Merion's grandmother and mostly because he'd fought the Drael, the Maw, and the Sith and lived to tell about it. Merion made a note to see what else he could dig up. Sworn Host meant nothing to him, but on this mission he was double duty nav and starfighter work; strategic intelligence was someone else's job.

 

[Zara Saga]

Zara didn't flinch when Rellik's hands clamped onto her shoulders, nor when his words landed like hammer blows. She held his gaze, a storm meeting a storm, and listened in silence. But silence, for Zara, was never agreement. When his grip finally loosened, she remained motionless, a statue carved in defiance. She offered no words as he delivered his ultimatum, made no move to follow when he left. She didn't shatter. She simply stood.

Only when the door slid shut did Zara exhale, a long, slow breath, her eyes closing for just a moment. No tears came. Not for them. Not anymore. "I'll be a leader or a warning?" she thought bitterly. "Fine. Let's see which one breaks first."

Her sanctum felt heavier now, filled with the echoes of men who called themselves her family but only spoke in commands. She looked around the cluttered room, at her knives, her silks, her half-empty bottles, and for a fleeting moment, she hated it. All of it.

Then she moved, deliberate and methodical. She stripped off the gold and black fabric, tossing it aside, and chose something simpler: armored, dark, and practical. Her blades were checked and secured. Her hair was tied back, sharp and efficient. There was no mask to wear today.

She wasn't going as their sister, nor as their disappointment. She was going as Zara Saga. By the time she walked the long halls toward the shuttle bay, the exhaustion in her eyes was gone, replaced by something colder, more dangerous.

She moved like a shadow behind glass, and every soldier, every technician who glimpsed her stepped aside without a command. They all knew better. She didn't spare them a glance. When she reached the shuttle, Reign was already inside, visible through the open hatch. Rellik wasn't far, giving orders, readying as if nothing had changed.

Of course, Zara thought. To them, nothing has. She paused at the base of the ramp, long enough for her presence to register, then climbed it, quiet and focused.

In the dim hum of the ship's corridor, she stopped beside Reign. She didn't look at him, her voice flat, devoid of apology or warmth. "I'm here," she stated.

Diarch Rellik | Diarch Reign​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

The shuttle ride from Sloan was unceremonious. Its engines hummed softly beneath the tense silence of its passengers, broken only by the quiet hiss of pressurization. Rellik stood with his hands behind his back, gaze distant as the spires of the naval academy fell away into the stars. Beside him, Zara Saga sat silent with subservient disgust. Reign was seething quietly as well, with fists clenched and harnessing his feelings in the force.

They ascended toward orbit, swallowed moments later by the shadow of the DSD-Vault. The hangar bay doors yawned open, and the shuttle touched down within the armored belly of the destroyer. A swarm of officers greeted them with bows, though the expressions were taut. They could tell the tension between the three of them was high. So they did not concern themselves with trivialities that normally would be available upon Rellik's flagship. Such as teas or sweets. Without needing words the three of them made their way to the command center of the ship.

By the time the Vault dropped from hyperspace, the Hapes system was already alight with formations. Two Battle Dragons lead arrowheads of smaller frigates and ships protecting them curled protectively around the green-blue jewel of Hapes. It was not a welcoming committee. "Dank Ferrick, somehow they knew we were coming." Even with the Vault being three times the size of a single Battle Dragon, they were not alone to be flanked. At its side was a single triangle formation of smaller anti fighter frigates. Meant to keep bomber ships from disabling it while it took the brunt of any battle.

Red lighting bathed the command deck as the Vault went into battle mode. The second officer of the ship came to the trio of warriors aboard the command center and relayed that a holo line communication was coming in.

The holoprojector bloomed to life blue light cascading across the deck attempting to counteract the dark red. In the recesses of Rellik's mind it made him slightly laugh at how it was the light attempting to boom through the dark red.

"This is Master Inosuke Ashina. You face the combined force of the Sworn Host and the Hapan Royal Navy. This will be your only warning; abort all aggressive maneuvers and return to the Braxant. Should you refuse, you will, in turn, forfeit any option for surrender."

Rellik stood resolute in the face of the projector. From where he was standing himself and his brother Reign would be clearly seen on the other end.
His voice carried with smooth, terrible clarity.

"This is Diarch Rellik and Reign of the Diarchy. You've assembled well under what I assume is short notice. But this is no parley. There will be no negotiation, we have come for one purpose and one purpose only. To kill Jedi. In that regard I must thank you for bringing our enemies to us instead of having to hunt them down." He paused for a moment, debating what level of decorum he wished to give. "Tell your people to find their balance in the force. As for you personally, I hope to have the honor of facing you personally." Rellik looked to his second officer. "Cut the feed, the battle has begun."

He turned toward the gathered staff.

"Ready Reign and my fighters. Keep the Vaults four fighters close and the anti ship frigates closer. They will wish to push into our sides and hit the vault anywhere but the bow. If we get the chance, Keep us steady and focus fire on one dragon at a time. Inform the frigates to stay at our rear no matter the damage until ordered otherwise. The Vault can take it, keeping our rear safe is paramount to victory."

He turned without waiting for affirmation, striding from the command dais. The corridor lights flickered as he passed, casting long shadows across his path toward the hangar bay where the scream of engines and the howl of war awaited.

There was the thought of giving Zara command or ordering her somewhere specifically. Yet, Rellik decided not to. He wanted to see her supposed Zealotry in action.

Henna Ashina Inosuke Ashina Zara Saga Merion Oreno Diarch Reign

 

[Diarch Reign]

​

Location: Hapes | Aboard the DSD-Vault
Tags: Diarch Rellik Merion Oreno Henna Ashina Inosuke Ashina Zara Saga

---

Reign watched patiently as the message from these "jedi" came through. It was quant, he thought. That one system's fleet and some Jedi would deter the Diarchy.

As the feed cut, the Diarch was already on the move, he had recently received a new starfighter from Tertius C. Nargath and had been awaiting the opportunity to test it in battle. His ship had been prepared, that was good. He would not spend this entire battle within the command center, he was going to take the fight to these jedi personally.

He had hoped however, that before the day was done, it would be his saber, not just his starship that brought forth death.

Climbing into the Khopek SSF/Eradicator he quickly checked the systems before taking off. The sound of his acceleration ripping through the hanger. As he punched out into space, his tactical display immediately lit up with enemy formations.

As Diarchy fighters swarmed nearby, Reign's voice could be heard on the command channel.

"This is Gold Leader, all wings form up on my six."

He accelerated then into open space, his starfighter wings forming up behind him in a wedge shape.

 

[Talin Treicolt]

“We have an enemy squadron approaching.” The comms buzzed.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m hurryin’ fast as I can.” Talin snapped back.

The belt buckled over her flight suit, and helmet slid over tied back hair. It sure was weird flying into the fire without her twin. Talin went about flickin’ the switches fast enough to about break ‘em. The stupid R3 unit they had insisted she take chirped in the background, something about the expensive console not bein’ an outlet for frustration. The engine roared to life beneath her, drowning further sass.

“Yer gonna be my outlet for frustration if ya don’t can it, dome head.”

Yoke drawing back, her x-wing hovered above the ground. Other engines joined the symphony before she led them out from the hangar bay into open space.

“With me, Saber.”

Taking point, the ship whined with increasing tempo as she raced to meet the enemy. Ever the purist, she wrinkled her nose at the look of their fancy ships. They didn’t hold a torch to the classics.

"Lock S-foils in attack positions."

 

[Merion Oreno]

"This is Gold Leader, all wings form up on my six."

Merion didn't clutter the Diarch's comms with an acknowledgement, but squinted through the TIE viewport of his Exalt at the formation, and slipped into a high central guard above the wedge formation, as if on escort and overwatch for a high-value courier. The enemy fleet looked engageable at the scale of the Diarchy raiding force. No outcome was predetermined here.

He was, however, fairly sure that the Diarches would commit, wouldn't bail out until they'd caused some Jedi-affiliated loss, no matter the cost. Internal political reasons.

He started looking for a target, in full knowledge that they'd be in a target-rich environment with a quickness.

 

[Inosuke Ashina]

High Lord of the Lightsworn
Sworn Navy Flagship

​

"There will be no negotiation, we have come for one purpose and one purpose only. To kill Jedi. In that regard I must thank you for bringing our enemies to us instead of having to hunt them down."

As expected, they had no interest in conciliation. They would have their fight.

"The Sworn do not stand by, we answer," Inosuke countered.

"... I hope to have the honor of facing you personally."

Inosuke's hologram stared silently back at the presumptuous Diarch. The request was acknowledged only by an intensifying severity on the High Lord's face. Rellik failed to understand the gravity of what he was asking for.

As the feed cut, Inosuke stared out of the bridge's viewport, taking stock of the distant Diarchy fleet. Their sole stated motivation of 'killing Jedi' lingered in the front of his mind. They may have denied the code of the Sith, professing their unique philosophy, but the Sworn would treat them no differently. No leniency, they'd made their choice.

A glance at Henna in passing was accompanied by a brief brushing of his hand under hers. No further words or gestures were offered as he departed the bridge. They'd been so consistently consonant, he knew she understood his intention as well as what he was relying on her for. She'd keep an eye on things from up here; he would pay the Diarchs a visit.

Once he reached the hangar, he quickly settled into the cockpit of his ship. It wasn't so long ago that he would've been completely ignorant of every knob and switch on the console. Flying was a skill he'd learned very late in life, and now, in his growing age, he remained only a serviceable pilot. Thankfully, he had Saber as an escort.

<"Treicolt, I intend to invade their hangar. Take me there.">

Inosuke's X-Wing surged forward, catching up to the escort squadron and positioning himself between their echelons. He focused on evasive maneuvers, pitching and rolling according to the guidance of the Force. In the distance, he watched the Diarchy flagship grow larger upon their mutual approach. Despite his focus, he couldn't sense Rellik there. He'd gotten a notion of his presence during their interaction. It was missing. The realization hit him moments later: the Diarch had likewise taken flight. His eyes scanned across the viewport searching his feelings for indications of a presence. Letting the Force move him, his heads-up display centered on a distant fighter. Rellik. Fingers squeezed the triggers on the yoke, firing a volley from his laser cannons, and punched the throttle to break from Saber toward the flagship's hangar.

_____________________________________________________

ok i bait you Diarch Rellik
Henna Ashina | Talin Treicolt | Diarch Reign | Zara Saga | Merion Oreno | Kyric​

 

[Henna Ashina]

“Shields active?”

“Yes, Master Ashina.”

Master. Not captain. As all things went, Henna was hardly seasoned on a bridge. In her time with the New Jedi Order, it was never a concern for them; they had the navy of the Defense Force to cover the skies. As it turned out, there was a plethora of Jedi the same as her - unseasoned amongst the wars, preferring ground assault and an honorable duel to turbo lasers and ion cannons. Yet there she stood, admit the durasteel floor, donned in cream and gold robes. A leader of their mission, and the task called upon her.

Golden orbs fell to examine her crew at their stations. They were a mixed bag - a good lot of Atrisians, enlisted to the cause. A few of the men of various lords or another, handed to the militia for use while they started upon their crusades. Some she knew well; Kahle had lived in Hirata her entire life, and had young children at home. Dolan, a distant cousin from the Hapan court. Most were strangers who had handed their lives to die for the cause, if need be.

“We’re with you, Henna.”

The man beside her put a hand upon her shoulder. Gris was a general from Hapes, sent to advise and speak for the world. Was it her faulted so transparent? She steeled her resolve with the touch, and cleared her throat. Her men needed confidence in their commander.

“Rotate to broadside and fire at will.”

And so it was. The ships rotated with balletic precision, the battle dragons surging forward to unite with the command ship. The space around the Diarchy’s flagship lit up in a wall of fire.

 

[Talin Treicolt]

<<Sir, yes, sir. Saber, round the high lord.>>

Her starfighters fell in formation, a diamond shape around Inosuke’s ships. Eyes flickered across the void - she could hear the scream of TIEs quickly approaching. Chit. Pedal to the medal, Talin pulled upupup, allowing Inosuke to pace to the head, her own ship shielding from any fire above.

Then came the fire from their own - and the battle ground became chaos. They were quickly approaching the area where shots were being aimed.

<<Alright, Master, comin’ hot. Yer gonna wanna bob and weave. And when I say go — GO.>>

Talin took her own advise, narrowly missing a laser to her tail. Even the droid screamed - then let out a strings of colored words and slammed his claw into the sensors. The shields came online with a grumble and jolt.

“I am not suicidal. I had that!”

He redirected his efforts to the sensors, overriding her settings. Real time analysis pinged two targets coming in hot.

<<Almost there.. Saber Two and Three, stay with the High Lord till he breaks that bay… rest ‘o you with me!>>

Her fighter pivoted in a narrow turn, sending her playing chicken with that set of TIEs.

Inosuke Ashina Merion Oreno Diarch Reign Diarch Rellik

 

[Corin Kaze]

Dagon taught Corin a thousand things and more. Flying was not one of them. He learned that from Yula, and Yula piloted with all the grace of a derby champion. To be behind the stick again, well, it reminded him of the Zeltron's high-speed chases.

He remained in formation, doing as instructed. Out here, this was someone else's world and their word mattered most.

Diarch Reign - Diarch Rellik - Inosuke Ashina - Merion Oreno - Talin Treicolt

 

[Zara Saga]

Zara remained in the command center long after Rellik had left for the hangar and Reign had screamed into the stars. The glow of battle flickered across her face, blaster fire reflecting in sharp cheekbones and cool eyes. She stared at the spot where Inosuke's holo had stood moments ago, as if the blue light had burned a hole in the floor. Jedi. Hapan navy. A wall of resistance, coiled like a serpent, stood between them and the purge. And yet, her brothers, predictably, charged forward as if this were a mere ballroom duel.

She turned, slow and almost lazy, and began her walk toward the hangar. Her boots clicked steadily against the deck plating, each step uncaring of the klaxons howling around her. Her stride was smooth, almost casual, her lips curled into a dry, half-smile, like a predator observing its prey before the hunt.

Zara stepped into the Vault's cavernous hangar just as the Eradicator screamed out into the black, Reign's fighter carving a gold trail through the void. She spotted Rellik in the final stages of arming his vessel, staff buzzing around him like ants terrified of the lion they were dressing for slaughter. Taking her time, she approached.

"Charming reception," she quipped lightly, her voice like honey laced with something poisonous. "Red lights. No music. Not even one cup of tea." She stopped at the base of his fighter's loading ramp, resting a hand on her hip. Her golden braid, coiled like a viper, lay draped over one shoulder. Her expression was all sharp amusement, her sarcasm almost palpable.

"So." She gave him a slow once-over. "Where exactly would you like your discarded, untrustworthy High Archon positioned for maximum usefulness? Should I sit in the back and take notes? Offer a stirring speech?" Silence hung between them. She tilted her head slightly, her lips curling like a knife's edge. "Or, shall I go gut their command cruiser from the inside while you and Reign play starfighter sabacc outside?" She arched one brow, mock-serious now. "Do let me know where to direct my untempered rage, Diarch. I'd hate to waste it."

Behind her, a blast door rattled under pressure. Somewhere above, a warning klaxon signaled hull pressure from incoming fire. Zara didn't even blink.

Diarch Reign | Diarch Rellik | Merion Oreno | Inosuke Ashina | Talin Treicolt | Henna Ashina | Corin Kaze | Kyric ?​

 

[Kyric]

Arching out on the starboard wing of the diamond formation, Kyric stared into the incoming wall of fighters with a heavy sigh. Years had passed since he last sat in the cockpit for a dog-fight of any size. The threat looming closer counted among the largest of his career in an X-Wing, and much like his cousin at the tip of their formation, the kiffar was flying with a new addition to an unfamiliar ship.

R2-Q5—a requisitioned Imperial Astromech discovered on Cademim V.

The droid menaced Kyric with his low-pitched whirrs and chirps. Q5 longed for the days of old, when it flew in service to the New Imperial cause for a deceased Imperial Knight. The droid kept itself busy running communications for the Jedi Knight most days. But an opportunity to strike out against an enemy of any kind demanded the astromech's direct participation; and truthfully, he needed the help.

Without Tansu's steady-presence at Talin's side, or BD-8 at Kyric's, he felt the pressure building within him.

"Beeeeep-OOOP HRMMMmmm," Q5 hummed over the radio.

"Yessir, we're lookin' at quite the fight." Kyric flipped a switch on the left side of his console and the S-Foils shifted into attack position.

<<Almost there.. Saber Two and Three, stay with the High Lord till he breaks that bay… rest ‘o you with me!>>

<<Saber-3 movin' into position.>> Kyric uttered, momentarily caught by how easily the words came to his lips. He witnessed the memory time and time again, spoken by his father in the heat of dogged battles; the echo imprinted in the cockpit of his father's old X-Wing. Unfortunately, the kiffar's Wing remained back on Naboo in lieu of the light-freighter Kyric used to transport Corin to Atrisia only a few short days ago.

The borrowed starfighter coiled around Inosuke shortly after the Jedi Master broke formation. Saber-3 punched down on the sticks and triggered a flurry of cannon fire at the approaching starfighters. Kyric's main focus remained on Inosuke's safety, intent on seeing the Lord to the enemy ship.

---

LS: Inosuke Ashina | Talin Treicolt | Corin Kaze
Diarchy Dog-Fighters: Diarch Reign | Merion Oreno
We Fight SoonTM: Zara Saga

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik's ship, an obsidian interceptor awaited him. Some officers and crew were getting some final preparations and questions in before his take off. In the back of his mind he thought of the risk of death. How so many people were here today and all of it was simply to appease the Archon. The Archon. He thought, had she fallen so far in his mind that he did not recognize her as Zara anymore. Was she always this way and he did not notice due to his pride. The pride of the Diarchy's brotherhood. The pride of Kakus's teachings. Or simply the pride in her growth. How much of this was he responsible for.

It did not matter now. Battle has begun and Rellik only had a few things in mind. Kill that Jedi who sent out the holo call. Make sure to have Reigns back and ensure he does not die. Beyond all that, it did not matter. Not even the entire Diarchy mattered. The Diarchy, was Rellik and Reign.

With those final thoughts he went to embark on his ship when a voice called out to him. Zara. He didn't turn as she spoke. Didn't face her when the blade of her sarcasm tried to nick his pride. Her arrival was too deliberate, her timing too perfect. Always was. "You leave every meeting early," he replied coldly. "You declare we are blind, aimless, unworthy of the cause. Now you come with drama, asking for guidance?" He turned finally, eyes flat. "You can either do what you do best and find somewhere to go during the battle prep, council meeting, or even the battle and fight by yourself, or you can lead like you proclaimed you could do in the forum. I do not care. Prove your wants and ambitions go beyond complaining, ignite your saber and kill those Jedi like you preached we had to do." he motioned to the siren-blasted hull, to the chaos above "Because this was all set in motion for you. Go win this fight. Reign and I in our endless stupidity and failure will simply be playing Starfighter Sabbac with ours and our peoples lives for you Diarch Saga."

He did not wait for a reply and if there was one would not heed it. Getting into his interceptor he turned it on. Not looking at Zara as he left the hanger.

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His ship rocketed from the Vault into a starfield soaked in batteries already shooting each other. The vault was to small to carry more than a few fighters. Those were primarily to counter enemy bombing runs. So he had no convoy or wing to fight alongside him. Typically Rellik would stay on the command bridge and through directing the combat and battle meditation he would help secure victory. Today though, he wanted to get out. Even if it meant failure as he was not a great pilot. The Interceptor as well might have been a poor choice. No shields, having to rely on tight controls and alternating between speed and firepower. Of which it had both in high measure.

It did not take long for him to come under fire either. A squadron of X-wings were on him immediately. Flicking all power to engines he veered downward under the belly of the Vault in a corkscrew. His voice coming over the command comm's

"Where are my Tureng Autocannons? Get these X-wings off my back as I circle the Vault" The crew were trained professionals and some of the higher members of the Diarchy's navy. Responsible for defending the flagship of the Diarch himself. Their support would have been good but the weapons themselves are not good at getting through shields. A feature the X-wings are known for over the Tie counterparts.

As the battle between prey, hunters, and support from the ship went on Relliks interceptor took a hard hit to one of the wings. Causing him to begin spiraling out of control. Alarms exploded in his cockpit. Relliks voice came back over the comms in a vicious growl.

"Vault, this is Rellik, Open the secondary cargo bay... NOW!"

The Vault's underbelly groaned open just as another barrage sheared another wingtip. A hard bank, a thruster burst, and CRASH.

The Diarch's ship skidded across durasteel, sparking like a meteor across the vault's belly. It struck a maintenance crane, sheared a barrel in half, and slammed to a stop in a crash of smoke and fire. Rellik sat in the dark of the ruined cockpit. Breathing.

Stimky LS: Kyric Inosuke Ashina Talin Treicolt Corin Kaze
Stimkier Diarchy: Diarch Reign Zara Saga Merion Oreno